Adult-FanFiction.org : Celebrity

The Sweet Life	By : jai Category: Individual Celebrities > Athlete/Sports Misc Views: 8241 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the people written about in this fanfiction. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 42
- 43
- 44
September 28, 2012 Philadelphia, PA

Ian slipped into bed and nuzzled up to Michael, laying a string of kisses along his shoulder and neck. “Hm. You smell so clean.”

“I would hope so, after taking a bath and all.” Michael said with a smile as he tilted his head back to give Ian better access. He ran a hand around Ian’s narrow waist and pulled him closer. “You smell good too. Is that a new soap?”

“New moisturizer. Now hush, I’m trying to love on you.”

Michael hushed and soon found himself being loved on in the most beguiling fashion. Ian spent several long minutes just nibbling and tasting his way down Michael’s chest and across his stomach then taking Michael’s cock in hand and licking the length of it before swallowing it down.

Michael clenched his hands into the sheets to avoid grabbing Ian by the hair and shoving his penis down Ian’s throat. God, it felt so good. Ian used just the barest hint of teeth and his tongue and oh yes, there was the hand stroking his balls and oh.

“Ee-aan! Please please please.”

As Ian’s mouth was full his only response was to increase his suction and hum a little; it always drove Michael wild and that had the expected and almost immediate result. Ian licked him clean and turned him over to his right side, taking care to prop up Michael’s leg on a pillow before reaching for the lube.

“Michael love, can you take a little more tonight?”

“Hmph?” Michael mumbled, still a bit dazed. “Oh yeah. Just don’t expect – oh.”

“Is that okay?” Ian asked as he slipped in another slicked up finger.

“Uh huh. Oh yeah.” Michael said with a sigh, letting his right hand drift back to grip Ian’s thigh. Ian always knew exactly what he needed. “I love it when you do this to me.”

“Well I must not be doing it right tonight because you’re still able to form coherent sentences.”

“Hurry up a bit and you’ll – ooh yeah.”

Ian slid his cock in deep and melded his body onto Michael’s. “Do you like that love?”

“Uh ya.” Michael said, nodding urgently as he inched his hips back. The feeling Ian’s penis inside him was so delicious but he needed more.

“None of that Michael.” Ian purred as he casually slapped Michael’s flank. “What do you want me to do?’

“Move!”

Ian chuckled and shimmied his hips just enough to brush against Michael’s prostate. “Move how?”

Moaning, Michael tried to speak but could only blather, “Na! You!” His mental process was already deteriorating and Ian’s teeth gently nibbling his neck was not helping. Oh, he loved it when Ian teased him. The teasing lasted only a few minutes longer not because Ian took pity on him but because Ian was soon overcome by the sensations and they both quickly reached their release.

Ian roused himself at some point and got a washcloth to clean things up a bit before getting back into bed and cuddling up to Michael. He barely had time to pull the covers up before sleep overtook him.

October 4, 2012 Philadelphia, PA

Ian pulled the car into the garage, turned it off and got out, grabbing the plastic bag as he went. God, if there as anything he hated, it was going to the store for just one thing. It was so disorganized. But when one ran out of the important stuff like toilet paper, it was imperative to rectify the situation.

He walked into the kitchen with his bag and tried to figure out how such a travesty had happened. Yes they were due for a shopping trip but he could have sworn there were three extra rolls in the linen closet. He stopped when he saw Michael entering the kitchen with a bulging trash bag.

“Huh oh.”

Michael grimaced. “Yeah, the corn was not such a good idea for the boys.”

“Oh no.”

“Yep. They don’t have the runs but there is definite evidence of corn consumption.”

“Give me that bag.”

Michael handed it over and Ian immediately held the bag straight out and took off to the trash cans.

“Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.”

He smashed the lid down tight after depositing the bag and took a deep breath only to notice Grant staring at him from over the fence.

“Hello Ian.”

“Hello Grant. Lovely weather we’re having. Hope it holds through the weekend.”

“So do I. What was that all about?”

“The same thing it’s always about; I cannot wait for potty training. How have you been?”

“Pretty much the same as I was this morning. Are we still on for the big shopping trip tomorrow?”

“Yes. I still have a few things to get for the party. What are you doing out here?”

“Taking out the trash. Is there something on your mind, Ian?”

