A Decision for Jarren - 36. Chapter 36

The wedding reception lasted until the early hours of the morning. Most of the guests had left by midnight when the DJ had packed things up. Duke indulged his young friends and kept the propane fire pits going that had been built on concrete pads, just off the covered area of the patio. Jarren, Nash, Mazen, Cassie, Lex and Ian all sat in the comfy outdoor love seats that had been arranged around the pit. Cassie was on Mazen’s lap, Jarren was relaxed leaning up against Nash and Lex and Ian were cuddled up together as well. Keon and Liam had both gone to Jarren’s parent’s house for the night. Everyone had changed into more comfortable and warmer clothes, primarily jeans and sweatshirts. The early fall air was chilly this late at night and they all enjoyed the warmth of the fire.

Cassie had poured everyone a glass of wine and they were all finally relaxing after a busy evening of socializing and dancing. Cassie took a sip of her wine and focused her attention onto Jarren and Nash.

“So, what’s next on your checklist of things to do?” she asked them.

Nash was busy rubbing Jarren’s back underneath his sweatshirt and nuzzling his neck, so Jarren was the one who replied, “We’re waiting out the six months that the state requires before we can petition for adoption. Ryan is going to file for us the first week of February. We’re hoping to get a court date before the end of that month. That would be ideal, but we’re not going to hold our breath. I do have to admit, however, that Ryan does seem to have a lot of pull in the legal system. Things have moved along a lot faster than I thought they would.”

Nash agreed with him and added, “We really hope it happens before the school’s winter break. We also have to deal with the preliminary hearings for the settlements. Grant, he’s the lawyer handling our claim and Liam’s too, is ready to move forward. He somehow managed to get the hearings for both cases scheduled for the same day, back to back. He thinks that having the same judge presiding will drive home the connection between us and Liam. Grant seems to think that the settlement offers will be much more generous than the initial offers, especially in Liam’s case. The first offer was a joke. It wouldn’t have even covered two weeks of his hospital stay. I’m just happy we don’t have to go down there.”

Jarren nodded and said, “Yeah, we’ve been insanely busy at work. Not that I mind, it’s a good thing, but I don’t know how we could have managed a trip down to Georgia right now. Grant’s a good guy and more than capable of advocating on our behalf. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Other than that, we’re just making sure that we all adjust to the routine that we’ve established.”

Jarren turned his attention to Lex and asked “So, how long were you guys cooking up Liam’s little walking trick? That kid is amazing. We are both so proud of him.”

Lex laughed and answered, “He’s been working hard for the past month. Karl actually had to rein him in. I’m sure he’ll be apologizing to you next time he sees you. Some of Liam’s meltdowns were because he pushed himself so hard, even though Karl told him not to. That little dude was determined to walk tonight. You’re right, he is an amazing kid.”

Everyone agreed with Lex. Cassie finished her wine and then switched gears. She pinned Jarren and Nash in her gaze and blurted out. “You two should have Ian do tattoos for you!”

The guys just all looked at her. She stared back and smirked. “What? Don’t look at me like I have three heads. You know it’s a good idea.”

“Are you and Mazen getting tattoos?” Jarren shot back.

“We will if you guys do.” she retorted.

Mazen choked on the sip of wine he had just tried to swallow.

Cassie laughed and told him “What, are you chicken? It doesn’t hurt. Not that much.”

This time both Lex and Ian snorted, unable to hold back their chuckles. They both knew exactly how Cassie reacted when Ian had inked both her and Lex last year. Ian had never even heard some of the swears that had come from her.

Cassie flipped them the bird and threw down the gauntlet. “Really, you two get inked and I’ll make sure this one suffers as well.” she said as she poked Mazen with her elbow.

Nash looked at Jarren and told him, “I’m game if you are.”

Jarren thought for a moment, then smiling he said “Deal, but I get to pick the design, and you don’t get to see it until it’s done.”

Ian piped in at this point and asked “It’s not going to be a full back job is it? That’ll take a while.”

“Nope.” Jarren shot back. “It probably won’t take you very long at all.”

“You going to make him get a heart shooting out a rainbow on his chest?” Cassie teased.

“Definitely not!” Jarren exclaimed. “No rainbow anything and it won’t be on his chest, it’s too hairy. I’ll figure it out with Ian when I tell him what I have in mind. None of the rest of you are going to pry it out me, so don’t even try.” Jarren got up and hauled Nash up with him and stated, “If you’ll excuse us, we have better things to do than to hang out with the likes of you!” he teased.

