"I'm really going to have a brother?" Sarah asks looking at Eleandro with wide eyes.

"Yes," he says flipping through the pages of the newspaper.

"Can I name him?" she asks peeking her head between him and the newspaper.

"No. He already has a name," he says folding the newspaper and then picking up Sarah in his arms.

Jordan. His name.

"A nickname then? Like mama has for me?" She asks looping her arms around Eleandro's neck and leaning her shoulder on his shoulder.

"Well... You have to ask him." Eleandro says his mind focused on the breakfast served on the plate in front of him.

"What's his name, papa?" Sarah says getting up and then picking up a grape.

"Sarah first wash your hands and then eat." This time it's me who interrupts.

"Okay... Is my brother coming home today?" She asks not bothering to get up and wash her hands.

"Today after some paperwork we can bring him home," I reply.

"When we will go to get him?" she asks.

"We can go after you complete your breakfast," Eleandro says.

Sarah nods and then starts eating her breakfast. Eleandro looks at her then at me with an amused expression.

"Eat it slowly kid," Eleandro says and takes the spoon from her hand to feed her.

I look at them and smile. When I asked Eleandro if we can adopt a kid I was scared. I knew he wouldn't say no so that wasn't the part that scared me. It was the unconscious thought that even if we will adopt the child I don't know we could accept it as ours. But all those insecurities vanish when I told this to Eleandro.

When Sarah was told that she is going to have a brother or sister she was on cloud nine. She even agreed to share her bed and of course Kelly.

So after breakfast, we left for the child orphanage. The orphanage is run by sisters. It wasn't a big place but it was decent. As we passed through the gate we could hear kids playing which made Sarah so excited she started walking faster pulling me along with her.

She saw the children playing in the sandpit behind the corner of the building and went there to play with them while Eleandro and I met with the sister and our lawyer who was already there.

We have came here before when we decided to adopt a child. We didn't know if we are going to adopt a boy a girl but we knew the kid will as important for us as Sarah is. When the sisters took us to spend some time with the children, tears weld up in my eyes looking at orphan kids. Maybe it was because once I have been in their place or because I know what it felt like to be abandoned.

We spent three hours with the kids there and finally, kids started opening to us, except one kid. When we asked about him the sisters told us that he is suffering from autism that's why he doesn't interact with people easily.

Eleandro and I decided to adopt him and today he will be a part of our family.

We know it won't be easy for him or us to get used to each other but with time everything will be okay.

Since he wouldn't interact with us easily we used to come here one hour daily after dropping Sarah to school. Sadly she didn't get time to spend with him but I hope they will get along as they are of the same age.

Coming back to the present I look at the sister coming towards us with someone behind her from where we are sitting on the bench in the backyard as Jordan, peeks in. He is tightly holding the fingers of the sister that brings him in and tries to hide behind her so that we don't see him.

I get up from my seat and go towards him. Eleandro completes signing the papers and then looks at us with much interest.

"Hey Jordan, look it's us," I tell him softly as I bend to be at his eye level. He peeks again from behind the sister and I notice the small smile on his lips.

"Won't you greet me?" I ask as I stretch my hands towards him. He slowly leaves the fingers and starts coming out from behind. I know the key to be with him is patience so I stand there as he slowly reveals himself.

He starts biting his nails with his eyes at his shoes as he comes in my arms.

"Hey, no nail-biting," I say softly as I remove his hands away from his mouth. It's then that I notice his t-shirt and my breath hitches.

How could I not notice it before?

Will you like to become a Salvis along with me, Mom?

Just to confirm what I'm seeing I look at it again and then finally my eyes turn towards Eleandro just to notice that he isn't on the bench where he was sitting earlier.

"Behind you Mumma," shouts Sarah who is looking towards me along with the other kids who have stopped playing.

I turn and look at Eleandro sitting on one knee in front of me with a ring in his hand and a bright smile on his face.

"Right now sitting on one knee I remember the first time the thought of marrying you came to my mind. Then we had been together for only three months and that thought can be considered absurd but now five years later it makes me think that it was so absurd of me for not proposing you earlier. You stayed with me when I needed you the most, you pulled me out of the darkness, and most of all you made me a better person. So Miss Daphne Royce would you like to become Mrs. Salvis? Will you marry me?"

I try to say yes with the lump in my throat but fail miserably so I just frantically nod and everyone starts cheering.

Eleandro slips the ring in my finger and gets up and kisses me just as we hear gasps and part away to look at the kids looking at us with wide eyes.

Eleandro and I look at each other embarrassed when Jordan shyly comes near me and gives me a peck on the cheek when I kneel. Eleandro looks at him amused as he then goes and hides behind my back.

Sarah comes running to me and then looks at Jordon. Smiling brightly she extends her hand and chirps, "Hey, brother."

Jordon doesn't even look at her and a frown starts forming on Sarah's lips. She looks at me and then at Eleandro who tells her to give him time.

She nods and then turn arounds to go and play but then stops and asks Jordan, "Do you want to play?"

For the first time Jordon looks at her than behind her but then his eyes shift back to his shoes. Little did he know that one second of eye contact was the confirmation Sarah needed.

She comes in front of him and says in a soft but determined voice "Don't worry. They won't bother you. I will protect you. Promise."

A small smile forms on his lips and for the first time I hear his voice when he laces his small hand with Sarah's and says "Okay."

His soft and innocent voice.

Looking at them my hand unconsciously intertwines with Eleandro's, my head rests on his shoulder as he kisses the top of my head and finally I feel whole.

This is what I have been longing for. This is it.

The next chapter is Epilogue.

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