Page 132 of Promise

He’s certainly surprised, and eager.

“Do you really mean it?”

“We really mean it,” I say, jostling Mirabelle in my arms.

Dart looks at the judge and practically rips the pen out of his hands, his fingers shaking as he firmly, confidently signs his name in the box.

Father: Dart Rivers.

He drops the pen and tugs me to him, wrapping his arms around both of us.

“Am I allowed to do this in a courtroom?” he says, not releasing Mirabelle and me, as he first peppers her cheek with kisses and then lays a rather inappropriate one on me.

I giggle when the judge clears her throat.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Rivers. It’s a girl,” the judge says.

She’s more than a girl. She’s pure joy.

I don’t think my heart could be any fuller.

Much like Cassidy said, we sign forms, the judge rules, and we take a picture. Cassidy Lane and Stone Sylver are our witnesses as they’ve been such a huge part of our journey.

It all passed in a blur.

When we get home, our yard is full.

Mom. Cort. Clint. Tate.

My girls: Vale, Genie, Halle, and Mavis, and their significant others.

Their kids.

Hutch and his boys are here with Petty.

A real gathering of all the people we love, celebrating the one person Dart and I love most.

As Mirabelle gets passed around, Mom swooping her up almost as soon as we arrive, Dart is handed a beer by Petty.

“How’d it go, Farty Darty?”

“Dear God,” I chuckle.

“Hilarious,” Dart retorts, offering me a sip of the beer Petty already cracked open.

I shake my head. A celebratory bottle of wine has my name on it somewhere around here.

“Actually,” I interject, slipping my arm around Dart’s middle. “Do you want to tell them or me?”

“What?” Hutch says, standing there as well, brows lifting as he glances from me to Dart.

Dart looks at me, all the love in his eyes. All the hope solidified.

“Actually,” he repeats, staring at me a second before looking at his friends. “I’m Mirabelle’s dad. So I think the name you’re looking for is Sexy Daddy.”

“Oh, brother,” I pat his belly and pull away, but he tugs me back to him.

He leans toward my ear. “We can role-play that later.”