Johnny Breeze & Me - 15. Jonathan Cade Manning-Breeze

There wasn’t a sound in the car. We were stuck in the notorious Austin Friday afternoon traffic. I looked over at Johnny. He was holding his phone in front of him and staring at it. I looked in the rear-view mirror at JJ and Zach. They had this do-we-say-something-first look on their faces.

The silence was broken by Johnny’s phone. It was a text message. “Oh—oh wow—he’s beautiful.” I could barely hear Johnny’s words. I looked over at him again. This time he had a smile on his face and silent tears falling from his eyes. “Look.”

He handed the phone over to me. My heart must have skipped a beat. The boy in the picture was undoubtedly Johnny’s son. He had the same bone structure in his face, the same full lips, the same dimples. His skin was a beautiful almond color, and his eyes were an intensely beautiful green. I had to smile when I noticed he also had his long straight hair pulled back into a ponytail. The only difference was it was a dark blond color instead of Johnny’s ebony.

My trance was broken by the car behind us honking. I hadn’t noticed the light change. I hate drivers who do that! I handed the phone back to Johnny. “He looks just like you, babe.”

“Yeah, I see that, too.” His phone chimed again.

In his quiet half-voice, he read it aloud. “Did you like my pic, Dad?”

Johnny sucked in a deep breath. “Dad—he called me Dad.”

“Babe—you should probably answer him. I’m sure he’s as nervous as you are.”

Johnny quietly spoke as he typed into his phone. “You look amazing. I can’t wait to meet you tomorrow.”

Soon there was another chime. “Me too! BTW, my name is Jonathan Cade Manning-Breeze. You can call me Cade, though.”

Johnny pulled the picture back up on the screen. “Cade—his name is Cade.”

As I reached our building and pulled into the parking garage, there was yet another chime. “Gotta go. Nana says dinner is ready. TTYL”

“Holy shit!”

From the back seat, JJ replied, “You can say that again!”

We made our way into the loft. “Want some wine?” Johnny nodded yes. JJ and Zach went into the guest room and came back out with their bags.

“What’s going on, guys?”

“Zach and I decided you guys didn’t need us around right now. We figured we’d check into a hotel until Zach had to fly back to Florida.”

“You don’t need to leave. In fact, if Johnny will let me, we’ll both fly out to Phoenix on the first flight and won’t be back until Sunday. Johnny?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Then it’s settled. Put your bags back.”

“Then we’ll just go have some dinner and take in a movie so you can be alone and figure out some shit.”

The boys were out the door in minutes. Johnny looked at me and said, “I’m so sorry, babe. I’m not handling this well, am I?”

“Johnny, your entire world has been turned upside down in the last 15 minutes. I’d say you’re handling things quite well. Let’s head out to the balcony. God knows we could both use a cigarette!”

Johnny took the glasses, and I zipped back into the kitchen and grabbed the wine bottle. We sat down, lit up, took a couple of sips of wine, then Johnny started talking. “One time. That’s it—one time with one girl.

“Lindsay Manning. I remember it was a cast party after one of the spring semester shows. We had a lot of those back in college. Lindsay was this beautiful girl—so beautiful she looked like she belonged in a sorority house instead of the theatre department. I remember we all were getting high and more than a little tipsy.

“We ended up playing a game of Truth or Dare. There was a guy that I had messed around with a bit. He wanted to be in a serious relationship, and I just didn’t want that kind of distraction in school. He never got over it, so he would get nasty whenever it was his turn. He would have me kiss Lindsay. Or have her kiss me. I remember taking “truth” once, and he asked if I’d ever had sex with a woman. When I told him the truth—that I hadn’t—I figured I would take a dare the next time before things got really embarrassing.

“The next dare was that I take Lindsay into the bedroom and fuck her. I remember her being all for it, and I was just ready to get out of the same room with him. When we got into the bedroom, I locked the door. Lindsay took my hands and told me that as much as she wanted to do it, she knew I wasn’t interested in her. She said she would just tell everyone that we did it. I remember thinking that I had to do it or always know that that ass won.

“So, we stripped down. I played around with her boobs a little, and she gave me the worst blowjob of my life. Luckily, I was stoned, and that always made me horny. And to a stoned college sophomore, there’s no such thing as a bad blowjob.

“So, I fucked her. All I really remember about it was that it was awfully wet. After I came, she left. I’m pretty sure I was thinking about a guy the whole time.

“In the fall, she didn’t come back to school. No one knew why. I guess we do now. I just can’t believe she never tried to find me. Or tell me. But she still gave the kid my last name.”

“And your first name.”

“Well, I’m just Johnny, not Jonathan, but she probably didn’t know. But still, it just doesn’t make sense.”

“Johnny, don’t worry about trying to make sense of it right now. I’m sure you’ll get all the answers and then some tomorrow. But we need to book a flight and hotel—and a car.”

“Yeah, we should stay in a hotel. Mom’s probably a little crowded now with a little boy and all his belongings.”

I was able to book some first-class seats on Frontier Airlines for 8:30 that night. We got a two-bedroom suite at the Embassy in Phoenix and got three business class seats for the return trip on Sunday.

