Another Chance - Book Three

by Zarek Dragon

 

As Jim was working in the office, his cell phone rang. He was surprised when he looked to discover the call was from the group home. "Hello," Jim answered.

"Jim, are you busy?" Aunt Sallie inquired.

"I'm currently at work at the ranch, why?" Jim asked.

"I have someone here that would like to meet with you and Jake," Aunt Sallie paused. "It's Jake's birth mother."

Jim took a deep breath before answering, "Tell her that I will meet with her at McDonald's say around one. If she is there before I get there, I will be driving a blue Dodge Ram."

"I will be with her," Aunt Sallie assured Jim. "I can understand that you may be upset, but the adoption has been finalized, so unless she takes you to court, you needn't worry about losing Jake. And, even if she does, any judge will see that Jake belongs with you."

"Just so you know, I am NOT bringing Jake with me. I want to meet with this woman and know that she won't hurt him in any way before I even consider letting her around Jake," Jim informed Aunt Sallie.

Sallie hesitated a little, then said, "Because you are a good dad, I wouldn't expect anything less from you. I'm sure Tina Louise Caulfield won't be happy, but I understand from where you are coming."

Jim replied, "I don't care if she's happy or not. Jake is my first priority. She abandoned him when he was born, or shortly after. Wait, her last name is Caulfield, I thought Jake's started with a B?"

"I agree. I believe this initial chat should be with just you, or you and Zac," Sallie spoke soothingly. "You have my word that even if she does take you to court, I will back you and Zac all the way as Jake's legal fathers. And I always thought the B was for his last name, maybe it's a middle initial."

"Thank you, Aunt Sallie," Jim said softly. "I don't know why I started getting hostile, you're not even the one I'm angry with."

Aunt Sallie chuckled, "You'd be surprised how many times I'm yelled at or sternly lectured because I am the middle person between a birth parent and an adoptive parent. I'm used to it, but I don't recall any of them apologizing like you just did. Most of the time it works out for what is best for the child."

Jim shook his head and looked down at the floor. His voice cracked as he spoke, "Most of the time, but not always?"

Aunt Sallie tried to reassure him, "No, not always, but Jake belongs with you and Zac and he will stay with the two of you."

"It would devastate him if he doesn't; I would be hurt, but my fear is what it would do to him." Then Jim began to cry. Zac chose that time to come into the office, and he was carrying Jake.

Jim hung up his phone and looked like he was ready to fling it across the room. Jake, looking at him with the purest love in his eyes, uttered, "Daddy, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you right now, but we may have a talk later, okay?" Jim offered. Jake nodded his head and Jim continued, "Can we have Uncle Buster watch you for a few minutes, I need to talk with Papa and Uncle Joe."

Not knowing the situation, Jake was worried, "Did I do something wrong to make you cry?"

Jim took Jake from Zac's arms and hugged him, "Heavens no, you didn't do anything wrong. I promise, later tonight, Daddy will tell you what he can, but I really need to talk with Papa and Uncle Joe right now."

Jake gave Jim a kiss and then Zac took him to find Buster and get Joe. It was fifteen minutes before they came back into the office. Once they were in the office, Zac took Jim in his arms, looked him in the eye and pleaded, "Babe, what the heck is going on? What was that phone call all about?"

Jim looked down for a few minutes and then looked at Joe, "Can you watch Jake for us? Zac and I need to meet with Aunt Sallie and Jake's birth mom. Or, I can go see her alone if you have plans."

Zac looked shocked, to say the least, "Like hell you are. Joe, please watch Jake, I need to be there."

Joe responded without even blinking, "I agree, you both need to be there. Buster and I can watch Jake. What time?"

Joe's readiness made Jim smile. "I told Aunt Sallie that I would meet them for lunch at one."

Joe looked at his watch, then at Jim, "You need to leave in like a few minutes. Are you going to tell Jake that you're leaving?"

"You better believe it. If we just left, I think he'd be even more worried," Jim stated.

"Ya think?" Zac gave Jim a funny look. "Look how worried he was when you were crying. And he knows that his mother left him, so yeah, he'd be worried and more."

