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It was nice to be able to speak so frankly about things without being judged all the time, which was what I had been expecting. What I didn’t expect was the question that came from Simon.
“So, are you looking at having a family of some sort, Richard?”
I had been expecting that question from Joyce and not Simon, but I was more than happy to answer it.
“We have already been looking into it. We know that we could go with the option of surrogacy. However, we have decided against that. There is too much of a chance of things going wrong, and then we would both be heartbroken. We have registered with an adoption agency and found a brother and sister that we would like to adopt. Daisy is nearly five, and her brother, Zach, is seven. We have spent a lot of time with them and love them to bits. Their parents were killed in a car accident, and they don’t have any living relatives. We hope to be able to finalise everything in the next couple of months. Hence, we have been doing so much work to the house to get it ready.”
I saw Joyce’s eyes light up and the biggest smile come over her face as I explained everything. Daniel knew that I would mention it if I was asked. I was so eager to get the two siblings into a stable home. We knew that our relationship was new, and it was one of the questions that was asked when we looked at adopting them, but we really couldn’t see life without each other. We also agreed that should anything go wrong, Daniel would look after them both. After all, he had the funds and the house to be able to keep them. I would have to find somewhere better than the apartment that I was currently living in.
It was Joyce who spoke next. “I don’t suppose you have a picture of them? I would love to see them.”
I pulled out my phone and opened my gallery. I had quite a few pictures of them both individually and with Daniel and me when we had taken them out for a day. I passed the phone over to Joyce. Her face lit up as she scrolled through them, and I could see the tears appearing in her eyes.
“They are beautiful, and you all look so lovely together. I hope you do get to adopt them, and we get to meet them. You do realise I will spoil them rotten.”
I laughed. She wouldn’t be the only one. Daniel already had plans for all the things he was going to buy for them. They wouldn’t know what had hit them.
“You won’t be the only one, Joyce.”
We sat there and continued to chat about the children and what our plans would be for schooling and holidays, along with more mundane things, when I heard a set of footsteps heading down the corridor. I immediately looked up and towards the door when they got closer. Daniel was standing there, a smile on his face. It was clear that he had been crying, but the fact that he was smiling gave me some hope.
“My father would like to meet you, Romeo.”
I was quite shocked when he used my nickname. We had originally agreed to use our given names, which meant Daniel was either really happy or extremely nervous about what was going to happen. I got up from my seat and walked over to him, instantly giving him a hug, which he returned.
I pulled away from him and gave him a smile. “Come on, then, handsome. Let’s go meet your father.”
I followed him from the room nervously. I hoped that because he was smiling, his father had finally accepted him, but that still didn’t mean he would accept our relationship together. We walked along the corridor silently; I wasn’t sure what I was walking into, but I would do anything for this man in front of me, and that included walking into the lion’s den. The door was open to the office, and I walked in to see Johnathan standing there waiting for us.
I could see that he had been crying too, which said a lot about the man. A man who wasn’t afraid to show his feelings was a real man, in my view. Some might have thought it was a sign of weakness, but to me, it showed inner strength. That they could admit their feelings, no matter what they were. He looked towards me as I walked in the door, Daniel closing it behind me.
Daniel was the first to speak. “Father, I would like to introduce you to Richard. MyRomeoand partner.”
I couldn’t believe that he was introducing me this way to his father. After everything he had told me about him, I had thought he would just stick to Richard. I looked over and saw a slight smile come over his father’s face and a raise of his eyebrows. He held out his hand to greet me, which I gladly took.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Richard.”
I shook his hand and replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too Mr Cooper.”
I decided not to use his first name, even though I knew it. I thought such familiarities when we hadn’t been introduced would only antagonise him. I shouldn’t have worried when he spoke again though.
“Please call me Johnathan. Why don’t you take a seat? I have a few questions that I want to ask you.”
This was what I had been expecting. I had run over this meeting in my head several times over the past few days, trying to work out what he would ask me and how I would respond. I sat down on one of the chairs in front of Johnathan’s desk as Daniel sat on the other.
Johnathan sat down and started to speak. “So, my other son, Simon, tells me you work for a private investigation company, and that is how you met Daniel. I’m guessing you don’t earn that much money, so are you just after my son’s?”
I heard Daniel take in a sharp breath at his father’s question. This had been one of the questions I had expected.
“I am a partner in the business, so we earn a percentage of the profits. As well as that, both myself and another member of the team have gotten involved in Bitcoin. We have made considerable amounts of money this way. I am more than financially stable and do not require any of Daniel’s money. Mine is more than safe sitting in my bank, and I could happily retire tomorrow if I wanted to.”
I saw Johnathan raise his eyebrows again. It was obvious he had thought I was just a PI earning next to nothing, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. I sat there and waited for the next question to come. I didn’t have to wait too long.
“So, if it isn’t money you want, what do you want from my son? Are you just after publicity? It’s not as though you can have a family together, now, is it?”
His tone was starting to be slightly more aggressive towards me. I wasn’t sure if he was doing it on purpose to get a reaction from me, or if he was truly upset about me going out with Daniel now that he had met me. I could feel Daniel tensing beside me, desperate to say something, but knowing that he couldn’t interfere. This was my moment to prove to his father that I was right for his son.
“With all due respect, Johnathan, the only thing I ask of Daniel is to be as loving and supportive as he has been to me over the past few weeks. He has allowed me to be the person I really am. He has brought me out of the shell I have been living under for the past ten years. The last thing I want is any form of publicity. I just want to live a quiet life with the man I love. You may not approve of that, but I don’t need your approval. I will fight anyone who tries to keep us apart again. I have done it before, and I will do it again. As for starting a family… No, we cannot have children biologically together, but why would we when there are children out there that have lost their parents? They need a loving home with two people who will do everything for them. That is what we are going to do: adopt a brother and sister. We have already found them. Daisy and Zach. They are amazing children and are more than happy to have two dads. Anything for them is better than being passed from foster home to foster home.”
