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Remi covered her face when the tears kept coming. She’d been thrilled when she realized what was happening, but Colt’s excitement was unfiltered joy, and he’d shared that happiness with her.

When she lifted her head and lowered her hands, Colt knelt in front of her. His fingers threaded into her hair as he pulled her in for a kiss. The press of his lips against hers was hard and fierce, strong and sure like his love.

Ben and Abby cheered and jumped around the living room, but Colt’s smile held Remi’s attention.

Oh, good grief. His eyes were all shimmery, and if he cried, she would just lose it all and fall into sobs. The emotions were in full control, and she couldn’t do anything to stop herself.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you too,” she whispered back.

“My present for you is officially outdated.”

Remi chuckled and rubbed her eyes. “Why is that?”

He stood and reached for an ornament on the tree–the only one that the kids hadn’t made out of paper or popsicle sticks. He put it in Remi’s hand. It was an interlocking set of four horseshoes. Each had a name on it, and a banner at the bottom said “The Walkers.”

Remi threw her head back and laughed. “It’s perfect. We’ll have something to remember our first and only Christmas as a family of four.”

Abby and Ben launched themselves at Remi from both sides, and she wrapped her hand around the ornament, protecting the gift Colt had given her.

“Easy. Easy.” Colt pushed a hand through his hair. “Son of a biscuit. I’m gonna be one of those crazy hover husbands.”

Remi reached around Abby to wipe her face again. “That’s only news to you. I’ve been expecting it since I found out.”

Colt stared at her and shook his head slowly. “I make no apologies.”

Remi tightened her arms around the kids. “Me either.”

“We have something for you too!” Abby said as she shuffled out of Remi’s lap.

Ben ran into his and Abby’s bedroom and came back out a second later with two pieces of construction paper. He handed a pink one to Abby and kept a green one in his hands. Ben counted to three, and the kids offered the pages to Colt and Remi.

Remi took hers and opened it. Inside the folded page, a drawing took up the left side. What looked to be a boy knelt on the right, and a woman wearing a crown and a dress that flowed out at the bottom wide enough to cover the width of the page. A big ring with a scribbly jewel was drawn between them.

The right side of the page read, “Can we call you mommy?”

Remi jumped up and gasped. “Really?”

“Woo-hoo!” Colt hollered. “You bet you can!”

Ben punched a fist in the air. “Yes!”

Colt pointed to the drawing in his card. “I have to ask. What is up with my hands?”

Remi peeked at the picture to see a drawing of what was supposed to be Colt with big, clawed hands.

“Those are your tickle hands,” Abby said.

Colt looked at the drawing again. “Oh, they look deceptively creepy. Anyway, you can officially call us Mom and Dad.”

Remi’s excitement dimmed when she thought about Mark and Brittany. “Are you sure?” she asked the kids.

Abby nodded vigorously. “We’re sure.”

“Yeah, we haven’t forgotten Mom and Dad because you talk about them a lot, but we’re really glad you let us come live with you.” Ben’s voice started to shake. “And we need a mom and dad.”

Colt wrapped Ben up in a hug. “We get it. You can call us Mom and Dad, and you’ll always be our kids.”