Page 87 of The Finding Series: Vol. 2

“You should see my family. They make this one look like a straight line.”

I chuckled, but my humor fled as my eyes connected with Beck’s and we got stuck in time. “I’d like that,” I finally said and I realized it was the truth. I’d give my right arm to learn even a little bit of what made the young man tick. “You have pictures?” I asked softly.

Beck was quiet for a moment as he seemed to consider me. Finally, he nodded and reached for his phone and a tremor of excitement shifted through me. But before he could unlock the phone, we heard Champ let out a short bark. I looked up and saw the dog nudging at Hunter’s hands as Hunter stood frozen, his phone hanging loosely in his fingers.

“Hunter,” I said as I hurried towards him, concerned about how pale he looked. “Everything okay?” I asked. Beck went around to Hunter’s other side and carefully pulled the phone free of his lax fingers.

Hunter looked up at me and I saw a shimmer of tears in his eyes. “What?” he asked. It took him a moment to return to the present and then he let out a little laugh. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m fine…really.” He swiped at his tears and shook his head. “Happy tears,” he whispered as he pointed to the wet tracks on his face.

“So, everything is okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “Better than okay,” he murmured softly and I finally saw his eyes brighten and color began to return to his skin. “Um, that was the adoption agency Roman and I have been working with.”

“You’re adopting?” Beck asked gently.

Another nod from Hunter who finally sucked in a deep breath. “Last fall Roman and I went to Mississippi to meet a young woman who was considering putting her child up for adoption. She picked us, but when we went down there when the baby was born, she changed her mind. We…we were heartbroken.”

I nodded in understanding and I saw Beck put his hand on Hunter’s arm.

“We weren’t sure we wanted to go through all of that again,” Hunter explained.

“Understandable,” Beck said. “You lost a child.”

Hunter nodded. “Yeah…I mean, the baby was never technically ours, but…”

“But you still grieved the loss,” I finished for him.

“We did. The agency called us the night before we were supposed to go home and asked us if we were interested in maybe adopting an older child. They told us about a little girl in Texas. The agency had handled her adoption when she’d been a baby, but her parents split up. The adoptive father took off and the adoptive mother was having mental problems so she contacted the agency to help her find the girl a new family. We decided to go meet her…Allie…her name is Allie. She’s three.”

I nodded and cast a glance at Beck who was still gently stroking Hunter’s upper arm.

“We knew she was meant to be ours the second we met her. Since it’s an out-of-state adoption, it’s been a lengthy legal process,” Hunter explained. “But…”

He looked at the phone in Beck’s hand and stared at it for a long moment. “She’s ours.”

I sighed in relief and I saw Beck’s arm go around Hunter as he handed him his phone.

“Congratulations, Daddy,” I said with a smile and Hunter’s eyes widened.

He nodded and then laughed. “I need to tell Roman.”

“Go,” Beck said.

Hunter smiled and then wiped at his eyes one last time. “You guys will be okay getting back to the barn?”

“We’ll be fine,” I said quickly. “Go find your husband.”

At that exact moment, the sliding doors to the lodge opened and Roman and Quinn exited the building, deep in conversation. But as soon as Roman’s eyes met Hunter’s, the conversation ceased and Roman was striding towards us.

“Hunter,” he said with concern and I realized he’d seen his husband wiping at the remnants of his tears.

Hunter didn’t say anything as he closed the distance between him and his husband and then they were wrapped around each other.

“Hunter, baby, what is it?” Roman whispered as a sob tore free of Hunter. “You’re scaring me.”

Hunter pulled back enough so his husband could grip his face. He let out a wet laugh and whispered, “She’s ours, Roman. We have a daughter.”

Roman stood frozen for several long beats until he managed to get out, “We’re fathers?”

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