"Dammit, Jones!" She grabbed his hair because he stood there, hands limp at his sides. "He borrowed me, but you own me. You. f.u.c.king. Own. Me. Take back what's yours and don't ever let me go."

He kissed her-really kissed her. Eager hands tore off clothes. Within seconds of hitting the bed, he filled her on a painfully emotional groan.

"Luke ..." She surrendered everything.

He captured her lips and reclaimed the woman that had always been his. In that moment Jessica couldn't remember AJ's touch. She let the memory of it die. She let Luke erase it.

In a life filled with monsters, their love was a survivor.

Epilogue.

One Year Later "I'm cured?"

Dr. Harper looked over her red-framed reading gla.s.ses. Bangs of gunmetal gray streaked with white fell across her forehead as Jessica spun in the desk chair, dark hair flowing behind her.

"You're functional." Dr. Harper closed her laptop and slid it onto the desk.

"And Luke?"

"You know I can't discuss my other patients with you."

"Why didn't you ever suggest counseling us together?"

"Neither one of you did anything wrong. This hasn't been about apologies and reconciliation. It's about acceptance, but not of each other. It's accepting the past ... the things you can't change."

G.o.d grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Jessica nodded. "The Serenity Prayer. I think it's become my mantra."

Dr. Harper set her gla.s.ses on her computer. A grin played with the corner of her mouth. "You're not the most troubled person I've worked with in my career, but you are unequivocally the strongest. There are some things that can't be taught. Either you have it or you don't." She nodded slowly. "You have it."

Jessica planted her feet on the ground and crossed her arms on the desk. "Have what?"

"A will to live that goes beyond circ.u.mstance and possibly even reason. You find something from nothing and feed off it. You're that flower that sprouts through a crack in the barren granite face of a mountain. You feel what everyone else has to see to believe. You sense the sun before you see its light, and you do it subconsciously. That's a gift. That's why you're still here-alive-with me today."

A smile grew on Jessica's face. "You shrinks have a way with words. Luke has said the most profound things to me over the years and I don't even think he expects his words to affect me the way they do. What you just said? It's haunting yet flattering and ..."

Dr. Harper stood. "The truth."

Jessica grabbed her purse and walked around the desk. "The men in my life have been that something I've found from nothing."

Dr. Harper pulled Jessica in for a final goodbye hug. "Hold on to them and the memories. Happiness moves you forward, but pain keeps you balanced." She held her at arms' length. "Okay?"

"AJ will keep me balanced?"

Dr. Harper shook her head. "His memory is a promise. A promise that should anything ever happen to your beloved Luke, you will survive. Life will go on." Narrowing one eye, she held up her index finger. "Mickey and Sunny ... those memories will keep you balanced."

Jessica frowned. "Mickey and Sunny ..." She sighed. What could she say? So many lives had been affected because one day, many years ago, little Knox McGraw met a giggling angel in red Mary Janes on the playground.

"My mother once said, aLove is reckless because true emotions are immune to logic. The most beautiful love stories are often the most tragic.'"

"Mmm ..." Dr. Harper smiled. "Your mother told you the story of her life in just two sentences."

A handsome-albeit c.o.c.ky b.a.s.t.a.r.d-stood at the entrance to Samovar Tea with the most beautiful baby girl nestled to his chest in a red Ergo carrier.

"Give her to me." Jessica held out her hands and wiggled her greedy fingers.

"No way." He opened the door.

Jessica shot him a glare as she walked inside the restaurant.

"Two?" the waiter asked.

"Yes." Jessica pointed to a booth in the corner. "Over there please."

After she shrugged off her coat, she held her hands out again. "I mean it. Give her to me."

The c.o.c.ky b.a.s.t.a.r.d's chuckle accompanied his smile as he shook his head. "No. Sorry. If you wake her we're both screwed."

She plunked down into the booth. "You've always sucked at sharing."

Tatted arms hugged the little bundle tightly as he eased to sitting. "Ryn ran a few errands. She took her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with her so I've got nothing if Livy wakes up."

"She should have left a bottle."

"We're not using a bottle for another three weeks. Nipple confusion."

Jessica laughed. "Never thought I'd live to see the day where my brother was an expert on nipple confusion."

Jackson pressed his lips to Livy's tiny head. She had his dark hair and lots of it. "You'll understand soon enough." His eyes, the ones that matched hers, looked up. A smile pulled at his lips still pressed to Livy's head.

"We'll see. Dr. Overprotective insists on no babies until my doctor gives me the okay. Apparently the whole starvation then dying thing, followed by six months of no menstrual cycles makes me a poor candidate for getting pregnant or having a healthy pregnancy."

They gave the waiter their order. Jessica's gaze stayed glued to Livy. She adored her.

"San Francisco." She smiled, shaking her head. "I still can't believe you sold Ryn's place after everything you did to it, but I'm glad you did. I love having you living here again."

Jackson bounced Livy gently as she stirred then settled back into him, resting her other cheek to his chest, her tiny fist at her mouth.

