“Of course, it will.” They were sitting next to each other on the sofa, and Jon pulled Kyle closer. “I know it’s all overwhelming right now, but we’ll get through this together.”
“Thank you for everything, sweetheart. I don’t know if I could deal with all of this without you.” They continued to chat about Mike and Becky and the fun they’d had on the cruise. At just past six, Kyle picked up his phone.
“Hey, Neil,” he said once the call connected. “Sorry to wake you earlier than usual on a Sunday, but I couldn’t wait any longer. By the way, you’re on speaker.”
“What’s wrong, Kyle? I know you wouldn’t call me this early unless it was important.”
“Uncle Mike called me a few hours ago. There’s no easy way to say this.” He took a deep breath. “There was an accident last night in California. My cousin Mike and his wife, Becky, were killed in a car crash.” His voice broke as he spoke.
“Oh, God, Kyle. I’m so sorry.” He paused for a beat. “What can I do to help?” Kyle’s heart warmed at his friend’s offer.
“I think we’re good for now, but thanks. I’m gonna have to fly out to California with my uncle, and Jon’s coming with us. I don’t know the whole schedule yet, but I’ll probably be gone most of the week. I’ll call Fred Jameson later today and let him know what’s going on.” Fred was Kyle and Neil’s manager at the investment firm where they worked.
“Okay, I can understand why your uncle Mike is going out there, but why are you and Jon going?”
“After Wyatt was born, Mike and Becky asked me if I would be his guardian if anything happened to them,” Kyle told him. “Of course, I agreed, never expecting anything like this. So Uncle Mike and I need to meet with their lawyers and pick up Wyatt. Right now he’s being cared for by his babysitter. She’s an older woman who’s been sitting for him since he was born, but we don’t want to impose on her for too long.”
“So you’ll be bringing Wyatt back to DC with you?” Neil asked quietly.
“That’s the plan. Both of Becky’s parents died a few years ago, and she was an only child, so it’s just a matter of meeting with the lawyers to make sure there isn’t anything else we need to know, pick up some of Wyatt’s stuff from Mike and Becky’s house, and then come back here.”
“Hey,” Neil suddenly said. “You’re gonna need furniture and stuff for Wyatt, right?”
“Crap! We’ll probably ship the stuff from his room back here, but that will probably take time. Yeah, we’ll need some stuff sooner. Is it possible to rent baby furniture?”
“No need,” Neil told them. “I’ll call my sister and ask if you can borrow her stuff. She’s got everything stored away now that her kids are older. I know she’ll agree, so I’ll make arrangements to get it moved to your condo this week. Where do you want it set up?”
“Thanks, Neil. We really appreciate it,” Jon chimed in. “We’re gonna turn the office into Wyatt’s room. That means the elliptical needs to be moved into the laundry room, and the office stuff will need to go into the exercise room. If you can take care of all of that, it’s one less thing we need to worry about. And if you need to hire movers, that’s fine, just let us know the cost.”
“I’ll take care of it all,” Neil assured them. He and Kyle had exchanged keys years before, so Neil had access to the condo. “Don’t worry about a thing. Now that I’m up, I’m gonna have some breakfast, then call Cheryl about the furniture. Keep me posted on your schedule and let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Neil. We owe you,” Kyle said warmly.
“Hey, we’re family, remember? We take care of each other.”
Chapter 8
Kyle
“Uncle Mike.” Kyle reached out to grasp his shoulder in a sideways hug as they walked along the path to the front door. “We’re here. We’ve got you.”
“I-I know,” Mike stammered. “I’m so grateful you’re both here with me. I couldn’t do this alone.” Mike rang the bell, and a few moments later, Mrs. Powell opened the door, holding Wyatt’s hand as he stood beside her. Mike had told. Him that Wyatt had started walking but was still a bit wobbly sometimes, and Kyle figured he was just a little too heavy for Mrs. Powell to carry him for very long.
“Hello, Mr. Rockingham,” she said, stepping aside so they could enter.
Wyatt reached out to Mike, saying, “Pa!” On the cruise, he’d started calling Mike Senior this, not quite getting the knack of papa or grandpa yet.
“Hey, buddy,” Mike responded, lifting him up and hugging Wyatt tightly, kissing his forehead.
“Thank you so much for taking care of Wyatt until we could get here,” Mike addressed the older woman. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it.” He gestured toward Kyle and Jon. “This is my nephew Kyle and his boyfriend, Jon.”
“Very pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Kyle said, shaking the woman’s hand.
“And you as well, although I’m very sorry about the circumstances. My condolences to you all,” Mrs. Powell said quietly. “If you’ll not be needing anything else, I’ll head home now. But please call if there’s anything more I can do for you.”
Mike passed Wyatt to Kyle and reached into his pocket for an envelope, which he handed to Mrs. Powell. “Thank you again for everything.”
Mike shut the door after she left, then sat on the sofa and sighed. “I’m not sure if I can do this. I just can’t believe that Mike and Becky are gone. How could something like this happen?”