“Jason?”

“Yeah, babe?”

“You haven’t said too much. What do you think about all this?”

I took Johnny in my arms. “I’ve always wanted to raise a kid someday. To be honest, the idea of raising one with you has crossed my mind more than once. So, it’s happening a bit sooner than I thought. You know something? I think you are gonna be an awesome dad!”

I could see the tension fly off Johnny’s shoulders. He sighed and smiled for the first time in the last hour. “Thank God! I was so worried that you would be pissed, or want to leave me, or—Hell, I don’t even know!”

“Leave you? Because you find out you have a kid? Leave you? I can’t think of any reason why I would leave you. I’m sure that someday, somehow, you might just piss me off, but I could never leave the man who has made me so complete.”

“How can I love you more and more each day? And just when I think it’s not even possible to love you any more than I do? Now, let’s pack and go to Phoenix and pick up our son!”

“Our son? Why don’t we wait and see how things go with Cade before we go that far, okay? He probably should have a say in what my status will be.”

We cleaned up, packed rather quickly, and I left a note for the boys letting them know our flight information and got a laugh out of Johnny when I called then Uncle JJ and Uncle Zach. Hell, after all we’d been through together the last couple of weeks, the boys were definitely going to be a part of Cade’s life.

Johnny called his mother while we were driving to the airport. He got some more information, and things started to make a little more sense. Apparently, when Lindsay found out she was pregnant and chose to keep the baby, her family cut her off when they found out the child didn’t have a Caucasian father. If she ever decided to give up her son, they would welcome her back. A little over a year ago, she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer.

She knew that the way things were at the time, Cade would have been put in foster care upon her death. Rather than allow that, Lindsay began searching for Johnny. When they found his mother, they decided to stop there. Lindsay died a week later, and Cade was put in the foster program immediately. His caseworker made sure that he was on his way to Phoenix as soon as she could get Cade in her car and make the short trip.

Johnny’s mother also said that Cade was taking things remarkably well. Lindsay spent a lot of time preparing him for her death. He was with her when she died. Cade told Johnny’s mother how he took care of his mother in her final days. She couldn’t believe how mature beyond his years Cade was. Johnny’s mother also said it was quite strange having him in the house in that he was just like Johnny when he was the same age—wise beyond his years, ferociously honest, and quite the precocious child.

Lindsay had also told Cade everything she knew about Johnny. She never said anything bad about him, and when Cade would ask why his Daddy wasn’t around, she would tell him that Johnny was working in another state. By the time he had begun asking to see his father, Lindsay had fallen ill, and Cade’s focus shifted to making his mother happy.

Johnny was concerned about how Cade was handling his mother’s death. There have been some occasional bouts of sadness, but Cade told his grandmother that he doesn’t miss her because she is with him all the time—he says he just misses doing things with her. Cade also told her that his mom tells him that when his father comes to get him, she would be happy and would go and be with her brother, who was waiting for her in Heaven.

We were scheduled to land at 10:53. Johnny’s mother said she would leave Cade with her sister, and she would meet us at the airport. Johnny tried to tell her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted. When Johnny ended the call, he was smiling. “I can’t wait for you to meet my mother, Jason. She is going to love you so much!”

The flight was uneventful. I had a couple of drinks to steel my nerves. I wasn’t expecting to meet Johnny’s family so soon, let alone meet his son! We held hands most of the flight. The flight attendant seemed to enjoy us and gave us some extra care. At first, we would let go of each other’s hands whenever she would approach. She finally leaned down to us and said, “You don’t have to stop holding hands when I come around. I’ve never seen two people so in love with each other, and you two have made my entire week! So, are you guys off for a getaway weekend?”

Johnny smiled at her and said, “No, we’re actually going to Phoenix to pick up our son.”

There he goes with that “our son” thing again, although I must admit I like the sound of it each time he says it. She just looked at the two of us and said, “Awesome!”

The plane landed, and we made our way through the gates to the baggage claim. As we were riding down the escalator, Johnny spotted his mother and waved. “There she is!” He then spotted a beautiful young boy standing next to her. “Cade is here.” That’s all I heard him say as he began to run down the moving stairs, weaving in and out of the other passengers. I stayed in my place and watched the scene below me.

Johnny got to the bottom of the escalator and ran to his son with his arms outstretched. As he got down on his knees, Cade ran up to him and greeted him with a hug. Johnny’s arms were wrapped around the boy, and I could hear his sobs echoing through the cavernous space. When I reached them, Mrs. Breeze was smiling and crying softly. I felt like an intrusion on the family moment until she looked at me.

“Jason, I’m so happy you came.” She embraced me, kissed me on the cheek, and said into my ear, “Thank you for making my son happier than I’ve ever seen him. You are a dear, special man to me.”

Johnny and Cade looked up at us, and the boy asked Johnny, “Is this my other dad?”

Johnny grabbed my hand and pulled me down to them. “Cade, this is Jason. He’s a very important man in my life, and now yours. If you want him to be your other dad, then I’ll let you and him figure it out.”

