Breaking Through (Atlanta #3) (40 page)

"Furthermore, I am concerned with the evidence of alcohol use, possibly alcohol
abuse
, within the Walsh home. Considering all evidence and testimony, it is the decision of this court full custody be awarded to Luke and Jenna Baylor, beginning today. A visitation agreement is recommended with the stipulation that all visits with Ms. Walsh be supervised. Supervision by her parents is sufficient. Details can be dealt with in mediation."

The gavel ushered in their new future. Luke's chest nearly exploded as his heart leapt for joy. Sophie was coming home; his family was complete. Jenna reached her arms around Luke and held him tight as his body shook with the strength of his emotion. Miranda wailed through her grief while the two lawyers flipped through their digital calendars for a mediation date.
 

Once the emotional scene eased into a sense of order again, Luke calmly approached Miranda. "I hope you get yourself together, Miranda," he said with a degree of sympathy in his voice. He spoke softly to her. "For you and for Sophie. She still needs her mom. I understand that."

Miranda simply looked at him with loss and anger fighting for control over her features. She had no words, so Luke continued.

"Go home and have a nice dinner with Sophie tonight. Explain things if you want to, or I can explain later. Either way, I'll be by at seven to pick her up. You can pack as much or as little as you want. We're ready either way."

He turned to Jenna. "Are you ready to go home?"

 
Home
. Jenna nodded with soft tears glistening in her eyes. His beautiful angel was now a true mother to his child.
 

The new ink in his shoulder tingled and the sensation sent a message straight to his heart. As Jenna promised, he was forgiven. In order to move forward, he allowed himself his own forgiveness, as well. His new life, in dedication to his wife and daughter, could only move forward. His anger and guilt had no place in his beautiful future.
 

He hugged his angel again. "You are my miracle," he breathed. He kissed her one sweet time before taking her hand and leading her home.
 

EPILOGUE

This is the best trip ever. I get to wear my fancy princess outfit, drop flower petals for Aunt Erin to walk on, and even dance at a big party afterward. I can't wait to spin round in my new dress.
 

So far the best part was riding in the airplane. That was the coolest thing ever. Daddy even let me sit by the window so I could see clouds from the top. Auntie Cass was silly the whole trip, too, and that even made waiting in the airport kind of fun. She made Uncle Scott carry me on his back and run around making airplane noises while everybody laughed. They all smile a lot. Mommy J and Daddy have the best friends ever.
 

Auntie Cass looks funny with her big baby-belly, but I kind of like it. I can't wait to see her new babies! She told me last week they get to have two babies at one time! Lucky! They all keep telling me I will have two little girls to play with. One will be named Lily which is for the flowers that grow on lakes. The other baby will be Marina. Auntie Cass says that name kind of means water. They also keep telling me the new babies won't really be cousins, but we can pretend. I'm ok with that. I don't really know what a cousin is anyway.

Everybody says today is going to be even better than the plane ride, but I don't believe them. I'm excited anyway. Aunt Erin took me shopping last month for the fancy blue dress I'm going to wear, and I get to stand up front with everyone in their pretty dresses while Aunt Erin and Uncle Marc get married. Mommy J says this is going to be a lot bigger than their wedding. Either way is ok. I liked Daddy's wedding a lot. He smiled so big. The new swing set was cool, too.
 

Today is Saturday, and its finally noon! This's when all of this starts!
 

"Hi, Mommy J," I say when she comes out of the hotel bathroom. I like the hotel. I get to share a room with Daddy and Mommy J. They smile a lot, too. I like all the smiles. "Are we going to the wedding now?"

"Yes, we are! Go get your dress," she said with another one of her smiles. "We'll get dressed at the church. They have a whole room just for the girls to get ready in."

"Will you do my hair like yours?" I ask. Mommy J always looks so pretty.
 

"Of course," she says. "Aunt Erin even got us fancy clips for our hair. I'm bringing those, too. Are you ready?"

I nod with a big smile. Daddy gives me a hug and promises to see me at the church. He says he's going to look like a penguin. I don't know why he's wearing a costume, but I think it'll be funny. Daddy is so silly. I like it when he tosses me up in the air. His smiles are even bigger when he does that, and he says he likes my laugh. I like it, too. I laugh a lot now. I love my new house and my new mommy. Living there is fun. I'm glad I get to see my first mommy, too.
 

