“Where are we going?” Eric asked once they were outside. He opened the passenger door of Kayden’s car, wondering if it was okay for them to be dressed in pajamas. Mrs. Laje would have thrown a fit if he had tried leaving like this.

“Apartment hunting. I’ve had my eye on a few this past month but haven’t said anything. I’m going to try pulling some strings so you can live with me. You shouldn’t have to deal with all this on your first day out of the orphanage.”

Eric stared at him in a mix between anger and hope. Anger at his assumption he wanted to live with him and hope he might never go back to the orphanage. And, if he was being honest, there was a part of him that appreciated Kayden’s constant consideration of his feelings. He couldn’t remember the last time someone…

He forced his mind back in the present. There wasn’t any point focusing on how he used to be treated. None of that mattered now. The most important thing was making sure he didn’t go back where he came from or end up in hell.

Kayden rested his forehead against the steering wheel. “I’m sorry about all this, Eric. My job is to make sure children find the right home, and I feel like you aren’t where you’re supposed to be. It’s been chaos since you got here. I wish I could fix—”

“Kayden,” Eric began, haltingly, “none of this is close to what I would call a disaster. Do you remember that time when the power went out in the middle of the night and no one knew until Mrs. Laje banged all those pots and pans to wake us up?”

“Yeah,” Kayden laughed, “she went on a rampage trying to get all twenty of us school-ready while the other little ones ran around, too excited to listen to anybody.”

“Exactly. To me, this is what I imagine family drama—”

“Oh, no, Eric, this isn’t regular family drama. You’d get that with sneaking out at night and getting wasted, then trying to sneak back in before your parents woke up. Or lying about breaking a plate. This…how my parents have treated you isn’t normal. I don’t want you to think it is.”

Eric wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Um. Did you sneak out and get wasted when you were a teenager?”

“Wow, that’s what you took away from what I said?”

“You said that was normal family drama!”

“I know,” Kayden couldn’t stop a few laughs slipping out. “I never did the sneaking or breaking. My friends are another story. They always had a fantastical tale of sneaking out and getting caught. Dad never was one for strict rules, so I didn’t have to worry about staying out late. All I had to do was tell him the truth and he was cool with it. Mom, too, despite what you may think after last night and this morning. They wanted to make sure I was safe and eliminate the sneaking.”

It sounded like Roth was a great dad to Kayden. He wasn’t sure about Susan. Eric was relieved to know his first impression of Roth wasn’t wrong. He’d like to think there was something else going on to cause so much distress among the household. Apart from Susan wanting him to explain why he was sent back to the orphanage; she hadn’t treated him poorly. If anything, she’d been kind to him right from the start.

She bought him an entire new wardrobe, bedsheets, new shoes, cooked an elaborate dinner to welcome him… Eric was sure he wasn’t the cause behind whatever was happening. Maybe the final nail in the coffin, but not the reason.

They both lapsed into silence and startled when Roth tapped on Kayden’s window, motioning with his hand they get out. Eric knew there was no chance of escape when he heard Kayden swear under his breath.

“I really am sorry about all this, Eric.” Kayden sounded exhausted. “It’s not fair to you.”

Eric didn’t know what to say so he kept quiet.

Kayden opened the car door and stepped outside to face his dad. Eric tried stalling for as long as possible without drawing attention to himself. He wanted the ground to swallow him whole. He didn’t do well with emotions.

Roth’s eyes were filled with sadness. “What are you doing, son?”

“Apartment hunting,” Kayden replied. It came out like a question.

“Is this because of Eric?” There was no anger in his voice.

“It’s not just because of Eric, Dad,” Kayden forced out. “Did you know Mom tried to arrange a marriage for me? My supposed fiancée is inside. I’ve never felt more disrespected.”

Eric was surprised to see the old man’s shoulders sag in what he believed was defeat. He didn’t know Roth well enough to read his body language. Neither of them were yelling, which surprised him. All the arguments he was used to were never this calm.

