Not Done Yet - 21. Morning Light

Morning Light

Casey woke to the sound of dishes clattering and soft voices downstairs. The smells of breakfast cooking reminded him of his first morning in this house, but this morning, he woke up to find James’ arms wrapped around him and their legs tangled together. He smiled, feeling James wedged into the cleft of his backside. He breathed a sigh and nestled in a little tighter.

James must have felt him move, because he took a deep breath and squeezed Casey tight before nibbling his ear and humping hard against him. Casey turned in James’ arms to face him. Brushing the hair out of James’ face, he leaned in to kiss him on the forehead, and the nose, and finally, the lips. He wrapped his arms around James and gently squeezed. James snuggled a little closer and practically purred, “I never want this to end.”

“Babe, this is just the beginning, but I’m hungry, and I’d rather face Jim and Carol downstairs than have Carol come up here to get us.”

“You make a good point. Besides, I’ve gotta pee. Come on; let’s get dressed and go downstairs.” James pecked Casey on the nose, rolled out of bed, and padded into the bathroom, his erection pointing the way. Casey was enjoying the show and James’ bare butt had all of his attention. He was wrapped up in the sight until he noticed the tent he’d pitched under the sheets.

He groaned a little and stretched in the bed, but the touch of the sheets made him even harder. Throwing back the covers, he slid off the bed and pulled the linens into place, then followed James to the bathroom.

They took turns at the toilet and the sink, then both guys pulled on the clothes they’d worn the night before. They looked as sharp walking down the stairs together as they had the night before, walking around town. Only their shoes were missing. James’ voice cracked a little and betrayed him as he slowed on the steps. “Do you think they heard us last night? What should I say?”

Casey stopped and reached out for James’ hand. “’Good morning’ seems like a good start.” He pulled James in and brushed his lips with his own. He smiled warmly and pulled James along with him.

Turning to the last flight of stairs, there was a click and a flash, as Carol took their picture together, hand in hand. Without a word, she scurried into the kitchen. The boys froze on the steps, a little unsure of their reception, until they faced each other and smirked. James squeezed Casey’s hand and whispered in his ear, “The cat’s out of the bag. Let’s go eat.”

They walked into the kitchen, blushing. Casey’s arm was around James’ waist, and James had his hand in Casey’s hip pocket when another flash of light hit them. This time, Jim was the one who took their picture as the boys gave each other a squeeze. Jim smiled at the photo on his phone, showed it to Carol, and said, “Honey, you got a good shot of James, but I think this one of Casey’s even better.”

While Carol loaded platters with food, she looked at the boys and grinned at Jim. “That’s just because Casey looks so cute when he blushes. And considering where James’ hand is, I can guess where that smirk came from.”

“MOM!”

“CASEY!” Carol said with a playful smile. “Both of you, sit down and let’s eat. Food’s getting cold. Casey, get your boy a cup of coffee, please. He looks like he’s still half asleep. James, why don’t you sit next to me?” Carol patted the seat, and when James sat down, she pulled him into a one-arm hug, and said quietly, “Welcome to the family. Your mother and I had a long talk, and there are no secrets here.”

James smiled gratefully, and replied just as quietly, “Thanks, Carol. You’re got no idea how much that means to me.”

Casey set a cup of coffee in front of James, and another at the empty place at the counter, before he sat down. Sitting where he was, next to James, he was facing Jim and Carol. They were watching him and James expectantly. He reached over and set his hand over James’ and held it firmly, barely trembling at all, while he looked Jim and Carol in the eye. He sighed, looked at James, smiled, and said to his foster parents, “Mom, Dad, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, James.”

Both boys’ eyes were shining bright as they sat there, hand in hand, waiting for a reaction, hoping for the best. Carol didn’t say a word, but she reached out and squeezed James’ other hand where it rested on the counter.

Jim stood and reached past Carol to clap James on the shoulder. He smiled and said, “Welcome to the family, James. Have some breakfast and don’t be shy. I’ll hug the stuffing out of you after we eat.”

Once plates were filled, and everybody had taken the first edge off their hunger, Jim cleared his throat. “You know, normally, I wouldn’t notice, but it’s a father’s duty to take an interest in his son’s friends, and James, you look hot as hell. It’s no wonder our boy’s so smitten with you. You two belong on a magazine cover together.”

James dropped his head and blushed. Then he looked over at Casey and asked, “Smitten?”

Casey brought James’ hand to his lips and kissed the fingers. ‘Yeh.”

A bell rang, and Carol got up to pull some cinnamon rolls from the oven. Between dropping them in the basket on the counter, she looked up at Casey and winked, then turned to James. “I don’t recognize those clothes Casey has on. Did he get those from you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You know, they sure fit him well. I wouldn’t think you wore the same size.”

James squirmed a little before he admitted, “Um, about that… When Casey told me he was going to replace my truck bed, I told him it was too much, but he insisted. I didn’t feel right accepting, so I went shopping for him, just to even things up a little. That’s how I had the stuff in his size. I’m sorry, Case, but I wanted to show you off last night, too.”

“Well, everything is perfect. Thanks. So, does that mean I can keep the clothes?”

James had a glint in his eye, and the corners of his mouth were twitching. “Unless I find another boyfriend who wears the same size; I’ll let you know if I need them back.”

Casey acted shocked, and dropping to his knees, he cried out melodramatically, “Babe! What happened to ‘You’ll be my only?’ Were those just words?” His hands were clutched against his chest.

James squatted down, looked Casey in the eye, and brushed his hair back. He smiled and took Casey’s hands and pressed them between his own. “Yes, Casey, those were only words, and words have no power by themselves. But I’ll give life to them, and I’ll make them true, every day of my life.”

Casey stroked James’ cheek. His eyes were shining. “Yesterday was just the beginning, stud. And I’ll say the same to you. You’re my first, and you’ll be my only. You’re mine, and you’re worth everything.”

The flash from the camera on Carol’s phone went off, just as the two boys’ lips met, and went off twice more as they rose to their feet. They laughed as they kissed, and Carol laughed as she showed the photos to her husband.

Jim crossed the room to where Casey held James, and pulled them gently apart just far enough to draw James in and squeeze him tight. Carol stepped toward Casey, but she stopped when her phone rang. Answering it, she listened for a few seconds, then handed the phone to Casey, who looked confused. Then he saw the caller i.d. and went pale.

Shaken, he answered, “Hello?”

James, looking at him, pulled loose from Jim’s embrace, and whispered, “What is it?” But Casey’s attention was all on the cell in his hand, and held up the other hand to ask for quiet.

He listened quietly for a minute, though it seemed like longer, then softly stated, “Thank you,” and disconnected. In a daze, he handed the phone back to Carol, and walked to the back door and stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind him.

James, who had just been wrapped in a warm embrace a moment earlier, looked back and forth between Carol and Jim, bewildered. “What…?”

Carol walked over to James and took his hand. “That was the warden at the prison. Casey’s father is dead.”