Page 172 of The Home Game

“Good.” Eli looked relieved. “I’m really glad you were there tonight, Matty.”

Matty beamed. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. You made me feel safe.”

“Oh, kiddo.” Matty set his bowl aside and crouched down to look them in the eye. “You are safe with us. We will both do everything we can to keep you that way too.”

“I know.” Eli’s eyes swam with tears and Matty reached out to rub their back.

“Actually,” Antoni said, clearing his throat. “That’s something Matty and I have been wanting to talk about too. How would you feel about Matty adopting you guys? We wouldn’t be able to do it until after the custody trial but we wanted to see what you thought about it.”

“Woah, really?” Alexis asked, her spoon clattering on the counter.

“Really,” Matty said, his stomach fluttering with nerves. “If you want it. If you don’t, that’s okay too.”

“But what if you and Antoni break up?” Alexis asked. “You were married before, right, Matty?”

Antoni made a little sound of protest. “Alexis! You’re being rude.”

But Matty waved it off. “No, that’s fair. I was married before, yeah. But Courtney wasn’t the right person for me.”

“Because she was a woman?”

Matty considered that for a moment. “No. Not that, really. Like, I think maybe relationships with guys are easier for me sometimes. But I don’t want to totally ignore that part of me. The marriage was wrong because … because Courtney wasn’t … she’s not a nice person and she’s not the kind of person Antoni is. She made me feel small, in a bad way, because she didn’t treat me well. But Antoni, he makes me feel ten feet tall. Like I’m … I’m what he needs.”

Matty glanced over to see Antoni smiling softly.

“He makes me feel like I’m enough. And that’s—someday when you’re dating, or you know, even with your friends—I want you to find people who make you feel like you’re enough.”

Alexis blinked. “That’s really sweet.”

Matty’s ears went hot. “Well, I don’t know about that but I do know that I’m in this for the long haul. I don’t want things to end with Antoni. Ever. But if they did for some crazy reason, I’m gonna be here for all of you. If you want me to adopt you guys, I will. If you don’t, I’ll be bummed but that’s okay because it’s your choice. And it’s not going to change a single thing about how much I’m around or how much I look out for you guys, okay? The only way I’ll go away is if you tell me to. And, well, that involves a lot of legal hoops and stuff until you’re an adult but I’m going to try to be the kind of parent who you never feel like you want to push away.”

“I definitely don’t want you to go away,” Alexis whispered.

“Yeah?” Matty’s heart filled with hope.

“Yeah. You’re good for us. All of us. And—and I’d like you to adopt us.”

“Really? That would be awesome. What about you, Eli?” Matty asked roughly.

Eli burst into tears and, alarmed, Matty looked at Antoni. “Uhh.”

“Hey, what’s going on, Eli?” Antoni asked softly.

They blinked and wiped their nose on their pajama sleeve. “I don’t know. I have so many feelings right now,” they wailed, dropping their head onto their arms where they rested on the counter.

“Oh, kiddo,” Antoni said with a sigh as he walked over to rub Eli’s back. “Trust me. I know what you’re going through.”

“You don’t have to decide now,” Matty added. “You can think about it.”

“No, I want you to adopt us,” Eli said, lifting their head, sniffling still. “Tonight’s just been, like, a lot to think about. Can I ask you something though?”

“Sure. Whatever you want.”

“Can I—can I call you something else?”

Matty looked confused. “Like what?”

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