Epilogue

CRYSTAL

Three months later . . .

City Hall

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Conti, it’s to my understanding that you’re wanting to take guardianship of a one, Maddison Elaine Conti, and make it into an adoption, correct?” the judge sitting before us asks as he looks over the paperwork.

“Yes, sir, that’s correct.” I glance back at Maddison who’s sitting with Jane, Myla and Kai. “I know she’s Vigo’s sister and in turn makes her my sister-in-law, but she’s also my daughter. I want her to know she’s mine, just like this baby I’m carrying.”

“And, Mr. Conti, you’re okay with changing the status as daughter instead of sister?”

“Absolutely, sir. As my wife said, she’s more my child than sister. Especially since I’ve raised her since the day she came home.” His voice clearly shows the desire of wanting this as much as I do.

“It states here that your parents were killed,” the judge’s eyes meet his. All my husband does is nod that it's true.

“I’ll be honest. When I first looked at this request I didn’t understand why you would want to adopt her. However, from the moment you entered into the courtroom, I then saw why. Not only did I see how you took care of her like she was your child, I could hear it in your voice you used with her along with the love that’s pouring out of you.” Tears immediately fill my eyes. He’s going to grant our request. “Can I speak to Maddison?”

Maddison looks up when he says her name and smiles at him.

“Hi! Can I come see your desk?” Before he even can nod his approval, she’s up and running to him, rounding the bench so she’s on the same side. “What’s this?” She holds up the gavel.

“Well, little one, that’s a gavel. I need to ask you an important question. Can you look at me?” Mads looks at him briefly before casting her eyes down at the gavel in her hand. And I finally let go of the breath I was holding as he just smiles, hopefully understanding that’s probably the best he’s going to get from an autistic child. “Can you tell me if you would like for your bubby, Conti, and Crystal to be your parents?”

“What are parents? Hey, Momma look what I have!” Her eyes collide with mine and my heart is now in my throat. She's called me Momma here and there, and we realized she was mimicking Myla’s children; but right now it seems like it means much more. I give her a huge smile and nod, knowing that if I open my mouth, I’ll start bawling which will scare Maddison.

“What does it do?” She turns back to the judge before looking down again.

“Well, if that doesn’t answer the question I don’t know what would. Adoption granted.” He turns to Maddison. “It’s so you can close cases. Here let me show you.”

He gently guides her to face us and then helps her bang the gavel closing the case on the adoption, and leaving Maddison laughing in excitement as she bangs it again and again clueless to just how big this day really is.

 

CONTI

Five years later . . .

 

“Bubby,” David Michael, or DM as Maddison has dubbed him, calls out to me. Groaning, I glance down at my four-year-old, hoping he will correct himself without me having to do it.

“You do know it’s never going to change right?” Kai murmurs.

He’s right, it won’t. Maddison refuses to call me Dad because like she tells us, “You’re not Dad. You’re bubby!” Her mind won’t allow her to think of me as anything else. So when the kids were learning to talk, they called me Daddy. However, it swapped to bubby, mimicking Maddison. Even though it bugs the hell out of me, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Sighing, I look down at my son again.

“Guess what,” he says with a very stern expression on his face. Looking just like his mother.

“What, DM?” I hold my breath, I never know what’s going to come out of his mouth.

“Sissy said shit!” He bursts out giving me a look like Crystal does when I’m in trouble with her.

The laughter coming from beside me has me turning to glare at Kai. Asshole is always giving me crap when one of the kids cusses because we know Crystal will be coming behind them yelling at me for teaching them how to say it.

Even if she does cuss worse than I do, it will always be my fault.

“Son, you know you aren’t allowed–” is all I can get out because right on time, here comes my wife.

“Do you know what your daughter just said?”

“Shit!” David yells.

My eyes shoot daggers at Kai as he laughs even harder. A glance toward Myla shows that she isn’t doing any better than her husband is at holding the laughter in.

“No, you will not look at them like that, Vigo Michael Conti!” She stomps her little foot causing me to chuckle.

I love it when she gets pissy. It makes the nighttime so much more fun when I spank her ass for it. I think she does it on purpose because she has been doing it more and more lately. “Are you even listening to me!”

“Momma, Aunt Britt, Uncle Roman and their little shits are here,” Maddison calls from inside the house. My groan slips out of me before I can catch it. Their children are just like their father . . . menaces. Then it hits me what Mads said and has me chuckling, inside of course since Crystal is still standing in front of me.

“Don’t you start.” My wife’s finger points at me.

Smiling up at her, I let her see the desire in my eyes. Huffing she turns, grabs my son's hand and goes back inside.

As I watch the sway of her hips I can’t help but think . . . Yep, thank God for my boom.