"Hi, baby boy. How are you and the boys? Having a good time?"
I heard laughing again, and then I heard a giggle over the line. "Hey, Vali. I learned to swim. I'm like the black Michael Phelps now, man. I don't need those plastic things or nothin'. When you comin' back? Uncle Quinn is talkin' 'bout takin' us guys campin'. Gray and me been lookin' into home school stuff so Sha…Ray and me are caught up when school starts in the fall. Mike will be a year ahead of me, but we'd still go to the same school. Think we can get a place here to live?"
It was a whirlwind, talking to Dee, but his enthusiasm was contagious. "Well, maybe. I'll have to talk to Gray about it, but I'm glad you learned to swim. We'll figure out the camping thing. Either you guys will be back here in a few weeks, or I'll be back in Waco. Is your brother around?" I asked, anxious to talk to Rashad as well.
"Naw. He's with Cody at the mall. Cody's makin' sure he knows some of the guys so when we start school here, he'll have friends. I gotta go, Vali. Aunt Cara just got here with Sila. I'm babysittin' her so they can all go to a party. Gramma's gonna be here to make sure we don't burn down the house. Can we talk tomorrow?" Dee asked.
I couldn't help but smile. "Sure, Dee. Have fun, and watch Sila, she's sneaky," I teased.
He giggled and then I heard Gray's voice. "Take her bag up to your room. You and Rashad can sleep in Derek's bed tonight, and I'll take the couch. Move your stuff so Aunt Cara has room for hers. Derek?"
"Yeah, babe. Sounds busy," I offered.
I heard a door close and it was silent. "Derek, I've tried to stem the talk when the boys are around, but Mom, Dad, and Cara, as well as Quinn and Mari, have the boys convinced we're staying here. When we have to come back to Austin, they're going to be upset. Cody and Rashad are joined at the hip, and Dee thinks the Tucker kids walk on water. I'm not sure what to do," he explained quietly. The worry was evident in his voice. I didn't have to see the concern on his face to know it was eating him up.
Hell, I was with him. "Look, I'm not either, but we'll figure something out. I need to do a little work and I've got some things I need to do around the house. I love you and miss you more than anything. Have fun at the party. I might call you to say goodnight, okay?"
"Sure. I love you, as well. I'll have my phone with me," he responded. We said good-bye and hung up. It sounded as if he and the boys were settling into life in Waco, which was something to consider. Was I really ready to live that close to my parents? God help us all.
Eighteen
Gray
The party at the Driscolls' wasn't exactly my cup of tea without Derek. People knew who I was…people I didn't know…so I felt like a lab specimen. Samantha gave me a notebook full of homes in the area that were for sale and rent, and Clay spent his time following Cara around the yard like a dog in heat as she caught up with old high school friends.
When we climbed into the Camaro at the end of the night, I could see both of us were relieved. "Was that as painful for you as it was for me?" I asked.
"Hell yeah. How about you, Token Gay Man," she teased. Samantha Driscoll had actually welcomed me with that phrase.
"YIPPEE! I'd bet my friends back in Shreveport would be so jealous that we have a token gay man in our social circle. You should join my book club. We'd love to have ya. We're tryin' to broaden our minds by readin' gay fiction. I bet you could explain it to us better than we can understand it by the readin'. We're not sure what edge play or frottage is. I've hesitated lookin' it up in case somebody's monitorin' my internet activity. If you're free on Thursday, maybe you could explain it to us?" Thankfully, Cara sensed my distress and came to my rescue. She was a great sister-in-law.
"Yeah, well, if we ever consider moving here, I want to make it clear I have no desire to be friends with that woman or that asshole she calls a husband. They don't strike me as the kind of people Quinn and Mari would befriend. I wonder what's the deal?" I asked.
Cara laughed. "Quinn and Mari are just playing the Chamber of Commerce game. It's in his best interests to keep Samantha as a friendly acquaintance. When new families move into the area, Samantha Driscoll can include the garage in her service book, which brings in new business for Quinn free of charge. It's a smart idea." I agreed, but that didn't mean I liked the couple.
