I recapped the call from Principal Moss with Leo as we drove. “Do you think you’d be ready to go to school tomorrow?”
“Is Eddie going?” he asked.
“He is.”
“Okay. I’ll go.”
“I’m so proud of you,” I said, careful of his injured thumb when I patted his hand. “You worked hard, made some changes, and reached your goal.”
He laughed, but for once, the sound held only joy, and not the touch of sarcasm that was always present. “That was your goal, but I’m tired of doing my all my work alone.”
“Hey, progress is progress." I smiled at him. “Jonas is going to meet us at Main Attraction.”
A big smile broke out across his face. “Good thing I smashed my left thumb and not my right. I’m going to crush Eddie at skee-ball.”
Eddie and Leo were vibrating with positive energy by the time we made it through the line and paid for unlimited games and food. Both boys were gone as soon as their wristbands were on, and Jonas and I headed to a couch as close to the doors as possible.
“They were struggling to wait while we paid,” Jonas said with a laugh. “I’m glad you thought of paying for the unlimited snack bar. Eddie could eat his way through this place and still play every game.”
“Thank you for working with Leo today. I know he doesn’t show it, but he looks up to you.”
“I felt it today." Jonas threaded his fingers through mine, and we settled in for two hours of hanging out while the boys played. “I’m doing my best not to compare him to Eddie.”
“He won’t ever be like Eddie.”
“I know that,” he said, turning to face me. “And I want you to know that I’ve spent some time soul searching, and it’s not Leo that’s falling short.”
I sat up, wondering where he was going with such a heavy statement. He took a deep breath. “My relationship with Eddie is so effortless, and sometimes, I have to remind him that I’m the adult. But it’s not that I’m trying to be his buddy.”
“But you get him, and you both understand each other in a way you don’t share with anyone else.”
“Exactly. I’ve only ever been this kind of father, and even though Leo is a total pill sometimes, he’s still just a kid. And he’s been through hell. I’m the adult; it’s up to me to tweak our relationship until it works for both of us.”
Could I love this man any more than I do right now? I wondered. He’d called himself a father in the same breath as my son’s name. It was far from professing the parental devotion I hoped we’d both feel for the other’s son in time, but it was such a huge step.
I could feel my chest tightening with emotion at the monumental shift in our life, but I opted for humor instead of having an intimate moment in an arcade hall, surrounded by strangers and their kids. “I thought that seminar was supposed to help me become a better parent.”
He laughed. “I’m not going to lie; that was my intention. But it turns out that neither of us is a perfect parent, and I learned a lot. Leo seemed to take to the new approach really well, and for once, I’m starting to feel like this blended family has potential.”
“I feel that way, too.”
We fell into an easy silence, just enjoying the moment, each lost in his thoughts. I played the conversation over in my head, and I knew that we’d reached a point where things were finally looking up. That meant it was time for the next step, but I wasn’t quite sure what that step was.
I just knew that this man loved me and my son. And I had to find a way to help this relationship flourish.
For myself, and for Leo.
21
Arthur
The older woman with the gentle smile and the sparkling blue eyes breezed into the shop, my only customer on a quiet Thursday morning.
“Hi Clara,” I said warmly. “How’s my favorite customer?”
She laughed and shook her head. “You’re crazy, Arthur. I’m just here for a refill." She slid her medical card across the counter, then stretched as tall as her illness-ravaged body would allow her to. “Where’s Leo?”
“He’s back in school,” I announced proudly.
“Wow,” she said. “How’s it going?”
“It’s been nearly a month, and he’s doing so well. And he’s bringing his grades up. Volunteering really helped him.”
She nodded sagely. “Seeing how blessed we are in our own lives is the best way to appreciate how lucky we are. I’m so happy for Leo. He is a very special young man.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by." I slid her box of medicinal-grade marijuana across the counter and when she went to open her wallet, I stopped her. “It’s on the house, Clara. You have a wonderful day.”
I came out from behind the counter and walked beside her to the door, holding it open for her and waiting there as she shuffled out and got into her new Dodge Challenger. It was cherry red, and had all the bells and whistles.
“Life is short,” Clara had told me the first time she’d rolled up to the shop in it. Her fire and her refusal to let her illness sully her good time had made me smile.
She did a quick donut in the empty lot, then waved as she peeled out of the driveway and onto the street. I waved back, shaking my head and laughing at her. She was something else.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Principal Moss. I answered on the second ring, and the smile slid off my face.
“Leo has been in a fight,” she said flatly. “I need you to come pick him up, now.”
“What happened?”
“Please come get him, Mr. Reed.”
“Is he suspended?”
“Not at this moment, but he will not be welcome at school tomorrow. I’ll see you soon." She hung up, and I hurried to lock the door. Thursdays were always dead anyway, and I’d only come in because Clara had called to make sure we were open.
My hands were shaking, and I dropped my keys more than once before I finally got the car started and raced as fast as I dared to the high school. Every possible scenario went through my mind, but I was reeling.
