A/N: As always, thanks for reading and commenting! I realize the updates have been slow, but I've been a little busy in life and also adding some one shots here and there (because variety is the spice of life). More on updates in the end notes!

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A few weeks later (early April)

Now that Teresa was based in Sacramento for the foreseeable future, making plans suddenly became a lot easier. As such, they were participating in a Saturday morning Easter egg hunt with some of the other families from Annie's school. This week, the Sullivans were hosting their gathering.

Last week, Teresa avoided going because she had such a taxing week at work. Despite spending the entire week out in Napa County, they were unable to solve the case she was working. He knew that never set well with her, but the victim being pregnant surely didn't help.

She was both physically and mentally exhausted when she returned home on Friday night. He just held her as she fell asleep, making it a point to pamper her and help her relax all weekend.

Though, he was surprised when she brought up attending the Easter egg hunt a few days ago as they got ready for bed.

"Stephanie, texted me today. They're having an Easter egg hunt for the kids this weekend."

"Oh. Do you want to go?"

She shrugged. "I think it would be fun for Annie to go, and I know we didn't have plans besides attending church."

Well, she planned to attend church with Annie. He was planning to stay home...and surprise them with a cake in the shape of a bunny. He found a practically foolproof cake recipe online and watched a few YouTube videos. He would just have to color the frosting and spread it on to make the bunny come to life…and he was up for the challenge!

So, on Saturday morning, they headed to the Sullivan home. They had a nice house. As he assumed was usual in these situations, Stephanie practically intercepted Teresa at the door as Riley pulled Annie away.

"Hi there. I know we met briefly before, but I'm Roger." Mr. Sullivan reached his hand out.

"I'm Patrick. Nice to meet you!"

"If you want to come outside, I'm grilling up some salmon." He shrugged and followed him out back. "Can I get you a beer or some other kind of drink? We have a full bar!"

"Sure. I'll take a beer." Roger handed him his beer.

"So Patrick, what do you do for a living?"

"Boy, you get right to it, huh?"

"I just find there's not much need for small talk when you have a question!"

He grinned at that. It wasn't a bad philosophy at all. "Fair enough! I own a luxury car lot. Right now, I'm mostly at home though."

"Ah, sounds good!"

"What about you?"

"Heart surgeon."

As he suspected. He knew he had a high dollar career from their last meeting. He also observed his well kept nails that indicated he might be a surgeon. His wife certainly looked the part. Though, it was interesting because it seemed that for someone in a career full of narcissists, she held the control in the family.

"That's quite a career!"

He gripped his beer tightly, torn between whether to relax or perform. While he'd teased Teresa about not coming here, he'd also been on the fence about it. Of course, over the years, he got used to rubbing elbows with the wealthy. It's partly how he built his network, but he never felt like he truly fit in.

"It is. Just like my dad! Did your dad hand the lot down to you?"

He stared at the beer bottle as Roger returned to the grill. Really, Teresa was the only person he'd ever felt comfortable in confiding in about himself or his past to any degree. He wasn't ashamed, not really. It was just years of knowing how people thought of anyone associated with the carnival. They would immediately think him a con artist, or worst, some kind of oddity or freak. Plus, it usually resulted in other questions about his past that he wasn't necessarily keen on talking about.

He plastered a fake smile to his face. Performance it would be. "He didn't, but I had a great mentor who helped me get started in the business."

Roger shrugged in disinterest. Upon finding out he didn't come from generational wealth, he was suddenly a lot less interesting to the man. His wife might be the one calling the shots, but Roger was just as married to the idea of affluence as she was. "So do you golf?"

Fuck. He knew where this was headed. "I do."

"We should play some holes sometime! And you guys threw a fantastic birthday party! Riley was so excited when he came home with his soccer ball. I guess he and Annie decided they want to start a soccer team."

He laughed at that. "Of course they did! You know, Annie hasn't stopped talking about soccer since they covered it in school."

"And neither has he. I swear those two are like two peas in a pod!"

"They really are."

They talked a bit more until the food was ready. He sat with Teresa as they ate brunch. Of course, Annie was with friends. She had no time for them anymore.

