EPILOGUE

The courtroom was small, just big enough to hold Antoni and his family, the Swansons, two lawyers, the judge, and a few court personnel.

Antoni's heart beat like a frightened rabbit as River squirmed on his lap, already antsy at having to sit still.

Matty sat to his left, holding Reese, though his free hand was wrapped tightly around Antoni's.

Palm sweaty, nerves turning his breathing shaky, Antoni held his breath as Judge Connor Hogan looked out over the courtroom, ready to share his ruling.

"After reviewing all of the information in front of me, there's only one reasonable decision that I can make today."

Antoni gripped Matty's hand so tight his fingers ached.

"Mr. and Mrs. Swanson have petitioned for custody on the basis of Mr. Bianchi being an unfit guardian. To be frank, I have found no evidence to support that. The parenting assessment done by Ms. Chapman does not corroborate that. Nor do the reports from the children's pediatricians or their therapists. In fact, they all consistently show that Mr. Bianchi has created a stable, loving home for the children. Initially, there were some mild concerns about his financial status and questions about his broader support network and ability to care for four children as a single parent. However, since then, it's become clear that those circumstances have changed."

He met Antoni's gaze, then looked at Matty.

"While it has been brought to my attention that perhaps this relationship started in a somewhat unconventional manner, it is also clear that the commitment you have made to each other and to raising the children is strong. I am extremely impressed by the extensive network of support you have created with Mr. Carlson's teammates along with, uh, their spouses and partners."

The judge cleared his throat, then continued. "The children's parents made it clear that they believe Mr. Bianchi to be the best choice as guardian. Supporting the deceased parents' wishes is always my priority. In addition, Alexis, Eli, and River have all spoken to Ms. Chapman and myself about their desire to remain in Mr. Bianchi's and Mr. Carlson's care. Reese is too young to make his wishes known, but since his pediatrician has stated that his growth and development is flourishing, I will take that as a sign that he is living in a home where he is safe, happy, healthy, and loved."

Judge Hogan looked at Matty again. "Mr. Carlson, in the future, I would advise you to avoid any physical altercations with people off the ice. However, since you do not have a history of non-work-related violence and because I received dozens of letters from your teammates, your coach, other people within the Fisher Cats organization, and from players around the league, all attesting to your good character, I am choosing to trust that your display of aggression toward Mr. Swanson was a misguided but well-intentioned attempt at protecting the children."

"Yes, sir," Matty said, sitting up straighter. "It won't happen again."

"Good." He looked over at Bill and Robin. "Your unwillingness to support Eli's gender identity and expression indicate to me that placing the children in your care would be detrimental to Eli's mental health and wellbeing and likely, those of the other children as well."

Robin made a sound of protest and the judge gave her a stern look, arching an eyebrow until she quieted.

"Based on the above information, I am officially rejecting Mr. and Mrs. Swanson's petition for custody."

They both gasped and the judge's mouth tightened. "Access to your grandchildren will be at the discretion of their wishes and those of their legal guardians. Mr. and Mrs. Swanson, although I cannot legally mandate this, if you wish to have a role in your grandchildren's life, I recommend you take some time to educate yourself on gender identity and expression. If you are unwilling to do so, and feel that your beliefs supersede Eli's health and wellness, you will also likely find yourself without a relationship with their siblings."

Bill and Robin both protested and Judge Hogan frowned, saying, "Sir, ma'am, if you cannot control yourself, I will be forced to remove you from my court!"

With obvious reluctance, they fell silent. As Antoni watched them out of the corner of his eye, a muscle twitched in Bill's jaw, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of righteous vindication.

It was about time someone told the Swansons to get their shit together.

The fact that the judge presiding over the trial had been the person to do so made the words that much sweeter.

"Now that we have that business out of the way, let's get to the fun part." He grinned, his stern expression melting away as he looked at Antoni and Matty. "Mr. Bianchi do you wish to have custody of Alexis, Eli, River, and Reese Swanson?"

Antoni gripped Matty's hand more tightly, tears already beginning to wet his cheeks.

"Yes. I do, Your Honor," he said.

"Alexis, Eli, River, and Reese, do you wish to be raised by Mr. Bianchi and Mr. Carlson?"

One by one, they said yes, and Matty waved Reese's hand in acknowledgment when it was his turn. Everyone chuckled and, smiling, Antoni leaned his head on Matty's shoulder, overwhelmed by the love he had for him.

For all of them.

"Then, by the power granted to me by the Province of Ontario, you are hereby granted custody, Mr. Bianchi. Although I cannot officially grant Mr. Carlson custody until he submits the paperwork, he is now free to do so and I am confident that will be processed quickly."

Judge Hogan's smile was warm. "Though, legal or not, it's quite clear to me that you six have already created a strong and loving family. Now, do the children wish to change their last names?"