Leo and Eddie had been so good together the past two weeks. A few times, Leo had even ridden home with Jonas and Eddie while I worked at the store, and by the time I’d come to collect him, his homework was done and he was in such a good mood.
“What the hell happened?” I said through my clenched jaw. “They were doing so well.”
A part of me hoped that Leo had gotten in a fight with a different boy, but when I saw Jonas’s Audi pull into the parking lot ahead of me, I knew.
I parked and slunk through the lot, head down. I fully expected Jonas to already be inside, but when I looked up, he was waiting for me in front of the doors.
“Did they tell you anything?” he said.
I shook my head. “Just to come get him.”
“Same,” Jonas said.
When he reached out for my hand, I stopped and looked at him. He smiled encouragingly, hand still out. “United front, just like we learned at the seminar. We’re in this together, through thick and thin.”
My throat got tight. He took my hand while I blinked away the emotions that threatened to consume me. It was not the reaction I’d expected from Jonas. It was so much better.
We walked through the doors and saw both boys sitting in the waiting room, in opposite corners, each sporting an identical black eye. My shoulders sagged, and when I caught Leo’s eye, he turned away.
Before I could say anything, the door to the principal’s office swung open and Principal Moss stuck her head out, then crooked her finger at us. “I’d like to see you both,” she said, and my heart sank.
Would this ever get better?
Jonas
I could feel Arthur trembling, his despair evident on his face. I kept my papa bear instincts in check when I saw Eddie’s face, reminding myself that siblings often came to blows, and that Arthur and I had the tools to work through this. Leo wasn’t the only one at fault, and despite what I’d always believed, Arthur’s paren
ting wasn’t the problem.
At least not entirely. Arthur challenged everything I’d ever thought about parenting troubled children, and as I sat beside him in the chair and held his hand, I kept my cool about the fight. Leo was our problem, and we were going to help him together.
Principal Moss looked at our locked hands and the corner of her mouth turned up in a slight smile as she nodded. “That explains a lot,” she said as the door finished swinging shut with an audible click. “Are you two dating?”
“We are,” I said evenly. “We were before we knew that the boys were having problems.”
That earned a raised eyebrow from her. “Did they know?”
“No,” Arthur said. “We didn’t find out until we went to volunteer." He chuckled. “In fact, we’d been talking about our boys, and neither of us made the connection.”
“To be a fly on the wall,” she said, her expression less angry than I expected. She almost looked happy. She leaned against the desk and smiled.
“I’m not going to lie; I think they deserved it, but you know the policy. I have to abide by it, no matter what I think. They’re suspended tomorrow, and they can return to school Monday. As for the other boys—”
“Other boys?” Arthur and I said in unison.
“The boys who started the fight,” she clarified. “They’re also suspended until Monday, but they’ll be going into Mrs. Granger’s volunteer rehab program the entirety of next week. I’ve let Leo and Eddie know if it happens again, to see me immediately, and they will be expelled for hate speech. I don’t tolerate that here.”
“Hate speech?” I asked. “I guess I’m not following.”
“Leo and Eddie have been very open about their newfound friendship. Apparently, Ricky and Eric thought it would be a good idea to make fun of them for having gay dads who were also dating."
She smiled and leaned forward, her voice low. “I’m going to be completely honest. I hope those little jerks learned a lesson. But as I said, everyone involved in the altercation has to be disciplined, per the policy.”
Arthur and I looked at each other, then back at the principal. “You mean, they were defending us?” I said, incredulous.
She nodded.
“Wow,” Arthur said. “Is it wrong that I’m proud of them, instead of angry?”
Principal Moss shrugged. “That would make three of us."
She motioned her head toward the door. “I’d love to chat about this more, but the parents of the other two will be here soon, and I don’t want any drama. I’m sure the boys learned some of the homophobia from home, and how does the saying go?"
She smiled. “When a guy has a black eye and he says, ‘You should see the other guy.’ Let’s just say that Leo and Eddie didn’t hold back. Nothing that some ice packs won’t fix right up, but they’ll be feeling it all weekend.”
The principal saw us out, and by some unspoken agreement, the three of us gave the boys stern looks and didn’t let on that we weren’t even remotely angry. Arthur and I hurried them to the parking lot; then our eyes met over the tops of our cars, and we both smiled.
“My place for pizza?” I asked.
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll grab some ice cream on the way.”
I got into the car, and Eddie looked at me. “Did you seriously just tell Arthur we’re having pizza and ice cream?”
“Totes.”
“Dad, don’t use slang. It’s lame.”
“Leo told me lame is practically my middle name.”
Eddie looked at me and laughed. “We’re not in trouble, are we." It was a statement, not a question.
“For standing up to bigots? No.”
“Does it matter if we threw the first punches?”
“Did you?” I asked as I drove us home.
“No,” he said. “But I wanted to. When they cornered us in the bathroom and started saying all those things—” he clenched his fists, then forced himself to unclench them. “I just saw red.”
