by Pandora Pine
“That thought is what has been killing me.” Knox shook his head.
“You’re awfully quiet, Ben, which makes me think you know more about this than you can say.”
Ben opened his mouth and snapped it shut again.
Declan heard the clack of the pediatrician’s teeth. The situation with Milo couldn’t be good if Ben had to work so hard to couch his words.
“Milo has been my patient since he was born,” Ben said on a heavy sigh. “He’s a bright, well-behaved little boy.”
“Christ, Ben, is that all you can say about the situation. I mean, I get doctor/patient confidentiality, but we’re talking about a little boy who could possibly become a ward of the state.”
“I can tell you the aunt took him in because there was a lot of pressure from the other members of the family.”
Knox ducked his head. “Are you saying she adopted Milo because of peer pressure?”
Ben’s eyes hardened. “I counseled the aunt to reconsider her decision to surrender him to the state. Beyond that, I’ve already said too much.”
“Too much? You haven’t said a God-damned thing! The aunt isn’t your patient, Milo is. Jesus Christ, Ben! You became a pediatrician to help kids like Milo and you’re just sitting there like a slug.” Tears slipped down Knox’s cheeks. He angrily brushed them away and got up from his chair and stalked toward the house.
“I’ll go see if he’s okay.” Rem grabbed for his crutches.
“Sit, Rem.” Peg pressed on his shoulder. “This is a job for a mom.”
If anyone could help Knox feel better about the situation with Milo, it was Peg McKinnon. Dec’s heart went out to the little boy. “If you and Rainier hadn’t been there for Gemma, she very well could have ended up in a similar position to Milo.”
“I was thinking the same thing, babe.” Rem reached out for his hand. “We’re so lucky to have Gemma in our lives.”
Declan looked toward the swing set where Gemma and Tucker were swinging and singing one of the songs from Frozen. He loved Gemma with his entire soul. She was the reason he and Rem had found their way back to each other.
XX
The rest of the cookout had gone off without a hitch after Peg had spent some time with Knox. Even though he looked better and was smiling, he kept shooting dirty looks at Ben when he thought no one was looking.
Gemma barely noticed when he and Declan said goodbye. She and Tucker were busy making M&M cookies in the kitchen with Peg. The plan was to make chipwiches with the cookies and vanilla ice cream. Rem had asked Peg to email them the recipe.
“You ready for your sponge bath?” Declan walked into the living room wearing only his boxer briefs which molded to his tight ass and slumbering cock.
Rem snorted. “You’re taking this getting our groove back thing seriously?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Dec frowned, closing the distance between himself and Rem’s recliner. “Are you afraid that having sex will hurt your recovery?”
Was he? “What happens if my brain explodes when I come?”
Dec covered his laugh with a badly disguised cough. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“Of course you did.” Rem rolled his eyes.
Dec held out his hands to Rem. “Come on, big boy, get up.” Once Rem was on his feet, Dec handed him his crutches. “Follow me.” Dec headed off in the direction of their bedroom.
“I thought you were gonna give me a sponge bath?” A tingle of excitement raced down Rem’s spine, but didn’t reach his dick.
What he hadn’t wanted to tell Declan was that his cock hadn’t been particularly interested in anything since the accident. What if the accident rendered him impotent? He hadn’t wanted to test out his theory by touching himself, but with the way Dec was looking at him, he knew the moment of truth was at hand.
“Oh, you’re gonna get wet all right.” Dec stopped and turned to Rem, pressing a kiss against his neck. “Gonna get you all dirty and then I’ll get you clean.”
“Dec, I-” Whatever Rem was about to say was forgotten when Dec’s hand slipped into his pants, while his lips kissed a damp line up the column of his throat.
“Missed you so much, babe,” Dec whispered. “I’m gonna suck your cock until your just about ready to explode and then I’m gonna ride you like a cowboy at a rodeo. What do you say to that?”
