Page 69 of Coming Up Aces

Christmas morning, Gran was up early, preparing breakfast, when Rayna came downstairs with Aria. “Good morning.” Gran set down the spatula, and once Rayna had the little girl in her highchair, kissed her dark curls. Aria pounded on the tray, bouncing. Rayna walked to the pantry and grabbed the round oat cereal, placing a few in front of her daughter.Her daughter.Yep, that still hadn’t sunk in yet. Instead of grabbing a handful, Aria pinched one piece between her chubby thumb and pointer finger, then placed it in her mouth. She nodded her head as she chewed, grunting at its goodness.

Arlo, a.k.a. Arson, and Cora had already bought a bunch of presents for the kids. Rayna and Asher added a few of their own but didn’t go overboard. They were piled under the tree, waiting for River to wake up and see what Santa brought. Asher was waiting upstairs for the boy as was his habit. He didn’t want River to be alone when he first woke. He also made sure River hadn’t wet the bed. If he had, he would get him cleaned and changed before they came downstairs.

It was a learning curve for everyone involved, but Rayna wouldn’t change anything about it other than wishing she couldtake away River’s confusion and sadness. All she and Ash could do was love the kids and give them the tools necessary to move forward without their biological parents. After the adoption, they sat with River and Aria, playing on the floor, and explained how they were now the kids’ parents. That they were a family. It was a lot for the little boy to take in, but he asked Asher, “Do I call you Papa and Momma now?”

“If you want to.” That’s what he had called Arlo and Cora. “Or you can call us Dad and Mom, or anything else you pick. Just know we love you very much, so it doesn’t matter what you choose.”

As of that moment, River hadn’t called them anything, so when he ran down the stairs ahead of Asher, he rushed into the family room where the tree was and yelled, “Momma Ray, look! Santa comed!”

Rayna’s eyes filled with tears, but she wiped them before meeting her son in front of the tree where his presents were on one side with Aria’s on the other.

“I see that.” Rayna felt Asher behind her before he wrapped his arms around her.

River grabbed one of the miniature cars and pushed it along the track. “Daddy, will you play with me?”

“I sure will, Buddy.” Asher kissed Rayna’s temple before dropping to the floor beside their son.

From the kitchen, Aria banged on her tray, yelling, “Mama!”

“I think you’re being summoned.” Asher smiled, his eyes glassy.

Rayna went to the kitchen and lifted Aria from her highchair, then took her to the family room and placed her on the floor next to her toys. Gran followed with her phone so she could take pictures and video. Aria toddled into the middle of her things, plopped down, and chose a stuffed rabbit. “Bun?”

“Yes, that’s your bunny.” Rayna sat next to her daughter. Aria passed the bunny over, then grabbed another present. This one was a hardcover book featuring animals. Aria climbed into Rayna’s lap and patted the book. Rayna opened the cover, and as she pointed out each baby animal, Aria did her best to mimic the names and the sounds they made after Rayna made the noises. The kids played with their new toys for an hour before Gran announced breakfast was ready.

“Pancakes?” River asked.

“With smiley faces,” Gran assured him. River loved bananas on his, so Gran added them in fun ways. Rayna had always been grateful for her grandmother, but having Fern help her and Asher with their new family gave Rayna insight into how Fern had dealt with Rayna as a small child. She was loving and patient. She wore a perpetual smile and gave the best hugs. Even Asher got in on Fern’s embraces.

A few hours later, they were getting ready to go see Glory, Ripley, and his parents, when Gran’s phone rang. Rayna figured it was Regina, but after a few minutes, Fern’s raised voice carried from downstairs.

“Why would I tell you I moved, Colette? You haven’t been a part of my life in years.”

Rayna wondered why her mother was calling now. She hadn’t spoken to the female in… Damn, she couldn’t remember how long it had been. Five, six years?

“Rayna’s fine. Actually, she’s better than fine. She has a wonderful mate and two beautiful children.”

Rayna hadn’t bothered letting Colette know about her new status of being unemployed, married, moved to a new town, anything. She didn’t feel her mother had a right to know. She also hadn’t informed her of her new phone number, so Colette couldn’t contact her if she wanted to.

“Why would she tell you? You abandoned her a long time ago.” After a beat of silence, Fern huffed, “No, I’m not telling you where she is. If Ray wanted you in her life, she would have called you herself. I have somewhere to— Don’t you threaten me. You have no idea the family Ray and I have now. Stay the hell away from us, or I promise things won’t go your way. Ray is my daughter, not yours. You gave up the right to make demands when you left her with me to traipse around the world seeking fame. So go back to your friends, if you have any, and leave us the hell alone.”

Asher and River met Rayna in Aria’s room where she was getting the girl’s coat on. “You okay?”

“I’m better than okay. I have the best mate in the world, two beautiful children, and the fiercest Gran in existence. What more could a girl ask for?”

Epilogue

Ace

10 Years Later

Ashton giggled whileblowing on Ace’s fingernails. His six-year-old daughter thought it was hilarious to paint her papa’s nails. “You’re next, Uncle Rip.”

Ripley wiggled his hand. “Gracie got there first,” he said, showing off his own daughter’s artwork. Where Rip’s were navy, Ashton had chosen forest green for Ace. Just like the two males, their youngest were thick as thieves, having been born two months apart.

Gracie ran up to Rip, dropping a small snake onto his lap. “Isn’t it cute?”

Rip rolled his eyes and picked the reptile up, jabbing toward his daughter’s face. “You’re cute.” Gracie laughed, grabbed the snake in one hand and Ashton’s hand in the other.

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