Page 112 of Roaring Fork Rockstar

“I know this must be a lot to process,” Ben said gently. “But I wanted you to hear it from me directly. I’m doing everything in my power to make this right—not only for you and Luna, but for every woman he’s hurt.”

Holt stood, extending his hand to Ben. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

Ben shook his head. “I’m so sorry…”

After Ben left, I found myself standing by the window, watching the Denver lights flicker against the night sky. Holt’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind, and he rested his chin on my shoulder.

“What are you thinking?” he asked softly.

“That sometimes the universe has a strange way of delivering justice,” I replied.

My phone rang, and I answered it quickly when I saw Dr. Robbins’ number.

“Dr. Robbins? Is everything okay?”

Her voice came through, professional but with an undercurrent of excitement. “Better than okay, Keltie. I’ve completed Luna’s evening assessment and am happy to say her fever has broken and her latest blood work shows the strongest signs of engraftment yet.”

Tears sprang to my eyes. “She’s accepting the transplant?”

“Better than I dared to hope,” Dr. Robbins continued. “The cellular integration is remarkable. It’s like a perfect match, after all.”

I turned to Holt, who was watching my face anxiously. “Luna’s improving. The transplant is working.”

He pulled me into a crushing embrace, his own tears dampening my hair. “Our girl’s going to be okay.”

Our girl.The phrase encompassed everything I’d ever wanted—a family bound not by biology or legal documents, but by love, by choice, by fierce protection of one another.

“I should return to the hospital,” I said, already gathering my coat.

“We both should,” Holt agreed.

As we drove through the quiet streets, my mind kept circling around to the unexpected resolution. Remi’s threat had disintegrated under the weight of his own misdeeds. And Luna was healing, growing stronger with each passing hour.

At the hospital, we found my father dozing in the chair beside Luna’s bed. Her color had improved dramatically, and her breathing was deep and even. I approached quietly, not wanting to wake her. But her eyes fluttered open as I took her hand.

“Mommy,” she whispered, her voice stronger than it had been in days. “I had a dream about you.”

“Did you?” I smoothed her cheek with my thumb. “Tell me about it.”

“You were wearing a long white dress and a veil,” Luna said, her eyes drifting to Holt, who stood beside me. “And you had on a suit.”

“What else did you dream, Unicorn Girl?” Holt asked in a shaky voice.

“I was between you, wearing a long purple dress, and the three of us walked down an aisle together while everyoneclapped.” She glanced up at Holt. “And you told me that I could call you Daddy.”

“That sounds like a very happy dream,” I said, not even bothering to stop my tears.

Luna smiled, her eyelids growing heavy again. “Not just a dream, Mommy.” She glanced at Holt a second time. “Right, Daddy?”

“That’s right, Luna-bug. It’s a dream come true.”

30

HOLT

JULY

The ranch looked different today. Not because anything had physically changed—the butte still framed the horizon, the big trees still spread their branches across the eastern field, and the main house still stood proud against the Colorado sky. But something had shifted in the way I saw it all. Today, this place wasn’t only our legacy or where I’d grown up. Today, it was the place where Keltie, Luna, and I would begin our new life as a family.

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