First Crush, My Forever

Chapter 117

  I head over to my moms' place after lunch. Dani is stretched out on the couch at home with her feet propped up and KK is curled against her watching a cartoon. Dani told me to go. She said I needed to share the news before I burst from holding it in. She was right. I felt like I was going to explode from excitement.

  My moms are on the couch when I walk in. They both look up the second the door shuts.

  "Hey honey," Mom says. "You look... keyed up. But in a good way?"

  "Yeah," I say. "I've got news."

  Both of them sit up straight like I just announced I'm carrying a time bomb. "Good news," I add quickly. "Not bad. Really good."

  They relax but only a little. Mama pats the cushion beside her. "Come sit down." I sit between them and suddenly I can't stop smiling. It feels too big to hold. Too good to keep in my chest.

  "Alright, spill it," my mom says.

  "Dani wants to get married before the baby is born," I say.

  Both of their eyebrows shoot up at the same time. Mama is the first one to speak. "Really?"

  "Really," I say. "She brought it up on her own. She said she wants the security. She wants to go into labor already my wife."

  Mom presses her hand to her chest. "Oh honey that's beautiful."

  "And she wants my last name," I say. "She wants to be Danielle James."

  Mama lets out a soft breath that sounds like she's trying not to cry. "That girl loves you."

  "There's more," I say. My voice cracks because the next part is still sitting heavy in my chest in the best way. "She wants the baby to have my last name too. From the second he's born."

  My mama wipes under her eyes and reaches for my hand. "Taytum, honey."

  Mom squeezes my knee. Her face softens. "You must have felt like your whole heart finally clicked into place."

  "I did," I say quietly. "But that's still not even the biggest part."

  Mama looks at me, waiting. I breathe in. "Dani wants me to adopt KK."

  Both of them freeze. They need the second to let it sink in.

  "Oh sweetheart," Mama whispers. She pulls me into her arms and holds me tight. "That's real. That is a real commitment. That is family."

  Mom wipes her eyes and cups the back of my head the way she did when I was little. "She trusts you with everything she has."

  "She does," I say. "And I don't take that lightly. She said she wants KK protected. She wants me to be her mother in every legal way. She wants us on the same line. One family."

  Mama sits back so she can look at me. "Taytum, you're already showing up for that little girl like you've been in her life from the start. This just makes it official."

  "I want it," I say. I can hear the shake in my voice. "I want all of it. Dani. KK. The baby. The marriage. The name. Everything."

  Mom smiles in that soft proud way of hers. "You're ready. I can see it. You're steady. You're present. You're not afraid of the responsibility."

  "I'm not," I say. "I'm excited for it. I've been excited for it without even knowing how to say it."

  Mama nudges me with her shoulder. "You're going to be a damn good wife."

  "And a good mom," Mom adds. "To both of them."

  The truth of that rolls through me. Warm. Solid. Grounded. It settles in my chest like it belongs there.