Brooke: Kaitlyn’s okay, you need to leave her alone.

“What the fuck?” I yell after reading Brooke’s message. She finally answered me but that’s not what I was expecting at all.

Me: What the fuck, Brooke? What the hell is going on? Why isn’t Kaitlyn taking my calls or answering my messages?

Brooke: Game over pal, she knows the truth, so like I told ya, leave her alone.

I’m about to ask again what she’s talking about when I see the little dots jumping, so I wait.

Brooke: I can’t believe you did this to her, dude, I know she told you about what happened with her ex fiance and her sister. How could you? What kind of man are you?

Me: Brooke, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I know something happened to Kaitlyn, I read her Facebook post. Please tell me what’s going on.

Brooke: She knows you’re married.

What the hell?

Me: What in the world, Brooke? I ain’t married.

Brooke: Dude, quit it. She saw you.

Me: What?

Brooke: Kaitlyn went to L.A. to see you, and she saw you leaving your restaurant with your wife. Oh, and your kids too!

Me: Kaitlyn was here? Why didn’t she tell me she was coming? When was this?

Brooke: Does it matter? Just leave her the fuck alone or I swear I’ll come to L.A. myself to kick your cheating ass.

Then it hits me. A few days ago Chrissy stopped by the restaurant to drop the girls off so I could take them to the movies. I needed a distraction from the shitstorm happening around me and spending time with them always cheers me up.

Me: Brooke, listen, it’s not what you think, okay? I’m not married. Please tell Kaitlyn to talk to me, I’ll explain everything to her.

Brooke: So, you’re not married?

Me: No, I swear I’m not.

Brooke: What about the kids?

Me: It’s complicated but trust me, it’s not what you think.

Brooke: Why should I believe you?

Me: Because I love Kaitlyn. Because I was scared shitless not knowing what was going on and I was about to jump on a plane to Belfast so I could at least know she was fine.

Brooke: Maybe I'm off my hinges, but I believe you. That's why I'm gonna let you go. I'm gonna give you till the count of…

The message ends there and I smile getting the reference. After a few minutes pass and she doesn’t message I start to panic, maybe she doesn’t really believe me and now I’ll never get the chance to talk to Kaitlyn. I’m about to call when a new message arrives.

Brooke: Kaitlyn is in New York, she’s staying with me. Shit, she’s coming, I gotta go. I’ll text you my address in a bit and you better come fix this if you really care about her, if not, leave her alone, for good.

I’m an impulsive person by nature, I act before I give myself the time to overthink things, but this time I force myself to stop before doing something I’ll regret.

My phone pings with a new message and I hover over the screen to see it’s from Brooke. I don’t open it though. I suddenly feel really tired so I drop on the couch and cover my face with my hands.

“Leo? Everything okay?” Chrissy asks.

“Not really,” I answer without uncovering my eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I screwed up, Chrissy. I’m such an idiot.” I straighten myself and I tell her everything that I just found out.

“Why didn’t you tell Kaitlyn about the girls? About what you’re going through?”

“Because,” I pause to try and find the words to explain her. “I was scared. I am scared.”

“Because of what happened with Peyton?” I just nod.

“Leo, Kaitlyn is not Peyton. Whatever the outcome, she deserves the truth. Do you have any idea of how she might be feeling right now?”

“Yeah, and I fuckin’ hate myself for being the one who’s causing her pain, believe me.”

“Then explain it to her. She’s just a few hours away. Go and make things right with her.”

“What if…” I try to get rid of the lump in my throat and speak. “What if this is for the best? She’ll hate me forever, but...”

“You’re scared she won’t want you anymore?” Again, I just nod. “Then it’ll be her decision and you’ll move on, but at least you’ll know.”

“I love her,” I whisper.

Chrissy takes my hand between both of her tiny ones, “Then go tell her that too. Make it right.”

“The hearing is in two days, Chrissy.” I remind her.

“Then you better hurry and come back.”

Without wasting another minute, I stand, give Chrissy a hug and call for an Uber so I can get to LAX. While I’m on my way I call Vin and tell him what’s going on. I ask him to pick me up as soon as I get there.

* * *

“Shit, man. I want to get there in one piece.” I grip the door tightly as Vin makes another turn ala Fast & Furious.

“Desperate times call for desperate driving,” he deadpans.

“Yeah, but if we’re dead then everything will be pointless.”

“You’ve been in L.A. far too long, I thought you were a New Yorker,” he turns to me before muttering. “Pussy.”

