by C. E. Wilson
“Dad, we can’t have a wedding or reception until he gets here. He has to be the one to marry us, remember?”
“I know son. I was just telling him that so he would hurry and get here. Well, there he is. He just pulled up the driveway. I didn’t get to meet that one young man with a pretty girlfriend. Who is that?”
Clayton spoke up. “He’s my brother Bradley. That’s the girl he’s dating now, I hear. She’s a pretty little girl.”
“You boys found a house yet? Are you going on a honeymoon? If you need any money, let me know, and I will give you what you need. I think you need to go to the Bahamas for your honeymoon. I’ll gladly pay for it.”
“We can’t, Dad. We were off for a while when Clayton was hurt. We can’t take any more time off work, but we are leaving here after the reception and going to the cabin in the mountains for a couple of days.”
Sam said, “Clayton wait until you see that cabin. It is beautiful. I bought one a little bit down the road from John’s. Those mountains are beautiful this time of year.”
“I have already seen it, Dad. John and I went up there a couple of weeks ago and spent a couple of days there. It is beautiful.”
“Looks like the judge is ready. I’ll go get the mothers, and you boys get where you're supposed to be, and we will get this show on the road. The meat is about done, and I’m sure Mom has the cooks done with the rest of the food. She has had them cooking for three days.”
John and Clayton stood at the back of the deck. There were rows of chairs facing the judge. Everyone took their seats, and the music started to play. John and Clayton held hands and started to walk down the aisle toward the judge. When they reached him, they held both hands and looked at each other.
The judge started the ceremony, and when he got to the part where he asked if anyone knew of a reason that they could not be joined in marriage, a voice rang out from the back of the chairs. They both turned and looked where the voice came from. A young man was standing there. Neither one of them knew who it was.
Bradley turned and looked and then closed his eyes and let his head fall back. It was Ben. What was he doing here, and why was he stopping their wedding? He just hoped that he didn’t say anything in front of his Dad.
Clayton glared at the young man. “Why are you stopping our wedding? We don’t even know you.”
“If I can’t marry your brother then you are not going to get married either.”
Clayton frowned. “What has that got to do with our wedding? Anyway, my brother has a girlfriend. He’s sitting right here with her.”
Charles stood up. “Bradley do you know that boy?”
Bradley took a deep breath. “Yes, Dad, I know him. He goes to school with me.”
Ben yelled, “Yes. He knows me. He’s my boyfriend, and he’s just with that lesbian so that you don’t know he’s gay. She’s with him for the same reason. She doesn’t want her dad to find out she is a lesbian. I’m out and proud of who I am, and he can’t be.”
Charles looked at Bradley. “Son is this true? Are you gay?”
“Yes, Dad, I am. I didn’t want to tell you yet because I knew that you would do the same as you did to Clayton and throw me out of the house, and I need the money to go to college.”
Charles sat back down in his chair and stared at the ground. “I never even suspected you were gay. Why didn’t you just come out and tell me?”
“Because I want to go to college, Dad. I can’t afford to go like Clay did. I don’t have anywhere to even go.”
“I’ve learned with Clayton son. I won’t kick you out, and I’ll give you the money for college. I have both of your college funds in the bank. I’m sorry son. I should not have acted like I did with Clayton and I sure will not do that to you. You be who you are, and I will love you and Clay just as you are; John too. That man saved my life, and I was rude to him. I learned and won’t act like that again.”
Bradley got up and walked down the aisle to where Ben was standing. “Ben, I don’t want you for a boyfriend. I have told you that several times and I want you gone from me. I will find someone in college that will really love me not just trying to get brownie points like you just did. Stay away from me.”
“But Brad, I do love you.”
Bradley walked back to his seat beside the girl and sat down. He nodded at Clayton, and the ceremony started again. They finally read their vows to each other, and the judge declared that they were now husband and husband. The judge grinned and announced. “Bring on the BBQ.”
Everyone laughed. Ben was still standing at the back and Bradley went back there again and ordered him to leave before he called the police. Ben finally turned and left. The party started, and they had a wonderful meal, and then the cake was brought out. It was huge, but there were plenty of people to eat it. John’s mother took the top of the cake and had one of the women put it in the freezer for their first anniversary.
John and Clayton danced several dances. John noticed Bradley and another boy he didn’t know was taking presents and putting them in the back of the navigator. Bradley finally brought a stack of envelopes to Clayton and handed them to him. “What’s this brother?”
Bradley shrugged his shoulders. “They were with the presents we loaded in the back of your SUV. I didn’t want them to get lost.”
“Ok, thanks, Brad. How do you feel now that you’re out?”
“It’s strange. I’m still afraid that Dad will not pay for my college.”
John pat him on his back. “I told you before if you need anything you call me or Clayton. You will get through college, I promise.”
Clayton put the envelopes into his pocket in his jacket. He put his arms around John and started dancing with him. He whispered in his ear. “I love you, husband.”
John smiled. “I love you the same husband. Sounds funny, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah it does, but I like it. I like it a lot.”
“I think maybe another hour, and we can slip away. I’m ready to get to our cabin.”
