Chapter 24
Jon
“How are your mom and Bernie?” Kyle asked, trotting down the stairs. He’d just put Wyatt down for a nap.
“They’re okay,” Jon answered. “They both say hello. Did the little guy fuss much when you put him down?”
“Not really. We read a book together,” Kyle explained. “Well, I read, and he just kind of looked at the pictures, but he was really beat. I think he was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Did you get everybody all caught up with our plans?”
“Yeah. They’re both excited for us, and Mom agrees that raising Wyatt outside of DC is a good thing.
Oh, and Bernie said that Jeff knows a realtor, so she’s gonna talk to him when he gets home.
And they’re more than willing to help with showing the house and everything.
Which hopefully means fewer trips to Phoenix for us. ”
“Perfect. What’s next on the agenda?”
“The adoption. Your uncle is putting together most of the paperwork for that although he said he may have a few questions for us this week.”
“Does he really think it can all be finalized in a month?” Kyle asked.
“That’s what he said. He doesn’t expect any issues. He thinks he can file the petition with the court in the next week, and it should all be pretty seamless.”
“Have you given any thought to what you want to do with the stuff in the Arizona house?”
“Yeah, I have, actually. I brought all the really important things with me when I moved here. We don’t need any of it and won’t know exactly what we’ll need for the new house until we actually buy something.
I think I just want to donate it all. Maybe to an LGBTQ+ organization. Wherever it can do some good.”
“I think that’s a really good idea,” Kyle agreed. “And I think that since our son is napping, we should do the same. I don’t know about you, but I’m beat.”
“That sounds like a really good idea too.” Jon rose from the sofa and put his hand out. Kyle took it, and they headed upstairs. A nap would be a great way to spend the afternoon. Maybe after a little cuddle time.
Life went on in a busy but fairly normal manner, always juggling work with family time.
Before they knew it, the adoption was happening.
It actually took slightly longer than Mike had anticipated, but the final court date, where the adoption would be granted, was scheduled for Friday, and Ben, Rob, and Sam were flying to DC for the weekend to celebrate.
“Hey, Kyle,” Ben greeted his son on the phone Thursday evening.
“Hi, Dad. All settled in at the hotel?”
“Yeah. We’re gonna grab a bite to eat and then call it a night. We’ll see you at the courthouse tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good,” Kyle replied. “Give our love to Rob and Sam, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Everything okay?” Jon asked as Kyle hung up the phone. He had just come downstairs after putting Wyatt to bed.
“Yeah. They’re gonna eat and crash and will see us tomorrow. Dad just wanted to make sure we knew they’d arrived.”
The next morning they got ready, dressing Wyatt in a new outfit consisting of navy pants, a blue plaid vest, and a navy bow tie. After all, he had to look extra cute for this very special day.
When they arrived at the courthouse, Mike, Ellen, Ben, Rob, and Sam were already there.
After a round of hugs and kisses, they waited for Daniel Somers, the lawyer from Mike’s firm, to arrive.
Dan, rather than Mike, had handled the case from the beginning.
Since Mike was Wyatt’s biological grandfather, this avoided any conflict of interest.
Dan arrived a few minutes later, and they all went in at their appointed time.
All of the real work had been done earlier, including interviews with Mike and Ellen, and Kyle and Jon.
Jon had also needed to complete an approved adoption-training program.
Today was really just a formality to approve the adoption petition.
It was over quickly, and eight happy people exited the courthouse.
Kyle and Jon invited Dan to join them for a brunch party that Ben and Rob had arranged at the hotel where they were staying, but he begged off, returning to work instead.
The rest of them went to the hotel and celebrated the official Rockingham-Rivera family.
“I talked to Bernie last week,” Sam said while they waited for their food. “She said the sale of your house there is almost final.”
“Yeah,” Jon replied. “It was quicker and smoother than I thought it would be. But it will be nice to have that all finished. The closing is set for next week and should go through without a hitch. Everything is being handled online, so I don’t even need to fly to Phoenix for it.”
“One more thing my husband can check off one of his many lists,” Kyle added, smiling. Jon was the consummate planner and loved making lists so he wouldn’t forget things. They joked about it, but it was actually very helpful since they were juggling quite a few things at the moment.
“So what’s next?” Rob asked.
“I had a Zoom call with Mike and one of the partners at a family law firm in Plymouth last week,” Jon told the group.
“Paul was really nice, and they’re in the process of expanding the firm, so he’s confident they’ll be hiring another paralegal soon.
He seemed interested in me and said he’d like to meet me in person, so we’re trying to figure out a time when we can take another little trip to Massachusetts.
Probably just a long weekend in the next month or so. ”
“That’s awesome,” Rob said. “We don’t have any plans in the next couple of months, so let us know when you want to visit.”
“And I just got an email from Sarah Connolly, the realtor that Finn Reynolds recommended to us,” Kyle joined in.
“She has a property she thinks might be a good fit for us. She sent a couple of photos, and we think it looks good. Hopefully, we can coordinate a time with her to see the place, and Jon can interview with Paul.”
“Wonderful!” Rob said. “It’s all coming together. And guys, if you need your dad and me to go to Hawthorne Bluff and look at the place, say next week, we’re happy to do that. We can take photos and check it out for you if that would help.”
“Thanks so much, Rob. We may take you up on that,” Kyle said.