Epilogue

*Two days later...*

Lauren slowly pulled on the strings of her oversized hoodie and looked from her mother to Vince Krowski.

Her mouth opened and closed with no spoken words and Lauren silently shook her head. They’d repeated it about three times now, but she still couldn’t seem to wrap her head around it.

How on earth could it turn out this way? Just how the hell was the Deputy Mayor suddenly her biological father?

Lauren bit her lip and looked curiously around Hutson’s garden where they sat. Her life couldn’t have suddenly become a television drama, could it?

“Lauren?” said Cathy.

Lauren looked back at her mother. “Momma?”

Cathy tilted her head. “Why aren’t you sayin’ anythin’?”

Lauren raised her hands and dropped them helplessly. “Well... I mean...” She looked at Vince who looked like he was more uncomfortable than he’d ever been in his life. “I just can’t believe it, that’s all. I never knew I... I never knew I had a father. It’s weird.” Lauren leaned forward. “Are you sure though?”

Vincent immediately nodded. “Positive. If you are Catherine’s daughter, Lauren, you’re mine too. Losing you and your mother was the reason I went back to that town as Vincent Krowski. I had to make them pay for what they did to my family.”

Lauren frowned and tilted her head. “Wait, You’re not *really* Vincent Krowski?! Wow... this is all just so extra, I can’t...”

She trailed off and Cathy reached over to pat her hand. Lauren narrowed her eyes at her mom. “Did you know, Momma? That Mr. Krowski’s... my biological father.”

Cathy quickly shook her head. “No. I didn’t even recognize him. I knew...” She looked at Vince, marveling at how much he’d changed. “I knew a lanky, blonde-haired boy called Andrew Davidson. After twenty years, there’s no way I could recognize him looking... like this.” Catherine turned her gaze away. The black haired man besides her exuded a power and confidence that she’d never sensed from a man before. It was rather unnerving.

Vince waved an elaborate hand, swallowing to moisten his throat that Cathy had gotten dry with her nostalgic recollections. “Well, I... I did somewhat alter my appearance to ensure full success of my plans. I knew you wouldn’t recognize me. Even when I recognized you on sight.”

Lauren watched them share a look and blinked at Vince. “So was that why you never came looking for me? I’m just asking. Having a little girl by your side *would* probably lower your chances of success.”

She watched as his eyes filled with something sad. “That’s not it, Lauren,” said Vince. “I tried to find you plenty of times. Once, I even came close to seeing you face to face.”

“What stopped you?” Lauren asked, struggling to maintain her calm.

“As long as your aunt was raising you, that woman would let nobody come near you!” said Vincent, his tone not hiding his dislike for Abigail Burns. “Especially anybody who could tell you the truth about your family. She was the greatest obstacle. Even Hutson could only reach you after she’d died.”

He sat back, the frustration evident on his face. Lauren swallowed her heart back into her chest. The conversation was stirring up too many different emotions within her and she felt like she was getting choked by everything she felt.

With a heavy sigh, Lauren looked down at her hands. “Yeah,” she sighed. “I’m not surprised. Most of the things that happened in the past could have been prevented if Aunt Abby had had a better heart. If only she hadn’t been the way she had.” Drawing in a deep breath, she looked up at her mother whose gaze was fixed on the table top. “But there’s nothing we can do about it now. She’s gone.”

Vince looked away. “Thank God.”

“Hey,” said Cathy. “Abigail... she needed help. More than any of you know. But she still raised my daughter.” She looked at Lauren. “And she raised you well. She never let nobody hurt you either. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”

They shared a moment of silence and just as Lauren wanted to leave, a pair of hands landed on her shoulders. Tilting her head back, she looked up at Aaron’s smiling face. The sunlight behind him twinkled through his blonde hair, making her squint.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey yourself,” said Aaron before nodding at Vince and Cathy. Coming around, he pulled out the garden chair beside Lauren and lowered himself onto it.

“Did you hear?”

Vince raised his brows. “No. Hear what?”

Aaron looked around at their faces. “The Stanfords made a run for it.” Lauren gasped and Aaron nodded. “Yup.”

“Martin,” muttered Vince. “That bastard. I’ll find him if it’s the last thing I do.”

Aaron pursed his lips. “Cops put out a warrant for Marcus Stanford’s arrest. He’s wanted on charges of kidnapping as well as breakin’ and entering. He’s gonna lie low for a bit.”

Lauren looked hesitantly between them. “Maybe... y’all should let this go.”

Vince looked at her. “Why? People like them should be hunted down for the rest of their lives. They don’t deserve to be left alone.”

Lauren leaned forward. “And *you* don’t deserve to obsess over those people for the rest of your life.” Vince looked away, his jaw tight with stubbornness.

Cathy sighed. “Lauren’s right. You’ve exposed them for what they are. Their lives are ruined and they’re on the run. I think that’s enough punishment. If you try to carry on with this, it’ll only eat you up. People like them never repent, Drew.” She looked at him, noting the shock in his eyes at what she’d called him. “They never say sorry. So let it go.”

