"I do."
Hearing those words and having said them myself without interruption is probably the best feeling I've ever felt so far. I know for a fact this is already the best day of my life because it has happened. It's official. From the moment we slip those gold bonds on and the preacher pronounces us Wives. From the moment we kiss our brides. It's sealed. It's official. We're married. Mrs LaRues.
We signed the papers, then we're out the door. We threw our bouquets into the huddle formed by the bridal party and when I turn around to see who catches them, Amelia has one, Molly has one and Shane has the other. Interesting.
Vogue is snapping pictures of us all the while. Now they just want one with the brides. We pose in order of our heights. Each one stands before the other. Grace is the shortest, so she's at the front. Then it's Sloane, Sierra and me. My head is buried in the crock of her neck as I place a kiss there. One of her hands reaches back over her shoulder to hold me behind the head while the other one is on Steph's bump, their fingers locked. Grace holds her head back to kiss her best friend on the chin. Something that makes the redhead blush profusely. Grace laughs and I am laughing at Sierra too because I know from the way she grunts that she's turned on.
We took more pictures and then we're heading to the reception. It's outside and it's beautiful. I love what Mary did using the trees and fairy lights. Especially for this time of year, it fits right in. Irelee and Wren find me. They're both flower girls. I didn't even know Wren was going to be here but I'm glad she is. I hug them both. "Hi, ladies. You look nice."
Wren gives me a shy smile. "You look very pretty."
"Thank you so much. Did you enjoy the wedding?" she nods. "Is your social worker here with you?"
"Yeah," she points to her sitting around one of the guest tables.
"Great. Well, you girls go take your seats at your table. I'm going to go back to my wives who are waiting for me at ours."
She nods. Irelee steps up to me. "Mama, can I get your veil now?"
"No. Go away."
Sierra is there waiting for me when I turn around. I loop our hands and allow her to lead me to our table. It feels so strange to have her pull my seat out for me. I'm usually the one doing that. "Thank you," I tell her and watch her take her seat at the end of the table beside Grace.
We cut the cake together. Amelia did a good job with it and we let the kids have some first. Grace tells me I'm too soft, but I shrug her off. Everyone eats and chats amongst themselves. No one even realises that Steph isn't drinking the same champagne that we are and I don't think they care. I watch Grace push the cake around her plate and laugh lightly. She offers it to me, and I take it from her fork. I call her over with my finger and she comes close. Tilting her head back, I take her lips. Some of the cake slips into her mouth and she moans at the intrusion. "Hmmm. Babe, I don't like that. I don't like that you just did that. That's foul play."
I grin. "Was it good?"
"A bit better. I may need another taste."
Wasting no time, I take another bite of the cake and lean in to meet her lips.
"That's nasty," Sierra says, disgust on her face. Not like anybody asked her.
I call her over with my finger but she just glares at me. "Baby come here."
With a sigh, she leans over. I pop a small piece of cake into my mouth and then take her lips. She parts her lips slightly, but as she tastes the cake, she opens wider, allowing me to slip my tongue inside. She steals the cake without me having to even do anything. I pull away with a laugh. "How ironic."
"It wasn't that bad after all."
"Told you. Want to try, Steph?"
"I'll pass. A regular kiss would be fine."
"As you wish, Wife." She blushes, but it's short-lived as I capture her lips. She melts into me, her fingers lacing with mine. I pull away, nibbling her lips before taking them again. She gives me just the faintest sound of a moan. Satisfied, I pull back and watch her, dazed. I smirk. "Was that good?" She hums.
Then my mom steals our attention, tapping her glass gently. She clears her throat as she takes the mic and brings it to her lips. "Good evening, everyone. I have a toast for the brides. I'm Amelia Chapelle... there's another Amelia so I just want to make that clear. I'm the mother of a bride. Which one? The brutish one up there. I'm just happy that we pulled this off. I can't tell you how many times I thought we wouldn't have a wedding today. Emilie—God Emilie," she groaned my name and everyone laughs because I guess they share the same sentiment? I lower my fork and tap the sides of my mouth with a napkin. "You are my daughter and I love you, but, my good God!"
"What did I do?"
She ignores my question. "If you know Emilie, you'll know exactly why I'm stressed. She hasn't at all been the easiest bride to deal with. Her audacity is unmatched..."
"Oh God, Mother!" She's about to start. I cover my face with my hands, hiding away from the impending embarrassment.