Jim, Zac and Joe found Buster and Jake talking to Platinum. Jake was telling Buster what he could about the almost two month old colt. Jim picked Jake up, hugged him and then told him that Uncle Joe and Buster were going to watch him for a while. "Why?" Jake queried.

Jim smiled at his little boy, "Well, Papa and Daddy need to meet with Aunt Sallie and another lady."

"Why can't I come?" Jake questioned.

"Well," Jim started, "I don't really know this other lady and I want to make sure she's safe before I let her near you?"

"Oh," Jake blurted, "Can Uncle Joe take me to McDonald's for lunch?"

Jim hung his head down. How does he tell such a sweet boy that he can't go to McDonald's because that is where he will be meeting Aunt Sallie and HIS birth mother? Zac wanted to give his approval but he noticed Jim's actions, so he waited. "That's where Daddy and Papa are meeting Aunt Sallie and the lady. You can go, but please stay with Uncle Joe and Uncle Buster."

Jake hugged Jim, "I will, thank you Daddy." Jim looked at Joe like he was going to tell him something but then changed his mind.

Zac insisted on driving as Jim was an emotional wreck. They pulled into the lot a few minutes early. After looking to see if Aunt Sallie was there, Jim found a seat while Zac grabbed their meal. Aunt Sallie walked into the restaurant at one sharp. A lady who appeared to be twenty or twenty-one years of age walked in behind her. Jim noticed right away that the woman had curly raven hair. As soon as they reached the table where Jim was seated, the woman started in right away, "Where's Jake? Where's my son?"

Before Jim had a chance to respond, Aunt Sallie spoke up, "I told you, this initial visit will be with just his fathers. Have a seat and we will talk."

Reluctantly, the lady sat down. Zac came over with a tray full of food, "I hope you don't mind, but I picked up food for all four of us. If you want something else, feel free to get your own."

Jim inquired, "When is Jake's birthday? I know that you left him on the second of January, but what day did you give birth to him?"

"He was born on the same day. Giving him up was the hardest thing I ever did," Tina stated.

"How could you leave that beautiful baby in the freezing cold just what, a few hours old, if that, like you did, and then you never tried seeing him even once?" Jim asked.

"I was young and stupid when I got pregnant with Jake. I was fifteen when he was born, my father disowned me, saying that I brought disgrace to the Buchanan name. I was homeless and unable to take care of a baby. I honestly believed he would be better off without me, but he's MY son," Tina replied.

"So Jake's last name was Buchanan, but you're a Caulfield?" Jim was confused.

Tina looked smug, "I took my mother's maiden name after my father kicked me out, but I wanted him to have the B for Buchanan just to piss my father off. Now, for the last time, where… is… MY… son?"

Jim's lip started to curl, "What's his favorite color? Actually, he has two, try and guess just one of them."

Tina smiled, "His favorite color is red."

"Wrong!" Jim snapped, "His favorite colors are purple and green. What food gets him excited?"

"I don't know, but he's MY son, I deserve the right to see him!" Tina shrieked. Everyone in the restaurant looked in their direction.

Jim looked at her with contempt, "Deserve? Yes, you gave birth to him, but you never once checked on him. He's not your son, not since you abandoned him."

"I was in no position to take care of him. I knew that if I was able to see him, it would tear me up all over again."

"So now that he's in a home where he feels loved, you want to just waltz back into his life? What do you think that would do to him? He's not here right now because I am concerned with his emotional well-being. If you were, you'd stay out of his life," Jim growled.

Tina picked up one of the cups of Cokes and threw its contents at Jim's face just as Joe and Buster were walking in. Joe was quick to grab Jake before he could run over to Jim. Tina huffed out of the restaurant. Jim's hands went to his eyes as some of the Coke went in them. The store manager rushed over and escorted Jim to an eyewash station.

After thirty minutes, the manager asked Jim how his eyes were. Jim blinked a few times, took a deep breath and replied, "My eyes still sting a little, and things are blurry, but I don't think any serious damage was done."

Zac fretted, "Should I take him to the hospital?"

"I don't think it's that serious. I would suggest he go home and take a nap," the manager suggested.

Aunt Sallie walked up to Jim, "I am so sorry. I never expected this from her and I am glad that she never got to meet Jake."

