She chose Crispin.
Don’t ask me why.
But Crispie he became.
And I adored him.
We all did.
Including Bartholomew.
Battle also made a change to the studio.
He had curtains added on the windows.
And as I worked on my next book, the one after that, and the one after that (you get me), we utilized them.
Often.
We also put a fair effort into besting his challenge to have sex in every room of The Downs.
But with so many people around, this wasn’t easy.
That said, there were so many people around.
And that was awesome.
Rebecca did not contact Battle, or any of them again.
Until years later, when she was dying.
Because they were who they were, all four of them swallowed down their pain and anger and went to Greece to visit and say goodbye.
Obviously, all the partners went with.
She was beautiful, even at the end of her decline.
And I was nice to her face.
But I was glad to take my man home.
Chassie stayed with her the two weeks it took to reach the inevitable end.
And because they were who they were, they buried her next to their father in the family plot.
Atlas would wish this, so there was that.
But Rebecca would feel entitled to it, and quite frankly, that sucked.
Though life was life, you couldn’t have everything your way.
I wondered if Rebecca learned that in the end, with only one daughter near her side, and her being there out of duty only.
Regrettably, I doubted it.
As I was in on the whole ceremony to add Harmony and Charlie to the house forever, I got over my fear of the ballroom.
Truth, it wasn’t a room that was ever used, outside the weddings we seemed to keep having at the house.
