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When You Least Expect By Josh Blake
Chapter 15
Friday came quickly. Braden and I were excited about our first opportunity to entertain at our house as a couple for someone other than family. Devin, my friend and one of my vice principals, and his boyfriend Stephen were coming over after work on Friday to spend the evening with us. Devin hadn't been back in town since he graduated from college several years ago, so he was excited about visiting the campus again and showing Stephen his old stomping grounds. They had booked a hotel room to keep from driving all the way back home after a late night. That would also allow them to visit the campus on Saturday. I had insisted that they take the guest room for the night, but they wouldn't hear of it. I think they were looking forward to staying in a hotel. Devin said it would be like a romantic getaway for them.
The four of us had a great time getting to know each other. Devin and I had become close friends at work, but I didn't know Stephen, and Braden didn't know either of them. Being teachers and future teachers, we all had a lot in common and discussed some of the crazy things that have happened during our careers.
The subject changed to our impending wedding next month. We filled them in on the details, as far as everything stood right now.
"Do you think the two of you will ever get married?" Braden asked. I shot him a disapproving look.
"Braden, that's really not appropriate for us to ask, darling," I said.
"No, it's quite alright," Stephen said. "Actually, we've talked about it. I think it's something that we'll probably do down the road one day. We just aren't in a rush."
"Yeah, we love each other, and that's all that matters," Devin said, reaching over and taking Stephen's hand. You could really tell that they were in love.
All too soon, the night was over, and Devin and Stephen left to go to their hotel room. Braden and cleaned up the dishes, and then we went to bed. I was in the mood for Braden to be on top tonight. We had some of the most passionate sex we had had in quite a while. After both of us had been thoroughly satisfied, we drifted off to sleep in each other's arms. --
"I'm coming!" I yelled, walking toward the front door. I don't know who is ringing my doorbell at 7:00 on a Saturday morning, but I was pretty sure they weren't going to be one of my favorite people.
"Josh! I'm so sorry to come over so early, but this can't wait!" Tammy shouted, brushing past me and coming into the house.
"Who is it, Josh?" Braden asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"Oh good, you're both up. Sit down, there's something I need to talk to you about," Tammy said.
"Tammy, what in God's name is going on that is so important?" I asked.
"Well, you know I have nurse friends everywhere, right?"
"Yeah, we know. Your connections in Atlanta really helped us when Braden was sent there after his accident," I said.
"Right! I am still thankful you were able to pull strings so Josh could be with me," Braden said.
"Well, I have a friend up in Huntsville who works at a OBGYN practice. She called me last night and I could hardly wait to come over and see you two."
"Tammy, I'm confused. What does that have to do with us?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Janet said this seventeen year old girl came in pregnant. She got knocked up by her boyfriend and his family doesn't want anything to do with a baby, and neither does hers. Her parents are insisting that she give the baby up for adoption, and she's on board. She still wants to go to college and have a life, and she doesn't want to raise a baby at her age."
"Wow, that's awful," Braden said. "But I still don't know what this has to do with us."
"I think I do," I said. "But go on, Tammy."
"Well, the girl doesn't want to go through one of those adoption agencies. She wants to pick who adopts her baby herself. Her parents don't care as long as he gets adopted."
"Did you say he?" I asked.
"Yes, she's having a boy. She's about five months pregnant right now."
"So that means she's due around December or January?" I asked.
"Yes, she's actually due January 2," Tammy said. "So, anyway, she told Janet if she knows of anyone interested in adopting the baby to let her know. Janet called me, because she knows that I know everyone. I asked Janet if she thought the girl would have any problem with a gay couple adopting the baby. Janet said as long as he went to a loving home where he would be cared for, she had no reason to discriminate. So what do you say? Are you ready to be dads?"
"Wow, this is a lot to take in right now," I said, sitting down next to Braden on the sofa. Up until then I had been standing listening to Tammy go on about the situation. I looked over at Braden. He looked as startled as me.
"I don't really know what to say," Braden said. "I mean, yeah, I want to be a dad, but I'm only 20 years old. I'm not even out of college yet, and we aren't married yet!"
"I think we need some time to talk about this, Tammy. Please tell your friend we are definitely interested, but we need to talk to our family about this. With me working an hour away and working late a lot of days, we need to make sure we have a support system in place to help us with raising a baby."
"Oh, I already know my mom will quit her job and babysit full time. You saw how excited she got the day we talked about adopting or having a kid with a surrogate," Braden said.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't know if I've ever seen her that excited about just the prospect of something," I said.