Cade then moved over to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. “Hi Dad, I’m Cade. I’m glad you came too!” That was all it took for me to join in the sob fest. Apparently, I now have a son, too!

I left Johnny with Cade and his mother while I went to the Hertz desk to pick up our car. I was glad I used some of my airline points for the upgrade to VIP service. The car was ready and waiting just inside the parking garage instead of boarding a shuttle bus to their lot. I signed the paperwork, grabbed the keys, and walked back to the group—my family! Wow! It was still a little overwhelming.

“Okay, gang. We’re all set. We didn’t check our bags, so we can head on out.”

Cade looked up at Johnny. “Dad?” He then looked at me and seemed a bit confused. “Other Dad? Can I stay with you tonight?”

As Johnny and I looked at each other, Mrs. Breeze spoke up, “Cade, why don’t you come home with me tonight. It’s late, and your Dad needs to get some rest.”

Johnny knelt back down to his son, “Cade, I would love nothing more than to take you with me and spend the whole night getting to know you, but I think your Nana’s right.”

“Awwww, I guess—if I have to.”

I knelt down and joined them. “Cade, how about this—why don’t your Dad and I pick you up first thing in the morning and take you to your favorite place to have breakfast—just us guys!”

Cade looked up at Johnny’s mother. “Is that okay, Nana?”

“Of course it is. I think that’s a splendid idea!”

Johnny kissed Cade on the forehead and said, “You get a good night’s sleep son, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow!”

“I’m glad you’re here, Dad. I love you!”

I kissed him on the forehead and said, “You’re an awesome kid, Cade. I can’t wait to spend the day with you tomorrow!”

I stood up, and Johnny’s mother handed me an envelope. “Please give this to Johnny when you get to the hotel. It’s a letter written by Cade’s mother. And just so you know, I think you are going to be a fantastic father!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Breeze, that means a lot to me!”

“Please, Jason. Call me Caroline—or if you want, call me Mom.”

“I like that—Mom!”

Hugs were exchanged all around, and we were soon on our way to the hotel. Johnny had this dimpled grin on his face that he couldn’t get rid of.

On the other hand, I was just a little nervous about the letter sitting inside my jacket pocket. In less than thirty minutes, we were in our room and holding each other. “Johnny, I think you have an amazing son. He’s beautiful, smart, adorable, and a huge part of our life from here on out.”

“I love you, Jason—more than anything in the world. But tonight, I also fell completely head over heels in love with a seven-year-old. You ready for all this?”

“Oh yeah. I wasn’t too sure at first, but when Cade looked up at me with those green eyes and called me Dad, he got me, too!”

“Damn babe, you’re right—there is something about airports, isn’t there?”

“Johnny, before we left the airport, your Mom handed me this letter and asked me to give it to you when we got to the hotel. I’m thinking this is the reason she wanted us to be alone tonight.”

Johnny looked at me with a concerned look and took the letter. “Would you like me to go into the bedroom so you can be alone with this?”

“No-no-no—We should read this together.” We sat on the sofa and Johnny opened the letter.

Dear Johnny,

If you are reading this letter, you probably already know that I’m no longer around to answer many of the questions you probably have. You also know that I had a wonderful boy and that you are his father.

I’m sure the first question you had was, “Why didn’t she tell me?” So many things came into play that resulted in that decision. First of all, and probably the most devastating, was my parents. It was bad enough when they found out I had become pregnant, but when I showed my mother a picture I had of you on my phone, the proverbial shit hit the fan.

I never knew they had this horrible streak of racism. I also didn’t realize that my very own parents would actually throw me out of the house and cut me off completely. The saddest part of that situation is that they never got to know their amazing grandson.

So, I ended up on my own, and if you remember, I was a very stubborn and determined girl. I got a job and some help from the state to get me through my pregnancy and Cade’s birth. The first time I saw him, I was so happy that he looked so much like you!

When I faced the decision to tell you about your son, all I could think about was your dedication, hard work, and desire to be the first in your family to get a college degree. I was also very aware of your incredible sense of right and wrong—your sense of duty.

 

 

 

I was afraid that you would never see your dreams come true if I told you back then. I could never live with myself if that happened. So, right or wrong, I decided to tell you once you had established yourself in a career.

I secretly stayed in touch with Dr. Worthington. I told him about my situation and that I would not be returning to school in the fall. I would talk to him once a month and swore him to secrecy. He told me about all the wonderful things you were doing, and I knew I had made the right decision. The last thing I knew was that you had moved to Austin after graduation. After that, I lost track of you.

I guess you know I named Cade after you and added your last name to his birth certificate (which I included in this envelope). I never kept you a secret from him and NEVER spoke poorly of you. When Cade would ask me where you were, I always told him you were in Texas and that he would meet you soon.

When I became ill, Cade grew up so fast—maybe too fast. He focused on taking care of me, as only a seven-year-old boy could. I think the thing that makes me the saddest is that I’m not there to introduce you to your son. I sometimes wish I had made different decisions, but there is one decision I will never regret—and that is choosing to have that baby—that baby who grew up to be an amazing miniature version of my best friend from college.