“Okay fine, just get me there.”

Twenty minutes later, I’m buzzing the entrance of Brooke’s building. I texted telling her I was on my way, so I know she’s expecting me. When the door opens, I run up the stairs not waiting for Vin.

Standing in front of Brooke’s door, thoughts of whether I’m doing the right thing or not hit me like a slap in the face. And just as I’m about to turn Vin catches up to me.

“This it?” he asks pointing to the door.

“Yeah.”

“Well, what are you waitin’ for?”

“Maybe this was a bad idea.” When he sees I don’t make a move, he knocks on the door.

“Asshole,” I mutter and he chuckles.

Not a minute later, a petite girl with long, black hair and blue eyes opens the door.

“Brooke?” I ask hesitantly.

“Oh, MY GOD” she whisper yells. “It’s you!”

I brace myself for either a hug or a kick in the nuts when I see her walk toward us, but I’m surprised she goes to, Vin.

“I’m Brooke, huge fan. I was supposed to cover your photoshoot but it got canceled and,” she pauses to take a breath. “Wow, I’m so glad to meet you. Wait, what are you doing with the pompous asshole?”

Pom...what?

Vin chuckles and points at me. “The asshole’s my cousin.”

“It’s really a small world,” she says and they both laugh.

“Where’s Kaitlyn?” I ask ending their mocking me party.

“She’s in her room, look I didn’t tell her you were coming, so this is what’s going to happen.” She goes to her entryway and grabs her phone and keys. “We’re gonna go to the cafe that’s just down the street while you talk to her.”

“Great idea,” Vin says. “After you, gorgeous.”

Brooke giggles as she passes between us. “Text me if you need us.”

And I’m the asshole here?

“Kaitlyn?” I shout as I close the door. No response.

“Kaitlyn.” I shout louder. I could go look for her but I don’t want to scare her.

Her footsteps indicate she’s coming, so I stand there, trying not to look as though I’m about to shit my pants.

When our eyes meet she freezes. “Leo? What are you doing here?”

She looks frantically all around me. “Where’s Brooke?”

“She, uh…went out. Listen, we need to talk.” I move forward and she steps back.

“You need to leave.”

“Baby, please listen to...”

“Don’t call me that,” she cuts me off. “How dare you call me that. I saw you Leo, you’re fookin married.” Tears start running down her face and I can see the big effort she’s making not to burst into an ugly cry. And I’m fucking responsible for this.

“Kaitlyn, please.” I say while running my hand through my hair. “Please listen to me, I can explain.”

“Why Leo? After what I told you,” she starts to sob. “I trusted you, I gave you my heart and you just… just…”

I can’t take it anymore. I sprint toward her, grab her and pull her against me. I surround her with my arms and hold her tightly. She tries to break free but I’m not fucking letting her go. Not until she hears what I have to say.

She keeps trying but I can feel the fight leaving her body. When she grabs my shirt, I can feel it’s soaked with her tears, so I caress her hair and start apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, Kaitlyn. I promise it’s not what you think, please let me explain.” She just nods and without breaking our embrace I move until I help her sit in the couch.

I sit beside her and pull out my phone from my pocket. A few clicks later I pull up the picture I rarely look at these days and hand her the phone for her to look.

“This confirms it. You played me,” she sobs.

Shaking my head, I point at the left side of the screen. “That’s not me, baby.”

She glances up at me, anger showing in her emerald eyes. “What do you mean that’s not you Leo? I’m not fookin stupid.”

I can’t help but smirk, there’s my little spitfire.

“Look closer, look at his face.”

She zooms and gasps when she sees it. “His eyes. They’re green.”

I nod, “That’s Lorenzo, he’s my twin brother.” Realizing my mistake I correct. “Was my twin brother.”

She’s about to say something but I cut her off before she can even utter a word. “Please, I need to say this.” She nods giving me the go ahead.

“That’s Madison, his wife,” I say pointing to the woman in the picture. “And those are Sophie and Bella, their daughters.”

Kaitlyn looks at the picture and then back at me.

“Lorenzo always liked to cook. He’s the only one who wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps and open his own restaurant. Eight years ago he went to a convention and he met this crazy girl who owned a little bakery in L.A., and they fell madly in love. Six months later they got married and she moved to New York. But when they found out Sophie and Bella were on their way, he decided they needed to go back to L.A., Madison’s family lived there and he wanted her to be able to share their joy with them. We supported his decision, we were used to travelling back and forth to Italy so going to visit often wasn’t a problem.”

