“That’s my fault. I was running late picking up Rory. Then we had a short make-out session.”
Everyone whooped.
“Oh my, is that Mikey?” Rory asked, pointing to a blond-haired boy sitting with Chester.
“Yup.” Sarah scooped him up and carried him to Rory. “Would you like to hold him?”
“I’d love to.”
Rory gently held Mikey in his lap, tickling him until the boy was giggling. It warmed Bernard’s heart that Rory had such a way with children—they just loved him at first sight.
“Who you?” Mikey asked. He grabbed on to Rory’s beard.
“I’m Rory, but my niece calls me Roro.”
“Hi, Roro.”
Rory carried Mikey around, telling him a story about a little girl who met magical ponies in a far-off land. Bernard smiled. Rory would be a wonderful father.
“He’s fantastic with kids,” Sarah said.
“He wants children one day.”
A pain shot through his chest at that. He wanted children too. But it wasn’t feasible for them. No adoption agency would ever consider them. Single people had a chance, but once they found out he and Rory were gay, the agency would remove them. Surrogacy was an option, but it was beyond his price range. He and Rory wanted children, but it hurt that they may never be fathers.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to have children one day.”
“I thought about getting a surrogate, but I don’t know. It’s so expensive and even then, a lot of women won’t choose a gay couple.”
“Well, give it time. You never know what the future holds. You both would raise wonderful children.”
The groups sat around two tables and ate burgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, and coleslaw. Mikey insisted on sitting in Rory’s lap for lunch.
Conversations rose as the two groups became more acquainted.
“We told Rory to ask Bernard out a long time ago,” Nicolas said.
“We told Bernard the same thing,” Kelly said.
“Hey,” Bernard said. “We ended up together in the end. That’s what matters.”
Bernard leaned over and kissed Rory. Rory’s cheeks pinked with an adorable blush. Bernard couldn’t help but smile. He was with someone who wanted him. No matter the struggles they’d face, they would support each other.
“I already said I should have asked you out twenty years ago,” Rory said.
“Who knows what would have happened?” Bernard said.
“You’d have been together twenty years is my guess,” Nicolas said.
“Seriously,” Sophia said. “You two are so sweet together.”
Bernard smiled at Rory holding Mikey. Rory was handsome, sweet, caring, and deserved happiness. He wanted to give him everything he needed.
“Oh, I have a story,” Sarah said, pulling Bernard out of his thoughts. “We were in our early twenties. We were at the Round-Up Saloon.”
“Sarah, no,” Bernard and Rory said together.
“Oh, if they don’t want us to hear this, then we need to hear this,” Nicolas said.