Their daughter looked absolutely adorable in the purple dress with a poofy skirt that Teresa bought her. He noticed their dresses matched again. Annie loved looking like Teresa and emulating her. As wrong as it might be, especially never really knowing her biological parents, he was glad that their daughter had someone as wonderful as his wife to look up to.

Even if Teresa struggled with what she felt was her brother's betrayal, she was great with Annie. He was already thinking of how to make Mother's Day special for her. He grinned inwardly as he realized it was the first time in years he'd given any regard to that day.

During the event of the hour, the Easter egg hunt, Annie and Riley raced around together searching for eggs. It was clear that Riley wasn't as keen on finding eggs as he was on being around his friend.

At the end of the hunt, he shoved his basket into Annie's hands. "Here, Annie. Take my basket!"

"Why?"

"I'm giving you my basket to take home!"

She raised her basket. "I already have one!"

"I know, but I want you to have mine too because we're friends."

"Well, maybe I'll give you mine."

He shook his head. "I don't want your basket. I'm giving you mine."

Stepahnie smiled. "Sweetie, I know we've been working on your sharing, but you don't have to give Annie your entire basket. Maybe you could just give her a few eggs if you wanted to share."

The blond haired boy shook his head strongly. "No! I'm giving her my basket."

He grinned. He really wanted to make a joke about how just giving a girl all of your stuff is the road to trouble, but he thought better of it. They were six year olds, and that probably wasn't appropriate. Besides, they were both good kids.

Riley's sharing confused Annie, as she raised her eyebrows. "But Riley, what are you going to do? Don't you want your candy?"

He shrugged. "My mom got me a bunch of candy, so I want you to have my basket!"

Annie flashed him a wide smile. "Thanks, Riley!"

"Here, daddy. Guard my baskets!" She shoved her baskets into his lap.

"I'll guard them with my life, sweetheart." He winked at her as they were off once again.

Teresa threaded her arm through his. "You know, I should be a little offended that she left you with the task of guarding the baskets. Security is more of my thing."

"I'm more than happy to leave that duty to you."

She wrinkled her nose. "That's ok. Seems like Annie thinks it's a job for daddy." She reached into one of the baskets and emptied two of the eggs, eating the candy herself.

He tapped her hand. "Now maybe let's not get daddy in trouble when all the candy is missing!"

She flashed him a smile before leaning into his shoulder, keeping their arms linked. He could tell she was trying hard to make a connection with Stephanie and the other women—who were very interested in her baby bump. Maybe this was not their scene, but they were here for their little girl. They stayed for a bit longer before heading home.

The next morning, Teresa and Annie headed out to church. He appreciated that his wife never made a big deal about trying to get him to go. If she asked, he would do it, but church and spirituality had never been something he was into. She understood that, and as such, she handled Annie's religious education and experiences. They hadn't discussed much in regards to the baby yet, but he imagined Teresa would want to raise the baby in her faith like Annie. He thought a lot about how he would approach that conversation when it finally came up. While he didn't mind it, he also wondered what his obligations might become.

As soon as they left, he got started on his task. Teresa and Annie were going to brunch with Madeleine and Mimi after church, so he had plenty of time. Getting the cake whipped up and shaped correctly was the easy part. After all, he had a pan for that. As it baked, he mixed all of his icing colors up, hoping to get them just right.

After the cake cooled a bit, he played the instructional YouTube video to start applying the icing and decorations. As icing landed everywhere, he realized it was not as easy as the video made it seem. Upon finishing it, he frowned at this disastrous effort. He did his best, but the bunny looked like shit. Maybe he should toss the cake before they get home.

"Honey, we're back!" Too late. They'd get to see this embarrassing attempt at him making a cake.

"What's that?"

"Daddy! You made a bunny cake!"

He grinned a bit. "I did. It didn't turn out that great, but…"

"It's perfect! I love it! Isn't it cool, mommy?"

Teresa smiled. "It's cute. Why don't you go get changed?"

"Can I swim?"

"You can swim. I'll be out in a bit."

As Annie ran to her room, Teresa looked at him. "You did not have to give me a pity comment on that cake."

"That wasn't out of pity. Is it your first attempt at a cake?"

"Yeah."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Then, it's a great cake. Annie loves the bunny, and I like it too. I think it's great that my husband is trying new things. What's the problem?"

She kissed him. Her bump rubbing against his belly made him smile as he pulled out a bit before pushing her hair behind her ear.

