Stephen glanced back at Russ, checking on him, and he gave Stephen a look filled with such love it took Stephen’s breath away and he was grateful for the water lightly spraying his face because he really was crying.
Only this time, it was happy tears.
“Whoa.” Austin stumbled a little as he got off the boat and Russ—who was on the dock looping the line around the cleat, grabbed for his arm, steadying him. “Why is the dock moving? That’s weird.”
Stephen, who was still on the boat, double checking that the sails were secured and everything was tied down properly, chuckled. “The dock’s not moving. Your body is so used to moving it doesn’t know how to handle being still. It’ll take a while for you to get your land legs back.”
Austin giggled. “Land legs sound funny.”
“Well, did you have fun today?” Russ asked when the line was locked.
“Yeah, totally. Can we do this again?” Austin bounced on his toes.
“We can definitely do this again,” Stephen said as moved to the bow to check the lines there.
“How long is this going to take?”
“A little while,” Russ said. “Why?”
“I’m starved.” Austin let out a dramatic sigh. “It’s been forever since lunch.”
Russ reached into the canvas bag at his feet. “Here, have a granola bar.” He flipped it to Austin who caught it rather deftly.
“You sure you don’t want to play baseball?” Stephen asked. “That was pretty good.”
“Yup. I think I do want to play soccer though next year though. If that’s okay.” He ripped open the package
Russ swallowed hard at the thought that Austin was thinking about a future time when he’d still be with them. He glanced at Stephen, who had clearly caught the significance of what he said. “Sure,” Russ said, trying to sound casual when he felt anything but. “We’ll have to look into what the school offers but if there isn’t anything in the fall maybe we can check out an intramural youth league or something. We’ll figure it out.”
“Awesome.”
“Just remember, homework comes first,” Stephen said. “So we’re going to have to figure out how to fit in soccer along with what you have to do for school and trips to the center to see your sister.”
“She’s hardly been there lately,” Austin groused.
“I know.” Russ squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I wish I knew why.”
He shrugged and frowned down at the deck. “Maybe she doesn’t love me anymore.”
“Oh, no!” Russ protested. Crap, he hadn’t meant for the conversation to take that turn. He crouched down a little so he could look Austin in the eye. “No, Kellie loves you like crazy. She’s probably just busy with her work. You know she was trying to pick up extra shifts.” He hoped so anyway. He hoped it was nothing more serious than that. If she’d waitressed at a restaurant, Russ could have gone there and tried to talk to her or at least verify she was alive and well. But working for a catering company meant that her jobs were all over Atlanta. And Austin had told him her boss had gotten pissed when Mrs. Nash had called to check on Kellie. The last thing Russ wanted was to get her fired. Austin didn’t meet his gaze. “Hey, will you look at me?”
Austin reluctantly looked him in the eye. “Your sister loves you. You believe that, right?”
He nodded once, a petulant set to his mouth. “Stephen and I love you,” Russ said firmly. “You are loved so much. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Austin nodded again and it suddenly hit Russ what he’d said. Well, it was true. And Austin needed to hear it. “So, try to assume Kellie not being around as much is just because she knows you’re in a safe place and can focus on herself right now.”
“Okay.”
Austin was a little quiet as they finished securing the sailboat and Russ checked the bilge pump, but as they walked to the car, he seemed to perk up a little. “Can we stop somewhere for dinner?” he asked as he settled in the back seat.
“I think we could do that,” Stephen said. “What would you like to eat?”
“Pizza. Obviously.”
“Obviously,” Stephen said, exchanging a smile with Russ. “I don’t know why I even asked.”
“Hey, you’ll get no arguments from me,” Russ said with a smile as he buckled himself in.
“Well, one of you will have to look up a good pizza place around here. I don’t know of any.”
A short while later they were seated at a table, and as Stephen perused the menu, his stomach rumbled at the scents of tomato and garlic in the air. “This place looks great, Austin. Nice job picking it out.”
Austin shot him a small smile.
“Did you know I was in college before I had pizza the first time?” Stephen said.
Austin glanced up at him, mouth half-open. “What? No way.”
“It’s true. I’ve told you a little about where I grew up, but it was a very small town and my family had no money for luxuries like that. There was a pizza place just off Main Street, but we couldn’t afford it.”
“Why didn’t you save up your allowance and go with your friends or something?” Austin asked.
“I didn’t get an allowance. When I say poor, I mean we only had food on the table because we raised a lot of it ourselves. We had chickens, and my father and I butchered them and my mother plucked them and cooked them for dinner.”
“Oh.” Austin blinked. “Dude, I’m really glad we don’t have to do that.”
Stephen laughed. “I am too. I probably still could, if I had to, but I’d much rather go to the store and buy my dinner.”
“Me too. Besides, I don’t know how many chickens could fit on the balcony.”
Stephen threw his head back and laughed. “Good point.” He shared a smile with Russ, enjoying this relaxed, easy exchange with Austin. Today had been so, so good. Other than the brief moment of sadness over his sister, he’d seemed happy and relaxed with them. And Russ being able to tell Austin they loved him had been perfect.
