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Chapter Four

Cade

Cade had Roberta Stubbe set up in the office behind the front desk. She was going to hang around while he called his father to see what was going on regarding Ashton.

Roberta also wanted to check on a couple of kids who were currently at the shelter. She didn’t want to put them into the system yet, “…hoping to take advantage of the fact it’s Christmastime and maybe I can get them to call home. I’ll never stop trying to reunite families, Kincade. The love of family is a hard thing to give up,” she’d told him. He knew how right she was on that count.

As Cade went down the back hallway to gather the two sixteen-year-olds, Jake and Benny, he considered the social worker’s words on reuniting families. It was then he decided not to contact his father, but Ashton’s mother instead. Surely, she loved her son and wanted to know his whereabouts. Ash had been gone overnight, after all.

Cade went into the huge common room to find Jake with a dust cloth as Benny swept the old Masonite floor with a broom. They’d moved furniture around, which was a surprise.

“Hey, guys, what’s going on?” He slipped his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“Hi, Cade. Sammy said he was going to bring a tree with him tonight, along with some ornaments. We’re gonna make popcorn and string it to hang, along with cranberries,” Benny told him.

“So, you guys plan to stick around then?” Both boys nodded.

“Okay, well, I need you to go out to the reception area to talk to Mrs. Stubbe. She’ll have to approve it for you to be here through the holidays. If she says okay, we’ll arrange to move you into the attic room, which has a private bathroom. You two were kicked out because you’re together, right?” Cade knew by the looks on their faces, he’d guessed right.

Jake lowered his head and blushed, but Benny, being the more outgoing of the two, walked over to him and wrapped an arm around Jake’s shoulders. “One year on New Year’s Eve.” Benny made the declaration with pride.

Cade chuckled. “Well, we’ll have a little party, okay? I’ll be here full-time over the holidays, and we’ll celebrate. Anyway, go talk to Mrs. Stubbe. She’s nice, so don’t give her any trouble, and hear her out, okay?”

They nodded as they quickly finished their tasks and put away their tools. Cade proceeded to the kitchen to see Bev, the cook, and assistant day monitor.

The woman was admirable—more than nearly any other person Cade had ever met, his mother aside. Bev had two adopted sons, along with her partner, Regina. He’d met her family at Thanksgiving.

In Cade’s mind, he’d never be able to have children of his own, nor would he be able to adopt if he was in a relationship with two men, but the kids he met through Clark Street needed him. Keeping them in mind, it didn’t seem his future would be as bleak as he’d imagined a week before…only if he went along with being adopted by Jax and Ford as they’d suggested.

He’d need to do his own research into adult adoption, but that was for another time. Currently, he had a little brother he was worried about.

After lunch, Roberta left, and Cade went to his office to research Ashton’s mother, Cheryl. He didn’t remember her last name, so he simply looked for his father’s home address which wasn’t as hard to find as he’d expected.

When he called the number, a young girl answered. “Hello?” It was his little sister, Amy.

If Ashton was thirteen, then Amy must be eleven or twelve. Cade didn’t remember how old she was when they’d first met, but he figured her to be four or five back then… seven years ago.

Amy and Ashton had stayed away from him that weekend, only coming out of their rooms for food. Cade hadn’t been interested in getting to know them either.

Shock and disappointment were his emotions that weekend… the shock that his father had two other children, and disappointment that Hudson didn’t care it was his birthday. He needed a babysitter and Cade had been the only option.

“Hello. May I speak with Ashton?” Cade had no idea how the kid showed up at Clark Street Shelter, so it was better to get a little background information first.

“Oh, he’s not home from school until tomorrow. He goes to Fernwood Academy in…” The girl began speaking before the phone was taken.

“ Amy, you don’t give out private information on the phone. ” The woman’s voice was somewhat muffled as if a hand was held over the receiver00.

“This is Cheryl Hayes.” Cade was surprised the woman was using Hudson’s last name.

“Hayes? Are you married to Hudson?”

“Yes. We’ve been married for seven years. Who is this and why do you want to talk to my son?” The woman’s voice was protective.

He didn’t have time to contemplate his answer, so he stated, “It’s me, Cheryl, Kincade Hayes.”

“Kincade? Oh, his son from his first marriage? I don’t think he’d like it that you’re calling for Ashton, Kincade. He doesn’t talk about you or your mother at all in front of the children. Is there something you need?” she asked. She was either as dumb as a box of rocks or she was so blindly in love with his father she didn’t see the forest for the trees.

