Chapter One #2
They all pitched in and searched the boxes until they located the paper towels.
Royce tamped down his enthusiasm for the pizza, knowing they would likely have a seventy-thirty ratio in favor of vegetable toppings, but his hopes rose when the pizza box lids went up.
The crust was thin and crispy, and the cheese was a golden brown that screamed it had come from a cow and not…
He didn’t know where vegan cheese came from and decided not to give it another thought.
Who cared if the pizza was loaded down with caramelized vegetables and drizzled with a brown liquid when it smelled like pure heaven?
The second pizza offered circles of mozzarella and basil leaves.
Jo clapped her hands and took a big slice of the first pizza. “The happy hippie,” she said reverently.
“What’s the brown stuff?” Eddie asked.
“A balsamic reduction,” Sawyer said. “It’s so good.”
Royce picked up a slice and studied it closely. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“And I’ll wait while you do,” Eddie quipped.
Jo had a mouthful of pizza, so she nudged Eddie with her elbow.
“Some changes have been harder to make,” Eddie admitted. “I prefer at least three different meats on my pizza and maybe a smattering of mushrooms.”
“Amen.” Royce saluted his father with his pizza slice and then took a tentative bite.
The explosion of flavors on his tongue made his taste buds sing, and the combination of textures was surprisingly pleasing.
Royce wanted to string Eddie along and irritate Sawyer by pretending the pizza was barely passable, but he ruined his efforts by going in for a second bite too quickly.
“Good enough for me,” Eddie said as he grabbed a slice of the veggie pizza.
Sawyer looked smug as hell when he bit through mozzarella and basil.
“This pizza joint makes the best cauliflower crust,” Jo said.
Eddie held the slice closer to his face and scrutinized it as he chewed. “Cauliflower? Never mind. It tastes great.” Then he shrugged and went in for a second bite.
They devoured the happy hippie and turned desperate eyes to the Margherita pizza that remained.
“Basil and mozzarella, huh?” Eddie asked.
Sawyer laughed. “And tomatoes.”
Eddie shrugged and went for it. His face formed a “not bad” expression as he chewed.
Jo passed out drinks, and they chatted about random things until they finished eating.
Sawyer stayed in the kitchen to help Jo unpack, and Royce followed Eddie to their bedroom suite to set up the bed and mount the television there too.
They worked in companionable silence for a while, only talking when they needed the other to hand them a tool or provide support.
Royce sensed Eddie had something on his mind, and a quick glance revealed a slight furrow in his dad’s brow.
“What’s weighing on you, Eddie?”
His dad looked up, and the furrow deepened. “Nothing. I was just concentrating on making sure the bed is level.”
Royce set the drill on the nightstand and gave Eddie his full attention. “Nah. You’ve seemed distracted the last few times I’ve seen you. It feels like you have something you want to say but are worried that maybe you shouldn’t.”
Eddie dropped his gaze for a few moments before meeting Royce’s eyes again. “Yeah, maybe I do. Things are great between us.” Eddie swallowed hard. “The best they’ve ever been.”
Royce nodded. “And you think whatever you have to say or ask will make me mad enough to stop speaking to you again?”
Eddie seemingly held his breath for a few seconds before he released it. “Yes. That’s what I’m worried about.”
It irritated Royce that Eddie had deemed him too sensitive or irrational to hear his thoughts without getting offended.
Then he realized this was the exact reaction his dad had wanted to avoid.
He could already feel his body temperature rising and his pulse increasing.
Royce took a deep breath and sighed. “It’s not much of a relationship if we can’t speak our minds. ”
“True, but you’ve taught me that some things are better left unsaid.”
“Unless it’s causing you undue stress,” Royce told him.
His mind spun with all the potential sources of trouble, but Royce’s thoughts kept returning to his two vulnerable spots: Sawyer and Darla.
But Eddie was crazy about Sawyer, and he was excited to meet his first granddaughter.
Royce took another one of those cleansing breaths Sawyer was so fond of and allowed his dad to say what was on his mind without automatically leaping to worst conclusions. They both deserved better.
A chuckle rumbled in Eddie’s chest as he shook his head. “I can hear your wheels turning, son. I’m not thinking bad thoughts about your man or disapproving of the situation with your baby girl.”
“I know.” Or he was mostly sure. “What is going on?”
“I’ve just been wondering about how the adoption will work,” Eddie said. “You guys haven’t discussed it much.”
