Read Finding Gavin (Southern Boys #2) Online
Authors: C.A. Harms
“I’ve got so many things to do, Kori. I want to shampoo the carpets and paint Rhett’s old room. No offense, girl, but it still looks like a nursery. Mikey is eight, so I’m pretty sure he isn’t into the cute tiny tractors on the wall.”
I stood just outside our bedroom listening to Maria talk to Kori on the phone. She was in a state of frenzy over the impending home visit.
The case manager assigned to us would be here to do a home evaluation. Maria had been running ragged around the house, cleaning and organizing. She was a nervous wreck, and I couldn’t help finding the entire thing adorable.
“I’m so worried about something not being right. What if they deny Gavin because of something I did, or didn’t do? Maybe I shouldn’t be living here right now. What if that messes things up for him?”
That comment made my heart feel as if it had dropped. I stepped into the bedroom and glared at her.
“Uh, Kor,” she spoke more quietly the phone. “I have an unhappy cowboy giving me the stink eye. I better go offer him some sort of kinky favor to get out of this one.”
She laughed at something Kori said before saying a quick goodbye.
I stood there in the doorway, crossing my arms over my chest and continuing to glare at her for even thinking she shouldn’t be here.
“Stop glaring at me like that. It only makes me want to jump you,” Maria said, attempting to make light of the moment.
“Your cute, smartass comments aren’t working this time. What do you mean, maybe you shouldn’t be living here?” I stared at her without a smile crossing my face. It bothered me that she thought she needed to leave.
“I just don’t want to be the one who ruins this. I am so scared that I will hinder their choice to let you adopt Mikey. I couldn’t live with that, Gavin,” she explained.
I approached the bed and sat down next to her. “This is your home, our home. Baby, we’ve been going through all kinds of things for the last two and a half weeks. There isn’t a damn thing they’ve requested that you haven’t passed with flying colors.”
I slipped from the bed and knelt before her. Taking her hand in mine, I lifted it to my lips and kissed each knuckle, before looking back at her. “You are my future, Maria. You, Mikey and the children we will one day have.”
Her smile lit up my world—right then in that moment she held my heart.
“I don’t think you understand how much you mean to me. Without you and your ability to forgive my mistakes, I’d be one miserable son of a bitch.” Nudging myself between her thighs, I gripped her hips and slid her forward. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered in return.
***
“How did it go, the home visit and all?” Gemma asked as I climbed outta my truck. I had to take Tuesday morning off for the caseworker’s visit.
She stood off to the side, holding onto Rhett as he tugged on her arm. I laughed at the fella. He was so full of energy and was on the go at all times. He kept us all on our toes.
“It went well, I think. Maria was amazing. She’s got the ability to charm just about anybody, no doubt.” Gemma smiled back at me.
“Looks like she has charmed you,” she said.
The thing about Gemma is she kinda filled that motherly role I have missed so much. She took me in immediately, the day I arrived. She made me feel welcome, and I was grateful for her hospitality. She did remind me a lot of the woman who raised me—kind-hearted and gentle.
“Yeah, Mrs. Gemma, she sure has. I don’t think I had any hope fighting that one. I tried, believe me I did, but it was kinda pointless. A waste of time, really.” I chuckled at my stupidity. Maria had me hooked from the beginning. I was the fool who thought I could outrun it.
“She’s a feisty one, always has been. She didn’t have it easy growing up, but it never washed her spirit away. I watched that child hold her head high on some of the darkest days.” Gemma looked at me with honest eyes. “I can promise you one thing, though. Maria will stand by you no matter what. She’s loyal and loving. She stood by my Kori when she needed it most. She’s a fighter, that dark-haired beauty. You take care of her heart; she deserves a good man.”
Gemma watched me as I nodded my head and smiled. “I promise that. Don’t you worry, Mrs. G, I got her and I ain’t letting go.”
That knowledge satisfied her. She scooped up Rhett, who was almost too big to be scooped, and carried him off toward the barn.
Walking behind her, I watched as she tossed the little tank to Reed, who was coming out of the barn as we walked in. He appeared dirty and roughed up. He had filled in for me this morning, and by the looks of it, Bud had run him ragged.
“It’s about damn time you showed up,” he said as he threw Rhett over his shoulder. Looking at me, he chuckled. “Bud is a slave driver. How you handle that shit daily is beyond me.”
“What d’ya mean?” I asked. “Normally we sit around all morning drinking coffee, so he must just like me more.”
Reed turned around to find Bud looking back at him, chuckling at his stunned expression. “Ah, hell no. I’ve seen him put you to work.”
Gravel popping against tires had me turning around toward the driveway. Kori and Maria climbing from Kori’s car brought a smile to my face.
I remembered the times I had fought so hard to pretend that Maria didn’t make my heart race. Now there was no holding back my attraction and love. I smiled as she walked toward me, and my stomach did a crazy ass little tightening thing. She hooked her fingers through my belt buckles and rose up on her tip toes.
