25. Jenner

Chapter 25

Jenner

I'd briefed Maddox on the situation before we left the hospital, and he had told me not to worry about anything other than taking care of my family. The Speed would survive without me for a few games, and he would handle the press.

When we got home, I found myself constantly answering the door to accept deliveries of flowers or food from various members of the team. They'd all sent their well wishes via text, offering support in any way we might need while Evie regained her strength and we wrapped our heads around our new reality.

Evie was settled on the couch, bundled up in a pile of blankets, watching sitcom reruns before a roaring fire in the living room, when the doorbell rang for at least the twentieth time that day.

"You'd think they'd coordinate and spread it out over a few days," I grumbled as I trudged to the door. "There's no way we can eat all this food before it goes bad, even if she is eating for three."

Flinging the door wide, arms ready to accept whatever item had been sent by my teammates this time, I nearly stumbled back in shock when I saw who waited on the other side.

"Paige?" I blinked to make sure I wasn't seeing things, but sure enough, a very pregnant teenage girl was standing on our doorstep.

"Um, hi." She shifted on her feet.

We stared at each other for a full minute, but when she shivered, I was jolted back to my senses. Stepping back from the doorframe, I made enough room to permit her entry. "Come in. It's freezing out there."

Timidly, Paige ducked her head, crossing the threshold.

I shut the door and turned around, leaning against it. "What are you doing here?" Then, a thought occurred to me, and I blurted, "Didn't the agency contact you?"

"They did." She nodded. "And I'm sorry if this isn't okay, but I didn't know what else to do."

"Jenner, what was it this time?" Evie's voice called from the living room.

Concern for my wife outweighed everything, and I worried that seeing Paige would send her into a tailspin. She was still mourning the loss of the baby girl Paige carried, even though we had two babies of our own on the way.

"The past week has been hard on Evie," I explained to the young girl. "If you tell me what you need, I can try to help."

Paige peeked over her shoulder toward where she'd heard my wife's voice. "I need to talk to you both. Please." Her blue eyes pleaded with me, and against my better judgment, I guided her through our home, coming to a stop once we reached Evie.

Eyes still locked on the screen above the mantle, Evie groaned. "Whatever it is, I can't eat another bite. I know they're trying to show how much they care about us, but half of what they sent over is going to go to waste."

"It's not food," I said.

"Oh Lord, they didn't take to sending stuffed animals, did they? I swear, if there's a life-sized teddy bear or other woodland creature, I won't feel the least bit bad donating it. We're going to have enough to deal with without that cluttering up the house."

"Evie. We have a guest."

"Who—" Her words halted when she turned her head and caught sight of the teen standing by my side. "Paige?" Evie sat up suddenly.

"Whoa." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Take it easy, babe." My heart still hadn't quite recovered from last night and having her rushed to the hospital.

A sob sounded from my right, and I turned in time to watch Paige's face crumble as she broke down in tears.

"Oh, honey," Evie cooed. "Come here."

Paige ran around the edge of the couch, throwing herself into Evie's arms. My wife mothered the girl pressed against her chest so effortlessly, holding her close and whispering words of comfort. It came so naturally to her. Our kids had no idea that they had this incredible woman waiting to love them.

Feeling like I was intruding on a private moment, I stepped into the kitchen to grab both ladies a glass of water. Evie's hydration was at the forefront of my mind after her fainting episode, and I wanted to minimize any risk for Paige as well.

Returning to the living room, I found them both sniffling, their eyes red-rimmed from crying. I set my offering of water on the coffee table and sat in a nearby chair.

Evie smoothed damp strands of strawberry blonde hair away from Paige's face. Sadness crept into her voice as she said to the girl, "As happy as I am to see you, I'm not sure you should be here."

Paige's lower lip trembled, and she nodded. "They told me not to contact you, but—but it didn't feel right. I needed to see you." Her eyes slid over to where I sat. "Both of you."

"I'm not sure what they told you—"

"They said you weren't fit to adopt! That I couldn't give you this baby." Paige's hands clutched at her swollen belly.

Evie squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that."

"I don't care!" Paige cried. "All I know is that she belongs with you guys."

Tears trailed down my wife's cheeks as she admitted, "I messed up, Paige. I'm the reason they're blocking our adoption. I lied on our forms, and they found out. I knew better, but I did it anyway. Because I wanted a baby so badly. And it was wrong."

"Lied? Lied how?"

Evie opened her mouth several times, never uttering a sound as she struggled to explain our deception.

"We were divorced when Evie applied," I offered.

Paige turned to face me, her blue eyes burning with questions. "I don't understand."

I took a deep breath. "You've read Evie's account of our infertility struggles." The teen nodded. "Well, there was a part of a story she purposely left out. Trying and failing to have a baby on our own was stressful, and it placed a strain on our marriage. I love Evie with everything I have, but she was suffering, placing blame on herself for our inability to conceive. Eventually, it became too much, and she needed to get away. Letting her go is the biggest regret of my entire life."