All the way to the church, Auntie Cass and Mommy J talk about Aunt Erin's dress. I can't wait to see what Champaign-colored organza looks like. I have no idea what that means. But that's ok. It sounds pretty. She's going to wear the same fancy clip in her hair, too, and a veil. I can't wait to see what that is, either.

"Look, Sophie," Mommy J says pointing out the car window. "There's the church."

 
Wow. It's so big! And it has fancy, colorful windows Mommy J calls stained glass. This is going to be the prettiest day ever.
 

"Auntie Cass, how's your dress going to fit over your belly?" I finally ask. I've been wondering about that. I saw Mommy J's dress, and there was no room for any big babies in it. I can't wait to see the babies. Mommy J says we get to play with them while Auntie Cass helps kids at the doctor's office. That will be fun.
 

"Sophie, you are one smart cookie," she says with her always-smile. "They put extra room in my dress for my big bump. I'm going to look like Mrs. Claus in blue."

I giggle again. Auntie Cass could never look like Mrs. Claus. She only looks like she swallowed a soccer ball but soon her belly will look like a watermelon. That's what Uncle Scott says, anyway. They're sillier than daddy.
 

"Come on, Soph," Mommy J says while she unbuckles my car seat. "It's time to get fancy. We're even going to put some lip gloss on you today."

"Yay!" I love to play makeup, especially when Mommy J paints my nails. It makes me feel like a grown-up, but then I still get to watch cartoons anyway.

As soon as we're in the church we see Aunt Erin. She's not in her dress yet, but her hair is done up and she looks beautiful. Her hair is all curls up on her head with a butterfly holding a long piece of fabric under her curly hair. So that's a veil. It's so pretty.
 

"Hi, Sophie," she says with another smile. She lets me hug her, even though she looks so special. I love her, too. "Are you ready to get dressed up?"

I nod so big. I can't wait to wear my dress. Everybody starts moving around a lot, passing a curling iron back and forth and digging through little bags full of makeup. Aunt Erin's mom even comes in to get ready. Her dress is blue like mine but it's not as fancy. I like my dress better, but Mommy J tells me not to say stuff like that so I don't hurt anyone's feelings. She knows a lot of stuff about being nice.
 

And then I see Aunt Erin's dress. Hers is beautiful! It's a lot fancier than mine. The color matches her veil, and now I know what Champaign looks like. It kind of matches her skin, too. She's so pretty. I like all the little pearls on her dress, but I don't know how it stays up without any sleeves.
 

"Hey, Sophie," Mommy J says with a smile. "Can I do your hair now?"

"Ok. Do I get a butterfly in my hair, too?"

"Yep," she says. "Come sit over here."

"You look pretty, Mommy J." She looks even prettier than usual. "Daddy's going to freak out."

She laughs again. "Freak out?"

"Yeah, he always looks goofy when he sees you. This time he's going to freak out."
 

Everyone giggled and I do, too. When my hair is done and I have some shiny lipgloss on, we all get a snack and then Aunt Erin starts looking nervous. She's still smiling, though.
 

"I can't believe I'm getting married today," she says with her biggest smile ever. I know Uncle Marc is going to be smiling, too. He always does when he looks at Aunt Erin. Just like Mommy J and Daddy. I used to think that Uncle Marc was a little scary, but he's not. I'll even sit on his lap now while we read. When he decides to be a daddy, he's going to be good at it. Aunt Erin says not yet, but everybody says they should have a baby soon. I agree. Babies are the best.

We're all ready in our sapphire-blue dresses. That's what Mommy J calls this blue. I like it. Auntie Cass says it's Aunt Erin's favorite color. Even the little basket of flower petals I get to carry is that color. Just then I hear the music start and everybody sits up taller. Aunt Erin stands up and holds her hands together. Everybody gives some hugs and then we all line up. I'm glad I got to practice yesterday. Mommy J says I'm going to do great.