“No. Well uh yes. How would you feel about doing a group cooking thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“We get together every week and we make five meals for both households.”

“Ah. You’re thinking ahead to your remodel?”

“Yes. We’re moving the fridge downstairs and there’s an oven and microwave but a limited amount of counter space and I don’t want us in Mum and Dad’s space all the time.”

“I think it’s a good idea. Do you want me to talk to Pieter about it?”

“Yes or I can bring it up tomorrow. So what are you doing tonight?”

“Hm. Pieter has a meeting so I was just going to watch some TV and look over my notes. Why, did you guys need a babysitter?”

“No. I was thinking that we could go out to a movie or something.”

Grant quirked an eyebrow up. “All right. What did you want to see?”

“There’s a new Bollywood flick downtown.”

“It all becomes clear. Michael doesn’t like musicals.”

“No. It’s truly his only failing but I’d really like to see that movie.”

“Sure, I’m game. What time?”

“There’s an early show at five.”

“I’ll come over at four fifteen or do you want me to drive?”

“You can drive.”

“Thank you! Then come over at four thirty.”

“Hey! I am a fine driver.”

“Yes for a ninety year old woman.” Grant said over his shoulder as he sprinted for his back door.

Ian stood there for a moment then turned and went back to the house. Michael was standing at the sink washing something and looked up at him with a smile.

“How’s Grant?”

“Michael, do I drive like an old woman?”

“No.”

“Just ‘no’? That’s all you’re going to say?”

“Aw, did Grant start in on your driving again?”

“Yes and after I was nice enough to invite him to that movie. Are you sure you don’t want to go? I could ditch him in a heartbeat.”

“Ian, I love you but I can’t think of anything I’d want to see less than a remake of Gone with the Wind with singing and dancing.”

“It’s not a remake; it’s a reinterpretation using the rebellion against the British during roughly the same era.”

“Oh well that changes everything.”

Ian reached over and slapped Michael on the butt. “You’re such a smart ass. Are you sure you don’t mind me going?”

“No, I don’t mind. You guys haven’t had a chance to bond for a while. Chloe doesn’t have practice tonight so I’m hoping our daughter will see fit to socialize with me.”

“Ah. What do you have planned?”

“I don’t know yet. Whatever she feels like doing.”

“All right. Hey, do you want to get a start on dinner while the boys are napping?”

“That’s a good idea. What’s on the menu today?”

“It’s Thursday and that means chicken; I thought we’d make baked barbeque but we could do it differently if you want.”

“Baked barbeque sounds good. There are enough potatoes for everyone so I can put those in to bake while the chicken is in. What should we have for a veg?”

“Frozen peas, squash, and cucumbers. Good thing we’re going shopping tomorrow, the fridge is getting bare. How did that happen?”

“Chloe’s eating more because of swimming, I’m home all the time, the boys are eating more regular food and do I need to go on?”

“No. You know, I don’t think I took into account the fact that you were eating three or more meals here a day.”

“So you’re saying it’s all me?”

“That I am. How can you still eat so much? Are you secretly training behind my back?”

“Nope. So I guess we can make creamy cucumber salad. There’s no lettuce?”

“No. Huh. If you can handle the cucumber salad, I’m going to start on the grocery list and see where I’ve gone wrong. Oh, I spoke to Grant about the meal thing and he’ll talk to Pieter.”

“Good.”

Ian took down the menu list, the shopping list and grabbed a notepad, staying the kitchen area in case Michael needed a hand. Gail came in a few minutes later and took over peeling the potatoes.

“What are you doing, Ian?”

Ian explained the food situation, including the group cooking idea and Gail immediately volunteered to help with the cooking and take over the main prep for one night’s meal.

“Are you sure you want to do that Gail?” Michael asked.

“Sure. I eat here too and I like to cook. Besides, I know why the food isn’t lasting.” Gail said with a grin.

“You do?” Ian and Michael asked.

“Yes. Chloe is eating more but you’re also feeding her friends. They don’t each much individually but there are seven to ten of them through here in a week. Since you guys don’t stock the typical snack foods, they’re eating the leftovers, the fruits and the vegetables.”

