The XOXO New Adult Collection: 16 Full Length New Adult Stories (38 page)

The girls pile into our new acquired “family car” and buckle themselves in. We traded in both our cars for an SUV and a luxury sedan. I don’t mind driving the SUV; it’s fully decked out and completely loaded. These cars have come a long way from the stigma of a “mom mobile”. Peyton and Elle turn on the DVD player and start watching whatever movie they left in here. That’s one thing I had to grow accustomed to, a mess. Katelyn’s not messy by any means, but the girls leave stuff everyone. If I’m not stepping on a Barbie, it’s a barrette or I’m tripping over a ribbon. I love these two as if they’re my own, but damn do they need to pick up their stuff.

“How long until we are dere?” Elle says. Since we moved in together, her speech has started to falter. I don’t know if it’s because of Quinn and me or if she’s just not focusing. Katelyn and Mason did an amazing job making sure these girls spoke clearly, I hate seeing that she’s having this issue now.

“Elle, say ‘there’. Can you please do that for me?”

“There,” she whispers.

“Thank you,” I say, watching her in the rearview mirror. She smiles, but doesn’t reply. Frankly, that’s good enough for me. The relationship I have with the twins is good, if not excellent, and they know that I’m not trying to replace their dad. I just want to love and be there for them when they need me. And if that means scaring the living shit out of any guy who tries to date them, I’ll do it, because I think that’s what Mason would want.

I pull into the mall parking lot and earn a ‘yippee’ as soon as I shut the car off. Months ago, Peyton would’ve crossed her arms and refused to get out of the car. We’ve come a long way and I know Katelyn is thankful. I meet both girls at their respective doors and take their hands in mine.

As we walk through the mall, the women gawk. The last time we were here, I got hit on. Katelyn says they were flirting because of who I am. I countered that they saw me as a committed man with twin daughters and that’s what they want. She rolled her eyes, but knew I was right. I could’ve had the upper hand with that conversation since one woman sat down and proceeded to ask if I had custody and what my visitation schedule was like.

“Do you girls want to get lunch first?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” they scream in unison as I pull them toward the
Johnny Rockets
for some of the best cheeseburgers and milkshakes around. We’re seated right away and in the back, which I prefer.

Once the girls order, I get down to business. “Okay, I need your help. As you know, Quinn’s birthday is coming and your mom and I don’t know what to get him. So maybe you can help me find him something?”

Peyton pokes Elle in her side with her elbow and nods toward me.

“Quinn said not to tell,” Elle whispers.

“I know, but I think we should. I want it too.” Peyton counters.

“I don’t know, what if he says no?” Elle asks.

“What if I say no to what?” I finally cut in on their back and forth.

The twins turn and look at me. Peyton’s eyes are full of mischief and Elle’s are full of worry. One is about to spill, while the other wants to keep Quinn’s secret, which I can only imagine is going to anger me somehow.

“We’re not supposed to tell,” Peyton says.

“It’s not good to keep secrets though. What if he needs my help?”

“He’s not in trouble,” Elle adds.

I rest my elbows on the table and lean down slightly so they can look me in the eyes. “What does Quinn want?”

Peyton sighs and looks at her sister before looking back at me. “He wants our mommy to be his mommy and I want you to be our daddy, but Elle doesn’t think you want that.”

I sit up quickly, shocked by what Peyton just rambled off and say the first thing that comes to mind. “Mason’s your dad, Peyton.”

She huffs and shakes her head. “I miss my daddy but you’re like my daddy now, and Quinn wants mommy to have his last name so we can be a really real family like Noah has.”

To say I’m stunned is an understatement and how I can understand anything she’s saying is a miracle. “How does Quinn expect to make this happen?”

Peyton shrugs, causing Elle to roll her eyes.

“Quinn said it’s call badoption and since he doesn’t have a mommy and wants our mommy she can badopt him and he’ll get to call her mommy like us.”

“And you do the same,” Peyton adds.

I lean back against the bench and pull my lip into my mouth. The wheels in my head are turning, but I’d have to talk to Katelyn first. I told her from day one I that I didn’t want to replace Mason and I’d never pressure her to do anything, but I’m committed to this family. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll be damned if I’ll let her live with the fear that I’ll leave her one day in the back of her mind.

