Page 51 of Wed
Becca noticed Parson and Beau exchange a look but wasn't sure what it meant. "We're still working on finding out if he has any family. It's not easy. We don't even know his last name." As far as they could tell, there wasn't a file or history for Eric anywhere. No one knew where the kid had come from. Trenton was searching kidnapping cases to see if he might match up with anyone, but so far there had been nothing. It was frustrating.
"Until we find him a safe place, he'll stay with us," Beau told them. "We won't put him back in the foster care system unless we know he's safe."
"And Geo?" Lenora asked.
"That will be up to him. We'll find him a safe home somewhere, but he gets to decide if he wants to stay in Las Vegas or find a home somewhere else. And before you ask, we'll find a safe place for Tera as well. We won't let them go back into the system where they'll risk being hurt again." Beau handed Eric a napkin. "Wipe the chocolate off your hand."
Eric took the napkin, set it down, and went on to lick the chocolate that coated his fingers.
Beau laughed. "Or that works. Make sure you wash your hands when you're done."
"What are we having for dinner?" Andy asked.
"Meatloaf and mashed potatoes." Becca glanced at her watch. "Faith should be back in about an hour or so to help me cook. She had an appointment with Ms. Katie this afternoon."
Lenora's eyes widened. "She sees a therapist too?"
"She does. Remember, she was kidnapped as a little girl. She's been seeing her for years. In fact, all of us here go visit Ms. Katie sometimes. It's good to have someone to talk things out with and Ms. Katie is the best." Beau stood and took his milk glass to the sink and rinsed it. "We'll make sure you find someone in Michigan who is just as good. Ms. Katie is going to recommend some people."
Lenora nodded.
"So what do you guys want to do this afternoon? Want to pull out a board game?" Parson asked.
"Can we go downstairs and play video games?" Andy asked.
"Tell you what, if you three pick out books to read and promise me you'll read for an hour tonight, you can play video games for a bit. Help Eric pick a book too. I'll sit and read with him later while you two read your books."
Andy sighed.
Becca hid her smile. She'd been working with Andy on his reading since they'd gotten back. He struggled and made up every excuse he could to get out of having to read. It was something she'd have to pass on to his new parents when she saw them. She needed to start making notes of everything she had to tell them.
"Okay, go wash your hands, and you can go downstairs," Beau told the kids. "I need to talk to Becca for a bit, then I'll come down and join you."
"Thanks for the cookies." Lenora stood, taking her and Andy's cups to the sink.
"Thank you for helping make them." Becca stood and pulled the other tray of cookies from the oven as the timer went off. "You can have more after dinner."
"Come on, Eric. I'll help you wash." Lenora led the boys out of the kitchen.
Becca blew out a breath. "I'm glad that went well. I was worried they might not want to go there."
"It made it easier knowing the people they'll be living with and that they'll be back at their old school." Beau wiped the table of crumbs.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Becca asked as she put the plate of cookies on the counter.
Beau glanced at Parson, then took a seat beside him. "We're going to adopt Eric."
Becca turned, shocked at what she'd heard. "You're what?"
"We want to adopt him. We'll wait of course until we are sure we can't find any family, but right now, it's looking like he's got nobody. Hell, we can't even get a last name on him. There's seriously no record of him in any system we've searched. Carter and Matt are going through Roger Carson's computer, hoping to find something, and they're going into one of the CPS worker's home tonight and might find something, but if they don't, we want him." Beau covered Parson's hand with his. "Our kids are older now and we miss having little kids around. We've raised abused kids, and we know what to do and what problems can arise. We've got a great nanny already, who also understands the trials. You've seen what a great kid Eric is. He deserves a good family. He's already bonded with us. Parson's been his go-to since we got him here."
"I think it's a great idea if you guys really have it in you to start over again. I mean, your kids are all older now. This is starting fresh. Eric's only four." Becca sat down at the table, staring at them.
"We've discussed it. I'm not ready to retire anytime soon. It's not like we're going to take off and travel the world. We enjoy raising kids. I haven't told Bryon about this yet, but I'm going to call him tomorrow and discuss things. As I said, we'll make sure there aren't any blood relatives around who will step up if we figure out who Eric is, but I honestly don't think we're going to find any." Beau shrugged. "We want him."
Tears stung Becca's eyes. "You two are so amazing."
Parson grinned. "We didn't want to mention it in front of Lenora or Andy. We don't want them wondering why they can't stay. You've found them a good home in Michigan, and we think it's best they go there. We don't want to risk any jealousy right now. We'll tell them later, once they've settled in at their new home."
