Juni clung to her neck. Her little body shook. Maren held on tighter.
“IknewColin would bring you back,” Juni said into her shoulder. “He pinkie-promised.”
“He did,” Maren whispered. “He brought me back.”
Juni lifted her head. Her eyes were wet, her curls wild around her face. Then Juni saw Colin standing behind Maren. Her whole face lit up with the biggest smile Maren had ever seen.
“Colin!”
He had barely enough time to brace before Juni threw herself at him, too. Colin caught her and lifted her up. He held heragainst his chest. Juni pulled back enough to look at him. Her hands went to either side of his face. She studied Colin with the solemn intensity that had undone half of Watchdog in a week.
“You brought Mama home safe.”
Colin’s gaze found Maren. “I did. Just like I promised.”
Juni buried her face against his neck. “Daddy.”
Colin stopped breathing. He squeezed his eyes shut.
So did Maren. She flashed back for a moment to the first time they ever saw Colin at the gate?—
Are you my daddy?
—and the way Colin had recoiled at her words as if she’d just handed him a poisonous snake. Now Maren understood why, and it broke her heart. But Colin was a different man then from the one who stood here today holding her daughter.
My daughter.
Colin’s voice came out low and unsteady. “You don’t have to call me that, Junebug.”
“I want to.”
His throat worked.
“Then yeah.” His arms tightened around her. “You can call me Daddy.”
Juni turned her head and gave Maren a small, relieved smile. Then she put her head back on his shoulder.
Colin opened his eyes and looked at her then, his gaze full of both hope and fear, wrapped up in a question.
Maren nodded, tears streaming down her face.
Yes to all of this. Yes to us.
Maren heard Arden sob. She looked up to see her turn her face into Kyle’s chest. Kyle wrapped one arm around her.
Juni lifted her head from Colin’s shoulder. “I saved you a cookie.”
Maren laughed through tears. “Just one?”
Juni thought about that. “Half.”
“Fair.”
Colin shifted Juni in his arms and reached toward Maren.
She went to him and wrapped her arms around both him and Juni. Juni wiggled until she had her arm free and threw it around Maren’s shoulder. For a moment, the three of them stood in the front hall, Juni holding both of them together and smiling like she’d known how this story ended before anyone else did.
Maybe she had.
