“To fit yours and Erica’s story,” Max said with a knowing smirk. He had been the only one to ever read the poems, and at the time he had no idea who they were about, but now every guy here knew exactly who my declaration of love was for.
“Yeah.” I smiled and took another swig, happy about my decision to finally want to publish, but first I needed to show it to Erica and get her thoughts, and possibly add a few more poems before I sent it out to a few betas to read. “How have you and Alexa been?”
My question was directed at Max, knowing they had been a little more closed off than normal lately.
“We’ve been good, but Alexa has been down since the last adoption fell through.” Max confided in us that Alexa wasn’t able to have children, so they were adopting. It had been a bittersweet confession and the last I had heard anything, they were on their third try.
“Damn, man.” Greg shook his head.
“You guys trying?” Max asked Greg, trying to divert the conversation.
“Lilly likes it being just us for now. So, no kids in the future, which I’m fine with. She’s enough of a handful.” Greg laughed and shook his head. I knew thoughts of Lilly were running through his mind. He wasn’t wrong, she was a handful, but one that Greg could definitely handle. “But enough about me. Are you guys going to try again?”
All eyes went to Max. He lifted his beer and took a long drag before setting it down on the coffee table.
“If I tell you guys, youhaveto keep it a secret.”
“Scout’s honor,” Jack said for all of us and we each raised three fingers in solidarity.
“I’m doing this one on my own.”
“What do you mean?” I questioned Max.
“The agency found another candidate they thought would be a good fit for us, so I asked what all Alexa needed to be involved with, and because we had already done it twice before and the worker doing this case was the one we had on the first adoption, they said she would need minimal if at all no face time. I want to do this one for us. The last time we got the call that the adoption fell through, she wouldn’t stop crying for weeks. She told me how it was a sign she wasn’t supposed to be a mother and it broke my fucking heart.”
“Fuck, dude,” Jack said the words we were all thinking.
“So.” Max shrugged. “I’ve done the home visits, the questions, everything I can to get the approval for the adoption without Alexa. They only need her for the last leg, but he’s ours.”
“Wait.” Greg reached over to put his hand on Max’s shoulder. “He’s yours?”
Max beamed at all of us.
“Yeah. Apollo. I got the call yesterday that he’s ours. We just have one set of forms left and to meet him, but he’s ours. Signed on the dotted line.”
“Congratulations, man!” Jack jumped from the couch and headed to the kitchen where he came back with four shot glasses and a bottle of Patron.
“The hard stuff, really, Jack?” Max laughed at him.
“We’re celebrating and it’s not like we have anywhere to be tonight. You aren’t a father yet.” I winked at Max and grabbed the shot glasses, handing them to everyone.
“Speaking of celebrating, when is this wedding going down, Chase?” I looked at Max, who had an eyebrow raised in question. Erica and I hadn’t talked about when we were going to have the wedding, but if it was up to me, we would already be married, but I wanted her to have the wedding she wanted. She just wouldn’t fucking say what it was. I would love to give her all the bells and whistles, but that would take time, and time was not what I had in mind when it came to giving her my last name.
“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure she’s busy with the shoots she has booked these next few weeks. She has one in Savannah in just three weeks and I’m kind of excited to tag along on that one, show her where I grew up out of Atlanta, outside of my parents’ house.”
Greg started coughing, choking on the shot he was taking, but spewed out over the carpet.
“What the fuck!” Jack yelled at him and grabbed a few towels from the kitchen.
“Sorry.” Greg took the towels and cleaned where he had spat up, not having made too much of a mess.
“I’m sure you’ll have a great time when you go with her.” Jack added on to my previous comment.
“I hope so.”
“Maybe you’ll try for some babies when you’re there.” Greg added on. I burst into laughter.
“I’m sure kids are not on the menu.” But the thought of Erica round with my child sent a chill down my spine. “At least for the moment.”
“To future weddings and future babies.” Jack raised his half full shot glass and we all joined in for the toast, clinking our glasses together and shooting back the clear liquid.
I couldn’t wait for what the future held.
