Chapter 44

After the ceremony, came the reception of course. James and I stood hand in hand as the DJ called out for us to come out onto the dance floor. "Mrs. Maslow, allow me." James said as he pushed open the door to the reception hall. Everyone cheered as we made our way out to the dance floor. As soon as we got in our stance the music started as we started our first dance. 'Never Stop' by Safetysuit started to play over the speakers as I was now dancing with my husband.

"You look stunning by the way." James whispered as our guests watched us whisper to one another while the our song played. I smiled shyly. "God, you're beautiful." James said.

"Sweetheart, you mean the world to me." I said staring up at him. He smiled then.

"You're perfect." He whispered to me, this time butterflies awakened in my stomach and goosebumps raised on my arms. This time he said made me believe him.

"But, babe, you're the more perfect human being of us all." I answered as he then leaned down to kiss me. We danced the remainder of the song and we were off to party the night away and then head off on our adventure of a honeymoon in Barcelona.

*Three years later.*

John was in his senior year of highschool, we all lived in my house for the time being. However in the few months from now I'd be moving into James's house permanently and John would lease the upstairs of my house from me so he could live here and attend UCLA while downstairs Alexa and myself could still hold meetings and interested clients who wanted to promote our foundation. However, today was a very special day. Although our dreams of having children naturally was not a possibility, James and I had been looking into a certain orphanage for children of age four and younger. We had our home studied for a few months now and were now being placed with a child. I had kept John home from school and we all were going to the orphanage to meet possible little ones who we'd raise and love as our own.

"John! Off the phone! Let's go!" James yelled from the kitchen where I was waiting as well. John then opened his door.

"Okay, love you too. Bye Hil." John said smiling. He hung up the phone and then walked down the stairs. "I'm here." John said. James and I walked in front of him and out the door. We got in my Soul and we were off. It took roughly thirty minutes till we arrived and met with an adoption agent I'm the parking lot.

"Mr. And Mrs. Maslow, and Mr. Allen." The woman greeted shaking all our hands. "Very nice seeing you all again." She smiled holding files in her hands.

"Same." I told her smiling kindly.

"Okay, so when we get in here, the kids will be either playing for their play time or in bouncers for you guys to get to know. I advise you to get to know all the kids before requesting a personal meeting with them." She advised as we started down the path that led up to the house.

"How many children live here?" James asked as John followed behind James and myself. The woman walked sideways in front of us to try to talk to us.

"There are at this moment sixteen, however some are being adopted so they are not ones you should probably get to know very well." She smiled kindly. We nodded. She then walked up the steps and we were inside the house quickly. There wasn't much noise for a bunch of four and younger kids. She immediately led us into the living room of the house and let us loose to mingle and play with the kids.

We met so many beautiful children of all the ages available, of every race, and every possible eye and hair color. But at the end of the day, we fell for two of the younger kids. There was a baby almost seven months old given up for adoption from a teen mother who wanted a closed adoption process. She had beautiful dark brown hair but the most gorgeous hazel eyes which I couldn't help think looked like James's. She was so open to John, James and myself and I couldn't help but fall for her adorable little way of leaning on my shoulder when I held her. James was happy with her but I couldn't help but feel like John and James were preferring the other child who was just as open to us three. The other was a boy, a year and six months old already walking and already smiling more than any kid I had ever met. He was always reaching up to John or James to pick him up and hold him which he played with the collars of their shirts. His hair was blonde like mine and had the same green eyes as me. He came from a similar background except his mother was older but just wasn't able to care for him. She also requests a closed adoption. I sighed as the agent guided us down the hall to the dining area of the house where she would discuss adoption options.

"So, I saw you came to a liking of two children." She said having us sit down at a dining room table.

"Yes we have." James agreed.

