Chapter Sixty Five

Hearing that word made me blink. Then i blinked again. Daddy. A title I never thought would belong to me. A swell of sentiment made my throat thick. I reached out and grasped Maya’s hand, needing her touch.

“I’ll be the best daddy I can be.”

“I know you will be. You’re already the best husband.”

Leaning down, I captured her mouth with mine, feeling a thousand emotions. Ones only Maya, and now Gracie, could make me feel. Feelings I

didn’t know existed happiness and elation so poignant it made my chest ache. Contentment and peace that permeated my life simply from their presence. I had found a group of people I considered my family now, but Maya and Gracie belonged to me. They were my world, and I knew I was theirs. “Thank you, my Maya. For my daughter. For you.”

She cupped my cheek. “Are you all right, Alex?”

I swallowed, turning my head, kissing her palm. I knew if I told her, she would understand. She always understood me. “It’s just all . . .”

“Overwhelming? Scary?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll ha