Chapter Seven
As always, Phoenix spent the day moving between the pantry and the ovens. People came and went. They all grabbed a snack, and some stayed to chat. Phoenix was pretty certain he hadn’t stopped smiling all day. He glowed with happiness, and every step felt like gliding on a cloud.
As his shift ended, Phoenix cleaned and returned everything to its place.
On his final exit from the pantry, Phoenix found a cardboard box waiting for him.
An envelope was taped to the top. He smiled like a fool as he opened the envelope.
A familiar-looking magazine recipe with a sticky note stuck to it was all that was inside.
The page that had been ripped from an old magazine was a picture of an elaborate wedding cake.
The note read, “You gave this to me when we were ten. You said I had to hang on to it because you would make this exact cake for our wedding. I bought you all the ingredients.”
Phoenix’s smile grew as he dug inside the box. Shay hadn’t been joking. He hadn’t missed a thing, even the tools he needed to decorate. Phoenix couldn’t believe he had kept that picture. Damn. He was just amazing.
Giggling snagged his attention.
Phoenix froze and strained to hear. Whispers and more giggling came from around the corner. Tobie stepped into view and carried Phoenix a yellow rose. “For you.”
Phoenix dropped to one knee and hugged Tobie as he accepted. “Thank you. It’s so pretty.”
Tobie kissed his cheek and then dashed to Graham’s side as he stepped into sight. He held a red rose.
“For you.” His mischievous little grin made Phoenix laugh.
“Thank you. I love it.”
He, too, accepted Phoenix’s hug without struggling. Before he moved away, Shay appeared with a bouquet of white roses.
Phoenix bit his bottom lip, trying to rein in his excitement. “Hey.” Even to his ears, he sounded thrilled to see Shay.
Shay pulled Phoenix to his feet and dropped to one knee. He held the roses out. “For the love of my life.”
Phoenix took the bouquet and put the other roses with it before holding it against his chest. By the time he finished fussing with the flowers, Shay held out a ring.
“It’s been us against the world since we were eight. What do you say? Are you willing to tie yourself to me for life?”
Phoenix used the flowers to hide the way he beamed with happiness.
“Yes.” He bounced a little. The boys hopped in place and clapped as Shay stood and stole a quick kiss.
Phoenix stared down at the ring and showed it to the boys.
He had never been happier in his life. Phoenix had dreamed, hoped, and prayed.
Shay had always been his, but there had been times when he had been scared shitless Shay would find some girl and leave him behind with nothing but the shattered pieces of his heart.
He couldn’t handle that. Being here, wearing a ring, and holding Shay’s hand felt like a fever dream.
He was terrified he would wake up any minute.
Pytor and Yaro appeared at the top of the steps.
Phoenix moved to share the good news. Something about their serious expressions brought him up short.
Yaro focused on Shay. “Zander would like to speak with you downstairs.” His gaze moved to Phoenix. “Both of you. We’ll take the kids to see the waterfall and climbing rocks.”
The boys each picked a leg and held on, refusing to let Shay and Phoenix go. Tobie furiously sucked his thumb. Graham had his chest puffed out even as he clung to Shay.
Phoenix and Shay dropped to their knees and got down to eye level with the boys.
“We promise you’ll be totally safe with Pytor and Yaro.”
Phoenix nodded at Shay’s vow and added his comfort to the mix. “Yaro and Pytor were very much like fathers to us when we were little. They’ll take good care of you, and we’ll come for you as soon as we finish with our meeting, okay?”
Graham’s chin took on a certain edge. He tried to look brave. “We’ll be okay. I’ll keep Tobie safe.”
Shay ruffled his hair. “I know. You’re my tough guy.”
Graham swatted his hand away, but he stood taller.
Phoenix and Shay pushed to their feet and held hands, reaching for each other at the same time.
They made their way down the stairs with Yaro leading the way and the boys right behind them.
Shay and Phoenix brought up the rear so they could make sure the boys got down the stairs safely.
On the first floor, they went their separate ways.
Phoenix and Shay shared a look before heading inside Zander’s office.
As he tended to be, Zander relaxed on the plush leather couch in his office. When he spotted them, he motioned for them to sit on the loveseat across from him. “Come. Sit with me.”
They did as bade.
