When they got to the lawyers office Andrea was standing outside waiting for them. Andrea and Daryl were friends and she was the top lawyer in Grat county. She had agreed to be Carol's lawyer and to everything else he had told her. Sending all the papers to his house and keeping where she was and who she was with a secret.
"Hi you must be Carol. I'm Andrea." Andrea said shaking Carol's free hand. Carol was scared so she was holding Daryl's hand. He ha a few things to do and Andrea said legally he can't be in the room.
"Why don't you go in and I'll talk to Carol" Daryl told Andrea who nodded her head and walked inside.
"I can't do this alone" Carol said tearing up.
"I trust Andrea with my life. She's the best and she'll take care of things I can't. You have to go to the doctor to get evidence gathered up. Sophia has to too but we'll worry about that another day okay? You need to go with her and I will be back in exactly 2 hours okay?" Daryl told Carol who now had a tear falling from her eye.
"Okay. You'll come back right?" Carol asked.
Daryl shook his head yes and hugged her. He watched her go into the office and headed back to the truck. He had some places to be and was glad Carol didn't put up to much of a fight or he would be late.
It had been exactly 2 hours and Daryl was proud of himself. He had been shopping at 5 different stores. He went to the baby store and got Sophia some clothes and toys. He went to the stable store and bought some pink brushes for Sophia for Clem. He liked shopping for people that weren't him, Mama Pat says she gets that from Herschel. He loved getting gifts for people, it brought him simple joy. Daryl had also been to Ami's store and bought Carol some clothes. That was the only time he felt weird. He figured Ami and Carol were the same size so Ami had just gotten him clothes and rang him up and he was out of there in 10 minutes. The Home Goods store mad him feel manly again. He got a hammock, a bell and some other things. Usually he'd flirt with the girl at the register but this time he didn't and she wanted another "special" visit and he respectfully declined and got in his car faster then ever before. He thought that girl was really hot but, he didn't like the thought of her influence on Sophia. In that moment he realized how much like Herschel he really was. He had done the same thing with Lori and him. Herschel had settled down with Mama Pat because of them. Said that we needed a home a good one. One with a Mom and Dad. Daryl smiled. He had also been to the grocery store and gotten food fit for actual humans and some more pancake mix and stuff for dinners this week.
"Daryl come inside" Andrea said coming to the truck then basically running back inside. Daryl's heart beat faster and ran after her. He thought Carol had ran away and breathed a breath of relief when he saw her in Andrea's office.
"Carol's pregnant" Andrea said. Carol cried a little bit more. Daryl held her hand. "In the State of Georgia, if a woman is pregnant with the husbands child she legally cannot leave him until the child is born. So if Carol stays at your house you are technically holding her hostage." Andrea added.
Daryl's heart sank. He now realized that he was actually slowly falling in love with having Sophia and Carol at his home. He wasn't going to lose them so fast. He would fight for them.
"Could we do what Shane did?" Daryl asked Andrea remembering that when Lori was divorcing Rick she found out she was pregnant. So what Shane did was pre-adopt the baby and was legally its father. That's when they had Carl and how Lori got full custody.
"If Carol agrees then yes" Andrea said.
"If I agree to what?" Carol asked more concerned now then sad.
"Pre Adoption. Where Daryl would adopt your unborn baby and Sophia. You would no longer have any ties to Ed once your divorce if final. You two have until Friday to decided on what is going to happen. I have another Client and I expect to see both of you Friday morning at 8 am. Goodbye." Andrea said. Daryl could tell she wanted to cry because when she wanted to cry she became the biggest bitch known to man.
When they got back to Daryl's it was about 3 o'clock and School wasn't over for another 45 minutes.
Daryl carried in all the bags and Carol watched him. He put all of Sophia's things on the couch and Carol's on the chair.
"I hope everything fits. I had my friend Ami get everything. You guys look about the same size. There's two dresses and some jeans and real pj's and shirts. I got a lot of T-shirts and Short sleeve shirts and some tank tops. I hope you like it all." Daryl told her. Carol picked up one of the dresses. It was a bright yellow and pink sun dress she'd never had one. It was shortish and spaghetti straps. She loved it.
"Ed would've never let me wear these things." Carol said. She cried a little but this time it was tears of joy. "You are going to let me wear this?" She asked him so happily sad. She clutched the dress.
"You are your own woman Carol. You let yourself do what you want to do. I bought that for you because I thought you would like it. Do you?" Daryl asked. She felt owned by someone. No one should ever feel that way he thought. The way she looked at him in that moment made all the fighting they had done on the car ride home worth it.
"I love it" She basically whispered. She threw her arms around Daryl.
She moved to look at his face and when looked into each others eyes. They knew. He leaned down and she stood on her tippy toes and they kissed. It was soft sweet and short. It was a beautiful kiss. Not smutty but fluffy. Nice and tender. It only last about 10 seconds and when they pulled apart they smiled at each other. She turned back to look at all her clothes and he just stared at her in awe.
"What did you get for Sophia?" Carol asked walking over to Sophia's pile of stuff. She looked threw it and loved all of her clothes from dresses to pants to shirts it was all amazing. There were a pair of dress shoes and sandals and tennis shoes and 2 pairs of cowboy boots. "Why two pairs?" Carol turned and asked.
"One is for riding and the other is for when I teach her how to take care of the horse" Daryl told Carol.
Carol smiled. She saw the hammock and the bell she pointed to it looking confused.
"The hammock is for out back the stars at night are beautiful. The bell is for when me or Sophia or both of us or you is somewhere on the property and you need us or food is ready." Daryl said with a smile.
"So you still want us to stay here even though I'm pregnant with a monsters child." Carol said tears filled her eyes again.
Daryl didn't know what came over him but he grabbed Carol by the hips and kissed her again. This time more passion and heat this time.
"Does that answer your question?" Daryl asked not making the distance between them any further.
Carol nodded.
"Are you really going to adopt the baby?" Carol asked.
"Yes" Daryl said.