9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Nope," Rocky stated with absolute certainty as he gave Mickey a defiant look. The cowboy had offered to cut the boy's hair, but Rocky wasn't at all keen on the idea. His hair was long, and it was driving the boy to distraction.

It was nearly the end of the school year. Ryan and Rocky were in the grade school choir, and the end-of-year concert and art show was fast approaching. The Christmas concert, where Ryan performed a solo, had been enjoyed by all the family and friends, so everyone was looking forward to seeing the boys perform together again.

Mickey had taken them to the barber shop in Holloway earlier in the day, and after the barber cut Ryan's hair, he staunchly refused to cut Rocky's hair because he didn't cater to those kinds of people . Thankfully, Ryan had grabbed Mickey's hand to drag him out of the barber shop before the bigoted old fuck ended up on his ass and Mickey ended up in jail.

"Okay, so what do you want to do with your hair? I've got clippers, but if you don't like the idea—maybe I can get Matt and Tim to take you to Richmond tomorrow? They can call Miss Audrey and ask her to find a place for your haircut?"

"Can't we call Mr. Jon and ask him? He has the same kind of hair as Rocky. We wanna look our best for the concert. We getta sing solo parts, Mick. Mr. Jon prolly knows a good place for Rocky to get his hair cut," Ryan reasoned emphatically.

Thinking about calling the man reminded Mickey of the last time he'd seen Jon Wells. He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone trying to leave the scene so quickly in his life. The bastard hadn't even said a word to him on his way out. The look of guilt was evident, even to someone as ignorant of relationships as Mickey believed himself to be. Ah, you dodged a bullet, you sentimental fool, he told himself at the time. The pain in his heart was likely heartburn.

When Tim came into the house, he was all smiles until he saw Rocky's hair. "I thought you guys were getting haircuts."

Before Mickey could get his blond friend's attention, Ryan walked over to Tim and pulled his hand toward him. "The barber was mean and wouldn't cut Rocky's hair after he cut mine, so we didn't stay ‘cause Mickey looked like he was gonna slug him. Can we call Mr. Jon and ask him if there's a place in Richmond to get a good haircut for Rocky? We got the concert, then we gotta see the lady who's gonna decide if he can stay here with us, so we wanna look our best." Ryan had the most earnest look on his face Mickey had ever seen.

Tim swallowed and looked around the room, seeing the pair of horse clippers on the table, and laughing. "Tell me you weren't going to try to cut his hair with those?"

Mickey shrugged. "They're clippers, and I figured if I put a long enough guard on 'em, I'd be able to clean him up. It ain't easy roachin' up Josie's mane, ya know. I figure of all of us, I got the best chance of…"

Before he could finish, Corky ran in through the dog door with a mouse—still alive—in his mouth and dropped it at Tim's feet, which set off a chain of events none of them could have predicted.

Tim and Mickey both screamed and climbed atop the center island in the kitchen while Ryan and Rocky ran around trying to catch it once it was finished being stunned by the galloping of the dog that brought it inside.

They were all screaming, as Tim and Mickey kept pointing to where the mouse was darting around the room in a futile attempt at an escape. The damn dog, who'd started the whole mess, kept barking and jumping around, instead of trying to get the stupid mouse.

Josh and Matt walked in through the back door to the sight of two grown men kneeling on the countertop while two boys and a dog chased something around the kitchen, and they held onto each other to keep from falling on the floor in laughter. It was a sight worthy of being caught on camera, which is exactly what Josh did.

Mickey missed Josh pulling out his cellphone to catch the whole debacle on video as Matt was bent over, laughing until he finally collapsed on the floor. When the mouse ran over his hands, he screamed loudly before two boys and a dog tripped over him and ended up in a pile on the floor. Thankfully, Josh caught sight of the mouse and opened the deck door, able to usher the rodent out without any more casualties.

Mickey and Tim hopped down from the counter as Matt and the boys rose from the floor. Corky continued to bark and jump, and Josh continued to take video on his phone, turning from one person to the other. He seemed to zoom in on their faces, but the phone stopped moving when the man focused on Mickey wiping tears from his eyes.

When Mickey saw Josh drop the phone, he knew he'd been caught, and the fact he was crying, and not from laughing, brought that ache back to his chest. He couldn't swallow around the lump in his throat, so he grabbed the clippers from the table and hurried back to the barn to try to collect himself.

Needing some time alone to get himself together, Mickey climbed the ladder to the hayloft, seeing a blanket on a shelf up there which didn't make any damn sense. When he pulled it down, a bottle of lube and four condoms fell out, bringing a chuckle from Mickey. It was no wonder Tim and Matt spent so much time at the barn. He couldn't blame them. If he had anyone to spend time in the hayloft with, he damn sure would.

