Christmas With The Houstons (Acceptance #4) (9 page)

Jake

She literally shocked me into silence. This is everything I’ve ever wanted but the timing couldn’t be worse—everything at work, things being so tense with us, and
holy fuck
, we’re about to have a baby. We already have a puppy but now she wants to throw the responsibilities of a foster kid in the mix?

No, not just a foster kid, she wants to adopt.

We don’t know a thing about this girl. What if she hurt Jaxson or Luvbug? What if she’s allergic? God, what if I’m allergic to her?

No, wait. Back up, Jake. You can’t be allergic to people.

“Jake, did you hear me?” April asks softly, barely making eye contact with me, afraid of my response.

She never asks for anything and she picks right now to ask for this?

Fuck me.

“Yeah, babe, I heard you. I just… I’m not sure... I don’t know if this is the best time.”

Oh hell, she looks like she’s going to cry. April isn’t really a crier. Being pregnant has changed that a little bit but on any given day, she’s a badass who makes crying her bitch.

“Don’t cry, April. I want to give you everything but the timing is so bad right now.”

She sniffles and I know the tears are coming. I don’t want to be the asshole who makes his wife cry two days in a row. Being the cause of April’s tears is never something I strive for. I’ve beat fuckers before for making her cry.

Damnit!

“I know it is, but I think we can make it work. After tonight, I feel like I understand where you’re coming from a little bit more and that’s because of Mia, Jake. She needs us. She needs a family, there’s no one there for her.”

“Is that where you were today?”

How much bonding has she already done with this girl?

“For a little while. I was supposed to meet Kate for breakfast but Haven is sick and kept her up all night, so we postponed until tomorrow. Instead, I spent the afternoon with my parents and when Marie called and asked me to check on Mia, I couldn’t say no. I promised her I would come in a few days… I just went a little bit early.”

The last thing I want her to think is that I’m completely shutting her down. Even though that is my exact intention. Pulling her closer, I lean my forehead against hers.

“How long did you spend with her?”

“About two hours, and I spent some time talking to Denise Robinson, too.”

Two hours?

She spent two hours with her and wants to adopt her?

With a sigh, I hesitate and try to figure out a way to respond. This is what I’ve always wanted and
now
she’s finally on the same page.

“I know what you’re thinking, Jake, but sometimes two hours is enough. Sometimes just
two minutes
is enough. I’ve been doing this job for years and I’ve never felt like this before. I’m telling you, I can feel it, Jake… Mia is meant to be
ours
. She’s meant to be Jaxson’s sister.”

I’ve never been more reluctant to give an answer in my life. Once this door opens, it can’t be closed. April is good at getting what she wants, and I’m good at giving it to her. This affects so much more than us; it affects our entire family dynamic.

“I’m not saying yes because I really think it’s a bad idea right now, but how would it work if it’s something we wanted to pursue?”

The light shining in her eyes is priceless.

This little girl could be our saving grace.

Or…

She could bring down our entire house.

I’m so fucked.

“First, we set up an interest appointment so you can meet Mia and see if this is even a viable idea. You have to be comfortable with this, too, Jake.”

“Alright, what else?”

“Well, I’m cleared because I’m a state employee, but you’d have to go through a background check. We’d have to apply, take a few classes, and go through a home check and some interviews.”

Damn, that’s a lot.

“All that to adopt her?”

She shakes her head. “No, all of that to be approved to be her foster parents. Once she’s placed with us, a worker will monitor her for six to twelve months as we progress toward adoption. Their responsibility is to assess Mia’s progress, or lack of it, depending on how things go. Once they feel comfortable making a decision, we get referred to the court for adoption. It’s a process, Jake. A long and tedious one.”

Of course I knew adopting wasn’t easy, but I don’t think I ever realized how many entities were actually involved.

“What if I screw up the interview?”

She runs her fingers through my hair, pulling my lips close to hers. After a soft whisper of a kiss against my lips, she replies.

“There’s no way you can screw it up, Jake. All you have to do is be your charismatic self and maybe curb the profanities a bit. They’ll love you.”

“I’m not making any promises, April. I still think the timing is all wrong but go ahead and set up the appointment. Let’s figure out one way or another if this is a road we really want to travel.”

“Jake Houston, you are the most amazing man and I’m so proud to call you my husband.”

“You weren’t so proud of me a little while ago,” I answer, laughing.

“Of course I was. I’m always proud of you, I just don’t like you very much when you act like a righteous asshole.”

“
Who
needs to curb the profanities?” I tease.

“Maybe we both do. We could start one of those jars…”

“Oh, hell no. No jar. If our children have a colorful vocabulary it will make them all the more interesting.”

She groans. “You’re going to deal with all the parent and school calls on that topic. I’m delegating that position to you right now.”

“You’re not going to tell me our kids aren’t allowed to have a colorful vocabulary?” I ask, surprised, considering I was really just joking.

“Jake,” she says with a smile, “your kids were always going to have a colorful vocabulary. Yours
and
Mike’s. Did you hear Hailey said the ‘f’ word the other day? Well, actually, she said the ‘f’
and
‘s’ words, to be exact.”

“No, I didn’t. What happened?”

“It’s actually kind of funny. I can see why they were torn about what to do. Mike was trying to put together Misty’s new desk. The instructions weren’t in English and they later found out it was missing a whole pack of screws and stuff. When he gave up, he was beyond frustrated and yelled ‘fuck this shit.’”

Sounds like Mike.

Hell, sounds like me.

