Six months after that conversation, Sean and I got married. Our wedding wasn't anything extravagant by any means. We kept it limited to just our close friends and family. Next to giving birth to my daughter, that was the happiest day of my life up to that point.
I couldn't have asked for a better day that day. Both of our families were there to support us. I fervently wished Lana would find it in her heart to change her mind. I wanted her to be my matron of honor. To be there to stand behind me in the decisions I'd made up to that point. She wouldn't relent, though. I felt somewhat out of sorts not seeing my sister and her children with her husband.
My father proudly walked me down the aisle and both he and my mother gave me away to Sean with their complete blessing. I couldn't hide the tears in my eyes or the smile on my face throughout the ceremony. When Sean lifted my veil, I smiled warmly at him as he bent down to tenderly kiss me. I smiled widely as the official introduced us to our friends and family as husband and wife for the first time. I proudly intertwined my arm with his as we walked back up the aisle.
We celebrated our happy day with our guests late into the night that night.
I immersed myself into life with Sean and Hannah completely, which meant I lost quite a bit of contact with my family. I dedicated myself to getting through school, working, and being the best mother and wife I could possibly be.
We settled down in Texas, which was hard for me to adjust to at first. I did, though. Life couldn't have been any better for me.
Hannah was a year old when I attempted to contact her biological father. To say that I was nervous was an understatement. It was the first time I'd even tried to contact him since I told him I was pregnant. I knew had to talk to him, though. In order for Sean to legally adopt Hannah, I had to convince him to terminate all of his paternal rights.
As it turns out, when I finally got him to actually talk to me, he was more than willing to comply with the termination of his paternal rights. I felt a knot rise up from the pit of my stomach and lodge right in my throat. I couldn't believe, even after the year that had passed, the ease in which he was able to walk away from his responsibility to Hannah.
I was relieved beyond words that hurdle had been dealt with. I was relieved that Hannah would never know the pain of rejection from her own biological father. I was all the more appreciative for Sean at that moment. Because of him, she would know the true love of a father. He may not have been her biological father and share DNA with her, but Sean would be a father to her in every way that would actually matter later on. I knew that without a shadow of a doubt from that moment on.
