Age: Two
Gender: Female
Name: Valentina Rosa
“Her name is Rosa.” Maddie’s bottom lip wobbles, trying to rein in her emotions. “Valentina Rosa, Nate. This is our baby. I don’t care what anyone says. This is her. Everything is lining up…HealingHorizons.Rosa. This is it, this is our future.”
I nod, swallowing my own emotions. “From Spain,” I add, and we sit on that, staring down at the picture of this brown-eyed beauty.
“She’s perfect.” Maddie traces her finger softly around the photo.
She’s tiny. Tinier than Claudina was at this age, with curly brown hair and big, curious brown eyes.
I know in my gut she’s ours too.
“I can’t read her story.” Maddie turns her head into my shoulder.
“Me neither,” I murmur. “Not yet anyway.”
The thought of someone abusing this child, an innocent two-year-old, makes me sick to my stomach.
Anne knocks on the door a second later, then reenters, taking a seat.
“Are these good or bad tears?”
I take Maddie back into my arms, pulling her into my side. “The woman who saved me from my abusive childhood, her name was Rosa.” Anne’s face pales. “And…she’s from Spain.”
“Oh my.” Anne leans forward to grab a tissue, then leans over to hand me the box.
I pull out my phone and show her a picture. “This is my living angel, Rosa Morales. She saved me from a life I never chose. From that day on, she became the most important woman in my life. My mother.” I rub Maddie’s arm, adding, “Until I met Madeline, of course.”
Maddie and Anne both chuckle, but it dies quickly.
Maddie calms her breathing. “I’m so sorry, Anne. I promise I don’t normally overreact, but if this isn’t a sign, I don’t know what is.”
Anne is trying to keep her composure, but I can see she is fighting back her emotions as much as we are.
“So what are the two of you saying?”
“That this is our daughter.” Maddie looks up to me with hope. “And we’d like to adopt her.”
We walk into the penthouse, and although we are exhausted from the last three days, we’re both on cloud nine. “Right to bed, babe.”
She frowns, looking around the apartment. “I wish Skye were here.”
“She’ll be back tomorrow.” I lead her upstairs, wishing my girl were here too.
While we were in Vermont, Skye stayed at Seb’s since Leo was working overtime without Maddie and had no time to himself, let alone Skye.
After we both wash up and get ready for bed, we cuddle under the covers, and it’s like an instant relaxant.
There’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed.
I wrap my arms tightly around Maddie’s body, and she slackens against me.
“I can’t wait to meet our baby, Nate.”
“Me too, Mads.”
