21. Chapter Twenty-one

Chapter Twenty-one

On the drive out to Holloway, Jon thought about the previous week, and while everything hadn't been perfect, it was a very good start. The new, quasi-family was on its way to the ranch for the wedding, and Jon was excited for the kids to meet the people he considered to be his new family.

Meeting his parents would come next week because they'd been out of town when everything went down, but they were expected to be back from Italy on Wednesday. His mother wanted to cut the vacation short when he'd phoned to explain about Terrence and Megan, but he'd put his foot down and told her there would be plenty of time for Ally to get to know the kids when she and Ham returned home. He couldn't help but feel maybe he needed more time with the kids on his own before his parents—his mother, namely—came steamrolling into their lives. She could be a handful.

As he pulled up the long driveway, Jon knew he needed to say something to the kids, so he cleared his throat, feeling nervous again. "Okay, there will be a lot of people here even I don't know, but Mickey's here so we'll be okay, right?"

Jon hoped he was conveying comfort and not making them as nervous as he was feeling. When Mickey was with him, he had a lot of confidence regarding the kids and their well-being, but on his own, he was a babbling mess.

Mickey had stayed with them most of the week so Jon could arrange to take some time off work to help settle the kids, which was a problem because apparently, Audrey had decided it was a good time to take off to Mexico for a vacation without any prior notice. Jon was covering both of their dockets and trying to keep things on an even keel at home.

It was a lot to juggle, and if he didn't have Karen Stubbs, he wasn't sure what he'd have done. She'd redirected projects to other associates when she could and only bothered Jon when it was absolutely necessary. He'd be eternally grateful for her kindness.

Between fielding phone calls for his docket and Audrey's, Jon and Mickey had taken the kids shopping. Megan needed bedding for her new room, and after she picked it out and told Jon purple was the only choice, the two men promised to get some paint and paint the room for her, which seemed to please her. The purple walls would match her new Little Mermaid bedding, and she was anxious to get the painting underway.

Terrence, however, was another story. He didn't want anything to do with Jon or Mickey, really. The teen definitely had compassion inside him, because he was proving to be protective of Megan, but when Jon or Mickey had asked his opinion on bedding and clothes for himself, he simply grunted and looked anywhere other than at the two older men. Jon wasn't sure if it was the gay thing or if it was just too much change, too soon, for a young man who hadn't had a guiding hand in his life.

Cece had explained some things about Terrence to Jon at the courthouse while they waited to appear before Judge Mattucik the afternoon Jon was granted temporary custody of Megan.

"Terrence is hard-hearted. He was picked up as a runaway, and to date, he hasn't been reported missing. He wouldn't tell us anything more about himself than his name. We're not even sure if it's real because we can't find a record of his birth in any of the databases. I'm not sure what happened to him before he came to Richmond, but I know you'll be able to be a good role model for him, Jon." He knew she was bullshitting him to get him to take the boy, but he didn't take her encouragement lightly.

Cece went on to explain to him about Terrence's previous arrests on several charges of vandalism, the last being tagging a cop car parked on the lot of a strip mall while the police officers were inside a small café getting coffee. The large donut he painted on the hood of the cop car didn't win the policemen's affection—even with the blue sprinkles the boy had added—and since it wasn't Terrence's first arrest for vandalism, he'd been taken into custody from the group home and housed at a juvenile facility.

Cece had been able to work the system to have the boy released into Jon's temporary custody, though Jon prayed he was never questioned under oath about her methods. Jon agreed to get the boy into counseling and enroll him in an intensive deterrent program developed with inmates at the local corrections facility to scare the delinquents straight. Jon was pretty sure it wouldn't impress Terrence, but he planned to set up the counselor as soon as the wedding weekend was over.

"Sure, Mr. Jon. We'll be fine, won't we Terry?" Megan asked from her new booster seat in the cramped back seat of the Mercedes coupe. It was one of many new things which had suddenly invaded Jon's life.

Since Audrey was out of commission, Jon imposed upon Karen to help him out regarding additional things Megan and Terrence would need after Mickey had returned to the Circle C. Karen had taken them shopping one afternoon so the kids had everyday clothes and dress clothes for the wedding, while Jon did his best to try to set things up for his new wards.

For Megan, he'd found an occupational therapy program for children with Down's. She'd be able to attend the program while he was at work and Terrence was at school in the fall. They were set to tour the facility on Tuesday of the next week, because Mickey was going to come home with them after the wedding weekend. Jon wasn't yet confident in making decisions alone regarding the children, because he felt overwhelmed, but when he'd talked to Mickey about it on the phone late one night, his lover assured him he'd help as much as possible.

"Yeah, sure, Meggie," Terrence grumbled in response to Megan's chipper assessment they'd be fine at a wedding celebration full of strangers. Jon knew Terrence didn't want to attend the function, but he hoped meeting the other residents at the Circle C and everyone from the Katydid might help lighten the boy's spirits and maybe lift some of the worry from his shoulders.

Yelling caught Jon's attention. He glanced toward the house to see Rocky and Ryan running out the front door. Those two boys meant the world to him, and he hoped they'd be able to help him out with Terrence and Megan. God knew, Ryan seemed to be able to befriend anyone, and Rocky was absolutely the sweetest boy on the earth.

Ryan tore open the car door and wrapped his arms around Jon's neck as the man struggled to get out of the bucket seat. "Hey, buddy. How are ya?" Jon hugged the boy, who seemed as if he'd shot up several inches since his last visit to the Circle C.

Rocky stared through the passenger side window into the back seat where two sets of eyes looked back at him. "Guys, these are my new friends, Terrence and Megan. This is Ryan and Rocky. They're Matt and Tim's boys."

