“I can put him down,” Jon said and trotted upstairs with the boy. Once Jon returned, Rob got everyone beverages, and they settled in the family room.
“So, guys, what did you think of Hawthorne Bluff?” Ben asked.
“It was everything you said it was and then some,” Jon answered for the pair. “We really love the people and the place.”
“Great!” The excitement was evident in Rob’s voice.
“Does that mean you’d consider moving there?” Ben queried.
“We would,” Kyle said. “We met Clay and his boyfriend, Finn.”
“Hmmm,” Ben murmured. “Older guy, tall, handsome, graying at the temples?”
“Yeah, that’s him,” Jon said. “He works at the bank in town and gave us the name of a realtor. We met with her and explained our situation. She showed us some house options and gave us an idea of what we could expect to pay.”
“All in all, a very productive visit,” Kyle added.
“We didn’t officially meet Finn when we were there,” Ben said. “But I’m pretty sure we saw him at Bradley House one day. There was something about the way they looked at each other.”
“How quickly do you think you’ll be able to relocate?” Rob asked.
“It’s probably gonna be at least a year,” Jon told them. “I’ve decided to sell my house in Phoenix, so that will take a bit of time. Then we’ll need to put the condo in DC on the market and look for jobs in or near Hawthorne Bluff.”
“Finn said I might be able to get a job in the investment department at the bank, so I’ll look into that first,” Kyle said. “He also explained that there weren’t any family-law practices in Hawthorne Bluff, but there’s at least one in Plymouth, so Jon can check it out.”
“Your uncle Mike might be familiar with it too,” Rob said. “It won’t hurt to ask him about that.”
“Yeah.” Kyle sighed. “We still need to tell him and Aunt Ellen about moving. And I’ll need to break the news to Neil too.”
“Hey,” Jon said, reaching for Kyle’s hand. “It’s gonna be okay. There’s a lot to do, but we can get through it.”
“I know.”
“And this might be exactly what Neil needs to take his relationship with Matthew to the next level,” Rob said. “He could move to Massachusetts to be closer to both of you as well as his boyfriend.”
“That’s a good point, Rob,” Jon agreed.
“And just so you know, Rob and I discussed it, and we’ll help you out in any way that we can,” Ben told them. “If a house becomes available that you both love, we’re happy to loan you the money for the down payment while you work on selling both of your homes.”
“And if you need a place to stay while everything happens, our home is always open to you,” Rob added.
“Thanks, guys,” Jon said. “We really appreciate it.”
“Hey.” Ben smiled. “That’s what we do. We’re family after all.”
Chapter 23
Kyle
On Monday morning when the alarm went off, Kyle got up and padded to the bathroom. Jon was still sleeping, so after he relieved himself, he checked in on Wyatt. The boy was snoring softly, so Kyle headed down to the kitchen to start breakfast. While the coffee maker finished its cycle, he checked his phone and saw a text from Neil.
Neil
Gotta stop by a client’s house today on my way to work. See you in the office.
Most mornings,Kyle met Neil outside of his condo, and they walked to the nearby Metro station and traveled to work together, but not today.That’s fine, I’ll see him at work.He poured himself a cup of coffee and scrambled some eggs.
Just as he finished tidying up the kitchen after breakfast, the doorbell rang, and he buzzed his aunt Ellen into the condo, as she was taking care of Wyatt that day while he and Jon were at work. Kissing his husband, son, and aunt goodbye, he trotted off to his Metro stop and his first day back at work.