We arrived at Mom and Dad's, finding five of the younger kids on the living room floor on pallets. It was a tangle of arms and legs, but they were all sleeping soundly so we didn't disturb them.
We went upstairs to our rooms to change, and when I opened Derek's bedroom door, I found Rashad and Cody in our bed sound asleep. They both looked very relaxed, so I quietly grabbed my pajamas and headed down the hall to the bathroom to change and brush my teeth before Cara got in there.
When I came out of the room, Cara was standing there in a ratty t-shirt and sweat pants. "Classy," I teased as I skirted around her.
"Fuck off. I was gonna offer you my bed to share, but I might reconsider after that smart-ass comment. I peeked into your room and saw the boys had your bed. I trust you'll keep your hands to yourself," she teased with a bright 'Cara' smile which Sila imitated quite handily.
I laughed as I went to her room. "I get the left side," I whisper shouted before I climbed into her bed. I settled on the left side of her bed and fell asleep before she came back.
The next morning when I woke, I was looking into the eyes of three little girls…Tina and Nita Tucker, and Sila Valentine. They were giggling, and I had no idea why.
"What's up, ladies?" I asked. I was a little hoarse from sleep, and they began laughing loudly.
"You look pretty," Nita stated. Sila produced a hand mirror from behind her back and handed it to me before the three of them started giggling uncontrollably.
I sat up and took the mirror, blinking a few times because my eyes were blurry. When my vision cleared, I saw the last thing I wanted to see. Barrettes and sparkly bobby pins in my hair. Green, glittery eye shadow on my eyes. Bright pink cheeks and orange lips. I must have slept like the dead not to feel any of it.
"What have you three done to me?" I teased as if I was upset. I wasn't mad, but I did pray Cara had something that would get all that shit off me.
"We made you pretty so when you go downstairs and see Uncle Derek, he'll kiss you," Tina explained. All I heard was "downstairs" and "Derek." I was up from the bed and down the stairs without a second thought.
When I landed in the kitchen and saw Derek sitting on a stool as Addy made cinnamon rolls, I threw myself at him. It had been too long since I'd seen him. My lips landed on his as he grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap.
Our tongues danced until we heard little giggles and not-so-little giggles. I pulled back from Derek and saw a big smile on his face…an orange, lipstick smile. "Well, seems my husband is auditioning to become my wife?" he teased.
I grabbed a napkin off the counter and wiped his mouth then mine. "I'm the victim of a makeup bomb by our niece and our goddaughters. When did you get here?"
"Just an hour ago. I tried to sneak in, but they were all sleeping in the living room. I needed to see you and be with you. We have decisions to make," he stated quietly. He was right. We had a lot of decisions to make.
~#~
Six Months Later
I stood next to Derek in front of a Judge. Her name was Henrietta Scott, and she had a very mean scowl on her face as she looked at the two of us.
"What qualifies the two of you as the right foster parents for Rashad and Dewayne Vaughn?" she snapped at us as Perry stood next to us, the perpetual look of worry on his handsome face. I took a deep breath.
"Your Honor, on any given day, Derek and I wouldn't be pegged as anything special. We're two, married gay men who try to look out for those about whom we care. He's a Texas Ranger, and I'm a social worker. We try to teach Rashad and Dee right from wrong, how to be respectable and productive citizens, and how to treat the people they encounter as they wish to be treated by those same people. Sometimes we get our lessons across, but sometime
s it takes telling them a few times before it sinks in. At the end of the day, we're just men," I began my speech.
It was our one shot at pleading our case regarding why we deserved to be granted custody of Rashad and Dewayne Vaughn.
Derek cleared his throat. "Judge Scott, Gray and I have done everything we could to protect the Vaughn brothers. We believe it's in their best interests for us to relocate them out of the State of Texas for their own safety. With this Court's assistance, we believe we can offer them a new life full of love and familial support.
"I have an offer of a position as a deputy sheriff in Pasco County. We're looking for a house in Clearwater, and we've researched schools and activities for the boys in the area where we'd like to live. We're prepared to offer them a new life," Derek further explained.
