Page 68

Vivienne

Eight Months Later

"Stop fidgeting with your dress. You look gorgeous." Xavier, peels my fingers off the straps, smoothing out the fabric.

"I want today to be perfect."

"It already is. You could show up at the courthouse in a plastic bag and Holland would still love you."

He's right. I know he's right, but this is the day we've been waiting for since Xavier officially became the sole guardian of Holland.

We've got our son, Haze. We're married. And now, with the adoption of Holland, we will all legally be a family.

It seems silly since we already are a family, but there's an extra layer of reassurance that comes with today--knowing that the little girl I've loved since before I realized I was falling for her dad is protected in case something awful happens.

"I'm nervous," I admit, my fingers finding the strap of my dress and adjusting it again.

"Hold the baby and tell me why." Xavier slips our two-month-old carefully into my arms and I instantly relax as I look down at his tiny, perfect face. Despite the head full of dark hair that he inherited from me, he looks a lot like his sister with his pouty little lips, blue eyes, and button nose.

"What if the judge doesn't think I'm fit to adopt her? He could rule against us."

"That's not going to happen. You're the only mother Holland knows. She loves you more than me most days. Collin has all the paperwork in order to show that we've gone through all the necessary steps," he reassures me, reaching out to stroke my face.

"But he could. What if we jinxed it by inviting everyone over afterwards?"

"He won't. It's uncontested."

I swallow the nerves still sticking to my throat, even though I know everything he's saying is true.

Xavier pulls his shirt up his arms, making all the worry flee my head. I step forward, running a finger down his happy trail.

"Keep touching me like that and we'll have three under four."

Nope. That'll do it. Do I want more babies with this man? Absolutely. Do I want them right now? Not a chance.

He laughs as I pale and step back. "What can I say? You looked hot pregnant, and I want more." He leans forward to button the white dress shirt he's shrugged on. "But you're in charge of when."

"Maybe, for today, we focus on surviving this hearing and party with the two we have."

Hours later, the four of us, along with Dom, Indie, Dean, Mia, Cruz, Lilah, Poppy, and Hendrix and their kids, are all scattered around the house. I've got a much needed glass of wine in hand and a very real smile on my face.

Everything is right in the world. I'm officially Holland's mother and I couldn't be happier. This life is better than I could have ever imagined and I owe it all to my husband. He gave me the courage to go after the things I wanted most in my life and he did it without me realizing what was happening. He tells me all of the time that I healed him, but that goes both ways. Without him, I'd still be living a half-life, in fear, instead of being surrounded by this beautiful Bandits family.

THE END