Wayne was quiet for a bit, and Easton let him be. He didn’t know what had happened, but whatever it was, he had taken it very hard. Letting him work up to it, Easton realized that the two of them were a great deal alike. They didn’t have many friends, but the ones they had were forever, and they didn’t care to make a scene unless it was necessary.
“The younger man paled. He then asked Thomas if that was true. That he had HIV. Thomas not only told him that it was true, but that he hoped that he’d given it to him. That was when he started in on how he was going to kill every faggot he came across, male or female. Cara called the police, but Thomas left out the back when I went to let them in.” Easton asked if he knew what happened to the other man. “Yes. Sadly, he did contract the disease from Thomas, and killed himself several days after he got the bloodwork back. I wish every day that I had said something sooner. Not just to Cara, but to the police. I was, at the time, simply glad to have him out of my life for good. Or so I had hoped.”
“Now he’s causing more trouble for us.” Wayne said that was what it was looking like. “At least now he’s in jail and they can work from there. Also, I doubt very much that he’s going to get away with burning out your home.”
“Our home. Did you hear what Forrest said about how he’d managed to burn it down so quickly?” Easton said that he might have missed that. “He set off explosions on the second and third floor. The carpets, he said, had been soaked through with gasoline, and it went up like a match. You have no idea how happy I am that we weren’t around. He might well have tied us to something, then blown the house around us.”
Easton laid there for a long time after he knew that Wayne had fallen asleep—thinking about nothing really, just hitting and skipping over every thought that bounced through his mind. The one thing that he kept coming back to was a game that he’d been working on. Getting up, being as quiet as he could, Easton crept downstairs to the dining room and pulled up his laptop. Lucky for him, it had been in the car from when he’d picked it up from the post office earlier today.
When the sun was coming up in the big room, he heard people moving around the house. Saving all his progress, a great deal more than he thought he’d make when coming down to work, he moved to the kitchen to see if he could get himself something to drink. It wasn’t his home, so he’d not made himself anything before.
By the time he’d spoken to Wayne, telling him what he’d been doing and making plans to find them both a suit, he was ready to face the day. Easton thought, for the first time in a very long time, he really was feeling ready.
Smiling, he kissed Wayne on the mouth when he entered the kitchen. Just seeing him, smelling his scent, gave him the extra bump he needed in his already wonderful day. Today he had the services for his sister and niece. Then he was going to take Alex to see his biological father—for the first and the last time.
In less time than he thought it should have taken, they were off to the mall to find clothing. Not only did they need things for themselves, but the babies as well. Easton wanted to laugh more. He needed to love hard. This, he knew, was going to be a good beginning for them all. Even burying his family didn’t bother him so much, because he knew that Mary and Peaches would be there for him to talk to whenever he needed. Easton felt wonderful.
“You’re in a good mood for someone that didn’t sleep much.” Easton told Wayne that he needed to get his shit together. “Me or you? Because if you get your shit any more together right now, I think I’m going to hit you.”
“Mine. And I’m working on it.” Wayne stared at him, then nodded. “What do you think? Are you willing to do this with me? I mean, look at us. Two men and two babies with our best friend. Nothing can harm us now. I feel empowered with life right now.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right. This is a new beginning.” Wayne looked at Cara, and she grinned. “You going on this crazy train with us?”
“What do you mean, am I going? I’m fucking going to drive the train.”
They were laughing as they entered the mall. Easton didn’t even care if they ran into a whole passel of homophobes. He was in a fucking good mood, and nothing was going to dissuade him today.
Chapter 6
Wayne was feeding from the way Easton was feeling. He’d never had that sort of reaction to someone before, but Easton being happy was making him feel the same way. Even when the casket was closed for the last time, Easton seemed to be handling it and life much better than anyone thought he would.
Easton did cry softly for his niece. Wayne had never met the little girl in life. He had, however, seen her walking around with her mom. But to see her in the casket, her body bent over from her muscles being in one position for so long after death, broke him as well. And she was tiny, too. He knew her to be much smaller than any other six year old he’d ever met.
All of their new friends had shown up during the hour before calling hours were to have begun. Christy had taken all the babies to the lower level to keep an eye on them. She was good with them, and no one at all worried that she’d not be able to keep an eye on that many infants at one time. He was glad that someone had thought to bring in playpens, as well as toys for Jenna.
People came in from all over the two towns. Some of them had never met Mary, and were there only to offer support to Easton. Others that had known her had nothing but good things to say about the slain woman. No one, it seemed, had anything at all good to say about Wendell.
It wasn’t until after the second calling hours were over, the ones between five and seven, that a stout little man came to talk to the two of them.
“I helped your sister with her will and things like that. She’d be so happy to know that you were taking little Alex to your heart.” Easton thanked him. “I was wondering if we could find us a place to sit down and talk. I know you have an attorney too, so I’d have him along with you. It’s a matter of importance that I’d like to make you aware of.”
