Love, Dad | Joe Cruz

Chapter 20: Finale

A/n:
This is the end of Love, Dad. But I'm working on book two! Titled: Dear, Dad. More info to come later😁

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Chloe and Joe stayed at the peninsula for a mini Honeymoon before their big one in a of couple months. They're thinking about making it a family event and bringing Tatiana but it's undecided. She was very excited to see them when they picked her up from her grandma's. Now she's settling into their new apartment. It's a three-bedroom, one-bath apartment and Tatiana has been having a blast decorating her new room.

"Tati breakfast is almost done when you're ready," Chloe says walking through the open bedroom door where Tatiana was digging through the boxes that lay around. "Tati you okay?"

"I can't find the letters!" She cried out not looking up from the box.

"What letters sweetie?" Chloe asks walking in further and kneeling by the box.

"The letters from Dad! After he got shot he wrote a bunch of letters to me. Just in case anything happened to him and they're gone." She says tossing various toys and clothing items from the box.

"Hey, sweetie we'll find them okay? They're in one of these boxes." Chloe says putting a hand on the girl's shoulder making Tatiana look up at her.

"There's my favorite ladies. What's wrong?" Cruz looks at them concerned.

"Dad's letters are missing."

"Okay well, how about I call Foster and see if they're laying around there somewhere? She can bring them to the firehouse I'll bring them home with me okay?" Cruz suggests sitting down next to Tatiana. She gives a small nod and pulls his phone out of his pocket. "Okay go get breakfast. We have to leave in 10."

"Okay thank you, Uncle Cruz." She wipes her tears always before following Chloe out of her room. Joe calls Foster looking around at the mess that is Tatiana's new room.

"Hey, Cruz what's up?" Emily asks from the other side of the phone.

"Hey can you check around the apartment for a shoe box, it would be labeled letters for my Tater Tot," Cruz says a sigh falling from his lips.

"Uh yeah, Cruz let me check." She does a walk-through of the apartment and doesn't find it. "Sorry, Cruz it's not here."

"Fuck. Okay, thanks for looking. I got to go I'll see you later." Joe says unsure of how he'll tell Tatiana that he doesn't know where the letters are while still getting her to school. He knows the letters are probably in one of the many boxes sitting around the apartment.

"Babe! Come eat breakfast is getting cold." Chloe shouts from the table. He breaks from his thoughts and stands up.

"Coming."

–––Later–––

Tatiana couldn't focus on school all day. Those letters are some of the only things that she has from her dad. She just wanted to get home and look for them. She climbs on the bus and finds a seat next to Brady.

"Are you going to the fire station today?" He asks her grinning.

"No Uncle Cruz thinks I need to stop going to the firehouse every shift now that Chloe lives with us I should stay with her." She says. Since Tatiana hasn't had a nightmare in a little over a month Cruz thought now would be a good time to try having her stay home. She's a little annoyed about it cause she likes being there while he's on shift. To make sure everyone arrives in one piece after each call. Plus Cruz lets her go over to Brady's house to play with him.