FicWad

Three weeks after the twins were born it was Valentine’s Day. We didn’t have any plans since I was still healing from giving birth. Dad and Amy were still in town and would be for a couple more weeks. They intended to stay the full six weeks we had the Airbnb for. They were still helping us around the house, but they were also helping with the kids.

They took Saint and Marvel to Disneyland one Saturday leaving Pete and I with just the twins. It was so nice because we got to sleep when the twins were sleeping. And the kids got some quality time with Pops and Granny. I actually felt rested when they got home that night. I made dinner for everyone for the first time since the twins came home.

For Valentine’s Day Amy asked if we wanted her and Dad to take the kids out so we could have a private evening. But, I was only three weeks postpartum so it wasn’t like we would be able to take full advantage. So we told them no, they didn’t need to do that. And that they should take advantage of being in L.A. and go out for the night.

I wished Pete a happy Valentine’s Day when he first got up. I was up with the twins and had them downstairs with me as I made breakfast. I was getting back on my feet.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey.” I said to him as he walked into the kitchen. Star had been fussy so she was strapped to my chest in the baby wrap we had. Jupiter ate and went back to sleep. He was sound asleep in the pack-n-play.

He flashed his smile at me and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Baby.” He crossed to me and kissed me. Then he kissed the top of Star’s head. “Good morning Star.” He said to her and then he asked me, “Did the twins get you up early?”

“Yeah, they were hungry.” I answered.

“How's your milk production? Are they getting enough? Do we need to pick up more formula?” He asked me. He was actually pretty interested and fascinated with my breastfeeding. He asked about my production every few days. He asked because he was genuinely interested. And he wanted to make sure we had enough formula for them.

“It seems to be increasing daily. I didn’t need to supplement with formula this morning.” I was proud of that.

“That’s good.” He was pouring a cup of coffee. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. I actually feel pretty good. I have an appointment on Monday.”

I was still healing from the birth. But I was feeling better each day. And even though my moods were a bit all over the place I wasn’t getting the ‘baby blues’ as Amy called them, I wasn’t dealing with PPD. I was very thankful for that.

We ended up with the little kids that evening. Bronx was at his Mom’s. We called and had Chinese delivered for dinner. The kids had fun, and no one had to cook.

That night after everyone else was in bed, Pete did wish me a happy Valentine’s privately. We’re in our room alone since the twins were in their room now and Marvel and Saint were in bed in their rooms.

“Hey, I have something for you for Valentines.” Pete said to me as we got ready for bed

“You didn’t need to do anything.” I told him.

“Like I’m gonna miss any chance to spoil you. Of course I got you something. But I kept in mind that you’re not a grand gesture kinda girl.” He smiled at me. Then he went to his side of the closet and pulled down a flat box. He handed it to me and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day. I hope this shows you how much I love you.”

The package was about the size and shape of a children’s picture book. I unwrapped it to find it was a book. He had it printed just for me. It was filled with pictures of us together as a couple and of us as a family. I recognized all of the places and times they were taken. Some were even from that very first time we met. There was a picture that had to have been taken by Bronx from our very first evening we spent around a campfire. Pete and I were sitting next to each other and were smiling at each other. There were pictures from our time together at Pismo Beach, from when we were on tour with the band. There were pictures from our time on the farm. All the way up to our wedding and to the birth of the twins. The last picture was of me with the twins, I was holding both of them and had my eyes closed, but I was smiling as Pete was kissing me on the cheek. It was the history of our relationship. Some of the pictures I was aware of when they were taken. But some I didn’t know he or in some cases, Bronx or others, had taken. It was sweet and thoughtful and I loved it.

“This is, oh, I didn’t know anyone got a picture of that.” I had just flipped the page to see a picture of the two of us looking at each other with silly love filled smiles on our faces just after Patrick had told Pete to kiss me at the wedding. “This is wonderful. I love it.” I sat on the edge of our bed and continued to flip through the pages.

I looked up at him and put the book down. Standing up I crossed to him. “That’s the best gift you could have given me. Thank you. I love it. And in case you didn’t know, I’m crazy about you. I love you so much. You’re my everything.” I told him before kissing him. “And I have something for you too. Hold on.”

I walked over to my dresser and pulled a small box out of one of my drawers. I had ordered him a watch that I knew he was looking at. “Happy Valentine’s.” I said as I handed him the box.

