In Need of a Lyft

Brian squeezed her hand, smiled at her, then said, "Lucky guy."

"No. Lucky me."

"No. Lucky me!" Emma said chiming in for the first time.

Her mom and 'dad',both looked back at her and saw her smiling. The clear braces were amazing and while noticeable not in any kind of way that drew one's attention. Emma was already eight months into a 20-month treatment plan that her mother hadn't had to pay for. She did pay for the initial visit, but neither Brian nor his brother would allow her to pay another dime as the older Knapp already knew his brother was head over heels for this very attractive, older woman.

"Mom?" Emma asked. "Is that why we're going to dinner? For your...anniversary?"

The way her mom looked at her told her there was more to it than what she said, but the, "Uh-huh," satisfied her for the time being

Emma not only had braces, she now lived in a nice home with a large bedroom of her own. She had nice clothes and there was always something delicious to eat. But even more importantly she finally had a man in her life who loved her. Brian may not have been her father, but he was more of a dad then her own father had ever been, and Emma felt more loved than she ever had.

"Can I bring you some dessert?" a pretty young girl asked some 90 minutes later as she tried not to stare at the very handsome man at the table.

Randi and Emma both said, "No thank you," so Brian passed, too. As he got out his credit card Randi told him she had one other thing to say.

"Oh. Okay. Please," he told her as he laid the card in the tray their server had left along with the bill.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you both that...."

Randi was bursting with happiness as she looked at her daughter and then her husband before finishing her sentence.

"We are going to have a baby!"

Emma's eyes got wide while Brian sat there in shock.

"Honey? Are you okay?" Randi asked as a momentary feeling of sickness hit her.

"What? Okay? No. I...I'm absolutely fan-freaking-tastic!" he nearly yelled as he got up then grabbed his wife and held her, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

"We're having a baby!" Brian called out which drew smiles and then applause.

"Congratulations, you two!" someone called back.

Randi once again had tears in her eyes, but this time she was even happier than the day her husband-to-be had left her 'the card'.

Emma stood up and her parents pulled her in close as the new family held one another and celebrated the wonderful news.

Brian let go of them both then asked them to sit back down.

"What is it?" Emma asked, sensing there was still something more to come.

Randi had a puzzled look on her face as she waited for the man she loved to speak.

"Well, I got a very interesting phone call this morning," he told them, his face revealing nothing.

He looked at both of the girls he loved then looked at Emma.

"You know I love you very much, right, honey?" Brian said to her.

"Yes, and I love you, too...Daddy," she told him, using the name she'd started calling him the day he asked her mother to marry him--and asking him if that was okay.

"So, as it turns out, the judge just signed off on the adoption, and if you'd like to be my actual, legal daughter...."

Emma nearly leapt into his lap as she began to cry. Randi knew these were tears of happiness, but Emma cried so hard she couldn't help but feel sad, unaware that everyone was once again looking their way.

"So is that a 'yes'?" Brian asked, hoping to staunch the flow of tears as his now 13-year old daughter clung him.

Unable to speak, Emma only nodded as she tried to take a deep breath and regain control.

The following day, the papers were signed and Emma Olsen officially became Emma Knapp, a young girl who would grow up to be even more beautiful than her mother but a girl who never forget where she came from. That part of her life helped be kind to other kids who were teased or bullied and she was confident enough to go to her homecoming dance with a boy was well, very...large. But he was kind and sweet, and when he asked her, Emma, the prettiest girl in the junior class, told him she would love to.

*******

Seven months later, the Knapps celebrated the birth of their son, Randy Nathaniel Knapp, who immediately became the apple of his big sister's eye and the delight of his mom and dad.

Neither Brian nor Randi had ever felt so complete as they did the day they held their son for the first time as he and Emma stood by the new mother, who at 43, was happier than she'd ever been in her entire life.