"No problem. Just a beautiful wife who makes me feel like I can do anything even when my skills are limited."

"Because you can do anything." He kissed her.

"Am I supposed to come in the room if you're kissing?"

They both laughed at that, but he answered. "Annie, it's your home. You're allowed to come into any room where the door is open!"

"Ok, I'm going outside. You can keep kissing if you want." They watched as she took a running jump into the pool.

"It's nice that our daughter gives us permission to be alone." Teresa laughed at him.

"I'm going to get changed into my suit. Will you keep an eye on Annie?"

He nodded. "Of course."

She kissed him again before heading toward their room. Whether she knew it or not, she encouraged him to be the best version of himself every day.

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On Tuesday, he had to go into the office. He hadn't been to the office in well over a month now. Maya was handling everything spectacularly, but Erica Flynn finally returned to the country and wanted to meet with him. She offered a lunch time meeting with him, but he would just as soon meet at the office. He was not big on business lunches these days.

After seeing Teresa and Annie off that morning, he got himself ready. Even though it had only been a month, it felt strange putting that suit back on. Walking to his office felt foreign, but it was nice to have so many people greeting him when he hadn't seen them in a while.

When he saw Maya, she grinned. "Couldn't stay away, could you?"

"Oh, I absolutely could stay away."

That wasn't a lie. He became comfortable staying home, especially with Teresa based in Sacramento now. He didn't find it hard at all to shift from a focus on business to his family.

"I bet it's nice being home. Enjoy the quiet while you can."

"Mmm Annie isn't that quiet."

"But a newborn will be even more work. Dads often have a learning curve."

He shrugged. "Do people think men can't rise to the challenge of caring for their children?"

She wrinkled her nose. "In my experience, no. But you might."

He laughed. "Thank you for your confidence. Teresa thinks we should maybe consider daycare too."

"You absolutely should. You can afford it. You will need a break, especially if you have to come in here for appointments or something."

"I'll keep that in mind. When Erica Flynn gets here, will you send her in?"

"I sure will! In any case, it's good to see you."

After Maya left, he looked through the items on his desk. He was distracted as he wondered why people had such a hard time accepting that he wanted to care for his child. He knew it was a lot of work, but he wanted to do it. He would never be closed off or out of his child's reach; he wouldn't be his father.

He heard the click of her expensive stilettos before he saw her appear at his door.

"Good afternoon, Patrick."

"Erica!" He stood to greet her. "Please come in and have a seat. Can we get you something to drink or a snack?"

She waved her hand. "No thank you."

"I was sorry to hear about John."

She shrugged before speaking with a bit of indifference. "It's ok. It happens. Thank you for your condolences though. The flowers were lovely."

Her tone was a bit odd. But grief could take many forms and looked differently for everyone, so he didn't get hung up on it.

"Very well."

She smiled at him. "So what's new with you?"

He exhaled. "Well, let's see. I got a divorce."

"Good!"

He chuckled softly to cover that he was slightly taken aback by her exclamation. "Good that I got a divorce?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, she was all wrong for you."

"All wrong for me?"

"She didn't even know what kind of business you owned."

Well, that was all true. He wouldn't dispute that.

"Huh. Interesting observation."

She smiled at him. "Really? Interesting in hindsight that she was all wrong for you? I'm sure when you left her…" He tensed a bit at that, which made her smile fall. "Oh. She left you, didn't she?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. What happened?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter."

"She cheated on you."

She had an uncanny ability that almost matched his. He never got a straight story from her on her background, not like he was around her often enough to pry, but if he had to guess, she was a hustler in her own right.

"She did, but that doesn't matter now."

"Oh?"

"I met someone else, and we got married."

"Divorced and married already? I guess you don't stay on the market long."

She was clearly teasing him. They had a fondness for each other since their first meeting. It wasn't sexual, but when the four of them went to events together, he and Erica would usually make a game of scanning the crowd and figuring out who was who.

He reached for his wedding photo. "Nope. Her name is Teresa."

"She's beautiful, and from your newly acquired taste in artwork, I can tell she has a kid."

He flipped their Christmas photo around. "Annie. We are actually in the process of adopting her. We also have a baby on the way."

"Oh wow. You wasted no time, I see!" They both laughed at that.

