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  “Marc, what are you, uh, oh…” He didn’t say anymore, but let himself go.

  After a while, Marc asked Adam to turn over, and once Adam was on his back, he climbed on top of him and kissed him. “At the risk of ruining a moment here, right now, I’m in seventh heaven, and I just wanted to let you know that over these past months, getting to know you, I’ve waited for this moment, and my heart is skipping a beat or two. I think I love you, Hwan.”

  Marc detected a tear appearing in the corner of Adam’s eye as he responded. “I love you, too, Marc.” Their bodies intertwined, kissing, embracing each other, making love to each other, slowly, tentatively. Eventually, they both came, and Marc cleaned them up, before lying down next to Adam, snoozing for a bit, holding his man closely, his head on Adam’s shoulder.

  “When do you have to be at work?”

  “I think I’ll call in, tell them to cancel my appointments today. I want to be here when Josh wakes up, talk to him. Maybe we can offer him a place to stay.”

  “Here?”

  “There’s plenty of space, isn’t there?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t think that’s a very good idea. I don’t think the boys are ready to take on more responsibility than they already have, and this is really their decision. You shouldn’t even make the suggestion. I know you mean well, but this is something that has to come from Cody and Parker, if at all.”

  Adam tousled Marc’s hair and kissed his head. “You’re right, of course. But I still want to offer Josh a place to stay. I’ll need to talk to social services in the morning. Maybe they have somewhere for him.”

  Marc put his arm across Adam’s chest, and looked up at him. “Why don’t you take him in? I doubt social services would have a problem with that.”

  Adam seemed shocked at the suggestion. “Me? Why do you think I would be a good parent for someone like Josh?”

  “First of all, the mere fact that you’re using the word parent suggests that the thought has already crossed your mind. Besides, Josh is older than Kyle, probably sixteen or seventeen. He needs role models who are more mature. And you’ve already made a connection with him. He trusts you, and he listens to you. Had it not been for you, he’d never have come here. He wouldn’t have found Kyle and convinced him to come home.”

  “I guess, but I’m not sure I’m ready. Am I? Are we?”

  “We?”

  “Marc, this isn’t a decision I can make on my own. We are dating, and after tonight, we are definitely a couple, right?” Marc nodded, and Adam continued. “So, hopefully, you and I will move in with each other at some point, share our lives fully, and I can’t make a decision about a child without involving you. Not anymore.”

  “Oh, Adam, you’re so sweet. Are you asking me to move in with you?”

  Adam looked frightened. “Don’t you want to?”

  Marc kissed Adam in response, and their bodies melted together again, enabling them to engage in another round of lovemaking.

  Afterward, looking at the clock, Adam said, “I need to get at least an hour’s sleep, but going back to what I said about moving in. Yes, I would love to wake up with you every morning for the rest of my life. But don’t you think my place is a bit too small? Particularly since we seem to be considering taking in a kid?”

  “Agreed. Why don’t you get some shuteye?” Marc jumped out of bed and unlocked the bedroom. “I promised the boys I’d stay up, so I’ll go down to the living room and read. Just in case Amy gets up early. I’ll set the alarm for you. Is seven okay?”

  Adam didn’t answer, he’d already fallen asleep.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 11 - Decisions

  The house woke up slowly. With the grown-ups exhausted after the night’s excitement, the kids were quick to take advantage, and Cody barely got the little ones out of bed. But by eight thirty, Susan, Amy, and Jeff had left for school, leaving him and Parker to look after Kyle. Cody called the school and told them not to expect Kyle today, basically calling in sick. There was no reason to get Kyle in any more trouble than necessary. If the school knew he’d run away, they’d contact social services, and that spelled bad news for everyone involved. Cody and Parker figured they’d try to work this out on their own first. Kyle had been found, he’d come home, so all was well, for now.