The other two couples got up as well. They placed their empty wine glasses on the tray that Duke had left for that purpose. The staff would take care of it in the morning. Ian took care of turning off the propane that was feeding the fire pits and made sure everything was off and locked. The pathway to the main parking lot was lit with soft lights lining the walkway. Someone had made sure their vehicles had been left in the parking lot. Jarren’s truck was unlocked and the keys had been stowed under the seat. He and Nash hugged their friends goodnight and headed back to their house.

Now that Liam was in the picture, it had been a while since Nash and Jarren had really had time to partake of much in the way of bedroom activities. Jarren had become pretty adept at curbing his enthusiasm and not making as much noise. Tonight Nash didn’t want him to hold back. He needed to hear Jarren scream and yell. He was half hard just thinking about it.

As soon as they were in the door, they were in each other’s arms. Jarren drank in the taste and feel of Nash. Their lips sealed themselves together until they needed to come up for air. Jarren led the way to the bedroom. He pulled Nash toward him and then turned him and walked him backwards until the back of his knees hit the bed. Nash automatically sat down. He reached for Jarren’s belt and quickly undid the buckle and opened the zipper. He didn’t want to rush things, but neither did he want to prolong it too much. They were both horny and knew that the sex would be fantastic whether it was their wedding night or not. They were both anticipating the shared intimacy just as much as the orgasms that they knew weren’t too far off in the future. They both also knew that they didn’t need any toys. Tonight was about the two of them connecting on the most intimate level, using what they were born with.

Nash slid Jarren’s jeans and underwear down his legs as Jarren pulled his sweatshirt over his head. Jarren placed a hand on Nash’s shoulder as he balanced himself and kicked off his sneakers and got rid of the clothes now bunched around his calves. His cock was nearly fully hard and Nash gave it a firm stroke.

After pulling his shirt off and throwing it to the side, Jarren pushed Nash back so that he was lying on the bed. Jarren pulled off his one sneaker and then got his prosthetic foot and sock off. Nash's jeans and boxers quickly followed. Knowing that it had been a long day for Nash wearing the foot, Jarren proceeded to gently massage the stump. Nash groaned in pure delight. It felt so good.

Jarren kept up the massage for several minutes before moving up to lay alongside Nash. They pressed their bodies together, skin to skin, and just caressed each other. Eventually instinct took over and Jarren took the lead this time. He turned Nash into putty as he kissed all along his torso, all while keeping his fingers busy, lightly skimming them over every one of Nash’s sensitive spots. This time it was Nash who made the sounds that Jarren loved to hear. Jarren spent plenty of time getting his husband ready to take him and when he finally slid into Nash’s tight heat, they both hummed at the pleasure that radiated out from them. Jarren set the perfect pace, not too slow, and definitely not too fast. The buildup itself was gradual, both men relishing the jolts of pleasure that were created until finally Nash growled out Jarren’s name as he erupted in ecstasy. Jarren was but a moment behind, letting Nash know, quite loudly, how much he was enjoying it. Nash absolutely loved how Jarren held nothing back.

They lay together, skin to skin, until it became too uncomfortable as they started to get sticky. Jarren moved first, getting Nash’s crutches for him. They lingered in the shower, allowing the hot water to lull them into a relaxed state. Both guys found it hard to focus as the water cascaded over them. It took a concentrated effort on both their parts, but they managed to finish showering and dry off. Luckily the bed had survived pretty much intact and they both crawled under the covers and Jarren spooned his backside into Nash.

Nash pulled him close, kissing his shoulder and whispered “You make me so happy Jarren, I love you.”

Jarren placed a kiss on Nash’s hand and replied, “I love you too, Nash. Thank you for being the amazing man that you are.”

Nash hummed a response and tucked Jarren into his embrace as much as he could. Slowly they both drifted off to sleep, happy, sated and completely in love.

When Jarren woke it was early afternoon and he was immediately aware of Nash’s stiff cock poking him between his butt cheeks. He pushed his ass back and grinned as Nash moaned. This time it was Nash who took charge and when he finally allowed Jarren to let loose, Jarren did so with a yell that would have put Tarzan to shame. Nash loved every single decibel.

The only thing that roused them out of bed was the call of nature and Nash’s rumbling stomach. Once those two things were taken care they spent the remainder of the afternoon lazing around doing a lot of nothing and a little more fooling around.