She frowned. "You said you were divorced. Does that mean you're married now?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "Evie tried to adopt on her own during our time apart but wasn't successful in getting herself listed in any agency's catalog as a single woman. Out of options, she applied using her married name, attaching our original marriage certificate. When they accepted her—us, really—she found her way back up to Indy, and that's when I found out about the whole thing. I agreed to go along with it because I knew how much becoming a mother meant to her, but she doesn't know I had ulterior motives."

"You did?" Evie asked.

My vision honed in on the woman I'd loved since I was nineteen. "I saw your return to my life as a gift, one I wasn't going to take for granted. That's why I laid out my conditions. I wanted you so tangled up with me that it would be damn near impossible to separate us. My greatest mistake was letting you go, and I was determined to keep you for good this time."

To Paige, I said, "We were remarried about six weeks before we met you."

"And the agency found out." Evie's voice broke on that admission.

The girl looked between us, declaring, "I don't care."

"What?" I wasn't sure if I was asking for clarification or for her to say it again.

"I don't care," she repeated. "The timing, the legalities—none of it matters to me. I chose you. You are who I want to raise her. I don't want to pick another couple." Paige peeked down at her bump. "If you haven't noticed, I'm kinda running out of time, and I refuse to hand her over to the state, having no say in where she's placed. But I can't keep her. I can't. Please ." That last word dripped with desperation.

Evie reached out to grasp Paige's hand. "Honey, I'm sorry, but it's not up to us."

Paige gestured around the room. "You guys are rich, right? Can't you make it happen? Take the adoption private? Without the agency?"

I let out a sigh. "We could . . . but there's something else we need to tell you."

Concern filled her young face. "Okay . . ."

"Evie's pregnant."

Paige's face fell as that truth sank in. "Oh. I see." She stood, stepping away from the couch. "I'm sorry I came here and bothered you both." Her gaze flicked to Evie. "I'm so happy for you."

When she turned toward the door, a single word caught my attention.

"Jenner."

Evie's pale purple eyes pleaded with me, and I knew I was a goner.

Twenty-four hours ago, our plans for the future were in shambles.

We'd spent months planning for one baby—the one tucked safely inside Paige's belly—only to have that dream ripped away. Then, we'd gotten the surprise of a lifetime, finding out that after years of trying, we were set to become biological parents to not just one but two babies that Evie was carrying.

It would be sheer insanity to double down and accept Paige's offer to adopt her baby. Doing so would mean three babies separated by, at most, four months if Evie managed to make it full-term with the twins.

But my one design flaw was that I'd never been able to say no to my wife, and I wasn't about to start now. That baby girl was already ours in her mind, and I'd been witness to the devastation it caused when she thought we'd lost her.

Rising to my feet, I called out to the retreating form of the girl carrying our daughter. "Paige, wait."

The teenager turned around slowly, fresh tear tracks staining her pretty face.

"I think we can make this work." Hope lit in her eyes at my words. "On one condition."

"Jenner . . ." Evie warned, having been on the receiving end of my "conditions" before.

I held up my hand, letting her know I had this.

"I'm listening," Paige said, stepping closer.

I knew it was a risk, but it was one I was willing to take.

"You become a part of our family." Evie's soft gasp reached my ears. "You're giving us a piece of yourself, entrusting it to our care, so I think that entitles you to a permanent place in our lives."

Paige's pale red eyebrows drew down. "But I want you to be her parents."

"And we will be," I agreed. "But I'm a firm believer that a child can never have too many people in their life who love them. We can work out the details later on how we want to handle your role, but I think I can speak for both myself and Evie when I say we don't want to say goodbye once the adoption is finalized. I can understand if this is too much for you, and if you want, we can limit your interactions to, say, maybe only her birthday and Christmas. But she should know where she comes from and know you loved her enough to give her the best possible life, even if it wasn't with you."

Chewing on her lower lip, Paige mulled over my offer.

Finally, she hedged, "If I agree, you'll take her?"

Peeking back at Evie to make sure this was what she wanted, she only offered me a tiny nod before crying out, "Yes!" and jumping up from the couch and rushing over to pull Paige into a hug.

I jolted seeing her move so quickly. These next few months were going to be stressful, making sure she stayed safe while pregnant.

When they broke apart, Paige peeked down at Evie's belly. Four months along with twins, you couldn't tell she was pregnant yet, but I had a feeling that when they wanted their presence to be known, she'd pop overnight, and I couldn't fucking wait.

"And she's going to be a big sister?" Paige touched her bump.

"She's got her work cut out for her." I chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Her forehead wrinkled.

Evie gave Paige a shy smile. "We're having twins."

The shock on her face likely mirrored ours when we'd heard the news. Wide-eyed, she breathed out, "Wow. Two?" Then it hit her. "Oh my God, you're going to have three babies?"

Shoving both hands into my pants pockets, I rocked back on my heels. "Would seem so."

Paige huffed out a laugh. "And here I am, not ready to take care of one." After a beat, she asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Giving her a warm smile, I replied, "The only thing I've been more sure about in my life was marrying Evie. This is the family we are meant to have, just not in a way we ever saw coming."