Eva Pt. 17

"Yeah, we all do when we're five. Until we find out we're not all that graceful." Cammy smiled at her own memories of that age.

"How's California? Really. I know what you say when we talk on the phone. But are you and Kyle happy there?"

"It's a huge change. You should see the house we bought. HUGE! I know you've seen pictures, but you have to come visit. Hey, why not over Christmas and Chanukah? I have two weeks off, the last week of December and the first week of January. We could make a huge party of it. The two holidays- you are doing Christmas for Vincent and Maria, aren't you?"

"Of course. We respect the religion they were born into. We've even talked to a priest and our Rabbi about how to do things. We have more to discuss. But next weekend we're going to go shopping for Christmas decorations and a tree. It will feel a little odd for us, but they grew up with Christmas. I couldn't take it away from them. Though I think it's going to be kind of hard for them without their parents."

"I still can't believe you and Eva did this. But I'm not really surprised. My favorite people in the world, aside from my husband and daughter." We held hands for a moment. I missed her being nearby.

"Cammy, I need a little advice. We met Monday with the lawyer who was assigned to be their Law Guardian. In addition to making sure Eva and I are doing our job, he's going to sue the trucking company whose driver killed their parents. I got to tell you, we were not impressed. He's in his 50s and he's working in this storefront office as a one man show. Piles of files everywhere. I doubt he has more than a few hours to spend on this each week."

"What's his name?"

"Don Carroll. His office is in Media."

"Never heard of him. That doesn't mean anything, of course. I can have someone from my office here get me some information. But going to a judge to get him removed.....it won't be easy. We'd have to show cause. And he'll fight to keep the case. He's going to be thinking he can settle out of court for an easy payday, maybe more than he'd make all year long when he gets his thirty percent. The judge would approve any fee he collects, but thirty is pretty typical."

"Cammy, I want those kids to get every cent they are entitled to. I don't want a lawyer who'll just phone it in. Their lives have been almost destroyed and when they are old enough, I want them to have enough money to start life well. I don't know if this is a long term situation, with Eva and I. Right now, we're getting very attached to those sweet children. We want them provided for under any circumstances."

She squeezed my fingers and smiled at me. "Let me do my thing. If he's a hack, or worse, a shyster, I'll find out, quick. One of the advantages of being a senior, named partner is those who aren't tend to jump for those who are." She gave a small laugh. "I'll know by the end of next week what we're dealing with. Anything else?"

"Yeah one thing. I need a lawyer to set up two trusts, like I still have for Rachel. Eva and I want to put the monthly stipend the Commonwealth sends us for their care into a trust for each of them. We can take care of anything they need. We feel silly taking the money from Pennsylvania, but evidently it's the law."

"That's because it's not your money, Jon. It's supposed to be spent on the care and welfare of the children, so you don't have the right to decline. But you can set up those trusts. As long as you're taking good care of Vincent and Maria. I can get someone to do that for you. Won't even cost you a dime."

"Cammy, I'm hardly worried about that. Make sure I get sent the bill. I don't need pro bono legal work."

"Shut up, brother. No one will be working for you pro bono. Let me take care of it. Now can we go back inside. I'm freezing my tits off out here!" We both cracked up; since she became an adult, my sister's language could be rather blunt. We went back inside and enjoyed the rest of the holiday weekend with our still expanding family.

Cammy called me Thursday and evidently, our suspicions were correct: Don Carroll had a reputation for hanging around the courthouse trying to pick up cases he could dispose of quick without going to court. No other lawyer feared dealing with him and as a result, he usually settled his cases for a lot less than a better lawyer could have obtained. He had a long list of complaints filed by former clients and he was disbarred twenty two years before, before he was able to get it reversed on appeal. Cammy offered to get a lawyer from her firm to handle the case and to offer Carroll a settlement to step aside. So I went to his office and I asked him what he felt was a fair payout for his time to date. He actually asked for fifty thousand dollars, a ridiculous amount considering he'd done almost nothing so far. I offered him twenty and we settled on twenty five. He wasn't happy; he looked at it like he lost the other twenty five instead of making twenty five for doing almost nothing. I wrote him a check on the spot and that was that. Cammy got a top litigator, Ben Walsh, to take the case. It would take years possibly, but I felt secure that when it was settled, those children would be well provided for.

