William's Love - 22. Chapter 22

Why?

I grabbed another heavy duty trash bag from the roll and kept picking up the garbage and party cups that had been strewn all over the kitchen. I’m so angry I haven’t said a word since we got home from the airport, that’s one thing I’m thankful for – I left my truck at the airport while we were away. God knows what damage they would have done to it.

We came home to our house, the front door wide open, a couple of smashed windows. Solo cups as far as the eye could see inside and out. Vomit on the walls, colorful slurs in paint and someone’s feces. An empty keg in the middle of the kitchen, what I assume are makeshift bongs in just about every room. A very kind and gentle soul had urinated in all of our beds, pulled all of our clothes out of the closets and draws then slashed and urinated on them. Our mattresses were also slashed along with the couch and dining room chairs. Carpets and flooring ruined from cigarette burns, vomit and drink stains.

All of our computers and laptops were gone, television and DVR went, blue ray machine and movies all stolen. Katherine’s jewelry was also stolen. I haven’t checked the workshop yet or the barn. Fuck the Mustang.

“LIAM!!!!” I yelled.

“What Babe?” he slinked around the corner.

“You better go to the barn and check on your car,” I said wiping my free hand over my face, the other still holding the trash bag.

“Fuck… shit… god damn fucking assholes!” Liam cursed as he left through the back door to get to the barn.

My phone rang, I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Derek, I leaned against the counter and answered trying not to let on anything was wrong.

“Hey Derek,”

“Wow, long day? You sound beat. All that fun travel take it out of you did it?” He said chuckling.

“Something like that, what can I do for you?” I didn’t mean to be curt, but I don’t think I have it in me to be civil.

He cleared his throat, “I have a kid that was brought into the shelter. He won’t talk with anyone, but I have an inkling he’s deaf. I know you have some experience with sign language, I wouldn’t ask, but I can’t get a hold of Kerry he’s on his honeymoon. I was wondering if you would have time to come down to the center and see if you can either get him to talk or find out if he’s deaf for me.” He paused for a minute, and when I didn’t answer him, he continued, “Look, Will, I know you’ve had a long day, but if you could spare half hour I’d appreciate it.”

I sighed internally, “Yeah, I guess so. Certainly, beats what I’m doing right now. I’ll be there within the hour.”

“Oh you’re a life saver, thanks, I really appreciate it.” Derek finished.

I hung up and looked around me, we should probably leave this until the cops come. But I was so angry, someone would do this to another person’s home. Katherine entered the kitchen and stood looking at me with a horrified look on her face, and tears running from her eyes.

“I’m so sorry baby girl, Liam put all of yours and Oliver’s things on the insurance. The only thing we won’t be able to replace is anything of sentimental value. You’d better write a list of what’s missing and a description as best you can.” I said to her.

She nodded and just stood there. I think we’re all in shock.

Katherine cleared her throat, “I went to do a load of laundry, and someone or someones has used it as a toilet.”

“Fuck me… this is ridiculous. We better stop cleaning and wait for the cops, we’re going to have to replace just about everything from clothes to electronics and white goods. All the flooring is going to have to be re-done and new carpet laid. I tell you what – the cops better find these fuckers before I do.” I growled angrily.

I saw Katherine flinch when I spoke, fuck, I’m even scaring her. Liam came through the back door biting his bottom lip. I gestured for him to tell me how bad it was.

“They didn't touch the barn, the Mustang is fine,” Liam said slowly as he disbelieved what he was telling me.

My shoulder slumped in relief, “Thank God for small miracles. You’d better hug Katherine I just scared the shit out of her.” I dropped the bag in my hand, “OLIVER!”

“YEAH!” He called back. I followed the sound. He was trying to clean the living room.

“Leave that until the cops get here. Come on, I’ll take you to pick up your truck.” I told him.

I grabbed my keys and wallet, which I’d put on top of my luggage bag then went back to the kitchen.

“Honey, Derek rang and needs my help down at the shelter. He thinks there might be a kid who is deaf that has shown up, and Kerry is on his honeymoon, so I’m his only hope at the moment. Do you mind waiting here for the cops?”

“No Babe, go help, Derek. There’s not a great deal we can do until they’ve been and gone. We also better go to your Dad’s tonight so we can get something to eat and do our laundry. Katherine will fill you in on that little nugget of kindness. Are you going to drop Ollie off to grab his truck from his folk's house on your way to the shelter?” Liam asked softly.

