The aftermath was long and grueling. Bobbi had never been more grateful for Ron as she answered dozens of questions about the man she now knew was Vincent Marinelli, Jr. His ex-wife was in the witness protection program and had been living in Southern California for two years before sending an email to her mother using one of the computers in the preschool’s library. Vincent intercepted it and narrowed his search to the preschool, which had led to today’s events. Bobbi and Jessyka held on to Benny, their children and each other, answering questions until everyone was ready to drop.

Ron and Wolf had been taken away for questioning as well, since they’d involved themselves in the events without jurisdiction. No one would say who’d disarmed the homemade bomb at the side entrance, how Ron had gotten to Bobbi at the right time or who’d fired the shot that killed Marinelli, but Cooper, Mozart and Abe were nowhere to be found. Ron and Wolf had reappeared at some point, seeming no worse for wear, and Ron immediately began pushing for Bobbi and the kids to be allowed to leave.

By the time they were on their way home, Sam and Julian were fast asleep in the back of Ron’s SUV. They left Bobbi’s car at the daycare center and would go back for it in the morning, but right now they all just wanted to go home. Bobbi rested against Ron’s side, her eyelids drooping, the adrenaline of the day worn off, leaving her completely spent.

Ron carried Julian, and Bobbi carried Sam, putting Sam in her crib and settling Julian on the couch. They’d come to Ron’s place because it was closer and they were too tired to drive even another five miles.

“Shower time,” Ron said once the kids were settled.

“I don’t have clean clothes,” she murmured.

“You don’t need clothes to sleep and we can throw in a load overnight so they’ll be clean in the morning.”

“Okay.” She followed him slowly, so tired she wanted to sleep for a week. The director of the daycare center had told her to take tomorrow off and she was grateful for that; she didn’t know how she’d be able to function like nothing had happened.

“Come on, babe, a few more minutes.” Ron gently undressed her and tugged her under the hot spray.

“I’m drained…” she sighed, resting against his chest.

“I know, but it’s over now and as soon as we finish showering, you can rest.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll rest too,” he whispered against her ear, using his fingers to rub shampoo into her scalp. “I’m normally cool as shit under pressure, but when Wolf told me what was going on I nearly lost it. It’s a lot different when people you care about are involved.”

“I was so scared,” she admitted.

“But so brave.” He lifted her chin and softly pressed his lips to hers. “You traded yourself for Sam… Why would you do that?”

She frowned at him in confusion. “What do you mean? She’s just a baby… I couldn’t let him just take her.”

“You put yourself in danger. God only knows what he could’ve done to you.”

“Or what he could’ve done to her. And she can’t protect herself even a fraction as well as I can.”

He was quiet a long time, his eyes never leaving her face. “You’re truly amazing,” he said at last, one hand cupping the side of her face. “I knew you were special in ninth grade biology…but the woman you are now just blows me away.”

She nestled against him, too sleepy to think about anything except how good it felt to be with him. He’d come home safely and in time to save her, their children and the others. She wasn’t sure how he and Wolf had managed to get involved, but it didn’t matter at this point. It was over and they were all safe; that’s what was important. She’d ask for details later. Or maybe not. She didn’t care how, only that he’d been there for them.

The next thing she knew he was toweling her dry and putting one of his T-shirts on her.

“I’m going to throw in a load of laundry,” he said, kissing her cheek. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“Okay.” She was tired, but found a comb in the bathroom and pulled it through her hair to untangle it. The small gesture of normalcy kept her from thinking too hard about the day’s events and it was oddly comforting.

“Ready to get some sleep?” Ron asked, standing in the doorway of the bathroom.

“Yes.” She put down the comb and followed him to bed.

Once they were settled, covered with a light sheet and the lights out, she curled into his side and slipped her legs between his. She was cold all of a sudden, shivering against his warmth. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, rubbing her arms, lips pressed against her temple, bodies as close as possible.

“I hope you know how much you mean to me,” he whispered in the darkness. “How much I missed you while I was away… All I wanted while I was gone was to come home to this.”

“I thought about it too.”

“You missed me?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I figured leaving you with Sam for more than two weeks might have been the end for us…but I should’ve known you’d be okay.”

“We’ve waited a long time to be together. What choice did I have but to be okay? And I love Sam. She’s wonderful.”

“You’re wonderful,” he said, his voice a little gruff. “I mean it, Bobbi. I’m crazy about you. When Jessyka told us how you switched places with Sam…” His voice broke and she shifted, lifting onto one elbow so they were eye to eye.

“I didn’t think about it, I just did what I thought was the right thing.”