It was early evening and Jarren and Nash had gotten a text from Lex saying that he had picked up Keon and Liam from Bill and Maggie’s house and he would make sure that Liam got to school the following morning. Jarren loved how his friend knew him so well. As much as he and Nash loved Liam, it was nice to spend the first couple of nights as a married couple alone together. They weren’t taking a honeymoon, they both were too busy at work, besides, they had both just spent nearly four months not working after the accident.

Nash pulled Jarren close and asked “How about we order in tonight? I really don’t feel like cooking or even going to pick something up. Pizza or Chinese?”

Jarren nodded his approval and even though they had ordered a lot of it lately, voted “Chinese, I could go for dumplings, and maybe some beef lo mein.”

“You and your dumpling addiction. Throw in some egg rolls, cashew chicken, and some shrimp egg foo yung and you’ve got a deal!” Nash added.

Jarren reached for his phone and placed an online order. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone other than Nash. When the doorbell rang, Jarren made Nash throw on some shorts and go get the food. Jarren threw on his own set of shorts and followed his nose to the kitchen where Nash was unpacking the various cartons. They both loaded up plates and ate at a leisurely pace.

“So, did you really mean it when you told Cassie that you’d get tattooed?” Nash asked, in between bites.

Swallowing a mouthful of food Jarren answered, “Sure, why not? I’ve got something specific in mind and I think you’ll love it. And no, I’m not giving you any hints. Ian will be the only one in on this little endeavor.” Jarren gave Nash a lopsided grin as he shovelled another mouthful of food into his mouth.

Nash reached over and wiped a smidgen of sauce from Jarren’s lip and then gave him a light smack upside the head.

“Hey!” protested Jarren, even as he was laughing. While Jarren’s attention was diverted Nash stole the last steamed dumpling off of Jarren’s plate and popped it into his mouth, giving Jarren his own lopsided grin.

They spent the remainder of the evening just holding and touching each other, which eventually led to other things. They both fell asleep happy and sated.

It was a little difficult to get moving the next morning, but they managed. The construction project was in full swing and both Jarren and Nash were up to their eyeballs with things that needed to get done. There were two major sites and two smaller ones that were being redeveloped. Jarren and Mazen were each managing crews for one major and one smaller site. Nash was managing the contractors, while Bill Dalton was handling the suppliers. At this stage there were too many for one person to deal with effectively. Further down the line when they started to combine some of the work orders and the buildings themselves were under construction, Nash would take over the suppliers as well and Bill would step back. Bill did advise Nash that when he stepped back he would make sure that Nash got an assistant to help. It was still going to be a big undertaking.

Liam was his happy, bubbly self when the guys picked him up from therapy. Jarren and Nash made sure to thank Kurt for all of his hard work and help getting Liam to the point where he pulled off the surprise walking. They assured Kurt it had been worth every second of the few meltdowns that Liam had. They were proud of him and wanted everyone to know it.

Liam’s 13th birthday was October 13th which was a Sunday. Liam asked if they could go to Six Flags New England, which was still open on the weekends. When they researched the accessibility of rides for him they were all disappointed to discover that, while some of the rides would be OK for him, most of the big coasters were off limits due to safety restrictions. The coasters that had allowances for leg amputations all required that the limbs extended to include at least the knee. Liam, with his natural resilience asked if they could go to Boston on Saturday instead and stay over. He had really liked the city when they were there for the Gala and he wanted to explore some more. Ryan and Seth had issued a standing invitation and were more than happy to house them for the night when Jarren called to ask.

They left early Saturday morning, with Keon tagging along. The 13th was also Lex and Ian’s first wedding anniversary and so it worked out perfectly. They could have a nice romantic evening together tonight and Keon could spend time with his best friend for his birthday. Liam wanted to stop at Ryan and Seth’s house first and invite Shannon and Mia to come along for the day. The girls were excited to see their pseudo-cousins, as the adults had started to refer to them. Even though they weren’t blood related, they still considered each other family. The girls quickly ran up to their rooms to change their clothes and get their socks and sneakers on. Once they were ready, making sure everyone had a light jacket or sweatshirt as it was a cool, breezy day, they headed out. Ryan and Seth lived in Cambridge and were within walking distance to the Museum of Science so that’s where they decided to start.

The group ended up spending all morning there, as there was so much to see. Liam and Keon thought the planetarium and Moons: World of Mystery exhibit was awesome, and the girls really enjoyed the Great Bear Rainforest. All of them were enthralled with Body World, which was a temporary exhibit that featured the human body in depth. It was well worth the admission price. By noon, everyone was hungry, but not ready to leave the museum, so they stopped in the cafeteria for lunch. Afterward they ended up staying another two hours exploring the other exhibits. It was a fun place as well as educational.

