Enjoy.
Chapter Thirty-three:
Jeff and Lita finally get back at the shelter with the food. After their sexual activity, they head again to the restaurant. Jeff is more calm down now, but is now more affectionate towards Lita.
They are in the kitchen setting the food on serving plates. Jeff continue to kiss and touch Lita as he passes by.
"Stop." She giggles. "There are children out there." She warns.
"Damn, I wish we were back on the highway in the car." He pouts.
"That was a one-time situation. We will continue our resistance until our probation is over."
"Maybe I should go walk away again." He teases.
"Yes, you should." She agrees.
"What?" He is surprise by her agreement.
"I need you to walk away to put the food on the tables." She grins.
"Whatever, you will cave like earlier." He pecks her before grabbing two plates to put on the tables.
"No I won't." She calls out to continue to put food on the serving plates.
Everything is set as Jeff and Lita thank everyone for coming. "Hello everyone, I know this is not a special occasion, but we should do a dinner for togetherness. As you know we are in the process of adopting Joan and Johnny. We don't want them to forget this shelter that took care of them until we came around to the idea. We also don't want them to forget the friends that they have made here. Here is to all of you to find great homes just like Johnny and Joan."
"Thank you Jeff." All the children call out.
He chuckles. "You are welcome. Everyone enjoy your food. Afterwards, we are going to have some fun activities."
The whole night went great. Nothing but fun, laughter, and happiness filled the room. At around 10 pm, the night ended and all the children were exhausted including Joan, Johnny, and Jamie.
"Okay everyone time for bed." Michelle announces.
"Okay Michelle." They all agree. The older children help the younger children into bed before they head to sleep.
"See Jamie and Johnny don't forget about your family-like friends here. You were just like everyone here where they count on each other."
"We won't." Joan and Johnny both yawn.
"Time to go home and sleep." Jeff carries Johnny to his room.
"Me too." Jamie opens her arms to Michelle.
Michelle giggles. "You want a carry to bed too." Jamie nods. "Come here sweetie." She carries her to be.
"Mommy, do you think Michelle will adopt Jamie?" Joan asks who is snuggled into Lita's lap.
"I don't know, sweetie. It took me a long while for me to figure out I wanted to adopt you." Lita explains.
"I just want her to have what Johnny and I have. With what she overheard, I don't want her to have no one to adopt her." She is concern for her honourary sister.
"What do you mean?" Lita wonders. Maybe this is what Michelle speculate on Jamie's odd reaction before.
"Umm…" Joan recognize that she hinted at Jamie's secret. "Oh I mean that… oh look Jeff is back. Daddy." Joan runs to him.
"Are you ready for bed, my little trouble maker?" He teases.
"Not you too." She huffs.
"Me too." He chuckles.
Joan yawns. "I am too tried to argue let us go home." She lays her head on his shoulder.
"Okay, we will say goodbye to Michelle and then leave." Lita grabs their jackets before heading to Michelle's office. They don't find her there, so they search in Jamie's room. Sure enough, she is there in Jamie's bed. Jamie is all snuggled into her.
"See mommy, they are perfect for each other." Joan tiredly speaks.
"Let us go home." Jeff closes the door to the shelter to head home.
"They didn't want to see you." Edge yells out. After Child Services, Matt went to Edge's apartment.
"Nope, they said that we don't need any more information about them."
"You should have just force your way in."
"I don't want to get arrested. Here, I don't want it." He hands him back the envelope.
"This is not good. Maybe Jamie can help me get it to Child Services."
"How?"
"I will give it to her as a present from Lita and Jeff. She will watch it and then run to Michelle. Michelle will see it and deem they are not fit parents for Joan and Johnny."
"I don't think that is a good idea." Matt is very uneasy with this plan.
"No one asked you, so if you don't want to be involved go back to your parents. You are only slowing me down." He advises harshly.
"Maybe I should. This had gone too far already. There are innocent children that will be hurt."
