Priorities ~ Book I ~ (Revised)

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

"I think he'll be the perfect addition to our family, Dad," I said to my father on the phone. He and I had been discussing what we'd need to do if we chose to make Trevor's adoption final.

"Don't you worry about it, Bobby. If this is what you want, I can make it happen. I'll cut through all the usual bullshit and we'll get it done." He said, confidently.

"Nick is showing him around the house. I think the boy actually has a puppy-love crush on my husband. Maybe I should be jealous!" I laughed.

"Bobby, even though I had my priorities all out of whack, I've come to realize that Nick is a very desirable person. He's honest, kind, compassionate… all of the things your mother was…" He started to choke up saying this.

"Dad, I miss her too. When would you like to come over and meet Trevor?" I asked.

"Well, how about I come by tomorrow morning about eleven. We can talk a bit and maybe go out for lunch?"

About this time, Nick called up to me that he was taking Trevor to get some clothes… poor kid. Nick can be a demon when he gets in shopping mode. I'm sure they'll spend more than the national budget for a small country by the end of the afternoon.

"Sounds good, Dad. We'll see you then. By the way, remember that investment you told me I'd be crazy to get into? You know, that tech start-up?"

"Yes, I know, I've been following it. How much did you get?" He asked.

"Dad, let's just say that what I made on that transaction would allow me to repay what I had in my trust fund six or seven times. You should have gotten a piece yourself." I boasted.

"Who's to say I didn't." Dad laughed.

We continued talking business for a while then ended the call. I went to the kitchen to get myself a snack and sat at the table in the kitchen thinking. I was sure I wanted to adopt, and my gut feeling was that Trevor was the right boy. I couldn't help but be nervous though. Were Nick and I ready to take on this kind of responsibility? The boy's gay, he told us that himself, how will we handle the kinds of questions he'll ask? What about when he starts dating? I know one thing for sure though… when he comes to me to tell me about his boyfriend, I won't treat him like I was treated. I know we've forgiven Dad for the way he acted, but the emotional toll is still there. That's a wound that will take a very long time to heal.

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

We got to the mall and Nick almost dragged me through the parking lot to get to the first store. He was funny the way he was acting. We got to the boys' department and he started rummaging through the racks saying things like, "No way!" and "Anyone who'd force a child to wear this should be drawn and quartered."

He removed a shirt and looked at it. He turned his head kind of half sideways then back, then held the shirt in front of me. "This one might be nice, it brings out your eyes." He set that one aside and looked for more.

By the time he was done, he'd chosen twelve shirts. He added them to the pile along with the two I'd picked, then moved to the pants. He asked me if I had a favorite style, and I told him I'd never thought about it; at the orphanage, we usually had to wear what they picked.

He asked me what size I wore and I told him. He then pulled out four different styles and showed them to me. They were all cool.

"Go try these on, one at a time, and come out so I can see." He asked.

I took the first pair into the dressing room and put them on. Looking in the mirror, I liked what I saw. I went out to see Nick, who looked me over then asked me to turn around. He looked, holding his finger at his lips and finally spoke.

"Those are nice, but I think they show your butt too much. I'm afraid all the boys will stare at my handsome son too much with you wearing those. Here, try these on." He said, handing me another pair. He called me his son! Now I understood that little dance he did in my room when he saw Roger's picture. I wanted to do one myself… but I didn't; at least until I was in the dressing room, alone.

I wound up trying on like twenty pairs of pants. Next, he said, "Underwear." I got a little nervous. I was hoping he wouldn't want me to model those too. I'm sure I was blushing because he looked at me and kind of grinned.

We went to the boy's underwear section and he asked me if I had a preference. I told him that all they bought for us at the orphanage were the normal white ones. I kind of kept looking at some bikini briefs and thought they were sexy, but I was too embarrassed to say anything. He told me that he'd get me a few packages of several types and I could decide for myself which ones I liked. As he was putting aside different types, I took a package of the bikini ones and added it to the pile. I think he saw me because he grinned again, but didn't say anything.

Once we'd finished and he was paying, he'd gotten me shirts, pants, underwear, shoes (six pairs), t-shirts, a couple of hats, jackets, coats, sweaters, and even some board shorts. I went over to the clearance table and was looking around. I came across something and laughed. There, on the table was a onesie pajama in my size, it was green and the sleeves had extensions to make them look like leaves. The top was a hood that looked like the petals of a flower. It was no wonder it was marked down from $80.00 to $5.00. I got a funny idea. I took the garment up to the register and looked at him.

