35. Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter thirty-five
Nash
Carter holds my hand the entire drive to Heather’s house, which takes about forty-five minutes.
She came a little distance to get Teddy, which makes this all the more important.
Carter has been clingy all morning, and though I thought something like that would irritate me, it doesn’t.
Not even close. I want more. Part of me wishes we didn’t have anything to do today so we could stay in bed all day, tangled up and naked. I think I’m addicted to him.
We find the house easily and pull up to the curb so I can park.
“This is a beautiful house,” Carter says as he looks over at it.
It’s set further in the back than the others on the block.
Plants and flowers hang on the porch by the front door with a rocking chair in the right corner.
A large oak tree is in the front yard, providing a lot of shade that I bet is amazing in the summertime.
On the left side of the house, just at the end of the driveway, is a metal wheelchair ramp that must lead to the side door.
It’s just about two now, so we get out, passing a mini-van and a truck in the driveway. We head for the front door, but Heather comes out onto the ramp, wearing leggings and an over-sized pink sweater, and calls us over.
“Hi,” Carter says. “It’s so nice to see you. I can’t thank you enough for this.”
She opens her arms to give Carter a hug. He’s certainly the huggable type. I’m not.
“I promise you, it’s no trouble at all. I’m so glad you were able to come by. This is your friend?” she asks, looking at me.
“Yes, this is Nash. He was helping at the shelter during the adoption event. Nash, this is Heather.”
Nodding, she says, “I think I remember seeing him. It’s nice to officially meet you.”
“You too,” I say.
“How about you two come in? Ryan is just getting up from his nap.”
The house is warm, and not just the heat.
It’s inviting and homey. You can tell the people who live here are happy and full of love.
It’s the kind of home I wish I grew up in.
The kind of home Carter probably wishes he grew up in too.
Neither of us have talked much about our pasts or our childhood, but we know enough.
And we don’t need to share every detail to be where we’re at now.
Carter’s hand finds mine as he looks around, a serene look on his face. He’s thinking exactly what I am, I just know it.
“Hey, hon,” a man calls out as he walks toward us from the hallway on the right, between the kitchen and what I assume are bedrooms. He’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, short reddish hair and wire-frame glasses. “Ryan wanted to lay on his mat, so he’s in his room still.”
“Carter, Nash, this is my husband, Anthony.”
“Nice to meet you,” we both say.
He nods. “I’m glad you were able to come over today. Teddy will be happy to see you, and Ryan will enjoy visitors. We don’t get many of them.”
“We appreciate you letting us come by,” Carter says.
“Come on. Let’s go see them,” Heather says.
We follow her down the hallway. The walls are covered in photos of their family. Different trips they’ve taken. Camping. Water Parks. Disney World.
“Ryan loves being outside,” she comments.
She must see me staring.
“Sorry,” I say.
“No, don’t be. That’s why they’re on the walls.” She stops in front of a door on the left that’s halfway open. “We try to do what we can with him now, because as we get older, it won’t be so easy for us.”
“You’re doing a good job with him,” I say.
“Thank you. He’s our baby, and we’ll do whatever it takes for him to be happy.”
That chokes me up a little. These people are good people. Sweet.
She knocks on the door and pushes it open slowly.
“Ryan, we have company.”
I hear a grunting sound that sounds like it could be happy. Definitely not distressed. We follow her in.
The room is big, likely the master bedroom.
I can’t imagine a bedroom being bigger than this one, but I guess it’s possible.
There is a twin-sized bed against one wall with rails on it, and it’s lower to the ground than most. On the floor in the opposite corner is a thick blue mat that Ryan is lying on, with wedges on either side of him.
You can tell by the way he’s lying there that his body is contorted in a way it shouldn’t be.
It’s unfair, but he has good people taking care of him, loving him, and making him happy.
“Hi, Ryan,” Carter says as he moves closer. Teddy is right by Ryan’s side, her tail wagging but her head down. “We came by to see you and Teddy. I hope that’s okay.” The little boy makes a noise that sounds like he understands.
I don’t know a damn thing about this stuff so I can’t begin to guess what his capabilities are or diagnosis is. I’m not a doctor. But he looks like a smart kid, and he’s cute as hell with his messy hair and bright smile.
“Ryan has cerebral palsy which affects his motor skills and speech. But he understands everything you say and loves to eavesdrop.” She gives him a playful look, and he smiles, his body twitching excitedly.
“Well, Carter here loves to talk, so they’ll hit it off.”
Carter gives me an oh-you-did-not-just-say-that look, and I chuckle as he slaps me in the chest.
“This guy,” he says with a shake of his head. He kneels down beside the mat, looking at Ryan. “You look so comfortable on this mat, I kind of wish I had one for myself. Is it okay if I sit here?”
The boy makes a sound like he approves. But Carter looks up at his mom.
“Pretty sure that’s a yes.”
Carter sits on the corner of the mat, giving Ryan plenty of space. Then he gasps quietly.
“Is that Are You My Mother??” Carter gestures to the small bookcase against the wall, not too far from the top of the mat.
“It’s one of Ryan’s favorites,” Heather says.
“It was my favorite. One of the only books I ever read as a kid. Let me guess… you like it because of all the animals?”
Ryan makes another happy sound and my heart is bursting.
“How’s Teddy doing?” he asks quietly. “Looks like you two hit it off. Hi, girl.” He moves his hand closer to her, and she slides closer to him, enough that he can pet her head.
She comes closer and nuzzles her head against his leg and lets him pet her for a moment before she goes back to Ryan and curls up at his side.
Carter discretely wipes his eyes, and talks to Ryan more about the book and Teddy’s favorite things.
We visit with them for about an hour and promise to come back soon.
Especially when the weather gets nicer and we can hang outside with them.
Apparently they have a pool that Ryan loves, and they’re curious if Teddy will like the water.
I think we just made our first friends as a couple.
That’s what we are, right? I hate questioning myself over something like this. It feels like a weird thing to have to put a label on, but I don’t want to say something wrong.
On the way home, I bring it up. Sort of…
“I want you to know that I haven’t been with anyone else since we’ve been together,” I say firmly.
“I know,” Carter answers with a knowing smile.
“How do you know?”
“You spend all your time with me, Nash.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, good point.”
“But neither have I.”
I nod. “Do you want it to stay that way?” The words come out a little cautious. Definitely not as confidently as I imagined.
“Yes. Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” he says, taking my hand. “That’s good.”
And it is good. So fucking good.