“Yep, don’t know how long I’ll be,” I turned to leave, and I felt Liam’s hand pull on my arm and embraced me with his arms.

He whispered in my ear, “It’s going to be okay Babe, I love you. None of us are hurt, and everything is insured. Please, calm down for me.” He pulled back from the hug and kissed me with all the love he had. He put his forehead against mine, “Please love, we are all safe this is just a nuisance bump in the road and a story for later.” Liam swept my hair from my eyes, kissed my forehead and squeezed me tight before letting me go.

“I love you too Baby, I’m sorry. I’m angry is all. Promise I’ll be calm by the time I reach the shelter.” I lifted my hand to his face and kissed his cheek.

“That’s my sweet man. Good Luck!” Liam called after me.

<>-<>-<>

Derek gave me a quick hug, “Thanks for coming, we’ve managed to get him to have a shower and give him clean clothes. He looks like he’s been on his own for a while. He won’t talk, I can’t get him to write anything down. I don’t know anything, not even his name. Eric brought him to us, he found him hiding in an alley behind one of the bars downtown. He didn’t know much about him at all.”

“Shit! Isn’t Eric part of your secret extraction team that I know nothing about.” I chuckled lightly.

“Yep, and officially I have no idea what you're talking about. And we’ll talk later about how you know this information.” Derek laughed, “I’ll point him out to you, I don’t want to intimidate by ganging up on him. Just go easy, he’s going to be frightened and very untrusting so take it slowly. It’s the young blond about your age in the corner reading the book.”

There was a young guy about my age, blond hair, very skinny, almost undernourished in the corner of the room reading a Steinbeck novel. I wandered around the room and said hello to some of the kids. I slowly made my way to where he was sitting, checked out the bookcase and picked up the Diary of Anne Frank and sat a couple of feet away from him snuggling into a beanbag. I made sure I could see him from where I was snuggled, only a side view but would be able to tell if he looked at me or seemed threatened.

I sat and read a while keeping an eye on him. After about twenty pages I smiled at him, and he smiled back. I continued to read the book, I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my head. So I closed the book and turned to him and simply said, “Hi,” and waved my hand at him.

He reached over and took the book from me and flipped through it until he came to a page that had been ripped out and showed me. It doesn’t seem right, these kids don’t have much here, but who would have the audacity to do that to a book here.

I scowled and said to him, “That sucks, who would do that…” I held out my hand to shake, “Hi, I’m Will.”

He shook my hand and nodded but didn’t say anything. I signed, ‘What is your name?’ he looked around desperately for an escape. I didn’t want to spook him, so when he didn’t answer, I shrugged smiled at him and rose from the beanbag and walked off. I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, the thinking is to give him some room, so he doesn’t feel suffocated or trapped. I felt a tap on my shoulder as I looked out the window. When I turned around, the young blond was standing in front of me handing me a different book. ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.' I signed and said thanks and went back to the beanbag. After about five minutes he came and sat by me, and signed his name – Beau. We talked back and forth for about an hour, then my phone pinged. I pulled it out of my pocket, I had a message from Liam.

From: Liam

Message: The police have asked us to find somewhere else to stay tonight. I have your bag, so go straight to the folk’s house. Love you, Babe.

Crap, fine. I hate this. Beau must have seen my face because he asked what was wrong. I told him what we walked into coming back from the airport.

Beau – ‘You should be helping your parents clean the house.’

Me – ‘I live with my boyfriend Liam and a couple of friends.’

Beau – ‘You live with your boyfriend, what about your parents?’

Me – ‘My Dad has his own boyfriend he can’t have mine.’ I laughed, and Beau did too.

Me – ‘I don’t talk to my mother she is a nutter butter.’

Beau – rolled his eyes at me, ‘Tell me about it.’

That is when I knew I had him to get the information needed to help Derek. We could bond over crazy mothers. I told him all the stories of what my Mother had tried to pull in the past month or so. He opened right up then and gave me everything I needed to know. I asked him to trust Derek and told him I’d be there while he spoke with him. I’d need to sign it anyway. Beau had come to Kentucky from Arkansas to look for his Uncle. The good news is I’m pretty sure I know who he’s looking for. We sought out Derek, and Beau answered all of Derek’s questions. Then Beau asked me to tell Derek he had an Uncle he was looking for. I spoke with Derek but signed at the same time, so I didn’t leave Beau out of the conversation because that seemed rude.