Zander’s icy blue stare moved between them. His neutral expression made it hard for Phoenix to guess at his thoughts. He smiled. “You’re wearing the ring. I take it you said yes.”
There was no stopping the smile that exploded across his face. He held his left hand out for Zander to see. “Yes. I’m so happy.” He sounded like a psycho as he said the words. If anyone knew how much Phoenix loved Shay, it was the people who lived under this roof.
Zander sat forward and looked it over. “He showed it to me earlier today, but it looks twice as gorgeous on you. You two deserve this.”
Phoenix hugged Shay’s arm. “Thank you.”
Zander’s shoulders squared. “Now, all this calls for some rearranging. Nearly all the rooms on the third floor are a little more family-sized.” He picked up a file from his side table and opened it on the coffee table between them.
He plucked the pen from his front pocket and clicked it.
“This is a basic drawing of that floor. Your kitchen is here.” He drew on X on the kitchen.
Then he drew a line to a hallway and continued down the hall to the end.
Then he made three arrows. One straight ahead to a large suite and the other two pointed toward the right and left to two smaller suites.
“The bigger of the three in the center has the space you two will need to have a place that doesn’t feel quite so much like you’re living in a dorm.
” He drew a circle around that X. Then he pointed to the two rooms on either side.
“I’ve hired a guy to push through the walls of these two rooms, adding a door to both.
They should be the perfect size for the boys. ”
Phoenix’s chin shot up. “For the boys?”
Zander eyed him for a moment before responding. “I was given to understand you two were adopting them. Did I misunderstand?”
Phoenix teared up without warning. He sniffed. “No. You’re not wrong. I just worried you’d think we’re too young or that the boys wouldn’t want us as their dads.”
Zander’s expression shifted. His jaw softened.
He looked relieved and understanding. “Those boys already love you two. You can see it in their eyes. I’m pretty sure it would break their hearts if you said they weren’t yours.
As for your age, I might agree if you weren’t part of this family.
They’ll be in school right next door, and there’ll always be someone who can help while you work or have date nights.
You’re not on your own. No one could understand them the way you two do.
It only takes one look at the four of you together to see how much you two already love these kids.
A loving home is an amazing home, no matter anyone’s age.
You’ll let them be young. Give them normalcy.
You know how desperately they need that right alongside the intensive therapy they’ll get.
I’d be honored for you two to adopt them. ”
Shay and Phoenix exchanged looks. They wanted this. Shay answered on their behalf. “We’d love to take them and call them ours.”
Zander turned businesslike. “Okay. I’m assuming you’d like all four of you to have matching surnames. What name have you decided to go with?”
Phoenix didn’t even hesitate. It had to be Shay’s last name. “Armstrong.”
Zander nodded and made notes. “I’ll get started on new IDs and passports.
The boys need social security cards. I have the adoption papers here.
You’ll need to sign them all proper like just in case you ever need proof they are your children.
In this digital world, it’s getting more and more important for everything we do to look legal.
No one will ever question the legitimacy of any of this.
You two know the drill. This is all legal- ish.
While I don’t get these things done the legal way, everything I set up is genuine documentation. ”
Phoenix’s head spun with how fast everything moved. “Got it.”
Zander pushed paperwork their way. “Go ahead and sign this marriage license so I can get you everything you need in a new name. The adoption papers are under that. I’ve marked each spot you need to sign.”
Shay and Phoenix didn’t hesitate to sign the marriage license.
Zander signed below their names. “Congrats. You’re now married, but I fully expect you to let me throw you two an actual wedding. That’s my price.”
Phoenix nodded along. He barely kept up. Apparently, he was already married. Wow. He would take it.
Shay grabbed the adoption papers. “Can we take this and go talk to the boys? I’ll have everything back to you before the end of the night. It’s just important to us that the boys feel like they’re a part of this decision.”
Zander nodded absently. He waved them away. “Go. The faster you get that paperwork back, the sooner I can get all of this handled.”
Shay stood.
Phoenix scrambled to his feet after him. Apparently, they were about to ask the kids to let them be their dads. The nervousness set in. What would they do if one or both said no? He was fucking petrified.
Shay squeezed Phoenix's hand as they headed for the waterfall that all the guys climbed to stay in shape and the indoor pool behind it.
He found the boys on their knees playing in the water around the artificial rocks designed perfectly for climbing and gripping water shoes.
