Found by Love

by Jennifer Bryan Yarbrough

  "Oh I can't wait to meet him and we will all love him as much as we love you Sweetheart. And I have never ever hated you. I don't know why you've thought that. You were Vanessa's best friend and I always loved seeing you and I knew that Caleb was in love with you ever since he met you and I've always hoped that you two would end up together. You're so funny too! I've only wanted the best for you, truly!"

  "So you're okay with me dating your son? Haha... Because I came out of the closet! Hahaha... Finally! I've been such an idiot huh?"

  "Now, don't down yourself so harshly. You might tend to do or say crazy things but you'll never be an idiot. You're a very beautiful and intelligent woman and you need to start looking at yourself in that way. I'm so happy for you and Caleb and I always knew in my heart that you two belonged together and would somehow find each other eventually."

  "Thank you. I guess I do need to stop belittling myself. I've been doing it for so long it's a hard habit to break. And I guess your mother’s intuition was working regarding Caleb and I."

  "That's right. You're never too old to get rid of bad habits! Why don't you and Caleb stay there the whole week? First thing Monday morning I was planning on calling all of your clients and telling them that you had a family emergency. I wouldn't be lying. This is a crucial time and I think you both should stay and spend some time with Grayson and especially the three of you for bonding purposes." I was really dreading Caleb leaving because I want him here with me and I really didn't have a busy week this week with some filing and a few phone calls and two appointments so far.

  "I think I'll take you up on your offer if you really don't mind. Oh no! You don't have a key to get in. I never even thought about that."

  "Oh don't worry about that. Cash already has a lock smith meeting him in the morning to have a key made. We are helping on this end as well Honey."

  "Thank you so much. The code to the alarm is 7103. I'll text it to you so that you'll have it in your phone. I guess if anything big comes up you can call Caleb or I and we can handle it from here. I appreciate all of your help."

  "Don't even worry about it. That's what family is for. Will you please give my new grandson a hug when you get the chance? I can't wait to meet him." Wow! She's already calling him her grandson. I really owe Olivia an apology because I really needed this conversation.

  "Yes I sure will." Caleb walked into the room and stopped when he saw me on the phone. I waved him in and motioned for him to sit down.

  "We love you Sweetheart! I love you! Okay? Please don't forget that and call me if you need anything or you just want to talk." Tears again! I'm sorry but I am an idiot! I never gave Caleb a chance and I never gave his mother a chance either.

  "I love you too and thank you so much. Goodbye."

  "Goodbye honey."

  I hang up the phone and text Amelia the code and then pull up Olivia's number and shoot her a text.

  Okay, I'm a shit!! You were right

  and I was wrong! I really needed

  that conversation. I'll call you

  tomorrow.

  I immediately got back a response.

  Told ya so! Love you!

  I put my phone on the night stand and fell face first onto the bed. Oh what a day! I just want to fall asleep and wake up tomorrow afternoon but Maria is cooking Grayson's favorite homemade pizza so I have to get through dinner first.

  "Cru? Was that Olivia on the phone?" I look at him and wonder why his voice sounds so weird.

  "No, why?"

  "Was it Cash?" I raise my head and look at him. What is he getting at and why does he look.... Jealous?

  "No it wasn't. Why?" He stands up and points at my phone angrily.

  "Well who the hell did you just say I love you to and thank you so much to?" Oh wow! He is jealous! He's even hotter when he's jealous.

  "The person that I was talking to." I don't know why I didn't just tell him that it was his mother but oh my word he's so hot when he's jealous! He's fuming and everything and his eyes have gotten piercingly bluer.

  "Have I missed something here? Is this just a game to you? Was it Henry or Elizabeth?" Wow! It amazes me that his mother is the last person he would guess. Of course an hour ago she would have been the last person I would have thought I would have said I love you to.

  "Nope! Would you calm down and come over here by me. I could really use a hug."