I turn to look at Kaitlyn and see she’s stopped crying and she’s listening to me attentively.

“They opened a bakery together and Lorenzo was working at a restaurant to save up the money to open his own. I was so mad when I found out.” I chuckle remembering the big fight we had over the phone.

“I was already managing our family’s restaurant and I’ve always been good with business. I told him we could open a new one as a franchise over there and when our dad gave us his blessing we started preparing everything to get it started. It took us a lot to find the location, the construction. Everything was a challenge but I fuckin’ loved every minute of it because I was sharing it with my brother.” Rubbing my neck, I try to keep my composure for the next part. The hardest one.

“A few years ago, Lorenzo and Madison went on a roadtrip to check out some local vineyards. There was an accident and both were badly injured. She…” I choke and Kaitlyn takes my hand squeezing it. I squeeze it back.

“She died first, an hour later my brother joined her.”

“Oh Leo,” she moves forward and hugs me, I hug her back and now I’m the one crying.

“I lost more than my brother that day, Kaitlyn. I swear I could feel his pain. I know he would’ve fought but his heart was broken. He loved her too much, so I told him how much I loved him and to follow her, that everything was going to be okay, that I would take care of everything.”

“I’m so sorry, Leo.”

“There’s more.”

Kaitlyn pulls back and places a hand over my cheek. “Tell me.”

“Lorenzo and Madison left a will, and they named me the girls’ legal guardian. Chrissy, Madison’s sister, the woman who you saw me with outside the restaurant and I are their godparents.”

Kaitlyn drops her hand at the mention of Chrissy.

“I saw you kissing her,” she whispers.

“Are you sure you saw me kissing her on the lips?” I ask her.

“Well, no, but from where I was it looked like you were.”

“I kissed her on the cheek, trust me Kaitlyn, she’s twenty and I only see her as my late brother’s sister in law and a friend. She loves the girls, she’s helped me a lot.” She doesn’t say anything but I can tell she knows I’m telling her the truth. I take her chin and tilt her head up until she’s looking at me.

“I know I don’t have an excuse, and I should’ve told you this when I came to visit you but.”

“I understand if you didn’t trust me enough to tell me, we…we barely knew each other.”

I cut her off. “It’s not that. I was scared.”

“Scared? Of what?” She asks.

“Of losing you. I wasn’t ready for that.”

“Losing me? I don’t understand, why would you…”

“Do you remember what I told you about Peyton?” Kaitlyn nods.

“When Madison’s parents found out about the will, they told me I didn’t needed to worry, that they would take the girls and raise them as they did their daughters. I told them I wasn’t going to give them up, that my brother and his wife confided in me to take good care of them and that I would honor their trust and do exactly that.”

“What happened?” Kaitlyn asks curiously.

“When I was about to go back to New York, they contested the will. Alleging I wasn’t fit to raise the girls properly.”

“Bloody wankers,” Kaitlyn spats.

“I didn’t blame them. They lost their daughter, they didn’t wanted to lose what was left of her in this world. So, I made the decision to stay in L.A., and when I asked Peyton to move with me, she agreed thinking Madison’s parents were going to drop the case. But they didn’t and one day Peyton and I had a huge fight after she asked me how much longer was I going to stay there. I told her I wasn’t going back, the girls had their lives there, they just lost their parents and I wasn’t going to take them away from their friends and family.”

I sigh, “When I asked her if she still wanted to marry me, she hesitated and I knew it was over. I let her go, thinking we both needed some time. Then I spent the next six months trying to get her back, but between the lawyer’s expenses, Madison’s parents and the opening of the restaurant so close I was running thin, on both money and myself. That’s when my family showed me their support yet again. My father talked to one of his friends who happened to have a son who’s a lawyer, Jake. He not only became my lawyer, but he’s now one of my best friends. He works for food, and I’m happy to provide it for him.”

“What happened with Peyton?”

“With a little room to breath, I looked for her and I asked her to have me back. She wasn’t having it, the talk turned into an argument and then she asked me to do the one thing I would never do.”

“What did she asked you to do?” Kaitlyn asks.

“She gave me an ultimatum, she asked me to choose between her and the girls.” I shake my head thinking about that day.

“She said: they aren’t yours, Leo, let them have them, we can start our own family.”

