“Everything okay?” Jon asked as Kyle hung up the phone. He had just come downstairs after putting Wyatt to bed.
“Yeah. They’re gonna eat and crash and will see us tomorrow. Dad just wanted to make sure we knew they’d arrived.”
The next morning they got ready, dressing Wyatt in a new outfit consisting of navy pants, a blue plaid vest, and a navy bow tie. After all, he had to look extra cute for this very special day.
When they arrived at the courthouse, Mike, Ellen, Ben, Rob, and Sam were already there. After a round of hugs and kisses, they waited for Daniel Somers, the lawyer from Mike’s firm, to arrive. Dan, rather than Mike, had handled the case from the beginning. Since Mike was Wyatt’s biological grandfather, this avoided any conflict of interest.
Dan arrived a few minutes later, and they all went in at their appointed time. All of the real work had been done earlier, including interviews with Mike and Ellen, and Kyle and Jon. Jon had also needed to complete an approved adoption-training program. Today was really just a formality to approve the adoption petition. It was over quickly, and eight happy people exited the courthouse. Kyle and Jon invited Dan to join them for a brunch party that Ben and Rob had arranged at the hotel where they were staying, but he begged off, returning to work instead.
The rest of them went to the hotel and celebrated the official Rockingham-Rivera family.
“I talked to Bernie last week,” Sam said while they waited for their food. “She said the sale of your house there is almost final.”
“Yeah,” Jon replied. “It was quicker and smoother than I thought it would be. But it will be nice to have that all finished. The closing is set for next week and should go through without a hitch. Everything is being handled online, so I don’t even need to fly to Phoenix for it.”
“One more thing my husband can check off one of his many lists,” Kyle added, smiling. Jon was the consummate planner and loved making lists so he wouldn’t forget things. They joked about it, but it was actually very helpful since they were juggling quite a few things at the moment.
“So what’s next?” Rob asked.
“I had a Zoom call with Mike and one of the partners at a family law firm in Plymouth last week,” Jon told the group. “Paul was really nice, and they’re in the process of expanding the firm, so he’s confident they’ll be hiring another paralegal soon. He seemed interested in me and said he’d like to meet me in person, so we’re trying to figure out a time when we can take another little trip to Massachusetts. Probably just a long weekend in the next month or so.”
“That’s awesome,” Rob said. “We don’t have any plans in the next couple of months, so let us know when you want to visit.”
“And I just got an email from Sarah Connolly, the realtor that Finn Reynolds recommended to us,” Kyle joined in. “She has a property she thinks might be a good fit for us. She sent a couple of photos, and we think it looks good. Hopefully, we can coordinate a time with her to see the place, and Jon can interview with Paul.”
“Wonderful!” Rob said. “It’s all coming together. And guys, if you need your dad and me to go to Hawthorne Bluff and look at the place, say next week, we’re happy to do that. We can take photos and check it out for you if that would help.”
“Thanks so much, Rob. We may take you up on that,” Kyle said.
Chapter 25
Kyle
Days turned into weeks, then months, and before they knew it, Thanksgiving was just a week away.
Kyle and Jon were awake in bed on a Saturday morning. Jon was scrolling on his phone while Kyle was reading on his iPad. A few minutes later, a face peered around the doorframe.
Wyatt asked, “Awake?”
“Yeah, son. C’mon in,” Kyle said. Wyatt had grown so much in the past few months. He’d grown out of his crib a while ago and was currently in a toddler bed, and both Kyle and Jon had already discussed when they thought he would be ready to move into a twin bed with safety rails. Probably not something they needed to consider until after they’d made the move to Hawthorne Bluff, which would hopefully happen in March.
Wyatt stood at the foot of the bed, near Kyle’s feet.
“Mownin’, Dad, mownin’, Daddy,” he said. Wyatt’s verbal skills had blossomed although some sounds were still a work in progress. It was hard to believe the boy would be three soon.Kyle was now Da or Dad, and Jon had been christened Daddy. Ben and Rob had become Pa and Papa respectively. While Ellen remained Gama, Mike had morphed into some variation of Guppa, Guppy, or Grappa. Personally, Kyle was hoping for Guppy since that was Mike’s least favorite, but it made everyone else chuckle.
“Whaddya want for breakfast this morning?” Jon asked.
“Pamcakes,” Wyatt replied.
“Pancakes,” Jon said.
“Wyatt said dat, Daddy. Pamcakes.” Wyatt grinned.
“You’re not gonna win this one,” Kyle said. “Okay, Wyatt, let’s go make pancakes, and after breakfast we can call Pa and Papa.”
“’Kay,” Wyatt agreed.
Under Wyatt’s watchful eye, Kyle prepared the pancake batter and sipped his coffee, relishing the caffeine rush. He sliced a banana and some strawberries, knowing how much his husband enjoyed them on his pancakes. Sighing, he once again realized how much he loved being a dad and a husband. Life was good.
