‹ Prequel: Trouble-Maker
Sequel: Summer Boy

Infinite

Parents

Heather came walking into the guys' house when I was setting the food out on the counter next to the plates. The blonde grinned widely as I moved to throw my arms around her shoulders.

"Heather, you made it!" I greeted loudly, pulling away to get a good look at her after-baby appearance. "You look amazing," I said honestly. I glanced towards the door, expecting her husband to follow her in. "Where's Aiden?" I questioned.

She glanced back towards the door, her eyes lingering until a handsome blonde man came walking through the door with a beautiful baby in his arms.

"Oh my goodness," I exclaimed, "you brought Kyat." I quickly held my arms out for the baby boy and when Aiden was slow handing him over to me, I whined loudly and snapped my fingers.

Aiden laughed and gently handed his son to me. The little boy was beautiful. He was half-awake, his eyes half-lidded as he looked up at me with his blue, blue orbs. Tufts of blonde hair poked out on his head and was soft and thick, just like his parents'.

"Oh gosh," I gushed, touching his little cheek with my finger, "I have got to show him to Ronnie." I looked over my shoulder for the dark-haired man and frowned when he wasn't among the people in the living room. I looked back to Heather and Aiden. "I'll be right back," I told them, "I'm just going to go flaunt your son."

Aiden shrugged and Heather nodded, each motioning for me to go ahead. I grinned widely and turned around, heading towards the hallway to see if Ronnie and his nephews had disappeared into one of the bedrooms. When I moved between a group of people at the mouth of the hall, I could hear one of the boys screaming from Jacky's room at the farthest end of the hallway. I headed towards the noise and found Ronnie wrestling his nephews on the other side of the door.

I leaned against the door hinge and watched Ronnie and Nason each throw a little boy onto Jacky's bed. The boys screamed as they toppled to the mattress, James teetering on the edge. Ronnie's new puppy trampled around his feet, playfully nipping at the boys as they rolled off the mattress.

"Ronnie, Nason," I called into the room, trying to steal their attention before they could pick up and lodge another boy onto the bed.

Both men turned around quickly, their eyes immediately going to the baby in my arms. "Who's this?" Nason questioned, shoving Devin onto the bed before he and Ronnie turned around and walked over to me.

"Kyat," I said softly, cooing. "He's Heather and Aiden's son."

"Yeah, I remember the name." Ronnie nodded. He grinned at the little boy and elbowed Nason in the side when the man with multicolored hair made a comment about the tufts of hair poking straight out of Kyat's head.

"He's precious, isn't he?" I questioned, rubbing his back with my hand as he started to fall asleep in my arms. "He's the most adorable thing I've seen in so long."

"He's cute," Ronnie agreed. He grabbed his nephew's hand before Tanner could reach out and touch the baby. The other three congregated around the infant and stood on the tips of their toes to get a better look at the tiny boy.

"How old is he?" Nolan asked, touching the mini shoe on the baby's foot.

"Just a couple months," I told him. "He's my friend's baby."

Ronnie shoved Nason out of the room and stood in the doorway next to me. He headed out of the room and then turned back to ask me a question. "Is Arch coming out today?" he asked, slipping his hands into the loose pockets of his oversized hoodie.

"I invited him and the Harris'," I replied, turning to him just slightly as his nephews shoved past him, "So they should be coming."

Ronnie nodded. He pushed his hair back and kissed my cheek before he ran after Nasty and the boys, his still nameless dog following behind with a series of yaps.

I chuckled at the group of boys and headed back out to the parents of the baby in my arms. They were chatting with a group who stood near the kitchen counter. Jenn had offered to finish up for me so I took her up on it in order to spend more time with my friends. Ryan had made his way into the kitchen and decided to help her finish.

"Aiden, Heather," I called as I walked over to them, "Ronnie agrees. You've got the most precious son in the whole wide world."

The duo grinned and Heather thanked me.

