Daniel's Dream (4 page)

Chapter Six

Daniel excitedly squirmed in his seat as he waited for the final bell to ring.

The last week of school had been great because mean Andrew wasn't there and his Uncle Josh and soon to be Uncle Nick were going to finally get married. When he had made his Christmas wish to God a year and a half ago, he had never dreamed that he would ever be this happy again. He missed his mom and dad, and thought about them every day, but he knew they were happy in heaven with God. Now Mom and Dad would be even happier that Daniel finally, officially got the family he had prayed for with his Uncle Josh and Uncle Nick.

Since Nick had come into their lives, Daniel's life had been so much better. Thank goodness now that the grown-ups had
finally
decided to get married, they would truly be the family that he always dreamed of. He didn't have to worry that they would be split up somehow and not be together forever.

Just like God and his parents wanted it to be.

He couldn't keep his legs from jumping under his desk from excitement. He only had a couple of minutes left of this school year, and both Uncle Josh and Uncle Nick were going to pick him up. They were going to go look at some wedding cakes for the wedding this summer and Daniel couldn't wait. He heard Mr Thompson's kind voice tell everyone to have a safe and happy summer, when the bell finally rang.

Freedom!

Mr. Thompson excused the class and Daniel grabbed his Toy Story backpack and hustled out of the door with his other classmates. He waved goodbye to some of them, but he didn't want to stop and talk. He had a cake to pick out and he couldn't wait to get there.

He ran down the front steps of the school and immediately spotted Uncle Josh's black Explorer. Uncle Nick grinned and waved at him from the passenger's side window, and Daniel waved back and ran as fast as he could over to them.

He quickly got to the SUV, opened the back door and hopped in.

"Danny! How was your last day of school?" Uncle Nick turned around in his seat and patted him on the leg.

"It was awesome! We turned in all of our books, played a lot of games outside and got our report cards." Daniel reached into his backpack and handed his report card over to Uncle Nick and then hastily fastened his seatbelt.

Why weren't they moving yet? He needed to get to the yummy cake store. NOW
!

"Wow, Danny! Congratulations! You made straight A's! Now that is what I call awesome!" Nick turned around in his seat and gave Daniel a high five.

"Thanks! How much longer before we get to the yummy place?" Daniel asked. He was proud of himself for getting good grades on his report card, but right now it was more important to pick out cakes than to talk about grades.

For some strange reason, Uncle Josh laughed and finally drove the SUV out of the school parking lot. "I'm proud of you, Daniel. You've worked hard this year and it shows. We're definitely going to have to get that pool you've been wanting this year after we pick out the cake."

The day just couldn't get any better. Daniel whooped and clapped his hands excitedly. They were picking out the cake
and
getting the pool today? This was turning out to be the best day
ever
!

They all talked excitedly to each other until they pulled up into the building where the yummy cake place was. As soon as the Explorer came to a stop, Daniel quickly unfastened his seatbelt and practically ran toward the store with colorful rainbow covered flags in the entryway. The delicious smell of baked goods made Daniel's mouth water.

He and Uncle Josh came here a lot on Saturday mornings to pick up donuts and sometimes other desserts. Daniel really liked the owner, Shiloh and his partner Allen. Both men were always really nice and Shiloh always gave him a cup of Hawaiian Punch, which Daniel loved, every time they went there.

Daniel opened the glass door and heard the tinkling of the bell above it. He loved that sound. It always made him feel good to be here.

"Daniel! You're here! Did you leave Josh and Nick at home?" Shiloh teased from behind the counter. As usual the short man was dressed in a dark purple shirt and a brightly colored apron that always looked like it was covered with flour.

The owner, Shiloh, was pretty for a man. Daniel thought his shoulder length dark hair looked cool and his yellow colored eyes were creepy looking in a really neat way. He always enjoyed being around him, even if he was more bouncy than any girl Daniel had ever met.

"Hi, Shiloh! How's it going? We're here to look at wedding cakes," Daniel announced proudly as he walked over to the glass counter and looked at all of the delicious looking cinnamon buns and colorful cupcakes displayed there.

"I know! We're going to have so much fun picking out the perfect cake, Daniel. How about some Hawaiian Punch while all of you pick out the one that will be perfect for the wedding?" Shiloh winked at him and waved at uncles as they walked into the building and stood behind him.

"That would be awesome…thanks!"

Shiloh gave him his fruit drink and his uncles the water they had requested. Daniel would never understand why anyone would pick water to drink over Hawaiian Punch, but adults could be weird sometimes.

Then the small colorful man led them into another room. They all sat at a large round table and Shiloh gave them huge books to look through. Daniel couldn't believe all the different designs and sizes the cakes could look like.

As they continued to look through the books, Allen came in with a cart filled with small pieces of different types and flavors they had to choose from. Daniel loved every one of them, but the pink strawberry one with the cream filled icing was his favorite.

He noticed that his uncles liked the chocolate one best and he tried to smile, a little disappointed. It was true that the chocolate one was delicious, but the strawberry one tasted yummier. He had really hoped that would be the one they were going to choose.

