Sitting at the table, they began to make plans. They decided on a very small wedding to be held in six weeks time. That would give JC and Brandon a chance to fly back to Florida and drive the necessities back before the wedding. For the moment, JC and Laura would home school Brandon until everything was settled and he could be placed into a permanent school.
Once the crops were all off and they were married, then the three of them would head to LA for a month or so as JC filmed the next installment of ABDC. Both of them were committed to Brandon and helping him succeed which is why they planned to have a home base at Laura’s home. Wherever JC went, Brandon and Laura would go with him. That way he was assured of stable family around him. JC was going to get in touch with the authorities in Florida to see about starting the adoption process.
But first, they had to convince the people around them that they were marrying for love. And they were about to go through their first hurdle, Brandon was noisily stomping down the stairs.
Quickly shoving the lists they had in front of them out of the way, JC reached out and grasped Laura’s hand in his. If she wanted him to play the loving fiancé, he would. Only in his mind, he wasn’t playing, it was real.
Laura’s cheeks were full of a becoming blush, he was taking this whole act seriously. But they would have to in order to pull it off for their families and closest friends.
“Good morning,” she announced to Brandon.
“Morning,” he looked between the two of them not sure what was going on. Then he remembered he was mad at JC for saying they were headed back to Florida so he started glaring.
A hint of a smile crossed JC’s face, he knew exactly what was going through Brandon’s mind. “Sit down for a minute, we want to talk to you.”
Sliding her hand out of JC’s, Laura grabbed a plate and filled it up before placing it in front of Brandon. She sat back down and slid her hand back into JC’s as if it was second nature.
“Am I in trouble?” Brandon asked worriedly.
“No way, we just have some news for you. You see last night, I asked Laura to marry me and she has accepted.” He raised the hand that held Laura’s to his lips with a smile.
“You haven’t told him the rest of it,” she reminded JC.
Lowering her hand back to the table, he turned back to Brandon, who was looking concerned. “We would like to adopt you, if that’s okay with you.”
“You want to adopt me?” Tears rushed to the teens eyes. “No one has ever wanted me before, not even my mom.” He started to sob, his head falling to rest on his folded arms.
JC reached over with his free hand and rubbed Brandon’s back, trying to get him to calm down. After a few minutes, Brandon began to gain control again and wiped his eyes with the tissues Laura pressed into his hand.
“Is that alright with you, Brandon?” Laura asked gently after he had calmed a little.
“You really want to adopt me?” Brandon couldn’t believe that these two people cared for him enough to adopt him. His eyes moved from one adult to the other.
“Yeah, we do. So how about it? Can I make the call that will set everything in motion?”
“So, I’d like live with you and this would be my home? Would I have to call you mom and dad?”
Laura nodded at JC to answer this. “Well, yeah, you’d live with us. We were talking this morning. Right now, we will home school you until we get settled someplace. Sometime this week, you and I will fly back to Florida and pack and then drive back up here. Then after we get married, we are going to head to LA so I can get some work done. We are going to have a home studio built here so that I can work from here and this will turn out to be our home base, since we all like it here so much. And as for mom and dad,” JC looked at Laura with a soft smile on his face. “That’s up to you man, if you feel comfortable calling us mom and dad, we don’t have a problem with it, but if not we’ll still answer to JC and Laura.” He turned his attention back to Brandon. “But we don’t ever want you to think that we are trying to take the place of your parents. They were a huge part of your life and if you want to keep your last name after we adopt you, that’s fine with us too.”
“So what do you say?” Laura could see the answer in Brandon’s eyes, but wanted him to admit it out loud.
“Yes,” he all but shouted. The three jumped up and had their first official family hug.
***
Telling their families was an experience that neither would soon forget. Laura’s family was told in person since they lived so close and the reaction wasn’t what they had hoped for. JC and Laura held hands and gave each other light kisses when others were around to help it seem like they were in love and entering in a real marriage. But Laura was pulled aside by her parents one day and asked if she were pregnant. Was that why they were rushing into marriage so fast?
After getting over the embarrassment and not sure she had convinced her parents they were not expecting, she decided not to tell JC what people were thinking. He had enough on his mind from telling his own parents over the phone.
