“It does.”
She frowns again. “But what about my daddy? Is he not my daddy anymore?”
This is the part I was dreading the most, because no matter how much I hate Theo, I won’t hurt Aria by telling her Theo isn’t her father.
“Theo will always be what you want him to be. If you still want to think of him as your daddy, then he’ll always be your daddy. But Jules and I created you with our love, so I’m your daddy too and Jules is your momma.”
She ponders that for a moment. “But everyone says I look just like him.”
“That’s because Theo and I are twins. We look just like each other, so in the ways people say you look like him, you actually get from me. Even though Theo didn’t help make you, you still have some of his blood in you. To everyone else, he would be your uncle.”
“So, he’s still my family?”
Hell no. A portion of his blood may run in her veins, but he’ll never be considered my family again.
I keep that to myself, and instead say, “Yes.”
She looks to Jules next. “I have a Mom now? A real Mom. You’re not just my stepmom anymore?”
Jules’s hand jerks in mine, so I squeeze hers. Her face turns red, and I know she’s fighting her tears.
“Yes,” Jules croaks. “You have a Mom. I’m your Mom. If you want me to be.”
Her eyes close in pain when Aria looks away from her and to Mom and Dad.
“And you’re still my Gamma and Pa?”
“We’ll always be your Gamma and Pa,” Mom answers immediately.
The uncertainty and fear are what do me in. That and Jules’s silent struggle on the other side of Aria. I need them both closer.
I pick Aria up and put her in my lap then scoot over so I can pull Jules to my side. This is my family, and I fucking love them with every single inch of my heart, every breath I take, and every part of my soul.
The tight threads around my heart loosen when Aria puts her arms around my neck and hugs me tight. Her innocent child scent surrounds me, and I breath it in deeply, loving the smell.
Aria pulls back, and her lip goes back between her teeth. She releases it and says softly, “I love you… Daddy.”
I have to tip my head back and blink away my tears. She fucking guts me, totally unmans me with that one word.
Daddy.
She doesn’t know, couldn’t possibly understand, what she just gave me. She gave me the entire fucking world with one simple word.
I look back at her and beam at her with a big grin.
“I love you too, baby girl.”
Her own lips form a smile before she turns to Jules. She crawls from my lap and onto hers, giving her the same tight hug she just gave me.
“I do want you to be my momma.”
A hiccoughed sob leaves Jules’s
lips. “Good, because I want to be your mom so very much.”
“I love you… Momma.”
Tears slide down Jules’s cheek, but her smile is megawatt and stunning. Another favorite of mine.