“Do we have to do it today?” Shaking his head, the man, Albert Winning, said that tomorrow was actually better for all of them. Easton thanked him. “The service is tomorrow morning here at ten, then we go to the cemetery for their burial. After that we’re having something of a memorial service for everyone at Jake and Forrest’s house.”
“I know them very well. I’ll just talk to them and see if I can set something up that we can talk tomorrow. She loved you very much. I want you to know that, young man.” Easton told the man that he loved her as well. “Good. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And I’ll ask young Jake to come and have a sit with us to make sure that everything is on the up and up for everyone concerned. All right?”
When he walked away, Wayne looked at Easton and asked him what that was all about. Laughing, he told him that he had no idea.
“I heard that Mary had a will. Perhaps that’s what it is. I don’t know what she’d have to have a will for, unless it’s about Alex.” Wayne said that was more than likely it. “I wonder what he’ll say when the paperwork has been filed already and he is already my son.”
On their way to the jail, both he and Cara could tell that Easton was nervous about what he was about to do. None of them said a word when the car stopped right in front of the place. But when he got out, Wayne asked Easton if he needed him to go with him.
“I don’t think so. I’m only going to rub it in his face that Alex is mine and yours. He knew that I was gay, so that won’t be a surprise to him.” He picked up little Alex out of the car seat and held him closely. “I only wish I knew why she wanted me to do this. I don’t mind, not at all, but I have a feeling that it’s going to mean more to her than it will to Wendell. I could be wrong about that too.”
Wayne turned in his seat to look at Cara. She’d been so quiet that he was worried for her too. Something had happened, he knew it. But rushing her would get him nothing but a punch in the mouth. Saying her name softly, she looked at him.
“I wasn’t aware that he had a son.” Wayne didn’t know what was going on, but he was concerned that this guy had hurt Cara in some way. “Cara, did he hurt you?”
“No. He asked me about you and Easton. About the baby.” He nodded, not sure what business it was of this man, but waited. “His name is Denver Riggs, by the way. He’s going to be taking over his father’s pack in a few months. Denny is hoping to retire to someplace that is warm year round. I don’t blame him. Winters here are brutal, don’t you think? Denver is my mate.”
“I’m sorry, what?” She told him about the winters here again. “I mean about Denver being your mate. How did that come about?”
“I didn’t know him, you see, and he asked if he could talk to me. I was so wrapped up in Abby, just holding her, needing her connection with me. You understand.” Wayne nodded. “He asked me if we were living together. I told him that I was going to be watching over the kids, that Easton had one as well. Then he asked me how that had worked, since he knew that you and I weren’t mates.”
“You told him how we were able to do it then?” She smiled, and nodded at him. “I don’t know many people that would understand the way we were able to make it work. I doubt if anyone knows that you’re not a pureblooded wolf either. Did he know?”
“Yes. He even said that he’d read about it before. How you’re the descendant of a pack master, and that your blood was pure as well as very rich. Also, that me having my great grandma a wolf and great grandda a human played well for us to conceive through artificial insemination.” Cara looked down at Abby as she continued. “I thought that he was going to make me take our daughter back so that he could kill her. It would be well within his rights to do so; you know that as well as I do.”
“He’s not?” Cara said no as she ran her finger over the downy cheek of her daughter. “Cara, honey, tell me what he is going to do. Please? Is he going to take her to raise as his own? That would be something he could do as well.”
“Denver told me that to do something so grand shows him that I’d be a good pack master with him. Not for him—he said with him, Wayne. I was shocked by his compassion for you too. He said that it was yours and my child, and that he would want me to be a part of her life as much as I would be to my children with him. Denver said that he would be proud to be Abby’s uncle, as well as uncle to little Alex.” Wayne didn’t know what to say, much less think about what Cara said. “I’ve come to a decision, one that I hope you’re going to respect from me. I want to give you and Easton full custody of Abby. I want to step away, but not out of her life, so that she can be the child of the two of you. I will be her aunt. If she asks about me, then you can tell her, but I don’t think that I’d be a good mother to children with Denver and a mother to Abby as well. Do you?”
“Cara, are you sure you want to do that? I mean, I think you’d be the best mother to an entire pack of babies. However, I’m afraid. I don’t want you to leave me either.” She assured him that she wasn’t, only moving on. “What does Denver say about this?”
“I haven’t told him. I will, but I wanted you to know first. You should know first.” He nodded, his heart breaking for losing his best friend. “Don’t think of losing me, Wayne. Because you won’t. I’m still your best friend. A person that you can forever depend on to be there for you. Think of it as gaining an entire family for yourself and Abby and Alex. Easton will have pack too, something that I don’t think he’s had before. This will be better for the kids. They will both be welcome to come and stay with me forever. Just like an aunt should be there for them.”