To say he was surprised when he opened it would be an understatement. “Grace! You didn’t have to get me this. It’s just what I wanted. Thank you so much.” He gave me a soft smile. “You know, you’re my everything too. But this isn’t a small gift. I know how much this costs.”

I shrugged and said, “I know. But I wanted to get you something extra this year. Mostly as a thank you for being, well for being you, when I needed you the most. This past year has been wonderful and amazing and crazy and busy. And none of it would have happened if I hadn’t met you.”

“Grace, I’ve told you before, you don’t have to thank me. Not for loving you.”

“I’m not thanking you for loving me. I’m thanking you for being there for me when I need you.” I told him as I wrapped my arms around his waist. “You’ve told me that I’m different from everybody else you’ve been in a relationship with. Well, you’re different from everyone I’ve been in a relationship with. You’re so good to me. You treat me like I matter and what I want or need matters. So, thank you for that.”

He returned my hug and nuzzled his face in my neck. “You’re welcome. I love you. And I will always be here for you.” He kissed my neck and then he started kissing my jaw and up to my mouth. The kiss started out soft and sweet, but it had been weeks since we had been intimate and the kiss got heated pretty quickly.

He pulled back from the kiss. “I’m sorry. I know we have to wait. It’s been a while and I just find you irresistible.” He said with a sexy smile and a squeeze of my hips.

“That’s ok. It has been a while. But, you know just because I have to wait doesn’t mean you do.” I told him as I ran a hand over his chest.

“If you have to wait, I will too.” He started to say. But I just kissed him. He allowed me to deepen the kiss when I licked his lips. He moaned into my mouth when my fingers ran lightly over the skin of his lower back.

“Grace, really you don’t have to.” He tried to protest.

“If you really don’t want me to make you cum, I won’t. But I want to and you need it.” I said as I started to pull his tee shirt off. He didn’t stop me.

He allowed me to do what I wanted to him. And it didn’t take long at all before I had him coming undone. It really had been a long time.

We laid together in bed after I had taken care of him. I was on my back and he was wrapped around me.

“Thank you. I needed that more than I realized.” He said as we cuddled.

“I knew you needed that.” I told him. We were still and quiet for a few minutes. I was falling asleep when he spoke again.

“Would you like me to take care of you?” He asked me. “I’ll be gentle.” He started to let his hands wander over me.

I shook my head and said, “As much as I miss your touch, I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’m still healing. Thank you for offering though.” He just wrapped his arm around me and held me close. I started to doze off.

“Grace?” He asked as he lifted his head off my shoulder and looked at me. “Can I, would it be ok if I, um.. Never mind.” He looked embarrassed and a little flustered.

“What is it Hon?” I asked him.

“Um… Well, I’m just… I want to… can I taste your milk? I won’t drain you and leave Jupiter or Star without. I just wanna see what it tastes like.”

“Yeah, you can try it. Please be gentle.” I told him.

He moved enough to be comfortable and not put his weight on me. I opened the top of my nightgown to allow him access. Gently he cupped one breast, then taking my nipple in his mouth he latched on and started to suck. He was gentle and sucked lightly. He was just tasting, not sucking to eat like the babies did. It didn’t hurt like it can with them. It actually felt good. He took a few pulls and let go.

“What does it taste like?” I asked him as I ran my fingers through his hair.

“Sweet, almost like fruit.” He dipped his head down and took a few pulls from my other breast. “Almost like strawberries or ripe cantaloupe.”

“Really? No wonder the twins like it more than the formula.” I chuckled.

He buttoned up my gown and settled next to me. “Did it feel any different than when the babies suckle?” He asked me.

“Yes. You were soft and gentle. It felt good when you sucked. They can be aggressive. But they’re just hungry. I don’t mind. I’m glad I can feed them.” I told him.

“I think it’s amazing. Your body is making food for our children. Fucking amazing.” He nuzzled further into my neck and held me.

“Did you like it? Tasting my milk?” I asked.

“Yes. More than I probably should. It was very intimate.” He admitted.

“Yes it was. You know, a taste here or there won’t hurt Jupiter or Star.” I told him as I rolled over to face him. I snuggled into him.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He said as we fell asleep.

Dad and Amy stayed the full six weeks we had planned. The twins had just turned five weeks when they went back home. That left Pete and I alone with two newborns, two little kids, and one teenager that was only there half the time. Even though it was a lot to juggle, we managed.