"Well, you two know I'm just across the street. I'll babysit the little guy anytime you'll let me and anytime I'm home! You'll have to bar the door to keep Aunt Tammy out!"
"Aunt Tammy, huh?" I said. "It sounds like you've got this thing all worked out!"
"I just love babies. It's been so long since I've had one around!" Tammy exclaimed.
"Give us until tonight and we'll have a firm answer. But, I think it's probably a go. We just need to make sure," I said.
"Alright, you boys just text me and let me know what it's going to be! But you need to understand, this is kind of a once in a lifetime thing. Most adoptions go through agencies, and it takes years to get through and thousands of dollars. You'll have to pay some legal fees, but nothing like with an agency."
"That is true for sure," Braden said. "I had a buddy in high school who had an adopted sister from China. His mom always wanted a little girl, but she couldn't have anymore kids, so they went to China to adopt. It ended up being nearly $50,000 by the time everything was said and done!"
"You can't put a price on giving a child a home," I said. "But if we can do it and not have to fork out that much, then that just means we can save now for his college education."
"I don't know about the two of you, but all this talk is making me hungry," Braden said. "Tammy, will you stay for breakfast? I'll make pancakes."
"As tempting as that sounds, sweetie, I have to run. I have an appointment to get my car serviced in an hour and I need to run it through the car wash so they don't think I'm the biggest slob on the planet! Let me know what you decide! Bye, boys!"
With Tammy gone, I just looked over at Braden and smiled. I looked at my watch to see that it was now 7:30.
"Do you think your folks are up yet?" I asked Braden.
"Probably, or at least they will be soon."
"Call them and invite them over for breakfast. Let's talk this thing out and figure out what we want to do. Tell them to bring Austin. He'll be part of this situation, too," I said.
"Alright, let me grab my phone out of the bedroom," Braden said.
I went down the hall to the bathroom to brush my teeth and freshen up a little before I started helping Braden cook breakfast. I looked in the mirror and just stared at myself a few minutes. Me, a dad? No, it just wasn't right. Or was it. I just never really thought about it that much before. I had really thought that Braden and I would have a few years of wedded bliss before we looked into adoption. But then again, who was I to question fate and its timing? As Tammy said, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I walked back into the kitchen to find Braden already busy mixing up pancake batter.
"Mom and dad are up, but Austin is not. I told them to wake his lazy ass up and get over here because we had something important to discuss. They'll be here in a few," Braden said.
"Maybe we should alert the neighbors that the shrieking they'll hear is your mom's cries of happiness and that no one is dying," I laughed.
"Yeah, she's gonna flip when we tell her."
A few minutes later, mom, dad, and Austin were flying through the front door.
"Okay, we're here, what is so damn important that it can't wait?" Austin said, grouchily.
"Watch your mouth, young man," Bonnie scolded. "But seriously, what is so important?" Bonnie asked as she kissed first Braden and then me on the cheek.
"Can't a couple of gay men just want to have breakfast with their parents and in-laws sometime?" Braden said.
"Well, sure, but that's not what's going on here. Spill it," Bonnie said.
"Let's just sit down to breakfast," I said. I grabbed the platter of pancakes Braden had just finished and set them on the table. We also had scrambled eggs, bacon, coffee, and orange juice
We sat down and started eating. Bonnie kept shooting glances at Braden and me. Mark was eating silently, as was Austin. They were too caught up in the food to worry about anything else at this point.
"I'm not waiting any longer," Bonnie said. "Tell me what's going on."
"Okay, mom. So, do you all remember a few months ago when we had the conversation about adopting or using a surrogate to have a kid one day?" Austin said.
"Yeah, I remember," Mark said. "Your mother was offering up her womb like it's a free night's stay at the Holiday Inn!"
"Jesus, Mark. That's an awful thing to say! Sorry, honey. Go ahead," Bonnie said.
"So, anyway, to make a long story short, there's an opportunity for Josh and me to adopt a baby."
"Wait, for real? Now? Oh my God, I'm going to be a grandmother!" Bonnie shrieked.
"Hold up, mom. We have to talk about this. That's why we wanted to have you guys over here," Braden said.
"What's there to talk about! It's a baby! Let's go get her, or him!" Bonnie was almost beside herself with joy.
"Well for one thing," I said. "We can't just go get him because he hasn't been born yet. He's due in early January." I explained the rest of the situation, filling in the parts Braden had left out.
