Page 79 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
They’d married quietly at City Hall last weekend. Just the two of them, the boys, and Keaton as their witness. Trinity had cried anyway when they’d told her, and Dawson had insisted on a proper party—even if it was just a gathering of friends with a cooler full of beer, Trinity’s famous deviled eggs, and enough seafood to feed the town.
Baily didn’t need anything else.
Audra sidled up beside her, handing her a fresh glass of sweet tea. “You good?”
“More than good.” She took a sip. “It feels…safe again for the first time in a long time.”
Audra nodded, her eyes scanning the crowd. “You deserve this. You fought for it. For them.”
They both looked over at the boys. Todd, older now and trying so hard to be grown, was helping Keaton reel in a crab pot while Chad poked it with a stick and made disgusted faces.
“They’re adjusting,” Baily said softly. “It hasn’t been easy. Todd has nightmares sometimes. And Chad asked me last night if their mom was going to come take them back.”
Audra placed a hand on her arm. “What did you say?”
“I told him the truth. That she’s in jail. That we don’t know what the future looks like, but for now, they’re safe. That Fletcher and I aren’t going anywhere.”
“And that was enough?”
Baily blinked back the sting in her eyes. “For now.”
The money from Ken’s offshore accounts had come through, legitimized thanks to Enzo’s maneuvering. Most of it would sit untouched, locked away in trust accounts for the boys. College. Therapy. Whatever they needed to build futures untethered from their past. The marina would survive without it.
She heard Fletcher laugh again and turned to find him watching her now. He raised his glass in salute, his gaze full of the same promise he’d made weeks ago—that he would always be her lighthouse.
She walked toward him, barefoot and smiling, and was intercepted by Chad, who grabbed her hand and tugged. “Aunt Baily! Come see what we caught!”
It wasn’t the first time he’d called her that. But it still hit like a wave to the chest every time.
“I’m coming,” she said, ruffling his hair.
As she neared the end of the dock, Fletcher reached for her. “Hey, Mrs. Dane.”
She blushed. “I’m still getting used to that.”
“You’ll get there.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’ve got that married glow.”
“More like sunscreen and stress,” she muttered.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close as the boys showed off their haul to a very patient Keaton. “They’re going to be okay, you know.”
“I want to believe that.”
“We’ve got temporary custody. That’s a big step. If the court agrees Julie is unfit—which they will—then we’ll start the adoption process.”
“And if she fights it?”
“Then we fight harder. We don’t back down.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know if I have it in me to fight anymore.”
He was quiet for a moment, then kissed the top of her head. “You do. You always have. But you’re not alone anymore. You’ve got me, the boys, all of this. And when you’re tired, I’ll carry the weight.”
A lump lodged in her throat.
“I love you,” she said.
“I know.”
