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“Just don’t say anything like that in front of your Mom because it would break her heart.”

I nod. “Done.”

“Now, about the bar. If this isn’t what you want, I will understand, and I’ll figure something else out.”

I shake my head. “No, I want the bar. Thank you, Moe. This really does mean a lot to me.” For years, I thought about what I wanted to do when the time came to move on from this place but I never really got very far. I love this bar, and it would be my honor to run it.

“No need to thank me, boy. Just take care of her, huh?” he asks, standing from his chair, and I follow suit.

“I promise I will.”

He pulls me into a hug and slaps my back, and my only thought is that I wish I could call Addy and tell her this news.

“It’ll take a little time. I’d like to spend the next six months or so going over everything you could ever possibly need to know about this place but then I’ll turn her over to you.”

I agree, and he launches into his plan for getting me ready to take over. He’s developed a pretty specific plan to make sure that I’m prepared for anything I might have to deal with, breaking it down month by month.

I’m buzzing by the time I leave his office, looking around with new eyes. All this will be mine. I’m building something here, and I can’t wait. My only hope is that I can convince the love of my life to make this journey with me.

* * * *

Sighing, I climb out of my car and start walking up the front walk to Mom and Dad’s house. After my talk with Moe, I’m feeling really stupid that I spent so many years feeling like I didn’t quite belong. It wasn’t something that I thought about all the time or something that bothered me but there were moments when insecurity would sneak up on me, and I would remind myself that I’m not really their son. Hearing about everything they did for me, though, even before they took me in and adopted me made me see my life in a new light.

Truthfully, I feel a little stupid that I ever doubted my place in this family. No one has ever done anything to make me doubt it, and the dynamic always worked between all of us, like I was truly separated from them at birth. But, I guess that I just assumed that if my own mother couldn’t love me more than drugs then why would Charlotte? She is, undoubtedly, an amazing woman but she didn’t give birth to me so how could she possibly love me with the same fierceness that she loved her own children?

I was just so wrong about everything.

I walk into the house, and the silence stops me in my tracks. Brunch should already be in full swing, and the sound of everyone chatting and laughing should be greeting me but it’s not. Dad walks out of the living room, and his face lights up when he sees me.

“Trey! We didn’t even hear you come in.”

“Hey, where is everyone?” I ask, looking around again like they might pop out from behind some furniture.

“They’re all in the living room. Why don’t you go sit down? There’s something Mom and I want to talk to you about.”

What the hell is going on around here lately? This is the second time in as many days that someone’s wanted to have a serious conversation with me.

“Uh…okay.”

He walks off into the kitchen, and I watch him go before turning toward the living room. As soon as I step onto the carpet, I stop short, looking around at everyone sitting around on the couches chatting. What the hell?

“Have a seat, honey,” Mom says, and I just watch her warily as I move to the empty couch and sit down. Emma grins at me, and Tucker laughs.

“Why do you look so nervous, brother?”

“Gee, I don’t know. Maybe ‘cause y’all are acting so fucking weird.”

“Language,” Mom snaps, and I immediately apologize. Dad comes back before anyone else can say anything and sits in his chair.

“Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

Dad shoots a look at Mom, who nods with a smile on her face before he turns back to me. “Trey, there’s something that we want to talk to you about. It’s really something that we should have done a long time ago but we wanted you to be an adult before we gave you the choice and well, honestly, it kind of got put on the back burner.”

“Um…okay,” I reply, my gaze bouncing around the room as I try to figure out what he might say next. He grabs a folder from the floor next to his chair and holds it up.

“The truth is, you’ve always been our son – even before we made it official with the adoption – and no matter what your decision is today, that won’t change. This is really for you because we don’t ever want you to doubt your place in this family or how much we love you.”

My gaze snaps to Moe, and he smiles, shaking his head. If he didn’t tell them about our conversation, then what the hell is going on?