"So, this really is a family decision," I said. "With my work schedule and Braden's college and then ultimately his work schedule after he starts teaching, we are going to need all the help we can get. We need to know that you guys are on board."
"Of course we are. It's a baby! There's nothing else to discuss!" Bonnie shouted.
"Mark, how do you feel about this?" I asked.
"Well, even if I was opposed to it, I'm pretty sure I'd get my balls cut off in my sleep if I disagreed," Mark laughed. "But seriously, I'd love to be a grandpa. Count me in!"
"Count me in, too," Austin said. "It'll be fun having a little guy around. Besides, with you two nerds as his dads, someone has to teach him how to be cool!"
"So, it's settled! I'll text Tammy and tell her the good news!" I said.
About thirty seconds after sending the text, my phone rang. I answered it on speaker.
"Hey, Tammy, you're on speaker with the whole family."
"Hey everyone! I wish I was there with you all! We need to hang out again soon! But anyway, Josh, I knew y'all were going to say yes, so I went ahead and texted Janet when I left your house. So here's how this is going to go down. The baby's mother is named Kiersten. Like I told you, she's only 17. She wants to meet the two of you, along with her parents, to make sure you are a good fit. Janet said when she told her it was a gay couple, she was fine with it, as were her parents. Janet said they are a really liberal family, they just don't want to raise a baby right now."
"Wow, that's great," I said. "When do they want to meet us?"
"The sooner the better. Like, maybe even tomorrow. They said to give you their number and you can call and set it up. They want this thing to start happening so they know there's a plan."
"Wow, okay. We'll call right now. Thank you so much, Tammy. You really are Godsend."
"That's Aunt Tammy to you! You know I love you boys. I gotta run, they just said my car's ready to go!"
"Bye, Tammy!" Everyone said in unison. A moment later my phone buzzed with a contact from Tammy.
"Well, here's their number. Are you guys ready to do this?" I asked.
"Yeah, let's do it! Go for it! Now!" The support from the family was unanimous. I hit the contact on my phone screen, and then it dialed.
"Hello?" The voice of what sounded like a middle-aged woman said.
"Yes, with whom am I speaking?" I asked politely.
"This is Ginger Hollingsworth. And who might you be?"
"My name is Joshua Patterson, ma'am. I was given your number by my neighbor, who is a nurse, who is friends with a nurse named Janet from the OBGYN."
"Oh, you're calling about the baby! Yes, you have the right number! Now, are you the gentleman who is looking to adopt with his husband?"
"Yes, ma'am. My fiancé Braden and I are interested in adopting your grandchild."
"Fiance? I thought you were already married?" Ginger asked.
"We have a wedding date set for October, so we'll be married before the baby arrives," I said.
"Oh, okay, well, we would love to meet you and Braden. How soon can you come to Huntsville? We would come to you, but with Kiersten being pregnant, we don't want her to ride that far."
"I completely understand," I said. "Honestly, we can come today," I said, being prompted by Bonnie practically shouting "NOW, NOW" silently.
"Oh, that would be wonderful. We are so excited to meet you. I'll text you the address. We have no plans for the day, so just let us know when you are on your way so we can kind of gauge when you might be here."
"Wonderful," I said. "I do have one question, Mrs. Hollingsworth, would it be okay if my in-laws come with us? If this works out, they will be a huge part of the baby's life, and we want them to be as involved in the process as possible right from the start."
"Oh, that would be so nice! And please, call me Ginger. And I want you to understand before we come, it's not that we don't want the baby, it's just that my husband and I are at a point in our lives were we would be good grandparents, but we've raised our children. We can't raise another one. And Kiersten, well, she's a good girl, but she doesn't always make the best choices. She doesn't want to raise him, so this is the best solution for everyone involved. I just don't want you thinking we are terrible people who want to throw a poor little baby to the wolves."
"I completely understand," I told her. "I'm a high school principal, so I know what it's like when a teenage girl gets pregnant. Even with the best support system, it's a struggle."
We said our goodbyes and I told her we'd see them in a few hours.
"Well, it looks like we are going to Huntsville!" I said. "Let's get this mess cleaned up and get on the road!"
With everyone pitching in, we had all the dishes loaded in the dishwasher and had everything put away in no time. With Braden and me in my truck and Mark, Bonnie, and Austin following behind in Bonnie's car, we started the 2-hour drive to Huntsville. We had decided to pack an overnight bag, just in case we wanted to get a room to keep from driving back so late. Huntsville is a pretty neat city, for those who have never been. There's a lot to do, so we thought we might even spend Sunday checking out some of the city.
