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“Yeah, thanks for the reminder,” he teases. “By the way, Collin texted me this morning from Devin’s phone. Their mom hasn’t been home in a week. And Devin is using some of the money we gave him to buy groceries. What would you say if we drive down there and check on them on Monday? We can ask to meet at the center. They have that big television room, we can bring popcorn, have a movie night.”
“That’s a brilliant idea. Sexy and smart. I won the lottery with you.”
Silence consumes the car, but it’s never awkward. A lot of our thoughts are focused around the kids. Are they safe? Do they have food? Can we do more?
We have an unspoken rule. A couple, actually.
First, our desire to complete our foster care certification isn’t strictly to petition the court for Lainey, Collin, and Devin. Another family may need us one day. We want to be prepared when the right situation presents itself.
But, our hearts are with Lainey, Collin, and Devin. Devin shouldn’t have to give up his future either. None of these kids have ever had an adult who loves them unconditionally.
Our other rule is marriage. We know it’s coming. I’d marry him tomorrow. I feel it in my soul that we’re one. We know if the situation arises, meaning a chance to foster the Carrol kids, we’ll get married. Not that we’d be rushing into it, because at this point, our commitment is just as deep.
“I hate those parents. How can I hate someone I’ve never met?”
“Because you love those kids.” Noah’s answer is simple and fucking on point.
In the past three months, we do more and more for them, and never once have we regretted it.
“It’s why we need a little one on one time. I’ve missed you, and we sleep next to one another every night. But we’re always in a rush, in a hurry. Which is fine, but I won’t ever apologize for needing to spend more time with you.”
“And you fuck me every night too,” I add.
“There’s that, for sure. But I still miss you.” He’s playful today, but so am I.
“You going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope, but since we’re in such a great mood, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Buttering me up, I take it...”
Noah groans, moving his neck from one side to the other, like he’s working out a crook. “I’ll be buttering up something later.”
Dropping my head behind me, I too let out a groan. “Okay, what is it, now that both our cocks are at half-mast?”
“I’m about to totally spoil the mood, and our hard-ons will deflate immediately.”
There’s only one place this is going.
“Mom called last night when you were at Greg and Dave’s.” Now that we don’t live together, we have a weekly gaming session.
“Okay,” I reply, my tone low and emotionless. Evelyn James manufactures a kind of anxiety that knots me up with fear.
“I know something happened after my gallery show. Mom is meddlesome and bossy, and invasive. I never wanted to believe she’d try to break us up. And I understand you didn’t want to come between me and my mother.”
“How did you know?” I ask, even though I’ve avoided his mother for the past two months. I shared a little bit that night, but I didn’t fully tell him everything. He’s never pushed, but he had to realize something happened.
“Mom admitted it to me yesterday. I told her unless she told me the truth, we’d continue to avoid her.”
We’ve had dinner with his dad a couple times, under the umbrella of guys’ night, but we’re both avoiding her.
“You’re right, Noah. I didn’t want to come between you two. And I wasn’t sure how to tell you. It’s a kick to the balls—she doesn’t think I’m good enough for her son.”
“I’m a big boy, Ash. But the reason I’m mentioning it is she knows she owes you an apology, So, what do you say?”
Noah is my future. I won’t ever want another, and I’ll never let him go. If it means I have to play nice with Evelyn, I will for the man next to me. I’d rather eat a plate of chicken livers and creamed corn than converse with Evelyn James, but again, this is Noah.
“Of course, babe, your mom deserves a second chance.”
