"I love that." She cups my face tenderly.
“Yeah, well, if Blaise and Jenna have a boy, they might steal it.”
“We’ll find another suitable name if that happens. What about for a girl?"
"Sunshine?”
She laughs. “Sunshine?”
“You make me think of the sun.” Okay, so maybe that’s a dumb name. “How about Grace? It reminds me of how gracefully you handle everything life throws at us."
"Grace Ifrinn." Hannah tests the name, smiling. "It's perfect." She leans down to kiss me softly. "Though I'm betting it's a boy. He'll be strong and protective like his daddy."
"As long as they're healthy, I don't care either way." I stroke her belly, marveling at this miracle we've created together. "Though a little girl with your red hair would be beautiful."
"And your blue eyes," Hannah adds dreamily. "Can you imagine?"
There was a time I couldn’t imagine it. Or if I did, I’d reject it out of fear. But now I can imagine it all too clearly. A tinyversion of Hannah running around our home, bringing light and laughter just like her mother does.
Where Meghan's memory once haunted me with pain and guilt, now I can think of her with peace. She was my first love, and part of me will always care for her. But Hannah showed me it's possible to honor that love while opening my heart again.
"What are you thinking about?" Hannah's soft voice pulls me from my thoughts.
"How you saved me." I press a kiss to her temple. "I was so lost in darkness, convinced I didn't deserve happiness after failing to protect Meghan. But you wouldn't let me hide behind those walls."
She shifts in my arms to look at me, those green eyes full of understanding. "You didn't fail anyone, Ash. And you deserve all the happiness in the world."
"You make me believe that." I trace her cheek gently.
The love shining in Hannah's eyes is all I’ll ever need. It’s what I'll spend the rest of my life protecting. Not just her safety, but her joy, her dreams, her fierce spirit. I have a new purpose, a new lease on life. From this day on, Hannah will never doubt my feelings.
“Let’s get married again. For real.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “What?”
“A real ceremony where we say real vows of love and devotion. Is it stupid?” I’ve noticed that sometimes, I can get a bit sappy.
“No, Ash, it’s not stupid. I love that idea.”
“Good, because I want to stand before God and my family and tell them all that you’re my heart, my soul. I live because of you.”
Happy tears well in her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you.” And I’ll spend every day until I die making sure she knows it.
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
Phoenix
I stride down the basement steps, an intense sense of accomplishment. Ten years of planning, waiting, and building our strength have led to this moment. I hope my father would be proud of me. Of all his sons. We did it. We’ve avenged our family’s deaths and taken back what was so cruelly stolen. Including our land.
The house isn’t the same. Hampton Kean burned ours down. I’ve had moments of wanting to burn this one down too. But I’ve decided that it’s a bit of poetic justice that the house he built is now mine.
I approach the room that Hampton and his wife now live in. It’s not a cell. They’ve got a bed. A table and chairs. A small bathroom with a toilet, sink, and a shower about the size of a postage stamp. We feed them the same food we eat. But make no mistake, Hampton Kean is my prisoner.
I nod to the guard, one of nearly a dozen stationed in the basement to protect our prisoners and the tunnels.
He steps aside and I open the door. "The mighty Hampton Kean, cowering in his own basement."