“I’m so sorry, Kayden. I told her many times not to go through with it. Your life isn’t for us to control.” Roth ran a tired hand through his silver hair. “I returned from the orphanage about thirty minutes ago to a much-relieved Laje, might I add. She cautioned me against this. I should have listened. Our guardianship over Eric is finalized. I understand his circumstances aren’t the same as yours. It wasn’t my intention to mislead him. I don’t want to tear this family apart because Susan is still afraid. I should have stood my ground.” 

Kayden glanced at Eric, unsurprised to see he looked shocked at what his dad said. Kayden knew his mom had her reasons for being cautious, but that wasn’t an excuse to take it out on Eric… “Mom never wanted to adopt a teenager, did she?” He couldn’t stop the now unfamiliar pain of being unwanted from gripping his heart. 

The lines around Roth’s eyes and mouth deepened. “She accepted it.”

Kayden didn’t want to press for more information. Now that his dad had finalized the guardianship, it brought all of his unspoken plans of moving out to a crashing halt. He had seriously been contemplating moving. After another glance at Eric, he decided he’d wait until Eric turned eighteen before offering to move out together. 

He wasn’t sure what else to do in this type of situation. If things didn’t improve, it was the next best thing he could offer Eric until he was stable enough to live on his own.

“I see.” Bitterness laced Kayden’s words. “Can you talk to Mom for me? I don’t want to deal with her right now.”

Roth’s tired laugh huffed out of him, though it lacked humor. “You’re an adult, son. You need to talk to her yourself. I’ll make sure she understands she has no say in who you choose to get married to.”

Kayden looked at Eric. “I’d ask for you to wait upstairs but that wouldn’t be fair to you. What’s a better introduction to the family than free drama?”

Eric tried to smile at the joke, but all that came out was a grimace. He was still confused as to where he stood and doing his best to hide the panic attack swirling just below the surface. His hands were already shaking. If he didn’t find some way to calm down, he feared he might lose control in front of everyone. He did fine talking with Kayden, but he was starting to feel the stress of the stranger in the house, and being surrounded by new people like Roth, Susan, Angela, and Sam. He wasn’t used to being around people he didn’t know.

Mrs. Laje had him take anger management classes when he returned to the orphanage. The problem of taking them became apparent to Eric when all the theoretical questions caused him to relive his own personal hell. The positives he took away were the different techniques of calming down when he was on the verge of breaking.

He mentally started down the list, making sure to take deep, steady breaths, and empty his mind.

Roth gestured that they head back inside and Eric did so rather reluctantly.

He was still unwanted…still unloved. 

It helped a little having Kayden here, but his idiotically idolized view of him had been squashed when they first met. His caring eyes could no longer bring him the calm they once did when he was having nightmares. He didn’t mind talking with him. But friendship felt impossible. Eric couldn’t see a future where they were in each other’s lives.

He groaned when they headed back to the living room. Eric didn’t care if he was being rude. He wanted to go back to bed and sleep away the day, try again tomorrow.

“Roth!” Susan’s voice rang out. “Tell our son he’s marrying this beautiful young lady.”

Oh, good. The stranger hadn’t left.

Wonderful.

“Susan,” there was a sharpness in Roth’s voice Eric hadn’t heard before, “our son is twenty-one and capable of choosing a partner for himself. Besides, it’d be such an unhappy marriage since Kayden likes men.” 

Susan’s eyes rounded. “How long have you known? I found out this morning!”

“Have you not listened to our son during the times he’s mentioned he’s gay? It isn’t exactly a well-kept secret.”  

A sour look filled Susan’s face. 

“Susan, stop denying—”

“I’m not denying anything, Roth.”

“It kinda sounds like you are.” Eric muttered without thinking.

“What?” Susan gasped.

“Just, I don’t know, I’m tired,” Eric complained. “Kayden said before that he’s told you multiple times and Roth confirmed it. If that’s not denial, I don’t know what is.”

“Well, I—”

Shandra spoke up. “It’s fine, Susan. I can see now it was pointless to press the issue.” She met Kayden’s disapproving stare. “When you finally realize liking men is a phase, come find me.”

