“On the contrary, I think this was perfect timing. Stay here.”
“You don’t want me to answer it?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Once again, I examine my surroundings, studying the multiple dozens of roses. “Oh, god. You aren’t going to propose, are you?”
“No.” He laughs. “Not today anyway.”
In the five seconds it takes for him to get to the door, I contemplate who it could be. Piper? But I just left her house. Tag? But why would that be a surprise? Andie, Maddox, Devyn, or Aaron? That wouldn’t make sense either.
When I hear a baby cry, my heart flips over a million times. I know that cry. I run over just as Sophie is handing Josie to Quinn.
I stare at them in astonishment. “What?”
Sophie smiles, then pulls the door closed, staying out front and leaving the three of us alone.
“How?” My jaw drops. “You kidnapped her?”
“Technically, no. In order to kidnap someone, you have to take them from their parents or someone else who was caring for them. Josie didn’t have parents. But she does now. My name is on her birth certificate. Legally, she’s a Thompson. No one will be looking for her. Nobody will ever question that she’s mine. They’d have no reason to. I met with my lawyer. She’s the one who suggested it. Then I went home and burned the paternity test. Josie’s mine, sweetheart. She’s ours. That is, if you’ll have us.”
I swallow hard. I absorb his words. Then I think how maybe this is the best moment of my entire life. I reach out for Josie, and he puts her in my arms. I smell her head, and I know for sure; I know this is who I’m meant to be whether for a month, a year, or a lifetime. I pull Quinn toward me, and we hold Josie between us. And suddenly, we’re something I didn’t think would ever be possible: a family.
I can’t stop staring at Josie as she sleeps in the portable crib by the bed. “I don’t want to go to sleep,” I whisper. “What if I wake up and realize this was all a dream?”
Quinn kisses my neck. “It’s not.”
“You really want to live here, in this house?”
“I do.”
“But you have so much money.”
He arches a brow. “You want to buy a mansion in the city?”
“No. I love it here.”
“That’s why we’re staying.”
“Won’t it be a bit crowded with Sophie?”
“I’ll get Sophie her own apartment.”
“I can’t believe she agreed to move here.”
He chuckles quietly. “I gave her a huge raise; one she couldn’t turn down. Josie loves her. I didn’t want to have to hire a new nanny.”
“You’re amazing.”
He climbs on top of me. “Sweetheart, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
I glance over at Josie. “Seriously? Here? Now?”
He turns off the light. “You’ll have to be quiet,” he whispers in my ear. “I know how hard it will be for you, which will be half the fun.”
He works himself down my body, peeling my panties off as he goes. When his tongue finds my clit, I shudder. I didn’t think I’d ever feel like this again. No one has ever touched me like he touches me. Nobody has ever made me feel like he does. My dad was right. I need to hold on to this for as long as I can. How stupid I was to think I was better off without him.
His fingers work inside me, bringing me to a quick orgasm. His other hand cups my mouth and muffles my groans. When it’s over, I bite him playfully. I rise on my elbows and lick my lips. “Your turn?”
“Not yet.” He hovers over me. “I want to be inside you and show you what it’s going to be like for the next sixty years.”
I smile and touch his face as he enters me. He’s gentle and loving and incredible. I’ve never been with a man like this. I love it. I love him. Truth be told, I’ve loved him for a long time. But I’ve never truly made love to him. We fuck a lot. It’s fun. It’s playful. But we’ve never made love. Not until now.
He moves slowly and methodically, whispering words in my ear that let me know just how deeply he cares for me. They’re words I didn’t know I needed to hear. Words I never knew would mean everything. We stare at each other. We stare into each other. We connect on some otherworldly level I didn’t know existed.
When it’s over, I lie in his arms, wondering how I got so lucky.
“That was amazing,” he said.
“Do you think being parents will change us?” I ask.
He glances down at Josie. “Only in the best of ways.”
“I meant sex. Don’t get me wrong, this was great. The best even. In fact, I didn’t know it could be like this. But do you think we have to give up the other stuff? You know, the food, the kink, the crazy? I’m just saying, maybe we shouldn’t completely retire the chocolate and the strawberries.”
Puffs of quiet laughter tickle my ear. “Not on your life.”
Epilogue
Quinn
One year later…
We all rise as the judge enters the courtroom. Amber nervously grabs my hand. There’s a crowd of people behind us. Friends. Family. Everyone we know and love. There’s barely enough room for them all.
The judge takes his seat, and so do we. Josie is perched on my knee, happily playing with a soft-sided book.
“In the twenty years I’ve been a judge, I’ve never seen anything like this. Adoption is not something I take lightly. Choosing to be someone’s parent is one of the greatest honors to ever be bestowed upon a person. And I’m proud to be the one to grant the three of you your wishes.” He looks directly at Amber. “I hope you know how lucky you are, Mrs. Thompson. Today, you become a mother and a daughter.” He starts to choke up. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been in the presence of so much love.” He shuffles around some papers. “I noticed you all share the same birthdate. In my opinion, there are no coincidences, only divine interventions.” He surveys the crowd behind us. “And it’s clear you’ve all been blessed.”
Piper, who’s also sitting at the table with us, takes Amber’s other hand. And over the course of the next few minutes, Amber’s life becomes complete. She officially becomes what she’s been to Josie since Josie was a tiny baby. And she gets readopted by Piper, finally getting the mother she deserves.
There’s not a dry eye in the room as the judge declares them mother and daughter, and then grandmother, mother, and daughter.
Cheers and applause roar behind us. It’s a day I’ll not soon forget. It’s a feeling I want to hold on to forever. When the noise subsides, I turn to Amber. “I know we’re going to Mitchell’s Restaurant to celebrate, but I feel like there should be more. Something to commemorate the occasion. Like, should we plant a tree, or name a star?”
“I’ve already done something to commemorate it,” she says.
“You have?”
She pulls aside her hair, exposing the skin behind her left ear. She’s gotten a new tattoo. Another Chinese symbol.