Sophie (The Boss 8)

“Adoption!” El-Mudad corrected her in an embarrassed panic.

Behind me, Holli snickered. “That kid is fucking awesome.”

“Watch your mouth. You’re a mother,” Mom warned her.

“I thought you already had the adoption hearing,” Deja said, eyeing the Reverend.

“Yeah, don’t they usually do these things in court?” Tony asked.

I nodded. “They do. Olivia’s adoption was formalized last week.”

Ian applauded enthusiastically, and that got everyone else started.

“Wait, wait,” Neil said over the impromptu celebration. “We are celebrating Olivia’s adoption tonight. But we’re also celebrating something else.”

“As pleased as I am to be Olivia’s father,” El-Mudad began, “Neil and Sophie and I wanted to symbolically join our families, though we can’t legally marry. That’s why Reverend Ochoa is here; she’s from a local Unitarian Church that supports polyamorous families.”

“Not that I’m ever going to church,” I snarked, then cast a look at the reverend. “Sorry.”

She raised a hand and chuckled. “It’s fine. Would we like to get started?”

I smiled sweetly at El-Mudad. “It’s your last chance to run.”

“Never.” He slipped his arm around my waist and motioned to Rashida and Amal, who’d fallen behind.

Everyone found a bench—and the white faux-fur throws we’d provided to supplement the warmth from the outdoor heaters. Ian and Penny held a twin each and tucked the blanket around the four of them, and Olivia tried to sit at their feet to be closer to the babies.

“Olivia, remember where we’re supposed to stand?” Amal asked her patiently.

“Oh, right.” She got up and hurried over to her place behind the table. The girls clustered together beside us as Neil, El-Mudad, and I stood in front of the Reverend.

“Loved ones,” she began, opening her arms. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the love and the joy that is so deeply rooted in this family. Though we can’t seal their commitment legally, we can bless the love that Neil, Sophie, and El-Mudad share. To that end, they’ve each prepared some vows.”

“And placed a ten-thousand-dollar bet as to who will cry first,” Neil interjected, to the laughter of everyone assembled.

Little did they know, it was true, just like Neil had bet—and lost—the same amount for our first wedding.

The officiant nodded to us, and Neil went first. We’d teased him about that, attributing his volunteering for the job to his ego.

We knew it was really because he wouldn’t be able to speak once he’d lost his composure.

“El-Mudad. My love. I wish my heart could have been more open to you when we first met. But none of us were free; you had another love, and Sophie and I had…well. Cancer. I suppose the word does somewhat ruin the romance of these vows. Sometimes, I worry about what might have happened. If I had died, would you and Sophie have found each other again? What would have happened to her?” He paused, looked down at the paper in his hands, then up again. “Some time ago, I made a…very foolish mistake. And while I recovered—”

I couldn’t exhale.

“—I realized that I hadn’t worried that Sophie would be alone. I knew that you would be by her side in a moment. She wouldn’t even need to ask.” He cleared his throat. “Nor would I have.”

To me, he said, “Sophie. You already know how much I love you. I hope. Perhaps that’s arrogant of me to say. If it is, I’m sure you’ll note it in your post-game wrap-up.”

A soft ripple of laughter rose around us.

He went on, “You have saved me more times than any man deserves; you’ve guided me through so many unimaginable predicaments. And El-Mudad, you saved me when I doubted I could survive my grief. But the two of you saved each other, as well. Perhaps it’s unhealthy to cling to each other like life rafts, but what are partners for if not to drag us out of the sea now and then?

“Sophie, not long ago, you said something that at the time was...I don’t want to say flippant because, to me, it was profound. Off-the-cuff would be better, I think, to describe it.” He paused to collect himself, the way he always did when the words that would follow would be of the most serious import to him. “You said of El-Mudad and me, ‘I love your love.’ And that’s how I feel about the two of you. You both give me so much joy. And El-Mudad, your children are my children.”

“And I’m his children, too!” Olivia called out. She’d somehow wormed her way onto Penny’s lap.

“You are,” El-Mudad assured her.

“Loving me, living with me is…difficult.” Now, Neil sounded dangerously close to losing the bet. “It took me far longer than was fair to either of you to realize that I sometimes leave you to struggle in my wake. Thank you for your patience. And your presence. And for bringing so much joy to my life.”