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“I know,” Troy said with a shrug. “But that doesn’t mean you and this little boy won’t put the happy in Happy Meal.”
I laughed and shook my head.
“Never too soon to start the dad jokes, eh?” Scott asked and nudged Troy.
“Dad… I love the sound of that.”
Everyone laughed, and I kissed Troy.
Benjamin looked ecstatic that he was going to have a friend soon, even though Rachel tried to explain the baby would be too little to play with for a while.
When I looked at Troy, laughing, he looked at me with adoration.
“I love you,” he mouthed.
“I love you, too,” I mouthed back.
Rachel came to me and hugged me tightly.
“I’m so proud of you, Mackie,” she said. “And Mom would have been proud of you too.”
“It’s so good to know that,” I said. “But who I am today is all thanks to you. Losing Mom was horrible, but I grew up with you as my mother, and I’m so glad you’re here to see all of this.”
“I’m not going anywhere for a long while still,” Rachel said with a grin. “We’re going to watch our kids be friends and we’re going to swap baby milestones and teen stories and all the good stuff.”
I laughed. Was it possible to die of happiness?
We were surrounded by friends and family who would be there for us, celebrating the good times and being supportive during the bad times. I had a man I loved dearly, a baby on the way, and a future that looked brighter than ever.
EPILOGUE - MACKENZIE
Five Months Later
Troytwistedinhisseat and smiled at me. I sat in the back seat next to the baby car seat.
I’d chosen to ride in the back of the SUV, next to the car seat, rather than sitting in the front next to Troy.
I would sit up front later, I guess, but right now, I didn’t want to leave our baby’s side.
Little Jake was swaddled in blue blankets and a white fluffy onesie, his tiny pink face and closed eyes peeking out. He was so impossibly small.
“Ready?” Troy asked.
I nodded and returned his smile. “Ready.”
I got out of the car, and Troy unclipped the car seat, carrying it into the house. The Tuscan villa was welcoming in the morning sun. The winter months were colder, and we were all dressed warmly, but in LA, Christmas was never white; the Christmas that lay ahead wouldn’t be any less magical without snow, though. It would be our first Christmas as a family, and I was already planning something spectacular in our new home.
Inside, Troy put the carrier on the dining room table, and I unclipped the straps, lifting Jake out of his carrier. He hiccupped and squirmed, but when I settled him against my chest, he calmed down immediately.
“Welcome home, little buddy,” Troy said and cupped Jake’s head before he planted a kiss on my temple. “Well done, Mama.”
I blushed and walked to the nursery.
Troy and I had decorated the nursery a month ago. We’d gotten a painter out to paint the room in gradient shades of light blue, with white fluffy clouds close to the ceiling and Jake’s name written in full above his crib.
Everything else was ready—a change table, a rocking chair, a cubby with all the diapers and wipes we would need, the nappy bin, and the closet was lined with so many baby outfits that Jake would grow out of them before he ever wore them.
Rachel had organized a baby shower for me, and we’d been inundated with gifts—Jake had no idea how loved he’d been right from the very start.