Of course, the lawyers were keeping the divorce out of the papers, but how did Hudson’s colleagues not discuss it? His mother had hosted several parties when he was growing up, and Hudson’s employees were always in attendance, as Cade remembered. How could Cheryl not know anything about what was going on if his father still entertained his employees and clients at their home?

“I, uh, is Father having his usual post-Christmas party on the twenty-seventh?” Cade asked.

“Oh, you mean his annual trip to Naperville to see you the week between the holidays? No, he doesn’t do that anymore. We travel now, as a matter of fact. We’re all going to England this year. We’re leaving on the twenty-third and we won’t return until after the school term starts for Ashton in the middle of January. We’ve rented a house in the country, and we’re thrilled about it. We’re considering moving there permanently.

“Hudson wants Ash to attend his old boarding school in Kent. We’re going to look for an apartment in London and split our time between Chicago and London for Hudson’s business. Maybe after we get Ashton settled at school and return to Chicago, you could call and speak with your father. I know he misses you, Kincade. He has a file on all your accomplishments in his office. Hudson mentioned he caught Ashton looking through it on Thanksgiving.” Cheryl spoke as though Cade was an old family friend.

That was enough to hear. His father had gone to prep school in Boston, attending Northwestern for his undergraduate degree before he started his career. As far as Cade knew, his father had never attended school in a foreign country. He wasn’t sure what sack of shit Hudson had sold to Cheryl, but Cade knew none of it was close to the truth.

Cade needed to speak with Ash before he pursued another conversation with the boy’s clueless mother. “Maybe so, Cheryl. Well, happy holidays to all of you. I don’t think I’d mention this conversation to Father if I were you. No need to put a pall over your holiday with news about me. Let’s take it up after the new year, shall we?”

“Sure. Are you still dating that football player, Kincade? He’s beneath you, dear. I know your orientation isn’t something you can do anything about, but maybe if you picked a young man with more standing in the community, your father would be able to accept it? He says your mother let you run wild when you were younger, but I doubt that had anything to do with you being gay.”

Cade bit his tongue. Clearly, his father had woven a rich fantasy history for Cheryl. “Yes, well. Thank you, Cheryl. Goodbye.” He hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

There were many things Cade needed to discuss with Ashton, but he didn’t want to scare the boy by being aggressive. Much of what Cheryl had said made no sense. It made perfect sense Hudson would want to get his family out of the country so they wouldn’t hear about the divorce, but the business about him spending part of the time in London didn’t add up.

He went on the internet to find Fernwood Academy, which was Ashton’s current school, located outside Milwaukee. Cade phoned the school and asked to get a return call from Ashton Hayes, only to be told he’d been sent home early due to an illness in the family. After Cade hung up, he was a little shocked, but some things were becoming clear. One of them, alarmingly… he needed to speak with his own mother.

He phoned her cell but it went directly to voicemail. “Mom, it’s me, Cade. I know you’re on holiday, but I need to speak with you desperately about Hudson. Call me back, please. Love you,” he signed off.

He called Jax’s cell. “Yo?”

Cade laughed. “Is that how you answer your cell?”

“Time-out, man,” he heard. The booming noises stopped, thankfully. It was ear-splitting. “Hey, chére. How much longer you on duty?” He could hear Jax moving and then he heard a door gently snick closed.

He glanced at his watch to see it was five thirty. “I’ll be there by eight. I’ve got to speak with Sammy for thirty minutes when he gets here. Two of the kids told me he’s bringing a tree, so I need to make sure they’re all set with it before I leave. How’s Ash? Giving you guys trouble?”

“Not at all. We were planning to order pizza when you got here, but maybe we better feed the kid sooner than later. What time does he go to bed?” Jax asked.

Cade laughed. “Since he doesn’t have school tomorrow, I’d guess he’ll be up later than you, Lucky.” It rolled off his tongue without effort at all, just as if nothing had changed between the three of them.

Jax chuckled. “Yeah, you still love me. Anyway, the kid’s great, but he had a little meltdown earlier. We kinda explained to him how we both love you, but I’m not sure how well it went over. I’m sorry if we overstepped, but we didn’t know what to tell him when he asked. He thought Ford was cheating on you with me.”

Cade thought about his phone call with Cheryl. “Don’t worry too much about that. I have a feeling he knows a lot more than he’s putting on. He didn’t end up at Clark Street on accident, Jackson. I’ve just got to figure out how and why. Anyway, I’ll be there to pick him up as soon as I can. We’ll get an Uber to take us back to my apartment.”

