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Hawk had so much of his life change so quickly, I honestly didn’t see any of this coming. He had suddenly become the caregiver for his niece, who he was now adopting, and had to learn how to care for a baby in a hurry. It was admirable how he handled that change so easily, but it was a lot. For him to want to change his life even further by adding me to the mix, I didn’t want to even think about the subject of marriage. It would happen on its own if it happened.
Yet, there we were, hopping in his car with rings on our fingers. I was a married woman and married to the man I had always loved. The only man that I would ever want to be with and the only man who had ever held that place in my heart. I was unbelievably happy.
Rose was in her car seat in the back, making happy gurgling noises as we drove to the restaurant. It was a roulette game to bring a tiny baby to a fancy place like that, but neither Hawk or I would have it any other way. Malia, Wendy, and Desiree offered to watch her, but both of us wanted her with us. This wasn’t a celebration just for Hawk and me. This was a celebration of our new family, coming together officially over a meal for the first time.
I sighed happily at that thought as we arrived at the restaurant, and I carried Rose in. We tucked into a booth, and Rose was a perfect angel while we ate, dozing through most of the time we were there. The food was delicious, and though we were both ecstatic, neither of us had much to say. We just kept staring at each other and repeating how we couldn’t believe we did it.
The weekly bonfire was getting underway that evening, and I had already called to let work know that I wasn’t coming in the next day on account of getting married. I knew Dr. Sutton might pitch a fit about it, but the girls at the nurses’ station gushed when I told them over the phone on the way out of the restaurant. I had plans to go to the bonfire and enjoy myself that evening and maybe even stay up past ten.
Crazy, I knew.
The bonfire was a special thing for us, as it was for most of our friends. It was how we gathered and hung out without the stress or worry about hosting people or going to go do something. We could just relax in a big field with a huge fire, eat food and desserts that seemed to show up like magic, and have a few drinks.
We had already planned on telling everyone about the adoption at the bonfire. The guardianship being granted was a big deal and a major step in that process, and our friends were all very invested in it for us. But I had a feeling the rumor mill had probably already started and keeping our newly minted marriage a secret was going to be impossible. Not with Wendy, Malia, and Desiree all in on it.
Aiden’s place in the mountains wasn’t too far from Hawk’s, which was nice since it meant we could get home rather quickly. I loved hanging out with our friends, but when we did head home, it was nice that it didn’t take forever to get there, especially on old, winding mountain roads.
“We’re here,” Hawk said as we pulled into the driveway. “Are you ready?”
“No. Are you?”
“No,” he laughed. “They are going to go nuts.”
“Yes, they are,” I said. “I’m flattered by it, I really am. It’s just a lot.”
“Do you think people already know?”
“Maybe,” I said. “I don’t think they would completely spill the secret on us, but at the same time, asking Malia to keep a secret is like asking a colander to hold a gallon of water. It can do it for like a second. Then it gets everywhere.”
Hawk laughed.
“Well, hopefully she can hold it long enough for us to tell people,” he said.
“You want to do that tonight?” I asked.
“If we don’t, it will get out anyway. Might as well let everyone celebrate with us.”
“True. It’ll be fun to see everyone’s reactions. They were all expecting us to just come back with news about Rose.”
We smiled as we pulled Rose out of the car and began heading toward the cabin.
“Well, we do have news about Rose,” he said. “Just we also have other news too.”
Our hands clasped as we walked and swung gently back and forth. The ring on his finger felt new in his grip, and yet it still sent a thrill through me when I touched it. I didn’t know how he got the gorgeous engagement ring or the simple, yet elegant wedding bands for us, but it was a touch that I hadn’t expected. It hit me that simply wearing them was going to clue in everyone at the bonfire, and we would have to make our announcement pretty early.