"Yeah, things sure look a lot different right now. For both of us."

"They do, which is why I wanted to chat. I was wondering if you would like to buy me out of the racing shop."

"Oh. I thought you might want to buy my interest out and liquidate the assets."

She shook her head. "Frankly, I would rather just be out from underneath it. I'm not planning to stay in California. I'm just here wrapping up loose ends this week."

"Well, we can just sell it. It will take a little time, but…"

"I would rather just have you buy my interest and handle it. I have no reason to hold on to it for longer than necessary."

Reading between the lines, he could tell she just wanted to unload the auto racing shop. Beyond protecting his interests from John's gambling habits, he hadn't checked in on the shop in a while because it was more of John's venture than his own. Though, he could check it out. Besides, she was recently widowed and he could just handle the sale for both of them.

"Ok, I'll have my accountant work on it this week."

"Thanks, Patrick. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. You're a lifesaver!"

She flashed him a wide smile. It was rather loaded, concealing something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. She looked...relieved. He shrugged it off. After all, she was a recent widow just trying to get her life back on track.

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On Thursday, Teresa had her 20 week follow up appointment. Today, they would find out the sex of the baby. He was honest with her when he told her it didn't matter to him. Son or daughter: their child had his unconditional love and support.

That morning, he dropped Annie off at school before dropping Teresa at the CBI.

He leaned over and kissed her. "Have a good day at work, sweetheart."

She grinned before biting her lip. "What is it?"

"Just admiring how I have a husband that sees me off to work and makes sure I have a warm dinner on the table."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to overwork my poor wife or starve the little one."

"Maybe I'm lucky."

He touched the side of her face. "Not lucky. Just loved and well cared for. Well...I'd like to think you're well cared for. Be sure to let me know what you think in my annual performance evaluation."

She laughed lightly as a blush rose in her cheeks. "I think your annual performance evaluation will go well. I love you, too, but I have to get out of the car now. These reports aren't going to finish themselves."

"Right." With the speed of a wild animal, he jumped out of the door before locking the rest of the doors. He jogged around to her side of the car, unlocking the doors, opening her door for her, and holding out his hand.

"You know, I can open my own door."

"I know, but maybe I wanted to open it so I could tell my love to have a nice day."

Now, she was in a full blush. She took his hand as he helped her out of the car. She would never admit to needing help, but he knew that some physical things were starting to become more of a chore for her. Even though she never minded riding in his car, he was thinking that he might stop driving the Porsche and upgrade to something a bit more family friendly.

She kissed the side of his cheek. "You'll be back for me at 1, right?"

He nodded. "Of course. I can't wait for our appointment today."

He stood there for a moment, watching her walk into her office. Though he would get her back in just a few hours, and he was well used to her being gone for extended periods of time, today their separation seemed almost too heavy for him to withstand. He wished she could have stayed home with him all day so he could hold her close, but he would never impose himself on her like that. Instead, he gathered himself before heading home and busying himself with some household chores.

When he picked her up, he had a burrito from her favorite place waiting for her. She grinned at him.

"You know, I just ate lunch, right?" That she said that as she was unwinding the wrapper made him smile.

"I know, but I could sense you had a particular craving this morning."

"I only need a few hundred extra calories a day! Don't overfeed me!" Her protests came through her partially full mouth as she gnawed down on that burrito.

"I'm not overfeeding you. I'm just providing for your needs as I promised when we married."

"Yeah, so do you want sex tonight? You've been very nice to me today." From her tone, he gathered she was teasing him.

He grinned. "I'm always nice to you, and I'm always in favor of connecting with my wife."

She said nothing else as she finished her burrito and hummed to the song on the radio. He pushed her hair behind her ear before placing his hand on her left knee. He could never fully express how much he loved and adored her.

They waited for Dr. Robbins in near silence. Admittedly, these appointments still made him nervous especially as the weeks until they would meet their baby grew shorter. He focused on being a good father, but he couldn't help but think of his own father. Despite telling Teresa those things were in the past, the mistakes of his father were etched into his brain. Every emotional manipulation, every slap to the head, and every time his father disappeared were right there, weighing on him. He spent a lot of time thinking about how to be different and be better.

Dr. Robbins came into the exam room as he was lost in thought. "Hello there, Teresa and Patrick! How are you today, honey?"

