A Beautiful Kind of Hope (A Beautiful Kind of Series Book 1)

by Cathy Johns

  The minute Hope sees her, she lets go of my hand and walks to pick her up. The smile on her face as she cries those happy tears makes my heart ache in a good way. I knew she would make a good mother. She doesn't let go of June as we all start walking inside the house and I pick one of the little ones up who tells me his name is Derek.

  My mother helps us settle the kids as we show them their rooms and around the compounds. Kids will be kids because the minute they see their play area all of them head that way and we're left with June whose busy tugging on Hope's hair giggling as Hope bites on her cheek playfully.

  I look around, seeing the people who surround me and I couldn’t be happier than I already am. I pull my Mom in my arms and hug her. I know I couldn't have done this without her support and when she took me in and loved me as her own son that became the beginning of everything good in my life. I miss my Mama and Dad and I know wherever they are, they are proud of the man I've become.

  "Thank you" I tell my Mom the minute I engulf her in my arms. "I love you Mom" I kiss her forehead.

  "I love you too, son." she has tears in her eyes the minute she looks up to me and I see her smile. Cupping my cheek, she tiptoes and pulls be down for a kiss on my cheek. "You're the best son I could have ever asked for and I thank God every day for my husband and Leo finding you that day." I nod my head because I'm lucky they found me that day.

  "You've made a life and a name for yourself and I know wherever your Mama and my husband are, they are proud of the man you've become." she says looking at Leo who happens to be in deep conversation with Cecilia. "I can see soon I'll be having a house full of gran-babies." I laugh because I know I want to start a family with Hope but about Leo...

  "I can only talk for myself Mom." I say looking at Leo. "About my brother..." I don't comment further.

  My Mom pats my cheek and walks up to Hope who is now busy making baby voices to June and she's giggling at what Hope is saying and doing. I didn't know this would make her this happy. If I had known I would have done it sooner.

  I walk towards her and my Mom as Leo joins us together with Sam, Molly, Cecilia and Mark. Leo squeezes my shoulder and looks between Hope and myself. The smile on his face makes me want to smack his head but that is cut short when a car pulls into the compound and I see three gentlemen and a lady walk out of the black SUV.

  Leo walks past us and goes to meet the guests who just arrived. I look at Hope and see her face has the same question as mine. I don’t know who these people are but before I can ponder on it anymore Leo walks towards us with the men and lady right behind us.

  The men are dressed in suits, and the lady is dressed in a navy skirt suit with red heels on her feet. She smiles at me and that's when I recognize her. She used to be friends with Leo's Dad and she visited our home a few times when Dad was still alive. My Mom walks past me and goes to hug the lady.

  "Lady Justice Okello" Mom says hugging the lady.

  "Patricia" Lady Justice Okello says.

  I watch them chitchat before my Mom tugs her along and introduces her to us. She's the Judge Leo had been dealing with regarding Kelly's case.

  We shake hands before she turns to brush a finger on June's cheek and I see her smile. June stretches her hands towards the judge and she picks her up as she goes for her African beaded necklace that is colorful and I know that's what has attracted June.

  "I've heard a lot about you" she says to me and I wish I can say the same.

  "I wish I can say the same." I tell her as we wait for Leo to introduce the men to us.

  "Taylor, this is Mr. Okello, Lady Justice’s husband." I shake hands with the man who looks to be in his late fifties.

  "Sorry, I got carried away and forgot I came with my husband" Lady Justice says chuckling.

  "Not to worry darling," the husband says. "She gets like that when she is around children especially her grandchildren." the man laughs making his wife laugh. She had to come see for herself if this was true for Kelly's sake.

  We get introduced to the other two gentlemen who I come to learn work for the CWA and the other one is a children's officer from the government. Their presence here speaks out loud. They wanted to see the children home and see the two people who are interested in taking care of Kelly.

  We fall into a conversation and Hope offers to take the Lady Justice around the place as they take June with them before Cecilia and Molly go to serve food to the children since its lunch hour.

  The day goes by quickly with the Lady Justice promising to keep in touch and that we'll be hearing from her soon.

  I hold Hope in my arms as our guests leave and we gaze at each other smiling, knowing that things are going to be good in our future and that Kelly will be ours soon.

  "Can I ask you something?" I take Hope’s hand and lead us to our spot.

  "Yeah" she says her voice is soft and happy.

  "Move in with me. You and Michael." I say looking at her as she gazes at me.

  "Are you serious?" I expect her voice to be full of anger but it's something else in her voice.

  "Yes, I am my love." I assure her, rubbing my thumb along her cheek.

  "Why?" she asks cocking her head to the side a smile tugging on her lips.

