Here is the final Chapter for this story! Enjoy!
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Greg fought back at the stinging in his eyes; at the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he felt foolish. The second he walked in he knew.
"Oh Greg, I'm sorry."
He dug his fingernails into steering wheel, willing the light to turn green. He just wanted to be home.
"What? By who?"
"I can't tell you that dear, it's in the privacy agreement. I'm so sorry."
"W-was he happy?"
"Yes, yes he was."
There was a hole in his chest that only grew as he tried to push away her words.
"Greg, you meant so much to him. He won't forget that."
It wasn't true. He was a child, and he would forget. Greg however knew he wouldn't be so lucky. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. "God," he spoke aloud to himself, "You are so stupid!" He hated that he'd become so attached knowing full well that this had been a possibility from day one, even angrier at the fact that he felt bitter. "He wasn't yours to keep." His words were hollow.
He felt his phone vibrating and reached to pull it out; running his hand over his eyes so he could read.
'Hey babe, where are you?'
'Home soon. Bad traffic.' He texted back. A lie, but he didn't feel like texting it over the phone. A few seconds later he felt the reply buzz.
'Alright. Supper is on.'
Greg shut his phone and tossed it onto the passenger's seat. He didn't know it could hurt so much; but somewhere in the depths of his mind he known a few months back, that he'd let himself become too attached to the boy; and now that he was gone he knew that Aidan took a piece of him that he would never get back.
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He glanced in the fold down mirror wiping the damp from under his eyes. "Ya look like shit Greggo." He spoke imitating his husbands southern drawl causing a small smile to form on his lips, before exiting the car and heading towards the house. He just wanted to slip in, get changed, and not think of how utterly ridiculous he felt. The house smelled good, Nick had always been a better cook than he was.
"Hey babe, that you?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Good point." Nick chuckled from the kitchen and Greg rolled his eyes. "Come here for a sec. before you scoot upstairs."
"I really want to get changed."
"It'll just take a second, come here." Nick said again. Greg let out a frustrated sigh and wiped at his face again before moving into the kitchen. Nick was standing at the sink drying his hands and Greg waited for him to turn around. He watched as Nick turned giving him a disapproving once over before coming over to him.
"Whats wrong?" He asked furrowing his brow.
Greg shook his head. "I just feel really stupid."
Nick pulled him against his chest running a hand up through his hair. "What happened?"
Greg pursed his lips fighting back the urge to cry again. "Someone adopted him. I didn't get to say goodbye."
"What?"
Greg nodded against his shoulder adjusting to Nicks arms wrapping protectively around his shoulders. "I just feel so stupid, it's not like he was mine, how could I let myself get so attached." He grit his teeth together.
"Babe you aren't stupid so stop it. You really cared about the kid; and with how much time you spent with him you were bound to be attached. It's fine to be upset; it's been what, eight months now you've been spending time with him? Tell you the truth there's a couple times I've been jealous of that."
Greg fought back a laugh. "Not funny Nick."
"I know." He pulled back putting a kiss on Greg's forehead. "Are you going to be alright?"
Greg shrugged. "I think somewhere in the back of my mind I was trying to come up with ways to convince you…" he snorted. "Listen to me. I'm ridiculous. We aren't ready for kids, with our work schedule, not to mention he's a brilliant autistic child, the fact that we lead a super secretive double life. We wouldn't have known what to do with ourselves."
"Hire a nanny, read a lot of books on special needs children, and continued or spy type life."
Greg furrowed his brow. "That is not helping me feel better one bit."
"I'm sorry hun. You go get changed, dinner'll be ready when you come downstairs." He leaned down kissing Gregs forehead before moving back towards the stove. Greg turned to go upstairs when Nick called over his shoulder.
"Hey babe?"
Greg paused turning back to him.
"I know you love your truck, but I tried to put the car seat in it and it doesn't fit, so you're going to have to get a new vehicle."
