Elizabeth did not want to put her down or let her go. This was her daughter. She knew it the way people talk about being struck by lightning with love at first sight. She'd never experienced that before. Not even with Matt. But Annie. Annie was Elizabeth's love at first sight.
But she managed to tear her eyes away from her little girl to look over to Matt. "What do we do now?" she whispered. Somehow it felt wrong to speak too loudly and spoil the magic.
Matt looked about as besotted and overwhelmed as she felt. Another very good sign. "I don't actually know. All the adoption things we did were in England. I suppose your mother might know. She can put us in touch with Annie Smith but I'm sure there are legal things that have to be done."
"Dad might know someone," Elizabeth reasoned. Her father was a law professor and had not actually practiced law in years, but he surely knew people who could point them in the right direction at least.
"We ought to tell them," Matt said.
He was right, of course. They had to go down and tell Elizabeth's parents that they intended to adopt this beautiful baby girl. Margaret and Richard were already grandparents—Elizabeth's brother had three kids of his own—but they would surely be excited for Elizabeth and Matt.
But even though Elizabeth knew they should go down and share their happy news, she didn't want to move.
"I just want to hold her for a little longer," she murmured.
Matt watched his wife with awe. He had hoped so very much that she would be open-minded about his idea to adopt this baby. He thought he might have to convince her, to find a way to tell her what he had experienced with the baby in his arms and the way it felt to hold her. The way he knew without a single doubt in his mind that he loved this little girl and would do anything in the world for her.
But Matt hadn't needed to convince Elizabeth at all. She must have felt just as he did, that this was their daughter.
"Elizabeth, look at me," he requested softly.
She did as he wanted, gazing at him with those magical sapphire eyes that would stop his heart if he contemplated them too much.
"I love you," he told her earnestly. "I love you so much that I can hardly fathom it."
"I love you too, honey," she answered with an achingly beautiful smile.
"I just wanted to tell you. Now. I just needed you to know how much I love you always but especially in this moment. It's been just the two of us for so long and everything is going to change now, but the thing that will never, ever change is the fact that I love you. And you're going to be the most wonderful mother to our little girl."
Perhaps he was jumping the gun on things, talking like this. There was a lot to do before they could call Annie their daughter properly. But Matt would do whatever it took.
Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears that she tried to blink back as she gazed at him adoringly. She then looked back down at the baby.
"I feel like I love her already. Like I'm already her mother." She looked back up at Matt. "And you're her dad. And everything...everything will work out."
Matt wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close, careful not to jostle the baby. He kissed Elizabeth's cheek and used his free hand to lightly brush the baby's little nose. "Everything will work out. Somehow, it'll all work out. We're going to be a family. The three of us," he said softly.
It wasn't like Matt to be optimistic like this. He was always the one, of the two of them, to bemoan their fates and grumble and carry on about the negative circumstances. Oh he could be hopeful, of course. He was great at raising Elizabeth's spirits about her career and assuring her that a job would come along that would be amazing, that she would be working again in no time, that the world was going to see how brilliant she was. But through all their fertility and adoption woes, he had remained somewhat resigned to their fate. Elizabeth had always been the one to push them forward. He'd supported it, but she had been the driving force. Matt just went along with it.
But maybe this was what it took. He needed to hold a baby in his arms and know what it would feel like to love one. And this one had stolen his heart just as it has stolen Elizabeth's. Matt was right. They were a family now. They just had to find a way to make it official out in the world. It already felt official in their hearts.
"Come on," Matt said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Let's go talk about it with your parents. You don't have to let the baby go. Hopefully not ever. Though for a small little thing, she does get heavy after a while."
Elizabeth chuckled at that. She turned and snuck in a kiss. "I never expected anything like this, and I'm just so happy," she told him.
Matt thought his heart would burst. He'd never felt like this before, but it was just like Elizabeth said. It was so unexpected and he was so happy, he hardly knew what to do. He had a wife that he loved more than anything in the world and they had found their daughter. It was absolute madness, rationally-speaking, but when was love ever rational? Never in a million years did Matt expect to fall in love with an actress, let alone an American one. And to have such a wonderful marriage and now build a family? He had told Elizabeth just yesterday that if Leon hadn't introduced them, he'd probably have ended up miserable with Heidi. And instead, he was a husband and father. Well, hopefully soon to be a father. It wasn't official yet. Even if he knew in his heart that this was inevitable. Still lots to figure out before then.
With a little sigh, Elizabeth stood up from the bed with the baby still in her arms. Matt wanted to hold her again, and maybe he'd ask if he could when they went back downstairs. But seeing Elizabeth hold her was almost magical. Perfect, really.