“Of course, Cowboy.”
We had opted for a small ceremony in town at the Mayfair. Connie had been more than happy to facilitate, even offering up complementary rooms for Stella and me to get ready in. We had opted to sleep separately the night before, leaning in to tradition, though it killed me not to roll over and pull her into my warm embrace in the middle of the night. Our family therapist had said it would be a good test of our healing to sleep apart the night of our wedding, leaning into the strength we both had gained through counseling.
Just as I straightened my bowtie for the fiftieth time, the door to my room burst open and a tiny tornado came rushing in, throwing herself at my legs.
“Dad!!” Charlie yelled, the tulle of her dress surrounding her in a cloud, like a loofa gone awry.
“Hey, little one. Shouldn’t you be with Mama, helping her get ready?” I asked as I leaned down to pick her up. Her ringlets were tamed back into a semblance of a bun, a tiny crown of white wildflowers sitting atop her head. She leaned her head onto my shoulder and I did my best to shift as to not mess up her clearly styled updo.
“Mama, SUPISE!” she shouted, throwing her hands in the air as if she’d scored the game-winning touchdown. My brow furrowed in confusion as I tried to put together what she could mean. Before I even had a chance to form the slightest idea, all thoughts flew from my head as Stella rounded the corner.
Her long blonde hair, styled in old Hollywood starlet waves, framed her slender face, cascading around her like a waterfall. Her makeup was simple, a faint tinge of blush, some mascara, and a soft nude lipstick. She had opted for a simple dress, a slim fitting floor-length gown in a soft cream satin, the bust strapless and accenting her perfect breasts.
She held out her hands and did a little twirl, showing off the back of the dress that hugged her hips and full ass, highlighted by a trail of buttons that acted as a runway to one of my favorite parts of her body.
As I struggled to pick my jaw up off the floor, she came closer, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. I struggled to find the words to express her ethereal beauty, but fuck, was she beautiful. I couldn’t believe that in less than an hour, this woman would be mine forever.
“Cat got your tongue, Cowboy?” she teased, reaching out to straighten the bowtie that I’d been fighting for the last half hour.
I scraped a hand over my freshly shaven face, pretending to wipe drool from the corners of my mouth. “Stella, fuck.” I breathed, unable to form a coherent sentence.
“Bad word.” Charlie scolded. Her new favorite thing was to call us out on anything and everything, cussing included. Nine times out of ten, a frustrated sigh would precede her little foot stomp and hands-on-hips stance, a clear signal that our lack of compliance was unacceptable. It happened constantly around the house.
Clothing left on the floor?Charlie foot stomp.
Forgot to put away the milk?Charlie foot stomp.
Didn’t get out of bed exactly when she wanted you to?Charlie foot stomp.
Half the time, I didn’t know whether to laugh or remind her that her mother and I were the parents of the household, but all she had to do was bat her little eyelashes in my direction, and I was a goner.
“Stella, baby, you look…” I took her hand in mine and twirled her out so I could get another good look at her. Charlie clapped from my other arm, enjoying watching her mama twirl around in her princess gown. I pulled Stella in close, my lips just a breath away from her ear, attempting to speak without little ears overhearing.
“You look fucking stunning, Mrs. Daniels.” I said, placing a gentle kiss to right below her ear. The catch in her breath was enough to have my dick springing to life.
“Save it for after the ceremony,” she scolded, a wicked smile playing on her lips. “But I wanted to give you something before we made things official.”
She reached into the clutch she had deposited on the table just inside the door, pulling out a small white envelope. She brought it over to me and held it out between her fingers. Hesitantly, I took the envelope from her hands and ran my finger under the seam, sliding it open. I pulled the piece of paper from its resting place and unfolded it.
For the second time in a matter of minutes, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Mass Da,
Today, Mama gets your last name, but what if I want it too? You are already the best daddy I could ever ask for. Can we make it official? Will you adopt me?
Charlie
I battled to hold back the tears, but the salty flood finally spilled over, tracing a path down my face.
“Are you sure?” I asked, looking up at Stella, who was fighting back tears of her own.
Reaching for my hand and twining our fingers together, she smiled up at me and brushed the tears from my cheeks. “I’d wish on all the fireflies on this green earth. She already calls you Dad. Why don’t we make it official?”
I looked down at Charlie and smiled. A judge’s gavel would make it official; she would legally be mine, and we’d be a real family, a unit bound by law.
“What doyousay, little one? Want to be a Daniels?” I asked, lightly tickling her sides. She reached her chubby hands out and placed one on either side of my face, squishing my cheeks together affectionately.
“Lub yew Dad.”