"Just being honest," I replied, reluctant to hand the little boy back to his mommy. I glanced at her outstretched hands and chuckled. "He's stolen my heart all ready," I stated.

"Seems like Mr. Radke has some competition," Heather stated, taking her baby from me, "He better work on his pick up lines because one look at my little man and your heart is melted."

I agreed before I excused myself, my eyes moving to the door as a familiar family stood on the other side. My favorite little boy threw the door open when he saw me through the glass and raced across the space between us.

"Atticus!" Arch shouted as he jumped into me, his arms wrapping tightly around my waist. "I've missed you!"

I laughed and lifted him up. He wrapped his arms around my neck and held on tightly. "I've missed you too, Arch," I replied, rubbing his back comfortingly, "but it's only been a week, Sweetheart."

"That's too long," he stated, tightening his grip on me, "You're supposed to come and see me more than that."

I held him up by wrapping my arms under his legs. "I figured you'd be here today so I wasn't all that worried about it," I explained, then added, "Ronnie was just asking about you."

Arch looked me in the face. "Really?" he questioned.

I nodded, smiling at the foster parents as they made their way to us, each one carrying one of their children. Olivia held Georgia while Will carried their biological son, Tommie. "He wanted to make sure that you were coming," I told my favorite boy.

"Where is he?" Arch asked, looking at the people in the room.

I turned and looked at the open garage door. "I think he chased his nephews to the garage," I said, trying to peer through the door, "His friend Nasty is here and they're tormenting the boys."

Arch wiggled in my grasp, eager to go wish the singer a happy birthday and join in on the fun. "Can I go find them?" he asked, trying to get me to put him down on the ground.

I set him down like he wanted and pointed towards the open garage door where Ronnie was with the boys, Nasty, and his dog. When Arch's feet hit the ground, he was through the crowd and out the door within a minute.

"Where'd he run off to?" Will asked, trying to see through the crowd and keep Arch in his sights.

I shrugged. "Just went to find the birthday boy," I said simply, nodding towards the door. "He's fine. There's a whole group of boys out there for him to play with. Ronnie's nephews are here."

"Does Ronnie have a big family?" Olivia questioned, making polite conversation as Derek and Ron poked their head into the house and yelled something at Ryan in the kitchen. Ryan rolled his eyes and shouted for them to shut up, adding in a couple curse words somewhere.

"It's basically just him, his dad, and his brother," I explained, "but his older brother has five kids, so it's a pretty close-knitt group. The nephews just adore Ronnie and he feels the same about them."

"Five?" she repeated, slightly stunned by the number, "I can't believe anyone would be able to take care of that many kids all at once." She glanced at her husband and smoothed down her son's shirt. Being foster parents, I figured they would've had some experience.

I shrugged my shoulders though. "Sabrina is older and the boys are pretty good kids. They keep each other entertained," I said, automatically frowning when I heard crying coming from the garage. I knew that it wasn't Arch, but I couldn't tell which one of the nephews it was.

"I'll be right back," I excused myself from the Harris', "I'm the only one who doesn't believe in the concept of walking it off." I offered them a smile before I turned around and headed through the crowd.

I stepped down into the garage and instantly came face to face with James Radke, the youngest brother. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I questioned, reaching out for him as he wiped his tears with dirt stained fingers.

He walked straight into my arms and wrapped his around my neck as I crouched down in front of him. "Nolan pushed me off a chair," he cried, his words slurring and mixing into my hair, "I fell on the floor."

"Aw, Jamie," I murmured, standing up with him in my arms, "Where's Uncle Ronnie and everyone else?"

"They took the puppy to the backyard," he murmured, dropping his head onto my shoulder as his tears subsided.

I nodded and headed towards the door on the back wall. I pushed it open and saw four boys and three grown men running around the backyard. Ronnie had Arch thrown over his shoulder and was urging his nephews to follow him. They seemed to be running away from Nasty as the blonde and brunette man shouted and raced after them.

