46. Chapter 46
Chapter 46
Three months later
Tessa stood at the end of the aisle, and her mom linked their arms together. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”
“I’ve been ready since the moment I met him.” And considering the first time she met him, she was hunkered down in her car, tailing him, that was saying something.
Bella toddled ahead of them, throwing one petal at a time from the basket she was carrying. When she got to the end of the aisle, she peeked inside the basket, tipped it upside down and the rest of the petals landed in a heap. Megan scooped her up and held her where she stood to the side as best woman. Eric stood in his best man spot next to the two most important people in her life.
Her breath caught. Adam waited for her with the cliff overlooking the valley as the backdrop. He was delectable with his close-cut beard. She was very good at negotiating. Standing in front of him was Lily. They were both wearing tuxedos. Tessa had let Lily choose what she wanted to wear and she had decided on a tuxedo, but instead of black, it was purple with a sequined bow tie.
Sienna stood at the head of the cliff. As clan leader, she was going to officiate the wedding. Adam had insisted Sienna keep the role, and after much debate she had accepted.
Tessa and her mom stopped at the end of the aisle, and Adam kissed her mom’s cheek before taking Tessa’s hand in his.
Her stomach dropped like she was on a roller coaster. But that’s what happened every time this man touched her.
He leaned toward her.
“No kissing until after you’re married,” Sienna scolded, which had the small crowd laughing.
“We are gathered here to join Adam Simonson and Tessa Marie Stuart in matrimony…”
Tessa smiled until her cheeks hurt and her heart zoomed around her chest as they exchanged their vows. Once they finished, Adam picked up Lily and held her between them. Today wasn’t just about them becoming a couple. They were also officially becoming Lily’s parents. She kept wanting to pinch herself to see if this was real.
Jonas had finally been able to track down Lily’s birth parents. They had been banned from a clan because their families didn’t want them to marry, so when they were killed in a car accident two years ago, the clan hadn’t recorded their deaths in their registers. Tessa’s heart ached for the loss Lily suffered. She wasn’t sure how much Lily remembered of her parents. And they might not ever understand how Lily had ended up with Mia. Even though Adam had tried several times to reach out to Mia, they hadn’t heard from her.
Sienna smiled. “We are also here today to join Adam, Tessa, and Lily as a family. Do you, Tessa, take Lily to be your daughter?”
Tessa’s eyes filled. “I do.” And she signed the words too, just like the three of them had practiced at the rehearsal.
“Do you, Adam—”
“I do.”
The crowd chuckled at his enthusiasm.
“Do you, Lily, take Tessa and Adam to be your mommy and daddy?”
“I do,” Lily said.
Everyone gasped at the first words their daughter uttered. And then Tessa started sobbing. Tears ran down Adam’s face too. And Sienna’s, Megan’s, and her mom’s too. Even Eric and Marcus were blinking back tears.
“I love you both so much,” Tessa said.
She and Adam kissed Lily’s cheeks, and then they kissed each other while their daughter giggled.
Adam drove the truck through the woods until the familiar cabin came into view. It was hard to believe that he was returning to the place where he had found sanctuary. He looked over at his wife and back at his daughter, who were both smiling at him. Now he had a new sanctuary.
“He’s expecting us, right?” Tessa asked.
“Yes, I had Larry radio him and let him know I was coming to see him. I just didn’t tell him I was bringing guests.”
“If it makes him uncomfortable, I can wait in the car,” Evelyn said.
For some reason Lily had insisted that Evelyn needed to come along with them. Evelyn had been talking about heading back home now that Lily was settled. Adam wondered if that was why Lily was wanting to spend more time with her.
“It will be fine. He can be a bit cranky, but his bark is worse than his bite. Let Tessa and I talk to him first and then I’ll introduce you.”
Adam and Tessa walked up to the door while Lily and Evelyn stayed back by the SUV. The door opened before Adam could knock.
“Hello, Walter. It’s good to see you. I have a lot to tell you. First, my name is Adam, and this is my wife, Tessa.”
“Lord, son. If I’d known you had this one waitin’ for you, I’d have kicked your butt out months ago.”
Tessa laughed. “He’d have been lucky to have me waiting for him.”
Wasn’t that the damn truth?
“Let me give you a hug for saving Adam’s life. If it wasn’t for you, I would never have met him.”
Walter’s eyes twinkled. “I won’t say no to that.”
Adam smiled. “I also wanted you to meet our daughter, Lily, and this is our friend Evelyn.”
Walter blinked when he nodded at Evelyn. “It’s good to meet you both. Why don’t we sit outside on this nice fall day and catch up?”
An hour later Adam was sitting with Tessa at the rough-hewn picnic table while Walter and Evelyn were making lunch. Walter had insisted he didn’t need help, but Evelyn wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Lily was spinning around in the yard and then giggled when she stopped and tried not to fall.
Tessa rested her head against his shoulder. “We’re lucky to have her.”
He was lucky to have them both. Now that he had his memories and family back, it was perfect. But he still had to stay vigilant. Still had to try and break the curse. “I know. I will do everything to protect her from whatever the Templars are planning.”
“ We will protect her,” Tessa reminded him.
Their daughter skipped over to the SUV and took out her sketch pad she had brought with her. She flipped it open and brought it over to show them. Even though she spoke now, her visions still came to her through her drawings.
The picture was of Walter’s cabin, and standing in front of it was a man with gray hair and a woman with long white hair holding hands.
Tessa gasped. “Is that why you insisted Evelyn come with us?”
“Yes,” Lily said.
“You little matchmaker!” Tessa exclaimed and Adam chuckled.
Lily smiled.
Adam thought back to the similar drawing of John and Tessa. Thank the Fates not all of Lily’s visions came true.
He leaned over and captured his wife’s lips. Thank the Fates indeed.