When I was diagnosed with my cancer, I wrote a letter to my parents to tell them the news and let them know that I would try to find you. About ten days later, that letter came back to me. It had been opened, taped shut, and marked “Return to Sender.” Thank God, Cade will never know that set of grandparents!

Although I had every intention to let you know about your son, my health got in the way. Johnny, in so many ways, I made the wrong decision to not “burden” you with a child. Yet, in my heart, I feel that allowing you to see your dreams come to fruition will be better for Cade.

Speaking of Cade—let me tell you about your son. (This is the part of the letter I’m most excited to write!)

Jonathan Cade Manning-Breeze was born on January 11, 2007. From the very beginning, he was a wonderful baby. He rarely cried. He always smiled and seemed to enjoy almost everything around him.

When he was five, I took him to see a local production of “The Nutcracker.” For the two weeks that followed, I would find Cade dancing his own version of the ballet in the living room. When I asked him if he would like to take dance lessons, his eyes filled with tears, and he told me that would make him the happiest boy in the world.

I couldn’t afford to send him to the dance company that put on “The Nutcracker,” but there was a wonderful woman at my church who had a small studio, and she was willing to let Cade into her beginning class in exchange for me helping with some of the office work.

That was two years ago, and Cade turned out to be a natural. He’s already a year ahead of the others his age. He has developed a passion for dance and lives for class. If there is any way that you can help him continue, maybe he will continue to be the happiest boy in the world.

Just like his father, Cade is a gentle soul. He never has an ill or angry thought about other people. He goes out of his way to do the right thing. He loves to read and has just finished the fourth Harry Potter book. His favorite television show is “Glee,” and several months ago, he told me he wished he had a boyfriend like Blaine. They say a mother always knows if her child is gay. I was beginning to think he might be, and that comment makes me feel that he most likely is. I guess it might just be genetic.

Johnny, I will never forgive myself for the way I handled letting you know about your son. I hope and pray that someday you will be able to forgive me. I don’t know what your life is like right now. If you are in a relationship, I hope and pray that he will find it in his heart to accept Cade into his life as well.

As you will soon learn, Cade is a very perceptive and mature boy. We’ve been going to a very progressive church, and it has several gay couples, many with children who Cade had as friends.

 

 

During one of our many talks about you, he asked if you were my boyfriend. At first, I tried to avoid going into too many details, and before long, he wondered if you had a different girlfriend. I told him you didn’t. Next, he asked if you had a boyfriend. I told him I wasn’t sure about now, but you didn’t have one the last time I saw you. It didn’t take long for Cade to figure out that you are gay. I’ve never lied to him and have always explained things to him the best I could.

If you’ve already met Cade, I’m sure you were filled with the love that pours from his heart. Please accept that love from Cade. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. It’s the only thing that gets me through these last days of my life.

Love, Lindsay

Wow! We both had tears in our eyes. “Johnny, she sounds like a wonderful mother, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, we have a lot to live up to—I’m up to the challenge if you are. I mean, we have a son to raise—possibly a gay son at that.”

“We’re good people, Johnny. I think we can be good for the boy.”

We went to bed and lay in each other’s arms, and talked about what we could do for Cade. “We can definitely get him in all the dance camps over the summer. And it would be a great way for him to meet kids his age.”

“We’ll need to find a school for him—one that will help him grow with his talent and be nurturing and accepting should he actually turn out to be gay.”

“We can work on that over the summer. We can also look into Ballet Austin and get him into some of their classes.”

“Will the loft be big enough?”

“I was thinking we could turn the guest room into his room and re-do the office, so it has a sofa bed—or some kind of pull-down bed for when we have a guest.”

“Jason, what if he wants to go to church? Do you want to consider that?”

“Funny, I’ve been thinking about that lately. I have so much in my life that I’m so thankful for. I’ve always believed in God but avoided church because I didn’t want to have to sit and listen to people talking about my road to Hell because of who I am. I began doing some research and found out that many churches in Austin are quite progressive, and a few that cater to the gay community. I’ve been thinking we might want to visit some of them.”

“Church was never a big part of my life, but I think it might be nice to try it out, especially now that we have a real family.”

A real family—it was a huge change in our lives. Cade was given a life filled with love by Lindsay. Johnny and I needed to do everything in our power to provide Cade with all that and then some.

I held Johnny in my arms, and we soon fell asleep. It was a restless night for both of us. I kept dreaming of Cade, Cade and Johnny, Johnny and me, and the three of us together.

Before long, it was 7:00, and the wake-up call rang through. Johnny and I hopped in the shower and cleaned each other. We were both relatively quiet and deep in thought. As we were finishing, I took Johnny in my arms. “Baby, this is going to be a wonderful day. We’re going to spend our first day together as a family—the first day with our beautiful son.”

“Our son—you said our son.” He leaned in and kissed me. “I love you, Jason. You could have run away when all this came up, and you stayed with me. You could have done so many things, but you chose to let Cade into your life. You are an amazing man.”