"You seem to be okay now," I said to the youngest Radke, "Do you want to go play with everyone else?"

James lifted his head and looked at his brothers. "No," he said when he watched Ranner trip and fall into the grass. His older brother dusted himself off and began running again.

"Do you want to go inside with me and get some food?" I gave him an alternative, patting his back gently.

"What kind of food?" he questioned, seemingly back to the outgoing, rowdy boy he'd been before the tears were brought on.

I told him that we'd check it out and with that, the two of us headed back into the house. Nobody inside wondered where Ronnie had managed to run off to since they'd all seen him chasing his family through the house. I took James over to the food and handed him a plate, telling him that I'd give him early access.

Ryan and Jenn smiled at the boy and let him get some of what was ready, mostly being a cheeseburger and a couple of sides. I plopped him down on the couch with his plate and made the rounds again, chatting with everyone.

The room wasn't packed, but the house wasn't very big. Technically, it wasn't even a house at all. The duplex was decent sized with two bedrooms and a bathroom stuck between them. The kitchen was technically in the living room, just separated by a counter with cupboards hanging from the ceiling.

Ryan and Jacky's couch sat in the middle of the living room, facing the front window and the TV. On the wall to the left was the door to the garage and on the wall behind, double doors were pushed open, leading to the backyard where the kids played.

James sat on the couch with his plate on his lap and kept glancing out of the back doors towards his brothers, who were screaming and running away, trying to flee the men who were chasing after them.

I was about to head over to him to collect his empty plate when my family walked into the house. My dad walked through the door with Nico in his arms and Frida next to him. Caleb walked in with her and my brother and his girlfriend followed them, carrying a wrapped gift.

"If you'll excuse me," I said to a few friends, "I think hell just froze over." I walked over to my group and stopped in front of them. "Dad, what're you doing here?" I questioned, trying not to sound too harsh but keeping the honesty in my tone. I was surprised to see him, to say the least. The last I knew, we weren't speaking because of the ring that I wore on my finger.

"It's Ronnie's birthday," Max stated, handing over the gift, "We got an invite so here we are."

I smiled at him and took the box. "He's out back if you want to say hello," I told my siblings and their significant others. "He's playing with Arch and his nephews. I'm sure he'll keep an eye on Nico if you take her back there."

My dad nodded. He was out of place among Ronnie's friends and family. Sure, he was technically going to be his father-in-law in the future, but he'd made it clear that he didn't want to be, so standing among those who loved Ronnie as much as I did was awkward for him.

"I'll take her," Frida offered, pulling the little girl out of our Dad's arms, "I'm sure she wants to see him." She playfully rolled her eyes, back on her anti-Ronnie kick.

Max dragged Kasey along after Frida and Caleb and subsequently left me standing all alone in front of our father. I glanced at my siblings, a glare in my eyes, before I turned back to our dad. "So, what're you doing here?" I questioned bluntly, crossing my arms over my chest, "I didn't think that you'd show up to anything that had to do with Ronnie."

"It seems that my children have a way of making me do things I don't want to do," he responded, glancing at the people in the room. He picked a piece of lint off of his shoulder before he met my eyes again.

"You don't have to be here," I replied, wishing he would've said something that I wanted to hear, "This is going to be a good day and I don't want anyone ruining it."

His entire face softened and he reached out to touch my arm. "Atticus, I'm not here to ruin Ronnie's birthday," he stated, faltering with what he wanted to say next, "I just wanted to bring the kids by."

I glanced in the direction that my siblings went before I looked back to my dad. He dressed simply, a pair of nice jeans and t'shirt underneath a clean black zip-up. As I was about to reply, one of the nephews ran up to me and grabbed my arm. My dad's attention moved to the dark-haired boy and I could see the muted interest on his face. My family and Ronnie's family had never met, so not only was it Ronnie's birthday party, but now it'd become the day that two halves would come together. Automatically, I glanced around the room for Ronnie's father.

