Southern Boys: Finding Gavin Part 14

I pinned Mikey to the floor, tickling his sides. Maria got on my back, attempting to rescue her partner in crime.

"Let go of him, you beast," she hollered.

After Mikey had pa.s.sed out from exhaustion, during the movie marathon he and Maria attempted to watch, I carried him to his bed.

Maria had already turned the evening into an eight-year-old boy's dream, complete with an X-box and games.

His eyes were the size of saucers when we had earlier showed him Maria's purchases. We never actually made it to play the video games, but I think he had fun without them.

Once he was safely tucked in bed, I joined Maria in ours. She was already asleep, so I slipped in behind her and pulled her body back against mine.

Listening to her soft breaths, I propped my head up onto my hand and watched her closely. Her eyes twitched and her nose wrinkled. A small whimper filled the silence of the house.

Tracing my fingertip over her cheek and smoothing her hair back from her face, I kissed her softly. I didn't want to wake her; I just needed to feel her close.

The battle within me to fight the urge to make her legally mine was exhausting. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her forever and ask her to marry me. Then I would remember how it had turned out for me the first time, which in turn would make me push back any thought of ever repeating that again.

It was a struggle between choosing the right time and wondering if there would ever be a right time. This was a battle only I could overcome. It was not Maria who had tainted my views of marriage; it was Nicole. It wasn't fair that I put them both in the same category.

Maria was nothing like Nicole.

Chapter Twenty-Nine.

Maria Over the last few months, Mikey has stayed with Gavin and me half a dozen times. It felt complete when he was with us. When he went back to the boys' home, each time it nearly broke my heart. I would sneak off to hide my tears, not wanting to upset Gavin. I think it already broke his heart enough letting go of him, so seeing my heartbreak would only make it worse.

We had agreed not to bring up the adoption to Mikey until we knew for sure that everything was in our favor. We feared getting his hopes up, only to crush him if something affected the process negatively.

School had started back up, and Kori was in the miserable stages of pregnancy. She was swollen and cranky. She didn't care much for my duck comments, but d.a.m.n it, they were fun-she waddled.

She was in her last month, and little baby Grace would be here to meet us all very soon. I couldn't wait to see her sweet little face.

A baby shower was planned for tonight, but Kori had no idea what she was going home to.

I had volunteered to drive this morning. Reed was at home, waiting for us to arrive. He actually spent the day getting everything ready.

The moment we pulled into the drive, Kori protested. "Oh, no you didn't. You did not fill my house with a bunch of people without me knowing about it."

"This was all your man's idea," I stated.

"All my mother's friends are gonna want to rub my belly." She laughed, before laying her head back against the seat. "A bunch of woman will be standing around rubbing on me like I'm some d.a.m.n genie in a bottle."

I opened the door and stepped out, walking around the front to open her door for her. Holding out my hand, I helped her out of my car. We walked side by side toward the pink and yellow balloons.

"Just tell them you feel really ga.s.sy, that will make them scatter," I said, just before the front door came open. She giggled as her momma approached, followed closely by Reed.

"Surprise," they both said, while helping her up the steps.

Looking up, I found both Gavin and Mikey waiting patiently for me to enter. At times, I felt it was crazy to consider them my boys.

But that is exactly what they are, my people. The two I adore and love. The two I want to shower with my love and take care of. They are my world, and having them to call my own gives me a great sense of fulfillment.

Wrapping my arms around them both warmed my soul.

"Hey, boys," I said.

"Hey, baby, how was your day?" Gavin asked.

Mikey hugged me tightly, whispering in my ear. "My cheeks hurt. These ladies have pinched me over and over." He looked up and me with a very serious expression. "They are all crazy."

I giggled behind my hand and looked up at Gavin. He, too, was laughing at Mikey's description of all the older women here.

"I'll keep'em away, bud," I a.s.sured him, and he blew out a breath.

"Thanks," he replied. His relief only made me laugh harder.

When I stood back up, Gavin pulled me in for a quick hug and kiss.

"Hey, I need to ask you if you'd be willing to help Colt. He got that place in town, and it needs some work. He's hoping to get things fixed up quickly, so he can start on the orders he already has coming in."

"Reed lined him up with a few contractors in the area. Looks like his custom woodworking is really gonna take off." The thought made me smile. It would mean that Colt would be sticking around.

"Sure, I'll help him. Reed said he was gonna be spending some time over there too, along with Ben. I'm sure that, with all of us helping, he'll be up and running soon." He winked and I thanked him with another soft kiss.

The baby shower was co-ed and it was a riot. The guys ended up hanging in the kitchen while we did all the things they consider too d.a.m.n girly.

Reed was the only one forced to partic.i.p.ate, and I had to give the guy credit; he was a trooper. Even when all the guys made fun of him through the doorway to the kitchen, he stood tall.

It was still pretty hard when I thought about the child I'd lost. Thinking about the fact that I would now be somewhere around six months pregnant still made my heart ache.

One day I'll be a momma. One day I'll be blessed to hold my child in my arms. It just wasn't my time. For some reason beyond my control, my baby was needed for greater things. Some days were harder than others, and today was one of the most difficult.

I smiled as I watched Kori and Reed hold up the gifts they'd received, one by one.

Gavin seemed to be fighting the same issues. He was well aware of my struggle. So together we fought through the day.

Our time would come one day, I knew it would. For now, we would continue to build and grow stronger, together.

Chapter Thirty.

