The Lernier Family
By: Russ Nielsen
(© 2011-2012 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 23
Kyle’s Recovery

Kyle and two of his friends were playing video games in his room.   Brandon and Harrison were his very best buds in the whole world.   They were laughing and joking as they talked trash about each other.   Brandon won their game and he said, “Hey, dudes, I need to get home.   My Mom has been ragging on me something fierce about spending time with my little brother, Garrett.   She says that it’s important for us to bond as a family.”   Brandon rolled his eyes, “As if I want to hang out with a seven year old.”

Harrison said, “At least you have a little brother to hang out with, bro.   You could have an older sister to deal with which is much, much worse.   Alex is always watching me.   She rats me out to Mom and Dad and thinks she is so superior because her grades are better than mine.”

Brandon said, “Kyle you are so lucky.   Your Dads are the coolest people I know.   They don’t rag on you and you have a great family.   Of course, David can be kind of weird sometimes but he doesn’t bother you like Garrett bothers me all of the time.   Even your twin brothers are alright.   JJ asked me if I was a giant because I am so tall.”   Brandon laughed.

Kyle and Harrison laughed as well.   Kyle said, “Dad read them the story of Jack and the Bean Stalk the other day.   Now they ask everyone if they are a giant.”

“Hey, can we read stories to JJ and Josh?” Harrison asked.

Kyle looked at his friend like he had two heads, “Why would you want to do that?”

Harrison shrugged, “I don’t know.   I just thought it might be fun to read stories to little kids instead of going home to be harassed by my big sister.   Do you think I could stay for dinner?”

Kyle looked at Harrison and smiled, “Sure.   You know that my Daddy loves to feed us.”

“Yeah, we do,” Brandon said.   “He has got to be the best chef anywhere.   I told my mom that we need to get his recipes because he makes such delicious things to eat.”

“I like the chocolate chip cookies and milk that are always waiting for us when we come over,” Harrison said.   “You have it made, Kyle.   You have a parent that takes good care of you.   My Mom and Dad both work and don’t have time to cook and Alex can’t be bothered.”

Brandon’s cell phone rang.   He answered it.   His friends could hear his mother telling him that he was late and needed to be home as soon as he could get there.   He hung up and looked at Kyle and Harrison, “I’m in big trouble guys.   Can I get a ride home, Kyle?”

Kyle stood up and nodded his head, “Sure.   Let’s tell my Daddy and he will take you home.”

They followed Kyle of his room and down to the kitchen where they found a plate of chocolate chip cookies and glasses of milk laid out on the table.   Kyle asked, “Daddy, can we take Brandon home?   He really needs to get there soon.”

I nodded my head, “Sure.   Brandon, grab your cookies and milk.   You can take them in the car so you won’t miss out on them.”

Brandon grinned, “Thanks, Daddy.”   Brandon had decided that he wanted to be adopted by Kyle’s Dads so he had called them Dad and Daddy from the beginning.   He really looked up to them as role models of what real Dads should be like.   They spent time with their children, took them to ball games, played sports with them, had dinner with them and talked to them like they were real people.   He wished his parents would be more like them.  

I smiled at Brandon, “Okay, big guy, let’s get you home before I get a call from your Mom telling me off again.   She reminded me that she expects you home right at six o’clock.   She also told me last time that I was encouraging you to become a juvenile delinquent because I give you too many cookies and milk.   She said she was kidding but I think she was only half kidding.”

Brandon laughed, “She likes your chocolate chip cookies.   She says that she needs to hire you to cater a party for her since you are such a good cook.”  

I said, “Okay, I won’t worry about it then.   Let’s go.   Harrison, do you need a ride home as well?”

Harrison shook his head, “Actually, I wanted to ask you if I could stay for dinner.”

“You are very welcome to stay for dinner.   Just make a quick call home to let your sister know where you are,” I said.   I had come to expect Harrison to stay for dinner most every night.   I had no problem with it but I always insisted that he let his sister know where he was and what time to expect him home.   I knew that his parents were working two jobs to make ends meet and weren’t home very often.   I would rather that Kyle and Harrison spend time at our home than spend time alone at Harrison’s home where they would be unsupervised.   Maybe I was being over protective but I felt like there needed to be some adult supervision where our teenagers were concerned.

