Present Day

There is nothing sexier than a confident woman, and she's got it down. Oh, she's crying alright. But those pretty warm streams running down her cheeks aren't rivers of disappointment; she's literally overjoyed in a way I've never seen, and it's so fucking beautiful I could almost cry with her.

The dreams she gave up on were real all along. And this second chance she got at life gave her more than a husband and shot at a new career It gave her her history. The one she almost didn't get a chance to know.

It's as if somehow she survived that fire just to prove the world wrong. To prove herself wrong...because she's always deserved happiness, even when she thought she was shit out of luck.

As soon as she learned to love herself and love her life, she was granted the one wish she never thought possible. She has family - a kind, warm-hearted mother, who willingly admitted her mistakes and sought out a future with her child. I never knew her father or adoptive mother, but I think it goes without saying that Joey's already a far better person than both Lewis's combined.

I love sharing my mother and siblings with Henley, and making her feel a part of our close little family, but I know it's not the same. I also know she'll continue to love them as if they've always belonged to her, because they always will. Now she's just got a few more people to love her, and there's not a damn thing wrong with that.

I can feel this moment, Henley's happiness, in my heart and in my gut, and when she looks up at me with warm, glassy eyes, I nearly break. I see pieces of her fitting together I never knew existed, excitement and relief washing through her veins, and she wears happiness so beautifully.

She sits beside Joey, flipping through the many pages of an old leather photo album that is no doubt filled with snapshots of a tiny Henley from a much different time. I don't know much about Joey, and being Henley's husband, I'm naturally pissed that Henley was misled her entire life, but I can see Henley's heart is filtering out the bad and only keeping the good right now, and I admire her for it. There's no way in hell I could do the same so easily.

"Oh my God. I remember those shoes. I wanted them so much and they didn't have my size, so we drove across town to the other location so we could pick them up that day," she laughs and I can feel it in my bones in the best way possible. "Wow. I look just like you. How could I have not known?"

And that's just another example of how amazing Henley really is, and that's not my rose-tinted glasses talking, either. To go through the hell she's gone through and come out smiling is an accomplishment in itself, but she's diving headfirst into this new life with her eyes closed and complete trust. And while I'm happy for her, I hope to God this doesn't turn into another disappointment, because for as strong as she is, this would surely destroy her.

If you can't tell, I'm torn.

I want her to be happy. More than anything, I want her to have the happiness she deserves, even if it came later than it should have. She is my dream...my whole damn world. She makes everything better and brighter; she saved me, and I'm do everything I can to make sure I always save her, too. Sorry if it sounds macho, but it's my job to make sure she looks before she leaps.

I did let her know my concerns last night, but her soft, warm lips pressed against mine, muting my words and worries and letting me know she's got it handled. Like I said, it's sexy as hell. She's pretty hot when she's got her mind made up.

"Don't think like that. I'm not," she told me last night after we climbed the stairs and headed to our room to crash for the night. "Just knowing the truth is enough. Everything else is a bonus. Just knowing that amazing connection I felt to Joey as a little girl actually makes sense. All this time, my father said it was attachment problems. But he was afraid," she smiled sadly, knowingly. "And incredibly selfish. And it's not my fault," she said with a yawn as she stepped out of her pants and pulled a clean t-shirt over her head. "And that changes everything."

And then, as if she hadn't just received the biggest news of her life, she crawled into bed and fell sound asleep curled up against me, her soft warm mouth sending gentle puffs of breath on my bare chest. She didn't stir or startle and panic, and woke up with clear eyes, never once asking if it was all a dream.

Although I like to believe I fully understand what this means to her, I know there's no possible way I can. For years, she looked to bad behavior as a cry for attention from parents that ended up being nothing more than liars looking for popularity and a good name. So yeah, she's smiling, but I know somewhere inside, she's got to be hurting remembering the way things used to be, knowing there was a chance it could've been so wonderful instead. But I can't see any grey clouds in her eyes. Only bright, puffy, happy ones.

Amazing. Really. She amazes me every single day.

