AURORA SKIES CITY HALL, ALMOST 8 AM...
Robin and Juliette stepped out of the cab in front of the City Hall, taking Rowan with them. At last, the long-awaited date to register him as a member of the Crane family had arrived.
The offices had not yet opened, so the three of them had to wait outside. Juliette was a little impatient but determined to see this through. It would be a long wait, and Rowan was a very restless child, so they would have to find a way to entertain him.
Robin had no problem with it and soon found a way to keep his son busy. Rowan was delighted to have his attention and just couldn't stop laughing; Juliette on the other hand, began to get nervous as she watched Robin toss him in the air.
"Rob, please be careful," she pleaded.
"Don't worry, I know how to do this," Robin replied.
"I don't doubt you do, but what if you slip up and miss catching him?"
"I won't. He's more than safe with me."
"Okay, just don't toss him too high, he could get scared."
"He doesn't look scared, on the contrary, he seems to be enjoying it, isn't that so, Row?"
Rowan's response was more laughter.
"Anyway, I'd rather you play something else for now," Juliette insisted.
Robin stopped tossing Rowan; Juliette breathed a sigh of relief.
"Forgive me, I'm just a little nervous," she told him.
"It's all right, dear, last thing I want is to make you upset".
"Please don't think I distrust you, it's just Row never played that game before and…"
"Really? Wow, he looked so confident, he didn't hesitate even once".
"Row is incredibly smart and learns things very quickly."
"He must have inherited the Shen's intelligence."
"Or yours. You two are so alike… I mean, you don't see each other often, yet Row seems to trust you completely."
"I hope so. As for not seeing each other much, that will change soon enough."
The sound of the door opening interrupted the conversation.
"Are you totally sure you want to do this?" Robin asked.
"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, I don't know if you remember, but, apparently, Crane isn't my real last name."
Juliette smiled.
"I remember. But you are you, no matter what last name you carry. And Crane is the name I knew you by, so that's all I need."
"Now let's go inside or we'll miss our turn," she added, stepping into the building.
Robin took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second to push away the anguish that had suddenly taken hold of him; then he followed Juliette carrying Rowan in his arms. This was the first step toward their future as a family; a day they had long looked forward to. Once they walked through that door, there would be no turning back…
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