“Dada!” Mia squeals and reaches for Will. Everyone in the room freezes. I’m not sure anyone is breathing. “Da!” Mia says again.
“Come here, baby girl.” Will holds his arm out, and Reid hands her to him. Both girls are now in his arms, and I melt for him.
This man is my future.
“She calls you dad?” Bellamy asks softly.
“Dat’s my daddy,” Coral says, pointing to Reid. She wiggles to be put down, so Will places her on her feet, and she takes off running for Reid, who lifts her onto his lap.
“It’s only happened one other time,” Will explains. “I spend a lot of time with her. It’s only natural, but we should get used to it, because I asked Mandy last night if I could adopt her.”
“Really?” Bellamy asks, sounding surprised. “Are you going to let him?” she asks me.
“She loves him, Bellamy. We both do.”
“Let’s sit. We don’t need you passing out again,” Will says, holding his hand out for me. He guides me to the couch and waits for me to sit before taking the cushion right next to mine. Mia stays snuggled up to his chest, as if it’s the only place she ever wants to be.
I smile at the two of them before turning my gaze to Bellamy. “I’m sorry. Will wanted to tell you weeks ago, but I asked him to give us more time. I’ve been living in a state of fear of losing you, my best friend, and losing him, too. The man I never expected. The man who has shown me what it means to be loved. It’s a feeling unlike anything I’ve ever known. I’ve heard you and the girls talk about it, and I always wondered if I was the problem. Ethan never once looked at me the way Reid looks at you, Knox at Corie, Landry at Rowan, Baker at Sloane, or Foster at Eden. I saw it, though. I knew that kind of love existed because I was witness to it every time I was around any of you.”
Bellamy remains still, staring at me, giving me the time to speak, so I keep going.
“I thought I was just one of those people who never got to find that kind of love. Then, there was Will. I can’t even tell you when or how it happened. It just did. Life kept putting us in situations where we were together, and the next thing I knew, he was all I could think about. He looked at me and saw me. He asked about my day and planned dates for us that Mia could join. Every moment, every gesture had him slipping a little further into my heart.” I pause to collect myself.
“Bellamy, I love you. You are my best friend. You’ve been there for me through… well, everything in my life, and I know it’s selfish of me, but I need you here for this, too. The thought of losing either one of you is tearing me up inside.” My voice cracks, and a tear rolls down my cheek. I make no move to wipe it because I’m sure there are more to follow.
“Aunt Manda sad,” Coral says.
“I’m okay, sweetie,” I assure her.
Mia crawls into my lap and hugs me around the neck, just as Will leans in and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling us both in close.
“I can see it.” Reid nods. “At first, it was hard to wrap my head around, but seeing the two of you together, you’re in sync.”
“I wish I had the words to tell you, to explain it to you so that you would understand. I know asking Will to keep this from you was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“We’re sorry,” Will adds. “Bellamy, you’re my daughter. I love you more than anything, but this love, the love I have for Amanda, is a different kind of love. One I was sure I’d never find in this lifetime.”
Bellamy doesn’t respond right away. She just sits with her arms wrapped around herself, her eyes moving from my face to Will’s and back again, like she’s trying to solve a puzzle that suddenly has too many pieces.
The silence stretches. I try to think of something to say, but nothing will make this better. I just pray that one day she forgives us. I hope with everything inside me that I don’t lose my best friend.
“I know,” she finally says quietly. “I know it’s different.” Her voice isn’t angry. If anything, it sounds tired and reserved. “I know,” she repeats, swallowing hard. “I’ve seen it. The way you look at her. The way she looks at you. I just… didn’t want to believe it. No, that’s not true either. I just didn’t think this”—she waves her hand in the air between us—“would ever happen.” Her eyes flick to me again, and there’s something raw there—hurt, confusion, maybe even a little betrayal.
“Sweetheart,” Will says gently. “Look at me.” She doesn’t want to, but she does. “You are my daughter,” he continues. “That will never change. Not today, not tomorrow, not ten lifetimes from now. Nothing and no one can take your place in my heart.”
Bellamy’s chin trembles.
“You’re my best friend. Always,” I add.
“I mean, if this is going where I’m pretty sure it’s going, technically, you’d be her stepmother,” Reid chimes in with a chuckle.
I freeze, expecting Bellamy to lose it, but instead, something miraculous happens. She smiles.
“And if you adopt Mia, that makes her your half sister,” Reid keeps going.
“And this baby, too,” Will speaks up, leaning over and placing his hand on my belly.
“What?” Bellamy gasps, sitting up and letting the cover that was thrown over her lap fall to the floor. “You’re pregnant?”