I don't know how she slept so well, because my heart was racing until the sun came up. I'd close my eyes only to picture one of the may ways this could go south. We leave and it's all happy I'll see you soon and we never hear from them again. Henley makes a genuine, whole-hearted effort to reconnect with the mother she didn't know she lost, only to feel like she doesn't belong. Yeah, there's a whole stream of worries rushing through my head even now, but Henley looks chipper and alert. Well rested. Excited, hopeful and just goddamn gorgeous as she sips her coffee across from me.

For once, she wants something in her life to just work out without strings or buts. She can't think of the what ifs, because it's all she's ever done. The only person she's ever just trusted is me, and opening up her heart to 3 or 4 other people in this way...how do I trust that they won't break her heart?

"I wish I'd done things differently. I know it might make it worse, hearing me say that now. I can't go back, and I know that. But I regret it, you know...succumbing to the pressure and just giving up trying to raise you myself. I kept thinking...there's no way I can give this little girl the life she deserves on my own...but looking back," she shakes her head and looks right at Henley in a way I can't describe. "I'm sorry I didn't try."

She loved and trusted Joey before she even knew I existed, so I tell my husbandly instincts to take it easy and not assume. It's a good thing I've got a strong cup of coffee to help me hash this out, because I'm ready to pounce at the first sign of reluctance.

"Joey," she swallows hard, like she's about to let out a huge, powerful wave of emotion. But then, she shakes her head and never finishes what she was about to say.

And then, their moment is interrupted. I still can't decide if that's a good thing.

A car door slams loudly in the driveway. Then another. Then a trunk.

"They're home," Joey says nervously. The way she chews her lip reminds me just of Henley.

Henley's eyes go wide and bright, and I can tell from the shine in them that while she's got about a million new things to think about, right now she's thinking about meeting the little sister and little brother she never knew she had. They've known for awhile, Joey told us. She swallows hard, the lump in her throat visibly bobbling with emotion.

And though she's so brave, I know she's scared. Her fingers knead over her knees again and again and I watch the air leave her lungs a little harder and faster than just moments ago. Her teeth nip into her lower lip, and instead of looking at Joey or at the front door, she looks at me.

It's the greatest feeling in the world, being loved by this woman.

I hold her gaze for just a few seconds, and my lungs burn and ache, heavy with the thought of what my life would be without her. I don't have to guess or stretch the imagination, because I fucking know what it's like. And while I could sit beside her body and there was still air pumping through her lungs, I couldn't feel her. Not feeling her is the worst kind of pain, and I'll be luckiest man on the planet if I never have to go through that again.

I watch her until my vision goes a little blurry and I have to close my eyes to keep from totally losing it. Right now, as she stares at me as if I am her absolute everything, as if I somehow have the power to fix everything, I'm can't help but think of the very first time I saw those gorgeous eyes. They were young and hurt and oh, how I needed her. She lit me up, burned me up from the inside out, and I knew I would never be the same.

"I'll...tell them you're here. And to behave," she says quietly as she reaches the front door. "I'm sorry it's happening this way. I wanted it to be nicer or more organized. If you're not ready..."

"I'm ready," she says quickly, without hesitation, then squeezes my hand.

Joey says her other kids have known about Henley for a little while. I guess I understand; no sense in lying to everyone. I just wish Henley would've had the chance to know them sooner. To watch them grow up, and grow up beside them. I really hope they can have some type of relationship. I hope they can love her as much as she wants to love them.

I get up and walk the few small steps it takes to get to Henley. I crouch down in front of where she sits on the couch and take her hands in mine.

Then, she smiles.

"I'm okay," she assures me, but I'm stuck on her eyes again. One hand slips out from my hold and slides down my stubble-coated cheek. "I'm okay, Ry,"

"I know," I smile back and hold her gaze, because her eyes tell me everything, the way they always have. Something about this moment, about all of these moments put together since her memories started to come back, reminds me of what getting to love Henley for the first time feels like.

