Priorities ~ Book I ~ (Revised)

*** ~~~ Roger ~~~ ***

It's only been a day and I miss him so much! When I got up this morning and looked over at his bed and saw it empty, I felt like my whole world was crashing down on me. Why didn't I tell him how I felt sooner? I could have shown him how much he meant to me! Now I may never get the chance.

Alex was being his usual self, acting like a total jerk. He actually said he hoped Trevor never came back. Said he thought Trevor was getting what he deserved to be adopted by a couple of fags who would fuck him silly every night. Sometimes I wish he'd just fall down the stairs!

Saturdays are my favorite day of the week here, we don't have anything scheduled for the day other than meals. I usually just sit around and watch TV or sit outside and think. Usually, I'm thinking about Trevor. I wonder how he's doing… if he's happy where he is.

I was daydreaming about Trevor when I heard a commotion. Alex had obviously left the room at some point, not that I really missed him. I went into the corridor to see what happened and they were loading Alex onto a stretcher. He actually had fallen down the stairs. Damn, now I feel guilty as if I wished it on him.

*** ~~~ Trevor ~~~ ***

I think I slept better last night than I ever have before... this bed is so comfortable. It was the first time I ever slept naked and it was so nice. I think I'm going to do that from now on… if I get to stay here, that is. I just stayed in bed for a while, just thinking. The talk I had with Daddy, GOD I love calling Nick Daddy, last night he really helped me. I miss Roger more than I thought I would and Nick seemed like he cared about my feelings.

It's weird showering by myself. I'm used to the communal showers at the orphanage where there's always one or two other boys in there. This shower is something else though. It has seven shower heads. I finally figured out how all the knobs worked! When I turn them all on, there's water coming at me from every direction, it's cool. I made sure I had some 'personal time' while I was in there and it felt good to relieve some 'pressure'.

I toweled off and walked back into my bedroom… actually, MY bedroom… the idea feels so good. I got out a pair of the bikini undies, purple ones, and pulled them on. They felt great! I then went to my closet and looked through all the clothes Daddy and I bought. I picked out an outfit that I liked and put it on. I stared at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but say softly, "Damn, you're cute!"

I went downstairs and found Dad and Daddy sitting in the breakfast nook drinking coffee and eating some sort of bread.

Daddy looked at me and said, "Good morning, my son, how did you sleep last night?"

"Good morning, Dad… Daddy… I slept great! I was so comfortable in that bed, and it was kinda cool sleeping nakey," I said with a grin.

They both laughed, but they weren't laughing 'at' me. I think I blushed a little though. The more time I spend with Bobby and Nick, the more I love them.

"So, today," Dad started, "I have some work to do here, Grandpa will be here about eleven so you have about an hour for breakfast until he gets here. By the way, you look good in those clothes. Nick did a good job picking out what would look good on you."

Daddy spoke before I had a chance to. "Actually, that particular combination Trevor picked out on his own; the boy has a good eye for fashion."

Daddy got up from the table and went to the refrigerator and poured me a glass of fresh orange juice then set it in front of me at the table where I was now sitting. After taking a healthy drink, I asked what they were eating. I saw a platter of croissants, but I had never seen ones that plump or smelled that fresh. Nick, I mean Daddy, told me they were freshly baked and were filled with strawberries and creme. I took one from the platter they were on and put it on my plate. At first, I wasn't sure if I should use a fork and knife and I guess Dad noticed my confusion when he told me to just pick it up and eat it.

I took a bite and it was amazing. I've always had almost stale croissants bought in the $5 24-pack that the orphanage sometimes splurged on. They looked deflated, and you could tell the plastic touched the croissant for too long, as the top layer always tasted like old oils mixed with old plastic wrap. But this croissant tasted divine comparatively. The bread was soft and tasted buttery, the filling tasted sweet and you could taste the strawberries. Over the next fifteen minutes, I think I ate five of them and had three glasses of OJ.

We sat and talked a bit more about my time at the orphanage, and they seemed interested. Dad asked me to tell him about Roger.

My feeling of intense satisfaction from eating the best breakfast ever suddenly turned into deep sorrow. My eyes started filling with tears as I told him all I could about Roger. Then I remembered the picture, so I excused myself and ran up to get it. I came back down and sat in my seat and handed Dad the picture.

He looked at it for a while as I told him some things Roger and I had done together at the orphanage when we had free time. I explained how much fun it was to be around him, and I wish I'd told him when I first had a crush on him how I felt. I explained that I hoped I could tell him how I felt about him.