“One, you’re still on the car service, Cade. Use it. Two, we hoped the two of you would stay here instead of going back to wherever you’re living. Please think about it. We have lots of room, okay? You don’t have to sleep with Ford and me but knowing you’re under the same roof will help me sleep easier.” Cade heard Jax’s voice shake, and after everything they’d been through, he needed them as much as he hoped they needed him.

“Okay, then, eight thirty. I need to stop at my place and get clean clothes. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”

“Good. We’ll be here. We’ve missed you a lot,” Jax replied.

Cade smiled at hearing Jax’s words. “Me too, Lucky. Me too.”

They hung up and Cade sighed, thinking about the latest mess he had on his hands. Would the day ever come where he’d have a nice, quiet life with the two men he loved?

Cade inhaled deeply before he hopped back into the sedan waiting for him at the curb of Griff’s building. He was out of breath from racing around the apartment. He hadn’t taken all his things, but he’d taken two days’ worth of clean clothes to tide him over.

He’d need to go back to the apartment on the twenty-third to get most of the clothes he owned to get him through the holiday week he’d be spending at the shelter, while Sammy and Stan went to see Stan’s parents in Aspen. He envied the man’s life… Sammy had a husband he loved dearly, and a job which satisfied him immensely. Cade hoped for the same thing, or something similar, for himself someday.

When the car service pulled in front of a huge Greystone house on a street full of beautiful homes, he was taken aback for a moment. It was the type of house he could see Jax and Ford living in, but it was damn hard to imagine himself coming home to it every night. He’d left that life behind a long time ago in Naperville.

After thanking the driver, Cade retrieved his bag from the trunk and walked up the nine stairs to the front porch, seeing a marble statue on the newel post. He couldn’t make it out clearly because the front porch light was dim, but he knew he’d see it the next morning when he went to work.

He rang the doorbell, hearing a beautiful, full bong , just as one should hear at the door of a house of such grandeur. It fit perfectly.

The door opened to reveal Ford with a bright smile. “Welcome ho… sweetheart. Come in. Give me your bag. Are you hungry?” He took Cade’s duffel from his hand.

Once he was inside, Ford offered to take his coat, hanging it in the closet near the front door. He placed the bag on the floor near a grand staircase leading up to the second floor, then opened his arms to Cade.

Cade was hard-pressed to find any reason not to hug him, so he slid into the embrace easily. The taller man pulled him tightly into his body, and it felt incredible.

When he heard the sob, Cade started to pull away. Ford’s arms, like steel bands, tightened around him. “Please, just let me hold you. I know, Cade, we made a lot of stupid mistakes when we were trying to figure out how to blend our lives, and I’m very sorry for them. Jackson can apologize for his own shortcomings, but I pray, with every fiber of my being, that you’ll give us a chance to fix every wrong.

“We’re stupid idiots, okay? If you remember that going forward, maybe you’ll tolerate some of the crap we do. We won’t always do the right thing, I know, but we’ll always have the best intentions, I swear.” He rested his cheek against the top of Kincade’s head.

Cade was ready to say, “sign me up,” but they had things to discuss, and he wanted them to do things the right way, so they didn’t fuck it up again. He had just as many apologies to make…namely, why he didn’t stick around after Ford proposed. But that was a topic for another time.

He pulled away a little and looked up, smiling. “Bix, we all fucked it up. It’s probably just another thing we did together. It’ll take all of us to straighten it out, but right now, I need to speak with my little brother. Where are they?”

“They’re up in the media room on the third floor watching something or other. I was in the office doing paperwork. They have more in common than any two strangers I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure what that says about our… about Jax.” Ford grinned.

Cade reached up and wiped away the tears, pulling Ford’s face down so he could kiss him. “Our boyfriend is a big child who loves games. I’d guess he didn’t get much chance to be a child, based on things he’s said about his parents. There’s no harm in him reliving his misdirected youth, is there?”

Ford smirked. “As long as I don’t have to diaper him.”

They both laughed, and Ford led him up the staircase. He directed Cade down a hallway to a huge bedroom with a bed and a dresser. It was definitely sparse.

“This is the primary. You and Ash can share it because we don’t have other beds in the spare rooms. I’ll sleep on the couch in the office, and Jax can sleep in the media room in his favorite recliner, or he can sleep on the sectional in the great room.

“We haven’t bought many new things since we moved in, and we didn’t have nearly enough stuff to fill this place. We were waiting for you to help us choose things.”

“What about the bed in my old place? I left you the key to my apartment. I know they didn’t rent it for a month after I left because I had to pay the rent,” Cade reminded.

