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Life's Illusions - Book Four - Chapter 23
Milo walked across the garden in the baking afternoon sun, to the shaded gazebo where Piers was relaxing beneath the fan they'd recently had installed.
Sitting next to him he realised Piers was crying softly, tears were running slowly down his cheeks
Milo dragged him immediately into a hug.
"What is it my love, have you had bad news, tell me?".
The tears didn't stop, and he didn't respond to Milo's hug, but he did answer.
"Not bad news, just a horrible feeling that I'm losing you".
Milo was taken completely by surprise.
"Whoa, where did that come from, what are you talking about?".
Piers didn't look at him, he just asked another question, the tears still falling.
"What am I meant to think, you disappear every Friday for two or three hours, and come back exhausted, but you always have that look, it's the look of someone in love, you're almost glowing, and I don't know how to deal with it".
The response surprised Piers, he'd expected that this would be Milo's chance to come clean, to tell him yes, he'd found, and fallen in love, with someone else, but he hadn't been prepared for being bodily lifted into Milo's lap.
"Look at me Piers".
He'd turned his face up, to look at the man he was so deeply, utterly in love with.
"There has only ever been one man for me, that hasn't changed, and it never will, that's you Piers, the boy I fell in love with all those years ago in the gardens of Chateau Montclair, the one who makes my heart race without even knowing it when you do something as simple as smiling at me, so stop this, I love you, but you have caught me out, and before I could figure out how to tell you what I've been doing, so let me go get us some cool drinks and I'll explain".
Back with cold drinks, Milo patted his lap.
"Get that cute little butt back here, where I can get a hug, and maybe even cop a crafty feel".
Piers was there in a shot, it didn't matter now what Milo was hiding, it wasn't a lover, anything else just paled into insignificance.
"So, how to start, well I guess I just bite the bullet, I've been visiting four beautiful children, their father was the Guardian employee killed in Dubai, one of Daniels security detail, he was seconded from our operatives here in Sydney to supplement Daniels team, I'd met him once or twice but my memory is really hazy, I do know his record was first class, he was a senior".
Piers had wiggled around now, he was hanging on Milo's every word.
"I only found out about them a couple of months ago, it was something Jo said, and I knew I had to find them, their mother died in childbirth when the youngest was born, so they're orphans now".
Piers could see the glistening in Milo's eyes, he asked.
"Tell me about them, you've fallen in love with them haven't you?".
Milo nodded as he explained.
"There's a girl aged five, nearly six, a boy of ten, a boy of twelve, and a boy of fifteen, in fact, Vincent, the eldest is almost sixteen, when I first met them, the little girl didn't really know what was happening, the boys protect her with a vengeance, but they were all really angry, it hadn't even been six years since they lost their mother, now their father was gone, and they just about hated the whole world, it took a lot to even gain their confidence".
Piers turned his head and kissed Milo.
"Oh, boy, whatever did I do to earn that, because I'm going to keep doing it if you promise that's my reward?".
Piers giggled.
"Just keep being you and the rewards will be plentiful, now tell me more".
Milo smiled.
"I've been so terrified of mentioning anything to do with Dubai, I know it sounds stupid, but I was fearful it might cause you to relapse into that dark place you were gripped by after I technically died, now I see what an idiot I've been".
Piers kissed him again, and Milo giggled, groping Piers bum, before going on.
"They're not poor financially, their fathers employee insurance with Guardian gave them a huge lump sum, it's been invested to provide for all of them, they don't need it right now, Guardian makes them a generous living allowance each month, I suspect that was a personal decision by Jo and Juan, and I'm fairly certain that Daniel is adding to it as well, they have a court appointed guardian who hires staff to look after them, to ensure they stay together, but it's like they're in limbo, it's not a proper life, no family, no one who really cares for them, they just have themselves, they live in an apartment, no outside space, except a small balcony, they just don't go out except to school".
Milo wasn't surprised by Piers request.
"Can I meet them with you?".
Milo nodded, but his mind was working overtime, and he pulled out his cell phone.
"Oh Hi, it's Milo, I apologise for interrupting you late on a Friday afternoon but, I wanted to gauge your opinion of my asking the children to spend the weekend with my husband and I, at our house in the suburbs?".
Piers was bubbling, and trying to work out what was being said on the other side of the conversation.
