Page 55 of Aaron
Aaron looked up, and there were tears in his eyes. He wasn’t shedding them, but they were there, blurring even the vivid color with a wash of salt water. Brad, who was sitting in the task chair by her desk, reached for his boyfriend’s hand, and he felt the rough, desperate squeeze of his fingers and knew for sure, if he hadn’t already, how big a deal this was.
“You’ll always be my sister,” Aaron spoke, and his deep voice was rougher than usual. He stood up and held out his arms, and Brad let go of his hand as Leah flew into her brother’s embrace and they clung to each other fiercely. “You know that, right? You can have new parents, but you’re my sister.”
Leah smiled a bit, pulling back to look up at him, and unlike Aaron, she let tears roll freely down her cheeks.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she murmured, and then, utterly surprising Brad, she turned away from Aaron and flung herself at Brad, too, hugging him with a fierce, tight little grip of her slender, but surprisingly strong, arms.
It was a happy ending, with Leah settled, with a family that was going to love her and care for her as very few foster homes could do. But like all happy endings, it was bittersweet. Aaron had the peace of mind associated with knowing that his sister was going to be all right, but it had to feel like he’d lost her, even if he clearly wouldn’t dream of trying to get in the way of her happiness.
But looking at Leah, Brad didn’t think that was going to happen. In fact, he rather thought that, whether Aaron knew it or not, the kind, parental people downstairs were going to want Aaron in their family, too. Maybe there would even be some sort of place for Brad there, too.
And either way, Brad had his own plans, which were growing more firm every day.
Aaron excused himself, obviously attempting to get himself under control, and Brad and Leah gazed at each other, a bit wary, still, but recognizing each other as both being important to Aaron. That was enough for Brad, and, it seemed, for Leah.
“Are you going to marry him?” Leah finally asked, quite abruptly. Brad smiled a bit, then reached into the pocket of his suit jacket and tugged out a black velvet box, not answering with words but with actions. Yes, he fully intended to marry Aaron, if he could get the man to agree, and he was just waiting for the right time.
“Good,” Leah murmured, and, just like that, it seemed, Brad had the approval of the one person in the world who meant the most to Aaron.
As soon as Brad got up the nerve, he thought there was a good chance that he and Aaron would be forming a family of their own.
