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 I have plenty of salt here, Marie. You didn t have to get a special
kind. Helen s face had a disgusted look on it as she shook her spatula
in Marie s direction.
 I think us guys are going to watch some sports on television, and
you ladies can have the kitchen to yourselves. John shuffled the guys
out of the room.  It will be much safer in here. Now let s see what s
on.
They spent the rest of the morning keeping out of the kitchen.
Every so often the men would hear one of them raise a voice in the
kitchen, but no one interfered. They watched a football game and
were ready to watch another one when a car pulled up outside.
82 Holly McMahan
Eric walked to the window.  The guys are here, Mom. He put on
his coat and headed outside.
Andy headed toward the door as well.  Can I help with anything,
Eric?
Eric walked up to him and handed him a couple of bags.  Can you
put these in our room?
 Sure. He headed back with the bags. He had just set them down
by the dresser and turned to leave when an attractive older man
walked in with more.
 Hey, I m Andy.
He put the bags down and reached over to give Andy a handshake.
 I m Oscar. It s nice to meet you, Andy. I appreciate the help with the
stuff. Phillip has his hands full with Willy.
Eric walked in with more bags.  Hey, Oscar. I didn t realize the
adoption came through. He is absolutely adorable!
 Thank you so much. We wanted to surprise everyone for the
holidays. We ve had him about a month now. Boy, have our lives
changed since his arrival. He laughed as they all headed back to the
living room.
Marie had her arms full when they arrived.  Isn t he cute as can
be?
Everyone seemed to surround the baby at once. Andy decided he
could wait until later. He walked into the kitchen and looked around.
Eric walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss.  I guess I will
continue the cooking since the ladies are busy now. Would you mind
helping me?
 No. Just tell what to do. I m all yours.
Eric walked over and gave him a more passionate kiss.  And I m
all yours, babe.
They worked together for a while before Helen made it back to
the kitchen.
 Oh my heavens, he sure is cute. Thank you both so much for
keeping everything going in here. I didn t realize we had spent so
Drawing on Life 83
much time in there. Now you boys go visit now, and we will finish up
here. It shouldn t be long now. She wiped her hands on her apron.
 Marie, get back in here and finish your food! Helen yelled, and she
took something out of the oven.
 I m coming. You don t have to yell at me. I appreciate you boys
jumping in to help. Now scoot. Helen, put that down. I m not finished
with that ham yet.
Eric took Andy s hand and led him into the living room. They sat
on the love seat. John was sitting in the rocking chair with Willy
sleeping in his arms. Oscar was sitting on the sofa. Phillip was
heading over to sit with him, but he stopped in front of Andy.
 I m so sorry it took this long for me to say hello. It s really nice
to meet you, Andy. I m Phillip. That lug over on the sofa is Oscar, if
you haven t met him yet. He flopped down next to Oscar.  I m so
worn out. Who knew travelling with a baby would take so much
work.
Oscar wrapped his arm around Phillip s shoulder.  Oh, honey, this
is just the beginning. Besides, we will always have help if we need it.
Couples do this all the time. We will be fine.
They snuggled closer together. Oscar looked over at Eric.  So tell
us how you two met. What s going on?
Eric wrapped his arm around Andy and told them the story of how
they met and where things were at the moment. Andy would say a
word or two here and there, but otherwise he just watched Eric and
the emotions he showed while he spoke.
A short time later the ladies said the meal was ready. They all
gathered around the dining room table covered with food. Andy
thought it appeared they could feed an entire army with all of the food
displayed. They took their time fixing their plates and sharing the
stories about Willy.
Andy enjoyed it all. He gathered Oscar had been one of John s
students at the university. He had been young, and he looked to John
as a father figure. Andy could understand that. Oscar met Phillip
84 Holly McMahan
during his second year. Without any family nearby, John and Marie
had practically adopted them. They had shared holidays together ever
since.
Oscar and Phillip had been together fifteen years now. They had
waited almost three years before they were able to adopt William.
Oscar thought they should call him Willy while he was young. He
thought the name was so cute for such a cute baby. Andy could see
the love all of these people had for each other. He hoped he would
still be here in fifteen years with Eric.
Once the meal was complete, everyone pitched in to help clean [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]