Lauren glanced at Aaron. “We should all let it go.”

Aaron looked over at her and slowly nodded. “And start over.”

Lauren sighed heavily. “Yup.” She tilted her head at her mother with a soft smile. “And start over.”

**********************

*One month later*

“No, no, not there!” said Cathy as Aaron lowered the huge vase in the wrong corner of her new house. Cathy adored the house, so it was of the utmost importance to properly decorate the interior.

Since Lauren had sold her house in Chesterville and moved to Malbourg to live with Aaron and Selena and Richard had also moved to Malbourg, Cathy knew that this house would now be a part of any memories they’d make together. She was not about to have any detail out of place. Not even an improperly placed vase.

Aaron leaned on the thing, panting as he turned to her. “This is the hundredth corner we’ve tried in this house. Where do you want it? My back is about to break here!”

Cathy only gracefully tightened the two sticks holding her bun in place to keep the hair out of her face. She put her hands on her hips. “My, my, Aaron, you sure do complain a lot. Don’t firemen carry heavy things all the time?!”

Aaron put his gloved hands on his own hips and copied her pose. “We don’ run up and down stairs carryin’ gigantic vases that sure as hell must be made of granite.”

Cathy scoffed, fighting her smile. “It’s ceramic!”

Lauren walked into the parlor with two paintings. “Where do you want these?”

Cathy looked at the paintings and smiled delightfully. “Oh, that landscape one can go on the wall across my bed! And the flowers will go in the bedroom hallway.”

Vince stepped into the room from the dining hall, a bunch of nails in one gloved hand and a hammer in the other. “No, I think we should put the landscape one in the reading area. It’ll be so refreshing to look at.”

Cathy’s smile dimmed and she gave him a look. “Hey, I get to decorate, remember?” Cathy put up her nose in a way Lauren found endearing. “Besides,” said Cathy, eyeing Vince. “You’re just my roommate. I’m lettin’ you have your early retirement in my house, that’s all.”

Vince snuck Lauren and Aaron a look. “Oh, of course,” he told Cathy with an amused smile. “I paid for half the house, but of course I’ll abide to your every wish, your highness.”

Cathy forced her mouth to stop twitching with humor and gave Vince a stern nod. “As you should.”

Selena poked her head into the parlor. “Aren’t you all comin’ out into the garden then?” she asked, glancing at Aaron. “Aaron, dearie, Grayson’s here. Come on!”

“Oh, yes! Coming!” said Aaron, leading Lauren out, shamelessly happy to leave behind the vase that Cathy would doubtlessly make him carry to a hundred more corners.

The backyard was all set up, Cathy’s rocking chair sitting on the patio and the chair she so graciously allowed Vince to place rocked beside hers.

They sat around the large picnic table outback.

“Took you damn long enough to get out here,” complained Hutson as he helped himself to more food.

“Monty’s nearly sick with impatience,” commented Richard.

“Gray!” Lauren bypassed all the food and ran over to hug Grayson.

“Hey, there,” said Gray with a chuckle. “You haven’t grown any taller at all!”

Lauren gave him a playful glare as Gray and Aaron greeted each other.

“You got your stuff?” asked Aaron.

Gray nodded and jerked his head to the right. “In the car. So... Monday?”

Aaron nodded. “Yup. Not at the Firehouse anymore though. I’m still happy there, but I think the Firm will suite you better. Hutson agrees.”

Grayson grinned and nodded. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”

Lauren glanced at Aaron and saw him give Grayson a meaningful look. “Nah. Gray. I should thank you, man. For everythin’.”

Gray pursed his mouth and nodded. “I’m just as grateful, Aaron.”

Lauren held her hands behind her back, looking back and forth between them. “Are you guys gonna cry?”

Aaron glanced at her with a grin as he led them to the table. “Why? Are you jealous that I’m bondin’ with Grayson

Lauren scoffed. “Hah! Oh, yes, I’m just *dying* with jealousy! Any more bonding and I’ll drop-kick both your asses.”

They sat with the rest of the family, Lauren looking up at Aaron as he laughed at her.

She sighed in contentment, glancing around at everyone as they passed around food.

She tilted her head in thought. To think that not so long ago, she had been all alone in the world. And now she had far more joy and happiness and love than she knew what to do with.

Lauren watched her mother as she laughed at something Hutson said, her face filled with joy and not an ounce of the pain the past had inflicted on her. Everyone was smiling, sharing food and happiness simultaneously.

The laughter, the sunlight, the joy. The moment. It was the greatest blessing of Lauren’s life.

Sure, she’d discovered bitter truths in Woodfair. But those bitter truths had brought about a change in Lauren’s life that she’d never thought she’d experience.

And for this, more than *anything* else, Lauren was grateful.

*The End.*