Without waiting for an answer, Charlie opens the box and presents it to her: a ring. A delicate band with a tiny stone in the center that catches the light just right.
It’s small, a bit quirky, but in the best way. Something only Charlie would pick out with his kind of excitement and heart.
Dakota’s breath catches in her throat as she looks at the ring, then at us, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Is this?—?”
Reid’s smile is pure affection as he looks down at Charlie, his hand resting gently on her son’s shoulder. “He needs to be part of the proposal, right?”
Clint chuckles softly. “Of course!”
Dakota’s smile is radiant as a sunrise, and I feel the world settle into place. This is it.
“Welcome to our family,” I whisper against her hair.
She laughs, a sound that melts the last of the tension. “I never thought I’d be here,” she says softly, her arms tight around us, “but this feels… this feels right.”
Charlie is practically vibrating in our arms. “So, does this mean we’re a family now?”
“Yes, baby,” Dakota says. “We are.”
I hold her tighter, feeling the moment, the depth of our love, and I know without a doubt that this is our beginning. Our forever. All of us. Together.
This is home.
Epilogue
DAKOTA
Alice zips upthe back of my dress and lets out a little sigh like she’s been holding her breath the whole time.
“There,” she says, stepping back, hands on her hips. “Perfect.”
Perfect.
Right.
I turn toward the mirror, and I don’t even recognize the woman staring back at me. The lace glimmers in the light, soft and shimmery, the veil draping just so over my shoulder.
My hair’s curled, my cheeks flushed, and, okay, I actually look kind of like a bride. Which is wild. Because I am one.
Or, I guess, about to be three times over.
I smooth the fabric down, my heart doing that weird little hummingbird thing it does when I get too emotional.
“I look… wow,” I mumble, blinking at my reflection.
Alice grins in that warm, proud mama way that makes my throat tighten. “You look stunning, sweetheart. They’re going to melt when they see you.”
“Clint might actually faint,” Violet says from behind me.
She’s perched on the windowsill, sipping a mimosa and looking way too smug for someone who’s supposed to be my calm bridesmaid.
I shoot her a look over my shoulder. “You think?”
“Oh, totally,” she says. “Reid will whistle, Sawyer will cry, and Clint will try real hard not to, but will definitely tear up. Big cowboy softie, that one.”
I laugh, pressing a hand to my chest. My heart feels too full. “You really think I’m ready for this?”
Violet hops down and comes to stand beside me, looping her arm through mine. “Dakota Fletcher, you were born ready for this. You just needed to find the right people to stand beside you.”
