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“Beast,” I whispered.

“Yes. I am. So what do you think about the house?”

“Well, it would be nice to stay close to Maria.”

“She’d like that. Besides, I wasn’t really asking. I was telling you what we are going to do.”

I punched him playfully as the two children ran toward us. “I’ll get you for this.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he countered.

“Mommy. Jessica and I have two questions. Two.”

“Okay, then. What are they?” I leaned against Alejandro. We never knew what to expect.

Jessica pointed at my son to go first.

Gabriel looked at us with all seriousness in his eyes. “Can we have a puppy? Pwease?”

There was no reason for tears to swim into my eyes, but they did. This was exactly what I’d wanted for my sweet little boy.

And for his mother.

“You know what, Gabe? I think we might be able to take care of that this weekend.” Alejandro nodded after making the statement.

I glanced at Alejandro. The man was serious. “Oh, brother,” I whispered. “What’s the second question?”

Jessica appeared just as shy as she always was. When Gabriel whispered in her ear, my heart fluttered. He’d done his best to turn into Jessica’s protector.

“I told her it was alwight, Mommy.”

“You did, huh?” I asked.

He nodded several times.

Finally, Jessica came forward, glancing at her father for encouragement. His face beaming, he gave it to her.

She finally walked closer, her face pinched. “Would it be otay if I called you… Mommy?”

There was nothing on this earth that could stop the tears from sliding down my face. As I lifted her into my arms, she giggled in a sound I hadn’t heard before.

“Yes, baby girl. You can. I’d love that.”

I’d spent my life chasing dreams, a young girl searching for the perfect career, the perfect man, the perfect family. While I’d lost faith I’d ever find two of the three, fate had other things in mind.

Maybe it was Mother Nature who’d finally sent the perfect man from the stormy clouds above. In turn, we’d put together the perfect life.

At least for the four of us. I rubbed my stomach. And who knows, maybe soon we’d have another little miracle to add to the beautiful, unusual, and magical family I’d been lucky enough to gain.

The End