In Hot Pursuit

by David Horne

  “Decorate my room?” Lyle had a little trouble pronouncing the word as he had gotten a little excited at the idea of it.

  “Yeah, you get to pick what goes in your room since we left the place for wallpaper empty. Plus, we can buy stuffed toys and whatever else you think you need as long as it’s not a full-sized car,” Eric joked and saw his smile widen a little bit.

  “I can’t fit a car in my room!” Lyle scoffed and swung his feet a little, holding onto the suitcase he had next to him.

  “I guess not, maybe we could fit an elephant in there.”

  “No!” Lyle laughed a little but looked nervous when they started driving away, looking back at the house.

  “Don’t worry, we can come back and visit if you want to,” Damien commented, knowing it was hard for him. Information from the foster father went along the lines of Lyle being shy and didn’t always play with the other kids. Remembering his own childhood, he was often off by himself due to wanting the same space he had while he was at home. At the promise, Lyle looked slightly relieved and put his hands in his lap.

  “Is it all right if I play some music, Lyle?” Eric questioned, not wanting to scare him by turning it on without warning. The boy was already getting a complete change in scenarios so he didn’t need any surprises.

  “Mhm, I don’t mind,” he yawned, starting to get tired after about ten minutes into the drive. The continuing soft noise from the stereo helped lull him into taking a small nap. Pulling into the driveway he started to stir, rubbing his eyes and looking around at the new area.

  “This is our house, so do you think you’ll like it here?” Damien asked as he went around to carry his suitcase for him.

  “I don’t know,” Lyle said honestly, his voice small compared to an adult. He allowed Eric to pick him up since he was tired and not wanting to walk around.

  “Noodles with white sauce and cheese for dinner sounds pretty good right?” He asked looking over at Damien who nodded. “Damien is a really good cook, maybe we can have some garlic bread with those noodles. What do you think about that?” A small nod from the boy gave him an answer and they headed inside to get him to know the house.

  “Your room is upstairs right across from our bedroom. You’ll have your own private bathroom but there won’t be a lock on the door until you’re older. You have your own closet, bookshelf, desk, and desk chair as well as some other staple furniture. If you want anything else, I can make it for you as I made some of the other things in your room,” Damien explained while hauling the suitcase up to set it on the bed.

  “That’s a lot of stuff,” Lyle mumbled, slipping down once they were in his room. They had painted the walls a baby blue to be kind of gender-neutral if they got a boy or girl. Sheets were matching a light red but almost pink color while the desk and other furniture were unpainted but had a finish on it so it wouldn’t give him splinters.

  “All this is mine?” He asked with awe, taking his suitcase and lugging it over to the bed. Going around he looks in the drawers finding some pencils and coloring pencils as well as notebooks on top of the desk. Coloring books and a few simple word puzzles were on the shelf next to the desk.

  “We’ll fill those up more in the next few months,” Damien wrapped his arm around Eric as Lyle went to the closet finding a few stuffed toys they had bought. “You know, I think this is the most excited we’ve been about something since the start of the process. I love you, Eric,” he whispered to him while Lyle arranged his things on the bed.

  “I love you too, Damien,” Eric whispered back and they waited until Lyle was done to step out. “Want to watch Damien make dinner? He’s even got his own machine to make homemade noodles for us,” he smiled and offered a hand to lead him to the kitchen.

  “Make your noodles?” Lyle seemed interested and took his hand, Damien walking down in front of them. They walked at his pace so they weren’t dragging him along, “Can I help?”

  “You can help me with the ingredients if you want to and buttering the bread. Are you good at measuring?” Damien asked and put on his apron, offering a simple white one to Lyle. Chuckling at how he started looking around the kitchen, he started getting the ingredients guessing they didn’t allow him in the kitchen. “We have a few rules, no touching anything in, on, or by the stove. Do not take things down from the cabinets on your own, we don’t want you to fall and get hurt.”

