Paisley looked up. Evvie already had a whipped cream mustache.
“Cole and I would like to be your forever family.”
Paisley’s features went slack. “What’s that mean?”
“We know we can’t replace your mommy and daddy,” Cole said. “But we’d like to adopt you and make the four of us a family.”
“I love you both with all my heart,” Hailey said. “And there’s nothing I want more in the world than for us to be a family.”
They hadn’t expected the girls to understand, and they’d figured over time, the girls would figure out what they wanted to call them, but for now, this symbolic signing was enough.
Hailey laid out the paperwork and pens. “Right now, we’re going to sign adoption papers. Once we do, we’re a family, and that’s forever. We want you girls to sign, too.”
Cole had his gaze locked with Hailey’s, their smiles big and wide, and they signed the legal documents at the same time. Then, he handed the pen and a different piece of paper to Paisley. “Go on and write your name right here.” This one, Hailey had drawn up for the four of them to sign.
A family is an unbreakable bond.
A family loves each other, supports each other, and takes care of each other.
A family’s love is unconditional, stronger than mountains, and deeper than the ocean.
From this moment on, the signed parties below are a forever family.
The six-year-old took it seriously. On her knees, tongue sticking out, she painstakingly wrote each letter of her name.
When she finished, they gave Evvie a pen, and she made a fast and furious scribble.
Hailey held up the piece of paper “It’s done.” She reached for his hand. “We’re a family.”
He grabbed Evvie and hauled her onto his lap. Paisley piled on, and then Hailey knocked the three of them down. Cole lay on his back, laughing, basking in the joy of having the people who mattered most in the world on top of him.
Nothing had ever felt so good, so right.
Nothing had ever felt like home.
Until them. This moment.
My family.
Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
Snowbound in a cozy cabin,Cole lit the candles on their homemade chocolate fudge cake. He blew out the match and dropped it in the sink, listening to his family laugh and marveling that an entire year had passed since they’d signed the adoption papers.
Even as they kept Darren and Lindsay’s memories alive for the girls, they grew closer and tighter every day. He hoped his friend was resting easy knowing they were doing everything they could to give his daughters the best life possible.
Slender arms wrapped around his waist, and Hailey hugged him. “This is perfect.”
He turned in her arms. “You’re perfect.” Her wavy hair flowed freely, and her luscious lips curved in a smile. Even though they lived together, slept together, and talked every single day, she still made his pulse race. He would never get enough of her, never stop wanting her.
Grabbing her ass, he lifted her onto the counter. With a single kiss, his body went hot. The indescribable softness of her mouth, the sensual dance of her tongue, the way her fingers sifted through his hair…everything about her touch excited him.
Sometimes, he couldn’t believe how a simple gesture like putting a hand on his thigh could make him hard. She could shoot him a private look across a crowded room, and he’d want to drag her into the bathroom.
Of course, he’d done that. Many times.
He deepened the kiss, losing himself in her scent and the taste of hot chocolate in her mouth. “You kiss perfectly.” He slid her closer and whispered in her ear. “You fuck perfectly.” And then, he looked her right in the eyes. “And you love me perfectly.”