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The last seven one by so quickly Despite O’Connell’s concerns, Earnshaw hadn’t jumped ship after his win and was as much a part of Driscoll’s as ever In fact, the endorsement deals he’d set up after O’Connell’s win meant that, if ere very careful, O’Connell wouldn’t have to work again if he ever got injured He had his whole career ahead of hi it rich, but I’d rather live cautiously coant and reckless As ive it up at any time His health would always be more important to me than the money

I bounced my knee up and down impatiently while I waited for my name to be called Likeout for dinner after this I let the boys decide where were going so chances are it would be a steakhouse

It wasforward to Our house was finally finished O’Connell pro him around for the sus together He made out like it was a chore until I found a stash of interior design azines under the bed No one was more excited to move into our own home than he was

Over the last fewand working on the house, with a lot of help fro back there after dinner so they could shohat they’d done I don’t think there is anything I could ever do that would repay the debt I owed to thehters were my family Before them, I didn’t even knohat that meant Now I couldn’t live without them

I wish I could tell you that happy ever afters wash away the sins of the past, but they don’t I still couldn’t sleep withoutsure the door was locked, I wouldn’t drink if ent out and O’Connell was drinking, and, froht sessions O’Connell would always take me if he was home and often came in with me And there were still demons to battle

O’Connell hadn’t seen his mother since before I was kidnapped, and now that he knew Frank had paid her to getthere if they ever saw each other again My feelings toward ot back froas, the police and engage Town and had seized evidence as they put a case together against the people he’d had been working with They would have kept it as evidence, but Frank was dead now so they had no need of it

O’Connell had them cleaned and polished by a jeweler and blessed by Father Patrick before he put theain He was ro in the sunlight, they didn’t reh, but of how far I’d come and hoell I was loved As for h I didn’t knohere I figured the police would have told me if she had died At this point I didn’t really care I had all the fa, we’d add to it with a baby of our own, but even if that was never on the cards for me I had a life I never dreamed I’d have, and I thanked God every day for it

"Emily O’Connell" The dean called out my name at last, and I walked to the front of the auditoriuree inthe suo won his first title defense

I was going to become a teacher That disappointed a lot of professors who encouraged ht I was throwing away so many opportunities But the truth was, I didn’t want a think-tank job or one in the city earning six figures Money wasn’t is over with O’Connell, afterdecision, ht would make me happy It was as siratulations, Mrs O’Connell," the dean said to ree and turned to the audience, as we all did so families could take our picture Kieran, Liam, Tommy, and O’Connell all whooped and hollered as they clapped, with Danny noisily swearing at therinned fro never felt so proud My life wasn’t a fairy story, but the people I loved taughtI was sure of, it’s that it would be a hell of an ending