“Derek, he came here from Arkansas to look for his Uncle after his folks threw him out. His Uncles last name is Ferrige,”

“Well, I’ll be… does he want me to contact him?” Derek asked.

Beau gently nodded his head yes but looked down at the floor. I lifted Beau by the chin to look at me. ‘We know your Uncle, he’s a kind man and helped me a lot when I was outed and getting bullied. Don’t be afraid, okay. Give him a chance, he’s great, and his husband is just as cool.’

Beau nodded. Derek contacted the Coaches and spoke with Coach Ferrige. They indicated their arrival would be asap and Derek had to get Coach Campbell on the phone and explain everything again because Coach Ferrige was beside himself with worry and in a panic.

I waited for the Coaches to arrive so Beau had someone with him and not surrounded by adults. Once they got there, Coach Ferrige grabbed Beau in a bear hug and cried. He wouldn’t let him go until Beau indicated he couldn’t breathe. Coach Ferrige could actually sign – who knew. I guess it makes sense when his nephew is deaf. They hadn’t seen each other in nearly twelve years. He introduced Beau to his husband, then he went back to crying and hugging. Derek had to explain the process of what happens next to Coach Campbell. Coach Ferrige didn’t give a shit. He was too busy inspecting Beau to make sure he wasn’t hurt in any way.

“Guys, I’m going to leave you here. I have to get to Dad’s and set up camp for the next few weeks probably.” I said with a sigh.

“Is everything alright Will?” Coach Campbell asked and put his hand on my shoulder. I told them the basics of what happened and said Beau could fill them in the rest.

Me – Beau, these guys have my number if you need anything or just need to get away from the adults for a little while and want to hang out. Please feel free to call anytime.

Beau – He grabbed me in a fierce hug, ‘Thank you so much, Will.’

I waved to everyone as I walked out the door. That’s one drama out of the way.

<>-<>-<>

When I arrived at Dad’s they were sitting down and just about finished dinner. I kissed Liam and said a cursory ‘Hello’ to the others, then went to the kitchen to get my plate from the oven. Even though the family had finished their meal, they sat with me while I ate. Liam put his hand to the back of my neck automatically and rubbed small loving circles with his thumb to soothe me. Works every time.

“Did you get everything sorted for Derek?” Papi asked.

“Yep the kid is deaf, he came from Arkansas to find his Uncle. His parents had kicked him out because he’s gay. I thank God for you guys every day, I’m not sure I’d cope without you three.”

“Awww… that’s lovely, you big brown noser,” Ollie said laughing.

“Shaddup! Jackass!” I laughed.

“Language!” Mom, Papi, and Dad said at the same time.

“Well, don’t leave us hanging did you find his Uncle?” Katherine asked excitedly.

“Yep, we did. He and his husband came to the shelter and picked him up. It was weird seeing a big burly man weep like a baby when he saw his nephew.” I said sullenly.

Oliver laughed, “Yeah! It would be like watching one of the coaches cry…” he paused, “that would be weird huh!”

“Exactly!” I said opening my eyes wide, to see if they got what I was saying. Looking around the table, nope, not one of them. I went back to eating my dinner and remained silent. Surely one of them would get it they are all smarter than me.

“Holy shit! Are you kidding?” Oliver said in shock.

“I can’t say, it would be inappropriate for me to say I saw Coach Ferrige that upset.” And then shoveled more food into my mouth. “I’d offer some of my clothes I don’t wear anymore to Beau he’s about my size, although he looks undernourished. But I can’t do that now can I?” I shoveled more food into my mouth. Liam pulled me to him and gave me a hug. “So what did the cops do, my guess would be not a lot.”

“Because it’s such a colossal mess, the crime scene techs will be going over the house for the next couple of days. They don’t know what they’ll find. We’ve been told we can’t go back to the house until they give the all-clear because it’s a crime scene, and due to the amount of damage it’s a criminal case. If they can find out who broke in and let everyone else into the party, they will be charged with… I can’t remember what he said, but they will be charged and prosecuted. I’ve called the insurance company, and when they get the all clear, they are going to send in an assessor and then the cleaning crew and whoever else they need to fix the damages. We will receive a check for all the clothes, furniture, white goods and unfortunately, a lot of your tools were stolen, Babe. I’ve been assured they are covered by the insurance since they were locked up.” Liam went silent waiting for my reaction.

