THE BILLIONAIRE'S NANNY

I DO

EPISODE 10: I DO

Day 20. FINAL COURT DATE.

I couldn’t eat. Adrian couldn’t sleep.

Sofia wore a pink dress. Lily wore purple. Matching braids.

"Family uniform," Sofia said. And that broke me.

Adrian squeezed my hand in the car. "Whatever happens, we’re okay. Right?"

"Whatever happens," I agreed.

---

The courthouse was packed. Reporters. Cameras.

Vanessa was there. No red dress this time. Plain black. Lawyer next to her.

She looked at me. No smile.

The judge walked in. Same woman from before.

"Let’s make this quick," she said. "I’ve read the new filings."

2 hours.

Vanessa’s lawyer: "Ms. Collins is not a legal guardian. The relationship is new and unstable."

Adrian’s lawyer: "Ms. Collins has been the primary caregiver for 20 days. The child is thriving. Testimony speaks for itself."

Then the judge said: "I would like to hear from the child again."

Sofia stood up. No hesitation.

Walked to the front. Held Adrian’s hand. Then mine.

"Sofia," the judge said gently. "Where do you want to live?"

Sofia looked at Vanessa. Then at Adrian. Then at me.

"Home," she said. "With Daddy. And Amara. And Lily."

"And why?"

"Because they don’t leave," Sofia said. Clear. Loud. "Even when I’m sad. Even when I cry. They stay."

Vanessa started crying. Real tears this time.

The judge nodded. Wrote something down.

"I have made my decision," she said. "Primary custody remains with Mr. Adrian Bello. Ms. Vanessa will have supervised visitation once a month, if the child agrees. Ms. Amara Collins will be listed as a legal guardian for medical and school purposes."

The courtroom exploded.

Adrian picked Sofia up. Hugged her. Hugged me.

We won.

---

Outside, reporters screamed.

"Mr. Bello! Comment!"

"Ms. Collins! Are you getting married!"

Adrian looked at me. Then at the cameras.

"Yes," he said.

Everyone went quiet.

"Yes," he said again. "We are getting married."

My mouth dropped. "What?"

He knelt. Right there on the courthouse steps. In front of everyone.

Pulled out a ring. Simple. Small.

"Amara Collins," he said. "You came into my house to save my daughter. But you saved me too. You taught me how to be a dad. How to be a person. Marry me. Be our family. For real."

I was crying. "Adrian, people are watching—"

"I don’t care," he said. "Will you marry me?"

Sofia was bouncing. "Say yes, Amara! Say yes!"

I laughed through tears. "Yes. Yes, I will."

He put the ring on my finger. Kissed me.

The cameras flashed like crazy.

---

That night, the house was full.

Not of lawyers. Of people.

Mrs. Hayes. The chef. Ms. Reid. Even Mr. Carter from the board came.

"Congratulations," he said stiffly. "She’s... good for you."

We ate on the floor. Pizza. No fancy chef.

Sofia was wearing my ring on her thumb. "I’m the flower girl," she announced.

Lily was yelling "I’m the ring bearer!"

Adrian pulled me to the balcony. Same place from episode 7.

"It’s quiet," he said.

"Yeah," I said. "Different kind of quiet."

He pulled me close. "Thank you. For saying yes."

"Thank you for asking. In front of CNN."

He laughed. "Worth it."

We stood there. Watching the city.

"Daddy!" Sofia yelled from inside. "Come build blocks!"

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Duty calls."

"Go," I said. "I’ll be there in a minute."

---

30 minutes later, I walked into Sofia’s room.

Adrian and Lily were building a huge tower. Sofia was directing.

"Put the red one here, Daddy!"

"Yes ma’am," Adrian said. Saluting.

I sat down with them.

Sofia looked at me. At my ring.

"So you’re my mommy now? For real?"

I swallowed. "If you want me to be, baby. For real."

Sofia threw her arms around my neck. "I do! I do want!"

Adrian watched us. Then joined the hug.

All 4 of us. In a pile on the floor.

"Family meeting," Sofia said muffled.

"What’s the topic?" Adrian asked.

"Forever," Sofia said.

---

6 months later.

Wedding was small. Backyard.

Sofia walked me down the aisle. Holding flowers. Lily held the rings.

Adrian cried. I cried. The judge who gave us custody married us.

Vows were simple.

Adrian: "I promise to stay."

Me: "I promise to stay too."

Sofia yelled "KISS!" so we did.

---

Now.

It’s a Tuesday morning.

I’m making pancakes. Adrian is burning coffee.

Sofia is telling Lily about her dinosaur dream.

The house is loud. Messy. Full.

No more eviction notices. No more $43.

Just us.

Sofia comes into the kitchen. Climbs on a stool.

"Mommy?" she says.

"Yeah baby?"

"Can we adopt a dog?"

Adrian and I look at each other.

"Yes," we say at the same time.

Sofia cheers. "Best family ever!"

Adrian comes behind me. Wraps his arms around me.

"You happy?" he whispers.

I look at our life. At the chaos. At the love.

"So happy," I whisper back. "I was so scared 20 days ago."

"I know," he says. "Me too."

Sofia knocks over the flour. Lily laughs.

And we don’t care.

Because Rule 1: Don’t get attached.

We broke it.

And it was the best decision we ever made.

[THE END]

Thank you for reading to the end 😭❤️

Team Adrian + Amara + Sofia + Lily FOREVER

# Stary Writing Marathon #Contemporary #Billionaire #SingleMom #Nanny #Healing #Kids #FoundFamily #HappyEnding #SlowBurn #I DO