“Ah!” Ian said, remembering all the times he’d come in the kitchen to find Chloe and her posse having a quick bite before heading out to play or up to her room. “That does make sense. I wondered how the boys were eating all the veggies but Chloe and the girls eat them too. We’ll just have to make sure to buy extra from now on because I’m not buying junk food.”

“Except for microwave popcorn.” Michael pointed out with a smirk.

“But I need my popcorn.” Ian said defensively. “I can’t watch a movie without popcorn.”

“And you shouldn’t have to but maybe we should look for an air popper. That’s healthier and we wouldn’t have to make four pouches at a time.”

“An air popper wouldn’t have the same buttery goodness.” Ian stated with a pout.

Gail stifled her laughter and turned back to sink.

“It’s not butter on that stuff Ian; it’s some kind of chemical. Wouldn’t real melted butter be better?”

Ian thought it over. “All right but I reserve the right to get one of those movie type poppers if the air popper doesn’t work out.”

“Good enough.”

October 5, 2012 Philadelphia, PA

Ian opened the back door and led the boys inside quickly. It might not have been the wisest move to take them on the shopping trip – especially one that lasted four hours but they’d done very well except for getting a bit cranky at the end.

Gail followed behind and they soon had the overtired toddlers down for their naps and joined the rest of the family in the kitchen were everyone else was busy unpacking, separating and getting the food prepped. Michael had already gotten the food sealer and bags out so Ian knew what his job was going to be.

While they worked, Margaret caught them up on the goings on at the library down the street. His mum had been volunteering there for the last couple of months and she had plenty of stories to tell. His father contributed with some tales from the Cricket Club and the trials and tribulations of being an organizer for the International Cricket Festival. Aside from those activities, his parents were also involved with the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, Springside School and Meals on Wheels. Ken was even spending a couple of hours a week at Chestnut Hill Academy, the brother school to Springfield, helping out with their nascent Cricket team.

All the activity meant that Ken and Margaret weren’t home much during the day but Ian was happy to see them so involved. His parents weren’t ones to sit around the house and he’d been worried about how well they’d do in a foreign country but now that his dad was healthy again, they had jumped in.

“Ian, are you ready for the green beans?” Pieter asked.

“Huh? Oh sure.” Ian replied taking the huge bowl and dumping them out onto the paper towels so he could dry them before handing the bowl back to Pieter. The kitchen was certainly a hive of activity and Ian took a moment to dream about how great it would be after the remodel. No more bumping around each other, another sink area and well. He almost couldn’t wait to get started.

October 6, 2012 Philadelphia, PA

“Michael?”

“Yes Ian?

“Where did the icing on the ceiling come from?”

“I think Robbie tossed it up there.”

“Ah. I guess it’s a good thing we’re going to paint this room.”

“But not a good thing that we used red icing.”

“No that was a mistake. Good thing we’re replacing this carpet.”

“Ian?”

“Yes Michael?”

“Are we ever going to hold another birthday party for the boys?”

“Yes but never again in our own home. I think having fifteen children here was a bit much and I’m now over my objection to Charles Cheese.”

“Chuckie Cheese. They had a good time though and they seemed to get along well with the other kids.”

“I know but I just can’t believe how quickly it all got out of hand. One minute they were eating their cupcakes and the next minute, it was like they were all possessed by Attila the Hun. I hope people don’t think the boys act like that all the time.”

“I think it was all the excitement. They’re not used to having some many other kids around but they calmed down later.”

“Yes, right before I was tempted to slip some valium in their juice.”

“Ian!” Michael exclaimed as he tried to lift his head to look at his husband.

“I’m only joking. Are we planning to get up off the floor anytime soon?”

“I’m not. I’m hoping I can convince Mum to mash up some food, throw it in cup and hand me a straw.”

“Michael, since when do you call my mother ‘Mum’?”

“Oh. Does it bother you? She said I could.”

“No it doesn’t bother me. But when did you start?”

“I guess before the Games. I’m still trying it out but I was so honored that she said it would be okay.”

“I see. And have you called her that in front of your mother?”

Michael thought about it. “I guess I have. Why?”

“Well that could explain why your mum’s so ticked with me. Did you notice how she didn’t really talk to me?”

“Yeah but that’s not because of the ‘Mum’ thing.”

“Then what did I do?” Ian asked plaintively.

