Erin didn’t quite understand it yet, but they were going to soon since they had just signed Nolan up for both T-ball and soccer to try to help him get out all of his extra energy. “I’m just so happy to have you two here,” she said before pulling both her mom and April into a tight hug.

The faint sounds of an ice cream truck had barely reached Erin’s ears when Nolan started to shout. “Ice cream! Ice cream! Let’s get ice cream! Pleaaaaase.”

Blair laughed. “It sounds like the king has spoken.”

Erin looked around at their group. Her family. “What do you all say? Celebratory ice cream?”

Blair’s dad took her mom’s hand. “Sounds good to us.”

Erin’s mom pointed toward the truck. “You three lead the way.”

Nolan stepped in front of Blair and reached his hands up. “Can I go on your shoulders?”

“Of course, buddy. You’re getting down once you have your ice cream, though,” Blair said with a laugh.

“Okay. Thanks, Bear.”

Erin laughed. Even though Nolan could pronounce Blair’s name correctly now, he still chose to call her Bear. “I feel like you’re going to be Bear for the rest of your life,” Erin said as Blair hoisted Nolan onto her shoulders.

“Kind of.” Blair smiled up at Nolan. “Wanna tell Mommy my new name?”

Nolan giggled and nodded his head a bunch of times. “She’s not just Bear anymore. She’s Mama Bear now.”

Blair’s eyes glimmered from the tears she was clearly trying to hold back. “Yeah. I’m Mama Bear.”

Blair held her hand out toward Erin and played with the ring on her finger as they held hands and walked. The ring that meant Erin got to spend the rest of her life with the amazing woman walking next to her. The woman carrying their son on her shoulders. This was everything Erin had spent her life searching for, but so much better than she could’ve ever imagined.

Three years later

Blair

Blair smiled at herself in the mirror as she adjusted her bow tie. She still couldn’t believe how much had happened since she and Erin got engaged just three years ago—a wedding, a new house, many trips to the doctor, and now, Nolan’s official adoption day.

She turned when she heard someone hopping down the stairs and saw Nolan. She still couldn’t get over how big he was. This was a completely different boy than the one she babysat five years ago. He was a little man now.

He did a twirl and held his arms out. “How do I look?”

With his hair under control with gel and in his suit, he looked even more mature. “Very handsome.” Blair ran her hands over the suit that matched his, down to the color of the bowties they were wearing. “How ’bout me?”