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“Thank you! He’s really ours?”
“He is,” said Hannah.
“That’s my other Christmas wish come true! Scooter! Come here, boy!”
Grady had to swallow as he watched the puppy succumb to her hugs and lick her face.
Jacob cocked an eyebrow at them.
“It’s Scooter’s adoption papers,” Hannah explained. “Ava’s always wanted a dog, and since we’re going to be a family, and he’s our family dog, Ellen drew up the adoption papers with all our names on them.”
Jacob nodded and Xander laughed. “Awesome.”
“Congratulations.”
“Wait a minute.” Grady saw the moment realization dawned on their faces. Jacob’s gaze went to Hannah’s finger, and Xander looked at him.
He nodded, and Hannah held her hand up. “Grady asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
Both brothers hugged Hannah and shook Grady’s hand. Scooter jumped around them all, trying to join in the excitement. It took a minute before he realized that Ava wasn’t joining in the celebration. She was sitting on the sofa, reading Scooter’s adoption papers with a sad look on her face.
He went and squatted on the floor in front of her. “What’s up, Pixie?”
The others had followed, and she looked around at them with big sad eyes. “Nothing.”
Shit! His heart started to pound. He’d thought she was going to be so happy about all of this, but something was upsetting her.
To his surprise, Jacob squatted down beside him and cocked an eyebrow. Grady wasn’t sure that he wanted him butting in, but Ava was looking at him.
“Would you mind if I tell them what you told me, Ava?”
Her eyes grew bigger, and Grady’s heart sank. He thought that she told him everything. Thought she trusted him. But she’d told Jacob something that she hadn’t told him. When she nodded, he held his breath as he waited.
Hannah had come and sat down beside Ava and Xander squatted down next to Jacob.
Jacob rested his hand on Ava’s knee. “It’s okay, Ava. I think it’s all going to work out.”
“What is?” Grady needed to hear.
“Scooter is officially part of your family now because you adopted him. And there’s a mean girl at school who told Ava that she doesn’t have a real family because you’re her uncle, and she doesn’t have a mommy and daddy.” He held Grady’s gaze. “And because she’s not even adopted.”
Grady sat on the sofa and pulled Ava onto his knee. He wrapped his arms around her, and Hannah took hold of her hand. “You know it was always the plan for me to adopt you one day, right? But because I’m your uncle it was okay for me to be your guardian while we figured things out.”
“Yes.” Her eyes swam with tears when she looked up at him. “But I don’t want to you to be my guardian or my uncle. I want you to be my daddy.” She looked at Hannah. “And you to be my mommy.”
Hannah squeezed her hand and nodded at Grady. “And we want that, too, Ava. Now that we know that we’re a family, we can make it happen. We can make it official and adopt you and get the piece of paper. I want to be your mommy and we know that Uncle Grady’s already a good daddy.” She smiled. “And now you have these two goofballs as uncles, too.”
Grady swallowed again as he looked at Jacob and Xander both smiling at his niece. She’d never known her father, so if she wanted him to be her daddy, he would. And she needed a mom. He closed his eyes, wishing that Kayla was still here. But she wasn’t. He didn’t think that Ava would ever forget her, but she needed a mom who was here with her, to love her and live with her as she grew up. And he couldn’t imagine anyone better than Hannah.
Xander got up and walked away. They all watched as he took some discarded wrapping paper and tore it up into three pieces. He wrote on each of them and came back and held one up.
“I know this isn’t official yet, but I don’t want to wait.” He gave the paper to Ava and handed her a pen. “I already signed my bit. Do you want to sign it and make it true?”
Grady had to swallow again as he read what Xander had written - in big, clearly printed letters for Ava’s sake.
I, Xander Jacobs, on this day, December 25th, declare that Ava Pierce is and always will be my niece. I will love her and take care of her. I swear to fulfill my uncley duties to the best of my abilities for the rest of my life.
He’d scribbled his signature underneath that, and the next line was for Ava.
