Survivor Stories
Page 97
“How would the arrangements work?” Mr. Perry asked, cutting into the intimate conversation, throwing a blanket over the building emotions.
“Jane could come to our house and spend time with Sophie. There are hotels close to us, and she can spend weekends hanging out with our family,” Aaron said, giving Spencer a moment to collect his thoughts. “She can’t leave with Sophie or be alone with her, at least not at first. And we need regular reports from her doctor that she’s been taking her meds and is safe to be around Sophie.” He turned his attention to Jane. “I don’t mean to be unkind. I understand what it’s like to have others measuring your progress by inches. But you had hallucinations and were harmful to yourself and could have been a danger to others. We need, all of us, to keep Sophie safe.”
“I understand.” Jane’s face nearly overflowed with shame, but she didn’t cry. Instead she merely looked at the table.
“I know this will be hard because of the distance—”
“The only good thing my parents ever did for me was die rich,” Jane cut in. “I won’t have any trouble with the travel.” Anger passed over her face, and Aaron saw hard resolve.
“Are you okay with this, Jane?” Mr. Perry asked her, suddenly softening. “I’m not sure we would do much better in court.”
“I’m okay,” she told her lawyer, and then to Spencer she added, “You have her eyes, you know. Those big hazel eyes that spill all your secrets.”
“My. Mom. Had. Our. Eyes. Too..”
“I’ll file the papers to withdraw.” Mr. Perry started to stand.
Jane pulled away from the table too, her eyes on Spencer.
“I know you can’t talk on the phone. Can I get your number and Aaron’s?” she asked, shyly, hesitantly, like she expected him to say no. Aaron gave her the numbers and took hers.
“Call me when you’re settled back home, and we can talk about your first visit,” Aaron said with a small smile. Sophie deserved to know this woman. She deserved to know where she came from. She also deserved to be safe while exploring her history. Aaron would make sure that happened, no matter how much sympathy he felt for Jane.
“Please, take care of my little girl.”
“With everything we have,” Aaron promised.
Chapter 16
“HIGHER, JANEY, higher!” Sophie called from the swing as it launched up to its apex. She was flying just as high as the swing would allow, but of course, for Sophie, it wasn’t high enough. A little girl had expectations that exceeded anything a normal human could do.
Jane, dressed casually in shorts and a Taylor Swift T-shirt, pushed Sophie’s swing with a look of utter delight. Aaron hoped the T-shirt wasn’t a sign of her swinging into mania, because really? Taylor Swift? But he went back to building the playhouse that would soon sit next to the jungle gym. The playhouse, a gift from Auntie Janey, just added to the Disneyland-like atmosphere in their yard. Between Jane, Spencer, and his own mother, Sophie only had to hint at something and it was hers.
He and Spencer would be having a talk about that.
“Hey..”
Aaron turned around to see Spencer shirtless and carrying lemonade. He wasn’t sure which was a more welcome sight.
Spencer sat the tray down on the nearby patio table and watched Jane with Sophie for a long moment.
“How are they doing?” he signed, a polite way to talk about Jane without her overhearing.
“Jane seems calm and happy. Sophie is curious but friendly. It is going about as well as can be expected. Are you doing okay?”
“Yes. It is not as awkward as I thought it would be.” Spencer glanced back to Sophie, who had climbed off the swing and was now throwing a ball to Jane. Well, more at her than to her.
“For Jane either, I think. We all seem to have settled in,” Aaron noted and Spencer nodded. He meant that more about himself than anyone. A year ago, he never expected to be a husband or the caregiver of a little girl. He never in a million years thought he’d own half a house, much less be happy there.
Amazing the changes one little girl could bring.
“I was going to ask you about that.”
“Ask me about what?” Aaron took another drink.
“Now that we’re all settled in, what would you think of maybe giving Sophie a baby brother?”
Aaron choked on his lemonade. Large splashes of it sliced cold sweetness across his shirt.
“Are you insane? I just got used to one. What the hell makes you think we need two?”
“Well, then, how about a dog?” Spencer asked, the corners of his mouth hinting at a smile.