Teresa smiled. "I'm doing fine."

"How's work?"

"It's fine. I'm in the Sacramento office full time now."

Dr. Robbins grinned. "So not chasing down any more criminals for the time being?"

"Well, I am, but from a desk."

"Fair enough. I think we should start talking about when to start your maternity leave in the next month or two."

Teresa's smile fell a bit. "Isn't that a bit early?"

He felt his heart drop a bit. Logically, he knew Teresa still struggled with her changing lifestyle that placed an increased emphasis on her family over her career.

But that didn't stop his own self-doubts and mental taunts. Teresa wasn't ready to think about taking time from work, but the idea of spending time away from her was increasingly difficult for him. Did she not want to be around him? Was it like those unspoken words he had with Erica in his office the other day? Angela was completely disinterested in him as a person. He recognized that now, but his love for her and the idea of what they shared allowed him to wear blinders for quite some time.

He did his best to push that down.

"It's just a plan. If you stay this healthy, I think you can work until you're in the eighth month. I think your situation is a little different, even if you're out of the line of danger. Plus, rest is always good for a new mother. So many of my patients have no options to rest, even if they have to be on bed rest."

Teresa nodded. "Of course."

"So are we learning the sex of the baby today?"

His wife looked toward him, and he gave her an encouraging nod as he took her hand. "We would like to know if possible."

The doctor smiled at them. "Ok, I'll get the tech."

Teresa smiled at him as she linked their fingers together. As she did, his fears from moments before disappeared almost instantaneously. He knew better than most that sometimes fear screamed louder than reality. Teresa was here-with him and their family.

They both stared at the screen as the tech drew the wand over his wife's abdomen. It's not like neither of them knew what they were looking at, but he couldn't take his eyes off of their child.

"Everything looks good. Ok, so do you see that right there?" She pointed at the screen.

Teresa looked at him with confusion in her eyes before looking back to the tech. "No, I'm sorry. I don't."

The woman smiled kindly at them. "Making out the exact image isn't that important, but that right there indicates that you're having a little girl. Congratulations!"

"A little girl?" He could hear the tears in his wife's voice as he bit back tears of his own and squeezed her hand.

"That's right." The tech looked to him. "Were you hoping for a boy?"

He shook his head. "No."

Baby Jane was a little girl. Almost immediately, he pictured a little girl with Teresa's dark curls and his blue eyes. Maybe she'd share her mother's green eyes like Annie did. In any case, he loved his new daughter already.

As soon as Teresa dressed, he took her hand. They held hands all the way out to check out and to the car. As had become a bit of a tradition for them, they stopped for an ice cream sundae. Sitting side by side as they worked through their shared ice cream sundae, he caught Teresa grinning at him.

"What?"

"You can't spoil her."

He shrugged. "Meh. I think the ship has already sailed on that one. Which of my girls have I not already spoiled?"

"I mean it."

"My princesses get what they want."

She poked his ribs. "Well, your queen might have something to say about that."

"My queen is also going to continue to be spoiled, so I don't know what that has to do with anything."

"You're ridiculous."

"I love you, too."

She laughed at that. "You know, you're going to be a wonderful father."

That made his chest feel warm. "I'm glad you believe in me."

"Doesn't every queen believe in her king?"

"Not in the Game of Thrones."

She laughed loudly, drawing looks from people passing by. "You are such a smart ass sometimes!"

"Glad my girl thinks I'm smart!"

"A smart ass. That's different. And promise me you're not going to paint the nursery two different shades of pink or something."

"I wouldn't do that, but I didn't know you were so opposed to blush and bashful." He loved needling her.

"Ok, you need to stop watching my movies with me."

"No, I don't think I will. I love being able to communicate with my wife on her level."

"What names do you like? I suppose we don't have to decide right now, but we should start thinking about that."

He shrugged. "Why don't you throw some names out? Then, we can decide."

"Aren't you going to throw some names out?"

"I'm already contributing the last name." While he meant it as a joke, he noted the strong sense of pride that came out with it.

"I guess you're good at giving away your last name." Almost immediately, she scrunched her face up. "Honey, I'm so sorry. That didn't come out right. I didn't mean…"

He leaned over and captured her lips. "I know exactly what you meant. Maybe it makes me prideful, kinda like one of those cavemen pounding on his chest, but I love that I gave you my last name."

