"Hey there, Shula," he murmurs. "Hey, Aurora. Your mama just made me the happiest guy in the world. Again."
I watch him talk to our daughters, this man who swam up to me in a pool full of swagger and changed everything. Who fought for me even when I pushed him away. Who gave me space to be myself while making room for me in his life.
"Thank you," I say quietly.
Tucker looks up. "For what?"
"For seeing me. For not trying to change me, control me, or make me smaller. For making space for me to be Sloane while also being your partner and their mother."
"That's just loving you," Tucker says simply. "You don't have to shrink to fit. You just have to be you."
"I'm so glad I hit on you in that pool."
"Best decision you ever made." He grins and kisses my cheek. "Sunshine, the moment I saw you, I was calculating every possible way to spend more time with you." He kisses my belly, first one side, then the other. "Even if it meant infuriating my coach and risking my career."
"You really did that."
"I really did." He meets my eyes. "And I'd do it again. Every time. You three are worth everything."
Tucker settles beside me, carefully arranging us so I'm comfortable against his chest. His hand rests on my belly, right where our daughters are tumbling around. "Shula Juniper Stag and Aurora Estelle Stag. Our family."
"Our family," I repeat, and finally—finally—I let myself believe it.
Not just that I can be a mother, but that I can be a mother without losing myself. That I can accept help without becoming dependent. That I can love Tucker and his extensive family while still being Sloane Campbell, with her own dreams and goals. Ithink my checklist is just about complete, because this is about as serene a moment as I can imagine.
"I can't wait to meet them," Tucker murmurs.
"Me neither." I yawn, suddenly exhausted. "Although I could wait a couple more weeks. Let them finish cooking."
"Rest, Sunshine." He pulls the blanket up over both of us. "I've got you."
And as I drift off to sleep, surrounded by my partner and the steady beat of my daughters' hearts, I think: This is it. This is everything I never knew I wanted.
A family. A home. A future full of love.
CHAPTER 36
TUCKER
The brass quartetis crammed into the elevator, their instruments gleaming under the overhead lights. I paid them triple their usual rate to play a single song in my penthouse at ten in the morning on a Thursday. Worth every penny.
"You ready?" I ask the lead trumpet player, a woman in her sixties, who looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I explained what I wanted.
She nods, adjusting her mouthpiece. "On your signal."
I take a breath and push open the bedroom door.
Sloane is propped against a mountain of pillows, her laptop balanced on the overbed table Dad assembled for her. She's wearing one of my old Fury t-shirts and has her hair twisted into a messy bun. She’s grouchy and uncomfortable these days—but she's beautiful. Always beautiful.
"Hey," she says without looking up from her screen. "Can you grab me more water? I think I'm dehydrated again."
"In a minute." I move to the side of the bed. "I need you to close the laptop."
"Tucker, I'm in the middle of transcribing this interview. Dr. Newman needs my analysis by?—"
"Sloane."
Something in my voice makes her look up. She studies my face, suspicious. "What did you do?"