“Oh my god, how could she.” Kaitlyn shakes her head and I smile. “Now I understand why you didn’t tell your family.”

“Yeah, it was never a choice. Those girls are mine, they’re my family and they’re always going to be no matter what. So, that’s the last time I saw Peyton, until my Nonna’s birthday.”

“I would never make you choose between them and me,” Kaitlyn says, the soft tone of her voice nearly breaks me all over again.

“I know that now, Kaitlyn. But you have to understand I’ve been through a lot and I’m not justifying myself, but before I met you I gave up dating because all the women I met didn’t want anything to do with a single dad who has twins. Yes, I always say I have two daughters because that’s what they are to me.” I rub my chest trying to alleviate the tightness that’s forming.

“Sure, they love the idea of a single dad, they think it’s hot but they throw fits when I can’t go play with them because one of the girls is sick or they’re having a bad day.”

Kaitlyn looks at me with tears in her eyes and I grab her face between my hands and softly kiss her lips. “I fell in love with you and I wasn’t ready to let you go, I was selfish and I know I hurt you but I needed you to know the truth.”

“I love you too, Leo.”

I kiss her harder this time, knowing what I’m about to do is going to crush me forever.

“But I can’t keep you, Kaitlyn.”

“What?” She asks pulling away from me.

“I’m about to lose my girls, Kaitlyn. Sophie had an accident while I was in Ireland and Chrissy’s parents filed an emergency petition to take them away from me.”

“But it wasn’t your fault, Leo.”

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault, but they’re accusing me of negligence and they’re saying the girls are in danger if they stay with me. The hearing that was a month away is now two days away and I…”

“Leo, everything’s going to be alright,” Kaitlyn smiles at me. “If I can see how much you love those girls anyone can and…”

“I can’t lose them, Kaitlyn. But even if I don’t lose them I’ll end up losing a part of me.”

I look at her and when her smile drops I know she understands what I’m saying. “I have responsibilites, big ones. I have to think of them first, always. Even if they take them away from me, I asked Jake to file a petition to allow me to see them as often and however I can.”

I take a deep breath before speaking. “I can’t be with you, I’m sorry.”

And as I leave the apartment I know Kaitlyn’s saddened expression, will haunt me forever.

* * *

It’s raining tonight and I’m sitting on the front porch of my house, hoping the rain isn’t a bad omen of what’s happening tomorrow. I smile, unable to take my eyes away from the picture on my phone. It’s the picture I asked that couple to take for us at the cave.

“She looks like the little mermaid.” Sophie’s sweet voice startles me.

“Hey, what are you doing out of bed? I ask as I lift her up and sit her on my lap.

“I had a nightmare.”

“Aw, baby girl. Everything’s okay. Do you want a glass of water?” She shakes her head no, “Who’s the little mermaid, uncle Leo?”

I smile noticing she’s right, Kaitlyn does look like Ariel. “She’s a friend.”

“Is she your girlfriend?” She asks giggling.

“Since when did you become so curious, huh?” I tickle her and the sound of her laughter fills the night.

“You don’t smile like that too much, uncle Leo.” Her eyes are shiny and I know she’s about to cry.

“Hey, what’s wrong baby girl?”

“Are you in trouble because of me?”

“What are you saying? Why would you think that?”

“I heard grandma and grandpa talking yesterday, I know they want to take you to jail.” She starts to sob. “Is it because I wasn’t careful and hurt my arm?”

I scoop her closer. “Hey, look at me. No one is going to take me to jail. Grandma and grandpa are just worried, that’s all. And no, it wasn’t because of your accident.”

Wiping her tears with her sleeve she asks. “You promise?”

“Have I ever lied to you?” I put my serious face on.

She shakes her head no. “But I have money in my piggy bank if you need jail money, like in monopoly.”

I laugh and hug her. “How about you save that money for when you go to the doctor to get the cast off, then you can invite me for some ice cream, sound good?”

She nods excitedly and then Chrissy joins us. “There you are, I woke up and you weren’t there.”

“I had a nightmare,” Sophie answers.

“I think Muffin had a nightmare too, he’s scared because of the rain, if you go back to bed now you can take him with you.”

Sophie kisses me on my cheek and says goodnight before jumping off my lap and running inside to look for Muffin who most likely is already in their room.

“She’s right you know.” Chrissy says.

“About?”

“You don’t smile like that too much,” she repeats Sophie’s words as she points to the picture on my screen.

“I have everything I need here.” I lie.

