The Livesy-Walsh Family Album
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DISCLAIMER: I am not connected to Emmerdale and its characters, which belong to ITV
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"Phew! I've never seen so many kids all in one place at the same time," Jackson looked exhausted. He had been hosting a party for his son Jaron's tenth birthday and it seemed every child in Yorkshire had turned up at some point in the proceedings. Thankfully, they had all gone now, with the exception of Jaron's best friend Aston, plus Joel, who was still present as his parents Brett and Mason had stayed behind to help with the clearing up. Aaron and Jackson had thought about hiring caterers to do the honours, but Brett had insisted on preparing all the party food, as a present for his friends. The marquee in the garden was deserted now and things were a lot quieter without hoards of screaming kids running riot.
"I never knew Jaron had so many friends," Aaron was collecting paper bowls from the tables: some still containing the remnants of jelly and ice cream. He looked at his son, who was teasing Joel as the six-year-old had some jelly stuck in his dark, curly hair...evidence of an earlier juvenile food-fight.
Jackson also looked over at his offspring.
"Jaron!" Jackson raised his voice, "Leave Joel alone!"
"He's got jelly in his hair, Pop" Jaron looked at his father innocently, "I was just trying to get it out."
"Well, just leave it for now," Jackson didn't believe a word of Jaron's story, "Go and show Aston and Joel your new computer game."
Jaron immediately jumped behind Joel's wheelchair to push him out of the marquee and the boys disappeared into the house. Aaron and Jackson noticed Jaron's instinctive reaction to help Joel by pushing him and they were both proud of the son they were raising together.
"You'd never believe the mess a few kids can make," Aaron tutted.
"Yeah," Jackson replied, "It looks like world war three in this tent. Have you seen Brett and Mason anywhere?"
"In the kitchen, last time I saw them."
"Silly question," Jackson raised his eyebrows, "where else would Brett be?"
"Good of him to do all the food though," Aaron remarked.
"Yeah," Jackson had a goofy look on his face, "Since he and Mason became parents, they've really got into the swing of entertaining kids. I don't know where they find the energy."
"Awww! Are you tired, old man?" Aaron had always been a cheeky one.
"Oi!" Jackson took hold of Aaron and hugged him tight, "I'll show you who's an old man!"
"Is that a promise?" Aaron's smirk was unmistakable.
They kissed. In all the years that they had been together, they never tired of one and other. They were indeed soul mates.
They were interrupted by Hazel, who marched into the marquee with a bin bag, "I thought you two were clearing up!" she said with a sarcastic smirk, it was obvious to her that they had become distracted.
"We are," Jackson let go of Aaron and continued picking up paper plates and party hats.
"I'm glad that's over," Hazel remarked, "My ears have just about recovered. How many kids were there at this party?"
"We invited about thirty," Jackson looked at his mother, "but it seemed more like three-hundred and thirty."
"I'm glad Tim was able to do his party tricks," Aaron chuckled, "At least it kept the little tykes quiet for a while."
"He's so good with kids," Hazel said, "It's a wonder that he and Richard haven't had one of their own by now."
"I don't think that's Richard's style," Jackson dropped more plates into the bag that Hazel was holding, "he only likes other people's kids...then he can give them back at the end of the day."
"Yeah," Hazel smiled, "I suppose you're right. I don't suppose a boisterous offspring would quite fit into Richard's organised little world."
They all laughed.
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"Polly's getting nervous," Jackson remarked as he and Aaron sat quietly in their spacious lounge.
"She's not getting cold feet, is she?" Aaron looked up from the car magazine that he had been poring over.
"No, you know how much she loves Dieter," Jackson replied.
Aaron pulled a face, "It's just a pity she's marrying a German."
"It's not like you to get all xenophobic!" Jackson looked shocked.
"Xenophobic?" Aaron had obviously not heard the expression before, "Don't you mean homophobic?"
Jackson laughed, he was always amused by Aaron's incomprehension, "Babes, you're not likely to be homophobic! No, xenophobic means someone who dislikes foreigners."
"I don't dislike foreigners!" Aaron knew that Jackson had missed the point of his previous statement, "What I meant was: Polly will be going to live in Germany so we'll be losing a nanny. Anyway, I like Dieter."
"So do I," Jackson smiled, "In a sort of blue-eyed, blond, Teutonic kind of way."
"Teutonic?" Aaron raised his eyebrows, "Have you swallowed a dictionary this morning?"
"I have to use this kind of language in the circles I move in now," Jackson defended himself.
"Oh yeah," Aaron was smirking now, "I forgot how you have to speak as a 'Sir', you can't use the sort of language you come out with when we're in the bedroom, most of that belongs back on the building site. I don't suppose you can stand up to give a public speech at a posh function and say, 'Oi, mate, do you fancy a quick fu...'"
"Aaron!" Jackson cut his husband short, "Sshhh! Jaron's only next door in the study, little ears and all that. Just keep your potty-mouth in check will you!"
Aaron looked a little sheepish, "Sorry! I forgot."
"Isn't it about time you went and helped your son with his homework?" Jackson asked.
"Oh, he's MY son when he needs help, is he?"
"It's your turn, that's all."
Aaron stood up and headed for the door, "I suppose when he's ready for some recreation and you want to play with him, he'll be YOUR son again!"
Jackson always loved the mischievous glint in Aaron's blue eyes.
"I didn't say that!" Jackson grinned at his ever loving, "Anyway, he's OUR son...always will be."
"That's alright then," Aaron replied as he left to give 'his' son his undivided attention.
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Richard was preparing Aaron and Jackson's dinner in the kitchen while Tim sat looking at a letter that he had brought home from work. Richard could tell that his husband was upset about something, "What's wrong, sugar?"