Brandon had collected his cookies in one hand and carried his glass of milk in the other.   He headed out the door.   I grabbed the car keys which hung by the front door and followed him out to the car.   Brandon was a tall, blond-haired youth.   He had gained his height early and stood about an inch or so taller than Rick.   He had piercing blue eyes and a ready smile.   His hands and feet dwarfed mine!   Brandon wore his hair down to his shoulders.   Usually, he had it pulled back in a ponytail but today he left it loose and the wind blew it around him forming a kind of cocoon.   We climbed into the mini-van and I backed out of the driveway.   Brandon asked between mouthfuls of chocolate chip cookie, “Daddy, What’s it like to fall in love with a guy?”

I was a little surprised at the question and gave Brandon a quick glance before answering, “Well, it’s the most wonderful thing in the entire world.   Nothing is better than falling in love with your best friend.   Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering if it was any different than falling in love with a girl,” Brandon replied.

“I don’t know if it’s any different since I have never fallen in love with a girl.   All I can talk about is how great it is for me to have a wonderful guy for a husband who loves me and I love him,” I said.   “You can talk to my husband about falling in love with a girl.   He had a girlfriend in high school and he fell in love with her.   He wanted to marry her when she got pregnant but she wanted nothing to do with him.   In fact, she got her brothers to beat him up.”

“Do you think Dad will talk to me about his girlfriend?” Brandon asked.

“I think he will if you ask him, Brandon, but I need to tell you that Angie threatened to kill us and destroyed our apartment in Atlanta.   She is a very hateful person.   I don’t know how the love she professed to have for Rick could be turned into so much hatred,” I said.

Brandon said, “Thanks for talking to me.   I was afraid you would brush off my questions like my parents do sometimes when they don’t want to answer me.”

I pulled into Brandon’s driveway and shut off the engine.   I looked over at Brandon and said, “Brandon, I will always try to answer your questions to the best of my ability.   If I don’t know something, I will tell you that I don’t know it.   I expect that you will be just as honest with me as I am with you.   Is that okay?”

Brandon grinned, “Sure it’s okay!  Thanks for the cookies and milk.”   He jumped out and ran across the lawn to the front door.   He turned and waved as I pulled away from his home.

I returned home to find that Kyle and Harrison were in the family room reading stories to the twins.   Harrison looked up as I came into the room, “Hey, Daddy, when will Dad be home?   I want to hear him tell the story of the three Cajun pigs.”

Rick had entertained the twins with the three pigs story a couple of days ago.   Harrison laughed so hard I thought we were going to have to get him some medical attention!   I replied, “He will be home late tonight.   He left Washington, DC, about an hour ago.”

Harrison said, “Can I stay until he gets home?”

“Sure but you have to call Alex,” I replied with a grin as Harrison grimaced at the thought of calling his older sister.

He pulled out his cell phone and called Alex, “Hey, Alex.   I’m going to stay over at Kyle’s tonight.   Is that okay?”

Alex replied, “Sure, if I get to come over, too.   You shouldn’t be the only one who gets to hang out with your friend.”

“You don’t like Kyle, anyway,” Harrison replied, not at all happy that Alex wanted to come over to Kyle’s house.   “Besides, he is too young for you.”

“That has nothing to do with it, Harrison.   I hate being home alone all the time,” Alex complained.

Harrison laughed, “You are never home alone, Alex.   Your girlfriends are always hanging out at our house.”

“But they went home and I want someone to entertain me.   I’m so bored,” Alex said.  

Harrison put his hand over the phone and asked, “Kyle, can Alex come over for a while.   She says she’s bored.”

Kyle laughed, “Alex is welcome to come over.   Just tell her that her Jenny can come over, too.”

Harrison made a face at Kyle, “Okay, Alex, you can come over and bring Jenny with you.”

“Be there in a few minutes,” Alex said.

Harrison ended the call and turned to Kyle.   “Why do you want Jenny to come over?   Do you like her or something?”

Kyle shrugged, “I kind of like her.   You have to admit she is very pretty.”