Jake nudged Aunt Sallie's arm to get her attention, "Who was that mean lady and why are you glad that she didn't meet me?"

Jim looked at the blurry little kid that sounded like his son, "I don't really know how to tell you this and not hurt you in any way." Tears started flowing out of Jim's eyes.

Jake ran over and hugged Jim, then started crying himself, "Who is she? Why did she do that?"

Jim hugged Jake tightly, "She was the lady that I was worried about having you come here. I knew that I should have said no, but then I would have had to explain why and I wasn't ready. I'm still not ready."

"Was she my mommy?" Jake asked innocently.

"I'm not ready for this," Jim said, taking a deep breath. "Yes, that was the lady who gave birth to you. She was your mommy. The reason that she reacted like she did was because I was worried with how she would affect you and I wanted to shield you from any pain and I told her that it wasn't a good idea for her to see you. I'm sorry that I allowed you to see that."

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I should have never asked to come here," Jake apologized.

Jim hugged Jake tightly again, "You have nothing to be sorry for except for being so cute. You had no way of knowing and I thought about asking Joe to wait half an hour. Everything is my fault, not yours."

Jake kissed Jim on the cheek. Then he placed his hands on Jim's cheeks and looked him in the eyes, "You're grounded for a week."

"OK, I deserve that for what I did," Jim chuckled. "So what does my grounding entail?"

Jake seriously replied, "I don't know, I never grounded anyone before."

"What about, no using his laptop for a week?" Zac suggested. Jim gave him a dirty look.

Jake looked thoughtful, "No, I think Daddy should stay in his room for a week and think about what he did. He can only come out to go to work or get groceries and for meals."

"If you don't mind, I need to step outside and call the office and see if someone will come pick me up. I rode with Tina," Aunt Sallie interrupted. "Again, I'm sorry that this happened, Jim."

"You're grounded, too," Jake interjected. Everyone laughed.

"Aunt Sallie, we can drop you off if you would like," Zac offered. "Let's finish our lunch and Jake can ride with us so the two of you can visit during the ride."

As everyone sat to eat, Joe went to get a happy meal for Jake and something for himself. Buster took the food originally planned for Tina. Jim sat there, not eating. "Babe, are you alright?" Zac was concerned.

Jim sat there staring at his food for a second before responding, "I'm not hungry, I just feel like I screwed everything up today."

After Jake finished his Happy Meal, he asked if he could have Jim's food. Jim just slid it over. Zac looked in disbelief, "Where are you putting all this food? Tell me Aunt Sallie, did you keep a small farm in business just feeding him alone?"

She smiled at Jake, "He does have a healthy appetite. At least, he's active enough for it."

"And while I have your attention, what can you tell me about Eric?" Jim was a little surprised to hear Zac ask, but he was wanting to hear for himself.

Aunt Sallie took a deep breath. She paused and took another deep breath, "That boy will probably be in prison, if he isn't already. He's bad news and picked on all of the younger children, including Jake. No matter what I tried, he kept at it. He is the only child I ever was glad to get out of the home without any sadness seeing him leave."

After they ate, they dropped Aunt Sallie off at the home and went to the ranch. Jim was quiet the whole ride and just walked into the house. Joe and Buster beat them by a few minutes and Joe couldn't believe how Jim was acting. You would think that the world was about to explode and Jim felt responsible. Joe picked Jake up and nodded his head at Zac telling him to go take care of Jim.

Zac found him in their room crying. He sat on the bed and started caressing Jim's back. "Babe, you love Jake so much. You wanted to protect him but yet gave in to his wanting to go to McDonald's. Considering his cute face, I might have done the same thing."

Jim turned to face Zac, "You're just saying that. I should have known better. I should have protected him from seeing his birth mom throwing Coke in my face. Now I can't see anything but pitch black."

Zac chuckled, "Because you have your eyes closed, silly. I know that you wanted to protect Jake. You're taking this harder than he is. Take a nap and see if you feel any better. I love you and Jake loves you, so you must be doing something right."

Jim gave Zac a kiss before speaking, "At least I knew to get the most handsome caring guy on the planet, even if he is blurry right now. We got lucky with Jake coming into our lives."