"No, we wouldn't do that without asking your permission, we'd always stay within Sydney's boundaries, yes, we have eleven spare bedroom suites, no, I can promise, they would never be left in anyone else's care, no, I haven't mentioned it to them, I thought it prudent to seek your opinion first, well thank you, that's wonderful, you have our address, if you have any free time, we'll be having a cookout on Saturday afternoon after about four o'clock, so please, if it helps you to see them in an informal setting, drop by, have a bite to eat, I know the kids would be happy to see you, they rate you as the cats whiskers, and thank you".
Milo turned to Piers.
"Are you okay with this?".
Piers grin, and rapidly nodding head, was all the motivation he needed to dial again.
"Vinny, hi bud, listen, are the guys with you?, okay, well I have a proposition for you, how would you feel about spending the weekend with my husband and I at our house in the suburbs, we have loads of bedrooms, a pool, a big garden, it's your decision, talk it over and call me back, and Vinny, if you don't want to do it, remember what we talked about, be courteous but firm in saying no, we won't be offended, disappointed, but not offended, speak later whenever you're ready bud".
Milo closed his cell and stared at Piers.
"This really makes me nervous, more than planning a dangerous operation for Guardian, I have absolutely no idea how they will respond".
It was nearly fifteen minutes before Milo's cell beeped, signalling an incoming text.
They both stared at it, with Piers reading out aloud what he saw.
'Is your husband okay with this?, we know you've told us what a wonderfully fantastic person he is, but it's a lot to have four kids descend on him for a weekend, don't be offended, we want to spend the weekend with you, but we don't want to be the reason your husband gets upset, sorry".
Piers looked at Milo.
"Give them my number, tell them I'm going to text them, and I'm not showing you what I'm sending".
Milo sent back.
'You'll get a text shortly, it'll be from an unknown number, this is my Piers number so you can match it up, he read your text with me, he's going to reply direct to you, and I won't know what he says".
Piers was typing, at first frantically, then he calmed down, deleted most of what he'd written and started again.
'Hi guys, check against what Milo has sent you, just to make sure, I'm Piers, Milo's husband, I read your text, so he described me as a wonderfully fantastic person did he?, well that's earned him brownie points galore, but really, come stay guys, I admit, I don't know you, you don't know me, but Milo gets almost tearful when he talks about you, that means Milo has fallen in love with you guys, and that's enough for me, if he loves you, I don't doubt I will too, it's that easy to decide because since I first met him in the Gardens of a Chateau many thousands of miles from here, and many, many years ago, we've been two halves of the same person, tell him yes, but don't show him this text, I don't want him thinking he's got an easy ride, it'll do him good to work for it, lol".
Milo was agitated, he was watching Piers type, then delete, then type, then delete, then type again, finally, he pressed send, and Milo couldn't hold it in.
"Show me what you sent".
Piers was matter of fact.
"No can do, I promised I wouldn't, I also requested they didn't, it was personal, I was honest, let's see what they make of it".
It took less than ten minutes before Milo's cell beeped to signal an incoming message, at exactly the same time as Piers cell beeped a message received.
Milo's read, 'He sounds exactly like the good guy you described, we're all agreed, it's a yes, will you come for us tomorrow?'.
Piers message read, 'You made us laugh, you sound just like he described you, we can't wait to meet you'.
Milo, looked at Piers almost crying.
"Whatever you said, it worked, they want to know if we're collecting them tomorrow, I'm game for going now, what do you think?".
Piers was almost laughing he was so happy.
"Tell them to start packing, we're on the way".
Milo was texting furiously as Piers went to tell their housekeeper to get at least four rooms ready and explain their weekend plans.
In the car on the way, Piers euphoria started to diminish, and Milo saw it, he reached out for Piers hand.
"You're doing that second guessing thing, don't, they'll love you like I do, they're kids, they're razor sharp, just be yourself, they'll easily get your measure".
They were in their Audi Q7, a massive SUV, being driven by Andy, the guy Piers had hired when they'd returned from Philadelphia.
The vehicle was capable of seating 7, including the driver, which was perfect for what they needed.
He'd never been very confident driving on Australian roads, so with Milo out of action he'd made the decision to hire a driver, and it had it's advantages, Piers simply circulated the job offer on Guardians employee web site, and within a few days he'd made his choice from the host of applications received.
He'd chosen Andy, who was among the best Guardian rated drivers, and a martial arts trained personal security guard, Milo had fully approved, insisting they retain Andy's services after he was fully recovered.
As they drew up to the entrance of the gated community, Milo directed Andy to take the left lane where non resident vehicles were being checked in by security personnel.