Michael rolled over onto his side with a little difficulty but managed it eventually so he could see Ian. “Babe, I think she’s worried that you’re going to whisk me away to Australia. I mentioned that we were going to start looking at property there.”

“She doesn’t realize that I have no intention of that? Living there full time is the last thing I want to do! We’d move to Canada before we went to Australia.”

“We would?” Michael asked with surprise. “Are you still pissed about that paper printing the kids’ pictures?”

“Hell yes I am. It’s such a breech of privacy; I don’t care what they write about me but bringing Chloe and the boys into it wasn’t cricket in my book.”

“How do you think it will go when we take the boys there?”

“I don’t know but the first person who tries to touch them is going to be sorry.” Ian said vehemently.

“Okay, calm down. Hey when do you think we should talk to Gail about having another baby?”

“I think you just did although I hope you aren’t expecting me to have it for you.” Gail said from above them as she walked into the room holding Jamey on her hip.

“No we don’t expect that but we did want to let you know since it will impact on you.” Ian said.

Gail sat down on the footstool and let Jamey down, watching as he toddled over to his fathers and sat down with a plop between them.

“I hope you don’t have another set of quads but I’m game if you guys are.”

“We hope so too.” Michael said as he put his hand out and tickled Jamey causing an eruption of giggles. “Not that we don’t love the boys but going from one kid to five was an adjustment and five to nine wouldn’t be any easier.”

“Aw, don’t say that Michael. We could have four girls the next time.” Ian teased.

“Don’t even start with me.” Michael said as Jamey crawled onto him. “Hi Jamey.”

“Da da.”

“Yes that’s me. I thought you were taking a nap.”

Jamey vigorously shook his head. “No.”

“Okay then.”

“So guys, when are you planning to start on the new baby?”

“We’re going down to Annapolis next Friday to talk to the surrogacy agency.” Michael said as he tried to direct Jamey’s climbing activities away from his groin.

“Gail, are you up to a trip next week?”

“Sure.”

Michael sat up and cuddled Jamey, putting a kiss on his son’s nose. “Baby kiss!”

“Ba kiz!” Jamey exclaimed as he puckered up. He loved getting kisses.

&&

October 9, 2012 Philadelphia, PA

“So how does it feel, Michael?”

Michael wiggled his toes and looked down at his bare left leg. “It feels weird.”

“You haven’t lost much muscle mass. When did you stop using the crutch?”

“About a week ago but I’ve been swimming every day since I got the air cast and I also do aqua yoga.”

“How much swimming?” Dr. Havilland asked.

“Just an hour of strokes and thirty minutes of yoga.”

The orthopedist looked at him and laughed. “You know, if you were anyone else I’d say you were pushing it. You weren’t doing turns were you?”

“No, we have an endless pool so no laps. I focused mostly on upper body strength and keeping my thigh muscles limber.”

“Did that help with the thigh cramps you were having in that leg?”

“Yes it did although the yoga was better for that. I did some dry land work too but only stretches. My back was really getting messed up between the appendectomy and the leg.”

“Did you consult a physical therapist?”

“Yes, I called Fred Grady. He works for the swim team and I’ve been seeing him for years, he referred me to Carolyn Juarez and they came up with my therapy schedule.”

Steve Havilland made a note on the chart. “So you weren’t going to rely on your own expertise in the field?”

“Heck no. First off because I wouldn’t operate on myself if I was a surgeon unless I was on a desert island or something and also because I promised Ian.”

Grinning at that last part, Steve closed the chart and set it aside. “Ah, the spousal influence. Well I’m glad to tell you that you can lose the cast and the crutch. You’re cleared for everything but high impact activities and you can add those in slowly. Call me if you experience anything unusual. You’re not going back to work until January?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay. Come back and see me the week before your start date and I’ll sign the work release for the insurance company.”

Michael paused as he slid off the table. “Why not now?”

“Because I want to do a follow up in a couple of months to see how you’re doing. You won’t need the release until then and now I know you won’t skip out on it.”

“Very clever.”

“I know. Go on and get dressed and see Charlotte on your way out. She’ll need plenty of warning for your next visit.” Steve said with a wink, patting Michael on the shoulder and slipping out the door.