Once they had enough of the museum they decided to do the Duck Boat tour. There was a departure point in front of the Museum of Science and Jarren purchased tickets for them. They only had to wait fifteen minutes before the next tour started. The tour was similar to to the Hop on/Hop off sightseeing buses in that it ran a similar route. The major difference was that instead of a land-bound double decker tour bus, the Duck tours used WWII era amphibious vehicles that drove through the streets and then converted to a boat as they cruised along the Charles River. The tour guides referred to themselves as “conDUCKtors”. Jarren was more than familiar with the rich history surrounding Boston and it was fun for him to watch his little group take in all the information their “conducktor” told them.

The tour lasted about an hour and a half and right before the vehicle commenced the amphibious part of the tour, each guest onboard was given a plastic duck bill, that when blown, would make a loud, annoying duck quack. The whole ride along the river was spent with each of them trying to outdo the others with annoying quacking.

The tour ended up on dry land once more and they were back in front of the Museum of Science thanking their “conducktor” as they disembarked. Ryan had sent Jarren a text saying that he would like to treat them to dinner in honor of Liam’s birthday. They made their way back to the house so they could get ready. Two blocks into the walk Nash confiscated all of the duck quackers. Jarren shot him a look of thanks, the noise was starting to get to him.

Back at the house the adults went out to the back deck to relax and catch up with each other. Seth had made dinner reservations at one of their favorite seafood restaurants for seven o’clock and it was only four-thirty. Ryan brought out a couple of bottles of wine and they shot the shit for an hour or so until it was time to get ready for dinner.

Jarren had planned to go out for a nice dinner anyway, and made sure that they all had a set of dressier clothes. Everyone had either black or navy dress pants and a nice button up shirt or sweater. Liam had been wearing his legs all the time during the day since the wedding and he decided that he wanted to walk to and from the house and car and again to the restaurant. He had been practicing a lot the past few weeks and his indurence was increasing with every passing day. Jarren and Nash were both proud of the progress he was making and told him so frequently.

They left a little earlier than planned to accommodate the extra time it took Liam to maneuver using his crutches. Keon was stuck to his side, spotting him unobtrusively. They all piled into Seth’s new Ford Expedition that he and Ryan had purchased to replace their minivan. Ryan told them that they were sick of Lex making fun of them for having a ‘mommyvan” as he referred to their old vehicle. The Expedition was roomy and most importantly, could seat eight. Dinner reservations were at Abe and Louie’s. Seth told them it was their go-to restaurant for special occasions.

They took advantage of the valet parking, and once again, Keon stuck close to Liam as he made his way into the building. They were seated at a large table and handed menus. Ryan ordered a couple of bottles of his favorite Chardonnay after asking if Jarren and Nash were OK with white wine.

The kids entertained themselves and the adults continued the thread of conversation that they had started earlier that afternoon. Jarren and Nash told Ryan and Seth about the extensive renovations that they were working on in Springfield. When the project was completed there would be an entire area of several blocks with new restaurants and shops. The plans also included a fifteen story upscale apartment building. The owners of the building were currently in negotiations with Whole Foods to put a store on the ground level. Residents would have their own private access door to the store, making it very convenient for them, as well as giving the store a built in target market of customers.

Seth was a physician and worked primarily with kids who had suffered burns. He explained how he was also doing research on ways to make skin grafting more effective. Current technology allowed skin to be grown from the patient’s own cells, but it took a lot of time. Seth was researching biopolymers that could possibly speed up the process. It was an interesting concept.

When the food was brought to them Jarren noticed that Ryan and Seth shared their meals the same way that he and Nash and Liam and Keon did. The girls had both ordered Lobster Mac and Cheese so there was no need for them to share. He wondered if most couples did that. The food was incredible, no matter what was on a particular plate. At the end of the meal their waiter cleared the plates away and then brought over a whole cake, adorned with 13 flaming candles. Liam had a huge grin as it was placed in front of him. A quick rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung and then Liam took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Ryan asked him “Did you remember to make a wish?”

Liam looked at Jarren and Nash, and then Keon before he answered, “I already have everything I could have wished for.”

Ryan smiled at him and replied, “You most certainly do young man, and you are very fortunate. I think we all are. I, for one, have had one of the best years of my life. It was just a little over a year ago that Lex and Ian came into our lives and made our family complete. Not only did we gain a son and brother, we now have Keon, and just as important, we got an incredible extended family too. I’m really happy that you and Jarren and Nash are part of it. Happy Birthday Liam!” Ryan handed him an envelope with a birthday card inside. He had also slipped some cash in there as well. Kids always appreciated some extra money, and Liam thanked him and Seth.

