Change of Heart - 35. Chapter 35

Daniel had 'snuck' out of bed and was preparing ‘breakfast in bed’ for his lover when Raymond quietly slipped his arms around his man and whispered in his ear, “I'm glad you're protecting my favorite toy from any frying bacon blister hazard? I wouldn’t want to have to avoid playtime because it got splattered with hot grease.” To emphasize his point he reached inside the boxers, and began to stroke it lovingly as he nibbled on Daniel’s earlobe. Daniel turned his back to the stove and gave Raymond a coffee flavored kiss. “What about the bodyguards”?

“I sent them into the diner to get breakfast. I assured them I’d be safe in the hands of the County Sheriff.”

Wagging his massive appendage, Daniel asked, “Now that it's exposed, do you have someplace I could put it for safekeeping”? Raymond dropped to his knees and proceeded to shelter his favorite toy over and over again in his own warm, moist cavern. When Daniel recovered from his near collapse and tried to return the favor, Raymond chuckled and indicated the mess that was running down the front of the stove. After a sanitary wipe down, Raymond sat the table and the couple shared a hearty breakfast.

Once their individual plans for the day were discussed, Daniel asked, “What should we do for New Year’s Eve? It’s tomorrow night and I thought we would spend it together. I usually go to one of the gay clubs in Dallas and hope to get lucky. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I expect to have a date with you for all the major holidays for the rest of my life. As long as we celebrate it together, I don’t care where we are.”

Raymond sat his cup down and stared into his lover’s eyes. “Daniel as far as I’m concerned, you have a date for every day for the rest of our lives. I won’t pressure you on your decision to move in with me, but as for tomorrow night… I would like for us to spend it in my apartment in Dallas. While I will be living on the ranch full time, I intend to keep it. It has been my home for more than five years and I want you to be there with me. Not to show off, but to make you more a part of my life. I want us to make it our home. I want to christen each and every room so that the strongest and best memories we both have of that place will be of our time there together.”

Daniel could see the hope in Raymond’s bright green eyes. “I only have one question… Should we leave today after work? I know it’s a penthouse apartment, so I figure it has lots of rooms. A man can only do so much in a day. Well, on a weekend. But if we get started early we can do some rooms twice.”

Since Dallas was only a couple of hours away, Daniel had no qualms about being out of town. It was agreed that they would leave from Raymond’s ranch. Daniel’s truck would be parked out of the way and no one except Larry and Runt would know where Daniel really was.

When the bodyguards appeared and asked for coffee refills, they seemed oblivious to the fact that both men were clad only in underwear. Daniel was flustered that he had forgotten all about Raymond’s ubiquitous shadows. For a moment he wondered just how long it would be until his relationship with Raymond became common knowledge. It surprised him to realize how little he cared.

Later in the morning he called Raymond and chatted as they stared at each other from their respective offices. Daniel told him he had talked to his parents about Raymond and they wanted to meet him. Raymond and Daniel were invited to dinner this evening as soon as they could get there but no later than six-thirty. Once Daniel told his Mamma they were coming, it was agreed that they would meet at Daniel’s place and drive over together. Then drive into Dallas after dinner.

That evening, when Daniel saw the bouquet of fresh cut flowers and the discrete brown bag holding a large bottle of the senior Mr. Lovan’s favorite “medicinal” beverage, he rolled his eyes. “Oh brother, you’re just sucking up to my folks. I wasn’t much more generous than that at Christmas. If you make a habit of bringing them gifts, I could be dethroned as their favorite son.”

“Well, I could have gone for jewelry and a new pickup truck. But, I figured I’d start out with the old soft pitch. Save the big guns for when you announce our engagement.”

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, about that… I, uh…”

Raymond chuckled, “Don’t worry Lawman. I won’t hold you to that proposal unless you lose the election. I already told ya that. I promise not to embarrass you by fawning all over you or making goo-goo eyes.”