"...a tremendous pain in my ass,"
"Ours too!" I hear my wives say in unison. Making me glare at them. Love you, baby. Sierra whispers. Grace just smirks at me, her hand finding my thigh under the table. Sloane grips my hand on top of the table, lifting it to her lips for a kiss.
"But despite all of that," my mom continues. "Emilie is one of the sweetest people to exist in this world. She cares about everything and everyone, no matter how seemingly small or unimportant they are. She's not a friendly person, but when she likes you, she likes you. I never imagine her falling in love, moreover, three different times. It just never made sense with the type of person she is. Then comes our first bride Sierra, and I'm like, Yeah, okay. This makes sense, you make sense for her. You're sociable, you're rational. A mediator and that's exactly what my daughter needs. Then comes Grace. (Don't judge her character before she has her coffee. That's a different person.) Grace is such a sweetheart. She's so empathetic, selfless and intuitive. She's tough, she's strong-willed and she won't take bullshit from anyone. She's usually the person, when my daughter shows her ass, to spank it. Then Sierra scolds them both for their behaviour."
"Mother!" I don't get why everyone is laughing. This is embarrassing! My face is burning red and my palm isn't adequately hiding me. I turn to Sloane and bury my face in her neck.
"Sloane is the shy one. The calm one. Less dramatic, most logical, most inquisitive. She asks questions. Like she just will not shut up. But it's good for them because when no one else can, she can get Emilie and Grace to talk and open up. It's truly amazing. Their relationship is, unusual. It's strange to most but it's love and it works so congratulations!"
I lift my head to watch her come over, ignoring the claps going up around us. She kisses Sloane's cheek before she comes to me. I embrace her. She moves on to Grace and then Sierra before she goes to sit down again.
Shane goes up to talk, embarrassing Sierra from their childhood days coming up and revealing secrets from when we just started dating that I didn't know. Like how the coffees she usually brings me, which she said she picks up on her way to work, she had to drive to the other side of town for then drive all the way back. And she did that every morning.
If I had known!
My embarrassment and Grace's come when Isabelle and Amelia go up there to talk. I was so tempted to disconnect the microphone. But then it was over. Irelee comes up to say a few words and we let her. She pulls Wren with her and the two of them already are joined at the hips. It's cute.
She grins and turns back to everyone. "I have the best moms in the world." She brags. "They love each other and they taught me what love is. They are good role models, each of them. There's not one day where I don't see them supporting each other and taking care of each other. Even when they have a fight. At the end of the day, when the sun sets, they are best friends again. When I grow up, I want what they have."
A proud smile is on my face the whole time and when I look at the others, they are smiling too. The guests clap for her. Steph squeezes my hand. Grace squeezes my thighs. Sierra smiles with pride. "We did good with this one, Loves,"
Sloane hums her agreement. Wren takes the mic from Lee and she runs over to climb onto my lap. I hold her, turning my attention back to the other little girl. She knows me, she knows Steph and Grace but I don't think she's met Sierra. This should be interesting. Her eyes find us. "I've never had people care about me before I met Emilie, Steph, Grace, and Sierra. I've never had a mother to love me or want to keep me safe. Or make sure I have the best birthday. Yesterday I had the best birthday because they care that I do. And I think I'm understanding what love is because of them. When you love someone, you take them as they are. All the good things that come with them and all the bad, then you turn it into an artwork together. I like the brides because they helped me and they are like the only mothers I've known. And Emilie is like a big teddy bear."
She grins at me as I gasp. "Come here!"
She skips towards me and mounts my lap. Lee had ditched me for Grace because 'mommy makes me wear her veil'. Brat!🙄 I can hear her pestering Sierra about stealing her tie, too. Wren reaches over to whisper in Sloane's ear and then the two of them are giggling. A second later, Mary comes up and she whispering to Sierra and Steph. She disappears again and my sisters come with the twins.
"Family photo," Steph tells me as she accepts Jaylin.
Sierra gets Jace and immediately he's grinning with her. I think that boy just comes out loving her. It's wholesome. She kisses his nose, returning his smile. Meanwhile, Jaylin is over here trying to grab food off the table. Steph let him taste a tiny piece of the cake. His face contorts into the strangest expression, and we all laugh at it. A couple of flashes of bright lights make me blink.
Molly gives a toast. Penelope goes next. We get rid of the kids again as Dr Ellis went, then Andrew tried to embarrass me. I fling a piece of dinner roll at him and he sprints back to his seat. When I look, Harvey has the mic and once again, I can already feel the embarrassment.