  “If you need something though you can always come to ask us, your snacks and other things will be in these two bottom cabinets. As long as you don’t eat it all at once there, they will stay for you to get as you please,” Eric hummed showing him the cookies, fruit snacks and cereals they had gotten for him.

  “Woah!” He crouched down staring at it all with big eyes.

  “Don’t worry, you can have some cookies after dinner but you’ll have to brush your teeth before bed,” Eric smiled at him and stood up after Damien motioned for Lyle to come over and help him.

  “Can you stir this together for me?” Damien asked, handing him a spoon. With gumption, he stirred the ingredients together, letting Damien take over when it got a little harder. “Rolling out the dough a few times until it’s thin is part of the process. Would you like to watch that too?” Lyle nodded his head and Eric picked him up so he could see it all easier.

  “Time to make the garlic bread, you know how to butter?” Eric asked as he got out six pieces of bread in case each of them ate more than one.

  “I made a sandwich once,” Lyle said and stood on a step stool to reach the counter. Together, they buttered the bread with Eric showing him how he seasoned the bread at the end. For the entire time, Lyle was helping them cook and make the food with fascination and excitement at being involved.

  “Tada!” Damien set down the plate of pasta with alfredo and cheese sprinkled on top, a piece of garlic bread on a separate small plate. Sniffing the air and the steam coming off the dinner, Lyle smiled at them and blew off his first bite. The satisfied and relaxed expression on his face made Eric feel relief that he liked it.

  “Tomorrow we can talk about what other meals you like to eat,” Eric hummed and ate his own food. The rest of the meal went without a hitch.

  At bedtime both of them sat down next to him, tucking him in with the utmost care. “You’ve got a night light, a flashlight on your nightstand, and if you need us, we are right across the hall. I know you’ve slept in your own bed before but if you feel scared you can come to us. We won’t be upset.”

  “Okay,” he gave them both a small hug and curled up hugging one of the stuffed toys he was given.

  “Good night Lyle, love you,” they chorused, slowly leaving the room with the door cracked open.

  Epilogue

  “He was the happiest kid I ever met and he took everything in stride. We were lucky to have found him and my parents to this day still like to buy him a present every year on the day he was adopted to remind him he is part of our family,” Eric finished his story while smiling at his friends and putting down the picture book on the coffee table.

  “You did great with that one Eric, not as outlandish as that first one you tried to tell. So, what do you guys think of it? I know we’ve only met this summer but we’re glad to share our experiences with you,” Damien sat back stretching his arm out as it had been resting around his life partner.

  “Did you really adopt a kid? Or was that made up because I never heard about this kid,” Garret said with his arms crossed, sitting next to his boyfriend.

  “Yes, we did, and we even sent him to a summer camp he wanted to join. It might be why you haven’t heard much about him, we are pretty close-knit, but he doesn’t like us bragging about what he does. Says it’s embarrassing,” Eric flipped the page and showed countless pictures of their kid. They went from his ninth birthday after they adopted him and then to his first year of middle school.

  “Wow, and none of that story was made up? You’ve been known to tell a joke story or a real story with a hidden joke in there at the mee
tings,” Garret said, Eric getting the tv on and starting to play home videos they made together plus a mix of the pictures from most of the events he talked about including the hospital visit.

  “The only thing he exaggerated on was maybe how many times I didn’t have to carry him around on my back or in my arms. Probably the first two years especially, he was like a koala baby clinging to my back.” Damien kissed his head and had his arm still around him.

  “Our little boy will be turning thirteen, we'll have been married for almost five years now. We first planned to get married in a different state with the laws but it changed while we were engaged." Eric patted Damien on the chest, "He was worried about his parents approving but they sent us wedding gifts too."

  "See, we shouldn't be afraid of marriage anymore Garret!" His boyfriend Michael said and held Garret's hand.

  "We live in an accepting area but it's just scary that we could be targeted, you know?" Garret murmured and gazed at Michael with worry.