Fortunately the guards on duty recognised Milo and waived them straight through.
The estate was nice, perfectly landscaped, and with Milo giving directions it only took a few minutes before they arrived at the apartment block.
But Piers noticed immediately, they'd passed no community areas, the houses, like on the gated community where their house was situated, mostly had large gardens, or backyard areas, but there was nothing to encourage the apartment occupants to even come outside.
When they arrived at the second floor apartment the door was already open, the doorway filled by three boys, all displaying big grins, showing their pleasure at greeting Milo again.
After sharing hugs, whilst Piers hung back, Milo reached for his hand, pulling him forward.
"Guys, I want you to meet Piers, right now he's about as nervous as a chicken in KFC, so I'm hoping you can put him at ease, Piers, this tall handsome fella is Vincent, though he refuses to answer to that handle, he only responds to Vinny, the guy to his right is Barry, who only responds to Baz, and the pip squeak to his left is Philip, who only responds to Pil, I'm guessing the missing member, Gracie, is having her afternoon nap".
For a couple of moments, there was an awkward silence, until Piers said.
"Okay, I'm jealous, he got hugs, what do I have to do to get them too?".
It broke the awkwardness and all three launched themselves at him.
Piers was giggling loudly.
"Whoa, I wanted hugs not smothering, it's really good to meet you guys, we're going to have a cookout tomorrow, but have you had dinner yet?".
Vinny answered for them.
"We held off, we didn't know what you would want to do, but I can knock something up pretty quick for us if you've already eaten".
Piers shook his head as he answered.
"No need, lets stop off to eat on the way to our house, I know a place called 'Little Italy', it's on the way and although it's supposed to be an Italian restaurant, they do almost everything, from burgers to steaks, sound okay?".
Three heads nodded in agreement, they never ate out, they weren't allowed out without supervision, and their housekeeper only worked Monday to Friday, eight in the morning until five in the evening.
They'd been chatting in the lounge when a clearly half awake Gracie tottered in, she stopped dead, staring intently at Piers.
Vinny was out of his seat immediately, scooping her up into his arms.
"Hello sweetie, did you have a good sleep?".
Gracie nodded yes, but she still hadn't taken her eyes off Piers, so Vinny walked toward him, still carrying her.
"Gracie, this is Piers, he's Milo's husband, do you think you can be really brave and say hello?".
The little girl struggled, indicating she wanted Vinny to put her down, whereupon she walked slowly up to Piers and gave him a hug, saying.
"Are we going to your house, can I play in the garden?, Vinny said I could, but I can't go in the water on my own".
Piers lifted her onto his lap before replying.
"Hello Gracie, yes we're all going back to our house, and you can play in the garden for as long as you want, just so long as you'll let me play as well, it's been a long time since I played in the garden".
When Piers looked up, he realised the others were all staring silently, he didn't understand.
"Okay guys you're freaking me out now, why are you staring?".
It was Baz the middle brother who answered with obvious incredulity in his voice.
"Gracie don't do that, she avoids strangers like they're a plague, we've never seen her trust anyone before".
As they were sharing this exchange, Grace had snuggled down into Piers arms, humming to herself, totally content.
Piers replied.
"It's, Gracie doesn't do that, not, Gracie don't do that, and I think she senses that we're kindred spirits, I was exactly like her at her age, my big brother Pierre brought me up in the orphanage, I didn't trust anyone, Pierre did everything for me".
Vinny asked.
"Does Pierre live in Sydney?".
They all heard the sadness in Piers reply, and saw the sparkle as his eyes moistened.
"No, Pierre died a few years ago".
Milo sensed the conversation was leading Piers to a dark place so he changed the subject.
"Okay guys, now Gracie's awake, how about you do a quick freshen up and we'll hit the road".
Piers whispered to Gracie.
"Do you want me to help you sweetie?".
She smiled and nodded, jumping down from his lap, leading him by the hand to her bedroom.
Pretty soon they were in the SUV heading for 'Little Italy'.
On the way to collect the children, Andy had asked after the children's ages, their reply had gone without comment until Andy detoured into an Auto Store car park, announcing.
"We need to buy a child seat for the little girl, it's the law".
In the store, after Milo described Gracie's size, Andy chose a booster seat, which he would install whilst they were getting the kids sorted.
Gracie's booster seat was installed in the second row, behind the driver when they got into the vehicle, with Piers choosing to sit between Gracie and Vinny.
Baz and Pil were in the two seats at the rear.