Eva and I discussed it, and, after checking with Mr. Reed, we decided to take Cammy up on her offer and bring Rachel, Vince and Maria to Los Angeles for two weeks over the holidays. We'd be there for the tail end of Chanukah and we'd celebrate Christmas again. When we told Maria and Vince we were going to visit Cammy, Kyle and Anna, they got excited. When we told them that we'd be doing a second Christmas and Chanukah, they got REALLY excited. It meant Eva and I had to do a LOT of shopping. We shipped the gifts to California for round two and we made plans to go up to Connecticut to spend actual Christmas up at Connor and Leigh's. A lot of schlepping but we hoped it would be a fun time that made things a little easier for Vince and Maria.

They enjoyed their first Chanukah, especially after Rachel came home the second night, the 21st. They really were taken with her and she loved playing the older sister for the first time in her life. We explained the holiday to them in as much detail as we could and they enjoyed getting little gifts every night as well as a big gift at the end. For Vince that was a new bicycle in cherry red and for Maria, we got her a small bracelet in 10 carat gold.

We went up there on the 23rd. Rachel stayed with her brother in their guest room in their neat, three bedroom house, while the rest of us stayed in a local hotel a few minutes away. Vince kind of knew by then there was no Santa Claus, but Maria fretted that he wouldn't find them...especially after they moved after their parents died. Both children were crying softly that night before Christmas Eve. Their grief wasn't as crushing as it had been when we met them but they still were in a lot of pain. We held them for a long time and Eva promised Maria that Santa knew where every child lived or stayed, every Christmas. She was satisfied with that, but then the real issue came out. We were prepared for it.

Vince turned and cried harder, then Maria joined him. Rachel helped up try to soothe them, but it was hard. "I miss Mommy and Daddy!" Maria kept saying and Vince just wouldn't say anything, even crying when Rachel played some soft music. The longer it went on, the more distraught they were. It was their first Christmas without their parents and it was hitting them hard. I hugged Maria while Rachel and Eva held Vince. We let them cry themselves out, telling them their parents would always be with them, always looking out for them. And they'd always have us to be their new family if they wanted. We'd never leave them. After just a few short weeks, we loved those children like our own.

While Eva tucked them in, I took a few minutes to sit with Rachel, who was also upset from seeing the two youngsters so distressed. I hugged her and kissed her head like I always had when when she was upset. Through her tears, she said "I know, objectively, what a nightmare those sweet kids have been through. But I can't even begin to imagine what they're feeling every day. It hurts to think about it. It hurts a lot, and that's got to be a fraction of what they feel." She sobbed softly and I kept holding her. My Little Angel had all the empathy that her parents had. I was proud of her for that, but at the moment it was causing her pain, like it was causing Vince and Maria pain. Three of my children were suffering and that is close to unbearable for any parent. Which meant I felt like a parent to Maria and Vince, and I knew Eva felt the same way.

"They are in pain, sweetheart, and they're always going to feel it to some degree. But over time it will become tolerable and they'll find they can remember their parents in the best ways, the good times. So we want to reinforce that for them. Rachel, I want to ask you something. Something important. How would you feel if one day your mother and I adopted them? You understand what that means, right?"

Rachel sniffled her tears back as she took a couple of tissues from the nightstand. "You wouldn't love me and Connor any less, right? Your ability to love is pretty much limitless?" She had a hint of a smile.

"Of course. It would never diminish how we feel about you and your brother, not to mention Ollie and Anna and everyone else."

"Well, I think it's probably a long way from there so far, but if you get there and if they want it, I think I'd love to have a little brother and sister. But seriously, Dad...be careful. I know you're both very healthy, but you and Mom aren't in your 30s. I want you both around for a long time to come. So keep playing tennis and skating and whatever you and Mom do to stay healthy." She gave me a knowing look that made me blush deeply.