I pushed my plate away from me as my appetite had suddenly left the room.

“I’m going for a shower,” I stood from my seat and went to the bathroom. As soon as I closed the door and ran the water I collapsed sitting on the edge of the bath and cried. I can’t believe this has actually happened. Liam had entered the bathroom without my knowing, his big strong arms wrapped around me. He hugged me within an inch of my life or breathing capability. His hand rubbed my back and one holding my neck securing my head to his chest. Liam held me like that until I had no tears left. He then undressed me and put me in the shower and cleaned me up. He’d brought me in a pair of Dad’s pajama bottoms to wear to bed.

When our folks heard about what happened, they went and got a couple of reasonable queen size foam mattresses, we would be sleeping on the floor of our old room until we could go back home. I feel horrible for Katherine and Oliver, I hope they are going to be fine. Once we were all laying on our mattreses, surrounded by the darkness, none of us could sleep.

I sighed, “I’m so sorry about all of this guys,”

“You are in no way responsible for any of this Will, your Dad is lending all of us the money to go shopping tomorrow and get some clothes until the insurance comes in. The rest we can all sort out later.” Katherine murmured in the dark.

“I hope you guys are okay with us getting a dog because we are getting one. A fucking big one, with big teeth and a giant big bark. At least it will be a puppy and grow with the baby. Because having a dog will help me feel safer and maybe an alarm system with a back to base option.” I said.

“Yes!” Liam was pumped his fist in the air – he was getting his dog. “I’m so ringing Tracy tomorrow, I want one of them big boofheads. You two can pick your own breed if you want a dog or get a rescue. I don’t mind us having two, just remember we’ll be responsible for our own mutts.” Liam kissed my ear with a big slobbery lip smack, “Thank you, Babe,” then he proceeded to sing, “I’m so excited, I just can’t hide it. I’m about to lose control, and I think I like it.” We all laughed, “Hey Babe, we should celebrate. Since we are getting a dog, get on your hands and knees.”

“Gross,” Katherine said with a laugh.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!...” chuckling, “Apples! Apples! Owwww… Apples! I give.” Liam groused.

A pillow came through the darkness and hit Liam in the face, I’m not sure where it came from. Hmm… Weird…

<>-<>-<>

“Hey kids, I’ve spoken with the insurance company. The good news is they are covering the full whack covered under the policy for clothes. The bad news is they won’t release any funds until the investigation is over. You’ve each been granted the maximum of $7,500 to replace your clothes, shoes, and accessories. You know belts, scarves and so on. Papi and I can’t afford to help you with that amount, unfortunately, but we can give you guys $2000 each which should be enough to get you started for now. We’ll recoup it from the insurance money.

“I know you have a lot to replace, but make sure you get at the very least underwear and winter jackets. And boys don’t forget your baseball cleats, jocks, and cup. Your training starts next week. And get at least one nice outfit each. Boys can I suggest a sports coat, tie, decent pants and a good pair of shoes. That’s probably $500 on its own. For your regular everyday wear, see if you can make do with a couple pair of jeans and some t-shirts or button downs. Maybe some Henleys or something, just try and do cheap for now. And don’t forget your jammies and thermals.” Dad said snickering to the latter.

We, of course, all rolled our eyes, “Now we can get you those cool Superman PJ’s like Benny had,” I said laughing to Liam.

“Do you think they have ‘em in my size?” Liam asked, his eyes lighting up. I’m a little frightened I can’t tell if he’s playing along or serious.

“Katherine sweetheart, Liam was smart enough to cover baby clothes in the policy. I’ll give you a couple of hundred for now to get some onesie’s, blankets and things for now. I’ve also spoken with your Mom, Oliver. She is going to bring over some photos of the christening gown I know she had already given you kids. We’ll find a tailor or dressmaker and see if we can get it replicated since nearly all the children in your family have been christened in it.” Papi said to Ollie and Katherine.

“Wow, I forgot about that. How mad is she?” Oliver asked. “I didn’t even tell them this had happened yesterday, she’s going to be furious with me.”

“I’ve talked her off the ledge, granted she wasn’t happy you didn’t tell her yourself. But I calmed her and said you were in shock yesterday and planned on going over there for dinner tonight and tell them all about it. Sorry about that, but it’s the right thing to do in any case.”