Michael drove home and spent most of time marveling on how light his leg felt. Since it was almost lunch time, he stopped at Osaka and ordered some of Ian’s favorite sushi, a couple of quarts of soup and a couple of California rolls, making sure to get enough for Gail. Then he went next door to the bakery and picking up a half dozen berry rolls. His final stop was at the Wawa to buy three pints of ice cream.

Back at the house he found Gail and Ian sitting in the kitchen drinking tea and watching the boys eat their pasta and veggies.

“Michael, you got the cast off!” Ian announced with a smile.

“Yes I did and I’ve brought celebratory food products.” Michael said holding up the restaurant’s bag as he kissed each boy and Ian.

“Is that sushi?” Ian asked eagerly.

“It is indeed. I asked Ken to put your favorite types together and I also brought some soup and California rolls along with several of those tuna ones that you like Gail. Then we’re having berry rolls and ice cream for dessert.”

“Sounds a lot better than the sandwiches we were going to have.” Gail said while Ian jumped up and got the plates.

A few minutes later, Ian dipped some hamachi into the wasabi and closed his eyes with pleasure. “Oh that’s so good.”

Michael grinned as he poured out the soup and handed a bowl over to Gail. “You haven’t had sushi in a while.”

Ian blinked and then nodded. “You know, you’re right. So what did the doctor say?”

“I’m cleared for everything but high impact and I have a follow up in January. I’m looking forward to taking actual w-a-l-k-s again.”

“Michael, you don’t have to spell that in front of the boys.” Ian said.

“I was spelling for the dogs. It’s also going to be nice to go with the boys too. What were you guys talking about?” Michael asked noticing the brochures scattered over the tables.

“We were looking over our daycare options. There’s several places in the area that have openings but we’ll need to visit them. I don’t really like the idea of day care but after the party, I think it’s a good idea to give them time with other kids.”

“I can do a scouting mission if you like.” Gail offered. “I don’t like the idea either since I’m here to look after the boys but I know you’re not only worried about socializing them, you’re also thinking about the future baby.”

“That would be great Gail. Those are both good points but we also want you to stick around. If we have the boys in daycare for a couple of hours a day then you can take some of the college classes you’ve been looking at. We said at the beginning that we’d pay for your tuition and we still want to do that.” Michael said as he sat down with his soup.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate that. Can I ask a personal question?”

Michael and Ian looked at each and both shrugged. Then Ian answered for both of them. “Sure.”

“How many kids are you planning to have? Not that it’s really my business but I was curious.”

“You want to know what you’re in for.” Michael stated.

“Something like that.”

“We haven’t really decided.” Ian said while Michael said at the same time, “As many as we can get before we run out of money.”

The men looked at each other and Ian spoke first. “Michael, we have a lot of money.”

“I know but the one thing we both wanted growing up is a big family. Sure six or eight or even ten kids might not be everyone’s cup of tea but-.”

“Ten?” Ian exclaimed.

“But I think we can handle it. And I’m not expecting you to stay home the whole time either Ian. I like working at the hospital but I know you want to go back to school eventually. I can take a couple of years off.”

“Ten?” Ian said again. “Michael, we’d burst this house at the seams.”

“No we wouldn’t. We leave the den as a guest room that gives us three extra bedrooms upstairs. Five kids in three bedrooms aren’t that bad and by the time the boys will need more room, Chloe will be in college and we could switch her down to one of the other rooms.”

“But nine children in four bedrooms?”

“Okay we move downstairs to the den then there are five bedrooms.”

“The bathroom’s horrible downstairs and the closet is too small.”

“So you’re not objecting to the number of kids, just the house?”

Ian closed his mouth and thought about that. Gail was conspicuously keeping her mouth shut and staying out of it. Before Ian could delve deeper into the subject, Harry started complaining about being in the high chair and his brothers soon joined him and the grown ups sprang into action.

October 12, 2012 Annapolis, MD

Ian and Michael walked out of the Center for Surrogate Parenting with many brochures and a catalog. It was weird being out without the boys but as the following day was Ian’s birthday, they’d decided to spend some time alone instead of bringing the toddlers along.

“So what do you think?” Michael asked after they were both buckled in.

“I’d like to look over the surrogates some more but it looks promising. Where are we going for lunch?”

“Carrol’s Creek. They have a nice waterfront view.”

The restaurant did have excellent views and they ordered quickly, waiting until they were alone to talk.

“So.” Ian said.

