by C. E. Wilson
“I still don’t like it, but I’m not going to argue with him about it.”
“Next time we go up there, we will take your car and let Dad see it, and before we leave, he will have a brand-new caddy sitting there for you to drive home. He will ask what kind of vehicle you like and that will be the end of it. He will probably get you one of the new Navigators. I hope so, love those SUVs.”
“If you love them, why don’t you ask Dad to get you one. I would feel better about it if he got it for you. If he insists, I have a new one I’ll take your Lexus. That will be a new car for me.”
“No babe you’re not getting my Lexus. I had to buy that one. You can drive it all you want, but you can’t have it. I’ll tell Dad you like the Lexus, but I think since we already have one that we need a Navigator, especially when we get the kids.”
“Yeah, I can see that, but I hate for Dad to buy us a house and me a car. I don’t want to seem like a leech. I want to pay my own way. I’m glad Dad has the money, but that is his money, not mine.”
“Babe, he has more than he can spend. Trust me, Mom has tried. They still have most of the money he was left. The only big expenses they had was their house and Susan’s house and then a vehicle for Susan. If I didn’t already have the Lexus, he would have bought me one; so now he can just buy it for you instead of me. We will both own both cars anyway.”
“All right babe. I’m not going to argue about it. When were you planning on going? If it is before getting my cast off your going to have to drive.”
“Yeah, I’ll drive. I was thinking about next week before I have to go back to work. That way we can stay the night and then come back home.”
“That sounds good babe. By that time, we would-be stir-crazy staying in the house all the time.”
“As soon as you feel like it, we are going to go out to dinner. It is my treat.”
“No, John what did we say when we first met. I pay my way, and you pay your way. If we go out, I will pay for my food.”
“Well, that was before we decided to get married. I think that we should pool our money and pay for everything from that.”
“We will babe when we get married. Until then, I will pay for mine, and you pay for yours. I love you, John.”
John chuckled. “I love you too, Clayton. Now, where do we want to go to dinner? If you’re up to it, we will go tomorrow night.”
“I don’t know maybe somewhere Italian. You know I love Italian food. Do you know of a place near here that serves Italian?”
“We have an Olive Garden about two miles from here. How about that? They have a dish you would like called a taste of Italy. It has different dishes on it. Lasagna, spaghetti, and another one I don’t remember what it is. It looks good. Do you want to go there?”
“Yeah, that would be nice. We will go there. Remember that dish. I want that.”
“So, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
“Anything you make is good, so I’m not fussy. A bologna sandwich would be good. Yeah, I know but remember I put myself through college. I ate a lot of bologna sandwiches and peanut butter sandwiches. It grows on you.”
“I think now we can afford better than bologna and peanut butter. How about a steak and mashed potatoes and gravy? Maybe some green beans to go with that?”
“Sounds like I’m going to be a very happy man the rest of my life. I guess we need to look for rings when my cast comes off. I don’t want to do it now because I think maybe I have some swelling. It would make the ring too big when it went down.”
“Do you want matching rings?”
“Oh yeah, that’s for sure. I want everyone to know you’re my husband. I have no problem with matching rings.”
“I guess we need to work on who we want to invite so Mom can get the invitations out. I have a few friends but not many. She said something about a registry at a store, but I don’t think between the two houses that we need anything. Just one of our houses has everything we need. Combined, we have way too much.”
“I think so too. I don’t need anyone buying me anything. I have you, and that’s all I need.”
“So, who are you going to invite to the wedding?”
“Just my parents and Cathy and Bradley. I don’t know that many people here that I am close enough to invite to our wedding.”
“Would you mind if I invite some of my gay friends?”
“Not at all. We are gay Babe. Of course, we are going to have gay friends. I just don’t know any except the friends of yours that I met at the BBQ, and they all seem nice.”
“The same ones I was going to invite to our wedding. They are your friends too Babe. As long as they are my friends, they are yours.”
“Maybe it will help Bradley not feel so bad about being gay. I think because of the way Dad treated me; he might think that there is something wrong with being gay. He doesn’t like to talk about it to anyone but me and now you too.”
“Maybe when he meets my parents at the wedding then he will see that it isn’t a bad thing to be gay. It is just who we are.”
Clayton nodded, and John got up to start dinner. Clayton watched him for a while smiling. He was so impressed that John could cook so good and be a professional as well. Most people with the money that John has would hire a cook and housekeeper but not John. He did everything himself.
Chapter 18
The day Clayton is to have his cast removed.
John took the day off to take Clayton to get his cast off. They arrived at Carson’s office and was shown into the back. Carson came in, and the nurse had taken an X-ray of his arm. Carson put the X-ray upon the light, and John and Clayton looked at the X-ray as Carson told them what they were looking at. It seemed to be fine, and he would lose the cast today. He would have to do some physical therapy to get it back to what it was before, but everything looked good.
John asked, “Did you get the invitation to a wedding?”
