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LUKAS
; MY WIFE.
I watch her from across the room as she carries Hope from person to person so they can give her a birthday kiss. Hope giggles and waves her little hands around as each person hugs and kisses her. Gram’s house has been turned into a birthday extravaganza for Hope’s first birthday, with balloons and everything unicorn you can think of, including a unicorn-shaped cake that Macy and Tommy helped me bake and decorate that came out awesome. Thankfully, lots of love and patience brought our little family back together.
I didn’t think I could love Ivy more, but I do. Every day, I love her more intensely. She’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of, hoped for, and desired. Like fine wine, she’s getting better with age.
And she’s mine.
My daughter.
I smile as my wife hands Hope over to Vandal for a kiss, and the baby promptly grabs a fistful of his hair in her tiny hand. His girlfriend, Tabi, leans up and kisses his cheek, and he actually laughs, and then hands the baby back to Ivy. I can still see the pain in his eyes, even though he tries hard to hide it. But I see it.
Hope’s the most adorable baby I’ve ever met. She hardly ever cries or fusses. She’s always smiling and laughing. Having her has brought Ivy and me even closer together, strengthening our bond. She’s our little angel, and she’s definitely Daddy’s little girl.
But she’s not mine.
Rio was right; Vandal wasn’t ready for another baby so soon after losing Katie. It would have torn him up inside and sent him into a mental tailspin if he found out she was pregnant with his baby.
And there was no way I was gonna let Rio give my brother’s baby away to strangers to raise.
Ivy approaches me with a very happy, cake-faced baby in her arms, and leans in to give me a big kiss. “We love you,” she whispers. “Thank you for today.”
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her closer, that electric feeling pulsing through me like it always does when she’s near.
“I love my girls,” I say back. “With all my heart.”
IVY
Not long ago, I wished on a shooting star in a dark parking lot with a man that captured my heart and soul the moment our eyes met.
I wished for one thing: for all his dreams to come true.
And within that, all mine came true, too.
The End