“Johnny, you made my life so complete in such a short time. Now we have Cade to make things even more complete. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

We finished up at the hotel, and Johnny drove us to his childhood home. It was in a tidy neighborhood lined with small block and stucco homes. We walked up to the door, and before Johnny could put the key in, it opened—and there he was—our son! Cade jumped up into Johnny’s arms. “Mornin’ Dad!

He kissed Johnny on the cheek and then leaned over to me and kissed me. “Mornin’ Other Dad!” Cade giggled, apparently enjoying his own sense of humor.

Caroline came to the door and asked us in. Johnny picked his son up and carried him into the house. “Johnny!” Another woman, Caroline’s sister Lily, ran up to him and gave him a hug and kiss, nearly crushing Cade between them.

“Hello? A small child is being smashed here!” I couldn’t stop smiling. Cade had great comic timing and had everyone in the room laughing. Johnny kissed his son and asked, “So where are you taking us for breakfast, kiddo? I’m hungry!”

“IHOP! I want pancakes. But Dad, you have to take me `cause I don’t have a car or any money.” Cade looked up at me with his dimpled grin and sparkling green eyes.

“Johnny, we have a smart boy here. He has it all figured out!”

Cade looked at Caroline. “Nana, are you and Aunt Lily coming with us?”

Caroline kissed him on the forehead. “Not this time Cade. Today is for you to get to know your Dad and Jason.”

“Caroline, we would love to take you and Lily out to dinner this evening. We’ll pick you up at 5:00 if that’s okay.”

“That sounds lovely, Jason. We’ll be ready when you get here!”

We were soon on our way to IHOP, walked into the lobby, a got a table right away. Cade asked for pancakes with strawberry syrup. I had a western omelet, and Johnny ordered Ham and eggs.

We talked a lot about what Cade wanted to do in Austin. Nearly every other comment involved dancing. He was thrilled to learn that he would be taking dance classes at the theatre camps all summer and when I told him we would enroll him in the Austin Ballet classes, I thought he might break into tears. He told us that more than anything, he wanted to dance the role of the Prince in The Nutcracker when he was big enough. I promised him we would do everything we could to make that dream come true.

As we were finishing breakfast, Cade looked up at Johnny and asked, “Are you and other Dad boyfriends?”

“First of all, we need to come up with a name for Jason besides ‘other Dad.’ Second of all, yes. Jason and I love each other very much. So now you have two dads.”

“Cool. I had one mom, and now I have two dads. That’s a pretty good deal!”

He then looked at me, then back to Johnny, then back to me. “Okay, I think I’ll call you Dad.” He then looked at Johnny and said, “Can I call you Papa?”

“Of course you can. I would like that very much, especially since that’s what I called my dad.”

Cade then looked back at me. “But I’m still gonna call you `other Dad’ sometimes, ‘cause I like the way you smile when I say it!”

We finished breakfast around 10:00. I asked Cade what he wanted to do next. I was shocked when he said he wanted to get a haircut. “It’s like I’m starting a whole new life today. I think I want a new haircut to go with it.”

Johnny drove us out to the mall, and we found a Toni and Guy hair salon. It’s a little pricey, but nothing was too good for our son. While we were waiting for Cade, I got on my phone and did some searches for things to do in the afternoon. I found a theatre company called Childplay, and they happened to be having a matinee performance of Seussical the Musical at 2:00. I went ahead and ordered the tickets.

About 45 minutes later, Cade and his stylist came out. Cade looked adorable with his new cut. It was still a bit on the long side, and he was gelled and spiked in a great style. The stylist told us that Cade had decided to donate the cut hair to a local charity that made wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy. I was so proud of our son!

Cade was excited to hear about the show we were going to see. While we were at the mall, we went into Gap Kids and found him some new clothes to go along with his new look. I had to chuckle to myself, watching him pick out clothes. He was very particular about the fit and how things went together. I’m beginning to think that he very well might be gay. We also got him some underwear and socks and hit up the Foot Locker for a new pair of tennis shoes.

I asked him if he needed any dance clothes for his classes this summer. He said he had plenty of clothes that still fit, but his shoes were getting tight. We found a Capezio store between the mall and the theatre and picked up a couple of pairs of ballet slippers as well as a pair of jazz shoes. Cade had never worn jazz shoes before and fell in love with them. We also grabbed some dance shorts, some tights, and a few t-shirts.

We got to the theatre and took our seats, with Cade sitting between the two of us. The show was delightful, and Cade was enthralled. He split his time leaning against Johnny, then me, then back to Johnny. At intermission, Cade told us that he had never seen a musical before. He looked at me and asked if he could do ballet and musicals at the same time. I was now completely in love with our son!

After the show, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Cade put on one of his new outfits and looked beautiful. He was wearing his new khakis and a green Gap polo shirt that made his eyes explode with color. Johnny finished getting ready and sat down on the sofa with Cade.

