by J. Castle
“How?” I asked. We really didn’t have a plan.
“We just will. That’s all there is to it.” He gave me a hug and a warm kiss on my cheek. “Do you have your bus ticket? We’re going to be late if we don’t get going.” It seemed like he was trying to change the subject.
“I was going to buy the ticket at the station.”
“Well then we need to get going,” Ethan said as tried to hurry us out the door.
“Wait,” I stopped him. “What if I wanted to stay here?”
“What about New Hampshire and your family?”
“Don’t worry about them for a minute. What if I stayed?”
Ethan froze and looked me in the eyes. “That would make me the happies boy in D.C.”
Epilogue
Ethan
5 Years later
“Come on, Danny! You’re going to be late for school!” Andy shouted Friday morning as he tried to tie his tie in our bedroom. Andy was really the one running behind, not Danny. Andy was offered a job with a non-profit shortly after we moved to D.C. He had just received a well-deserved promotion and today was his first day as the director of his organization. He was responsible for coordinating food programs in underserved cities.
We got married two years after we graduated. Some people like long engagements and big weddings but we got hitched in a very small ceremony at the courthouse. It was so much easier than having to plan and pay for a larger gathering. Out parents flew in for it and served as our witnesses. It was the first time they all met each other. We were both surprised how well they got along with each other.
We had since moved into an apartment significantly larger than our first studio and had room for child. We adopted Danny three months ago. He was 10 years old and had been in foster care his entire life. He bounced from home to home and Andy and I were eager to provide him some stability. Our parents wanted to come meet their new grandson, but we wanted to give him time to adjust to his new life.
They were coming to visit this weekend. They brought an insane number of gifts for Danny and showered him with their hugs and kisses, warmly welcoming him to the family. The day after they arrived in the city our mothers offered to watch Danny so our dads could take us out to the pub for some beers.
My dad bought the first round. “To Danny!” we all toasted. Andy and I were a bit nervous our dads wouldn’t take so warmly to him. My brothers all had children of their own now and I didn’t know if my father would feel the same about him as he did his biological grandchildren.
“I’m really happy for you two guys,” my dad said to Andy and me. “You’re really doing great in this city.”
“Thanks,” I said. “So, what do you think of Danny?” I asked him quietly, so Andy and his dad couldn’t hear.
“He’s great!” he exclaimed. So much for trying to keep the conversation quiet.
“You really think so?” I asked. “You don’t mind that he isn’t your biological grandchild?”
“Of course not!”
“Good grandparents love all of their grandchildren regardless of where they might come from,” Andy’s dad interjected into the conversation. “Jane and I think Danny is a great addition and the three of you are welcome in Bowington anytime!”
“And Savanah,” my dad added.
Andy was really surprised by his father’s reaction. While he had accepted that his son married a guy, Andy was still worried that his dad was disappointed his son wouldn’t be passing on the family name. Now it seemed he didn’t mind at all.
When we walked back to the apartment, Andy and my dad took the lead, as I walked behind them with Andy’s dad. “Are you sure you’re not upset that Danny isn’t your biological grandson?” I asked him.
“Absolutely. Why?”
“Well Andy was always worried that you expected him to continue the family, and Danny really isn’t a Taylor.”
“Listen,” he said. “Maybe I thought like that a few years ago, but you and Andy will still pass something down. Your dad and I raised two exceptional men from small boys. That’s what we pass on, that’s what we leave behind. You and Andy will do the same with Danny. He might not biologically be a Taylor or a Martin but every day he becomes more of one. Family is more than blood. It’s how you’re brought up. And with you by Andy’s side I know that Danny is in good hands.” He patted me on the back and we walked up the steps to the apartment.
Books By This Author
Men Will Be Men: A Gay Age Gap Romance
When I saw my new neighbor, Mike Parker, move in across the street I never would have guessed that I would fall for him. He was much older, and I was straight.
After mowing his lawn one day, I couldn’t say no when he offered to let me cool off in his pool. When he wrapped me in his arms in a towel afterwards, I knew I needed to be with him, even if my parents thought he was too old for me.
Men Will Be Men: A Gay Age Gap Romance is a stand alone story with a happy for now ending, no cheating, and Ryan’s first time with Mike.
This story contains consenting adults in adult situations and is for adult readers.
