Chapter 20 #2
When he angled away, a shy smile curved his lips. “We’re pretty fucking incredible at it, huh?”
A huff of laughter escaped me, adoring this man before me, ego and all. “Yeah, I think so.”
“And you really meant it yesterday about changing your names?”
I bobbed my head. “Definitely, and not just to be rid of the connection with my parents, but we’re together, and us all having the same last name….” My cheeks heated but I pushed on, saying, “I’m yours, and so’s Mikey.”
Dropping his eyelids, Cassius took a raspy breath before he nodded and stared at me with an intensity that caught my breath. “I’m yours too. I always have been. I might not have understood it or known it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”
Not sure how much more my heart could take after all the early-morning declarations, I answered quietly, “I know. I also know I have to be up in ninety minutes.”
“Shit, I’m sorry.”
“No, now’s as good a time as any. At least it’s all out there now.”
We undressed and got back under the covers, wrapping our arms around each other. With my head on Cass’s chest, he stroked my hair. I sighed into his touch, so relieved we’d said our piece.
Eyes closed, I whispered, “Next day off, let’s meet with Granger and get your name on the birth certificate and the application for our name changes.”
I didn’t have time to react beyond inhaling Cass’s breath as he shifted and slammed his mouth to mine.
We kissed until we were breathless. We swallowed each other’s release as the first rays of sunlight breached the small gap in the curtains.
And we whispered words of love as the sun rose and my alarm sounded.
My exhaustion would kick my ass, but with the taste of Cassius still on my tongue and my heart full, I would have done it all again without hesitation or regret.
After dropping Mikey off with Mama T and Pop, we’d jumped on the 52, my hand never leaving Cass’s thigh. The norm over the past few weeks, but especially since a few mornings ago.
To say both of us were needy fuckers would have been an understatement. But I was here for it. Every wistful glance, every tender touch, and every single hot and sweet moment.
Since finally revealing all that was in our hearts, it was quite possible we were worse than ever with the need to be close.
It made my three shifts the longest ever, but hell if I didn’t make the most of each minute with Mikey and Cassius the moment I stepped through the front door, usually to the sound of Mikey’s happy giggles and Cass preparing family dinner.
We dealt with the crummy traffic on the way to Minneapolis and arrived in the city in time to grab a coffee from Northern Coffeeworks.
I’d made Cass stay in the car while I’d ordered the drinks. Getting bombarded by his fans would have slowed us down.
“You know, Dogwood’s much better, right?”
I shot Cass the stink eye over the rim of my coffee cup. “No way. Northern roasts their own beans. Their coffee’s the best.”
“You know I actually lived here, right?”
A thrilled pulse of joy at the past tense of that word warmed me, but I still challenged him with “And?” as we left the elevator, hand in hand. “I also know you’ve got shit taste in coffee.”
I snickered at his incredulous look. Dogwood actually made amazing coffee, but screwing with Cass was always fun.
“Take that back.”
I snorted into my drink, only stopping at the sound of a throat clearing.
Granger stood in the foyer of his office, eyebrows high and amusement in his gaze. “Ah, the newlyweds are here.”
With a gentle squeeze of my hand and a kiss to my temple, Cass grinned. “That we are.”
PDA had always been our thing. Now we were worse than ever.
“You’ve really got the old-married-couple vibe locked down.” Granger smirked and indicated to follow him into a meeting room.
“It’s like we’ve been married for twenty years,” I said, digging my elbow into Cass’s side for good measure.
He jerked away from me, only to then snag me by the waist and tug me close.
The asshole was ridiculously strong and wiry for such a big guy. I could totally take him still.
Probably.
Maybe.
With my Taser.
We jostled a little, stopping when Granger once again cleared his throat.
My gaze snapped to him. Humor twisted the lawyer’s lips as he stood, arms folded, watching us.
There was no holding back the heat flooding my cheeks. In my defense, Cass and I together often resulted in this testosterone-fueled ridiculousness. This was nothing new but likely a surprise to somebody who didn’t know us well.
Affection took many shapes and forms. And yes, we hugged and snuggled and now sucked each other off—obviously not in public—but we also had tickle fights and trapped each other in headlocks. We dared each other and got into mischief more than two grown-ass men probably should. And dads to boot.
It didn’t mean we couldn’t be sensible, but I enjoyed how we behaved with each other.
Though perhaps in front of the lawyer who was working hard on getting all the paperwork straight for me and Cassius wasn’t our smartest move.
Straightening, I cleared my throat. Professional face it was.
“Thanks for meeting with us today.” I stepped forward and shook Granger’s hand. I ignored Cass’s chuckle and low “Kiss ass” and instead offered our lawyer a friendly smile.
“My pleasure. You guys want to take a seat and we can get started?”