  Getting up had been particularly difficult for Adam, not to mention Marc, who didn’t get any rest at all but had fallen asleep over his book in the living room. But they needed to get up, in part because Adam had to call his office to get them to cancel appointments, and because they wanted to talk to Josh before he left. They had a small hook on the boy: his clothes were still in the dryer, but it wouldn’t take a genius to find them and disappear. The house only had so many rooms. They waited in the kitchen for Josh to wake up. By nine, he appeared, dressed in one of the bathrobes that were to be found in all guest rooms.

  “Hey! Do you guys know where my stuff is?”

  Marc got up and offered him some coffee. Josh sat down and took a deep breath, inhaling the vapor coming from the black brew. “Thanks. I need this.”

  Adam provided the answer to Josh’s question. “If by stuff, you mean your clothes, we washed them overnight. They should be in the dryer and ready for you.”

  “Thanks, man. I appreciate it. If only I had fresh underwear to go with that. It feels weird to shower and put on smelly shorts again.”

  “I’ll get you a pair,” Marc said. “Like I said last night, if you want to check out some other stuff, you’re about my late husband’s size. His clothes are still in the closet.”

  “What? Wear a dead dude’s clothes? Thanks, but…”

  At that, even Marc had to chuckle. “Okay, fair enough. Besides, I get the feeling you have somewhat different tastes from an eighty-one-year-old, although Jonathan was fairly open-minded when it came to fashion.”

  “You were married to an old guy? How come?”

  “I loved him. I loved him very much.”

  “Uh, okay, if you say so.”

  Marc chuckled. “What? Don’t you believe me?”

  “It’s just that most of the guys that I’ve been with, they’re like forty or fifty, and they’re ancient. I could never love them. To be with someone who’s like your great-grandfather seems…wow, I mean, far out!”

  Adam butted in. “Different people have different preferences with regard to whom they love. There’s no reason to be judgmental.” He was afraid that Marc would be hurt by Josh’s comments.

  “Don’t worry, Hwan. I’m not easily offended. Besides, I think it’s refreshing to have someone offer his opinion so freely.”

  Josh looked at Marc. “The shorts?”

  “Oh, yeah, right. I’ll be right back.” He hurried out of the kitchen, leaving Josh and Adam alone.

  “So, what are your plans for the day?” Adam asked.

  Josh shrugged. “I don’t know. Go back to Boystown, I guess. A man has to make a living, you know.”

  “Hustling?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it. I prefer companionship.”

  “I’m not judging you, Josh. I completely understand why you’re doing it. But I would like you to consider an alternative.”

  “Oh? You boys looking for a tomboy?”

  “No!” There was a hint of anger in Adam’s voice, although he couldn’t really blame Josh for thinking along those lines. Why would anyone offer assistance to him without expecting sex in return? Josh had probably not experienced any unconditional help in a very long time. “If that would’ve been on our mind, we would’ve made our move a long time ago.”

  “Huh! You think? I’ve seen some pretty sick bastards out there.”

  Adam put up his hand. “I’m sure you have, but let’s stick to the subject. What I would like to talk to you about is getting off the streets.”

  “And do what exactly?”

  “Go to school? How old are you?”

  “Eighteen.” The answer came just a little bit too quickly.

&nbs
p; “And in real life? You’re not an adult, Josh, not yet.”

  The boy let his head hang. “Fifteen. Next month.” The answer sent a shiver through Adam.

  “See, you should be in school, not roaming the streets, hustling to survive.”

  Josh shot him a defiant glare. “And how exactly am I to survive, mister? Huh?”

  “You would have to let someone else provide you with food, and a roof over your head, clean clothes, shoes…”

  “Oh, no. No more foster homes, no more group homes. I won’t do it. They all expect you to either be a slave or suck their dicks or cunts for free. Ain’t no way I’m ever doing that again.”

  “Well, there is always the option of adoption, but before you can be adopted, you have to live with that family for a while. So it’s kind of foster care at the beginning.”

  “You’re funny, mister. Who’d adopt someone my age? They all want cute little babies. Who wants a damaged teenager? Besides, I’m Indian, and we’re not particularly popular in the adoption circles.”

