Epilogue

Fifteen months later

Fox looked at Ivy and smiled. She had been rather quiet during their early lunch at the diner, where they had come in to visit and catch up with Joe and Manny. She had not eaten much and even turned down the chocolate pudding Manny had offered her, which they all knew she loved. Glancing at Dana as they left, calling goodbye to everyone, she nodded in understanding. Suggesting they take a walk around their old haunts, he took Ivy's hand, and gave it a squeeze.

"You okay? You've been quiet. It's not like you to not be talkative."

"I'm feeling a little nervous," she said quietly, squeezing his hand twice.

He stopped walking and turned to her, still holding her hand. She looked up at him and he smiled.

"You want to talk about it? Or just take a minute?"

"What if I mess up the words? What if I don't read it perfectly?" she asked, taking a deep breath.

"Hmm," he hummed, squatting down and nodding. "I know that feeling, believe me. I used to have to give speeches for school sometimes and readings for my books. I also worried I would mess up somehow."

"So what did you do?" she asked, biting her lip and stepping closer to him, her hand going to the collar of his sweater, twisting it gently, and he bit back a smile.

She had to be feeling even more nervous than she let on if she was holding onto his collar, something she only did under distress. The last time of which had been over seven months, when she had missed the first week of second grade.

A cold that lingered had kept her home and feeling miserable. Even through fevers and a stuffy nose, she had worried about all she had missed, crying sadly as she had lay on the couch.

Hating to see her so upset, Dana had contacted the teacher and asked if there was any chance that they could come in after school once Ivy had recovered, to meet her and to see the classroom. Her teacher had kindly obliged and when Ivy had finally been better, they had all gone to the school to meet her new teacher.

Ivy had been excited and fairly bursting to get out, but once she had, she had stood by the car and looked up at him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it twice.

Squatting down, she had put her arms around his neck and twisted the collar of his shirt in her fingers as he held her.

"Take your time, honey. No rush," he had told her softly and she had nodded against his shoulder.

Taking a few deep breaths, she had held onto his collar as he had looked up at Dana with a small smile. She had stuck out her bottom lip and sighed as she had stroked Ivy's hair.

After a couple of minutes, Ivy had released her hold on him. Stepping back, she had taken a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Okay, I'm ready now," she had said and he had smiled.

Standing to his feet, they had each taken one of her hands and gone inside to meet her new teacher and tour the classroom.

Smiling at that memory, as he felt the tug of her fingers in his collar, he smiled at her.

"What did I do to not be worried about speaking and reading in front of people?" he asked her and she nodded. "Well, the most important thing I did was practice what I would be reading, just as you have done over the past few days."

"And that was enough to make you not feel nervous?" she whispered, twisting his collar gently.

"Well, yes and no," he said. "It helped for sure, but I usually felt calmer after I got to the place where I would be speaking. I knew what I was going to say, but not where I would be. Sometimes it's nice to have that visual, like when we went to school after you'd been sick? It helped you feel better about going to school the next day, right? You knew your teacher and where your classroom was so you felt more confident, right?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding her head. "Could we do that now? Go to the bookshop early?"

"Oh… I don't see why not," he said. "Let's talk to Mommy about it."

"Okay," she said, as she released her hold on his collar and he saw her visibly relax. "I'd like to do that, please."

"Okay," he said, smiling and kissing her forehead again.

Standing up, he took her hand and they rejoined Dana, telling her of their plan.

"Would it be helpful to you, honey?" Dana asked her.

"Yes, Mommy."

"Then I think it's a good idea," she said, smiling at her. "But I'm not quite ready to go yet. Would it be okay to meet up with you and Daddy in a little bit?"

"Yes, that's okay with me," Ivy said with a smile and Dana smiled back.

"Okay, you two head over and I'll meet you there soon, okay?"

"Sounds good, hon," Fox said, kissing her softly and winking at her, knowing what her plans included. "See you soon."

Taking Ivy's hand after she had hugged Dana goodbye, they began to walk towards the bookshop. He considered taking a cab, but thought Ivy could do with a bit of a walk to clear her head and talk more if it was needed. She seemed better however, pointing out things and places that she remembered along the way, bringing up memories and laughing.

Joining in on the reminiscing, he squeezed her hand as they reached the steps to the basement bookshop and hopped down each one. He smiled as he read the sign on the door, written in Mary's beautiful cursive.