“Cade, I have to ask you a very important question. You are the only one who can make this decision. I want you to know that finding you has been one of the happiest things that I’ve ever known in my life. Jason and I both love you very much and would like more than anything for you to come and live with us in Texas. But you need to be the one to decide if you want to come to Texas with us or stay here with your new Nana and Aunt Lily.”

“Well duh, Dad! I’m probably the luckiest boy in the whole world because I have two pretty cool Dads. So yeah, I want to live with you.”

I had tears in my eyes as I watched the scene on the sofa. It was time to pick up the women and head to dinner. On the way to Caroline’s, I asked Cade where he wanted to have dinner. “Can we go to Olive Garden?”

“Olive Garden it is!”

I gave Cade $100 and told him to keep it in his pocket with instructions to tell the server to give him the check at the end of dinner, and he would pay the bill. Cade looked at the crisp bill with wide eyes. “We’re rich, aren’t we?”

“Cade, your Dad and I do pretty well back in Texas. But we didn’t become rich until today when you said you wanted to come home and live with us.”

“Gosh, Dad. That sounded kinda corny—but I still like it!”

We picked up Caroline and Lily and headed to Olive Garden. The wait wasn’t terribly long, and we were seated at a round table which was perfect for everyone to see each other throughout the meal. When the server came to take our order, a very serious Cade announced, “Everyone get what you want. Dinner’s my treat tonight!”

Everyone got a good laugh, and Cade smiled with his father’s dimples appearing in full form. Orders were taken, and the server went off to do his thing. “I’m really serious. I’m taking all of you out to dinner to thank you for letting me be a part of your family. Nana, Aunt Lily, Papa, Dad—I love all of you very much.”

Caroline and Lily smiled and dabbed tears from their eyes. Johnny and I looked at each other with a new expression for us—parental pride. We each leaned in towards Cade and kissed him on the cheek. “Guys! We’re in public here! Geez!”

“Cade, you are just like your father when he was your age. You really are your father’s son!” We all laughed at stories about Johnny growing up, and Cade entertained us with his wit and charm. At the end of the meal, the server brought the folder with the bill and started to hand it to me.

Cade looked up at him and said, “Excuse me! I’ll take that!”

The server looked down at me, and I nodded. “You heard the young man!”

He put the check down by Cade and told him he would take it back whenever he was ready. Since none of us had any alcohol with the meal, I glanced down and saw the bill was $85.47. Cade put the c-note into the black folder. I leaned down and told him when the server came back just to say to him, ‘thank you and keep the change.’ Cade did just as I told him when the server returned, and he thanked Cade and wished us a wonderful evening.

We got back to the house, and we began loading the car with Cade’s things. I was surprised to see that there were three suitcases and two boxes. That was all—his entire life’s belongings in just a few containers. Without a doubt, we would be doing some shopping over the next few days. Before we left, Cade made sure to give Caroline and Lily big hugs. He thanked them and made them promise they would come and visit our family in Texas.

We got back to the hotel. We decided to leave Cade’s things in the car since he had fresh clothes in the room. We stopped at the small shop in the lobby and picked up a toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. We got up to the room, and a very happy boy sat with Johnny and me on the sofa. We checked the available movies and decided to watch the latest Ice Age film. Again, Cade would split his time between leaning against Johnny and me.

About two-thirds of the way through the movie, Cade was leaning against me. I was running my fingers through his hair and looked down to see him fast asleep with a content smile on his face. I scooped him up in my arms and carried him to his room, followed by Johnny. We gently removed his shoes, socks, pants, and shirt and tucked him into the bed in his underwear and t-shirt. We each kissed him and made our way into our room.

Johnny took me into his arms and began taking off my clothes. “You, my love, are going to be an awesome Daddy. Cade adores you almost as much as I do.” He threw my shirt down to the floor and began undoing my pants. “It’s been two days since I’ve had this in my mouth, and I’m not waiting another minute!”

He pulled my pants and boxers down in one swift movement and swallowed my awakening cock while he massaged my swollen balls. I moaned and threw my head back. “Ohhhhhh, fuck Johnny! That’s so nice!”

My cock was at full mast within seconds, and I reached down and put my hands on the sides of my lover’s head. I began a long and slow thrust in and out of the mouth surrounding my cock as Johnny worked his tongue around the head each time it passed by. My legs started to tremble, and Johnny pulled off and stood up.

He began pulling off his clothes, and in a breathless voice, said, “I sure hope you packed the lube, baby. I need you inside me sooooooo badly.”

I went into the bathroom, found the bottle in my dop kit, returned to the bedroom, and found my stunning man naked on the bed, stroking his glorious cock. “Horny much, Mr. Breeze?”

“You have no idea, Mr. Richardson!”

I climbed onto the bed and wrapped my lover in my arms, and kissed him deeply, tasting the remnants of my precum on his tongue. Before long, we were rolling around the king-sized bed with our legs intertwined and our cocks rubbing against each other. Johnny then positioned himself on all fours, offering his beautiful, firm ass to me. That was an offer I will never be able to resist, and aggressively buried my face deep between the muscled orbs I loved so much. Johnny would flex and release the muscles in his ass, forcing my tongue in and out of his amazing hole. I reached down and slowly stroked his huge cock while I tongue-fucked him with abandon. “Fuck me now, baby! Give me that cock now!”