“You want me to be your dad?” I ask, barely able to get the words out.

They both nod. “We want a really real family, like Noah,” Peyton says.

“That means your last name will be James.”

“And we’d all match,” Elle adds.

“I want to match,” says Peyton.

“Do you want another brother or sister?” Katelyn and I haven’t talked about having our own, but we also haven’t ruled it out.

“Let’s not go there just yet,” Elle says, rolling her eyes.

I can’t help but laugh. I see how it is; as long as it’s just the three of them, they’ll be happy. I thought my life was perfect up until now, but knowing that these little girls love me enough to take my name pretty much defines perfection in my eyes.

Chapter 44

Katelyn

When Quinn and I get in, the house is quiet. This only means one thing: Harrison took them to the mall. It only took a few backward days for me to realize how much he wore the girls out. The mall is Harrison’s friend and mine too right now, because I’m tired and just want to curl up in his arms.

After our heavy lunch conversation, we didn’t discuss adoption the rest of the day. Instead, we raced Go Karts, bungee jumped and sat at the lake watching all the boaters. Quinn asked if we could get a boat and I said it’s something we could probably talk to his dad about.

Quinn gives me a hug when we get to his door. This hug is different. He lingers longer than usual, holding me tighter. I kiss the top of his head and press my cheek there, squeezing him.

“Goodnight, mom, thank you for today.”

I fight the emotions building and give him a soft smile. “I had the best day, Quinn.”

He smiles before turning into his room. I know that in about an hour Harrison will get up and check on him, find out what he’s reading, or if he needs to talk about anything. Their bond is beyond amazing.

I turn the handle to our room and am instantly mesmerized by the sight in front of me. Harrison is sitting up on our bed with a book in his hand. His eyes are closed, his features relaxed. He’s shirtless, and the closer I get I can see that the girls had some fun with him tonight. I sneak into the bathroom, change my clothes, and take care of my nightly routine. He startles, but stays asleep when I shut off the bathroom light. I really want to watch him sleep like this, but the urge to be next to him is too great.

“I know you’re watching me.”

I laugh as I sit down and slide up next him to him, pressing my leg against his. “I see you have new ink.”

Harrison shifts, setting his book on the nightstand. He holds his arms out, moving them back and forth showing off the artwork. “I have a new one,” he says.

“Oh yeah, where?”

Harrison moves so I can see his side. I gasp when I see Peyton James and Elle James written in their handwriting. “Is that real?”

He shakes his head as he pulls his hand into mine. “How was your day with Quinn?”

I look at him questioningly. “How do you know?”

“The girls; they told me and I figured he asked you by your reaction of seeing their names like that.”

I nod. “He did. He asked me to adopt him and I want to Harrison. I want to be his mom. I want that title. If you want me to, that is.”

Harrison cups my face, bringing my mouth to his. The kiss is slow, but filled with desire. He’s going to make love to me tonight, capping off my already perfect day.

“The girls asked me to badopt them.”

“What?” I ask, pulling away slightly.

“Badopt – that’s what they called it. I didn’t have the heart to correct them.”

“Do you want to?”

Harrison grabs my hips and pulls me onto his lap so that I’m straddling him. “I called my lawyer today to find out more information and he said we can do this within a week if it’s want we want. We don’t have to be married, unless you want to be. We can be just like Brangelina. We can be our very own Karrison.”

I lean forward and kiss him quickly. “You’re a dork, but you’re gorgeous and sexy, so I forgive you.”

“I see, using me for my looks?” he asks as he shifts, pushing into me. He’s such a dirty little flirt. “Or are you using me for my son?”

“Definitely your son.”

“Hmm, that’s what I thought.”

“I have a proposal, Mr. James.”

“Okay, let me hear it.”

“One thing Quinn said to me is that he wants me to have his last name. It was more like him adopting me, but I didn’t tell him that. He knows what he wants and I want it too, but I’m not ready to get married. I’m very happy with our life right now, and I’m not saying marriage ruins that, but you’re right, who needs a piece of paper to show me that we’re in this for life, right?”

Harrison nods.

“Right, so my proposal is this: I adopt Quinn, you adopt Peyton and Elle.”

“Baby that solves the last name thing except for you,” he says with a smile.

