Who can blame her?
“Nate?” Maddie’s sleepy voice drifts from upstairs.
“I gotta go, I woke up Maddie.” I pause. “Thanks for everything, and we’ll see you next month in Italy?”
“Can’t fucking wait.”
I end the call and head back upstairs, where Maddie is standing in the doorway, eyes heavy with sleep, hair tousled, looking so soft it nearly undoes me.
“Come here, Goddess.” I lead her back to bed and wrap my arms tightly around her.
“It’s over, Mads.”
“What is?” she says barely above a whisper.
“Our past is fully behind us.” I brush my lips over one of her dimples, causing her to smile with her eyes closed. “And the future for us is so bright it’s blinding.”
EPILOGUE
Eleven Months Later
Maddie
Nate tapsme lightly on the shoulder, but it doesn’t stop the panic that bubbles.
“Dang it, Nate.”
He chuckles. “I was trying not to scare you. The two of you are big babies.” He glances down at Skye, whowassound asleep until Nate startled both of us.
I spin around on my stool, take off my headphones, and place them on my drafting table.
“What is that?” I ask about the folder he’s holding.
He passes it over to me. “See for yourself.”
I take it, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. “Why do you have that goofy smile on your face?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” He rolls his eyes. “Because I’m happy. Open it.” He taps the folder.
With caution, I open it so the papers don’t fall out, and the first thing I notice is that it’s in Spanish.
Which I now proudly speak.
Once we signed all the adoption paperwork for Valentina, I made it my mission to be fluent in my daughter’s native language.
Though the facility where Valentina has been living has also been teaching her English over the past year. It’s a bilingual program they offer at all their locations worldwide to best prepare the child for their adoptive family.
She knows just as much English now as she does Spanish.
It wouldn’t have been a problem either way; she’s so young, and because of her former living situation, her speech was suppressed due to the abuse.
But my girl’s thriving now.
Large letters across the top grab my attention.
ESCRITURA PÚBLICA DE COMPRAVENTA
It takes me a moment to translate, but when I do, my eyes fly up to meet Nate’s. “Did you buy a house?”
