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“Yes, please send it to the email on file, and we’ll return it today,” he says. Then after a few more words, he hangs up the phone.
“Well?” I can’t hold it in anymore.
“He’s ours!” Tucker says, grabbing me and swinging me around in a circle.
“Seriously? We’re really going to be able to adopt Noah?”
Tucker sets me back down. “Yep! That was his caseworker. They’ve approved our application and just need a few more documents to make it official.”
“Oh my god, Tucker.” Tears pool in my eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. We’ve seen Noah every weekend since I got out of the hospital, and each time it gets harder to leave him with his foster family. We’re finally going to bring him home.
Tucker swipes his thumbs under my eyes, catching my tears, and touches his forehead to mine.
“I never thought my life could look like this. I didn’t even let myself hope for a life like this because I didn’t think it was in the cards.” Tucker’s words pierce my heart as I think about this man purposefully alone because he didn’t think he deserved this amount of happiness.
“You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and now we’re going to have a little boy running around. Think we’re ready for it?” I ask him.
“Definitely not, but I can’t wait.” He grins, and I smile back in sheer bliss.
“When can we bring him home?” I want to go pick up Noah right now but I know it’s not allowed.
“Stephanie, his caseworker, said once they’ve got the signed paperwork filed, we can bring him home. They’ll do some additional home visits to make sure he’s safe and in a good place, but he’ll be ours.”
“Then let's get on it!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Tucker says, grabbing his laptop. We spend the next hour signing all of the paperwork and scanning it into the online portal. I’m hoping they don’t take too long to get the papers filed. I’m ready for my family to be settled and happy.
* * *
I lookat my two boys in the booth across from me and laugh at how much Noah acts like Tucker. He’s officially been ours for the past two weeks, and he’s already picking up some similarities.
It took a little over a week for the state to officially file the papers, which was both good and bad. It gave me time to get Noah’s bedroom ready for him, but having to wait felt a little like torture.
“Did you want to go to the library today?” I ask Noah as slurps his milkshake.
“Yeah, I finished those dinosaur books,” he says.
“Already?” He just shrugs like it’s no big deal. The kid is five and already reading. It still surprises me how smart he is sometimes.
“So, we’ll go to the library, and then when we get home, Tucker has a surprise for you,” I tell Noah as his eyes grow round.
“What is it?”
Tucker laughs. “We’re not going to tell you yet. It’s a surprise.”
Noah furrows his eyebrows like he doesn’t understand the concept.
“Um… I’m yours forever, right?” Noah asks out of the blue.
“Yeah, buddy. You’re stuck with me and Natalie forever. Are you still okay with that?” Tucker asks.
Noah nods his head. “Can I call you Mommy and Daddy now?”
Tucker’s gaze flies to mine, Noah’s words having made both our eyes watery.
“Of course,” Tucker says because I can’t get the words past the lump in my throat. I just nod my head in agreement.
“Okay. So, what’s the surprise?” Noah asks, and Tucker and I both laugh at how quickly Noah passed over the monumental moment.
