Page 211 of Sins of Innocence

His mouth twitches. "Maybe." There's an excited air around Kieran and I start to have an inkling what the envelope on top of the pastry box might have inside it.

He already considers himself the girls' father, but this man likes having things locked down and legal. Hence our wedding only a few days after we met.

Before I confirm my suspicions, I lift my face for our hello kiss and he gives it to a chorus of:

"Mom!" That's Neeve.

Sadie snarks, "Get a room!"

"Will Prince Charming kiss me like that?" Joy asks for the hundredth time.

And Kieran answers, "Not until you're forty," for the equal number of times.

His arm locked firmly around me, Kieran dexterously pulls a sheaf of papers from the envelope. "Sadie, do you want to do the honor of reading the top page."

My daughter takes it and starts reading, not stumbling once over the legal jargon, but when she reads her and her sisters' new names out loud, her voice comes out choked.

"Sadie Veseli. Neeve Veseli. Joy Veseli."

"Well, isn't that grand? The legal documents have caught up to our family's reality," Mom says.

"We're your daughters now?" Neeve asks Kieran carefully.

He doesn't hesitate. "You always have been."

Neeve pushes her glasses farther up her nose and leans over Sadie's shoulder. "But now it's legal."

Joy wrinkles her forehead. "What does that mean?"

"It means," I manage softly. "Nobody can ever say Kieran isn't your dad."

Her face lights up. "Forever?"

"Forever."

She throws herself against Kieran and hugs him hard. "I like forever."

His hand settles against her back. "So do I."

After he hugs each girl and tells them how honored he is to be their dad, Kieran pulls something from the inner pocket of his suit jacket. "I've got something else."

He hands a plastic card to Sadie. "For you, zemra e vogël."

She stares at it. It's an updated school I.D. with her new legal name on it. Sadie Veseli.

Her thumb strokes over the name like she's afraid it'll disappear.

The second goes to Neeve. "Petal."

Neeve clutches the card and smiles.

The last card goes to Joy. "Sunshine."

She grabs it. "It's got my name. See?" She holds it up toward me. "Joy Veseli."

Remembering my own delight when all my credit cards and new license started arriving in the mail after our marriage, I smile. "I see it."

"I'm Joy Veseli!" She runs to the front door and flings it wide before yelling again. "I'm Joy Veseli!" She runs back. "I'm Joy Veseli!"