A Decision for Jarren - 31. Chapter 31

The evening turned into a true welcome party for both Liam and Nash. They were both enfolded into the inner circle of the family that had chosen each other. Keon was finally starting to come around and Lex said later on that he had never seen Keon smile and laugh so much as he did that night.

Cassie dragged out the karaoke machine that she had bought for Lex and Ian’s wedding and regardless of singing ability she made everyone take a turn. Jarren was declared the worst of the group, he was told to limit his caterwauling to the car and the shower, even though he really wasn’t that bad. Nash was a pleasant surprise and he actually could give Cassie a run for her money. He belted out the lyrics to Disturb’s version of “Sound of Silence”, originally done by Simon and Garfunkel. Jarren much preferred Disturb’s version and Nash’s baritone was perfect for the song choice.

At one point Liam and Keon pulled Nash and Cassie aside and they all disappeared for nearly half an hour. When they came back, Cassie commandeered the karaoke machine and said that it was Liam and Keon’s choice.

The next thing that everyone heard was the opening guitar riffs of “Paradise by the Dashboard Lights” by Meatloaf. Nash took the lead guy part and Cassie was the girl part. Most surprising and funnier than all hell was Liam and Keon singing the back up ‘ooo chop chop, ooo chop chop’ parts, although with them it was a mix of ooo chop chop and ooo shop shop, they couldn’t make up their minds it seemed. John was almost on the floor laughing at their antics as they backed up Nash and Cassie. Those two hammed it up almost as much, especially when Liam took the part of the baseball announcer. By the end of the song, they were having a hard time trying not to laugh as they faded out the repetitive lines:

‘It was long ago and it was far away (it never felt so good, it never felt so right)

And it was so much better that it is today (and we were glowing like, a metal on the edge of a knife)’

When the last note faded away, Jarren, Lex, Ian, Mazen and John whooped, hollared and shouted out their approval. Liam self-crowned them Karaoke Champions Supreme.

Nash managed to hop over to Jarrren on his crutches, out of breath and slightly sweaty, and flopped down on the chair next to him and said “Blame Liam, he coerced us all into that little performance.”

“You were amazing. I’m happy to know that all it takes is two beers to loosen you up enough to get sucked into karaoke.” Jarren laughed.

“It was fun. It’s been too long since I’ve done anything even remotely like that. I like your friends, they’re good people.” admitted Nash.

Cassie came over with a bottle of water for Nash, which he took gratefully. She sat on the metal foot stool in front of them and asked “So what’s the next step for you guys? Have you started the foster application process yet?”

Jarren replied, “We talked with Ryan earlier this week and he recommended that we get all the paperwork filled out and he’ll submit it for us as soon as we start working again. Which for me will be another three or four weeks. I have to have another MRI in two weeks to make sure the bruising is pretty much gone. My headaches have subsided quite a bit. I haven’t had a really bad one in a couple of weeks. Nash just needs medical clearance as well. Ryan seems to think that we should be able to get Liam switched over to us by the end of July at the earliest. I’m hoping it will be before school starts up. Then we have to wait six months before we can apply for the adoption.”

Mazen had come over to join Cassie as Jarren was explaining the process and he interjected, “So, are you guys going to get married first or wait?”

Massachusetts did not require that adults looking to adopt a child be married, but it certainly helped, and it cuts down on paperwork further on down the line.

Nash looked at Jarren before answering “We probably will, we’ve been so busy with the move and everything, we haven’t really had time to think about it.”

Cassie smiled, and with a gleam in her eye, said “But you are engaged, right? Like officially?”

“Yes, Cassie, we’re engaged. But you know that already. Don’t think I don’t already know that either Lex or Mazen told you that Nash proposed before we left Georgia.” Jarren informed her.

Cassie loved teasing Jarren and confirmed “Of course I knew, I just wanted to yank your chain. But really though, why didn’t you guys say anything earlier?” asked Cassie.

“I guess we’ve just been a little busy.” answered Jarren.

“Did you set a date yet?” Cassie inquired.

“Nope, not yet.” was Jarren’s reply. “Again, we’ve been busy.”

Cassie leaned over and whispered something to Mazen. He looked at her and said “Really?” She nodded. “Well, it’s OK with me.” he assured her.