"I kinda like these, Daddy." I had to try out calling him that. The look on the sales guy's face was funny when I called Nick that.

Nick looked at the outfit and laughed, "Oh, you'd look cute in that!" Before I could tell him I was joking, he told the clerk to add it to the bill.

There were so many packages to carry! We got to the car and put everything in the trunk and I started heading to the passenger door when Nick said, "Oh no, we're not done yet, that was only the first store."

My eyes bugged out as he grabbed my hand and dragged me back into the mall. Next stop was a swim-wear shop. "Bobby and I usually go naked when we swim at the house or use the hot-tub, but I'm not sure you'd be comfortable with that."

I'm sure I blushed again thinking of seeing them naked. But on another level, it seemed okay. "I don't think I'd mind seeing you swim naked," I'm sure I blushed a very deep shade of red, but hesitantly continued, "and I also don't think I'd mind my dads seeing me, but we should get some for when we have people over," I said.

Nick winked at me. He really winked! Good sign. "OK, how about we get a couple Speedos and a couple regular trunks?" He asked. I nodded, and he went off choosing what he thought I should get.

By the end of the afternoon, we'd shopped in four stores, he'd spent a couple thousand dollars on my new wardrobe. More than I think the orphanage had spent on my clothing since I arrived there when I was four. We got back into the car and started for home. Home. It feels good thinking about it that way.

"Did you mind when I called you Daddy at the store?" I asked hesitantly. "I wanted to try it out but now I think maybe you will think I was trying to manipulate you."

He pulled the car over and turned to look directly into my eyes. "Trevor, I know you weren't trying to manipulate me. And to be honest, I had to stifle a tear when you did call me that. We've only known each other a few hours, but I already know I want you to be my son if you'll have Bobby and me."

I threw off my seatbelt and jumped over the seat and into his arms. I cried on his shoulder, "I love you, Daddy." I could tell he was crying also. We hugged a few minutes then I got back into my seat and buckled up. Nick wiped his eyes, put the car back in gear and we headed home.

When we got to the gate, Nick asked me to reach up and hit the button to open it. I'm sorry, I'm thirteen and never saw things like this… it was cool.

We went inside and called Bobby to help unload my stuff. He took one look in the trunk, then the back seat both were stuffed, looked at Nick and shook his head when he said, "I told Dad you'd probably spend more than the budget of a small country. I was wrong, it looks like you spent enough to buy a small country."

I got a little nervous hearing him say that, and I think he noticed. He turned to me and said, "Trevor, it's Nick's way. Just like it's my way to joke with him about it. I'm not mad, not in any way, and I'm happy he's happy doing things like this for you. After all, you are our son, and you have to look the part."

This time I threw myself into his arms. He called me their son! This was going to happen and I was the happiest boy on the planet, maybe in the universe at that point. Sobbing, I told him, "Dad, I love you and Daddy so much, I'm so happy we found each other!"

"Hmm… Dad and Daddy… I kind of like that. Okay, Sport, let's get this stuff inside and put away, then you can model some of it for us… we'll have the first "Trevor Matthews Runway Performance."

I looked at them and asked, "Can I change my last name if you guys adopt me?"

They turned to each other and did their silent communication thing then Bobby turned to me and asked, "What would you like your last name to be?"

"I want to be called Trevor King-Peterson, for both of you," I said softly, looking at the ground.

Nick was crying, Bobby looked at me and even though his voice was choked up he said, "I think that's the perfect name."

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

I didn't know it was possible to love someone as quickly and I have accepted Trevor as my own to love and nurture. It feels as if he were part of me that was missing, part of my soul. If he were older, I know I'd be 'in love' with him as much as I am in love with Bobby. He comes up with the exact right things to say. Mind you, I'm not naïve, I haven't forgotten that kids in Trevor's situation can try to make you think of them in a positive way. But, here I don't feel like he's doing that, not since the first or second practiced expression, I saw him use at the orphanage. In just a few short hours we've bonded in a way that, to me, is just amazing!

Bobby and I helped him unload his things from the car and brought them to his room. Bobby helped put things away and saw the pajamas. He held them up and looked at me. "Who's idea were these?"