“Well, you see. Uh, you don’t have to worry about that. The thing is, I never, never ever brought anybody home to meet my folks. Sure an occasional high school friend. Of course, Jeff was always welcomed, anytime. But, I never brought anybody I was dating or interested in. They know this is serious. So be prepared for some serious questions like, “What are your intentions regarding my firstborn”?

Raymond burst out laughing. Between guffaws, he managed to ask, “Is your Daddy gonna be cleaning his shotgun as he and I get acquainted? While your Momma takes you into the kitchen to grill you about what you know about this stranger you brought home”?

The look on Daniel’s face spoke volumes. Raymond’s face lost all humor. “By god, you’re serious. They’re going to serve “grilled Raymond” for dinner.”

Daniel was serious, “If you call now for a helicopter you could be across the border before they know you aren’t showing up. If you come to dinner with me, just know that the rules of the Geneva Convention don’t apply to the parents of an only child. I can't even promise that you won’t be left alone with Dad. I told you about him and his fishing buddy. There’s no telling what kind of questions he’s liable to ask. He might be looking to improve his cock sucking technique. I must have been crazy to think this was a simple meet my folks' dinner. This is like taking you by the hand and leading you into the Spanish Inquisition.”

The distress on Daniel’s face touched Raymond’s heart. “Well, you can’t be blamed. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.” He chuckled at his own joke while Daniel rolled his eyes. Raymond took Daniel’s hands, “Baby, it’ll be alright. I have faced down armed assassins in dark alleys and even meaner bastards in boardrooms. I can handle a couple of overprotective parents. Trust me. I got this.”

Daniel relaxed, but only a little. He muttered, “Yeah, you got this. Famous last words.”

Raymond was warmly welcomed into a home that he found easy to complement. Daniel’s Momma was thrilled by the flowers and Mr. Lovan was insistent that he and Raymond sample his gift while Daniel help his Mother in the kitchen.

Mr. Lovan led Raymond into the den, closed the door and indicated one of two recliners. As he poured several fingers over ice, for the both of them, he began, “You know, there was a time, back when he was in high school, Raymond Cargill was all our Danny Boy ever talked about. Then he quit talking about you. He seemed to get serious all of a sudden, too serious for a teenager. Now, he’s talking about Raymond Cargill Adams. Is this the same man that is going to hurt him again? Or is this Raymond Adams a better man?

Daniel’s father took a sip and before Raymond could respond said, “I had a hard time when he came out to me and his Mother. I felt as though I had failed him. I worried that my own past deeds were somehow catching up to me. Then a good friend had a serious talk with me and he reminded me of when Daniel was six years old. His mother had noticed he started blanking out. He would just stop whatever he was doing and get a blank look on his face. The doctors called it a French word, “absounce”. I suppose it means absence, but it sounded fancier. We took him to Dallas, to a specialist. The man ran some tests and Daniel showed positive for a childhood disease. The disease was always terminal. No child diagnosed ever lived more than a year.The Doctor said false positives sometimes happened and he grew or “cultured” some bacteria for thirty days to see if Daniel actually had this disease. For thirty days, I watched my son, thinking this may be the last time I get to see him do this or do that. It might have been the last time I held him or kissed him goodnight. I have a lot of pictures of him from that thirty day period. That thirty days was hell. I cried more in that thirty days with his Mother, with my friend and alone than I had cried in my whole life. You see Raymond, if that test came back positive, this time, that meant our Danny Boy had less than a year to live. And there was no telling how much of that year had already passed.

“When we found out he didn’t have the disease. That in fact he only had epilepsy, we celebrated like crazy. I can’t remember ever being so happy. Well, he grew out of his seizures. The point is, my friend reminded me that just like having epilepsy… I still had my son. He was just gay. He was still the same little boy I loved. Today, I love my son, who happens to be gay.

“Raymond, I see the light that dimmed when you went out of his life the last time is back. Daniel suddenly reminds me of the happy little boy I watched so carefully those wonderfully miserable thirty fucking days, more than twenty years ago. Just know this. Raymond, you do anything to hurt my son again, and those two goons parked across the road tonight won’t protect you.

