Mia's POV
My heart was racing as I slid the papers out of the envelope slowly. As I opened the small stack and looked at the first paper my eyes filled with tears, that I had no chance of stopping.
I looked at Deacon who smiled so happily I didn't know if I could look away. "These are...Oh my god...how did you do this?"
"You better take a closer look Mia, because this wasn't me."
I looked back at the paper again and saw a different name than I had expected. My attention shot to Declan instantly. "You? You did this for me?"
"Mia, what does it say?" Alex asked standing up, in confusion.
I could barely focus on anything right now, as I collapsed into Deacon's chest sobbing, as I clung to him. I felt the paper being taken from my hand as Deacon passed it back to Alex. I could see him through blurry eyes as he looked at the paper in his and then back at me as I continued to cry. I watched his eyes well with tears as well as he looked at it, while projecting so much happiness and excitement that it was barely being held inside.
"I told we're your family and we would never let you go Mia." Deacon whispered to me.
"This was just to make me calling you figlia official. Now you can't ever get rid of us." Declan laughed.
"What is it?" Rose and Axel asked simultaneously.
Alex turned looking at all of them. "He adopted her."
Axel stared at Declan in stunned awe. "You adopted her? So, she's legally your daughter?"
"Yes, and it was long past due." Declan answered simply. "My dear, whomever was foolish enough to give you up, leaving you in such a way never deserved you in the first place. I would like to meet them one day to tell them thank you though, they may have not wanted you in their family, but I am beyond proud to have you in mine. I hope that one day they feel the need to know what happened to you, because when that day comes, I want to be the one who gets to tell them how amazing, how strong and how perfect the daughter they didn't want turned out."
Deacon's POV
She looked up at me, then to Alex and lastly to our father, before coming back to me. "He adopted me? He really adopted me? I really have a family, a real family?"
"We're all yours Mia. Which is why you have the next papers. They all go together."
She stopped as she realized there were still papers in her hand that she hadn't looked at yet. With shaky hands she looked at the rest of the papers, I thought she was going to collapse as hard as she was shaking as she stared at the papers.
"You can't be serious; this is too much." She whispered.
"There's nothing that is too much for family." My father laughed.
"But this says that..." She cried.
I turned us slightly so that we were once again facing our friends that sat in the chairs in front of us. I held Mia tightly against me because I don't think that she could have stood if I hadn't. "As my father said there comes a time that we all must learn to grow and change as the times change. In that spirit I would like to take the honor and pleasure to introduce you to the woman standing in front of you." I moved Mia in front of me, wrapping an arm around her waist holding her back to my chest, while she still cried in overwhelmingly happy tears, while looking between the papers in her hand and the paper that Alex still held with a smile on his face. "I would like everyone's attention please. This beautiful woman standing in front of you all know as Mia Lombardi. I explained to you all not long ago that Mia's childhood had not been the happiest, as she spent a lot of time in and out of different foster homes and how she left when she was sixteen. She had to rely on only herself for a long time and I cannot imagine how hard that had to have been to be able to keep herself under a roof, fed and clothed over those years she on her own. For roughly almost nineteen and a half, this woman stood alone. Until the day we married Mia had no legal last name and no one to claim as her family or who would claim her as their own.
As most of you have heard from being around my father and Mia, he calls her figlia or daughter. After some months of searching through birth records ourselves along with the help of our dear friend Sergeant Houtter we were able to track down a birth record for Mia. This morning after having it caught up by the courts for several weeks trying to get a judge to just sign the papers, Mia received something that she's been wanting for far too long, not to mention something she had deserved to have her entire life. At exactly 11:22 am today August 17th, 2020, the judge signed the official paperwork which certified that by order of the court that Declan Liam Lombardi has officially adopted Mia Nicolette Lombardi." I felt Mia starting to cry again at the mention of the actions of my father.
I saw her look to my father again, with a quick movement she rushed into his chest as she clung to him. "Thank you so much." She cried.
My father smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, resting his hand in her hair and placing a loving kiss onto the top of her head. "You were my daughter long before this Mia, I just wish that I would have opened my eyes to realize this from the beginning. When you lay your head down tonight to sleep, I want you know that your home is going to with us today, tomorrow and always. Also, my dear sweet Mia, family does not mean the blood that runs through your veins. Twenty years ago, you were born and not given a chance to have a family, nineteen years later you received the Lombardi name through the love that my son had for you and you for him. Today I am giving you the Lombardi name as my gift to you, because there is no doubt in my mind that you will do more than bring justice to it, but that you will wear the name with pride, bringing it to the forefront and showing that growth is a chance worth taking."
