First Crush, My Forever

Chapter 120

  With this pregnancy, things feel steady in a way I did not expect. Not loud or rushed like last time. Just settled. Like my body and my heart finally agreed to stop fighting everything.

  Taytum is at her parents' house using the home gym. She said she would be back later, sweaty and probably starving. I like that picture so much it makes me smile.

  I have wedding tabs open on my iPad while KK is on the living room floor with a pile of dress up clothes spread around her like a nest. She hums while she sorts through them, serious about it, like she is planning something important.

  I move to the kitchen table with my phone in my hand and the other resting on my belly. The baby is moving more now. Not sharp. Just slow little shifts that make me pause and breathe through them. I smile every time.

  Before I can overthink it, I scroll to my lawyer's name and call. She answers quickly. Calm and familiar.

  I tell her exactly what I want. Taytum is my fiancé. She has been raising KK with me. I want her to adopt her as a second legal parent. I want it done. Not someday. Not loosely planned. Just done.

  She does not hesitate. She explains the process clearly. A second parent adoption. Background checks. A home study. Paperwork. Consent. Timeline. She tells me it is very doable and that I can start immediately. She tells me most of the work can be done quietly and finalized once we are married.

  I ask one more question. "Can I have the paperwork ready for her to sign after the wedding?"

  "Yes," she says without pause. "That happens more often than you think."

  When I hang up, my chest feels lighter. Not emotional. Certain.

  I already know what I want to do. I want to hand Taytum those papers as my wedding gift. I want to give her something that lasts longer than a ring. I want to give her legal proof of what she already is.

  KK's mother.

  I move back to the couch and call my mom. We talk about small things first. What she is making for dinner. How tired I sound. How good that kind of tiredness can be. I trace slow circles over my stomach while she talks, grounding myself.

  Then I tell her. "We are getting married before the baby is born," I say. "And I want Taytum to adopt KK. I already started the process."

  There is a quiet pause on the line. My heart beats once, hard.

  "I was hoping you would say that," my mom says gently.

  "She is already her parent," I say. "I just want it permanent. On paper. Forever."

  "I can see how safe KK feels with her," my mom says. "And how loved she is. That matters."

  I nod even though she cannot see me.

  I do not realize KK has come closer until I hear her small voice. "She will be my mama forever?"

  I turn my head and there she is, standing beside the couch with wide eyes, her hands curled into her shirt.

  "Oh honey," I say softly. "You were not supposed to hear that yet."

  My mom chuckles quietly through the phone. "Sounds like you need to talk to Kadence. I will let you go. I love you, Danielle. I am proud of you."

  I hang up and KK climbs onto the couch beside me carefully, like she knows my belly is important now.

  "Mama T would really be my mama?" she asks.

  "Yes," I say. No hesitation. "She would."

  Her face changes instantly. Pure light. She grins so big it makes my chest ache.