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I tug at Adley’s Atlanta Anglerfish jersey, smiling at how big it is. When Cade officially joined the team, they gave him eight spares, and this is one of them. “brIGHT” is stretched across her narrow shoulders, and it feels weird to see my sister wearing my husband’s—and I suppose my—name now.

She’s here, and I might’ve had an entire summer to get used to it, there are times I still find it hard to believe. All the court hearings. All the set backs. Everything finally worked out and Adley is officially part of my family again. In the way she was always supposed to be.

“Are you sure it looks okay?” Adley asks nervously, smoothing down the jersey and looking up at me with a slightly less broken smile than the girl who arrived at LAX three months ago. “I feel like a fraud. I know nothing about hockey.”

“You look perfect,” I tell her honestly, because in my eyes she does.

She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and I see the flicker of doubt she tried to hide in her eyes.

I know that feeling well. The worry that maybe you’re not enough and that you’ll get thrown out if you’re not careful.

I hope one day she’ll realize that’s never going to happen with us.

After I was granted the adoption, we decided she should finish her school year before coming here. Her foster sister Briar joined her for a month, and we spent it traveling up and down the California beaches while Cade and I showered both of them with love they’d missed out on.

It was the perfect ending to our time in California.

Ultimately, we decided as a family that we’d rather be together in Atlanta than split between states.

Moving to Atlanta and Adley starting fresh there made the most sense, and meant I was away from all the Luke bullshit for good.

Not that he could get up to much since he was currently rotting in jail, but I didn’t want to be around when he got out.

The only bad thing about leaving California was that we had to also say goodbye to Briar. She had to go back to Connecticut, but we’re working on rectifying that too. Adley and Briar have a bond as close as she and I have, and she deserves a chance away from their foster parents too.

“You don’t need to know anything about hockey,” Madison adds, appearing beside us with her own ‘brIDGES’ jersey and way too much team spirit for someone who's not even playing. “Just cheer really loud when Cade touches the puck and boo when the other team does anything. If that doesn’t tire you out, also cheer loudly when Dash stops the puck. If we’re loud enough, he promised he’d do a little dance around the net. ”

She smiles at the mention of the two men.

How could she not? The Bright extended family have been more than I could ever hope for.

Everyone has embraced Adley like she’s always been theirs, and I’ve never felt more like I belong than here.

Funny, I knew Cade would be amazing, but he’s been better than that.

He’s everything she didn’t even know to hope for.

He makes her pancakes every morning, lets her pick Stanley’s walking routes, and even started watching Baseball Wives just so they’d have something to bond over.

He’s already treating her better than his own sister, and somehow, it never feels forced.

It’s been better than I could’ve ever imagined. Before Cade, all I expected was to struggle along with Adley by my side. Now, I have the opportunity to give her everything she needs. Everything our parents would’ve given her.

“There's our girls!” Cade's dad, Tom, calls out as he and Cade’s mom, Linda, make their way over to us in the arena.

They flew in yesterday specifically for this game, not just because it's Adley's first time watching Cade play, but because it’s the first time Cade and Dash will be playing for the Atlanta Anglerfish. Granted it’s only the pre-season, but it deserves celebrating none the less.

“Adley, sweetheart, you look absolutely adorable,” Linda gushes, immediately pulling my sister into one of her signature warm hugs.

Over the past couple of months, she and Tom have been nothing short of incredible.

They’ve always treated me like family, but the way they’ve embraced Adley, with patience, kindness, and genuine affection, has taken it to another level.

They’re thrilled to be honorary grandparents, even if we had to invent the title to fit our unconventional little setup.

And honestly? It makes me want to cry happy tears every time I think about it.

“Are you excited to see Cade play?” Tom asks, settling into the seat beside her.

Adley nods, but I can see how overwhelming it all is. I get it. The Brights aren’t just bright by name, they’re bright by nature. They’re loving and warm and it takes time to get used to what unconditional love feels like.

It's a lot. For both of us.

“Hey,” I say softly, taking her hand. “If it gets too loud or overwhelming, just let me know, okay? We can step out anytime.”

She squeezes my hand with a nod, letting some of the tension leave her shoulders.

With Atlanta pushing more marketing behind the hockey team, the arena is almost full, which is great for the guys.

Madison is already bouncing in her seat with excitement, heckling the opposing team during warm-ups, and throwing Dash an air kiss when he looks over.