I knelt behind Johnny and rested my dripping cock between his cheeks. As I ran my pole up and down his crack, Johnny arched his back and leaned into me with a passion-filled moan. I reached for the bottle of lube and covered my cock. I put some extra on the head and used it to lube up Johnny’s twitching rosebud. I grabbed my eight inches, lined it up, and began to push in. Once the head was in, I waited a bit. Soon, Johnny was pushing back and taking my entire length in one motion. “Fuck, you feel so hot around my cock!” I put my hands on his hips and began thrusting in and out of his silky chute.

As I was pumping in and out of my lover, he lifted himself up on his knees and leaned back to kiss me. I reached down and grabbed his cock and began stroking him, matching the rhythm of my strokes. Johnny continued massaging my cock with the muscles of his ass while he kissed me deeply. It didn’t take long for me to feel the tightness in my groin. “I’m gonna cum, baby!”

As soon as I said it, Johnny pulled himself off my cock and swallowed it. I soon filled him with shot after shot of my load as I threw my head back and let out a moan. After I fired my last volley into Johnny’s mouth, he began licking up and down my still-hard cock, cleaning it and getting every last drop of my creamy load.

I then pushed him down on the bed and pulled the skin off the head of his cock. It was coated with copious amounts of precum, and I licked it up as if it were an ice cream cone. I reached down to massage his balls, which were already drawn tightly. I didn’t take him all the way in this time as I wanted to taste every drop of sweet juice that escaped from his cock. I looked into his eyes, and he returned the look with eyes filled with lust. “I love you, Jason! You’re the love of my life! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Cummmmming!!!”

I nearly drowned in the load that filled my mouth. Johnny was bucking his hips up and down as he fired shot after shot of his thick cum into me. Excess cum was sliding down my face, and Johnny pulled me up and began licking it off my chin and lips. We held each other and kissed a few more minutes before pulling the covers up and falling asleep—ending the most amazing day in the lives of Johnny Breeze and Me.

I had ordered a wake-up call for 7:00. At about 6:45, I was awakened with a hard cock pressing against me. In my foggy haze, I was confused. It felt like an adult erection. I was trying to figure out who we had in bed with us when I looked down at the arm wrapped around me and realized it belonged to Cade. That woke me up in a flash. I laid there, trying to decide what to do.

I was still naked. I’m pretty sure Johnny was too. I decided it was probably best not to say anything. I turned over and found myself looking into the eyes of my beautiful lover and Cade. Cade crawled into bed with us about two hours ago. Apparently, he didn’t have his Harry Potter doll with him and needed to hold onto someone.

“Good morning Dad. Did you and Papa know you were naked?”

I gave Johnny a helpless look, and he saved the day with, “When two grown-ups love each other like your dad and I do, they sometimes sleep naked so they can be even closer to each other.”

“Oh, okay. Grown-ups are just weird, I guess.”

I kissed Cade on the forehead and told him to hop in the shower and pick out an outfit to wear for the flight home. “Don’t forget to brush your teeth. When you’re done drying your hair, I’ll let you use some of my gel, and we’ll get you all fixed up.” Cade hopped up and ran into his bedroom.

I kissed my lover good morning. “Well, that was interesting. You handled it quite well.”

“I’ve been awake for a while, so I had time to think about an answer in case it came up.”

“Speaking of up—your son seems to be taking after his dad. He was pressing some major morning wood against me when I woke up.”

“I know. I saw it when I woke up. Cade’s going to be enormous when he comes out of puberty. I wasn’t that big when I was seven.”

“Jesus, that’s frightening!”

We both laughed, shared another kiss, and made our way into the shower. As we were getting dressed, Cade knocked on the door to our bedroom. He had dried his hair and was visibly upset. “My hair looks horrible! I can’t go outside like this!”

I took him into our bathroom. I sat down on the toilet with him in front of me. “I guess it was a lot easier just to comb it back and put it in a ponytail, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess you’re gonna have to teach me how to make it look good.”

“We’ll do that when we get home, okay? For now, I’ll just see if I can work some dad magic here.”

I grabbed my hairdryer and a round brush and began shaping his hair to smooth it out. I added a little gel and began pulling it into spikes and soon had him looking adorable again. He looked into the mirror and smiled. “Thanks, Dad! You saved my life!”

He gave me an appreciative kiss. He turned to leave and went into the bedroom, where Johnny was packing our bag. “Dad fixed my hair and saved my life, so we can get ready to go now!”

We put Cade’s new clothes into our bag and were soon headed downstairs to the lobby. While I checked out, Johnny and Cade took our things to the car and drove it to the front door. We decided to zip into the McDonald’s drive-through and grabbed some Egg McMuffins. Johnny and I had some coffee, and Cade had orange juice.

We made it to the airport with plenty of time to get all the baggage and boxes checked, get through security, and made it to the gate with time to spare. Cade couldn’t keep his eyes off the planes passing by the window. “Cade, have you ever been on a plane before?”