“Oh! Thanks for covering for me Uncle Bill. I just didn’t have the heart to tell them yesterday, and I didn’t want them insisting we move back home. I don’t know why, but I kind of like living with these two idiots and I don’t want Katherine, and I stuck in the house with my younger brothers and sister. Too claustrophobic.” Ollie muttered then his whole body shivered at the very thought.

<>-<>-<>

“Let’s take all of this back to the truck before we get something to eat,” Liam suggested. All four of us were ladened with bags.

“Here give Liam and me all the bags, and we’ll run them out to the truck. You guys get us a table at Chili’s or TGI Friday. Text and let us know which to come back to.” I uttered, exhausted, “I need to sit, and the food court is too loud and overloaded with people.” Ollie and Katherine handed over their purchases, held hands and wandered off. Liam and I must have looked ridiculous with all the bags we had.

As we passed Verizon on the way back into the mall, I saw Coach Campbell standing outside the shop. We went to him, I wanted to know how it was going with Beau.

“Hey Coach, how is Beau doing?” I asked as we approached, he looked right through me until he realized who I was.

He chuckled, “Sorry, I was in a world of my own. It was a beautiful place, no angry husband or scared and upset teenager.”

“That good huh?” I said sadly.

“Oh, sorry I’m not complaining. He’s a good kid – Beau, I mean. But his parents are not friendly people and that poor kid is scared and probably feels alone. I’m not sure what to do, I just want to help.” The coach said sullenly.

“Speak with Derek, he handles this kind of thing on a day to day basis,” I suggested.

“You’re probably right. Sorry again, I shouldn’t have said anything to you guys you’re my students.” He said wiping his hand over his face.

“You guys are also family to us, outside of school. We’re here to help if you need anything,” Liam assured him.

“I wish we could send some of the other kids at school to you guys for human decency lessons.” He smiled.

Mine and Liam’s faces were bright red at this point. “So what are you doing, besides standing outside the store looking creepy?”

Coach laughed out loud, “And there’s the mouth we love so much.” Coach Ferrige and Beau walked out of the store with their heads together looking at a phone, “we came to get a phone for Beau and some school stuff. We had the Principal over last night, she’s agreed to trial a program for integrating the hearing impaired into everyday classes at the school. He won’t be able to start for another week though until a tentative program is in place.”

“Hey, guys, what are you two delinquents up to?” Coach Ferrige asked.

“We’re here replacing our clothes that were ruined, all four of us only have the clothes we took to Florida. Insurance is covering the loss, and Dad’s given us a head start as we have no clothes really. We were just about to get some lunch and meet back up with Katherine and Oliver. If you guys are done for now, Beau could come with us. Meet Kat and Ollie, we’ll drop him home after we’ve eaten.”

Liam’s phone pinged.

Liam handed me his phone, so I texted back while he talked with the Coaches and Beau. Who introduced them. Liam was struggling through, with the signing he knew and Coach Ferrige cleaning it up as they conversed.

From: Ollie

Message: Chili’s Dude. With Pat and Sha as well as Michael and his girlfriend (You won’t believe who it is). Ordered nacho’s, wings and bread so far and a root for you guys.

To: Ollie

Message: Cool be 5 mins, we’re also bringing a date so a table for nine I guess. And root???

From: Ollie

Message: Root beer, I’ve never met a dumber smartphone. See you in 5. I’ll get them to add a chair.

I finished texting and handed Liam back his phone. “They are at Chili’s,” I murmured.

“Do you two promise to take care of Beau?” Coach Ferrige asked sternly.

“Of course, we’re already old friends,” I said smiling at Beau, who smiled back.

“Okay then,” Coach said and handed Beau fifty dollars. Who had a grin from ear-to-ear. He hugged both his Uncles and waved to them as he followed us.

We made our way to Chili’s, and the hostess took us to the table.

“What the HELL is she doing here?” I asked rudely.

“C’mon Jen this is a bad idea,” Michael stood and gave me a filthy look. Jen grabbed his hand and pulled him back in his seat and then stood herself.

She took a deep breath and looked me in the eye, “Will, I want to say I’m sorry for the way I acted and how I treated you. It was cruel, unkind and unnecessary. I’m not homophobic in any way, I promise, I was hurt and angry. I’m truly sorry you were physically hurt from my behavior and will never forgive myself for that. If you are uncomfortable with me being here, I will leave. No hard feelings I promise.” Jen said sincerely. I could tell she was truly sorry.