About that time, Grandpa arrived.

*** ~~~ Bobby ~~~ ***

It was obvious by the way he described Roger that Trevor was deeply in love, even if he didn't completely understand those feelings. I knew I needed to try to adopt both boys. I need to talk to Dad about it.

I greeted my father upon his arrival as Nick offered him some coffee. As he was taking his seat, he ruffled Trevor's hair and wished him a good morning. Looking at Trevor, first annoyance showed on his face, but it was quickly replaced by a glowing smile. Once he had his coffee and croissant, I told him I needed to speak to him before he and Trevor left to spend the day together.

We finished breakfast and Trevor took all the dishes and rinsed them before putting them in the dishwasher. He and Nick went into the living room and Dad and I went to my office.

"Dad, there's a complication and I don't know if we can work around it."

"Oh my–sounds serious, what type of complication?"

I figured there was no way to say this but to just put it out there. I took a deep breath and told him, "I need to amend the adoption to include two boys instead of one. Trevor's roommate, Roger. Trevor, I am certain, is deeply in love with him, and from what Trevor's told me, Roger feels the same. Even after just a day, Nick found Trevor crying looking at Rogers picture. Do you think it's possible?"

Dad sat thinking, I knew better than to interrupt him. After a few minutes, he looked me in the eye and replied, "It's going to take some fancy footwork, but I think our lawyers can pull it off. Do you plan to meet the boy before we file?"

"I'm hoping that we can get the ball rolling with our legal people and while you're out with Trevor, Nick and I will go to the orphanage and meet him, and if it's possible to bring him here as a surprise to Trevor. He'll stay with us until Monday when we bring them both back as we'd agreed. How long do you think it'll take to get the paperwork filed?"

"Well, our initial paperwork is ready to file now. But we'd have to go back and get you approved to adopt two instead of one. Normally, that could take months, but I think we can get access to the right people to streamline the process. I would expect you would have at least temporary custody of both by Wednesday or Thursday. The boys would have to be back at the orphanage until that happens," Dad stated in his most businesslike manner.

We talked more about the process we'd be going through then he got up and said he had a 'date' with his Grandson. Then he hugged me and whispered in my ear, "I'm proud of you and Nick, son."

*** ~~~ Henri ~~~ ***

I walked into the kitchen finding my wife preparing our breakfast. We exchanged good morning wishes as she worked. Once she finished she placed a salad of fruits and nuts on the table along with a pot of coffee and two glasses of orange juice before sitting down.

"I saw Bobby King and Nick Peterson in the restaurant last night along with a boy they were planning on adopting," I said to her. I know she wants a child, but unfortunately, we're not able to have one due to a medical issue she has.

She looked at me and asked, "Really? How old is the boy?"

"He looked about twelve or thirteen, his name is Trevor, and he's pretty smart. He's a good-looking boy too," I replied.

"Henri, I know we've talked about this, but, the restaurant is now stable and making money. Do you think we could look into adopting a child of our own?"

"Marine, after seeing this boy and knowing how you feel, I think we could. I will speak to Bobby King and see where he's adopting Trevor from. We can look into it." I told her.

She looked at me with a tear in her eye and choked out, "Merci, Henri, merci beaucoup."

*** ~~~ Trevor ~~~ ***

Grandpa came in and gave me a hug then said, "Well my boy, are you ready for us to have a fantastic day together?"

"I sure am Grandpa, what do you have planned for us?"

"That, my boy, is for me to know and for you to find out!" He laughed.

After giving Daddy and Dad a hug and kiss, I left with Grandpa.

When I saw his car, it was a sleek blue Lamborghini convertible; I was like, "Wow! Is this yours?"

"Sure is, hop in and let's burn rubber!" He laughed.

I got in the car and put on my seat belt. He sat in his seat and buckled up as well. He didn't burn rubber when he pulled out. As he approached the gate, he handed me a little box just like Daddy had in their car. I pushed it and the gate opened.

He pulled out and we were on our way to whatever he planned. I was getting more excited every minute. We talked about my time in the orphanage as he drove.

*** ~~~ Bobby ~~~ ***

As soon as Trevor and Dad left, I sat with Nick and filled him in on my conversation with Dad.

We discussed it for a short time when my phone rang. I looked at the caller-ID and wondered why Henri would be calling me.

"Hello, Henri, to what do I owe this surprise call? How can I help you?" I stated, hoping I didn't sound as curt as my words could imply.