Eric’s mouth popped open. The injustice! He felt Kayden nudge his shoulder and forced himself to keep quiet. He’d already done enough by accidentally voicing his thoughts to Susan.

Kayden shrugged, “Even if I liked women, you aren’t close to anything I’m looking for. I’m not attracted to rude behavior. You can leave.” 

Shandra smiled without emotion. She stormed out of the house, throwing Susan a nasty look as she went. Roth had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last his family saw of her. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his wife. “What were you thinking, Susan? We’ve talked about this countless times. I thought we agreed to drop it.”

Susan shook her head, “Kayden is the closest I have to a son. I want what’s best for him.” 

Shock coursed through Roth as he processed her words. “Kayden is our son. What do you think we did when we adopted him all those years ago?” 

“When you adopted him!” Susan exploded. 

Both Eric and Kayden jumped. 

“Is that what this is about?” Roth shouted. “That you weren’t there to choose?”

“I told you before we adopted that I wanted to be there! I didn’t want to take some stranger!” she shrieked. 

“You were there,” Roth hollered, “I called you and you agreed to meet him!”

“That’s different. I—”

Anger flashed in Roth’s eyes. He took a steadying breath to calm down and control his mixed emotions. “Let me make something quite clear, Susan, if our son hasn’t already done that over the past eight years. Children are not objects. You can’t return a child and not expect there to be lasting consequences, to you or the child. When I met Kayden for the first time, there was no doubt in my mind I wanted him for a son. I have never viewed him as anything less. I thought you felt the same way instead of harboring all this bitterness inside.” Roth felt as if he aged twenty years. “How do you feel about our daughters?”

Susan huffed. “I chose them. They’re mine. I’m not going to send my daughters back.” 

The tension filling the air became unbearable when Kayden spoke. “Susan,” the name sounded unfamiliar on his tongue. 

“Yes?” she snapped. 

“Nothing.” He was thankful he dealt with the Florida agency last night because it would have been quite the headache to go through the process of flagging his parents after this ordeal. “Eric and I will be using the kitchen today.”

“Very well.” Susan replied, storming out of the living room. 

Eric had watched everything unfold from the living room doorway, unsure of what to do. This isn’t what he expected when Roth brought him here. And he hadn’t meant to backtalk Susan. He startled when a sturdy hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up to meet Roth’s sympathetic gaze. 

“I feel like history is repeating itself,” his humorless laugh rang hollow, “I had no idea my wife was this resentful. However, that doesn’t excuse her behavior. This is your home now and I will make sure you always feel welcomed. I doubt we’ll have a repeat of this in the future if Kayden has his way.”

Kayden snorted, masking the pain he felt. “My world flipped upside down in seconds, Dad… Neither of you can adopt again. Eric is the last.” He ignored the sour taste in his mouth. 

Roth briefly closed his eyes. “I suppose it’s too late to tell you we’ve been unhappy with each other for a while.”

Kayden crossed his arms. “I’ve known for a long time.” 

“This isn’t for you to worry about, Kayden.” Roth met Eric’s eyes again and he dropped the hold on his shoulder. “You will always have a home here, Eric. You aren’t going back to the orphanage.” 

Something squeezed his chest warmly as Eric allowed himself the smallest hint of hope. 

“Thank you, Roth.” As much as he appreciated what Roth had done for him, he couldn’t hold back what he said next. “I can’t view you as my family. But I appreciate you giving me a place to call my own.”

Roth smiled. “No need for thanks. I apologize for making a mess of things.”

Eric knew families had their issues. He was sure his parents argued and fought when they were alive. What he didn’t expect was getting the full show-down of drama in less than twenty-four-hours from Roth and the others. He still believed the old man meant what he said yesterday.

Reality proved to be vastly different from Eric’s imagination. He’d make the best of it. Despite the chaos, he was out of the orphanage and had a chance to start over. And if he really compared the two places, he was happier at Roth’s than he’d ever been under Mrs. Laje’s care.