Closed for a special engagement.

Turning the handle, the familiar sound of the bell tinkled above the door, greeting them as they walked inside.

"Fox!" Mary cried, as she rounded the corner, smiling broadly. "And Ivy. It's so good to see you both again."

"Mary," he said, embracing her with a happy smile. "It's good to see you too."

"Is Dana not with you?"

"Oh she is, but she'll be here a little later," he said, his hand on Ivy's head as she leaned in close to him. "We decided to come here early and see the bookshop to calm our nerves a bit. We were feeling a little nervous about today."

"Oh. I can understand that feeling. Doing something we've never done before is definitely a little scary, as we don't know what it will be like until we do it." She smiled at Ivy and Fox smiled at Mary, knowing she understood. "Would you like to see where you'll be reading, Ivy?"

Fox felt her nod against his side and he smiled as he looked down at her, stroking her hair.

"Come on, honey," he said and they followed Mary further into the shop towards the children's section.

Ivy gasped as they reached it, stopping and standing frozen to the spot.

"Oh my gosh," she said softly and Fox grinned at Mary before looking at Ivy. "It's so beautiful. Daddy… it's Pandy's castle! Look! It's Pandy! And Butter! And Funny Bunny! And Arlo!"

She ran into the children's section, squealing loudly as she looked at everything. Fox smiled as he watched her, tears stinging his eyes at the happiness on her face.

"Maggie, Will, and Bill were here last night setting it all up," Mary said to him quietly and he nodded, knowing they had been. "You married into a good family."

"That I did," he agreed, wiping his eyes.

As he watched the joy on Ivy's face, her nervousness all but vanished, he let out a deep breath as he thought about the last few months and what it took to reach this moment.

The day he had proposed the idea of creating a real book, one to publish and share, Ivy had been excited and agreed immediately. They had gone to the copy store and created a rough example of the book to look at together and to show Dana.

Over dinner, they had discussed the idea and Dana had been just as excited as Ivy at the prospect of it.

They had decided on the main central characters, a storyline, and setting. Creating another book, they added more information and illustrations. Reading and then rereading it for the final time, they had all been together when he pressed send on the email to Susan with the book pdf attached to it.

"Now we wait," he had said, looking at Ivy who was holding Pandy in her hands.

"It will be simply splendid," she had responded in Pandy's high pitched British accent and they had all laughed.

And Pandy had been right… or Ivy had.

Susan had loved it, finding it incredibly endearing and sweet.

"It has a good fun story, a lesson to be learned, empathetic characters, and eye catching illustrations," she had said, calling two days later when Ivy had been at school.

"You think it could work?" he had asked, walking into the kitchen and waving at Dana to get her attention as he had put the phone on speaker. "You think people will like reading it?"

"Yes, Fox, I do," Susan had said and he and Dana had high fived silently.

What had followed had been a flurry of activity.

He had been in the middle of writing his own novel, but The Adventures of Princess Pandy and Her Friends took precedence. They had worked hard, Dana listening to new ideas or tweaks, offering her opinion, and letting him rant when needed.

In April, as he had been waiting on an email from Susan with the final draft of the cover of the book, Dana had walked into his office as he paced.

"Hey," he had said, letting out a sigh. "It's funny that I feel so nervous. I've published four books and I don't think I've ever felt this way. Even with the first one. Isn't that weird?" He had laughed and looked at her, but she had not joined him. "Dana, is everything okay?"

"Uh… yes?"

"You don't know?" he had joked as she had taken something from her pocket, held in a sandwich baggie. "What is that?"

"It's a…" She had handed it to him and he had known instantly what it was.

"What?" he had asked, looking at her and then the item in his hands. "You… oh my God!" He had laughed and held it tightly as he had lifted her off the ground and spun her around.

"Fox!" she had shouted, holding onto him, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Oh, honey," he had said, stopping and shaking his head. "I can't believe it."

"Hmm," she had hummed, her arms around his neck as she had kissed him.

"How…?"

"How?" she had said, a teasing smile on her lips. "Well…"

"No," he had laughed loudly. "I know how."

"Well, that's good," she had said, kissing him again.

He had set her down and shaken his head, unable to stop smiling. Dropping to his knees, he had laid his forehead against her stomach.

