"I was worried that you'd feel overwhelmed at becoming a mom so quickly," I said, "and bail on Addison. She's the one I'm worried about."
Annie walked closer to me. "If I thought for one second that I couldn't do this for the rest of my life, then I would bow out. As a woman, I would never want to put a young girl through the pain of losing two mothers."
It suddenly dawned on me that I had been naive as to how perfect Annie was for the job of being Addison’s mother. Hearing her say those words with such brutal honesty was everything I needed to hear. I knew that she would be a fantastic mother to my daughter and the partner I needed in my life.
“I love you, Annie!”
She ran over to me, and I kissed her deeply. Feeling her lips on mine again was like experiencing heaven, and I never wanted to let her go.
That is until I heard a giggle from behind me.
Annie and I pulled away and saw Addison peering out of her doorway. Just as I was about to put her back to bed, she came running over to us. “Does this mean Annie is going to stay with us, Daddy?”
I looked at Annie and then back at Addison, took each of their hands, and smiled. “Yes, Addison. Annie is now a part of our family.”
Epilogue
Annie
One Year Later
Julianna and I sat on the big white couch in the living room, both of us anxiously awaiting the results of our pregnancy tests. We hadn't planned on getting pregnant at the same time, though. She had raced down to my yoga studio a few days before, worried that she hadn't gotten her period. Since I hadn't gotten mine either, we decided to take pregnancy tests together.
Richard and I were living at his father’s cottage on the lake while getting our mansion redecorated. I moved in with him as soon as we flew back from New York City, but his taste was a bit too industrial for my liking. So he gave me the go-ahead to make it a tad more feminine. Except for his man-cave, of course.
He never heard from Heather after she gave him full custody of Addison. And Addison never brought her biological mother up after he and I got back together. Just like Caley, Addison was highly intuitive and mature for such a young girl. Maybe one day, Heather would come around and want to see her daughter again, but Richard and I had our doubts.
Even though I still owned the yoga studio, I rented out the loft to Crystal. It was perfect for her, too. She loved being able to roll out of bed and go to work. Plus, on days that I was running late, which often happened since becoming a mother to Addison, I could have Crystal start class for me.
Jake and Julianna were spending the day with us at the lake for the Fourth of July. Addison loved living there, and she was nothing short of a water baby. We often had to pull her out of the lake. Richard promised to build her a pond of her own back at our mansion. In between taking on more responsibility at his father's company, he met with landscapers who specialized in man-made ponds and lakes.
“I hope they’re both positive,” Julianna said to me.
It would be my first and her third baby, and the thought of both of us being pregnant at the same time was exciting. The two of us had always been so close.
“Imagine if we go into delivery on the same date,” I said. “Our children will be cousins with the same birthday!”
Jake and Richard were outside at the lake, getting everything ready for the barbecue later on that day. Just like Julianna and me, Jake and Richard were exceptionally close. He often told me how his life had changed for the better since Jake moved back home. They were constantly doing guy things together, such as working on their cars and even fishing.
Addison had become quite close to Caley. The two of them had a lot of playdates. More so at our place than Julianna and Jake’s because of the lake.
Jude was finally learning how to walk, and the older he got, the more he looked just like Jake. If I ever had a son, I knew he’d have their classic Truman features.
I looked out at the kids through the window, smiling as Addison and Caley started playing on the swings. Jude was just sitting on a blanket, babbling to himself while Jake kept an eye on him.
“Caley has been so good with Addison,” I said.
“She’s happy to have a family member that’s about her age,” Julianna replied.
I got up and went to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with some coffee.
“Is this decaf? You know, just in case.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, but I read that pregnant women are allowed one cup of coffee per day. There’s no way I’m going nine months without caffeine, Julianna.”
I scrolled through the notifications on my tablet and immediately opened an email from our interior designer. Even though I wasn’t sure that I was pregnant, Richard and I wanted to move forward with building a nursery. We had given the designer some ideas, but he liked to check in from time to time.
“I always get anxious waiting for these damn tests,” Julianna said, nervously sipping her coffee.