"Sorry, Dad," I said. I turned around and kneeled down in front of the boy, having seen Russell heading to the backyard. "What's up, Nate?" I questioned, touching his arm.

"Uncle Ronnie wants you," he explained, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "I'm supposed to bring you outside."

"Did he tell you why?" I asked.

Devin shrugged and grabbed my arm. "Come on," he demanded, trying to drag me towards the double doors.

"You take James back outside and I'll be there in a minute," I promised. I looked up and ruffled the boy's brown hair before he turned and ran over to the couch to fetch his brother. I stood up and turned my full attention back to my dad. "They're two of Ronnie's nephews," I explained as Devin coerced his brother off of the plush couch. "They came over for his party with Russell."

"Russell is Ronnie's father?" my dad asked, glancing around the room to see if he could pick the man out of the crowd, unbeknownst to him that Ronnie's looks came from his absent mother's genes.

"Yeah, he's outside," I said, instinctively turning towards the door. "Do you want to come with?" I nervously bit my lip and played with my fingers. I hadn't really expected my father to show and I certainly hadn't considered the idea that our dads would be introduced.

When my dad nodded, I smiled the smallest bit and motioned for him to follow me through the people to the backyard. Despite the fact that it was December, it was still in the 70s, making it nice enough out for the kids to play in the grass.

When we walked outside, there were more people among us than before. They congregated by the door and watched with laughter and smiles as Ronnie shouted and chased the kids. Jacky, Nolan, Arch, Nasty, and James were frozen in the yard while Devin and Tanner ran around them, trying not to be tagged by Ronnie, who haphazardly carried Nico on his back.

Ryan and Jenn stood against the house, talking about something as they watched the game in front of them. Russell laughed as his son bowled over another one of his grandsons. Tanner hit the grass and screamed loudly as Ronnie pulled Nico off his back and told her to beat him up.

I glanced at my dad's expression as he watched Ronnie interact with his youngest daughter and five young boys who were completely enthralled with the birthday boy and his friends. Dad watched Ronnie, his eyes not leaving the man as tanner stayed frozen in the grass and Nico climbed back onto his back. Dad's expression was neutral, but in his eyes I could see that he was amazed with Ronnie's soft side. It was something that not many people saw but one of the most genuine sides of the singer.

A huge grin was on Ronnie's face as he and my sister 'froze' all the kids in the yard. Ronnie let out a victory cheer and lifted Nico into the air above his head. The dark haired girl let out a lyrical laugh and held onto his tattooed arms, although the three year old trusted him enough to know he wouldn't drop her.

I stepped away from the crowd who was watching, and called out his name. "Ronnie," I said again as he situated Nico on his hip, using just one arm to hold her to him.

He turned around quickly, standing in the middle of five frozen boys, and met my gaze. He grinned and started towards me. As he passed, he shoved his nephews' shoulders. Still pretending to be frozen, two of the boys fell to the ground and laid in the grass. Ronnie's still unnamed dog pranced over to sniff Nolan. Ronnie laughed and shook his head at the boys. "What's up?" he asked, not seeing my dad standing in the crowd behind me.

"Our dads are here," I told him, touching Nico's curls.

Ronnie glanced over my shoulder and his eyes landed on my father behind me. The mood changed instantly, unbeknownst to our friends, and Ronnie tensed, expecting another blow out with my father.

"He's not here to cause trouble," I explained, touching the man's free arm, "He said he just brought Frida, Max, and Nico by for your party."

"Then why's he still here?" Ronnie questioned, glancing back at the man.

"Ronnie," I said softly, touching his side, "Just try and put everything behind us. Just for today." Our friends around us talked amongst themselves, unaware of the conflict between my fiancé and my father.

Ronnie met my brown eyes with his own dark eyes and he nodded, agreeing to give up the spat for just his birthday. He handed Nico Moon to me and slid past, heading over to my father. I turned around and watched as Ronnie held his hand out to him.

