When I got home from the coffee shop, Ellie told me everything that was said between her and the chief. I respected the fact that he was the kind of man who wanted to stand by his family, his son, but I hoped that he would finally see the man his son truly was. Brady deserved whatever he got for hurting Ellie. She’d been through so much, but she’d come out on the other side. I was proud of her for standing up for herself, yet again, and I hoped her words would be the final push to get the chief to do what he needed to make this right for Ellie. Thankfully, two agonizing days later, we got the call from MJ. She informed us that the charges against Ellie had been reduced. While we were relieved, we still had no idea what they were reduced to, and we wouldn’t know until they met with the prosecutor.

Ellie was a nervous wreck on the way to the prosecutor’s. I tried to convince her that everything was going to be okay, but she wasn’t buying it. She and I both had hoped that the charges would’ve been dropped completely, but since she confessed with explicit details, there was no way she could walk away without some kind of repercussion. MJ was waiting for us when we walked into his office. “He’s waiting for us in the conference room.”

“Okay,” Ellie replied anxiously.

“I’ll be waiting right here for you when you come out,” I assured her.

Ellie turn to MJ and asked, “Can Diesel come with us?”

“Yeah, I think that’ll be okay.” Before she started to walk down the hallway, MJ looked at me and said, “Leave the talking to me.”

“You got it, boss.”

When we walked into the conference room, John Pruitt, the prosecutor, stood up and adjusted his suit jacket and motioned us inside. “Come on in and have a seat.”

The room reminded me of an upscale version of our meeting room at the clubhouse. It was small with a long, rectangular table and leather chairs surrounding it, and there were large, abstract watercolors lining the walls. As she sat down, MJ smiled and said, “Thanks for meeting with us today, John. I know your schedule is crazy busy.”

“It is, but I managed to move a few things around.” He spoke to MJ like we weren’t sitting there as he said, “I’d like to get this case resolved today so we can put this all behind us.”

“Sounds good to me.” She reached into her briefcase and pulled out Ellie’s file. “You mentioned on the phone that the charges against Ms. Blackwell have been reduced.”

“They have. I’ve written up a plea bargain.” Still speaking like we weren’t in the room, he casually slid the paper over to her. “If your client agrees to sign, we can call it a day.”

Ellie leaned over to MJ as she asked, “What is a plea bargain?”

“It’s an agreement between you and the prosecutor where you plead guilty to a specific charge in return for some concession from the prosecutor.”

“In English?”

Before she could respond, the prosecutor looked at Ellie with disapproval and answered, “If you plead guilty to providing false information to law enforcement concerning your husband’s missing person’s case, we won’t press for jail time. This particular offense can carry misdemeanor or even felony penalties, but the fact that you have no prior convictions, and considering your state of mind at the time of your confession, we’ve decided that counseling would benefit you the most.”

“Counseling?”

“Yes. Six to eight months of weekly sessions with a therapist of your choosing. If you agree, then we can consider this case closed.”

I couldn’t believe it. The deal seemed too good to be true. It was everything we’d hoped for, and I thought we had it in the bag until I heard Ellie mumble, “But, I—”

MJ quickly lifted her hand and placed it on Ellie’s arm, signaling her to stop talking. “I need a moment with my client.”

He nodded, and then I heard her say, “He’s throwing you a bone, Ellie. You won’t get another one, I assure you. This may not seem perfect, but you need to sign those papers.”

“Okay.”

MJ turned her attention back to Mr. Pruitt and inquired, “And the counseling can be done at any location the client chooses?”

“Yes. I will just need the name and address of the counselor, so I can add it to the summary.”

“Great. She’ll agree to the deal.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

It seemed like we’d been riding on a fucking rollercoaster for days, but thankfully, the ride was finally coming to a stop. MJ eased the papers over to Ellie, and after handing her a pen, she showed her exactly where she needed to sign. Once she was done, MJ handed them over to Mr. Pruitt. “I guess that just about does it.”

He extended his hand and said, “It was a pleasure working with you, MJ. I look forward to the next time.”

“Thank you, John. I appreciate your help with all this.”