“You’re not a very good liar, either.” I laugh because a twenty year old just called on my bullshit.

“I’ll be okay. I have them with me, for now at least.”

“I don’t know Leo, they’re great and they’ll always love you. But I think you should also give love a chance.”

“I can’t lose them, Chrissy,”

“You won’t lose them, Leo.”

I turn to look at her. “What makes you be so sure.”

“Oh, I don’t know, call it a hunch.” She winks at me and goes back inside the house.

* * *

There have been only a few moments where I’ve been restless and nervous as fuck, one of those moments was when the twins were born. Today I feel the same.

The possibility of this being the last time I have them with me has me fidgeting on my seat.

Why are these chairs so damn uncomfortable?

“Would you relax, man?” Jake, who’s sitting beside me says calmly.

“I don’t know how you can be so damn calm, I have a bad feeling.”

“It’s just your damn nerves, trust me, everything’s gonna be okay.” He winks at me.

Fucking hell, why is everyone acting like this isn’t a big deal?

A few minutes later the courtroom starts to fill and I turn as I feel my dad’s hand squeezing my shoulder, letting me know they’re all here, supporting me.

I smile until I see Madison’s parents walk toward the plaintiff’s table. Their lawyer is already there and is looking the same way as Jake, too fucking calm.

After the guard calls for Judge Vivian Forrester, I brace myself for what she’s about to say but Jake stands and calls for her attention.

“Your Honor, I know this isn’t how we usually start hearings but I would like to ask your permission to hear a statement from someone involved in the case.”

Judge Vivian turns to look at the plaintiff’s lawyer and asks. “Any objection?”

The lawyer stands and says. “No, your Honor.”

“Very well, I’ll allow it. Call your witness counselor.”

“Thank you, your Honor. I call Chrissy Hartley to the stand.”

Gasps of surprise fill the room and I turn to look at Chrissy, sitting on my side as she stands up.

“Chrissy, what are you doing?” Her father asks when she passes them and goes to take a seat.

The Judge turns to look at her and smiles. “You can begin whenever you’re ready.”

Chrissy nods. “Thank you, your Honor.” She turns to look at me and smiles.

“I’m here to kindly ask my parents to drop the complaint against Leo DeLuca.”

“Chrissy, what are you doing?” Her father shouts.

“Sir, I won’t tolerate this behavior in my court. Counselor, please make sure your client remains calm or I’ll have him escorted outside. His lawyer nods and talks to her father.

“Please, continue,” the judge tells Chrissy.

“A few years ago, our family suffered a great loss, my parents lost their beloved daughter. I lost my sister and my best friend, but we weren’t the only ones who lost someone the day Lorenzo and Madison DeLuca died. My nieces lost both their parents. Since that day, Leo Deluca made providing Sophie and Bella whatever they needed to heal, his priority. He loves them as if they were his own daughters. He changed his life for them. He left his home, his family,” she turns to look at me as she says, “he gave up and continues to give everything up without hesitation. For them.”

Speechless and not even sure of what’s happening, I turn to look at Jake, who’s looking at Chrissy in a weird way.

“Mom, Dad, I love you. Madison loved you both so much. But I understand why she made the decision along with her husband to make Leo the twins’ guardian in case something happened to them. You’re both wonderful parents, but you always expected me to be like Madison, in your eyes she was perfect and I was always the one getting in trouble. Madison never made me feel bad about being myself and she tried to make you realize that I wasn’t her.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing and I can’t for the life of me close my mouth.

“The girls remind me of Madison and me when we were younger. One is a girly girl and the other one is a daredevil who’s always looking for adventure.” She wipes her eyes and looks in the direction where her parents are. “And neither of them are Madison. You have to understand that. Leo treats them both equally and he cares and encourages them to be themselves.”

Chrissy turns to the Judge who’s listening attentively. “Your Honor, Sophie’s accident was my fault. They were jumping on a trampoline on my watch, I got distracted for a minute and when I realized it, Sophie had her arm wrapped around her body and I took her to the emergency room as soon as I could. Leo joined me there even though he’d just come back from a trip and he didn’t even blame me for not taking good care of them.”

Chrissy turns to her parents and starts to sob. “It was my fault, please don’t punish Leo because he hasn’t done anything wrong.”

That’s it. I stand up, go to Chrissy and hug her as she keeps repeating. “I’m sorry.”