"Hello in there," he had whispered. "I'm your daddy. You're going to have such an amazing life with us, little sweetheart. Mommy, Ivy, Hazel and Willow are out here waiting for you, not to mention a huge family that will love you so much. Oh, my love… I can't wait to meet you."

His email alert dinged, but he had not heard it as he had wrapped his arms around Dana's waist and she had run her fingers through his hair and they both cried.

For two weeks they kept it a secret, waiting for a doctor's confirmation. When they had gotten it, a due date of November thirtieth given, Fox had held the sonogram picture as they stood in the elevator.

"It's just…" he had said, staring at the small bit of grayish white floating in a black circle. "They're so tiny. So… it's amazing how procreation works."

"From the smallest seed," she had teased and he had smiled.

"To break it down to basics, yes," he had said as they left the elevator and walked through the main floor. "Ivy's going to be so excited."

"I can't wait to tell her," Dana had said, hooking her arm with his and laying her head on his shoulder.

They had picked Ivy up from school and gone to a cupcake shop she loved, letting her pick out anything she had wanted. When they each had a cupcake, they had sat at an outdoor table and ate them.

"Ivy," Dana had said, setting her cupcake wrapper and dirty napkins aside. "Daddy and I have something to tell you."

"Okay."

"I went to the doctor today and… Ivy," Dana had said, taking Fox's hand. "I'm going to have a baby. You're going to be a big sister."

Ivy had stared at her, looked at Fox, and then back at Dana.

"A… baby? You're going to have a baby? Like Auntie Tara?"

"Yeah. Like Auntie Tara," Dana had said with a smile.

"A baby girl?"

"Well, that we don't know yet," Dana had said. "It could be a boy or a girl. What do you think, honey?"

Ivy had smiled, frowned, and then burst into tears.

"I'm really happy," she had cried, coming to Dana and climbing into her lap and clinging to her. "I love the baby."

"Oh, honey," Dana had said, holding Ivy close and rocking her.

Later that evening, as they had gone to bed, on Dana's pillow they had found a note for the baby from Ivy, covered in heart stickers, happy faces, animals, and rainbows.

I love you little baby. I hope you are a girl but a boy will be good too. I love you so much. Love Ivy Mulder.

Dana had cried as she had handed it to Fox, her hand on her stomach.

"She's going to be the best big sister," he had said, sighing as he placed the note on the nightstand and smiled.

The Adventures of Princess Pandy and Her Friends, had been released in late May and they had gone to all the local bookstores and taken pictures with them, Ivy grinning as she had held them up. The pictures had then been hung on her bedroom wall beside the ones taken of her and Fox as they had worked on the book.

Riding high on the excitement over the book, and the coming arrival of the baby, planning for the nursery took center stage. They all had ideas and opinions when it came to decorations and items that would be needed.

Learning in July that the baby was a girl, Maggie and Will had come over and painted the nursery a pale blush pink. To it, Maggie had painted a large, brown branched tree with darker pink and white flowers on it. In each flower, she had written the names of people in their families, creating a beautiful family tree for the baby.

All the necessary items had been purchased as Fox had continued working on his novel and also the second book in the Pandy series, of which the first had been met with great reviews and interest.

Ivy insisted that the second one had to be about Arlo the anteater, who no longer wanted to eat ants, but was interested in trying new things.

"I want it to be that one," she had said, sitting beside him in the chic pink office chair Fox had purchased for her to use, as they looked at the table of contents they had created, all of their stories organized for easy reference.

"Okay," he had said, clicking on it and looking through it, smiling at their illustrations of anteaters with horrified expressions at the thought of not eating ants. "Any particular reason why?"

"Because people have to try new things. Sometimes kids forget that and adults have to remind them. Maybe if another kid tells them, or a cute little anteater, they will think about it more."

"Well," Fox had said, smiling and nodding. "I can't argue with that logic."

"And then we'll do Leon the Lion next," she had said, clapping her hands as he had laughed.

In early November, with the baby's due date fast approaching, he had finished his novel, which he felt may be his favorite that he had ever written. Arlo the Anteater and Leon the Lion, a story about a lion who was far too bossy, had also been finished and turned over to Susan's very capable hands.

Feeling a sense of relief that it had been completed, the focus then fell on waiting for the baby.

