Page 137 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

She laughed and pulled his face close to hers and smacked their lips together. “I don’t know that I want it easy. Being hard is how we were able to get here and for us to learn that we tackled it head-on.”

He laid his head on her shoulder, a vulnerability he’d never shown before. “You’re right once again.”

She turned her head to snuggle with him a bit and then saw the hole in his wall.

“Oh my God. You broke your finger punching the wall?”

He started to laugh. “I was pissed,” he said. “That I messed up yet again.”

“We all mess up, Garrett. But we’ll clean it up together.”

“We will,” he said, hugging her tight. “I promise!”

EPILOGUE

Two Months Later

“Thankyou for coming with me for this,” Justine said two months later.

It was cold and windy in Fort Wayne in early January, but she’d flown home for Elise’s sentencing.

Her stepmother didn’t get the maximum that she felt Elise should have, but she’d be spending five years in prison and she’d have to live with the guilt of what her drinking had caused.

Justine and her sister were picking up the pieces of their lives and moving on. And that meant not saying no to Garrett when he said he was coming with her for support.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he said.

“I know cemeteries probably aren’t your thing,” she said dryly, “but I’d like to introduce you to my father.”

“I told you before, they don’t bother me. It’s a resting place and what you make of it. This is going to bring you comfort and that is what I want.”

“It’s hard for me to do this,” she said. “I haven’t been back since the funeral. It’s just seeing his name there on the stone. I know it’s as you said, a resting place. I have to get comfortable with thinking of it that way.”

They’d gotten out of the rental car and were walking the path toward her father’s plot.

They stopped in front of it and she took a deep breath, then another. The way that Garrett taught her when she was anxious and wanted to bolt.

She wasn’t going to because she had him by her side.

Just like she’d been when he’d won the civil suit last week. The same when they’d told both of their supervisors they wanted to stay on the island.

“I can help with that,” he said.

“I’m sure you’re going to try,” she said, smiling. “Dad. This is Dr. Garrett Mills. You’d like him. I know it. Because though he has some flaws, it’s not enough for me to bring them up to you. Not enough for me to focus on them either.”

He snorted next to her. “Dr. Keller. You’ve raised one hell of a strong daughter here though her biggest flaw is she doesn’t necessarily believe in herself. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to remind her she can do it.”

She sniffled when those words were said. “My father always told me I could do it too. You’d have no way of knowing that.”

“Just saying what I feel,” he said. “And what is in my heart.”

She grabbed his hand, their fingers threading together. “Dad, Garrett’s in my heart. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want you to know I’m happy. I’m in a good spot. I miss you terribly, but you’re always watching out for me.”

“And I want you to know, Dr. Keller, that I’m watching out for your daughter too. I’d like to ask your blessing to marry her.” She gasped when he said that and felt her knees start to get weak when he pulled a ring box out of his jacket pocket. “Justine tells me you’d like me, so I’m going to assume you’ll say yes.”

The wind was blowing his hair around, hers was doing the same. Her hands were cold on top of it, but it didn’t stop her from pulling her glove off and putting it toward him.

“He would say yes,” she said. “Just like I will when you ask me too.”

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