"Fifty-six times." He starts and my face is immediately burning. The women at my side burst into laughter. They all know the story. It's not funny. It's really not. "That's how many times I've told Emilie not to mess around with my daughter. Her response every time is—"
"Yes, captain!" They all offered with their laughs.
"Copy that sir!" Andrew adds from somewhere. I could hear his snicker too, and the snicker of the other agents here. Cale, Marisa, Ryan. I'm going to shoot them each in two weeks when we get back from Italy.
"Now here we are, five years and three children later." Harvey glares at me. "Agent LaRue, do you have anything to say for yourself?"
"Uhm," Everyone is looking at me. "Is it really messing around if we're married now?"
Everyone clapped but it's nothing to clap about. Harvey just glares at me, then his eyes move to Sierra and his gaze softens. "Despite all the fuss, at the end of the day, I'm glad she disobeyed those orders. Now, Sierra not only has this amazing woman in her life—" I blush. He called me amazing! HE CALLED ME AMAZING! "She has three of them. I may not understand the dynamic of their relationship or how it works, but I don't need to. I know they will stand by each other. I've seen it time and time again. They will support each other and they have a bond as thick as it gets. I know she'll be safe as long as she's with Emilie, she'll be cared for as long as she's with Grace and as long as she has Sloane, she'll be happy. That's good enough for me. So, congratulations, baby girl. Have a happy and long one!"
She got up and walked to him, giving him a hug. "Thank you, captain."
As she comes back to sit down, I feel a hand slip between my thighs. I turn to glare at Grace but she's turned away from me, acting all innocent. I catch her hand, lacing our fingers. She chuckles at my action allowing me to see the smile on her face. Steph's mom has the mic and I'm nervous.
"When my daughter told me she was getting married I was overjoyed. She's thirty. I was starting to think it wouldn't happen especially since she wasn't ever interested in anybody. Then one day she comes to me telling me about this one woman she works with. Ms. Del Laurentis." She gives Grace a knowing look over the rim of her glasses. The brunette blushed. Sloane reddens beside me. "Then she's telling me about the teacher and the law enforcer and she doesn't ever shut up about any of them." That pulled a chuckle from me and when I look over at Steph, she's blushing with her head held down. I squeeze her hand and she looks at me trying to suppress a nervous smile. "I told her it was crazy to marry three different people. Because I didn't understand how somebody could love three people at the same time. My daughter does though, and each one of these women, Emily, Grace, and Sierra, does. I've never met four people who are more ready to risk everything for each other. They will drop everything at each other's beacon call. Hell, I think if one of them demands the moon, they will snatch it from the sky," the table snickers. We snicker but deep down we know it's true. We'd go up and swipe that shit. "It is a crazy thing but it's a crazy good thing and I love it for my daughter. She is the happiest she has ever been in her whole life and that deserves to be celebrated. Congratulations and wishes for a happy healthy long marriage!"
I push back my chair and stand, taking the mic from her hand. I clear my throat as I look back at my WIVES! "So, I am severely embarrassed. It's all lies, I'm an angel, incapable of such raucous things. I am the best thing since sliced bread." They chuckle. My hands shake with nerves. I have a speech but I'm struggling to keep it 'normal'. I hope I don't accidentally mention anything I shouldn't. About the bonds or Egralon. "But enough of me and my fabulous godliness. This toast is to my wives. Sierra, Gracie, Steph. I met all of you at what I thought was the wrong time in my life. I was minding my own business, then out of nowhere, you dropped into my life. Minor inconveniences. I still didn't think too much of it. Fought it, because why the hell not? Commitments scare me. It's not the forever with you that I dread. It's the 'death do us part', because how am I supposed to love you for a lifetime only to lose you for eternity? This– This fear plagued me for many years. Even when I met you, Sierra. Our relationship wasn't supposed to be serious because serious = liking you and if I like you, I'm going to want you around for a long, long time. You didn't get that memo. You would not leave me alone. No matter how hard I tried to keep you at arm's reach, all you did in return was make me fall in love with you. Effortlessly. I couldn't help myself. It was those eyes. Soul snatchers, I swear, and she never came with a caution sign." I glance up at her to see her blushing. "I thought to hell with it. Let's just do it. All in. Let's give this a shot. (Also, because her dad would have killed me.) I never intended on doing it again, and again a third time. Gracie was even worse than Sierra. Sierra liked her but I could not. She was all up in my business. She would be everywhere like the sand or the very air I breathe. I felt tormented. She was mean to me, never let me have my way and she thought she knew me better than I knew myself. It was annoying. I was annoyed." I glare at her but she just smiled, whispering I love you. I fight the blush, failing miserably. "I guess somewhere along the lines things changed and I start seeing her as more than just the bane of my existence. Her selflessness, her intuition, her empathy. The way she refuses to put up with bullshit. I needed that. I needed the challenge. I needed her to put me in my place and in return, she found a permanent place in my heart. Sloane was a whole different experience. She threw me for a loop from the very beginning. Right off the bat, I was fascinated. Like, what and who are you?" She laughs, trying to hide it by looking at her hands. "She had absolutely no interest in me which made it even worse. I could not understand why I, who likes no one, liked this woman who doesn't even like me. It was...strange, but born from it is something great. I'm most addicted to her coolness. Her calm. There's a lot she taught me without even intending to. She teaches me patience if nothing else. With her, I find myself doing a lot of chasing. A lot of waiting and hoping and praying. Now, I just find myself being thankful. For each one of them sticking with me despite the million opportunities I gave them to leave. So, to my beautiful wives," I raise my glass. "Sierra, Graciela, Sloane. Thank you, for choosing me....... And congratulations, you are married to a Queen!"