All Rem could manage to get out was a strangled moan. The combination of Dec’s hand, his tongue and his dirty plan had woken up Rem’s cock, which was roaring to life with a vengeance.
“Your objection is noted.” Declan maneuvered Rem into their room and helped him sit on the bed. He set his crutches aside. He stripped off his shirt and cargo shorts, giving his cock a few strokes. “I’m so hard for you, babe. Missed you so much.”
Rem palmed himself though his shorts. His eyes were glued to Dec’s hand on his dick.
“Lie back,” Dec commanded. He went for Rem’s pants the second he laid back. It took a little wiggling to get past Rem’s cast, but soon enough he was naked. Dec licked his lips. “You look good enough to eat.”
Rem was rendered speechless when Dec swallowed his cock to the root. He was lashing his tongue against Rem’s shaft and moaning like a porn star.
His worries about his cock vanished the moment Declan had touched him. He’d missed this part of their relationship while he’d been recuperating. All he wanted now was to reconnect with Declan on an intimate level.
Rem was pretty limited in what he could do with his leg still in the cast, but he was determined to give Dec the ride of his life. “Babe, slow down,” Rem panted.
It had never taken much for Declan to fan his flame in the past and now was no exception. Rem felt like he was sixteen again, ready to come apart at the seams with the slightest touch.
“Good, ‘cause I can’t wait another second to feel you inside of me.” Dec hoped off the bed and grabbed the lube out of Rem’s nightstand drawer. He snapped the cap and watched Rem’s eyes while he drizzled the liquid down his length.
“Jesus, Declan, hurry up. I could come from the lube alone.”
Declan laughed and went to work loosening himself up.
Rem was mesmerized watching Declan’s fingers probing and stretching his entrance.
“Ready for me?”
“I was born ready.” Rem meant it. He’d always felt like Declan’s body had been made to fit his own.
Declan straddled Rem’s body, bracing one hand on his hip and the other on Rem’s cock, guiding it to his opening. “Love you so much, Remington James.” Dec slowly lowered himself down Rem’s shaft, his head tossed back and moaning loudly.
Watching Declan enjoying his body like that made his balls tighten. He reached for Declan’s cock and stroked as Declan bottomed out. He had a feeling the ride wasn’t going to last very long for either of them. “Ride me, Dec,” Rem urged.
Declan didn’t need to be told twice, he set a swift pace, resting his hands on Rem’s shoulders. He never took his eyes off his lover’s. “God, I love you so much.”
“Love…you…too.” Rem was almost past the point of thinking straight. Dec’s green eyes were locked on his making him feel even more connected to his lover.
“Come with me, Rem.” Dec gripped his shoulders tighter.
Rem did as Declan ordered. He felt his cock pulse inside Declan’s body just as he felt Declan’s dick jerk in his hand. He could feel Dec’s hot, sticky release land on his chest as he continued to fill Declan with his sweet cream.
“Wow, even with one leg, you rocked my world.” Declan started to laugh. He climbed off Rem and headed toward the bathroom.
“That’s the lamest joke you’ve made this week.” Rem rolled his eyes at his own pun.
“I’m just so glad you’re here for me to make fun of.” Declan sucked in a deep breath as he cleaned his drying release from Rem’s skin.
“When the accident happened, the last thing I remember thinking was that I was never going to get to tell you that
I love you.” Rem hadn’t told Declan, but flashes of memory concerning the accident had started to come back to him.
Dec nodded and joined him on the bed. He rested his face in the crook of Rem’s shoulder. “We came so close to losing each other. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m losing you again.”
“I’m here to stay, Dec. I promise. There’s nothing I want more than to build my life and my family with you.” Rem wrapped his arms around his lover, his future and held on tight.
The road getting to this point had been rocky and full of sinkholes. Rem wasn’t naive enough to think all of the rough times were behind them, but he knew if they could survive being apart for two years, becoming instant parents and his car accident they could get through anything life threw at them, so long as they were together.
EPILOGUE
Rem’s heart was pounding like he’d just run a marathon, which of course was impossible with his leg still in the cast.
