Beau placed a kiss on the top of my forehead. “I’ve got to go sign some autographs. Meet some fans. You know the drill.”
We drifted away, slowly, as if we both wanted to prolong our moment, and the second his hand grabbed the doorknob but before he left the room, I had to tell him one last thing. “I love you, Beau.”
Always have. Always will.
Happy birthday to you…
Happy birthday to you…
Happy birthday, dear Mabry…
Happy birthday to you!
We gathered around the patio at Sam and Rebecca’s, standing back as Mabry blew out the rainbow-colored candles of her birthday cake. With smiles on our faces, we cheered and clapped and watched as she immediately stared up into the faces of her mom and dad, basking in their excitement.
I slipped my hand into Dakota’s, leaning in and whispering, “You doing okay?”
She nodded, her gaze focused on the beautiful little doll in the pink party dress. A table full of kids sticking their fingers in the frosting and giggling and talking about toys and games filled our hearts with the kind of simple abundance I’d rarely felt before.
Rebecca pulled candles out of the cake as Sam began cutting small squares and depositing them into bowls of chocolate ice cream. When all the little ones were cheeks deep in sugary stuff, Rebecca made her way toward us.
“Thanks so much for coming.” Her eyes were gracious and her expression sincere. “It means a lot to have you here. Both of you.”
Dakota had flown in earlier in the week, and we’d scheduled a sit down with Sam and Rebecca. Nothing was off the table, and all four of us came together in agreement. Dakota and I would be a part of Mabry’s life, and when she was old enough to ask about meeting her biological parents, we’d tell her the truth.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I said, turning toward Dakota. “Won’t miss another one so long as we live.”
“Time to open presents,” Sam announced, sending the kids’ attention toward a card table covered in a princess tablecloth and housing a mountain of wrapped gifts. He handed her ours first; a small blue box with a white ribbon.
Mabry pulled the top of the box off to reveal a silver locket with an M inscribed on the outside and her birthstone, a vivid emerald, mounted on the inside.
“That’s from Dakota and Beau,” Rebecca said.
Mabry spun around, dark hair in her face, as she scanned the area for our faces. She climbed down from her spot at the table and ran into Dakota’s arms first, wrapping her arms around Dakota’s waist.
“Thanks, Dakota! It’s so pretty,” she said before turning her attention toward me. She scrunched her nose at me and stifled a grin. She’d technically only met me once and it was earlier that week, so she still wasn’t sure what to think of me yet. Cocking her head to the side and staring up at me through long dark lashes, she was the spitting image of her stunning mother. “Thanks, Beau…”
“You’re welcome, beautiful.” I lowered my knees until I was eye level with her. “Want me to put it on you?”
Mabry nodded and handed me the box. I fastened the silver locket around her neck and ruffled the top of her soft brown hair, and with that, she ran back toward the table to open more presents.
“She’ll warm up to you,” Rebecca said. “Just give her time.”
“I’ve got all the time in the world.” My chest tightened as I thought about everything I’d ever missed over the past decade and everything I’d miss in the future. I wouldn’t be the one scaring away ill-intentioned boys. I wouldn’t be the one teaching her how to drive or posing beside her in graduation pictures. I wouldn’t be the one walking her down the aisle on her wedding day.
But I’d be there for all of it, as much as I could.
“Shall we head home?” Dakota said after a couple hours had passed.
“I love that you’re okay with calling the ranch home now,” I said, leaning in and kissing her grinning mouth.
“It does feel kind of unnatural after all these years, but I think I’ll get used to it.”
We left the Valentine house and headed back to the ranch, bumping down the road in New Old Blue as Dakota flipped through listings on her phone that Addison had emailed her.
I placed my hand on her knee as she scooted across the bench seat and curled up against my arm with her head on my shoulder. “We’re going to have to figure out some kind of schedule.” She scrunched her eyes as she zoomed in on tiny listing photos on her phone. “I’ll be working Monday through Friday. We’ll have to fly home on the weekends, assuming I don’t have any other events. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”