The beautiful little girl cocked her head at Rocky, giving him that heartfelt smile which told Jon the child would get everything she wanted for the rest of her life. "You have pretty eyes," Megan told Rocky as he reached into the car to unbuckle her seat belt, helping her from the booster.

In the meantime, Ryan had run around to the passenger side to open the door and flip the back seat for Terrence, who had chosen to sit in back with Megan, away from Jon. "Hi! Nice to meet ya. You wanna see my new horse? I can't ride him yet cause Mick's workin' with him, but I'm almost too big for Josie, so Dad and Pop decided to get me a new horse now so I can start workin' with him, too. Rocky's got his own horse now." The excitement was evident in Ryan's voice.

Jon saw the disbelief on Terrence's face, but he could tell the boy hoped it was true. He looked at Jon with a questioning gaze. "Watch the horse and cow poop. I'll run to Southern States in a while to get both of you some boots to wear at the barn. Mick told you he was a cowboy. Bet you believe him now?"

Ryan laughed. "Mick already bought ‘em stuff. Let's get your suitcase and take it downstairs. We getta use the whole basement this weekend, us guys. My uncle, Robby, is your age, I think. He'll be here tonight, and he's gonna stay here at the ranch with us. Pop promised the girls wouldn't bother us, so we can play games and stuff after the rehearsal dinner."

Jon opened the trunk for the suitcases, watching Rocky haul Megan up on his back and situate her little arms around his neck. "You hold on now, ya hear? It's a long way down. I'm five-foot, three inches tall, ya know."

Jon laughed as he reached to retrieve their bags from the back, but Ryan and Terrence grabbed them before Jon could get there. The two of them shot off toward the ranch house with Rocky following close behind, Megan bouncing on his back as he ran, giggling wildly the whole time.

Jon closed the trunk and shook his head, not sure what to think about how the kids had been swept away. It was almost like he felt on his first visit to the Circle C. He was swept away with the family he'd met, and he didn't even see it coming.

He walked into the house to see a flurry of activity. There was food lining the countertops, and Tim Moran was standing with Jeri Collins, perusing a list as they checked things off as though they were taking inventory.

"Hello?" Jon saw the kids had dropped the bags by the staircase before they took off out the back door. He saw Terry's battered Converse sneakers on the porch, so he knew they'd at least stopped to change their shoes.

"Jon, it's good to see you. Congratulations." Tim greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you sure the kids and I shouldn't stay at a motel?" Jon knew the rehearsal dinner was at the ranch after the actual rehearsal at a small church in town. It was nondenominational, as he remembered Mickey explaining, and the pastor was only too happy to marry the couple.

The reception was to be at the Katydid the next day; an outdoor barbecue affair, but Mickey had assured him it would be a lot of fun for everyone, including the kids.

Jeri took her turn hugging Jon. He truly liked the matriarch of the Collins family. The woman was genuine in her words and affections, and in the world of elitist snobs in which Jon had been raised, it was a rare commodity.

"No, honey. They want family close. Rob, Deanne, and Savannah are stayin' with us up the hill, and Robby's lookin' forward to stayin' here with the boys. You and Mick are sharin' Rocky's room upstairs and little Megan gets Ryan's room, which is right across from Rocky's in case she gets a fright.

"We've been workin' on this all week since Mickey told us about the kids. We knew your little girl would likely wanna be near you, so we moved things around to make it more accomodatin'. Anyway, where are they?" Jon wondered the very same thing.

"Oh, they came flying through here while you were on the phone with Aunt Katie about tomorrow," Tim offered. "I have an idea for Megan. Do you think she'd care if Danny's niece, Kayley, stayed tonight? The boys are takin' Matt out for a drink after dinner, and I told Dan we'd have enough people around to watch her. Danny's brother, Zach, is in DC finishing up his internship, and Danny's usual sitter, Mrs. Philips, has her family in for a long weekend. I thought the girls would get along."

Jon simply nodded, not accustomed to all the organized chaos. "Do you know where Mick is?"

Tim glanced at the clock. "Mickey, Danny, Adam, and Ethan went to Christiansburg to pick up the tables. Tonight, after the dinner and the clean-up, we're going to move them over to the Katydid for the reception tomorrow. I know it's all a mess, but I promise you, there's a method to my madness." It was easy to see Tim was in his element.

"Matt's down at the barn if you want to go see him." Jon was sure that Tim could tell he was uncomfortable, so he was giving him an out, for which Jon was appreciative.

"Um, sure. Are there muck boots in the tray I can borrow?"

Tim laughed. "There's a pair out there with a bow on them and a note. They're from your other half."

Jon grinned broadly before he let himself out onto the back porch to see the black rubber boots with red loops to assist with pulling them on. They were tied together with a green ribbon, and there was an envelope sticking out of one. Jon picked it up, seeing Mickey's distinctive handwriting.

Babe-

Now you've got your own boots, and I made sure they were different from Matt's because I know he just wears what fits him. I'll keep these with mine so they're here waiting for you anytime you can come out just like I'll always be.

I passed my test! You're dating a man with his high school equivalency, and I signed up to take a few classes at New River. I'd have never done it without your encouragement.

Love ya,

Mick

Jon sniffed, feeling his emotions get the better of him. He knew it was because of Mickey. He'd never been as touched by anything in his life, and he was going to make damn sure they had a celebration in honor of Mickey's big news. Hell, Jon was determined they'd celebrate the most trivial milestones that came along. As long as he had Mickey with him, every day was worth celebrating.