Page 30 of Dreams Do Come True

“No, honey, River’s almost done, but you eat up while you can.”

“Okay.” I take a bite of my sandwich and give a happy groan, so good.

“We’re going to need somewhere for Lyric to sleep. The bed is a bit big and high and has no safety sides.”

“We can make up a bed on the floor for the night, or use extra pillows and cushions to make a barrier around the bed?” I suggest.

“That might work.”

River finishes his feed, and Kean puts River over his shoulder and rubs his back. River lets out a large burp.

“Well done, Baba,” Kean praises.

I finish my sandwich and wipe my hands on a napkin, and hold them out to Kean. “Give me River and you can eat.”

Kean hands the baby over. I settle him in my arm in such a way that River can see what’s going on.

He takes my finger in his and holds it.

I drop a soft kiss on the top of his head and look at River. “Just think of the family you’ll soon meet. There are a lot of us, but they’ll all love you and your brother as much as your daddy and I do.”

I look up and see Kean taking a photo. He looks at the screen. “Best picture ever.” He turns the phone and shows me the photo, and it's lovely.

I pull out my phone and one-handed open it to the photo I took of him and River. “Here,” I pass the phone over to him.

“That’s lovely.”

“Flick through, I have some of you and Lyric.”

He does and laughs. He obviously clicks on the video as I hear him talk, and then Lyric saying, “Oh no, bad ass.”

“That’s just the best,” Kean says. “I’m sending all these to my phone and will send you the photos I just took.”

“Thanks. Do you think we should have given Lyric something to eat before he fell asleep?”

“Bit late now,” he says, finishing his sandwiches. “Pretty sure we can’t get into a proper routine until we’re home.”

“True. What are you going to do about work? Can you take time off, or do you want to go part-time for a bit?”

“I’m taking off as much time as I can. My clients know about our adoption journey and that as soon as a child is placed with us, I’ll be taking time off. The report I finished yesterday was the last of anything urgent. I’ll message my clients later and update them. There is no way I’m not bonding with our children, and like Monica said, when we do go back to work, we can have the children with us.”

“We can. We could see about taking over the downstairs lounge and having it as a children’s room, as no one really uses it. They can play with Connie in there.”

Kean suddenly laughs. “Nora will double her efforts to get Nix and Cam to have a child now.”

I laugh along with him. “She will. But she’ll have fun playing with the boys.” I pause. “My life is mad. Not long ago, I was a pompous loner; now look at me. I have a partner I love more than I ever thought possible, two brothers whom I wish I hadknown since birth and two gorgeous boys, your mum, brothers, and Alfred, the other family witches, John and Jodie and Mollyanne.”

Kean takes my hand, his eyes shining brightly. “I love you, my Titus, I will forever be grateful for very tight jeans and pizza.”

I burst out laughing at the memory. I had driven back to Cadenbury after a long week at work. Apparently, I had passed Kean. He went home, put on a pair of incredibly tight jeans that took a lot of jumping around and swear words to get on and do up, and came round to my house, carrying pizza and other foods.

I thought it was only me that had feelings, but it turned out Kean had feelings as well. We pretty much got together that night and have never looked back. “Best look ever,” I say.

Kean gets up and kneels at my side, pulling me into a kiss, making sure not to squash River.

We pull back, and I touch his cheek, overcome with emotion.

“We should set a wedding date,” he says softly. “I mean, we have children; they should have married parents, don’t you think?”