Brandon continued to nod, taking in all of the information. After a few moments, he said, “Well, I appreciate your help. I’m glad to at least know who my dad was—even if this all seems a bit… crazy.”
“It’s not uncommon for people to feel that way once they find out the truth,” Aaron assured him. “Tell you what, why don’t you take my card, and if you have any questions, or if you decide you want to join our team, we’d love to have you. Your dad was a really special person, and you are an awful lot like him.” Aaron pulled a card off of his desk and offered it to the young man.
Brandon took the card, glanced at it, stuck it in his pocket, and pulled himself to his feet. “Well,” he repeated, “thanks again for your help.” He offered his hand to Aaron who stood to accept it.
Cadence came out from behind the desk. “I know this is going to seem crazy, but since you already think we’re nuts, would you mind if I hug you?”
The expression on his face reminded her ever so much of his father, one eyebrow raised, a look of utter disbelief. But, after a second, it faded and he said, “Uh, okay. Sure, why not?”
She wrapped her arms around him, mentally reminding herself he was not Elliott, and then released him saying, “I hope you decide to join us,” with a hopeful smile.
Aaron walked Brandon Keen to the door, shook his hand one more time, and then closed the door. Cadence was still standing by the desk, a look of shock on her face. “You okay?” he asked.
“Oh, my God!” she said, hurling herself into his arms. “Can you believe that? It’s like… he’s back!”
“Except he’s not,” he cautioned. “That kid isn’t Elliott. He’s Brandon. And when he joins the team, you’re going to have to remember that. He’s not your big brother—he might be your little brother at some point—but for now, you’ve gotta keep it straight.”
“I know, I know,” she replied, nodding her head. “Oh, I hope he joins, though,” she gushed. “It would be so great to have him. Brandon. To have Brandon on our team.”
Aaron laughed and slid his hands down until they were around her waist. “Oh, he’ll be back,” he assured her.
“How do you know?” she asked. “He said he thought we were crazy.”
“I think I noticed something you didn’t,” he smiled.
Cadence was confused. “What’s that?” she asked. She knew Aaron could read emotions, but she was usually pretty good at that, too.
“Let’s just say it’s a guy thing and leave it at that for now,” he responded. “Now, let’s go back to your apartment and discuss that floor plan.”
“Okay,” she agreed as he led her to the door. “But, listen, there’s something you need to know.”
He stopped, his hand short of the doorknob, and turned to look at her. “What’s that?” he asked.
Cadence sighed. “All this talk of Elliott having kids, the ones he knew about, the one he didn’t, how he interacted with Cass, thinking about Aarolyn—it made me realize—Aaron, I don’t need time to think about whether or not I want to have kids.” She watched his expression change, morphing into an expression of sadness, and she realized he was misunderstanding her. “No, Aaron, I know I do want to have kids. For sure. Someday. Just not today—or tomorrow—but someday.”
He beamed at her. “You’re sure?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” she replied. “How could I not want to make beautiful babies with you? I just want to wait a while.”
“Okay,” he said, still smiling. “I’ve waited a hundred and fifty years. I think I can wait a few more.”
“Good,” she responded, returning his smile. “And if we have a little boy who looks as much like you as Brandon looks like Elliott, we are going to have to fight off the ladies.”
“And if we have a little girl that looks like you, I’m going to have to practice polishing my shotgun in front of a lot of scared first dates,” he countered.
Cadence laughed. “I love you,” she said quietly, feeling as if the weight of their recent loss was beginning to recede just a bit.
“I love you, too,” he replied, pulling her in for a kiss. After a moment, he let her go, and reaching for the door, added, “Now come on. We need to practice.”
“Practice?” Cadence asked, momentarily concerned. “Oh, right, practice,” she gushed, letting him lead her out the door.
Later, as he held her in his arms in her bed, Aaron said, “Well, we talked about where we are going to live, having kids, all of that. What about a date? Should we set one?”
Cadence looked up at him. Lying in bed with him always made her tired and she wasn’t sure she was capable of making an intelligent response just then. “We need to,” she agreed. “But maybe we should wait until we have Giovani and Sam taken care of so that we can go on a proper honeymoon.”
He considered her response. “There’s always going to be someone, something, to hunt down. But I suppose you’re right. “
“I can still start planning, though,” she smiled, all of the years of dreaming of her wedding, as all little girls do, coming to mind.
“We’ll do whatever you want,” he assured her. “The sky is the limit.”
“Oh, wow,” she replied, readjusting in his arms. “That’s crazy. That will take a lot of planning.”
“I’m sure Hannah would love to help you,” he offered. “She did a great job with the memorial.”
Cadence laughed. “Except for the music.”
“It was… appropriate,” he reminded her. “I’m sure Elliott would have approved.”
She nodded in agreement. “And I’m sure whatever music we play at our wedding, he will approve of that, too.”
“Yes, he’ll just be happy we’re together, forever, at last,” Aaron agreed.
“And nothing is ever going to tear us apart again,” Cadence said pointedly.
“That is for certain,” Aaron said, leaning down to kiss her.
Cadence returned the kiss and then rested her head on his chest, thankful that Elliott’s sacrifice had not been in vain and confident that she would never have trouble sleeping again. As long as she was locked in Aaron’s embrace, she could conquer anything.