“Let’s go say goodbye to the family, and we will sneak away now. I’m just as ready as you to get there.”
They walked over to the grill, and Sam was showing Charles all his tricks for BBQing. John hugged both Dads, and then it was Clayton’s turn. He hugged both of their fathers and said in a low voice, “We are going to sneak off to go to the cabin. We just wanted to say bye to both of you. Now we are going to look for the two moms.”
They found them in the kitchen still fussing at each other. John and Clayton hugged the moms and then kissed their cheeks. Then they slipped out the front door and got into the Navigator and took off. They had to stop a block away and cut the cans off the back of the SUV. They laughed at the antics of the boys that decorated their vehicle.
It was a long drive to the cabin. John drove, and when they got to the cabin, they decided to leave the gifts in it so they wouldn’t have to take them into the cabin then load them back for when they went home. Clayton found John’s mom’s picnic basket in the back seat and showed it to John. They took that and their bags into the cabin and then put the food away. John wouldn’t have to cook all weekend. Just heat up the food.
They spent the entire weekend cuddling on the couch as they watched a movie or in bed sleeping in. They even took naps during the day.
They were sitting out on the deck on Sunday evening, and Clayton happened to remember the envelopes in his jacket. He went inside the house and got them out of his jacket. He brought them out and set them on the table between them. “What do you have there, Clayton?”
“I don’t know John. Bradley said they were sitting on the table with the gifts and he wanted to give them to me so they wouldn’t get lost. Maybe well wishes?”
Clayton opened the first one, and it was full of cash. Clayton frowned and showed to John. John just shook his head and opened another one. It too was full of cash. All of the envelopes were full of cash.”
John said, “Well, I guess we can take all this cash and
put it in the bank for college funds for the kids. Between interest and what we can put in a month, then college should be paid for before they go. What do you think, babe?”
“That sounds like a really good idea, babe. We need to have that set up before we try and get children. What do you want to do? Half it and put it in two different accounts? We will put say fifty dollars a month in each account so it will grow fast.”
“That’s a good idea. You put fifty in one account each month, and I will put the same in the other account. That way we can do it easier.”
“I’ll agree to that. Good thing you have a good head for business, as well as your other talents.”
Chapter 20
Clayton and John got home Monday evening. They had enjoyed their time in the cabin alone. They were gearing up to getting back to work on Tuesday morning. They had just gotten into the house and put their bags in the bedroom when Clayton’s phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and saw it was his dad that was calling. He answered the call. “Hi, Dad. We just walked in the door. How are things there?”
“I was calling to see if you have seen Bradley. After the wedding, he disappeared, and we haven’t been able to find him. I think he was embarrassed that the boy had outed him. I want him to know it’s ok. I don’t want him to go through the same thing I put you through.”
“No, we have been in the mountains in the cabin since we left the wedding. I haven’t heard from him. Let me call him and see where he is. I’m sure he will answer me.”
“Ok then call me back and just let me know he is ok.”
“I will.”
Clayton hung up the phone. John walked up to him and asked, “What’s wrong babe?”
“That was Dad, he said that Bradley disappeared after the wedding and he hasn’t been able to get in touch with him. I told him I would call and see where he is.”
Clayton called Bradley’s phone but only got the voice mail. “Hey bro give me a call and let me know that you're alright. Dad is worried and now so am I. Call John or me as soon as you get this.”
He hung up and frowned. “That’s not like Brad. He always answers his phone. I don’t know what’s wrong that he didn’t answer.”
“Maybe he’s busy. He liked that girl. Maybe he’s hiding out at her house. I know she isn’t straight, but they seemed to be good friends.”
“Did you happen to get her name? Maybe we can call her and see if she knew where he was going when they left the wedding.”
“No, I was busy getting married. I didn’t really pay that much attention to her since we knew he was gay. Maybe he’s worried about your dad giving him grief about being gay.”
“That’s what Dad is worried about. I have to call Dad back. You call Bradley and see if he answers for you.”
Clayton called his dad back and told him that he left him a voice mail, but he didn’t answer. John called Bradley and got the voice mail as well. John left a message to call him or Clayton back as soon as possible. It seemed as if he had his phone turned off.
Clayton looked at John when he hung up the phone. “I don’t know babe maybe since that little creep outed him maybe he just needs some time to come to terms with being outed.”
“He is probably afraid your dad is going to be all over him for being gay.”
“Yeah, I’m sure that is a big fear for him. He wanted it kept in the closet until Dad paid for his college. Dad said he wants Bradley to know that he isn’t going to say anything about it and not do the things he did to me about being gay.”
“We’ll give him a few days to cool off then we will start the police looking for him if he doesn’t contact us. He’s my little brother as well.”
“I know. I hope nothing has happened to him. When I get home from work tomorrow, I’ll be bringing some listings for houses for us to look at. What time will you be home tomorrow?”
“It’s my surgery day and hospital. Every Tuesday I’m in the hospital for the day. I think I only have two surgeries tomorrow. I should be home by five. We can look over the listings while I cook dinner.”