Deputy Sheriff was a downgrade from being a Texas Ranger, but Derek was committed to taking the job. We'd sold our house in Austin, and as tempting as it was to settle in Waco, we'd decided against it. We also thanked Marisol for the offer of her eggs, but we declined.
We were both devoted to having Rashad and Dewayne as our sons…whether figuratively or literally, and we believed the best place to do it was anywhere but Texas due to the fact Derek never wanted Mr. Morales to decide he was owed another favor. If we could convince the Judge to allow us to take the boys to Florida, it would be a wonderful new start for the Vaughn-Valentine family. We'd have a better chance of adopting them in Florida as well.
Judge Scott looked at the other table in the room…the table where my former colleagues sat, waiting to offer judgment regarding whether Derek and I would be proper parents.
Inez Barnes stood and smiled at the Judge. "Your Honor, I can tell you for a fact Gray and Derek Valentine are the perfect parents for the minor children in this proceeding. They've proven to my office they only have the boys' best interests at heart. I provide an affidavit from Marietta Flores, as guardian ad litem, in support of my findings as the case worker assigned," Inez stated.
Inez approached the bench behind which the Judge was sitting and offered her a piece of paper. She then handed one to Perry, our lawyer. He gave it a cursory read, having already perused it carefully. If the stars and the moon aligned, those boys would be our foster children, which was the first step toward a happy life for our family.
Over the months since we'd taken the boys into hiding, we'd been granted temporary custody, and we'd jumped every hurdle to ensure we could be their foster parents. Ray had to actually come clean with Marietta Flores, his and Dee's court-appointed guardian ad litem, regarding his sexual orientation during one of the interviews required by the Court, and she'd agreed we might be the best influence for a young man who identified as gay at such a young age. She also agreed there was no way in heaven he and Dee should be split up because they depended on each other too much and had already endured far too many hardships, so we were there in Court to hear our fate. My gut was in knots.
We had already made plans to relocate to Clearwater after sharing the Christmas holidays with our family and good friends, and I prayed the boys would be going with us when we moved. It was up to the lady in the black robe.
For the last six months, we'd enjoyed so many things as a family it would be sacrilege to take them away from us. I remembered the recent Halloween, and I held the smile inside because I didn't want to give the Judge any reason to look unfavorably upon us as parents, but it was funny as hell.
"I don't think he's gonna like it," I told Dee as we sat at the computer in the middle of October. We were planning Halloween trick-or-treating and a party he and Rashad wanted to have at the house we'd rented in Waco. They were in school there, and we'd been granted temporary custody pending investigation.
Dee was totally into it because he'd never gone trick-or-treating. He'd seen things on TV about it but had never been allowed to experience it himself. Rashad told me the two of them usually spent that night locked in the closet because it was a busy night for Rhonda. If I ever saw that bitch…
Dee laughed. "Gray, it fits him. Can we just order it?" he asked as he hauled out a much larger bag of change he'd saved over time because we gave both boys an allowance for doing chores around the house. Dee began counting it and I stopped him.
"You do that for sympathy, don't you? I know better than to think you're going to spend your money on a costume for Derek," I chastised with a smirk.
He laughed. "Maybe, but he is the best Superman I ever knowed. He's Superman to me and Ray," he pointed out. I had to agree. Derek Valentine was our Superman.
When the costume arrived, Derek wasn't happy at first, but Dee Vaughn was a persuasive young man, and on Halloween when we walked the boys around the neighborhood so they could collect candy before the party we had with the family, Derek proudly stood next to Lois Lane (me), Jimmy (Dee, our resident photographer), and Perry White…or Perry Black. Rashad wore an old tweed jacket and ugly tie we'd found at the Goodwill and I sprayed some white hair tint into his curly, black hair to make him appear like an older man.
We had quite a nice time that night, trick or treating with the Tuckers and then the party at our little rental house with the whole family. Cara even came into town with Sila. It was wonderful.
"I'm going to take all of this information into consideration. Court is in recess until 1:30 PM," she stated as she stood. We all followed suit and after she walked out of the room, we turned to Perry. The boys were sitting in the row behind us with Addy and Rick, and we were all nervous.