We didn't talk too much on the way. I think we were nervous about meeting the family that was going to decide whether or not we were worthy of becoming parents.
"So, what do you want to name him, if it works out?" Braden asked.
"Jeez, I hadn't even thought about that. Maybe we need to wait and make sure this works out first. You know, it might not. They might not like us."
"True, but it doesn't hurt to talk about possible names. I really don't like most of the modern names people are using. I mean who names a kid Axle? And then there's Jett, Briggs, Maverick...I could go on," Braden said. "I guess I just don't want to be a trendsetter with my kids' names."
"I completely agree. I know it's an older name, but I've always liked the sound of John. I'd use Luke as a middle name and call him John Luke," I said.
"Oooh, I like that!" Braden exclaimed.
"Or we could go a little more modern with something like Brodie," I suggested.
"Oh, I like that, too!"
"What was your grandmother's maiden name?" I asked.
"Which one? My dad's mom was a Jones. My mom's mom was a Jackson."
"Well, Jones doesn't really work as a name. But Jackson does. We could do something like Brodie Jackson," I said.
"That's not bad," Braden said. "What about your grandmother's maiden name? Or your grandfather's name?"
"My mom's mom was a Baker. My dad's mom was an Elliot," I said.
"Elliot works! Brodie Elliot. Or Jackson Elliot. Or Elliot Jackson. There are so many possibilities! How are we ever going to come up with a name?" Braden exclaimed.
"I don't know, but it's going to have to wait, because we're here," I announced, pulling into the driveway of an older but neat brick rancher in a mature but still nice neighborhood.
"I'm so freaking nervous!" Braden sighed.
"Me too, babe. But we just need to be ourselves and let them see who we really are. No matter what, I love you," I said, leaning over for a quick kiss.
We all got out of our respective cars and walked up the sidewalk to the front door. I rang the doorbell. We waited about fifteen seconds, then the door opened to present a very well-dressed, tall woman with striking features and reddish-blonde hair. She reminded me of Allison Janney.
"Well, you did bring the whole family! I'm Ginger. I'm guessing you are Josh, and you must be Braden."
"Yes ma'am. Thank you for having us," I said. I shook her hand, and Braden did the same.
"Yes, thank you so much for inviting us," Braden said. He turned toward Mark, Bonnie, and Austin. "And these are my parents, Mark and Bonnie, and my brother Austin." Everyone shook Ginger's hand, then she invited us inside.
"I just started a fresh pot of coffee, and I have sweet tea as well. What can I get you all to drink?"
Bonnie and Mark elected for coffee with cream and sugar, while Braden, Austin, and I chose sweet tea. I don't think I could ever live somewhere that didn't have sweet tea.
Just as Ginger came back in with the drinks, a very pretty, but obviously pregnant young lady walked down the stairs and into the living room.
"I'm so sorry I'm just coming down. I was upstairs lying down and completely lost track of the time. I'm Kiersten. Thank you all so much for coming! It's so nice to meet you all!"
We each introduced ourselves to Kiersten, who seated herself in a large La-Z-Boy recliner that I'm sure belonged to her father. I had just noticed his absence when Ginger explained his whereabouts.
"My husband, Phillip took our son Walker to our cabin on the lake for some father-son bonding this weekend.
"That's nice, I said. I'm sure they will have a great time."
"Oh, yes, they'll fish and just have a good time. But, it's as much for us as it is for them. Kiersten and I appreciate the quiet!"
We sat around and just talked like we'd known each other for years. I found conversation with Ginger and Kiersten just naturally flowed for all of us. We learned that Kiersten had dreams of becoming a high school English teacher. We also learned that Ginger was a wedding and event planner.
"I sure wish we would have known you a couple months ago," Bonnie said. "These two put me in charge of planning the wedding; like I know anything about planning such a thing!"
"Well, I'd be happy to take a look at your plans, just to see what you have," Ginger said.
"We'd love for you to," Braden and I both said. We explained our plans for getting married at the bed and breakfast in Chattanooga, and told her the story about Dorothy and Rose and how nice they were.
"That sounds like an adorable place for a wedding! Let's discuss that in more detail later. But first, let's get down to why we are all here. You want to adopt my grandchild."
"Yes, we do. Very much so," I said.
"So do I," Braden said.