  "Because you and Michael are the most important people in my life and I want us to be a family by the time Kelly comes to live with us and also because your Mama is in a good facility being taken care of and she would want you to be happy." That's the best I can come up with even with a thousand more things to say but it's the honest truth. I want us to be a family.

  "Can I think about it?" she asks and I want to argue but I don't.

  "Just don't make me wait." I warn and she laughs remembering how far we've come. I don't like waiting when it comes to her.

  "I’ll try not to" she teases pulling me down for a kiss before pulling her in my arms. "I should adopt June too." she murmurs against my chest and I laugh.

  "You want that?" I ask lifting her chin with my finger as I raise an eyebrow. She nods her head. I lean in close enough to her ear and whisper "How about I take you home after this and we try having one of our own?" I don't wait for her to answer because I kiss her senseless before heading back to the house, giving her another thing to think about.

  A family with her. Show me a man who wouldn't want that with her.

  Taylor

  It's been three months now since the children settled in. Every day has been one good thing after another and I've never seen Hope this happy. She took the role of being their mother so well just like she is with Michael and Kelly.

  A month after the Lady Justice came to visit, Leo brought us the papers that showed us that we were cleared and said Kelly will be under our care until our adoption process went through. Hope was over the moon when we went to pick her up the next day from the children home where she was staying. Michael came with us and from that day the two have been inseparable, always sneaking around doing God knows what and keeping Hope and I on our toes. They both go to the same school since I couldn't just let Michael attend school while we waited for the adoption process to go through.

  The day we got Kelly, Hope went crazy shopping for her, all the yellow and pink dresses she could find went inside the cart, she picked everything for a five-year-old girl as Michael and I went to grab lunch and left Hope and Kelly to do more damage on my card.

  "Are you going to marry my Mama now?" the question I had been avoiding came sooner than I thought and when I looked at Michael I thought of Kelly and I knew there was nothing that I wanted more that to make Hope my wife.

  "Yes buddy." I had answered him honestly.

  "So, now I can start calling you my dad?" I wanted to laugh as I messed with his hair.

  "Whatever you want buddy” I told him but I wasn't ready for what was to come next because Michael stood on top of the table and yelled to everyone who could hear, he let everyone know I'm his new daddy. I laughed so hard and some took photos of us and I knew the social media would have a fi
eld day when they heard this. But who cares? I had my woman with me and my son and daughter who we left the restaurant to go check up on.

  I did my best to give her the happiness she deserves as she does what makes her happy. Her mother's health condition has improved but the doctor says we have to accept her just as she is which we don't have a problem with. Sometimes she remembers me when I visit her at the facility and gets to spend more time with Michael. I'm yet to ask Hope to be my wife even when I gave Michael the answer he so badly wanted.

  Yes. Our relationship has all been fast paced. I didn't want to waste time when it came to start the children's home and there was no one else who could do what she's doing even now as she sits in one of the bedrooms where the little ones under the age of three years share the room. She has June, one of the children in her arms cradling her as she tells her stories that I know too well she made up. She's a natural at this and God, one day I want to see her with my children that's if she allows me.

  I already see how she is with Kelly and Michael in the morning when they're getting ready for school and how she tells them stories before they go to bed. I don't know what I did right but whatever I did, may I never stop doing it because even when we fight because no relationship is perfect, she always finds a way for us to go back to where we were. We never go to bed mad at each other. Our motto which has now fallen to our children.

  Our children, I like the sound of that especially after a long day in the office and I come home to find them waiting for me to help them with their homework when their Mama cooks.

  Who would have thought at the age of twenty-six I'd be a father of two amazing human beings whose plan is to drive Hope and I crazy as their uncles and aunts spoil them and not to mention their grandmother... God bless that woman.

  I shake my head and turn back to the woman whose busy telling made up stories to the baby on her lap.

  I listen to her from across the room where the door is slightly open. It's almost 8pm and June is usually the last one to sleep when it comes to her age mates. She throws tantrums crying and the only person who seems to calm her down is Hope. The two of them have been inseparable and when she's not here to see her go to sleep, she calls from home and one of the staff comes in with the phone and Hope talks the baby to sleep. I don't know how she does it but she does.

  "Sometimes I want to take her with me" Hope says snapping me from my thoughts. I didn't realize she had seen me standing across the room. She doesn't like it when I creep in on her but I like doing it anyway. I like seeing her go about her day like I'm not there. Everything with her is natural, not forced. She doesn't pretend to know everything but she would ask the caregivers who help her with the children if she's doing it right and if she's wrong she wants to know how to go about it.