“Kyle, she is older than you.   How can you be interested in someone who’s a junior?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Kyle responded.

Harrison looked at his friend as if he had just grown two heads, “You are so weird!”

A couple of minutes later, the doorbell rang and I opened the door to admit the two girls.   Alex smiled and said, “Hello, Mr. Lernier.   Kyle said we could come over.”

I smiled, “Kyle told me you were coming.   The boys are in the family room.”

Alex and Jenny passed by me as I closed the door.   I returned to the kitchen where the twins were having a snack before going to bed.   When they were finished, I said, “Time for bed, boys.”

I took them by the hand and led them upstairs.   I knelt with them next to their beds as they said their prayers.   Josh hugged me and said, “Good night, Daddy.”

“Good night, Josh,” I replied.

JJ asked, “When is Dad coming home?”

“He will be in about an hour.   I will have him come to your bedroom and give you a kiss when he gets here.   Is that okay?” I asked.

JJ nodded his head.   “I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you, too,” I said and tucked his blanket up around him.  I got up and walked over and turned out the light.   I made my way downstairs to the family room.   Ashley and David had joined the other four teenagers.   They were playing a board game so I sat down in the rocking chair to relax as I listened to their conversation.   I watched Kyle and Jenny very closely.   It was obvious to me that they liked each other.   She had long straight blond hair that hung down her back to her waist.   Her hazel eyes twinkled when she smiled.   Jenny was tall and slender.   Kyle had asked me the night before if it was okay to date a girl that was taller than he was.   I had told him that it was okay as long as it didn’t bother either one of them.   They finished their game and moved from the floor to the couches with Jenny holding Kyle’s hand.  

Jenny asked, “Kyle, will you play Fiddler on the Roof for us just like you played for our school musical?”

Kyle beamed at Jenny and nodded his head.   “I lucked into that part.   Mrs. Arrington asked me to play the part of the fiddler the day of our first rehearsal, remember?”

Harrison laughed, “I remember Mr. McCormick said we really needed to have a boy play the violin and not a girl.   He told Mrs. Arrington that he would rather have a boy play the part and air bow to a recording of the music rather than have a girl play the part of the fiddler.”

Alex said, “I was the costume manager for that play and I was running around like a crazy woman trying to find you a costume.”

“But you managed to find him a jacket and a beret that looked really cool,” Harrison.   “It was better than the costume you found for me.”

Alex laughed, “That’s because you were playing the part of one of the villagers, Harrison.”

Kyle as Fiddler on the Roof

Kyle pulled out his violin and started to play the pieces from the musical.   When Kyle was finished, Jenny smiled and said, “That’s was wonderful.”  Kyle blushed at her praises.   He turned away from her to put his instrument away.   He returned to sit by her side and she took his hand in hers, again.  

Alex said, “Kyle you need to join the drama club next year.   I think you would be great thespian.”

Kyle said, “I like acting.   I had fun with the fiddler part but I didn’t have a speaking part.”

“We will help you,” Jenny said.   “You already know all the drama kids since you were school musical last month.   If you sign up for the drama class, we will have at least one class together.”

I almost busted up laughing as I saw the wheels turning in Kyle’s head as he processed that last bit of information.   I saw the question forming in his mind even before he voiced it, “Daddy, what do you think?   Should I take drama next year?”

I tried to be serious as I responded to his question, “It’s totally up to you, Kyle.   If you want to take drama that is fine by me but you need to figure out how you will handle football practice and being in the school play next fall.   The rehearsals are right after school just like football practice.   Also, don’t forget that we are planning to move to Virginia so you won’t be attending Hauppauge High School next year.”

Kyle looked at Jenny who had a crestfallen expression on her face.   “I forgot we were moving at the end of the school year.   Maybe I can sign up for drama at my new school.”

I heard the front door open and I heard Rick yell, “Honey, I’m home!”

I got up and went to greet him.   Rick grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the ground in a bear hug before setting on my feet and kissing me on the lips.   “I missed you, Babe.”

“I’m glad you’re home,” I said and kissed him again.

Rick asked, “Who is here?”

“Kyle’s friends:   Harrison, Alex and Jenny.”

