Page 28 of Tempting Tessa

The shock on her parents’ faces pretty much matches the shock that both Tessa and I had just a few hours ago. “Wow, that’s pretty amazing,” her mom says on a shaky breath.

“Yes, it is,” I reply.

“And how did you take the news, Tessa?” her dad asks.

“I was shocked but I’m fine with it. It isn’t like Jake knew. When he was presented with the option of meeting his donor’s family he turned it down due to where he was at in his recovery. He never even thought about it until we were talking about it and I told him how much it helped me heal and how it brought some closure to losing Matt. I almost feel like Matt sent him to me in a way,” she tells her parents.

“And you guys never had any inkling that you received Matt’s kidney before finding the paperwork this morning?” Teresa asks.

“No, it never even crossed either of our minds.”

“Well, it sure is a surprise and what a small world it is. But I’m glad that you guys figured it out,” Teresa says as she pulls Tessa and then me into a hug.

We talk with her parents for a while. I still want to stop over at my parents’ house, so we pack up and head over the few blocks to their house. I had texted them earlier to make sure they would be home, so they are expecting us this afternoon.

“Hello,” I yell as we walk into their house, and my mom comes down to the entryway to meet us.

“Hey, how are you guys this afternoon? Is this Ty? It’s so nice to meet you!” my mom says to him, kneeling down to his level. “I’m Jake’s mom, Amanda. I’m so glad to finally meet you, Ty.”

“It is nice to meet you too,” he replies to my mom. Tessa has done a fantastic job teaching him manners.

“Well, come on in, Dad is just finishing something out back. I’ll go let him know you guys are here and we can all visit. Jake, you know where the beverages are, so make sure everyone is comfortable and has anything they need,” Mom says over her shoulder as she goes to let my dad know we are here.

“Yes, Mom,” I tell her as she walks outside.

“Would you like anything to drink?” I ask Tessa as we walk towards the living room with her by my side.

“Some water would be great.”

“What about you, Ty, do you need anything?”

“Nope, are there any toys here I can play with?” he asks as he looks around my parents’ living room.

“I’ll see what I can find for you, otherwise I can probably find a movie you can watch on TV.”

I head to the kitchen to get Tessa’s water and grab one for me as well, then go to see what I can find for Ty to play with. Since my sister and I haven’t had kids yet, my parents don’t have grandkids to spoil and I’m not sure if they will have anything he can play with. I think a movie or show will have to keep him entertained while we are here.

When I make it back to the living room, my parents are both back inside and talking to Tessa and Ty. It appears his 6-year-old charm has already worked its magic on my parents and they are just soaking it up. They’ve bugged me since my accident to settle down and give them grandkids. I wasn’t ready for any of that until just recently and now it sounds amazing.

We chat with my parents for a while before I bring up the kidney news. They are shocked just like everyone else, but also think it isn’t really anything we need to worry about going forward.

Before we know it, the afternoon has slipped away and we need to get Ty home and fed dinner before it’s bedtime. My parents offer to order pizza, so we end up staying for dinner with them. We head back to Tessa’s for the remainder of the evening. We only stay over at my house when Ty isn’t with us, and I have yet to stay over at her house when Ty is home. I hope that we can change that sometime soon, as I really hate leaving her at night.

Tessa

The shock of finding out Matt’s kidney went to Jake has finally worn off. After we got through telling our families, I texted Caroline. We’re going to go out tomorrow for coffee and I’ll tell her then. We make it back to my house from having dinner with Jake’s parents. We had such a great day between being at my parents’ house and then Amanda and Blake’s house. I could tell Amanda and Blake loved Ty and I’m pretty sure that he loved them as well.

We hang around playing with Ty for a bit before it’s time for him to get ready for bed. He has taken to asking if Jake can read to him before bed the past week and it’s so damn cute. Jake really has jumped in feet first and followed Ty’s lead. He has fit so well into our lives and I can’t imagine him not being a part of them. I decide I’m going to talk to Ty tonight about how he would feel if Jake slept over sometimes. I really hate it when he has to leave every night. I’m not saying I’m ready for us to live together all the time but damn, I love falling asleep next to him and waking up in his arms.

When it’s time for lights out, Jake leaves so Ty and I can have our few minutes together like we do every night.

“Did you have fun today, buddy?” I pull him next to me so we can cuddle close.

“Yes.”

“What would you think if Jake had sleepovers at our house? Would that bother you?”

“Can he sleep in my room?”

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