  "I don't know how you do it but every time she sees you, she lights up." I walk inside the room to where she's cradling June in the rocking chair. I squat before them and palm a hand on June's hair. She's beautiful but a nightmare when she starts with her tantrums. "And about taking her home, you know how it works baby." She nods her head.

  We're in our final stage with Kelly's adoption process and we can't wait to finally call her ours even when she has been ours from the first time we laid eyes on her. June on the other hand, I don't think it will be much of a hassle since we're together, living under that same roof as one big family and our friends and family can bear witness that we've been better parents to the two little humans who I think are already turning my dark hair gray.

  She never wanted to do this alone when we were faced with a situation when it came to Kelly. Hope wanted her with us but we all know the government wouldn't allow us to have that unless Hope wasn’t doing it alone. She wanted me to be part of their lives and I couldn't have asked for a better person who could have been a better mother to these children like Hope.

  "I wish there was another way to go about it." She murmurs against June's head where she's petting her plaited hair which has these colorful bands around each.

  "I wish there was another way baby, but you know..." I wait for her to gaze at me. "You can always say yes to me" I tease her giving her that smile that she loves so much.

  "Are you capable of handling a mother who has three kids, where one of them tends to have a temper all the time and the others God knows what they do when we're not around to hear their plotting?" She teases.

  The thought of Kelly and Michael makes me want to laugh. Those two are as thick as thieves. We don't know what they're always plotting every time they're in their room. I guess those two would be the end of us. They make Hope worry when they do the hide and seek thing and only to end up near the swimming pool, unattended every time they come here to visit the other kids over the weekend.

  "Baby, I'd still love you even if you had ten of them and a house full of cute puppies." I tease her back. She knows I'd do anything for her. I would fight everyone for her because she's my world.

  She tears her eyes away from mine and looks at the little girl sleeping in her arms. Her hand clinging on Hope's pink blouse and it hits me. I want this with her. I want to see that look of content on her face every fucking day of my life.

  "Let me put her in her bed and then we can go home." She says standing up slowly with her in her arms and puts her in her crib. She pulls the cover on her and pats her back just to makes sure she's not awake. "Now we can go home."

  I take her hand and walk us to my car. We've been having countless fights every time I mention about buying her a new car. She doesn't want me to and neither does she want me to hire a driver for her. She says she can manage it but she's one maddening woman who's on a mission of driving me crazy and since I refuse to let her drive that car that looks like it can break down on her in the middle of the road, I drop her here and then pick her in the evening which I don't mind but it's not all the time I'll be able to be there to do things for her.

  "Hope baby. We need to talk about the car." I watch her inhale deeply before puffing out. She shakes her head and looks at me with that content look she always has.

  "I don't want you to buy me a car. We've been through this countless time and my answer is still no."

  I have to stand my ground because it's either my way or no other way. She's my woman and I'm not having it any other way.

  "I'll get you a car" I growl.

  "I'm good with mine." She fights back.

  "No. I'm going to get you a new car and that's it." I snap.

  "And I said no." she snaps. "I don't want a new car, I just want my car." She's frustrating but she has no idea how far I'm willing to take this.

  "You mean that damn old thing that you call a car?" I deadpan.

  "Yes. That damn old thing like you've called it has been with me since I knew how to drive." She counters back.

  "No woman of mine..." she places a finger on my lips shutting me up.

  "Shush it" she says. "Enough with no woman of mine blah-blah-blah. I know but it's either my car or nothing."

  I think I'm about to lose my mind with this but I need her to see the facts and logic behind it all.

  "I need you to listen to me because you're one crazy, maddening woman who's about to make me pull out my hair. I'm not saying you sell the car but you need a new car, one you can adjust the baby seats in if anything was to happen to the kids. You need a car that has space for any sort of emergency." I take her hands in mine and squeeze gently. "I know you're a stubborn, independent woman and you're not some sort of a charity case to me but I want you to know that besides everything, you're all that makes my world complete and I'd feel more at peace in knowing that my woman will be safe, the kids will be safe even when I'm busy running other things. I want you to have the best of everything that I could ever offer you. Please, think about it." I pull her into my arms and wrap my arms around her. She's my home. And here in her arms, I know I'm home. "You're my home, Hope. And every time you wrap your arms around me I feel like I'm home. I feel safe and whole. I feel loved. And
I want to know that the woman I love is always safe even when I'm not there.

  "Okay." She pushes me back slightly and looks into my eyes. "Now, take me home. Been a long day and I'm tired."

  "Promise me that you'll think about it."

  "I'm thinking about it. Might even give you an answer before we get home." She says pulling me down for a kiss." I missed you so much today." And there is my girl.

  "I missed you more baby. Now, let me take you home." I kiss her one more time before helping her into the car and driving her home.