“Now drink up and tell me… What exactly are your intentions regarding my only son”?

“Mr. Lovan, Daniel and I have discussed our collective and individual pasts. A relationship between us back then would not have been merely frowned upon, it would have been criminal. I think we both tried to forget about each other. I don’t believe in fate, or such. But, circumstances have brought us together at a different time. As to my intentions with your Son… I intend to marry him as soon as he will set a date. He has already proposed and I have accepted. I want Daniel to be my life partner and co-father to my child. His chosen profession is not currently accepting of same-sex relationships, even those bonded by legal matrimony. I am out. He is not. I intend to support him as much as possible in his political endeavors. Whatever he needs from me, will be his. I have funds sufficient that neither of us has to work if we choose not to. Unlimited funds will be at his disposal in support of his election campaign.

“Mr. Lovan, my Daddy died when I was just a boy, I was devastated. I expect to be a father myself within this coming year, through a surrogate mother. Even now I feel it in my heart that that child is already a part of me. I haven’t talked to anyone about this, but if this pregnancy were to terminate… it would hit me hard. If I think about it, I can almost feel that baby cradled in my arms. I hope I never experience, for even a moment, what you suffered through in those thirty days. I can’t undo what Daniel suffered because of me in the past. I can say that back then the law saw him as a boy and saw me as a man. Now that we are both adults. I give you my word that I will never intentionally do anything to hurt him again as long as I live.”

Silence descended as both men sipped their drinks and pondered the changes their lives were about to embrace.

After minutes of contemplation, Mr. Lovan sighed and stood up. “Come on Son. Let’s go see what’s for dinner. Your Momma will likely send you home with takeout, but you can’t get curb service here.”

Raymond chuckled and followed Mr. Lovan into the kitchen. Daniel’s look of obvious concern was met with a warm smile and a wink. Daniel pulled his lover into his arms. “I knew you would be alright. I want you to know, if I thought it was going to be more than a little awkward, I would have never left your side.”

Mrs. Lovan added, “As it was, I practically had to hog tie him to let his Daddy have some time alone with his significant other.”

Mr. Lovan placed his hand on Raymond’s shoulder. “Momma, Raymond here tells me you might have a wedding to plan. These two are ‘in the family way’. Seems we’re gonna have grandchildren after all. The new arrival is due sometime later this year.”

Thankfully dinner was ready to be served because Mrs. Lovan could think of nothing but the upcoming wedding of her only son and the impending arrival of her first grandbaby. Weddings and Baby Showers were old hats to her, but always as a guest. Now she had her own coming up and she was not to be deterred. After listening to the reasons she was still not swayed. “Well, it has to be done before the baby arrives. God forbid, if anything happened to Raymond, the baby would still have his other father to raise him. It can be done without anybody knowing. We could have it in Galveston at that Bed and Breakfast. Only a few people have to know. Raymond’s immediate family and of course Fred and Betty would have a fit if we didn’t include them. But, the rest are just busybodies anyway. Worse bunch of gossips you ever met.” Then glaring at the smirk on her husband’s face she snapped, “And don’t go pointing fingers at me neither. Betty and I know plenty about you and Fred Matthews and your fishin' and huntin' we ain’t never shared. We know when to keep a secret.” The smirk slid off Mr. Lovan’s face like ice cream in the hot sun.

Daniel offered his final argument. “Momma, we can’t get married in Texas. It would show up right away in a records search of either of our names. People will figure it out easily enough with us both being from here in town. If we did this it would have to be in another state and everybody would have to be sworn to secrecy.

Raymond’s green eyes sparkled. “Lawman, are you saying you would go ahead and marry me if we did it in another state with just our families present”?

Daniel visibly softened as he met Raymond’s loving gaze. “Well, yeah. But, it would have to be kept secret for a while. At least several months after the election. It’s really nobody’s business except ours and I don’t really want a big fuss, just you and me and our families and a preacher. So, yes. I think we should get married before the baby gets here.” Daniel swallowed hard. “What do you think”?

