Chapter 15 - Eleven Dollars and Thirty-Seven Cent Eternity
Six months later, the rain over Seattle fell in soft, gentle sheets, washing the autumn leaves down the asphalt streets in a brilliant display of crimson and gold.
Inside the penthouse on Queen Anne Hill, the kitchen was filled with the rich, buttery scent of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.
Clara stood by the island, wearing her emerald-green sweater, laughing as a floury hand patted her cheek.
Lily stood on a sturdy wooden stepstool by the counter, wearing her favorite pink unicorn sweater, expertly mixing batter with a wooden spoon twice her size.
"Is Ethan coming home soon?" Lily asked, looking anxiously toward the front door.
"He's right downstairs, sweetie," Clara said, kissing the top of Lily's dark hair. "He just had to check on the store downstairs before dinner."
Down on the ground floor of Carter & Cole, the evening rush was winding down.
Ethan stood near the cash wrap, reviewing the end-of-day sales tallies on his tablet. The store was warm, bright, and filled with the quiet hum of jazz.
Brent walked over, tossing a set of keys onto the marble counter. "Closing up early tonight, boss?"
Ethan looked up, a slow, genuine smile spreading across his face—the smile of a man who finally knew exactly where he belonged.
"Yeah," Ethan said, locking his tablet and sliding it into his coat pocket. "Family dinner."
He walked out from behind the counter, stepping across the imported Italian marble floor where, six months ago, a tiny little girl in an oversized yellow raincoat had emptied a plastic sandwich bag containing eleven dollars and thirty-seven cents to buy herself a father.
Ethan walked out into the crisp Seattle evening, pulling his wool coat tight against the mist, and climbed the hill toward home.
He didn't need to check his security monitors anymore.
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Because when he opened the penthouse door, and Lily came running down the hallway with her arms thrown wide, shouting his name into the warm air, Ethan knew he hadn't been bought.
He had been found.