It was a little more than three weeks since the car accident. What had Rem’s heart in such a tizzy was that today was his first day back at school.
Following his doctor’s orders to rest and let his body heal hadn’t been easy. In Rem’s mind, he thought he was ready to go back to school last week, but his stamina wasn’t back to where it had been before the accident. He’d still been ready for a nap every day after lunch.
The school administration had given Rem the option to work half or three-quarter days until he was back to one hundred percent, but he’d been leery to take them up on that offer. He needed to be back at school making a difference to his kids. Rem could only hope he wouldn’t start nodding off during his 3:30pm staff meeting. The last thing he needed was for his staff to feel sorry for him.
He’d mostly conquered his pride when it came to Declan seeing him at his weakest, but he wasn’t ready for his professional colleagues to see him in such a vulnerable state. He knew Nash and Knox had his back, but didn’t want the other teachers to think he was milking his injury.
Thankfully, the May weather was warm enough for Rem to wear baggy cargo shorts to work. They were the only pants he could manage to get up over his cast besides sweatpants. Of the two, the cargo shorts were the more professional choice.
The shorts weren’t as professional as his usual suit and tie, but none of his dress pants would fit over his damned cast and there was no way he was going to wear a dress shirt and tie with shorts.
When he made it to the breakfast table, Gemma and Dec were chatting over their bowls of oatmeal. He could see Blackie was enjoying her kitten chow and there was a new chore sticker on Gemma’s chart. Declan was more organized with their daughter then Rem could ever hoped to be.
“Good morning, Principal Daddy!” Gemma giggled.
“Good morning to you too, Princess Gemma and to you Princess Declan.” Rem pressed a quick kiss to the side of Declan’s head before sitting down at his place at the table.
“Declan’s not a princess.” Gemma rolled her eyes.
Rem bit his lip to keep from laughing. He could see Declan doing the same thing out of the corner of his eye. “So, tell me what’s going on at school today.”
Gemma exchanged a conspiratorial look with Declan, which he almost missed when Blackie hopped into his lap. “Well, we’re having a musical group come in today.”
“A musical group?” Rem looked to Declan.
Dec shrugged. “I think maybe it’s the high school band. It’s part of their music program to introduce kids to the idea of learning an instrument.”
Rem thought that was an interesting idea, but couldn’t for the life of him remember this being on the schedule for May. He chalked it up to his Swiss cheese short-term memory and dug into his oatmeal.
**
Since he wasn’t able to drive with his broken leg, Declan would be dropping him and Gemma off at school today. Even though he’d spent time practicing with Declan’s car parked in the driveway, he still hadn’t found a graceful way to get out of the car and then hop to the passenger side back door to get his crutches out. He wasn’t the most graceful man on the planet and had almost ended up flat on his face a few times when he’d lost his balance on his one good leg.
“Is everyone buckled in?” Dec asked when he got into the car. He looked over his shoulder to see Gemma.”
“I’m buckled in. Daddy made sure.”
“I can see that Daddy is buckled in too. You look very handsome, Daddy.” Dec kissed the side of his head and started the car.
“Eww, kissing.”
Declan grinned at her in the rearview mirror. “Oh, so just because Tucker hates kissing, you do too?”
“Yup!” Gemma giggled. “But I know that it means you love each other.”
“You’re daughter is the smartest kid on the planet.”
Rem rolled his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves as Declan pulled into the drop off lane at Little Wonders. This was it.
Declan parked the car and quickly ran around to open Rem’s door before grabbing his crutches out of the back.
He wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it, but he was so thankful Declan was there to see him off on his first day back. “Love you.”
Dec smiled. “I love you too. I’ll pick you up after you’re staff meeting.” Declan turned to Gemma. “Have a great day at school, love bug. I can’t wait to hear all about the band concert!”
“Bye, Dec!” Gemma waved as she walked at Rem’s side toward the school doors.