"What?" Greg said turning full around to give his husband a very confused and semi frustrated look. Nick kept facing the stove but moved his head in the direction of the living room. Greg stood still continuing to stare at the back of Nicks head.
"Well, go on." Nick said back still to him.
Greg moved from the kitchen past the dining room table into the living room and stopped at the end of the couch. Sitting in the middle of one of Greg's massive puzzles that he always said he'd finish but kept pushing of was a four year old bundle of chub, concentrating on finishing it.
Aidan looked up and a big smile formed on his face, he pushied himself up by the hands and waddled over to Greg who scooped him up and held him tightly to his chest.
"Hey you." He said quietly. "What are you doing?"
Aidan leaned back scrunching his eyes together before burying his face in Gregs shoulder, thumb finding his mouth; a gesture Greg had learned meant something along the lines of being incredibly happy.
Greg turned and walked back into the kitchen where Nick was leaning up against the counter smiling at him. He opened his mouth but couldn't fit a sentence together so he shut it and just stared at his husband.
"I know we aren't to word words yet, but I'd prefer to be Dad if your okay with Daddy."
Greg felt Aidan giggle against his chest. "How?"
"Well too can play the sneak around game." Nick smirked. "And it got to the point where I had to meet the child responsible for stealing away my husbands heart." He walked over to Greg running his hand along Aidans head getting a chuckle from the boy. "Funny thing though, he ended up stealing mine too." He brought his hand up to Gregs neck. "And who am I to deny you anything?"
Greg shook his head. "Nick, we can't, I mean how…we talked about this…"
Nick laughed at him. "Listen to you being all responsible."
"Well yeah. I think up the outrageous and you are the realistic one who brings me back down to earth."
"And if I was always the realistic one then we probably wouldn't be married. Ha, we nearly had the same conversation when I purposed, you remember? 'We haven't told anyone we are together,' and 'what if something happens,' or my personal favorite 'what if you wake up one morning and decide you want a taco for breakfast instead of my sausage' to which I replied and still mean it to this day 'I want your sausage every morning for breakfast and if I can't have it I'll be thinking about it all day."
Greg laughed at himself recalling the conversation as clearly as Nick did. "But babe, we don't"
Nick cut him off gently rubbing his thumb along his cheek, smiling. "If you go around being sensible every time we take a chance on love then I just don't know what I am going to do with you."
"Marry me?"
"Already did that darlin' your stuck with me."
"Thank God." Greg laughed leaning forward to kiss him. He felt Nick smiling against his lips and then he felt a small hand pushing at his face. He laughed into Nicks mouth pulling back to look at Aidan who was giggling at him. "Oh really you." Greg said to him. "Give me a minute to thank Dad here for giving me the best surprise ever okay?" He looked back at Nick. "Oh my gosh."
"What?"
"We have a son. We are Dad's."
"You wrap your head around that thought and go help your son wash his hands for dinner." Nick smiled. "I've got a friend coming in from Texas to watch him while we work until we get a nanny, a friend who is a lawyer and helped us get the paperwork in order so I'm sure you'll like her." Nick ran his hand over Aidans head ruffling his hair causing a chuckle from the boy. "You are so stinking cute." He said before walking to the cabinet pulling out two big plates and one childs plastic green plate from it hiding place behind the stack.
Greg pulled Aidan tightly to his chest turning to go to the bathroom. His son, curled into his arms laughing about nothing into his shirt. Greg beamed. "I'm going to do very dirty things to you tonight, Nick Stokes." He threw over his shoulder before disappearing down the hall hearing Nicks deep laughter echo off the halls.
There it is! I hope you have enjoyed the first installment of my (what I have just this second dubbed) the family arc. The next part will be a one shot where they hire a nanny, story told from her point of view, followed by the team learning about the true Nick and Greg after a tragedy befalls them! Stay tuned for some exciting stuff. Thank you for all those who have read my work and left me encouraging words, I write for you.