18 Years Later….

Hunter sat by the large bay window in the front of his two-story suburban home, less than an hour outside of the city of Philadelphia. Three years before, he and his wife Opal, his childhood sweetheart moved out of their apartment in inner-city Philly to prepare to start their family.

Starting a family turned out to be harder than they thought it would be. After a number of heartbreaks and disappointments they made the decision to try out foster care with the intent to adopt someday. It wasn't a hard decision. In fact, it had always been in the front of Hunters mind as a possibility, given his history. The process to get started seemed long, but it was worth it knowing one day, they'd bring their child home.

Today was that day. They'd been matched with a pair of siblings, 5 year old Malachi and 3 year old Nadia, who needed a forever home. They'd had a few visits with the children at the Foster Center in the city and now with the children being officially cleared for adoption, it was time to bring them home. Needless to say, Hunter and Opal were anxious and very excited.

The call they'd received letting them know the children's case was now ready for them to move forward with the adoption had come just two days before. Hunter let his boss at the Chesterbrook Police Department, where he worked as an police officer, know that he would need a couple days off starting today to help his kids adjust. Given that his boss was his "Uncle" Lee Coulter, he more than understood and gave him a week off instead.

For Hunter and Opal, the better part of the day before was spent getting the kids room finished. They'd done a bit here and there prior to, but just in case the whole thing fell through and they tried not to get too excited. The social worker suggested for the time being that the kids share a room, thinking they'd be more comfortable in the new surroundings if they were together. They'd gone through a lot together and for a while, the only ones they could trust were each other.

Today Hunter put the finishing touches on everything while Opal was still at work. Her vacation was supposed to have started after lunch, but she was late. Thus, Hunter's constant vigil at the window.

As he waited, he felt the phone in his back pocket vibrate and reached to answer it.

"Hey, Matt," Hunter greeted his 18 year old brother.

"Am I an uncle yet?"

"No, not yet. They'll be here tonight though."

"Ah! I can't wait! How do you feel?"

"Nervous some, but good. I'm ready for this. How's the music world?"

Matthew Thomas Thornton was the spitting image of Jack, except for his mother's blue eyes. He still lived in the city where they grew up. After high school he received an offer for a prestigious internship to play trumpet with the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra. He loved music, whether it be with the orchestra or playing jazz gigs in the city, he was in love.

"Not bad. I'm playing with the guys at a blues club tonight. Should be fun."

"Nice, bud! I don't know the next time I'll get out to see you but I'll try as much as I can."

"No worries, bro. You've seen me play a lot over the years. Now you've got the kids to focus on, alright?"

"Thanks Matt."

The brothers talked for a few more minutes before they said their goodbyes.

Soon after, Opal's little blue car pulled into the driveway. Like a nervous wreck, she gathered her belongings and hurried to the front door. Hunter opened the door to help her with her things.

"I'm so sorry! So sorry! My last patient ran long. I had this skittish Great Dane that needed a blood draw."

"A skittish Great Dane?" Hunter laughed loudly. "How did you even manage? The thing must be twice the size of you at least."

"Hey, I may be little but I'm mighty!" Opal stood with her hands on her hips.

"Don't I know it?" He wrapped his arms around her middle and kissed her deeply. He'd loved this woman in one way or another for most of his life. Starting this next chapter with her meant everything. She wrapped her arms around his next, returning his affections with just as much desire as he showed her.

"Today's the day, love. Our kids are coming home."

"I know. They've had a tough young life," Hunter spoke softly as he looked away.

"Then who better than you to show them that it's going to be okay?" She kissed his lips tenderly. "You are going to be a wonderful father, Hunter James. I'm so lucky to be married to you."

Holding her a little tighter he said, "You know, my dad always said what made him a great father was having my mom by his side. I feel the same when it comes to you. We make a great team, Opal Thornton. I'm so glad I get to walk this life with you." He leaned in for another kiss but just as their lips were about to touch she gasped.