“Why were you in the bathroom together? I thought you didn’t have classes together?”
Eddie sighed. “Leo texted me. He was having a panic attack. I went in there to calm him down.
“Ricky and Eric saw us in there, and they started calling us names and acting like we were dating because our dads are. I told them Leo is practically my brother, and that just made it worse. When Ricky hit me, I hit him back.”
I nodded, listening intently. When he was finished, I asked him a few questions before I got down to the most important issue. “How long has Leo been having panic attacks?”
Eddie blinked. “Crap. Did I say that? I’m not supposed to tell.”
“Does Arthur know?” Eddie shook his head. “We’re going to have to tell him.”
“I know. But Leo trusted me with his secret.”
“Has he been having them awhile?” He nodded. “All right, Eddie. We’ll talk more about it later.”
“Are you going to tell Arthur? Leo’s never gonna trust me again.”
“No,” I said. “Leo needs someone to confide in, and the fact that he’s chosen you is special. We’re going to do what it takes to get him help without making him feel like you betrayed his trust.”
“How are we gonna do that?”
I smiled at him and patted his leg. “Trust me. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
“Thanks,” he said. “We’re starting to feel like a family, and I don’t want to let that go.”
“Me too, Eddie. Me too.”
22
Jonas
The salesman zeroed in on me when I walked into the jewelry store after dropping Eddie off at school Monday morning. He was dressed in a gray suit, with slick hair and a blinding white smile.
“Making big plans, or shopping for yourself?” he asked, going to stand behind the counter filled with extravagant engagement rings that were clearly made for women.
I smiled and shook my head, walking over to the display case with the men’s bands.
“My apologies,” he said, shifting to the appropriate case.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Getting engaged?”
I let out a quick breath at the word. “No. I’m looking more for something that says I’m committed to the long haul, without being an engagement.”
“A promise ring,” he said with a warm smile.
“Is that what they’re called? I haven’t done this before. I haven’t done this before, and we have kids, so—”
He wrinkled his brow, and I laughed. “I know that’s confusing. I used a surrogate to become a dad.”
“Ah,” he said. “It’s none of my business anyway.”
“True, but it’s no big deal. I wanted to be a dad, and it was the best decision of my life. Now I’m trying to make the right decision for our family, and it’s time to make things more official without going overboard.”
“Gotcha,” he said.
I looked at the rings in the case while he fiddled around with one of the locked drawers that held the merchandise, even though I hadn’t asked to look at one yet. “They’re all so gaudy,” I groaned. “I mean, they’re all right for an engagement, but they’re much too—”
He set a tray on the counter, and I stopped. “Looking for something more like this?”
“Yes!" I was excited. “This is much better.”
“Most are silver, but a few of them are from our new line. Before you say it, they’re very strong, and—”
“That one right there, with the tree carved into the silver band. That’s the one I want.”
“Excellent choice. Can I wrap it up for you?”
“Please." I looked at my watch. “We have a reservation in an hour, and I want tonight to be perfect.”
“Big anniversary?” he asked while he boxed it up.
“Better,” I said. “We’re celebrating our sons taking one step closer to acting like brothers.”
He smiled. “That is an accomplishment. Blending families can be rough. I have
two stepsons myself, and my wife treats my girl like her own. It’s not every day you have such a huge milestone."
The salesman passed the wrapped ring to me and charged my card. “The gift wrapping and the chocolate truffles are on the house. I wish you and this lucky man all the best."
He winked at me, and we both laughed. “I hope you’ll think of me when you’re ready to make an honest man out of him.”
“I will,” I said, then hurried out the door, the nearly weightless bag heavy in my hand.
Tonight was the night. I just hoped Arthur was ready for a bigger commitment.
Arthur
The little bed and breakfast was quaint, tucked into a yard filled with trees that gave it the illusion of being very secluded. I wiped my hands on my slacks, then looked at myself in the rearview mirror one last time.
I was tempted by the vape pen, with its calming combination of lavender and CBD oil, but I resisted. Tonight was special, and not just because our boys had turned a corner. When Jonas had suggested paying Gina to spend the night and take the boys to school in the morning, I’d known something was up.
We were both proud of our boys, but after doing a little mental math, I realized there was more to celebrate. Today was two months to the day since we’d met at the Single Dad’s Club event, and even after everything we’d been through, we were still growing as a couple. Thriving. Living.
Happy.
A little gift box from Bounty of the Earth sat beside my overnight bag. I picked it up and looked inside, at the simple necklace with the tree of life pendant made from twisted wire by a local artisan. It wasn’t much, but when I’d noticed the colors of the four jewels woven into the tree, like sparkling fruit, I’d known that the piece had been made for us.
Hopefully, Jonas saw it the way I had.
When he pulled up and parked beside me, I quickly put the box in my bag and got out of the car. “You made it,” he said, pulling me into his arms and giving me a passionate kiss that took my breath away.
“Save some for the room,” I said when he finally let me go.
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