Chapter 7
Kyle
The shrill ring of a cell phone broke the stillness in Kyle and Jon’s bedroom.
“Hello,” Kyle answered sleepily. “Uncle Mike. What’s wrong—” Dread filled him as he listened. “What! Oh my God! How—” He choked out a sob, and Jon’s arms were immediately around him. “Of course. What can I do?” He paused, listening as he cried. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”
“What happened?” Jon asked quietly.
“M-m-my cousin Mike and B-Becky were in a car accident a few hours ago. They were both killed.”
“Oh, God! How did it happen?”
“They went to Mike’s annual office party.
Because they’re so busy at year end with their clients ending their fiscal years, they wait until mid-January to celebrate together.
The company even sent a car for them, so they didn’t need to drive.
” Kyle shook his head. He felt numb. “A truck T-boned the limo on their way home. Their driver is in the hospital. The truck driver, Mike, and Becky were all killed.”
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. What can I do?”
“Just hold me.” Kyle sighed and wiped his eyes with a tissue that Jon handed to him. “Uncle Mike’s gonna call Dad. Um … there’s more.”
“Okaay,” Jon said slowly. “Tell me.”
“I’m gonna have to go to California with Uncle Mike.
When Wyatt was born, Mike and Becky asked me if I would be his godfather.
Of course, I said yes. I also agreed to take care of Wyatt if anything ever happened to them.
So Uncle Mike and I need to meet with their lawyers and figure out what happens next.
Shit. When Mike and Becky asked me, I never expected—” Kyle broke down.
“Shhh.” Jon consoled him. “It’s gonna be okay.” He rubbed Kyle’s back. “I guess this means that Wyatt will be coming to live with us, right?” Jon’s voice was quiet, and Kyle couldn’t tell exactly how he was feeling about all of this.
“Look, sweetheart, I know that you didn’t sign up for this, but truthfully, yeah, that’s probably what’s gonna happen.”
Jon hugged him tighter. “Hey, it’s fine.
I love that little guy. And while we didn’t expect to start a family so soon, we did want kids eventually.
Remember, we talked about it not that long ago.
” Jon paused, and Kyle could almost see the wheels spinning in his brain.
“I think the bigger question is, how do you feel about it? Are you ready to be a dad?”
“Phew! When you say it like that, it sounds a bit scary, but really, I’m okay with it. I’m also numb about everything right now, but I love Wyatt too. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make sure he’s okay.”
“Of course, you are. Because you’re a good man. That’s one of the many reasons I love you. We’re in this together, and we’ve got this.”
Just then, Kyle’s phone rang again.
“Hey, Dad. I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Hi, son, hi, Jon. How are you doing?” Ben asked.
“As well as can be expected, I guess. How was Uncle Mike doing when you spoke to him?”
“He’s holding it together as best he can, but your aunt Ellen is a mess. He gave her a sedative so that she could get some rest. Her sister Carol is going to stay with her while you and Mike go to California.”
“I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Kyle replied. “I just can’t believe it.”
“I know.” Ben paused, and Kyle could hear him talking to his husband.
“Rob just got off the phone with Sam; she’s taking care of arranging flights, a rental car, and a hotel for you and Mike.
” They all used Sam as their travel agent, so she had all the details she needed to make the necessary reservations.
“Um, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, can she include me in those plans?” Jon asked. “I want to be there for Kyle.”
“Of course, Jon,” said Ben. “And thank you for that.”
“You don’t have to do that, sweetheart,” Kyle said to Jon.
“Hush. My place is with you at a time like this.” The love and concern in Jon’s voice was evident.
They both heard Ben tell Rob to call Sam back and add Jon to the plans.
“Sam will email you all with the details. Let me know if you need anything. Love you guys. We’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Dad. Love you too.” Kyle ended the call. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was almost five. “I’m not gonna be able to sleep right now. I think I’ll go downstairs.”
“I’ll go with you, sweetie.”
They sat in the living room and reminisced about Mike and his family.
Despite the early hour, Jon had poured each of them a bourbon on the rocks, and they toasted the couple.