"Rachel Hannah! I am NOT going there with you! Ever!" She laughed and we both felt better, embarrassment and all. I tried to give her a disapproving look, but that was useless. Instead we kissed cheeks and said our goodnights before I returned to my room.

Rachel had her own room, but we kept Maria and Vince in our room in the other bed. When they finally fell asleep, Eva and I had our own crying period. "Bear, I love those children so much. I want to take care of them for as long as we can. All the rest of our lives."

"I'm with you, Angel. It would kill me to have to give them to someone else to raise. It's kind of soon yet. especially for them emotionally, but maybe by next Christmas we could get the process going for adopting them."

"Bear, what are we doing? We should be looking forward to enjoying our lives."

"We will be, Eva. We'll be doing what we love best of all....taking care of children. It's what we were born to do." Eva hugged me tight and we kissed a bunch of times, but that's as far as that could go. We weren't alone in the room. And aside from our desire for each other, we were thrilled to have new young children in our lives. Grandchildren, a niece, our grown children, and now new young ones. Not to mention the thousands of students who passed through our lives over the years. We kept surrounding ourselves with children to care about and to love.

We had a nice holiday with Connor, who was going to return to sea duty January 8. Leigh was the daughter of a Navy man, so she grew up knowing what to expect. She was a tough girl and she knew she could call on us if she needed anything at all while Connor was away. She also had close friends among the other wives of the boats crew that all looked out for each other. She and Ollie were in good shape. And they were welcome to come visit any time they wanted. We didn't see them enough.

Christmas/Chanukah II in California was great. She and Kyle had this incredible house in Beverly Hills, 6 bedrooms and 6 and two half baths. And a huge pool in the backyard. Rachel, Maria and Vince all had a great time the entire time we were there. And it wasn't so bad for Eva and I either. We even made love more frequently than we had been doing recently. We treated everyone to two days at Disneyland and Kyle and Cammy took us to Universal Studios. Everyone had a fine time.

The night of my birthday, January 4, we spent the day at the pool and then we had a small celebration at a trendy LA restaurant. We had pretentious food served by a waiter who was doubtlessly waiting to be 'discovered' and we even saw a couple of celebrities. We even had a delicious chocolate cake. It was a lot of fun, with the only downside being no Connor and his family. He was back across the country getting prepared to deploy with his boat.

Back at the house, I got a few presents, mostly joke-like gifts, things you'd give an old man, like a walker from Kyle and Cammy and a 'gopher', a grabber like tool for people who can't bend to pick things up from Rachel. Eva gave me a ridiculous oversized pair of glasses with huge, thick lenses. Then Vince and Maria gave me a gift together, a handmade card with a flower picked from Cammy's garden (with her permission). The card said "Happy Birthday Jon! Thank you and we love you! Maria and Vincent!" I was all choked up, unable to say anything as my eyes got wet. Mine weren't the only ones as Cammy, Kyle, Anna, Rachel and Eva also were also deeply touched. "I think this is the best gift I've gotten in years, guys. I love you too." They hugged me, one in each arm, and I held them for a long moment. Their parents must have been great people.

In bed that night, Eva gave me her 'real' gift. She was on top of me, using her still strong muscles to squeeze my cock delightfully. She kept leaning down to kiss me as we made love, using our hands to touch in very sensuous and erotic ways. Her body had a little sag now, as did mine, but we were still in very good shape and excellent health. After enough time to build up our passion and our climax, we got there, Eva a little before me, and I flooded her with my warm cum, mixing it with her frothy moisture. We still loved making love together, even if some of our dirtier exploits had tapered off. We had no complaints.

Afterwards, we laid in bed, lightly coated with a sheen of perspiration as we caught our breath. "You're still the best piece of ass I know, Angel" I told her, both of us chuckling at our old shared joke.

"I've got oodles of experience, Bear. I'm even thinking of finding a street corner here for the last few days. I might make enough to pay for this trip."