At Little Italy, the boys made quick work of the menu, agreeing on three different pizzas, which they would share for variety.
Andy had reluctantly agreed to join them, but only after Piers had all but dragged him inside.
Gracie on the other hand was a definite problem, insisting she wanted chicken nuggets, which were nowhere to be found on the menu, but as usual, Milo noted Piers wasn't fazed, more and more he was mirroring Pierre.
Milo saw the boys getting really concerned at Gracie's refusal to budge from her choice, expecting a meltdown, so, catching their attention he indicated they should watch Piers, and learn.
Piers called the waiter over, explaining that Gracie wanted chicken nuggets, which weren't on the menu, asking if the Chef would possibly consider making them?".
The waiters reply was accompanied by a beaming smile.
"I'll ask for you sir, but I'm pretty sure the Chef is going to say something like, 'If that pretty little lady wants chicken nuggets, then chicken nuggets are now on the menu', just give me a few moments, I'll be back shortly".
He came back a few minutes later, still beaming from ear to ear, and placed a menu in front of Gracie, pointing to a pencilled in item.
"It seems chicken nuggets are now definitely on the menu miss, would you like fries or salad with them?".
Piers was impressed when Gracie replied.
"Thank you, I want salad please, but no cumbery stuff (she meant cucumber) I don't like it".
When the food was delivered, Milo, Piers, and Andy watched in awe as a whole mountain of food disappeared with military precision, these kids could turn eating into an Olympic sport.
They arrived home, well, to Milo and Piers home, around seven thirty that evening, the temperature had eased slightly and it was really pleasant outside.
The looks of awe when they passed through the gate from the car port at the side of the house, into the net covered backyard, where the massive pool, jacuzzi, and various patio levels sat were priceless, and several 'wows', were expressed.
Piers had altered lots of things since he'd come to the house, but he was most proud of the massive outside room which he'd extended beyond its original size, and of course the garden.
The outside room originally had limited kitchen units, it now had a mixture of wet bar, fridges, hob, oven and overhead extractor, plus surfaces, all situated at the far end, in fact, that area was all but a replica of the main kitchen within the house, then came a comfortable lounge area, next to the dinning table, currently set for six, but which, when extended, could accommodate up to twenty six.
The garden now had several shady gazebos all recently fitted with overhead fans to provide some relief from the stifling midday heat.
Piers watched their faces, remembering his own arrival at the house, as Milo punched a code into his cell phone, and the complete wall of glass separating the house from the outside world slid back, revealing the inside lounge area.
They explored the house with expressions of obvious awe.
Surprisingly, when choosing bedrooms, they opted for the smaller rooms on the ground floor which had shared Jack and Jill bathrooms, Baz and Pil's rooms shared one bathroom, and Vinny chose his bedroom to share a bathroom with Gracie's bedroom, reasoning, if the bathroom doors were left open at night, Gracie could always find him.
Hearing that, Piers and Milo almost burst into tears.
As it was Friday night, Piers declared there was no curfew, but by ten o'clock yawns were becoming the norm and Gracie was fast asleep on Piers lap.
Vinny lifted her up from Piers saying.
"I'll get her settled in bed, it'll wake her up enough that I can explain how to find me in the night, I hope you don't mind, I bought her plug in night lights with us, she gets frightened sometimes, but she's okay as long as she can find me and climb into my bed, I guess she'll grow out of it someday, but for now it's what reassures her".
Vinny came back about half an hour later, dressed in Pjs and a robe.
"I apologise for being a party pooper, but I'm going to bed now, I've checked on Baz and Pil, they're both out of it, and Gracie's fast asleep".
He half turned to leave, then turned back.
"I wanted to thank you, just this one evening, it's been the best evening in over twelve months, I just wanted to tell you that".
He seemed embarrassed as he turned to leave.
Piers and Milo were sitting in the outside room next morning when Vinny came out hand in hand with Gracie, who promptly released his hand, making a beeline for Piers lap.
Milo greeted Vinny.
"Good morning, I hope you slept well, there's juice, coffee, and tea back there in the kitchen area, help yourself, breakfast will be served in about thirty minutes, are your brothers awake?".
Vinny replied as he poured orange juice for himself and Gracie.
"I don't know about anyone else, but I slept better than I have in a long time, Baz and Pil are both in Baz's bed watching TV, I'll have this and then I'll roust them out".
But he didn't need to, a pair of boys appeared, with definite bed heads (current long styled hair which was standing on end as if it had seen a ghost) truly comical in their bedraggled appearance, they shuffled into the outside room wishing everyone good morning and heading for juice.