  "If you're worried about me, the guys at work would rather fight for me than against me. I promise there is no one right now that would start anything with us," Michael gave him a pleading look. "Even if they do, Damien said to call the police and they will take care of it. There is enough crime in this city that the force has doubled and patrols all suburban and urban areas."

  "The crime rates are actually low in your area too. People have become more understanding and open-minded. If you're ever in trouble, after you call the police you can call me and I'll try to be there if not make sure a close patrol car comes to you," Damien said with a firm determination.

  "Thank you, Damien, that kind of help and security means a lot to us," Garret said with a grateful tone.

  "You've got a lot of people that will support you in whatever you choose to do. Eric has a lot of people he knows who could help you if you do end up wanting a wedding," Damien smiled at them and Eric nodded.

  "Honestly, you guys are so great and lived through so much together. My hope is that Garret and I get to live through the rough times and the best of times," Michael got up and gave both of them a hug. "I think the rest we need to talk out on our own, would you agree Garret?"

  "Yes, thank you both for sharing with us though and being so supportive," Garret shook Damien's hand and gave Eric a hug. "We'll see you guys next week, tell your son we said hi when he gets back from his camping trip."

  "Will do, see ya!" Eric saw them off at the door with Damien. Sighing softly, he turned around to lean into his husband, his soul mate. "I love you, babe."

  "I love you too baby," Damien wrapped his protective arms around his spouse, his only lover.

  "When Lyle gets home, let's give him the talk about dating. His last letter was all about this one person he hasn't named, it might be a girl from the description. Either way, he needs the talk of being safe while going out with someone and all that," Eric said, staying with his head laid on Damien's shoulder.

  "Yeah, it's a good idea for him to be educated by us than some other adult first since he can trust what we say. Should we give him the speech we made a while ago for the time like this?"

  "I think that’s the best option," Eric pulled away and smirked as he locked the front door. “In a few years we should ask him if he wants a sibling, we’re already saving for his college fund. Having another kid wouldn’t be too hard with how many gifts your parents and mine spoiled him with. Most of them are in the attic.”

  “Spoiling him was the only thing they did for the whole first year we had him but then they started getting him learning material and now he’s obsessed with science and geography. That camp was mostly for science too," Damien chuckled, reminiscent of when he first started studying the books that they got him. Childish toys had been tossed aside when he found out he could build things himself and make use of them.

  "I miss his little songs. Though, he sang a lot of nursery rhymes when he first arrived. He grew up way too fast in my opinion, but I believe every parent tends to say that about their children. Loved them, cared for them, it's hard seeing them mature so quickly," Eric sighed and dramatically pretended to fall against Damien.

  "You're a handful and a half yourself. I'm glad he accepted us as his new parents after living in foster care for so long by himself. Adjusting to our lifestyle took him about nine months, but acceptance definitely took longer," Damien commented, holding Eric up with ease. Because of his husband's shenanigans and fooling around with him, he kept his physique for the most part. Even his tan was still good without any kind of sprays.

  Eric nodded in agreement to what he said then realized he told the guys about the blue door, “I hope you didn’t mind my slip about the blue doored room.”

  “It’s fine Eric, I know you didn’t mean to let it out. We did change the colors of the doors so they never would know which room we were talking about,” Damien shrugged and kissed his head.

  "Smart man, gorgeous man, carry me to our den where we’ll tango among the silken sheets," Eric said with a dramatic flair.

  "I appreciate the enthusiasm but who would be cleaning the mess left in the living room?" Damien raised an eyebrow as Eric stepped away, walking backward toward the living room and the stairs. A sudden flash of a mischievous smile made him suspicious of his motives for backing up all of a sudden.

  "The last one to bed gets to clean the house!" He called as he was already running up the stairs. Not a few seconds later Damien was behind him and they fell onto the bed amongst laughter. They had given a new couple hope for their own future and accomplished many of their own dreams. Neither of them could think of anything more than to stay the rest of their lives next to their soulmate, raising children with the joy of life surrounding them.

  *THE END*

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