“It was an accident Chrissy, Sophie’s okay.” I pull her away so she can see my eyes. “She loves that pink cast and all the drawings you’ve made on it. She’s not hurting, she’s fine.”

“Your Honor can we call on a recess?” Jake asks.

The judge nods. “We'll be back in thirty minutes.”

As I help Chrissy off the stand and turn, my eye catches a glimpse of red hair and I freeze. Kaitlyn.

We all leave the courtroom and I turn in every direction until I spot her a few feet away.

I run to her and almost tackle her to the ground as our bodies collide, but I don’t care. I want, no, need to feel her in my arms again.

“You’re here,” I mumble as I take in her delicious scent.

“I’m here,” she answers holding me tighter.

“How?”

“You have a very persuasive friend,” she giggles, “I guess that’s why he’s a lawyer.”

I pull away from her just enough to kiss her. My kiss isn’t gentle, I’m devouring every part of her mouth, enjoying her taste.

“Ahem,” a voice startles us both. Breaking our kiss I turn to see Vin standing behind me.

“What?” I growl.

“Trust me, I didn’t mean to interrupt but there’s a little person who’s dying to meet Ariel, I mean K.O.” Vin winks at Kaitlyn.

I laugh when I see Kaitlyn’s expression at the mention of Vin’s nickname for her. Then a little head peeks behind Vin’s legs.

Taking Kaitlyn’s hand in mine, I squeeze it and say, “I would like you to meet two very important people.” I gesture for Sophie and Bella to come out behind their hiding spot.

“Kaitlyn, these are my nieces, Sophie and Bella.”

“You weren’t lying Sophie, she is the little mermaid.” Bella says excitedly.

“I told you,” Sophie says rolling her eyes. “Are you really a mermaid?”

Kaitlyn laughs. “Well, my name isn’t Ariel but I live in a place where there’s a huge ocean. You girls know how to swim?”

They both nod and Kaitlyn tells them maybe someday they’ll be able to visit her and they can go swim together.

My heart skips a beat, from the moment both of my worlds are finally together or from Kaitlyn’s words, I’ll never know.

“You talk funny,” Bella giggles and Kaitlyn laughs.

“And you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen,” she turns to look at me. “Just like your uncle’s.”

“C’mon girls, who wants to go get some ice cream?” Both girls run toward where my family is watching and I see Gabs crying. Oh boy.

“Gabs and I will take them for ice cream and then she’s taking them to the restaurant,” Vin claps me on my back. “No matter what happens, we’ll enjoy a meal as a family, you’re welcome to join us K.O.”

“Why are you calling me that?” Kaitlyn asks.

“Because you knocked him out,” Vin points at me.

“Ha ha, very funny, man.” Now I’m the one who’s rolling his eyes.

“Just keepin’ it real, brother.” He says as he walks away laughing.

“He’s something alright.” Kaitlyn says.

“I’m so happy that you’re here, I’m sorry for what I said.”

She presses her fingers against my lips, shushing me, “It’s okay. I get it now.”

I take her hand and press a kiss on her palm. “Can you forgive me? For everything?”

“There’s nothing to…”

“Please, forgive me?” I ask again. She smiles and nods.

“I want you to meet my mom and dad and my crazy sisters, after this ends I want to show you the restaurant and…” I stop talking when her smile drops.

“I can’t stay, Leo, I’m going back to Ireland. I came to wish you luck and to say goodbye.”

My knees go weak but I force myself to stand still.

“I know everything will work out, you have a great family. You’re very lucky.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about, Kaitlyn.” I pull her to me and hug her tightly, one last time. “I love you, you know that right?”

She hugs me back as she says. “Yes, and I love you too.”

I slowly pull away from her, willing my senses to remember how she feels, her scent, her taste. “Thank you so much for coming here to support me. It means a lot to me.”

She nods, “I have to go back, I.”

Now I’m the one who silences her with one last kiss. “I understand. Please let me know that you arrived home safe.” Kaitlyn left after that.

Ten minutes later, Jake informs me that Chrissy’s parents are dropping the complaint. The judge calls us back and we settle an agreement about the custody, assuring I’ll never take the girls away from them, and that they can have them anytime they want. Twenty minutes later, the entire DeLuca clan, who now includes Chrissy’s parents, are on our way to the restaurant to celebrate.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have my girls for as long as they want to keep me. But as I look at my whole family gathered and enjoying the happy moment, I realize what I told Kaitlyn is true. My heart might be with me but it belongs to her, and always will.