Page 28 of Snowed-in With The Mountain Man
The simple declaration nearly undoes me completely. Stella's hand finds mine beneath the sheet, squeezing tight.
"Why don't you go pick out a book, and we'll be right there for story time?" Stella suggests, voice slightly choked.
Chellie nods, mission accepted, and toddles away, seemingly unbothered by the bombshell she just dropped.
When she's gone, I turn to Stella, finding tears tracking down her cheeks. "She didn't even hesitate."
"Kids know." I brush away her tears with my thumb. "They recognize love when they see it."
"You do realize this will be both our first loving family under one roof. A real family?" she says, smiling through her tears.
"A real family," I promise, pressing my forehead to hers. "Everything you've been looking for. Everything I've been waiting for."
Outside our window, the last of the storm clouds have cleared, leaving behind a sky so blue it hurts to look at. The snow continues its retreat, revealing the solid ground beneath. But in this bed, in this room, in this moment, we've already found our foundation.
It's us. It's always been us.
EPILOGUE
RIDGE
EIGHTEEN MONTHS LATER
The late June sun beats down on my shoulders as I adjust my tie for the third time in as many minutes. My hands won't stop shaking, which is ridiculous considering I've faced down charging bears with more composure.
"You look like you're about to pass out," Jax observes, leaning against the cabin wall with his arms crossed. Riley stands beside him, radiant in her bridesmaid dress, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"I'm fine," I mutter, tugging at the collar of my white dress shirt.
"You're sweating through your jacket," Colt adds helpfully, adjusting his own tie with the ease of someone who got married six months ago. "Want me to get you some water?"
"I want all of you to shut up." I pace across the porch, taking in the transformation of our property. White chairs arranged in neat rows facing the lake. An arch woven with wildflowers at thewater's edge. Strings of lights waiting to illuminate the reception as evening falls.
Our wedding. Finally.
"She's not going to leave you at the altar," Riley says gently, reading my mind. "That woman looks at you like you hung the moon."
"And the stars," Jax adds. "And possibly invented gravity."
Despite my nerves, a smile tugs at my lips. Stella does look at me like that. Has every day for the past eighteen months. Through custody hearings and legal battles. Through Chellie's third birthday party and her first day of preschool. Through the expansion we added to the cabin, creating a proper master suite and turning my old bedroom into Chellie's princess palace.
Through morning sickness that turned out to be more like all-day sickness.
My hand instinctively moves to my jacket pocket, fingers brushing the ultrasound photo tucked inside. We haven't told anyone yet. Wanted to wait until after the wedding, make today about us becoming a legal family before announcing we're expanding it.
"Five minutes," Darlene bustles past, clipboard in hand, orchestrating this production with military precision. "Ridge, stop fidgeting. Stella's almost ready."
Almost ready. My bride is almost ready.
The guests have started arriving, filling the chairs we spent yesterday setting up. Half the town turned out, it seems. The sheriff and his wife. Peggie from the pet store, who apologized profusely for accidentally giving Rick my address and has been trying to make it up to us ever since. Marcus Sullivan, who's become a regular client and surprisingly good friend. Teachers from Chellie's preschool. Riley's social work colleagues. Colt's metalworking clients.
Our community. Our family.
Music starts, an acoustic guitar playing the processional we chose. My heart kicks into overdrive.
Riley walks down the aisle first, beaming at Jax as she passes. Then comes Chellie, a vision in pale pink, carrying her basket of flower petals with intense concentration. She scatters them precisely, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth the way it does when she's focused.
When she reaches the front, she looks up at me and mouths, "You okay, Daddy?"
