AllFreeNovel
Share Us
FAMILY COURT OF VICTORIA
ADOPTION ORDER
My lungs stop functioning. Air locks tight in my chest. My face heats, a flush washing over me as my eyes continue to read the document in my hand, picking up the most important words.
Mrs Cynthia Rogan and Mr William Rogan do hereby undertake to adopt Patrice Mauve George…
“Oh my God,” I whisper, tears spilling free and my vision blurring. I want to look up, but I can’t. I just can’t. If I do, I know I’ll break.
“Rhee,” Marcus whispers next to me, and my bottom lip starts fucking seizing. My hands start trembling, so I slowly place the papers down on the table next to my plate and use the backs of my knees to push my chair back.
I don’t look up. I keep my eyes trained on the ground as I walk on shaky legs to the end of the table where my parents are standing. Waiting for me to respond.
“Rhys?” My dad asks, concern laced in his tone.
Slowly I look up, using both my hands to bat my tears away as I let the meaning of those papers sink in. Their faces come into view, and even though they are blurry on account of my stupid tears, I can still see the love on their faces for me.
“I love you guys.” I whisper, because there’s no way in hell I can manage more than that right now. And then I throw my arms around them.
Cynthia starts crying too, all the emotions of the last few months catching up with her, and a few moments later, I feel more arms around me from behind, although these arms sit lower. Connor and Archie start crying, and then I smell the scent of incense that follows Charlotte around as she joins our hug, too.
Even though I’m in this bubble with my family, I can still feel the presence of my guys. It’s like the Kitten in me can sense them. And by Kitten, I really mean my heart.
It takes me about twenty minutes to stop being emotional. Each of my guys gives me a good hug. Well, all but Ty, but our eyes gravitate back to each other so many times, and I can tell how desperately he wants to take me in his arms and show me how happy he is for me.
Neither of us are willing to push my parents’ boundaries, though. The fact that they even allow me to communicate with him, to invite him into their house, knowing what we have between us, must be hard. I know they are thankful for Ty trying to save me. So we will take what they give us, and once I’m eighteen, things for us should get a little easier.
After all the tears and smiles, we all help to clean up, and then my guys, all of my guys, decide to kick a footy around on the vacant block next to us. We only have one neighbour so far, who are on the other side of our block, and we still don’t have fences up, but with Christmas only a couple of weeks away, my parents have tasked themselves with the landscaping job while they have time off work.
It's fun watching the guys tackle each other and how they all try to take Ty down, Garrett being the only successful one. It’s a little after three when my phone rings and Lexi’s name flashes across the screen, so I answer it.
“Turn on the news,” Lexi yells down the line.
I bolt up from my chair. “What?” My tone catches the attention of the guys and my parents.
“Turn on the TV. Channel Seven News. Quick!” Lexi demands, and I rush back into the house, fumbling with the remote to get the damn TV on. It takes me a few tries, but eventually, the screen lights up, and my parents and the guys join me inside.
“What’s going on?” My mum asks.
I ignore her, trying to figure that out myself.
Then I see it. The Breaking News.
Mr Terence Hill from Fox Pines, who was recently charged for his role in a paedophile scandal in Victoria, has been brutally murdered under the noses of his police guard while undergoing treatment in a burns clinic in Melbourne.
Sources say police are baffled as to how it happened, and video footage has not given them any leads.
“What the?” Simon mumbles behind me, and I spin to my parents.
“Tell me this isn’t a joke. Tell me this is real?”
My dad nods, taking his phone out to make a call.
“It has to be real. Surely, they wouldn’t name him if his identity wasn’t confirmed.” Marcus offers, his eyes wide in shock as they remain trained on the screen.
I remember then that I’m still clutching my phone with Lexi on the end of the line, so I press it to my ear again.
“Lex.”