"That we did, get some sleep, hopefully you'll feel better and see things more clearly."

""Figuratively and literally," Jim grinned.

Zac smiled, "See there, sounds like you're feeling better already."

"I am," Jim started. "Want to lay down with me? Your caressing will put me to sleep in no time."

"I wish I could. I have a ranch to run and I'm short a person because my partner tried shoving his head into a cup of Coke."

"It was thrown at me, thank you very much. Keep it up and you can be looking up at me tonight," Jim threatened.

Zac kissed Jim's cheek, "If it'll make you feel better, it would be my pleasure."

"What would really make me feel better is a good hard drilling before you go," Jim smiled.

Zac smirked, "I don't have time now, but when my shift is over, I'll be happy to oblige." Jim stuck his lip out acting like he was pouting and Zac kissed it tenderly. "Get some sleep, Babe. I love you."

Zac left the room and found Jake still being held by Joe. "He should feel better after a nap."

Jake asked, "Can I take a nap with Daddy?"

Zac was quick to reply, "Sure, just make sure you let him sleep. I think you lying with him would do him some good."

Jake ran in the room and crawled onto the bed. Jim gave him a hug and groggily asked, "What are you doing, Munchkin?"

Jake kissed Jim on the cheek and answered, "Papa said that I can take a nap with you. Do you feel any better?"

"Much," Jim answered. "I love you so much, you know that, right?"

"You tell me that all the time," Jake replied as he nestled against Jim's body.

After the ranch closed for the day, Joe offered to help Zac prepare supper so Jim could sleep. Zac went in to check on him and as he opened the door, Jake put his hand to his lips. "Shhhh, Daddy's sleeping," the little guy whispered. Zac just smiled.

"We may not be having what Jim planned, but after what happened at lunch, I don't think he'll mind," Joe stated as Zac came back out.

Zac grinned, "You should see those two in there. Jake's awake, but Jim's asleep cuddling him like a teddy bear. So, are you and Buster spending the night? If so, Jim wants to play Sorry while Jake is up and then we can play Monopoly after."

Joe pulled his keys out and tossed them to Buster, "Go to the house and grab us each a change of clothes for tomorrow, would you please?"

Buster handed the keys back to Joe, kissed him and asked, "What if you go and I help Zac prepare supper? You know more of what you want to wear tomorrow than I do and I would feel funny being in that house alone."

Joe chuckled, "I understand, I remember how nervous I felt when I was there by myself the first time, and I lived there."

"At least I know that I've earned your trust," Buster grinned.

Joe shot back, "You had my trust since before I agreed to be your boyfriend. If I didn't trust you, I would have never agreed."

"And I hope that neither of us ever does anything to ruin that. Joseph Charles Bolt, I want to grow old with you." Buster gave Joe one last kiss before he went out the door.

Buster looked at Zac after Joe left, "He didn't say that he wanted to grow old with me too, do you think he might be upset about something?"

Zac laughed, "He talks all the time about how he can't wait to marry you. I think he just wanted to hurry and get the clothes so he can get back here."

"I hope so," Buster stated.

"I know so, he loves you very much. He tells that bear you bought for him it's just a stand-in until he has the real Buster sleeping in his arms. I have a picture of him sleeping with it on my phone, even one where he kissed it in his sleep and told it how much he loves you," Zac was getting a kick out of this.

Buster got an evil grin on his face, "Can I look at those pictures when Joe gets back? I want to be a little ornery."

Zac was a little hesitant, "Promise to only look at the pics I show you. I have some of Jim on there that are personal. And since he's still under eighteen, I'm not sure how legal they are."

Buster got a serious look on his face, "I hope that I don't offend you, I love Jim as a friend, but I have no interest in him in that fashion."

Zac had to chuckle again, "I'm so glad that you have no interest like that. I'm sure Joe would be too, and Jim." Buster started laughing and agreed. Zac flipped his phone to the pics of Joe sleeping with the bear and Buster cooed at them.

When Joe got back, Buster looked upset. Joe stopped dead in his tracks when he saw him. "What's wrong?"

"You, you, you cheated on me and Zac has pictures to prove it!" Buster exclaimed, holding up Zac's phone.

