A/N: Just something short and sweet to wrap up the series. Hope everyone enjoyed the journey and thank you for reading.
Baron's POV
The screaming from inside the house intensifies.
"I don't think Popa is succeeding at calming them down."
Soon after my first title win, Tiger informed Konnor and I she was looking into adoption agencies that would be willing to allow her to adopt despite our unorthodox relationship. A year later, we had our agency. Four months later, newborn fraternal twins had me tightly wrapped around their fingers. That was twelve years ago.
"Nope," Avery smirks. "I need the three eighths socket."
Holding out the tool, I study my daughter. "Something going on with your sister we need know about?"
"Idiots at school are hassling her."
"Hassling her how?"
She drops her head for a second before returning to the repair in front of her. "The cheerleaders found out she lied to them. She said that our double last name was Mom's family names. That we didn't have a father."
That information stings a little. "Not a complete lie," I sniff. "You don't have A father."
"I didn't know," she states, her big brown eyes meeting mine. "I swear Dad. I would have kicked her ass myself if I had known. I love both…"
"Baby, it's fine." I cover her shaking hand, my thumb soothing across the back there. "Just tell me what's going on."
"They found out about your relationship. Started harassing her. Calling Mom a whore. Saying that we are freaks. That we're biologically yours. There's some sort of freak thing that when a woman has sex with two men she can have twins with different fathers. That was why we are so different." She motions vaguely to her eyes.
"When did all this start?"
"I think three months ago. She said something to me like two months ago. I told her to ignore them. Last month, she said it was too much. She quit the cheer team. She's miserable."
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"They hassling you?"
"They try," she smirks. "I just tell them to keep their mouth shut before I break their jaws."
"If I didn't know better I would say you are mine biologically," I chuckle.
"Are we?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are we yours?"
"You know you're adopted."
"But…"
"What?"
"I look just like you. Alex has Popa's blue eyes."
"No, Baby," I sigh. I knew this conversation would eventually come up. "You look just like your birth mom. Alex has her birth dad and birth grandmother's eyes. Mom has pictures for you. Doesn't change the fact that you're my baby girl. That Alex is my pup. We've loved you from day one."
"I know," she sighs.
"I…"
"Alexis Jane Corbin-O'Brian," Tigerlilly yells as our other daughter storms from the house. "We are not done with this conversation."
"You are ruining my life," the young girl screams back at her mother.
"Good! That means I'm doing my job."
"Lilly, just go back into the house," Konnor soothes. "Try to calm down."
"You stay away from me too," Alex screams at the other man.
"Can't do that," Konnor sighs following her across the yard. Scooping her up, he heads straight for the garage. "Hey Angel, why don't you go clean up and keep Momma company while we talk to your sister," the other man states dropping the second twin on her feet.
"But…"
"Avery Joan."
Avery nods scurrying from the garage.
"Tell him," Konnor orders Alex.
The young girl shakes her head trying to step around her other father. Konnor pulls her back between us. "Tell him."
"Tell me what? That you've been telling people that we don't exist? Or that you're being harassed by the mean girls at school?"
Her hands clench and unclench at her side, tears streaming down her face.
"Come here, Pup," I sigh, leaning against the workbench. "Come here."
She shuffles to stand in front of me, head down.
"You're angry," I state, raising her face. "I can understand that." Reaching for the hand wraps from inside the cabinet beside me. "I can also fix that problem."
"I'm not Avery. I don't want to hit a punching bag."
"No, you're not and you don't," I grin, lifting her onto the workbench. "But you're still my daughter and you need it."
"No, I'm not. I'm someone else's daughter."
"Biologically," Konnor growls, as I wrap the girl's hands. "Mentally, you're all three of ours."
"You're going to mess up my nails."
"I'll pay to have your manicure fixed." I pull her from the bench and guide her to the heavy bag hung in the corner. "Hit it."
"I don't want…"
"Hit it."
She swings lazily, tapping the bag.
"You hit harder when you were five," I smirk. "Hit it like you mean it. Hit it like you want to hit the mean girls… Like you want to hit Ma… Like you want to hit us."
The next hit is a little harder, the following one is even harder. She continues in silence before finally whispering, "Why three?"
"What was that Pup?"
"Why three? Why couldn't you be a normal couple? They would even leave me alone if you were gay but…Why the three of you?"
"Love," we answer simultaneously.
"Why? Why couldn't you love just Mom? Why couldn't you just love each other?"
"You don't get to choose who you fall in love with, Princess."
"You know I couldn't stand Popa before. He got to your mom and I wanted her so bad. After some time together, I could see why Mom loves him. I ended up loving that idiot just as much she does. I hated myself for a while because of that fact but I couldn't live without them."
"Why did you need to drag me into this?"
"How has your life been any different than any other twelve-year-old you know? You had Momma supporting you every step of your life," Konnor states. "Every soccer game. Every choir concert. Every activity you wanted to participate in."
"You two," she growls. "I am the only person I know with two straight fathers."
"So none of your friend's parents have gotten divorced," I smirk.
"Two fathers sleeping with their mother at the same time."
"Is that why you told everyone we don't exist," I whisper.
"I was embarrassed."
"This all started when I retired. I am suddenly around more. People saw us together as a family."
"Gretchen's dad," she sighs dropping to her knees. "Can I stop? My arms hurt."
"Do you feel better?"
She shrugs.
"What did Gretchen's dad have to say," I ask joining her on the floor.
"Nothing to me," she shrugs again.
"But Gretchen has," Konnor questions, joining us.
She nods, sniffling.
"Do you know how much crap people have said to us over the years? Your mom has been called every name in the book. I've had vile things slung my way. Popa too. Didn't change us in the slightest."
"It made us stronger, I think," Konnor adds.
"I learned a long time ago, you can't worry about what other people think, Alex. As long as you're not hurting someone else. What we do in our own home doesn't hurt anyone. Who we love doesn't affect anyone. The lie you told…that hurt."
"I'm sorry Dad. I'm sorry Popa."
"We will never be ashamed of you, Princess. It just stings a bit that you're ashamed of us."
"And if anyone tries to make you ashamed of any part of yourself…pop them square in the nose."
A small smile quirks her lips. "Then I would mess up their new nose jobs."
"Bonus," I chuckle pulling her into a tight hug. "If Gretchen's dad has anything to say tell him he can get a fist to the face too courtesy of your dad."
"With a bonus fist from your popa."
"Your ma might just join in for the hell of it. No one tries to hurt our family."
She wraps her arms around me, squeezing tightly.
"I love you, Wolf Pup."
"Love you, Dad. I really do."
"I know."
"Love you Popa."
"Love you more, Princess," he squeezes her to his chest. "Now go apologize to Mom."
"Who says raising teenage girls is hard," I chuckle as she scurries across the yard.
"They're not dating yet," Konnor smirks. "Pretty soon they're going to bring home a boy like you."
"Worse. A boy like you."
"You love me," he smiles. "You can't live without me."
"Rub it in," I grin, pulling him into one of our headbutts.
"Did you ever imagine your life like this," he questions, wrapping his hand around the back of my neck.
"Never. I could never dream up something this great, Big Man."
