mind one day,” I assure her.
“Nuh-uhn.”
“Why don’t you come in and watch?” If any kid can handle witnessing a birth, it’s this one. With everything she sees and has seen at the funeral home, I’m not worried one bit.
“Watch the baby come out?”
I laugh at her excitement. “Sure,” I say, looking to Wyatt for his approval.
“Don’t see why not,” he shrugs. “She can take over when I pass out.” He winks at his daughter. “Two birthing coaches are better than one. Let’s tag-team this shit!” He holds out his hand for a very enthusiastic high-five from Priss.
“Great. Now that that’s settled,” I say, reaching for Wyatt’s hand to help me up from the chair. “Let’s get some dinner. This baby’s starving.”
Once we’ve finished eating, we go through our nightly routine of loading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen as a family, then settle around the coffee table for a board game. After spending half an hour trying to decide, Prissy settles on The Game of Life. It’s one of her favorites, only tonight she adds an unexpected twist when she lands on the “Get Married” space.
After adding her little blue man to her car, she sets her piece down and leaps to her feet. “Speaking of getting married…” She focuses her beady blue eyes on Wyatt. “When are you gonna marry my momma?” Her hands move to rest on her hips. “It’s time to shit or get off the pot, dude.”
Choking—I am literally choking on my own saliva.
Wyatt’s lips curve into an amused smile. “Funny you should mention that, Prissy.”
I shoot my precious daughter a look. “I don’t think it’s very funny at all.” Pretty sure I just died, actually.
When he disappears from the room, I grab my daughter by the arm and pull her next to me. “What the heck do you think you’re—”
“It’s okay,” Wyatt says, waltzing back in with something hidden behind his back. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment…”
He pushes the table over to kneel in front of me and everything goes blurry. Everything but him. On one knee. Looking up at me with a little velvet box in his left hand. The finger of his right preparing to flip the top open. “Whitney,” he says, clearing his throat. “You’ve given me a family. A daughter,” he turns, smiling at our little girl, who I might still want to throttle right now. “A baby.” His eyes glisten. “A partner in everything but name.”
The tears brimming in my eyes spill over, scorching a warm path down my cheeks. “Marry me,” he says flipping the box open to reveal a beautiful princess cut engagement ring. “Whitney Daigle,” he says, his eyes locked with mine. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? To give you my name would make me the happiest man on earth.”
“Yes,” I say, blinded by tears as he slides the ring onto my finger. My heart is literally jumping up and down. “Yes,” I say again, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’ll marry you. Of course, I’ll marry you.”
“Oh, my God, y’all are so gross,” Prissy groans when he pulls me in to seal our engagement with a kiss. But that little shit grin of hers says she couldn’t possibly be happier, and I might even see a tear or two forming in those baby blues of hers.
“We’ll pick this up a little later,” Wyatt whispers into my ear before dropping back to his knee, this time in front of my daughter.
“Priscilla Louise Daigle,” he says, retrieving another velvet box from his pocket. “I already consider myself to be your daddy in every way that counts, but it would mean the world to me if you’d agree to make it official.” He opens the box, removing a gold cuff bracelet with “Landry” scrolled in cursive writing in the center, and a sob bursts from my chest.
“Prissy, will you take my name?”
She nods and, completely out of character, starts sobbing when he places the dainty piece of jewelry on her wrist. “Yes,” she cries, falling into his outstretched arms. Her little body is vibrating with so much emotion.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you, daughter.” With her head cradled against his shoulder, he looks up at me, and we share the most intimate moment I’ve ever experienced, one of love and longing and utter relief. We did it. We let our guards down and, in doing so, found everything our hearts desired—in each other.
My life has been filled with unforeseen twists and