You're Mine

chapter 130

"Mama, Mama!", Leo excitedly exclaimed when she and her dad walked into the kitchen. "There was a woman, who will soon have a baby. And it reminded me of how you carried me around when I was teeny tiny.", she shared, causing Amelia to look at her husband for help. His eyes said it all, he wanted her to finally talk to Leo about it.

"Honey, come sit with me for a second.", the brunette sighed, watching Owen take over the task of preparing breakfast. Layla had already set the table and was now playing in her room, while the twins were in the playpen. "Do you remember the feeling-monsters from the book we've been reading?"

"Yeah, and I am the fluffy yellow one with orange arms and feet.", the four-year-old explained, meaning the happiness-monster. "Why? Which one are you, Mommy?", she wanted to know curiously.

"Right now? I am a mix between the fluffy blue one with greenish legs and arms and the purple monster that has a very red head.", Amelia admitted quietly, not proud about having lied to her child.

"So, you're the fear-monster and the shame-monster.", her daughter realized, a little confused once she thought about it. "But why, Mama? It's beautiful here in our new home.", she argued softly. "Why are you afraid and ashamed?"

"Because when I told you that I gave birth to you like I did with your younger siblings and Logan, I wasn't telling the truth.", the neurosurgeon confessed and bit her lower lip upon seeing Leo's shocked face. She hated being lied to and tears filled her eyes. "Please, say something...", she whispered sadly after a minute of silence that had even pulled on Owen's heartstrings.

"The...then why did you say it?", the mini blonde questioned, not able to look into her mother's eyes anymore. She stared down at her hands that played with each other as she waited for an answer.

"Because you were so excited about it...and I didn't want to make you sad. But by doing so, by lying to you, I only delayed this moment and well, here we are.", the brunette replied, extremely ashamed.

"But do you know what the best thing about being adopted is?", Layla meddled. She had eavesdropped by the door and was now making her epic entrance, at least she pictured it as such.

"What?", Leo asked and glanced up at her sister to hear the answer. The first tear escaped her left eye, and she began to sniffle, sadder about having been lied to instead of the fact that she had not been born by her mom like she had expected.

"Mommy and daddy chose us. They actively decided to be our parents when there are so many other children in the system they could have wanted. We were brought to them, but they didn't have to adopt us. They wanted us.", the seven-year-old pointed out. "That is even kinda better than being born into the family.", she added boldly.

"Yeah, you're right.", the toddler realized and wiped her cheek before she looked back up at her mother, who looked really sad now. "It's okay Mama, I forgive you.", she sweetly smiled up at her and embraced her tightly.

"That explains why you are the only one in the family who has such great blonde curls.", her sister chuckled. She loved the four-year-old's hair very much and thought it was the coolest hairstyle in the whole family.

"I am so very sorry for lying to you, Baby. Especially because I always tell you Guys that it's not okay to be dishonest.", Amelia apologized. She knew that Leo meant what she had said about forgiving her, but still, she wanted to apologize.

"But if I wasn't in your belly, in whose was I?", the mini blonde wondered. "Do I have another mama and another daddy?", she wanted to know, seeing her parents nod. "Where are they? Why didn't they want me?"

"We don't know, Sweetie.", Owen answered softly. "It was a closed adoption, meaning we didn't get any inside in who your biological parents are or why they put you into the foster system in the first place."

"Oh.", Leo said, kind of disappointed. "Well, can we have breakfast now?", she changed the topic, not wanting to think about the several reasons why her other parents might not have wanted her.

"We can.", her mother agreed. "I'll wake up Logan.", she announced and went upstairs to get their oldest son to join them. "Good morning, Angel.", she quietly greeted the sleeping boy when she walked into his room.

"Good morning.", the teenager mumbled sleepily as he slowly opened his tired eyes. He felt his mom sit down on the edge of his bed to stroke his hair, which he enjoyed very much in the mornings, it was his favorite way of waking up.

"How did you sleep, Buddy?", the neurosurgeon questioned softly. "Are you hungry? Leo picked out a bagel and a chocolate donut for you when she went to the bakery with dad.", she informed him, and he nodded.

"Good. I'll be down in five minutes.", the thirteen-year-old yawned. Usually, he was allowed to sleep in, but since they had to build the furniture and move everything in, it would get loud in an hour anyway, meaning it didn't make sense to let the boy sleep any longer.