Uncle Josh looked over at him and placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Which flavors do you like best, Daniel? Nick and I like the chocolate, but it's important to us that we all agree on it."

Daniel looked up from the pink crumbs on the plate where the piece of cake once sat, and noticed that all of the adults were looking at him like his opinion mattered, and that made him feel good.

"I liked the chocolate, but the strawberry one is my favorite."

His uncles looked at each other and back at him.

"Well… the strawberry cake is delicious," Uncle Josh said and winked at Uncle Nick.

Nick grinned and looked over at him and nodded. "I think you're right, Danny boy. The wedding cake should be strawberry, and we could have the chocolate as an extra one."

A huge smile formed on his face and he took a sip of his fruit drink. Daniel loved that the adults in his life listened to him. They didn't always agree with him, but they always gave him an opportunity to talk. This made Daniel feel special.

After looking through many pictures, they all three settled on a beautiful three-tiered wedding cake. Daniel knew it would be perfect for the wedding.

"Now that y'all have picked out the perfect cake for your wedding…what day will the happy occasion be?" Shiloh asked as he scribbled down information on pink colored paper.

His uncles looked at each other and then back at Shiloh.

"I think it should be the weekend of Father's Day," Daniel quietly stated.

"Why is that, honey?" Shiloh asked with a sweet smile on his pretty face.

Daniel looked over at the two men that he loved more than anything else in the world. "It should be Father's Day weekend because not only am I getting two dads this Father's Day, we're finally going to be a real family forever."

Both of his uncles smiled at him through tear-streaked eyes. Daniel quickly hopped out of his chair and walked over and stood in between the both of them, and he was soon caught up in a tight, three way hug that made him feel loved, safe, and secure.

"June eighteenth it is." e Shiloh sniffled.

He pulled away and looked into the loving eyes of his Uncles' and smiled happily. He loved the way they made him feel. They loved him and his opinion mattered to both of them. He knew he was a lucky boy.

Daniel couldn't wait until June eighteenth.

Chapter Seven

Nick eagerly looked for the perfect outfit to wear. He had a hot date with Josh tonight, and he wanted to look his best. Danny had asked to spend the night with a friend, and the men had the night alone. Although he and Josh loved being around Danny, it was nice to have a night to themselves once in a while, too. They planned on having a nice supper in Fort Smith, maybe take in a movie that wasn't a cartoon for once, and a night at their house alone without young eyes and ears monitoring their every move.

After some deliberation, he decided on a snug navy T-shirt and his tightest dark jeans. The shirt was one of Josh's favorites because he said they brought out the blue of his eyes, so he figured he'd stick with what he knew Josh would like.

He got dressed and took one last glance at himself in the mirror. With his hair perfectly tousled, and the five-o'clock shadow on his cheeks against his tanned face gave him that rugged, thrown together look that he knew would please his lover.

He walked into the living room and waited for Josh to return from dropping off Danny at his friend's house. He picked up the Sports Illustrated magazine that he had discarded earlier on the coffee table and thumbed through it, his mind wandering over the past month.

He couldn't believe how fast time went by these past few weeks. They had been working hard to get everything ready for their commitment ceremony. It had been an easy decision to have it at Charlestown Park; it was the rest of the planning that had been a challenge. Between multiple visits to the florist, Yummy Indulgences and trying to get all of the decorating and catering ordered, it had really been hard work to get everything done in time. Now their wedding was only a week away, and all three of them were buzzing with excitement.

Nick loved that Danny wanted to be involved in every decision. It made both of them proud and happy that Danny was just as excited about it as they were, and that young boy really did feel like they were a family. Josh's lawyer had the paperwork completed that would finally make Nick Danny's guardian. Since both of them wanted Danny to be included as much as possible in the ceremony, it had been decided that after the two of them exchanged their vows, all three would sign the paper. Making a final commitment to live the rest of their lives together as a family,

Even though Josh's parents had offered to watch Danny while they took their honeymoon, it didn't feel right to be separated from Danny so soon. They decided to rent a two bedroom condo on the beach and take Danny to Disney World and Universal Studios instead. The condo was only about an hour away from both amusement parks, and if they really wanted to have a night to themselves, Josh's parents lived pretty close to Orlando, too.

He doubted they would need a lot of time alone. They loved having the young boy around and were used to him being under foot most of the time. Josh and Nick knew that, before they would be ready, Danny would be all grown up and have a life of his own. They would have plenty of time to be alone, and until then, they wanted to enjoy every moment they had together as a family.

Fred jumped up on the couch put his head on Nick's lap and whined.

Nick scratched behind the basset hound's ears and sighed. "I know you miss him boy. He'll be home tomorrow night."

Nick grabbed Fred's favorite squeaky toy and threw it across the room. Fred immediately ran after it and scurried off into the kitchen instead of bringing it back to Nick to play catch.

Nick laughed. Fred never did like sharing his toys.

He heard the front door open and close.