“The same Jenny he has been talking about since he met her during rehearsals for the music?” he asked.

“Yes, the very same one,” I said with a grin.

Rick took my hand and led me into the family room where the teens were still talking.   When Kyle saw Rick, he jumped up and came over to give Rick a hug.   “Dad, I’m glad you’re home.   I wanted to ask you what you thought about me taking drama next year.”

Rick said, “I think that it would be okay if that is what you want to do.   You should really sit down and look at what classes you need to take to graduate and map out how many electives you have.   You want to keep orchestra, right?”

“Yes, I want to stay in the orchestra as well,” Kyle said.   “Will you sit down with me tomorrow and help me figure out my schedule?”

“Sure, we can do it tomorrow afternoon,” Rick responded.

Harrison said, “Hi, Dad.”

“Hello, Harrison.   Kyle, are you going to introduce me?” Rick asked pointedly.

Kyle blushed under his Dad’s gaze and said, “Sorry, Dad.   This is Alex, Harrison’s sister, and her friend, Jenny.”

Rick said, “Nice to meet you both.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lernier.   Harrison never stops talking about how wonderful Kyle’s Dads are.   I certainly agree with his assessment that you are both very good looking,” Alex said smiling at Rick.

Rick laughed and replied, “Why thank you, Alex!   I am glad to know I still qualify as good looking despite having a 14 year old boy for a son.”

“I was beginning to think that we were getting too old and decrepit to even merit the attention of young people,” I said grinning at Rick.

Kyle said, “Well, now that you mention it…..”

“I wouldn’t mention it if I were you, son,” Rick said laughing.   “Don’t forget – I know where you sleep!”

Harrison laughed and said, “I’ll protect you, Kyle.”

Kyle looked over at this friend and shook his head, “What kind of protection would that be?   You would be helping them and you know it!”  Harrison guffawed but didn’t deny it!

Alex interrupted her brother and Kyle’s discussion.   She said, “Jenny thinks you are both good looking, too.”   She looked over at her friend who nodded her head in agreement.

Kyle sat down next to Jenny on the couch and she took his hand in hers.  “I think Kyle is handsome just like his Dads.”

Before Rick could say anything to embarrass the two teens, I took his hand and said, “I have saved your dinner for you.   Come into the kitchen and I will warm it up for you.”

Rick smiled at me and said, “If you will excuse me, please?”

We left the Kyle with his friends and went into the kitchen.   Rick pulled me into his arms and gave me a kiss.   I laughed as Rick released me, “I knew what you had in mind to do next so I rescued Kyle from your evil ways!”

“You know me too well, Babe.   You know I wanted to tease Kyle some more, especially with his girlfriend holding hands with him.”

I put his dinner in the microwave and heated it for him.   Rick took a seat at the table and I served him his dinner.   While he ate, I related to him the events of the day and the children’s progress with their homework and grades.   Lastly, I said, “I promised the twins that you would stop into their room to kiss them good night.”

Rick smiled, “I will go upstairs right now.”   He stood up and gave me a quick kiss, “Thank you for delicious meal.   I promise you a great reward for your efforts.”   He squeezed my package as he kissed me again.   “I need you to fuck me tonight,” he said smiling as he massaged me.   He kissed me and let me go.

I grinned at him, “Go take care of the twins while I clean up in here.”

Rick left the kitchen and peaked into the family room where the teens were still talking.   Alex saw him and asked, “Do you think Jenny and I could come here after school with Harrison sometimes?”

“I don’t have a problem with it but I need to talk to my husband to make sure he’s okay with it, too,” Rick said.   “I will let you know before you leave tonight.”   Rick left them and made his way upstairs.

Meanwhile, Alex turned to Jenny and said, “I love how Kyle’s Dads treat each other.   You can tell they love each other very much.”

Harrison agreed, “Yeah, I wish Mom and Dad would act like they are friends instead of enemies.   They constantly fight.   I hate it when they are home at the same time.   I can handle each one by themselves but not together.”

Alex nodded, “You are so lucky, Kyle.”

I entered the room as Alex made her last statement.   I asked, “Why is Kyle so lucky?”