Piers asked if everyone was happy with the rooms they'd chosen, he got an enthusiastic nodding of heads and Pil's reply of.
"I'm trying to work out if I can get that bed in the SUV to take it home with me, it's wonderful".
Milo carried on where Piers had left off.
"I'm glad you like your rooms, because we're going to the Mall later, and those rooms are going to get seriously pimped, Piers and I reckon they're definitely lacking in important youngster essentials, like sound systems, computers, laptops, docking stations for cell phones, so let's go shopping, oh, I nearly forgot guys, there's a Footy game on at the local community pitch, if you fancy catching it, Piers and Gracie probably won't want to stand there for ninety minutes, but we could go before heading to the Mall, that's if you fancy it".
Vinny, Baz, and Pil were nodding vigorously in agreement, this was a dream come true, a footy match, something they hadn't done for so long.
Breakfast was like a demolition derby, as fast as the staff brought out supplies it vanished, until slowly their appetites were sated, and the staff sighed in relief, these kids could eat, and they didn't mess about, they took it seriously.
After breakfast, everyone disappeared to shower and dress, returning to the outside room by nine o'clock.
Milo addressed them all.
"Okay, Andy's going to drop us guys off at the footy match, he'll come back and get on with his chores, then he, Piers and Gracie will pick us up at around midday, we'll go get lunch at the Mall, and do some serious shopping, we're aiming to be home by about four o'clock, because your guardian is possibly dropping in, so this afternoon we'll have a cookout, we've given the staff the afternoon off, we'll be looking after ourselves".
The day was a complete success, the boys had gone off with Milo to watch the footy, whilst Piers and Gracie had played hide and seek around the garden and house until it was time to go collect them.
They'd had lunch at the Mall, another military exercise in food consumption, then they'd assaulted several electrical stores, with Piers arranging for their purchases to be delivered before close of business that same day.
When they arrived home around three forty five in the afternoon, Gracie was already fast asleep in her booster seat.
Vinny gently unbuckled her and carried her to her bedroom.
By the time she stirred an hour and a half later, the BBQ was sizzling with all manner of meats, the surfaces of the outside room had been loaded with all the dishes the staff had prepared in advance for them.
Milo received a call from the community gatehouse, the children's guardian was requesting entry.
Fraser had been their court appointed guardian for over twelve months, since their father had been killed in Dubai.
If he were honest, initially, it had been his worst nightmare, three angry boys, and a sweet little girl.
He'd never had this sort of situation before, the norm for him was children fostered out, where he simply had to keep an eye on the foster parents, ensuring the child, or occasionally children, were not abused, that they were receiving the care they needed, but this, it was so far from what he'd done before, it was completely outside of his comfort zone.
These kids had become seriously wealthy upon their fathers death, and the court took heed of their fathers last wishes.
His will had requested that they not be split up, that they should remain living together.
Local Authority Child Services had argued that was impractical, the older boys were not foster material, nor were they adoptable material, they'd stated that only Gracie and Pil had potential for relocation to a foster, or adoptive family, the others should be sent to an orphanage.
The judge, hearing their submissions, was almost apoplectic in his reply, his voice completely icy as he addressed them.
"And that's it is it, that's your way of dealing with four utterly devastated children, to inflict more pain and hurt by further smashing their already devastated world and ripping them apart, well I'll be writing to your head of department, I feel you're very sadly lacking in problem solving and compassion qualities, I believe you need retraining, though I seriously question whether you should be doing this job at all, but mark my words, this family is not going to be split apart".
He'd gone on to appoint Frazer as their guardian, and the rest was history.
Frazer had bought the apartment which was placed in trust for them, he would later admit, it was entirely inappropriate, he should have bought a house, with outside space, but he had no practical experience with a situation like he'd found himself in.
When he appeared through the side gate, following Milo's instructions, the boys and Gracie mobbed him, he may have made a few mistakes along the way, but there was never any doubt in their eyes that he had their best interests at heart.
Vinny had taken over the grill and did a damn good job of providing grilled steaks, sausages, chicken, and fish, Piers had been impressed when he'd asked for kebab skewers and set about roughly chopping veg to produce several types of kebab.
Milo and Piers sat for over an hour talking with Fraser whilst the boys stripped down the BBQ under Vinny's direction and cleaned it.
The boys then had a kick about on the lawn, including Gracie, with one of the boys holding her steady each time she took a kick.
