Chapter 21 #2
She swiped her hand as if to say it was too much to talk about. “Another time,” she murmured. “No sadness today. Let me look at that rock again.”
As she admired Lacey’s engagement ring, Roman came over and hugged her, the three of them clustered together like the strange little mix of a family that they had become.
How could she not be happy when she realized that?
“What are you smiling about?” Roman asked, eyeing Tessa.
She lifted a shoulder. “Just the fact that after not having any kids, I now have a son and a daughter and that is what our darling Eli would call a blessing. I’m just…overwhelmed by that.”
They hugged her just as Vivien clapped her hands and got everyone’s attention.
“Hey, all!” she called. “Sun’s going down, so we should start walking to the bridge.”
“Where’s Peter?” Eli asked, coming next to his sister.
Vivien shrugged. “He said he had a work issue,” she replied. “But I don’t want to be out there too late. We have young ones with us and…”
“Not-so-young ones,” Maggie said dryly, making everyone laugh. “And this oldster is not jumping off any bridge, so if you want to leave Atlas with me, Jonah, that’s fine.”
“You are jumping!” at least three, maybe four different voices chimed in unison.
“I am not,” Maggie replied.
“Mom, it’s not high,” Eli assured her. “Honestly, the bridge isn’t that far off the water, and it is very warm and safe. It’ll be fun.”
She lifted a brow as if she were allergic to fun.
“Ignore her,” Jo Ellen said. “She’s going and if all she does is cheer me on, then that’s a win.”
Maggie rolled her eyes to the comments and laughter, and everyone started gathering towels, drinks, flipflops, whatever they would need.
Tessa peered out to the driveway from the front window but didn’t see any sign of Dusty. She considered texting him, but he’d find her. She wasn’t in a celebratory mood anyway.
In fact, she considered not going at all, but Lacey slid an arm around her and Roman picked up the ridiculous boom box she’d brought, and somehow, they were all traipsing outside in a massive group of Lawsons and Wylies.
“Like old times, huh?” Vivien said, tugging at Tessa’s sleeve.
“We’re missing Kate,” Tessa said. “You know she’d jump in with her glasses on.”
Vivien laughed and agreed. “Where’s Dusty?”
“He’s—”
“Pulling up,” Lacey said, pointing to the truck turning into the driveway.
“Oh, good, he made it.” Tessa was only a little surprised at how much his arrival lifted her spirits. “Let me go get him.”
She broke away from the pack as they moved along the driveway, jogging over to the side where he was parking.
She was squinting into the tinted windows, trying to see his face, when the back window slowly lowered, offering her a view into the cab. Was he—
She nearly tripped over herself coming to a shocked dead stop.
Her jaw opened. Her heart stopped. Her hands flew to her mouth to keep from screaming, but she couldn’t help it.
“Olive!”
Dusty was out and around the front so fast, he left his driver’s door open. His face was on fire with a smile that lit his whole being.
“What is happening?” she muttered as she charged to the truck. She reached the door and pulled it open, squealing at the sight of her angel.
“Tess,” Olive whispered.
“Double O!” She scrambled into the seat. “I missed you, baby girl!”
She smothered her with giggly kisses, getting her out of the car seat with trembling hands. Scooping her up, she turned to Dusty, who stood in the open door, grinning like an absolute fool.
She was vaguely aware that the pack of family and friends had detoured from the trip to the bridge to move closer to this new arrival, all of them trying to figure out what was going on, as was she.
“What? How? Dusty!” She simply couldn’t form a sentence as Olive climbed onto her, squeezing hard.
“Come on down, I’ll explain.” He took Olive and set her on the ground.
“Baby?” Olive asked, looking past him. “Baby Attas?”
“She wants to see Atlas,” he translated as he took Tessa’s hand.
“He’s here!” Jonah called, coming to them with Atlas in his baby pouch. “Hello, Olive!”
As the family gathered around and gently greeted her without overwhelming the tiny creature, Tessa landed on her two feet and looked up at Dusty.
“Did Morgan go back? How long can we have her? That last week? You know I’ll take it, so—”
“Forever.”
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, unable to process what he’d just said.
“Morgan did go back—I checked her in. On the way, she told me she has accepted the fact that she is not in any way capable of raising Olive. She realized it after she got her back. She just can’t manage the responsibility, not emotionally or psychologically. Her doctor agrees.”
“What does that mean?” The question came out strangled.
“She’s going to put Olive up for adoption and—”
“No! I mean, yes. Let’s adopt her. Now. Tomorrow.
As soon as possible. Morgan can see her when she wants, but we’ll raise her.
We’ll take care of her and teach her and love her and everything!
” The words spilled at the same time as her happy tears.
“I’ll go through a bazillion hours of training, I’ll do anything! ”
“Anything? Because there’s a catch, Tess.”
“I don’t care what it is. I don’t care where I have to go, what I have to do, who I have to pay or how much. I love her and I want her.”
Dusty’s smile grew wide and slow. “The catch is that Morgan will only adopt her to a married couple.”
She blinked at him. That was the catch? That wasn’t a catch. It was…a dream come true.
“So,” he continued, drawing the two-letter word out. “If you and I got married in the next couple of days—”
She screamed and threw her arms around him, laughing as he lifted her off the ground.
The others came closer, questions flying.
Still in Dusty’s arms, feet floating in the air, she looked at them over his shoulder.
“Guess what, everyone?” she called out. “We’re getting married!”