Ford held his hand. “Jax took a butcher knife to the bed in a tantrum after we got the note you were leaving us. He made a hell of a mess, but we can talk about all of that later. Let’s go pull them back to reality.”

Ford led him up another set of stairs to a short hallway with old-fashioned glass sconces lining both sides. The bulbs were like flickering candles, and there were framed, classic movie posters on both sides. There was a red velvet bench with gold fringe at the bottom next to a deep-red door which was closed. “Wow, this looks like an old-style movie theater lobby.”

Ford laughed. “Yes, this became the most important area of the house for Jackson to concentrate on. He chose all of this except the posters. I gave them to him for his birthday last month.”

Cade looked at him in shock. “Oh, God! I missed his birthday.”

Ford kissed the top of his head. “He’ll forgive you easily, I promise.” He reached for the other red door with the shiny brass handle and opened it.

Cade felt as if he was in a grand theater. There was a ten-foot-by-twelve-foot screen projecting Return of the Jedi , if he wasn’t mistaken. He had a friend in college who made him sit through a marathon one weekend. It wasn’t as painful as Cade expected.

There was Dolby surround sound, and it was breathtaking. There were eight recliners, four in each row. He saw Jax and Ash sitting in two front row seats, both kicked back. “This is the cool part,” Jax stated over the sounds of X-wing fighter blasts.

Ford grabbed a remote from a table in the back and pointed it at the back wall where a machine was wired to a piece of hi-tech projection equipment mounted on the ceiling. He froze the movie before aiming the remote at something on the wall that turned on the recessed lights around the perimeter.

“Sorry to interrupt, but Kincade’s here,” Ford said.

The room was painted dark red with black carpet. There was a huge media center off to the side where several gaming systems sat.

When Jax flipped a handle on his recliner and spun around, Cade giggled. “Wow, this has everything a thirteen-year-old, or a thirty-one-year-old, boy could want.”

There was a black chair off to the side that was unlike the others in the two rows. It had a pillow and a folded blanket resting on the seat, but he recognized it easily. He and Jax had watched television in that chair a time or two when it resided at his apartment. “Oh, I remember that one.”

“Jackson sleeps there a lot… never mind. Let’s go downstairs and have some homemade ice cream and cookies. Miss Winnie made peppermint today.”

Jax and Ashton bolted out of the chairs and walked toward the door. Cade didn’t expect Jax to pick him up and toss him over his shoulder as they headed downstairs. “You need to gain a little weight, chére. You’re too thin. I’m afraid I’ll crush you.” The big man shuffled downstairs. Cade glanced up to see Ford and Ash following, both trying to hide laughter.

“It’s not funny.”

He slapped Jax on the ass, laughing when the man said, “Oooh! Do it again.”

Finally, Cade gave up. He was laughing too hard to be an effective disciplinarian.

The four of them tucked into sugar cookies and chocolate-peppermint ice cream with chopped up candy canes. It was a jovial atmosphere for a few minutes as Cade prepared to speak with his brother.

“Ash, I called your mother today, and she told me you were still in Milwaukee. They’re expecting to pick you up tomorrow. What’s going to happen when you’re not there?” Cade’s comment shut down the teasing Ford and Jax were doing with the boy.

Ashton chuckled without humor. “Ferguson will call when he gets to Fernwood and inform them I’m not at my dorm. They’ll call the headmaster, who will tell them I left because of a family emergency. After that, they won’t have the slightest idea where I am, but I ain’t going to some fucked-up boarding school in Kent so Hudson can pretend he doesn’t have a gay son…another gay son. I heard enough shit about you over the years to know he wouldn’t tolerate it from me either, so I split. Amy’s the favorite anyway. She goes to St. Mary’s Academy near the penthouse. No worries. They still have the princess.” Ash shrugged as if he didn’t care. Cade knew he did.

Cade wished he’d called Liam O’Malley but his salary didn’t exactly provide funds for a lawyer, plus he didn’t want to ask the man for favors because he felt it might encourage him to pursue a relationship.

“When they find you, and they will find you, Ash, we’re going to jail for kidnapping a minor. We should have… I should have turned you over to Mrs. Stubbe today. How the hell did you even know where to find me?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Cade saw Ford stand, pulling Jax’s hand. He turned to them. “No. Stay. We’re together, so this is all our problem.”

He turned back to his little brother. “How?”

Ashton took a deep breath and pushed away his empty dish. Obviously, it was going to be a protracted explanation… one Cade wasn’t looking forward to hearing at all.