His lover was finally home.

Josh leaped over the back of the couch and landed right against Nick and gave him a playful grin. "Hello, baby, where have you been all of my life?" He asked and waggled his eyebrows flirtatiously at him.

Nick laughed.

Someone was in a good mood and he loved it.

"Why, I've been sitting here waiting for you, Green-Eyes." Nick leaned over and pressed his lips against Josh's and gave him a soft kiss.

"Damn, I'm a lucky man." Josh's light green eyes sparkled as they slowly looked his body up and down.

Nick laughed and pulled Josh into a bear hug. "I'm the lucky one."

"We both are."

"True."

Josh pulled away and lightly traced Nick's lips with the tips of his fingers. "There's something I want to show you before we go eat."

Between Josh's gentle touch and his suggestive words, Nick could feel his prick start pressing against the zipper of his tight jeans. Deciding to take Josh up on his offer, Nick grabbed Josh's wrist and slid Josh's index and middle finger into his mouth and started sucking them. He bobbed his head up and down the length of them, as if he was sucking on Josh's hard, tasty cock.

Josh moaned. "If you keep that up, you won't get to see your surprise."

Surprise? What surprise?

Nick released Josh's fingers with a quiet 'pop'. "What are you talking about?"

"Come with me and I'll show you," Josh said. He gave Nick mischievous look, stood up and offered his hand out to Nick for him to take.

He allowed Josh to lead him out of the house and into Josh's Explorer. Josh opened Nick's door and got him settled into the SUV. He closed the door and jogged around to the driver's side and hopped in.

"What are you up too, Mr Thomas?" Nick asked.

Josh just winked at him and started the vehicle. They were silent as they drove out of their neighborhood and into town. Nick reached over and grabbed Josh's hand. Josh gave it a reassuring squeeze, looked at him and smiled mischievously at him.

Nick's stomach fluttered with anticipation as they drove past the courthouse to the large building where old Dr. Baker practiced before he retired last fall. They pulled into the small parking lot and parked directly in front of it.

Josh turned off the ignition and turned to face him.

"I know it's been your dream to work with children. You’ve put your own ambitions aside so you can take care of both Daniel and I. You will never know how much I appreciate the sacrifices you've made to make our lives easier and content. I talked it over with Daniel, and we both feel it's time for you to start working to achieve your own goals, too. I love you.
We
love you and we both thought this would be a great place to start your own daycare."

Listening to Josh's words stunned Nick. Josh's smiling face and hopeful expression meant he was serious, but Nick didn't know how Josh's suggestion would ever work.

"Josh, how in the world am I ever going to afford this right now? I have a little money saved, but not enough to start a business. I also don't want to neglect the time I have with you and Danny. I just don't know how it can be done."

An overwhelming feeling of helplessness washed over Nick. Before he met Josh and Daniel, he had worked at a daycare for years and loved it until it closed down. He had hoped to open his own one day, but he didn't have enough money saved to do it. He also didn't want to sacrifice his family time because of it. He loved taking care of Josh and Danny. It seemed selfish to mix everything up so soon after making a commitment together.

Josh shook his head and grinned. "Don't worry about the money, Nick. I've been putting money into savings ever since I started nursing over ten years ago. I have plenty of money saved to make a down payment on this building and to get the business started."

Nick shook his head. "No, Josh. I don't want you to spend your life savings on me. That's not fair to you or Danny."

Josh reached out and gently put his hands on either side of Nick's face. His warm hands were comforting against Nick's cold skin. "Baby, listen to me. For one thing, it's not my money… it's our money to spend. I think it's going to be a great investment for our family. Plus, I thought we could turn it into a family business, too."

Nick's brain was still reeling from the '
my money, our money'
statement so he almost didn't hear the last few words of Josh's explanation.

"Family business? What do you mean?"

Josh leaned up and pressed their foreheads together and spoke softly against Nick's lips.

"I thought that we might run this together. The daycare could use a RN on staff and with both our ideas and hard work, we could make this daycare everything you've always dreamed of and more."

Josh's warm, cinnamon smelling breath and the hopeful words he spoke washed over Nick like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Tears of joy slowly slid down Nick's cheeks. Josh kissed away his tears. "Say yes, baby," he whispered beseechingly against Nick's wet cheek, and then kissed another tear away.

"Yes, baby," Nick grinned through happy tears.

Josh chuckled and pulled Nick into a bear hug. They held each other for several long moments before they pulled away.

"Are you sure about this, Josh? You really want to leave the job that you love for me?"

Josh nodded. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, Nick. My long hours at the hospital take too much time away from my family. I think this would be a great way for us to be able to work together as a team and still have plenty of time to spend with each other and our Daniel."

"I love you, Josh. Thank you." He gave Josh a watery grin.

"I love you, too. Now let me show you our daycare." Josh gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Last one to the front door gets to give Fred a bath before the wedding." Josh hopped out of the SUV and dashed to the front door in record time.

Nick just laughed at his lover's antics and slowly followed behind him.