"Bobby, I'm sorry to bother you on a Saturday morning, but, I wanted to ask you a few questions regarding the adoption of Trevor. My wife, Marine, and I have been considering adopting for quite some time, but we were waiting until the restaurant was stable. That time has arrived and we think we'd like to adopt as well. After meeting Trevor, I was sure of it," he said.

"That's wonderful, Henri. I will be seeing my attorneys in a few hours and I will have them contact you," I replied enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Bobby, please apologize to Nick for interrupting your morning." He said before we ended the call.

I explained the call to Nick and he and I went to get ready to head out on our business for the day.

*** ~~~ Trevor ~~~ ***

Grandpa pulled up in front of a big building, on the top was a sign that said, "King Enterprises" I looked at him and said, "Is this where you work?"

He laughed and said, "Actually, this is the company I own, it owns several others as well. I have an office here, but only stop by for a few hours a week. I have people who do most of the day-to-day things, they just call me in emergencies. I wanted to show it to you, someday it'll be yours, do you want to go in, or should we grab some lunch?"

"Wow Grandpa!" I was a bit scared by the idea of owning such a big company, and I wanted to know more, but I wanted today to be all fun with Grandpa, so I told him, "I do, but not today. I've seen so much with Dad and Daddy, and I wanted to just have some fun today… It's not that I'm not interested, but I think it's just that I have seen and done so many things I've never done before, that I'm having problems absorbing it all."

The kindness in his eyes made me feel a bunch better. He looked at me for a few seconds before saying, "I can understand completely. But do you want to go for lunch at someplace I know you'll like and probably never had in your life?"

I smiled at him and said, "Yeah, that would be great!" He pulled away from the building and I tried to get him to tell me the name of the place we were going to for lunch. He only told me it was someplace I'd like.

He pulled into a parking lot and then I saw it. I'd heard about it on TV in commercials, and in stuff that I'd read on the computer, but never been to. We got out of the car and walked across the street and entered The Golden Arches.

I looked at the menu and couldn't decide what to get, there were so many choices. Finally, he suggested I get a Big Mac since it was their signature hamburger. He ordered us each a large combo meal and we got our cups and filled them with soda. When the food was ready, we took the tray to a table and started eating.

Oh My GOD that Big Mac was fantastic! And the fries, the best I'd ever eaten. I ate it all and let out a huge belch and started to laugh. Then I got scared because I'd done that; I was supposed to be on my best behavior. I was relieved when Grandpa started laughing.

"Well, sounds like you liked that!" Then he let out a belch of his own and we both laughed. I came to the conclusion that my Grandpa was fun!

We cleaned up the table and headed out. It was almost one o'clock when we got in the car. I asked Grandpa where we were going next and he looked at me with a big smile and said, "Nope, not going to tell you, that would ruin the surprise!"

*** ~~~ Bobby ~~~ ***

Nick and I arrived at our lawyer's office shortly after one. We entered and since it was Saturday, we had almost no wait to see him. The receptionist showed us into the office and we took seats across the desk from George Miller, our lead attorney. He was an older gentleman in his late fifties. with graying hair and a chiseled face.

"Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, George," I said as I shook his hand. Nick shook his hand also but said nothing. He looked a bit scared, we've been together long enough that I could tell.

"Bobby, Nick, I've looked into the matter as you asked and I am afraid I have some bad news. It was a difficult proposition gaining approval for you two to adopt even one child. Factors like your ages, that you're gay, and that even though this state allows same-sex marriage, you're not married. The possibility of getting you approved for two at this point is pretty much non-existent."

I wasn't pleased with what I'd heard, but George and his firm have been serving my family for nearly as long as I've been alive. I looked at Nick and saw a tear in his eye which he quickly wiped with his handkerchief.

We sat in silence for a moment when Nick said, "George, the second boy we were hoping to adopt is also about Trevor's, the boy we 'are' adopting, age. He's Trevor's roommate, and they are quite fond of each other. Do you think it would be a simple thing to get another couple to adopt him? The other couple I have in mind are not gay, they're a bit older than us, and are fairly well off financially," he said in a more professional manner than I've ever seen him use. I must say he impressed me.

"If what you've told me about them is true, it should be a pretty quick process, maybe a week or two for the background checks and paperwork to go through," he replied.

"I will give you the information as to how to contact them. I want you to push it so it goes as fast as possible, I will cover your fees. George, make this happen!" I said emphatically.

We thanked him after receiving his assurances that he would do whatever necessary to make the process go as fast as possible. I gave him Henri's contact information and we left.

