Magnolia Rose McCoy
..
When he first learns of her existence, he reads the news with a feeling of disgust, Trish and Chuck are married, and it's only natural that they would want a baby. But he doesn't like the idea of a world with little Chucks running around. And the fact Trish—one of his best friends—is the mother makes him feel sick. He's civil the first time he meets her, but the way her smile looks like Chuck's makes his skin crawl.
There's no disgust anymore, not for the girl who's living her life unbound by anyone else's mistakes. She's the bravest woman he's ever known except her mother, and he's not sure how he got lucky enough to be the one who she chooses to call dad. Watching her find her way to becoming her own person is one of the greatest joys of his life.
He will always remember the pain and bitterness in her eyes after she heard he was going to take her dad's place at her mother's side. In that moment, he could see every struggle she's been through—rejection by the man who was the reason she came into this world and adjustment to a new life with only the support of a tired, scared mother. And he knew then that he loved her and would do anything for her.
There's no words for how proud of her he is. She gracefully navigates everything with Chuck, is the world's best big sister to his kids, and faces the world outside with courage and hope that he's sure she learned from her mother. When he reads her writing pieces, he cries, and he's sure the world will too when they get to read them. He knows talent when he sees it; he knows that someday the world is going to know Maggie Wade.
Darrien Michael Wade
...
Darrie is his firstborn son—the one who made him a dad. He'll never forget being in the hospital with Carrie and little Darrie and knowing he had a family. It was the best little family too—Carrie was the sweetest, kindest mother spending her days with their son loving and teaching him the best she knew how.
Now, he can't think about that without crying because Carrie is gone. The pictures and memories died with her, and Darrie is the only piece of her still left. When he looks at Darrie, he sees Carrie. Her dimples grace his face when he smiles, and his hair is even the exact same color. His life is good now, but he still misses his first wife and their little family.
Somehow, Darrie ends up being brilliant. Dez isn't sure how when book smarts have never been his forte, and Carrie was the perfect example of how a kind heart is different than a smart brain. But somehow Darrie has both. Sometimes, Dez can't help wishing Carrie were there to see how her son has her kind heart and that in him her kindness lives on. He couldn't be more proud than when he hears his son wants to be a pediatrician.
Juan Zayne McCoy
..
The first time he meets Juan, he's clinging to Trish, half hiding behind her. She explains that her little boy can be shy, and Dez doesn't understand how a child with a mother so loud and outspoken could want hide particularly from someone who loves little kids as much as he does. But Juan never leaves her side for the entire visit like he's permanently attached to her hip.
Dez isn't Juan will ever accept him as a father and forgive him for taking the little boy's place at his mother's side. Little Juan's not used to sharing her; he's used to sleeping in her bed and being by her side every moment she's not at work. Besides, he's has never known a father only the man he gets left with every summer who insists he be called daddy.
But Dez thought that not knowing Juan like does now. Behind the shy, quiet mask was an independent and determined young man who persists despite obstacles and is determined to hold on. He pursues his dreams of rapping with the same tenacity Dez has always admired in his mother. If Austin's right, the kid's got talent, and he is going to have his own albums one day. Dez is proud to say he helped raise the kid; thankful he got to take him on father-son outings and teach him what it means to have a dad.
Esmeralda Meghan Wade
...
He has always known he'd have a daughter and that her name would be Esmeralda. He can't imagine a universe in which little Esmeralda doesn't exist although there were years when he couldn't see how his dream could come true.
When he and Trish married, he wondered if it would be too much to hope that they could have a baby. He's always wanted to have one more—his little girl. But Trish is thirty-five, and Chuck always pushed her to have babies. He's not that guy, doesn't want to come anywhere close to being that guy. So he waits, and one glorious day she tells him she wants a baby.
Esmeralda is a little angel, more beautiful than he had ever imagined. Maybe that's because she takes after her mother with curly dark brown hair and eyes that snap and sparkle. She has always been a daddy's girl following him everywhere since she could walk. Now that she's older, she sits at her easel in his office while they both do what they loves best.
Andre Hatfield Wade
...
He was the one more. They couldn't keep saying that forever, but one more time wouldn't hurt. When Carrie got pregnant with his first baby, he thought he couldn't be happier than that. But his heart has expanded since then, has more capacity; and this pregnancy feels like an unexpected gift. Holding his baby for the first time in the hospital, his heart is overflowing with joy unlike he'd ever had before.
Andre is sunshine Dez realizes in time, and he has a way of spreading joy wherever he goes. His smile is big and bright and consumes his whole face. The kid is so darn funny they all can't stop laughing at whatever he says. Dez tries to savor the little moments because he knows they don't have forever. Little Andre will grow up and leave like his big brother and sister. He'll be lighting up the world, but Dez will miss him just the same.
Dez's life hasn't been without heartache, but he considers himself lucky. He has a beautiful wife he loves who's endlessly devoted to him, a career sharing his passion with the world, and so many family members and friends. But the greatest gift of all is the five precious kids who call him dad. Despite all their imperfections, the pain, the sorrow; he has gotten to watch them grow, to shape their lives, and send them out to change the world. It doesn't get better than that.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this sort of sequel to Finding Courage. I started thinking about that universe and this sort of wrote itself