“So the next morning, Lucas was over and they were watching cartoons but Grant was screaming his head off. Hailey turned up the TV really loud and Misty turned it down. Poor Hailey couldn’t take anymore and yelled ‘fuck this shit’ and grabbed Luke and pulled him into her room. Mike and Misty both had no idea if they should yell or laugh.”

“That’s funny. I would have paid good money to see that.”

“I know. Me, too,” she confesses with a giggle.

“So what did they do?”

“They laughed for a minute while she was out of sight and then Mike went and told her those words weren’t okay for kids to use and not to use them again.”

“And that worked?”

“Not exactly… Hailey said she didn’t think daddies and mommies should use those words if kids can’t, so…”

“Let me guess… Now they have a swear jar?”

“Yup.”

“Remind me to take lots of quarters next time I go over there.”

“Make that dollars.”

“Dollars? Who puts dollars in a swear jar?”

“Well… Hailey is pretty smart and because Mike and Misty have been drilling her for months about choking hazards with all the little ones around, she pointed out change is a choking hazard and it would be safer to put dollars in it.”

This is the best thing I’ve heard. Mike’s kid is going to take everyone for their cold, hard cash and she doesn’t even realize it.

“Oh my god, this is hilarious.”

“Want to know what the best part is?” The gleam in her eye is wicked,

“It gets better?”

She nods emphatically. “Oh yeah. Guess who had to pay the piper first?”

Mike would be the obvious answer but it wouldn’t be funny if it was him. Just obvious.

“Misty?”

“Nope. Good ol’ Uncle Connor.”

I bust out laughing and she laughs with me.

This feels good.

I needed this.

We needed this. 

“I’m sure he was pissed,” I say once I finally catch my breath.

She nods. “I know. Can you imagine the look on his face?”

We both laugh again. I’m sure Connor tried to pout but I can just picture Hailey holding out her hand waiting for him to pay up.

“Could you have imagined two years ago the things life had in store for all of us? We’re married, Jake, and having a baby. Connor is married and has
two
babies, Daniel and Kate have two kids, and Mike... Who would have
ever
thought Mike would settle down with anyone? Let alone happily
and
with kids?”

“We’re not kids anymore, that’s for sure. Pretty soon it will be Little League, dance recitals, and Bengay.”

“You’re such a dork! We’re years away from Bengay, but I can’t wait for the rest. Holidays filled with family and love. Easter bunnies, Santa, the tooth fairy… What if we forget the tooth fairy money?”

“We’ll get creative. I’m sure we won’t be the first parents in the history of parents to forget about the tooth fairy.”

“I don’t know how my parents did it with seven of us. Could you imagine?”

“I could, actually, but I don’t let myself because I know it’s not what you want.”  I answer truthfully.

“You’re so full of it,” she says as she scoots closer, tucking herself into me as I pull the blanket over us.

“Nope, not at all. I’ve told you I’m in this for all we can give it. You want three kids so that’s what we’ll have, but I’d absolutely have seven kids with you. As much as I want a big family, seven might be my limit.”

“Good to know you have a limit. You’re an interesting man, Jake, that’s for sure.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Always,” she replies softly and within a few minutes, she’s fast asleep. It’s a good thing tomorrow is Sunday. I’m going to find a real estate agent to find us a big house in Connor’s neighborhood if it’s the last thing I do. I’ve got a feeling we’ll have plenty of kids to fill it with after all.

Carefully, so I don’t wake April, I reach for my phone on the bedside table and send a text to Daniel.

You were right about the house. I need a real estate agent in your neighborhood. Know anyone?

Since he’s in the construction business, I figure he’d be a good person to try first. He’ll also keep his mouth shut about it. Discretion is Daniel’s middle name.

April was up early and left to go have breakfast with Kate. I’m glad they’re becoming closer. Out of all the girls, Kate is the one who has the best head on her shoulders. Not that Jess and Misty don’t; they’re just more passionate and tend to lead with their emotions and think about the consequences later. April and Kate typically think before they react, considering the feelings of others before making a decision.

It’s rare when they go out just the two of them. Normally, all four girls go out together but Jess and Connor are spending the weekend with Maryanne, Jess’s aunt, and Misty is spending the weekend catching up on sleep while Mike is around. Can’t say I blame her; I’d like to catch up on some sleep but I’ve got important things to do today.

First of which is finding a real estate agent. While I’m waiting for my computer to boot up, my phone rings. It’s Daniel.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” I pop the phone on speaker so I can pour myself a second cup of coffee.

“Maybe your luck, actually. I just got back from taking Haven and Lucas to the park and on our walk back, I noticed one of the houses across the street from the park is up for sale.”

“Seriously? A park house in your neighborhood won’t last long.”

“No, it won’t, so you better jump on it. I took a picture of the sign with the agent’s info on it and texted it to you.”

Haven is suddenly screaming in the background and she sounds pissed. I love her to pieces but damn, does she have a set of lungs on her.

“Thanks, Daniel, I appreciate it. I’ll let you go take care of little miss.”

He laughs. “This will be your life soon enough. Talk to you later. Good luck.”

Daniel not only sent me pictures of the sign, he sent me photos of the house. It’s incredible. When I pull up the website and read the stats on the house, I know it’s perfect. Five bedrooms, six bathrooms, gated pool, a good sized yard, fully remodeled—it’s completely turn-key. Even though I’m going to do this for April and Jaxson, possibly Mia, I can’t help but think about the long drive to work and back.

Although I could telecommute like a few of our employees do, I like being in the office. I love the family atmosphere of our company and spending time with my dad.

My dad is all about the future, though, and part of that is me being a dad to my kids. He worked out of the house when we were kids but as busy as he was, he never once missed a game, awards ceremony, or time to love on my mom.