He spread the blanket over the hay and lay down, trying not to think about how much action it had likely seen. The rebuff he'd received from Jon Wells had hurt more than he was willing to admit to anyone, even more than Jackie's lack of faith and infidelity.

The fact he'd started crying, which he never did, after the calamitous scene in the kitchen served to remind him why he didn't let people in. The pain when they left was far too much to bear. It was better to seal all those feelings inside and look out for number one. It was time to let go of his dreams of finding true love. It just wasn't in the cards for him.

"Michael, I'm so sorry I was such a horrible shit to you. I've missed you so very much." Jon Wells embraced Mickey on the blanket in the hayloft.

"I'm sorry, Jonny. I've missed you, too, baby," Mickey responded as clothes started flying while they undressed each other. They were naked and performing a sixty-nine on each other, and Mickey knew he'd never seen a cock like Jon's.

By some miracle, he was able to swallow the whole thing down without gagging and feeling Jon's hand on his own hard member was like heaven. He longed for the feeling of skin-on-skin, but it was nothing like he remembered from his times with Jackie. He reached down to feel his jeans, and he was confused for a moment.

"That's it!" Matt Collins shouted, startling Mickey awake from his place on the blanket atop a mound of hay. Jon was nowhere to be seen. Mickey's hand was resting on the front of his jeans where his hard cock was leaking enough to leave a wet spot he'd have a hard time explaining to anyone who saw it. It had all been a dream, and Mickey was bereft.

What Matt was yelling about he wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to make himself known. He quickly rose from the hay and folded the blanket, replacing it and the other things he'd found before he moved behind a few bales of hay so he couldn't be seen from the barn hallway.

"Matty, honey, please? We know some people are bigots around here. We both get dirty looks when we go to town because of our relationship. We know how Cindy and Rocky were treated in this town. Nobody would help them until Ryan opened our eyes to what was going on. It shouldn't surprise you that Mr. Bishop, the asshole, wouldn't cut Rocky's hair. Hell, Matty, he probably doesn't have the slightest idea of how to do it in the first place. Black hair is tricky, or so I've read." Tim had a way to soothe Matt's savage beast.

Matt laughed, which made Mickey smile. He loved his bosses. They were so happy—yet again, leaving him envious.

"Honey, why are ya readin' about black people's hair?" Matt asked, somewhat muffled. Mickey glanced down, seeing the two of them entwined together, which wasn't a surprise. He knew they had a very affectionate relationship.

"Well, knock wood," Tim said as he knocked on a stall gate, "our possible new son is biracial, and we're both white. We need resources for the boy, so he knows both sides of his family. Assholes like Les Bishop make me realize we can't teach him anything about his black heritage. He needs a role model, but we're hard-pressed to find one here, especially since Jon dumped him as a client.

"Don't get me wrong, I think Audrey's been great, and maybe she can offer her perspective regarding being of mixed-race, but she's not a man. I'm not sure what to do, Matty. We owe it to the boy to try to help him grow into the best man he can be." Tim's logic was flawless and from the heart.

Tears streaked down Mickey's cheeks, and he wondered what the fuck was on the fritz in his brain that had him crying like a fucking baby? He didn't cry. He hadn't cried one tear since the day he figured out he didn't have a family anymore. Not since the day he took off on his own at sixteen, had he cried one tear. He had no idea what the fuck was wrong with him now.

He heard a low-toned chuckle from Matt. "You know how I first met Jon? Ed Marshall did work for his mother. She's a horsewoman, and they have a place outside of Richmond. Anyway, Ed said he needed some legal work, and Jon's momma gave him a name. Fast forward to me needin' somebody to help me after Bertie took Ryan the first time, and Jon Wells and I met."

Suddenly, Tim gasped. "Hey…I have an idea. Get the camera 'cause we need to make a video. I'll get things ready down here while you're gone. See if Mickey's back and give him the night off. I'll call Jeri and Marty to pick up the boys, and after we're done with this, we'll meet in the hayloft." Tim squealed a little, leading Mickey to believe Matt had slapped his ass as he was apt to do when he thought nobody was looking.

Mickey peered over the side, seeing them go their separate ways, so he quickly climbed down the ladder and slipped out the side door, walking down to a lower pasture and waiting a few minutes before he walked back up toward the house.

When he walked inside, Mickey saw Matt icing up beer in a cooler. "What's up?"

