That even in court, the role her biological parents had played in her future was appreciated, acknowledged.And that it mattered.
They’d gone into the courtroom as three separate people holding on to each other and walked out as a family.Whatever she and Clark were to each other, they would always be Marjorie’s parents.
And that was an amazing, humbling thing to realize.
An incredible and awe-inspiring gift.
“Should we go out to dinner?”Clark asked.
Yes.It would be their very first meal as a family.
“Let’s go to the Italian restaurant back in Caldwell.”
“All right.Fancy.”
She laughed.“It’s a fancy day.”
“I suppose it is.”
It was more than a fancy day.It was the beginning of something.It was the beginning of their family.
And for the first time in more years than she could remember, Ellie felt more whole than she did broken.
CHAPTER11
The adoption had been one of the most profound experiences of Clark’s life.He’d felt like Marjorie’s father ever since she had been put in his arms.But it was official now.Recognized by the state.
And the responsibility, beautiful and heavy, had been sitting on his shoulders since that night in the hospital.
He felt no regret.It was what he wanted.He knew it down to his bones.
Marjorie was a pretty good sleeper, but there were times when she resisted falling asleep.
And there were times when getting sleep was damned near impossible.
The sound of her crying filtered over the baby monitor, and Clark turned over in bed, sighing heavily.It was his night on duty.He was exhausted.But he also didn’t think that Ellie should take on more than her fair share of sleepless nights.She might not be working full time at the moment, but they both had flexible schedules, and he intended to do his part.
He got out of bed and walked quietly toward the nursery,moving easily through the hallway illuminated by moonlight shining through the skylights above.
He walked into the cheerful pink room, and picked Marjorie up, cradling her to his chest.“All right.Settle down, sweetheart,” he said.“Do you need to eat?”
He carried the baby down to the kitchen, and started to make a bottle.
He hummed softly to himself.God, he couldn’t remember humming absently ever in his life.That was the habit of a different sort of person.Someone who had joy in his heart.Hope for the future.
He looked down at Marjorie.She felt like hope.Like the hope of something really good.Something he’d believed for a long time he couldn’t have.
And he thought of the beautiful woman sleeping down the hall from him.
His gut went tight, his heart starting to beat faster.
Yeah.It was really tempting to fantasize that their relationship could be something more than it was.
Really tempting to create a whole narrative around that.
But that was one hope too far.A wish too many.
He’d never been one to wish too intently on anything.
