Page 146 of Single Teddy
“You look great.” I glanced down at the twins. “So do you two!”
Santiago put his hands on the boys’ shoulders and leaned in closer. “Valentin, Niko, look who it is! It’s your classmate, Bear!”
That was another change in the past week. I’d gotten closer to Santiago during school drop-offs and pickups, and I’d also vouched for him and Joey when they applied for emergency custody. It wasn’t as if he were a complete stranger. In fact, I’d become a regular at his parents’ flower shop since my obsession began, but we’d spent a lot of time together, and I was starting to see a new friend in him.
“Bear, that’s such a cute costume! You’re the handsomest Stitch I’ve seen,” Santiago said.
“Thank you,” Bear mumbled, and we watched as the kids came closer.
I held my breath, waiting for some of the hostility they’d shown each other all those weeks ago with the whole crayon incident, but all it took was Niko asking, “Do you want to play hide andseek?” and they were thick as thieves, running around the living room, causing a lovely mayhem. Though I wasn’t so sure Joey and Santiago’s cats were happy about all the noise.
“What are you standing there for? Come inside,” Santiago said.
“Aren’t we going to take them around the neighborhood?” Teddy asked.
“Sure, we are. Let’s have a drink first,” he answered.
“Yeah. Come on. One shot for good luck.”
I chuckled and entered the house. Santiago prepared the Mezcal shots.
“Are you sure we should be having these?” Teddy asked.
“What? You can’t take your apple juice?” Joey asked and patted his friend’s back.
“Apple juice?” Teddy and I said in unison.
Santiago laughed.
“We got rid of all the alcohol the minute the kids came home. We just like to trick ourselves.” Santiago laughed.
True to their word, when I was handed the shot, it smelled sweet and refreshing. Not a hint of alcohol.
“Salud!” Santiago said.
We clinked our glasses and turned to watch the kids who were completely oblivious to our existence—or to our staring at them.
“They look so much happier already,” Teddy said.
“They’ve been waiting to have a happy home for a long time,” I said. “And they finally found it.”
It wasn’t all that surprising. I’d gotten to know both kids so much better through our tutoring. They were smart and resilient. But they were love-starved. And considering Teddy, Joey, and the others had rescued them from a horrible life, it wasn’t hard to believe they trusted their new dads already. It helped that they were both super sweet and patient with them. They were naturals.
“They look healthy too,” I said. There was definitely more meat on their bones since last week, when they’d looked weak and starved.
“No wonder. Daddy Joey has been cooking them whole productions all week,” Santiago said.
Productions I had participated in. More like devoured. Joey was a talented cook.
“We’re so lucky Dare could pull some strings,” Santiago said and hugged his husband.
I gave his shoulder a squeeze.
It turned out the ex-Navy SEAL turned blueberry farmer and Zach-aficionado knew a social worker, and they were able to help figure out a way for the boys to stay with Joey and Santiago.
It was still a long road before they were fully adopted, but at least they didn’t have to enter the system and be completely forgotten or separated.
And they could stay in their hometown. Maybe they were still young enough that they’d learn to love it too, despite all the scars it had left them.
