“Anna,” I interrupt her. “I’m about to get engaged. Don’t ruin it by reminding us what we did wrong. It’s an important day for our family.”
“Why is it an important day?” Tessa asks.
Shit.
“Because…“ I start. “Well, hmm…”
“For fuck’s sake,” Naomi says, taking Aito from Tessa’s arms, “I am not doing this for you.” She hits me on the back of the head and I fall on one knee in front of Tessa.
“I don’t want a long engagement but a long life with you by my side. You came in like a tornado and anchored me to your heart and I never want to be in a storm without you ever again. Tessa, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife this weekend?”
“Yes,” she says a huge smile on her face.
“Also,” Naomi adds, “would you give us the honor to be part of Aito’s life and make our parental trio a quartet?” Tears spill down Tessa’s cheeks.
“Of course. It’s such an honor.”
The moment is interrupted by a drumroll from Lars. Dan jumps on stage.
“Ladies and Gentleman, Oliver, the owner of the bar just got engaged and our little Aito, got a new parent in his life. Drinks are on the Devils tonight!” I shake my head and slide the ring on Tessa’s finger. We kiss through the howls in the bar and end up laughing against each other’s lips.
“It’s beautiful,” she tells me looking at her finger.
“It belongs to Sue.”
“Really?” She brings her hands to her mouth. “Are they coming on Saturday?”
They are, as well as Mark and Charlie, Quinn and Ashton, all of those guys. Even Crawford is joining us.” She bites at her lips and I know what she’s thinking.
“Andre and your sister will be there, but I didn’t extend the invitation to your mother as she’s waiting for her trial, I didn’t think it was a good idea to let her know.”
“Thank you. You always know what I need.” She murmurs against me, and like every time she’s in my arms, I melt.
“Mata,” Aito coos pointing at Tessa to get in her arms.
“Mata?” Naomi asks him. He fusses and tries to get out of her arms reaching for Tessa.
“Mata,” he repeats.
“Mata it is,” Tessa says, taking him into her arms. I’ve loved seeing them growing closer and seeing the bond he has developed with her. He’s asked for her more and more and doesn’t like when she’s not around to feed him. “Perfect timing little man, because you’re going to be a big brother soon.” She blushes.
“What?” I ask.
“What?” Anna and Naomi repeat.
She places Aito on her hip and caresses her stomach.
“It is a big day for our family indeed. I was going to tell you tonight but as we’re all together,” she shrugs. My throat clogs a little and my vision becomes blurry.
“Are you happy?”
“Of course,” I embrace her and Aito. “You are my everything.”
And she is. My everything. My world. My strand of blue in my grey skies.
But before all, my salvation.
Epilogue
TESSA
“Wolfe, Oden, let’s go! Uncle Trouble is waiting for you two!” I scream to the twins while Aito waits patiently for his brothers to be ready.
“I don’t want to go!” Wolfe whines, as usual.
“Yeah, me neither…” His twin brother adds.
“You don’t want to go play with your cousin, Van?” Those three could be triplets and get along like it.
“No! Aito is always with you,” Wolfe says while Oden nods.
Feeling my patience leaving me, Aito takes my hand and squeezes it. “It’s okay, Mata. We don’t have to go.”
“Aito, it is your afternoon alone with me, and I have prepared something exceptional for you regarding the thing you told me, and we can’t tell it in front of those two tattletales. So I organized everything with Pop, and we are going.”
“But that’s not fair! Aito has four parents and tons of siblings, and all we have is him, you and Dad.”
“Yeah! I want to call Trouble ‘Pop’ and Naomi ’Haha’! And there it is again, the jealousy the twins have toward their brother. It doesn’t matter that Naomi and Lars take them on vacation with Aito, it doesn’t matter they have Mark and Quinn as godfathers and Anna and Leo as godmothers. No… They want Lars and Naomi as parents. Same conversation over and over.
“I want to go to Uncle Dan!” Oden says, pouting.
“You’re ten. Pouting isn’t nice anymore. And we told you Auntie Anna is not feeling well these days, and Uncle Dan is preoccupied.” Getting restless is more the case since Anna has not been well at all, but let’s not give them any details.
“So we want to go with you two!” Wolfe tries.
“Sorry, buddy. Your turn is next week. Today is Aito’s day, and you can either stay here alone and fend for yourself or have fun with Van at Lars and Naomi’s. Your call, Havoc.”
Wolfe smiles. Calling him by the call name Mark gave him works every time. “And if Uncle Trouble tells me you two and Van behaved, I will let you FaceTime Twilight and LadyKiller tonight!” Pulling his brother by the arm, Wolfe gets excited. “Come, Shooter, let’s get our shoes. We’re gonna FaceTime the godfathers!”
“Yeah!!!” Oden flosses behind his brother like the dork he is.
“I wish I had a call name,” Aito, always so careful not to hurt anyone’s feelings, whispers.
“Well, depending on how you do today, I might give you your own buddy…”
After finally dropping the two terrors at the Troubles, Aito and I arrive at the track. I promised him for his twelfth birthday that he would come practice with me. Of course, I won’t speed as much as I do, but I’ll give him a little thrill. Between Oliver’s cautiousness and Naomi’s rigidity, thank God this kid has me and Trouble as co-parents, or he would have been wrapped in a bubble with thousands of rules to follow.
“Ready, kiddo?” he nods and swallows hard while adjusting his gloves. “Don’t be scared, you know I’m the best right?