"I can't get comfortable," Dana had moaned late one night, getting up from the bed, her due date three days past. "I feel so huge and weighed down. Ugh… and I have to pee, again."

"Can I get you anything?" Fox had asked, closing his eyes against the light coming from the bathroom.

"No," she moaned. "I just need this girl to… Oh, Fox! You need… shit! My water just broke!"

Never had he gone from half asleep to wide awake in his life faster than when he had run into the bathroom and seen that her water had in fact broken.

A moment of panic and then he had sprung into action. A call had been placed to Maggie, his calm exterior hiding his inner worry and anxiousness as he had watched Dana pace in the bathroom.

Maggie had arrived within fifteen minutes, smiling and calm, as he had hurried through the house, grabbing the bags that had been packed in preparation.

Dana had one contraction as they had driven to the hospital, squeezing his hand tightly and breathing through it.

"Another December baby," she had said with a small laugh when it was over. "We're going to have to have so many advent calendars. The girls' birthday ones, the animals, Christmas…"

"Yeah," he had said, gripping the steering wheel.

"You need to breathe, Fox," she had said, smiling as she looked at him. "Everything will be fine. Please don't faint on me."

"Huhuhuh," he had said, mock laughing as he had exhaled and stopped at a red light.

"Honey, it's going to be okay. I promise," she had said, her tone serious as she had squeezed his hand. He had raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles with a nod.

At six thirty in the morning, on December fourth, a tiny baby girl had been placed onto Dana's chest and Fox's knees had given out as he had stared at his daughter through the tears in his eyes.

"Hello, my sweet Ella," he had said softly, holding her later as she slept, wrapped snugly in a blanket. "Welcome to the world." He had smiled at Dana and she had smiled back tiredly.

"Ella Marie," she had said and he looked from Ella to her with a slight frown. "We hadn't really discussed middle names, but I want her to have part of your mom's name. Ella Christeena is too rhyme-y, but Ella Marie, that has a much better ring to it."

"Yes," he had said, smiling as he had looked at the baby again. "Ella Marie… named for two amazing women."

"Hmm," Dana had hummed, her eyes closing as she fell asleep.

Ivy had been brought in by Maggie a few hours later, looking nervous at the sight of the hospital room.

"Come here, my love," Dana had said, opening her arms to her as she sat on the bed. Ivy had hurried over and climbed up beside her, snuggling close. "Did you have a good day with grandma?"

"Yes. Did you have the baby?"

"I did. Are you ready to meet her?"

"Yes." She had pulled back and smiled, her eyes wet. "I was worried about you. And the baby."

"Oh, honey," Dana had said, smoothing Ivy's hair back and kissing her forehead. "I'm fine and so is the baby."

"Good."

"You ready?"

"Yeah."

She had scooted back onto the bed and crossed her ankles, looking at Fox with a nod, and he had smiled as he lifted Ella from the bassinet. Kissing her head, he had walked over to Ivy and laid Ella into her waiting arms.

"Oh…" Ivy had breathed. "She's so tiny." Smiling, she had stared at Ella and shaken her head. "Was I this small when I was born?"

"Hmm. Yeah, you were," Dana had said, smiling as she ran her thumb across Ella's capped forehead.

"She's so cute. I love her so much, Mommy. Thank you for my sister."

"Oh, honey," Dana had said, shaking her head and sniffling. "You're so welcome."

Once home, they all had loved and spoiled Ella, who was a happy little thing. Ivy especially loved her, always asking to feed, hold, or rock her.

One afternoon in January, tired and unsure as to why he had come into his office, Fox had heard Ella crying from her nap in the nursery. Another cry and he had heard Dana sigh deeply and start toward the stairs.

But the crying had stopped and he turned around in the silence and left the office. Meeting Dana's eyes, they had then looked upstairs and back at one another.

Together they had gone up the stairs, not speaking, and walked to Ella's room. Pushing the partially open door to completely open, they had both stopped in their steps.

Ivy's purple bathroom step stool had been placed in front of the crib, which she had obviously used to climb in beside a swaddled Ella to lay beside her and quietly read her a story.

"What are you doing, honey?" Dana had asked Ivy in a whisper, as they stepped closer to the crib, and saw that Ella had fallen back to sleep, her pacifier hanging out of her mouth.

"Ella was crying. She needed me," Ivy had stated, looking at them and then back at the book, as she had continued reading.