Saint and Marvel wanted to help with the twins. Saint took being a big brother very seriously. He told Pete and I that he would always protect them. Both of them wanted to hold the twins, and help when we needed to give them bottles. Saint was a natural when it came to getting a fussy Jupiter to settle down. It didn’t matter why Jupiter was fussy, but if Saint came over and talked to or held him, he always settled down as he listened and watched Saint.

Star on the other hand only wanted me most of the time. But if Pete talked to her, she wanted her Daddy. She really didn’t care if one of her siblings held her if she was in a good mood or asleep. But if she was hungry, or needed a diaper change, or was just being fussy, the only one she wanted was me or Pete. For both of them, Pete’s voice could smooth them. He had spent so much time talking to them when they were still inside of me, they knew his voice.

I was healthy and strong so my recovery went well. My doctor told me she wished all her patients had it as easy as I had. My whole pregnancy, delivery, and recovery had been easy. No complications. I was extremely fortunate. The twins were small, but they were very healthy. And they were growing fast. Both of them were putting on weight. I wasn’t always able to keep up with feeding them so we did use formula when we needed to.

I was given the all clear after six weeks to be as physical as I wanted. I also got the all clear to have sex as long as I felt up for it. I was glad to hear it because I was starting to feel trapped in the house. I wanted to get out and do something. I wanted to hike or go on an adventure. So, the day after I got the all clear I talked to Bronx and asked if he wanted to go for a walk with me and the babies. He did since he and I were still planning on climbing mountains together.

We have two baby wraps that we use to hold the babies to our chests. I had Star and Bronx had Jupiter. We asked Pete and the kids if they wanted to come with us, but they didn’t want to. So the two of us went for a long walk around the neighborhood. It felt so good to move. We only did two miles and I was worn out at the end of it. But I was so glad we did it. I also started doing yoga again. I hadn’t been very active the last two months so it took a little while to get back into it. I didn’t realize how much I had missed being active.

Our pediatrician said the twins were in excellent health. They were still small, but they were growing and putting on weight. He was happy with their progress. We were told to keep up with what we were doing.

When the twins were two months old, I called my mother. She had behaved while on time out so I called her. One of the first things out of her mouth was a complaint about not getting any pictures of them.

“Hi Mom. How’re you?” I asked when she picked up the call.

“Hello Grace. I’m angry. That’s how I am. The twins are two months old and I haven’t even seen a picture of them. You’ve blocked me on everything. Why didn’t you at least send pictures?!”

I sighed and said, “Because you were in time out. So, you got nothing. You’re lucky I told Dad he could let you know when they were born.”

“You didn’t need to put me in time out. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was only trying to help you. You don’t know what you’re doing. Grace, you need me.”

“Mom, when are you going to realize, I don’t need you here? I have a support team. I have Pete and the kids. We’re a family and we’re all taking care of each other. I know you want to be here, and I appreciate that. I really do. It’s nice to know you love me that much. But I can do this. You know, I don’t understand something. Do you think you did such a bad job raising me? I mean, if you really think that at the age of forty six, I can’t figure out how to take care of two babies, then you really must have done something wrong.”

“Why are you calling me a bad mother?! I wasn’t a bad mother to you.” Mom was very upset.

“I’m not calling you a bad mom. I’m saying the opposite. You did a good job raising me. I went out into the world and I'm living a good life. You did your job as Mom. Now it’s my turn. I don’t want to keep you out of my life or the lives of Jupiter and Star. But you have to behave. You’re Grandma now. Not Mom. You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I told her.

“I want to meet them. I want to hold them. When will you let me come out there?” She asked a bit forcefully.

“When I can trust you’ll behave. But I’ll send you some pictures.”

“I still don’t fully understand what you think I’ve done wrong. I haven’t hurt you or the twins. I never would.”

“But you did hurt me, Mom. You told me you don’t trust me to take care of my own children. The ones I’ve wanted and hoped for and waited so long for. Why do you think I wouldn’t take the best care of them?”

“I…I never said that. I just want to help you.” Mom said.

“But I don’t want your help.” I told her.

“Why? Why don’t you want my help?” She cried.