“No! I don’t know if I’m excited or scared.”

“Well, there’s nothing to be afraid of. I used to travel all over the world before I met your dad. I think you might have a good time!”

The gate agent came up to us and asked if we would like early seating since we had a child. We took her up on the offer and were soon strapped into our seats. Cade had told the flight attendant that he had never been on a plane before, and they were all paying extra attention to him. He loved the attention almost as much as the plastic wings they gave him to pin on his shirt.

As we were taking off, Cade has his arms wrapped tightly around Johnny’s, and his eyes went wide as he felt the rush when the plane left the runway. Once we were in the air, he relaxed considerably.

Cade was enjoying the Disney Channel on the inflight satellite television. Once again, he alternated between leaning against Johnny and me. He was an affectionate boy and seemed to crave physical contact with the people he loved.

A couple of hours later, we touched down in Austin and were soon making our way to the baggage claim. We were surprised by JJ and Zach, who were standing just outside the secure area with a large sign that said “Welcome Home Cade!” JJ was holding a half dozen helium-filled red balloons. Cade had a huge smile on his face. JJ and Zach gave Johnny and me a hug and a kiss then JJ knelt down to Cade.

“Hi Cade, I’m your Uncle JJ, and this is your Uncle Zach. We wanted to be the first to welcome you to your new home.”

Zach was taking pictures of the whole thing with his phone. He looked at Johnny and said, “This is family history here. You need pics!”

Johnny was smiling from ear to ear. “What are you guys doing here? You didn’t have to pick us up!”

“My flight to Florida leaves in about an hour, so we came a little early so we could meet you and say hi to Cade!”

I loved that JJ and Zach decided they were going to be Cade’s uncles. We were the perfect picture of an extended family, and the thought filled me with love for each and every one of them. JJ went to see Zach off and told us he would meet us down at the baggage claim. He arrived as we were loading up a cart with all the bags and boxes.

We all went out to the sidewalk, and Johnny stayed with Cade while JJ and I went to get our cars. JJ got back first in his Fiat. It was a gorgeous day, and he had the top down. We loaded everything into the Flex. JJ walked up to Cade and said, “Have you ever been in a convertible before? You want to ride with me?”

Cade looked up at Johnny. “Can I, Papa? Can I?”

“Sure. If you fasten your seatbelt and do whatever JJ tells you.”

“Awesome!” He fist-bumped JJ and climbed into the front seat.

Within thirty minutes, we were pulling into the parking garage and were riding up the elevator. I looked at JJ and said, “What a nice surprise to have you and Zach meet us!”

“I hope you don’t mind, but there are a few more surprises to come.” JJ smiled a devilish grin as the doors of the elevator opened on the fifth floor.

When we opened the door, a huge banner greeted us that also said, “Welcome Home Cade!”

“Awesome!” JJ took Cade’s hand and led him to his bedroom.

“Guys, I hope you don’t mind, but Zach and I kinda fixed up Cade’s room for him.”

Cade ran into the room ahead of us. We knew everything was good when we heard another “Awesome!”

The boys had put a TV on the wall in front of the bed and put in a small desk. There was a large Harry Potter movie poster on one wall and a One Direction poster on the opposite wall.

“So, Cadester, do you like Harry Potter?”

“Yeah, I’m reading the books right now!”

“And we weren’t sure about the music you liked, so if you don’t like One Direction, we’ll find you a poster that works for you.”

“I love One Direction! Especially Harry!”

JJ looked at me, and I just smiled and nodded. “Cool, I’m glad you like it then!”

I asked JJ about the television. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It was an extra one from Simon’s stuff. We’re putting a media room in the house and didn’t need all the extra televisions. We’re also putting a room in the house for Cade for those nights you might need us to take him in for a sleepover.”

JJ and Zach did a great job with Cade’s room. All five of us began unpacking his things and putting them away. Cade bonded instantly with JJ. He loved it when JJ called him Cadester, but he didn’t want Johnny or me to call him that. He was especially happy to learn that JJ would be one of his dance teachers over the summer. By the time we had finished moving Cade into his room, it was time for dinner.

We had a wonderful dinner at Kerbey Lane and made our way home. JJ told stories about his time at the camps when he was a kid, and Cade was getting more and more excited. Cade started yawning around 9:00. Johnny asked him to take a shower, brush his teeth, and when he was ready for bed, we would come in and tuck him in. About twenty minutes later, Cade called out that he was in bed. Johnny and I walked in.

Cade was in bed, holding his Harry Potter doll that his mother apparently made. He got a kiss from each of us, and he told us that he loved us. “Don’t worry, dads. I won’t bother you in the morning since I have my Harry Potter with me.” He yelled out, “Goodnight, Uncle JJ. I love you too!”

JJ had to stay at the loft a couple more days until the decorators finished his house. He insisted on sleeping on the sofa and refused to join us. “What if we wake up the kid, and he walks in on us. We don’t need to traumatize the boy on his first night in his new home.”

We sat in the living room and talked for another hour as I was overcome with a sense of joy as I thought about my new family.