Page 44 of Heal
He didn't expect her to trust him. She'd been hurt by adults too many times for him to have fully earned her trust this quickly. "I promise."
As the girls settled down to talk, Beau spent time with Jeff. They hadn't talked a lot over the time that he'd been in the hospital, and it was nice to finally get to hear Jeff talk about all the things he loved and enjoyed.
Hearing about Jeff's interests and dreams only made Beau that much more determined to give them the best life he could. He could easily make many of Jeff's dreams come true. He wanted to go to an NBA game, go fishing, camp under the stars. The one thing he wanted more than anything else was for his sister not to have to worry about him all the time. Beau wasn't sure how long it would take for that to happen, but he was sure with the kids in his home, it would.
Trying to forget that he had yet to hear from Parson, Beau settled in and enjoyed the afternoon, hoping that the laughter and fun they were sharing here would soon continue at his house. He wanted it more than he ever thought he would.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Parson left the office, glad that no one else was around. He'd come in hoping that since it was Saturday that no one would bother him. He'd needed to see exactly what Beau had done and what the files said before he could make his final decision on how to handle things.
There was no way he was going to back Beau if the paperwork was a mess and there was any chance that they'd get caught.
What he'd found surprised him. Beau's file with CPS went back over four years, showing several children staying with him before being either aged out of the program or transferred for one reason or another, none of them relating to anything negative with Beau.
Parson was stunned at how detailed the records were. Every little detail was there, from minor inspection violations, to one attempt to adopt, but that had fallen through due to the child's aunt deciding to take custody. Everything was covered. There wasn't a hole to be found in the backstory that Beau had created for himself. Parson couldn't have done such a good job if he'd tried, and he knew what to look for.
Satisfied that Beau had covered his ass and that no one would question any of the paperwork, Parson headed back home. He'd tossed and turned all night thinking about things, more so the kiss and if he wanted a future as far as a relationship might go with Beau. He could almost still taste the hint of garlic on Beau's lips as they kissed.
It didn't help matters that he'd climbed out of bed only to find his picture all over the internet. It hadn't really been unexpected, but he hadn't thought the story would be as big as it was. He'd assumed a mention or two, but every gossip blog had an article on it. Funny thing was, no one knew his name. He was the mystery boyfriend that everyone was trying to identify.
It wouldn't take long before someone figured out who he was, but thankfully, they hadn't yet.
He was sure his parents hadn't seen the news yet or they would have called. He still wasn't sure he'd answer when they did.
Once back home, he headed inside. It was already almost two in the afternoon, and he needed to call Beau. It was unfair to make him wait and wonder, probably worrying that the police would show up at any time. He owed it to him to let him know what he was feeling and thinking about the whole situation.
Truth was, he was kind of impressed with what Beau did. It might be illegal, but he had a good reason behind his actions. There weren't going to be any questions about him fostering the kids unless someone wanted to argue that he'd treated them in the hospital and that should disqualify him from parenting them.
As far as Parson was concerned, he was going to allow Beau to foster the children and proceed with adoption once he was able, if that was what the children wanted.
With no more reasons to wait, Parson grabbed his phone and dialed Beau's number, hoping he wouldn't be mad that it had taken so long.
"Hello?" Beau sounded as if he was laughing.
"Hey, sorry it took so long to get back with you." Parson heard more laughter in the background.
"I'm just relieved you called at all," Beau said. "Hold on a sec."
Parson heard Beau tell someone he had to take a call and would be back, then it sounded like a door opening.
After a few seconds, Beau was back. "Sorry, I was in the hospital room with the kids. Faith and I decided to drop by and visit."
"How are they?" Parson was almost jealous he wasn't there, which was stupid. He wasn't the one who was close to the kids.
"They're doing good. Faith and Lisa have been talking on the phone a lot, so they've formed a strong friendship. No matter what happens with the kids, I hope they can continue that."
"About that…" Parson paused, mentally reassuring himself that he was making the right decision.
"About that?" Beau repeated.
"I think the kids will have a good chance of staying friends with Faith since they'll probably be living with you." As he said the words, Parson's whole body seemed to relax, helping assure him he was making the right choice.
"You're serious?" Beau blew out a long breath as if he'd been holding his breath. "Please tell me you're serious."
Parson nodded, even though Beau couldn't see him. "I'm serious. I'll approve everything on Monday. But we need to get this done quickly because another caseworker could see your home available and try to put other kids there. We've got the fact that you're willing to take Lisa in pregnant going for us, but I'd rather avoid any hassles and try and arrange at least the paperwork on Monday morning so no one else tries to step on our toes."
"Monday is good. I have to work at the hospital all day, but if you can meet me there, I'll sign anything you need. I can get away for maybe an hour if I really need to." Beau sighed. "I can't believe you said yes. Thank you so much."