Cassie’s head whipped back toward Jarren and Nash and she had quite a shit eating grin on her face and announced “You’re getting married when we do. We’ll have a double wedding. Hell, it will make things a lot easier for your family. They’ll only have to travel once.”

Jarren looked at Nash in surprise. Nash asked “When are you guys getting married?”

“September 28th.” said Cassie. “Most of the planning is already done, so all we would need to do is include Nash’s invites to the guest list and you would need to pick out something to wear. Mazen is getting a penguin suit, so I would suggest you do the same.”

Somehow that sounded like a non-negotiable command when Cassie said it. Nash snickered and had to avert his eyes so he wouldn’t bust out laughing.

“I don’t know Cass, we’ll think about it OK. I’d like to talk it over with Nash, and get Liam’s input as well. We’d want him to be part of the ceremony too.” Jarren told her.

Mazen interjected at this point saying “Jarren, I for one, would be honored for you and Nash to share our wedding day. There is no one else in the world who means as much to me as you do. Just one more thing we can say that we’ve done together. Besides, it would give us family bragging rights. Mom’ll cry a river and we can say that it was all because of us!”

Jarren laughed and Mazen joined in. The bond between the brothers was tight and Jarren knew that as long as it was OK with Nash and Liam, he would be saying ‘I do’ with his brother standing up for him, as he returned the favor.

Nash was the one who interrupted this time and told Jarren, “I have no problem with the date. As a matter of fact, it’s sooner than I imagined, and that would make me extremely happy. Let’s just ask Liam now. Then Cassie can stop looking like she’s about to pee herself.”

Cassie was bouncing up and down like an excited puppy that just woke up from a nap. She yelled “Liam! C’mere!”

Liam whipped his head around at the sound of her shout and wheeled himself over to where they were. By this time the whole group was gathered around. Cassie, ever blunt and to the point, asked Liam “Is it OK with you if Jarren and Nash get married when Mazen and I do? It’s September 28th.”

Liam merely shrugged his shoulders and replied “Sure, whatever they want is OK with me.

Cassie laughed, “It’s settled then!”

Jarren looked at Nash and commented “Why do I have a feeling we just got blindsided?”

“We did, but in a good way.” Nash answered.

Ian disappeared into the house and when he returned he was carrying a half sheet cake that was lit ablaze with twenty-seven candles, all dripping wax onto the icing. He carefully placed the cake on the table in front of Cassie and Lex. A rousing chorus of the Happy Birthday song was sung and Cassie beat Lex to the punch and blew out the candles before the song was even over. Lex retaliated by swiping some of the icing and smeared it on her cheek. Mazen stepped in quickly and rescued the cake before those two could start a food fight.

The evening wound down somewhere around midnight. Liam and Keon had enjoyed watching the adults banter and tease each other all night. True to his word, Lex made sure the alcohol consumption was kept in the buzzed category and even Cassie was relatively sober-ish at the end of the night. Mazen, Cassie and John packed it in and bade the rest of the group goodnight. It was but a short walk across the street to their new house and Cassie informed Lex and Ian that they’d be back in the morning for breakfast.

By twelve-thirty Keon and Liam had retreated to their respective rooms and both were sound asleep shortly after. One of the couches on the enclosed porch converted to a queen bed and Lex had made sure it was already made. He tossed a couple of pillows their way and it wasn’t long before Jarren and Nash were cuddled up together and Lex and Ian were able to head to their room to retire as well.

Jarren sighed contentedly as he rested his head against Nash. “Are you good with getting married in September?”

Nash smiled in the low glow coming from the streetlight near the end of the driveway. “I’m more than good with it. It makes perfect sense. I don’t really care for a big to-do, but if it means I get to make you mine, officially, all that much sooner, then I’m in. How about you?”

“Ditto,” replied Jarren. “Mom’s gonna shit a brick when we tell her, but she’ll be on board. That woman loves a big family gathering.”

Jarren yawned, causing Nash to yawn as well. They both closed their eyes and let sleep overtake them. Cassie had already warned them that she would be back in the morning and knowing her she’d probably be there before the rooster even started to crow. Jarren hoped that Mazen could put a leash on her.