"Good news, my friend. You've got the night off, and here are the keys to Tim's truck since that piece of shit you drive has a flat. The boys are goin' to Momma and Dad's for a sleepover, and you're more than welcome to do anything you want tonight. Timmy and I have plans as well, so if maybe you want to go out for the evenin', go for it." Matt tossed over the keys from the hook by the door.

"Can I do anything to help them get ready to go up the hill?" Mickey tried not to smile at Matt because the man was easily embarrassed. The excitement on his friend's face made him smile.

"Um… No. I'll… Well, if you wouldn't mind making sure they've got toothbrushes and stuff. I'll walk ‘em up the hill…"

Mickey laughed. "How ‘bout I drop ‘em off after I get ready to go out? I'll be sure to come in the back way, and I'll be quiet if I come home tonight. Y'all have fun," he teased, giving Matt a wink.

Mickey hurried upstairs to check on the boys who were busy gathering Legos instead of clothes. "Now, y'all know Jeri and Marty have a bunch of that stuff at their house. Let's get clothes for tomorrow and toothbrushes and stuff. Rock, we'll figure out a haircut, I promise. I'll drop y'all off before I go out.

"Just get your backpack and don't forget your book. Gramma Jeri likes to listen to the two of you read as much as your dads. I think your dads want a date night, so we need to clear outta here. I'll be back." Mickey hurried to his room in the basement and grabbed a new pair of jeans he was saving for a special occasion other than going to the damn barn to clean horse shit. Matt and Tim deserved privacy, and he wouldn't stand in the way. They were good to him, and he'd do anything for them.

Thirty minutes later, Mickey was as spit shined as he was ever going to be. He'd even cleaned up his boots, considering the idea of getting a new pair next payday if he was going to live up to the New Year's resolution that he'd made. He definitely needed to change his very boring routine.

After he was finally ready with a splash of some aftershave Miss Katie had given him the previous Christmas, he walked upstairs to find the boys in the living room watching cartoons. "Where are your dads?"

They both turned to him and shrugged. "Where you goin'?" Rocky asked as he walked over and circled Mickey, making him feel self-conscious.

"When I said your dads deserved a date night, I meant me clearin' out as well. I'm gonna go to town and get dinner then maybe go to Pete's tonight and watch some baseball. Don't y'all worry ‘bout ol' Mick. I got lots of friends. Now, you ready?" Matt walked down the stairs, his hair still wet from the shower.

"Whoa! Where you goin', Mick? I know the boys are goin' to Momma's, but I didn't know you was goin' out," Matt taunted with a wicked smile.

Mickey laughed. "You're full of it, Matt. I get when I'm not wanted. I won't be home ‘fore last call, so I'd appreciate it if y'all wouldn't moan, groan, and scream."

"Why would they scream?" Rocky asked Ryan.

"Oh, they like watchin' scary movies. Well, Daddy does but Tim doesn't, that's why he screams sometimes. You'd think they'd quit watchin' ‘em, but they don't." Ryan shook his head in disbelief, nearly bringing Mickey to his knees in laughter.

He saw Matthew Collins blush for the first time ever, and it made his heart happy for his best friend. They were so damn in love it was sickening, and apparently, they had a pretty damn good sex life.

"We better get goin', boys. Tell your dad ‘night. I'll take your stuff out to the truck." Mickey took out their backpacks with their names on them that had been gifts from Miss Katie for Easter. They'd been their baskets, and the boys loved them. Hell, they'd even given Mickey a basket with some candy and a gift card to Applebee's, a place he loved to eat.

As he thought about it, Mickey decided he might use it that night because it was near I-81, and that wasn't really out of his way. It was only five o'clock, and he had nothing going on the rest of the evening. Why not?

He hurried to his room and grabbed the gift card and his dress Stetson hat before he returned to the truck where Tim was standing with the boys, giving them orders which they'd never break. Mickey smiled as Tim opened the door and settled them into the backseat. "Behave and have fun. Love you both."

Tim then opened the front passenger door and handed Mickey a plastic bag. "You behave and have fun as well. Be safe. We love you, too."

When the door closed, Mickey backed up until he could turn around and drive down the paved driveway. After he had the boys settled with Jeri and Marty, he got back in the truck and opened the bag Tim had given him. Inside was a bottle of lube and a box of condoms with a sticky note attached.

Be safe. You're a part of the family, too.

Love,

Tim & Matt

He laughed all the way through town. As he took the exit onto the interstate to drive the few miles to where the restaurant was situated among the many motels and other eateries, he picked up the cowboy hat because it gave him confidence.

Mickey placed the khaki felt hat on his head and checked himself in the mirror. He looked good, even if he did say so, and he was really fucking horny, so if he had a little love by the dashboard light, he wasn't going to beat himself up about it.