“Ezekiel! Zeke,” I yelled from the kitchen. He came stumbling in, wiping the sleep from his eyes, “Come on, we gotta get to school. First day back. Are you excited?” smiling, I set his lunch into his backpack. Ezekiel nodded slowly, chewing on a banana after grabbing it from a basket I kept on the counter.

“Where is Alexi?” he yawned, hugging Teodoro who had joined us.

“Sleeping still. It’s early, Teina. The bus will be here in five minutes, get your shoes on and I’ll walk you to the gate.”

The last week had passed quickly, decisions and changes were being made that had slowly overwhelmed Alexander and left me handling things. Teodoro was with us for another week but Wiremu and Aroha had gone back to Christchurch as soon as the small memorial for Ruthie and Jacob was done, Jacob’s ashes were released to them as Alexander insisted his parents be cremated. Harvey was currently in Leeds with Beatrice, ensuring she arrived safely. Cyrus was set to be in Taupaki in a week and Harvey had already promised him a spot on the oil rig he managed, Cyrus was now going to be some kind of water purification specialist, ensuring that the water around the rig was clear of oil as well as maintaining the cleanliness of the water that they used on the station. I had met with a realtor during this time, needing to stay busy or I would be trapped with my thoughts, and the house that Oliver had left me was listed finally, with a few buyers already putting offers in. I was simply waiting for one that was reasonable.

After walking Ezekiel to the end of the driveway with Scout, I watched him hop onto the bus before returning to the house. Teodoro was sitting on the deck, watching birds fly past as he drank tea and I headed into the master bedroom where I found Alexander sitting up in bed, talking to Hobbes.

“Good morning,” I smiled, leaning against the doorway.

“Good morning, baby,” Alexander returned my smile, fluffing his curls, “where were you?”

“It’s Monday, love. I had to see Zeke off to the bus.”

“Ah. Right,” he sighed, laying down and I joined him, Hobbes cuddled between us, “Where’s Scout?”

“On the deck with my Dad. Or running around the yard. He shot off toward Teddy as soon as we got back. What do we need to do today?”

“Um,” he tapped his fingers on his chest, “let’s see. I have to sign the rest of the papers giving Harvey the farm. Contact my job to let them know I’ll be available to start next week. The modular home will be delivered tomorrow so I want to take the riding mower out and clear the area. I can’t think of anything else.”

“That’s a good amount of things to handle without being too much,” nodding, I ran my fingers through his hair, “You’re doing good. I know it’s still hard and probably will be for a really long time. But the fact that you’re managing what you are is wonderful. I’m so proud of you. I need to head to the Pak’nSave and then… laundry.”

“You make a good house husband,” he laughed softly, gripping the nape of my neck.

“I’d be one if I didn’t need to work to stay in this country for the next five years until I can apply for citizenship,” I snorted, closing my eyes.

“It’s too bad it’s not like the States. I could just marry you and you wouldn’t have to worry. That’s not how things are here.”

“I’m not ready to marry you, dork,” I laughed loudly, kissing him softly, “what do you want from the store?”

“Can you get me timtams, salt and pepper squid, and that bread I like?”

“Sure. I’m also getting bell pepper for the meat to go into tonight. I want to make stuffed bell peppers.”

“Don’t ask for bell pepper if you can’t find it. It’s capsicum.”

“I’m trying to remember but it’s hard.”

“I know, baby. But you’re doing great. Make sure it’s the white chocolate timtams. I don’t want the regular.”

“Is that why there’s a mostly full box of them in the cabinet?” smiling, I rolled out of bed and started getting dressed, yawning as I did.

“Mhm. Give them to Zeke.”

“I put a few in his lunch box today. He was so tired, we've been letting him stay up too late,” sighing, I started braiding my hair, pulling it around my shoulder to reach the bottom, “I have to find the schedule Ruthie had for him. It's good for Zeke to stay on that. I know he's 11 and doesn't need a 9 pm bedtime, but I think 1030 is too late.”

“Things have been up in the air baby,” Alexander sighed, climbing out of bed to get ready as well, “so it's no surprise we lost track of how things should be. We're new to this. Trying to raise a kid, even if he's my brother. We're surrogate parents now. We have to make all his decisions for school, the doctor, all of it. I have no idea what I'm doing. I might sit with Teddy for a while, talk to him about parenting.”

“I'll give you Cassian's number too. Call him and ask how to raise a child when you least expected to have to care for one.”