Raymond extended his hand across the table. “How about Hawaii, on Valentine’s Day.” Checking the calendar on his phone, Raymond continued, “We own a ranch with guest facilities that could house everybody. Your Momma and Aunt Mellie could fly over a few days ahead on the little jet and get everything set up for us. The rest of us could fly over on the big jet and enjoy a tropical vacation. You could take a few days off and we’d have an anniversary neither of us could accidentally forget.”

Everyone could see that Daniel was warming up to the idea. “What about rings? If I show up with a wedding band and no bride, folks are gonna ask questions.”

Mr. Lovan offered a solution. “Simple, wear them on your right hands until you decide to go public. Your rings could easily be made to look like the kind of ring any feller might wear. They don’t have to be gaudy and feminine like.” This last comment got a rather patronizing slow shake of the head from Mrs. Lovan, a move that got a chuckle from Daniel.

Daniel explained to Raymond, “That slow shake of the head is Momma’s way of saying, “You should know better.” If it had been more wrong or foolish, you could expect a smack on the back of your head.”

Mrs. Lovan’s eyes sparkled. “Raymond, Son. What you’re talking about for a wedding is a lot more expensive than a ‘Hawaiian Honeymoon’. Lord knows, those are usually reserved for the ‘well to do’ around here. I wouldn’t bat an eye if you had said your honeymoon was in Hawaii, but to fly both families over to stay a week or more. Exactly, what does my future son-in-law-attorney do for a living that he can afford all this? And do you have anything to do with that AFT Security Company that is buying up downtown buildings left and right. Marcy Williams says it’s a cover-up for a Homeland Security training operation. She says that’s why there are so many hunky looking young men running 'round town. And when you say, “we own a ranch in Hawaii”, who is we, paleface?”

Raymond had been warned by Daniel about his Momma’s penchant for gossip. Daniel put his mind at ease by saying, “Momma knows when to keep something confidential. I have never known her to gossip about anything that she was asked to keep to herself. We can trust my folks with our lives.”

Raymond nodded and shared his background and his wealth. When it came to wealth, he didn’t go into dollar amounts nor did he list more than a fraction of his family’s holdings and none of their investments. In the end, both his in-laws were slack-jawed in amazement.

Mrs. Lovan showed her practical nature, “Raymond, if it would make you feel better we will be more than happy to sign one of those ‘non-disclosure’ agreements ya’ll are having everybody sign. Knowing my son, I don’t think a prenuptial agreement is necessary, but I won’t discourage Danny from signing one.”

Raymond hastily replied, “Mrs. Lovan, there will be no prenuptial agreement and we never have family sign non-disclosure forms. Reaching to reassure himself and his lover, Raymond clasped his lover’s welcoming hand. “If I lost Daniel, again, money would be the last thing I would be worried about.” Mrs. Lovan brushed tears from her eyes and Mr. Lovan forcefully cleared his throat.

In spite of the fact they were spending the weekend in Dallas, Mrs. Lovan sent them off with leftovers. She also assured Raymond that her quilt designs would soon be gracing every bed in their refurbished ranch house. She had mustered her quilting club to focus on completing her designs in record time. Before their taillights faded into the distance, Mrs. Lovan was on the phone with Mellie Adams. Faster than you could shake a stick at a snake they had agreed on colors, themes, music and a rough outline of the menu. It might be a clandestine affair, but it would be professionally photographed and recorded.

As they headed to their penthouse apartment in Dallas, Raymond sighed. “I feel like I have known your folks forever. They just kind of welcomed me right in. Your Dad came across rather stern at first, but it’s clear your Momma rules the roost.”

Daniel chuckled in agreement. “Yeah, I think you’re right. They treated you like I just brought home a new brother."

Raymond got a strange look on his face. "Speaking of brothers... When you and Paul were doing your finger snap thing Christmas morning to irritate Uncle Joe. You remember what he said? He said when we got married, you to me and Paul to Jeff, he said, you two would change your names to Adams. Do you think he knew something even then? And are we going to keep our names as they are"?

Silence descended.