Epilogue
"No, no, no! Do not pull the doggy's tail, Cassidy!" I said as I moved across the patio to where the two-year-old with sticky hands and face was yanking on Tesla's thick tail. The big, yellow lab turned and began licking her face as she screamed with delighted laughter. I couldn't help but stand back and laugh as the two of them enjoyed each other's company.
"Cam, are you keeping an eye on those burgers?" I yelled through the open door as I smelled the scent of burning meat wafting from the other side of the patio.
"I'm on it!" he shouted as he barged through the door carrying a tub of beer. "We still need ice, though."
"I called Leo and let him know," I said as I grabbed the small person who had pulled off her shirt and was now running toward the yard, ostensibly to roll in the grass just like her buddy, Tesla, was doing. I looked down at the curly haired little angel and said, "What are you doing, missy?"
"Esla!" she shrieked as she ran toward her four-legged playmate. "Doggy!"
"Yes, she is a doggy." I laughed. Cassidy was the spitting image of her father with the curly red locks and bright green eyes that flashed with mischievousness more often than I liked to acknowledge.
"What are you doing, Peanut?" Cam asked in a deep booming voice that never failed to send her into shrieking laughter. We stood and watched as the two friends rolled on the lawn enjoying the coolness of the grass on a warm summer evening.
We were celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary with a barbecue for all of the friends who had been in our wedding party, and a few other people who'd become integral to our life. The memory of our special day was on display all over the house, and Cam had built small replica of the gazebo we'd stood on when we'd said our vows. The wedding had been a small affair because we hadn't wanted to draw a lot of attention to ourselves and because I was in the middle of starting my new nursing job.
Cam had promised that we'd make the celebration of our anniversary a yearly event, and so far he'd made good on his promise. I looked over at my husband who was laughing loudly as he watched our two-year-old rolling on the lawn with his beloved dog, and I wondered how I could have ever doubted his sincerity and love.
He'd retired from the fire department not long after I'd graduated from nursing school. He'd said it no longer made sense to him to spend his time running into burning buildings when he could be at home with me. I knew his reasons ran much deeper than that, but I never pushed him for them. After all, I'd been there that fateful day, and I knew the price he'd paid for coming to my rescue. I was just glad we'd all survived it.
"Hey there, minion!" a familiar voice called to Cassidy. "What are you doing?"
"Tee Tee Izzy!" Cassidy yelled as she popped up off of the lawn and went running on chubby legs toward her favorite aunt, Liz. Liz met her halfway and swept her up into a big hug as she kissed every inch of the baby's face, making her laugh wildly before setting her down so she could run back to where Tesla lay in the grass.
"She's getting so big!" Liz said as she grabbed me and hugged me tightly. "I can't believe she's two now."
"I know, it's crazy, isn't it?" I said, as I held tight to my friend.
The past few years hadn't been easy for Liz. Losing her place in the nursing program had been a blow that she'd had a hard time recovering from, and while she'd come out of rehab strong and determined, she'd relapsed twice and now was living in a group recovery home where she found that the order and rules helped her manage her addiction. I knew she was going to have a lifelong struggle ahead of her, but I wasn't about to abandon her.
Cassidy's first birthday seemed to have been a turning point for her since she'd been sober ever since. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Liz would be able to maintain her sobriety and that someday she'd be able to have a family of her own. Maybe someday our girls would become lifelong friends like their mothers were.
Leo showed up a short time later with more ice than we knew what to do with and a surprise for Cassidy. When he led his gift in on a leash, I looked at Cam, but he grinned and shrugged letting me know he'd approved this. I rolled my eyes and chuckled as I raised a fist at my secret-loving husband, but I also knew that he'd thought about this long and hard because Tesla was starting to show signs of senility and we knew she wasn't going to be with us forever.
Cam had worked with Leo at the office for several years after we got married as he started his new business, a home renovation company called CAC Designs. He and Danny Newsome worked together flipping houses and doing renovations for folks who had more money than they knew what to do with. Cam had used our initials as the acronym for the company, but when Cassidy had come along he'd started to claim that it was Cam Alex Cassidy Designs. I asked him what he was going to do when the family expanded, and he told me that he'd have to start another business venture to accommodate the new child. I'd rolled my eyes and laughed knowing that there was no stopping him if he decided to do it.
As the house began to fill with all the people we loved, we were reminded of how far we'd come and how arduous the road had been. As I looked around at all the different people we'd brought together through our love, I realized that we'd done our very best to shape a life that didn't deny the past, but, instead, embraced the future w
ith love and hope.
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BILLIONAIRE IN REHAB
By Claire Adams
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 Claire Adams
BILLIONAIRE IN REHAB PART I
Chapter One