"Hey, Brett," Ronnie greeted, shaking my dad's hand, "Thanks for coming."

Dad took Ronnie's hand in his own. "No problem," he replied, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks." Ronnie nodded. "Atticus set this whole thing up for me. My pops even came out and brought my brother's sons with."

Dad motioned to the boys who were now gathering together in the grass with Jacky and Derek. "Those four?" It was obvious who was related to him. They all had the same hair color and slim features.

Ronnie nodded but frowned when he saw the seven of them grouped together. "Yeah..." he trailed off, "What the hell are they scheming?" He turned away from my father and marched over to the group. When they saw him coming, his nephews and Arch disbanded, screaming as they ran away, pulling the puppy's leash with them. Derek and Jacky laughed, standing in the grass as the boys split into two groups and hid behind them.

Ronnie shook his head at the kids and his friends. He turned back to my father nodded towards his own. "Brett, I'd like to introduce you to my father," he said, calling out to the tough-looking man. "Pops, come here."

Russell Radke ended up beside me as we walked over to his son and my father. Russell wrapped his arm over my shoulder and touched Nico's cheek gently. Ronnie's arm went around my waist and I leaned into him.

"Brett, this is Russell, my father," he introduced, glancing between the men, "Dad, this is Atti's father, Brett Gurewitz."

Russell and my dad shook hands. "It's great to finally meet you, Brett," Russell said, grinning. "Atticus is a wonderful young woman and I'm so blessed that she's loves my boy."

Ronnie ran his fingers through his hair with an embarrassed smile on his face. I pulled his hand off of my waist and tangled my fingers in his, nervous about my father's reply since he didn't feel the same way about Ronnie and I.

My dad's eyes trailed over the two of us and I couldn't read his expression. He ran his hand over his short salt and pepper hair and nodded in reply to Russell's kind words. "That's nice of you to say," he said civilly, "and it is nice to meet you finally. I've known Ronnie a long time and it's good to know where he comes from."

Russell reached past me to pat his son on the back. He knew everything that Ronnie and my father had been through, yet he still put a smile on his face and treated my father like he had been decent to Ronnie all along.

Russell cursed under his breath when another one of the nephews began to cry. The older ones, Devin and Nolan, stared at their grandpa with wide eyes as Tanner yelled for him, tears falling to his cheeks as he held his elbow. "What happened?" Russell questioned, motioning for the crying boy to come to him.

"I hurt my arm," Tanner explained, wiping the tears from his eyes. He wasn't crying any longer, but his eyes were still watery as he pushed his jacket off his shoulders to show us his elbow.

"It's just a scratch," Ronnie diagnosed, stepping behind me so he could crouch down in front of the boy, "You just need to go rinse it off and stick a band-aid on it." He gingerly touched Tanner's arm around the skinned part and then pulled him up into his arms. He said to the three of us, "I'm going to run him in to wash it off. I'll be right back."

I nodded and kissed him before he headed back through the patio doors and into the house with Tanner. I turned back to face our dads and hoisted Nico up in my arms. "There's food and drinks in the kitchen if you want anything," I explained to the both of them, "I'm going to take Nico and Arch inside to get some, if you want I'll get some plates for the boys, too."

Russell grinned again and shook his head at me. "I don't think Ronnie could've found anyone better," he said, causing me to smile at his compliments. "That'd be great, Atticus. Those boys hardly ever listen to me."

Dad said to me, "Tell your brother and sister too, please."

I nodded and told both of them that I'd see them later. I walked over to Max and Kasey and told them that Jenn and I had made dinner. Frida heard me too and quickly pulled her boyfriend into the house, ranting about how she hadn't eaten anything all day.

The boys were back to playing in the yard so I interrupted their game and told them that they should come in and eat. They complained about not being hungry, but I herded them towards the door anyway, knowing that since Russell hadn't eaten anything, they hadn't either. They left the puppy with Jacky and tromped after me, pouts on their faces.

