Family Matters Book 2
Yazar
C. B. Rose
Okur
100K
BölĂŒm
38
Cassie and Xavier's idyllic family life is upended when a legal challenge threatens the adoption of their daughter, Ana. As they navigate this turmoil, secrets from the past resurface, and new revelations about family ties and hidden agendas come to light. With the arrival of unexpected guests and the emergence of old flames, Cassie and Xavier must confront their deepest fears and fight to protect their growing family. Amidst the chaos, love and loyalty are tested, leading to a dramatic showdown that will change their lives forever.
Chapter 1
Book Two: Matters of the Heart
Kyle, fresh out of prison and anger management, re-enters the lives of Cassie and Xavier, claiming to be a changed man. But is it all just a facade? Kyle isnât the only one threatening to disrupt their peaceful home. Will the couple and their adorable kids be able to weather these new storms?
Cassie
âMommy?â
âHmm?â I mumble, prying my eyes open. There, in front of me, stands the cutest little girl, her face lit up with a huge grin. I glance at the window, noting the darkness outside.
I turn to the bedside clock, which reads five in the morning. âAna, why are you up at this hour?â I whisper, careful not to disturb Xavier.
âItâs my birthday!â she exclaims in a loud whisper. I canât help but giggle as Xavier stirs behind me, pulling me closer.
âYes, sweetheart. I know.â I pat the bed in front of me and she hops in. She tugs Xavierâs arm around her and snuggles against me, grinning up at me.
âDid Daddy know you invited Nathan, my friend, to my party?â She whispers loudly again. Xavier burrows into my neck, whispering back just as loudly.
âNow I do,â he replies, lifting his head to give Ana a playful scowl. Anaâs eyes widen and she claps a hand over her mouth, giggling.
âDaddy! You werenât supposed to hear that!â she tells him. She clambers over me to wedge herself between Xavier and me.
She wraps her arms around Xavierâs neck, looking into his eyes. âAre you mad at me?â She pouts. This girl sure knows how to play him!
âNo, Iâm not mad.â He sighs. I chuckle to myself, watching him melt under her pout. âIs he your boyfriend?â Ana quickly covers his mouth with her hands.
âDaddy! Thatâs a naughty word! Donât say that!â she exclaims, horrified. Xavier looks at her, a mix of confusion and amusement on his face.
âWhatâs the naughty word?â I ask her. Ana turns to me, her hands still muffling Xavierâs mouth.
âDaddy said the âbâ word!â she exclaims, still shocked that Xavier would utter such a word.
âBoyfriend?â I ask her. Her eyes, I didnât think it was possible, grow even wider. She quickly moves one hand to cover my mouth, the other still on Xavierâs.
âMommy! No! No! No!â she protests, shaking her head. âYou canât say that word! Uncle Evanâs hair will fall out!â
âWhat?!â I mumble against her hand. âWhy would his hair fall out?â
âUncle Evan said that word is naughty and I canât call any of my friends that or all his hair will fall out and I donât want him to be bald, mommy, so please donât say that word anymore.
âI promised him I wouldnât call any of my friends that word.â She rambles on. Xavier and I canât help but burst into laughter.
âYour brother is something else!â Xavier tells me. I just shake my head at him.
âDonât worry, sweetheart,â I reassure her. âUncle Evanâs hair wonâtâŠâ Xavier quickly covers my mouth with his hand. He turns to Ana and smiles.
âUncle Evanâs hair wonât fall out just yet because we didnât know about the naughty word. But now that we do, we promise not to use it for any of your friends either.â
She beams at him, and he plants a kiss on her forehead. âWhy donât you go brush your teeth and start picking out your outfit for the party?â
âI already know what Iâm going to wear,â she declares proudly. âAuntie Donna helped me choose.â Xavier rolls his eyes and groans.
âSheâs got you wearing a huge crown and a long cape, hasnât she?â he asks.
âYouâre funny, Daddy! She didnât give me those to wear,â Ana giggles. Xavier breathes a sigh of relief.
âShe handed me a tiny tiara because the larger one was too cumbersome, and I got a short cape because I couldnât dash around with a lengthy one.â Xavierâs face was a picture of dismay as she responded to him, and I couldnât help but laugh.
âAlright, sweetheart,â I say, sitting up in bed. I stretch my arms out to her, and she leaps into my embrace. âItâs a bit early, but why donât you go brush your teeth and get ready for breakfast?â
âOkay, Mommy.â I bend down to plant a kiss on her forehead and give her a tight hug.
âHappy Birthday, my darling,â I whisper. Xavier leans in to kiss her, wrapping his arms around both of us.
âHappy birthday, princess,â he murmurs. âWe love you.â
âI love you too, Mommy and Daddy!â She gives us one last squeeze before hopping off the bed and scampering out of the room. Xavier pulls me into his arms and kisses me passionately.
A soft sigh escapes my lips as he lifts me onto his lap, my legs straddling him. We break apart, and I nestle into his chest.
âI love you, Cass,â he murmurs, his breath warm against my hair. His arm is wrapped securely around my waist, his other hand gently stroking my back.
