I wanted her. I wanted her brother. I wanted to make this family with Trent.
It felt exactly right.
I’d never thought kids were in our future. For so long, it was him and me against the world.
The baby cried out, and I lifted her to lie against my chest. She curled against me, her small fist shaking.
I glanced up at Romeo.
He nodded and went to find Trent.
Patting her back, I made a request of Gamble. “I want all the info on her and her brother you can get. I want to know what we have to do to adopt them.”
Tugging his tie, he stepped forward, glancing at the tiny girl. “You know children taken from drug-addicted homes often have emotional and physical problems.”
“We’ll take the responsibility.”
“The amount of paperwork, the amount of scrutiny and red tape you will have to go through to adopt them is astronomical.”
I glanced at him. “How bad?”
“Child services will crawl up in your ass and pitch a tent there until they’re satisfied,” he deadpanned.
That sounded uncomfortable.
Gamble glanced around the room. “They’ll be all over this entire family. Especially since you all live on the same property.”
“We can take it,” Ivy said.
“I’ll be your legal counsel. I can call in someone who specializes in this kind of thing to assist,” Tony put in.
“No matter how hard you think it will be,” Gamble cautioned, “multiply that by three.”
I met his eyes, keeping my stare even. “Have you ever seen me back down? I know I’m in rough shape right now, but I know what I want. Standing on the precipice of death has a unique ability of making things very clear.”
Gamble nodded. “All right, then.”
“You’ll help us?” I pressed.
“Let me make sure Trent wants it too.”
Oh, he wanted this. I felt it in my bones. In my veins. Maybe on some level, I could read his thoughts, because I knew right now, he was freaking out because he wanted this so bad. He was probably doubting himself this very second. Doubting he was enough.
He was enough. Trent was more than enough.
“Ivy,” I said quietly. “Can you hold her?”
Ivy and Rimmel both nearly tripped rushing to the bed. Once I handed her over, the girls all but forgot I was there and took her off to their side of the room, cooing and fawning all over her.
Braeden and Tony moved closer to peek down at her.
“Let’s go find Trent,” I said, motioning toward the crutches Patrick left before.
Gamble’s warnings didn’t fall onto deaf ears. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I also knew I probably had no clue just how much it would take.
The baby let out a cry, and I turned, already automatically wired to respond.
“Aww,” Ivy cooed, waving me away without even looking. “She’s fine.” She promised.
I watched her another moment, hesitating.
Ivy finally lifted her eyes, a smile tugging her lips. “Your daughter is fine, Drew. You can go.”
My daughter.
Damn, I liked the way that sounded.
38
Trent
* * *
I didn’t stay alone for long. A large body leaned up against the wall beside me, nearly mirroring my position.
We stood there for long quiet moments, not saying a thing, until suddenly, my voice filled the silence.
“I was like a ghost in these halls. Rattling around, aching, unable to go where I wanted most.”
The body beside me said nothing. He didn’t even move. He just waited for me to continue.
“Just like a ghost, I saw everyone, but it felt like no one saw me. Like I was disappearing from reality, trapped in a fog filled with nothing but self-doubt and fear.”
“We all saw you. We just didn’t know how to reach you.”
“That’s why you told Drew.”
“Yeah.” Romeo confirmed. “That’s why I told Drew. He was the only one capable of pulling you back.”
“Someone else got through, though. Something else cut through the misty state I was in, offering a timeout. No.” I shook my head. “Offering a few fleeting moments when I didn’t feel like I wasn’t falling apart.”
I glanced down at the paper clutched at my side.
“I heard her crying all the way out here in the hall. The sound bothered me. It annoyed me so much that I went off to find it. But when I found it, when I found her, I realized I hadn’t been annoyed. I recognized the sound of pain. Of loneliness.”
I glanced up at Romeo, and he nodded, silently telling me to continue.
“She was just laying there trembling so badly even I could feel it in my bones. She was small and in a corner, and it reminded me…”
“Of you?”
I made a sound. “Born without a choice. Fending for herself in a world where her parents clearly weren’t around. My dad took off when he found out about me, and my mom only stayed out of obligation,” I explained. “Then when I told her I was gay, not even obligation kept her around.”
Romeo nodded.
“I was alone a lot.” My voice quieted. “I didn’t have a family until I met all of you.”
“You aren’t alone anymore, man.”
“I know.” I agreed and went back to what I originally meant to say. “I picked her up. I walked right in the nursery without permission. No one was even in there with her anyway. I picked her up…”
“And she became yours.”
“I don’t know how it happened,” I echoed. “And her brother?” I added, smiling. “He rolled right up in there like he was ready to fight me for her.” I glanced up, pride swelling in my chest. “Little dude was carrying a Mustang. A freaking Mustang.”
“It’s okay to want them. It’s okay to love them.”
“It happened really fast.”
“Well, you didn’t get nine months to get used to the idea of having a kid, but I can promise you that’s how it is when you’re a father. Instant love the second you lay eyes on them.”
“I’m not sure I’m father material,” I confessed.