Kissing me softly, she smiled and said, “Hey, handsome. Where you been all my life?”
I slid my arm around her waist and smiled in return. “All the wrong places, until now. I finally found where I belong.”
“Okay you two, enough of the cutesy stuff. My parents are watching.” Kori poked my ribs as she walked by.
Maria giggled and buried her face in my chest. “Shit, I forgot they were right there,” she whispered.
I chuckled at her embarrassment and looked up to find that they all were doing their own thing. I lifted her chin up with my finger and kissed the tip of her nose, causing her eyes to close.
“What are you girls up to today?” I asked.
“Prego over there is outgrowing all her clothes. She needs some new ones. With school starting back up in a couple of weeks, she can’t wear Reed’s t-shirts anymore.” Maria laughed when Kori narrowed her eyes at her.
“You wait until the day you feel like you’re the size of a house.” When Kori said that, her face fell. I could tell she wanted to immediately take it back. The topic was one everyone seemed to tiptoe around when it came to Maria. She was a hell of lot tougher than people gave her credit for, though.
“My luck I’ll have twins and be twice your size,” Maria shot back, and I could see the relief wash over Kori’s face.
I pulled Maria in just a little tighter and kissed the top of her head. She amazed me with her strength.
“I have cookies, chips and Kool-Aid. Plus I bought a few board games and some actions movies that boys like.” Maria was holding up each item as she stood on the other side of the counter.
“Oh, and I thought we could have burgers and fries. Unless he wants pizza, he might not like burgers. Most people like burgers, though…right?” She suddenly looked nervous, and I was on the verge of uncontrollable laughter.
I stepped around the counter and grabbed her around the waist. “You need to breathe, relax. He will love it all.” I kissed her forehead and chuckled. “It’s his first sleepover with us, not the first time we have ever met him. He knows us and we know him, so let’s just relax.”
“I just want everything to be perfect. I want him to love it here, with us,” she explained.
“He will, baby, he will,” I assured her. I kissed her softly, attempting to calm her nerves. Her body settling into mine was a sure sign it was working.
Backing her up until her back bumped the counter, I gripped her thighs and lifted her to settle on the top of it.
She moaned against my lips, while I traced the edge of her shorts with my finger. “You are so beautiful, so sweet,” I whispered, while skimming my tongue over her collarbone. “I think we need a little distraction. What do you think?”
“Oh, I think, um,” she whimpered, when I slid my hand up under her tank top. When I rubbed my thumb across her nipple, her head fell back. “Yes, distraction.”
Smiling at her aroused state, I slid my fingers under the hem of her shorts and she parted them further. They gapped just enough to allow me to reach my destination, where I teasingly slid my finger over her wet panties. Her body shuddered with each movement of my hand.
The doorbell rang just as I slid my finger inside of her, and I groaned in frustration.
“Looks like we’re gonna have to pick this up later, dirty boy.” Maria wiggled her hips and slid from the counter, adjusting her shorts.
I smacked her ass hard as she walked by, and she whelped in surprise. A deep chuckle erupted from me as I watched her hurry toward the door.
***
There were storms coming in, so we had plenty of time to enjoy some quality indoor fun. The teams were still a little uneven—Mikey always paired up with Maria, and in turn they would gang up on me. I quickly accepted it, just to have the chance to see the two of them together. It was truly one of the greatest things to witness. They always appeared as if they had known one another for years. Their spirits are so alike.
We laughed until we cried. The entire night felt real, whole. It was as if it were a normal day, one we had been living for years.
Mikey and Maria sat whispering quietly on the couch, as I casually observed from the recliner. Their line of vision continued to shift my way. It was pretty obvious they were developing a secret plan of attack. Maria was smiling as Mikey whispered in her ear. She would nod her head occasionally, looking over at me for any sign that I might have overheard their plan. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world, as I witnessed the closeness develop between them.
All at once, they both jumped up from the couch and began throwing popcorn at me. Moving quickly, I hid behind the chair and grabbed for the pieces that they had thrown. The moment I saw the bowl getting low on their ammunition, I lunged toward them.
Mikey’s laughter made my heart feel as if it were being squeezed tightly. After everything this kid had been through, it was by far one of the most beautiful sounds.
I pinned Mikey to the floor, tickling his sides. Maria got on my back, attempting to rescue her partner in crime.
“Let go of him, you beast,” she hollered.
After Mikey had passed out from exhaustion, during the movie marathon he and Maria attempted to watch, I carried him to his bed.
Maria had already turned the evening into an eight-year-old boy’s dream, complete with an X-box and games.
His eyes were the size of saucers when we had earlier showed him Maria’s purchases. We never actually made it to play the video games, but I think he had fun without them.