Once we were done, MJ followed us back out to my truck and said to Ellie, “I’ll ask around and see if I can get some info on any highly-recommended counselors in the area. Once you’ve made your decision, I’ll send everything to John, so he can add it to your file.”

“Okay. That sounds good.”

“Oh, and I forgot to tell you. The judge signed your divorce papers. I know it’s just a technicality, but it’s official. You’re divorced.”

Ellie gave her a slight shrug. “As crazy as this may sound, it really doesn’t change anything. Our marriage ended before it ever started, so you’re right … it was just a technicality, but thank you for handling that for me.”

“No problem, sweetie.” She winked and added, “Now, you two don’t have too much fun celebrating tonight.”

“We’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.” I teased. “You and that bun in the oven be careful going back home.” Then Ellie paused for a second before turning in her direction and called out, “MJ! Thank you so very much. For everything.” She simply gave us a warm smile and waved.

Once she was gone, I looked down at my watch to check the time. I had a surprise planned for Ellie when we got back to the house, and even though it was a three-hour drive back home, I was afraid they still might not be done. Hoping to kill some time, I suggested, “You wanna grab a bite to eat before we head back?”

“Sure, that sounds great.”

Remembering the diner where Cotton and I had eaten, I took her hand and led her across the street. We each ordered a burger and fries, and as we started eating, Ellie said, “I can’t believe it’s really over, can you?”

“I gotta admit. I didn’t think it would be that easy.”

“It makes me wonder what the chief told them.”

“Doesn’t really matter now, but I’m glad he did the right thing.”

A hopeful look crossed Ellie’s face as she asked, “Can I ask a favor?”

“You know you can. What’s on your mind?”

“Since we’re in town, do you mind if we run by to see my parents? We don’t have to stay long. I just wanted to tell them the good news, and let Dad know he’ll be getting his bail money back soon.”

“Absolutely, and we can stay as long as you like.”

Once we were back in the truck, Ellie gave me the directions to her parents’ place, and after a twenty-minute drive, we pulled up to their house. It was a small, white ranch-style home with a good bit of fenced-in land behind it, and from the similarities of another fence surrounding the fields, it looked like they owned that as well. We’d barely parked when a woman stepped out of the front door, and the minute I saw her dark hair and penetrating, dark eyes, I knew she was Ellie’s mother. Ellie opened the door and rushed over to her, and in a blink of an eye, they were both crying as they hugged one another. As I started towards them, I heard Ellie say, “I’m so sorry, Mom. I’m so, so sorry.”

“No, sweet girl. It’s me who’s sorry. I should’ve done so many things differently,” her mother cried.

When she noticed that I had come up behind them, Ellie turned to her mother and said, “I’d like you to meet Scotty.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Scotty. I’m Eleanor.” She motioned for us to follow as she said, “It’s freezing out here. Let’s go inside and get you two warmed up.”

Just as we were stepping inside, I heard Ellie’s father say, “I told you she’d come.”

“Hi, Dad.” Ellie smiled as she glanced around the living room. “It still looks the same.”

“There are some things that are different,” Eleanor announced. “Your father bought the Turner’s land a few years back. He’s expanded the farm to almost four hundred acres.”

“That’s really great, Dad. I’m really proud for both of you.” As soon as the words left her mouth, her expression changed. Her eyes narrowed with concern as she asked, “Wait. Is that how you got my bail money?”

“Yes, dear. He used it as collateral,” Eleanor explained. “But don’t you worry about that. We’d do it again to help.”

Hoping to ease the tension that was building in the room, I stepped forward and said, “Why don’t you tell them your good news?”

“You’ll be getting your money back soon. My case was closed this morning.”

“With everything that has taken place, we may not have the right to ask, but please, will you tell us what happened?” her father asked.

“I’ll tell you all of it, but you should probably sit first. It’s not going to be an easy story to hear,” Ellie explained.