"What? Never, I mean I did share my bed with Austin when he visited, and Colby until Jake stole him from me, but I never slept with anyone else, I swear," Joe said defensively, he was wondering what pictures Zac had.

"Then how do you explain these pictures?" Buster cried as he put the phone down and put his head in his hands.

Joe picked up the phone and saw himself cuddling with the bear. "You gave me that bear and I told you that I was going to sleep with it. He's just a substitute for when you're not there," Joe argued.

"So how do I know that you're not substituting me for the bear or calling out his name when I think you're saying mine? Admit it, you want to marry the bear, don't you?" Buster couldn't keep up his pretense and started laughing.

"You caught me, I want you to wear the bear costume to our wedding," Joe smirked, "Or, at least the honeymoon, long enough for me to strip you out of it."

"Now, there's an idea," Buster grinned.

Joe got down on one knee, "Cornelius 'Buster' Jones, I should have said this before I left, but my thought was on getting back here. I love you so very much and I promise to be truthful, honest and loving in every way. I want to grow old with you and enjoy our grandchildren together. I don't want to get married too soon, but will you marry me eventually?"

Buster looked at Zac like he might have said something. Zac responded by pointing at his phone still in Joe's hand. He started to laugh at his doubts earlier and looked into Joe's green eyes, "You just made me the happiest guy on the planet."

"So is that a yes?"

"Yes, I want to marry you, not today, not even right after we graduate from high school, but I do want to marry you eventually, maybe after we graduate from college, or our senior year of it." Buster was ecstatic and his enthusiasm spread.

Jake came out of the bedroom, looking upset. "You're all in trouble, you woke Daddy up."

"Sorry about that Jake, but Joe and Buster just got engaged, sorta," Zac explained.

"For reals?" Jake asked and ran to hug Buster.

Jim came out of the bedroom and Zac looked at him, "How are you feeling, Babe?"

"Like I just had the worst nightmare. We went to McDonald's and I had a Coke thrown in my face," Jim answered.

"Hun, that wasn't a nightmare, it really happened," Zac stated. Jim looked down at the floor.

Jake walked over to him, "I decided that you're not grounded anymore."

Jim chuckled at how long his grounding lasted and then he looked at Jake, picked him up and told him, "That's good because I was about to tell you that I'm the daddy, you are the son. You can't really ground me."

"Guys, after supper, we have a problem," Zac startled everyone with his announcement.

"What?" Jim asked.

Zac explained, "Well, if we're playing Sorry, it's only for four players. Not only that, Joe's, Jake's and my favorite color is green. Jim and Buster like blue."

"Buster can play blue, I'll help Jake beat you guys," Jim offered.

"That settles one dilemma and part of the other," Joe observed. "I don't mind playing yellow so Jake can have green."

"What color do you want to play, Jake, green or red so your papa can play his favorite color?" Jim asked.

Zac looked at Jim, "Don't do that to the boy. He can play green, I know he prefers it."

"Are you sure Papa? I can play red if you want green," Jake offered.

"I can tell who the sweet one is, but I want you to play green, my little cub," Zac offered.

"OK," Jake said before leaving the room.

"What in the hell were you trying to do to that boy?" Zac asked, hoping Jake didn't hear him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered that you showed more concern for me, but…"

Jim looked down, "I didn't think he would mind playing red so you can have your favorite color. I screwed up again. Why did you marry such a screw up?"

"Babe," Zac started, "You're not a screw up. Yes, you've made some mistakes lately. I think part of you is worried about losing him so you're not thinking clearly, that's all."

"You know how much it would hurt for her to yank him from us?" Jim started to cry. "I'm not um, yes, it would hurt me a lot, but I'm more worried about him."

"I know, and I love how much you love and worry about him," Zac took Jim in his arms, "She's not going to take him from us, you got me. Get that out of your head right now. It's not going to happen."

"I have the game," Jake yelled as he carried the pack of Uno cards in. Everyone laughed except Jake. "What's so funny?"

"You want to play Uno instead of Sorry?" Joe asked.

Jake looked at the pack and said, "Oh, sorry, I can't read yet."

