Page 76 of Stay

“You make a beautiful family,” a woman whose name tag read Torres said in hushedtones.

Adrian liked to think thatwastrue.

When Gabriel entered the visitation room, his eyes lit up the brightest of all, and the way he smiled without reserve when he held Lilian gave Adrian hope that before long, he’d make outstanding progress. During private meetings with Counselor Kendrick, he’d told them not to worry about how ineffective therapy had been so far—that it was normal that an omega so deeply traumatized needed plenty of time to heal. Hopefully, knowing he had a loving, stable family waiting for himwouldhelp.

If it didn’t, Adrian hadn’t given up hope—there were alternative therapies they could try, and no matter what it took, he was determined to find one thatworked.

When the visit was over and they returned to the house, Adrian was exhausted. Sterling dropped him off outside The Shepherd, allowing Adrian to unbuckle Lilian before he drove the rest of the way to the parking garage. Adrian had his own set of keys now, and as he made his way up the stairs with his daughter in his arms, he realized how strangethatwas.

His own keys. A boyfriend. Adaughter.

Serious relationships were new to him, but Adrian would be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying every secondofit.

Ready for a nap, Adrian headed through the penthouse to Sterling’s old office. In the months before Lilian’s arrival, they’d spent time remodeling it. Sterling had moved his desk and filing cabinets into the guest bedroom—vacant, now that Gabriel had gone for treatment at Stonecrest—to install her baby furniture. A crib, a changing station, and a rocking chair occupied the space business essentials used to fill, but Clarissa’s childhood drawings remained, as did the collage of pictures Sterling kept onthewall.

A collage that was now joined by something new—an unused corkboard with the same dimensions as thecollage.

Adrian frowned, trying to piece together when the corkboard had gone up, and what its purpose was. He didn’t have to wonder for long. In the distance, the back door opened, then clicked shut. Adrian heard the turn of the lock, then the familiar gait of Sterling’s footsteps as he headed down the hall. Before long, Sterling came through the nursery door. Adrian saw a flash of white in his hand before he turned to face the corkboard, effectively blocking Adrian’s viewofit.

“What’s going on?” Adrian asked uneasily. “I didn’t know that you’d made changes totheroom.”

“I did it a day or so before we left for the hospital.” Sterling stood in front of the corkboard and lifted the object in his hand until he’d positioned it by the top left corner of the board. There was no more hiding what it was—apicture.

Adrian couldn’t help himself. He held Lilian to his chest and peeped over Sterling’s shoulder in an attempt to see what itssubjectwas.

The photograph was recent, and candidly taken. Adrian, face red and brow sweaty, cradled a newborn Lilian against his chest. Sterling stood at his side, face so full of love that it read even at a distance. A thin hospital blanket was pooled on Adrian’s lap, messy in a way that was clearlyorganic.

Adrian sucked in a tiny breath. He didn’t know whattosay.

“This is the first time the nurse put Lilian in your arms,” Sterling explained. He finished pinning the picture in place, then stepped back to stand beside Adrian as Adrian gawked. “I’d asked one of the nurses to snap a picture on my phone while it happened, and I had it developed yesterday. One of the times I stepped out of the room, I stopped by a kiosk and picked it up. I want to capture every moment of our lives together—our journey forward as a family. I thought this would be a good firstentry.”

There wasn’t anything Adrian could say. If he opened his mouth, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold himself together. When words failed him, he laid his head on Sterling’s shoulder and took in every small detail of thepicture.

He remembered the overwhelming joy he saw on his face, but he also saw the pain. Pain that Adrian would gladly live through again, if it meant their family would grow. He’d only known Lilian for a day, but he was alreadyinlove.

Pain was only temporary—love was eternal. Sterling had taught him that. Adrian would never doubt itagain.

“And I’ve got the second picture planned already.” Sterling nodded his chin toward the board, but didn’t otherwise move. Adrian appreciated his stillness—it meant he could keep his head on Sterling’sshoulder.

“What is it?” Adrian asked. He pushed away the tears and held himself together. “Her firstsmile?”

“No.” Sterling kissed the top of his head. “The moment I ask you tomarryme.”

Adrian lifted his head. He spun on the spot, careful of Lilian. Eyes wide, he stared Sterling down. Sterling, meanwhile, produced a black tungsten band from his pocket and presented it to Adrian onhispalm.

A camera flashed. Adrian looked up, eyes too blurry from tears to see what was happening right away. A few blinks cleared his vision, and he spotted Clarissa standing in the doorway. She winkedathim.

“The choice is yours to make—my heart has already decided.” Sterling faced Adrian, curling a finger beneath his chin to delicately lift his head. “I love you, Adrian. I don’t want to play at family anymore—I want to make it real. I want to makeusreal.”

All of the dark days had led Adrian to believe that a moment like this would never happen—that he’d never find happiness in the way he wanted. For an impossibly long time, he’d believed that family was a burdensome necessity, but Sterling had shown himotherwise.

Family was about love no matter what, but it was also an ethereal creature that grew and waned as time went on. There would be times when he didn’t see eye to eye with those he loved, or times when his demons clawed their way from his depths to sabotage all that he’d worked so hard for. What mattered was that the family Adrian had found with Sterling made him want to keep trying, because the good times were so good, he never wanted to let them go. As long as there was love and understanding, the bad times wouldn’t lastforever.

Adrian wouldn’tletthem.

“I want that, too.” Adrian didn’t allow doubt from his past to muddy the moment. He had a family now—a man who loved him, and a daughter who needed him. He had his degree, and in a few months, he’d start looking for work while he simultaneously worked to further his education. What he’d lived through didn’t define him—he’d made his future what it was, and now it was his to enjoy. So enjoy it he did. He tilted his chin up and kissed Sterling certainly and sweetly, Lilian shelteredbetweenthem.

Family was what he made of it, and in Sterling, Adrian had found a family worth staying for. As the ring slid on his finger, he made a commitment to always do his best with those who found their way into his life—Sterling, Gabriel, Clarissa, Lilian, and any souls still to come, whether they were his children or not. The walls that protected Adrian’s heart from abuse had fallen long ago, and they would never riseagain.

With Sterling there, he wouldn’t need themanymore.

His heart belonged to Sterling and Lilian now, and with them itwouldstay.