Chapter 91

**Blue**


I’m not sure what’s going on with Artemis, but he was on his phone most of the day and long into the night. He didn’t come to bed last night until after midnight. There has also been the few times he’s purposefully stepped out of the room to answer phone calls. Most women would be worried that their new husband might be cheating but that isn’t where my mind goes. The man is emotionally awkward with everyone except me and that’s still a work in progress.

No, I don’t think he’s having an affair. It actually makes me laugh because he would be so mean that the woman would be crying for days. So, what is he up to?

My curiosity has been festering but he has officially distracted me by telling me that he’s planned for us to visit the girl we saw on the adoption website in person. Since then, I have been silently freaking out next to him as Bryant drives us to the location.

“Everything will be fine.” Artemis says, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

“You think so?” I ask nervously.

He nods. “We’ll show her a picture of her new room and she’ll want to come home with us.”

I laugh and shake my head. “Bribing children is probably not encouraged for parents.”

She shrugs. “Maybe, but we aren’t most people. We’re nearly richer than God so that is plus on our end.”

“You’re terrible. Don’t be rich asshole while we’re there, okay?”

He looks at me unamused. “I don’t ever act like a rich asshole.”

I scoff and Bryant clears his throat. “You’re right, you act like an entitled snobbish rich asshole. Which is why we are such a great pair because I can remind you to act like a real human.”
He grumbles something but doesn’t outright deny my words. The rest of the care ride is quiet and once again Artemis is on his phone with an intense look on his face. I want to ask him if there is something wrong with the new business, but I figure if he wants me involved, he would tell me. It’s not like I could have any input or advice in that department. The little bit he taught me about coding is not enough to make me an expert.

The group home is pretty far out of the way, and when we arrive it pains me to see the condition of the building.

“How can they call this place a home?” I say feeling a strong urge to either scream or cry.

With the way my eyes are filling up crying seems to be most likely.

“From my research, this place hasn’t had much funding to allow them to make any improvements since the money goes to caring for the kids.” Artemis says.

“If they even do that. So many of my foster parents would pocket the checks they got for us and never use it for us. We would be forced to eat cold leftovers that were in the fridge for too long while they hot fresh meals delivered daily.” All of that sounds bitter coming out of my mouth but they are the hard truths.

“Maybe we can make a donation.” Artemis offers.

That has my attention fully on him. “Really?”

“More money than God remember?” He smirks and climbs out of the car before I can start balling like a baby.

I have a few nice moments to get myself together before he comes over to my side and opens the door for me. “Mrs. Rhodes.”

He holds his hand out to me and I laugh as I set mine in his. To my utter shock he brings my hand to his mouth and leaves a sweet kiss on it. I don’t know why that small move makes my face turn bright red. Maybe it’s because it feels like there are a million eyes on us. When I look over his shoulder, I do see a lot of eyes on us because all the kids inside are looking at us through various windows. Artemis looks over his shoulder to see what I’m looking at and he chuckles.

“I guess we won’t be able to make a sneaky entrance. We better be ready to be mobbed.” He teases.

“Sounds nice.” I say smiling up at him.

I haven’t decided how many kids I would like to have one day but I know I want to love as many kids as possible if we can care for them properly. Artemis keeps my hand in his and we walk together down the path toward the front door. It opens before we have a chance to ring the bell and a tired looking woman greets us. She isn’t smiling at all and looks a little…off. This is the sort of woman in charge of these children?

“Come on in.” She says with about as enthusiasm as a wet towel.

We follow her inside and little heads pop through doors as we pass. I try to smile at the kids but only a few returns the gesture with a sad smile of their own. Seeing all of these kids is causing flashbacks to creep in but I try to push them away. I can’t get lost in my past right now. The reminder of all the issues I’ve had because of my past has me wondering if I’m the right person to be a mother. What if I make a mistake and it destroys our children’s life?

Oh god…I’m panicking which is not what I should be doing right now.

“I took the girl aside for you. She’s waiting for you in the sitting room.” The woman says stopping in front of a door at the back of the house.

The place looks old and the fact she called this a sitting room only confirms my suspicions. Artemis let’s me open the door and we step inside slowly. A girl is in fact waiting for us and she’s facing the door when we walk in.

“Hi!” I say softly. “I’m Blue and this is my husband Artemis. We are so happy to meet you.”

She gives me a weak smile. “It’s nice to meet you too. Why did you want to meet me?”

It’s a valid question but I can see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. She’s probably wondering if there was a mistake, and we were meant to meet another kid.

“We wanted to get to know you better. You are such a strong little girl. Who wouldn’t want to meet you?” I kneel in front of her and have to bite back tears again.

She looks so sad and it’s breaking my heart.

“I’m not strong. If I was, I would be able to walk.” She says before turning her head to stare out of the window.

I rest my hand on hers and she looks at me again. “You survived and you fought this far. That makes you a very brave girl.”

She looks at me with so much pain and desperation that I know she will be part of our family. I can help her, and nothing would make me happier.

“She’s right. I have known adults who want to give up when things go a little bit wrong. You endured.” Artemis adds.

Our girl looks up at him and I watch how she reacts to him. Many girls are afraid of men which will be a big factor in weather or not she will want to become part of our family. To my delight she smiles.

“Thank you. So…your name is Blue?” She asks me with a small laugh.

I laugh too and move to stand. “Yeah, it is. Want to hear the story about how I got that name?”

She nods excitedly and I take a seat on the couch next to her to tell her everything. Even the things that are hard to talk about because I want her to know that I know what it’s like to be in the system. She listens and smiles at how Artemis and I met but looks sad for me when I tell her a few things about foster care. By the time I’m done I feel raw but oddly light. Being able to share my struggles with someone so they know they aren’t alone makes me feel like I am assuring them that they can open up to me. I just wish I could help more kids, but even I can recognize that I’m only one person and that would be impossible.

“We read about what happened to your family. I know to you we’re strangers and we would never dream of replacing the ones you’ve lost but if you want to be part of our family then we promise to take care of you.” I tell her hopefully.

She looks between us, and I fidget nervously as I wait.

“Okay.” She says.

My breath gets caught in my throat and the next thing I know I’m hugging her and crying.