Jim sniffed, trying to not let on to Jake that he was crying again, "If you would rather learn to play Uno, we can play that tonight. It's your call."

"Or, we can play Chutes n Ladders again," Buster suggested.

"No," Joe put his hands on his hips.

Buster's lower lip came out, "It was just a suggestion." Joe put his lips tenderly to Buster's to show that he wasn't mad.

"Ummm," Jake looked thoughtful, "Yeah, let's play Uno."

After a light supper, they opened the pack of cards and Zac started shuffling. As Zac dealt, Jim looked at everyone, "Just to be clear, don't treat Jake like he's a kid, if he wants to learn how to play, he needs to learn how to play. If you would play a card that makes the player draw cards or skip a turn, don't avoid playing it just because he has such a cute face. Pretend that it's me playing." Everyone agreed.

"Look Daddy, I have a bunch of green cards," Jake excitedly exclaimed.

Jim put his finger to his lips, "Shhhh, you don't want to tell everyone else."

"Oh, OK, but I do," Jake grinned.

They started playing and Jim told Jake what card was laying on the discard pile and then asked Jake if he had any of that color. Jake pointed to the card of the same color and Jim told him to play it. As play continued, Buster played a draw four on Jake. "That has all the colors, what do I play?"

Jim answered, "That is a wild card so it's whatever color Buster wants it to be. You however, have a decision to make. After Buster names his color, you can draw four or you can challenge Buster if you think he has the previous color. I must warn you though, if you challenge him and he doesn't have the previous color, you will have to draw six cards instead."

"Challenge," Jake stated.

Jim didn't feel good about challenging, but it was the first hand and play had only gone around once, "Wait until Buster calls a color, and then challenge, but are you sure?" Buster called green. "OK, now you can challenge, but if you are wrong, you'll draw more cards."

Jake grinned, "Challenge!"

Buster showed Jim his hand and while most of his hand was green, he did have a zero card from the previous color. "You caught him, so he draws four cards and you get to play one of your green ones."

"This one?" Jake asked.

"If you want to play that one. It is one of your highest points, so I would," Jim advised. Jake played the card. Joe pouted, having to pick up two cards. Zac played a draw two on Buster.

Jake looked at the red card, "I don't have that color, Daddy."

"No, you don't. So look at the card and see if you have an identical card in a different color."

Jake looked at the card and then his hand, "I have a green one."

"Very good, play it," Jim instructed and Jake laid down a green draw two.

"You're killing me kid," Joe teased.

Zac played a skip on Buster and Jake was getting ready to play down a card but Jim stopped him. "After you lay that card down, you will only have one card left, so you need to call 'Uno' or they will make you draw two cards."

Jake grinned and shouted, "Uno!"

Jim put his finger to his left ear and winced, "Just say it, you don't need to yell."

"Sorry," Jake said looking down.

Jim kissed Jake on the side of his head, "It's alright, you just got excited." Jake perked back up. Joe played a draw four and called yellow. Zac looked at how many cards Joe had and challenged him. After Joe showed him his cards, Zac picked up six cards. "See, Papa challenged and lost so he picked up more cards than what he would have." Buster placed a yellow two on the pile.

Jake looked at the two, "Can I place this card on that one? It's not the same color but they are the same."

Jim grinned, "Yes you can. You're getting good and won this hand. Want to try playing the next hand by yourself? If you have any questions, you can ask, but I am not going to help you otherwise."

Jake had a grin on his face that went from ear to ear. Zac wasn't happy since three of the six cards he drew were wild cards.

They played until Zac hit five hundred points. Jake barely beat Joe and Jim let him play on his own, just answering questions like when the first reverse was played and when a wild card that wasn't a draw four was played. Jake did challenge a draw four that Joe played and ended up drawing six cards once. He wasn't happy about it, but accepted it.

After the game was done, Jake asked if he could go to bed. He made his rounds hugging and kissing everyone, saving Jim for last. With Jake going to bed, Joe broke out the Monopoly game and everyone chose the token they wanted. They played until the sun came up. "We may regret this later," Zac chuckled.

As the day dragged along, the boys were getting tired. Matt and Gina showed up at their normal time but Jim didn't have the horses prepared as he usually does. He did have them at the post waiting. Matt was a little surprised, "Rough night?"

