Gambling Love

28. Jaiden

Five Years Later.

"Ow!" I fake a wince as Imogen smacks my stomach. "What was that for?" I ask my wife as she passes me and heads for the fridge.

"Your daughter told me you read her five books last night, Jaiden, we have a limit," She fakes a glare over her shoulder. Speaking of said daughter, she's running into the kitchen with a fairy doll.

I scoop her up immediately "Kateryna, you were supposed to keep our secret quiet," I say and she giggles in my arms as I nuzzle my nose against her light brunette hair.

"Nina, tell daddy the rules," Imogen smiles at our older daughter. I glance at Nina, who's sitting at the island dramatically stabbing her fruit.

We adopted Nina and Kateryna from Ukraine almost three years ago. Nina had just turned four and Kateryna was a newborn. When their file had come across us, we knew immediately they were our daughters, the paper work was intense but at the end of the day it was worth it. We had gone through two miscarriages before going to the doctor and being told the news we already knew, we couldn't have kids. Unfortunately Imogen had cysts on her ovaries which she had to have a hysterectomy to remove her ovaries and uterus.

It was kind of a sign that Nina and Kat's folder crossed our table because Nina means dreamer and Kateryna means pure, they were our dream and they made us whole. Of course some days it's hard and other days it's a breeze. Imogen and I have joined community parent groups of parents who've adopted, it's been helpful but nonetheless we wouldn't wish for anything else, they make us whole, they are just what we were missing from our family.

"You didn't read five books to me," Nina pouts and I wink at her standing up and hoisting Kateryna on my hip.

"Tonight," I tell her and Imogen whacks me again with the dish towel. I laugh and reach over to grab her belt loop, pulling her close. Imogen sighs but relaxes against me, I watch her brush back Kateryna's hair as she flies her doll around. "Nina are you ready for swim practice? Uncle Sebastian will be here soon," I say.

"All ready daddy!" She exclaims with a smile. Genevieve and Sebastian's second oldest, Jameson is the same age as Kateryna and Spencer's third. They all go to swim practice together.

Imogen takes Kat from my arms and settles her down onto on island stool and gets her started on breakfast while I grab Nina and her swim bag and we go wait outside for Sebastian. "Daddy?" Nina asks as we sit in the middle of our driveway with chalk.

"Yes sweet?" I hum.

"It's show and tell on Monday," she says. I prop my arm up on my knee and look at her, her tongue poking her cheek as she concentrates on filling in the circle in front of her. "And I want to bring my book."

Her book, her photo album from Ukraine "that sounds nice, I can ask mommy where it is," I tell her and she looks up at me with the brightest smile. Her smile is like Imogen's, warms my heart immediately. Imogen says Kateryna's smile is like mine, a little mischievous.

I see Sebastian's Range Rover pull up against our curb and I put my chalk back in the bucket before standing up "Hey man," I greet my friend who's sliding out of his car, the windows in the back are open and I wave to Jameson, who waves back.

"Hey," Sebastian says. "Hi little lady," He says to my daughter as she puts her chalk in the bucket before grabbing her backpack on the cut lawn.

"Hi Uncle Sebby!" She exclaims and I see Sebastian hold back his cringe and I laugh. Sebastian sighs and opens the back door ready for her to jump in, she hands her backpack to Sebastian before she runs back and I smile, crouching down and catching her in my arms.