As if falling in love with her the first time wasn't enough, I got to do it twice. I love that loving her feels so good...good enough that it kept my heart beating even when loving her had to hurt for a little while. I'd do it again if I knew it would eventually feel like this.

I press a sweet, but short kiss to her lips before we're no longer alone.

"So. Teenage siblings," I smile as I pull away gently. "You ready for that? Could be awesome, could be crazy."

"Or both," she takes a deep breath. "I see you and Harlow. You and Kristian. And I love them to death, just like they've always been mine...but the fact that there are 2 kids out there that share my blood?" She shakes her head and smiles. "I want to know them so much."

This seems awkward, right? Kinda feels like we should be sitting on the stage of some washed up talk-show host or in a circle in a therapist's office when we meet the family Henley never knew she had? But the first moment they lay eyes on each other isn't cheesy at all. It's awesome. And honestly, that whole let's sit around and hold hands thing has never been Henley's style.

The door busts open and in rushes Finn, a nearly 6 foot guy who looks just like Henley, right down to the color of his eyes. He's sweating, carrying a duffel bag over his shoulder and a box of donuts in the other hand. He stops right in front of her like he's just seen a ghost.

I've also been a teenage guy, so I know this kind of thing can be weird. I was never sure if I should act excited or make a big deal of things, even if they were a big deal. My heart wasn't on my sleeve. I expect this kid to be shy or disinterested, but I'm wrong. He's actually pretty cool about it.

"Finn," she simply says. "Wow. You're really tall." Her cheeks tint a gentle, beautiful pink. She's nervous and it's knows I'll tease her later about her comment.

"Uh, hang on. I'm gonna..." he holds up the box of donuts to indicate he needs to reorganize, then sets the bag down at his feet and the donuts on the kitchen table. We stand there as the sink runs, then shuts off and in a moment he's back, considerably less sweaty with a huge grin on his face.

"Sorry, Henley," he says, as if they've already met. And while he's trying to seem cool, I can tell he wants to make a good impression. He reaches out his hand toward her and shakes it. "I went to the gym to knock around some bags, then got a call from Kate saying her car died right outside the donut shop."

"That's okay," she says. She sounds like she's going to pass out, but she's smiling. I wrap an arm around her shoulders and kiss the top of her head, letting her know I've got her if she does go down. "It's nice to meet you. You're a senior?"

"Good to meet ya, too. And, yeah. I'm graduating this spring. Awesomeness, right?" He pauses, "And then, I can do whatever I want."

This kid sounds a lot like me at that age, come to think of it. It's hard to believe Henley was this young when I met her.

Finn looks like the type of guy who would protect what is his, and that makes me happy, because suddenly, Henley's become just that. To shakeup the meeting, I step in and pat the kid on his shoulder, introducing myself as the coolest brother-in-law he'll ever have.

Henley elbows me just before Katherine steps through the front door with two iced coffees in her hands. I look up and holy hell, she's a mini Henley. Her eyes are blue, like her Dad's, I'm sure, but everything else is the same. And from looking over at Henley right now, I can tell she sees it too.

Katherine says nothing as she approaches us, but keeps her eyes trained on Henley as she gets closer. She sets the coffees down on a side table then stops just in front of Henley and wraps her arms around her without a single word. Henley's eyes flash with shock and relief as she brings her arms up to enclose her little sister into a hug. And it's sweet. One of the sweetest damn ways this could've gone, and exactly what my girl deserves. She's 17, so I kind of love that she's the sweet side of this age and not the bitchy, resentful side of teenage.

"It is so good to meet you," Katherine says, still hugging Henley. "I've always wanted a sister."

"Me, too," Henley's voice is shaky but sincere, like she's trying to hold it together and not cry.

"You can call me Kate," she says pulling away and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. I'm touched by the way this is going so far. I didn't quite picture it being so simple.

"I guessed at the coffee. Mocha with a little bit of creamer and a little bit of sugar. I hope that's okay...it's the way I drink it, so I just ordered two. Do you even like coffee?"

"It's perfect," Henley reassures her, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I give her a quick thumbs up.