*** ~~~ Roger ~~~ ***

It was going to be totally weird sleeping in this room alone. Trevor's at his new, hopefully, parent's house, Alex is in the infirmary with a hairline fracture of his ankle. They're only keeping him because he was such a wuss, yelling about how much pain he was in, that they gave him a shot of painkillers and he must stay there until they wear off.

I spent the morning basically roaming around outside wondering what Trevor was doing, eventually, I went into the building and back to our room. I walked over to Trevor's bed, picked up his pillow and could smell his scent on it. I held the pillow to my chest and cried. I missed him so much, I can't wait till he gets back, even if it only turns out to be for a day or so. I want to tell him how I feel about him. Maybe, if we can find a place where we won't be seen, give him a kiss.

*** ~~~ Trevor ~~~ ***

Grandpa drove me to the outskirts of town, way on the opposite side from where my new home might be and pulled into another parking lot, when I saw what the place was, I got totally excited. It was a place that let you drive your own race car on a track. I'd seen ads on TV for this place and always thought it would be fun, but I also was pretty sure I wouldn't experience it until I aged out and left the orphanage.

Grandpa's face had the biggest smile when he saw how excited I was. I unbuckled my seatbelt and leaped across the distance between us and gave him the biggest hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Are you for real? I've wanted to try this place like forever! Thank you, Grandpa!"

We got out of the car and went into the place. Grandpa bought two half-day passes which would allow us to drive the cars as much as we wanted for the rest of the day. The man asked me if I'd ever driven before and I told him I hadn't. He led me into a room that had a fake car in it which was in front of a screen. I looked around the room and the entire room was screens.

I got into the fake car as the man explained this was a professional driving simulator. This way, I could get the hang of driving because the machine will actually make it feel like I was actually driving. He asked me if I was ready and I nodded my head because I was too excited to talk!

Ok, I'll be honest, the first few times we went through the simulation, I wasn't very good at it. I was crashing into stuff all the time, and the simulator made me feel everything. After about thirty minutes, I got better and could complete the course successfully without crashing twice when he said I was ready for the real thing.

I jumped out of the fake car and followed the man to the entrance to the track. As we walked, I took Grandpa's hand in mine and looked up at him. He smiled and I actually thought I saw his eyes were getting wet.

Grandpa and I got into our cars and when the light turned green we raced each other around the track. At the end of the first lap, he was way ahead of me but I caught up by the end of the third lap. On the fourth and final lap we were neck and neck, but in the end, I won. Honestly, I think he let me win, but it felt good anyway.

We waited our turn to go again and I did much better, leading him the entire race. When we crossed the finish line we got out and I gave him another hug. It felt good to hug him, I'm glad he liked it too, apparently.

We got a drink from the snack bar and I played a few arcade video games they had there before we went back for more racing. We raced each other until about four-thirty when he said we needed to start heading home. I was all like, "Do we havta go, Grandpa?" I guess I whined a little, but he just chuckled saying something about how cute I was when I begged.

Finally, I accepted it was time to go and we got in the real car, buckled up and headed home. We talked all the way there about how fun the day had been and I think I said thank you to him at least fifty times!

We pulled in, after I got to push the gate button, and parked behind Dad's car. Once the car was stopped, I ran into the house and found Nick in the kitchen preparing dinner. I threw myself at him and clung on to his neck with my legs wrapped around his waist. I gave him a kiss and a hug and started telling him about my day.

"Oh my, Trevor, thank you for the hug and kiss, but, you're a bit heavy." He said happily as I got a little worried I'd done something wrong.

I released my grip and backed away with my head hanging low. Sheepishly, I said, "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Trevor, I'm not mad, honestly. I loved the kiss and hug and you were so excited. But I'm not as strong as Bobby, he could have probably held you all day. Besides, I wanted to see your face as you told me about your day with Grandpa!"

Hearing the tone of his voice helped me get over my fears, mostly. "I'm sorry, but I keep worrying that I'll do something or say something that'll make you not want me. I love it here, and I love you and Dad… and Grandpa."

"Honey, there's nothing you can do that would make us not want you. Both Bobby and I feel as if you're already our son, and you can't just get rid of your child. Now, enough of this kind of talk, tell me about your day!"

I started talking, and as I did, I got more and more excited reliving everything we did. "We even went to McDonald's for lunch and it was 'fantastic'!" Daddy looked at Grandpa and I don't think he approved of where we ate. He didn't say anything, but Grandpa said he needed to talk to Bobby, ruffled my hair, which I usually hated, but I liked it from him and left the kitchen. I went on telling Daddy about the race car place.