The cake was cut and their waiter had provided ice cream as well. Needless to say, they were all stuffed by the time they left the restaurant. Ryan took care of the check and Jarren, Nash and the boys thanked him for a wonderful meal. They got back to the house just after ten o’clock and Ryan and Seth put their foot down when the girls tried to con their way into staying up later. Liam placated them by saying that he was tired from walking and he and Keon would be getting ready for bed soon too. The girls reluctantly went to bed. Keon and Liam weren’t far behind. They were sharing the spare room that was on the same floor as the girls and Jarren and Nash had the guest room on the main floor.

Lucky, the girl’s dog, decided that she would sleep with the boys and after she was let out for the last time, she followed them up the stairs and jumped on the end of the bed. Jarren and Nash went up to say goodnight. Liam pulled them both into a big hug and told them that this was the best birthday he had ever had.

The following morning everyone wished Liam Happy Birthday again as it was the actual day. Seth had whipped up some pancakes and bacon, which Lucky had become a pro at begging for. They lounged around for a couple of hours after breakfast, letting the kids entertain themselves on the Xbox.

Jarren decided that they should head out soon. His Mom wanted them to come over for dinner for Liam’s birthday. Robbie had come home for the weekend as his two Monday morning classes were cancelled because of a fire in the building where they were both held. It hadn’t destroyed the building, but until it could be repaired, the administration was trying to figure out where they could move all of the classes to temporarily.

They all once again thanked their hosts and promised to keep in touch. Everyone piled back into the SUV for the drive back to the Berkshires. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive. The foliage along the Mass Pike was near full peak in the eastern part of the state and was definitely full peak in western Mass. The reds, yellows, and oranges were bright and vivid. The rolling hills provided some spectacular views. The only bad part was heavier than normal traffic for a Sunday. The changing color attracted many out of state visitors and there were a lot more cars, not to mention tour buses travelling along the Pike. They made it home in a little more time than it normally took, dropping off their bags at the house before going over to the Dalton homestead. In addition to Jarren’s parents and Robbie, Troy and Kelsey, along with their families joined the festivities. Birthdays were always an excuse for the family together and the normal chaos that accompanied these gatherings soon ensued. Kids were underfoot, adults were busy getting food sliced, diced and otherwise cooked. Maggie had asked Liam what he wanted and he had told her that he had never had a traditional New England pot roast, so that’s what she made. Three whole roasts of succulent beef had been slow cooked in huge pans along with potatoes, carrots and onions. Maggie had long ago invested in double ovens for her kitchen. She needed them for the vast amount of food her family could put away. When the meat came out of the ovens, it just fell apart, it was so tender. Maggie also made homemade beef gravy and had whipped up a huge batch of biscuits earlier that were popped into the hot oven to warm up when the roasts came out. Once everyone was seated, Maggie, Jarren and Kelsey brought everything out to the tables and the food was passed in the usual manner with the ones who were stuck in the middle getting stuck with the brunt of shuffling plates and dishes back and forth. Those on the end seemed to enjoy the torture as they waited for whoever was in the middle to take a bite of food before asking for something else to be passed.

Maggie had also made a huge sheet cake with ‘Happy Birthday Liam’ written on it. The younger kids helped him blow out the candles. Jarren’s family doted on Liam. He received cards from all of his aunts and uncles, Bailey had dropped off a card from her family earlier. One of her kids had a dance competition out of town that weekend, which is why they weren’t there. Liam raked in some more cash and a couple of gift cards, which were the most practical gift a thirteen year old could get. Jarren and Nash had gotten Liam a new laptop that he had been wanting and he bounced up and down in his typical Liam style when he opened it. Bill and Maggie told him they would pay for a music writing program for the computer that Liam had mentioned wanting for school. He was becoming quite good at music composition and his grandparents wanted to encourage him to further his talents.

The evening wrapped up and everyone went their separate ways. They dropped Keon back off at Lex and Ian’s house. Their friends thanked them profusely for letting Keon join them for the weekend. They had gone to the Red Lion Inn for dinner for their anniversary. They kept the rest of the details of their weekend to themselves, Jarren and Nash could tell by the looks on their faces that they had made the most of their time alone together. All in all, everybody had a great weekend and they were all pretty tired campers by the time bedtime rolled around.