“I agree. Plus, we’ll need to research things like surrogacy and adoption to decide which route we want to take. It’s gonna take some time, and yeah, your mom should probably be the last to know!” They both laughed at that.
The following day,after Kyle had ended his weekly call with his dad and Rob, during which no one said anything about the possibility of them starting a family at some point down the road, Jon and Kyle were discussing what to have for lunch.
“I think after we eat we should call Mike and Becky,” Jon said suddenly.
“What brought that on?”
“Well, yesterday we were talking about maybe starting a family, and we agreed we wanted to talk to them about it. And let’s not forget that it’s almost Christmas, so we’d probably be calling them anyway, right? It just seems like the right time.”
“Good point,” Kyle conceded. “I’ll make us a salad with the leftover chicken that’s in the fridge, and after lunch, we’ll call them.”
“Lemme text Mikeand see if they’re available for a video call,” Kyle said. They had actually put off calling Mike and Becky for a while since it was three hours earlier in California. They’d gotten some laundry done and tidied up the house a bit before settling on the sofa with Kyle’s iPad.
“Okay, Mike says it’s a good time to call.”
“Hey, guys,” Jon said when the video call connected. Mike and Becky were sitting in their living room, with Wyatt wedged between them. A beautifully decorated Christmas tree could be seen behind Becky.
“Say hi to Uncle Jon and Uncle Kyle, Wyatt,” Mike said, looking at his son.
“Hi, Unc,” Wyatt said, squirming a bit and waving.
“Okay, let me get this guy settled in his playpen,” Becky told them. “That way I can keep an eye on him and still talk to you.”
“So what’s going on, guys?” Mike asked.
“Nothing much,” Kyle answered. “But it’s been a while since we saw you all, and it’s almost Christmas, so we figured we were due for a call. Got all your shopping done?”
“Just about,” said Becky. “Thank goodness for online shopping, or we wouldn’t be close.” She grinned tiredly.
“Kyle and I have been talking about the possibility of starting a family,” Jon added.
“Ah, so that’s the real reason for this call, I suspect.” Mike smiled. “You finally had ‘the conversation.’” He air quoted. When Mike smiled, Jon could see the resemblance between him and Kyle although Mike’s hair was darker.
“Yeah,” Kyle admitted. “The onewestarted on the cruise.”
“So you’re thinking about kids. That’s great!” Becky was enthused.
“Probably not right away,” Jon said. “After all, we’ve only been living together for a few months, but we both want kids, so it makes sense to start thinking about it now. Plus, I’m not getting any younger, so we can’t wait too long.”
“It’s definitely good to have a plan,” Mike told them. “You should think about starting up some kind of savings account to put some cash aside if you’re not already doing that. Not only for the child’s long-term needs like education, but you guys need to think about things like adoption or surrogacy. Those don’t come cheap.”
“Good point,” Kyle said, looking down. “I’m making notes on my phone.”
“We took part of Mike’s trust money and set up our own trust for Wyatt,” Becky added. “And when my folks died, we got some additional money, so we were able to add to Wyatt’s trust.”
“That’s a great idea.” Kyle sounded excited. “I can definitely use some money from my trust for that.” Both Mike and Kyle had received money in a trust from their grandparents’ estates.
“Have you guys thought about whether you want to use a surrogate or adopt?” Mike asked.
“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” Jon admitted. “As much as I like the idea of having a child that shares genes from one of us, there are a lot of kids out there who need to be adopted. I’m open to either.”
“Same,” Kyle agreed. “Oh, and one more thing, please don’t say anything to your dad or mine. You’re the first two we’ve told. But I promise, we’ll tell my dad and Rob soon. Probably at Christmas.”
“No worries,” Becky said. “We won’t say a word. Now let’s talk about diapers, colic, and lack of sleep.” She chuckled. “After all, having a kid isn’t all fun and games, you know.”
They continued chatting, with both Kyle and Jon taking lots of notes on their respective devices.
Chapter 5
