Canon (Klein Brothers 2)

Fuck, why was it so hard to explain?

“But you’ll be their mom and dad, right?”

Jacinda wiped a tear off her cheek. “Honey, I don’t even want to refer to myself as their adoptive mom. Once they’re here, the fact I didn’t give birth to them or share DNA with them will be obsolete. None of that matters to me. We’d be beyond grateful to you for consenting to us adopting them, but at no point would we ever call them our ‘adoptive kids.’ They’ll just be ours, with you having the option to see them when you wanted to.”

Macy took a shaky breath and then blew it out as she steadied her emotions. “I love the sound of that. Thank you so much!”

We had four weeks to prepare ourselves for parenthood, and then we got the call in the middle of the night telling us that Macy had gone into labor. Our overnight bags had already been by the door, waiting for the moment the babies decided to arrive, so all we had to do was grab them and run to the car.

I’d persuaded Jacinda to swap out her Mini for something with a bit more legroom, and although it was still a tight fit for me, her Mercedes A-Class was definitely better. Most importantly, it was safe for her and our babies once they were in here with her.

A glance into the back confirmed what I’d already known, but for some reason, I’d needed to check—the car seats were installed and ready to go.

The hospital she was having them in was in Belton, and as we drove there through the dark roads, the excitement was almost overwhelming.

Grabbing my hand, Jacinda threaded her fingers with mine as she watched out the side window.

“Years ago, you handed me a dream I hadn’t dared to dream. I’d thought having you in my life would be too much and upset the balance and status quo of my life, but it didn’t. It just made me happier than I ever thought I’d be. Then when you asked me to marry you, I didn’t think it’d be possible to be so happy when I was so sad.”

I didn’t know what to say to the words that felt like they were now embedded in my heart. “Tonight, we’re getting a wish fulfilled, and a dream promised. Thank you for not giving up on me and for giving me so much happiness, it sometimes feels like it’s not real.”

Lifting her hand to my mouth so I could kiss it, I swore I’d continue to make her happier than she ever knew she could be.

“I love you, baby. Thank you for finally seeing me and for giving me the best gift I’ve ever received—a life with you.”

The silence lasted all of ten seconds, and then she gagged loudly. “Man, that was gross, wasn’t it?”

Chuckling, I took the turn into the hospital. “Awful. It sounded like a scene from a cheesy romance movie.”

Jacinda undid her belt and leaned across to give me a peck on the cheek as I parked up. “Just as well we’re our own romance movie.”

It took eleven hours for our dreams to arrive, but when they were placed in our arms, I felt such overwhelming love for them I could hardly breathe. Jacinda kept fussing over Macy, making sure she was okay and didn’t need anything, then fluffing up her pillows while the young girl looked at me exasperatedly.

Since we’d first met her, we’d gotten to know Macy well, and she was now like a little sister to Jacinda. Even my sisters-in-law, all of them, including Jacinda’s sisters, spoke to her and made sure she was okay. It was fair to say that she’d never be alone after this because she was part of our family now.

Glancing over her shoulder at me, Jacinda frowned and held her arms out in front of her. “How come you can hold them both at the same time, but I can only just hold one?”

“Because you’ve got tiny little T-Rex arms,” Macy teased. “Canon’s are like the mom’s arms in The Incredibles.” Just then, one of my sons made a squeaking noise in his sleep. “Have you decided what you’re going to call them?”

“This guy’s Drew and this guy over here’s called York.”

“Drew and York Klein. I love it.”

EPILOGUE

Jacinda

Fourteen years after the wedding…

Over the years, we’d added to our brood. Both York and Drew loved animals, so we had five dogs, three cats, two tortoises, fish tanks thanks to Carter and Shanti, and five ducks. As a result, Naomi’s brother, Jeremy, regularly visited because we were incapable of raising normal animals, apparently.

Whereas Jeremy had once triggered his alpha-hole-ness, now Canon and the vet were good friends.

Today, one of our ducks had been looking a bit peaky, so Jeremy had come out to check her over. Come to find out, she was doing fine, and it was just that she was about to lay eggs for the first time.