“Yes, we did. Will and I will be there if your dad is going to BBQ. That man has a way with the grill.”
“Yes, he’s going to BBQ and Mom is going to have her ladies cook. So, it will be good food.”
“Then we’ll be there. Clayton let’s get this cast off so you will be pretty when you marry this guy. Just be careful because it isn’t going to be as strong as it was, but you can get it there.”
They left Carson’s office and went to get into the Navigator. John smiled and asked, “Do you want to drive your new Navigator? You don’t have your cast on, and I have the rest of the day off today and then, of course, the weekend. We could go somewhere to celebrate your cast being off.”
“You drive and yeah that sounds good, but where are we going?”
“I have a good idea. We can go up to the mountains and spend the weekend. I have a cabin up there and never get to use it. I thought that we might have a honeymoon this weekend since we can’t have it after the wedding.”
Clayton frowned. “Why haven’t you told me these things? It seems every day it is something new you tell me that I didn’t know before. John if you want a prenup, just say so. I don’t mind signing one. That way, you don’t have to hide things from me.”
“Babe I’m not hiding anything from you, and I don’t need a prenup. I just don’t think about telling you about things until I plan on something. The cabin just never entered my mind until I wanted to take you away for the weekend. It popped in my head that it would be perfect.”
“Ok, let’s go home and pack our clothes.” Clayton would let it drop until something else came up. He wanted to believe John, but for some reason, it left him wondering what was going on with John. It seemed to him that John was just letting him in on what he wanted to, and not what all there was.
Clayton didn’t care about what all John had. He was a lawyer, and he had a little nest egg himself. It wasn’t what John had, but it was enough to make a difference. He just didn’t know what was going on with John.
They got to the house and packed a bag each and started off tow
ard the mountains. They stopped at a little grocery store and got enough groceries to last several days and then headed up the mountain. When they got to the ‘Cabin’ Clayton gasped. The cabin was huge. It would have easily slept, 30 people. Clayton shook his head. How could John forget about this?
John pulled up in front of the cabin and parked the car. He opened his door and got out going around to the back and opened the back doors of the Navigator. He grabbed the groceries and asked, “Clayton, can you grab the bags, babe?”
Clayton got out and got the bags that they had packed and followed John in the front door. It was just as beautiful inside as it was outside. Clayton put the bags down by the front door. He didn’t know where their bedroom was. He grabbed a couple of the bags from John and followed him into the kitchen. They put the food away. Clayton was surprised that the electric was on.
Clayton looked around and said, “John, how could you forget something this beautiful? I don’t understand that. It is like heaven. If it were closer to town, I would tell your Dad I wanted this house. This is not a cabin. This is a house. How many of these cabin’s do you have?”
“Just this one and one in the mountains in North Carolina. I fly down there a couple times a year and spend a week. I love the mountains.”
“Do you have a plane that you forgot to tell me about?”
John laughed. “No, I fly commercial. The one in North Carolina is a lot smaller than this one. I usually rent that one out during the time that I’m not going to use it. We will go next vacation we get.”
“How many bedrooms does this have?”
“I’m using five of the bedrooms. It used to be a lodge and hunting club. I bought it and then remodeled it. The other seven bedrooms I have a weight room in one and a couple of storage rooms, stuff like that. Nothing fancy. Just a home away from home.”
“I love you, John, and don’t want to lose you, but we are from two different worlds. If you say this place isn’t fancy just a home away from home, I am not in your league.”
John turned and looked at Clayton. He walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Clayton. He gave him a passionate kiss and smiled at him. “Babe, you’re a lawyer. How can you say that you’re not in my league? This is material things that don’t matter to me. It is nothing just a cabin. You’re the love of my life. You’re everything that I ever wanted.”
“You’re everything I ever wanted too. I just don’t have anything to compare to what you have. I don’t want to bring you down when you’re on top of the world.”
“Clayton, don’t you see that you are my world. I can’t live without you. I don’t know what else to say about it. Please don’t leave me just because you have the mistaken belief that you are not worthy of me because you are totally worthy of me. I sometimes wonder if I’m worthy of such a good man.”
“Ok enough of this. Let’s just agree that we are worthy of each other. Where is our bedroom? I’ll go put the bags in our room.”
John chuckled. “Down the hall and the first room on the right. I’ll make some lunch.”
Clayton picked up the bags and headed for their bedroom. He was thinking about the cabin and thought this would be the perfect place to come after they were married for a couple of days. It would be some alone time for the Labor Day weekend. He would mention it to John when they ate lunch.
John had made a salad and breadsticks as a light lunch then he would make a good dinner. Both Clayton and he loved salad so it would never get old to either one of them. Clayton put their clothes in the closet and dresser. He walked back out to the kitchen, and John was just finishing lunch. John asked, “Do you want to eat in here or out on the back deck? It has a beautiful view you might like.”
“Yes, let’s eat out there. I can see some of the views from the window, and I’m very impressed.”
