Page 92 of From the Embers

“I guess I just want to say thank you. To my old record label, who shall remain nameless, for dropping me all those years ago. To Levee and the entire Downside Up team for taking a chance on me. To Asher, Madison, and Luna, you three are the biggest dream I’ve ever had. Thank you for letting me be your daddy. It has been a wild ride, and now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s about to get a whole lot crazier. My wonderful, supportive wife neglected to mention that she’s been having contractions all day. I should probably get her to the hospital.”

My producer handed the award back to me and I hefted it into the air and finished my totally unscripted-but-straight-from-the-depths-of-my-heart speech. “So, thank you. Also, I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but it’s a girl.” I grinned and shot a wink at Bree, and even though she was glaring, the smile on her lips told me I wasn’t in too much trouble.

The crowd roared, everyone standing on their feet, all eyes aimed at Bree. Just as they should be.

I might have been the one who created the music.

But Bree would forever be the star of our show.

Eight hours later, Ava Grace Maxwell was born looking just like her sisters and completing the family we had forged from the embers—the way it was always supposed to be.

The End