James followed everyone in the house but detoured over to the couch since I had already given him something to eat earlier. The boys lined up behind me in the kitchen and told me what they each wanted on their plates. Arch grinned when he saw the hamburgers, but I quickly denied him one before Ronnie could sweep in and give him one anyway.

Ronnie and Tanner emerged from the bathroom all fixed up. Ronnie walked up and set Tanner on the floor by his brothers, then he wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed his lips against my neck.

"I'm glad that's over with," he said into my hair, paying no mind to the kids or to my sister who stood at cooler, grabbing drinks for her and Caleb.

I nodded to him and handed Nolan his plate with the hand that wasn't holding Nico up. "Either sit in the living room or go find your Grandpa and sit outside," I said to the nine year old. "Don't drop anything."

"I won't," he quipped before he pushed past Ronnie and disappeared into the crowd of people. I fixed up Arch, Devin, and Tanner's plates and sent them in the same direction.

"Hold her, will you?" I asked, handing my baby sister to Ronnie, "I need to get her something to eat."

Ronnie took Nico and sat her on the edge of the counter, holding her up so she didn't fall or knock anything to the floor. I grabbed another plate from the pile and plopped food onto it. Then I made Ronnie and I a plate to share before the three of us headed outside. Ronnie took Nico to my father and I handed him her plate, since Ronnie wanted me to go with him.

When Nico was out of my arms, Ronnie took my free hand and pulled me over to an open space in the grass. He turned to face everyone and grinned, catching the attention of everyone outside and inside. Those inside huddled around the open doors to hear the birthday boy speak for the second time since he arrived.

"Thanks for coming everyone," Ronnie spoke, squeezing my hand. "It's great having all my family and friends in one place. I honestly couldn't have asked for a better day. I just want to thank Atticus, again, for putting this all together, and my band for helping her with it. Especially Jack and Ryan for letting us use their house."

There were a few claps and cheers as people agreed and shouted out their congratulations about our engagement and numerous 'happy birthdays'. Ronnie mentioned that there was plenty of food left in the kitchen and thanked everyone again before he dragged me over to sit next to Ryan and Jennifer on the side walk that lined the side of the house.

"Hey, man," Ryan greeted, holding his own plate in his lap, "Happy birthday."

"Thanks, Ryan," Ronnie replied, "and honestly, thanks for letting us have this all at your place." He sat down on the ground and took our plate from me so I could do the same. Ryan and Ronnie sat next to each other and Jenn sat on the other side of Ryan. I sat down in front of him so that we made a mis-shapen circle. Jenn scooted in front of Ryan and made us a square as Ryan told Ronnie it was no problem.

"How'd it go with your dad?" Ryan asked, nodding to the two men who sat in chairs by the door, just a group of people between them. My dad sat with Nico in his lap and Frida and Caleb by his side. Ronnie's dad sat in a chair with all four of his grandsons in the grass with their plates on their laps.

"Mine was decent," I replied, glancing at the man who raised me, "Russell is always great."

Ronnie set his burger back on the plate and pulled his eyes away from our parents. I took the plate from him and took a bite of my own food as he commented, "Pops loves Atti."

"I just wish that my dad was as accepting as yours," I murmured, holding the plate as he grabbed his burger. "Everything would be so much easier if my dad was as excited as your dad."

Ronnie shook his head. "It's a lot easier for him to accept you than it is for Brett to accept me. You're a fucking angel compared to what I've done."

"In the past," I added, handing him the plate, "That's not you anymore and my dad knows it. He just refuses to give up the fight because he warned me for years not to get involved with someone in music. He doesn't understand that you're nothing like him." I ran my fingers through my long hair and moved it out of my face, growing even more tired of the conflict between my family. "He's just pissy because I don't obey his every command."

"Still, Att," Ronnie defended.