"We are talking about getting revenge on two people that made our lives miserable. Lita cheated on you and made your life be played in front of the whole world. Don't you give her the same hurt that you felt?" Matt is silent not having an answer for that. "Your brother made a fool out of me. He took Lita from me."
"Like you did to me." He acknowledges.
"Yes, Lita cheated on both of us." He waves Matt comment off. "She shouldn't have a perfect life. She should be suffering with us having a perfect life."
"What about Jamie?"
"What about her?" He doesn't show that this would affect her as well.
"She will find out and won't trust you anymore. You will lose her and be devastated. I can see it in your eyes that you really care about her. Think about her to see if this is worth continuing. You can stop this and hang out with Jamie without any intentions. You can get to know her with the possibility of adopting her." He offers the right option.
Edge ponders about the possibility. He smiles, but shakes his head a minute later. "She will understand when I explain everything. I will not let anything stand in my way." He again focuses on his task.
"Good luck with that. I hope you get everything you want." He walks out.
"You are out." He is surprise.
"Yes, I am out. I am not going have those children suffer so we get back at Lita and Jeff." He closes the door.
Edge sits on his couch to ponder the conversation. Doubts seeps in that he could lose Jamie in the process. Of course in the very back of his mind, there could be a possibility that he would want to adopt Jamie. 'Will this impact his relationship with her that much?' He ponders. He shakes his head again because he needs to focus.
Next day, Edge knocks on the shelter door. He has Jamie's favourite breakfast along with some new clothes for her birthday party.
"Hello." Someone Edge doesn't know answers.
"Hello, I am here to visit Jamie." He explains his presence.
"I am sorry the shelter is close to visitors.:
"What do you mean? Michelle agreed I can visit Jamie every day." He is impatient by not be let it right away."
"Well Michelle is off today, so the shelter is close to visitors." The person repeats.
"Well, can you call her to ask if I can visit Jamie?"
"To be honest sir, Jamie is not here either. She went out for the day. She won't come back until bed time."
"Oh, do you know who she is with?"
"No sir, I'm sorry. Have a nice day."
"Can you at least give this to her?" He hands her the breakfast and new clothes.
"Of course I can." She accepts the gifts and closes the door.
Edge just sighs at this delay in his plan. "I guess I have to wait until tomorrow."
As he enters his car, he looks at the bracelet Jamie made for them. He put it on his rear mirror to remind him of her. He starts to flashback to all the moments they had.
As he is doing that, the shelter door opens. Michelle and Jamie come out. Edge sees this in the corner of his eye. He is about to call out to her when a car drives up. Michelle and Jamie enters the car before the car drives away.
He is confused on why the person lied to him. Usually, Jamie is very excited to see him. One time, she admits that it is the best part of her day. Is Matt's prediction coming true?" He needs to find out.
The car stops at a building called 'Sky Zone'. Edge parks a few spaces behind them. He watches as Michelle and Jamie exit along with Joan, Johnny, Lita, and Jeff.
"What?" He is astonished at the sight. "Jamie!" He calls out as he exits his car quickly. Everyone all stop as they thought Edge left. "Jamie, you don't want to hang out with me today." He asks with Michelle behind her.
"Umm… Edge I just want to hang out with Michelle and everyone else today." She speaks in a shy tone.
"Oh that is okay. I will see you tomorrow." He hides his hurt of rejection.
"Maybe." She holds onto Michelle tight.
"We will see you, Edge." Michelle picks up Jamie to enter the building.
"Bye Edge." Jamie waves bye. He waves back with a pretend smile. He watched them enter the building before he heads back to his car. He will admit it hurt him to have her not more excited to see him. He needs to fix this, so he drives to Child Services himself.
Today is the day for Child Services to come to inspect Jeff's home. Jeff is already with his nice clothes, food in the fridge and all Johnny's supplies unpacked. He has been cleaning all day to make sure he gets this approval. After double checking everything, the doorbell goes off.
"I guess it is time." He opens the door to find his brother there.
"Matt?" Jeff is surprise by his courage to come here.
"Hello brother?" He greets. "Do you mind if we talk?"