  "That's not happening until you tell me who the HELL you were talking to, right now!"

  "Haha... You're going to feel like an idiot if you don't come over here. I'm just warning you."

  "I don't care how good of a kiss you give me I can guarantee you that I'm not going to feel like an idiot. I feel like I'm getting played right now!"

  "I promise you that I'm not playing you."

  "Yeah whatever... I'm going to go take a shower Cruella." The way that he said my nickname felt like acid in my throat; because he sure wasn't using it as a term of endearment. He started undressing and stalked off to the bathroom but I followed him.

  "Well geez! Aren't you acting like a little diva Nerd boy! I think I'll take one with you. We really should have found time to take a shower on the plane after all of that hot sex we had." He rolled his eyes at me and then shook his head no at me when I started to undress. I reached over to turn the water on and he stopped me.

  "What are you doing? I'm not taking a shower with you. I want to know who it was you told on the phone that you loved them."

  "Oh my God! You are no fun at all!" I reach up and pull his head down to me by the neck and give him a rough kiss on the lips. "Do you know how hot you are when you're jealous? HOT! I feel like I'm on fire right now and only you can make it go away Nerd Boy." I pull away from him and open the shower door and leave it open for him while he's staring at me and probably thinking that I've lost my mind which has me giggling.

  "By the way... I was talking to your mother you big dummy! She really doesn't hate me. I guess you were right."

  I turned around and had my back to him and felt him walk into the shower behind me. He leaned down and nibbled on my ear and whispered and then growled.

  "Oh I'm going to make you pay for that one. Well played Cruella... Well played. Now come here!" I turned around and was attacked by his mouth and his hands all over my body.

  CHAPTER SIX

  "Oh my Godddddd.... Ooooooooohhhh..... Awwwww…… Mmmmmmm... I lovvvvve it!" I hear Grayson giggling to the right of me and I look over at him. "What?? What's so funny?"

  Maria, Mattie's amazing cook or maid or whatever she is made homemade pizza. I don't know how she made it but it’s perfect. The dough is soft and crispy and the cheese. Oh my word! The best delicious and gooey pizza that I’ve ever had in my life!

  "Do you always make those kinds of noises when you eat?" I look at him and he's grinning and I look over at Caleb and Mattie and both of their faces are beet red but Caleb can't help but answer him.

  "Grayson, believe it or not, she does, and it's really embarrassing when we are out in public. I'm sorry buddy but it's just something you're going to have to get used to." I see Mattie put his fist out with his knuckles out to Caleb and they have a little knuckle bump and grinned at each other.

  "Caleb... All I've got to say is if she sounds like that when she's eating then you must feel like the luckiest guy in the world when you two are-"

  "Okay! Let’s change the subject please." Men! I swear. Talking like that in front of a ten year old boy. I look across the table at Caleb and the look on his face has me blush because I know that he was thinking about our shower that we shared earlier. He looks over at Mattie and grins.

  "Oh I do Mattie... I certainly do." And knuckle bump again! I look over at Grayson and he seems deep in thought. I hope not trying to figure out what the two idiots are talking about.

  "Grayson, what would you like to go do in the morning?" He gets a panicked look on his face.

  "Why? Are you leaving already?" How did he get that from my question?

  "N
o honey... I know we haven't discussed this yet but I'm staying here for as long as you need me to so that we can get to know each other. As of right now, Caleb and I are here for the week." I look over at Mattie. "That is if that's okay with you. If it’s too much then Caleb and I can get a room at a hotel." Mattie waved my suggestion away.

  "Of course, Claudia, that's fine; you both can stay for as long as you need to. I do have to leave for business Tuesday night and I won't be back until Thursday night, but you can have the house to yourselves. Grayson usually goes back home on Sundays but I see no problem in him staying here all week since you're both here."

  "That's not my home Uncle Mattie and I wish you would quit calling it that!" For the first time he is finally acting his age with his arms crossed across his chest and a pouty look on his face.