"Not still," I denied, "he liked you perfectly fine before we got together. I get that he was upset at first, but it's been over a year and he needs to find something else to be upset about because at this rate, he's going to be complaining about us when our children get engaged."

Ronnie leaned over our laps and kissed the side of my mouth. "Relax," he murmured, sitting back down, "We can deal with this later. Today, lets just put it behind us."

I smiled at my own words and nodded. "You're right. We should just focus on the fact that he's here and that he's not trying to ruin the party."

Derek, Ron, Jacky, Nason, Heather, and Aiden made their way over to our circle to eat with us. The eight of us talked about everything as we chowed down. Ronnie and I took turns holding Kyat as we took pictures of the beautiful little boy, giving Heather and Aiden some time to themselves to enjoy their meal. Jenn and I talked about babies and ignored the guys as they made fun of us for gushing over them. Arch ran over to us when he finished eating and dropped into my lap, interested in the baby who sat in Ronnie's.

When everyone was finished eating, Heather, Jenn, and I took Kyat and Arch into the kitchen and got Ronnie's birthday cake out of the fridge. Jenn guarded the room as Arch, Heather, and I stuck twenty-nine candles into the cake and lit them, laughing as Kyat seemed amazed by the flame.

As Arch helped me carry the cake outside, the sky was beginning to darken and the tiki torches were lit around the cement patio. I began singing and our friends and family joined in, causing Ronnie to grin and run his hand through his hair, his eyes landing on me.

"Happy birthday, Dear Ronnie," I sang, helping Arch carry the cake over to him, "Happy birthday to you."

Arch sat down on the ground next to Ronnie and cheered for him to make a wish. I held the cake in front of Ronnie and smiled softly as his eyes met mine.

"I don't need to make a wish," Ronnie responded to the little boy at his side. "I have everything I need right here."

"Well, you better get on with it," I retorted, giving him a smile and a shake of my head, "Or your candles are going to melt all over the cake."

"Can I have it?" Arch questioned, causing the adults around us to laugh at his words. The nephews ran over and surrounded Ronnie and the cake, watching the fire with dark eyes.

Ronnie nodded easily, pulling Arch into his lap. "Go ahead, kiddo," he allowed, holding to boy closer to the flame.

Arch grinned and closed his eyes. I watched as he silently made his wish and then blew out the candles, getting them all with the help of Ronnie. Our friends and family cheered as Arch opened his eyes, looking thrilled that he blew them all out. "It'll come true!" he shouted, turning to look Ronnie in the eye. "My wish, it'll come true!"

Ronnie didn't ask him what it was, but the little boy leaned into his ear and whispered. The look in Ronnie's eyes told me exactly what it was that Arch wished for, but neither of us had the heart to tell him that wishes didn't come true once they were said out loud.

I took the cake to the table on the patio and cut it into pieces, handing out plates to those who wanted them. Ronnie passed them out, carrying Arch in his arms as they took plates to our guests.

Ronnie left Arch with his foster parents and walked over to me when the cake was all in pieces. I wrapped my arms around his slender waist and leaned into his side, smiling up at him as his arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"Happy birthday, Ron," I whispered, pressing my cheek against his shoulder. "I love you."

He kissed the side of my head and held me against him, enjoying his party as night set in and our family and friends congregated around us.
♠ ♠ ♠
What do you think about the layout?? I absolutely love it. (:

Comment and let me know what you think! I really liked this chapter. I have to read back through it and check for any errors (which I'm sure there are). I always reread it, but I tend to catch more when it's on the layout.

(:

Leave me a comment! I love hearing from you and I love that I'm getting back to writing for Atticus and Ronnie.

Also, I thought that I'd posted a layout for Ronnie and Atticus' apartment, but I looked back through Trouble-Maker and realized that I never did. So here's a very basic version of what their apartment looks like:

Image

Here's Ryan and Jacky's duplex:

Image