Page 155 of Call You Mine
Safe to say, it was a lot.
But when we started to see that light at the end of the tunnel, and our new normal didn’t feel sonewanymore, Anderson asked if he could talk to Georgie about adopting her.
“I’m sure the two of them are excited to make it all official, like the last name,” Rumi says, a smile spreading on her face as we watch Anderson and Jack coach their team from the sidelines. Clapping, shouting, and then high-fiving any time one of the girls makes a move toward the goal.
“I think so,” I say, my eyes moving to my sister, watching her as she follows the ball, her stance ready for the moment it comes her way.
I’ll never forget the look on Georgie’s face when Anderson asked if she would be okay with him adopting her—the pure confusion was hilarious, and her response was nothing we could have prepared for.
I thought you already did,she said.
Turns out, she thought that us being married meant that when I adopted her, Anderson automatically did too.
The three of us laughed until tears were streaming downour faces, and then we laughed even harder because of how sleep-deprived we all were.
It wasn’t until we finally settled down that Anderson explained that it didn’t really work that way, but he was going to take what she said as a “yes.”
The moment was everything I didn’t know I needed, the same way Anderson has been that for me since the moment he knocked on my door that Valentine’s Day night all those months ago.
And it was so perfect for us. No grand gesture, no angels singing in the clouds, no earth-shattering revelation. Justus.
“Look who finally showed up!” Rumi’s voice cuts into my thoughts, bringing me back to the moment. I turn to find Emerson, her shiny black hair blowing in the wind as she closes the distance between us, the three of us pulling each other in for a group hug.
“Hi, cutie pie.” Emerson leans down, pressing a kiss to a sleeping Eliana’s forehead. She turns toward the field, cupping her hands around her mouth before yelling, “Go, George!”
Georgie’s gaze flies to us, her hands waving above her head as a grin spreads across her face when she sees Emerson.
“God, I’ve missed her,” Emerson says before turning back to Rumi and me. “And I’ve missed you, bitches.”
We all laugh before falling into conversation, the three of us catching up on what we’re all up to, even though there’s not much we haven’t talked about in our group chat or over FaceTime.
The final whistle blows, and the girls run toward Georgie, meeting her at the goal with smiles on their faces as they celebrate their last win of another undefeated season. Anderson and Jack join them, offering each of the girls more high fives before they all line up to shake hands with the opposing team.
“The gang’s all here, huh?” Anderson says as he, Georgie,Jack, and Evee make their way over to us. As the coaches and the coaches’ daughters, they’re the last on the field—the rest of the team and their families all already heading toward the parking lot. Anderson presses a kiss to my cheek before peeking into the carrier to see a sleeping Eliana. “We missed you, Em,” he adds, wrapping his arms around Emerson and bringing her in for a hug.
“Wouldn’t miss this,” I hear Emerson whisper to him, and I lift my brow.
“Is she awake?” Georgie asks, pulling my attention before I can ask what she means.
I shake my head, holding my hand up. “Great end to the season, kiddo.” Georgie claps her palm against mine. “How do you want to celebrate?”
Georgie cocks her head to the side, looking at me like I just asked her the world’s most stupid question.
I roll my eyes. “Ice cream it is. Are we meeting the team there?”
“Um,” Georgie says, turning to look at Anderson, who gives her a wink. One that feels oddly out of place. “Yeah, we are,” Georgie finally answers, but her voice goes high—like it does when she’s hiding something.
I look between her and my husband before my eyes roam to Rumi and Emerson and then Jack. They all look at me likeI’mthe crazy one before Emerson pulls Georgie in and the two of them begin walking toward the parking lot, causing the rest of us to follow.
Easy conversation fills the air, and I swear it’s like my heart just continues to double in size to account for the love I have for these people—even if they’re all acting like they're in on a secret that I’m not allowed to know.
And it isn’t until Anderson cuts the engine outside an empty ice cream shop—the one we were parked at when I told him I loved him for the first time, that I finally ask, “Okay, what the hell is going on? There’s no one else here.”
Anderson doesn’t say anything. Neither does Georgie from where she sits in the backseat next to Eliana in her car seat.
I turn to look at her over my shoulder, and she’s practically buzzing with excitement.
And when I look back at Anderson, I understand why.