“Sure thing.”
As I sat, Cass and Granger shook hands and pulled each other into a small hug.
A dull thud at the action startled me. It was deep in my chest, though hard enough to rattle my bones. The hell was that?
“You look good,” Granger said, patting Cass’s shoulder affectionately as he pulled away.
Another thud and my stomach twisted in distaste.
“Marriage suits you, Cassius.”
I sucked in air, a little wide-eyed and mildly freaked out.
Jealousy? Seriously?
That it was the reassuring words of Cass being married that had me breathing again—pretty significant since I hadn’t realized I’d been so close to passing out from lack of oxygen—was a terrifying and telling sign.
The hell was I ever jealous of Cassius?
And now, when I had zero need to be since I knew his heart was mine…?
Fuck. If the asshole realized, there’d be no letting go of this. It was bad enough at the basketball game a while back. Now, he’d never let me live it down, taking too much pleasure in seeing the green-eyed monster in me.
I schooled my features, aware that two sets of eyes were on me, and Cass’s were filled with amusement and a smug arch of his eyebrow. With a roll of my eyes, I glanced away from him, determined not to give him more teasing ammo.
As Cass sat, I forced myself to look his way, offering a relaxed smile. Yeah, nothing to see here.
Studying me intently, this time with a satisfied smirk, Cass reached out and took my hand.
Fuck my best friend and his ability to know me so damn well.
At least he didn’t call me out.
Granger got straight into it, explaining the process of adding Cassius to the birth certificate and how that changed the adoption process a little. For the better.
A relieved smile split my lips, and I squeezed Cass’s hand.
“I just need you both to sign some paperwork, and directly after this, I want you to head to the clinic for a swab for DNA testing. While I don’t technically need it—”
“You don’t?” Cass asked.
“Not when you both sign this paperwork for the fertility clinic so they can release the details of the insemination.”
“So why the swab?” I asked.
“For peace of mind. While the fertility clinic has an excellent reputation, having the DNA confirmation from you”—Granger looked at Cass—“and Mikey will provide no room for contest. They’ll give you a swab to take home for Mikey too. I suspect you’ll be able to mail it in.”
That was a relief and sounded straightforward.
“The adoption can take up to six months; however, I don’t imagine it taking that long, considering all of the contributing factors. Plus, we really want to get you in court before you, Cassius, are so restricted by your schedule.”
Money, I imagined, would help speed things along. While that made me uncomfortable, not a chance I’d challenge it in this instance. Funny how double standards worked at times.
“Let’s hope the judge is an Eagles fan,” I only half teased.
Granger handed over papers to sign for the adoption, the fertility clinic, the name changes, and the birth certificate. With so much going on, it would be easy to become overwhelmed, but as soon as I’d finished with the pen and Cassius took my hand, ease settled through me.
“As you know, Mr. and Mrs. Turner were served with the restraining order.”
Didn’t we just. We’d received the news they had been a couple of days back.
Rather than feeling satisfaction, I simply felt relief. I just wanted an end to their hate-filled drama and for this to be the last time we saw or heard from them.
Was I sad?
My sadness had been swept away years ago. And I was glad for it.
The last thing I wanted was for them to take up any space in my life, let alone my head or my heart.
“And what happens next with them?”
“I reached out to their lawyer, letting them know the developments. Obviously they already knew about the restraining order. I spelled out in no uncertain terms that your parents didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Even the most basic of grandparents’ rights of supervised visits would be unlikely considering their actions from a few days ago.
Add in the paternity clarification, and if they tried to fight this, they’d be in for a long and expensive time of it.
Even then, I am confident no judge would provide them with the outcome they’re seeking. ”
“And have you heard back?” Cassius asked as his thumb worked slow circles on the back of my hand.
“Not yet.” Granger aimed his focus on me. “Do you think they’ll pursue this?”
“Honestly, it’s fifty-fifty. Either the humiliation will make them back away, not being able to handle any more, or it’ll have the opposite effect and they’ll push in an attempt to save face.”
Granger bobbed his head. “As soon as I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
“We’d appreciate that. Thank you,” I offered.
Fuck, why did I feel tired all of a sudden?
Looking objectively at the case, everything was in our favor, but I just wanted the uncertainty to end.
After that, we wrapped up the meeting, and we left, heading straight to the car.
“You want to hang out in the city for a bit?” Cassius asked as he unlocked his SUV.
A visit to his empty condo sounded tempting, but I just wanted to collect Mikey, hear his carefree laughter, and spend the rest of the day with my boys. I stepped into Cass’s space and angled up to make eye contact. “You mind if we just go home once we have Mikey?”
With a caress of my cheek with the pad of his thumb, Cass’s curve of his lips was gentle, understanding. “Of course not, baby. Let’s go get our boy.”