“Now that my mom is marrying you, I have a question for you, Rod.” Landen hesitated, looking up at me then at Juliana. She nodded her head, encouraging him to continue reading from the paper in his hand. “Is it okay if I start calling you Daddy now? I’ve never had one, but I’ve always wanted one. If I could choose my daddy, it would be you.”
Rod scooped Landen up in his arms and tightly hugged him. “Yes, little man, I would be honored if you’d call me Daddy. You’re already my son, and I will love you forever.”
Our wedding portrait is a very pregnant me standing next to Rod, who’s holding our son. It’s my favorite picture ever. Juliana couldn’t wait to have it printed, so she went to the store against Rod’s insistence she stay home away from others. With her transplant preparation starting a couple of weeks before my delivery, he’s been overprotective about her going out around strangers. She won that fight, though.
Now we’re relishing our first night as husband and wife. Rod took extra care when ravaging me and assaulting my entire body with his sensual prowess when we consummated our nuptials. Nothing is comfortable when you’re eleven months pregnant with twins, but he has ways of making me temporarily forget about my discomforts.
“Are you asleep?” he whispers into the darkness.
“No, I’m still wide awake.” I whisper back with a chuckle.
“Me too. I’ve been mulling over something I want to ask you about.” He props up on his arm behind me.
“Okay. You can ask me anything.”
“I’ve been thinking about what Landen said all day. My father was never there for me, but I will always be there for him. What do you think about my officially adopting him and giving him our last name?”
“Rod, are you serious?” Granted, my pregnancy hormones have my emotions all over the board, but this just pushed me over the edge. Again.
“Absolutely. That little boy is mine already. Look at us—he even has my same eye color. There’s no doubt where he fits in my life and my heart. If it’s okay with you and him, I’d like to start the process of making it official.”
“Of course it’s okay with me. I think Landen will be thrilled with it too. You really are the best man in the world, Rod. You’ve made me the happiest I’ve ever been. Before you, I never dared to believe a life like ours existed. We have problems to overcome, but we do it together. That means more to me than I can stress.”
“Let’s talk to Landen about it over breakfast in the morning. He’s young, but he should have a say in the matter too. He really surprised me today. I know Jules helped him write it down, but she said the request was all his. You have no idea how much that makes my heart swell with pride.”
I have some idea, because I feel it too.
Sleep eventually overtakes us and I slip away inside a warm cocoon of love and happiness. When I wake, the room is already bright from the sun streaming in. The other side of the bed is empty though. I listen for any sounds nearby, but only silence meets my ears. Rod slipped out of the bedroom and let me sleep in after our big day.
After quickly getting dressed, I head downstairs and hear all the ruckus coming from outside. The whole gang is out by the pool, soaking up the morning sun and playing games. Tracy and Kevin spent the night in one of our guest bedrooms, and they’re busy entertaining Isa with the water guns. Juliana films their escapades with her phone, laughing and cheering them on from the sideline. Rod and Landen are in the heated pool, playing water basketball. From the sound of it, Rod is letting Landen win.
I sit at the table to have breakfast and watch while everyone is busy playing. Rod spots me and whispers something to Landen. Then they both join me, smiling suspiciously.
“You two are up to something. What have you done?” I arch one brow at them both and Landen giggles.
“Us? Would we be up to something, Landen?”
“No way. Not us.” That mischievous grin is contagious. I can’t help but smile in return.
“Why are you two ganging up on me? Spill it.”
“Landen and I had a little talk this morning while you were sleeping in. I told him what we talked about last night, and he is one-hundred percent onboard with changing his last name to Stone and being my son legally.” Rod smiles, but there’s a hint of hesitation in his tone.
“Ah, so you two boys had the talk without me, huh?”
“You were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you. And I couldn’t wait any longer. Landen and I had a talk, man to man, and I explained what everything means—for him and for his brother and sister.”
“Yeah, and I asked Rod about my dad. He said I shouldn’t even think about him ever again because he’s never been my real dad. Rod said he’ll always be my only real dad, so now I call him Daddy. It feels really good, Mommy. My Daddy said that.” Landen beams up at Rod, and Rod responds with a wink.
“It’s settled, then. We’ll contact a family law attorney in the morning and start the process. It won’t happen overnight, but we’ll make sure it’s done as quickly as possible. Until then, Landen, you’re loved every bit as much as the twins are, by both your daddy and me. Okay?”
“Okay, Mommy. Aunt Tracy told me a bunch of legal stuff has to happen first, so I’d have to be patient.”
“Aunt Tracy taught you what ‘legal stuff’ means, didn’t she?” I glance over at her and recognize the proud smirk on her face.
“Yeah. She said a judge would have to review it and the courts can be as slow as Christmas.