“Because it’s not helpful. I don’t want to hear you criticize me and the decisions I make for my family. I expect you to get vaccinated because it helps keep the twins safe. You don’t respect me or Pete and what we decide for our family. And you don’t care about the twins if you don't respect us. I can’t make you get vaccinated. But I can keep them from you until they’re old enough to be vaccinated.” I said, trying to make her understand my side.

“Oh, so this is all his fault. I knew he didn’t like me. I don’t know why. But I’ve never been anything but nice to him. And this is the thanks I get?” Mom was starting to sound a bit hysterical.

“Pete liked you just fine until you threatened to steal his children from him. He’s never going to forget that and he’s never going to forgive you. And frankly, I’m never going to forget or forgive either. You’ve told me you will take them from me. You will never have alone time with the kids. Ever. Not even five minutes.”

“I’m their Grandmother! I would never hurt them.” She yelled at me.

“You know, I believe you wouldn’t intentionally hurt them. But you have no issue hurting me. And I will never trust you to not try and run away with them.”

“I can’t believe you.” I could hear her start to cry on the other end of the line.

“You’re the one that said you would take them, you’re the one that wanted to sue us for custody.” I paused, took a deep breath and said something I’ve been wanting to say for a long time. “Mom, you need to get therapy. Ever since Alex died you have been hard to deal with. I know he broke your heart. He broke mine too. But you can’t take it out on me and Scott and our families. You did so good through the wedding and everything else. I want you to be a part of our lives. But you need to talk with someone about your need to take over and be in control.”

Mom just started crying. “I can’t believe you'd say that.” And then she hung up on me.

I felt like shit after she hung up. I love my mom, but she’s acting crazy and I will not allow that around the kids. None of them need to see her like that. Saint and Marvel already like her the least of all the grandparents. I don’t want them to be afraid of her, afraid she’s going to try and take Star and Jupiter away from us. Pete would happily never see her again after what she said about trying to take the twins from us. And I couldn’t blame him at all for feeling that way. I would feel the same if Dale had said that to us. But, she’s my Mom. I wanted to give her one more chance. I had promised him that this would be the last chance I would give her. If I had to, I would cut her off forever.

Peter and Dale came out to visit when Star and Jupiter were two months old. They insisted on renting a car and getting a hotel room while they were here. Dale said they didn’t want to get in the way. I’m glad they didn’t stay in the house with us. We had a good routine and schedule for all the kids, them staying would mess it up.

Dale wanted to spend all her time holding the babies. Honestly, I couldn’t blame her, they are adorable and so cuddly. The first day they were here, she didn’t want to give me Star when it was time to feed them. I asked for her and Dale told me to just make a bottle and she would feed Star.

“No, I won’t make her a bottle. I’m breastfeeding them. Please give her to me.” I said as I stood in front of her with my arms out.

“Oh, but, Pete said you give them formula all the time. Feed Jupiter and let me feed Star.”

I only saw red and was about to start yelling. I gave Pete a look. He understood and took Star away from her.

Pete just walked up to her and asked, “Mom, let me have her.” He reached down to take Star out of her hands.

“No, I’ve got her. Let me feed her.” Dale said.

Pete didn’t say a word, he just took Star out of his moms arms and handed me the baby. I left the room so I could nurse both of them in peace. But I was angry. How dare she keep my baby when I needed to feed her? I liked Dale a lot. I understand that she wanted to feed her. But you do not keep a baby when its mother asks for it. Especially when the baby needs to eat.

However, from what Pete told me that night I wouldn’t have to worry about that happening again. He said he had a few words with her. And I will say that every time I asked for either of them back for any reason, I was handed my baby without any fuss.

Dale and Peter were both smitten with the twins. They were very excited about the newest members of the family. They took a bunch of pictures of them and all the kids. The only thing we asked was that we get to ok any social media posts. I asked Dale to not share any pictures with my Mom. That’s when she told me she hadn’t talked to Mom much since after the wedding.

“I called her the week we got back home. And all she could talk about was taking the twins from you guys. She kept saying you two had no idea what you were doing and she needed to help by taking them. Well, that wasn’t going to happen on my watch. I told her you guys would be fine. I reminded her that Pete had done this before. And that he’s a good Dad. He knows what you don’t and you know what he doesn’t.” Dale looked very concerned. “Grace, has she tried anything?” she asked me.