Beside her, Tom leans down to explain the basics of hockey to Adley in the kindest, most patient voice, pointing out players and plays.

It feels so good knowing she has people in her corner now.

My heart flutters when Cade enters the ice to cheers. He barely acknowledges them as he skates around the rink starting his warm-ups. The way he glides makes him look powerful and in his element. Sure enough, he’s living his dream while providing mine.

“Which one is Cade?” Adley asks, leaning forward in her seat, searching across the ice. I remember the days when I couldn’t find him on the ice either.

“Number twenty-four,” I tell her, pointing him out.

“The one who's protecting Dash’s line of pucks.” Dash has a weird tradition where he likes to line up as many pucks as possible and Cade likes to stop other players from wrecking it for him.

It’s safe to say there’s no more animosity between them now.

As if he can feel our eyes on him, Cade looks up into the stands and finds us immediately. When he sees Adley in his jersey, his entire face lights up with a smile so radiant it could power the arena. He taps his chest twice, points at her, then at me, then makes a heart with his hands.

Adley gasps. “Was that for me?”

“It was for both of us,” I say, my voice thick. “That's his way of saying he loves us.”

“Does he do that every game?” she asks, wonder in her voice.

“Every single one,” Madison confirms. “Your brother-in-law is disgustingly romantic, and it makes me want to gag. I can now fully understand why it took him so long to come around to the idea of me and Dash.”

The game is incredible. Fast and intense and everything I love about watching Cade play, but what makes it perfect is watching Adley experience it for the first time.

She jumps every time there's a big hit, cheers when Cade scores in the second period, and by the third period she's yelling “Go Anglers!” with the best of them.

“This is amazing!” she shouts over the noise when Cade assists on the game-winning goal. “He's so good!”

“He's not bad,” I say with a grin and a full heart.

When the final buzzer sounds and the Anglerfish win, Cade skates over to our section again. This time, he pulls something from his jersey and tosses it up to Adley.

“Watch out,” I say and Adley catches the puck. She flips it around, taking it in as Cade taps on the glass.

“It’s for you,” I say.

“Your first game puck,” Madison explains. “It’s tradition.”

Adley looks up at Cade, who's grinning at her from the ice, and mouths “Thank you,” with tears in her eyes.

He taps his chest again, points at her, and mouths back, “Always.”

Later, back home…

We're all sprawled across our living room, still buzzing from the first Anglerfish game the guys will ever play. Cade’s in sweats with his arm wrapped around my shoulder while his parents share stories about his high school hockey days with me.

Madison’s across the room, scratching Stanley’s head as she explains what really happened between Erik and Scotty since Dash finally broke down and told her.

“—and then Scotty apparently said, ‘I never want to speak to you ever again. Your meddling ruined everything.’” Madison continues dramatically, “I can’t believe it took them that long to—”

“What did you think of your first hockey game, sweetheart?” Linda interrupts with a warm smile, turning her attention to Adley.

Her face immediately lights up. “That was the coolest thing I've ever seen,” Adley says for the tenth time, still clutching her game puck. “Are all hockey games like that?”

“Wait until you see him play in the regular season,” Tom says with pride. “Atlanta need some pep with all their failing teams. Cade—and Dash—are going to give them something to root for.”

“I can't believe I get to live here,” Adley says softly, looking around our living room in awe. “A beautiful house with my own room, and…” she pauses, looking around at us. “I can't believe this is my family now. I just wish Briar could be here too.”

Cade reaches over and ruffles her hair gently. “We’re working on it, Ads. Until then, you know she’s welcome during all her breaks, and every time I play the Crosschecks, we’ll make sure Briar is there watching with you.”

“Really?” Adley's eyes light up with hope.

“Really,” I promise. “We're not giving up on her. Forever and always,” I add, using the words that have become our family motto.

“Forever and always,” she repeats, and the smile that spreads across her face is pure sunshine.

A year and a half ago, I thought I'd lost Adley forever. I thought I'd never have a real family, or that I ever deserved one.

Now I'm sitting in our home, watching my sister fall in love with hockey and the new life she’s going to lead.

It's everything I never dared to dream of and more than I ever thought I deserved, but we earned it. We fought for it. We built it from nothing but hope, stubbornness, and love.

And the best part… it's just the beginning.

THE END