I laughed as Trevor blushed saying, "I actually showed them to Daddy as a joke, but he said we should get them."

"Well, I think you'd be cute wearing them, try them on… come on... let us see you in them!" I said enthusiastically. What Trevor did next surprised me a little. Right in front of Bobby and me he stripped off all his clothes and stood there naked! We chose not to mention what he'd done, we didn't want to make him feel as if he had done something wrong. But I can't help but think he did it on purpose.

I couldn't help but notice he was a beautiful boy, in all ways. I could also notice Bobby looking and I know from his expression he was in total agreement. Trevor pulled on the onesie, pulled the hood over his head and looked at us. He was absolutely adorable.

Bobby was laughing and so was I. Our little imp was standing there with a grin like a cat who'd swallowed a canary. He went to remove the garment and I stopped him.

"No, leave it on. At least for now, you're too cute in it and I want to remember you in it." Trevor blushed and at that moment we noticed the flash; Bobby had taken Trevor's picture in that outfit with the camera on his phone.

Trevor looked at him and pleaded with Bobby to never show it to anyone. Bobby chuckled and said, "You better be a good boy, or a friend of mine at the TV station would love to end the nightly news segment with this! This is viral material!" Trevor's jaw dropped for a moment until he smiled then gave Bobby a hug.

We finished unpacking and putting things away when I told Trevor to get dressed in some nice clothing, we were going out for dinner. Bobby and I then left the room, so he could get dressed.

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

I can't believe I did that! At the orphanage, we never worried about getting naked. Everyone saw everyone and it wasn't a big deal. When they told me to change, I just changed. It wasn't until I noticed them looking at me that I realized what I'd done. I was so embarrassed. But then I thought, these are my parents, it's not weird for parents to see their kids naked, is it?

So, after they left I took off the pajamas and stood there looking at myself in the full-length mirror. I guess I looked okay. I only had the kids at the orphanage to compare to, but you learn not to stare for too long. Doing so had its own consequences.

I went into my bathroom and took a quick shower, only to find out there were way too many knobs. I finally figured them out, sorta, and took my shower and it felt wonderful. I quickly dried off and then I got dressed in probably the coolest outfit I've ever owned. After hearing what Bobby and Nick were talking about and the way they said it I knew I was home. Although it was not official yet, I felt like I had my new parents.

I went downstairs and saw Dad and Daddy sitting on the couch. I stood in front of them, "How do I look?" I said as I turned around modeling my outfit for them.

"Boy, you clean up nicely! " Bobby said.

"Most handsome boy I've ever seen, except for Bobby, of course," Nick said with a smile. I blushed.

"Ok Sport, let's get out of here and fill that belly of yours," Bobby said as he swatted my behind. We got in the car and Bobby took off. We ended up at a restaurant that looked fancier than I had ever imagined one could. There was a guy there who Bobby gave the car keys to. Nick explained to me what a Valet was.

We walked into the restaurant and the man behind a podium saw us and said in a weird accent I'd never heard before, "Mr. King, Mr. Peterson, so nice to see you again. Who is this handsome young lad you have with you?"

"Hello Henri, this is the son we're in process of adopting. Trevor, say hello to Henri Duchamp. He owns this restaurant and is a very old friend of my father." Bobby said.

"Hello, Mr. Duchamp, it's very nice to meet you, sir," I replied as I offered my hand for him to shake.

He took my hand and shook before saying, "Oh my! He has such good manners also! Trevor, please feel free to call me Henri. Please follow me, and I'll bring you to our finest table." I felt important; I felt like I belonged, it felt really good. Mental note: it's pronounced "AHn-REE"

We sat at a table off to one side of the dining room. When I looked at the menu I could barely understand a word. It was all in a foreign language. I did notice the prices and they were definitely not cheap. I guess they sensed my confusion because Nick turned to me and said, "Don't worry, I can either tell you what it says or I can order for you, is there anything you don't like to eat?"

"Um, I dunno… we never had fancy food at the orphanage, but I don't remember anything I really hated. Just order for me, but please show me what it is so I can learn the name." I said.

He pointed at an item that said, "Ragoût du Chasseur avec des légumes et pommes de terre" and explained it was something called a hunter's stew with vegetables and potatoes. That sounded good, so he explained how to pronounce it properly. When the waiter came I would be able to order myself, which was a reward in itself.