*** ~~~ Grandpa Nate ~~~ ***

I left the kitchen and went to my son's office. The door was open and he was working on his computer, probably on his investments if I know my son like I think I do. He saw me at the door and invited me in, I closed the door once I was through it and sat across the desk from him.

"Adopting Roger isn't likely to happen, but I got a call from Henri asking for information on adopting a child from the same orphanage. George is working on it, but it won't happen for a few weeks. I instructed him to do what he needed to do to streamline the process," he said quietly.

"Bobby, I had a feeling that would be the result, but I didn't want to say anything because this is your business and you didn't ask my opinion, but speaking honestly, if I may, it would have been a bad situation. If the boys are in love, as you said, they would still need their own space. If they were both living under the same roof, they couldn't get it. Not to mention what others might think, assuming they were natural brothers, who happen to be lovers, if and when they came out publicly."

"I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. This is probably the best outcome. Henri and Marine are good people. Neither of them has ever given us the cause to think they have any ill feelings or opinions of gay people. Roger gets a good home, and the boy's relationship can grow or not, naturally," he said. I couldn't have been prouder of my son than I was at that moment, he was thinking with his head as much as his heart.

*** ~~~ Nick ~~~ ***

Trevor was so excited chattering on and on about his day. I listened as I finished preparing dinner. It made me feel so good hearing him, I couldn't help but feel his excitement. When dinner was done cooking, I asked Trevor to go to his Dad's office and knock if the door was closed, then tell him and Grandpa that dinner was ready. He scampered off with a smile.

I had set the table for four earlier and brought out the roast beef I'd prepared along with roasted potatoes and fresh steamed asparagus. I got a bottle of Cabernet and pulled the cork so it could breathe. About the time I had everything on the table, Trevor led Bobby's father by the hand to the table, followed by my beloved.

We sat around the table and I served our meal. I poured wine for Bobby and his father and asked Trevor if he'd like a taste of it. He nodded and said, "Yes, please." So I poured a small amount into his glass. He took a sip and the expression on his face made me wish I had a camera. Luckily, Bobby was always ready and snapped a picture with his phone immortalizing the moment. It is best described to resemble an infant first trying the taste of lemons. I smirked and replaced Trevor's glass with a glass of Coke.

"Looks like I have another doozy for my friend at the TV station!" Bobby said while laughing. Trevor simply blushed.

The meal went on with Trevor chattering on between bites since Bobby opened the door asking him about his day. It was the most enjoyable meal I can remember in this house. Excitement filled the air, and I couldn't be happier if every meal in our future will be this vibrant.

*** ~~~ Trevor ~~~ ***

Oh man! I hated that wine! I can't see what Daddy and Dad like so much about it. That roast beef was better than anything I'd ever eaten at the orphanage. Even the asparagus, my least favorite vegetable, was delicious. I'm slowly discovering I'm probably going to get really chubby if they keep feeding me all this wonderful food! But I just can't stop eating! Everything is sooooooooo good.

Grandpa had to go after dinner, so I gave him a huge hug and told him how much fun I'd had. I thanked him again and gave him a kiss. I took his hand and walked him to his car to say goodbye. He told me he'd see me before I had to go back. Hearing that made me sad, but I hoped I'd only have to go back to the orphanage for a day or so before I came back to my Dad and Daddy forever.

I watched as Grandpa drove off then went back into the house. We sat in the living room and Dad put on a video of the movie Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I'd seen it before, but on the small TV in our room when it was on TV. It was nothing like the huge TV in the living room, it was amazing. Not to mention that little Jake Lloyd, the boy who played Anakin, was totally adorable.

We watched the movie and by the time it was over I was tired. I said goodnight to Daddy and Dad, gave them each a hug and a kiss and headed upstairs. When I got in my room, I was so tired I decided I'd shower in the morning. I took off my clothes, putting them in the hamper and climbed into my bed in the same thing I was wearing when I was born.

I was asleep only seconds after my head hit the pillow. I woke up to a terrible thought as I sat right up to find out that Daddy was sitting next to me. He calmed me down and hugged me. When my heart finally settled, I had forgotten what my nightmare was about, I guess the hug helped a lot.

[to be continued]

I want to thank all of those who have done the kindness of sending feedback on this story, it's the best payment a writer can hope to received, good or bad… comments are always appreciated, or to be added to my mailing list for future postings, you can email me at TrueFan