Hunt chuckled. “I didn’t think I needed to tell anyone.”
“We could have had champagne or something to celebrate.”
“Oh, I plan to celebrate.” Hunt drew Cyn’s back into him and kissed her neck.
Chase, Max and Mr. Wilde surrounded them.
Shelby took her hand and looked at the ring, tears in her eyes. “Oh, Hunt, it’s perfect.”
Cyn’s heart raced and melted all at once. She’d never been this happy in her whole life. “It’s amazing.”
“Nice job.” Chase smacked Hunt on the back.
“Congrats.” Max smacked his brother on the back, too.
Mr. Wilde hugged Hunt. “So happy for you, son.” Then Mr. Wilde hugged her. “Welcome to the family, beautiful girl.”
She teared up. “Thank you.”
Mr. Wilde released her and she took Lana from Shelby and tucked the baby into her arm and showed her the ring. “Look, sweet girl, Daddy got Mama a pretty ring. We’re going to get married and be a family and one day soon you’ll have a brother or sister.”
Hunt kissed her on the head.
“So how did he propose? Tell us everything.” Shelby handed her a glass of wine and Hunt a beer.
Cyn dramatically rolled her eyes. “He pulled me over and acted like he was going to give me another speeding ticket.”
Shelby and all the others busted up laughing.
Cyn told them about the really lovely and well-thought-out proposal that was uniquely their story.
“If you want to see it, I captured it on my dash cam,” Hunt pointed out.
Cyn shook her head. “That’s why you asked me to move to the back of the car.”
“I promise not to show anyone how you tried to seduce me out of the ticket.”
Everyone laughed at that one, too, and Chase and Max, of course, asked for details, which Hunt respectfully kept to himself. Some things were just for them.
“So did you two talk about a date?” Shelby asked as she started setting dinner out on the table and everyone helped, then took their seats.
“Not yet,” she answered, and Hunt said at the same time, “Soon.”
He took her hand and kissed her palm, then rubbed Lana’s back as she lay on Cyn’s chest. “We’ve talked about doing something simple with the judge who isgoing to sign off on the adoption. I thought we could combine the two things, that way when we sign the adoption papers we do it as Mr. and Mrs. Wilde.” He turned to her. “If you’re going to take my name.”
“I would love that,” she admitted. “And then Lana will be a Wilde, too. She’ll know she belongs to us.”
“To all of us,” Mr. Wilde added, holding up his glass. “To all the Wildes. Old and new. And the ones to come.”
They all clinked glasses and settled into the family dinner in anticipation of Chase and Shelby’s wedding ceremony the next day. Shelby would be the next official Wilde. And soon, Cyn and Lana would join the Wilde clan.
The evening was kind of magical. Cyn found herself engrossed in the family and how everyone talked and laughed with each other. Though she’d been to several Pancake Tuesdays, tonight’s family gathering felt different. She felt like she truly belonged. She felt the bond she had with Hunt that extended to the other Wilde men and how her connection to Shelby felt even stronger.
And somewhere in the midst of all of it, she experienced a special moment where she stared down into Lana’s bright eyes and Lana gazed up at her and smiled. And then she felt a soft pressure on her shoulder and it was like her sister was right there with her hand on Cyn to let her know she was with them, watching over everything. Sharing in the moment. And maybe Lana felt it, too.
The sense of peace stayed with her through their goodbyes to the family, getting Lana home and tucked into bed and her joining Hunt in theirs. The second she crawled under the covers, he took her in his arms and kissed her.
“I can’t believe you’re finally going to be my wife.”