It had been eight days. I only knew that because this was the eighth time that I had heard my rm go off. I lost track of the number of times I’d turned Miguel away with food or made Sicily get out of my room trying to drag me out of bed so that she could clean my room. I didn’t want to be bothered. I was trying to get Den out of my system, but she was rooted so deep that I couldn’t shake her.

    With King and Evie gone, my house felt like a dungeon. Before, I relished the emptiness and quiet. Now the silence was deafening. I missed the chaos of having Den and the kids around. It was too peaceful here.

    I probably needed to turn on some music or something because the silence seemed to be so loud. I allowed a smile to creep through as I thought about that little song Den was always humming. I never could quite think of what it was. All of a sudden, the words seemed toe to mind. It was as if my princess was right here singing it. My brow snapped together as I slowly sat up in bed.

    “You sick? Why are you in bed at two in the afternoon, Mr. Workaholic?”

    “Y-you . . . came back,” I stammered as I threw my legs over the side of the bed and rushed over to hug her. My eyes misted with tears as I held her to me. It was such a relief to have Den back in my arms.

    “I figured if we were going to get married, it didn’t make sense for us to live in different ces. Plus, I had toe.”

    “Married? You’re going to marry me?”

    My chest felt tight as I waited for her to verify what I hoped to be true.

    Waving her ring-adorned hand, she nodded. “Yes, Mr. Gray. I love you, and I don’t want to go back to the life I lived before I met you.”

    “I promise, I’m never going to stop trying to make you happy, Den. Anything you want, baby. Just keep being my sunshine. You’re not a prisoner here, and you never will be. I love you, Den.”

    “I love you too, baby. I got you,” she said, cupping my cheeks and kissing my lips. “Now, I’ma need you to go take a shower and get changed for me. You smell like you skipped a few showers. That’s not like you. I’m used to you being on point.”

    “I was depressed. I haven’t done much of anything.”

    “Well get it together. I want to show you something.”

    “You wanna wrap those long legs around me? Because we can get this started in the shower,” I asked as I stripped my shirt over my head.

    Sheughed. I didn’t. “Not so fast. I have to show you something else first. I can do thatter.”

    “Just checking. Don’t go nowhere, Den. As a matter of fact,e in the bathroom with me.”

    “I can’t. I have to keep an eye on your surprise.”

    “You didn’t say anything about a surprise. I don’t know if I like surprises.”

    “You’ll like this one. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right down the hall.”

    I watched Den until my bedroom door closed behind her then shot into the bathroom. I took the quickest shower in history, before drying off and throwing on a pair of sweats and a tank top. I stuck my feet into a pair of slippers and rushed out of the bedroom to find Den.

    I stopped in my tracks when I spotted her. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to have a heart attack soon.

    “You can’t do stuff like this, Dev. I’m an old man. My heart can’t take all this excitement,” I told her as I rushed over to Den holding my little sweet face on her hip.

    “You’re only thirty-six. That’s only eleven years older than me.”

    “Do you know what I was doing when I was eleven?” I asked her.

    “I don’t even want to know.” She shook her head.

    “Where is my buddy? In the room?” I asked, walking toward the kids’ room.

    Ang’s head popped out of the room almost making my heart stop for a second time. “What’s all of thismotion out here?” sheined.

    “Shut up, big head, ande give your brother a hug,” I teased.

    “Uncle Steel!” King cheered as he burst out of the room.

    “Hey, buddy. I missed you,” I said, scooping him up in my arms.

    “My mom said we can move down the road, so we don’t have to miss you no more.”

    “That’s good, buddy. I was missing you too. It’s too quiet around here without you,” I admitted. “What made you change your mind?” I asked my sister.

    “Her. She reminded me of the importance of having family,” she said, pointing at Den across the room. “And you reminded me of the importance of forgiveness. I have to work on forgiving myself for the things I’ve done to hurt the people I love. If you are willing to let me back in, the least I could do is appreciate your open arms.”

    “I’m d to have you back, sis. I will put you in touch with some movers and whoever you need to work with to get settled in. Let me know how you want to go about work. I can find you something to do for me or I can help you find a job. Whatever you need to help you keep your head above water.”

    “OK. I think I’ll take a week or two just to appreciate freedom and reuniting with you.”

    “Fine with me.” I nodded.

    “Come on, Uncle Steel. Watch cartoons with us,” King requested.

    “OK, buddy.” Iughed as I fell onto the couch.

    “Thank you for being so good to him and the kids.” I heard my sister tell Den from behind.

    I looked at my princess over my shoulder and smiled when she mouthed “I love you.”

    “I love you too, princess,” I told her with a wink.