"Brownie!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I have to get Brownie!"

"You mean that old bear you had as a kid? Why do you need it now?"

"Nadia. She's only three and this is going to be so new and scary for her. She needs the bear." Hunter just smiled. "Don't give me that look! I know you have your Thornton hockey jersey all ready for Malachi."

"For the record, I ordered one for Nadia too. They'll get them on adoption day. As for you, I'm smiling because I love you. I love seeing you as a mom. You were made for this, babe."

Opal beamed. Just as she was about to say something affectionate she noticed the clock and gasped again. "Oh gosh! They'll be here any minute!"

The house phone rang as Opal was coming back down stairs. This time it was Hunter's sister. Opal picked up first and then the couple went to sit on the couch.

"Hey, Laney!"

"Hey, Opal! Are they there? How's it going?"

"Not here yet, any minute though. They'll be here for a little bit to settle in and then we get to have dinner with them. I'm so excited!"

"Oh, my gosh! That's so cool! I really can't wait to meet them!"

Delaney Grace Thornton, nicknamed Laney, was a freshman in the childhood education department of the same college their father taught at. She had her mother's curly hair and her father's dimples.

"We can't wait for you guys to meet them too. You'll be there for the big family dinner in a couple weeks right?" Opal and Hunter had decided to give the kids time to settle in before introducing them to the whole family.

"Yup! Wouldn't miss it!"

"Great. Oh, here's your brother."

Hunter took the phone and gave his wife a tender kiss on her cheek. "Hey sis, how's it going?"

"Good! Classes are good, life on campus is good."

"Is that Hickam guy giving you any problems?"

"Seriously Hunter? You do realize you are referring to my boyfriend, right? Not just some random guy I met at a club or something."

"Semantics. How's that going anyway?"

"Wonderful, really. I think I love him."

"Ugh, I don't need to hear that…"

"You asked how it was going!" she laughed.

"Yeah but… ugh."

Laney and Evan Hickam had been best friends all through grade school. Their senior year that friendship turned into something more and they'd been happily dating ever since.

"Sorry, big brother, but he's not going anywhere. Can I bring him to the big family dinner? Or should I ask Opal? She's the nice one anyway. He's excited to meet the kids too."

"If you must," Hunter faked annoyance.

"Hunter James! You are such an annoying, overprotective brother." She laughed. "You know he's terrified of you right? Even more so than he is of Dad or Matt."

"Good! That was the goal."

Opal was still next to him on the couch and gave his arm a swat. "You're shameless, honey!"

"You're right. I'm sorry, Laney. Of course he can come. Look, I should let you go. The social worker will be here to drop the kids off soon. Talk to you later?"

"Yes! Call me later or email me or something. I want to hear everything!"

"Alright," he laughed. "Love you, little sis."

"Love you! Congrats. You're going to be a great parents."

Fifteen minutes later, a silver mini van pulled up to the curb of their home.

"They're here!" Opal squealed. "Hunt, let's go meet them outside." She took his hand and the two walked out onto the front lawn of their home. A slender, medium height woman with blond and grey curly hair stepped out of the van and began walking towards them.

"Hi Mrs. Shepard," Hunter smiled.

"Hunter, we've known each other for years. I think you can call me Faith now."

"Sorry. Old habits."

"It's okay," she giggled. "Are you two ready? I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I still remember the day I introduced you and your father when you got placed, Hunter."

"One of the best days of my life. Thank you for all you did for me. These guys too. I promise you, we'll always love and care for them."

"I have no doubts. Shall we?" She walked back over to the van and opened the slider door.

Hunter and Opal walked over to stand in front of the kids once they were out. Hunter knelt down in front of them, Opal at his side with her hand on his back.

"Hey, guys. Remember us?"

Malachi nodded.

Opal could feel her eyes watering. This was it, these two precious little ones were hers, and soon they'd carry the Thornton name.

"Want to come inside?" she asked. "We have a room ready for you."

