Jenelle Nicols is a single mother, living with her ten-year-old daughter, Rosalee, in the small town of Golden Grove. Recently, Jenelle's family friend, Tanya, had back surgery and the whole town wants to get together and bring dishes for her in hop...
Rosalee takes a deep breath, relishing in the fresh ocean breeze, before she steps into the local café. It was once named the Skipping Rocks Cafe, but two years ago—after Rosalee was found—her father bought the café and renamed it Rosalee's Café.
Rosalee thinks back on the past two years. They've been absolutely wonderful and so filled with joy that she can't help the smile that takes over her face at the memories.
After her father got out of the hospital from being shot—luckily not in any major arteries—he and Jenelle, Rosalee's mother, started spending more time together with Rosalee. The three of them went to family counseling for about a year after the kidnapping took place, and have—for the most part—learned to cope with the trauma they all experienced.
Rosalee was shocked at first to find out that Ty was her father, but the initial shock quickly turned into excitement at the realization that her family was finally complete. The puzzle piece that Rosalee always thought was missing, was finally put back in place after Ty came along. Rosalee also took notice of how much happier Jenelle seemed. Not to say she wasn't happy before, but after Ty joined their family, she seemed lighter, almost like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she could finally breathe again.
Walking into the café Rosalee has ingrained into her memory, she goes straight up to her father in the back room who's busy baking the pastries they sell.
"Dad! I'm back from school." Rosalee informs her father, taking pleasure in how her father jumps about a foot in the air from her sudden appearance.
"Oh, Rosalee, you scared me! How was school today?" Ty asks, quickly recovering from the light scare and returning to the pastries. They won't bake themselves, after all.
"It was fine. Where's Mom?" Rosalee smiles, excited to see her mother after the long day at school she's had.
Ty thinks for a second, trying to remember where he last saw Jenelle. Putting his baking on pause, he returns his attention back to Rosalee.
"I'm not sure. I'll go see if I can find her. Wait here, okay?" Ty calmly tells Rosalee with a bright smile on his face. He genuinely loves working at the café with his wife and spending as much time with his family as possible. Ty remembers a time when he dreaded going to work every day, back in New York. He was too afraid to quit his job at the major company he worked at, though, because he felt it would have been a waste of a college degree to quit simply because he didn't enjoy it, but after finding out the truth about Jenelle and Rosalee, he couldn't find it within himself to keep up the lie. So, he eagerly quit and used his lifetime savings to buy the café he and Jenelle run together now, and of course they named it after their most prized creation, Rosalee herself.
"Okay." Rosalee voices her agreement, seating herself down on the little stool in the corner of the kitchen, preparing to wait for Ty to return with Jenelle.
Satisfied that Rosalee is safe, he turns on his heel and makes his way out of the café. Usually when Ty can't find Jenelle, she's either on the patio or just down at the beach.
Looking around the patio, Ty realizes that this time around Jenelle must be sitting on the beach, so he eagerly makes his way over, his stomach fluttering with butterflies because even after all this time, the excitement he gets when he sees Jenelle never ceases.
A bright smile takes over Ty's whole face as he spots Jenelle's figure sitting on the shore. He makes his way over to her, his smile never dimming.
"Hey, Love." Ty says, gaining Jenelle's attention as he takes a seat next to her on the sand.
"Hey, what's up?" Jenelle asks, curious as to why Ty followed her out here.
"Rosalee's home from school and she's eager to see you. Think it's about that boy again?" Ty huffs, the smile he wore fading at the thought of his daughter's crush. She is only 12, after all. At least, that's what Ty always says.
"Ah, probably. You know, he's a sweet boy, Ty. Give him a chance." Jenelle giggles, enjoying the pout her husband is wearing at the thought of their daughter dating.
"Not in a million years. She'll always be my baby girl and she can't date until she's 40." Ty whines, yes whines, causing a bout of laughter to escape Jenelle.
"You know, I was thinking . . . when it was just Rosalee and I, I never thought I could be happier than I was then. But, I was wrong." Jenelle starts out of the blue, her amber eyes connecting with Ty's emerald ones as she continues, "I'm so happy you're here, Ty. I've never been any happier than I am when I'm with you and Rosalee. I love you."
Ty doesn't know what to say. He and Jenelle have exchanged "I love you's" before, but he can't help the occasional insecurity he experiences when he thinks back on their breakup in high school. Ty loves it when Jenelle says things like this to him, to put it simply.
"I love you, too, Jenelle." He whispers, closing the distance between them and sealing their love with a kiss.
Jenelle and Ty know they'll have their obstacles in life, but they also know they'll get through them.
They'll get through them together, as a family.
~FIN~
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