My Saving Grace (Book 3)

May 21, 2030

When Jessica got home from school the next day, Friday, they began to get ready to go out. "What do we wear, Jess? Are they fancy people?" Alex asked, as he frantically ironed a shirt.

"That shirt is nice, maybe some jeans. They're not fancy but like their ladies with one teenage son and a really young daughter." She explained. Alex's eyes widened, seeing an opportunity.

"Young daughter?" He asked. She nodded.

"She's three. They adopted her about six months ago. Caleb is actually biologically theirs so they decided that they wanted to adopt this time around. She's really cute. Her name's Laia." Jessica told him. Alex nodded in understanding.

"I'll tell your father not to wear sweatpants then?" Alex asked, raising his voice so that Scott could hear him from the other room.

"When do I ever leave the house in sweatpants?" He called back.

"Everyday, Scott!" He laughed. Scott appeared in the doorway, his hands on his hips and his eyebrows raised.

"Please leave me out of your domestics!" Jessica pushed past both of them and went up the stairs. Alex rolled his eyes, unplugging the iron and placing it on the top shelf in the kitchen again. He flicked the shirt over a hanger, running his eyes over it to check for any creases.

"Are you nervous?" Scott asked, his voice low now as he walked over to where Alex was. He wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.

"Not at all." Alex said. He turned his head to the side and kissed Scott's forehead.

"Not about tonight... About next weekend." Scott found Alex's hand and threaded their fingers together. Alex took a deep breath and blew it out as fast as he could.

"A bit. I don't want him to be different, you know?" Alex asked. Scott tilted his head to press soft kisses down his neck.

"He'll always be Toby, Al. I didn't change, did I? Let me know if you need me to take your mind off of anything." Scott whispered, his lips scraping Alex's ear.

"I'm gonna hold you against that one. We need to go away soon, I'm needy." Alex whispered back. Scott chuckled.

"You're always needy, Alexander. We better get ready or we'll never get out." He stated, releasing his hands from his grip, before walking out towards their bedroom.

When they were ready they piled into the car and took the road to Caleb's house. They pulled up outside quite a large house with a balcony stretching across the second floor. A pink plant climbed over the front door which was a bright shade of red.

"Definitely a woman's house." Alex commented as they got out of the car.

"Don't be sexist, babe. We are gonna be outnumbered, remember?" Scott asked, following Jessica to the front door. Alex rolled his eyes playfully, as they came up the steps. Jessica knocked the door three times, hearing a dog bark coming from within.

The door was swung open seconds later by none other than Caleb himself. He was dressed in skinny jeans and a button up shirt. He smiled brightly at them. "Hello!" He greeted, cheerfully.

"Hey, Caleb." Jessica smiled, stepping through the doorway, inviting Scott and Alex in behind her.

A small girl appeared in the doorway that was at the end of the hallway. She had dark black hair and pale skin, like snow. She wore dungarees that were torn at the knees with grass stains all over. "Jessie!!!!" She exclaimed, smiling widely at the group stood in the doorway.

She sprinted forward, flinging her arms around Jessica causing her to laugh. "Hey Princess Laia." She laughed, backing up at the weight of the child that had almost taken her down.