But little did she know, JC had the same conversation with his parents. They couldn’t understand why he was getting married so quickly especially after his total denial for years that he would never marry.
Both of them were frustrated and in a normal relationship would have each other to lean on, but not in this case. They kept their feelings to themselves and were sure the other one was only acting loving when they were out in public.
They were almost relieved to get some distance from each other for a while when JC and Brandon headed back to Florida. Laura was making many of the wedding arrangements on her own. She had quit her office job, the crops were harvested, and she was planning a December wedding to a man she loved, but was positive who didn’t love her in return.
Even though they needed the space between them, the couple missed each other while they were apart. Talking every day, they slipped back into the easy friendship they had shared months ago before Brandon’s mother had died. Due to JC’s busy schedule, he and Brandon spent almost three weeks in Florida before they could make arrangements to move to Laura’s.
At their return, it was only a week and a half until they would exchange their vows. Since all the rumors were flowing about her being pregnant and how could JC leave her for three weeks while she was expecting, Laura had arranged for JC and Brandon to stay with a cousin who lived next door. Hopefully some of the talk would subside at that. Even though they slept next door, JC and Brandon spent all of their waking time at Laura’s, unpacking, painting Brandon’s room, and helping make it a home for all of them.
***
JC heard the garage door open then close and hurried out to help Laura carry bags in from the car. She had gone shopping for some last minute wedding stuff. As they sat the supplies on the table, JC grabbed his open can of Pepsi.
After dropping all of her packages, Laura looked over at JC and announced just as he took a sip, “If one more person comes up and congratulates me on our baby, I’m going to scream!”
JC began to choke so Laura hurried around to him to pat him on the back. He gasped out as he tried to catch his breath, “What! But I haven’t – I mean we’ve never…” The coughing over took him again. “Where did they get that idea?”
“Where did they get that idea?” She repeated. “Probably from the fact that we haven’t known each other more than six months, I stayed with you in Florida, you came running up here to stay with me, and we are planning a wedding in such a short amount of time. Today, we even received our first baby gift.”
Laura grabbed one of the bags and took out something. Holding two bibs in front of her, he began to laugh. One said ‘I love my Mommy’ and the other ‘I love my Daddy.’
She tossed them back on the table as she said in frustration. “I’m so glad you’re amused by this. I can’t believe my family and friends would think that of me.” Disappointed at his response, she told herself that this was just another way of him keeping distance between them. If he was that freaked out about an impossible pregnancy, then he would never be okay with a real one.
She walked into the living room and sank down on the couch with a loud sigh, rolling her neck. JC studied her in concern, serious now. She did look a little stressed and he probably hadn’t been helping as much as he should have been.
He grasped her hands to pull her forward. “Slid down on the floor for a minute.”
“Why?” She asked.
“Just do it.”
She slid on the floor as he settled on the couch behind her, carefully swinging one leg around so she was nestled in between them. He ran his hand down her arm to where she kept her hair tie. Taking it off her wrist, he set it on his leg as he gathered her long silky hair into a ponytail. He twisted the hair tie in the strands of her hair so he could have total access to her shoulders.
He eased his thumbs into the tense muscles in her neck. They were rock hard. Maybe he should stop this whole marriage right now. But selfishly, he couldn’t. He loved her too much.
His thoughts were interrupted as she sighed, “Oh, don’t ever stop. That is wonderful.” He began to rub her temples, easing away the headache that made itself known in her eyes.
Wrapping both her arms around one of his legs, she leaned her cheek against his knee, nuzzling it in an almost loving way. JC’s breath stopped as felt the stirring of desire. Touching her like this, inhaling her scent overwhelmed his senses.
“How can we make this go away? I can feel how much this bothers you.”
His whole body froze as she leaned her head back to look into his eyes. Her head was inches away from touching his growing desire. “I guess we just wait it out and obviously when there’s no baby in the next few months, it’ll take care of itself.” All of a sudden, her golden laughter rang out. “Who knows how pregnant they think I am!” She put her head back on his knee as JC exhaled slowly in relief and frustration.
How was he going to sleep in the same bed as this woman, the love of his life, and keep his hands off her? You will, he told himself, because she is the best thing that ever happened to you and you are not going to screw this up!