  "Grayson... We've been over this. I travel a lot for work and I needed you somewhere where you could be taken care of and able to be around your family, friends and school."

  "Maria would have taken care of me and you know it! They're NOT my family! They don't like me and they only want me around so that you'll give them money so that they can buy stuff for themselves and their kids and I'm not going back!!! Ever!!"

  He looked over at me with tears in his eyes and stormed out. I want to chase after him but I've got to give myself a moment to process exactly what to say to him and I should also give him some time to calm down. I look towards Mattie and he has his head down and seems discouraged.

  "Mattie? What's going on? Have you told his cousins yet that I'm here? Do they know that he wants to live with me now?"

  "Oh they know and they're none too happy about it. They've mentioned taking you to court so that they could get custody of him instead of temporary guardianship. I think that's why Grayson seems so upset because they've made comments to him that you... Well... Already threw him away like a dog and why you would want him back. Their words... Not mine. I think he's just nervous is all."

  I push my plate away because I've lost any appetite that I had no matter how good it tasted. How could they be so cruel? My first instinct is to go to their house and tell them exactly what's going to happen and that is that I WILL be taking my son home with me. Caleb got up and came around and sat next to me where Grayson was and started rubbing my neck and shoulders.

  "Claudia? Calm down baby. We knew this wasn't going to be a cake walk from the get go. What we have to focus on right now is reassuring Grayson that he will be going home with us since that seems to be what he wants to do. Or is it Mattie? Are you sure that he doesn't want to stay here with you?" I think everyone has lost their appetites because Mattie pushed his plate away as well.

  "Listen to me, both of you. I love Grayson... As if he were my own but I have a lot of growing up to do and money to make and I'm sorry... This might sound selfish of me but I'm not ready to settle down." I can tell that he's embarrassed to admit that and I'm impressed that he can freely admit it to us since we are pretty much complete strangers.

  "Now... having said that; if you decided to change your mind and didn't want custody of him? I would stop traveling and... Well... Finish raising him but it wouldn't be fair to him because I can't give him what he needs and that is a mother AND a father. I do want to be able to visit him now and then and be able to talk to him quite often."

  "Well of course Mattie. Caleb and I know how important you are to him and I don't see a problem with that at all. We aren't going to cut him off from everyone that he loves and cares about."

  He nodded at me in appreciation and I looked at Caleb wondering where his head was at and wondering if I should go talk to Grayson yet.

  "Claud, I'll go with you to talk to him if you want. If he's anything like you he's probably calmed down by now."

  "I think I'll go by myself because if we both go in there he might feel a little outnumbered. Give me a little time with him and then you can join us. I do want him to know that he has both of us and not just me though." I lean over to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

  "Sounds good Baby, and good luck because you're going to need it because he is his mother’s son after all." I hear Mattie clear his throat and I had forgotten that he was in the room and I know that he could tell that I was blushing.

  "So how long have you two been a couple? You seem to be deeply in love." His question had both of us cracking up.

  "I'll let you answer that one Caleb... I'm going to go talk to Grayson. Please don't make me sound like a crazy person okay Nerd Boy?" I get up and kiss him on the forehead and push my chair in. I look at my dinner and my stomach growled at missing out on Maria's awesome pizza.

  "Cruella? Do you care if I tell him the story of when you proposed to me?" I turned around and glared at him.

  "I did NOT propose to you! You were putting words in my mouth thank you very much." I look over at Mattie and point my finger at him.

  "Do NOT believe anything that he says unless I say it's the truth or not." I grinned at him assuring him that I was just messing with him which had him rolling. As I was walking out of the room he was telling Caleb what a cute couple we were which makes me feels good.

  I hear a thumping noise as I get closer to Grayson's room letting me know that it's coming from his room. As soon as I knock on the door the thumping stops.

  "I want to be alone." Thump, thump, thump. I start to turn the knob but hesitate because I don't want to just barge in on him.

