Gwen opened the door to her apartment, and Grace and Sam rushed in.

"Oh God, Kay, you're okay!" Grace cried, grabbing her daughter and embracing her.

Gwen looked over toward the door, where she found Hank smiling shyly at her; her heart began to race.

Hank blushed bright red. "Thanks for finding her, Gwen," he said, his eyes falling to his feet. "How did you know where to look?"

Gwen fidgeted on her feet and curled her fingers around one of her wrists. "It turns out that your niece and I have a lot in common."

Hank looked up, his eyes locking on Gwen's. "Thank you for putting aside what happened on Thanksgiving for long enough to see that."

"Yes," Sam agreed.

Gwen jumped back.

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean to scare you." Sam put one hand on Gwen's shoulder. "I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Gwen smiled, her heartbeat steadying as she stole another glance at Hank.

"Sam's right." Grace smiled and tightened her arms around Kay. "I can't tell you how much this means to us."

Tears springing to her eyes, Gwen turned to Grace. "I'm happy I could help, Grace."

Kay looked Gwen up and down and smiled. "You know, Mom, I should have been nicer to Gwen the other day. She's really kind of okay . . ."

"Of course she is, Kay. She brought you back to us, didn't she?" Running her fingers through her daughter's hair, Grace shot Gwen a grateful smile. "I know it wasn't easy for you to join us for Thanksgiving, but I hope you'll come by again, Gwen."

Her heart swelling with emotion, Gwen averted her eyes to the floor. "Grace, I don't know what to say . . ."

"You don't have to say anything." Grace's eyes twinkled at Gwen. "It's so clear why you have Hank's heart."


"So everything's okay with the Bennetts?" Julian wrapped one arm around Eve's shoulder.

Eve pocketed her phone. "Yes, it is," she smiled. "Grace and Sam are with Kay right now—they're going to bring her home."

"I told you everything was going to work out."

Eve looked at him. "You did, didn't you?"

"I have all the faith in the world in you, Eve," Julian said. "I know that Gwen got here first, but you still knew where to look, didn't you?"

Eve blushed and hung her head. "I just know that Kay and Simone like to hang out here."

Julian stroked her cheek and smiled. "Yes, Eve, you do. That's because you pay attention to what matters—you make a point of knowing your daughters and their friends."

Eve shrugged her shoulders. "I just did what any parent would do."

Julian laughed. "Eve, even if my life depended on it, I couldn't tell you the name of even one of my children's friends. I've made such a mess of my relationships with Fancy, Fox, and Pretty, it's a wonder they still call me 'Dad.'"

"It's not too late to change that, you know?" Eve laid her hand on his chest. "Maybe it's time to show your children how much you've changed—maybe it's time for them to know the real you."

Julian smiled, picked up her hand, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Thank you for your faith in me, Eve."

Her throat constricting, Eve blinked back tears. "Thank you for your faith in me, too."


Gwen smiled as Hank poured a glass of wine for her and seated himself next to her on the couch.

"What is it?" Hank asked. "Do I have something on my teeth?"

"No," Gwen chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. "I'm just so glad that everything turned out okay."

"Yeah, well, thanks to you, it did." Hank looked Gwen up and down and smiled. "You really were amazing today, Gwen. I don't know how I'm ever going to thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, Hank." Gwen smiled shyly. "I'm just glad your niece is okay."

"Me, too." Hank put down his glass and looked her straight in the eye. "Is there still a chance for us, Gwen?"

"I . . . I hope there is, Hank," Gwen stammered. "What Grace said to me today . . . it was the most compassionate thing . . ."

Hank stroked her cheek. "I told you she and Sam would love you."

"I know, but it's still so hard to believe." Gwen shook her head and put down her glass. "After everything I've done, after the mess that I caused . . ."

"Gwen, that's all in the past," Hank insisted. "Your mistakes don't have to follow you around forever."

Gwen blinked back tears. "What did I ever do to deserve you, Hank?"

Hank scratched his head and smiled softly. "I ask myself the same thing about you every single day."

"Thank you for not giving up on me, Hank . . . especially when I was ready to give up on myself."

"How could I give up on you?" Hank asked. "You've got the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met."

"I don't know about that . . ." Gwen averted her eyes.

"Well, lucky for both of us, I do." Hank nudged up Gwen's chin. "You've been through so much this past year, and you've never once given up. You could have easily chosen an easier path, but instead, you chose to keep your head up high, to correct your mistakes. Most people wouldn't have even tried to look for Kay today if she had treated them the way she treated you."

"Hank, I know that, deep down inside, she was hurting . . ."

"That's exactly what I mean, Gwen!" Hank squeezed her. "That's why I love you so much."

"You . . . you . . . love me, Hank?" Gwen sat up straight and looked at him, her heart pounding in her chest.

Hank blushed bright red, his eyes widening. "I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. I . . . I didn't mean to scare you. Don't feel like you have to say it back."

"No—you're misunderstanding." Her eyes glistening, Gwen cupped Hank's face with both of her hands. "Hank—I love you, too."