"Well, from what I remember you liked little seven month old Poppy and eighteen month old Preston. Oh how cute two 'P' names." The woman added. We weren't given their names before, just small background when we asked about them other wise we weren't given anything. "Do you know which child you'd like to have a private meeting with?" She asked. I looked at James as this was the hardest decision we've ever had to come to.

"Uh, can we have a moment to discuss?" James asked as if he was reading my mind. The agent agreed and said she'd be making a call in the hall and to come get her when we came to a decision. We sat in silence a moment.

"Poppy loves me already, I can see it in her eyes. She also has eyes that look identical to yours." I sat quietly looking at both my husband and brother. John looked conflicted as well. James then spoke up.

"Yeah, I loved her too. But Preston is already bonding with his future uncle and dad ya know?" James asked. "He also looks scary like you." James added. I sighed and put my hands to my forehead and took a deep breath as James rubbed my back and sighed.

"I don't know. This is so hard. They're both young, so that's good. But they're both adorable and already have connections to us." I said looking at both of their files the agent left for us on the table.

"Do you know what I think?" John asked as James then started talking again.

"Maybe if we just adopt one, then when we experience the one then maybe we can adopt the other." James said. I shook my head.

"If we choose one then the other might get adopted before we come back for them." I said. James sighed holding the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes.

"Can I say something?" John asked louder this time. I looked at him and nodded.

"Yes John?" James asked. John cleared his throat and picked up the files in front of James and myself.

"Why not," he stood up then and grabbed the photos of the kids and sat them in front of James and me. "Adopt them both." It'll be as if you two had them. You had Preston at age twenty four and twenty six, a little boy who looks like his mom, and then you had Poppy eleven months later at age twenty five and twenty seven, a little girl who looks exactly like her daddy." John said holding up the photos next to James and mines faces. We turned to look at the other one and saw we in fact looked like we could have had these kids but not only that, they were close enough in age that it wasn't unnatural to have them both as our own.

"That's two children at once though. All under age two." James said looking a tad doubtful but I knew he was considering getting both the kids.

"But that's not weird. They also will be there for one another. They will be happy and have a friend for longer than kids who have a sibling who's much older than them. Like John, I left him because I was so much older than him." I explained. James put a hand on his mouth, thinking.

"I wanna do it." James declared so quickly.

"A lot of sleepless nights." I added just in case he thought I was going to be the only one who was going to get up. James nodded.

"Of course, but Poppy is seven months old, that's not as bad as a newborn to four month old. She'll be a year old soon. Then there's Preston, he's almost two soon. He would be perfect most the time." James added as if trying to persuade me now, even though I was already on board.

"Okay, let's do it." I said. James smiled and kissed my temple. We turned to John who was sitting down with an evil grin on his face. "What?" I asked.

"I knew as soon as we walked into this room, you both were in love with both of those kids. You were just trying to deny that you wanted two so fast." John smirked. James stood up and welcomed the agent back.

Within three more months we were welcoming home James and mines new children, Preston and Poppy Maslow. James and I made the guest bedrooms at James's home where Preston and Poppy would live. Since graduation had came and gone, John was living at my now office and old home alone. He had taken over the master bedroom and I was now permanently moved into James's house. Alexa and Carlos were over and they agreed to pay two thirds of the house payment still with John taking over the other third that was formerly mine and James. We waited patiently as John arrived for the agent we had met with to bring our new members of the family. Soon the car was pulling up.

We had redone the entire bottom floor of the house and baby proofed it. We put carpet in the bedrooms, redid them with a baseball blue paint for Preston's room and a soft baby pink for Poppy's room. A crib was put up in Poppy's room with a big white 'P' with pink floral design was hung up on the wall along with photos that had been taken the day we met her on the wall. She also had a toddler bed waiting for whenever she was ready, and an array of different stuffed animals and rag dolls. Then in Preston's room there was a big white 'P' similar to Poppy's but plain, a blue toddler bed, and a bunch of toys that John had picked out every time we went to the store, which included bulky cars and stuffed dogs and bears.