"Okay, why don't we go down the street and get something to eat? We have an hour and a half. Let's get some fresh air," Perry suggested.
We were in Austin for the hearing, and we were actually staying with Tyrone and Kye. They'd relocated to Austin six months prior because they decided to open their own gym in town. At the time I heard about it, I was excited to have my friends nearby, but it was going to be short lived because we ended staying in Waco because the boys needed the friends and family who lived there. Much like me, they’d never had that love of family, and I knew from experience it was important for them to feel a part of our family. I prayed the Judge agreed with me.
Kye and Tyrone had recently bought a nice house not far from their new gym. It had become an overnight sensation and there was a waiting list for some of the classes they taught. They were in negotiations regarding whether they were ready for a baby, and they’d looked into surrogacy. I truly hoped they'd have good luck because they'd been so great with the boys while we'd been in Austin the previous weekend. They loved doing things with the boys and had taken them to the gym on Saturday afternoon to go swimming in the indoor pool so Derek and I could have some time alone.
"You and Big D care if we take the boys to the gym so they can go swimmin'?" Ty asked. I was pressing things to get ready for the hearing on Monday, while Derek was having lunch with Craig Baxter. Craig and Ethan Glass were still together, but Ethan was finishing up his law degree. He was set to graduate in December, and he was going to work at a branch office of the firm where Cara worked while he studied for the bar exam. He and I spoke at least once a week, and I missed him.
I looked up at Tyrone and smiled. "You don't have to do that, Ty. I know we're inconveniencing you guys, but I appreciate you and Kye allowing us to stay here. I'm just nervous, and I think the kids can sense it. That's why they're both a little snappy. They don't wanna be taken away from us any more than we want them to be," I explained and apologized at the same time.
He walked over to me and took the iron, flipping it off and placing it on the ironing board. "Boss, I'd suggest you let us take the boys to the gym and you call your husband to get his ass back here so the two of you can work off some excess energy," he suggested with a smile.
Without waiting for me to answer, he picked up my cell from the edge of the ironing board and began typing in a text. The wicked smile alerted me it was something naughty he was doing. He handed it back to me and smiled. "Little brothers! Let's go swimmin'," he yelled.
I heard cheers and scrambling just as my phone chimed. I glanced down, seeing it was a text from Derek.
Holy shit! I'm on my way. I even left Craig with the bill! Love you, baby boy. D
I scrolled up to see the message Tyrone had sent.
I'm burnin alive to have your hot cock in my ass. House is empty. Get back here. G
I laughed as I helped the boys find swim suits and towels. After they left, I finished ironing things, and as I was hanging them up in the closet, Derek ran into the house. "Where the fuck are you?"
"Upstairs in our room," I yelled. He was there in a shot, and I was naked before I even knew what hit me. He had me riding his cock in record time because it had been a while since we'd had privacy to make love.
"Oh, God, yeah," Derek moaned as he attached his lips to my left nipple. He was sitting up on the bed with me securely held in his arms. I was bouncing on his cock like a fucking pogo stick, and I was trying to keep from coming, but it was growing increasingly difficult. The man's uncut cock was my weakness.
We fucked like we hadn't done in quite a while. Having two young boys living with us, along with the constant worry Addy would just 'drop in' when she felt like it had restrained our sex life. It was nice to have the freedom to go wild.
After we both shot off, nearly simultaneously, we settled on the bed with me resting on top of him. "This was a…great…fucking idea," Derek panted out. I damn well agreed.
We walked to a small Italian restaurant down the street from the courthouse. Just as we were heading inside, we heard, "Hey Valentine!" Derek looked up and smiled, seeing Daniel Offer jogging down the street.
Daniel was assigned to the FBI's Austin Field Office, and he and Derek had worked on the Corner/Perkins case together back when Derek worked for HPD. They'd both been active in the arrest of both, Cary Saunders and Josh Moore, and they'd both testified regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest in Key West when Derek and I got married.
A Valentine's Loves (The Valentine's Trilogy Book 3) Page 14