"I have to tell 'em," Gloria said.
"She's got a full head of steam. There's no stopping her. Everybody, cover your ears," Lara instructed them, but only DJ and Riley did it.
Gloria wasn't having it though. "No, you need to listen," she said and then she pulled down their hands so they could hear her tattle on her mom. "Momma said you two guys are gonna have Sam as another dad."
"Dad?" Riley said and looked over at Sam, peering at him with his head tilted like he was looking at him in a whole new way. In the end he smiled at him.
"That's 'cause your Uncle Wyatt is like your dad now, and you're gonna have Sam too. That's another dad," Gloria kept explaining.
The boys looked a little confused then Riley said. "We have lots of dads."
DJ started to look a little sad though. Wyatt was about to go over to him, but DJ got up and came over to stand next to Sam's chair. He stared at Sam for a long moment, then he said, "I miss our dad, but you can be our dad too if you want. You're good at it."
Sam reached over and pulled DJ into his arms for a sweet hug. "Thank you. I'll do my best," Sam said to him and kissed the top of his head.
"Now I'm gonna cry," Lara said.
"Don't you dare," Noreen told her, but she looked a little teary eyed too.
Sam was busy hugging Riley as well who knew he was owed a hug. In the meantime, Wyatt had his arms around DJ, and he felt so incredibly lucky. The boys were amazing, and maybe it was good that Gloria was so outspoken.
Wyatt reached out to take Sam's hand and he kissed it. He wanted to say something, but he was a little choked up. Later on though, he would definitely have something to say to Sam.
Chapter 36
Noreen, Lara and Gloria had gone and Sam was walked Rico to the door.
"You OK with all that dad talk?" Rico asked him at the door.
"Why not? Sounds nice," Sam said but he tried not to take it too seriously. In his heart he did though. It was what he wanted.
"You're a brave soul. See you," Rico said and waved to him as he left.
Wyatt was busy helping the boys get ready for bed. Raquel had gone to pack up her stuff. She, Yu, and Stan were driving home tonight. Going into the kitchen to see how much clean up there was to do, he found Yu and Stan hanging out in there.
He was surprised to see Lara there too. He was pretty sure she already left. Now she was standing by the back door. Did she look nervous? They all did. Maybe Sam had walked into the middle of something.
"Look at the mess Wyatt made," Yu said. "Make him do clean up."
"I might help out a little," Sam said.
"We could pitch in while we wait for Raquel," Stan offered.
"You don't have to. It's enough that you came," Sam told them while he got out some Tupperware.
"A small town festival with a parade down Main Street, how could we resist?" Stan said.
"Personally, I came for the peach mimosas. I love those things," Yu said.
"Another win for me," Lara claimed since she had mixed them. "I better go now. Goodnight, and have a safe trip, you guys." With that, she was gone, and for some reason, she left by the back door.
"It looks like Wyatt already made some good friends here," Yu said. He seemed a little ill at ease, and Sam wondered again of he interrupted something.
"We haven't seen Wyatt in person since college," Stan told him. "He was so wild back then. So impulsive. The way he moved to Europe. That was gutsy. I don't know how long he'll last here. It's a sweet little town, but I can't picture him being tied down."
"What are you talking about, Stan?" Yu said and he elbowed him.
Stan wasn't deterred though. "I was telling Sam how Wyatt has always been so restless. He has never stayed in one place very long. And he never stuck with one guy for long."
