Starting Over

Chapter 43- The Reception

“Do you know how much this means to me?” Bridget asked holding up the papers, “Do you have a pen?”

“I know how much it means. It means just as much to me. I’ve loved that little girl from the first time I met her. I want her to officially be a Bryan. But that’s a whole other process and totally up to you,” I told my wife as I handed her a pen, “Are you sure you want to sign it?”

“There’s not a bone in my body that has doubted it since May. Luke, when you called me and told me that she wrecked the 4-wheeler, I heard it in your voice. You were her dad then. Whether or not you or her saw, it is something totally different, but it took that for me to realize that you’ve been her dad for a long time. And this morning, well, that was just icing on the cake. No matter what the courts say, Luke, you are her daddy. You are the one she’s going to ask to go to Father-Daughter Dance’s at school. You are the one she’s going to want to walk her down the aisle the day she gets married. You are the one she’s going to want there when she has her first child. Not Gavin. He hasn’t ever been there for her and you have. It only makes sense that you are legally her father,” Bridget explained to me as I felt tears well up in my own eyes. She was right. I have been Kenzie’s dad for a long time.

“I love you, Mrs. Bryan!” I exclaimed as I pulled her into my arms kissing her while reaching around and unzipping her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

“You know we are going to be late?” Bridget asked.

“I really don’t care,” I told her softly as I picked her up carrying her to the lone couch in the room laying her down.

Not another word was spoken between us for some time after that. The silence that filled the room was that of love and adoration as we became tangled in one another. Afterwards, we just laid together on the couch enjoying the peace that surrounded us.

“Luke, Bridget, everyone is asking where you are!” Jason shouted through the door as he knocked.

“We’ll be out in a minute,” I yelled back at him.

“You better hurry! You’re momma is threatening to come find you!” Jason screamed back through the door.

Bridget reached up and felt her hair realizing it was a complete mess, “Is Brit with you?”

“I’m here!” Brit yelled through the door.

“I need you,” Bridget yelled as she got up wrapping a blanket around her and going to the door after throwing a blanket over me. She opened the door just a crack, “Only Brit.”

“What the hell?” Jason asked.

“She’s wrapped in a blanket, Jason. Damn, can’t the girl get some privacy?” Brit told him before closing the door behind her, “Lordy, your hair is a mess. What on earth did you do to her, Luke?”

“I had no part of it,” I lied with a smirk.

“Sure you didn’t,” Brit said.

“Come on, Brit,” Bridget said as she grabbed the dress I got her and headed towards the bathroom.

They weren’t in there a few minutes and Bridget came back out by herself, still wrapped in the blanket.

“Something wrong?” I asked her.

“I just forgot something,” Bridget said as she walked towards me.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“This,” she said as she leaned down and kissed me as I still laid on the couch.

 “Well, well,” I said as she turned and walked away dropping the blanket that surrounded her on the floor, “You can’t be doing stuff like that. Brit may get more than she bargained for.”