The crew staying at Lex and Ian’s house lucked out, as Cassie didn’t show up until ten o’clock. Jarren had just emerged from the bathroom and Nash had just gone in. Coffee had been started and Jarren laughed when Cassie discovered the door to Lex and Ian’s bedroom was locked. She banged on the door and yelled at them to get the hell out of bed. Jarren heard a muffled reply and the sound of something that was reminiscent of a shoe, hitting the closed door.

Cassie strolled into the kitchen and announced “Lex and Ian should be here soon.” She then greeted Jarren and Nash, both of whom wished her a Happy Birthday and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Cassie thanked them and proceeded to take charge, giving marching orders to each man as to what she needed to get done in order to get breakfast started.

By the time Lex and Ian appeared, as well as Liam and Keon, both of whom had been woken up by the yelling outside their doors, breakfast was ready. Cassie, Jarren and Nash had managed to make a decent sized stack of pancakes, an egg casserole with bacon and sausage, as well as a batch of biscuits for anyone who didn’t want pancakes.

Breakfast that morning was a noisy affair, basically a continuation of last night’s good natured ribbing and fun. Mazen and John had gotten out of the breakfast preparations by not wandering over until they were sure there was food on the table. Cassie looked her fiance straight in the eye and told him that he and John would be on clean up duty. Jarren laughed at the look on Mazen’s face. Cassie was better than their Dad could ever hope to be at catching Mazen slacking off. John just nodded. He already knew better than to question Cassie.

As soon as everything was cleaned up Cassie announced that she needed to head home and get her stuff together for her trip to Boston. Jarren asked Liam if he would like to meet his parents. Liam agreed readily when Keon told him that he would be leaving in a little while to go to Ian’s parents house.

Cassie and Mazen soon departed and Cassie promised to be back to corrupt her newest minion as soon as she could. Once they were gone, things quieted down as they always did when Cassie was out of the picture.

Jarren called his Mom and let her know that they would be over after they stopped at his house to show Liam where he would eventually be living. John’s flight back to Atlanta wasn’t until almost eight o’clock so they would have plenty of time to visit Jarren’s parents before needing to bring John back to Bradley Airport.

Once John had made sure he had everything, he asked Jarren, Nash, Lex and Ian to sit down with him for a few minutes so he could go over the last details of Liam’s transfer. John gave them the information they needed and the people who would need to be contacted in order to transfer Liam’s medical and school records. Thankfully, in today’s day and age all of the records could be transferred electronically. He did, however, give them a copy of Liam’s birth certificate and no one commented on the fact that the father’s name merely stated ‘unknown’. There was also the matter of Liam’s mother’s estate, such as it was. Physically there wasn’t very much she had in assets. Her car had been paid for and the insurance company had cut a check for the vehicle and it was placed in escrow pending the finalization of the estate. She had no will, and by default Liam was the only known living relative and would receive the totality of her assets once it went through the court system. She did have a small life insurance policy in which Liam was the sole beneficiary. It would probably be enough to get him through college if he chose to go.

John also gave them the name of the lawyer who was handling all of the legal stuff for Liam. The accident had been another driver’s fault and the insurance companies were still working out the settlement details. The other driver’s insurance company was balking at having to pay out damages even though the driver had been cited and there was video proof from a traffic cam showing that the other driver ran a red light.

Jarren stated that he would call their attorney, Grant Markham, and see if he would be willing to take over Liam’s case. That would make things a little easier for them, not having to deal with two separate lawyers and offices. John went over Liam’s medical information and let them know that Liam had seen his ear, nose and throat specialist a few days ago and he seemed to think that Liam’s issue with his balance had vastly improved and he had recommended that Liam be evaluated by an orthopedic doctor. Jarren told John that they were on top of it and already had an appointment with Dr. Corten in a few weeks when Nash had his follow up.

Once everything had been covered John thanked the four men for taking care of Liam and reiterated how happy he was for him. Lex and Ian told him it was no problem. They considered Jarren family and family took care of its own. John gathered up his stuff, making sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind and before long they were ready to head out to Jarren’s house and then his parent’s.

They stopped at Jarren and Nash’s home and Liam absolutely loved his bedroom and bathroom, even though his bedroom was empty at the moment. The only thing that Jarren and Nash had done was paint it a bluish-gray color that Liam had picked out. They spent about fifteen minutes there showing Liam around. He would have plenty of time to get used to the place.

