Page 123 of Dragon Charmed

He leaned toward her.

“No kissing until after you’re married,” Sienna scolded, which had the small crowd laughing.

“We are gathered here to join Adam Simonson and Tessa Marie Stuart in matrimony…”

Tessa smiled until her cheeks hurt and her heart zoomed around her chest as they exchanged their vows. Once they finished, Adam picked up Lily and held her between them. Today wasn’t just about them becoming a couple. They were also officially becoming Lily’s parents. She kept wanting to pinch herself to see if this was real.

Jonas had finally been able to track down Lily’s birth parents. They had been banned from a clan because their families didn’t want them to marry, so when they were killed in a car accident two years ago, the clan hadn’t recorded their deaths in their registers. Tessa’s heart ached for the loss Lily suffered. She wasn’t sure how much Lily remembered of her parents. And they might not ever understand how Lily had ended up with Mia. Even though Adam had tried several times to reach out to Mia, they hadn’t heard from her.

Sienna smiled. “We are also here today to join Adam, Tessa, and Lily as a family. Do you, Tessa, take Lily to be your daughter?”

Tessa’s eyes filled. “I do.” And she signed the words too, just like the three of them had practiced at the rehearsal.

“Do you, Adam—”

“I do.”

The crowd chuckled at his enthusiasm.

“Do you, Lily, take Tessa and Adam to be your mommy and daddy?”

“I do,” Lily said.

Everyone gasped at the first words their daughter uttered. And then Tessa started sobbing. Tears ran down Adam’s face too. And Sienna’s, Megan’s, and her mom’s too. Even Eric and Marcus were blinking back tears.

“I love you both so much,” Tessa said.

She and Adam kissed Lily’s cheeks, and then they kissed each other while their daughter giggled.

Adam drove the truck through the woods until the familiar cabin came into view. It was hard to believe that he was returning to the place where he had found sanctuary. He looked over at his wife and back at his daughter, who were both smiling at him. Now he had a new sanctuary.

“He’s expecting us, right?” Tessa asked.

“Yes, I had Larry radio him and let him know I was coming to see him. I just didn’t tell him I was bringing guests.”

“If it makes him uncomfortable, I can wait in the car,” Evelyn said.

For some reason Lily had insisted that Evelyn needed to come along with them. Evelyn had been talking about heading back home now that Lily was settled. Adam wondered if that was why Lily was wanting to spend more time with her.

“It will be fine. He can be a bit cranky, but his bark is worse than his bite. Let Tessa and I talk to him first and then I’ll introduce you.”

Adam and Tessa walked up to the door while Lily and Evelyn stayed back by the SUV. The door opened before Adam could knock.

“Hello, Walter. It’s good to see you. I have a lot to tell you. First, my name is Adam, and this is my wife, Tessa.”

“Lord, son. If I’d known you had this one waitin’ for you, I’d have kicked your butt out months ago.”

Tessa laughed. “He’d have been lucky to have me waiting for him.”

Wasn’t that the damn truth?

“Let me give you a hug for saving Adam’s life. If it wasn’t for you, I would never have met him.”

Walter’s eyes twinkled. “I won’t say no to that.”

Adam smiled. “I also wanted you to meet our daughter, Lily, and this is our friend Evelyn.”

Walter blinked when he nodded at Evelyn. “It’s good to meet you both. Why don’t we sit outside on this nice fall day and catch up?”