The Croft Estate was quiet, but it wasn’t the eerie silence of the “Impossible House.” It was the comfortable silence of a home.
In the music room, the late afternoon sun filtered through the curtains. William sat on the piano bench with Leo on his lap. Victoria sat beside them.
“Like this, Daddy,” Leo instructed, placing William’s large hands on the keys.
Victoria smiled, placing her fingers over theirs. She began to play–not a concertos or a showstopper, but the simple, rising melody of the lullaby that had brought her memory back in the garden.
William closed his eyes, listening to the notes that had bridged the gap between “Elena” and Victoria. He didn’t need to buy her an island or fight a paparazzi to prove his love. He just needed to be here, on the bench, playing the wrong notes.
Victoria stopped playing and leaned in, kissing him softly. It wasn’t a desperate kiss in a storm or a goodbye. It was a promise.
“We made it,” she whispered against his lips. The family was finally, truly whole.