I paused for a minute, I didn’t want to make it too easy for her, “Fine, sit down. I accept your apology.” She didn’t sit though, Jen moved around the table and gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, “Thank you Will!”

“You’re welcome, now let's eat I’m worn out and starving,” I said smiling at her. She once again sat down next to Michael, who put his arm around her shoulder and whispered something in her ear to which she nodded her head and smiled at him. Everyone deserves a second chance, it couldn’t have been easy for her to apologize in front of all of my friends being outnumbered like that. I know it’s been a long time since she did what she did, but my guess is Jen probably had wanted to do that for a long time. Being with Michael had probably given her the courage to do it. It’s too hard to hate, and she seems genuine, so I’ll give her another chance. Liam kissed my temple and squeezed my hand, basically telling me I’m a good boy and he’s proud of me.

Liam introduced Beau to the table, then called the server over so Beau could order a drink and we could all order lunch mains. Chandra and her girlfriend popped in to say a quick Hello, they saw Liam, and I walk into the restaurant. We spent the next two hours eating and chatting and generally making a nuisance of ourselves to the servers. Ah! Fun.

<>-<>-<>

“Momma! Check this one out,” Liam giggled from the grass where he sat, surrounded by five Bull Arab puppies climbing all over him and holding one up while it tried to lick his face.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Mom asked.

“Umm…” He lifted the dog so he could look underneath, “It’s a girl,” Liam pulled the puppy to his chest and kissed her head and cooed baby talk at her, “You’re a pretty little girl, aren’t ya? Yes, you are,” the puppy was all white with a brindle patch surrounding her right eye and another big oval on her left side in the same color. She is a beauty.

I have a gorgeous little boy puppy, all brindle, who has fallen asleep in my arms, I didn’t have the heart to put him down he looks so comfy. Mom came up next to me and was inspecting the little boy in my arms.

“I think you found your own fur baby there, Will,” Mom said as she gently petted his head.

“It’s okay, I’ll let Liam pick which puppy he wants,” I replied smiling. I really do like this sweet boy though, he’s so cute and came straight to me when the owners brought us to the puppy pen.

“Babe, can we have them all?” Liam whined.

“NO!” Mom and I said together laughing.

“Maybe you should get one too, Momma,” Liam said to his Mom with a cheeky grin on his face, he picked up another puppy and held it out to her, “How can you say no to this cute face,”

Mom took the puppy from Liam and cuddled it, “What would I do with this precious thing,”

“Love it, cuddle it, snuggle with it, ” Liam said giving her puppy dog eyes and showing her what to do with the puppy.

“I’ll come around and snuggle with yours,” Mom said and put the puppy back on the grass.

The owner of the animals came back out to us, “Have you decided on a puppy?” he said with a smile.

Liam got up from the ground with his puppy, “Yes please, we’ll take this one and the one using Will as a bed,”

“Oh Baby, we can’t have two,” I said shaking my head.

“Yeah! We can, Ollie and Kat don’t want a dog, and we would have had two if they did so we can get two puppies. She’ll need someone to play with while we are at school.” Liam said excitedly trying to sell me on two.

I sighed, “Fine, I don’t think I could give this little guy back anyway,”

“Yep, we’ll take these two please,” Liam reached into his pocket and gave the man his money.

He gave us the records for the puppy shots, license paperwork and microchip papers we need to fill in and send off once we had decided on names for them. He also gave us information for puppy school and then a training program for further training.

We stopped at the pet store and got food, dog beds, collars, leashes and some treats. On the way home, we tried to come up with names.

“Well we have a boy and girl puppy, what do you want to call them Babe,” Liam asked.

“I don’t know, Mac and Cheese,” I said laughing so did Mom and Liam. It became stupid after that, we all through names around.

“Sonny and Cher,”

“Captain and Teneal,”

“Pink and George Strait,”

“Uh-uh and No”

Mom and Liam laughed, “That’s probably going to be their names for the first few months.”

“Peanut-butter and Jelly,”

“Jelly Bean and Twizzler,”

“Bacon and Pancakes,”

“Mustard and Ketchup,”

“Batman and Robyn, cos it can be a girl's name too.”

“Archie and Veronica,”

“Ross and Rachel,”

“Bonnie and Clyde,”

“Ooh! Captain Peacock and Mr. Humphreys, because a captain could be a female.”