  "Grayson, will you please let me come in so that we can talk? Please?"

  The thumping stopped and I hear him get out of bed and come to the door. He opens it and looks at me and behind and around me to see if I was by myself. It's a good thing I came by myself because he probably wouldn't have let me in. He pulled the door open wider for me to come in and I look around and I must say. He's got a pretty cool bedroom with a big screen TV in the corner hooked up to an Xbox and at least a hundred games lined up on the shelf next to the TV. A miniature basketball goal is standing in the corner and a set of bunk beds that has a slide at the end. It reminds me of something my nephew Gideon would love to have in his room.

  "Wow! This is a cool room and big too. Um.... the room that you will have at mine and Caleb's is maybe half this size. I hope that's okay. I mean... if you want to come live with us.” I try to see if I can see what he wants to do by looking at him but all he's giving me is a blank stare. "What or who do you want to live with Grayson?" He seems so deep in thought that I start getting nervous and hold my breath. He sits down on the couch that's in front of the TV and looks up at me.

  "I do want to live with you and Caleb." Oh thank God! I finally exhaled the breath that I was holding in. "But... I also want to live with Uncle Mattie. I guess that's not gonna happen huh."

  The last eight months have really taken a toll on him and I can only imagine that Mattie being his last link to his parents is what has kept him going. Could Caleb and I move here and leave everything behind? Yes! I know I could in a second but what about Caleb? If he couldn't move here with me then that would be the end of our relationship. As much as I love him I love Grayson more and will do anything to have him back in my life no matter the price.

  "Okay. I don't want to just swoop in here Gray and tell you that you have to move to Oregon with me. I want this to be your decision and yours alone. You've had enough life changing issues to deal with this past year that were not in your control and I want to do what you want to do here and that is what is going to make you the happiest." His eyes have about popped out of his head and his mouth dropped and he's just staring at me in shock.

  "What's wrong?"

  "It's just that... No one has called me Gray since my Mom died. That's what she always called me. I didn't realize how much I missed hearing her nickname for me until you just said it. I'm sorry but I really miss my mom and dad... a lot!" I sit down next to him and put my hand on his shoulder and then his back and pull him closer to me and start running my fingers through his hair.

  "I know you do baby and it
’s okay to miss them and you can talk to me about them any time you want to. I know what it feels like to miss someone you loved and knowing that you'll never see them again."

  "You do? You're not talking about the way you missed me after I was born are you?" There's that old soul of his showing itself again.

  "No... My parents died not too long after you were born. Both of them had heart attacks six months apart from each other. My only brother died almost 3 years ago along with his 3 kids in a car wreck so yeah... I know what it feels like to miss those that you loved and know that you will never see them again."

  "So you don't have any family left either? Well... other than Caleb?"

  "Believe it or not I have a lot of family left. They're not my biological family but my sister in law who was married to my brother has been my best friend since we were fourteen years old and she's more like a sister to me than anything. She's married to Caleb's brother Cash and they have four kids. Their parents are kind of like my parents too. At least they treat me like I'm one of theirs. Well... They try to when I let them, haha." He looked up at me and was grinning from ear to ear.

  "So I have grandparents and an aunt and uncle and cousins?? How old are my cousins?" Oh I love seeing him smile because he such a beautiful smile and he doesn’t look as withdrawn when he smiles really big.

  "Gideon is 8 and Eden is 6 and Cassidy and Claude... I mean Hank, are 8 months old. They're twins! They're all pretty awesome. I think you and Gideon will get along pretty well. He's almost as funny as you are." I leaned down and kissed him on the forehead and he flinched. I wasn't thinking and it just seemed like an immediate reaction so I did it.

  "I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to do that. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me it just seemed like the natural thing to do." He started giggling and shaking his head at me.

  "It's okay. I like spending time with you and it... It wasn't weird or anything. You can do it again if you want to."