"Great, you're still here."

Sam looked up from his pad, expecting those words to have come from the mouth of someone other than the woman of the home.

Mercedes ignored Sam's confused look and sat beside him. Holding out a tablet, she explained, "You will need this for work." Although he vowed by the old school pencil and paper, she stopped his refusal by sliding the electronic into his lap. She teased, "Well, Grandpa, this will make it easier to share and approve your designs and budget."

"So you don't have to talk to me."

She sunk back into the sofa. "I want to talk to you, but we have to talk about yesterday first. I don't know what to say," she lied. She knew an apology was in order but didn't know how to form one big enough.

"You promised me that you wouldn't ask for custody of Cap," he reminded her. He managed to speak to her without yelling, but the anger was still there. "I'm his dad. You and your lawyer boyfriend can try any trick you want, I'm not leaving him."

With a deep frown, she promised, "I want you around for them, but with my resources, I thought it would be best if I had full legal custody for both of the kids."

"You're teaching them to go back on their promises," Sam shot.

After getting the DNA test results, the adults verbally agreed that the kids' birth certificate would be amended to add the opposite parent. With a mother and a father named, legal and physical custody would have been a fair fifty-fifty. They knew they were in for a long journey because the earliest expected date for a hearing with a judge was March.

He leaned in, stopping Mercedes' breath. "The best thing for Cap is to have both of us and that we aren't arguing all of the time." He demanded her eyes before ordering, "Whatever is your new idea to take him from me, get it out of your head."

"Are y'all kissing?"

"No," they snapped before noticing the question came from their son.

Captain shrugged, "It's what they do in the movies I watch with Grandma." He was pulled to sit and force space between the adults. He melted into his mother's soft cuddles and pets.

Sam watched the pair, but Mercedes refused to withdraw her affection. He thought of Captain's words from the night before. Regardless of his feelings towards her, he had only seen the seven year old so relaxed around his grandparents- two parents. He doubted that his son had never thought about having a mother and wondered, "Maybe he was scared to tell me how bad he wanted one."

Mercedes carefully untangled the boy from her arms and announced, "I'm going to see what's taking Christian so long."

The kid stood with folded arms as he studied the three sweaters laying on his bed. He declared, "Captain is wearing blue, so I can't wear blue." He looked up at his mother as she stopped beside him and copied his stance.

"There really is a new world of problems for us, isn't it?" She made the choice and sat to refold the rejected pieces. When he was dressed, she took his hand and nudged him to come closer. "It's been a week since you've met Captain and Sam and a few days since they moved in with us. How do you feel?"

After a deep breath, he reasoned, "Captain likes it here, so I'm happy."

"That's very sweet of you to say, but you don't have to sacrifice your happiness for your brother or dad." Her eyes locked with her son who was just as amazed to hear her be the first to refer to Sam in that way. She pushed on to warn, "If you're uncomfortable, we can move them back down the hall. They love you and will understand that we all have limits."

"I'm happy," he promised, "but Sam can't go into your room anymore."

"You don't have to worry about that," she laughed before the full comment settled into her ears. "Anymore?"

From the seven year old's point of view, the story of the day before was filled with secrets. He was warned to get that off his mind so he could focus on that night's plans with his father. He was led out to the rest of his family.

Mercedes chirped, "Sam told me all of the places you're going tonight. It's going to be fun. I'm a little jealous." She declined Captain's invitation to join them. "It's a guys night just for you three. I'm going to spend some time with Tank… It's just a date," she quietly added while watching Sam.

"Are you going to be home before the elves come?"

"What?" Sam asked, confused to hear such a naive comment from Christian.

"On the first Saturday of December, Santa sends his elves to decorate the suite. Everyone should be asleep by ten o'clock, so they can decorate in peace." Mercedes smiled to notice that Captain had fallen into excitement of the tradition. "I think I will be home before you all, so we can get ready for bed together."

While the boys were out celebrating their father's new job, Mercedes was with Tank, trying to focus on him.

Tank's waterfront home was tempting to most, especially the hotel owner. It had a large yard that pushed noisy neighbors away, but parts of the inside were still an exploration to her. He had a snug master bedroom and extra rooms that were great for a stepson and whoever else came along. There was a sunroom that was proven to be a great spot to watch the sunrise over the lake. There was a well-equipped kitchen for Tank to make meals worthy of a Michelin star and a sorted wine cellar to pick the best drinks for his partner.

Mercedes pushed her food around her plate. She had only managed a few bites, too unsettled by the swarm of bees buzzing in her stomach. She only spoke up enough to ensure Tank that he was heard, but finally, she asked, "Can I tell you something without you thinking that I'm crazy?"

Tank wiped his lips with his napkin and sat back, sure that their conversation was going to be far from rational.

Her toe tapped at the tile as if she was jackhammering her escape tunnel. She wet her lips, wishing that was enough to make her words slide out smoother. "I want to marry Sam." Although her idea was less than twenty-four hours old, she hadn't had a second without it on her mind- even when Sam was mean to her.

