Page 173 of Stay Wild Darlin’

Cora was tucked in my arm, her curls catching the light, and I held her close as I looked up at the only woman I’d ever truly loved.

“Cora and I have a question.”

Fable stood first, her hands over her mouth. Then Beau, then Harleigh, then Mr. Banks. One by one, they rose to their feet without a word, forming a small circle around us, like a cocoon of love and witness.

Poppy’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide and already brimming.

I reached into my pocket, fingers shaking slightly, and pulled out the emerald-cut diamond ring I’d been hiding for weeks.

“You came here as the nanny for a job you didn’t want, and I sure as hell didn’t want to let anyone in.”

A few soft chuckles rippled around us, everyone remembering how damn stubborn I was back then. How much I fought the idea of needing help.

“I thought I was doing you a favor,” I said, looking straight into her eyes. “Letting you come in and keep things running while I figured out how to do it all alone. I had no idea I was letting in the one person who would end up giving me everything.”

Her hand trembled over her heart.

“You never judged me. Not for the mess I came with. Not for my shitty family. Not for where I came from. You didn’t flinch when you saw the worst parts of me . . . you stayed. You supported me—endlessly. Through the healing. Through the setbacks. Through every damn crack I didn’t know how to fix.”

I paused, swallowing hard as the memory flashed—Cora’s birthday. That day I thought I’d ruined everything.

“Even when everything at Cora’s party fell apart, you didn’t make me feel small. You didn’t make it about you. You felt for me. You felt bad. That heart . . . that soul . . . that’s the moment I knew. I knew you were end game for me.”

The yard was silent, every breath held.

“You didn’t only take care of Cora. You took care of me. You showed up for all the pieces I didn’t think anyone would want. You didn’t fit into our life, you completed it. You make it full.” I looked down at the ring in my hand, then back up at her with everything in me. “So . . . will you marry me, Poppy? Will you be my partner and wife?”

I glanced down at Cora, who squirmed in my arms and then, perfectly on cue, reached toward Poppy with a happy little “Mama!”

Poppy laughed, a tear sliding down her cheek. “Yes. Of course.”

She dropped to her knees in front of me and gently wrapped her arms around Cora, pressing a kiss to her soft curls. Cora squealed and clapped, completely unaware of the moment she had helped create.

I stood, bringing Poppy up with me and still holding the little velvet box in one hand, but before I could slide the ring onto her finger, I cleared my throat, suddenly more nervous than I’d ever been in my life.

“There’s one more thing.”

She blinked up at me, wiping tears from her face as I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a small envelope. Inside were the neatly prepared legal documents I’d been sitting on for weeks.

“These are adoption papers,” I said quietly, handing them to her. “I talked to an attorney and got everything set up. All that’s missing is your signature. I-I wanted to know if you wanted to adopt Cora. Officially.”

Her hand flew to her chest, mouth parted in disbelief.

I rushed to add, “You can think about it. It doesn’t have to be right now⁠—”

“Yes.” Her voice broke as she cut me off, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Yes.” She reached up, wrapping one arm around my neck, the other still cradling Cora between us. “Of course I will. I love you.” She looked down at the little girl who’d been hers long before any papers declared it, and kissed her forehead gently. “I love you too, sweet girl. So much.”

Tears hit fast, falling harder than I could catch them. My chest heaved, throat thick, and my vision blurred so badly I could barely see her. Everything I’d ever held back—every ounce of fear, shame, guilt, love—it poured out of me, right there in the grass.

I turned my face slightly, trying to get a breath, but it came out ragged.

She turned back to me, her own eyes still shining, and reached for my face with both hands. Her thumbs brushed the tears from my cheeks, but more kept coming.

“You’re okay,” she whispered, smiling through her own tears. “I’ve got you.”

She did. God, she did.

Her lips found mine, grounding me in the middle of the most beautiful unraveling I’d ever experienced. With shaking fingers, I slid the ring on.