Alex explained and I said, “I am sure that your Mom and Dad love each other, Alex.   They are just going through a rough patch in their relationship.   Every couple experiences ups and downs in their relationship.   Working as much as they do makes it very difficult to maintain a loving relationship.   It takes a lot of extra effort to keep things running smoothly.   I am sure they are often too tired to invest the energy it takes to keep a relationship alive.   The best thing for you to do is always show them that you love them and help them so that they aren’t as tired by offering to do things for them.   You could suggest that they take a weekend off of work and spend it together.   You know, maybe going to the beach for the weekend would be a great way to do that don’t you think?”

Alex smiled, “I think it’s a great idea!”

Kyle said, “Maybe we could rent a couple of houses at the beach and we could all go to the beach.”

“What do you think, Daddy?” Harrison asked.

“I think it’s something we can discuss,” I said smiling at Harrison.   “It’s getting late and I think we need to be getting ready for bed.”

Jenny looked at her watch and she gasped, “I didn’t know it was so late.   My Mom will be upset that I didn’t call her.”

“Call her right now so she won’t worry and tell her that Alex will drop you off at home in a few minutes,” I said.

Jenny pulled out her cell phone and called her Mom.   She winced when she heard her mother’s voice.  “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said.   “Alex will take me home right now.”

She broke the connection.   She looked at Alex, “We need to go.”   She leaned over and kissed Kyle on the cheek and then she got up and headed for the door.  

Harrison whistled and hooted, “Wow!   Kyle!”

Alex laughed, “I told you she liked you, Kyle.”

The girls left and Harrison and Kyle went upstairs to Kyle’s bedroom.   I walked around the downstairs turning out lights and making sure that the doors were locked.   As I walked up the stairs, Rick came to the head of the stairs, “It’s time for your reward.”   He grinned and took my hand as I drew even with him.   He led me to our bedroom.   He turned and locked the door.   My reward was everything I expected it to be and more!

*** ***

Harrison lay on Kyle’s bed in his boxer shorts staring at the ceiling as he waited for Kyle to come out of his bathroom.   He was the same height as Kyle but was bigger boned.   He already showed signs that he was going to be as tall as his father who was 6’6” (199 cm) and was built like linebacker.   He wore size 13 shoes and his large hands dwarfed those of his classmates.   His dark brown hair was cut short except for a three inch strip down the middle of his head which he hadn’t cut for months.   Normally, he wore it sticking straight up in a Mohawk but tonight he wore it down and it hung down in front of his eyes.   He had deep, dark eyes that matched his hair.   He had a wide, generous mouth and perfect teeth.   Harrison was very proud of the fact that he had lots of hair dark hair on his body.   He knew he could pass for someone several years older than he was.   His treasure trail started right under his belly button and widened as it approached his groin.   He had his dick out and was playing with it when Kyle walked into the room.

Kyle saw what Harrison was doing and said, “Don’t mess up the bed, Harrison.   I just changed the bedding.   I know how much you can shoot so you don’t have to show off for me.”

Harrison grinned and stopped stroking himself.   “You are such a spoil sport, Kyle.”   He put his dick back inside his boxer shorts where it tented the fabric.

Kyle shook his head and said, “Harrison, you are such a pervert.   You know that I hate it when you try to show off your dick.   I’m not gay like my Dads and I am NOT interested in having sex with you.”

“But you love me anyway,” Harrison responded with his usual goofy grin.

“Yes, I love you, Harrison, but as a brother NOT your girlfriend,” Kyle said placing a lot of emphasis on the “NOT” to make sure Harrison got it this time.

“Can’t we just jerk each other off?” Harrison whined hoping that Kyle would give in to him.

“No, I don’t want you to touch me.   Harrison, we have talked about this before and I haven’t changed my mind,” Kyle replied firmly.   “Besides, my Dads have already told me that I shouldn’t have sex with anyone until I’m ready and I’m NOT ready.”

"How about letting me suck your dick?” Harrison asked looking to see Kyle’s reaction.   He really didn’t want to suck his dick but he wanted to test Kyle’s limits to see if he really meant what he said about not being ready to have sex with someone.   He had messed around with a couple of his football buddies in the locker room last fall.   It had been a contest to see how far they could shoot and it had ended with that.    However, since becoming friends with Kyle, he had wanted to explore having sex with a guy.   He didn’t consider himself gay or anything like that but he was still curious about it.