"Hope you like it watery," Finn teases. "When I pulled into the lot she was already standing there with the coffees. That was like 20 minutes ago. It'll be a miracle if there's any ice left in them by now. Right, Kate?"

"It's the thought that counts," she shoots him a glare and quickly sticks her tongue out. "How was I supposed to know my car wouldn't start?"

"There's this thing called a gas gauge. It's sole purpose is to tell you when you're getting low on gas. Cool, I know,"

"Finn..." Kate's hands find her hips and she gives him a glare I've seen so many times from my Henley. There's officially no doubt in my mind these two are related.

"Oh, relax. Just trying to have some fun. Lighten it up in here," he messes up her brown, wavy hair. I can already tell, they both love and hate each other in a way only siblings can.

"Okay you two," Joey says loudly shutting the door behind her. "Apologize to Henley for...this," she waves her hands around to indicate she means more than just the bickering. Her hands are on her hips but she doesn't look mad. Actually, she looks pretty damn happy to see the three of them together.

"It was supposed to be much nicer than sweat covered kids with donuts and watered-down coffee, but this is us," Joey says. "Chaos. Disorganization. Fun."

"Really, Joey, it's fine. It's perfect." Henley smiles. "This is more than I could've imagined. Honestly." She stares at Joey for a moment as if she's sending her a secret, silent message. Her mother's eyes brighten, and I think she understands. They're saying one thing and meaning another, and it feels big and deep and remarkable.

It's only been a few minutes, hell, it's only been a day since she reunited with Joey, which means it's probably too soon to let my guard down about the whole thing, but something about these moments, right now, make me believe it won't be long before I do. I don't know if it's the ease and sincerity of these people that make them seem and feel warm-hearted, but sometimes, first impressions mean a lot.

For as unplanned as this introduction was, it was exactly what Henley needed. I think it would've been a lot harder if she'd had to walk into a room of the three of them sitting together on a couch. If they'd had to talk about feelings and why it was all a secret for so long. Oh, those things will come eventually, I'm sure. But not today.

Being so close to my family, I wonder how it will all work with the distance.

Let's face it; life hasn't been easy for us so far. Sure, we thought it was, back when we were driving around with no end in sight and no responsibilities. But we were fighting demons then that would catch up to us eventually. Demons that would drag us down and try to smother our love.

We won.

The day speeds by with laughter and before we know it, it's over.

I hope the small bond Henley seemed to form with Kathe stays, too. They were able to spend a few hours alone together shopping today, and I think did them a lot of good. We were planning on driving home today, before we knew. After spending a few hours alone with her sister, Henley leaned over to me at the dinner table and asked me if we could stay just a little while longer.

"I'd like to take some time with Joey tomorrow. Just the two of us. Do you mind? Would that be okay?" she asked, though she knows she never needs permission to do anything. I'm not that way. I let her know we could stay as long as she'd like. There's no way I'm taking her away from here for a few days, as long as we're still welcome.

Besides, it'll give me time to make some work calls, or maybe even hang out with Finn and see what he's about. The conversations at dinner were pretty funny, so I've got a feeling we'll get along just fine.

Our stomaches are full of good, home-cooked food and and wine. I'm happy, buzzing with nostalgia and the excitement of what our future holds.

It's well past midnight when she closes the bedroom door.

"What's wrong?" She whispers, climbing on my lap and wrapping her legs around me. She runs her soft hands through my thick hair, then presses her forehead against mine. I breathe her in-her scent, the feel of her against me, with me. I've had her back for sometime now, but it's no less wonderful. I love that I can be here for on days like this, when she needs me the most.

"Nothing, anymore," I bring her hands up to my lips and kiss her knuckles. "Just thinking about meeting you for the first time. You remember?" I say hopefully and my heart soars as she nods with the warm skin of her forehead pressed against mine.

My heart leaps, knowing we can share these memories again. Knowing how far we've come. What we've overcome to get here.

"The way you looked at me the first time you saw me," I continue and she closes her eyes until I beg her to reopen them. "It was almost exactly the way you looked at