I hold my hand out and she puts her tiny hand in mine. I pull her up on the stage and up against me, sighing. “When I’m with you I’m home. And I’ve been so lost and lonely for so long. All because my heart was lonely for yours. I love you, Carinna. Forever.”
Tears drip down her cheeks and she sniffles. “I love you too. I don’t want you to go.”
“We’ll work it all out. But all you need to know is that all I want in this life is you. You and our family. Together we can take on all of this and kick its ass.”
She chokes on a giggle.
“Now.” I kiss her hard, my lips moving with hers, nibbling delicately before I put her away from me. “You go sit over there and I’m going to do this concert for our friends and family and then I want to go home.”
“Can we do that?”
She nods and a shy smile lights her eyes.
“Good.” I help her down. “Now, since I’ve got my girl to agree to keep my sorry butt, how would y’all like to hear some music?” Thundering applause erupts in the darkness.
I slip right into my music but my eyes never leave hers. When I sing about love now? I know what it is. I know what it feels like. And I know that I’ve finally found it. And it was right there in front of my face for the last ten years only I was too dumb to find it.
I smile and sing to that love, knowing that this is the start of something amazing. My future with the love of my life. My eyes slide over to my daughter and I wink at her, laughing when she giggles. And the sweetest little girl I’ve ever found.
Two girls that hold my heart right in the palm of their dainty hands. Two hearts that I will work my ass off to protect for the rest of our lives.
My family.