Tim looked sad, "There's been a reshuffle at work: they're transferring me to Bradford, to an adult ward. I loved being at Leeds, looking after children. It's further to travel, plus it sounds as if it's mainly nights. I don't want to go."
"Can't you refuse to go?" Richard asked.
"That's not an option: it's compulsory. The only other alternative is resignation."
Richard kissed Tim on the forehead, "Well, you could always leave if you wanted. Didn't you say there was a course you'd like to go on, but you couldn't fit it in around your job?"
"Well, yeah, but I can't afford to pack in my job. I'd only have a training allowance coming in."
"Don't worry about that, we can get by on my salary while you're training," Richard smiled reassuringly.
"I don't want to be a kept man!" Tim replied, indignantly.
"Don't be daft, you're my husband. I'll be the breadwinner for a while and you can be free to study, they do say that two can live as cheaply as one."
"You'd do that for me?" Tim stood up and embraced his life partner.
"Of course I would," Richard replied without any hesitation, "I love you and want what's best for you. You know that."
Tim kissed Richard, "I'm so lucky to have found you, I love you too."
Richard smiled and then returned to his cooking, "I'd better get his lordship's dinner ready, or I'll be out of a job too!"
Tim chuckled, "I wonder if we could find a cardboard box big enough for two?"
Richard laughed along with his husband, "I hope we're a long way off from that!"
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A few weeks later, Aaron and Jackson were in bed. It was late and they had not long arrived back from Polly and Dieter's wedding.
"Good do, wasn't it?" Jackson said as he cuddled Aaron to him.
"Yeah, those Germans know how to put the drink away, don't they?"
"Not only the Germans," Jackson teased his husband, "Anyway, Polly and Dieter will be well on the way to the Canaries by now. We must sort out a new nanny for Jaron soon."
"Hazel said she's happy to look after him until we get a replacement," Aaron said.
"Yeah, but we can't expect my mum to look after him full time, it's not fair."
"She loves her little Jam Jar," Aaron giggled at Hazel's pet name for her grandson, "She'd look after him twenty-four seven if we let her."
"I know, but I'm not going to let her get tied down, she's got her art classes to fit in. Anyway, Jaron's older now, he's able to look after himself a lot of the time, he's got your independent streak has your son."
"Oh, he's back to being MY son again, is he?" Aaron smirked and lifted his head from Jackson's chest to look into his husband's lovely brown eyes.
"Well, he is your blood, isn't he? Plus he's the image of you when you were younger."
"You didn't know me when I was ten!"
"I've seen photos."
"So, he's mine and not yours...is that what you're saying?"
Jackson chortled, "Don't be daft! He's every bit as much mine as yours, you know he is. Anyway, as he reminds me so much of you, there's no way I couldn't love him, is there?"
"Jackson?"
"What, babe?"
"Have you ever regretted not having one of your own, you know, actually conceived by you I mean."
"What's brought this on?" Jackson looked perplexed.
"Just wondering," Aaron stroked Jackson's chest with his hand.
"Like I said, it doesn't matter to me that it was you that produced our son with a surrogate, he's MY son because he's YOUR son, if that makes sense."
Aaron smiled, "As much as it pains me to say it, yeah, it does make a crazy kind of sense."
"Good!" Jackson looked at Aaron's lips which were so close to his own and he kissed them.
"Jackson?"
"Are you going to ask questions all night?"
"No, there's something else I'd like to do all night though!" Aaron had a lecherous grin on his face.
"I shall have to rack my brains and try to think what that is then, won't I?" Jackson tried to be his sarcastic best.
"YOU!" Aaron pounced on Jackson and his husband was left in no doubt about his intentions.
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A few days later, Aaron was watching Jaron playing ball with Tim in the garden. He smiled as he took in the sight of his son enjoying himself on the lawn. Tim was throwing the ball wide, making Jaron stretch to catch it. Jaron had known Tim practically all his life and the guy was like a much-loved uncle to him. Aaron reflected on how lucky he and Jackson were, having such trustworthy friends in their lives.
"I see our son is being entertained again," Jackson's voice from behind Aaron startled him. His husband had just come in from outside and had also caught sight of Jaron and Tim through the window.
"Yeah," Aaron was still smiling, "I don't know whether Tim is tiring him out, or whether it's the other way around."
"It's good of Tim to spend so much time with Jaron: he's a natural with kids. Jaron adores him, so does little Joel. He's a bit like the pied piper!"
Aaron chuckled at his husband's remark, "He starts his course soon, if he passes that, he'll be qualified to look after kids."
Jackson and Aaron looked at each other.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Jackson said.
"Depends what you're thinking!" Aaron gave Jackson a knowing look, "Yeah...he'd be the perfect replacement for Polly, wouldn't he? Why take on an 'unknown' when he can be looked after by someone we know and trust?"
"I wonder why we didn't think of this before," Jackson wore his 'flabbergasted' expression, "Let's ask him if he wants the job, shall we?"
Aaron and Jackson strolled out onto the lawn and interrupted Tim and Jaron's game.
"Tim?" Jackson looked at his friend, "We've been thinking, how about you taking on the role of Jaron's nanny?"
Tim looked surprised, "Me?" he gasped.
"Why not?" Aaron joined in, "You're practically doing it now anyway, so you might as well get paid for it."
"But, I haven't qualified yet, until I take the course."
"Don't worry about that," Jackson reassured him, "We know you can do the job with one hand tied behind your back."
"Well," Tim mused, "It would be handy as I already live here with Richard."
"That's settled then," Jackson shook Tim's hand and then took the ball and threw it to Jaron, "Catch!" he shouted.
The sun was shining through the trees, helping to make the garden look bright; the first of many sunny days at Aaron and Jackson's house.