The ride to the Dalton homestead wasn’t long and soon enough they were pulling into the driveway. There was no ramp at the house and there were four steps to get up to the door so Jarren gave Liam a piggyback ride into the house while John carried his chair in. As soon as Liam was settled in his chair Jarren’s mom pounced. Jarren couldn’t do a thing to stop her as he was helping Nash as he hopped up the stairs on his crutches,

“Oh my! Aren’t you such a handsome young man Liam. I’m Maggie, but you can call me Grandma. I am so happy you’re here! Is it OK if I get a hug?” Maggie gushed.

Liam blushed and nodded and was immediately enfolded in Maggie’s embrace as she leaned down to hug him. Liam hesitated at first, but quickly relaxed as soon as he realized how long it had been since he had felt a really genuine ‘Mom’ hug. He hugged her back tightly and a single tear slid down his cheek.

Maggie pulled away and seeing the tear she wiped it away with her thumb and smiled at him. “You’ll always miss her Liam, but never forget that you are a part of her, and that means that a part of her will always be with you. Now, come on into the kitchen with me and you can help me with the appetizers.”

“Ahem,” Bill coughed. “Excuse my wife, but every new grandkid seems to kick Grandpa another notch down on the family totem pole. Liam, I’m Bill. You can call me Bill or you can call me Grandpa, just don’t call me late for dinner.”

Everyone groaned at the lamest Dad joke in the book. Liam shook Bill’s hand and told them both, “It’s great to meet you too. Jarren told me you were nice and this time it actually looks like he got something right.” Liam said.

Everyone except Jarren laughed. He mere shot Liam a look that said he’d pay him back later. The kid was a total scamp. Liam followed Maggie into the kitchen and the rest of the guys headed out to the deck out back. The weather was perfect, especially for a holiday weekend. Jarren went back into the house and returned shortly with a cooler stocked with some beer and water. He gave Nash and John a beer and his Dad took a water. Jarren grabbed a water for himself too. Now that Liam was here he had decided that there would be no alcohol consumption if he had to any driving at all. They talked about the Red Sox and how so far they seemed to be doing pretty well. It wasn’t long before Liam and Maggie came to the sliding glass door. Liam had a couple of bags of chips and two covered plastic containers of dip on his lap and Jarren got up to help him get his chair up over the threshold of the sliding glass doors. They would need to install a threshold ramp here too. Maggie followed with a platter of cheese and crackers. She put it on the table under the big umbrella and went back in the house to get the bowl of fruit salad.

The next few hours were spent with Liam and his new grandparents getting to know each other. Maggie did most of the talking and she gave Liam the rundown of who everyone was in the family. She was ecstatic when Jarren told her that there was going to be a double wedding.

Robbie had decided at the last minute to go camping up in Vermont for the weekend with some friends, but Maggie assured Liam he’d get to meet everyone soon. Liam was comfortable enough that he was able to tell them more about what his life was like before the accident.

Jarren and Nash were amazed by how resilient Liam was. Liam told them about how hard his mom had worked to provide for him, but had to miss so much of his life because of it. He told them that he appreciated his mom so much because of what she gave up for him, but he wished that she had been able to spend more time with him. He said he would have gladly given up sports if it meant his mom didn’t have to work so much. Jarren gave Nash a look and in an unspoken agreement, they knew that they would make sure that they didn’t miss any important events in Liam’s life unless they couldn’t help it.

Midafternoon Bill decided to fire up the grill. It wasn’t a holiday weekend without a barbeque! Maggie shooed her boys into the yard and told them to teach Liam how to play horseshoes. Jarren and John were able to carry Liam and his chair down the four steps to the grass and Liam wheeled himself across the fairly flat lawn to the far end of the yard where a horseshoe pit lay parallel to the back fence. Liam caught on quickly and with deceptive strength in his skinny little arms from pushing his wheelchair around he managed to help John almost defeat Jarren and Nash in a best two out of three match. In the end Jarren pulled off a ringer for the win. After Liam’s smart ass remark earlier, there was no way Jarren would let the kid beat him. Yes, childish, but what the hell, he was only human. Somehow they both knew that today was the start of a good natured rivalry between them when it came to horseshoes.

