Epilogue
WALKER
It was casino night to raise money for the items foster kids needed in our county. Noelle and Addison had been hard at work organizing everything and setting things up so that it looked fabulous, even though they hadn't spent a ton of money.
They wanted everyone to have fun, and the money went to support foster kids. It was a cause most people could get behind, and the Wilde family was happy to support them.
Every Wilde was here, my aunt and uncle and even Killian. He was set up at a table with his foot propped onto a chair. He was sprawled across several chairs, his arms over the backs, with a look on his face like he'd rather be anywhere else.
Noelle was flitting around the room to ensure everything was running smoothly, but one of the times she passed by Killian's table, he snagged her wrist. She leaned down to hear what he was saying, and I saw the frown that passed over her face.
Then I noticed Addison walking toward me, radiant in a black sparkly dress. I lifted an arm to tuck her into my side. "Everything looks great. You and Noelle did a fabulous job. "
She sighed. "We'll see how much money we raise."
"The Wildes are matching every dollar."
Addison pressed a palm against my chest. "What?"
I grinned down at her, so content and happy to be here with her. Dakota was tasked with watching Joey tonight, and she was helping him play one of the games Addison had set up for kids. "I said the Wilde family will be matching whatever you raise tonight."
Her eyes widened. "What if we raise a hundred thousand dollars?"
"Now wouldn't that be something? What could you do with two hundred thousand dollars?"
Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "That's too generous."
"Nothing is too much for you and Dakota. Don't forget, Dakota was one of these kids who needed your assistance. We'll do whatever we can to give back.”
Addison wiped a tear from her cheek. "How did I get so lucky?"
"I'm the lucky one." I nodded toward Eli who stood at the podium. "The Wildes welcome all of you here tonight. I hope you're having a fabulous time. Noelle Richards and Addison Montgomery organized everything. So please thank them when you see them for their hard work."
Applause broke out.
Eli inclined his head toward me. "Walker Wilde would like to say a few words."
Addison frowned. "What are you?—"
I winked at her. "It'll just take a minute." At the podium, I touched Eli's shoulder as we passed and then spoke directly into the microphone. "We're here tonight because of Addison Montgomery. She's the social worker who advised me that I had a thirteen-year-old daughter I never knew about." I caught my daughter's steady gaze from across the room. "Addison ensured that Dakota was placed with her grandparents until I could be discharged and move home. But her work didn't stop there. She helped my daughter and me get acquainted. She made the transition as smooth as possible and has made herself available for any questions that arose."
When I paused, I noticed there were a few people with shiny eyes and even tears on their cheeks. Our story affected them. "Our family is lucky that Addison worked tirelessly to unite my family with Dakota. We'll forever be grateful. But there are many more children living in foster care who need your help. Who don't have family members who can take them in. It can be as simple as providing the necessary funds for school supplies, sports equipment, clothing, and food, but you can also go through training to become a foster parent or even adopt. The Wildes are committed to helping in any way we can. That's why we'll be matching whatever is raised here tonight, dollar for dollar."
Loud clapping and cheering erupted in the room. I didn't enjoy being the spokesperson here tonight, but I wanted to share our experience. Addison had mentioned in her planning that personal stories helped make the cause more relatable for people. They wanted to know who they were helping.
"I want to thank everyone for their support tonight. We have a foster parent, Meghan Jeffries, who wanted to briefly speak about her experience. Our community is so grateful for people who are willing to be foster parents. It's not an easy job, but as she'll tell you, it's a rewarding one."
I hugged Meghan before she stepped up to the podium. She spoke about their experience as foster parents of teenagers. Why they choose this age group and how they came to the decision to adopt their kids. She had the crowd laughing at her kids' antics, and by the time she was done, I was blinking away tears. I wasn't sure how Addison managed to do her job without wanting to take all these kids home.
I should discuss with her and Dakota whether they wanted to foster or maybe even adopt one day. Did I need the experience of holding a baby? It would be nice, but helping others would be good too.
When Meghan finished speaking, we vacated the stage. I wanted to talk to Addison, but I kept getting stopped. Several thanked me for sharing my story. By the time I got to Addison, I was ready for stage two of our evening. But she didn't know about that, and we needed to stick around until the event was officially over.
We worked a shift at the table collecting donations. The number of people donating, even if it was a small amount of money, was staggering. We had quite a few businesses in the community who'd pledged larger amounts.
Toward the end of the evening, we tallied the funds raised, and Eli went to the podium to make the announcement and to write a matching check.
Addison turned to me, her face filled with emotion. "I think this is the most successful event we've ever had, and it's all thanks to you."
"I don't know about that. You and Noelle planned and ran the entire evening."
"It was your speech and your idea to have Meghan share her story that impacted everyone the most. And it was your family that matched the amount raised that put us beyond our expectations. I'm so grateful to you and your family."
"I hope this is the first of many events like this one. Your office has impacted our lives tremendously. We want the same for the other kids in the system."
We said our goodbyes to the remaining guests.
Noelle hugged Addison. "I'll clean up tomorrow. I have to get up early to bake."
"Do you need help in the morning?"
Noelle looked from her to me. "I think Walker wants to spend time with you in bed." Then she laughed. "Have a good evening."
Addison sighed when Noelle walked away. " What do you say we head home?"
"I thought you'd never ask." I loved that she called my cabin home.
As soon as I opened the door to the cabin, we heard whining.
Dakota bit her lip to cover her smile.
"What is that noise?" Addison asked, and Dakota exchanged a look with me. "Why don't you go see?"
Addison looked at me warily but followed the sound to the living room where our new puppy was wiggling his butt in his cage with excitement.
"Aw. You got a puppy and didn't tell me?" Addison asked as she knelt in front of the crate and opened the door.
I dropped next to her on the floor. "We thought it would be a nice surprise."
As soon as the metal door opened, the puppy scrambled on the tray and burst out of the cage into Addison's lap. "Aren't you adorable?" Addison scratched behind the dog's ears, and then stilled. "What's on his collar?"
"We didn't name him yet, so the tag just has our number. We thought you'd like to help us name him."
"I don't know. That's a big decision." Addison's hand touched the tag and then gasped. "What's this?"
Her gaze lifted to me, and I couldn't help but grin. I moved to one knee and took her hand in mine. "Addison, I've been in love with you since I met you at fourteen. You've been my rock ever since, and you make my life better in every way. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and I want you to be officially part of our family."
Dakota sat nearby on the couch. I wanted her to be part of this. Because we weren't just getting married, we were asking Addison to be part of our little family. "What do you say? Do you want to be a Wilde?"
"There's nothing I want more." Addison threw her arms around my neck, pulling me down to kiss her while the puppy wiggled on her legs.
When Addison pulled back, she was laughing.
I untangled the ring from the pup's collar and slipped it onto her finger. "Now, what do you think for this one's name?"
Addison looked from me to Dakota. "The first word that comes to mind is Lucky. I'm so lucky to have met you when I did."
"Same here." I was the lucky one in this scenario. I'd lost everything before I met her. And she reappeared in my life with my daughter. She was in my life for a reason.
"I love it. Come here, Lucky," Dakota pleaded, and he took off for her arms. She lifted him, cradling him against her chest. "Aren't you a sweet baby?"
I could see Dakota holding our baby or even playing with a child one day. Whatever we decided to do to expand our family would be the right move for us, because we'd make these decisions together.
"Welcome to the Wilde family, Addison. There's no escaping us now. We're in this for life," I said as I hugged her close, and we watched Dakota play with Lucky.
"I wouldn't want to escape. "
I hope you loved Addison and Walker’s story! To read more about their happily ever after download their bonus epilogue .