"You are my only certainty," -J.v.Z

I wanted to have Holly's 9th birthday party at the country club.

Not only was it meant for kids as well with a bunch of amenities, but I also figured that it'd be a good start for Joaquin to get to meet some of the people from that world that I had come to love. It'd be a good start for him and Holly and Ambrose to see a deeper side of me.

It wasn't like the rich world defined me, but in some cases, it did. It was essentially in my roots so matter what, I was still Cheyenne Thorn, the son of Davina Thorn, the matriarch of the Thorn family. I was still that person who everyone in the world desired to be but on a much humbler note.

The country club was set up with purple balloons all over, a disco ball on the ceiling, soft music playing in the air with a giant cake table sat against the wall and a mass array of gifts surrounding a birthday tree. It had Holly's name hanging from a thread in the ceiling with various pictures of her that I captured all around. I even painted a portrait of her, just because she wanted one.

She had never had a birthday party this extravagant since she was taken from Joaquin, and I planned to change that from now on. She deserved to be celebrated. "You did real good," I turned to see Christine in a blue dress walking in, carrying a giant gift bag. She had a man tailing her, probably her husband. "Hey," I greeted with a smile.

I wasn't there yet with her, but she was trying really hard so I threw her a bone every now and then, and it hasn't come back to bite me in the ass. "I'm just waiting for Joaquin and Holly to get here," I murmured, seeing Pierre welcome the vast amount of guests. "He said that she was putting on a nice dress or something, I dunno," I rolled my eyes, realizing that having two van Zante's in one household was enough for a stroke.

First of all, I somehow awakened Joaquin's insatiable libido, and he would want to have sex in the morning, before lunch, after lunch, before dinner, hell, during dinner. It was nice that he craved me just as much I craved him, but I still needed my eight hours of sleep. He was also demanding too, wanting to be held by me whenever he could.

I couldn't deny that it was adorable though.

But Holly, on the other hand, was a total diva just waiting to rip through. I loved her to pieces and she grew on me instantly, but once she got comfortable, she was just like Joaquin. Like father, like daughter. It got to the point where they deliberately fought over who got my attention. First, it was Holly and I vying for Joaquin and now, it was them two against me and I did not know what to think.

My only saving grace was Ambrose.

That sweet, sweet baby boy.

I'd take cuddles with him anytime.

Christine had walked away to go put her gift down at the table, and that was when Phillippe approached me. "Son, I haven't seen you in forever," He had such a bright smile on his face as he pulled me into a bear hug, relinquishing all his love and affection into his touch. This was the father I'd gladly ask for.

He pulled away, not saying or mentioning anything that had to with the man behind bars. I knew he was probably upset because like it or not, they were best friends. "Cordelia tells me you have quite the roommates, huh?" He smirked and I blushed, realizing that his wife probably told him all the good details that I told Vivi.

That traitor.

But it was fine because Joaquin and Phillippe got along just like I wanted. Phillippe taught him all kinds of things to help him with his construction business, now that it was kicking off. Cordelia doted on him like he was her own son, which was weird to think about, but she took to him quickly. They didn't mind that he wasn't born from money. They certainly didn't mind that their daughter took to Tomas because he managed to woo them.

The idiot.

"Oh! I have to introduce you to someone who's been wanting to work with you and get experience!" I motioned for Tara to walk over to me and she swallowed tightly, coming to stand in front of the devil.

"Phillippe, this is my current maid, Tara Ackerman," She was so starstruck, it was adorable and I was sure he knew it too. "Tara, this is Phillippe Baudelaire, the man you wanted to meet." They shook hands and Phillippe smiled gently at her, asking her what it was that she wanted to do, what dreams she wanted to come true.

And she told him.

My job here was done as her fate was signed and sealed, just waiting to erupt like a volcano.

"Cheyenne," I heard a voice as I began my tread to find someone and I turned to see my mother stalking over to me in all of her beautiful glory, her black hair up in a bun. "Oh, hey what's up?" She leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek before sighing. "I know this isn't the time, but I must tell you," She began, linking our arms together. "As you know, Sterling has been put away and his chain of hotels and companies has been put under my name and my control. Now, I wasn't sure if you wanted them—"

I stopped her right there. "Nah, you'd be better off giving it to someone like Pierre," I casually stated and she put a hand under her chin. "Your chauffeur?" I nodded in reply. "Man's got a business degree and he loves doing that kind of thing, more so than you do. You might as well," I shrugged as she thought long and hard, knowing that she was going to consider it.

"You might be right," She muttered, and just then, a hand touched my back and I turned to see the man of my dreams, wearing the black Armani shirt that I bought him, placing a kiss on the side of my head. "Hi," I whispered breathlessly, growling lowly when I heard a small cough. I jutted my chin out towards Davina before realizing what she wanted.