We were sitting at the kitchen table, just her and I. The twins were with Pete and Peter, Bronx and Marvel were at school and Saint was sitting in the dining room logged into his class. I signed and set down my glass of lemonade. “She has threatened more than once to sue for custody. And she was going off about grandparents' rights. But that’s not possible for a few reasons. We’ve talked to our lawyer and he says Mom doesn't have a case. I put her in time out before the twins were born and told her I wouldn't speak to her until they were at least two months old. And only then if she left us alone for that time. She did, so I called her the other day.” I stopped for a few moments to think about what I wanted to say next. “I think she needs to see someone. Ever since my brother died, she’s been…she’s had a hard time.”

“Did she see anyone after it happened?” Dale asked.

“No. And we all tried to get her to.” I took a sip of my lemonade. “She was bad when Abby was born, but not like this. I had assumed that she was just really excited about becoming a Grandma. But with the twins, it’s like she lost her mind.”

“I’m sorry. Has it been hard to not have your Mom here for all of this?”

“No, not really. I know she would have just made more work for me. Dad and Amy took care of us. They cooked and cleaned and let us take care of the twins without interfering.” I told her.

“When I talked with Amy while they were here she told me you were dealing with them like an old pro. I knew you two would be fine. I saw how you were with Saint and Marvel. The idea that you wouldn’t be able to take care of them all never crossed my mind.” Dale assured me.

I smiled at her and said, “Thank you for believing in us.”

She gave me a motherly smile and patted my hand. “Want some help with dinner?”

I smiled back at her and told her she was a guest and that we would handle dinner. Then I asked Pete to have something delivered. I didn’t want to cook or clean up the kitchen.

Peter and Dale stayed for two weeks. After the first few days they started to help more with the little kids. Both Marvel and Saint wanted time and attention from their grandparents. They weren’t used to not getting all the attention they wanted from Grandma and Grandpa. There was a little bit of jealousy. Pete talked to his parents about it one afternoon. Neither Peter or Dale had realized how much they were ignoring the kids. They were just so focused on the twins they didn’t see what they were doing.

Peter and Pete disappeared for several hours one afternoon. It turned out Peter was as angry with my Mom as Pete was. The two of them were looking into the laws in California to see if there was something we could do legally to keep her from the kids. From what they told me later, there really isn’t because she hadn’t actually done anything yet. However, if she did come to California and tried anything at all, even coming to the house uninvited, they were ready to go scorched earth. In some ways I was relieved that he had a plane B. And I was grateful he was trying to protect me and the children. But none of it made me happy. I just wanted my Mom and for her to not be crazy.

When they left I was happy to have my home and family back to normal. By this time the twins were two and a half months old. I was starting to grow restless. I was ready for an adventure.

When the twins were twelve weeks old I was ready to go on an adventure and take them with me. I was so ready to get out I was going to take the twins and go by myself if I couldn’t talk Pete into it.

One evening after dinner we were all sitting in the living room together. All seven of us. Star and Jupiter were starting to stay awake for longer stretches. They weren’t just eating, sleeping and pooping. They were starting to make sounds and would watch your face when you talked to them. They were starting to smile back when you smiled. And they were holding their heads up. When I put them on their tummies they were starting to try and push up on their arms. Pete and I were sitting next to each other on the couch. I was leaning my head on his shoulder. He has Star in his lap. She was smiling up at him and watching as he talked to her. Saint was on the couch on the other side of me with Jupiter in his arms. He was telling his baby brother all about the life cycle of plants. He had just turned in a report for school on photosynthesis. Marvel was playing with one of her plushies on the floor and Bronx was sitting in one of the chairs texting with Abby.

Without thinking about it I blurted out, “I think the twins are old enough for their first adventure. Let’s go camping.”

Everyone in the room, including the babies, went silent. Pete turned his head to look at me. I sat up so it was easier for him to do so.

“They’re only 3 months old. Do you really think they’re old enough to go camping?” He asked.

“Yeah, I do. They already go out with me when I go for my walks. We have the wraps so we don’t have to worry about a stroller. We don’t have to go for long or very far. But I need to get out. And I want to take them camping.”

“I don’t think we’ll all fit in the camper. We don’t have enough seats for everyone.” He said.

“I can drive Luna and take Saint with me. He’s big enough to sit in the front seat. And that would free up two seats in the camper.” Bronx offered.

Pete looked over at him surprised. Sometimes he forgets that Bronx is old enough to drive now.

