"But we weren't." Sandra covered his hand with hers. "We're all okay."
"Because of you." Terry's thumb brushed across a small bandage on her cheek, evidence of her own harrowing escape through the cornfield. "You protected them. You kept my children safe when I couldn't."
Sandra's eyes filled with tears that caught the kitchen light like diamonds. "They're not just your children anymore, Terry. They're ours. Yours, Patricia’s, and mine."
The simple words hit him harder than any confession of love could have, reaching into his chest and rearranging everything he thought he knew about family and belonging and the kind of love that changed everything.
Terry pulled her closer, his lips finding hers in a kiss that tasted of relief and gratitude and the kind of desperate love that came from almost losing everything that mattered. It was a kiss that spoke of promises and possibilities and the absolute certainty that whatever came next, they would face it together.
When they broke apart, Emma was smiling despite her tears, and Toby was making exaggerated gagging noises that made them all laugh with the kind of cleansing release that comes after surviving something terrible.
"It's over?" Sandra asked, her forehead resting against his.
"It's over," Terry confirmed, looking at the faces of the people who meant everything to him. Emma with her brave smile, Toby with his resilient humor, and Sandra... his beautiful, fierce Sandra who'd risked her life to keep his children safe and somehow made his house feel like a real home in the process.
He had everything he wanted and needed right here in his arms. His children were safe, the woman he loved was by his side, and he had the absolute certainty that they were stronger together than any threat that could come against them.
The Blackwood empire was falling, taking with it years of corruption. But Terry's family had emerged not just intact, but transformed and strengthened by fire.
They weren't just four people who cared about each other anymore. They were a family, bound together by love.
51
THIRTEEN YEARS LATER
Sandra smoothed the ivory silk of Emma's wedding dress, her hands trembling slightly as she adjusted the delicate lace sleeves. Thirteen years had passed since she'd first met the shy twelve-year-old who'd hidden behind books at baseball games, and now Emma stood before her as a radiant bride, every inch the confident woman Sandra had always known she'd become.
"You look absolutely stunning," Patricia said softly, stepping forward to place a gentle kiss on her daughter's cheek. "Your father is going to cry the moment he sees you."
Emma laughed, the sound bright with joy and nerves. "Don't make me cry too, Mom. Sandra spent an hour on my makeup."
Patricia turned to Sandra with a warm smile. Over the years, they'd found their rhythm—two women who loved the same children in different ways, united in wanting what was best for Emma and Toby. "Thank you," Patricia said simply, pulling Sandra into an unexpected hug. "For everything you've given them. For everything you've given all of us."
The moment was brief but meaningful, and when Patricia stepped back, her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "I’ll see you in there."
After Patricia left, Emma turned to Sandra, her eyes shining. "I need to say something before Dad gets here."
Sandra's throat tightened at the emotion in Emma's voice.
"You didn't have to love us." Emma’s voice was steady despite the tears threatening to spill. "When you and Dad got together, we came as part of the package. But you chose us anyway. You came to every school play, every parent-teacher conference, every middle-of-the-night crisis when I thought the world was ending."
"Emma—"
"Let me finish." Emma reached for Sandra's hands. "You taught me that love isn't just about biology. It's about showing up, day after day, choosing to be present even when it's hard. You've been my mom in every way that matters, and I need you to know that walking down that aisle today, I'll be carrying everything you taught me about what real love looks like."
Sandra pulled Emma into a fierce hug, not caring about wrinkled silk or smudged makeup. "You are one of the greatest joys of my life," she whispered. "Watching you become the incredible woman you are, has been a privilege."
They held each other for a long moment before Sandra pulled back, dabbing carefully at Emma's eyes with a tissue. "Your dad's going to be here any second, and if he sees us both crying, he'll lose it completely."
Emma laughed, the tension breaking. "He's already emotional about giving me away to Jose."
"He adores Jose," Sandra reminded her. "And Manuel and Carmen couldn't be happier about gaining you as a daughter-in-law."
A soft knock interrupted them, and Terry's voice carried through the door. "Are you ready? Because I'm coming in whether you are or not."
"Come in, Dad," Emma called, and Sandra stepped aside as Terry entered.
The sight of his daughter in her wedding dress stopped him cold. Sandra watched the emotions play across his face. Pride, love, and the bittersweet ache of a father watching his little girl take the next step into her own life were written in his eyes.
