Page 56 of State of Retribution (First Family #9)

A fter Sam locked up her weapon and cuffs in her bedside table, the three of them went upstairs to the third floor to share the news with the twins. Sam was annoyed to feel a twinge of pain in the hip she’d fractured, which seemed to bother her only when she climbed stairs.

The twins came running when they saw them coming.

Sam scooped up Alden while Nick hugged Aubrey.

Soon, they’d be too big to lift, which was a depressing thought that she pushed aside so she wouldn’t ruin her celebratory mood by acknowledging that she’d gotten a late start with all four of her kids, and they would grow up far too fast.

After this week from absolute hell, the fantastic news from Andy was most welcome.

“What’s the good word, my friends?” Nick asked.

“They have no idea what that means, Dad,” Scotty said.

“It means, how was your day, what’s new and exciting?” Nick said.

“Much better,” Scotty replied.

“Thank goodness we have you around to make sure we don’t mess this up,” Sam said.

“I say that every day.”

They were treated to a recitation of current events in first grade that, for once, included no bodily fluids. Apparently, their friend Solomon would be out of school for a whole month while his family visited their family in Germany.

“That’s very cool,” Scotty said. “Do we have any family in Germany that might be happy to see us?”

“Sadly for you, we don’t,” Nick said. “No month off for you.”

“Life isn’t fair.”

Brenda laughed helplessly at the goings-on. “This family needs its own reality show.”

“I believe we’re already living one, Nana,” Scotty said.

“That’s true.”

They sat on sofas with the twins on their laps and Scotty between them.

Sam glanced at Nick, who indicated she should be the one to update the twins.

“So we got some big news today,” Sam said.

“Good news?” Aubrey asked with trepidation that tugged at Sam’s heart. The poor kid had been through so much at far too young an age to handle it all.

“The best news. Remember how we told you that we applied to adopt you two and Elijah, so we’ll be a family in all the ways that matter, including legally?”

“Uh-huh,” Alden said. “But our mommy and daddy will always be our mommy and daddy, right?”

“Always and forever,” Nick said. “Nothing will ever change that, but Sam and I will be the ones to take care of you until you’re old enough to take care of yourselves.”

“Right,” Aubrey said. “And Scotty will be our other big brother.”

“You know it,” Scotty said with a fist bump for each twin.

“Today,” Sam said, “we learned it’ll be officially official on April twentieth when we go to court to see the judge, which is really soon.”

“Can we have a party to celebrate?” Aubrey asked.

“We sure can.” Sam smiled at the precious child. “You and Alden can plan it. Anything you want.”

“Um, that’ll mean peanut butter and Fluff for everyone,” Scotty said.

“Whatever they want. It’s their big day.”

“You can help us plan it, Scotty,” Alden said.

“I’ll make sure there’s something that’s actually edible.”

“Can we invite Jack and Ella and Ethan and Abby?” Alden asked of their cousins.

“Of course. They wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“And Alex and Noah and baby Maisie!” Alden said of Gonzo’s son and Shelby’s kids.

Sam loved how their people had become the twins’ people in just a few short months. “You can invite anyone you want.”

“Are we going to change our names?” Alden asked.

“We were thinking Armstrong-Cappuano if you’re down with that,” Nick said. “But you can use A dash C on your papers at school so you don’t have to write it out every time.”

“That’s cool,” Alden said, sounding relieved, as Aubrey nodded.

“Group hug,” Sam said, pulling everyone into a big pile on the couch, which led to much laughter and screaming from tickling perpetrated by Scotty.

After they released the kids to go play, Sam’s mom came over to hug her. “This makes me so happy for you and Nick, honey. Such a beautiful family.”

“Thank you. It certainly didn’t happen the way we thought it would, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

The three kids had Nick pinned to the floor and were trying to keep him there while he threatened to bust loose from their hold. Sam wished the rest of the world could see him in dad mode. It would make the people who supported him love him that much more than they already did.

“Look at him,” Sam said softly. “He’s never had this before.”

“It’s wonderful,” Brenda said. “He’s so happy to be a dad and to have this beautiful family to come home to every night.”

“You know, I used to yearn to have a baby, but I’ve started to realize it happened this way because my life is not at all conducive to caring for a newborn. I’d want to be with the baby all the time, and I simply can’t be unless I give up my job, which I’d never want to do.”

“The universe has a way of making sure we get what’s meant for us.”