I rolled to her and we kissed playfully and giggling. We did our best talking in bed, but we also still had a lot of fun there. After we played a little we settled back and held hands in the middle. "This was a great birthday, Eva. I love you so much, my darling. My Angel, always..."

"...and forever" Eva finished. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Jon. And how about Vince and Maria? They didn't say a word to me or Rachel. They just asked Cammy if they could pick a flower from the garden. I really think we made a difference in their lives, Bear. I know I love them just about as much as our own."

"They sure took me by surprise. I wish we had met Linda and Michael. They must have been great parents." We paused for a few seconds. "There's something I think we should do for them, honey. I think we should start taking them to the cemetery to visit their parents, maybe once a month. I want to adopt them if we can some day. But I wouldn't want them to forget who their parents were."

Eva rolled towards me and planted a big kiss right over my heart. "There is no one like you in the world, Jon. You keep making me fall in love with you all over again, every day. It's a great idea. And we'll keep encouraging them to tell us memories they have so they don't forget. Maybe we can record them so when they're older, they'll always remember those things. I want them to remember. As much as possible."

I kissed her forehead. "You're one of a kind too. We'll talk to them when we get home. It will be hard at first. We'll help them, though. However we can, we'll help them."

Eva cozied up to me as she yawned deeply. "My darling Bear."

"My amazing Angel." We kissed and turned to sleep. All in all, it was a great birthday.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When we got home, Rachel had to go back to school, which saddened Vince and Maria. They really were attached to her and she enjoyed it. She taught Vince some basics of playing guitar, which I continued with him over time. I also taught him to skate while Eva took Maria to dance classes. And we also found time to take them to the local Catholic church to meet with the priest, Father George Dieter. So that started Sunday school for both kids. Between lessons, school and friends they made, we were all very busy people. It was exhausting for Eva and I, but there was something fulfilling about it as well.

We also started taking them to the cemetery, once a month at first, which, over time tapered off to a couple of times a year. At first, it was tough on them, which made it tough on us. But they 'introduced' us the second time we went and that somehow helped make things a little better, like we were all a family. By April, when Mr. Reed came for a visit to see how everyone was getting along, Eva and I were talking seriously about adoption. He wasn't surprised; he'd seen over the monthly visits how well things were going. He said we could apply for permanent custody but we should all sit with the kids and talk before we mentioned adoption. So the following month, that's what we did, all five of us, to see how Vince and Maria felt about it. It was complicated; they still missed their parents, but they had become very close with us and our family. So we started the process for permanent custody but held off on adoption.

Early June was Maria's sixth birthday and we threw her a big party with all the frills. She loved being the 'little princess', the center of attention, and she had a blast. August was Vince's birthday, his eighth, and another big party. He was by nature a little more shy but still, he enjoyed it immensely. They both loved going to the beach house with us on weekends and we sent them to day camp during the summer. Vince learned to skate well enough to start hockey that Fall.

With all that was going on, we needed some household help, so we hired a woman named Rosa to come in during the week, keep things clean and do some cooking. She was about our age and she was great with the children.

Rachel came home a few weekends; we went to visit her and saw some of her recitals. Connor and his family came down when he had shore leave and we went to visit when we could, the four of us. We were a real family. We felt like one, anyway. And then, just as we were talking openly with the kids about adopting them, life threw a curveball that almost ruined everything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In September of 2012, ten months after we brought Vince and Maria into our home, Eva and I, along with Mr. Reed, sat down with them and brought up the subject of adoption. They understood the concept, basically, and we went into more detail and explained that Eva and I wouldn't be their guardians, but their parents. It was a year and a half since their parents died and there were still raw feelings. We told them Michael and Linda would always be their parents, but now they would have another set of parents who would love them as much as we loved Connor and Rachel. It wasn't easy, and no decisions were made that day. They were sad for a few days after as were we, so we let it go for a few weeks. And in that span, something happened that almost undid everything: a cousin of the children's father came along to apply for guardianship as a close relative. Why this 'close relative' didn't help out at the time was easily explained: he and his wife were really in no condition to be guardians to anyone's children.