They had just finished the third game when Maggie called for them to come in and get cleaned up. Jarren and Nash followed behind Liam as he rolled back across the lawn and Jarren stole a kiss from Nash before helping John get Liam’s chair back up on the deck. They let Liam use the bathroom first as he said he needed to pee. The downstairs bathroom was large enough for him to get his wheelchair in there and move around enough to do what he needed to do. Jarren, Nash and John washed their hands in the kitchen and then helped carry stuff out to the deck.

Bill had grill mastered a feast of hamburgers, hot dogs and boneless chicken. Maggie had made potato salad and regular salad. It was a little too early in the season for corn on the cob, that would have to wait until the July 4th barbeque. Jarren carried out a crockpot of Maggie’s homemade Boston baked beans.

Liam laughed as Jarren helped himself to a big spoonful of the beans and joked “I’m glad I don’t have to sleep at your place tonight, I’d need a gas mask!”

Jarren grabbed Liam’s spoon and scooped up some of the beans from the pot and held it up to Liam’s mouth and said “Taste.”

Liam chomped on the spoonful of beans and his eyes lit up as he swallowed the mouthful of beans. “Holy sh-schmokes! These are awesome! Think I should warn Keon, Lex and Ian?”

Jarren laughed and replied “Nope, all’s fair in love, war and bean farts!”

“Jarren!” Maggie admonished, as everyone else laughed.

It didn’t take long for them to make a decent dent in the food that had been laid out. Even though he had taken everyone’s hamburger and hot dog order, Bill always made a few extra because inevitably somebody would want another burger or dog. In this case it was Liam who wanted another burger and John ended up with a second hot dog. The beans had completely disappeared. Maggie’s recipe had been handed down through several generations and whenever it was served there were seldom any leftovers. For dessert Maggie had made an apple pie and a chocolate trifle. The trifle was alternating layers of crumbled chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, crushed double stuff Oreos, and a layer of cream cheese blended with Cool Whip and Bailey’s Irish Cream. Nash took one bite and never looked back, he didn’t even look at the apple pie. In short order he managed to wolf down two huge helpings of the heavenly concoction. Maggie told him that whenever anyone had a potluck she was instructed to bring chocolate trifle. She said she wasn’t allowed to show up with anything else. She said it was a shame because she had so many good recipes.

By five-thirty everything had been washed and put away. Jarren told his group that they needed to head out soon to get to the airport to drop John off. John thanked Bill and Maggie for their hospitality and they told him he was welcome in their home any time. They got Liam and his chair down to Lex’s SUV that they were still borrowing and once everyone and everything was loaded and buckled in, they were on their way. This time John sat in the back with Liam.

“So, Liam, what do you think of your new home so far?” John asked him.

Liam looked over at John and told him “When you first told me that this was really happening I almost didn’t believe you. I never thought I could be so lucky and find a couple to love me. I love Jarren and Nash and I can’t wait for it to be real. I have grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins now. I have Lex and Ian and Keon. John, I have family.” Tears slid down Liam’s face and John leaned over and hugged him. Liam smiled and wiped his face on his sleeve and continued, “So to answer your question. I love my new home.”

In the front seat both Jarren and Nash had heard every word. Nash turned around as much as his seatbelt would let him and said “We love you too Liam.”

“Welcome to the family.” Jarren added as he glanced in the rearview mirror at Liam’s happy face.

Once they got to the airport John gave Liam a big hug before getting out. He had already told him to call whenever he wanted and promised to come and visit and Liam made him pinky swear that he would come back for the wedding. Jarren had hopped out to get John’s bag from the back while John gave Nash a hug. As Jarren hugged John he told him “Thank you so much for everything. I don’t think you’ll really ever know how much this means to us.”

John pulled back and assured Jarren “I have a feeling I know exactly how you feel. Liam is one of those kids that just gets under your skin. I know he’s going to be one of my boys that I will always be in touch with. Take care of him.”

“We will.” Jarren promised. He watched as John disappeared into the terminal and then hustled back to the driver’s side before the State Police could shoo him along. Looking at Nash he smiled, then turned to Liam and asked “Are you ready to go home?”

Liam giggled and answered “Home James!” in a hokey, fake, really bad British accent, and then he farted.