Page 7 of Mama’s Boy
Sunday dawned with Chase in Rowan’s arms. They’d spent most of the previous day planning their lives.
They went downstairs to have some coffee and after the first cup were ready to talk to one another.
“If it’s okay, we’ll sell your house and move together here, or we could buy something new together? ” Rowan asked.
“I’m fine selling my place and moving here.
I love your house, but I need somewhere quiet to work.
” Rowan went over to his desk and took out a set of blueprints.
They showed a hallway off the kitchen leading to a large two-story addition.
The room was depicted with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a corner for Chase’s recliner, which was where he liked to work with his laptop.
It also had a formal desk, files and a place for a printer and fax machine.
“I promise that when the door is closed, I won’t disturb you. I even sketched in a half bath and a nook for your coffee machine and an office fridge.” Rowan said anxious to get Chase’s approval on his plans.
“This all looks wonderful,” Chase said, “you thought of everything.”
“You have some great furniture. I was so busy fixing this place up I neglected furnishing all of the rooms except for the bedroom, kitchen and living rooms and even those rooms are light. Your good pieces, like the piecrust table, should come here. The second walk-in closet is empty with the exception of the stuff you’ve already brought here and so is the second medicine cabinet in the master bath.
There’s plenty of room for a second dresser or we could go out and buy a new bedroom set. ” Rowan barely took a breath.
“You don’t have to convince me, hon. I was on board with whatever you wanted as soon as you said the words Friday night.
I’m so glad that your father and brothers are happy for us and I can’t believe your sisters-in-law both offered to be surrogates for us when the time comes.
” Chase had met Rowan’s brothers and sisters-in-law a couple of weeks ago. They were excited and supportive.
They’d called Rowan’s father the previous night with the news. He sounded very happy for them and told Rowan that he would attend the wedding with Elena Garcia, the woman he’d started seeing. Elena had two daughters who were anxious to meet Rowan and Chase along with Rowan’s brothers’ families.
That left them with Edith. Even with John, Edith still leaned quite a bit on Chase.
For the past three months he had been encouraging her to go out more and make some new friends.
Now that she had a car and drove, Chase suggested that she get to know the area and explore.
“Mom, the GPS won’t let you get lost. I programmed in home, first thing.
All you have to do is push home and it will direct you there. ”
Edith and John were finally coming to dinner late that afternoon.
Chase and Rowan bought a standing rib roast, and were making scalloped potatoes and fresh green beans almandine.
They were serving spinach salad with hot bacon dressing and shrimp cocktails for an appetizer.
Rowan made a cheesecake and Chase was fixing a plate of antipasto that would be ready when they came.
“Good thing both of us can cook or there would be a lot of takeout in our future.” Rowan sliced the potatoes while Chase cut the ends off the green beans.
The bell rang at precisely four. Rowan and Chase both went to the door. “Hello darling, and you must be Rowan. Chase and Rowan this is John Schwartz.” Edith breezed in.
“How do you do? Dinner will be ready in a half an hour. Can I fix you some drinks on the sunporch?” Rowan asked after kissing Chase’s mom and shaking John’s hand.
Edith looked around the living area. “What a lovely home you have.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Summers.” Rowan took her light jacket and hung it in the coat closet.
“Call me Edith,” she said.
“And call me John, I don’t want to feel like an old man.
” Edith giggled. John Schwartz was five eleven to Edith’s five four.
John’s hair was salt and pepper and he had black eyes.
You could tell where Chase got his looks.
Edith had the same sandy blond hair and green eyes that first attracted Rowan.
Rowan mixed Edith a tequila sunrise and John a Manhattan and they sat down on the sunporch to pick at the antipasto, crackers, and cheese laid out on the glass and wrought-iron table.
* * * *
It wasn’t until they hit the dinner table that Edith spotted the rings. “Chase, do you have something to tell me?” Edith asked in a tone that always made him feel like a recalcitrant schoolboy.
Rowan wrapped his arms around Chase’s waist. “We wanted to wait until dessert but you caught us out. I asked Chase to marry me.”
Edith immediately started to sniff. “I’m so happy for you, but in a way, I’m sad too.
I resigned myself to you being gay, but as compensation I always figured I’d have you all to myself.
It wasn’t until I met John that I realized how troublesome I was.
I took you for granted and didn’t allow you any time to find someone special of your own.
I’m glad that despite me, you finally did. ”
“We have news of our own. I’ve finally talked Edith into selling the condo and moving into an active adult community with me here in Ocean Township.
She said she would but wanted your blessing before we tied the knot.
I love your mother. I thought I’d never be able to say that after Rose died, but I can.
I’ll take very good care of her. I’m going to put half of everything I own in her name and if I should pass, the other half would go to my son.
” John put his arm around Edith, who was spearing a black olive with a toothpick.
“I’m glad to know that you will care for my mother. Mom, I want you to know, I love Rowan and want to spend the rest of my life with him and if you feel the same way about John, you have my blessing,” Chase said as he got up and kissed his mother’s cheek and shook John’s hand.
“Come here and give me a kiss, Rowan. I understand you lost your mother. I don’t hope to replace her but would be honored if you would call me Mom.” Chase beamed at her and turned his megawatt smile on Rowan.
“Let’s eat. We have a lot to celebrate.”