It was hard to believe that only a few months earlier, they’d spent two weeks together on a Mediterranean cruise following Ben and Rob’s wedding. And now Mike and Becky were gone.
“I can see the wheels turning, sweetheart. What’s on your mind?” Jon asked
“I’m thinking I can move my office stuff down into the exercise room,” Kyle answered. “There’s only the elliptical down there, and that will fit in a corner of the laundry room. There’s plenty of space for the desk, filing cabinet, and bookcase. It’s not like I use the office all that much anyway.”
“True, you usually just use the dining room table.” Jon chuckled. “And then we can convert the office into Wyatt’s room and still have a guest room.”
“Yeah. That’ll work, right? And it will be better to have Wyatt’s room upstairs with us.”
“Of course, it will.” They were sitting next to each other on the sofa, and Jon pulled Kyle closer. “I know it’s all overwhelming right now, but we’ll get through this together.”
“Thank you for everything, sweetheart. I don’t know if I could deal with all of this without you.” They continued to chat about Mike and Becky and the fun they’d had on the cruise. At just past six, Kyle picked up his phone.
“Hey, Neil,” he said once the call connected. “Sorry to wake you earlier than usual on a Sunday, but I couldn’t wait any longer. By the way, you’re on speaker.”
“What’s wrong, Kyle? I know you wouldn’t call me this early unless it was important.”
“Uncle Mike called me a few hours ago. There’s no easy way to say this.” He took a deep breath. “There was an accident last night in California. My cousin Mike and his wife, Becky, were killed in a car crash.” His voice broke as he spoke.
“Oh, God, Kyle. I’m so sorry.” He paused for a beat. “What can I do to help?” Kyle’s heart warmed at his friend’s offer.
“I think we’re good for now, but thanks.
I’m gonna have to fly out to California with my uncle, and Jon’s coming with us.
I don’t know the whole schedule yet, but I’ll probably be gone most of the week.
I’ll call Fred Jameson later today and let him know what’s going on.
” Fred was Kyle and Neil’s manager at the investment firm where they worked.
“Okay, I can understand why your uncle Mike is going out there, but why are you and Jon going?”
“After Wyatt was born, Mike and Becky asked me if I would be his guardian if anything happened to them,” Kyle told him.
“Of course, I agreed, never expecting anything like this. So Uncle Mike and I need to meet with their lawyers and pick up Wyatt. Right now he’s being cared for by his babysitter.
She’s an older woman who’s been sitting for him since he was born, but we don’t want to impose on her for too long. ”
“So you’ll be bringing Wyatt back to DC with you?” Neil asked quietly.
“That’s the plan. Both of Becky’s parents died a few years ago, and she was an only child, so it’s just a matter of meeting with the lawyers to make sure there isn’t anything else we need to know, pick up some of Wyatt’s stuff from Mike and Becky’s house, and then come back here.”
“Hey,” Neil suddenly said. “You’re gonna need furniture and stuff for Wyatt, right?”
“Crap! We’ll probably ship the stuff from his room back here, but that will probably take time. Yeah, we’ll need some stuff sooner. Is it possible to rent baby furniture?”
“No need,” Neil told them. “I’ll call my sister and ask if you can borrow her stuff. She’s got everything stored away now that her kids are older. I know she’ll agree, so I’ll make arrangements to get it moved to your condo this week. Where do you want it set up?”
“Thanks, Neil. We really appreciate it,” Jon chimed in.
“We’re gonna turn the office into Wyatt’s room.
That means the elliptical needs to be moved into the laundry room, and the office stuff will need to go into the exercise room.
If you can take care of all of that, it’s one less thing we need to worry about.
And if you need to hire movers, that’s fine, just let us know the cost.”
“I’ll take care of it all,” Neil assured them.
He and Kyle had exchanged keys years before, so Neil had access to the condo.
“Don’t worry about a thing. Now that I’m up, I’m gonna have some breakfast, then call Cheryl about the furniture.
Keep me posted on your schedule and let me know if you need anything else. ”
“Thanks, Neil. We owe you,” Kyle said warmly.
“Hey, we’re family, remember? We take care of each other.”