Chapter Nineteen

R oam held his son to his chest. His little one had woken up when the social worker had taken him out of his car seat. She'd handed him a small diaper bag she said had his pacifier, a bottle and a couple diapers. She said Shanna didn't have any blankets or clothing for him when she was picked up. Shanna also refused to give any information about where she'd been staying with him.

Although the social worker had bathed him the night before, the outfit he had on had been in his diaper bag and the bag reeked of Shanna's perfume. Roam had pulled the new diaper out and taken his son into the bathroom and washed him off, putting on a clean diaper. He then wrapped him in a dry towel and cuddled him against his chest.

He'd contained his anger but when he'd seen the birth certificate only said Baby Boy in the first name and Shields in the second, he was livid. Shanna hadn't even named his son. From the birth certificate, he was almost eight weeks old. He couldn't imagine what his life had been like for that time.

Baron had left to go pick up the women. He sat here cuddling his son. Finally, now that he knew all his kids were safe, he let the tears fall. He vowed to spend the rest of his life letting his son know that he was special, loved and wanted. Once Sprite got back, they could decide what to call him. His other children were named after painters. He wasn't sure if Sprite would want to continue that or if they should choose something else. When they combined their families, Sprite's two weren't named after painters.

He didn't care if his blood coursed through the baby's veins. This child was his. Roam readjusted when the baby whimpered and snuggled him closer, whispering everything would be all right. He hummed one of the songs he'd hummed to all three of his other kids. Sometimes when he was sure no one was around, he'd sing the words, but War had once told him he sounded like a dying cat when he sang. His kids must like it because they asked for him to sing. For some reason, the words to Rescue by Lauren Daigle brought him peace when he hummed or sang it.

He wiped his face with the edge of the towel and sniffed. He thought back to when he was fighting tears in his teens because he thought real men didn't cry. Baron had wrapped him in his arms and told him that strong men did cry. Crying wasn't a sign of weakness but that he cared. His dad was right. He'd cried when each of his kids were born, realizing how special it was to have them in his life. He wasn't there when this one was born, but it was the first time he held his son, so tears were okay.

The beep of the door had him waiting to see Sprite. She was smiling as they all carried bags in. When she saw the tears on his face, she dropped the bags and ran to him.

"Is everything okay?"

"It is now."

She leaned close to see the baby's face.

"I forgot to ask before we went shopping. What's his name?"

Roam smiled. "Well, I'm hoping you can help me decide. His birth certificate says Baby Boy Shields."

"So she didn't name him. I didn't think the hospital would let you leave without a name on the certificate," Sprite said.

"The notes said that Shanna left the hospital before she was dismissed and before a name was given to the hospital."

"I hope she gets shanked in prison. The world would be a better place," Sprite grumbled.

"I agree with you wholeheartedly, but she's mean enough she'll probably end up top dog in there. I'll wash these bottles to have them ready. Sprite and I bought as much as we thought we could fit in the SUV for the ride home. Plus, I figured a lot of Casper's stuff would fit him. Now figure out a name because as soon as I'm done washing this stuff, I want to hold my newest grandson and call him by a name," Regina demanded, then started unloading items.

Sprite leaned closer brushing her fingers against his.

"What are you thinking?"

"My other kids are named after artists I liked. But since I'm assuming we'll be one big family sooner or later, I don't think we should stick with that. I don't want Oakley or Blake to feel left out."

"Hmm, what about naming him Matthew after you and Baron and then add whichever artist you planned on using next? Then he's a bridge between all our kids' names."

Roam didn't think he could explain the feeling of relief and the abundance of love that filled him when Sprite called them our kids .

"I was actually considering using Rascal's given name because he's an artist who helped me find my talent. I can't imagine a better name for this little one than Matthew Thomas after two of the men who helped me know how a good dad was supposed to act."

Sprite kissed Matthew Thomas's forehead and then looked at Roam. "So are we calling him Matthew, Matty, Matt, Thomas, Tom or Tommy," she asked with a smile.

"I didn't love Matty growing up, so how about Matthew?"

Sprite looked at their son. "Welcome to our family, Matthew. Now I'm going to go wash my hands and get all the icky germs off from shopping. Then I'm going to call dibs and hold you before your grandma does."

Roam laughed and watched his mom tease Sprite as she washed her hands. Then Regina hugged Sprite and whispered something to her that Roam couldn't hear. Sprite walked back over and sat down beside him, motioning to him to give her Matthew. He laid their son in Sprite's arm. He leaned close and slid his arm around Sprite.

"Matthew, this is your mommy and you're going to love her," Roam whispered. He was thankful to the undercover police officers and the department who had caught Shanna. He might have never known the joy of having his son.