“Someone is in there, Mommy,” Franny said, looking up at me, concerned.

“I bet it’s his sister, Blaire. Maybe we should wait—”

“You can’t leave,” I heard. “Stop being so stubborn! I’ll call her. I’ll get her up here. You can’t even walk, Captain.” Blaire’s voice had risen so that her words were crystal-clear. Unmistakable.

He was trying to leave because of me. I reached for Franny’s hand and hurried her toward the room with me. He didn’t need to move. I just hoped he hadn’t tried yet. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if he made his injury worse.

“I’m leaving this fucking hospital and—” His words stopped when he saw Franny and me. He took us both in, along with the items we held in our arms.

“Hey,” Franny said, sounding nervous. “I don’t think you need to get up. You’ll hurt your leg worse. Tell him, Mommy. He can’t get up.”

She’d heard enough of the distress in Blaire’s voice to know he was about to do something stupid. Beautifully perfect but stupid.

“Lie back down, River. Please,” I said, walking over to set the items I was holding down on the table before going to him. “We’re back. We aren’t leaving.”

He looked hopeful as he watched me.

“Thank God,” Blaire said, sounding relieved. “As much as I want to meet Franny and have some family bonding time, I think this family needs some time alone.”

“Yeah,” River agreed, not looking back at his sister.

“Thanks, Blaire, and I’m sorry about that,” I told her, knowing she’d understand what I meant. I didn’t want to say too much in front of Franny.

“I got you balloons. Well, Mommy got them, too. And we got you good stuff to eat ’cause hospital food is gross. Why were you leaving? Was it because the food was gross?”

Her questions brought a smile to the corners of River’s mouth. “The food is bad, but if you’ve brought me the good stuff, then I reckon I can relax and stay here a while longer.”

Franny beamed at him and started pulling out the doughnuts to put in front of him. “We didn’t bring milk, because Mommy said they’d have that here. You need milk with doughnuts.”

“I agree completely. We need to get us each a glass of milk and open this box up.”

I wasn’t sure he could eat anything like doughnuts yet, but I’d deal with that when the nurses came. He was going to tell Franny anything she wanted to hear at this point, and I loved him even more for that. She was doing a good job of not showing how upset she was over seeing him in that bed, with his leg all bandaged up and hanging there.

He turned to look at me, so softly that I felt I might melt. “You came back.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I left something here that I love.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners as his smile grew. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Then you think you can love it with the past that comes with it?”

I shrugged and stepped closer to him. “I’ve loved it for most of my life. Can’t stop now.”

River held out a hand to me, and I slipped mine into his. He pulled me closer, and I went willingly.

“Wait . . . do you love Mommy?” Franny’s tone was a mix of awe and excitement.

“Loved her since she was twelve years old. Never stopped,” he replied.

The warmth of his words spread through me, and I leaned into him.

“Does this mean you’re gonna marry her?” Franny asked, clasping her hands together, with wide eyes as she looked at us.

“That’s not—” I started to say, but was cut off when River pulled me down for a quick, chaste kiss.

“Yeah, if she’ll have me. It’d make me the luckiest man on the planet to have both of you in my life, together.”

Smiling against his lips, I turned my head to see Franny watching us with a hopeful expression. “I think it’s safe to say we both love you and want to keep you.”

She nodded her head enthusiastically. “Yes, we will marry you!” she exclaimed.

Captain chuckled and held out his other hand toward her.

She ran over to him and was careful not to hurt him as she let him pull her to his side.

“Got my girls,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Makes all the paths I took to get me here worth every last mile.”

Franny didn’t understand the depth of that, but I did. One day, she would, too.