Now, months later, every single person in the front row had fallen in love with Laura. She didn’t have merely one home, she had several—and in about a decade, she was going to be the busiest babysitter in town, because Rosie and Dominic were expecting twins, Travis and Georgie had a little girl on the way, and, not to be outdone, Stephen and Kristin were already trying for another.
As for Bethany and Wes?
They had their girl and she was more than they could ever want.
Speaking of whom, with the last name Daniels, she was going to be one of the first handful of kids to cross the stage. Where was Wes?
Her thought barely had time to finish before her husband appeared in the entrance of the auditorium, dressed in his signature cowboy hat and too-tight jeans. A look of relief crossed his face when he saw the ceremony hadn’t started yet and Bethany waved him down to the front row. His lips curved at her and he shook his head a little, as if to say, Of course you snagged the front row. Also, I love you.
His expression said that as well. It always did.
She was confused when Wes stepped back out of the auditorium momentarily. Until he walked back in with his half sister at his side.
Bethany breathed a sigh of relief. She’d made it.
After the appeal was filed with the court to grant Wes temporary guardianship of Laura, they didn’t hear from Becky for several months. They’d been so busy moving into their new house, those months had flown by so fast that Bethany had been stunned to open her front door one evening and find Becky standing there.
As luck would have it, there’d been a Just Us League meeting on that night. Becky stayed for it. And then she showed up for the next one, and the one after that. She still hadn’t opened up about everything in her past, but it was impossible not to see the positivity of the club take effect, little by little. With Bethany and Wes’s help, Becky had completed rehabilitation and was now sober, living in Freeport.
With Brick & Morty expanding to take on two flip teams instead of one—Bethany and Wes making up the additional crew—Bethany had been in need of a new stager. She was training Becky for the position.
Her husband and his sister slid into their seats, just in time for the principal to start calling the names of the kindergartners.
“Hey!” Bethany whispered, reaching out to squeeze Becky’s hand and accepting a kiss on the forehead from Wes. “I’m glad you made it.”
Me too, mouthed Becky, seeming a little uncomfortable in her surroundings. Compared to how she’d been at Laura’s Christmas show, however, she was definitely growing more relaxed in family situations. For Laura’s sake, Bethany couldn’t be more pleased about that. Laura had been standoffish with her mother during their first few visits, but the more commitment Becky showed, the more Laura warmed—and Bethany had faith it would only get better from there on out.
Laura’s name was called and the front row broke out the noisemakers, causing Laura’s clear, happy giggle to ring out on stage. She waved at the front row and held up her diploma like Thor’s hammer. Oh yeah, she was done with princesses.
It was all about superheroes now.
Wes’s fingers threaded through Bethany’s, squeezing and drawing her attention. She was surprised to find emotion shining in her husband’s eyes.
He looked down the row of friends and family, then back at her.
“Look at what we’ve got, baby,” he said quietly, brushing a kiss across her wedding ring. “We’ve got everything.”
“Everything,” she breathed.
He leaned in and kissed her mouth, lingering a moment before repeating the vow he’d made on their wedding day and every day since. “You and me. In it together.”
“Forever and ever.”
The End