"Her parents were willing to move wherever we moved, but it was still a hard sell until Maddie took that job in Baltimore."

"I never want to ask, but how are they?"

Jackson lifted his shoulders. "Maddie is ... Maddie. Stubborn. Young. Immature. Defiant. And unforgiving. But she's smart so she'll do well with her job, marry some guy who can tolerate her att.i.tude, and if she has a child of her own someday, I suspect she'll come crawling back to Ryn."

"And she'll welcome her with open arms because a mother's love is unconditional."

Jackson stared at Livy, his face stone. "I still can't forgive her."

Jessica felt that familiar pang in her chest that came every time they talked about their mother. She thought of Dr. Harper's words. Your mother told you the story of her life in just two sentences.

"Mom's dead. I don't think she's spending her afterlife worrying about you forgiving her, because I don't think she regretted any of it-not with Knox, not with Dad, and not with us. The same way I don't regret mine."

"The unconditional love?" He looked at her. "It's gutting."

Jessica smiled. Livy would break him some day ... one boyfriend at a time. "Yes, yes it is." She glanced out the window. "Oh she's coming ... gimme, gimme, gimme."

Jackson followed her gaze to Ryn walking toward the building. He smiled. Jessica loved the way he looked at Ryn, like each time he fell in love with her all over again.

Before he could protest, Jessica had the Ergo latch unfastened and Livy in her arms.

"G.o.d ... I love how she smells." Jessica held her close, inhaling the essence of her niece. Livy's blue eyes blinked open as she sucked at her fist.

"There's my beautiful wife." Jackson stood, freed the carrier from his body, and hugged Ryn, palming her a.s.s and kissing her like they were the only two in the room. But they weren't and there were plenty of wide eyes staring at them.

"Daddy's ready to give you a little brother already ... right here in Samovar," Jessica baby-talked to Livy. "Maybe they should go work on that in private and we'll go visit Jonesy."

Ryn giggled with Jackson's greedy lips still pressed to hers. "Hi, Jessica." She freed herself.

Jackson adjusted himself before sliding back into the booth next to Ryn.

Jessica shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jackson took a sip of his tea, hiding his c.o.c.ky-b.a.s.t.a.r.d smirk.

"So how was your last day with Dr. Harper?" Ryn asked, stealing Jackson's sandwich and taking a huge bite.

He gave her the hairy eyeball.

"Sorry, baby. I'm starving," she mumbled. "Think of it as feeding your daughter."

Jessica widened her eyes at Jackson. For all the years he gave Luke c.r.a.p about submitting to Jessica, there he sat-no t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es-lovesick for his wife and utterly smitten over the bundle in Jessica's arms.

"I'm cured. My words, not hers."

"Is Luke still seeing her?" Ryn wiped her mouth as Jackson reclaimed the rest of his sandwich.

"Yes." Jessica laughed. "The guy had me iron his socks to take to Goodwill. You can't fix that kind of crazy overnight."

The twins shared knowing looks. Luke not only had AJ to deal with, he had the memory of watching Jackson deliver a violent death to Preston Iverson. After two months and still no Preston, Ryn asked Jackson if he killed Preston. In true Jackson style, he replied, "Do you really want to know?"

Ryn shook her head and they never discussed it again.

"Speaking of crazy ..." Jessica glanced at her phone next to her plate. A photo of Luke pinned beneath Jones on the floor lit up her screen with the caption "Play time. Where are you, Mom?"

"Looks like it's time for Livy and me to head home." She stood.

Jackson cleared his throat, but it sounded more like a growl.

"Fine." She handed Livy to Ryn.

"Get your own." Jackson smirked.

Ryn elbowed him. "Don't be mean."

Jessica typed a message into her phone. "No, he's right. I plan on remedying this situation as soon as I get home."

Jessica: I'm on my way. Get your d.i.c.k out. I want a Livy too.

Jones: Still waiting for your doctor to give us the go ahead.

Jessica: Dammit, Jones! Meet me in the GTO in 20. d.i.c.k. Out. NO CONDOM!

"There. I just sent Luke a love letter. Wish me luck. I'm going to get Livy a cousin."

Jackson and Ryn laughed.

"Bye." Jessica winked and blew them a kiss before floating on her dreamy cloud all the way home.

"So remind me ... why aren't they married?"

Jackson chuckled, stealing Livy from Ryn. "You know I don't speak woman."

"Yeah, yeah ... and I don't speak Jackson, but I got you something anyway." She pulled a box from her purse.

"You're too late. Christmas was last week." He sucked on Livy's fingers.

"I felt bad that your gla.s.ses were lost in the move." Ryn smirked.

"And by lost you mean tossed."

"I didn't throw away your gla.s.ses. Anyway ..." She grinned.

Jackson loved that grin, those freckles, and her eyes that lit up just for him and the miracle he held in his arms. But without a doubt ... he knew she threw away his gla.s.ses.

Ryn opened the box and pulled out a shiny pair of black Clark Kent gla.s.ses.