“Until I wasn’t. If I had one thing in my life to do over, I never would’ve left you alone.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid, too. We deserved better from the adults in our lives.”
“That, we did.”
“Is this why you chose a career in law enforcement?”
“I think it was so I could continue to look for you while making a living, too.”
“I’m sorry for what you went through. I was protected by my brain shutting down the past, but you’ve had to live with it for all this time. I can’t imagine what that’s been like for you.”
“It was a nightmare not knowing where you were or if you were even still alive. Since I first saw you the other day, I’ve been trying to regulate my nervous system from a constant state of high alert.”
“How’s that going?”
“Work in progress. Does Kane know where you are?”
She nodded. “I told him that nothing and no one would keep me from my brother now that you have found me, and if he wants to stay married, he should stay out of my way.”
Jesse smiled. “Now that, right there, is the sister I remember.”
Epilogue
Early on Sunday morning, Sam, the kids and Skippy walked out to meet Marine One as it delivered Nick to the White House lawn. She tried to ignore the ever-present cameras pointing at them to capture the moment for posterity. After a difficult week, she hoped the images would show the world how much his family loved him.
The Littles were delirious with excitement as they ran toward him, nearly tripping over Skippy, who was right in the middle of the madness. Scotty had actually set an alarm so he could get up early to be there to greet his dad.
Nick dropped his bags on the grass and bent to hug the twins as Skippy danced around them, waiting for her turn to say hello.
Sam and Scotty brought up the rear, laughing at how Skippy managed to get a full lick across Nick’s face in the flash of an instant.
“That’s her way of saying welcome home, Dad,” Scotty said as Skippy turned her attention back to him.
“It was a wet one,” Nick said, wiping a sleeve across his face before he hugged Sam.
She held on tight to her love. “Welcome back to the madness.”
“So happy to be home.”
“We’re so happy to have you.”
“Break it up, you two,” Scotty said. “Hungry children must be fed.”
Nick kept an arm around Sam as he bopped his son on the head. “Make yourself useful and grab my bags.”
“I see how it is.”
Scotty made a big show out of picking up the two small bags and carrying them inside while muttering about “child labor laws.”
In the residence, they sat down to the breakfast Sam had planned with the staff the day before to catch up on the last few days apart. Nick listened to every story the twins wanted to tell him about the goings-on in first grade and grilled Scotty about the goal he’d scored at hockey practice.
“Don’t get too excited. It was just a practice goal.”
“Those lead to goals that count.”
After they’d eaten, Sam said, “Everyone needs to get cleaned up and dressed for Maisie’s baptism in the clothes we picked out last night.”
The minute the kids were gone, Nick tugged Sam into his lap and kissed her with days’ worth of pent-up desire.