“What do you mean?” He looked at me surprised as I slipped my socks on.

“Carson isn't Cash’s biological son. He was about 2 or 3 when he came into our lives. I can't really remember now. But Cash fell in love with Penny the minute he saw her and decided to take over as Carson's dad. So he had to learn on the fly. He would know what to do.”

“Got it,” he smiled gently, coming over and cupping my chin, “I love you. I know I've said it a lot the last week but it makes me feel better to remind you how much I truly love you.”

“As I love you,” I kissed his palm softly, giggling when Alexander nuzzled the side of my neck, “have you talked to Laney recently?”

“Last night. She's the official owner of my house. All of our things should be here in about two days. Cyrus called to let me know they emptied your house as well.”

“Ah right. I sold it. The money should be in my account soon. Also,” I wiggled, grabbing my phone and handing it over once I found a specific email, “I sold Papa's house here too for over asking price. I wanted 4 million. Someone paid 4.5. So I'm splitting it between all my nieces and nephews, Ezekiel, and I'll set the rest aside for the future.”

“We never did talk about that, did we?”

“Not really.”

“I would like to get married in a year,” he whispered, rubbing my jawline and I smiled, “and talk about adopting a baby. Just one. We have Zeke. We don't need more than two kids running around. That does mean moving at some point, this house isn't stable enough to build on. I figure we can leave it to Cyrus if he stays here in Taupaki.”

“I… love that. Yes. Sorry,” clearing my throat, I softly kissed Alexander before continuing, “There was a time I never imagined any of this. I figured I'd be alone forever. But getting to talk about our future together… it doesn't scare me like I thought it would.”

“You're okay with one child?”

“Two. Never forget Zeke is kind of ours now. I want you to add me to his custody paperwork after we get married okay? It's important to me. Life changes so quickly, we learned that recently. I want to be prepared for the terrifying possibility that if I lose you, I can keep Zeke. He's my brother too after all.”

“Thank you,” Alexander sniffled and I smiled gently, caressing the inside of his wrist after he slid his hand to my throat, “I am… the luckiest man alive to have you, Caelan. You're so warm now. Totally different from the man I flirted with in a bar all that time ago. You've opened up and it's the most beautiful thing to see.”

“It's because of you, Alexi. I'll keep telling you that. Without you, I'd still be so cold and closed off.”

“I know, honey. But you're doing fantastic. It still slips now and again, I can hear it when it does. But you've gotten better at recognizing it yourself and making that change. Your coldness worked as a wall between you and the world. Now you're open and it's incredible.”

There was a crash from the kitchen interrupting our conversation and we raced in there to find Teodoro staring at a broken mug in the sink, gripping his wrist. I rushed to his side and gasped, realizing that the ceramic had cut his arm deeply when it broke.

“Shit,” Teodoro hissed and I grabbed a towel, wrapping it quickly, “thanks kid. Sorry about the mug, Scout crashed into my leg and it slipped.”

“It happens,” I shook my head, keeping pressure on the wound as Alexander ran off to grab a first aid kit, “can I look at it?”

“Mhm.”

I slowly moved the towel away and smiled, wiping the blood off as best I could, “it doesn’t need stitches but let’s have Alexi properly wrap it and everything.”

“I swear I get hurt so much,” Teodoro groaned as I led him to the dining table, helping him to sit.

Scout was cowering in the corner, clearly startled by the sound of the mug breaking and Teodoro whistled softly, calling the pup over to him. Scout carefully trotted over, his ears pinned back until Teodoro started to scratch the top of his head, making Scout wiggle, his tail starting to move quickly enough to make his butt wiggle. There was a lazy meow from somewhere and I looked around the room to find Hobbes resting on the top of the refrigerator.

“He lives up there now,” Alexander smiled, taking the seat next to my father to gently begin caring for his arm, “I can never get Hobbes down.”

“He’s done that since I found him,” I yawned softly, fixing my hair once again, “even when he was tiny, he’d climb my clothes to get onto the counter and find some way up onto the fridge. He can’t get back down on his own though. You’d think he could figure it out but he simply can’t.”

“I’m sad,” Teodoro whispered and we both looked at him, “to leave. It’s been so wonderful getting to see you like this, Caelan. I never… I knew how cut off your heart was from everything good in the world. It scared me half to death, reminded me too much of… Maddox. I didn’t want you falling down the path he did, using someone so you weren’t alone. But you’re a much better man than he was.”