When she opened the door, he wondered what she was going to do now. “I love you so much, Wayne. You will always be my first love, and my brother. The same as Easton.” He said that he loved her as well. “I’ll see you around, big brother.”
Then she was just gone. Cara got out of the car and walked away. When a pack of wolves seemed to have materialized out of the woods beside the big park, she shifted as well and ran with them. Wayne sat there for several minutes, just staring at where she had gone.
Cara was giving them something more than Abby, he realized. She was giving Easton and himself a time for them to grow. Smiling, Wayne thought that she would make a great pack leader alongside of her mate. She’d be making them into something that no one else would have. Cara, with a mate at her side, would be able to make the entire pack a force to be reckoned with.
When Easton returned he looked to be in a better mood than he had been before going in to see his brother-in-law. Asking him what had happened only got him more laughter. Wayne loved it, and knew that he’d hear all about it when they got home. But for now, they were going to discuss finding them a home to live in. At least have a look at houses that they liked online.
Henry was helping with some ghosts when they arrived at the house. He shouldn’t have been surprised that everyone knew that Cara had found her mate. There was cause for celebration tonight, and they did it while waiting for Easton to tell them what had happened. But dinner first.
“I’ve never been so hungry before.” It showed on Easton when he sat at the table covered in boxes from the local Chinese place. It was just the five of them, including Christy, yet it looked as if they’d ordered enough food for ten times that many. Christy asked Easton how he was doing. “I’ve made some decisions concerning my life. I was working until all hours of the night when it hit me how I was feeling. Like a new man. Or one that has finally gotten a clue that everything in my life is not a ping against me. I decided that I need to take the joy that is given to me and make the most of it. If I don’t, then it’s my own fault that I’m down all the time.”
“You were down all the time?” At Easton’s nod, Wayne asked if it was him. “I mean, is what is going on now a part of what has you down? I’m sorry if it—”
The kiss was unexpected, but very welcome. “No, not you at all. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself for most of my life. Even picking out a lover, I realized that was just as sad sack as I was. Not that he wasn’t a good person, but we didn’t go out, we didn’t do anything other than work. It got to the point in our life that even sex was just something that was there, but not really very fulfilling for either of us, I think.” Christy said that was sad indeed. “It was. Very much so. While working too, I realized that I didn’t need to take out other jobs. Not doing security wouldn’t hurt me financially. I decided that I am going to develop and work on games for children with handicaps. Designs that work for people that need an extra hand or two. Wheelchairs that can lift a person up and put them in the water when they want, or even to bed.”
“I like that.” Wayne hugged Easton when he nodded. “All right. You make games, I’ll sell overly expensive houses, and we’ll be happy. Now, for heavens sake, tell us what happened at the jail with Wendell.”
He knew it was going to be good when Easton laughed for ten minutes. And when the story began, it was going to be something that they’d all remember for a very long time.
~*~
Easton thought that the best way to tell this story was to start at the beginning. To set the stage, so to speak, as if they had been right there with him. Thinking about Wendell made him laugh a little more. Clearing this throat, he told them what he’d seen when he first got there.
“Wendell was complaining about his food. I guess that is a daily thing with him. It’s either not to his liking or he’s not full enough when he’s finished. Also, he asked the cop when he was going to get to be g
oing home. I walked right up to the chair that had been brought for me and sat down, holding Alex on my lap so that he’d not be able to see him until I was ready.
“What the fuck are you doing here? Aren’t there enough faggots out where you live that you don’t have to come trolling for them in this jail?” Easton hadn’t answered him, but Alex took that moment to make a noise. “Who did you knock up? I guess you finally realized where your pecker goes, huh?”
“No, this is Alex. Mary’s son.” Wendell stood up and came closer to the bars. “I’m to understand that you knew that she had a little boy. Well, I’m here to tell you that he’s going to be living with me and my lover, Wayne. Mary wanted it that way.”
“Mary didn’t have the brains that God gave a stick of gum. You bring him here right now so that I can have a hold of him. I’m taking him home too, when this nonsense is finished up. You can count on that.” Easton purposely kept Alex covered up, but did give him his little binky. “Did you hear me? I said that you’re to give me my son. Right now, faggot, before I have to teach you a lesson.”
“What lesson would that be, Wendell? One of the lessons that you were teaching Margaret when you left her in a cage like an animal? Or a lesson like you taught my sister by beating her up then cutting her throat?” Wendell said that he didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’m sure you remember it well. Your fingerprints were all over the lock that was on the cage. And on the knife where they found Mary’s blood. Her blood that was found in the front yard of the house that she slaved over, as well as the back of your car that you dumped her in to roll her over the hill.”
Easton: Forbidden: Paranormal Romance Page 7
