“It’s not romance. Or not just romance. It’s bigger. Multigenerational. Women and music and the South. I don’t have it all figured out yet, but it’s been living in me for a while.” Seraphina took a breath. “I’m going to Nashville next week to do some research. I think the story’s there, waiting for me to find it.”
I watched Sylvia’s face carefully. Not long ago, she’d been pushing Seraphina to pivot toward younger readers, TikTok trends, whatever the algorithm wanted. Now she was nodding slowly, her expression thoughtful.
“That sounds ambitious,” Sylvia said.
“It is.”
“Good.” Sylvia smiled. “You’ve earned ambitious. Send me pages when you have them.”
Seraphina exhaled. “Really?”
“Really. After tonight, you could pitch me a cookbook and I’d say yes.” Sylvia patted her arm. “But don’t pitch me a cookbook. Pitch me something that scares you. You might just surprise us all.”
She wandered off.
“This night’s nuts,” Seraphina said.
“I don’t like what she said aboutsurprisingus all,” I said. “Makes you sound like an amateur. When you’re the reason their publishing house is still afloat.”
“Not really, but I love you for saying it,” Seraphina said.
On the dance floor, Madison had convinced the DJ to play something with a beat. Now, she was leading Margot and Grace in what appeared to be a conga line. Robbie stood at the edge, recording them on his phone. The older kids joined the line. Tyler was near the back, taller than everyone, his hands on Annie’s shoulders. Peter was behind his sister Bella somewhere in the middle. Mia was behind Grace, grinning from ear to ear. The line snaked between tables and around the edge of the dancefloor. I was struck by how unconsciously joyful they were. These kids who had grown up together in a great big chosen family. It was beautiful to see and touched a place in my heart I never knew existed. I got to be a part of it. How could anyone be more blessed than me?
And in that moment I knew. I was going to ask Seraphina to be my wife when we were in Nashville. I just needed Tyler’s permission first.
Someone drew Seraphina into another conversation, so I wandered over to the edge of the rooftop, where the railing overlooked the city. I’d been standing there for maybe five minutes when Tyler appeared beside me.
He leaned against the railing, looking out at the lights. “Heck of a night.”
“Heck of a night,” I agreed.
“Since you’re here, and we’re alone, I had something I wanted to ask you.”
“Go for it,” Tyler said.
My palms dampened and my pulse raced. Just ask, I told myself.
“I want to ask your mom to marry me, but I need your blessing first.”
Tyler’s face didn’t change. He looked out at the city.
“I know it might seem fast, and I know you and I are still getting to know each other, but I love her. And I love being part of your life. Regardless, I don’t want to do this without your blessing, because you’re the most important person in her world, and your opinion matters more than anyone else’s.”
“This is all I’ve wanted from the beginning.” He met my eyes, and for a moment he looked older than fifteen. “I’ve watched her be alone my whole life. She deserves someone who loves her. You make her happy. You make me happy too. The driving lessons. Coming to my games.” His voice broke, and he was quietfor a second. “I’ve fantasized about having a father, but nothing in my imagination could ever match the real thing. You’re everything we’ve wanted. And yeah, it took a little matchmaking on my part, but it was worth the risk.”
“Guitar lessons?” I asked, laughing.
“Hey, I was desperate.” Tyler stuck out his hand. “You have my blessing.”
I shook his hand, then pulled him in for a quick hug.
“There’s something I want to ask you,” Tyler said.
“Go for it.”
“Would you ever think about adopting me? Making it official like the others?”
“Well, now you’re going to make a grown man cry. As they say in romance novels—a thousand times yes.”