“Dad you’re talking really rudely about the first person you loved,” I poured two mugs of coffee, placing one in front of Alexander, “he couldn’t have been that bad.”

“He… no. I suppose he wasn’t.”

“Who is Maddox?” Alexander looked at Teodoro confused.

“Maddox was my childhood best friend. I loved him since I was a teenager and told him when I was 18. He didn’t want to date me at the time. I met a… piece of shit who would force himself on me, hurt me all the time and Maddox became my lifeline. I was ashamed of this, and I still am a bit and I want you to understand as everyone in my family does it was strictly for survival, please keep that in mind. I started cheating on Liam with Maddox. Not physically, just emotionally. It kept me alive and gave me something to look forward to. When I had a miscarriage that put me in the hospital, I was finally free from Liam and this gave me and Maddox the chance to be together. Six months in, I found him cheating on me. It broke my heart. Liam destroyed me physically and that ruined me emotionally. I moved to Montana to live on Oliver and Sebastian’s property in one of their guesthouses. Remington lived in the other, the only thing separating us was a fire pit. We slowly became best friends, until I started dating his cousin Greg. During the time I was with Greg, Max kept trying to force his way back into my life. This continued well after Greg and I ended things, I started my relationship with Remi, and Cash was born,” Teodoro smiled sadly as Alexander silently wrapped his arm, “Caelan was safe and sound in my stomach the second to last time Maddox showed up in my life. He wanted me back. But I was married to Remi with two beautiful children. Even if Caelan wasn’t with us yet and Cash had taken to breaking most of the things we bought for Cae out of curiosity. The final time was when he came to tell me he had cancer and was about to die. Cosette had just been born, we were at the hospital. Maddox died a year later. Passed with the knowledge that I forgave him and still had love for him in my heart. Penny is his only daughter,” he sighed and Alexander looked at me in surprise, “and when we lost Max she moved in with us along with Carson as she was now alone in the world outside of her grandparents. So while I do say some negative things about Maddox from time to time, I hold nothing against him anymore. I just wish he had lived long enough to see Penelope become a mother of three. He would have adored his grandchildren.”

“Teddy,” Alexander whispered, “I am so sorry you lost him.”

“I lost him long before he left this world. But thank you, Alexi,” Teodoro smiled gently, letting Alexander hug him, “is Caelan your first partner? I know you’re his.”

“I’m his first and last,” Alexander laughed softly, taking a sip of coffee, “no. He’s not. Brian was… a bastard of a man. He liked calling me a little bitch a lot for loving my mother the way I did. For being here as soon as she called. I refused to leave their house for a year after Zeke was born because I loved watching my little brother grow. It broke me to move to America when Zeke was still so small. I was worried he’d forget me so I called daily. Multiple times a day. My parents hated Brian but they loved Caelan. That brings me a lot of peace right now. To know that they… left me here knowing I was safe and cared for by your son. I want to ask something of you. I’d prefer to do it with Remi here as well, but he’s not. I know that Caelan and I haven’t been together for years. But I love your son. I want to ask your permission, that when I am ready to, may I ask him for his hand in marriage? I know you’ll probably tell me it’s unnecessary to ask your permission, but I have to. I’m of clear mind and not acting irrationally. I just want you to be aware of my intentions. I plan to spend the rest of my life with Caelan. Even if you won’t give me your blessing.”

“You’re so cute,” Teodoro giggled as my face went red, “absolutely. I appreciate you asking even if you should have been aware I would allow you to marry him. Remi and I got married nine months after being together. I was pregnant with Cash. We just went to the courthouse and did it. Best choice we made. Didn’t have some big, fancy wedding until years later. Cyrus and Cruz were toddlers. Do you remember, Cae?”

“God yes. I was eight after all,” I snorted, “I hated weddings even then. They make no sense to me. Alexi feels the way I do about it. You did look beautiful in your suit though, Dad. Papa Lio made it, right?”

“Yeah forced Remi and I out of wearing white. We already had six kids and were married by then. It didn’t make sense. It was our tenth anniversary after all. More of a vow renewal than a wedding.”

“Uncle Greg did it. Why? I thought that was odd.”

“Because after we worked through the issues our breakup caused, Uncle Greg was my best friend once again. It meant a lot to him to be the one to officiate. Remi asked him to do it.”

“That’s sweet,” Alexander smiled, “my parents got married at a Catholic church when I was three. 27 years of marriage.”

“They’re still married now, watching over you.”

“Yeah,” Alexander nodded, “Yeah I know.”