As I push open the door, his fingers tighten on mine to the point of numbness. When the door closes behind us, a blur of pink and white flashes past me, and then Arlo’s hand is being ripped from mine as a little girl wraps her arms around him and nearly tackles him to the ground as she screams his name at the top of her lungs.
“Nora,” Arlo breathes, then he’s hugging her back, squeezing her so hard that she grunts.
Face twisting in a grimace, his eyes fall closed as he drops his head, pressing his face into her pin-straight brown hair.
His expression tells me more than anything how hard being separated from her has been. My baby boy is not built to be away from his family. Any doubt I had that we could do this gets swept away as Nora starts crying, her back rising and falling rapidly as she sobs in her big brother’s arms.
“It’s okay,” he whispers, his voice choked and rough. “I’m here now.”
There are so many things we don’t know. So many things we have to figure out. My throat tightens. But right now, with Arlo cradling his baby sister, with the love between them palpable? I know we’ll be okay.
Love is everything. The rest can be figured out.
“Arlo. Jasper.” Maryanne walks into the entryway, a small smile on her face, dragging my attention from Arlo and Nora. “I’m so glad you could make it today. A coworker of mine, William, is on his way here with Salem.”
Nora still hasn’t pulled herself away from Arlo, but he lifts his head, then holds a hand out to shake Maryanne’s. After he finishes, I shake her hand too. “Thank you for working with us. I know everything was a little… rough there for a while.”
Maryanne shakes her head. “No need to thank me. Family placement is always our main goal. I was just happy we were able to get everything taken care of so quickly.” She waves a hand. “If you all want to follow me, we just have a few things we can sign while waiting for Salem to arrive.”
“Nora,” Arlo says, carefully working Nora free of his hold. She lets him, then tilts her head back to look at him. “I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
He nods toward me, and I steel myself. She turns to face me, tears coating her lashes and the same brilliant blue eyes that Arlo has. Well, at least one of his eyes.
“This is Jasper. He’s my boyfriend.”
My heart flutters like I’m a teenager and not a fully grown man. I drop to my knees in front of Nora and hold my hand out. She glances at it, then back at me. “It’s really nice to meet you, Nora.”
She nods once, then slips her tiny hand into mine with surprising strength, pumping her arm twice before letting her hand fall away.
Her lips quirk up into a little grin that looks so much like Arlo’s shit-eating one that it nearly stops my heart. “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Is it possible to love someone the second you meet them?
Her eyebrows rise, an incredulous look spreading across her face. “Your hair is very gray. How old are you?”
“Nora,” Arlo hisses.
I can’t help but burst into laughter. “Really old. Super old. I was born in the 1900s.”
Her jaw drops, eyes shining with disbelief. “The 1900s?”
“Indeed. Do you know anyone else born in the 1900s?”
Wrinkling her nose, she shakes her head.
“I was,” Maryanne says, and when I turn to face her, she’s watching our interaction with a smile on her face.
She must see some awful shit. Especially around these parts.
“Well,” I say, pushing to my feet, “we should probably start this paperwork before Salem gets here, huh?”
Arlo walks toward us, then catches Nora’s hand in his own, leading her with us into a small office.
I almost can’t drag my eyes away from the two of them. It’s been a long fucking time since I’ve been around kids in any real capacity. Staring at the two of them opens up spaces in my heartI didn’t even know existed, making room for two kids I didn’t even know were missing from my life.
Maryanne walks us through the documents, and I’m half dazed as I sign everything.
“Thank you for being patient with me,” Arlo says softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