Antoni shook his head. "No, your honor. They wish to keep Swanson as a tie to their biological parents. Matty and I fully support that."

Judge Hogan nodded, still smiling. "Then, congratulations. This hearing is concluded."

He banged his gavel and Antoni released a huge sigh of relief, feeling tension leave Matty's body where it was pressed against his, the stress melting away for both of them as the news sank in.

Antoni had spent the past nine months terrified of losing the kids. Now, he felt like a thousand-pound weight had been taken off his back. The relief that filled him knowing it was all over was dizzying.

He turned his head, kissing Matty briefly and whispering an, "I love you," before he hugged River.

"Did you hear that, River?" he asked her, unable to stop smiling. "This is the best news ever!"

"Yay!" she said, clapping her hands. "We stay with you?"

"Yes, sweetie," he said. "You'll stay with us."

Matty kissed the top of her head and Antoni reached out to pat Reese and kiss his cheek.

Reese shrieked with excitement and Matty chuckled.

Reese certainly had no idea what everyone was so happy about but he'd clearly picked up on the good mood. He was smiley and happy as he wiggled with excitement and nearly smacked Matty in the nose with his forehead.

"Easy there," Matty said with a laugh, settling a hand on his back. "No breaking noses until you're in the NHL, buddy."

Antoni snorted and Alexis laughed, peering around Matty to grin at him.

"Hey, c'mon," Antoni said, nudging Matty's thigh. "Let's get up. I need to hug the other two kids as well."

After they'd all filed out of the narrow bench, he hugged Alexis tightly and for the first time in a long time, she hugged him back and didn't let go.

"You did it," she said against his chest.

"We did it," he corrected. "It seemed crazy at the time but pretending Matty and I were engaged … well, you were right about that."

She grinned, pulling away to look him in the eye. "I am kinda brilliant, aren't I?"

"You are." He hugged her again before he grew serious. "I know how hard this whole situation has been and that you've been really worried about what might happen but you've been so brave and such a great sibling. Especially to Eli. I'm very proud of you. And your mom and dad would be too."

She ducked her head, eyes a little shiny. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Absolutely."

"Thanks, Uncle Antoni. I love you and I'm glad it worked out for you and Matty," she whispered before she turned away and got swept up in a big hug from Antoni's dad.

Heart so full it could burst, Antoni whispered, "I love you too," reminding himself to tell her that more often.

But there was still one important person he needed to talk to.

He turned to Eli with a smile, saying, "This is some good news, huh?"

Eli beamed. "The best! Thank you!" They flung their arms around Antoni.

"Hey, you don't have to thank me," Antoni said, rubbing their back. "This is exactly what I signed up for when I put my signature on the guardianship papers your parents gave me."

"I'm really glad you said yes," Eli said, arms still tight around Antoni's waist.

He squeezed Eli tighter. "Me too, kiddo. Me too."

After that, his parents stepped forward to congratulate him and for a while, there was nothing but chaos in the courtroom as everyone hugged and kissed and celebrated.

By the time Antoni thought to look for Bill and Robin, they were gone.

He felt nothing but relief.

Judge Hogan had taken off his robes and was milling around in khakis and a button-down shirt, laughing and talking to the kids, looking far less imposing than he had earlier.

Antoni took a few moments to thank Judy, the social worker, and his lawyer, April, but when Antoni finally came face-to-face with the judge and shook his hand, he had one question he wanted to ask.

"Uh, Your Honor, could I ask you something?"

"Certainly. Though the formal part of the day is over. You can call me Connor now."

"Uh, Connor," Antoni said. "I know you can't tell me anything officially but is it possible that the Swansons will appeal the ruling to a higher court than this?"

"Theoretically, it's possible," he said with a frown. "That being said, they don't have a lick of evidence to support it. A lawyer might be willing to take on the case if offered enough money, but even if they did, I can't imagine the superior courts accepting the appeal."

"You think so?" Antoni asked, feeling hopeful.

"Well, I can't guarantee it," Connor warned. "But it's extremely unlikely. There's absolutely no evidence of neglect or mistreatment on your part whatsoever. You can rest easy, Mr. Bianchi. These children are safe and happy with you and Mr. Carlson. That much is obvious to anyone with half a brain and I like to think our higher courts have at least that."

Antoni sighed. "Thank you. That's a big relief."

"Sure. Glad I could help." Connor clapped Antoni on the upper arm. "Now, let's get the paperwork signed so you and your family can get out of here and celebrate."

"I'd love that," Antoni said with a smile. Though, whoops, he hadn't actually planned a celebration.

After the paperwork was signed, Antoni turned and noticed Eli fidgeting. He bent down to look them in the eye. "Hey, what's up? Do you need something?"

"I want to take a picture with the judge. Can we do that?"

