by C. E. Wilson
Justin stuck out his hand, and John shook it. Hunter ran to the other boy’s rooms to wake them so they could let John check their backs. Justin picked up Jordan and carried him back into his room and put him back in bed with Steve. He went right back to sleep.
Justin went to his own room and picked up his duffel bag and found Hunter in the hall. He gave him a kiss and told him he would call him when he left the judge’s office. Justin left the house heading for the courthouse.
Chapter 14
Justin walked up to the steps to the courthouse, and he stopped at the bottom step. He remembered the last time he was here. It wasn’t for a good reason, and he couldn’t help but shudder at the thought. Walking up those steps took his whole family away from him. Now walking up the steps, he hoped it would be the start of his own family. He went up the stairs and straight to Judge Stone’s office. He was standing out in the hallway, talking to a man when he saw Justin coming toward him. He excused himself and took Justin into his chambers.
“What can I do for you today, Justin? How’s the little boy that Hunter brought to the house last night?”
“That’s what I want to talk to you about Judge Stone. I want to adopt him. He stole my heart, and I want him. Dr. Willis was there and checked him out this morning. He has a bad infection in his privates. It seems the mother sexually abused him, among other things. He’s going to be on antibiotics for a while to clear it all up.”
“I’ll have to call John and get that verified, then I can throw the book at both of them. I have never seen a child that bad before. So, you want to adopt him, do you?”
“Yes sir, Dr. Willis said to call him after we talk. Hunter wants to adopt Steve, as well. I’m on my way out of town. I have to go to Columbus to take my state board tomorrow, but I wanted to see you first. Do you think I can adopt him?”
“I have to terminate the parent’s rights to the child, but I was going to do that anyway. When that’s done, you can apply to adopt him and have me sign it, and we are good to go. I’ll get in touch with the CPS worker and tell her what we have going here. I won’t let anyone else adopt. We don’t usually let anyone adopt the boys when they get to the house. They need too much to let them in a new home. That’s why Sam and I set that house up.”
“I want to work with the boys until I’m too old to be of any use. I love those boys. For all they have been through, those boys are so good and well behaved. They all love Hunter like he was their father.”
“How do you feel about Hunter?”
Justin smiled. “Yeah, I think you set that up. It worked. We see each other. The boys all know, and they are happy that Hunter is happy. I think when everything is said and done that we’ll be married.”
The judge chuckled. Then he sobered up really quickly. “If you get married, you’re still both staying at the house, aren’t you?”
“Oh yeah, neither one of us would want to leave there. Well, I better get on the road. I have to take the test at eight in the morning and want to get a room for the night.”
“I’ll call you when I terminate their rights. They should have never had them to start with. He’s a cute boy. I hate to see all that done to this small child.”
“Yeah, me too. That was so wrong. He rode on my back upstairs and said he had never ridden piggyback before. What kind of father wouldn’t take the boy on a piggyback ride? I know everything else that happened to him is worse, but it just hurt me that he could say that.”
“I agree. If you talk to Hunter before tomorrow, tell him that I’m sending the CPS lady over to get him to sign some papers, then she will bring them to me, and Hunter will be a new father. Steve has always been his favorite.”
Justin nodded and left, heading for his truck. As soon as he was headed down the road, he told Siri to call Hunter. Hunter answered, and he told him all that the judge said. Hunter was amazed that it was all it was going to take to adopt Steve. He was glad that Justin could adopt Jordan as well. He had already fallen in love with the little boy. Steve had too. He was showing Jordan the house and everything they were allowed to do and not allowed to do. Jordan was feeling better since John had his prescriptions sent to the house, and with the two different antibiotics, he was feeling better.
The first thing Jordan wanted to know is where Justin was. When Hunter explained to him, he seemed disappointed but came to terms with it. Steve introduced him to all the other boys, and Simon took up with him right away. Carson had a smart remark about a little kid, and Steve told him off. He now accepted Jordan as all the other boys did as well.
Justin got to Columbus early enough to eat dinner and get his room. He drove to the address to take his test just to make sure he knew where he was going. He stopped at a diner and had a lovely meal then went back to his room. He went inside and laid down on the bed staring at the tiles. He looked at his watch and decided it was still early enough to call Hunter. He dialed Hunter’s cell, and he answered right away. “Hey, babe. How is everything going?”
“Pretty good. Jordan is getting used to everyone and getting settled. John’s mother came by with more clothes than he’ll ever wear and more toys than will fit in his room. She said she would be back next week with a few more things. I think John created a monster.”
“At least he won’t have to sleep in his underwear. I hope she brought him some pajamas, or we’re going to have to get him some when I get home.”
“Oh, he has plenty of pajamas and everything else. You won’t have to wash his clothes except for once a month and still have plenty of clothes. I swear she bought him thousands of dollars’ worth of things.”
“That’s good. I wanted to get him a few things, but I guess I don’t need to now. I’ll just save up the money and get him clothes when he needs them again. Anything else good happen today?”