  Adam lowered his head and gazed at his own cooling coffee before replying. “Here’s the deal. Marc and I were talking last night, after you had gone to bed, and we’re considering offering you a place with us. Now, this isn’t something we can accomplish overnight, and it would require the three of us to work together. But we would like to offer you a home, and we don’t care about the color of your skin, your hair, or your eyes. Look at me: I’m Asian. Marc is European, with that nice Belgian accent of his. We’re not exactly your run-of-the-mill WASPs…”

  “Wasp?”

  “Sorry—White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. It’s an acronym for your typical white people. Marc may be white, but he is one of the most unusual individuals I’ve ever met. Like he told you, he loved and married a man twice his age, and they were very happy. His stepchildren are both older than he is, and Parker and Cody—the two young men who live here—are his step-grandkids. Marc has a heart of gold, and I promise you that he, like me, never judges anyone by their cover. It’s just not how we work. Did you know that Marc runs this private group home with the four children currently living here? And I am the resident psychiatrist.”

  “You’re a shrink?”

  “If that’s what you want to call it, yes. My background is not unlike your own. I was once on the streets, too, albeit only for a few days. My parents kicked me out for being gay. And it was thanks to the help of this family that I got back on my feet.”

  “This family? How’s that possible? They’re all so young.”

  Adam chuckled. “You forget Jonathan. He was eighty-one when he passed away, and his first husband was ninety when he died. They created the foundation that has been helping homeless children here in Chicago for decades. They helped me when I needed it, and now, through their children and grandchildren, the work continues.”

  “They’re Jacksons? But it says Thomas-Dunn on the front door?”

  “They’re the Jacksons, yes. You’ve heard of them?” Josh nodded. “See, Parker is Jonathan and Dan Jackson’s grandson. His mother married a Dunn, hence the name on the door. And Parker is married to Cody. They took Cody’s last name as their married name.”

  “Wow, yeah, I’ve heard people talk about the Jacksons. They’re like angels, but it’s almost impossible to get a placement.” Josh whistled appreciatively.

  “Yes, I know. Unfortunately, there are still far too many children who fall through the cracks. I wish we could do more.”

  “And your boyfriend was married to Jonathan Jackson?” Adam nodded. “Cool!”

  “So what do you say, Josh? Would you like to give it a shot with us?”

  “What do I have to do?”

  “For now? Stay here—I’ll contact social services, see if we can pull some of my weight along with that famed Jackson influence to gently nudge them in the direction we want them to go. There are practical issues to consider. I have an apartment in town, but it’s not big enough for all three of us. It’s really just a studio, and Marc and I aren’t living together yet.” He blushed. “It’s all very new. We just kinda decided to move in together.”

  “Really? That’s cool. Congrats, man! Do you have any food in this house? I’m starving.”

  Adam shook his head, laughing. It seemed that Josh had already made up his mind. “Let me see what the fridge has to offer. The bread is over there in that box. Want a sandwich or would you rather have some cereal? It’s a weekday, and I don’t usually stay here, so I’m not sure where they keep everything.”

  “That’s cool. I’ll have some bread and some of that stuff Marc put on the sandwiches last night.”

  Marc walked into the kitchen with a couple of pairs of shorts in his hand. “Are you talking about me?”

  Adam walked over and kissed him. “We are, indeed. Congratulations, you’re about to become a father.” The look on Marc’s face was priceless.

  ***

  “Kyle? Are you up? Mind if we come in?”

  There was no reply from the room, so Parker and Cody opened the door and walked in. Kyle was lying on his side, facing away from the door, fast asleep.

  “Kyle? Wake up, kiddo. We’d like to talk to you.” There was a movement under the covers; Kyle turned on his back and slowly opened his eyes.

  Cody sat on the bed while Parker pulled up the chair from Kyle’s desk.

  Kyle sat up and, through sleepy eyes, looked at the two men. “Am I in trouble?”

