Page 23 of Second Chance At Forever

Her baby boy was now eleven, the oldest of their five. He was five when they decided to become foster parents rather than have another baby. They’d quickly gotten asked to take in a three-year-old boy they’d just taken from an abusive household. They’d had some issues with Ian over the next year, worse than any tantrum Tommy every threw, but Avery finally got through to him, showing him nothing but complete and utter love—the same way he had with her when they first met. He was now nine, legally theirs since he was five.

Three years ago, they were asked to take in siblings, a boy, Ben, who was five, and his sister, Shay, who was two. Their mom had died unexpectedly of a heart attack at thirty-four. Their father was long gone—walked out the door when she was pregnant with Shay. There was no other family and after a year, she and Avery knew they were theirs to love as well. They filed the adoption papers with ease, becoming a family of six.

They’d barely had the adoption papers signed before they were asked to take Melanie for what was originally to be a temporary placement. Her mother had been evicted, sleeping on the streets with the baby, until she got sick, needing hospitalization for a week. The woman was to be eligible to get her back once she could show she’d obtained a safe environment for her to live in. Instead, four months later, the woman walked into social services and signed away her rights, saying she just couldn’t handle a baby. The adoption was simple from that point on, and Melanie was officially theirs going on three months now.

Avery moved them into the sitting room, closing the door so the other kids wouldn’t overhear, but they could still keep an eye on them through the glass of the door. His hand slid across her shoulder, down her arm until his fingers twined with her, making her smile, no matter what the woman was there to speak about.

There wasn’t a day in the last eight years that she hadn’t felt completely loved with him. Their family was the most important thing to him, more than Titan Steel which he was essentially retired from, overseeing only the heads of the departments in a few meetings every month. He was beside her, helping her with the kids, or even watching the bakery when they had newer staff versus working and she loved it—and him even more.

She’d scaled back her hours immensely as well, loving her time with her family far more than the bakery. Meredith was now her partner in it entirely, running the place with her girlfriend of the last four years who much like Colleen, loved to bake. Tara was the perfect match for Meredith, and they lived in the house she and Meredith once owned. She’d sold her share to Tara, donating the money from it that Tara insisted on paying to the foster program.

“What’s going on, Pamela?” she asked as Avery kissed her temple, calming her worries.

“It might be better to talk to you alone first,” Pamela suggested, glancing at Avery but she shook her head no.

“Whatever you’re here to say, you can say it in front of Avery. We don’t have any secrets from each other,” she said, her fingers tightening in Avery’s, keeping him from arguing.

“This might be upsetting but you’re part of it and I don’t know anyone else that might be able to help,” Pamela said confusing her entirely. “First thing, the man that attacked you was recently caught in New Jersey. He’d attacked another girl and didn’t get away in time. He has a string of assaults in several northeastern states and will be going to jail for a long time.”

“He’s lucky the cops got him first,” Avery seethed, and she lifted her hand to his face, giving him a soft kiss, calming him.

“What else is there because I don’t know why the police didn’t just tell us that rather than you,” Colleen said, trying to move them forward.

“When the man was arrested, it was discovered that he had a thirteen-year-old daughter, Kelsey,” Pamela said surprising her entirely at that. “Her mother ran off, leaving him with her when she was one, the attacks started after that. We tracked down the mother, she’s in jail in Arizona. I know it would be a huge ask, but she and Tommy are biologically related…”

“You want us to take her in?” Avery asked as her breath stalled.

“I understand if it’s too much, no one would blame you for saying no. She’s currently a ward of the state. They were living just over the state line in New York while he was working odd jobs in New Jersey, so we’re trying to find somewhere for her that would be safe and loving. She’s been abused, how much we don’t know. She refused to let us do any exams on her, but from the way she holds herself, it’s clear she doesn’t want anyone touching her. That’s also why I thought of you,” Pamela said, knowing far more about her past than most thanks to the background checks they went through to foster.

“Can we have some time to discuss it?” Colleen asked, seeing the hardness in Avery’s eyes falling hearing that.

“Of course,” Pamela assured them. “There’s one more thing,” she added, and Colleen’s attention slid back over to her. “We collect DNA samples when kids go into foster care, it helps to find family for possible placements, establish paternity…”

“And?” Avery said when she paused.

“When we were running Kelsey’s, another match came up. A now seventeen-month-old boy was abandoned at a park when he was ten months old. He’s been in care while we attempted to figure out who he was, now it’s suspected…”

“That his mother was a victim, and she couldn’t handle it any longer,” Avery guessed.

“Yes, we gave him the name Zack, and he’s a sweet boy from what his social worker says. He’s been with a care only family but now that we’ve established a paternity to the attacker, well, it’s still complicated but not as bad as knowing nothing about him. We can keep him with his current family, but it would be easier to get him placed or adopted by someone with any sort of familial connection. Just something to think about,” Pamela said, and Colleen drug in a deep breath as Avery walked her back to the car.

He wrapped her up against his chest, holding her tight as she tried to process everything. The moment her eyes met his she could read his answer, making her love him even more. “She was in the car. She’s barely bigger than Tommy.”

“We don’t have to,” she said giving him an out on it.

“It’s not her fault, not that boy’s fault anymore than it is Tommy’s, but others…”

“Might take it out on them, look down at them knowing who he was,” she finished for him, resting against his incredible heart to calm herself.

“We have the room, the love,” Avery said lifting her gaze back to him and she nodded, letting the kiss wrap around her until she knew they were headed one way if they didn’t stop. “Hold that for later, right now, I think we have a call to make, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do,” she said, and after they told Pamela they were in, they went out to let the kids know they’d be having a couple more coming that night.

The baby was adorable, giving them little grins, and he settled with ease into the nursery, out just after Melanie. Kelsey was quieter, barely drawing attention to herself, but as the evening wore on, she saw her relax the tiniest bit, especially with Tommy.

“I told you no one can resist you and our boy,” Avery told her a month later, hearing Tommy and Kelsey laughing over some video.

“I’m pretty sure you were the one that got through to her most,” she mused, loving her family entirely, but especially him. “When she finally admitted that her neighbor’s son was the one hurting her, I thought your outburst was going to send her running.”

“Out the door instead of to me,” he said, and she nodded. “So did I the second it slipped out, but if that punk comes anywhere near her, I’ll kill him with ease. She’s part of this family, now, forever.”

“I love you, you know that?” she said, lifting her lips to his. “You and this family you gave me.”

“I love you too, baby. I’m sorry it took me four years of stupidity to know that this is what was meant for us,” he replied, his hold gentle as he held her head in his hands. “Thank you, for making the last eight the most amazing ever, I promise, the next will be even better.”

“They will be,” she agreed, giving him a grin when he pouted as she slipped out of his hold, but the second she took the tartlets out of the oven it turned into a full smile. There was no need to ask if he wanted a second, she already knew he would always take seconds and thirds with her, and she didn’t mind at all—not anymore.