"Oh," Dana had said, looking at Fox with a smile and he had grinned back.

After that, anytime Ivy had heard Ella cry for more than a few seconds, her shout could be heard from anywhere in the house.

"I'm coming, Ella Wella. Your big sister is on the way!"

Ella grew every day, laughing and cooing at them, but especially Ivy, who she already adored.

Everyone living under the roof of the "Ivy house," which had been changed to be known as the "Ella and Ivy house," was happy and healthy.

When the second book, Princess Pandy and Her Friends Introduce Arlo the Anteater, had a release date set for March, Mary had called Fox, asking if they could do a launch party at Lantern Books.

"Mary, I would love that," he had said, glancing at Ella's books sitting upon the shelf, and recalling the evening he spent with Dana in Mary's bookshop.

An idea began to take shape when he had hung up and he had called Maggie, who had then called Bill. The three of them had decided on a plan, and Maggie, Will, and Bill- when time allowed- had begun to build pieces of a castle that would be used to turn the children's section of the bookshop into Pandy's Palace.

Four medium height, thin, wooden turrets had been cut and painted pink. Details of stone, small windows, and weathering had been added by Maggie, making it look amazingly realistic. Three green rolling hills, the three main characters of the series and Arlo, had also been made from the same thin wood.

Fox had gone over to Maggie and Will's, in awe of their garage workshop as ever, and helped where and when he could, mainly when Ivy had been in school.

He had always felt he was a decent, if not above average artist, but as he had watched Maggie create and paint, headphones on and lost in her music, he had known he would never measure up to her level of talent.

"She's amazing," he had said to Will two nights before the launch party, as Maggie hummed to the music only she could hear, double checking all the pieces, and they cleaned the workshop. "Both of you are. Thank you so much for this, Ivy's gonna love it."

"She will at that," Will had chuckled. "I was happy to do it. It's been awhile since I could spoil that girl properly, and this was something easy and fun to do."

They had driven down yesterday Will, Maggie, and Bill, the pieces secured and covered in the back of Bill's truck, and gone straight to Mary's shop to set them up.

Melissa, Artie, Tara and the kids were taking the early morning train in and meeting up with Dana, Maggie, Will, and Bill, to come to the reading at one thirty.

And Ivy had no idea they were coming.

"It looks so good," Mary said, and he nodded.

"Maggie is an amazing artist," he agreed and Mary nodded.

"And a hoot and a half," Mary laughed. "She has a fantastic sense of humor."

"She does," he agreed with a chuckle and then stepped into the children's section to look around.

Fairy lights were strung above them, and across the turrets at the entrance to the cozy children's section and the two in the back to make it feel as though you were really inside of a castle.

"Do you love it, Ivy?" he asked and she nodded enthusiastically.

"It's so beautiful, Daddy," she whispered. "It's like Christmas lights. It feels slow and reverent." She smiled and he scooped her up, hugging her tightly.

"I love you, Ivy Mulder," he whispered.

"I love you too."

They helped Mary set up the snacks she had purchased, along with coffee urns, and dispensers full of ice water and lemonade.

Coloring pages that pertained to the story, were set out on a long, child height table to color once the story was finished. Gift bags holding the new book, a bookmark, a stamp pad, and a smiling panda stamp, had been tied with pink ribbon and were placed on a table near the door for the attendees to take as they left the bookshop.

Twenty minutes before it was scheduled to begin, a knock sounded at the door and Ivy gasped, looking quickly at Fox.

"It's not time yet, honey. Maybe it's just someone wondering why the shop is closed today," Fox said, knowing full well who was on the other side of the door.

"Oh, okay," she said, looking relieved.

Mary opened the door and Ivy gasped when she saw Dana and everyone else standing outside and smiling at her.

"Surprise!" they all yelled and Ivy ran to them, laughing happily.

They all trooped in, exclaiming over the ambiance of the bookshop. Mary flushed as she accepted their compliments, thanking them profusely.

"How did you like the castle, Ivy girl?" Will asked, grinning at her.

"It's beautiful! Did you see it?"

"I did!" he laughed. "Grandma, Uncle Bill, and I made it for you."

"You did?!" Ivy asked, her eyes wide and mouth dropping open.

"We did," he said, laughing as she hugged him.

"Thank you, Grandpa! I love it."