Kyle gave his friend a withering look, “Harrison, stop it right now.   If you keep it up, I will make you sleep on the couch downstairs so I won’t have to worry about you raping me while I sleep.”

Harrison finally relented and said, “I’m sorry.   I didn’t mean to make you angry.   I wanted to see how serious you were about not having sex with anyone.”

“What made you think I was joking about it?” Kyle asked still angry at his friend for pushing the issue.

“Nothing.   I was just curious to see if you would have sex with me,” Harrison said.

“Well, the answer is never.   I am not gay,” Kyle said.   He climbed onto his bed and pulled the blanket up around his chin.   He put his back against the wall and looked at Harrison, “If you want to continue to be my friend, you need to back off.   Just because my Dads are gay doesn’t mean I am.   Don’t continue to insult me by pressing the issue of having sex with me.”

Harrison looked at Kyle in surprise, “Hey, don’t get all bent out of shape.   I was just curious that’s all.   I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“Don’t give me that crap, Harrison.   You knew what you were doing.   So own up to it and quit pretending you weren’t trying to push my buttons,” Kyle said.

Harrison looked into his friend’s eyes and realized he had crossed a line he shouldn’t have, “Okay, I’m sorry I made you angry.”

Kyle shook his head, “You still don’t get it do you.   Harrison, when someone tells you they don’t want to have sex with you and they get angry when you continue to push them, you need to learn to stop and apologize for trying to force yourself on them.   It isn’t just about being sorry you made me angry.   It’s about learning to treat others with dignity and respect.”

Harrison kind of got what Kyle was saying but he still didn’t understand what the big deal was all about.   It wasn’t like he had tried to rape Kyle or anything like that.   He had just showed off his big dick and tried to get Kyle interested in having sex with him.   He had watched enough porno videos on the internet to know what to do.   He finally rolled over and went to sleep.

When Harrison didn’t respond to him but rolled over and went to sleep, Kyle looked at his friend’s back and thought about Harrison’s behavior.   Harrison had started treating him differently about a month ago when one of their friends had asked if Harrison was Kyle’s boyfriend since they spent so much time together.   Both had said “No Way!” and had laughed it off.   Since that day, Harrison had begun to ask him about gay sex and what it was like.   Harrison had even talked to Daddy about it.   Kyle was beginning to think that Harrison was gay but he wasn’t sure because Harrison still showed a lot of interest in girls.  

His thoughts moved on to his counseling sessions with the therapist.   He had completed the last one yesterday and he felt pretty good about himself.   After his Grandma died at the end of February, he had tried to shake off the depression he felt.   His Dads were great but they just weren’t the same as his Grandma.   He had gone to grief counseling both by himself and with the family.   David and Ashley seemed to have bounced back pretty quickly; however, Kyle hadn’t been able to pull out of his sadness and grief.   Of the three siblings, he was closest to their grandmother.   Her death had really hit him hard.   When he didn’t seem to be able to return to normal, Daddy had sat down with him one afternoon and they had talked one-on-one.   He vividly remembered that conversation:

“Kyle, can we talk for a few minutes,” Daddy asked.

Kyle had looked at him with suspicion.   He was tired of being hounded about his sullen attitude and the anger he was exhibiting towards everyone and everything.   He nodded his head and mumbled, “Okay.”

They had gone into the study.   Kyle had taken a seat on the sofa.   When Daddy had joined him, he had moved as far away from him as he could without actually getting up and moving to the armchair across the room.   Daddy had asked him, “May I hug you, Kyle?   I don’t want to make you mad or invade your space without your permission.”

Kyle had looked into Daddy’s eyes for a long moment.   He saw the love and concern in his adopted father’s eyes.   He finally grumped, “I guess so.”

Daddy had placed his arm around his shoulders and pulled him close.   Kyle had stiffened as his Daddy touched him.   Daddy said, “I’m sorry, Kyle that you are suffering so much from the loss of your Grandma.   No one was closer to her than you.   Of all of us, you were the one who spent the most time with her, who helped her the most and who caused her to laugh even when she felt like crying.   Kyle, your grandmother truly adored you and I know that you felt the same way about her.   It’s okay for you to grieve for her.”