Once we were all seated, Ellie told them everything that had transpired over the past eight years, including how she’d lost the baby. As she spoke, her parents wept, and I could see the heartache and guilt on their faces as they heard the horrific things that had happened to their daughter. I couldn’t imagine how they must’ve felt, but it was hard to feel sorry for them. The choices they made had a lasting effect on them all, and things could’ve been different if they’d just accepted that their daughter was strong-willed, but still, in fact, their daughter. I just hoped that they’d all learned from their past mistakes and could move forward, mending what was broken between them. Once she’d finished telling them everything, Eleanor went over to Ellie and hugged her as she cried, “I just don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you answer our calls or letters? We could’ve—”

“What letters?” Ellie interrupted.

“We wrote you all the time, Ellie. And we tried calling, but it always went to your voicemail. I thought you were just avoiding us.”

“I never received any letters, Mom. And I certainly never got any phone calls. I thought the both of you were still angry with me for leaving.”

And just like that, Brady proved once again just how much of a lowlife, piece of shit he was. Enraged, I turned to Ellie and said, “I’m guessing Brady didn’t want you talking to your folks. He probably blocked their number from your phone and intercepted all the letters before you had a chance to see them.”

“I can’t believe he did that.” My heart ached for her as I watched tears stream down her face. “He knew how hurt I was.”

“Honey, there’s no way any of us could know what that boy was thinking. We’ve just got to focus on the future and try to put the past behind us.”

“Your mother’s right. I’m just glad you finally got free of him.” Her father turned his attention to me and said, “I want to thank you for helping my daughter like you did. I owe you a great deal.”

“It wasn’t just me. She had the whole club looking out for her,” I explained.

“Not sure I really understand all the club talk, but I will forever be indebted to you all for what you’ve done.”

“I’ll explain more about the club later,” Ellie told him. “Maybe during my next visit.”

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, and bring your friend when you come,” he replied.

“I will.” She glanced around the room as she asked, “What about Joseph? What is he doing these days?”

“Your brother is overseas,” Eleanor told her with a pained expression. “He joined the army a few months after you left. He’s been home a couple of times, but not for long. I think it was just too hard for him to be here without you. Maybe that will change now.”

“Can you give me his number or email? I’d really like to reach out to him, if that’s okay?”

“Of course.” Her mother jotted the information down on a piece of paper, then handed it to her. “He would love to hear from you.”

“Thanks.” She looked down at her watch and stood up. “It’s getting late, and we have a long drive back. I guess we better get going.”

I said a quick goodbye to each of them and stepped outside to give Ellie a moment alone with her folks. A few minutes later, she came outside with a smile. “Thank you so much for this. It was really good to see them."

I smiled and led her out to the truck. As I started the engine, I was feeling pretty good about the surprise I had planned for Ellie, but just to be safe, I took my time driving back to the house. When we finally pulled up in the driveway, I was relieved to see that the guys were already gone. As we started inside, Ellie turned to me and asked, “Is something going on?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. It seems like something’s been on your mind all day. I was just wondering if everything was okay.”

“Everything’s fine.” After I opened the front door, I said, “I do have something to show you though.”

“Is it something bad? Because if it’s something bad, then I really don’t want to see it right now.” She barely had a chance to catch her breath before she continued, “It’s just that today was such a good day, and I don’t want to ruin it. I want us to just be able to—”

“Ellie.”

“Is it bad?”

“No. It’s not bad.” I took her hand and led her over to the row of windows that faced the ocean, and just as I’d hoped, there was now a roomy porch with wrap-around seating along the wooden rails. There was also a large fire pit in the center to keep us warm on those cold winter nights. “Well? What do you think?”

“Diesel! It’s unbelievable. How did you do all this?”

“Guardrail and the guys did it today while we were gone.”

“When did you have time to …” Her voice trailed off while the wheels started turning in that head of hers.

“Do you remember that first night I brought you here? We were looking out at the ocean, and you said if I built a porch out here that—”

She stopped me mid-sentence. “I would never leave.”

“Exactly. That’s why I left that night to go to the clubhouse. I went to work the details out with Cotton.” I pulled her towards me and continued, “Did you mean what you said?”

“About never leaving?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have to build that porch to get me to stay, Diesel. I love you, and you alone are enough of a reason for me to stay.”

“I’m glad to hear that, because I love you, too, angel. And I want you here with me. I want to make you happy.”

“You already do. Just by being you.”