Page 102 of The Secrets We Built Together

She stood there, arms outstretched, trembling slightly, and I passed her the child I knew we both loved.

"She's gotten so big," Madison whispered, staring down at her daughter with wonder and heartbreak in equal measure. "Her eyes are just like yours were. Do you remember how Mom used to say we had the same eyes?"

I did. It was one of the few genuine compliments our mother had ever given me.

Amelia stared at Madison, quiet and contemplative in that weird, wise-baby way she sometimes had. Then her tiny hand reached up, batting at Madison's necklace, a silver pendant that caught the light. Madison laughed, a watery sound, as Amelia grabbed the shiny object.

"She likes sparkly things," I said, feeling a strange need to share this detail. "Delaney's earrings are her favorite toys."

"Smart girl," Madison murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Amelia's forehead. "She knows quality when she sees it."

The moment stretched between us, fragile and precious. Then Amelia began to fuss, squirming in Madison's hold, reaching back toward me. Madison's face fell for just a second before she carefully handed her back.

"She knows who her mom is," she said quietly.

I couldn't argue with that, not when Amelia settled immediately laying her head on my shoulder, her small hand fisting in my shirt like she had a thousand times before.

"The papers are on the table," I said, nodding toward the kitchen. "Our lawyer drew them up. It's a closed adoption, just like you wanted. Once you sign, everything will be finalized within a few weeks."

Madison nodded, her shoulders straightening as she visibly composed herself. "I'll still be her aunt, though, right? Since you're her adoptive mother?"

I hadn't thought of it that way. "I guess so, yeah."

"Good." She smiled, a real one this time. "Maybe someday, when she's older, when I've... figured some things out, I could come visit? Not as her mother,” she added quickly. “Just as her aunt?"

The request caught me off guard. I'd assumed Madison would want a clean break, to move on with her life in Paris without looking back. But maybe she was trying to change, to be better in her own way.

"We'll see," I said, not ready to commit either way. "One step at a time."

She nodded, accepting the non-answer for what it was. "Let's do this, then."

We moved to the table where Xander had laid out the papers. Our lawyer had gone over everything with us beforehand, explaining each section in detail. The adoption would be straightforward since Madison was willingly relinquishing her rights, and I was a biological relative.

Madison picked up the pen, her hand hovering over the signature line. "You'll tell her about me someday, right? Not the bad parts, just... that I existed. That I loved her in my own way, even if I couldn't be what she needed."

I swallowed hard. "I will. I promise."

She nodded once, then signed her name in a flowing script across each marked line. When she was done, she set the pen down with a quiet finality.

"I'm sorry," she said, not looking at me. "For everything. Not just this, but for all of it. For not being there when you needed me. For making you stand up to them alone."

"It's okay," I said, and was surprised to find I meant it. "We all do what we have to do to survive."

She looked up at me then, tears swimming in her eyes. "You always were the strongest of us."

I wasn't so sure about that. Strength came in many forms, and sometimes it took more courage to admit your weaknesses than to pretend you had none.

After she left, with promises to call when she was next in the country, I sank onto the couch, Amelia still in my arms. The enormity of what had just happened washed over me in waves. She was mine now. Not just in my heart, but on paper. Legally. Forever.

Xander sat beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?"

I leaned into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. "I think so. It's just... a lot."

"She's really gone this time," he said, understanding what I couldn't put into words. "She's not coming back for Amelia."

I nodded, relief and grief tangling inside me. I hadn't realized how much I'd been holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for Madison to change her mind and try to take Amelia back. But it was over now. The papers were signed. Amelia was ours. Forever. But what did that mean for me and Xander?

Chapter 36

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