"Cheers!" Everyone erupts.
They raise their glasses but I can see them all shaking their heads at me.
Sloane is blushing beside me as I sit down. "Nice speech."
I reach in and kiss her cheek. "Thank you. How are you? How's our little girl?"
Her blush deepens. "Both fine." She meets my eyes and a sheepish smile is on her face. "Excuse me."
She pecks my lips as she stands up. I watch her go, confused. "Where is she going?" Sierra leans over to ask.
"I don't know," I tell her. I look at Grace for answers but she shrugs.
"I can't read her mind."
"You can't read her mind!?!?" She shakes her head. "What do you mean you can't read her mind?"
"I don't know why. No matter how I try, seventy-five percent of the time I can't read her."
"Even before you turned her?" Sierra asks.
"Yup."
"Okay," she responds warily. She stands up and as she does, I hear Steph's voice on the mic. When I follow the sound, she's in a clearing not too far away, mounted around a piano. She's half turned to us, her eyes locked on Sierra. She reaches out a hand to the blonde, who hesitates before taking it. Sloane pulls her close and she goes, leaning against the piano very awkwardly. "What is happening?" She leans in to whisper, but it echoes through the mic.
Steph laughs nervously. "I have a tribute for each of my wives." She announced. "I'm a talker, I know, but sometimes I can't find the words. I can always find the song, though, so..."
She tickles the keys and the other musicians assist her with drums and guitar. Even the saxophone. It's spectacular!
You say you'll be down in 5
The smell of your perfume
Is floating down the stairs
You're fixing up your hair like you do
I know that I'll be a mess
The second that I see you
You won't be surprised
It happens all the time, it's nothing new
It always on a night like tonight
I thank God you can read my mind
Cause when you look at me with those eyes
She makes a frustrated sound as she meets Sierra's eyes and I almost laugh. It's so sweet and relatable. Those fucking eyes, I swear.
It started when you said hello
Just did something to me
And I've been in a daze
Ever since the day that we met
You take the breath out of my lungs
Can't even fight it
And all of the words out of my mouth
Without even trying
And I'm speechless
Staring at you, standing there dressed like that
What it's doing to me ain't a secret
Cause watching you is all that I can do
Cause I'm speechless
You already know that you're my weakness
After all this time I'm just as nervous
Every time you walk into the room.
Sierra eases off the piano and walks around her, her arms wrapping around Sloane's neck. Her face nuzzles the redhead's shoulder, and I heard the whisper of her question. "Can I hold you?"
"Hmm," she hums it along to the tune and it fits right in.
I'm speechless
You standing there dressed like that
Girl, it ain't a secret
Cause every time I look into your eyes
She turns her head to look at Sierra, their gaze locking. She pauses, the melodies she's playing slowing down to a calm. Her heart is beating so fast and she is nervous. I find Grace's hand and hold it. She tightens her grip instantly. "That's so sweet."
I'm speechless
She finally finishes. Sierra smiles, and she returns it, kissing the blond's cheek. "Don't cry and ruin your face."
"You shouldn't have sung that for me then." She straightens and taps her eye corners. She laced her hand with Steph's and she brings it to her lips before releasing it. "Love you." She mouths, slowly backing away.
