We settled back into work, and people had found out about us. Scott informed everyone that he would terminate them if they even thought about spreading gossip or causing problems. We decided to keep work separate from home. It was just easier that way.

We also had to figure out how to tell the girls we wanted to buy a house for the four of us.

We finally decided to sit them down on Friday night and tell them. It was harder than I thought.

We stood before them as they sat on the couch, watching us.

"Girls, we have something to tell you," I started.

"Lina and I have talked, and we thought, well, maybe, that you would," Scott said before turning to me, "you tell them."

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you're better at this."

"But you're the man. You're supposed to be strong and resilient," I said with a look.

"But you're a female. You have that feminine charm," he added.

While the two of us went back and forth, the girls decided to talk amongst themselves.

"Why is Miss Lina and Daddy acting weird?"

"I don't know. Mommy is always acting weird. Daddy says that happens to grown-ups."

"Why?"

"Something about chocolate and lots of it," she replied.

"I like chocolate, but I'm not weird," Georgia said.

"Miss Tara likes chocolate. She's always eating it," Kami said.

"Is she weird?"

"I don't think so," Kami shrugged.

"Daddy is weird," Georgia said.

"And he and Mommy make weird noises. I heard them when I went to the potty one night."

"What kind of noises?"

"I don't know. I think mommy was having a nightmare because she was screaming," Kami said.

"Yeah, I've heard Daddy scream too before. I think he had a nightmare, too."

They looked at each other and shrugged.

Kami looked at us, "Do you need a teddy?"

We stopped and looked at her, "What do you mean, baby?"

"Well, Georgia and I heard you scream at night. Did you have a nightmare? I can lend you my teddy," she said to me. My eyes widened, and I didn't know what to say.

"Daddy, you can have my Batman toy when you have a nightmare if you need to," Georgia said, causing Scott to place his hand over his face and peek out through his fingers.

Whatever house we decide to get, we must be a few rooms away from the girls. Either that or we would have to wait until they were out of the house.

Finally, we blurted out, "We are thinking about moving to another house!"

We stood there and waited as they stared at us.

"Huh?"  Kami asked as they looked at us.

I walked over, crouched down, and said, "Scott and I want to move to a new house with your girls so that we can be a family. We would sell this house, and Scott would sell his apartment. What do you say?"

"What about daddy?" Kami asked.

"That won't change. We will still be close to Daddy, and you can see him whenever you like," I reassured her.

"Can I see Mister Ben and Mister Rob, too?" Georgia asked.

Scott crouched before her, "Do you like Ben and Rob, Georgia?"

"Yes, daddy, they are nice. Mister Ben takes me for ice cream, and Mister Rob makes cakes. Then, they read me a bedtime story.  Kami is lucky. She gets three daddies," she said, jutting out her bottom lip.

"You can share my daddies, Georgia," Kami offered.

"I can?"

"Yep, my daddies won't mind," she smiled.

Georgia turned to Scott, "Can I, Daddy?"

"Well, uh."

"Why don't I talk with Ben and Rob and see what they say?" I asked her.

"Okay." She smiled, and I smiled back.

"Okay, you girls go play, then we will get pizza,"
Scott said.

"Yay!  Pizza!"  They got off the couch and ran upstairs.

I looked at Scott as he shook his head.

"You order the pizzas, and I will invite Ben and Rob over, then we can talk," I said to him.

"Fine by me," he shrugged.

                                 ********

Ben and Rob came over for dinner, and we all had dinner together. After dinner, the girls went and played, which gave us all the time to talk.

"Okay, what's up," Ben asked me. I couldn't beat around the bush with Ben. He was the type to get straight to the point on matters.

"Scott and I have been talking. We have decided to sell both our homes and buy one for the four of us," I explained.

"Uh-huh, continued," Ben said to me.

"Kami was worried about not seeing you, but we want to stay close and assured her that would never happen."

"But?" He gave me a look.

"Well," I looked at Scott, who nodded, then at Ben, "but Kami offered you and Rob up to Georgia as daddies for her because Georgia was upset that Kami would have three daddies, and she only had one."

Ben and Rob looked at me.

"So, we wanted to know if it was okay with the both of you if Georgia thought of you as her daddies as well?"

