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“Sure she is, babe,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re so blind.”
“Blindly in love with you.”
“And cheesy,” she said with a huff. “But it’s kind of cute, so I guess I’ll keep you.”
Epilogue
CALI
Twenty-one months.
That was how long Justice spent in the NICU. It was the longest premature stay in history, but the day we buckled our baby into the car seat and carried her out of that hospital was one of the happiest days of my life.
There had been ups and downs during the nearly two years my baby girl had been a patient. She’d had two other minor surgeries during that time, but thankfully, we’d had more ups than downs.
Now, at the age of six, she had a few health issues that she had to see her specialists for every few months. We had graduated to seeing her cardiologist every month in the beginning, to every three, and then six months. Now, it was once a year, with the possibility of stopping altogether when she was ten.
Her eyesight was the biggest issue, but she looked so adorable in her glasses—and we had to be extra careful with her food allergies—but other than that, she was a happy and mostly healthy girl who ran through the mansion at the speed of sound, lighting up our entire lives so effortlessly, the times I didn’t have a smile on my face were rare.
Honestly, we had been scared she would have developmental delays. Yet she was so smart, it was hard to keep up. She was already reading at a sixth-grade level. We’d started with smaller picture books, but that hadn’t lasted long before she grew bored. Garret had started giving her graphic novels, which she loved, but then she’d found Harry Potter and it had been huge chapter books ever since.
But while her brain was as big as an elephant’s, her body size was still in the tenth percentile when compared to other children her age. Many people confused my six-year-old for a three- or four-year-old because of her small stature.
“Daddy, I want to put the star on the tree!” Justice said as she picked up the tinsel-and-glitter star we’d made together the year before. Everything on the Christmas tree was handmade by us. Justice wouldn’t have it any other way, and we were all too happy to decorate the tree with love instead of fancy ornaments, the way my mother used to insist on every year.
“Okay, princess,” Garret said, handing her the star that had been carefully wrapped, as if it were made of the finest porcelain instead of papier-mâché. She held it tightly, crinkling it a little, as her father lifted her high into the air, making her squeal with delight before placing it on top of the tree.
Watching them, my heart nearly burst out of my chest with love for my two favorite people. These two, they were my entire world. If given the choice of erasing every bad thing that ever happened to me in the past but having to give either of them up to gain it, I wouldn’t do it. The past no longer haunted me as it once did, and it was all because of my little family.
“Beautiful!” Felicity said as she walked into the family room, holding a tray loaded with cups of dairy-free hot chocolate and the allergen-friendly cookies she and Justice had made together with Maria earlier that day. “That’s the prettiest tree I’ve ever seen.”
Sitting on her father’s shoulders, Justice inspected our handiwork before nodding in agreement. “It is pretty, GiGi. What do you think, Mommy?”
“Gorgeous,” I agreed. “But I think next year we should add a few more ornaments. Especially since your cousins will be joining us next Christmas.”
Nova and Ryan alternated the holidays with us and the Vitucci family. Sometimes, they stayed in New York if it was their turn to be with Ryan’s family, but most of the time, they went to Ciana’s island for Christmas—or any other holiday—unless it was our turn to host.
The Hannigan clan came as often as they could, as well. Garret’s aunts and uncles loved coming down for a visit and stayed for weeks at a time. As for Felicity and Jet, they lived with us, only leaving on rare occasions to visit Nova and her two kids in New York.
Ryan and Garret had started working together. I didn’t ask, and my husband never offered to discuss the details of their partnership, but only an idiot would have thought it involved anything but the cocaine fields and the pipeline into the States.
Jet worked with his son, coordinating. Again I didn’t ask, and no one willingly offered details. Felicity and I were of the same mind-set where our husbands and work were concerned—if we needed to know, they would tell us. And so far, we didn’t need to know.
“But there’s no room,” Justice said with a huff.
“Then we’ll just have to get a bigger tree,” I told her. “Or maybe we could put up two.” Because of her allergies, we couldn’t have a live tree, but the artificial one we did have was beautiful. There was plenty of room for a second tree beside it.
“Okay. But Wrenley and Gabriel will have to help us make the ornaments,” Justice said.
“Your cousins will be all too happy to help,” Garret assured her as he set her on her feet. “Now run and tell your grandfathers that it’s time for a snack.” He popped her lightly on the bottom, urging her to hurry.
Giggling, she took off, her tiny legs reminding me of a cartoon character with how fast she was. For someone so small, she moved like the wind.
“How does she have so much energy?” Felicity asked with a shake of her head. “We’ve been going nonstop all day, and I’m exhausted.”
“That’s because you’re old, GiGi,” Justice informed her as she ran back into the family room, both Jet and Guzman following slowly behind her.
“Justice Nova!” Garret and I scolded at the same time.