Michael just smiled. “The ten kids thing really blew your mind, didn’t it?”

“Yes. Are you serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. Aside from the fact that we could end up with twins or better again so it only makes sense to prepare, we never really specified how many kids we wanted.”

“So you decided on ten?”

“It’s a nice even number isn’t it?” Michael said.

“And this has nothing to do with anything Mum might have told you?”

“Mum? What does your mom have to this?” Michael asked, leaning back so their server could put down their salads. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome Mr. Phelps.”

Ian nodded his thanks also and waited for the woman to leave. “Mum told you.”

“About how you grew up envying your neighbors with all the kids? Sure she did but you weren’t the only one. The Brader family lived near us and they had eight kids. Mom used to accuse me of going over there and pretending I was one of them. I know having a lot of kids is no guarantee of having a happy family but I think we can make it work between us.” Michael shut up and took a bite of salad, letting Ian have some time.

After lunch, they spent an hour walking around the touristy downtown and wandering in and out of any interesting shops before the chilly weather got to them and they went back to the car for the drive home. They were heading into the tunnel on I-95 when Ian revisited their earlier conversation.

“Okay. What’s your plan? Or perhaps I should ask what your plans are?”

“How do you know I have plans?”

“Because you always have plans. Start with the house. There are only two bathrooms for those four rooms and nine projected children.”

“We could expand our remodeling plans.”

“Michael, it’s going to be hard enough living there with three rooms being remodeled.”

“I know. That’s why I think we should buy the Silverstone Inn, live there while we’re remodeling and then we can either sell the Inn or keep as an investment property and hire a manager.”

“All right,” Ian said slowly. “Is that the place on Stenton?”

“Yep. It’s been on and off the market for the last fifteen years. With some tweaks it could be a viable business again.”

“What kind of tweaks?”

“Some paint, better training for the staff and a competent manager. The couple that owns it right now isn’t doing such a hot job.”

“Where did you hear that at?”

“At the market. I overheard some people talking and that wasn’t the first time either.”

“And you think we’d do a better job?”

“We have stayed in some great hotels but really, it needs a qualified manager. Even if it didn’t make money, we could use the tax shelter.”

“True and stop talking like that. You know it gets me hot when you get all financial. How many rooms is it?”

“Fifteen including the staff quarters. Two kitchens, a large dining room, pool and a terrific garden. They also don’t allow weddings. That’s a real shame since the garden would make a nice setting. They have zoning approval for a bigger parking area but the owners never have coughed up the money for it.”

“Do we have time to stop there on the way home?”

“Sure.”

“And why wouldn’t we just move there, aside from the whole Pieter and Grant killing us for moving issue?”

“Because it’s on a main road. I like our street; it’s quiet.”

“Fair enough. You know if we do this, it’s going to take much longer and we might not get zoning approval.”

“I know and I’m really regretting that we didn’t buy a bigger house.”

“So you weren’t originally thinking about ten kids?”

“No way. I wanted kids but I was thinking two or three. Then Chloe came and I just love her so much and the boys – wow! I was a little worried when Chris told me about four babies but then they were here and it’s like the love keeps expanding. It’s kind of a weird feeling actually.”

“You changed your mind about staying home too.”

“Yeah. I still think you’re more patient than I am but I no longer doubt that I can be a full time parent.”

“You’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Now for the next question: where are these kids coming from?”

“I have three different propositions. One, we continue using agency surrogates and the eggs our sisters donated. Two, we adopt. Either here or overseas; that might actually be more expensive than surrogacy but it’s worth consideration. Three is one we’ve never talked about but I think you’ve been approached like I have so it is something we should discuss.”

“Sperm donation in exchange for surrogacy services.” Ian said. “How often have you been asked?”

“Three times since the boys were born. You?”

“Four. What do you think of it?”

“Hang on. I’m going to pull into our favorite travel stop.”

“You want cinnamon rolls after that lunch?”

“Yeah. I also have to pee and I don’t want to be behind the wheel for this talk.”

“That I can understand.”

Michael parked the car far enough away from the main building to ensure some privacy after they both used the facilities and purchased beverages and the pastries. He even showed some restraint and only bought two rolls and shared one with Ian.