"I swear it." Mia cried.
"Now as for the second part." My father said calmly still hugging Mia to him.
"I don't need anything else. You gave me the only thing I've ever dreamed of today."
Even I laughed at her statement. Little did she know what the papers in her hands actually meant.
After hugging her tightly one more, he leaned down to her. "Before we continue, I believe you should go back over with your husband. I'm not a young man anymore Mia."
I reached forward bringing her back to me. "He's probably right Mia. You're going to want to be here with me for this one."
"Now as we go forward, I want everyone to remember that the love of family is something that can never be replaced." My father said as he looked over all of us. "Looking at the faces before me, knowing you all to whatever extent I do, I feel confident in my son's and my daughter's choices of who they chose to surround themselves with. Each one of you have found your place here either by a bold show of trust or the time spent with them. But one truth in this will always remain the same. You do not have to be born into a family to be part of that family.
Now Mia, I would like to discuss the other papers that you were given. The moment that the judge signed those papers today an issue arose that could have been turned into either a very bewildering and complicated problem but fortunately for me it didn't come to that.
You see, Deacon and Mia are the same age, which put me in a perplexing situation at first, because it is always to be the eldest child who gains the full power of the Omertà. But if two children are the same age who should gain the right of power?
This is where I had to learn to grow a bit myself. Since Mia is now legally my daughter, Deacon is my son, they are the same age and they are married. What would make sense to do in this particular instance? The only option that truly seemed right to me, was that, that power should be shared by the two of them equally."
I looked at Mia who was now staring in sheer confusion. "Mia, look here. You need to hear this from me."
As she turned looking at me, her breathing was shallow and she was still a little shaky from the previous bombshell that had been dropped. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything is good baby. Everything is perfect." I spoke. "There's just been a small adjustment to how things are going to be done that's all."
"Like what?" She asked quietly. "What if I don't want anything to change? What if want everything to stay the same other than adoption?"
I smiled at her. Mia never asked for anything for herself, never greedy or even demanding. It wasn't that she really wanted everything to stay the same, she was simply scared of change. For her change was when people left and left her alone. "Mia, tell me what it is that you're afraid will change?"
"I don't want us to change."
"It'll always be you and me Mia. There no me without you beside me. But I need you to really listen to me here." I slowly took the papers from her hand, flipping through them to find what I wanted on the fourth or fifth page. I turned them around for her to see. "Mia, my father and I talked about this last night and I was more than happy to do it. So, I don't want you to say anything you understand?"
"Okay."
"See my father and I agreed on this. So, after receiving the paper from the judge this morning, I signed this." I explained showing her my signature. "Mia, it's not total control, but I am not the only one who has the power anymore. You have just as much as me."
"Deacon, did you?" Alex asked with a bit of shock in his voice.
"Yes, I did, it is Mia's name on the documents I showed you earlier. She is the one you agreed to yield to, but I have a feeling you had already figured that out.
Mia, this isn't just my family, it is yours as well. When I signed this today I did so in order to give you what no other daughter in any family has ever had. You will not just be my wife and our queen. You will lead beside me as we stand together in equal power.
Also, in the event that that something should happen to me, you will gain complete control of all aspects of this family."
"I'll what!?" Mia exclaimed.
"Should that time come you'll be fine. You will make an amazing Donna and I will show you everything that you will need to know. What you read tonight, I had already gone through earlier, when I had to go through the same ceremony myself. When you read through that and signed your name you became a leader."
I hugged her tightly. "Now I do believe that we should make our way out. Because I do owe you a dance, since we didn't get the chance to enjoy one earlier."
"I guess you do." Mia laughed, taking my hand. "Lets go enjoy that dance."
We walked into the hall before something stopped both of us. Mia looked up at me. "There's something else you want to do tonight isn't there Mia?"
"There is, but I want everyone with me when I do it." She whispered lightly.
I turned to face the room behind us. "You go put your dress back on and we'll meet you there in a few minutes. Mia, you don't have to do this right now you know?"
"I know." Mia smiled. "How about you help me into the dress? And we can meet them all here in a bit?"
I smiled as I looked back to her. "Deal." I turned again. "In 30 minutes, we will be heading to the pit to deal with business. I expect to see all who need to be there waiting." With that I pulled Mia up into my arms and headed to our room.