Sloane mouths a reply. "Speechless."
She watches Sierra come over, and then her eyes shift to Grace, her fingers tickling the keys again. She smiles nervously, a unique expression on her face as she holds the brunette's gaze.
I found love in you
Oh? Grace stills.
And I've learn to love me too
Never have I felt
That I could be all that you see
It's like our hearts have intertwined
Into the perfect harmony.
She plays another brief interlude, still keeping the brunette's gaze. Grace's hold on my hand tightens even more until it feels as if my fingers will snap. Her heart beat is rapid, her breathing is rapid and I can see on her face how emotional she's getting. I don't know if it's just the song or if she's getting something else from Steph. Unspoken. Meant only for her. I don't know, but whatever it is, it has everybody who has a heart, tapping their faces.
I found love in you
And no other love will do
Every moment that you smile
Chases all the pain away
Forever and a while
In my heart is where you'll stay
This is why I love you.
The brunette's eyes wells with tears and I can see her painfully trying to swallow the lump of emotions trying to choke her.
Ooh, this is why I love you
Because you love me, you love me
Grace shakes her head, a tear slipping down her cheek.
This is why I love you
Oh, this is why I love you
Because you love me, you love me
The stars have all aligned and right now is the perfect time to say
Grace shakes her head again, whispering. "Don't do it..."
Sloane only grins, as she continues to play.
I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you
I love you, I love you
I do
This is why I love you
"She did it. Fuck!" Grace's head finds the table as she sobs. Sierra and I rub her back but then a second later she's getting up, heading over there.
Sloane watch her approach with a smile, still singing.
This is why I love you
Because you love me
You love me
Grace stops before her, her hand linger on the surface of the piano, waiting, as the other rest on the redhead's shoulder. I don't have to be next to them to know that whatever Sloane is feeling, Grace is now feeling too and if Steph loves her, she knows and she'll let Steph know too, one way or another.
This is why I love you
Oh, this is why I love you
Because you love me, me
She lifts one of her hands off the piano, giving Grace access to mount her lap. Then her hand finds the keys again as the brunette hung to her.
I found love in you
And no other love will do
That's why I love you.
I exchange a look with Sierra. "Do you think they're going to?"
"I think they already have." She looks back at the two of them. "I think Grace is just too stubborn to admit it to herself."
"She doesn't want to ruin their friendship."
"They're married. What friendship?" She laughs lightly. "She didn't kiss her today but she obviously wanted to. Both wanted to. I give them until the end of January to realize it."
"You got a point there."
She turns to me with a grin. "Your turn to cry?"
I scuff. "Never!"
"Baby," I hear, stealing my attention. "Your mother told me you play the violin and you are very good at it."
I still, my eyes finding my mother along the long table. She shrugs at me as if it's no big deal, but it is. I haven't touched a violin since college. I'm even worse at it now than I'm at French and I'm not fluent anymore. I'm terrible at it.
Gosh, I'm already freaking out. I lock gaze with Steph again, and she's still holding Grace. "It's been ten years since I touched one."
Suddenly I hear a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody over the speaker. I've been very obsessed with it these last few days. There's just something about rediscovering a wonderful song that makes it special. And you get to hear things you didn't hear before or forgot hearing. That's what happened. That's why I tried to play it. Ugh. I shouldn't have. My face reddens and I hide away behind my hands. "This you? This was yesterday." She says.
"That's Isabelle?"
"I do not play the violin!! You lie!"
"Then it's--"
"Not me either!" Amelia declared. I huffed. Sell outs.
Steph smiles at me. "Come on, baby. Play me a song."
A musician takes the violin out to me and I stand, reluctantly, to take it. "Fine. What do you want me to play?"
She offers me a sheet of music. I stare at it for a moment before walking up to her and taking it. I look at it and I'm nervous if I can even play the first line without messing up.😅 They carry a stand for me and fix the music sheet so that I can read it standing up. So now here I am, in a wedding dress with this useless veil and a violin perched against my neck while nearly 200 people wait for me to play.
I am about to shit myself with nerves.
I take a deep breath and begin. The tunes of the piano back me even though I wasn't expecting it. It makes me feel better. Supported. Then I hear her voice too.
One look at you
My whole life falls in line
My hand shakes a little too much making me cringe at the imperfect sound. It stood out like a sore thumb but Sloane didn't seem to mind. "It's okay." She assures with a smile.
