My Darling Mayhem
: Chapter 30

I was nervous as the gifts began dwindling down.

Juan kept laughing as he watched his mother touch the pearl earrings I’d gifted her. She’d wince every few minutes or so, then loudly declare how much she loved the earrings. I noticed Juan’s wife hiding her face in her husband’s shoulder, her body shaking with laughter each time Anna would make one of her loud declarations.

I tried to let the comedy of it calm me down, but Kane and Cruz were out of gifts. Which meant it was time for Wren and me to give them their last presents.

“Excuse me everyone, there’s something we need to do and we’d like to have your attention,” I declared shakily.

Kane and Cruz were both playing with toys. Wren came up, stroked one hand over her small bump, and squeezed my hand with the other.

“Boys, there’s something we need to give you.”

They both looked up, and Wren walked toward Kane, handing him a small paper.

He gently unfolded it, but he couldn’t read yet, so he just looked up at her with a big smile on his face.

“Is it a ticket?”

Wren knelt in front of him, taking the paper. “It’s a promise, baby. It says that I adopted you, and so did Archer. It says that you belong to us now, forever and ever no matter what. I’m your mom now.”

Kane’s blue eyes watered as he swung his gaze over to me. “You’ll be my dad?”

“Yeah, buddy.” My voice cracked as I knelt in front of Cruz and handed him an identical paper.

His eyes lit up as he took it from me. “I got one too?”

We’d had to reach out to Wren’s ex, Matt to get his signature which he took nearly two months to get back to us about. I wanted to talk to him, man to man. I even had a contact on the inside try and set something up, but before I could, he’d sent the papers back. His signature, waiving all his rights was included with a small note for Cruz that Matt had asked Wren to deliver to Cruz on his sixteenth birthday.

“Yea, bud. You’re mine too. Forever.”

He didn’t even open it; he just threw his arms around my neck and hugged me.

“We’re a family now?” Kane asked, joining our hug.

Wren replied, pushing Kane’s hair back, “We’ve been a family this whole time, but these papers just make it official. A judge signed off, saying no one can ever take you away from us.”

Kane’s face fell the slightest bit as he looked down. “But what if something happens to you, like it did to my first mom?”

Wren’s lip wobbled at his phrase of “first mom.”

Kingston stepped up, gently interjecting with his hand on Kane’s shoulder. “If something happens to either of your parents, you’ll have us, little man. You inherited all of us. We’re your family now.”

Kane smiled up at Kingston, then Gio as he walked over and messed with his hair. Wren rubbed a hand down her belly again and cleared her throat.

“You two will be the best big brothers to your little sister. Just wait.” She pulled Kane and Cruz into one more hug before Anna walked back into the room.

“I REALLY do love these earrings. If they get misplaced, I’d be heartbroken. Please, everyone make sure you keep your eyes open in case they slip out.”

Wren laughed into Cruz’s hair as Juan slapped my shoulder.

“Best Christmas ever.”