Page 29 of The Forever Game

That burst of pleasure explodes in my chest again, and I bite my bottom lip. We got the call a few nights ago. It’s miraculous, because adoption takes a long time. We’d been warned that it would take months for everything to go through, but then it happened.

A teenage mother in Boulder is looking for a young couple to adopt her baby. We’re due to meet with her on Tuesday, and I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. I know I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, but the adoption agency were so positive when we spoke with them on the phone.

“You two will be perfect, and the mother really likes you. We’ll set the meeting up and go from there. I know I can’t promise anything, but this is looking really good.” She was thrilled for us.

I’mthrilled for us. This is happening so much faster than I thought it would, and I’m giddy. The day she called, I popped out and bought a couple of small outfits. I couldn’t help myself. Liam and I are getting a newborn. That little girl is going to be ours right from the outset, and it’ll be amazing.

I can’t wait to tell Caroline that we’ll be raising daughters together. Our babies will only be a few months apart.

Billy walks back in with a kid-sized broom while Liam trails him with a bucket and mop.

“We’ll start with the countertops,” Liam tells him. “Let’s brush all of this off onto the floor, and then we can clean that up, okay?”

Billy nods, his enthusiasm waning as he looks at the huge mess he made.

“You made it, kid. You gotta clean it up.” Liam winks at him. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

With a little frown, the three-year-old takes the cloth I just wet for him and starts wildly wiping the counter. I laugh and stop him, showing him how to do it properly. He’s pretty good at copying me, so when Troy’s cries come out of the baby monitor, I offer to go and check if Caroline needs my help.

“Okay.” Liam brushes his lips across mine just before I walk out of the room.

I smile, the simple gesture making my lips tingle. I love my husband so damn much. And I’m going to love him even more watching him raise our daughter.

“Caroline?” I softly call when I reach the top of the stairs.

“In here.” She sounds out of sorts, and when I step into the room and get a whiff of what just came out of Troy, I understand why.

“Wow.” I pinch my nose.

“I know, right?” Caroline blows a curl off her cheek. “He’s definitely Casey’s kid!” She gags, pulling a face that makes Troy giggle, while wrapping up the diaper and shoving it into the bin.

She doesn’t laugh along with her son, and I feel sad that she’s having such a bad day. It’s obviously gotten the better of her, and I think I get it. Kids can be hard work. But she’s got babies to love and cherish. Isn’t that the best thing in the world?

I clamp my lips against saying that to her, smiling down at Troy and drawing circles on his tummy while Caroline gets out a fresh change of clothes for him.

She starts wrestling them onto his squirming body, and I can’t help laughing at Troy’s sweet smile.

“You are too cute, little one.”

His smile grows, drool dropping off his lower lip. Caroline catches it with a cloth and shakes her head. “These fresh clothes will be dirty in five minutes, I guarantee it.”

“You must be doing laundry constantly.” I laugh.

“Yep, my washer and dryer get a workout, that’s for sure.”

She picks Troy up, standing him on the changing table. He stamps his little feet and bobs up and down, making it hard to pull his pants up. Finally, he’s good to go, and she perches him on her hip, his little leg curling around her extended belly. “So…” She looks at me. “It’s nice to see you. How’ve you been?”

“Yeah, good.” I look at her, then glance away with a soft cringe. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to see you.”

“I get it.” She nods. “Really.” Squeezing my shoulder lightly, she gathers up Troy’s dirty clothes and pops them into the hamper.

“I hear you’re having a girl. Congratulations. You must be over the moon.”

“Yeah, it’s exciting.” Caroline sounds anything but excited. She winces as Troy grabs a handful of her hair and gives it a tug. “Ouch.”

He laughs like it’s funny, and she takes his hand, detangling his fingers from her hair. Her messy bun is now total chaos, clumps of hair sticking out on the side. I can tell it’s taking major effort for her to stay calm. Her eyes are glistening as she tries to smooth her hair back. Troy is bobbing on her hip, wiping his drool across her shoulder before squealing right in her ear. Popping him onto the floor, she rubs the top of his head before he toddles across the room toward me.

I crouch down to greet him while Caroline frowns, retying her hair and trying to wipe Troy’s drool and snot off her shirt. She gives up, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

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