Loves Second Chance

Epilogue

I can't believe that it has been twenty years today that my sister and brother-in-law passed away. Every year at this time, my family comes back to New York and visits the cemetery that holds our loved ones. A couple people have been added to the list of over the past years. Three years ago, I lost my grandmother. She lived to be ninety years old, and the night before she died, she was in a casino gambling, living life to the fullest right until the end. I hope that I can follow in her footsteps and have as long a life as she had.

Last year, Joe was killed while on a stakeout. They said he died instantly and felt no pain. I'm grateful that I went back to New York, all those years ago, and took the opportunity to make things right with him. We shared a bond between us that never could be broken. It just took us awhile to realize, we were meant to be friends not lovers. We were good friends that talked often and kept up with each other's lives. I miss him still.

Ryan and I got married exactly one year after he proposed. He was ready to tie the knot the night I forgave him, but I needed to be sure in my heart that I could trust him, and that I was not going to be let down again. True to his word, he has never cheated on me, and he's still as romantic as he was ten years ago. Never a day goes by that he doesn't call me on the phone to tell me that he loves me, and once a month he takes me to a tropical island paradise where we spend the whole weekend reaffirming our love for each other. I couldn't have asked for a more suitable soul mate, and I have never felt more loved and cherished than I do when I look into his eyes, or when he holds me in his arms.

The week after we were married, we moved to Miami for good. There were just too many memories for all of us to deal with in New York, and we decided that we all needed to start our lives off together as a family with a new beginning. John came to Miami stating he needed a fresh start as well. But honestly, I think he'd just gotten so attached to Grace and working with Ryan, that he couldn't handle the thought of us being so far away.

Ryan and I had been married for three months, when my wish to kick Priscilla's ass came true. We decided to let Grace hang out at Beth's for the afternoon while we went to the mall to kill a few hours and do some shopping. We were strolling through one of the Abercrombie and Finch department stores,

Priscilla walked through the door, proud as you please. As soon as she spotted Ryan, she went over to him and flung herself into his arms then pressed her lips to his. Before he could react, I grabbed the back of her hair and threw her off him. I had her face first on the floor and my knee firmly planted in her back in the blink of an eye. I let her know, in no uncertain terms, that Ryan was my husband and she better keep her paws to herself if she wanted to live a long life, because I didn't share my man with anyone! The following week she tried to press charges against me, but Ryan stepped in, had a talk with her, so she backed off and we haven't seen her since. Good riddance!

Maddie and Grace got along as well or better than blood sisters. They are miserable when they are apart, and they still stay in constant contact with each other through text, phone and email. Maddie spent the summer with us and the school year with her mother the year before we got married. But, when we moved to Miami permanently, Beth agreed to a trial of Maddie living with us through part of the school year as well. It worked out well and we kept that pattern up until Maddie left for college. Although Ryan and I never had children of our own, our house was never empty. Shortly after we married, he adopted Grace. She changed her last name to Garrison, her choice, not his. It was one of the few times I've seen my husband cry; he was so touched that she took his name.

We were sad when Grace graduated from High School and went off to college; she'd been a part of our life together from the very beginning of our relationship. Grace decided to go to Harvard, and she became a very successful defense attorney in Miami. She said that she loved her stepfather, Scott, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. She said she'd also been influenced by her dad's, Ryan's, strong moral code and she wanted to fight for people who had been found guilty of a crime that they hadn't committed. She's very selective in who she defends and has earned the respect of her peers while making a big name for herself in Miami. Her dad and I couldn't be any prouder of her.

Maddie decided to go to Paris to a culinary school and now owns the most famous French restaurant in Miami. Ryan helped her set up her business; as a result, we eat for free! So, we're regular customers. Ryan takes all his clientele to business lunches there because the food is so good, and of course to show off his daughter's talents.

Grace is still single and has no desire to settle down anytime soon. She has a wonderful career and is enjoying life. Maddie was married two years ago and recently gave birth to their first child. Ryan is the proudest grandfather in the world. I'm still processing the whole 'grandma' title, but God, I love that little Sweetheart!

Ryan and I still both work full time for Firehouse 82 and have no intention of slowing down anytime soon. We mainly do the business and paperwork stuff now, but still enjoy the work. Occasionally, he still goes out on a run just to get out of the office for a while.

The last ten years have been wonderful, exciting, scary, sad, and blessed. I've found myself, several times, over the last ten years asking, "What do I do now?" And through the years I've discovered the answer is this: to live each day to the fullest, take what life hands you, then make the best of it, and when life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show it that you have a thousand reasons to smile. Every day of my life spent with Ryan and Grace is a day spent smiling.