EPILOGUE

Faith

Four years ago, Grace returned from a year in New York, working on her mental health. She kept her promise and returned to us. Grace still meets with Mia via FaceTime to check in each week. Mia released Grace from therapy last year; however, Grace and Mia have become close friends. We're all delighted with her progress, and never take each other for granted anymore. We learned the hard way that everything in our lives could change in a blink of an eye.

Three years ago, Benson asked me to marry him. We had a short engagement and a small wedding ceremony with family and close friends. Benson surprised me by renting a small island in the Caribbean. We spent a whole week sharing the island with our wedding guests. Our intimate ceremony was on the beach at sunset, which provided the most beautiful backdrop for our wedding photos.

Tiki torches surrounded the beach where we had our reception. The kitchen staff Benson hired for our time on the island prepared a pig roast with all the party's fixings. A local band from the Bahamas played reggae using only their handpan drums. We all danced late into the night.

After a day to recover from wedding festivities, our guests vacated the island, leaving it for Benson and me to enjoy alone for the next three weeks. We may not own an island like Benson had joked about when we first met, but we enjoyed the month we had it for our wedding and honeymoon.

When I returned from my honeymoon, Grace and I sold the brownstone. Grace purchased a condominium within walking distance of our office with half the money. She works here on Benson's floor with Liza and me. We decided not to return to our old office building and sold it too.

The oven timer dinged and pulled me out of my reverie.

"Babe, can you please grab the biscuits from the oven?" I look at my handsome husband holding our two-year-old daughter on his hip. "Never mind, you already have your hands full."

Grace pops her head around the corner. "I'll grab them."

I smile." Thank you!"

Benson's phone buzzes. "The rest of the gang has arrived. I need to go unlock the elevator for them."

I walk over and take Tabitha from him. He gives me a sweet kiss and smiles down at me.

The door to the apartment opens, and I hear Thomas coming through with his family. My twin seven-year-old nieces run to Tabby and give her hugs. Tabby squeals when she sees them coming. My older preteen nephew nods hello to us, and his face returns to the game he was playing on his phone. Thomas smacks him as his wife, Gail, rolls her eyes. I laugh and rub my enlarged belly that is holding Benson's and my twin boys. The last person through the door is Henson.

Once Grace was mentally stable, Thomas and I told her about our half-brother, Henson. It has taken some time, but we all decided to have a relationship with our brother. He fits right in with the family. He married two years ago, and they are expecting the same month as Benson and I.

"Where's Katie?" I ask Henson.

He one-arm hugs me. She's not feeling well. She hated to miss your cooking. I hope you don't mind that I promised to bring her a plate home."

I lightly smack his chest. "Of course, I don't mind."

I announce that dinner is ready, and everyone enters the dining room. Benson and I make an effort to have the entire family once a month for dinner. After everything with Grace, we realized how important it is to spend time with family and stay connected. We have all grown so close through the years.

After we all sat down to dinner, Grace stood to get our attention. "Detective Kidwell contacted me this morning."

I swear we all dropped our silverware right onto our plates. Grace takes a deep breath before continuing. "It looks as if Leigh got into a confrontation in prison and..." she looks at the children. "Let's just say that she didn't make it."

You could hear a pin drop. Even the children were silent. Leigh had been given twenty-five years for kidnapping with an additional forty years for attempted murder.

Everyone around the table looks back and forth at each other, not knowing what the hell to say. Grace sits back down. She's sitting next to me.

I grab her hand. "Are you okay?"

She gives me a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I called Mia when I got off the phone with Detective Kidwell."

I squeezed her hand. "I'm so proud of you."

Her phone buzzes. She looks at it and smiles then looks back up at everyone at the table. "Um, I may have invited a friend." She looks towards Benson and me. "Is it okay if he comes up?"

Benson does not hesitate to answer, "Absolutely."

He leaves the table to unlock the elevator to let Grace's friend come up to join us. We already have Katie's spot set, so I don't feel the need to get a place setting for our new visitor.

My mouth dropped open when fucking Jeremy Miller walked into the dining room, and I about passed out when Grace got up to greet him with a hug and a kiss.

"Thank you for allowing me to join your family dinner," Jeremy says as he takes the empty seat between Grace and Henson.

I'm speechless. I give Grace a 'What the Fuck' look. She smiles at me and leans into Jeremy. I look over at Benson, and he shrugs his shoulder. Well shit! Miss Grace has some explaining to do.

Dinner wraps up, and I have been focused on Grace and Jeremy since he arrived. I have to admit that I hadn't seen Grace this happy, well, since she was with Jeremy before Leigh got her nails into him.

The men enter the sitting room with the children while the women clean up the table and convene in the kitchen. Grace and I are alone while Gail collects the dishes from the table, so I get right down to business.

"What the hell, Grace?" I confront her.

"What? Jeremy?" she responds.

"Hell, yes, Jeremy!" I exclaim.

"We reconnected after I returned from New York. He called to apologize for everything with Leigh. Faith, he was a victim of that bitch as well as me," Grace attempts to explain.

"How long?" I demand.

Grace looks away. "We've been keeping in touch since his apology years ago. It was not until the last few months that we decided to try to have a relationship again. Please don't be mad. Jeremy loves me. He never stopped loving me."

My brows shoot up. "That's the exact reason that Leigh did what she did."

Gail comes back into the kitchen and realizes that we are having a private conversation. She places the dishes that she collected on the counter and leaves us.

"I understand where you're coming from, Faith. I do. She played Jeremy, and yes, Jeremy fell for it, but the past is the past. If Mia has taught me anything, it's to focus on my future, not my past. Nothing I can do can change my past, but I have control over my future. I want to give Jeremy a second chance. I love him. I always have."

I look deep into my sister's eyes. "What If he screws you over again?"

She smiles at me. "I don't think he will. It took a lot of work on his part to get us to where we are. I refuse to live my life asking, 'What if?' I want to live in the present and hope for a future."

I take Grace into my arms. We hug for a couple of seconds when one of the boys kicks her. She laughs and pulls away to place her hand on my belly. He gives his auntie another kick, and we both share a smile.

"We should probably check on Jeremy," I say, laughing.

"Yeah, I hope the guys are not giving him too much shit," she responds with a smirk.

Grace and I go hand in hand into the living room, full of love for our family. I remember five years ago when Lance Crawford asked Benson and us where we believed we'd be in ten years. I know now what I would say. I'd be with my family and friends, enjoying everything life has to offer.

THE END
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Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this story! Next up, we have Cindy taking a vacation cruise that turns deadly. She uses her expertise as an investigator to help solve the mystery. She has the help of someone entirely unexpected! Join me in the next adventure.