“You already proved you are because you’re out here thinking of them first. Because you love them.”
“But they aren’t mine. They aren’t ours.”
“You can change that.”
“Who’s going to give custody of two kids to two gay men?” I scoffed.
“I could probably help with that,” someone said from Romeo’s other side.
Straightening off the wall, I spun to see Gamble standing there, and right beside him was Drew.
My eyes flared with surprise. “Drew?” I whispered. “What are you doing out of bed?” Seeing his hands wrapped around a pair of crutches, I hurried to add, “Where is she?”
“Ivy and Rimmel are fawning all over her,” Drew replied, amusement in his eyes.
A new worry overcame me. “How much of that did you hear?”
“All of it,” he said, his stare darkening. “Don’t you think that’s a conversation for us and not you and Romeo?”
“I heard too.” Gamble butted in. “I’m glad I did. Makes this easy.”
My face wrinkled. “Makes what easy?”
“Using my influence to get those kids placed with you.”
I faltered. Hope, but also apprehension, consumed me. “You can do that?”
His eyes sparked with a bit of challenge, then flashed with the confidence he embodied, which made him into the most powerful, rich man in the state. “Of course I can.”
“You think we’d be good dads?” I questioned, the last part sticking in my throat.
“After seeing you with the baby and hearing your words? I do.” Gamble agreed. “Plus, with Drew being out the entire season, you two will have plenty of time to be home to focus on those kids.”
I sucked in a breath and glanced at Drew. We hadn’t even talked about his recovery, about how this
accident would affect his career. He had a lot to work through, physically and mentally.
Now probably was not the best time to be bringing in two kids who were going to need a lot of attention and care.
And what about next season? Gamble seemed to think Drew would be right back into racing.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. How he felt.
“Maybe we should talk,” I said to him. “You have enough on your plate right now. This could be too much.”
Drew started to say something, but loud yelling distracted us all.
“Come back here!” a woman yelled. “Don’t you run away from me!”
“Ow!” a smaller but fierce voice wailed.
I stiffened instantly, spinning away from everyone to look in the direction of the arguing. They were out of sight, around the corner… but I knew that voice.
“Let go of me!” Travis demanded. “I hate you!”
The woman made a startled sound. “You little brat!”
Pounding footsteps slapping against the floor grew closer, and a small body darted around the corner. His face was a mix of anger and distress, his thin arms pumping at his sides as he ran but stared behind him for whoever was giving him chase.
“Whoa, easy there,” I said, taking a few steps toward him. His dark eyes turned to me, but he didn’t slow.
His foster mother shot around the corner, her long skirt tangling around her legs as she rushed after him. “You’re going to be punished for that!” she yelled.
Travis kept running, veering in my direction. Thin arms wrapped around my thigh and squeezed as he rotated, hiding behind me.
I felt his heart pounding against the back of my leg, and when his foster mother was within arm’s distance, he cowered against me, hiding his face.
“Get over here,” she snapped, flinging out her hand toward him.
I caught her wrist and shifted a little so I was between her and Travis. “What seems to be the problem here?”
“That… that ingrate just bit me!” She held up her hand, showing off the teeth marks that were indeed imbedded in the fleshy part between her finger and thumb. “Now step aside. He needs to be punished.”
His arms squeezed tighter. I could feel the way they shook. He was scared.
Reaching down, I covered his arms with one hand. “Why did he bite you?”
The woman looked up, mildly surprised. “What?”
“Why did he bite you?” I repeated.
“Because he’s completely uncivilized, has no sense of right and wrong, and doesn’t listen at all.”
“That wasn’t the question.” Drew spoke up. “I’ll rephrase. What did you do that made him lash out like that?”
The woman sputtered. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve got teeth marks in my hand! I’m his current foster parent. You have no right to question me!”
Moving my hand around to Travis’s back, I glanced down. “Why’d you bite her, Trav?”
“She’s mean!” He erupted, then pressed his face into my leg and sniffled. My heart clenched. “She said she was taking away my baby!”
All of our eyes turned to the woman. For the first time, she realized there were four very large men standing there staring at her.
She cleared her throat, tucking her hair behind her ears. “That’s not what I said.” She reasoned. “I—” She faltered. “He overheard me talking with someone else.”
“What did he hear exactly?” I asked, feeling my eyes narrow.
Frustrated, she tossed up her hands. “He’s too much of a handful, okay? He doesn’t play well with others. He’s aggressive. He doesn’t listen. He can’t even read!” she hissed. “He can’t stay with me any longer. He will have to go somewhere else, without his sister.”
Against the back of my leg, Travis started to cry.
So many things…
Oh, so many things flashed through me in that moment.
But most of all? Fierceness.
Bending down, I lifted the boy into my arms. He wrapped around my upper body like a koala on a tree. His small arms wrapped around my neck, his face buried close.
I glanced at Drew. The many emotions I was feeling were echoed in his stare.
“You’re his sister’s foster parent?” I asked, starting with that.
“Of course.” She sniffed. “Why do you think I’m here every day?”
