It was 9 AM when Noah woke up and saw Brook's text and looked over at Tyler who was also awake and smiling at him.
"I take it Brook's here?"
Noah nodded, giving his husband a kiss.
Olivia woke up seeing the same text as Noah, smiling as she looked at her husband. Rafael was still asleep, wrinkles on his face and more gray lining his hair and a heavy beard. He was still as handsome as the day Captain Harris introduced them. He rolled over so her body was pressed up against his, her head tucked underneath his chin. She closed her eyes, feeling his arms automatically wrap around her.
"Morning, Mi Amor." Rafael sleepily said.
"Morning, Rafa...Brook's here."
"Mi hija is really home?" Raf raspy whispered and cuddled closer to Liv.
"She texted me and Noah, a couple of hours ago."
They both smiled at each other, then Raf kissed her sweetly. After getting up and dressed, they both headed downstairs. Noah, Tyler, and Rafa were already there. Tyler and Noah were fixing breakfast while Rafa was playing with his toys.
"Morning Papi." Noah smiled, while he scrambled eggs like an expert in a large cast iron pan.
"Morning mijo. Brook is still asleep?" Rafael asked as he grabbed the morning paper from outside the front door.
"Yeah, Princessa, said she would come down when she woke up." Tyler said. And they all giggled, a bit. lightning up the mood.
Tyler and Noah finished making breakfast, and Brook came downstairs while they were eating. Noah saw her first but didn't say a word.
Brook walked up behind Raf, put her arms around his neck and said,
"Hola Papi." She whispered.
Raf swallowed his breakfast roll and turned around with tears in his eyes.
"Hija Preciosa." She continued the hug as he got up, only it was Brook now who was starting to cry, as Raf fully stood, Brook was now weeping, sobbing in his arms...
"I'm sorry Papi….I'm so, so sorry! I know what happened is not your fault. But I miss him so much that it hurts! And you….Well, you, Papi...You remind me of him, You two were so, so much alike. You know what I'm talking about, right?" Raf squeezed her tight.
"Yes, Mija...I know...It's okay, it's okay. I Love you. Te Amo, Carino...Te Amo. I know... We were a lot alike...Two stubborn hard heads, si?" Rafi looked at Brook sideways when he said this, and Brook softened; her sobs getting less and less when she looked at her Papi and saw how much he too was hurting.
"I Love you too, Papi."
Brook let go of Rafi, went over to Liv and hugged her hard. She had missed her mom. Liv wiped away her tears as well. Then Noah and Tyler both engulfed them all, and they all had a group hug for a moment while Rafael picked up Rafa and brought him over to his Aunt Brooke. She immediately grabbed him and held him up in the air wiggling him about. This caused Rafi to shriek with joy. Such happiness had not been felt in this house in months.
"You hungry sis?" Noah asked.
"Sí mucho," She replied.
"Sentar. Comer." Noah said smiling.
Brook sat and ate breakfast with the rest of her family. Although they had planned to all go to the beach afterward, they couldn't due to a storm blowing through Miami, so they stayed at the beach house, hanging around watching TV, playing games, and talking about when the kids were little, including Zach.
"Liv, have you heard anything from the cops? I mean, it's been long enough hasn't it?" Rafa asked softly.
Rafael was lying on the couch, his head in Liv's lap. Noah sat on the floor, his legs entwined with Tyler's. They were alternating saying something into each other's ears that was causing them to smile each time they did, until, Noah looked down, then looked at his father,
"No, I started working with the precinct... investigating... but they have found little if anything at all. I told them to call me if they found more but…"
"They haven't found mierda! hey, they won't find anything. I mean who are we kidding?" Raf finished.
Noah said nothing, but he was thinking: "DAMN! We were finally having a decent, normal morning for once!" He let out a big exasperated sigh. He obviously missed his brother too, but sometimes he just wanted everything to be 'normal' again. Raf had tears in his eyes, and he turned his body so he was just facing Liv. She was crying as well, rubbing his back. After a few minutes they both calmed down, Raf moved away from Liv wiping his eyes.