The waitress approached the table and smiled as she glanced at them. “How nice, three generations out for dinner and it looks like y’all are having a great time together.”
Stephen froze but before he could formulate a response, Austin gave her a withering look. “He’s not my grandpa. They’re both my dads.”
She covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, I am so very sorry. I …”
“No harm done,” Stephen said. He tried to smile but it felt a little tight. He should have seen that coming. And then the enormity of what Austin had said sank in and the pride and happiness swept away the sting of her words. He blindly reached for Russ’s hand, who gripped his fingers and squeezed tight. It had been an incredible day in every way.
The waitress babbled another apology, which Russ cut off with a smile and an, “I think we’re ready to order now.”
Clearly flustered, she reached for her order pad and pen. “Of course. Of course, what can I getcha?”
“Can we get breadsticks?” Austin asked, his brown eyes hopeful.
“Sure.” Stephen wouldn’t eat more than a bite or two, but Austin would probably devour the rest anyway.
Russ placed their order and when the waitress was gone, Stephen turned to Austin. “What you said was nice.”
He looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Calling us your dads.”
“Well, aren’t you?”
“Of course we are,” Russ said. “But it means a lot to both of us to hear you call us that.”
“Oh.” Austin shrugged. “Can I go to the bathroom?”
“Of course.”
He darted away from the table and Stephen turned to look at Russ. “Wow.”
Russ squeezed his hand. “Wow to which part?”
“I don’t care about what the waitress said.” He thought about it a second. “Well, it stung for a moment, but truthfully, Austin’s words meant so much more.”
“For me too.” Russ looked down and from the thickness
in his voice, he was feeling as emotional as Stephen was. “I didn’t know how much I wanted to hear that.”
“No, me either.” Stephen smiled. “But it’s sure nice to hear.”
“It is. It really, really is.”
Austin returned to the table a few minutes later, sliding into the chair with a loud sigh. “Is our food here yet?”
“Salads are on the way.” He nodded toward the approaching waitress who was carrying the tray toward the table now.
“Ugh, you make me eat so many vegetables,” he whined.
Russ laughed. “We’re monsters. Absolute monsters for making you eat a vegetable or two.”
“The worst,” Austin agreed with a sigh as the waitress set the plate in front of him.
And Stephen’s heart felt light because this moment—the one right here and now—felt like they were exactly where he’d imagined them being as a family.
After dinner, Russ and Austin walked toward the door but Stephen hung back a moment, checking to make sure Austin hadn’t forgotten anything. He spotted a familiar pair of sunglasses on the table, half hidden by a napkin.
“Austin …” he muttered with a fond smile. They were going to have to work on that. He grabbed the glasses and had just turned to go when he came face to face with their waitress.
She bit her lip. “I want to apologize about earlier.”
“Really, you don’t need to—”
“I feel awful,” she said. “I meant no disrespect to your family.”
“Please, don’t trouble yourself. No harm done,” Stephen said more sincerely than he had the first time.
“I just don’t want you to think …” Her words trailed off, but Stephen assumed she was concerned he’d thought she was being homophobic. But statistically, it did make sense. She probably saw far more men out with their sons and grandsons than gay couples with their children. He didn’t love being mistaken for anyone’s grandfather, but he was in his fifties now and he easily was old enough to have grandchildren. Damn it.
“In truth, we had a rather nice moment because of it. Austin’s just come to live with us fairly recently,” he said quietly. “And this was the first time he’s called us his dads.”
She smiled. “That’s very sweet. You do have a lovely family. It’s clear he’s loved and happy.”
“He is,” Stephen said with a smile and a feeling of warmth in his chest. “He very much is.”
“Well, you have a nice rest of the day out with your family.”
“Thank you. Enjoy your day as well.”
“I believe you’re forgetting something,” Stephen said a moment later as he joined his family at the entrance of the restaurant.
“Oh, did I forget to sign the receipt or leave a tip or …” Russ moved like he was going to go back to the table, but Stephen shook his head.
“Not you. Austin.”
“Huh?” He looked up, and Stephen held the sunglasses out.
A sheepish expression crossed his face. “Whoops. Sorry.” He glanced up at Stephen. “Are you mad?”
“Of course not,” Stephen reassured him. “I would like you to be more mindful of where you’re leaving your belongings, but I’d never be angry at you for it, I promise.”
“Cool. I’ll try.”
Stephen smiled at him. “That’s all we can ask for.”
Austin darted through the doors, and he and Russ followed a little more slowly.
“What was that about?” Russ asked quietly. “With the waitress, I mean.”
“Oh. She apologized again for her earlier comment.”
“Are you okay with it?” Russ’s expression was concerned.
“Yes,” Stephen said. “I know I can be a bit touchy about my age, but I really don’t blame her for her assumption. Besides, Austin called us his dads. That’s really all I care about.”
Russ beamed. “I know. I had no idea how good that was going to feel.”
“Me either,” Stephen said with a contented sigh. “Me either.”
“We’re really becoming a family, aren’t we?” Russ asked.
“I think we already were.” But as Stephen reached for the door handle, he knew what Russ meant. It was one thing to say they were a family, but having Austin confirm he felt that way too was an enormous step forward for them.