I draw a deep breath as we do the next part.
I prayed for you
Before I called you mine,
Okay, that's better.
Oh, I can't believe it's true sometimes
Oh, I can't believe it's true
The music seeps into my soul, the words for the melodies I'm playing. It's hitting a little too hard. I understand now. Now I understand why she asks me to play. She knew it would be a walk in the park to just listen to her. I do it all the time. But when I play, it's different. When I play, I connect. It's deeper. Screw you Steph.
The way you love
It changes who I am
It changes who I am. A chill run up my spine, and I fight hard to ignore it. But every line after that is a chill.
I am undone
Chills.
And I thank God once again
The goosebumps on the back of my neck and arms rise.
Oh, I can't believe it's true sometimes
Oh, I can't believe it's true
I get to love you
It's the best thing that I'll ever do
I get to love you
It's a promise I'm making to you
Whatever may come, your heart, I will choose
Forever I'm yours, forever I do
I glance over at her, seeing Grace now by her side. She's looking at me and her expression mirrors what I'm feeling.
I get to love you
I get to love you
I get to love you
And they say love is a journey
A promise that I'll never leave
Whenever it's too heavy to carry,
Remember this moment with me
My lips tremble and I bite them to control the nerves. My throat is tight and my eyes are stinging. I'm trying so hard not to cry, but it feels like a losing battle. Her voice trails off and I find myself soloing with her tickling the piano gently in the background. Tears well in my eyes and I close them to prevent them from spilling, but it barely works. Still, I keep them close, playing the rest of the song from memory of what I've played so far.
When the song rang out, my eyes reopen and I lower the violin from my neck. My breathing is quick without reason, my throat tight and my eyes blurry. Claps went up around us, and a whistle that I didn't hear as I keep her gaze. Prolonging the moment.
"Mama," I hear.
I break eye contact with her to discover my daughter and Wren standing before me. The older girl holds a card in her hand that she passes to me. "I'm supposed to give this to you."
I gave the violin back to who gave it to me, then take the card from her tiny hands. "Love, Wren had to be here today. Today is when our first official family portrait will be taken and she should be inclu—" I pause and look back at her. She's standing there waiting with hopeful eyes and she doesn't seem worried at all. My already emotional state is crumbling even further and the tears that I kept from spilling are fighting hard to come out. I clear my throat and continue reading. "she should be included. It's only right that fifteen years from now when we're all looking back at these pictures, all members of our family are there." My throat tightens as I skip to the next line. The message is loud and clear and this part is obviously hand written by Wren. "Will you adopt me? Steph said..." My eyes find hers and she just shrugs. I bite my lip, feeling a tear flow down my cheek. "Yes. Sierra said yes. Grace said yes. W-what do you say?"
My hand with the letter falls to my side and I cover my crying face with the other one. Damn you Steph.
"What do you say, Mrs LaRue?" she asks again gently. "Will you adopt me, please?"
My blurry gaze finds her as I get down to her level. "Come here, baby." She walks into my arms, and I hug her tightly as my tears spill. "I say yes, too."
She gasps. "Really? You want me? Somebody actually—" She starts sobbing into my shoulder and it breaks my heart. "You actually want me?"
I pick her up and hug her against me. She weighs just the same as Irelee does, even though she's taller. I soothe her back. "I want you, Wren. You are wanted and now I get to love you, too."
I look towards Sloane and Grace and they're just grinning at me. Grace makes a stupid crying face, mocking me, and I wanted to strangle her for it.
Sierra comes up behind me and joins our hug. "We can do it, baby. Five kids? Easy peasy."
I laugh, shaking my head. "God, I love you. Thank you."
"Thank Steph." She whispers against my ear. She reaches for Wren. "I'll take her. I believe you need to go speak with her social worker before we head out."
"Yes. Can you go to Sierra, sweetheart? Let me go sort out some stuff so you can come home with us?"
She nods and then she's gone to the blonde. Irelee is harassing Sloane's stomach and asking Grace a trillion questions about everything. I wipe my tears as I go over to them. Sloane's eyes find me and she watches me come over. I hug her from behind, pressing my lips to the side of her neck. "Damn you, Steph."
She smiles and pats the arm wrapped around her neck. "There, there."
We spend a few minutes like that before I leave them to find Wren's social worker. If this works out, if everything works out, today, hands down, will be the best day of my life.
---------------
AN//
Only two more chapters to go.🥺 I hope you guys like this one. I hope it's not too cringy.