"Joaquin, this is my mother, the president of this country club, Davina Thorn," I was incredibly nervous as my mother gave Joaquin that familiar stern snake stare, one that made you feel cold and rigid to the core. "Mother, this is the man you've been wanting to meet, Joaquin van Zante." I pointed to Joaquin, who was returning my mother's gaze just as hard.

What kind of can of worms did I just open?

Then Joaquin cracked a bright smile, holding out his hand for her to shake. "It's nice to see the woman who has tried hard to protect Cheyenne," Her eyes widened as she looked at me, realizing that I had confided in someone else about the dark tragedies of our family. "Hmph," Davina smirked, taking his hand. "Well, if my son trusts you enough to let you in on family secrets, then I suppose you're a keeper. Nice to meet you, Joaquin. Though," She let go of his hand to put a finger on her chin. "I already know a lot about you because Cheyenne likes to talk about you," She giggled and I flushed red.

"Mom, keep that yourself!" I screeched, ignoring the way Joaquin's eyebrows raised in a manner that let me know I wasn't going to be able to get out of that conversation. He definitely wanted to know what I told her, and that was not going to happen.

At all.

"But I do want to say this," Davina's smile fell and she stared straight at him to make sure that he fully understood. "My son is my pride and joy, even though he may not know it. You do your best to keep him happy and safe and we won't have any issues. He's been through enough as is, but if you break his heart and make him cry," She narrowed her eyes for effect. "I will use my influence in this world to destroy you."

Knowing her, she meant every single word, but luckily, Joaquin took it in stride as he offered a grin that ceased all worries. "I heard that loud and clear, but no need for that," He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, yanking me into him. "If there's one thing that I'm certain about, it's my love for Cheyenne."

My mother seemed pleased with that before smirking evilly. "Hm, from that moment you stepped onto my doorstep, looking for him all frantically and panicking," I tilted my head, wondering why I hadn't heard that part. "I just knew you'd never leave."

I felt a weight on my leg and I turned to see Holly standing next to me, Ambrose clutching my leg as he stood behind me. I never knew what my mother thought of children, but I wasn't one to shy away from a challenge nor deny things.

"And this Holly and Ambrose van Zante." The implication was there that they were my kids, our kids. I didn't have to spell it out for her and now it was there in the open, waiting for her to digest how she will. My mother grinned at the sight, her smile a lot happier than I had ever seen it. Hm, that was what happened when you ditched a man like Sterling to go for a man like Stefan. "My grandbabies!"

Holly batted her eyelashes shyly before taking a step forward. "Oh, you pretty thing, you. I can't wait to spoil you both!" She screeched in glee as Ambrose slowly trekked up next to her, poking her leg. "Why have you been hiding them from me, Cheyenne Alexander Thorn?!" She picked up Ambrose to hug him tightly and he let out a shrill laugh.

My heart thundered at how happy they all looked before she put him down, promising to buy him all kinds of legos before peering back to me with finality. "Oh, I wanted to tell you that your gallery is turning out beautifully," She blew a kiss to me before going to find Stefan, most likely.

"Babe, there are people who want to meet you," Joaquin murmured into my ear, a slight tremor in his voice so I let him lead me to whoever he was talking to, Holly traveling behind with Ambrose in her arms. I peeked in front to see that we were approaching a couple, who looked to be in their 50s, the woman with long brown hair and grey eyes, and the man with short blonde hair and brown eyes. They looked like someone I knew and it was evident who it was.

Their eyes landed on me when we came to a stop in front of them and my legs felt jittery as Joaquin gripped my hand for support. "G-guys this is Cheyenne Thorn," The woman looked me up and down, her expression unreadable. "Chey, this is—"

"Adrian and Esme van Zante, nice to meet you!"

I had no choice but to be exuberant about the situation. Joaquin was so nervous, I could literally feel it rolling off of him. "It's nice to meet you too, thank you for your invitation," Adrian genuinely nodded before both his and Esme's attention went to Joaquin. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Her gaze softened as Joaquin replied with a nod of his head, silence saying everything that they needed to.

Joaquin had written a letter to her, explaining everything that has happened in these last few years so he could spare himself the grief of saying it in person. They had a lot to catch up on, but they were gonna be in town for a while. They had then to patch up holes and seal wounds. It was kind of awkward though because last they heard, their son was with a girl, and now he was with a man, an influential one at that.

But it was fine, I had to say. Joaquin had mentioned to them long ago that he was bisexual and they were okay with it. He had also told them about me in that letter, so everything was splendid. Then his mother turned to me, prepared to give me the shovel talk, but as she stepped forward, she offered me a smile.

"I can see it in your eyes. You're a good man," Esme smiled gently, patting my shoulder. "I can rest peacefully at night, knowing that my son is in good hands."

