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Her mom stood by the house with tears in her eyes. “I never get used to saying goodbye to you.”
Tears filled Laura Lee’s eyes as well. “Me either. I love you, Mom.” She embraced her.
“I love you, too,” Dorthea said.
“I’ll call you when we make it back to the Chicago area on Tuesday,” Laura Lee said.
Dorthea still embraced her tightly. “I’m so proud of you Laura Lee,” she said. “And Denzel and Ruth would be too, just as I’m sure Charlie is.”
More tears flooded her eyes. “Mom, I love you so much. Brad and I will be back around Christmas. As soon as I know my leave schedule, I’ll let you know.”
“He’s a good man. Dad would have approved of him,” she said. “I’m glad you’ll still be able to go to his mother’s house. He wants her to meet you as much as you wanted for me to meet him.”
Though delayed a few days, Laura Lee and Dupont were heading to Norfolk to meet with the Roses as planned before driving to his mother’s house in North Carolina where they would visit with her for two days before the trek home. Although no record of who Harrison West had set up, raped, blackmailed, or killed had been found, Joe Lassiter finally agreed with Laura Lee that knowing it was a possibility their daughter was murdered rather than she killed herself, could give the Rose’s peace of mind.
They’d had a video meeting with Shepherd, Cooper, and Garcia earlier that day. The autopsy had confirmed the man she killed was Jin Ma, not that she needed that confirmation. It was theorized that he must have switched clothes with someone at JFK to pull off the illusion that he’d returned to China. Watching Zhou while he was in custody, netted the FBI Agent Grant as the one who’d tipped him off. Grant tried to help Zhou with a well-executed, but expected, escape plan. He, too, was now in custody. Shepherd was sure Laura Lee and her family were now safe. He could not tell them exactly why; it was above their paygrades. But he felt confident, so Laura Lee did as well.
Laura Lee turned to her sister next and enveloped her in a hug. “See you at Christmas.”
“Yes, hopefully you two and Rich will have the same vacation schedule. It would be great if we were all together at Christmas.”
Laura Lee knew it would just take some time to get used to the idea of the two of them together. Then she embraced each of the kids. Brad was still being hugged by her mother when she embraced Rich. “Safe flight home.”
“I’ll see you guys when you get back on Tuesday if I’m not deployed,” Burke said. “Shepherd hasn’t pushed Charlie Team’s schedule out yet.”
“I know I’ll be at HQ for at least the next month,” Laura Lee said.
Dupont squeezed Laura Lee’s hand as he backed out of the driveway. His car was at a body shop. He’d have to decide if he’d keep it and possibly drive it home after their Christmas visit, or if he’d just sell it and buy a new one. But for now, he’d drive this rental.
“Are you okay?” he asked her. She still had tears trickling down her cheeks.
“Yes, just sad to be leaving my mom again. I know she’s worried about me now that she knows what I’m really doing for a living and that isn’t good for her health.”
“She insists this new drug is helping. I think you have to have faith that it will keep her from declining.”
“I know,” Laura Lee said. “She really likes you.”
Dupont chuckled. “She just gave me permission to marry you.”
“Did you ask her?”
“No, but I’m sure I’d get around to it in a few months. I know I’ve fallen in love with you.” He pulled to a stop at a red light and then gazed at her. “I have,” he said.
Laura Lee felt an incredible warmth spread through her. Her lips smiled so wide her jaw cramped. “I love you too.”
He leaned over and kissed her. The honking of horns behind them brought them back to the fact that they were in the car and the light had turned green. They both laughed as he pulled forward and drove onto the interstate, heading towards Norfolk.
Dupont glanced at the woman who sat beside him, wanting to kiss her again. His heart soared! She loved him too. And she hadn’t said no to the possibility of marriage sometime in the future. He smiled at this thought. The car was loaded with her things. She was moving in with him. He couldn’t wait for his mother to meet her, but he was sad that his father never would. His father had always told him that if your woman was also your best friend, your relationship had a better chance than most. He was sure his father would not only approve, but he would love Laura Lee as much as he did.
Laura Lee smiled, knowing she was the luckiest woman alive. She’d been lucky that night her father, Denzel Lee, was killed when she ran right into Charles Saxton. Her childhood had been wonderful with Dorthea Saxton as a mother and the best role model she could have had. Charles Saxton had been a fantastic father, and he taught her so much about life, respect, honor, and service.
She was blessed with a younger sister who was treated no differently than she was by their parents, and whom she loved. Her niece and nephews were amazing gifts to the family, even if before now she had condemned her sister for being some kind of walking stereotype. She got it now, though. Donna went all in with love. Love for the men she’d been with, love for her children, and love of her family. It took Rich Burke’s observations to make Laura Lee realize it.
And now, to have this relationship with one of her best friends, a man she could say she had grown to love, a man she trusted. Brad Dupont made her believe in happily ever after. She looked forward to the future in a way she never had, with no secrets hanging over her or holding her back.
The End