Once he was safely tucked in bed, I joined Maria in ours. She was already asleep, so I slipped in behind her and pulled her body back against mine.
Listening to her soft breaths, I propped my head up onto my hand and watched her closely. Her eyes twitched and her nose wrinkled. A small whimper filled the silence of the house.
Tracing my fingertip over her cheek and smoothing her hair back from her face, I kissed her softly. I didn’t want to wake her; I just needed to feel her close.
The battle within me to fight the urge to make her legally mine was exhausting. I wanted to tell her that I wanted her forever and ask her to marry me. Then I would remember how it had turned out for me the first time, which in turn would make me push back any thought of ever repeating that again.
It was a struggle between choosing the right time and wondering if there would ever be a right time. This was a battle only I could overcome. It was not Maria who had tainted my views of marriage; it was Nicole. It wasn’t fair that I put them both in the same category.
Maria was nothing like Nicole.
Maria
Over the last few months, Mikey has stayed with Gavin and me half a dozen times. It felt complete when he was with us. When he went back to the boys’ home, each time it nearly broke my heart. I would sneak off to hide my tears, not wanting to upset Gavin. I think it already broke his heart enough letting go of him, so seeing my heartbreak would only make it worse.
We had agreed not to bring up the adoption to Mikey until we knew for sure that everything was in our favor. We feared getting his hopes up, only to crush him if something affected the process negatively.
School had started back up, and Kori was in the miserable stages of pregnancy. She was swollen and cranky. She didn’t care much for my duck comments, but damn it, they were fun—she waddled.
She was in her last month, and little baby Grace would be here to meet us all very soon. I couldn’t wait to see her sweet little face.
A baby shower was planned for tonight, but Kori had no idea what she was going home to.
I had volunteered to drive this morning. Reed was at home, waiting for us to arrive. He actually spent the day getting everything ready.
The moment we pulled into the drive, Kori protested. “Oh, no you didn’t. You did not fill my house with a bunch of people without me knowing about it.”
“This was all your man’s idea,” I stated.
“All my mother’s friends are gonna want to rub my belly.” She laughed, before laying her head back against the seat. “A bunch of woman will be standing around rubbing on me like I’m some damn genie in a bottle.”
I opened the door and stepped out, walking around the front to open her door for her. Holding out my hand, I helped her out of my car. We walked side by side toward the pink and yellow balloons.
“Just tell them you feel really gassy, that will make them scatter,” I said, just before the front door came open. She giggled as her momma approached, followed closely by Reed.
“Surprise,” they both said, while helping her up the steps.
Looking up, I found both Gavin and Mikey waiting patiently for me to enter. At times, I felt it was crazy to consider them
my boys.
But that is exactly what they are, my people. The two I adore and love. The two I want to shower with my love and take care of. They are my world, and having them to call my own gives me a great sense of fulfillment.
Wrapping my arms around them both warmed my soul.
“Hey, boys,” I said.
“Hey, baby, how was your day?” Gavin asked.
Mikey hugged me tightly, whispering in my ear. “My cheeks hurt. These ladies have pinched me over and over.” He looked up and me with a very serious expression. “They are all crazy.”
I giggled behind my hand and looked up at Gavin. He, too, was laughing at Mikey’s description of all the older women here.
“I’ll keep’em away, bud,” I assured him, and he blew out a breath.
“Thanks,” he replied. His relief only made me laugh harder.
When I stood back up, Gavin pulled me in for a quick hug and kiss.
“Hey, I need to ask you if you’d be willing to help Colt. He got that place in town, and it needs some work. He’s hoping to get things fixed up quickly, so he can start on the orders he already has coming in.”
“Reed lined him up with a few contractors in the area. Looks like his custom woodworking is really gonna take off.” The thought made me smile. It would mean that Colt would be sticking around.
“Sure, I’ll help him. Reed said he was gonna be spending some time over there too, along with Ben. I’m sure that, with all of us helping, he’ll be up and running soon.” He winked and I thanked him with another soft kiss.
The baby shower was co-ed and it was a riot. The guys ended up hanging in the kitchen while we did all the things they consider too damn girly.
Reed was the only one forced to participate, and I had to give the guy credit; he was a trooper. Even when all the guys made fun of him through the doorway to the kitchen, he stood tall.
It was still pretty hard when I thought about the child I’d lost. Thinking about the fact that I would now be somewhere around six months pregnant still made my heart ache.
One day I’ll be a momma. One day I’ll be blessed to hold my child in my arms. It just wasn’t my time. For some reason beyond my control, my baby was needed for greater things. Some days were harder than others, and today was one of the most difficult.
I smiled as I watched Kori and Reed hold up the gifts they’d received, one by one.
Gavin seemed to be fighting the same issues. He was well aware of my struggle. So together we fought through the day.
Our time would come one day, I knew it would. For now, we would continue to build and grow stronger, together.