“That’s actually a good idea.” I said. “He could either drive Luna or the SUV and Saint could ride with him.”

“I don’t know. They're still so little.” Pete protested. He is extremely protective of all the kids. But since the twins are so small, he’s even more protective of them.

“Honey, they’re healthy and happy. We’ve been housebound for months now. I need to get out. Come on, we’ll only do a short two night trip. We’ll leave on a Friday after the kids are out of school. And come back on Sunday. Whaddya say? Please?”

“What about Marvel’s birthday?” He asked me.

“We are still going to have her big party this weekend. That’s not gonna change. But after that, let’s plan a short trip.” I looked at him waiting for his answer. “Oh, come on. You’ve always known that we would be taking them on adventures. That’s just who I am. Let’s do this. Let’s go have a family adventure now that we’re a family of seven.”

“Yeah Dad, let's do it. I’ll go with you guys and help.” Bronx said.

“Yeah Dad, let's go on an adventure.” Saint spoke up. “We haven’t been camping in a long time.”

Pete looked between all of us before saying, “Fine, you win. But just a short trip. We don’t want to be gone too long. We don’t know how they’ll do camping.”

I grinned at him and said, “Thank you, Honey.” And then I kissed him.

That weekend we had Marvel's sixth birthday. We threw her a party with a bunch of her school friends, Ashlee and Evan brought Jagger and Iggy too. Marvel had a great time. And so did everyone else. It was a happy day.

The next weekend we went on a camping trip. We decided to go up to the Los Padres National Forest. The same campgrounds where we met. We ended up staying on the same two campsites we had before.

Our first night there we just set up camp and started a fire. We had dinner and were just hanging out around the fire. Bowie was sitting next to Bronx. Saint and Marvel both had a cat in their laps. Pete had Jupiter and I had Star. They had eaten too and were still awake.

“You know, this is where we all met almost two years ago.” I said out loud to the family.

Pete looked up from Jupiter and smiled at me. “It really has been almost two years. It’s gone by so fast. But so much has happened.” Pete said. Then he looked back down at Jupiter. “It’s been an amazing two years.”

I looked over at Bronx and the little kids. “Yeah it has. Two years ago I was alone. Now I have a husband and five kids.” I grinned at the three kids sitting on the other side of the fire. “And it’s all because of those three right there.”

“Yeah it is.” Pete agreed with me.

“I’m glad we got you two together.” Bronx said as he smiled a very proud smile.

Saint nodded his head. And Marvel just smiled at me.

“Me too.” I agreed.

We stayed for Friday and Saturday night. On Saturday we went to the lake. It was late April so it wasn’t really warm enough to swim but the kids wanted to get in the water. We let them. But Pete and I stayed on shore with the babies. It was way too cold and they were too young to get in the lake water. I made sure we had sunblock for everyone and I had shade for the babies. I had found a pop up beach shade/lounger and brought that. It worked well enough.

We had a good day. And I was so happy to be outside and out of the city. I had missed it a lot. The babies did fine with the trip. They slept in the RV with me and Pete. Marvel and Saint slept in the tent. But Bronx slept in Luna. He said it was just to try something new. But, after that he started talking about borrowing Luna and taking her on trips by himself. That was something I was going to have to think about and talk to Pete about.

We went home on Sunday. I felt refreshed and ready to go back to day to day life. And we did for a few days. But Pete and I got a call from our lawyer a few days after we got back from the camping trip. The P.I. we hired had found Meagan. She was in Oregon. He wanted us to go to his office and sign all the adoption paperwork. In the state of California, you can’t just sign your parental rights away. You have to have someone else ready to adopt them. This is so deadbeat parents can’t just sign away their rights and walk away from the children they are responsible for.

Pete wanted to go up there himself and get her to sign the papers. He didn’t want me or the children to go with him. He booked a flight for the next day and headed to Portland. He was gone for two days. When he came home he had the papers signed by her. The kids were going to be mine legally. Now we just had to go in front of a judge for them to sign off on the adoption. And that could take a few months to happen.

Pete didn’t want to talk about the trip or her much. All he told me was she wasn’t well. She wasn’t in a good place, and he was worried about her. He talked her into signing the papers by telling her that if she didn’t, he would take her to court for back child support and he would make life very hard for her. She didn’t want to deal with him so she signed the papers. He made sure they were in front of a notary so it was witnessed. And because he wasn’t a terrible person, and because he did love her once, he called her parents and told them where she was. He also told them they should go get her. She needed them.