Tobie patted the water, sending it splashing over the rocks.
Pytor and Yaro looked their way, nodded, and left them alone.
Shay sat on the floor behind the boys. Phoenix sat at his side.
For a minute, they watched the kids in silence.
He was scared of all the ways this could go.
Phoenix and he wanted this. He knew in his heart that this was meant to be.
Life moved a lot faster than he expected, but he wasn’t mad about it.
Lightning-speed was the pace his heart needed.
He hadn’t been given time to overthink and panic.
Phoenix was already officially his husband.
That made everything right in his world.
But he really wanted this too, and he wasn’t sure he would be very good at being a parent.
There was no time like the present to find out.
“Are you guys having fun?”
Tobie ran toward them and plopped down on Phoenix’s lap at Shay’s question. He was all smiles. “Yaro said he would carry me up one day and we could jump from the other side into the pool. Splash.” He made the up, down, and splash motions with his hands.
Shay couldn’t stop smiling. There was so much rightness in his heart. He focused on Graham. “What about you?”
“I’m climbing by myself.” The tilt of his jaw said he would do exactly that, no matter how difficult it would be.
Shay nodded, taking him seriously. “Let me see them muscles.”
Graham immediately flexed.
It was hard not to laugh. He was too adorable.
“There you go. If you keep it up, you might be as big as Pytor one of these days.” That was big.
He moved on before he lost his nerve. “We want to talk to you guys about something really important. I need you guys to listen and choose for yourselves, regardless of anyone else’s feelings, okay?
This matters to us, so we want you to really think about it, all right? ”
The boys nodded.
Shay looked Phoenix's way.
Phoenix looked ready to burst. At Shay’s glance, Phoenix took over. “We have some papers right here.”
Shay held them up, backing up the claim.
Phoenix took a deep breath. “If we sign these documents, it’ll make us your daddies. You’d live with us and be our kids, legally. But we don’t have to sign these if you don’t want that.”
Graham’s eyes were wide.
Tobie bounced on Phoenix’s lap. “I want. I want. I want.”
Matching smiles exploded across Phoenix’s and Shay’s faces before turning wary looks Graham’s way.
“I stay where Tobie stays.” Belying his neutral answer, he shot forward and wrapped his arms around Shay’s neck.
Shay held him. When he realized Graham silently cried, he held him tighter and stood.
“Give us a second, guys.” He moved to where the sound of the waterfall would mask their conversation and hide Graham’s tears.
When he sat down again, he tried to soothe Graham.
He rubbed Graham’s back and rocked from side to side.
“I’ve got you, buddy. Phoenix and I will keep you safe from here on out.
We love you guys. It’s okay to be a kid now. We’ve got you from here.”
He felt Graham nod.
Shay hugged him tightly one more time. “Do you want to wipe your face before we go sign these papers?”
Graham nodded against his neck again. He pulled away, and Shay used the tail of his shirt to clean Graham’s face.
“Are you ready?”
Graham nodded.
Shay stood and took his hand. Together they walked back to where Tobie sat on Phoenix and talked a mile a minute. Phoenix looked engrossed. Love swelled in his chest.
The pair looked his way.
Tobie stopped smiling. “Are you okay?”
Graham ran ahead of him and hugged Phoenix before answering. “I'm fine.”
Tobie didn’t look convinced, but he forgot about Graham’s red eyes and nose the minute Shay picked up the papers where he had dropped them.
“Okay.” He dug the ink pen from his back pocket. “Oops. Hopefully, I don’t have ink all over my butt. I forgot about this guy.”
The boys giggled.
Shay set the papers on the floor in front of him and signed and initialed every place highlighted on both the boys' paperwork. When he finished, he passed everything to Phoenix.
Tobie moved from his lap so Phoenix could sign.
Phoenix did his part. “There. It’s done. We’re a family.”
Tobie started dancing.
Graham looked shell-shocked. “That’s it? We got parents?” He looked Tobie’s way. “We got parents.”
They held hands and jumped up and down together.
Tobie hugged Graham. “We get to stay together.” Even though he whispered the words, they were close enough that Shay heard him.
He looked at Phoenix. They locked eyes. An entire conversation passed between them without saying a word. In a minute, they would hand these documents to Zander, and they would be a family. Holy shit.