"Matt, I can't right now."
"Please, we need to talk?" He doesn't give up.
"If you want a serious conversation, we will talk around 8 pm. I am busy right now." He offers looking around to see if Child Services are coming now.
"Okay, I will see you at 8pm." Matt leaves as Jeff closes the door.
Jeff sighs as he can't have this on his mind right now. He takes a few deep breathes before the doorbell rings again.
"Okay, that should be them." He opens the door to have the same workers there.
"Hello Jeff." They greet.
"Hello, please come in." Jeff moves to the side to let them in.
"It looks better than before. Mind if we look around?"
"Nope, do you two want some beverages?"
"Maybe later."
The search takes about 30 minutes. They look at each room making sure there are no violations. Finally, they check the refrigerator. "Wow, you have really made this house into a home. We are impressed."
"Thank you." He appreciates.
"There is just one aspect we need to monitor." The male worker goes by the door.
"What is that?" He questions.
"We want to see Johnny's reaction to the house; if he is comfortable with being here."
"Okay, when do you want to set that up." He didn't actually pick up Johnny for this.
"Right now." The male worker opens the door to reveal Johnny there.
"Daddy!" He runs to him to receive a hug from Jeff.
"Daddy?" Both Child Services workers inquires.
"Daddy, I have some great news." He is very excited.
"Johnny, calm down we have some visitors."
Johnny looks around to see them. "Oh I am sorry. My name is Johnny." He outstretches his arm.
"Hello, do you like to live here?" She inquires.
"Yes, Jeff let me pick out my own supplies for my bed room. Everything in my room I had I say in it."
"Is that so?" The make worker asks.
"Yup, I will go to my room to leave you two to your discussion." Jeff lets him down so he can run to his room.
"Why would you let him choose his own furniture and supplies?"
"It is his room he should be comfortable in it. I let him choose so if he doesn't like it then I change it. It is good to give them options so they don't feel like we are ordering him to do everything."
The workers are impressive at his lesson to Johnny. "He hasn't been sleeping over here yet, has he?"
"No, we spend most of time out with my girlfriend and Joan until bed time at the shelter. Each day has been like that. He really enjoys me picking him up."
"So this is not the first time he has does this greeting?"
"Nope."
"Thank you, we want to come back to see how Johnny is settled with sleeping here. Besides that, you can start the probation period."
Jeff face lights up. "Thank you."
"Daddy, you did it. I am living here now." Johnny runs out to hug him; he overheard everything.
"Johnny, it is not polite to eavesdrop on people's conversation." He warns him.
"I am sorry I am just excited." He pouts.
"I know now apologize and then thank them for this opportunity." Jeff gently orders.
"I am sorry for interrupting. I also appreciate giving Jeff the green light to proceed." He smiles.
"You are welcome. Well, that is it for today. If there is no more question, we leave."
"Umm… actually, I do have one question?" This a good time as any to ask for his parents to visit here.
"Sure."
"My parents want to visit for a few weeks. I don't know if you allow that during the probation period."
"Have Johnny meet your parents before?" They are concern that they might not accept Johnny and exclude him.
"No, but he has seen pictures and talk to them a few times."
"I can only give you a week because it might be too much for Johnny. Plus, this mostly about how you two live together not your parents."
"Okay, thank you."
"Now for the last bit of business, besides your girlfriend, Joan, and your parents, you won't have any visitors to come here, right?" She wants to know the visitors to come just in case.
"Some of the children from the shelter might come to celebrate, Michelle, and my girlfriend's parents will visit. They know Johnny will as well as I have to talk with my brother this evening. Usually my brother doesn't visit, so that should be everyone."
"Thank you for that enjoy your togetherness. Jeff, just have your parents drop by the building so we can verify everything." The female worker advises just for precaution.
"I will thank you again."
"You are welcome." Both of the workers exit the door.
"So buddy, what do you want to do now?"
"Can we watch some more video?"
"Of course." They head to the computer that he set up before Child Services got there.
Review.