However, I kept repeating it to myself and when a waiter came over I just blurted it out. Everyone laughed until Bobby explained he was just there to take our drink orders. I guess I blushed several shades of red before realizing it was funny and laughed along with them.

He took our drink orders and left, returning a few minutes later to give them to us. Henri approached and asked if we knew what we wanted. Bobby ordered for Nick and himself then Henri turned to me. I proudly said what I wanted in French and he acted all impressed. "Perfect accent, Trevor. Are you sure you haven't spoken Français before?"

I smiled and told him I hadn't. He made me feel really good before he left he said he was sending over a plate of assorted hors-d'oeuvres, which Nick explained meant appetizers. Our conversation was really just normal stuff until a man stopped at our table.

Bobby stood up and hugged him and said, "Dad, what are you doing here?"

I looked at the man and he did look like an older version of Bobby. The man replied, "Well, I have to eat too, I am just fortunate you chose the same place I did. May I join you?"

Bobby said, "Of course. Dad, we want you to meet your future grandson, Trevor. Trevor, this is my father, Nathan King."

I stood and offered my hand as I said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. King."

He ignored my hand and pulled me into a hug as he said, "Trevor, good manners will get you far in life, but you're my grandson, so I'll not have any of the Mr. King, crap. Call me Grandpa, and I'll be happy."

I hugged him and couldn't help but shed a tear as I said, "Hi, Grandpa!"

Henri came over and took Grandpa's order as we all sat and talked. Grandpa wanted to know everything about me and what we'd done since we got home from the orphanage. I left out the part about getting naked in front of my Dads. Bobby showed Grandpa the picture of me in my flower suit and we all laughed about it. He said he wanted Bobby to get an 8X10 print of it framed for his desk at the office. I was totally embarrassed.

They brought our appetizers and I got to try a lot of new things. One that I really liked, Nick told me that they were called 'Reblochon Tarts' and were these little pastries topped with onions, potatoes, bacon, and cheese. They were yummy!

We talked as a family when dinner was delivered. My stew was, as Henri taught me, délicieux, which means delicious. When we'd finished our main course, Henri came over with a cart. The cart had a burner on it and a frying pan. He turned it on and allowed the pan to get kind of hot then added some butter and brown sugar. Then he added some fresh cherries. When it was almost done, he took a bottle and poured something into it, then tilted the pan and it almost exploded with fire. It was totally awesome to watch. The waiter brought us dishes of ice cream and Henri dished out the cherries over it. He said it was a dessert designed by a famous French chef named Escoffier. I didn't know about any of that, but it tasted fantastic.

When we'd finished dinner, Henri came over and told us that he was presenting the dinner to us as a welcome to me at no charge. I was shocked. Bobby thanked him and took a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and asked Henri to give it to his staff.

Then we got up and I gave Grandpa another hug. He told me he'd see me tomorrow. Bobby then told me he was originally coming over tomorrow to meet me and then we'd go to lunch. We thanked Henri again for the dinner and left the restaurant.

As we left the restaurant the valet guy approached. Bobby gave him a paper and the guy took off. Bobby handed me a twenty dollar bill and told me to give it to the guy when he brought us back our car.

When he did, I gave him the bill and he looked at it before saying, "Thanks, Kid, the best tip I've gotten all night!" He then opened the back door for me and as I got in he smiled at me. I gotta admit, he was kinda cute! Immediately after he closed the car door I thought of Roger then felt guilty that I'd thought what I did.

We drove back home and sat in the living room. I was so full! I've never eaten that much in my life! We talked a bit more when Bobby said, "It's still early, does anyone want to go relax in the hot tub?"

My jaw dropped at the thought of even having a hot tub. I had never been in one before, so I said it would be cool. Bobby told me to get my swimsuit on. I paused a moment and when Nick saw the expression on my face he asked me, "Is there a problem, Trevor?"

I was embarrassed a little and softly asked, "Before I came here, did you guys really just go naked in the pool and hot tub?"

Nick replied, "Yes, Trevor, we did, but we thought you would be embarrassed going naked with us. We didn't want to make you uncomfortable or feel forced into anything."

I looked at both of them before saying, "At the orphanage, we didn't really have any modesty. It was all boys and we'd shower and stuff with others all the time, so I'm not embarrassed about my body. I don't want you to have to change everything about your lives just because I might be here from now on. I hope so, but…" I trailed off.