“I want to change my last name to James.”

“I love you Katelyn, but I can’t let you be the only one to change your name. So my counter-proposal to you is that Quinn and I change our names too, and you and the girls hyphenate your name. I don’t mind being called Harrison Powell-James, and that way we’ll have a really real family with matching names, and they get to keep a piece of Mason with them.”

“A really real family?”

He nods. “It’s what Peyton and Elle want, but as I’ve said, I’m not here to replace Mason. I’m here to love you and the girls and make sure that you’re happy and taken care of. I’m not looking to have the girls forget him or ask that he never existed. All the decisions we make regarding the girls, I hope we’re doing with his beliefs in mind. I’d want that for Quinn if I wasn’t around.”

I wipe a lone tear that falls. “You’re seriously the most amazing man I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. How I ever doubted your intentions last year, I’ll never understand.”

“It’s simple,” he says as he adjusts. “You didn’t know what to think when you first met me. I blew you away with my wit and charm.” Harrison raises his eyebrows, suggestively.

“Yeah I’m not so sure if that was it.”

“No?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No, it was how you treated the girls even after I told you I didn’t want to see you. You never wavered, even though I was being an epic bitch to you. You never gave up and never pushed, even when I was hot and cold. I should’ve never been that way with you, but I was afraid. I didn’t want to fall in love, only to lose you like I lost Mason. You’ve shown me that living with fear in your heart is no way to live and because of you, my girls are loved and we’re happy. I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’ve done for us. I love you, Harrison, and this life we’ve created is more than I could’ve ever imagined after I buried my husband. I want to take your name, but the fact that you’re willing to take ours as well means more to me than words can explain.

Harrison moves so fast I almost fall off his lap as his lips crash down on mine. He pulls me to him, removing my shirt quickly. He holds me against his bare chest as his hands roam over my body. His hands cup my rear, grinding me into him. His fingers move under my shorts, pulling them away from my body.

I sit up and finagle my shorts off while he watches. “Do you need me to undress you?”

“No baby, I’m just watching you unwrap my present.”

“Were you a good boy today?”

“I’m about to be.”

I look at him, waiting for him to continue, but he doesn’t. He moves his hands behind his head and nods for me to continue. I crawl over his body, pulling his lounge pants down and throwing them off the bed. My hands rub up and down his legs, my nails digging into this skin. He flinches slightly, encouraging my movements.

“You’re killing me, woman.”

“Hmm, well now you know how I feel each time you touch me. You have no idea what you do me. How I feel when I know you’re behind me,” I say, moving up his body. I places kisses on his hips, feeling his cock twitch against my cheek.

“Fucking hell, Katelyn, sit on me so I can fuck you senseless.”

I sit up and look him. His hands come out from behind his head. One cups my breast while his index finger and thumb pinch my nipple. His other hand hits the volume on the remote sending music throughout our room.

“Are we going to discuss what Santa’s bringing the kids?” I ask as I center myself over his waiting erection. This has been our code word for adult time, since the incident in the bathroom.

Harrison hisses as I slide down his shaft. His hands find my hips, pulling me to his chest. Our mouths meet as he lifts his hips, slamming into me. His mouth muffles my cries as I cry out.

I push up from him, enough so I can bring his nipple ring into my mouth. It’s one of my favorite parts of him. I love watching him come undone with a simple tug from my teeth. He pounds into me harder. His breathing increases as he reaches down and flicks my clit, causing me to cry out. My body shakes as I clench around him. My head falls to his shoulder as he finishes, bringing us down from the euphoric high we’re on.

Harrison doesn’t let me leave his arms, but rolls us onto our sides. Our legs entangle as he kisses me. “I can’t imagine my life without you and the girls, Katelyn,” he whispers into my hair, holding me to him. His heart beats wildly, even though he’s calmed down.

If anyone ever says you can’t feel love coming off of someone, they’re wrong.

Chapter 45

Harrison

I told Katelyn the badoption would take a week; it’s taken a month. I’m not complaining, I’m just eager to have everything settled. What my lawyer didn’t count on was a judge asking for witnesses. He wanted one from me testifying that I’m a good parent to the girls and one from Katelyn testifying the same with Quinn. We asked my mom and Mr. Powell who were both eager to help us out.