Key to Hell (Hell Night 4)

I can’t tear my eyes away from them. They’re both so precious. Unfortunately, Aziah grabs my hand and forces me to walk to the entrance to the kitchen. We’re far enough away where Joseph won’t hear us, but still in viewing distance.

“Neither of their dads are in the picture,” Aziah starts. “The mom was a drug addict. She had copious amounts of heroin in her system when she delivered Angelina at only thirty-four weeks. She left the hospital the next day, leaving Angelina behind. She was found dead in an alleyway a couple of days later. It was a week before they found Joseph staying with one of the mom’s druggy friends.”

“Oh my God.” I cover my mouth with my hand. “Those poor babies.”

He tugs me closer by my hand, one arm loosely settling around my waist.

“The heroin use affected the development of Angelina’s heart. She has a ventricular septal defect; a hole in her heart.” Tears immediately fill my eyes, and my chest tightens painfully. “The hole is small and the doctors are hopeful it’ll close on its own, but because of that, the chances of her being adopted are slim. Most couples want a healthy baby. Joseph may be young, but he’s fiercely protective of his little sister and has become hysterical when someone mentions him being taken away from her and adopted into a family.”

I look over at the brother and sister in the living room. Joseph is on his knees, a smile on his face as he makes funny faces at Angelina. He bends down and wiggles his nose in her stomach, making a growly sound. Little Angelina kicks her tiny legs, her gummy smile big as her brother plays with her. It’s plain to see Joseph loves his little sister very much. My heart aches to reach out to them. To hold them and protect them both.

It makes me sick and shoots hot anger through me at the thought that Marco and Gabriela almost had her in their clutches. And poor Joseph almost lost his baby sister and would have probably never known the horrors she would have endured.

Aziah’s hand runs up and down my back soothingly. “They’re ours if you want them,” he says quietly.

I close my eyes, letting his words sink in. I had hoped that’s where this was leading, but was still fearful it wasn’t.

I tip my head back and look at him, tears swimming in my eyes. My voice is scratchy and my throat feels like there’s something lodged inside it when I say, “Want them? I already love them.”

He wraps both arms around me and lifts me up, pressing his lips to mine in a sweet but brief kiss. Once I’m on my feet, I glance at Joseph and Angelina before bringing my eyes back to Aziah, gazing at him in wonder.

“How is this possible? I thought it took months to adopt a child. And don’t I have to sign papers or something? I thought they only allowed married couples to adopt?”

“We’ve made a lot of friends over the years. Through them, we were able to cut corners and speed things along. And we have an appointment for you to go sign the papers tomorrow. As far as being married….” He cups my cheek, his black eyes looking deeply into mine. “Due to the chances of Angelina being adopted being so slim and the influence of a friend, we were given special approval. But… I hope one day….”

I’m already nodding, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Yes. I’d marry you tomorrow at the courthouse if you wanted to.”

He shakes his head. “No. You deserve so much more than a simple courthouse wedding.”

“I’m going to be a Momma,” I marvel. It’s been one of my biggest dreams, and then one of my greatest grievances when I thought I would never have children.

“You’re going to be a wonderful momma.” I smile so big I worry my face may split in two.

“And you’ll be the best father.”

His brows dip, as if he’s unsure I speak the truth.

I get up on my tiptoes, putting our faces closer. “You wanna know why I know you’ll be the best father?” He jerks his chin up. “Because you had one of the worst childhoods. You were abused in every way imaginable. You know how much it hurts. You’ll know how to love them unconditionally.”

He crushes me to him, his arms tight around my waist. I hold him just as securely. When he lets go, I turn in his arms and lean against his chest.

My heart is fuller than it’s ever been before as we both watch our new little family.

EMO

I SIT ON THE BLANKET, my knees bent and my legs spread to accommodate Rella. She’s holding Angelina up under her arms, helping her stand on her thighs. She coos at the little girl, every sound she makes filled with love. To say being a mother came natural to Rella i

s a big understatement. She took to motherhood like she’s been doing it for years. And both children absolutely adore her.

“You’re doing so good, Angel,” Rella praises. “Momma’s so proud of you.”

Angelina grins and starts bouncing up and down, making Rella laugh.

The paperwork is complete. I brought Angelina and Joseph home two months ago. A month after that, everything was finalized. Joseph and Angelina Williams became Joseph and Angelina Masters. They were officially ours. Rella cried like a baby when I handed her the papers. I felt a huge sense of pride and honor.

The next day, Joseph called Rella Momma for the first time. Of course, she cried like a baby again. We don’t know a lot about his past with his mother, but since she was a heroin addict and lived from one house to another, we have a pretty good guess that his life wasn’t good. As far as we can tell, there wasn’t any type of physical or sexual abuse. Thank fuck.

“Hey, Mom, Dad!” Joseph calls, and we both look at him a few feet away. It’s still strange hearing him call me Dad. In a good way. “Can I go play in the sandbox with Lewis?”