“How many bedrooms do we want?”
“Well, ours of course then one each for the children and one for the nanny. Then a guest room, so that’s what?”
“At least five bedrooms. We need a bathroom, and I guess one for the nanny. The kids can share a bath so at least three or four baths. Big yard maybe a pool for the kids.”
“I would get as much use out of a pool as the kids. I love to swim. I think that is a good place to look.”
“Add all the things up, and I will call my friend at the real estate office tomorrow and have her fax me some listings.”
“Have you decided what area we want to live in?”
“I like this area or around your condo. It is a good place to raise children. It is close to both our workplaces. What do you think?”
‘Yeah, I love this area. That’s why I bought the condo here. We are only about a mile apart so if we get in this area, we can rent out the house and the condo and still be near to make sure that they aren’t tearing up our properties.”
“So tomorrow I will look for a house, and you look for a surrogate for our first baby.”
“I can do that. Now, what do you want me to fix for dinner?”
“Just something quick and easy. It has to be better than a tv dinner.”
“We don’t have any tv dinners. I threw them all away before we went to the wedding. You don’t have to eat them anymore.”
“I know babe, and I am very grateful for that. I love you. I’m going to go and unpack our bags while you make dinner. I’ll throw our clothes in the washer that are dirty.”
Clayton went to the bedroom, and John went to the kitchen. Clayton got the bags unpacked and put the clean clothes in the dresser and closet and put the dirty clothes in the washer. John made some spaghetti and meat sauce. They sat down and ate, then watched tv until bedtime.
The next morning John had to get up early to get to the hospital. He had two surgeries to get done today. One was on a little boy that was four years old. He had a hole in his heart, and it had to be repaired if he was going to see ten years old. His heart went out to the little boy. He was an orphan and was in foster care. He wished he could do more for the boy, but he would see how the surgery went today.
Clayton got up a little later since he didn’t have to be at work until nine. John had to be at the hospital at six. Clayton walked out of the bedroom with a wet head from the shower. He went to make coffee, but there was a fresh pot sitting there. Clayton tried to figure out how since John was long gone, then he noticed the timer on the coffee pot. He smiled. John was always looking out for him. He found a note on the kitchen counter from John. ‘Breakfast is in the microwave. Just heat for two minutes.’
Clayton went to the microwave and hit the two buttons, and it came on, and when he pulled out the plate, he had pancakes and sausage. He shook his head. How did John do that and get to work on time? Clayton ate his breakfast and washed the dishes and then got ready for work. He got to work a little early, so he sat at his desk and called his friend at the real estate company. Julie answered his call. “Hi, Clayton. How are you doing? Is there something I can help you with?”
“Hi, Julie. Yes, I need some listings for some big houses. It needs to be at least five bedrooms, four or five baths, double car garage, big yard, and a pool. Do you have anything like that?”
“Well yeah, I got several that meets your requirements. Who is this for?”
“I just got married last Saturday, and my father in law is going to buy us a big house for a wedding present.”
“I didn’t know you were seeing anyone. Who did you marry?”
“Dr. John Willis.”
“Not the heart doctor? If it’s him good for you. He is an excellent heart doctor. My dad had to have bypass surgery, and Dr. Willis did it.”
“Yes, that’s my husband. He has a condo, and I have a two-bedroom house, and we are looking for a surrogate to hav
e children with. So, we need a bigger house. Now I wouldn’t object to a house with a mother in law suite or bungalow. We want one of the rooms to be for the nanny we will need to hire.”
“Are you at work? I’ll fax the listings, and you and your husband can look over them. I can arrange to finance as well.”
“We don’t need financing. He is going to pay cash for it.”
“Ok, that just added a couple more. I’ll get right on this Clayton. That commission is going to be awesome.”
Clayton laughed. “Yes, I bet it will. I look forward to hearing from you.”
Clayton sat back in his chair and was thinking about the house when his phone beeped. He took it out of his jacket, and it was a text from Bradley. “I’m ok, bro. just need some time to myself. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Clayton thought it was odd, but he thought maybe Bradley was stressed. He called his dad and told him what the text said. He said he received the same text only with ‘I’m ok Dad’. He forwarded the message to John so he would get it when he got out of surgery.
John had just finished his surgery on the small boy. He was very small for his age, but now that the hole was fixed in his heart, he would grow at a normal rate. He went to the waiting room where the social worker was waiting. He looked around, and she was the only one in the waiting room. “Where is the foster mother? Doesn’t she care what has happened to little Jacob?”
“Not really she only cares about the check she gets for the kids. Not about the kids.”
“I wish there was something I could do for him. I fixed the hole, and he will be able to do all the normal things a child does. He will start to grow normally now.”
“Are you married?”
“Excuse me?”
“I was just wondering if you are married and ever thought about adoption. If you and your wife would like to adopt Jacob, I would give you a very favorable recommendation.”
“I am married, and my husband and I were going to have a surrogate carry our own children for us.”
“Well with Jacob you wouldn’t have to wait for that. You could have him now. He looks enough like you that you could claim that he was yours if that’s what you want.”