Page 34 of Higher Notes

“Yeah, sounds about right. Since we’re donating the furniture, what we’re bringing will fit in our truck. I already reached out to Jordan and the center is sending a truck over Monday morning to load it up. A quick clean and we’ll be on the road.”

“Mom, I think we should do what they’re doing and donate our furniture, then order all new stuff.”

“Jason, this is getting very expensive. We don’t want to drain our accounts and wind up back where we started.”

It was gonna take some time to reprogram her.

“Mom, not only will I have another payout before we hit the road, but we now have four income-earning adults living in the same house. We’re not going back. From here, it’s only upward for our family.”

After the marketing meeting this morning I finally saw the positive trajectory through our social media platforms. River, Easton, and Jeremiah were excited with how quickly our following had grown. But they asked us for some new songs. I had a handful I’d started but none were finished. Guess I’d have time to do that during the drive back from Vegas this week.

Through all this Gabe remained silent, playing his game and ignoring everyone and everything around him. The kid was really disconnected. I only hoped once we got into the new house he’d come around.

“Mr. Sniper, will you color with me again?” Nolan was such a sweet, calm soul. The complete opposite of his twin.

“I’d love to, little man.”

With the kids occupied, I snagged a controller and sat beside Gabe. “Load up a new game. Let’s roll.” I held a fist out to bump his and he looked at me like I’d lost my damn mind. “Dude, don’t leave me hanging.” He rolled his eyes and gave it a bump. “Weak, man.” But I glimpsed the grin he did his best to hide.

For so long Mom and I had tried to give the kids the time and attention they deserve but working as many hours as we did made it hard. I felt like that was part of Gabe’s issues. Now with these wonderful new men in our lives, every kid would have an adult like they should have had all along. And Mom, well, she has earned a much-needed break. Hopefully soon she’d get to treat herself to a quiet bubble bath and new hobbies.

This time on the road would be a hell of a lot less stressful knowing Mom had more time at home, and we were no longer scraping by in the fucking hood.

Mom wandered over to Sikes and Nicole and started talking to him about the house. I breathed a sigh of relief. That was one step forward and hopefully nothing would drag us back.

“Hey,” Gabe whispered. “Are they really both your boyfriends, like with sex and stuff, too?”

“Dude, not gonna talk to you about my sex life but I am here if you have any questions about your own.” Mom was great when I came out and we had such a strong relationship that I wasn’t worried when I told her I was gay. Did Gabe feel like he could come to us to if need be?

“Yeah, I, um…I know some stuff.”

“Well, if you want the truth, I’m your man. You know I’ll never lie to you.”

“I know. But, um, those guys are huge.”

I laughed so hard every head turned our way. “They’re gentle giants.”

“Hey, don’t ruin our reps.” Snipe’s weak protest was wasted on me.

“I like them,” Nolan said. “When they’re around it’s not so scary anymore.”

Heart. Broken.

I wondered how much money it would take to get the contractor to work double time.

Best not mention that to Easton or he’d make it happen. Taking advantage of anyone wasn’t happening. Especially not someone I respected as much as I did him. He and Diamond had already gone above and beyond not only with Chaotic but with my new relationship with Sikes and Snipe, and I refused to challenge that bond.

“Nolan, if you could have your room decorated any way you wanted, what would you choose?” I pretended to not hear Snipe’s question, but I always kept one ear in the headset while playing and the other tuned into what went on around me.

“Umm…” Nolan was by far the easiest kid in the house. He was a go with the flow guy and was just happy when someone played with him. “I don’t know. What should I like?”

“You are allowed to like anything you want. Don’t make choices just to please others, make the choices you know are right and make you happy.” I wanted to hug Snipe so badly. He and Sikes were perfect for this family and for me.

“I like animals. Puppies and kittens and fish and hamsters. We have a pet hamster in our class. His name is Chip. I didn’t get to name him.”

“Which animal is your absolute favorite?”

“Puppies. But I like cars, too. Will you teach me how to ride a bike? I keep asking Santa for one, but I must not be good enough.”

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