Jim looked at him and smiled, "We played Monopoly all night. That was a big mistake."

"Who won?" Gina inquired.

Jim just turned his head and looked at Buster, "He did. He rolled doubles and landed on Park Place and then the lucky bastard rolled snake eyes to put him on Boardwalk."

Jim finally had the horses ready to ride, with Matt's and Gina's help. Jim helped Jake onto his mount and then everyone else mounted theirs. As they rode, Jim was telling Matt about the visit to McDonald's. Jim quit talking as he could tell Matt was getting upset. "That bit of beach," Matt yelled, correcting himself so that he didn't curse in front of Jake. "Dude, Jake belongs with you and Zac. You have my full support and I will go broke before I allow anyone to take Jake from you. Speaking of which, can Gina and I watch him tonight? We would like to get some practical experience before our baby comes."

"I appreciate you saying that. Hopefully, it doesn't come down to that. As for you watching Jake, let's see what he says," Jim turned to Jake and asked, "What do you think? Would you like to spend the night with Matt and Gina? If you do, I will miss you, but I think you will have fun."

Jake looked down, "Just one night and then I'm back here?"

Matt was quick to answer, hoping he put to rest any fears that Jake might have, "That's it, Bud. We don't want to take you away from your daddy and papa, but we would love a chance to take care of you for just one night and then you come back to them."

Jake looked a little scared, "What if I pee the bed?"

Jim looked at Matt and explained, "His first night with me, he peed the bed and from what I've learned, every time he's been with a new family, it seems to have happened. Some families didn't handle it well."

Matt looked at Jake, "Tell you what, you bring an extra pair of pajamas, I'll put a pad under the sheets just in case and if it happens, we take care of it."

Jake looked up a little but Jim could still see some nervousness. The little boy looked at Matt, "Will I get spanked?"

"What?" Matt asked, he gave Jim a disappointed look, "Did your daddy spank you when you peed the bed?"

Jake was quick to answer, almost excited to show how much Jim loved him, "No, he hugged me and said it was just an accident and then had to change his shirt because I got pee on it, but the other times, I got spanked for peeing the bed."

Matt chuckled and told Jake, "Your daddy was right. I hope that you don't pee the bed, but if you do, we'll clean it up and you can put on clean pajamas. No harm, no foul, and no spankings, deal?"

Jake smiled, "I'll miss you Daddy, but can I spend the night with Uncle Matt?"

"I'll miss you as well," Jim stated, "And I'll be looking forward to you coming home."

After their ride, Jake grabbed some clothes and toys to take to Matt's place. He hugged Zac and Jim and off they went. Zac looked at Jim as they pulled out of the parking lot, "Miss him already, don't you?"

Jim smiled, "Am I that obvious?"

"No," Zac responded, "I miss him already and you're a lot closer to him than I will ever be."

"I'm sorry," Jim stated, "But we have a night where you can get as close to me as you want." Zac put his arms around Jim and was about to kiss him when Jim's cell phone played the theme to Airwolf. Jim kissed Zac real quick and looked at his phone. It said, 'Unknown Caller'. "Hello?"

"Mr. Bolt, I want to apologize for what I did yesterday. I behaved emotionally and I would like to talk calmly and rationally if I may. Can we meet at that McDonald's, my treat?" the person replied.

Jim got a scowl on his face, "It'll just be Zac and myself, I will not bring Jake."

Tina was quiet for a minute, "I can understand that, but can it be just you?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Jim averred, "I mean, you threw Coke in my face last time. If I'm there alone and you decide to have a repeat…"

"You have my word that I will not throw any food in your face."

"I may be showing a lack of judgement again, but fine. I'll meet you in half an hour." Jim sounded a little defeated but yet intrigued about what was going through this lady's head.

As Jim hung up his phone, Zac looked at him, "You're not going there alone. I will sit at a table where she may not see me, but I insist on being there."

Jim kissed Zac on the cheek, "That's one of the reasons I love you. I was hoping you would at least be there. To be honest, she has me worried about wanting to meet with just me."