Gavin I got the call this morning, the call that would change my life. I was approved for the adoption of Mikey. The chills ran through my body as Trevor explained the final steps. My chest ached and my hands trembled.

I would finally be able to bring him home with us for good. I would be able to tell him that he didn't have to go back to the boys' home, that he would be home, with us.

I could hardly contain my excitement. Pulling into the driveway, I raced to the front door and pushed it open. Maria spun around from the kitchen sink, looking at me like I had lost my mind.

I didn't even allow her to speak. I grabbed her face and pulled her lips to mine. Pinning her against the counter, I kissed her until she was breathless.

Turning her around, I walked her backward until her back b.u.mped the table. Lifting her up, I placed her on top of it and began kissing her again. As I quickly tore at her clothes, my excitement about feeling her body against mine was evident.

I pushed her back until she lay sprawled out before me, in only her panties. Maria stared back at me, completely lost in the thrill of the moment.

Without thinking, I gripped my erection and, pulling aside her panties, I began pushing inside her. We both moaned out in pleasure as our bodies began slapping together.

The table shifted beneath us, making sounds as it scooted along the tile. Her back arched off the table as her o.r.g.a.s.m forced its way through her. She moaned, thrusting her b.r.e.a.s.t.s upward.

Gliding one hand across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, I held my hardness in the other. I pulled out just as my own release shot across her belly. I groaned out loudly. "d.a.m.n."

Maria's laughter brought me out of the daze. I looked down at her, sprawled out on the table top. Her hair was a mess, and her shirt was barely hanging from her left wrist. A trail of clothes was scattered around us. My jeans were still pooled around my ankles.

I smiled down at her. "I will never look at this table the same way again," I declared, only making her laugh even harder.

"You are such an animal." She covered her face, still laughing at our rumpled state.

She was right, but d.a.m.n if I wouldn't do it again. She made me lose control. Mixed with the most amazing news, there was no hope. My joy had overtaken any possibility of control.

I grabbed a washcloth to clean up Maria, but I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.

"What put you in such a great mood?" she asked.

Once she was clean, I helped her from the table. We both began putting our clothes back on and attempting to right ourselves.

"I got 'em. He's ours," I stated with pure overwhelming love.

"Yeah?" she asked, her eyes filling up with tears of joy.

I nodded my head and smiled. "Yeah."

Maria jumped up into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. She cried happy tears as I held her close.

"So what do think about it, buddy? Would you like to permanently come live with us?" Maria and I sat at a table across from the caseworker and Mikey.

His little head shifted back and forth between her and us. I watched him closely as the entire situation settled in him. His eyes slowly began to fill with tears. His lips trembled and he stared back at me, unable to look away.

I wasn't sure what was going through his little mind, and it was killing me.

"Do you mean it?" he asked, as a tear ran down his cheek.

I stood up and quickly walked around the table to kneel before him.

"I mean it, buddy. We want you to be a part of our family. We love you, Mikey. You belong in a home filled with love, and we can give you that. You make the both of us so happy." I turned around to look at Maria, tears falling down her cheeks pulled at something within me.

These two beautiful people were meant to be a part of my life. They had crossed paths with me to show me how to love again.

"We will never try to replace your parents. What we want to do is help you to live out the dreams that I'm almost positive they would have wanted for you. We don't want another day to go by without you feeling safe and happy. We want be there for you through it all."

"Can we get a dog?" he asked, and I laughed.

I shook my head at his question. I knew that, between Maria and Mikey, I had no hope. Giving the two of them everything they could possibly want was what I wanted.

Maria laughed. "Heck, yeah, we can get a dog. Whatever dog you want, Mikey."

She answered before I could. She shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out at her side. "What? You act like you weren't already gonna say yes."

The caseworker quietly observed our craziness, with a big smile stretched out on her face. There was no tension, no mistrust. It was as if the three of us had known one another our entire lives, like we had been having these kinds of conversations daily.

By this time next week, he would be home with us, just in time for the holidays.

Chapter Thirty-One.

"I really appreciate the help, guys. It means a lot. The orders started coming in the minute Reed gave out my cards. Who knew custom cabinetry and woodwork would take off around here?" Colt was grateful for the help.

He had purchased a building just at the edge of town. It had a shop area, a nice large s.p.a.ce, in the back. The front would serve as his display area and store. It's a place where people could take a look at his completed work and designs.

It even came with an apartment above it. It was pretty big and s.p.a.cious. The problem was it was old and had sat empty for years. It was in desperate need of a facelift.

Ben, Reed and I had all volunteered to help Colt with the remodeling, hoping that he would be able to move in sooner.

Reed had already lined him up with a few jobs. The guy's work was pretty d.a.m.n amazing, he had a talent. Each piece had a special touch that I had never seen in any furniture store. He was an artist in his own way.

"So Kori said that Mikey will be with you guys officially, after court on Friday. I bet you and Mar are excited," Reed said, as he nailed the sheetrock up.

"Yeah, we're all excited. Maria has been spoiling him. He is gonna love her even more once he walks into his room. She went a little overboard. My concern is the kid won't ever wanna leave his bedroom." Reed laughed at me, and all I could do was shake my head.

"Colt, when you gonna find a girl and settle down?" Ben hollered, looking over his shoulder.

"Nah, not me. All the sappy love-sick s.h.i.t is for you fools. I think I'll keep my sanity," Colt replied.

I remembered Maria mentioning something just recently about her brother having an ex who had broken his heart.