Page 173 of Fought and Freed

At the summer following the horrible events set into motion by Amber and Mike, they started working on adding rooms to the house.

Once everyone was healthy again, they added four rooms, one for Kelly and one each for the babies. The extra room was for Jace’s office. His new business took off with Uncle Sal’s as a client.

Along with the house, they worked on Ryder’s dance club, which he named Heartbeat, and was almost ready to open.

Ultimately, Maddy had decided not to go back to school when fall had rolled back around. She had stayed home, found a location for her bakery, and worked on plans for Ryan’s Place. That last one required a lot of research before she could launch her dream of a safe haven for those who aged out of the foster system.

Kelly settled into their home and thrived. She started school that fall, was top in her class, and made good friends. Maddy made sure that Kelly would never forget Grant. She painted a picture of him that Kelly had hanging in her room.

Six months after she became part of their family, Maddy sat down with Kelly and asked her if they could make things official by adopting her. Kelly had flown at her, almost knocking her off the chair and crying yes.

That was the first time Kelly called Maddy mom. She teared up a bit and smiled at how right it felt.

Lucca and Torr moved to Jacksonville, Florida and bought a house by the beach. The trip from Georgia to Florida was only a two-and-a-half-hour drive, so they drove down for a few games and stayed for extra days.

At the end of Lucca’s first season, they had their wedding, which was held in their backyard by the beach. It was a small but beautiful wedding for friends and family only.

After two years of planning and working, the grand opening of Sweet Treats finally arrived.

Now, Maddy stood outside her bakery, still not believing this was hers. In only an hour, they would open the doors.

“Silk, I’m sorry, he’s not calming down,” Ryder said. “I think he wants his mommy.”

“Aww, does my little guy miss his mommy?” She took the toddler into her arms and bounced her son. “Shh, Ryan, mommy’s here.”

There are days when she still couldn’t believe she had a son. One who had Ryder’s dark hair and her green eyes.

Ryder shook his head as their son quieted. “You have that magical touch. None of us can get him to calm down like you do.”

“That’s because he’s just like his daddy.” Maddy nuzzled his soft cheek, and he giggled. “He likes a woman’s touch.”

Ryder chuckled. “Well, there’s only one woman I want to touch me, and she’s right here.” Ryder ran his hand up and down her back. “Is everything ready?”

Maddy let out a nervous breath. “I think so.”

Jean and her boyfriend, George, had flown in the week before to help Maddy get everything ready. Jean had brought many photos of her travels with George to share, and Maddy couldn’t remember ever seeing Jean so happy before.

Ryder peered at the people forming a line at her door. “It looks like it’s going to be a good opening.”

“Maddy, why don’t you give me my grandson?” Giselle made grabby hands for Ryan. “You should head in.”

Giselle had been a godsend over the last two years. Anytime Maddy needed her, she was just a phone call away. Both she and Jared came down when she gave birth to Ryan and treated him just like they treated E.J.

Maddy handed Ryan over, then she and Ryder walked around to the back of the building.

Cody smiled as they stepped into view. “There she is. I’m so proud of you, little one.”

Beside him, Jace and Skylar stood next to the rear door, both gazing at her with pride.

Maddy pressed her hands over her heart as she looked at her men. “I couldn’t have done this without you four. Thank you for being there for me, especially when I wanted to give up.”

“We love you, baby girl.” Jace kissed her on her forehead. “Now, go pump up your employees. We’ll see you out front.”

The other guys gave her kisses before they walked back around the building.

She took a deep breath and opened the back door. People bustled around the kitchen, and the air was filled with nervous chatter.

For the back and front of the store, she had hired college students who were taking Janet’s class. And she’d hired an older woman named Allison to help manage the place because there was no way she could do this by herself.

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