I blinked in surprise as I sputtered over my own words. "I can get to know you once I meet my granddaughter and grandson. It's been a while, huh?" She whispered before sauntering off to the food table, Adrian in tow. I could feel the dark ghost that was wrapped around Joaquin's body just suffocating and fading away into nothingness as he took a deep breath.

I knew fighting with his parents had been a trigger of his depression and now that he was on his way to make amends with them, he could finally smile without fear.

"Oh my god, it's Cheyenne Thorn!" I stopped Joaquin and I in our tracks, turning to where I heard my name come from. I saw a boy and a girl, probably 15 or so and siblings, red at the ears as they pointed at me, almost fangirling. "Oh my god, Jo, he's looking at us! What do we do?" The boy started to panic and I smirked, my feet leading me over to them. I swore that they were gonna die on site.

"I heard my name, so here I am," I waved to them. "Anything I can do for you?" It was no secret that in the past, I'd refrain from being seen with fans. On occasion, I let them take a picture with me because it would be good for business. "Oh my god, oh my god, can we take a picture with you?" The girl, Jo, pleaded and I shrugged, concluding that it was no harm and no foul.

"Sure, come on," The girl all but yeeted her phone out of her pocket, cozying up to my side as I wrapped an arm around her and her brother's shoulders, smiling wildly up at the camera. Joaquin narrowed his eyes but said nothing as the sound of the camera clicked. "Oh my god, Brody, we have to get this printed out!" Jo analyzed the picture with her brother, stars in her eyes.

"You have such an amazing smile!" Brody said and I blushed, rubbing the back of my neck. "Oh, thank you. Have a nice day now," I waved them off, going to stand next to Joaquin, who was pouting and folding his arms all at once. "What's the matter?" I poked him in the bicep. "He was flirting with you. I didn't like how close he was standing," He admitted and I chuckled, realizing that he was prone to jealousy.

"Nah~" I shook my head, leaning up to kiss his cheek. PDA was disgusting to me in general, but I did it so much with Joaquin. "I'm sure that they know I'm happily taken by someone. I think you know him," I wrapped my arms around his neck and he had no choice but to wrap one around my waist. "He's very tall, always looks shy, sounds like he smokes for a living, always smells like mint," I grinned widely once that pout started to morph into a small grin.

"Sounds like a good guy," He muttered, following my eyes to where Holly was playing with her classmates from Vivi's class. "He is...always says that I'm the first to know of anything from him. He makes me feel important," I tilted my head and he chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

"That I do, Cheyenne."

Then he kissed my forehead, clutching me to him tightly as if he was afraid to let me go. "Now come on," I intertwined our fingers as I walked us to the center of the dance floor. "We gotta celebrate the munchkin," When I was sure that everyone was here and ready to start the best birthday bash, I pressed ready.

"If everyone could gather around!" I bellowed from the top of my lungs and everyone looked at me, walking to where I was stationed by the cake and present table. "I just want to say thank you all for coming out to celebrate this little girl's birthday with Joaquin and I," I pointed to Holly, who blushed.

"There is no greater joy than getting older, so I want you all to take the time and embrace the fact that you are here, watching this girl grow. Holly, you aren't biologically my daughter, but it feels like you are. I guess I have your daddy here," I grabbed Joaquin's arm. "To thank for bringing you into my life." I didn't care that I had just publicly blasted my homosexual relationship out there in the open.

Bitch, I was Cheyenne Thorn, the master of scandals.

The audience cooed and awed, but I didn't see hateful glares, so I proceeded, "First of all, Holly," I turned to her, grabbing a small red bag off of the cake table, various eyes looking around. "I want to give you this one present before we say happy birthday to you," I motioned for her to step closer.

"Your father and I told you that Ambrose was just going to be staying with us for a couple of weeks," Holly's eyes narrowed and she nodded her head sadly, but I internally chuckled, handing her the small gift bag that I was holding. She frowned as she reached into it, pulling out a piece of paper. "What?" She sputtered, reading the contents that would tell her that Joaquin and I were now another kid's foster parents, unable to contain her shock.

Holly's brows furrowed as her eyes widened, tears immediately filling her eyes. "D-does that mean—" Her lips quivered as people in the crowd cooed at the sight of her and I chuckled, eager to oblige. "So, you think Ambrose Dion van Zante rolls off the tongue?" I smirked, crouching to her level and she nodded frantically, tears pouring down her face as she ran into my awaiting arms.

"Thank you so much, daddy."

There were no words that could describe the elated feeling that slapped me across the face when I heard her words. The cheers of the people were nothing compared to the racing of my heart. My eyes widened as she clutched me tightly, her tears soaking my shoulder as Joaquin grinned down at me, obviously pleased. "Happy birthday, babe," I didn't sign up for a family when I walked into that little shop that same day I got fruit punch spilled on me. I didn't sign up for a family when Pierre told me about a foster kid named Holly Alayne, who was in desperate need of a family. I, sure enough, didn't sign up for any of it.

But I was glad I did.