“I thought you just brought Travis,” I replied, frank.
“Today is the last day for that.”
Travis let out a yell against my neck. I rubbed a hand up his back.
“You mean to tell me you’re the foster parent assigned to that baby girl and I haven’t once seen you hold her or ask about her condition?”
“I’m her foster parent. Not her mother.”
I drew back as though she slapped me.
Drew made a rough sound.
The woman gazed at him, then back at me. “What? I have four kids at home. When she is discharged, there will be five. I only have so much time.”
“They’re kids,” Drew snapped. “Not paychecks.”
“Who are you people?” she asked, finally seeming to understand that we were not on her side. “Give me that child.” She reached for Travis. “I’m taking him to social services. I’m done with him.”
I jerked out of her reach. “I’d stay back if I were you,” I said, quiet. Deadly.
Romeo inserted himself between me and the woman like a brick wall.
“You’re planning on surrendering this child to social services?” Gamble asked the woman, all business and no emotion.
I didn’t know how he did it. I wanted to rage.
“Don’t make me go,” Travis whispered in my ear. “Please let me stay.”
Palming the back of his head, I sought out Drew. He was watching us, a frown pulling at his features. Using the crutches, he came to my side. “Hey, Travis, remember me?” he asked, leaning close to him.
I felt him nod against me.
“Want to go with me to see your sister?”
Travis pulled back, blinking damp eyelashes at Drew. His eyes were impossibly dark, just like the baby’s.
Drew’s face darkened. “Where’d you get that bruise?”
I jerked back, looking down to where Drew stared. There was a red ring around Travis’s upper arm and the beginnings of a bruise.
He pointed to the woman.
“You do this?” I growled, leaning around Romeo to show her the mark.
“He kept running away.” She defended.
“You put a bruise on my kid,” I growled.
“Your kid?” Her eyes went wide.
Gamble smoothly stepped into the situation. “Why don’t you take the boy to see his sister? I’ll speak with this lady.”
Lady my ass.
More like queen of the dragons.
“Go,” Romeo intoned, backing up Gamble’s suggestion.
I matched Drew’s pace while carrying Travis to the room. When we stepped through the door, everyone looked up.
The baby was in Rimmel’s arms, and Travis immediately wanted down to go to her.
I let him go but watched closely, worried he would be upset someone he didn’t know was holding her.
“Hi,” Rimmel said to him immediately. “Are you Travis?”
The boy looked around at me. I nodded.
He nodded at Rimmel.
“Your sister told me all about you. She’s been waiting for you to come see her.”
Travis shuffled a little closer to Rim and the baby.
“Remember when I told you I had a little sister?” Drew said to Travis, who nodded. Drew pointed to Ivy. “That’s her.”
“She’s not that little,” Travis announced.
Braeden snickered, drawing Travis’s attention.
“Definitely not as small as this little peanut.” I agreed, leaning over Rimmel to look at the baby, who was finally sleeping. “She likes you,” I said softly.
Rimmel smiled. “I like her too.”
She turned her smile to Travis. “Come sit with me.”
Ivy vacated the chair right next to Rimmel, and Travis climbed up.
“I’m going out in the hall for a minute, okay? Stay here with Rimmel and your sister.”
A look of fear crossed his features. I glanced around at Drew.
“Drew will stay with you, okay? I’ll be right back.”
Travis glanced at Drew, back to me, then back at Drew. When he nodded, I felt like I’d won some kind of award.
Before leaving the room, I went to Drew. “Back to bed,” I ordered, slipping a hand around his upper bicep.
“Just go,” he said quietly. “I can sit on my own.”
Drawing back enough so I could look into his eyes, I gauged his reaction. “We haven’t really talked yet.”
“No.” He agreed, knowing exactly what I meant.
“It’s really fast.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t let that woman take those kids.”
“Of course you can’t. They’re ours.”
I shifted closer, my fingers tightening around his upper arm. “You really mean that?”
“Sincerely.”
“We’re getting married,” I blurted out, our secret conversation suddenly loud enough for the entire room to hear.
Ivy gasped.
Braeden made a sound. “About fucking time.”
“There’s children present!” Rimmel reminded him.
Braeden glanced at Travis. “Hey, kid. I’m your Uncle Braeden. I say all kinds of stuff I’m not supposed to.”
Travis ducked his face into Rimmel’s shoulder.
“Don’t scare him,” I hissed in his direction.
“Trent.” Drew called my attention back, his eyes bouncing between mine. I noted the surprise, the awe, the enquiry.
One side of my mouth lifted in a small smile. “We’re getting married, Forrester. You aren’t allowed to say no.”
“Yes.”
I blinked. “Come again?”
“Yes.”
Wait. What? “You aren’t going to argue?”
“You said I wasn’t allowed to.”
Holy shit. I cleared my throat and nodded once. “You aren’t. You’re taking my name too. I don’t want his name on you anymore.”
“Okay.”
I pressed the back of my hand to Drew’s forehead, checking for a fever. “You feeling okay?”
#Fate Page 23
