sounded cheesy didn’t it?” she asked.
I shook my head from side to side, brushed a kiss over her forehead, stood taking her hand and navigated us out to the deck.
“Where are we going?”
“This is just a moment I never want you to forget.” I turned my back to the ocean so she could catch the view. “Walking into that Braums and hiring you to be my date was a game changer for me. That drive to Oregon. Seeing the world through your eyes changed me. You make me a better man. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I wanted kids, Phoebe. That is until I saw you take care of your siblings. I know you wanna finish college and I know you are not ready to be a parent, but as soon as you’re ready, you say the word. Until then, we practice, practice, practice.” I winked. “If you want to be a stay home mom, you say the word. If you don’t, that’s great too. I will be your biggest fan helping your dreams finally come true.”
Leaning forward, she kissed me softly. Our lips calmly apologizing for their absence.
“Do you want to live out here?” she asked as our foreheads rested together.
“I would love to have you here. But, that’s just geography. As long as I’m with you, that’s all that matters.”
“I do have one question. It’s kind of serious.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I finally watched ‘The Godfather.’” Her lips twitched as if she were going to smile but she didn’t. “Have you ever hurt anyone?”
Immediately, my thoughts shifted to the death of Bernard Coffman and my mind shifted into protective mode. I lifted her chin so our eyes could meet. “Never,” I whispered, knowing all it would take is one phone call and Nick would no longer exist. I didn’t want that on my hands any more than Phoebe did.
Releasing a pent-up breath, her cheek rested against my chest and as my arms wrapped around her, my soul surrendered to hers—making every wrong in my life come undone. The softness and innocence in her touch slayed me. Yet, at the same time, a reconciliation in my mind came to fruition that I would indeed kill for this woman.
Epilogue
STANDING IN THE courtroom with the biggest, most content smile on her face, Phoebe and I stood before the judge hand in hand. Jake and Sloan stood next to us.
Claire and Heather stood in their dresses that Phoebe picked out for them for the monumental occasion. Their attorney stood with them. The judge was finishing her conversation with the girls.
“And you girls understand that Mr. and Mrs. Falsone will be your adopted parents. You will assume the last name of Falsone.”
“My name will be Claire Falsone!” Claire squealed. Heather nodded. “Yes, Your Honor.”
The Judge turned toward me and my bride of three years. “Mr. and Mrs. Falsone, you understand and will assume all responsibilities for these two children. That includes all financial responsibilities.” It had taken quite a while to get their mother and father to sign off their parental rights to allow the judge to move forward with adoption. Finally, after the threat of parental right termination, they agreed. Sloan had aged out and Jake decided to keep his legal name.
“Yes, Judge,” we both answered in unison.
“Excellent. I need all parties to sign here and then let’s get some pictures.”
Sloan hugged Phoebe from behind, Sloan’s hands patted Phoebe’s distended belly. “Three more months and we will have another addition to the litter.”
“Tribe.” Phoebe directed at Sloan.
“Litter. Tribe. Whatever,” she chuckled and flashed me a shit-eaten grin. “Come here, dad?”
With adamancy, I shook my head. “There’s eleven years difference between us. Let’s stick with Austin,” I laughed but still embraced Sloan in a hug.
Phoebe rubbed my shoulders. “We are both going to be prematurely gray, you know that, right?” she whispered.
“We are going to be a party of seven once junior is here. Eight if we have another. Gray hair is the least of our worries.” Moistening my lips, I brushed a kiss over her forehead then on top of her head.
Never had I ever seen a more beautiful, glowing pregnant woman in my life. Phoebe’s perfection was a ray of sunshine in a world of dreariness. Her hair a strawberry mess. That delectable nose scrunch. The way her lips parted as if she’d lost a breath when she saw me.
After a series of pictures, we all walked out of the courthouse together piling into the Escalade. The tribe-mobile is what Phoebe called it.
“Ice cream, right?” Heather asked.
“Yes, ma’am.” She high fived me as she got in. God, I loved these kids.
Phoebe’s phone started ringing. After she buckled around her belly, she held the phone so I could see the screen. Emma’s name lit the screen.
“Hey, you,” she answered.
After pulling out of the stall, I drove toward the kid’s favorite ice cream spot when suddenly, Phoebe squealed. Instantly, I hit the brakes.
“What?” I mouthed, panicking.
“Boy or girl? How much does it weigh? Details!”
Zach and Em must have had their baby. A slow smile crept over my face. I was happy that we’d all been friends for so long and Phoebe fit right in. After that day in Cannon, she never questioned Emma and me ever again. There was no reason to. Even with Mom and Dad wanting to downsize where they lived and the possibility of raising our kids in Cannon.
“OK, name?” Phoebe asked.
I reached over to rub her tummy.
“Oh my God. I love it! Ok, send us pics.”
Phoebe tossed her phone in the cupholder and grinned from ear to ear. “Baby number 3 of your clan has been born.”
“Our clan,” I assured her, squeezing her hand.
“Fine, our clan. They had a boy. Benjamin Matthew Hendrick.”
I nodded. “Nice.”
“Yep. So, Zach and Emma have a Benjamin, Grant and Sarah have a Kendall and Ryan and Ali have a Beth. We must come up with an awesome name, baby.”
Basically, Phoebe had been stressed about the baby name since conception. Actually, she was worried about everything. Hannah still helped us with the kids; hiring her was the second-best decision we’d ever made. I tried to come up with names so we could erase that stressor from her plate. Nothing made her happy yet. I’d keep trying.
Once we sat with our ice cream, she rested her head on my shoulder.
“I think we should move to Oregon,” she whispered. “The adoption is complete. I just worry about Sloan and Jake. I know their life is here. But Heather and Claire can go to school there.”
“Vito will too?” I asked, caressing her tummy.
“You mean, Sebastian?”
Tilting my head to the side, I knew my eyes widened. “That’s my grandfather’s name.”
“Do you like it?”
“Of course, I do. Do you?”
“Yes. But what if it’s a girl?” she asked.
Nestling my nose deep in her hair, I grumbled. “Can we get back to the moving conversation?”
Her green eyes rose to mine. “I want to raise them there. Not here.”
“And if Sloan or Jake doesn’t want to come?”
“We talk to them until they do. I don’t know how to live without them.”
I nodded, figuring I’d find a way to make it worth their while. I’d do whatever it took to make Phoebe happy.
“Another crew of kids growing up on Cannon Beach, eh?”
With the roundest eyes pleading at my heart, she nodded quick choppy nods.
“You know that means fires on the beach, football, sandcastles, underage drinking and young-love kisses.”
The smile that I knew would light my world until my last breath pulled fully across her face. “Everything I never had.”
For a short moment, I closed my eyes thinking about that beach. A series of memories flickered through my mind and suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get back to Oregon with my tribe. Raising them there.
“So, what you’re saying is all of our kids are going to be the next crew?”
With her ice cream cone, she tapped my nose, leaving the sweet cream on the tip. “They are going to be the best crew.”
My first crew went through my mind. Ryan. Emma. Grant. Seth. Conner. Josh. Zach. Hmm. Not sure we could be beat. I chuckled to myself, then wiped my nose.
“Let’s do it…”
Other Titles by Kristi Pelton
Just One of the Guys Series
Old Enough to Love
Finally…One Summer
My Someday
Finally…My Forever
Standalones
Pure Will
Sessions Interrupted
A Haunted Heart
Slick
Dibs
Scars and Tats
Your Honor
Convicted
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