Elyse
"I still can't believe we're doing this," Holly said, fidgeting with the sleeve of her navy blue dress as we walked up the courthouse steps.
It was adoption day. The culmination of months of paperwork, home studies, hearings, and waiting. I smoothed a hand over my own cream-colored dress, trying to calm the butterflies in my stomach.
"Having second thoughts?" I asked Holly lightly, though my heart clenched at the possibility.
Holly rolled her eyes. "As if. I'm just nervous. What if the judge asks me hard questions?"
"Like what your favorite Avengers movie is?" Drew teased, adjusting his tie. "Because that would be a dealbreaker."
"Dad," Holly groaned, but the tension in her shoulders visibly eased at his humor.
I still felt a thrill every time Holly called Drew "Dad"—the casualness of it, the rightness. It had taken longer for "Mom" to feel natural on Holly's lips, but lately it had been slipping out more frequently, each instance a gift I treasured.
At the top of the steps, my parents waited with Cat, Grace, Sarah, Paige, and Jenna, the entire support system that had carried us through this journey. Even Ben was there in his dress uniform, standing beside Paige with obvious pride.
"There they are!" My mother called, rushing forward to envelope Holly in a hug. "The woman of the hour!"
Holly's face flushed with pleasure as everyone gathered around her with hugs and good wishes. Jenna had brought a small box of specially decorated cookies (little gavels and hearts) while Grace was already dabbing at her eyes with a hot pink monogrammed handkerchief.
"If I'm this emotional now, I'm going to be a disaster in that courtroom," Grace admitted, fanning herself.
"Good thing I brought reinforcements," Sarah said, pulling a travel pack of tissues from her purse and distributing them to everyone.
The courthouse doors opened, and our lawyer, Ms. Chen, emerged with a clipboard and a warm smile. "Bennett family? We're ready for you."
Bennett family. The words sent a shiver of joy through me. I reached for Holly's hand, finding it already stretched toward me.
Inside, the courtroom was less intimidating than I had feared. The judge, a woman with silver-streaked dark hair and kind eyes, smiled as we entered. The proceedings moved with surprising swiftness. Questions answered, documents signed, promises made.
When the judge asked Holly if this adoption was what she wanted, her voice rang out clear and steady: "More than anything."
And then it was happening. The judge was speaking the words that would make official what their hearts had known for months.
"By the power vested in me by the State of Florida, I hereby declare Holly Rachel Bennett the legal daughter of Elyse and Andrew Bennett, with all the rights, responsibilities, and joys that entails."
The gavel came down with a crack that seemed to reverberate through my entire being. Just like that, I had a child. We were a family. Not just in our hearts and home, but in the eyes of the law.
Holly turned to us, tears streaming down her face but smiling so broadly it must have hurt. "We did it," she whispered. "It's real."
Drew wrapped his arms around both of us, his own eyes suspiciously bright. "It's been real all along, kiddo. This just makes it official."
As we all emerged from the courtroom into the bright Florida sunshine, our friends and family surrounded us with cheers and more tears.
My mother was already talking about the celebration lunch she'd prepared, while Grace was sneaking Holly what looked suspiciously like a gift card to her favorite photography store.
Amidst the commotion, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Cat standing there, an unusual solemnity in her expression.
"Congratulations, mama," Cat said, pulling me into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you three."
"Thank you for everything," I replied, meaning it from the bottom of her heart. Without Cat and the rest of their friends, this day might never have happened.
Cat pulled back slightly, lowering her voice. "I hate to bring this up today of all days, but I need to talk to you about Allison when you have a moment. Those notes on her car have started again, and this time they're... concerning."
A chill ran through me despite the warm day. I glanced over at Holly, now laughing with Sarah's kids, her face alight with joy.
"Not today," I said. "But let's talk about this tomorrow."
Cat nodded quickly. "Of course. This is your day. Enjoy every second of it."
As Cat moved away to join the others, I felt Drew's arm slide around my waist.
"Everything okay?" he asked, following my gaze to where Holly was now showing off her new adoption certificate to her grandparents.
"Everything is perfect," I said, and meant it.
Whatever was happening with Allison, whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together. As a family. Because that's what families did, showed up for each other, stood by each other, loved each other through it all.
Holly looked up and caught my eye across the crowd, her smile radiant. I smiled back, a wordless exchange that said everything:
We're home. We're family. We belong to each other now.
And unlike the beach reads that lined my bookstore shelves, this wasn't an ending. It was a beginning. Messy, unpredictable, and infinitely more beautiful than fiction could ever be.