“Jonathon’s folks are here, too, as well as Evie, Hollie, Dalton, Hope, and Rip.”
“Rip? Oh, man. How’s Steed handling that?” Jonathon asked with a chuckle.
Wade answered. “Let’s just say he’s not handling it well. Especially since he and Chloe are sitting on the porch swing talking away.”
“Oh hell, my poor little brother. The Parker woman spell is already upon him.”
Everyone greeted us the moment we walked into the house. Hope came running up and jumped into Jonathon’s arms while my mother engulfed me in a hug. Kristin, Jonathon’s mother, followed.
“Jonathon, Cord promised to take me horseback riding!” Hope exclaimed. Her crush on Cord was beyond cute.
Kissing his sister on the forehead, Jonathon replied, “How fun, Squirt! Maybe I can come too?”
She frowned and then shrugged. “I guess. If you want.”
“How did it go? I want to know everything!” My mother gushed as she guided me to the family room. When we walked into the room, my father kissed my cheek. Moving his mouth to my ear, he asked, “Overwhelmed?”
With a giggle, I replied, “A little.”
He gave me a wink before turning around. “Alright! Everyone take a few steps back and let’s give Jonathon and Waylynn some breathing room.”
“What’s ‘breathing room’?” Chloe asked.
When I looked down and found her holding hands with Rip Jr., I nearly lost it laughing. The look on Steed’s face was priceless.
He hit Paxton on the arm. “They’re holding hands! Make them stop!”
She hit him back. “Hush up, Steed Parker!”
Glancing around, I saw Corina holding Gage. I smiled. “How are you feeling?”
She looked confused at first, but flashed me that beautiful smile. “I’m feeling amazing. “
Kissing my nephew on the head, I faced everyone. Jonathon made his way over to us.
“So…how did the meeting go? Did she like y’all?” Amelia asked again.
Taking my hand in his, Jonathon gave me a slight squeeze. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I was overwhelmed with emotion, so Jonathon spoke.
“We met the mother. Her name is Liberty Wilson. She’s a college student right now and wants to go to medical school.”
“Oh my,” Kristin said with a smile.
“Good for her!” my mother added.
“She asked to speak with us alone. Once the legal people left, we got to know her. We talked about an open adoption and asked for her to be a part of the baby’s life. We told her that we could work out visiting times when the child is old enough.”
You could hear sniffling, and I reached up and wiped a tear away. I wasn’t surprised when I saw my handsome future husband doing the same thing.
“Um, anyway, after talking to Liberty for over an hour, the lawyers came back, and we signed the paperwork. Liberty signed over her parental rights, and we are on the road to adopting a baby.”
Cheers erupted in the room, and between my family and Jonathon’s filling the family room, it felt like we were at a sports event.
The sound of a cork popping drew everyone’s attention over to Jonathon’s stepdad, Rip. “Time to celebrate!”
And celebrate we did. When I finally needed a break, I made my way to the quiet of the front porch. I sat on the swing, leaned my head back, and let out a contented moan.
“Would you like to be alone?”
I jumped at the sound of my Aunt Vi’s voice. Lifting my head, she stood in front of me, two small shot glasses in her hands.
“Is that whiskey?” I asked.
“Why, yes, it is.”
“Please, tell me they’re both for me.”
She winked and handed me one and then the other.
“I always knew you were my favorite for a reason.”
I laughed. “Aunt Vi, why is life so crazy? I don’t know if I should be crying or celebrating. I mean, I’m still upset about the hysterectomy, yet I’m thrilled to be adopting this baby. It’s like I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. A part of me feels guilty that I moved on so quickly, yet deep down inside, I still hurt.”
Sighing, I buried my face into my hands and groaned. “Ah, shit, I don’t know!” My hands dropped into my lap.
“Have you ever wondered why I’ve never had kids?”
I stared at her. “Yes. I’ve even asked Daddy, and he said that was your story to tell.”
She nodded. “He was right, and I haven’t told it in years.”
Lacing her arm with mine, she pushed off the porch and we started rocking.
“I remember when your momma was pregnant with you. Lord, did she ever look cute as a button, that Melanie. I was so happy for them. Then came Tripp and my brother got the boy he wanted so badly.”
“He was hoping for a boy with me?” I exclaimed.
“Oh, yes, he had been calling you Waylon for months, but I know for a fact that you had him wrapped around your little finger from the first moment he laid eyes on you.”