“We’re going to give you a moment alone. We’ll be outside when you’re ready,” Daphne says, shooing everyone toward the doorway before they can protest.
Butterflies fill my stomach as I step in front of the full-length mirror and blink a few times. I never thought I’d be here again, wearing a dress made of decadent lace and the smoothest silk, and getting married.
The door opens, and there’s a small gasp. “You’re so pretty,” Tate says as she stands in the doorway at her grandmother’s side.
She looks like such a little princess in her light pink lace dress, which matches mine exactly, and her crystal tiara I bought for her to wear today. This day is just as much about her and Brax as it is about Angelo and me. Their world is going to change forever, as will mine.
I turn, motioning for her. “Come here, sweetheart.”
Tate and Brax have been a shining light in my life, along with Angelo. I’ve been trusted with their well-being, helping to raise them, and to love them. Tate has taken to me as if she were my own, and I love her as if she came from my body and of my blood.
She runs toward me and wraps her tiny arms around my body, smashing her face into my dress. “I’m so happy,” she says, her voice muffled.
“Can you give us a minute?” I ask Betty, wanting to talk to Tate before the wedding.
“Sure, dear.” Betty gives me a quick nod before closing the door, leaving us alone.
I take Tate’s hand and guide her toward the couch. She practically jumps into my lap, not caring that we’re all dressed up, ready to walk down the aisle. She swipes her long brown hair away from her face and stares up at me with her big blue eyes.
“Are you ready?” I ask her, holding her tight.
She nods. “I’m so happy,” she whispers again, barely containing her excitement, but she’s shaking.
“How’s your daddy?”
“He looks so handsome.” She smiles.
Angelo looks handsome in everything he wears. The man wears pajama pants like nobody’s business, and when he’s shirtless…don’t even get me started.
“Is he okay?”
She nods quickly. “He’s excited too.”
“Are you happy?” I ask, because nothing is more important to me than this little girl’s happiness.
She turns in my lap and places her hand on the exposed skin above my sweetheart neckline. “I am.”
“Good.” I squeeze her tighter, kissing her plump cheeks, careful not to smudge my lipstick or leave any behind.
Her fingers find my diamond pendant. “Brax and I have a question,” she says, sounding so grown-up.
“Anything, baby.”
She glances down for a second and shifts. “We want to know if we can call you Mom.”
My vision blurs. Never in a million years did I think this kid was going to ask me that question just before I walked down the aisle. My heart races, and my chest is so full of joy and love, I’m not sure my body can take much more.
“Would you like that?” I can barely get the words out without bursting into tears.
Tate nods. “We need a mommy.”
My heart breaks. Literally breaks for this little girl, sitting in my lap, begging for me to be her mother. There’s nothing that would give me greater joy, but I also don’t want her to forget she has a mother. Although I’ll always be here, I can never replace the woman who gave birth to her.
“You have one, sweetheart.” I brush her hair off her shoulder. “She may not be here with you, but she’ll always be yours.”
“Cole has two mommies.” Cole’s her best friend at school, and he does, in fact, have two mommies, but no daddy like Tate.
“Yes, he does,” I tell her, but I don’t say anything more. I reach out and cup her face in my hands. “I’d be the luckiest woman in the world to have you as a daughter, Tate. Nothing would make me happier.”