  Cody put his hand on Kyle’s leg to assuage him. “No, don’t worry, Kyle. You’re not in trouble. But you had us worried sick about you, running away like that.”

  Parker nodded. “You scared the shit out of us. What if something had happened to you?”

  Kyle avoided eye contact. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

  Parker’s voice rose, and he had difficulty controlling his anger. “No, young man, you’re not leaving. That’s not the solution. Besides, we don’t want you to leave, ever. Don’t you understand that?”

  Kyle looked defiantly up at Parker. “Why would you want a screw-up like me around?”

  Cody tried to answer that question. “You’re not a screw-up, Kyle. You’ve just had a really lousy start in life, and you ended up where no child should end up. What we tried to do is offer you a chance to leave that life, leave the streets. We offered you a home, so that you could go to school, and begin the life you want to live, once you grow up. We still offer you that home. We’re not ready to give up. Are you?”

  “But why?”

  “Let’s just say it’s a family tradition. We are a crazy bunch, us Jacksons. We love to help homeless kids.”

  “So you’re not mad at me?”

  Parker tried to calm his voice. “Yes, we’re very angry, but not at you, Kyle. We’re mostly angry at your parents, for what they did to you. We’re even angry at life itself, for letting shit like this go on, but please understand that this isn’t your fault. We just want to know why you ran away, and we would like very much if you would promise us not to do it again.”

  Kyle’s eyes were wide open as he looked at Parker. He heard the anger in his voice, and part of him believed that it wasn’t his fault, yet parts of him weren’t quite so sure.

  Cody explained, “Parker, Adam, and Marc spent several hours looking for you out on the streets last night. It was cold and wet. We really care for you, just as we care for Susan or Amy or Jeff. We opened our house to you to give you all a second chance. Question is: are you willing to take that chance?”

  There was a timid nod from Kyle, and Parker exhaled, relieved. “Can you tell us why you left? You mentioned you wanted to prevent us from throwing you out?”

  “I, uh, I don’t know. It was just that I, uh, I don’t know…”

  “Did something happen in school? Did someone say something?”

  Kyle began to cry, softly at first, then sobbing as if something in him had broken. Cody scooted up toward the head of the bed and took the boy in his arms.

  Parker joined them and
embraced the kid, too. “It’s okay Kyle, let it out, let it all out.”

  They sat with Kyle for several minutes as the boy cried the tears of someone whose dam had broken, and with emotions, experiences that no fourteen-year-old should have, the hurt and pain of years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse gushed out through those two tiny tear ducts. Cody and Parker had no idea what to do other than hold on to the boy and each other, and let the waters run freely, until they finally subsided, for as long as that might take.

  Kyle’s tears did, eventually, end, and Parker handed him a handkerchief to blow his nose and dry off some of the residual tears from his face. “Do you feel better?”

  Kyle nodded.

  “Let’s not talk more right now, okay? Would you like something to drink? Some hot chocolate, maybe?”

  “Can I have a cup of coffee instead?”

  “Of course you can.” Parker would’ve offered him much more right now, but he needed one more thing from Kyle. “Promise me you won’t run away again. Can you do that for us?”

  Kyle nodded, and both Parker and Cody felt a huge weight lifted from their shoulders.

  “Thank you, Kyle. We’re going downstairs to get breakfast ready. Get dressed and join us, okay?” Cody tousled the boy’s hair, and Parker squeezed his hand before getting up and leaving the kid to get ready.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 12 - Josh

  After their breakfast, Parker, Cody, and Kyle sat down in the study to talk, while Adam went into town to talk to social services.

  Marc and Josh went upstairs to have a look through Jonathan’s clothes, just in case there was something in there that might meet Josh’s approval. Despite his earlier dismissal, he picked out a couple of pairs of jeans and a sweater, along with a few pairs of socks and two pairs of tennis shoes. Marc decided it was as good an opportunity as ever to bag up the rest of Jonathan’s clothes for charity. If he and Adam were moving in together, he needed to close this chapter of his life.