"You're welcome, honey," he said, as Maggie walked up and Ivy hugged her too, thanking her for the castle.

Everyone talked over one another, looking at the books and decorations that had been set out. The kids ran around, Delilah taking pictures of them with Melissa's phone.

When other people began to arrive, Fox, Dana, Ivy and Ella waited near the bookshelf of "hallowed treasures," enjoying the petit fours that Dana had picked up from her old favorite bakery, until Mary would be introducing him and Ivy.

They listened to the sound of excited chatter as the children saw the castle and the animals, calling out to their parents to take their picture.

Fox looked around the bookshelf and smiled as he saw two little girls standing in front of the large cutout of Pandy, their grins wide as they held hands. A little boy was looking at the cutout of Funny Bunny, reaching out to touch his nose.

"Ivy," Dana said, smiling at her as she gently swayed a sleeping Ella held in her wrap. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Ivy said, with a nod, wiping her hands and mouth on a napkin. "I was feeling nervous before, but Daddy helped me feel better about it because we came here early.

"That's good, honey. You're going to do great."

"Thank you, Mommy."

"And how about you?" she asked Fox, smiling softly at him.

"Oh, I'm very excited," he said, also wiping his hands and she laughed quietly as she rubbed Ella's back.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and kids of all ages!" Mary said, the chatter in the room quieting almost immediately. "How are you all doing today?"

"Good!" they all shouted and Ivy looked at Fox.

"You still doing good?" he asked and she nodded with a smile. "Great."

"Are you all ready to hear the new book in the Pandy series?" Mary asked and the crowd chorused again, shouting that they were very ready. "Then let me introduce the people who have come to join us today, the authors of the book, Fox and Ivy Mulder! Please give them a warm welcome!"

Everyone clapped and cheered as Fox took Ivy's hand. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Go get 'em," Dana said, and he gave her a quick kiss as they walked out and into the castle.

They took their seats, the new book sitting on a small table between their chairs, waiting to be read aloud.

"Thank you all so much for being here, it's nice to meet you," Fox said with a smile. "I'm Fox and this is Ivy. We're so happy you liked the first story and we're very excited to share the new one with you. Are you all ready to hear it?" They all cheered and he smiled. "Wonderful. Ivy, could you please read the story to us?"

"Yes, Daddy."

Fox picked up the book, smiling at the cover of the three friends, plus Arlo.

"Here you go, honey."

"Thank you, Daddy. Okay, here we go," Ivy said as she took the book from him and let out a breath. "Princess Pandy and Her Friends Introduce Arlo the Anteater. Written and illustrated by Fox and Ivy Mulder." He smiled at their joint names as she opened the book and turned to the first page.

Listening to her read, stumbling over some of the words but continuing on, he smiled again at her persistence.

Looking out into the audience, he watched the children laughing as Ivy read the story. They answered back when a question had been asked and he chuckled softly.

The adults sitting behind their children also seemed to be enjoying the story. He saw Maggie whispering to Melissa and Tara and they both smiled with a nod. Will and Bill were also smiling as they watched Ivy reading. Artie was taking a video with his phone and for some reason, that caused Fox to draw in a deep breath.

They had all taken a two hour trip to listen to a story they had already heard as it had been discussed while they were working on it and each of them had been given an advanced copy of it. They were all happy and smiling as they listened to Ivy reading, encouraging her by their presence alone.

He looked at Ivy again as she showed everyone the illustrations in the book, her eyes sparkling as she giggled, and he smiled.

Sudden movement from the back of the room caught his eye and he watched Dana swaying with Ella. She smiled at him with a wink as she kept swaying, running her hands slowly up and down Ella's back.

"I'll be right back, Ivy. Okay?" he asked, searching her face for any signs that she was uncomfortable.

"Okay, Daddy," she said, barely looking up.

He got up and walked straight to Dana, pulling her carefully into his arms, mindful of Ella between them.

"What's going on?" she whispered and he shook his head.

"I love you," he whispered back as he closed his eyes.

"I love you too."

"Thank you," he whispered again, opening his eyes with a smile as he heard Maggie and Will laugh along with the children, as Ivy reached a funny part of the story.

"For what, honey?"

"For giving me purpose. For loving me and making me whole."

"Fox," she whispered as they began to sway slowly.

"Thank you so much for loving me."

"Thank you for being so easy to love."