They arrived at McDonald's a few minutes early. Jim looked around and didn't see Tina so he grabbed an empty table and sat down. Zac ordered some food and went to a distant table where he could keep a watchful eye. He watched Tina walk in, order food and take it to Jim's table.

"I hope you don't mind, I ordered the same food that your boyfriend got yesterday," Tina started as she sat down.

Jim didn't look happy, "He's not my boyfriend, he is my husband." Jim felt Tina's foot rubbing up his leg.

"That's too bad," Tina said seductively. She reached over and started caressing Jim's hand. "You are a good-looking young man, I am a beautiful woman. You know, we could go to a motel room, just the two of us and try to create another Jake."

"WHAT?!?!" Jim yelled, standing up. Everyone in the restaurant was looking. The manager walked over. "Is that why you wanted me alone? I love my husband very much and I have no attraction to you. If that's all you wanted, I say this conversation is over."

"You haven't heard the last of me," Tina looked pissed. "It's your choice, sleep with me, or I take you to court and take Jake away from you."

"Well, now you've made a mistake of saying that in front of these witnesses. You just try taking Jake from my husband and me. I have witnesses to your trying to strong-arm me."

"Miss, I must ask you to leave these premises and never come back," the manager declared abruptly. Tina stood up, picked up the tray of food and smashed it against the manager's chest. Then she stormed out of the store, got in her car and almost hit another car as it was leaving the drive-thru as she peeled out of the parking lot.

"I'm sorry, sir," Jim stated, not sure what else to say.

The manager looked down at his shirt and then at Jim, "You didn't cause this, but I appreciate the apology. Try not bringing anyone else here that may cause a scene. At least you didn't get Coke in your eyes this time."

Jim chuckled, "I'm sorry you're wearing the food, but am glad about that." Zac walked over to Jim as the manager went to the back and asked if he was ready to leave. "Yeah, let's go home and enjoy a night with just the two of us. Maybe you'd like trying to make another Jake?"

Zac grinned, "Did you stop recording before you asked that? You did record the conversation I hope." Jim just gave Zac a knowing smile.

After a pleasant night with several attempts to create another Jake, Jim and Zac were happy to see Matt and Gina pull up. Matt opened the door and let Jake out. Jake ran over to hug Jim and said that he had fun. "And guess what, Daddy?" Jake grinned. "I didn't pee the bed."

Jim hugged Jake, "Good for you, do you think not being nervous about getting in trouble helped?"

"Maybe, I know I wasn't nervous like I was before. And Uncle Matt ordered a pizza with triple bacon and we had lemonade. And Uncle Matt played football with me, only instead of tackling me, he just picked me up."

Zac grinned, "Sounds like you had a lot of fun."

"Yep, I sure did," Jake exclaimed, "but, I'm glad to be home. I wouldn't mind staying with Uncle Matt again, but I missed you two."

Zac took Jake from Jim and hugged him, "We missed you, too."

"There's only one of me," Jake said seriously.

"Are you sure you aren't Jake's biological dad?" Zac teased, looking at Jim.

Rest of the day was quiet. Jackson and his family came home on Monday, so the boys went back home. Heather gave Jake a big hug and introduced him to Austin. Zac was anxious to see Zack. Aunt Brenda hugged Jim and then took them to see the baby.

Tuesday, as Jim was getting ready to leave, a deputy was approaching the door. Nick stepped outside as the deputy was handing Jim a summons, "You are hereby ordered to appear in court before Judge Bishop next Monday, July 20, 2015, in the matter of Tina Louise Caulfield versus James P and Zac A Bolt over custody of the child Jake Bolt. Sheriff, I didn't know that you lived here."

Nick looked at the deputy, "I don't yet. Jim's mom is the lady that I'm marrying in just under a month."

"I'm sorry I had to do this." The deputy looked nervous.

Nick tried to ease the deputy's mind, "You were just doing your job, it's not one of the glamorous duties, but I've been there."

Jim read the summons and couldn't believe that the bitch was actually taking them to court. He called Jackson right away.

I hope you enjoy the story and that it draws you in, wanting more. If you have any suggestions or concerns, don’t hesitate to email me.  houghts and suggestions are always welcomed and may or may not be implemented. Concerns will be considered and addressed as much as possible.

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