Disclaimer: the unnamed characters you'll recognize belong to JE.

A/N: currently a one shot. Might change if y'all like it. I will be continuing my other fics soon- RL has been kicking my butt. This just wouldn't leave me alone.

I grew up in a home where my parents were obviously in love and they expressed it every day. They touched each other and kissed each other all the time. As a kid, and into my teen years it was incredibly uncomfortable for me and my brothers. As an adult, I thought it was sweet and romantic. That's what I wanted out of my life.

My brothers, Ricky and Matteo had settled down young. Matteo's wife had died in a car accident and now he was a single dad. Ricky and his wife, Ana, had no kids and had no plans to have them. Ever. Gavin, my other brother, was uninterested in settling down at all. Instead he'd followed in Daddy's foot steps and worked special ops.

I figured Gavin wouldn't settle down until he was forced to, by the kind of love mom and daddy shared. As a family we generally avoided considering the alternative versions of him being forced to quit, because none of them were comfortable to our peace of mind.

I'd dated a boy throughout high school who I thought was it for me. He was sweet, kind, sexy, but respectful and polite. We had six years together before he was taken from me by cancer. We had talked marriage and children and when he was diagnosed he tried to pull away. I got my moms stubbornness and determination and refused to let him. I stuck by him until the very end. I even took a semester off from college.

I remember thinking how disappointed my parents would be in me, but the day I told them, my dad came over and hugged me, whispering how proud he was of me.

"Proud? Why, Daddy? I thought you'd be disappointed!"

"You're letting your sense of right and wrong guide you. You're not taking the easy way out. This is exactly how I raised you, and so even if I think that you belong at school, that you need to finish your education, you're not running. You're not running from something that will be hard, and hurtful, and you're putting others ahead of yourself. That's why I'm proud of you, sweetheart."

Dominic Morelli had died three months later. He was late stage four, and they told him the chances of the treatments working were minuscule. So he decided to forego the treatments. I spent every moment with him I could, and I learned a lot about what a person can handle. I spent two more months after he passed grieving, and crying, and then I told myself he wouldn't have wanted that. Instead, I worked my way through back to the Lucy Manoso that Dominic had loved.

One day I visited his grave, and I leaned against his headstone and promised to do all I could to move on with my life, to keep the trajectory that I'd set for myself before he'd gotten sick, and to be happy. When I got home I hugged my parents and then I went to pack up to head back to school.

Now I had graduated and I was working in Daddy's office as his CFO. I'd had to work up to that position, too. Daddy didn't do hand outs. He made me work hard for the job, starting as a teenager doing Mom's original job of searches. I'd eventually gotten to meet with clients and learn the actual security aspect of the business, and after I graduated he had me work with the entire core team plus his lawyers office as an intern and then his accountants office as an intern. I'd trained under his accountant, and when I got my dual business administration and accounting degrees I'd applied for the job just like anyone else would have to.

I'd had to apply three times before I got the job.

I'd been working there as the CFO for three years now. At twenty seven years old, I was anxious to begin the rest of my personal life, too. It had taken me two years after Dominic had passed away before I could start dating, and that was barely four years ago. Now I was going out every weekend, trying to find my other half, and hoping that I got a second one since I'd lost Dominic.

That Friday night I walked into my condo to find two big pairs of army issue boots on my floor, and two big old duffles lining the back wall of my living room. I dropped my purse and ran into the kitchen, where I found Gavin cooking dinner. I launched myself at him, hugging him for dear life. It had been at least a year since I'd seen him last.

"Oh god I missed you I missed you I missed you!"

He squeezed me tight and set me down on the counter, before I heard someone else come up behind me. I looked over my shoulder and stared at the panty melting sight that met my eyes. Six foot four at least, bronzed skin, more muscles than even I was used to seeing and I grew up around the Merry Men, dark blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. Wearing nothing but cargos. In. My. Living. Room.

And he was eyeing me like I was dinner.

"Stop eye fucking at my sister, Gabriel."

He visibly shook himself and extended his hand, "Gabriel Adams, ma'am. Sorry for staring, I just wasn't expecting to see something as pretty as you. I've been stuck with that fools ugly mug for way too long, Beautiful."

He reminded me a lot of Uncle Lester in both looks and personality.

"It's okay we stay here, right, Lucy?"

I nodded my head at Gavin, still awestruck by Gabriel.

After dinner, they left to go see mom and Daddy and I tidied up. I set up the guest rooms for them both and restocked the towels in the bathroom. I fielded a call from Mom asking if I needed anything while they were in town and then I went for a soak in my deep set tub. I had my curly black hair up in a messy bun on top of my head, my head phones on, and my eyes shut when I felt someone's eyes on me.

I opened them to see Gabriel leaning in the doorway with a small smile curving his lips. This guy was the best kind of trouble and as soon as I got over him staring at me naked I might just explore the options I'd have for a happily ever after with him. Isn't this similar to how mom and daddy's happily ever after began?