“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, son.”

They clasped hands, and then Jeff went to talk to his wife.

“Are you okay?” she asked carefully.

“Walk with me?”

Andrea nodded and followed him out to the beach. They walked in silence in the star-filled night until they reached their spot, the spot of their first kiss.

After a minute, Clay spoke, “I always thought that my dad really wanted me to be the attorney general. To follow behind Brady. I’ve been holding on to this dream, and my dad didn’t even remember saying it.”

“So then, let it go,” she said. “Do you want to be the attorney general one day?”

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly.

“And that’s okay,” she said, slipping into his arms. “You have me. Let the rest of the world figure itself out as we go. I never knew I’d open an art gallery, and here I am. You can do anything, baby. I know it.”

Clay kissed her under the moonlight in the exact place where they had first shared a kiss. “How did I get so lucky?”

“We made our own luck.”

“That we did, my love. That we did.”

Epilogue

FIVE YEARS LATER

“Zoooom!”

Clay laughed and chased after his daughter, Cassidy. She was two going on three, and her little legs were racing ahead of him as she tried to escape the dreaded torture of putting on shoes.

“Daddy, flying!”

“All right, baby girl.” He scooped her up in his arms and flew her around the room, like an airplane.

She squealed and giggled until he flopped them both down onto her small bed. He scooted her so that she was on his knee, and he started bouncing her up and down.

“Again. Again!”

“No more airplane for now,” he said. “First, shoes.”

“No shoes. Airplanes, Daddy. Airplanes.”

“You sound just like your Uncle Brady,” he said with a laugh as he scooped up her hot-pink sparkle shoes off the ground and started fitting them to her feet.

He and Andrea had adopted Cassidy just over a year ago. Andrea had said she wanted to start to have kids right away after the wedding, and Clay had been surprised to find that he did, too. But, after almost three years without any luck, Andrea had come to him to ask about adopting.

They’d both had an interest in working with orphan charities, but adoption was taking it to a whole new level. But, after seeing the kids and adopting Cassidy, he’d known there was no other choice for them. Even if they were able to have kids later, Cassidy was the best thing that had ever happened to them. With her freckled skin, dark curly locks, and big, wide chocolate eyes, she was the cutest little kid he’d ever seen. They were both happy to give a child in need a home, and most days, he completely forgot that they’d even adopted. She was just their little Cassidy Anna Maxwell.

“Honey!” Andrea called from the other room. “Are you two ready?”

“Just about,” he called back.

He tied Cassidy’s last shoe, tugged her red-white-and-blue Captain America tutu straight, and then smiled at the X-Men shirt she had on. They were all her favorite, and she had insisted on wearing them. What could he say? His little girl was a badass.

He scooped Cassidy up and trotted her down the stairs to the living room. “Here we are.”

“Mommy!”

Andrea laughed when she saw Cassidy. “You’re taking her to Jefferson’s birthday party in that?” she asked about Brady and Liz’s son, who was turning three today.

“Yep. It’s what she wanted. All the other kids will be jealous.”

“They’ll be something,” she said with a laugh. “Come here, bug.”

Cassidy rushed over to her mom and threw her arms around her shoulders. Andrea kissed her all over her face. Cassidy giggled and started making kissy noises of her own.

“Airplanes!”

“No airplane right now. I have some exciting news for you today.” Andrea picked her up in her arms and ruffled her unruly curly hair.

Andrea had tried to tame it when they first adopted Cassidy, but it was no use. Clay liked it that way.

“News?” he asked.

“Yep! You want to know, too, bug?”

“Yeah!” she cried.

Andrea handed her back to Clay. “Well, it’s a super special surprise. You like surprises, don’t you?”

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“Not even your daddy knows!”

Cassidy was bouncing up and down. “What is it, Mommy?”

“Yeah, what is it, Mommy?” Clay asked with a wink.

“Well…” She cleared her throat and then bit her lip. “It looks like you’re going to be having a little brother or sister.”

Clay’s mouth dropped open as Cassidy squealed. “Andrea…” he stammered.

“I know! I found out last week, but I wanted to wait to tell you until I knew for sure.”

“Baby, that’s incredible. Oh my God!”

He switched Cassidy to his hip and pulled Andrea to them. Together, he and Cassidy hugged her fiercely.

“Group hug!” Andrea said with a laugh.

When he pulled back, he asked with slight trepidation, knowing they had waited a long time for this moment, “You’re really sure?”

A tear glistened in her eye, and she nodded. “Yes, I’m really sure.”

He put a hand on her stomach and laughed. “This is the best news, baby.”

She sniffed and nodded. “God, Clay, I can’t believe this is finally happening. We’re going to have another baby. A little brother or sister for Cass.”

“Now, you listen here, little man,” Clay said, pointing at her stomach. “You can’t be a girl. I’m already outnumbered.”

Andrea laughed and wiped her eyes. “You’re ridiculous, Clay Maxwell.”

“Mmm…you’re ridiculous, Andrea Maxwell.” He kissed her hard on the mouth. “But we know who is really ridiculous! Cassidy Maxwell.”

He zoomed her around the room. She laughed and laughed until he finally took her out to the car to drive over to Brady and Liz’s.

“Do you want to tell them?” Clay asked as he helped Cassidy out of the car.