"And I love having it."

"Good."

He winked at her as they continued to eat their sundae in the park. She snuggled into him so that there wasn't even an inch of space between them, seeking a proximity to him. Sometimes, these little moments seemed like they couldn't possibly be real.

They decided to wait until after dinner to tell Annie. Though, he was a bit shocked when Teresa made him stop at the party supply store on the way to pick up Annie.

"We're going to celebrate!" He wasn't sure he'd ever seen her quite so excited before, which somehow made him excited.

"What are we celebrating?"

"We're telling Annie that she's getting a little sister." She stopped in the middle of the aisle, tapping her chin. "You know, I've seen kids in t-shirts that say 'big sister' online when people make announcements. Do you think we should order one for her and wait a week or so until it comes in? Then, we can…"

He took her hand. "Baby, I can't say that I hate that you're thinking like a Jane, but I don't think you're going to make it an entire week without telling Annie. Why don't we just get something here that will make it special for her?"

She nodded. "Yeah, so let's get some balloons. Oh! Maybe I can make cupcakes for dessert!"

Never missing the opportunity to needle his poor, adorable wife, he asked: "pink ones?"

She rolled her eyes before swatting at his shoulder. In the end, they ended up with pink "it's a girl" balloons.

While Annie swam in the pool, Teresa made cupcakes while he blew up the balloons they bought. Thankfully, he still had the helium from Annie's birthday party.

When she came in from swimming, she looked around. "What's all this?"

Teresa took her hand and led her over to the sonogram near the cupcakes. "Well, we wanted to tell you first that you are a big sister…"

"I know! Because I'm adopted, and you're growing a new baby in your belly, too!"

Teresa smiled. "That's right, Annie. But you're going to have a little sister."

Annie gasped, her eyes going wide. "I'm going to have a sister?"

Their precious little girl looked at him, causing his own grin to widen. "You are!"

"I can't wait! Is she coming soon?"

"We still have a few months, but the doctor told us today."

"How does the doctor know?"

"They can tell by the photo."

"Ok! I can't wait to tell Riley tomorrow! He said I would have a brother, but I knew it would be a sister!" She tapped Teresa's belly. "I'll be a good big sister."

He felt his own eyes get wet, so he was glad when Teresa responded. "I know you will, Annie. Why don't you get changed? We will have cupcakes after dinner."

Annie ran off, and he took the opportunity to wrap his arms around his wife's belly. When she placed her hand over his, it hit him how foolishly he'd believed that maybe she didn't want to be around him earlier. As much as she was adjusting to her new life, he was adjusting to his new life-one where he was truly wanted-and they were in this together.

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On Friday, he ran to the grocery store. This morning, Teresa came downstairs and declared: "It's pizza night."

That earned Annie's quick approval and her cheers. As such, he was tasked with getting the fixings for pizza at the grocery store. After getting the groceries, he picked Annie up from school. While he sat up out back to watch Annie practice her dribbling, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Patrick! It's Tony. Do you have a moment?" Why was their adoption attorney calling?

"Sure. Is everything ok?"

"Everything is more than fine! We just received a court filing. The State of Illinois signed off on finalizing the adoption. We have a court date at the end of the month. Now, you will all need to travel to Chicago. I know that Annie has school, but other than that, it's not a problem is it?"

"Um no. Not at all! I will let Teresa know when she gets home. Do we need to do anything right now?"

"No. I will send you the particulars with the court date. Congratulations!"

The news finally sinking in, he smiled. "Thank you so much, Tony!"

"Alright, I'll be in touch." Hanging up the phone, he turned his full attention back to Annie. Though, he couldn't let his grin fade. In the next few weeks, Annie would officially be their daughter.

Annie stopped her practice before running over to him, trying to catch her breath. "What made you so happy, daddy?"

"Oh, something important. We can talk about it later."

She put on her best smile. "Why can't I know now?"

"Because I think mommy has to know first. She will be sad if she doesn't."

Annie shrugged. "Ok. I don't want her to be sad. Can I have a snack? A peanut butter and jelly? Oh! And some chips?"