Bobby stood and wrapped me in a hug as he said, "Trevor, as far as I am concerned and I know Nick feels the same way when I tell you that this is your home now. We want you to be our son forever."

I hugged him tight and cried into his chest. After a few minutes, I choked out, "Ok, last one naked and in the hot tub is a rotten egg!" Then I broke out of Bobby's arms and ran to the pool house throwing clothes off as I ran.

They chased me and by the time we'd arrived, we were all naked. Bobby held me back while Nick got in the hot water then let me go so I could get in. It was really, really hot, especially when my balls hit the water. I got in the rest of the way and it felt really good.

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

Is this boy special, or what? Now that we're in the hot tub, sitting as if on the points of an equilateral triangle, the conversation is like anyone would expect from a family that's been together for years, not hours. He's just so natural talking about his feelings, his desires, dreams, and hopes.

I am glad that Bobby was the one to tell him that we wanted him as our son. Bobby is the brains in our relationship, and I am its heart. It's wonderful that Bobby showed his heart for a change. Having Trevor here will be fantastic for both Bobby and me.

We talked for nearly an hour before I said, "It's been almost an hour, Trevor, you should be getting out, heading upstairs, and getting ready for bed. Please remember to shower before getting into bed to wash off the chemicals from the hot tub."

He went over to Bobby and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. Bobby looked at me and I thought I saw a tear in his eye. I wasn't able to confirm it though before Trevor came over to me and gave me the same treatment. After hopping out of the hot tub, he stood there in all his glory, more beautiful than any of the statues done by the Greek masters and said, "Thanks for wanting to be my dads, I know I'm gonna love it here, and...I love you both, good night." With that he turned and walked slowly toward the house, picking up his clothes as he went along.

I turned to my husband and said, "I think we made the right choice, babe. He's everything we wanted. Intelligent, compassionate, and he's gay. It was totally unlikely he'd ever have been adopted." Damn, it sounds so cold, talking about him as if he's something instead of somebody.

"You're right, and I agree, he's perfect. Now I need to do what's necessary to make sure he can stay with us permanently. He'll probably have to go back to the orphanage for a day or two, three at most before we can bring him home permanently." Bobby said.

Bobby and I talked for about thirty minutes more before I felt I should go and check on Trevor. I went back to the house, picking up Bobby's clothes along with my own, stopped by our bedroom to drop off the laundry and put on my robe.

As I approached Trevor's door, I heard him crying. I knocked on his door before entering. He was laying there on his tummy, still sans clothing, staring at the picture of Roger, tears falling down his cheeks.

I sat on the bed next to him and as he looked over at me, I wiped his tears from his cheeks with my thumb. "You miss him, don't you," I said, more a statement than a question.

"Yeah, he's my best friend. I didn't know he was gay until today. I've had a crush on him for a while now, and I think I truly love him." He said softly.

I couldn't say what I was thinking; mainly because I didn't know if we could even do it, but also because I didn't want to give him any false hopes. I merely told him, "Trevor, you will most likely have many loves in your life, but if it's truly meant for you and Roger to be together, it'll happen. No force on earth can keep true love apart. Look at Bobby and me. We came from different worlds, but it was meant to be. Even his father couldn't keep us apart. I have no doubt you'll find a love as strong as the one Bobby and I share. We can talk more tomorrow, but you need to get your cute naked butt in bed and get some sleep. Grandpa will be here tomorrow."

I bent down and kissed his forehead and he hugged me again saying, "I love you, Daddy." I told him I loved him too and bade him good night. After I closed his door, I leaned back and cried my own tears for the pain he was feeling. I needed to do something.

Bobby met me in our bedroom. I looked at him and he knew I needed to talk to him. He sat next to me, took my hands, and said, "You need me to do something more, don't you, babe."

"I went to check on him and he was crying over a boy he loves, Bobby. One of his roommates, Roger. Is there anyway?" I asked him with my emotions clearly on display.

He inhaled a deep breath and released it. "I don't know. It's going to be hard enough trying to adopt one, but two? I'll have to talk to dad and see what he says. You know I'll move heaven and earth for you, babe, but I'm not sure this is in any way doable."

"Bobby, try. Not for me, but for your son. That's all I can ask." I hugged him and we got into bed. We held each other close and fell asleep.

[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