“As of three today, I’m Steve’s father. The lady was here at two, and I signed the papers. She said she would take them to the judge, and he would sign them, and then I would get his birth certificate in the mail in about ten days.”
“That’s such good news, Hunter. I’m so happy for you and Steve. I bet he’s happy too. I know he loves you, dearly.”
“Yes, he does, and I love him like a son. You didn’t let me finish the good news for today. She also had papers for Jordan to be adopted by you. She was going to get you to sign them today, and the judge is supposed to have a hearing tomorrow to terminate the parent’s rights, then he was going to sign your papers. She left them and said she would be back Thursday to pick them up, and he’ll be your son.”
“Does Jordan know?”
“No, I didn’t tell him and told Steve not to tell him either. So that’ll be your news to him when you get home. I know he loves you. I could see it in his eyes when he found out you had to leave and won’t be back until Thursday.”
“I’ll try to get back tomorrow night, but I can’t promise. It depends on how long this test takes. Hopefully, it’ll be over early enough I can make the drive home. I miss you and the boys. Speaking of the boys. How many need tats of the four?”
“Mark for sure, but he still has a little while until he is sixteen. Michael and Dalton both need tats, but John thought that Sean could have surgery and correct the scars. He isn’t bad at all. John has a friend that’s a plastic surgeon, and he’s going to bring him over and check it. So, Michael is the oldest of them and has five months before his birthday, so he’ll have to go right after Simon.”
“I’ll take him on the last Saturday that Simon goes. I’ll let him pick out a tat that he wants and have Levi make sure it’ll fit.”
“Yeah, because he asked me if he was going to have to have a dragon like Simon, but I told him what you said about that. He can pick out what he wants on his back. He said something about an angel.”
“Levi is good at angels. He has a book dedicated to nothing but angels. I’m sure Michael can find one that he likes. Then Levi will center it to absorb his scars. I can’t wait until Simon is finished, and we can s
ee the finished picture. You’ll see how good Levi is at it.”
“I’ve seen your tattoo remember. I see that he does great work. I love your tattoo. I want to touch it.”
“You can touch my tattoo if I can see your chest that you're bragging about.”
Hunter laughed. “What is this you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine?”
“Sounds like it, doesn’t it? I guess I better go and get some sleep so I can be there at eight in the morning and get this over with so I can come home.”
“Yeah, you better. I want you to get your license so you can stay here with us. I’m sure the judge wouldn’t care one way or the other, but you do need the license.”
“All right, babe. I’ll call you when I head home.”
“Ok, be careful on your way home. I just got you, and I don’t want to lose you already.”
“I’m not going anywhere, babe, except home to you.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Justin got his shower and went to bed. He set the alarm on his phone to get up at six, so he could have time to get some coffee before he went to take the test. He went right to sleep.
The alarm went off at six, he got up, got dressed, and packed up his overnight bag. He checked out of the motel and headed for the diner to get coffee. He got his coffee and went to the building where his test was. He found the room he had to take the test in. He went inside and sat down and was sipping his coffee when a man came in. He smiled at Justin and sat down at a big desk in front. He said, “I assume that your Justin Redmond?”
“Yes, I am.”
“We are waiting for two more people, then we can start the test. It’s not a very hard test, so I’m sure you will do well. I’ll grade the test when you’re finished, so you’ll know if you passed or if you have to reschedule.”
“Oh, that’s good. I figured it would take a while to grade the test and send me the results.”
“No, you’ll know when you leave here.”
Two women walked in and took their seats. The monitor smiled at them and got up and passed out the tests, he gave his instructions and set a timer. They had four hours to complete the test.
Justin opened the booklet and started putting his answers on the answer sheet. The test was relatively easy, so he went through the first page quickly. He knew not to go back and second guess himself, so he went to the next page. Justin finished the test in three hours. He picked up his test and walked up to the monitor and handed him the sheet.
The monitor frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to look back over it? You still have an hour.”
“No, I don’t want to second guess myself and change an answer. I’m pretty sure the answers are correct.”
“Ok, let’s see what we have here.”
The monitor had a sheet with holes in it, and he laid it on Justin’s answer sheet. It was all right except for one wrong. The monitor smiled. “Looks like you passed Mr. Redmond. You only had one wrong answer. Congratulations, Mr. Redmond; you’ll have your license within a week. As soon as I turn your paper in, they will print your license and mail it to you.”
Justin grinned. “Thank you, sir. Do I just leave now?”
“Yes, unless you just want to hang out with me.”
“No, sir, I have a family to get home to.” Justin went out and got in his truck. The first thing he did was call Hunter. Hunter picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, babe. You on a break from the test or something?”
“Nope, I just left there and heading home. I miss you and the boys, so I’m glad I’ll be home in a little while.”
“Did they say when you would hear if you passed it or not?”
“Yes, the monitor for the test already graded it.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me what you got on the test. Did you pass?”
“Maybe I’ll keep you waiting until I get home.”
The line went silent, so Justin thought he was in big trouble.
