Epilogue – Leon #3
Until James, he had only ever owned one pair of sheets, and he would wash it in the morning, undoubtedly forget to put it in the dryer, and then sleep on a blanket on top of the mattress until he eventually remembered to dry them.
Now they had extra sheets, so when Leon still forgot to switch out the laundry, they would still have sheets to sleep on that night.
“Kids,” Leon murmured, and James’ lips fell open around a soft breath.
They had, of course, had the talk before now.
Leon never would have proposed without it.
They were both open to the idea of kids, but they didn’t have a timeline, number of kids, or order of operations in mind.
They had both agreed they were open to whatever life threw at them, including more pets, friends, and perhaps one day children.
In the past six months, though, Leon had realized he was more than just open to the idea. He wanted kids, with James. He wanted to open their home to fostering and, hopefully, adopt children who needed a home, and would benefit from the love and warmth James had brought into Leon’s life.
“Kids?” James whispered, his breath ghosting over Leon’s lips like a kiss.
“Kids. I want them, probably at least two, with you.”
Blue eyes and a crooked tooth stared back at him. “I…want that, too. We talked about—”
“We did, and we agreed we wanted them, in theory. I’m telling you I want them, like, in practice.
” Leon scrunched up his nose. “I mean, I want them. In real life, in reality, in our home, with our cats and with us. I want to have a family with you. I’ve looked into the foster care program, and there are a lot of steps, but I’m sure you and Linda could put together the whole plan in a few days if you put your minds to it.
I’m not saying this month, or even this year, but… maybe by the end of next year?”
James blinked his big, shining, gorgeous eyes up at Leon.
“I thought maybe Katherine might have advice or resources, and if you had any questions or concerns, maybe we could discuss that in the next few weeks with her, but—”
“Yes,” James said, his voice wavering until he cleared his throat. “Yes, I…yes. I want that, too. With you.”
Now it was Leon’s eyes that were swimming, the maroon of James’ cardigan blurring with his white shirt. “I love you,” Leon whispered.
Surprising the ever-loving hell out of him, James tackled Leon back onto the couch. They ended up sprawled out, with one of each of their legs planted on the floor and the other tangled together on the couch.
“I love you so much,” James said, burying his face in Leon’s chest. “I love our life and our little family, but I am absolutely down to expand our family—when we’re ready and prepared to do so.”
While Leon would much rather cuddle his fiancé than pretty much anything else on the planet right now, they were paying by the minute. Or, technically, it was by the hour, and their insurance covered a portion of it, so it really wasn't that expensive, but still.
“Well, speaking of prepared…” Leon said, pressing a kiss to James’ forehead before tipping his chin towards Katherine, who was beaming at them both.
“I am more than happy to provide any resources you may need. In fact,” she turned a few pages in her book, sliding her finger down the page until she paused right at the bottom.
“Starting at the end of next month, I’ll have an opening for a once-a-month couple’s session, if you thought this was something you wanted to meet on and discuss longer term? ”
Leon could sense the dimples without even looking at James. Of course his little mensch would want to schedule monthly sessions, and Leon would do just about anything for James.
“Could we meet online? Not that I don’t love sitting on your hardass chairs, but—”
Katherine was already nodding. “I sincerely apologize for being late today, but yes, we could absolutely meet virtually if you prefer.”
Leon imagined sitting on their own couch, with their own blankets and the two cats perched in their laps. “Okay, then I’m down.”
James tried to right himself again, pressing against Leon’s chest, but Leon rather liked their new position and wanted one more moment with James in his arms. He tightened his grip around James’ back, and, with a soft huff, James turned his head and met Leon’s gaze.
For some reason, Leon flashed back to the first time they’d ever met, and the blue in James’ eyes had appeared opaque, reflecting back all of Leon’s doubts and fears, never letting anything or anyone in. Now, they shone with every memory, every moment they had shared the past several years.
Leon leaned in, ignoring the ticking clock in the corner, Katherine’s soft breathing, and the spring digging into his back. He captured James’ lips in a soft kiss, swallowing down his whispered, “Okay, let’s do it.”
The End