“Here’s my thought on the matter. I can’t blame someone for wanting children, especially people who can’t have them by traditional means. We certainly wouldn’t have the boys without my sisters and Chris, especially Chris. Whitney and Hilary might have thought about being our surrogate but I think that was too much for them.”

“Having someone surrogate for us, no matter how much monetary compensation we give them, is a big thing. That’s not only nine or more months of their lives it’s something taking over their bodies that they don’t get to keep. A couple of spurts in a cup seems like such a small thing to ask for that.”

“Aren’t you bothered by the fact that one of your kids would be walking around without you knowing about it?” Ian asked.

“Yes it would bother me but no more than it would if I donated my sperm anonymously. At least this way, I’d know the other parents involved and the kid would know who his or her father is.”

“Would you want to spend time with the child?”

“I suppose it would depend on the other parent or parents.”

“So it wouldn’t bother you to see your kid being raised by someone else?”

Michael shook his head. “I don’t look at it that way. Sarah would probably have never contacted me if her life had gone differently. That’s a harder thing to deal with than having an idea of how one of my kids are doing, who was raising them and going into it with my eyes open.”

“What about the other parents? How would you choose them?”

“I have no idea. I think if someone was desperate enough to approach us about this, was willing to be a surrogate for us and then also wanting to have their own child later; well that kind of speaks for itself. I asked one of the couples that approached me, you know, why? They said it was because we were good dads. They knew if anything happened to them, we wouldn’t let their kid end up in foster care.”

“Huh. They actually said that?”

“Yeah. Actually Angela said was they’d take either one of us as a donor.”

“Angela who?”

“Angela Drayer. She played field hockey for New Zealand. She’s been involved with Karen Smith on the basketball team for six years; they got married two years ago. They seem like a nice couple.”

“And they live in New Zealand.”

“No, Angela retired and Karen plays for the WNBA here in the States.”

“Oh.”

“You want to get back on the road?”

“I suppose we’d better.”

Ian and Michael talked about other things for the rest of the drive and Ian was pretty quiet during the tour of the Inn. Once they got home there was a bit of a rush to get dinner on the table, help Chloe with her homework, get some laundry done, work on the kids’ Halloween costumes, and take the dogs on a short walk and all the other tasks that made up their lives.

Once they collapsed in bed that night, Ian reached over to turn off the light but stopped in mid-gesture. “You really want more of that?”

“Babe, I’m not saying we really will have ten kids. We could have one more and decide that’s enough. We could have five more and think we aren’t done. Ten was just a number. The point here is that I don’t want you to think you have to talk me into having more kids.”

“I don’t do that.”

Michael propped his head up on his hand and stared at Ian without answering and Ian broke first.

“All right so maybe I do.”

“There, see that wasn’t so bad. You just seem to have this thing going on where you think I don’t want kids and since I was the one who first mentioned having kids together, I don’t know where it’s coming from.”

“You did not mention children first.”

“I so did. I brought it up on our road trip from Baltimore to Michigan. Remember? We stopped to use the bathroom and those kids were running around in the parking lot. You said that their parents needed to keep a better eye on them and I said that we definitely wouldn’t let our kids do anything like that.”

“So you did. Would it surprise you to hear that I don’t know why I do it?”

“Nope and I don’t mind reassuring you on the subject either. What did you think of the Inn?”

“If it wasn’t on that street, it would make a great house for our expanding family. As it is, it is a good investment property. I can’t believe they aren’t turning a profit with that nightly rate.”

“They don’t have a lot of return business from what I gather. The staff isn’t very friendly and the owner guy was not as funny as he thinks he is.”

“I’ll agree with that. I guess we’ll have a big list to talk to the architect about and we should call Tracy. How much do they want for the Inn?”

“Just under a million. Oh, there goes some of the Speedo money.”

“And we’re going to offer them less than that. George looked rather desperate and after that very rude joke of his, I don’t want to give him full price. How long has it been on the market?”

“Three months and he’s only had it two years.”

“You’ve really done some research on this, haven’t you?”

“Yep. So tell me something. If I start throwing around words like, high yield dividend and Roth IRA, can I have my wicked way with you?”

Ian smiled, turned off the light and slid over. “Say something else.”

“Cost of debt ratio. Liquidity. Return on investment.”

“God, that’s so hot.”

&&
- 42
- 43
- 44
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

The Sweet Life