"I want Nadia to stay with me." For such a little guy, Malachi had a stern, protective stature. His brown eyes pierced through Hunter like a laser. He wrapped his little arm around his sister. "She's safer with me."

"I promise you, Malachi, Nadia, you are safe here. Opal and I love you very much. Taking care of you is very important to us."

"Ok." He relaxed a bit, but not completely. "Can we stay together though?"

"How do bunkbeds sound?" Opal reached out her hand to Nadia. The little girls with her long caramel colored hair and deep blue grey eyes nodded, but said nothing. In all their visits over the past couple weeks, they hadn't heard her utter a word. Nor had the staff at the foster center.

"Awesome." Hunter clapped his hands. "Let's go check it out."

Faith said her goodbyes and gave Hunter a hug. "I'm proud of you, Hunter Thornton. You are such a good man."

"Thank you Mrs. I mean Faith. We'll be in touch."

Later while Opal was busy making dinner, Taco Tuesday, she knew it was the kid's favorite, Hunter tended to the kids. After packing away their ratty duffle bags he walked back up the stairs again to check on the kids. They were in their room getting used to their new surroundings. Standing just outside their bedroom door, he heard Nadia talk for the first time. She had no idea he was there. Her voice was soft and meek, yet beautiful.

"Mally, we have our own beds. Isn't that great?" Nadia whispered. "Mine is princesses."

"I got superheroes." Malachi climbed down and sat on the bed with his sister. "You okay here?"

She nodded. "They're nice. But what if we get taken back?"

"Mrs. Faith said that won't happen. And our new dad is a cop."

"What? No! Cops are scary!"

Hunter knocked on the door. "May I come in?" Malachi nodded. Hunter had spent a lot of time over the past couple weeks since meeting Mal and Nadia thinking about what it had been like to be that small, scared little boy that was dropped off at Jack Thornton's home in the city. He wanted to do for these kids what Jack and later Elizabeth had done for him. Now it was his turn.

He walked over to sit on the bed with the kids. "Can I tell you guys something?" They nodded. "When I was around your age, I had to go to foster care too. My mom wasn't good at keeping me safe and she let some mean people be around me. Then one day, she got in trouble and the police came to get her. I was very scared. They took me to a place where I spent a couple days before I got to go live with my adopted dad. Your grandpa Jack. It took me a bit to learn that the police were just trying to help me."

"That happened to us," Malachi muttered. "We weren't safe before."

"I know. I'm so very sorry for what happened to you two. You are both very special, and Opal and I so excited to have you guys as our son and daughter now. We really hope you will be happy and feel safe here with us."

"We are," the little boy said. He looked to Nadia reassuringly. "We'll be okay now."

Dinner time was beautiful in the new parent's eyes. Nadia remained quiet. But both Opal and Hunter were hopeful that in time she would open up more. Mal was a regular chatterbox, wanting to know everything about their new family. He even asked if they could get a dog someday. The answer to that was yes! They had wanted a dog for a while. Opal being a veterinarian, she was always ready for a dog. They just wanted to get their family off the ground first. By the end of dinner, it was decided that after the adoption was finalized, they'd go get a dog to celebrate.

"So Nadia and I will have the same adoption day as the dog! So cool! I want a husky. Or a basset. Maybe a golden."

When it was time for bed, it became clear that it would take some time to get the kids use to the routine of the house. They'd never really had a bedtime before. Sure there was a bit of one at the foster center, but still. It was almost 9:30 and Hunter and Opal had been reading to the kids for over an hour. They absolutely loved books. Even more so, they loved the affections and undivided attention of two loving parents.

Hunter's cell buzzed in his pocket. He looked at the screen. "It's my parents."

"Our new grandparents?" Mal asked.

"Yup. You mind if I go talk to them?" He nodded. Hunter kissed them each and headed downstairs to call his parents back.

It only took one ring for his mom to answer. "Hi, sweetheart!"

"Hey, Mom. How are you?"

