Page 47 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
He launches himself at me and I catch him in a bear hug that lifts him off the ground. Over his shoulder, I see Sierra crying again, her hands pressed to her mouth.
"Does this mean I get all the Avengers?" Ryder asks when I set him down.
"Every single one," I confirm. "They're yours."
"BEST DAY EVER!" he shouts, and suddenly the house erupts.
My brothers emerge from their hiding spots, cheering and clapping. Beckett appears at the top of the stairs with Amelia in his arms and even she seems to sense the celebration, gurgling and waving her tiny fists in the air.
"Speech!" West shouts.
"No speeches," I laugh but Sierra steps into my arms and pulls my head down for another kiss.
"Thank you," she whispers against my lips. "For all of this. For choosing us. For being exactly the man we needed."
"Thank you for letting me," I whisper back.
Around us, my brothers are taking turns congratulating us and making jokes about me finally getting my act together. Ryder is carefully examining each of his new action figures, his joy infectious. And Amelia, my beautiful baby girl, is smiling her first real smile at all the noise and excitement.
This is my family. This chaotic, loving, perfectly imperfect family that I never saw coming and can't imagine living without.
"So when's the wedding?" Grace asks, appearing beside us with her own happy tears.
"Soon," Sierra says, looking at me for confirmation. "As soon as possible, right?"
"Tomorrow, if you want," I tell her, and I mean it. "I've waited long enough to make you officially mine."
"Mine too," Ryder pipes up, somehow managing to hold three action figures at once. "I want to be Ryder Hunter tomorrow!"
"The paperwork might take a little longer than that, buddy," I laugh. "But soon. Very soon."
"Can I call you Dad now instead of Daddy?" he asks. "That's what big boys call their dads."
My throat gets tight. "You can call me whatever feels right to you."
"Dad," he says, testing it out. "I like it. Dad."
Sierra melts against my side and I know she's thinking the same thing I am. This boy who's been through so much, who's had to grow up too fast in too many ways, finally gets to be just a kid with a mom and dad who love him.
"Picture time!" Grace announces, pulling out her phone. "We need to document this moment."
We gather together in front of the fireplace, surrounded by rose petals and candlelight. Sierra is on my left, radiant in her happiness, the ring sparkling on her finger. Ryder is on my right, clutching his new Hulk figure and grinning from ear to ear.And in my arms, little Amelia Rose, the perfect addition to our perfectly imperfect family.
My brothers crowd around us and Grace snaps photo after photo while we laugh and pose and generally act like the overgrown kids we all still are at heart.
"One more," Grace says. "Asher, Sierra, look at each other."
We turn toward each other and for a moment, the chaos around us fades away. It's just her and me and the promise of forever stretching out ahead of us.
"I love you, soon to be Mrs. Hunter," I murmur.
"I love you too,Dad," she whispers back and we both laugh at how perfectly that fits.
Later, after my brothers have gone home and the kids are asleep and we've blown out all the candles, Sierra and I lie in bed talking about the future. About wedding plans and adoption paperwork and whether we want to add on to the house or maybe build something new on the land we're buying from the Fletcher estate.
"Are you happy?" I ask her, running my fingers through her hair.
"Happy doesn't even begin to cover it," she says, turning in my arms so she's facing me. "A year ago, I was running for my life with nothing but a four-year-old and a bag of clothes. Now look at us."