Fraser admitted, he was seriously impressed with how the boys had come out of their shells, and part of what he said struck a chord with both Milo and Piers, he said he wished this afternoon were a permanent arrangement, not just a brief treat for them.
Piers, without checking what Milo thought, asked.
"Would you support us if we applied for them to become our Foster Children, with the eventual aim to adopt them?".
Fraser took hardly a second to respond.
"Yes, it's a no brainier, I've never seen them so happy, and Gracie, I'm seeing a side of her I've never seen before, it took nearly six months before she would even get off Vinny's lap when I visited, all the time we were eating the boys never stopped talking about how great it was to get out, and of course about the footy, I think you raised yourself up to sainthood status with that one Milo".
Milo was positively beaming as he asked.
"So, if we asked them, and they agreed, how do we start the process?".
Fraser was genuinely enthusiastic.
"Call me as soon as you're all agreed, I'll start the process, raise the necessary paperwork, then it should take about ten days or so to get you all in front of Judge Warwick, he heard the original case when Child Services applied to split them up, he has a soft spot for them, I'll be on your side but expect to be grilled".
Milo surprised him.
"I know Judge Warwick, I arranged his security in that big drug trial a couple of years ago where the children needed to be protected, we became quite friendly".
Fraser smiled.
"That's a bonus, he usually digs really deep into things like moral integrity".
Piers had something to ask.
"What about the fact we're openly gay, and married, will he have a problem with that?".
Fraser smiled again.
"Not at all, I've seen him award full adoption status equally to heterosexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender couples, his only interest is the welfare and wellbeing of the children involved".
Saturday evening they'd sat around in the outside room playing charades and talking.
Milo had been all for asking them right there and then, it was Piers who applied the brakes, reminding Milo, how much they'd achieved so far this weekend.
"Let's leave it until tomorrow, so they can go home and think about it on their own turf, here they might feel pressured to choose the answer which we want, that's not fair on them".
So on Sunday afternoon, after a magnificent lunch, which was demolished with the usual precision, Milo broached the subject.
They were lazing, with full bellies, Gracie was having her afternoon nap, when Milo said.
"Guys, there's something we wanted to talk to you about, and I stress, this is something to take away, for you to talk about, we don't want you to feel pressured, so take as long as you need".
As he paused all eyes were on him, unbeknown to either Milo or Piers, they were waiting for him to say what they hoped and prayed he was going to say.
"Piers and I spent a lot of time yesterday talking to Fraser, and he agrees with what we are going to ask you....................".
That was as far as he got, before Vinny interrupted him.
"Yes, we want to live with you..........".
Vinny stopped abruptly, blushing furiously, and realising, Milo hadn't actually said what they were hoping he would say, he muttered quietly, but loud enough to be heard.
"...... if that was what you were going to ask, if not I just want to curl up and disappear".
Milo and Piers burst out laughing, as Piers pulled Vinny into a hug, and Milo continued.
"Well that's settled then, I'll speak to Fraser in the morning, he reckons it should take about three weeks to arrange, you'd be our foster children first, it's done that way in case you change your minds and don't want to be adopted, we can see the sense in that".
Shocking all of them, Pil started to cry, Vinny was out of his seat and holding his brother in a matter of only seconds.
"Hey bro, what's wrong, we talked about this, I thought you agreed?".
Pil's reply was stuttered through his tears.
"I didn't believe they'd really ask us, I thought we were just dreaming, I can't help it I'm just happy".
Vinny ruffled his hair, before turning to Milo.
"We talked this morning, we agreed, you're almost too good to be true, Daddy liked you, he talked about you a few times, it's why we agreed to meet with you in the first place, we don't want to be all alone, but we don't want to be with someone just for the sake of not being alone, if that makes sense, but you guys, I'm going to ask you to do something as well, before you call Fraser, think about what you would be taking on, three teenagers and a five year old, angst, attitude, and hormones Daddy used to say, though I have no idea what angst is".
Piers replied for a visibly emotional Milo.
"Angst is a feeling of anxiety or dread, and we don't see that, we see four wonderful children, who we believe we can give love and stability too, and in return, we believe the love will be repaid many times over, so, like you, we don't need to talk anymore, we already arrived at the point where we want to go for it".
Piers was shocked, but giggling loudly as the boys mobbed him, before moving on to do the same to Milo.
TBC Allan
Comments are welcome to cfgw2000@aol.com.
Thank you for giving me your time, enjoy.