Chapter 15
Justin looked at the phone and saw it was still connected. “Babe, are you still here?”
A little voice said, “Justin, are you coming home?”
“Yes, Jordan, I’m on my way now. I had to take a test, and I did. Where is Hunter?”
“I don’t know. He handed me the phone and told me to talk to you. I think he’s mad. He told Steve to talk to you when I got done.”
“I heard a lady brought you new clothes and toys. How do you like the toys?”
“I like them a lot. She said she was my grandma, but I don’t remember her. Was she my mom’s mom or my dad’s mom?”
“Neither baby. She’s just a friend of the house. How is your back feeling?”
“It’s better. Steve and Hunter cleaned it and put new band-aids on it. I feel better with the medicine Doctor John gave me. It doesn’t hurt when I pee anymore. Well, not a lot. Maybe a little bit.”
“You’ll feel better in a few days, and then you’ll be ready to play again. Let me talk to Steve.”
Jordan handed the phone to Steve. “Hello, Justin. What do you need?”
“I need to talk to Hunter. Where did he go?”
“I think Dad is mad at you about the test. What did you do fail?”
“No, I just didn’t tell him if I did or not. I was teasing him, and he got angry. Take him the phone, please?”
The silence seemed like it was forever when Hunter finally asked, “What Justin. I thought you wanted to talk when you got home.”
“Baby, I was teasing you. I passed my test with only one wrong, and I can debate that question being wrong because it was an opinion question, not a therapy question. Anyway, I’ll have my license within a week.”
“That’s good news. Jordan is excited you’re on your way home.”
“How is he doing?”
“Well, he can walk up and down the stairs by himself. Steve is usually at his side in case he’s about to fall. I think Steve babies him more than I do. He’s a lot better today than he was when we got him. He’s such a little sweetheart. He’s eating snacks several times a day. I told him when you got home, you might have something to say about it, but John thinks it’s ok since he’s underweight.”
“I’ll do what John says with him until he gains weight up to where he’s supposed to be, then his snacks will be fruit and things like that. I want him to be healthy.”
“His snacks are healthy. He gets fruit, and granola bars, things like that. You know I don’t have junk food in the house. Oh, he likes the yogurt as well. He likes the fruit flavors the best. I got him some grapes, and he loves them. When you get home, we’ll have to go get some more gauze. We’re just about out.”
“What are the boys saying about you being Steve’s father?”
“They’re all fine with it. Simon thinks you’re going to adopt him. He said he knew you and he had a connection with your tats. I don’t know what you’re going to do about that, Justin. It’ll break his heart if you don’t adopt him too.”
“I told you before we got Jordan, I wanted to adopt him, but he was only going to be with us for another two years. I’ll talk to the judge and see if I can get both boys. It’ll give Steve and Jordan a big brother.”
“Steve, how does he get a big brother?”
“When we get married, we’ll have three boys and be a happy family. As long as you or I don’t leave, the judge is good with it. He told me that when I talked to him about Jordan.”
“Do I have anything to say about us getting married? Did you plan the wedding as well? I think we need to talk about this in person. You need to figure out how you’re going to explain all these plans you have for me.”
“I can explain it right now, Hunter. I love you, and I want you to be my husband. As a family, we’ll run the house. It’s not hard to figure out.”
“Can you say that again? I don’t think I heard what you said for sure.”
“Do you mean about the part where I said that I love you and want you to be my
husband?”
“Yeah, that was the part. So, you did say that, didn’t you? That really happened?”
“Yes, I said that and meant every word of it. What do you have to say about it?”
The line was silent for a long time. Finally, Hunter said, “I don’t know what to say, Justin. Come home, and we’ll talk about it and see if this is what we both want. I need some time to wrap my head around all of this. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.”
“I’ll let you go then so you can wrap your head around that I love you, and then maybe you’ll have something to say when I get there. I do love you, Hunter, bye,” Justin said as he hung up. He didn’t know what to think. He had all this planned out, and now Hunter isn’t with him on this, so he doesn’t know what to do now.
Hunter looked at the phone and shook his head. He laid it down on the counter and stared at it. Steve walked up to him and stared at him. “Dad, are you all right?”
Hunter snapped out of it and looked at Steve. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just don’t know what to think of what Justin just said.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he loved me and wants to get married, and as a family, we can run the house. What do you think I should do?”
Steve smirked. “You do realize you’re asking a twelve-year-old about your love life? How do you feel about Justin?”
“I am crushing on him hard, but I don’t think I love him. I don’t know since I have never been in love before. He would be a good match for me. We could be a family and run this house like he said, I just don’t know Steve. Would you want Justin to be one of your dads?”
“I like Justin, all right. You need to pick who you want, not what I want. I think we could be a family just fine; I love Jordan. He’s a sweet little boy. That way, I can be his big brother for real.”
“I guess I just need to figure out how I feel about Justin. We are going to have a talk when he gets home tonight and get everything straightened out. I miss him, but I don’t think that means I love him. It just means that I’m used to him being around, and now he isn’t.”