His rich voice flattened as he asked, "Why?"

She shyly admitted that she couldn't think of any other way to slow the man down. "He's been mad at me since he found the forms. Now, I'm scared that he might take Captain and leave, and I have no right to stop them." She dropped her fork onto the plate and began to roll at the corners of the napkin in her lap as she gave way to her nervous habits.

"He's Christian's dad too. He wouldn't leave him behind."

"I don't know that," she argued. "He lived seven years with just Captain. He could live many more years with only one, but I can't."

He nodded as the answer came to him quickly. "If you're worried that he can do that, he isn't someone you should marry." He started for the kitchen to fetch their desserts, but Mercedes followed him.

When his hands were empty, she poked him to turn and give her access to his lips. She kissed him to fill every second of silence. "Thank you for listening." She smiled to be hugged in his arms.

"I'm just trying to keep the bit of you that I do have," he chuckled. He welcomed a few more of her kisses before returning to his task. With his face pointed at the plates, he admitted, "You're too weak to keep it all about the kids anyway."

Mercedes fell into the counter beside him. "What?!" She heard him clearly but dared him to repeat his comment. "Don't call me weak. What the hell does that even mean?"

He let all of the air out of his body with a slow huff and turned to towered over her short, curvy form. He had become immune to her pursed lips and stormy gaze. "As tough as you try to be, you're the most sensitive person that I know." He could point to his family of lawyers, doctors and police officers as a part of his truth, but he refused to change his opinion of the woman in front of him. "You've watched him with the kids for a week, and you're fixed on marrying him. How long do you think you'll last after he asks you to perform your wifely duties?"

"He wouldn't do that."

"You don't know that because you don't know him."

"I'm not marrying Sam tomorrow! I might never marry him! I have to keep him on a leash until the amendments are done. I tried it your way- your non-sensitive way, and he hates me now." The storm in her eyes cleared, leaving only darkness under a layer of salty water. Her heart inflated and deflated like a child playing with a balloon. Thinking of a life with only one son, filled her with fear; the feeling she hated most, but it found its way to her every day that week. "I know this isn't a normal situation, but I will always put my kids first. Whatever happens, please be okay with my choice."

Sam rolled over in his bed and grumbled at the clock that warned him that it was past midnight. He decided to get up and risk the elves throwing "sleepy dust," as Christian put it, at him. Outside of his room, his jaw slacked at the sight of the angelic blue and silver decorated living room. He took a few more steps and found an elf on her knees with her face deep into a box. While she was preoccupied, he managed to approach her without argument. Joining her on the floor, he bubbled, "This is pretty much what I expected."

Mercedes fell back on her heels to merrily warned, "Please no short jokes. My brother has beaten you to every one of them." Her grin grew to match his.

"No, I mean that I like that you do this." He slowly reached out, ignoring her soft flinch, to pull the shiny string of tinsel from her hair. He watched her expression falter, but he kept his smile to hide his regret. He leaned back to steal a peek into the kitchen and noticed that Mercedes' makeover had spread wide. "I can't believe you did all this in just a few hours."

She credited her Christmas spirit and three cups of coffee. "Christian doesn't fall for a lot of kid stuff, so I'm happy to do this." She removed four newly bought stockings from a shopping bag and began to slide them onto the hooks of their holders. "What is Christmas like for you and Captain?" She stood to hang the holders on her cleared shelf.

He stood and followed her a few steps as he explained, "We usually decorate the tree together."

She turned with a smile and reached out for his arm. She gave him a squeeze, and her thumbs wagged over his toned skin. "The change will feel worth it when you see their eyes light up in the morning, and we can try the Evans' way next year- take the tree off the elves' list." She wanted his approval, but she became entangled under his watch like an animal in vines. Her only rescue was the slowly arriving awareness of her hands. She dropped her hold and sent forward an apology, realizing his answer wasn't a call for comfort.

She slid past him to return to her decorations. "Can I borrow your height?" She passed the silver star and watched Sam stretch to place the star on top of the tree without shaking off an ornament. At the moment of his heels returning to the floor, she dove into her next question. "Why were you in my room?"

Sam's heartbeat knocked him back a step. He panicked, "Did she see me? She knows- she found the bug."

"Christian told me that you were on my computer and you wouldn't tell him why." She scanned the man's tall body as he was silent. "Why?"

"Well, I wanted to save some old pictures of Cap on your computer, but they didn't download." He rushed off to his bedroom before his lie could be questioned. He returned tapping on his phone, opening the digital album he had dedicated to his son. After passing the phone, he was able to breath, relaxed by how distracted Mercedes became by the baby photos.

She announced, "I did the same for Christian." She took her tablet off of the coffee table, opened the first app and passed it to Sam. She comfortably sunk into the corner of the sofa with her legs tucked under her and giving no more attention to her question to Sam or her decorating job. Swipe after swipe, her smile didn't sink.