“You set me up like that just to get a dog? Why don’t you give me a fuc—flipping heart att—”
“Doggie!” Sophie called from their feet.
“Wait, what? How could she know the sign for dog?” Aaron asked aloud, looking down at Sophie bouncing at his feet.
“Turn around,” Jane said with a laugh as she came up to stand beside them.
Aaron turned to see an adorable black-and-white dog trotting into their backyard. He was collarless but clean, bounding across the grass in the best strides his little legs could carry him. Which weren’t much.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t need another living being dropped in the middle of my life,” Aaron said, frustrated.
Just then a small boy jogged into the yard. His glaringly yellow Pokémon shirt shone bright in the midday sun. Sandy red hair curled around his ears. He scanned the yard quickly.
“No,” he said, turning to look at Spencer. “We’re not keeping it.”
A laugh exploded from Spencer, startling the boy, who seemed to finally realize there were other people in the yard.
“Sorry, I’m just looking for Sam. He got away from me while I was giving him a bath!” The boy scurried over to the dog. He pulled a thin collar and leash from his pocket and slipped them on the little guy with ease. He couldn’t, however, get Sam to stop exploring the bushes. After a few minutes, a woman in a tank top and midthigh jean shorts came around the corner of the house. Her sandy red hair matched that of the boy. So did her smile.
“I thought we didn’t have neighbors,” Aaron muttered.
“Ian, did you—oh good, you found him!” the woman cried before seeing the other people in the yard. “Goodness, you must be the new neighbors. Hi, I’m Cassie. My husband, Jim, and I live next door. This is our son, Ian.”
When Spencer didn’t say anything, Aaron waved at the woman, who was trying not to look at his scars and failing.
“I’m Aaron. This is my husband, Spencer, our daughter, Sophie, and our friend Jane,” he explained, ignoring Spencer’s little gasp as he called Sophie their daughter for the first time.
“Oh, it’s so great to meet you! My cousin Dillon is gay too. I think it’s just great.”
“Uhm, thank you, we’re pretty happy about it too.” Aaron tried to ignore the hiccupping giggles Spencer covered by rubbing his face.
“Well, we should get on home and let you guys, uhm, get back to what you were doing.” Cassie held a hand out to Ian. They wandered toward the front of the house, practically dragging the dog.
“Wow, that wasn’t awkward,” Jane said, and Spencer let out his giggles with gusto.
Aaron dropped down onto the grass with an exasperated sigh.
“You people are trying to kill me.”
Sophie plopped down into his lap. He looked down at her and she smiled up, a beautiful, angelic smile. Aaron hugged her to him. When she pulled back, she gazed up again.
“Doggie, Aaron?”
Aaron sighed, but for the first time it was more exasperated joy than irritation.
“Yeah, Sophie, we’ll get you a doggie.”
JP BARNABY, an award-winning gay romance novelist, is the author of over two dozen books, including Aaron and the Little Boy Lost Series. She recently moved from Chicago to Atlanta to appease her Camaro, who didn’t like the blustery winters. JP specializes in recovery romance, but slips in a few e
rotic or comedic stories to spice things up. When she’s not hanging out with hot guys in leather, she binge-watches superheroes and crime dramas on Netflix. A physics geek, she likes the science side of sci-fi and wants to grow up to be Reed Richards.
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Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Survivor Stories
© 2017 J.P. Barnaby.
Aaron previously published by Dreamspinner Press, October 2012.
Ben previously published by Dreamspinner Press, March 2016. First Edition published as Painting Fire on the Air by Dreamspinner Press, September 2013.
Spencer previously published by Dreamspinner Press, March 2014.
Anthony previously published by Dreamspinner Press, June 2016.
Sophie previously published by Dreamspinner Press, March 2017.
Bundle Cover Design
© 2017 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Aaron Cover Art
© 2012 Pride Media.
Ben Cover Art
© 2016 AngstyG www.angstyg.com
Spencer Cover Art
© 2014 AngstyG www.angstyg.com
Anthony Cover Art
© 2016 AngstyG www.angstyg.com
Sophie Cover Art
© 2017 AngstyG www.angstyg.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-597-2
Published September 2017
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America