"I'm great. Your father's here too."

"Hey, son."

"Hey, Dad. So I guess you're calling to check up on your grandkids?"

"Oh, I love the sound of that!" Elizabeth gushed. She was still working for the Philly Police department, but now she was a decorated detective. Jack was still working at the University and now had a full class load. He loved it. "How are they holding up?"

"Pretty good under the circumstances. Nadia isn't saying anything to us but she'll talk to Mal. Opal gave her a stuffed bear just before we started bedtime and she hasn't let that thing go."

"Their quietness sounds just like you," Jack remembered. "I felt like I was talking to myself for the first two weeks!"

"Really? When'd I start talking?"

"The first noise, other than the occasional sniffles or tears, which broke my heart by the way, was you….laughing."

"Laughing?"

"Yeah, you…" Jack chuckled warmly. "I was trying to make dinner and I went to flip a pancake. It landed behind me on the floor."

Hunter laughed, "You must have looked like a goof trying to catch it."

"Apparently so because you couldn't stop laughing. I loved that sound."

"So what you're saying is we need to keep talking, even if she won't talk to us, and don't be afraid to look a little ridiculous?"

"Exactly."

"How's Malachi?" Elizabeth asked.

"He's doing better. His comfort level seems to fluctuate. Almost like he's afraid to get too comfortable. One minute he's asking about getting a dog, the next he seems ready to bolt if needed. We just need to remind him that he's safe and doesn't need to feel like he has to guard Nadia all the time. He's a tough kid. They both are. I just wish we'd met them sooner. Before..."

"You can't think like that." Jack added. "I used to live in the land of "what if". It doesn't do you any good."

"I agree with your father. We've all gone through hard things, but God has been good to us. He brought you to Jack, brought me to the two of you, and what a wonderful life we've had together with Laney and Matthew. Now you have your own family. It's your turn, son. We're so proud of you."

"Thanks, guys. I love you so much."

"We love you too. We should let you go. Tell Opal and the kids we love them. See you soon, okay?"

"At the big Thornton Family dinner?"

"You betcha. It will be great," Jack said with a laugh.

Hunter headed back up to his family. Opal was finishing what she had told the kids was the absolute last book of the night. He went to the bed and picked up Nadia and held close. He was just about to let her go because she seemed uneasy, but she relaxed and rested her head against his chest. If he wasn't already in love with the little one, this would have done it.

"Alright. Now you two, it's time to sleep. Safe and sound in your warm beds, okay? Tomorrow we can find some fun stuff to do."

"Legos and more books?" Malachi asked.

"You bet. Maybe we can even go get ice cream," Hunter said giving the boy a high-five.

Opal turned to Nadia. "Do you like ice cream, sweetie?" She nodded. "Alright then, it's a date!"

Hunter helped Malachi climb up into his bed and gave him a kiss. "Do you like the superheroes?"

"Yeah. Superman's my favorite."

"Oh yeah? When I was a kid mine was Batman."

"What do you mean was, honey?" Opal laughed. "Whose Batman PJ's and boxers have I been washing for the past few years?"

"Huh, what? I don't know what you're talking about." Hunter winked at Mal. "Goodnight, Malachi. I love you."

"Goodnight, Mama. Night, Dada."

"Night, sweetie," Opal smiled then bent down to tuck in Nadia under the princess comforter with a kiss. Hunter gave her a kiss as well. "Night, my princess."

Nadia looked up at them with her deep grey blue eyes. "Night, Dada. Night, Mama."

And just like that, Hunter finally understood what it was like. He felt like a father. He would never stop being grateful for the love he had been given, and could now pass forward. Sometimes, it's the unexpected that bring us the most joy.

Thank you all for taking this journey with us. As bittersweet as it is for us to end this story, we're excited for our next story which we've already started working through! Follow us here and you'll know when we start posting again. Until then, if you liked this story you may like some of our other stories. Check out our individual stories under the names Kksaunt1 and Km802.