Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
They'd done it. Tomorrow Kane would legally take his name, becoming the beneficiary on all that was his, then they would truly be one. That had been a trick that took Avery months to get Kane to agree to, but in the end, he had. Avery smiled a sleepy smile and closed his eyes. Everything was right in his world. Kane had finally become his.
Chapter 15
July, 1978 ~ Stillwater, Minnesota
"Babe," Avery called out, barely inside the kitchen through the garage side entrance, only to find it deserted. Damn! Of course this would be the day that Kane wasn't in here cooking away or cleaning their already spotless house. He could hardly contain himself as he dashed through the kitchen into the spacious living room.
"Kane, where are you?" This time he almost yelled the words.
"I'm up here!" he heard Kane reply. Avery centered in on the master suite upstairs. He took the stairs two at a time and hurried down the hall, rushing around the corner, keeping up his pace as he stepped into their bedroom. Kane had his eyes glued to a five-inch-thick microcomputer manual on his desk while pecking away at the small keyboard in front of him. Every few seconds he would lift his eyes and watch the screen, his brow narrowed. "Dang!"
"Dang, what?" Avery said, slowing his stride as he got closer to the desk where Kane sat. All of the sudden his stomach lurched and his heart began to pound in his chest as his excitement turned to uneasiness. He gripped the thick file folder in his hands as he leaned in to kiss Kane's perfectly pouty lips. Damn! Why was he so nervous now? He knew that answer. Kane was definitely going to fight him on what he held in his hands. Avery realized he wanted Kane to be on board with this more than anything in the world. He wanted this life for them, and the folder he gripped tightly in his hands made his wants a possible reality.
"I can't see how these things are gonna streamline anything. You have to research for hours to learn how to even type the information in correctly and one bad keystroke and the whole thing is messed up…" Kane hadn't really turned from the screen to kiss Avery. His eyes were still glued to the dark monitor with the green flashing cursor. The blinking cursor reminded him of the beat of his own nervous and overactive heart. Could that stupid curser be mocking him now? Avery rejected the crazy thought, but the longer he stood there, the more frantic he became, which was so completely outside of his normal personality.
"I think it's mocking me." Kane said exactly what Avery was thinking before dropping his gaze back to the manual.
"Can you take a break? I've got something I really need to talk to you about," Avery said, leaning back against Kane's desk. He stopped short of stepping in front of Kane, but came close. He needed Kane's full attention. What he had to say was very important to both of them.
Kane looked up at Avery, but looked immediately down again as he continued to type. Avery waited a second more, telling himself this wasn't a good time. He should let his husband keep working. The thing was, his heart wouldn't allow him to put this conversation off any longer.
"What's up?" Kane finally asked and that gave Avery all the invitation he needed. Avery laid the file folder he held in his hands on top of the manual Kane continued reading from.
"What is it?" Kane asked, all his attention now centered on Avery. Finally! Avery's heartbeat intensified as he reached over to drag his desk chair next to Kane's and sat down beside him. His mouth went dry as he started to speak, but he managed to smile at Kane and kept on task.
"Honey, I have something I've been following for a while. I never mentioned this to you, because I didn't want to get our hopes up," Avery said as he opened the file folder. He could see Kane's eyes were immediately drawn to the first page, narrowing as he began to read the print. That had Avery picking up the pace, talking without really thinking. He wanted to get this out before Kane had a chance to figure out where he was going with all this.
"Babe, look at me, not the file for a minute." Kane actually lifted his eyes and met his for a moment, but cut his gaze back down to the folder. Avery was forced to continue without being able to gauge Kane's reaction. His usual smooth-talking ways abandoned him, and he blurted out what he should have padded.
"The first test tube baby was born today. He's healthy and strong and I want us to try and have a test tube baby," Avery sputtered, and Kane jerked his gaze up. Their eyes connected for several heartbeats. Under normal circumstances, Kane's facial expressions would have been comical. He ranged from uncertainty as if he hadn't heard Avery correctly, then to shock, and now doubt was beginning to cloud his eyes. Avery didn't like that look at all.
"Avery…" Kane began, hesitation clear in his tone.
"No, now listen. The doctors have given this baby a clean bill of health. I've been tracking this from the beginning. The pregnancy and birth were normal. The baby's doing great. The doctors are saying he's healthy, normal, just like a new baby conceived the natural way. I made phone calls, Kane. I'm getting this information firsthand."
Kane didn't say a word. He only stared at Avery. With no response from his husband, he had no idea what to say. Avery understood this was coming out of thin air, he was blindsiding Kane, and there might be a moment of uncertainty, but dead silence with no discussion just wasn't like them. They had always been open and honest with each other and could talk about anything. Avery forced himself to calm down.
To say they hadn't ever spoken about anything like this was an understatement. They'd never really talked about having children. They were secluded here, tucked away in their little part of the world, living their lives together. It had never been even a small option that they might become parents, but Avery still didn't like the silence, and he knew Kane well enough to know what their obstacles were.