BRIAN
Watching Emmett and Drew fall in love with their daughter made me wish the new baby was already here. Emmett named her Samantha, saying Sam would never be her father, but he had given he and Drew their daughter. Drew told us there would never be a shortening of her name, regardless of Emmett’s sentimentally crazy ideas. Cameron was jealous that he was now sharing all his people with the baby, but Drew and Emmett made sure he knew they still loved him. Which I explained did not include any more animals that seem to think my spring collection was a rag to shred. Cameron saved Monty, just by batting his baby blues at me. I was a slave to my kids. Justin rewarded my patience later that night, and again the next morning when a delivery driver showed up with replacements for everything Monty almost died for.
We’d all gotten through Michael finally facing the charges for what he tried to do to Justin. Then Lindsay learned she wasn’t getting off as easy as she thought she was. Instead, the judge, who wasn’t interested in what she claimed she didn’t know, told her she set the stage and therefore aided and abetted Michael and Kip. She didn’t receive probation, but instead got two years, with the possibility of parole in a year. It was interesting how the judge decided Michael’s and Kip’s sentences. Although Kip’s wasn’t as harsh, he wasn’t walking away, regardless of his help. Michael already had a five year sentence, for arson. The judge tacked on the full sentence he could give, twenty-five years, since it was the most he could give Michael for conspiracy to commit a felony. We left the courtroom after testifying, I didn’t like Justin having to be near Michael or Lindsay for any length of time. When the sentencing was being held, we had other plans, but we put them on hold until this was over.
My life without Deb or Michael, while different, was better. The kid who had depended on them was no longer a part of the man my husband loved enough not to give up on. After everything was over, I didn’t feel the way I did the first time. Justin and I talked about everything without it feeling like we had to be careful about what we said.
Mel took us up on our offer to watch Jenny when she wanted to have a night out, and Hunter was busy with school. She told us she wasn’t ready to run back into a relationship, and decided to let the old Mel out. She was the queen of Ladies Night at Babylon, which she enjoyed for a while. Her old girlfriend came to town, offering to help Mel celebrate her escape from burb hell. Gus liked Leda, but Jenny wasn’t ready for Mel to bring someone else into her life.
Jenny spent time with Dr Turner to work through her anger at losing her mother, but not Michael. Mel and Dr Turner agreed she needed to know everything, because Jenny was including Deb in her life. Deb’s version and the real one could sometimes get blurred. Deb wasn’t defending what Michael did, and didn’t say anything in front of Jenny. It was just better Jenny knew what happened, in case Deb reverted. Something she did now and then, according to Hunter and Ryan.
Nick, while not understanding Deb, did understand after his sons were born that sometimes you can’t be rational when it comes how you love your kids. Nico and Grant turned Nick the Super Seal into Pushover Dad the minute they came screaming out of a screaming Daphne. Sailors had nothing on her.
Ted and Blake showed up more often than not with Max in tow. His brother Jason finished getting his GED and Ryan helped him get started on college, which meant less time to be a father and brother to Max. Ted suggested letting them take over guardianship of Max, so Jason could concentrate on getting his degree and he agreed. Ted told Justin they really didn’t see having kids but Max grew on them. They moved into a house not far from ours and Max would show up here, saying Cameron didn’t care where he came from. Which made it easier on Gus, because he was going to move into the loft when summer was over. Max was in awe of Gus, not that my son noticed, since Super Seal was still who Gus wanted. Gus and Hunter did make a point of including Max when Luke and Terry wanted to do game weekends.
Justin and I agreed not to find out the sex of the baby, knowing that it really didn’t matter to us. While a daughter was always in the back of my mind, a son wouldn’t be any less wanted. We used the same egg donor as we had used for Cameron because even though this one would be from my samples, chemo didn’t spare me on that, we wanted the kids to be related to each other. Emmett and Drew brought Samantha around to help Cameron in dealing with having a baby around, since he was used to being the only baby in the family. Cameron took a while to come around, but eventually decided they were friends when Samantha giggled and cooed anytime Cameron looked at her.
When we left to bring the new baby home, Gus stayed with Cameron. He told us he and Cameron needed some brother time before they had to share each other with the new one. At the hospital Jen was waiting with Molly and Daphne for us to bring out the baby they could only watch through the nursery window. The minute I laid eyes on the future heartbreaker, I smirked. Because like I said, a daughter.
Justin and I debated names for either boy or girl. While I had a few for boys, I really stuck to girl names. Justin and I both agreed on one for each, Gavin for a boy and Anna Marie for a girl. The names we picked only had one requirement, it wasn’t picked to honor anyone. Anna barely made a noise when I picked her up, just sniffled before staying asleep. Mel handled signing off on everything for us, since neither of us could pay attention, other than to sign her into our lives. Jen managed to convince Justin and me that she’d return Anna to us, but would like to see her granddaughter too. Anna had the women wrapped around her fingers in seconds, Gus even faster. We waited for Cameron to come on his own to see her. It wasn’t until we had to put her down for a nap that Cameron finally decided to check her over.
Justin and I snuck to the door, when we heard Cameron talking to her.
“Gussy says we have to love you lots. I thoughts about it, and yous can share my toys.” He tells Anna, who was sleeping through his gracious offer.
“I think your toys are safe for now.” I tell Cameron.
“Maybe if we get her a kitten, cause Monty doesn’t get girls.” Cameron tells us, showing he was still limited in what he would share.
“A kitten?” I tried not to cringe.
“Monty likes the one Max got.” Cameron tells me.
“Only Monty?” Justin asks, smiling.
“Daddy would like the one with patches.” Cameron tells me. Making me see why Drew never could say no to him, when my son stared straight into my eyes with his pleading blue eyes.
“Daddy would?” I ask.
Nodding his head at Justin, I knew we were getting a kitten for Anna, at least that was Cameron's argument for the next week. Gus of course, just showed up with it. Al, always prepared to aggravate me, handed me the kitty litter and pan. I handed it back and told him Justin and I needed to discuss names for a few hours. While Cameron worked Al into being one of his followers, I went to find Justin, who had been upstairs with Anna.
Justin was in bed, sleeping like the dead. Standing in the doorway, I remembered standing at the bedroom door, seeing Michael in the bed and knowing I’d screwed up for the last time with Justin. If I could have done it over, it would have started by making sure Justin and everyone else knew exactly where this man that I love with my whole heart stood from the beginning. I resigned myself to a nap, only to find out Justin had other plans. By the time we managed to get back downstairs, Justin managed to make the idea of a cat not sound so bad when he promised to blow me if the kitten left fur on my clothes. Kitty was getting locked in my closet once a day.
I let him go because Anna called for someone to pay attention to her. I sat with our daughter, telling her the story of Justin and me, and how, in the end through all the roadblocks, we managed to choose each other, and it led us to her.