They looked at me and looked at each other. I wasn't sure how Ben would take it. With Kami, there was never a doubt where he stood, but this was a whole new ball game.

"Okay," Ben shrugged.

"What?"

He leaned forward, "Georgia is a great kid. Spending time with her as we did with everything going on, we enjoyed her at our place. Plus, Kami loves her. Why would I not want to be a part of her life? Kids need stability. They need love. I saw how Vicky was with her. No kid deserves that. I also saw how Jerome was with Avie. They give us one job, love them. How do you screw that up?"

I looked at Ben then at Scott. The man I loved and the man I currently love were both sitting here, being reasonable with each other. To me, that meant everything.

"Ben, I appreciate this," Scott said to him.

"Scott, you loved Lina in a way I couldn't. I wish I could have because she is great, but we don't always choose who we love. Our heart does," Ben said as he reached for Rob's hand.

Scott wrapped his arm around me, "You have no idea how much I love her. I wish I had met her years ago."

I couldn't help but blush as he kissed me. The girls ran into the kitchen, "Daddy?"

Ben leaned over, picked up Kami, and set her on his lap. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Did you hear we are moving?"

"Why yes, I did," he said cheerily.

Then he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Georgia standing there. She tugged again, and he leaned down. She whispered, "Can I sit on your lap, too?"

"Sure," he whispered with a smile. He hurried over Kami and lifted Georgia on his lap.

"Mister Ben?"

"Yes?"

"Can you and Mister Rob be my Daddy, too?" she asked, looking at him with big eyes.

"I would be honored to be your daddy, and so would Rob. Because you and Kami are critical to us."

She tugged on his sleeve so she could ask him something. He leaned down so she could whisper to him. We sat there watching it.

"Do you think Miss Lina would be my mommy?"

"I think so," he whispered.

"No, you think she could be my real mommy?"

"Oh."

He looked at her and then at us. We looked at him. Then he said, "Why don't you girls go play so I can talk to Lina and Scott for a moment."

"Okay," they both said as they climbed off Ben's lap. They ran out of the kitchen, and Ben looked at us.

"What?" I asked.

"Georgia wanted to know if Lina could be her mommy for real," he told us. Our expressions changed to stunned silence. "Yeah, I think you both need to think about this."

We sat there, not knowing what to say. I never really thought about it, and neither did Scott. We never pushed the girls to treat us as their parents. I didn't want Ben to feel like Scott was taking his place, and I didn't wish Kami to be confused. But honestly, I had no issue with it.

Then Scott rubbed his chin and looked at me, "What do you think?"

"About?"

"What would you say to adopt Georgia?"

My brows raised in surprise.

"The judge terminated Victoria's rights, and that means you could adopt her, and we wouldn't need her consent to do so," he explained.

I looked at him, then at Ben and Rob, who looked at me. Then it hit me.

"You three have already discussed this, haven't you?" I asked them.

"Who? Us? Pft, we have no clue what you're talking about," Ben said casually.

"What did you tell that judge in his chambers?" I asked Ben.

"I didn't say anything; the girls did," he told me.

"That was me," Rob said.

"What?" I was so confused.

"I suggested to Scott that Victoria's parental rights be terminated and that you file a petition to adopt Georgia," he explained. "Lina, it could have gone either way in that courtroom. In the State Of Michigan, men were rarely given custody of their children. This state is very much a mother's state. But I also knew that if she did win, there would be a chance she would disappear with Georgia. So, I talked to Ben and Scott, and we hatched a plan. It was risky, but it worked."

I looked at Rob, Ben, and Scott. They all sat there—those sneaks, all that was for show. Wow, my ex and boyfriend bamboozled me. I shook my head and laughed.

"You guys are crazy," I said.

"Then we are in good company. By the way, how is Pepe," Ben asked me. I gave him a look, then looked at Scott, who was laughing. I swear, why must everyone conspire against me?

"You know I was quite happy with Ben and Jerry," I told them.

"Yeah, well, sometimes you need a little push in the right direction," Ben told me.

I can't believe this. My friends and ex conspired to push me to be with Scott. Did everyone know except me? So, I couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Sometimes, we need help from people to push us in the right direction. I was pretty lucky in that aspect.