One video kept her hypnotized longer than the rest. It was of the father carrying his nine month old with one arm and recording with his phone in his opposite hand. He trudged through the snowy path as his son sung his song on repeat.

"Da da da."

She turned the phone to the man beside her and gushed, "His first word was Dada?"

"No, I wasn't as lucky as you," he teased, having seen the video of Mercedes coaching Christian through his first word. "We always went to the park with our neighbor and his dog." He swiped to the next video for the woman.

The baby sat in the snow and clapped, "Da da da." Each of the baby's calls fueled the furry terrier to run faster in his circles around him. His sweet grin showed off his two teeth. Soon his laugh pushed him back into the snow, and his puffer jacket was too stuffed for the baby to help himself up.

Mercedes giggled and sat back to continue looking through the album.

Sam took his time, feeling more sentimental for every memento of Christian's first everything: first day home, first word, first Halloween and Christmas. He swore with just a few swipes he went from the boy's first roll to first steps. Although he wished he could have been there, he was still happy that the mother and son duo had family to share the memory with.

"Dad, watch this." Mercedes steadily held the eleven month old baby on her hip as she struggled to balance her phone against a paperweight on her father's desk. She pulled a chair into the shot and stood the baby along its seat. "Will you walk for your granddad?" she challenged as past attempts ended with the baby stubbornly sitting down when asked to take a step. She sat on the floor with her legs crossed and cheered for her son to make the trip to her.

He took his first step then his second, and his third step began his journey away from the chair.

"You can do it! Come on! Oh my God, he's walking! Dad, Look!" she ordered, unable to take her eyes off of her son.

As if her noise shook the floor under him, Christian reached his arms out to regain his balance.

His mother gasped with concern, but his next step reignited her racket. She caught him as he stumbled at the last foot and pulled him into her lap. "Baby, you did it," she congratulated. She attacked his round face with kisses, making her son screech out with laughter. "Oh, you're so smart," she complimented as she tickled his side.

A resonant voice asked from behind the camera, "Are you done?"

Mercedes' smile was replaced with a puff and an eye roll. "I'm taking Christian to the zoo to celebrate." She walked out with her son and phone.

From many photos in the album, Sam could tell that they took advantage of their zoo membership card. Petting a baby goat to hold the top half of a snake, he watched his son grow braver by the year. He watched a video of the kid ranting about the day he'd own a jaguar (not the car).

"Would you marry me?"

His proud smile sank as he was unsure if he heard the woman beside him correctly. Hesitatingly, he looked up to find that she was watching him. He shifted his body in her direction, slyly trying to put another inch between them. "What, um, what did you say?" he stumbled. His long, pale fingers drove through his blonde hair as if pushing it back could improve his hearing.

"I asked if you would marry me?" She untangled her legs and took a big scooch closer to Sam. "It's just a question." She announced that it was a wild idea but promised she had reasons.

While she was swapping through the album, she couldn't find a frown.

Mercedes loved Christian for being smart and calm, but she struggled to understand why he was so serious. He made their schedules, and regardless of how fun she tried to make a new activity sound, he was never short on nos. "He's going to run away to med school by the time he's ten," her brother joked. She tried not to dwell on where his personality came from, but after a single week with Sam, she was pleased to see a small change in him.

"When you're around, Christian's a kid. I don't know Captain yet, but do you think he's happier? They need a mother AND a father. I don't want them to worry that they'll lose one of us soon." She promised, "I'm sorry for trying to get you to sign over your rights. I was blind and selfish."

Sam had calmed down and was able to think about the forms with a clearer mind. "I'm actually not mad at you anymore… I don't think it was your idea anyway." When asked how he knew, he shrugged, "You feel too much guilt to have thought of it yourself."

With a sigh, she admitted, "But I shouldn't have given it to you, and I promise this is different." She tried to warn him of points she'd want in a prenuptial agreement, but she vowed to pay a lawyer to talk over the papers with Sam. "I want you to know that I'm giving you the lead in this. I know an officiant that offered to marry us whenever you chose- or didn't. You can say no."

"Aren't you supposed to be marrying that Tank guy?"

"We talked about this" was all she gave.

"Okay, tomorrow," Sam declared. He waited, watching her thick lashes flutter as if they were trying to fight off any surprised features from taking over her face. He questioned if applying more pressure would make her back away from the proposal. "Yeah, tomorrow. I'm off of work. You're off of work. You can come with me to take the boys to school, and then we'll get our license. I have my divorce certificate. I'm sure you have your mind made up on us splitting the cost, but I can cover it. I think the license was a hundred dollars." Somewhere in his rant, the corners of his lips began to curl with the amusement of being married, but still, he was waiting for an answer.

"Tomorrow," she breathed, "but you have to sign a postnup really soon."

Monday morning, the two did as they agreed.

Shortly after noon, they were pronounced married with a hand shake.

Over dinner, Sam made the announcement to their kids, and Mercedes made a quiet toast to the next eleven years.