He nodded as he ruffled her hair, getting up to get his princess what she wanted. Maybe Teresa was right and he should ease up on spoiling her, but how could he help that his girls made him so happy?

As he awaited Teresa, he wondered how she would take this news. She couldn't make Tommy get his parental rights back or anything, but he knew she still worried about him. Taking her niece to raise as her own daughter was a major adjustment, even if she loved the little girl and wanted her around. After he got the date from the attorney, he made the arrangements to get them all to Chicago.

When Teresa came in the door, he pulled her into his arms almost immediately. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he went in for a kiss. Leaning out just a bit, he smiled at her. "Welcome home."

"And to what do I owe this particular pleasure?"

"Well, Tony called. We have a court date to finalize the adoption. Annie is ours."

She blinked rapidly. Admittedly, he wasn't sure how she would take the news-until she grinned. "When?"

"The 28th. Tony sent over the paperwork. I've already booked the flights and a hotel."

"Did you tell Annie?"

"No, I figured I should tell you first."

She nodded. "I'm glad you did. We should tell her tonight."

"I agree, but you know, we should probably talk to Annie about what she wants to do."

"What do you mean?"

"When we adopt her, do you think she will want to keep being Annabeth Lisbon? Or do you think she will want to be Annabeth Jane? I think we should ask her what she thinks about that."

Teresa kissed his cheek. "I think that's a good question. We'll ask her tonight."

As promised, Teresa made pizza for them. Annie didn't lose a second chowing down on her pizza. While she worked through her pizza, he cleared his throat.

"So do you want to know why I got so happy this afternoon, sweetheart?" Annie nodded as he looked over to Teresa. She grabbed his hand. "We found out that we will get to adopt you in a few weeks."

"But you already did that! That's why I'm here!"

"Well, we had to wait for the judge to make it official."

"And it will be official in a few weeks?"

Teresa nodded. "It will be."

Annie looked at both of them with bright, hopeful eyes. "And that means I can stay forever?"

He made a split second decision to let his wife say it, so he squeezed her hand, prompting her to continue. "It does."

"Awesome!" She loved that word since they learned it in school.

Now, it was his turn. "So Annie, I have a question for you. You don't have to answer it right now, but the judge is going to ask us this, so it's important."

She sat up in her seat. "Ok. What is it?"

"When we adopt you, do you want to keep being Annabeth Lisbon? Or do you want to be Annabeth Jane?"

She looked at Teresa. "I want to be a Lisbon like mommy."

Teresa smiled a bit. "Actually, Annie, I changed my name. Sometimes, women take their husband's last names. I decided I wanted to change my name when we got married."

"To Jane? Like daddy?" Teresa nodded. "Oh. Then, I want to be Annie Jane."

Her declaration made his chest light, but he wanted her to be sure. She didn't need to make such a heavy decision right now. "Sweetie, you don't have to decide now. We just have to tell the judge when we go to Chicago in a few weeks."

"We're going to Chicago?"

Teresa nodded. "We are going because we have to go in front of the judge so they can make it official."

"Will my other parents be there?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Annie shrugged in disinterest. Maybe that was a good sign. Teresa certainly seemed to notice it. "No, I want to be Annabeth Jane. I want to be like mommy."

Of course she wanted to be like Teresa. She always had. He just grinned at their daughter.

"Ok, we can do that. But it will be forever."

Teresa put her hand out to stop him. "Well, just until you're a grown up. You might want to change your name again."

"Nope. I'll be a Jane forever." She squeezed his hand as Annie returned to her pizza, her interest in this conversation giving way to her food coma.

All through dinner, he couldn't stop smiling. Six year old Annie chose them, and she wanted to take their family name. He spent a lot of time fearing that he would never be good enough for a family or that he didn't deserve one, but being here with his girls helped him see that couldn't be further from the truth.

He loved Teresa and Annie, and they loved him. Maybe he still felt the magic and the excitement of their new life together, and maybe sometimes the weight of the past was a bit much for both of them, but he already had the family of his dreams.

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A/N 2: That bit about Teresa being anti-pink has little to do with Lisbon and everything to do with a friend declaring that and hilariously losing that battle rather quick into her baby shower...and in life after her little girl was born about 10 years ago! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading. I am hoping updates will be weekly again soon, but at most, there will be a two week gap. I plan to keep it regular!