"We all do," Bonnie added. "If you decide to allow Josh and Braden to adopt your grandson, I can assure you that he will be surrounded by love. It's not just them adopting him, we all are. I've wanted to be a grandmother for such a long time. Well, I didn't want either of my boys to do anything before they were ready, but I wanted to be a grandmother when the time was right. Then, Braden came out to us, and I guess I just thought that I might not get the chance like I thought I would. But then this opportunity comes along, and we're just so excited about it."
"I can see you are all excited about it, Ginger said. "To be honest, part of me was excited, too. But as I explained on the phone, our family is not at a place where a new baby fits our goals. Kiersten has had her heart set on being a teacher for so long. Having a baby just doesn't fit with that. She'll be starting college next year, and I don't want her to have any distractions. I know that sounds horrible."
"No, it really doesn't," I said. "Everyone has a unique situation. I get everything you're saying. But I do have to ask something. Do you want any involvement in this child's life, or do you want it to be like it never happened and he doesn't know who his biological family is?"
"We've talked about that," Kiersten said. "I guess it depends on what you guys want."
"Yes, we've had that conversation," Ginger said. "We know that some adoptive parents don't want any distraction to their child. They want to be viewed as the only parents. We would certainly be respectful of your wishes. But, if you offered, we would like to, at the minimum, be kept informed of major milestones in life. Holidays, birthdays, and such. And, if you invite us to be a part of his life, then I can see us doing that, but only with your permission and only when the time is right."
"I think both of us really would want him to know his birth family," Braden said. "A person can never have too much family."
"I agree. I am currently estranged from my family because they don't agree with my lifestyle. I'd want him to have as much family as he can, especially when that family is full of love."
"Well," Ginger said, glancing over at Kiersten. Kiersten nodded. "I think we have made a decision. Assuming everything works out with our attorney and you both have a clean background, as I think you will, we'd be honored if you'd be the baby's fathers.
"Oh my God, are you serious?" Braden said, in awe.
"Yes, we're serious," Kiersten said. "I just know that you are the right ones. Just watching your family and how you interact. I can feel all the love in this room for this baby. I won't have to go to sleep at night not knowing that he's taken care of. I'll know it without a doubt."
We all shared hugs, and a few tears. We stayed a couple hours longer, just talking and getting to know each other a little better. Kiersten had some questions for Braden about his experience so far in college, since he was working to become a teacher as well. I gave her some pointers for things she could do now to start preparing for college, and even told her that when the time was right, I'd help her prepare for interviews to land her first job. Before we knew it, it was almost dark outside.
"We really should be going," I said. "It's getting late, and I know you both are ready to relax for the evening."
"You aren't driving all the way back home tonight, are you?" Ginger asked.
"No, we were planning on staying in a hotel tonight, then we'll enjoy exploring Huntsville tomorrow before we head back," I said.
"Nonsense. There's no need to stay in a hotel. We have plenty of room. There's a guest room upstairs, plus a pullout sofa in the rec room down in the basement. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it works. Austin, I'll change the sheets on Walker's bed, and you can have it for the night."
"We really don't want to put you out or to any trouble," Bonnie said. "We had already planned on staying in a hotel tonight."
"I insist," Ginger said. "Kiersten, call down to Jesse's and order supper for us all. Jesse's has the best barbecue around. I hope you all like barbecue."
"That sounds great," I said. "At least let us pay for dinner. I won't take no for an answer."
"Actually," Mark added, "Bonnie and I will pay for dinner. We insist."
"I won't argue with you," Ginger said, "But it's really not necessary."
"No, it is necessary," Bonnie said. "You've been so gracious. It's the least we can do."
Braden and I volunteered to go pick up the food while the others worked out the sleeping arrangements. I couldn't believe the turn of events that had taken place. Braden and I were about to be dads! It was all happening so fast!
"I still can't believe all this is happening," Braden said. "Like, we legit went to bed last night after hanging out with Stephen and Devin, not having a clue all this was about to happen."
"I know! Hey, we better text Devin and let him know what's going on. They probably wonder why we didn't text them at all today before they headed back."
"Give me your phone. I'll do it," Braden said.
"Actually, let's just call them," I said. "It'll be easier. A lot less to text."
"Hello?" Devin's voice came across from the other end of the line.
"Hey man," I said. "Guess what?"
"What's up?" Devin asked.
"We're going to be dads!" We both shouted in unison.
The next chapter in this series will be published soon!
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