“Okay.” She stepped toward Olivia and handed her the little boy.
Her heart nearly burst with happiness. For days, she’d been living with the thought that it was her fault Landon no longer had a mother. The blame tore her apart. She hated to think she was the reason he would grow up to be just another statistic, no one to love or care for him. It ate away at her. But now, as she gazed into those dark eyes, she knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. She prayed Landon would never have to face the cruelties of the world that took his mother from him. She would do everything in her power to make sure he would only know love and happiness.
“There will be quite a few home visits while Landon is in your care,” Ms. Pierce continued, “both announced and unannounced. You and your husband will have to attend regular meetings with a case worker, as well as submit to routine drug checks and psychological evaluations.”
“Yes. Yes. That’s all fine,” she said hurriedly, caressing Landon’s brow, not even looking up. She didn’t care what she had to go through to keep Landon safe. She would do it and then some.
“Well, then, I guess that’s all for now. We’ll be in touch after the holidays to schedule an initial meeting.” She handed Alexander a diaper bag, then stepped toward Olivia. “Merry Christmas, Mrs. Burnham.”
“Thank you, Ms. Pierce, Agent Moretti.” She nodded at him, smiling her first real smile in days, maybe even months.
“Of course, ma’am.”
“Merry Christmas to both of you.” Moretti gave them a small smile, then turned on his heels.
“Just one thing, Agent Moretti,” Alexander called after him.
He spun around. “Please, call me Vincent.”
“Okay,” he answered. “Vincent. You said you have an eidetic memory. Why do you always write everything down?”
Moretti beamed a wide smile. “I can remember everything I read, not everything that is said, so that’s why I write everything down.” He allowed that to sink in. “Merry Christmas.” Winking, he disappeared into the foyer.
A wiggling baby brought Olivia’s attention back and she kissed Landon’s forehead. For years, she had prayed for another child, but those prayers had gone unanswered. Now she knew there was a reason for all that…so she and Alexander could open their home and hearts to a little boy who desperately needed them. Like Alexander said earlier, blood makes you related. Loyalty makes you family.
Epilogue
One Year Later
GANDHI ONCE SAID, “TERRORISM and deception are weapons not of the strong, but of the weak.”
What instills fear in someone one day only makes them stronger the next. And that was true of Melanie.
As Alexander sat on the couch, a fire burning before them, Christmas music playing in the background, the sound of Olivia in the kitchen, he marveled at how much difference a year made.
It hadn’t been all good, but the happy times certainly outnumbered the bad. True to his word, Alexander stepped down from his position in the security company after overseeing an operation to retrieve Landon’s body from Afghanistan. It was bittersweet to finally watch his friend’s casket be lowered into the ground with an actual body inside.
It took a while to find a sufficient replacement to head the company. After turning down hundreds of qualified candidates, Alexander offered the job to Moretti. His gut told him he was the perfect person for the position, that he would run the company with his head and his heart, and that’s exactly what he wanted. Alexander was called to consult with his firm and even the U.S. government on occasion, but spent the rest of his time with his family.
Watching little Landon grow made him realize how much he had missed when Melanie was a baby. He thought he was around a lot back then, but he realized that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Even when he was physically home, he wasn’t there mentally. He was always too engrossed with work issues, failing to pay attention to the thing that really mattered in life…family.
“Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!” a little voice squealed and Alexander smiled, beaming with pride as Landon stumbled into the room on unsteady legs, chasing Runner. His vocabulary consisted of three words at the moment — Dada, moo (his word for milk), and vroom. He loved everything to do with cars, and now traipsed around the house wearing a plastic fire engine hat he got when Olivia and Alexander took him to see the fire trucks a few weeks ago.
“Landon!” Melanie called, following him. Despite the nearly eight year age difference, they were two peas in a pod. Landon loved his big sister, and Melanie doted on him to no end. Her therapist believed having Landon around actually helped in her recovery from the trauma she had endured.
He spun around, shrieking with delight when he saw Melanie coming after him. “Vroom, vroom!” He pointed to the television, jumping up and down when he saw a Jeep on the screen.
“Yes, Landon,” Melanie said. “That’s a vroom, vroom.”
“Vroom, vroom!”
Melanie picked him up, kissing him on the cheek. “Come on. Let’s watch a movie with Mommy and Daddy.”
“Vroom, vroom?” He looked at her.
“Yes. There’s a vroom, vroom.”
She brought Landon to the couch and placed him beside Alexander, then sat next to him. Olivia came out from the kitchen, carrying a tray of cookies and two flutes of champagne.
“Cookies!” Melanie jumped from the couch, running toward Olivia. She grabbed the tray and placed it on the coffee table in front of them. She shoved a few cookies in her mouth, looking at Alexander. “Can Landon have one?” she asked around a mouthful of cookie.
“Da! Da!” he said excitedly.
“I think he wants one,” Olivia commented. “Go ahead and give him one, but only one. I’d like for him to get some sleep tonight.” She fell onto the couch, handing Alexander a glass of champagne. “Girls are so much easier than boys.” She met his eyes.
Melanie had been a dream compared to Landon. She started sleeping through the night when she was less than two months old, sleeping over twelve hours straight. Landon was a completely different baby. Up until he was about a year old, he still woke up every four hours. It made for some very long days, but Olivia wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Neither would Alexander. This time around, he actually got up with Landon at three in the morning, allowing Olivia to get some rest. Being this involved in Landon’s upbringing gave him an entirely new appreciation for everything Olivia had done with Melanie.
“He’ll sleep,” Alexander said, tousling Landon’s hair. “Because Santa won’t come if he doesn’t.”
“Da! Da!” He bounced on the couch, cookie crumbs falling out of his mouth.
“Presents! Can we open a present?” Melanie asked excitedly.
“Is it Christmas yet?” Alexander asked.
“Well, it is in England so, technically… Yes, it is.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving him a smirk.
He looked at Olivia, who just laughed. “She’s your daughter.”
“Fine,” he conceded. “One present. It is tradition, after all.”