“Indeed. I’d never have wanted Eli and the twins to go through the nightmare they did losing their parents, but if it had to happen, I’m glad they landed with us.”

“They’re lucky to have you.”

“We’re the lucky ones.”

Nick let out a roar and had the three of them pinned under him so fast, they never saw it coming. Their screams of laughter made Sam and Brenda laugh, too.

“Nice move, babe,” Sam said.

“He’s not going to be able to pull that crap on me for much longer,” Scotty said, panting from the exertion of trying to break free of Nick’s hold.

“Keep talking, mister,” Nick said. “I’ll be waiting for you to be able to take me.”

“It’s coming, old man. Don’t let your guard down.”

Nick tightened his hold on Scotty until he yelled uncle. “That’s President Uncle to you, friend.”

Scotty huffed with outrage after Nick released him. “That was a dirty trick.”

“I specialize in them.”

“Keep your guard up, old man.”

“Want us to fight him for you, Scotty?” Alden asked, flexing his muscles.

“Nah, we don’t want to wear him out. He’s not as young as he used to be.”

“Those are fighting words, mister.”

Outside the walls of this historic house, much of what Sam had spent her life working toward had been in danger of imploding during the last few horrific days, but here, at home with the family she adored, she couldn’t bring herself to care about things she couldn’t control.

Much later, Nick had Sam trapped under him, only she wasn’t trying to break free. In fact, she was trying to bring him closer.

“Harder,” she whispered in his ear before she bit his earlobe.

That seemed to spark something elemental in him as he gave her what she’d requested until they were straining against each other, chasing the epic finish that exploded within her at the same time he cried out in a moment of perfect harmony.

“Damn, babe,” he said, gasping. “Way to throw gas on a fire.”

Sam cackled with laughter. “Is that what I did?”

“You know exactly what that does to me.”

“Which part? The demand or the biting?”

“Both. Hot as fuck.”

“Good to know.” She caressed his back and floated in the sea of contentment that followed lovemaking. “Funny how today was such a nightmare, but it turned out okay, all things considered. My coworkers went to bat for me, and Andy gave us the best news ever.”

“For sure. I liked hearing that Eli’s record in California was expunged as well. That’s a huge relief. I hated the thought of that sticking to him and messing up his very promising future.”

“Same. You know… We ought to throw a fancy White House wedding for him and Candace.”

“That’d be awesome and would send a heck of a message to her parents that you can’t get in the way of true love.”

“That’s true. I wonder what they think of her taking off to be with him the second she was a legal adult.”

“I’m sure they’re up in arms about it, but what can they do? They made the choice to prosecute the boy she loved, and now they’re out of her life. It’s a lesson in parenting, though. If you overreact to the natural process of growing up, you run the risk of losing them forever.”

“The thought of not being close to all of them for the rest of our lives is unbearable to me.”

“Let’s keep that in mind when they start to test us in ways we can’t begin to imagine right now.”

“Our kids won’t do that.”

He snorted with laughter. “You just keep thinking that.”

“How will we know what the right thing to do is?”

“I remember your dad saying after Scotty came to live with us that we have to remember that kids are individuals with their own ideas and opinions on things, and just because we don’t agree with them, doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

Like with Eli and Candace. If her parents had spent ten minutes with them as a couple, they might’ve seen what we do when they’re together.

That they’re truly in love and devoted to each other.

Were they too young to be having sex? Maybe, but what the parents did was much worse.

Why not just separate them until she’s older?

Why call in the cops on what was a loving, consensual relationship? ”

“Definitely.”

“Another thing my dad always said was that it doesn’t pay to be in denial as your kids grow up. They’re going to drink and smoke and have sex and swear and do things we don’t like. Trying to get in the way of the natural progression is like trying to stop the tide from coming in.”

“Can you write all this down since I didn’t have a lifetime with Skip to absorb all this wisdom?”

“It’s available to you on an as-needed basis.”

“Good to know. I don’t want to mess this up.”

“You won’t. They adore you, and when you tell them something, they truly listen to you because you listen to them when they have something to say.

I think we keep the lines of communication open and keep laughing with them, so when the serious stuff comes, we’ve set the tone in advance. Does that make sense?”

“It makes all the sense,” Sam said. “I’m looking forward to everything with them. Even the hard stuff.”

“Me, too, as long as you’re there to keep me from messing them up.”

“Oh please, who’s more likely to mess them up? Me or you?”