There are so many people here. I see daddy and Uncle Scott walk down to the front with Mommy J and Auntie Cass. Then I get to go all by myself. Everyone smiles at me when I drop the pretty rose petals. Uncle Marc even waves to me. I wave back. I go stand by him, and I know I'm supposed to stay there, but I have to go give daddy a hug. I guess he looks a little like a penguin, but he looks really good. He's fancy, too.
 

But mostly I can't wait to see Aunt Erin. And there she is. Everyone stands up for her. It must be because of her fanciest dress. She's smiling bigger than I've ever seen anyone smile before. She looks really-really happy. Auntie Cass calls that look "beaming." I get it. She looks like sunshine.

I only get to stand and watch, but I'm glad I get to see everybody up so close. Aunt Erin keeps smiling and crying at the same time, which doesn't make sense, but the smiles seem bigger than the tears. She and Uncle Marc say just about the same things to each other as Mommy J and Daddy did at their wedding, and then they kiss, too. I giggle out loud even though I'm trying not to.
 

Now everyone is clapping and standing and Mommy J is holding my hand while we walk to the back of the church again. Now I have to wait for the party to start. Uncle Scott and Auntie Cass come out to play with me while we wait for pictures and stuff.

Finally, after
forever
, we get to go to the party. It's amazing! Everything is so fancy and everyone is smiling. There's blue everywhere. Aunt Erin and Uncle Marc dance by themselves and they hold each other so tight. It's sweet. I can't believe I was ever scared of him.

Then Aunt Erin does a dance with her dad, while Uncle Marc does a dance with Erin's mom. That's kind of funny. They look almost the same. But I still have to wait while Uncle Marc does a dance with Auntie Cass.

And now, we all get to dance. Finally! I run to the middle of the floor and spin around so fast that my skirt looks like waves. Mommy J comes out to dance with me, and everyone gets a little crazy. And then a song goes real slow. Daddy picks me up and holds me with Mommy J so we can all dance together. This is the best. Everyone is so happy that I have to ask Mommy J one more time.

"Can I
please
tell everyone about your baby belly, too?" I ask, almost begging. "Everyone would be even happier!"

Mommy J and Daddy both smile at me but daddy shakes his head. "Not yet, little girl," he says with his voice all warm like my blankie. "This is Aunt Erin and Uncle Marc's day. We'll tell everyone when they get back from their vacation at the beach."

I can't help but pout a little, but then Mommy J cheers me up like she always does. "I promise I'll let you be the one who tells them, ok?"

I nod so big and then I ask if I can go dance with Uncle Scott and Auntie Cass.
Their
babies are big enough to make a belly. I like to pat it. Daddy puts me down and I run over toward Uncle Scott. He sees me coming so I run and jump so he could catch me like he always does. And just that quick, Auntie Cass is holding me along with him, and I get to dance all over again. The next song, I'm going to see if Uncle Marc and Aunt Erin will dance with me, too.

This is the best party ever, even though the food is yucky. Well, Mommy J says it's fancy, but it doesn't look fancy. It looks gross. Everything is just weird snacks. At least there's apples. Now that I think about it…apples and cake? That's the best dinner ever. I like this party.

When I get super-tired though, Mommy J and Daddy take me back to the hotel. Everyone else is still dancing and having fun, but Mommy J says she doesn't mind leaving early. She likes taking care of me.
 

We all change out of our fancy clothes and then we all look just like us every day, still with our smiles. Mommy J tucks me in and Daddy gives me a kiss on my forehead. He does that a lot. And he calls Mommy J an angel a lot, too. I think he's right.
 

"Goodnight, Daddy," I say. "Goodnight, Mommy J."

They both answer a goodnight to me, but I know I can't sleep just yet. There's been something in my head for a while and I think it's finally time I tell him. He's been smiling so much, I think he'll like it.

"Daddy?"

"What's up, little girl?"

"You used to be sad a lot. Your eyes were sad. But now they're not and I like it. I'm glad."

Then daddy looks like he's going to cry, but he doesn't really look sad. Tears can be really confusing.

"Little girl, you and Mommy J took all my sad away. That's just one of the reasons why I love you both so much," he says all shaky and happy.
 

"I love you, too, Daddy. Goodnight."

Thank you so much for reading the Atlanta Series. The characters became so real to me as I wrote them and I love having the chance to share them with you.
 

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