“I think I love you, Roberta.”

“I’ve always loved you, Ronnie.” She leaned down to press her lips to his. “Thank you for saving us.”

“Baby, I’ll protect you with my dying breath… after high school, I never forgot you. All those nights we spent studying and you’d be working on the project while I was trying to work up the nerve to kiss you.”

“And I was pretending to be thinking about the project when I was fantasizing about what it would be like if you kissed me.”

“What did you think?” he asked with an impish grin. “Fifteen years is a long time to build something up in your mind like that.”

“Kissing you was so much better than anything I ever could have thought up in my head,” she said softly.

“I hope I always surpass your expectations,” he murmured, pulling her astride him. “Both in bed and out.”

“I need you to make love to me, Ronnie.” Her eyes met his.

“I’m really glad you said that…”

They woke early, despite the stress of the day before and their late-night lovemaking. Ron got up first to use the bathroom and Bobbi was right behind him, going in as he came out. When she joined him back in bed, they didn’t talk for a while, simply enjoying the silence and each other.

“Do you have to work today?” she asked.

“Yeah. I’ve got PT at 6:30 and then a debriefing. Probably an early day though, after being gone two weeks.”

“I should probably go to work,” she murmured. “I won’t know what to do by myself all day.”

“You should stay home and rest, get your head together. I know you don’t believe me, but walking back into that building is going to be hard.”

She groaned against his chest. “Then maybe I should get it over with.”

“I can’t come with you today, but if you can wait, I’ll come with you tomorrow.”

“You will?” Her eyes grew a little misty and she kept her face buried in his shoulder so he wouldn’t see the tears welling up in her eyes. This man was rapidly becoming her everything. She’d had a huge crush on the teenager he’d been; she was crazy in love with the man he’d become. He’d always been in the back of her mind, the faint but incredibly sweet memory of a high school love she’d never imagined would become a reality. Now that it was, she was bowled over by emotion.

“Are you crying?” he asked softly, lifting her chin and look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“You…you’re…you’re here.”

He wiped a stray tear with his thumb. “Do you want me here, Bobbi?”

“I do. So much it hurts. I don’t just want you, I need you like I need food, water, sleep—and I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to fall in love with you again, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Beautiful, loving you is as natural as waking up every day,” he said hoarsely. “I’ve been telling myself it can’t be this simple, or happen this quickly, but I want to wake up next to you every day. I want to sleep beside you every night. Hell, I want you with me every minute of the day.”

“I want that too.”

“You sure you want to get involved with another Marine?”

“I want to be involved with you,” she said softly. “What we thought was a teenage crush turns out to be much more than that for us. After all these years, fate brought us together again, so you go save the world, and I’ll be here waiting when you get home.”

“Roberta Santino, would you consider going steady?”

A giggle broke free as she leaned against him. “Will you still be my lab partner?”

“Your lab partner… Is that what the kids are calling it these days?” His eyes twinkled.

“That’s what we can call it.”

“Damn, I don’t want to go to work today,” he growled, kissing her. Their mouths came together fiercely but with an underlying tenderness that was unmistakable. They broke apart reluctantly, eyes still locked together as their heart rates slowed.

“We have this afternoon, tonight…lots of time,” she said. “For everything.”

“I spent 15 years not knowing you were what was missing in my life—I don’t want to miss out on another minute.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

Ron was staring at her and suddenly he smiled. “Hang on a second.” He got out of bed and went over to the dresser, opening the top drawer and rustling around for a minute. He pulled out a small wooden box and opened it. He took something out and then came back to the bed.

“My high school ring,” he said softly. “Will you wear it?”

Her eyes widened with something akin to adoration, myriad emotions flitting across her face. “Oh, Ronnie…” She took it from him with a tremulous smile. “Yes. Oh, hell yes.”

He smiled too.

She unfastened the gold chain she wore around her neck and slid the ring onto it. She turned her back to him and held up the two ends of the chain. “Can you fasten this again?”

“Of course.” He hooked the clasp together and she turned to face him.

“Does this mean we’re officially going steady?”

“I’m pretty sure it does.”

She looked down at where the ring hung halfway down her chest. “I don’t know a lot of high school kids who have kids…”

“I don’t know a lot of high school kids who live together either, but I think we should do that sooner than later.”

“I think so too.”

They got to their feet and he wrapped his arms around her, something that was rapidly becoming second nature. “You’re sure this is what you want? Life with me will be pretty unpredictable for at least two more years.”

“Life is always unpredictable,” she responded softly. “But there’s no one I’d rather face it with than you.”

“You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

“Actually, I think I do.”