Rem could see Nash and Knox waiting for him. They pushed through the heavy double doors and held them open. “Welcome back, Rem!” They both chorused.
“I told you guys I didn’t want you to make a big deal about my first day back.” Christ, Rem hoped none of the other teachers or the kids were going to make a big deal about his return.
“Who’s making a big deal?” Nash winked at Knox.
“Yeah! We’re just two professional colleagues holding the door open for our boss.” Knox ushered Rem into the main lobby.
Rem felt like a bit of a dick. There was no kid-made banner welcoming him back to school and from where he stood, he couldn’t see any flowers waiting for him on the counter of the main office. “Sorry, guys. Have a great day. I’ll see you at the staff meeting this afternoon.”
“Come on, Gemma! We’ve got a lot to learn today.” Nash escorted her toward the classroom.
“Bye, Daddy!” Gemma giggled into her hand and walked with Nash and Knox.
Rem watched his little girl head down the hall with his two best friends. He was lucky to be surrounded by so many people who loved him.
Heading into his office, Rem was relieved that there weren’t any cards or gifts or anything that would remind him of the accident. It was nice that so many people at the school and in the community had reached out to him while he’d been convalescing, but all he wanted to do going forward was to put the accident behind him. Coming back to work was step one in that plan.
Rem turned on his computer and soon all thoughts of the accident were behind him as he got lost in the literal mountain of email that had stacked up over the last three weeks. Some of it was junk mail letting the staff know there were donuts in the teacher’s room or that the music teacher was out with the stomach flu. He was able to sort through those messages easily.
“Hey, Rem, are you coming?” Nash asked from his door.
“Coming where?” Shit, did he miss a meeting? Damn his spotty memory.
“To the concert. It starts at 10am.”
“Christ, it’s ten already?” Time really did fly when you were having fun. He still had a lot of email to go through, not to mention a stack of student evaluations to sign off on. After missing three weeks of work, he really didn’t have time to go to a performance put on by the high school band. He could only pray that after the show, Gemma wasn’t going to ask to learn the drums. “I’m gonna skip the show. I still have a ton of work to catch up on.”
“You’re the principal. You have to
come, even if it’s for a minute. Plus the kids are going to be so excited to see you.”
Rem knew Nash had a point. “Okay, fine.” Rem grabbed his crutches and followed Nash out the door. They turned right out of the main office and headed toward the gym, which was the only place big enough to host kindergarten through third grade all at once.
Walking into the gym, Rem could see the high school band holding their instruments at the ready. He could also see the teachers gathered together off to the side of the band. The kids were standing in a semi-circle with large poster boards in front of them.
“Okay kids, hit it!” Nash called out.
Rem stared in shock as the students started to play a rousing, marching band version of Wind Beneath My Wings. He could see the kids were starting to hold up their poster boards. Each one had a letter painted on it.
A sentence started to form as the kids started holding up their boards one by one. “Will you marry me, Erm?”
“Tucker and Gemma, switch places!” Nash called out.
“Will you marry me, Rem?” Declan said from behind him.
When Rem managed to turn around, Declan was down on one knee holding a platinum band in his hand.
“Say yes, Rem!” Peg McKinnon shouted.
“Say yes!” Ben Wagner yelled.
“Listed to Doctor Ben, Rem, say yes!” Tucker chorused. “Oops, I mean Principal James.”
Gemma set down her card and ran to Rem. “Say yes, Daddy. I want us to marry Declan.”
Rem was overwhelmed. The band was still playing while all of his friends were gathered together with their fingers crossed. Peg and Ben had taken time out of their days to be here for Declan’s proposal.
“I love you so much, Remington James. I promise to make you the happiest man on earth if you say yes.”
“I already am the happiest man on earth.” Rem still couldn’t believe this was happening. Declan was on his knees with a gorgeous ring asking for his hand in marriage. What else could he say to the love of his life but, “Yes!”
Declan slipped the ring on Rem’s hand and stood up to hug his fiancée. “We’re getting married,” Dec whispered in his ear.