âI love you too, Xavier.â I press a kiss to his chest and hold him close. I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage. I have news to share with him, and Iâm both thrilled and anxious to tell him.
âI love our little family,â he whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. âI canât imagine being any happier than I am right now.â I can feel his smile against my hair.
âWhat if our little family grew by one?â I ask softly. He stops stroking my back and lifts me to look into my eyes. His eyes are glistening, a wide smile spreading across his face.
âAre you sure?â he asks, his voice trembling with excitement.
âYes, love. Iâm sure,â I assure him. He crashes his lips onto mine and pulls me close. Suddenly, he flips us over so Iâm lying on the bed and heâs hovering above me.
âAaah!â I squeal, giggling. He kisses me again, first on my lips and then trailing kisses down to my belly.
âHello there, little one.â He presses a kiss just above my belly button. âThis is your daddy.â He continues to shower my belly with kisses as he talks to our unborn child.
âI canât wait to hold you in my arms. You have two wonderful big sisters and a big brother who are going to be so excited to meet you. I love you, my little bean.â
âLittle bean?â I giggle.
âYes. Iâve seen enough ultrasounds of Selena and Isaiah to know that at this stage, our little one is about the size of a bean.â
He grins proudly. He makes his way back up to me and kisses me again. I could never tire of his kisses. âWhen do you want to tell everyone?â
âMaybe tomorrow?â I suggest.
âWhy not today?â he asks, a hint of concern in his eyes.
âToday is Anaâs day. I donât want to steal her thunder,â I explain. He nods and kisses me again. âBaby?â
âHmmm?â he hums against my lips.
âWe should lock the door.â I smirk. He quickly hops off the bed and locks our bedroom door. When he returns, we spend the next hour celebrating our new addition in bed...and the shower.
Xavier
Today is Anaâs birthday, and weâre throwing a party later with our family and friends. I can hardly believe sheâs already six. It feels like just yesterday she was learning to say my name.
And now, sheâs just finished kindergarten and will be starting first grade after the summer. Sheâs growing up so quickly. Too quickly for my liking.
Sheâs been buzzing with excitement about her birthday party all week, so I was mentally prepared for an early start today. Iâm actually surprised she managed to sleep at all.
I heard her tiptoe into our room this morning, but I pretended to be asleep.
That is, until she mentioned that boy Nathan. Ugh! Why does she have to have boy friends at this age? Arenât boys supposed to have cooties at this age?
When she spilled the beans about Evanâs hilarious advice on boyfriends, I nearly wet my pants laughing.
Iâm sure Cassie will give him a piece of her mind for that, but Iâm all for it if it means Ana wonât have a boyfriend till sheâs an octogenarian.
I didnât have much time to ponder on Anaâs future love life, because as soon as she left the room, Cassie dropped the bombshellâwe were expecting our fourth child.
Holy shit! WEâRE HAVING A BABY! Oh, God! Another baby?! Please, let it be a boy this time.
Iâm not sure I can handle another girl, and Iâll need some backup when Ana and Selena start dating.
After Cassie and I had our private celebrationâactually, several celebrationsâwe woke up our other two little ones and headed downstairs to prepare breakfast.
Our parents were coming over to join us for breakfast and help us prep the house for the party.
According to my mom and Sadie, they needed a good four-hour head start to put up all the decorations and cook the food, so they wanted to get cracking right after breakfast. They take their party planning to heart.
As weâre all sitting down to breakfast, I notice Charlie keeps glancing between Cassie and Ana. Iâm not the only one whoâs noticed.
I caught my dad giving Charlie concerned looks. After breakfast, Cassie and our moms took the kids to the backyard to start prepping for the party.
My dad and Charlie retreated to the living room for a chat. I trailed behind them.
âWhatâs up?â I asked as we settled on the couch. My dad glanced at Charlie, who took a deep breath.
âThereâs a situation, Xavier. Iâm not sure what to make of it yet.â He sighed. âIâve got my lawyer on it as we speak.â
I saw his eyes welling up, and he blinked back the tears threatening to spill. I felt a knot forming in my stomach.
âWhat situation?â I asked. I looked at my dad, and he wore the same expression as Charlie. âWhatâs so serious that youâve already got your lawyers involved?â
Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope. He held it for a few seconds before handing it to me. I opened the envelope, took out the letter, and started reading.
I read the first few lines, and my heart stopped. Suddenly, I couldnât breathe. I got up and walked to the back window, watching Cassie and Ana laughing as they hung decorations in the yard.
I turned back to face my dad and Charlie, now fighting back my own tears.
âXavier,â my dad said. âWe donât know if thatâs legitimate or not. Letâs not jump to conclusions.â
âI should hear from my lawyers later today,â Charlie added, his voice shaky. âWhatever happens, Xavier, weâre going to fight this.â
I returned to the couch and sat down. My world was spinning. My dad sat next to me, placing his hand on my arm.
âXavier? Say something, son,â he urged. I looked at my dad, stunned. I couldnât believe this was happening. I looked back down at the paper, my eyes scanning the same phrases over and over:
âNotice to establish paternityâ
âChallenging the adoption of Ana Monteroâ