They took their lunch outside and set it on the patio table. John walked over to the edge of the deck and looked out over the mountain. Clayton came over and put his arms around John and put his head on John’s shoulder, looking out at the beautiful landscape. “This is so beautiful here. I love it. Let’s come here for a two-day honeymoon after the wedding.”
“That’s a great idea, babe. Let’s do just that. We would be alone and spend the time just loving each other.”
“Has my vote. We could come up here often. I love this and will never get tired of coming up here. Can you imagine bringing the kids up here? They will have a really good time here.”
“So, after we get married when did you want to start trying to find a surrogate?”
“I say right away. You said some come to the hospital, and you have met some of them, just pick one.”
“I will find one that has the same coloring as you for the first one. Then we can look for another one with my coloring for the next child. How far apart do we want them? I don’t want them at the same time.”
“I think maybe three or four years apart would be best for us. I want a big brother or sister to the next child. It seems funny we can pick just about the age and what the child’s coloring will be. I’m looking forward to having children. I have always loved children. They are so free and happy. Well, most of them are anyway.”
“I know our children will be very happy. What children need most is love, and we have a lot of love to give them. I can’t wait, either.”
They sat down at the table and ate their lunch. Clayton picked up the dishes and took them into the house. He washed them and set them in the drainer to air dry. He turned to go back outside, and John was standing behind him, watching him. “Well, hi there. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I was just watching you, babe. You're so handsome. I can’t believe that your mine.”
“Well believe it because I’m yours and you’re mine. I love you and never want to lose you.”
John walked over to Clayton and got down on one knee. “Clayton, I have looked for you all my life. I never thought the one time I went to a bar looking for a steady man that I would find you. You are everything to me. Will you marry me?” He took a ring box out of his pocket and opened it to give it to Clayton.
Clayton smiled a broad grin. “Yes, I will marry you, John. I love you, Sweetheart.”
John slipped the ring on his finger and stood and kissed him and just held him in his arms.
They walked out to the deck and sat in the chairs and just looked out over the mountain. It was a beautiful day. Not too hot and not too cool. They saw some animals wandering close to the deck, and Clayton was impressed. One was a deer, and the other was a rabbit. They watched as the deer ran into the trees and the rabbit hopped into the tree line behind the deer. Clayton knew this was the place that would be their family vacation place.
Clayton looked over at John and grinned. “The children will love seeing the animals come this close to them. I wonder if they will be afraid of them?”
“I don’t think so if we explain that they won’t hurt the children, but they have to leave them alone because they are afraid of the children. Maybe that will help their fear of them. I want the children to learn about nature so daddy you’re going to have to study up on the animals so that you can teach them what kind they are and what they do.”
“Oh, I see you are going to leave me to learn all this so I can be the one to explain. Do you think that’s fair? I think that we both should learn what animals do and all. Not just one of us.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. If you have one and the other asked me something, I’ll have to know the answer to the questions.”
“So, have you thought about names?”
“No, not really. I know some good names, but I think this is something we need to discuss together. I want unique names for our children so that they will stand out. I want their name to be called, and they’re the only one to have that name and can answer to it. Not like their teacher says George and five Georges stand up.”
“I think that is for another day. Right now, I just want to sit here and enjoy the
view and the wonderful company.”
Both men leaned back into their chairs and gazed out over the mountainside. It was breathtaking.
Chapter 19
It was finally the day of the wedding. John and Clayton rode together in the Navigator to John’s mother's house. She had the back deck decorated beautifully. Clayton’s parents showed up not long after John and Clayton did. Bradley had brought the lesbian with him as his date and Cathy came with her parents. Clayton introduced his father Charles to John’s dad Sam. They seemed to hit it off right away. Their moms, however, did not like each other from the start.
Clayton kissed them both on the cheek and went to John’s room to get dressed. John followed along, shaking his head. “Clayton, I think our mothers are going to get into a fight before the day is over. They don’t seem to like each other much.”
“I’m sure my mom is the one that is causing the problem. She’s jealous because I told her that your mom was doing all the planning for the wedding and she wanted to do it herself. I told her to call your mom, but she wouldn’t, so I hope your mom gives her a good tongue lashing. She deserves it.”
“I can’t believe that your dad and my dad are getting along. My dad even told your dad he could help with the BBQ grills. He never does that. He only let Robert because Susan begged him to so he would stay out of her hair.”
John and Clayton got dressed in their suits and headed back downstairs. They walked out on the back deck and watched as their dads talked and laughed. Sam saw them and told Charles to come over with him. He went over and hugged both men. “Are you two ready to tie the knot? I hope so. I am ready for some more grandchildren.”
John said, “Yeah, Dad, we’re ready. Is the judge here yet?”
“No, I just got off the phone with him. He should be pulling in anytime now. He said he wasn’t going to marry the two of you unless we had some BBQ at this wedding. I told him to get here fast that we had a full house waiting for the reception, and I wouldn’t promise any left if he were late.”
