Page 90 of Amore
Frankie and I looked at each other. We hadn’t expected to know for a few more weeks.
“I do if you do.”
Frankie grinned. “I want to know.”
The doctor smiled and then said, “It’s a girl.”
* * *
The urine test came back,confirming Frankie had a bladder infection. Emily picked us up with Amore in tow. He was excited to see us, his tail wagging.
“He seems to be doing better,” I said.
Emily nodded. “He bounced back a few hours ago. I looked it up and spoke to a friend who’s a vet. We think he was given some sort of medication to knock him out, and it’s worn off, but my friend said if he vomits or anything, to bring him in.”
I could finally breathe easier, knowing everyone I loved was okay.
After getting our antibiotics from the pharmacy, Emily dropped us off at home. We didn’t tell her we were having a girl. We wanted to keep it a secret for a while. Emily had cleaned the spot on the floor where Candace’s blood had been when we’d left, and as we walked in, the alarm sounded. I did a sweep to make sure everything was clear, and then Frankie, Amore, and I went to our bedroom.
Stripping out of our clothes, Frankie and I took a quick shower and then crawled into bed.
“I’m still hungry, by the way.”
It had been hours since I’d left to get hot dogs at the Santa Monica Pier. The sun would rise soon. At the hospital, Frankie had a bag of peanuts and a bottle of water I’d gotten out of a vending machine, but I knew they wouldn’t hold her over all night.
“I can make us some breakfast.”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course.” I got out of bed. “Stay here, and I’ll go make it.”
“Actually, I just want french fries.”
I grinned. “I know the perfect thing to make you.”
I went to the kitchen, fed Amore a scoop of food since I knew Frankie and I were going to sleep way past our usual time, and stuck fries into the air fryer. While they cooked, I took a saucepan and made a quick gravy with butter, flour, and beef broth. Once the fries were crisp, I topped them with the gravy and cheese curds. Even though I was exhausted, I knew mygirlswould love the little extra I did to make the fries even better.
Walking back into the bedroom, Frankie was flipping through the channels on the TV. She stopped on a Christmas movie since it was that time of year for them to play. Hers was coming out in a few weeks and I was excited to see how all the hours and shots were edited together to makeSnowballs in December.
Her eyes lit up as I handed her a bowl with the poutine. “Oh, my god. I love you.”
“I know.” I got into bed, and we ate our gravy and cheese fries while we watched a Christmas movie. After the fries were consumed, we fell asleep with the movie still playing, something I always did when Frankie and Lucy had forced me to watch them years ago, but this time, the girl next door was wrapped in my arms, and I was never letting her go.
EPILOGUE
LUKE
Six MonthsLater
The media wentcrazy when they learned Candace tried to kill me, Frankie, and Amore. To avoid any craziness at our wedding, Frankie and I eloped to Aspen at Christmas. It was beautiful and perfect with only our family and closest friends in attendance.
Candace was in jail and awaiting her trial. No bail was set because she’d tried to kill us, and I was fine with that. She had used my LAPD-issued gun, and it all made sense after I learned that. She’d broken into my apartment by using a copy of my key, and I assumed she’d looked over my shoulder at some point to get my gun case code. We reviewed the footage from our home cameras and saw that she slipped into the house when people were coming and going before we’d left for the movie premiere, then laid in wait until we returned home.
Frankie and I could breathe again because everyone who had tried to hurt us was in jail.
Dipping a paintbrush into the white paint, I spread it onto the wood. Over the last six months, I’d built a treehouse in our backyard. I knew our baby girl wouldn’t use it for a long time, but it was something I wanted to do, and I had the time.
After being recast in a movie she was supposed to film, Frankie scored a recurring role for a cop drama and would film in LA. It was perfect because she’d be home each night to be with our daughter and me.