The day after Pete got back we went to see our attorney. He took the papers and filed them with the state. To complete the process legally we would have to go in front of a judge as a family. But I wasn’t worried about that part. We told Saint and Marvel that night. Both of them were happy to know I was officially going to be their Mom.

Mothers Day was just a little over a week after Pete came home with the signed papers. I had gotten up around 3 am to feed the twins. I was able to get back to sleep after feeding them. I didn’t always. I woke up a few hours later to Pete and the children bringing me breakfast in bed. He had Star strapped to his chest in one of the baby wraps. Jupiter was being held by Saint. He had a tray filled with breakfast. Marvel's hands were full of gifts, cards, and flowers.

“Good morning Honey. Happy Mother’s Day!” Pete said as they came into the bedroom.

“Happy Mother’s Day Mom.” Saint said as he came up to the bed.

“These are for you Mommy!” Marvel said as she handed me the flowers and cards and the presents.

“Oh thank you so much Miss. Marvelous! They’re beautiful.” I said as I took the flowers from her.

Pete put the tray down and removed Star from the baby wrap. He handed her to me and then arranged the tray so I could eat. They all got on the bed with me. Saint put Jupiter on the bed next to me and then cuddled next to us. Marvel and Pete were on my other side.

“Mom, I made this for you.” Saint said as he handed me a wrapped package. I took it from him and opened it. “I got Dad to help me with it.”

It was a book. Saint had written and drawn all the pages. Pete got it printed and bound for me. It was titled “The Adventures of My Mom, the Girl in the Moon” and it was the story of how I became part of their family. The last page showed us all together going on an adventure. I couldn’t help it, it was so sweet and touched me so deeply, a few tears slipped out.

“Saint, this is the best present ever. Thank you so much. I’ll keep this forever.” I told him and then hugged him tight. He hugged back just as tight.

“I have something for you too.” Pete said as he pulled a small box out of his pocket. He handed it to me and said, “Happy Mother’s Day.”

I took the gift from him and opened it. It was a mother’s necklace. He had all of the family's birthstones on it. Both he and I are June babies so it started with two pearls. Bronx is a November baby, so next was a yellow topaz. Saint was born in August so a peridot was next. Marvel is an April baby, a diamond was next. The last two stones were garnets one for each twin.

I started to cry when I saw it. Not full on blubbering, but a few more tears spilled out before I could stop them.

“Thank you. It's beautiful and I love it.” I told him.

“We love you too. I really hope this is a good day for you. I know it’s not really your first Mother’s Day. But it is your first as more than just step-mom. You’re their mom now.” He told me before he gave me a quick kiss.

I ate the breakfast they had made for me and enjoyed every bite. I was so happy that morning. I was surrounded by my kids and my husband. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Later on I called my mom and wished her a happy Mother’s Day. I also sent her some pictures of the twins. She had been behaving and she admitted that she had started seeing a therapist. She said the phone call with me telling her she would never be allowed to be alone with my kids made her realize that she had never been left alone with Abby either. And if both of her kids didn’t trust her to be alone with her grandkids she was doing something wrong. Her therapist said that what she had said was pretty unforgivable and we had good reason to keep her away from them. She wanted to get better. But it was going to take some time. I told her I would be happy to talk to her therapist if she or they wanted me to. And I would continue to call her and send her pictures as long as she was working on getting better.

That evening after dinner was over and all the kids were in bed, I was cuddled up with Pete on the couch.

“Did you have a good Mother’s Day?” He asked me.

“Yes, I had a great day. Thank you.” I told him. I was cuddled up to him with my head on his chest and my arm wrapped around his waist. He had his arm around my shoulders. “It’s been just the best day.”

“Good, I’m really happy we could give you a good day. You deserve it.” He said before kissing the top of my head. “You know, we can try to make another one.” He said with a chuckle.

Laughing, I said, “Is five not enough for you?”

“Six is a good round number. We could try for another girl.” He said with a laugh.

“I think five is enough for me.” I told him.

“We can always practice making another one.” He offered.

I pulled away from him and said, “Ok, let’s go practice.” And got up from the couch.

He took me upstairs and took me to bed. He made sure Mother’s Day ended with a bang.