"We can ask him if he'd like to be in one," Antoni offered. "Would you like to ask or would you like me to?"

"Um, I can do it but could you come with me?"

"Yes." Antoni followed Eli to where the judge—Connor—was speaking to Matty.

When there was a pause, Eli stepped forward. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Judge, sir. Your Honor, would you take a picture with us?"

Connor beamed. "Oh, call me Connor. But of course! I'd be delighted. I love when I can give families a happily ever after."

Eli beamed back. "Thanks!"

Matty handed his phone over to his mom, then helped get the kids wrangled. They posed for several photos, and when they were done, the judge smiled at them all.

"Now get out of my courtroom!" he said in a teasing tone. "You need to go celebrate and I have other families to give good news to today!"

Laughing, Antoni thanked him again and got the kids moving.

He brought up the rear of the group, falling into step beside his mother, who was walking slowly with the assistance of a cane. "Hey. How are you feeling today?"

"Happy," she said, beaming.

Antoni laughed. "Me too. But I meant the MS."

Following the setback last fall, she'd been using a cane. It was harder for her to watch the kids now, but they'd hired Elena's cousin—who worked part-time as a nanny for her and Anton—to fill in when they needed it.

Eliza shrugged. "It was an okay day. I feel pretty good right now but I'll be tired tonight. Especially after the party."

"The party?" he asked, surprised.

"Whoops, didn't we tell you? The SAPs and I planned a celebration." She grinned. "Well, I suggested it, they planned it."

"I knew it was a mistake to put you in contact with them," Antoni teased.

She paused, studying his face. "Do you really mind?"

"No," he said with a quiet snort. "I was so wrapped up in the legal side of things and worrying about if we'd get custody that I didn't think about celebrating it after we did."

"Well, that's what I'm here for."

As they left the courthouse, walking out into the bright January sun, Matty appeared at Antoni's other side, holding hands with River and Eli. Reese was with Antoni's father and Alexis walked beside his mom.

This was good. Life was good.

God, there was so much to look forward to.

Antoni breathed deeply, enjoying the feel of the frigid air in his lungs.

Matty glanced over, beaming, and Antoni felt so light and happy he could fly. He was so wrapped up in looking into Matty's eyes that he jerked in surprise at the shout of, "Congratulations!"

He turned and blinked at the sight of Matty's parents and most of the Fisher Cats' team and their families arranged on the lawn, holding a colorful sign that said, ‘Congratulations to the Bianchi-Carlson-Swanson Family!'

Laughing, but confused, Antoni looked over at Matty. Had he arranged this? But Matty looked as surprised at Antoni felt.

Everyone on the lawn cheered—including some people that Antoni thought might just be random bystanders—and the kids took off, tearing toward Matty's parents, who hugged them all tightly. It turned out, the Carlsons were more than willing to travel to Canada to visit their new grandchildren.

After the kids were done greeting their grandparents, they ran over to the Fisher Cats group, where they were hugged and high-fived. Alexis got fist bumps from Jonah and Felix while Eli and Charlie held hands and twirled, skirts whipping around them.

River shrieked with delight when Dustin tossed her in the air a little, and giggling, she demanded, "Higher, higher!"

"What …" Antoni said, bewildered by the impromptu celebration. He turned to face his mother. "Mom?"

She grinned, shrugging. "They couldn't be in court with you, so they did the next best thing."

"What if it hadn't gone our way?" he asked.

Her grin widened. "It was never going to go any other way. But if it had, I'd have texted them to hide the banner and be prepared to give out a lot of consoling hugs. Then together, we all would have figured out the next plan of attack to protect Eli."

Too touched to say anything, Antoni hugged her. "How do you always know the right thing to do and say?"

"Oh, I don't," she said with a laugh. "But I've gotten better at it over the years."

"Well, thank you," Antoni said thickly. "For being the best mom"—he glanced at his dad who hovered nearby—"the best parents I could ask for. I wouldn't be able to do this without you."

"You would," his dad said. "But it never hurts to have some backup."

"I guess not," Antoni said, hugging him too.

Antoni walked down the steps and joined the crowd on the lawn, spotting his Aunt Sharon and his Uncle Vince. He waved.

God, he owned his Aunt Sharon big-time for setting this whole crazy thing in motion.

Oh, and there was Tabitha, from work. And his friend Rob, who'd worked on the van. Wow, his mom had really thought of everyone.

Antoni was so overwhelmed he hardly knew who to talk to first but before he could decide, someone cleared their throat behind him. He turned to face his husband, his eyes swimming.

"God, Matty," he said roughly. "I love you so much."

"Hey," Matty said, brushing away the tears with his thumbs. "No more crying. We have our whole lives ahead of us."

When you know, you know, Antoni thought, winding his arms around Matty's neck and kissing him deeply.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind.

THE END