He froze with the door half-open when it occurred to him that soon they’d need to discuss the next step with Austin. He wanted to tell him they wanted to make their family a permanent, legal thing.
And that wasn’t going to be easy.
TWENTY-TWO
“So, I have some good news and some bad news for you,” Marcus said. He leaned against the desk and looked at both of them.
“Okay,” Russ said warily. He reached out blindly, and Stephen took his hand, squeezing them together before he rested it on his thigh. “Lay it on us.”
“Leland Carr is willing to consider signing over his rights.”
“That’s the good news, I assume?” Stephen asked.
“Yeah.” Marcus shifted, clearly uncomfortable. “But the bad news is he has a condition.”
Russ’s heart leapt in his chest. “What’s the condition?”
“He wants to meet with Austin and talk with him. Austin hasn’t had a visitation with his father since he moved in with you, and Mr. Carr wants to see with his own eyes that Austin is being well-looked after.”
“Maybe he should have thought of that before he started cooking and distributing meth,” Russ grumbled. Stephen squeezed his hand, so he took a moment to breathe deeply. “But yeah, I guess.” He glanced over at Stephen. “Assuming you’re okay with it.”
“Well, technically you can’t stop it,” Marcus said. “He’s legally allowed to request that. Austin has a right to decline it, but you don’t.”
Russ sighed. “Okay, we’ll talk to him about it.”
“Good.”
“Is there anything else?” Stephen asked.
“No, that was all he’s asked for at this time.”
“Could he drag this out?” Russ asked.
“Sure. Of course he could.”
“Do you think he’s trying to?”
Marcus shrugged. “I don’t know the man outside of our recent conversations. Like I said, I took over Austin’s case long after he was out of the home and I’ve never been the one to go with Austin to the prison. That’s not part of my job.”
“We’ll go with him, of course,” Russ said.
He shook his head. “You won’t.”
“What?”
“That’s not the way this works, unfortunately. You aren’t allowed to be present at visitations between Austin and his biological father.”
“What? Why?” he sputtered. “That makes no sense.”
“That may be.” Marcus’s heavy brows scrunched together. “But I’m afraid it’s the law.”
“Austin, there’s something we’d like to talk to you about,” Stephen said softly. “Could you wrap up your game?”
He looked up from the TV screen. He’d been sprawled on the couch playing video games with Jeremy—they’d found each other virtually so they didn’t need to meet in person to play—so Russ wasn’t surprised when he threw a scowl over his shoulder. “Ugh, do I have to?”
“Yeah, it’s important,” Russ said. “Finish this game in the next fifteen minutes, okay?”
“Ugh. Fine.”
While he finished, Russ puttered around the kitchen, trying to keep himself occupied so he didn’t freak the fuck out. This was not going to be an easy conversation. Stephen trapped him up against the counter. “What are you doing?” he asked quietly.
“Trying not to lose my shit.”
“Hey, this is a good conversation,” Stephen said. “This is exciting, asking Austin how he feels about us adopting him.”
“But what if he says he doesn’t want us to?” Russ whispered. “And what if he’s pissed about having to see his dad? You know he hasn’t wanted to go see him lately.”
“I
know. But we need to approach this with as much optimism as we can muster,” Stephen said. He slid his hands around Russ’s waist and Russ wiggled closer, slotting his thigh between Stephen’s.
“I’m feeling low on it at the moment,” he admitted. He slid his hands up Stephen’s chest, enjoying the hard planes of muscle under his mint green shirt. “Can I borrow some of yours?”
“Always.” Stephen kissed him. “You never have to ask.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s transferred through kisses,” Russ teased.
Stephen smiled. “Oh, is it?” He leaned in.
“Mm-hmm,” Russ murmured against his lips. “I’m sure of it in fact.”
“Guess I better kiss you then.” He brushed his lips across Russ’s, who immediately deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between Stephen’s lips.
Russ sank into the kiss, temporarily forgetting about the stressful situation they faced and reveling in the nearness of the man he loved.
“Would you stop it? I thought we were supposed to be talking,” Austin called after a while, breaking through the daze Russ was in.
He drew back and licked his lips, smiling at Stephen. “We were just waiting for you,” he replied to Austin.
“Ugh, get a hobby.”
“Kissing your dad is my hobby,” Russ replied but gently pushed Stephen away. He was smirking, merriment lighting up his blue eyes.
“Okay, Austin,” Stephen said more seriously as he walked toward the dining room table. Over the past few months, they’d established usual spots at the massive expanse of wood, with Stephen at one end, Russ to his left, and Austin across the table from him. They settled into them now. “You’ve been with us for about five months. We’d originally talked about you staying for six before we discussed adoption, but we feel like we’ve made a lot of progress and it’s the right time to talk about it. We want to see how you feel about our family becoming a permanent thing.”
Austin looked between them and chewed at his lips. “You both really want that?” There was a trace of vulnerability in his warm brown eyes, and Russ reached out to grasp his hand. He stiffened, but he didn’t push Russ away.
Full Balance (The Peachtree Series Book 3) Page 27
