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Undeterred, her mother pressed something into Bryce’s hands.
“This is for you.”
Puzzled, Bryce examined the piece of paper furled along the edges, as if it had been folded and unfolded numerous times over the years. The white paper was covered in handwriting, the top written in organized columns, with writing underneath, almost like a…
Recipe.
“It’s…it’s your chili recipe.” Bryce’s breath caught in her throat as she read the ingredients. “Mom, thank you.”
“Took me a while to recall where I put it. But this young man of yours asked me about it, and then I remembered. It was at the bottom of my jewelry box with some things I’d meant to give you. But it’s yours now.” Her mother nodded happily as Bryce bent to kiss her again.
“Thanks, Mom.” Bryce brushed back tears, catching Ryker’s eye to smile when he shrugged, as if to sayTold you I could make her give it up to me.
Mom followed her gaze to Ryker. “But I see you won’t be needing it to catch a man—is that an engagement ring on your finger?”
Ryker kissed Bryce on the forehead, urging her to sit with her parents. “I’ll let you catch up. I’m double-parked, so Six-y and I are going to go take care of that. Be right back.”
Bryce did as told, telling her mother—again—the story of how Ryker had proposed to her. But this time she enjoyed repeating old news, because she got to see the thrilled expression on her mother’s face as she listened to how Ryker had slid the ring on a raw carrot, which he’d hidden in a fresh bunch Bryce was using for the next day’s soup.
“But it was almost an epic fail, because it slipped off and down the drain as I washed the carrots.” Bryce soaked in her mother’s bright peal of laughter at the mishap. “He had to tear apart the plumbing and fish it out of the U-bend, and when he presented it to me, it was covered in gunk. But I slid that sucker on my finger anyway. He said it was an RSVP for my hand in marriage when the guardianship was finalized, because the girls came first. After his proposal, I’d have slid a twist tie on my finger and been just as happy.”
Between drinking in the sights and sounds of her parents—whom she hadn’t seen since Bentley’s funeral—Bryce accepted congratulations, hugs, food, and a piece of the cake she and the girls had cut together. It was a massive one Patty had made with the wordsTo the Weatherford Family: We Love Youwritten in beautiful icing calligraphy surrounded by piped-on hearts and bows.
Before she knew it, an hour had passed, and guests were saying their final congratulations before leaving. Soon, the only ones left were Bryce and her family—Mom, Dad, and her three sweet girls, plus the entire Matthews clan…all but Ryker.
“Hey, where’d Ryker go?” Bryce asked Imani as she helped clean up some of the guests’ leftover plates and cups. “He was here, then he disappeared with Six. Is everything okay?”
“He’s…coming right back.” Her friend flushed, then grinned, clearly up to something. “Just stay right here in the kitchen for a few minutes more, okay?”
She gave her friend a “what are you up to” look, but she nodded. A minute later, Imani returned with the girls. Her forever family. Bryce’s heart gave a lurch every time those words went through her head—she hadn’t thought a piece of paper could make a difference. But it had. Bentley and Heather would always be listed on the girls’ birth certificates as their mom and dad—Bryce would never want their names erased from any document or from their memories—but now she and her nieces could officially start this new chapter of their lives.
Harvey and Adele waited out in the dining area, and Adele threw her a wink. She was obviously in on the surprise. Bryce grinned at the couple, who’d become the best allies she could have ever hoped for these past couple of months. After that fateful spring break week, it was like the dam of communication had finally been thrown open. They’d postponed their trial date to allow time to have discussions about their hopes for the girls and their wants, finally hammering out an agreement for guardianship that included language for time with the Paynes every week, as well as taking the girls for a vacation every summer. Bryce took Ryker’s advice to ask for what she needed, and the Paynes had really stepped up. They took the girls to school every day, giving Bryce time to prepare food and soup for the expanding PattyCakes menu, and were always happy to help FaceTime with June when Bryce was flummoxed by an assignment. They took the girls any weekend in which Bryce had catering events, as well as every Thursday for beef on wecks after dance class—a fact Ryker took advantage of by staking his claim for Thursday date nights with her.
Bryce gazed over at her nieces, reflecting on the amazing changes these past months. Addison still wore her fairy wings, but only on weekends when she played Tinker Bell Defeats the Pirate with Ryker. The Lava soap had given Cecily terribly dry skin, and had to be replaced by a black foaming bar that smelled like an old man. But she was clean after her many misadventures, which included helping Ryker with routine oil changes in the garage. June, while still prickly and objecting when her sisters called Bryce Mom instead of Aunt Beamer, had all A’s and B’s in school—thanks to tutoring from Ryker in math, and Drake in English. She’d also taken on the responsibility of being the restaurant’s tech guru. She’d built a web page for PattyCakes, which included a link to a site for Bryce’s catering business, and took pride in updating the café’s social media pages.
Bryce knew she had changed most of all. While she often got overwhelmed with juggling her catering business with parenting, she reminded herself that the girls were happy and had many people who loved them, including their New York and Florida grandparents—all of whom spoiled them rotten, which was as it should be. While the thought of taking over PattyCakes in another eighteen months was scary as hell, there was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be…and nobody she’d rather be with than the man who loved the chaos of her life as much as he loved her.
Just then, a horn sounded outside.
“Sounds like your surprise is here,” Imani said in her singsong voice.
Curious, Bryce opened the metal door, her girls peering around her.
Idling in the alley was a pretty, yellow-and-white vintage VW bus. As soon as they came out to the landing dock, she saw Ryker in the front seat, Six riding shotgun. He beeped the shave-and-a-haircut staccato on the horn.
“Hey, is that from Ryker’s garage?” Cecily asked, squinting.
Bryce gasped. It was!
She recognized the gleaming VW emblem—with its little nick in the side of the V—as the same front end bolted inside Ryker’s garage. The very one Ryker called his “metal security blanket.”
Ryker’s eyes met hers over the girls’ heads. Then he opened the driver’s-side door, stepping out.
“Thought you ladies deserved something a little bigger than the Beamer. It’s big enough for road trips, too. Happy Forever Family Day.”
Bryce gasped, blinking back tears. “Are you kidding? That’s for…that’s for us?”
“Dude,” came Zander’s voice from behind them. Bryce turned to see that the entire party—both of their families—had filed outside. Zander gave a low whistle, and Drake did a slow clap as he spoke.