“Because it’s not a simple process,” Royce replied.
Eddie nodded. “I figured as much, and I didn’t want to be nosy or bring up sensitive subjects.”
“I’m sure most people are curious. I just figured they cared more about the outcome than the process.”
“But I’m your dad, and I do care,” Eddie said. “What makes your adoption so difficult? Is it because you’re a same-sex couple?” Eddie’s tone had turned gruff, and he crossed his arms over his chest as if ready to go to battle on a moment’s notice.
“Not in this case,” Royce said. “Our complication has to do with the type of surrogacy we’ve chosen.”
Eddie cocked his head to the side. “There’s more than one?”
Royce chuckled, then leaned against the dresser.
“There are two: gestational and traditional. The gestational surrogate is not the baby’s biological mother, where a traditional surrogate is.
The gestational surrogate is the preferred method, but Sawyer and I didn’t want to go that route.
We love that Kelsey is Darla’s biological mother, even if that causes us additional legal hurdles. ”
“How so?”
“Our adoption process can’t start until after Darla arrives,” Royce explained.
“If Kelsey wasn’t her mother, we’d be able to arrange a pre-birth order so that both my and Sawyer’s names would appear on the birth certificate from the jump.
We’d have the legal documents ahead of time, granting us custody and the rights to make decisions about Darla’s medical care. ”
“But you’re her biological father. Doesn’t that count?”
“I am, and no one is contesting that, but mothers are considered the primary parent,” Royce explained. “The hospital won’t release Darla into my custody without a court order.”
“Jesus,” Eddie said. “Does that mean Darla has to live with Kelsey until the adoption goes through?”
“No. We hired a legal team to guide us through the process before our first visit to the fertility clinic. We signed a surrogacy agreement up front, and we’ve known all along what to expect.”
Eddie’s big, meaty paw landed on Royce’s shoulder and squeezed. “Doesn’t make it any easier though, does it?”
“Not at all.”
“So, what has to happen before Darla can come home with her dads?” Eddie asked.
“The three of us are meeting with our legal teams to finalize the documentation tomorrow evening. I had to prove my paternity, which wasn’t hard since we used a clinic, and Kelsey will sign a document to waive her parental rights.
Once Darla is born, the documentation goes to a judge, who will then grant temporary custody to me so I can bring her home. ”
“When does Sawyer get to become her daddy too?” Eddie asked. “Legally, I mean.”
“We’ll have to complete a home study and—”
“Home study?” Eddie bellowed. “What kind of homophobic shit is that?”
Royce patted his broad shoulder. “Take it easy, killer. Home studies are required for all adoptions, not just those involving same-sex parents. The court will also require physicals, background checks, and character reference letters.” Royce could tell by Eddie’s scowl that he was getting worked up.
“Everyone has to do this with adoptions. We could face homophobia with the person completing the home study or with the judge who signs off on the post-birth order or approves the second-parent adoption later, but I can’t let my mind go there. ”
Eddie released a little growl. “How does the second-parent thing work?”
“Once we complete the steps I mentioned, the paperwork goes to family court, and they’ll set a finalization date where we go before a judge to get the adoption approved.
A new birth certificate will be ordered that names Sawyer and me as Darla’s parents.
It shouldn’t take long for everything to process because we’ve already done most of the legwork.
We’ve completed our background checks and physicals and gathered enough reference letters to paper the courthouse. ”
Eddie’s brow furrowed slightly, and hurt registered in his gray eyes before he blinked it away. “You didn’t ask me to write a letter. Is it because I’m a felon?”
“Of course not.”
“You don’t trust me to write a letter?” Eddie asked, his voice ticking up a notch as if offended.
“No,” Royce replied. “We didn’t ask any of our family members to write letters for us.”
“What? Why?”
“Because family members aren’t objective,” Royce explained. “We chose colleagues and friends.”
“Don’t you think the judge will find it weird?”
“Our lawyers don’t think so, but write a character reference if you’d like. I’ll happily submit it to our legal team.”
Eddie rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know. I’m not as smart as Barron. He’s a respectable member of the community and would make a better reference.”
“You’re my dad,” Royce said. “You’re an amazing grandfather. Little Darla is going to be so lucky to have you in her life.”
Eddie pulled Royce into a fierce hug and held on longer than usual. “You’re the best part of me, kid. Never doubt that.”