Kyle had listened and then said, “I miss her, Daddy.”

“I know you do.   I love you so much that I wish there were some way I could take away the pain you feel at her absence.   I have watched you become angrier and angrier at the world.   Is there some way I can help you Kyle?   I only ask because I really do love you.”

Kyle had replied, “You can bring her back.”   He knew that he was being unreasonable even as he said it.   He looked into Daddy’s eyes.   “I’m sorry, it’s not your fault that the cancer took her away from me.”   He had started to cry and placed his head on Daddy’s shoulder.   He hadn’t been able to cry or release his grief until that moment as his Daddy held him close.  

When he had stopped sobbing, Daddy had wiped away Kyle’s tears with his thumbs as he held Kyle’s face in his hands.   He looked deep into Kyle’s eyes and said, “Remember that I will always love you, Kyle.   You are very special to me.   I remember the first day we met.   You, David and Ashley all climbed on my lap and I held you close that day as you all cried and I tried to comfort you.   You have lost your parents and your grandmother but you haven’t lost me or your Dad.   We love you and will be here for you.”

Daddy had released him and had put his arm around his shoulders again.   Kyle looked at Daddy and asked, “Do you really love me as much as you do the twins?”

Daddy had returned his look and said, “Yes, Kyle, I do.   You are as much my son as the twins are.   Remember I adopted them just like I adopted you, David and Ashley.”

As Kyle thought about what Daddy had said, he finally began to comprehend what he was saying.   “You mean to say that you aren’t the twins’ birth father any more than you are my birth father?”

“Yes, Kyle.   I am not their birth father.   I am their uncle since my sister is their mother,” Daddy said.  

“Do the twins know that you aren’t their birth father?” Kyle asked.

“Yes, they know because we have told them who their mother is.   We have never withheld that information from them,” Daddy said.   “They know that Rick is their birth father and that my sister, Nancy is their birth mother.”

“Does that bother them that you aren’t their birth father?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t know because we have never talked about it.   They know that I love them very much and that they are my children,” Daddy said.

“I know that you and Dad love me but I haven’t been able to think of you as I do my birth parents,” Kyle said.

“That’s okay, Kyle.   We aren’t your birth parents and we want you to always remember them.   We never intended to replace them in your heart.   Our goal has always been to love you and provide you with a home where you could learn and grow.   We want you to reach your full potential as a human being.   Someone who loves his fellowman, who will do great things for society and who will bring honor and success to every endeavor.   We know that you have inside of you the makings of a great man,” Daddy said.

Kyle had sat very still as he had let Daddy’s words sink deep into his heart.   It seemed as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.   He realized that despite losing his parents and his grandmother that he still had people in this world who loved him.   He had always known it but hadn’t let himself acknowledge that it was okay to love them back.   Kyle felt his heart soften towards his adopted parent as he realized he had been wrong to blame them for the loss of his grandmother.   He wrapped his arms around Daddy’s waist and hugged him.   He pulled back and said, “I love you, Daddy.”

From that day forward, his depression disappeared and he had, once again, become the happy young man he had been before his Grandma had passed away.   He was thankful that his Dads had been so patient and understanding with him.   He made up his mind to never do anything that would disappoint them.  Kyle drifted off to sleep thinking about how lucky he was to have two Dads who love him very much.

*** ***

To be continued...

Author’s Note:

Important information about protecting you and your loved one, please seek legal advice to ensure that you are protected.   This might seem like an ad but in all seriousness don’t leave legal matters to chance between you and your life partner.   When it comes to making medical decisions or any other type of interaction with the government, you need to have your legal documentation in order.   Reading about what you need to do to protect yourself and your loved one(s) isn’t enough, check with a lawyer that specializes in gay issues, specifically family law.  

http://www.nolo.com/products/a-legal-guide-for-lesbian-and-gay-couples-LG.html

http://partnerplanning.com/?gclid=COSO04rlgrICFadlOgodtG8AkQ

Posted: 09/28/12