Taking Chances

"DADDY!" a voice yelled, and I could barely brace for impact before the little bundle of lighting almost knocked me off my feet. I laughed as I quickly set the timer on the oven, turning around as I picked up little Cory, who pinched my cheeks, giggling. Cory was only five years old, but Jaden and I had taken him in when he was barely two months old. His parents hadn't been able to support him, so we adopted him, and were so glad we did. He was the cutest little boy you would have ever seen, with platinum blond hair and blue eyes. He was a little chubby, but that was only because I fed him so darn much. "What's for dinner, daddy?! My tummy is hungry!" Cory rubbed his stomach, making me grin, lifting him up a little higher so he could peek into the oven. He squealed when he recognised what it was, hugging me around the neck tightly.

"Are you happy, Cory?" I asked, and he nodded enthusiastically, making me tap my cheek with my finger. He clapped his hands and kissed my cheek. I grinned as I set him down on the ground, his mini-Converse tapping along the tiled floor. "Be careful, Cory! Don't fall now!"

"I WON'T DADDY!" he yelled back, making me shake my head. I often wondered what the little energetic ball would be like when he was sixteen- I think it scared me a little, seeing my little boy growing up so quickly. I still remembered the day I first held him in my arms and he cried. He hasn't cried ever since, though, thank gosh. I think he's one of those kids who don't cry unless they're really hurting, like Jaden.

"Dad! Come up here!" a deeper voice called, and I frowned, chucking my oven mitts on the counter before walking out, walking slowly upstairs and into Tyler's bedroom. Tyler was my first son, and he just his sixteen this year. I know, the age gap between the two of our kids is pretty big, but we didn't let it get to us. Our boys were incredibly close, and I was grateful they made parenting to easy. Jaden and I had adopted Tyler one year after we got married when he was six, since his parents had died in a car accident. He was a cold kid at first, but that was understandable- he had lost his parents both at the same time. But slowly over the ten years he had been with us he had opened up a lot, and he had been smiling a lot more as well. I was so glad- at one stage I had thought he'd run away, and that would have hurt me to no end. I loved him, I loved both of my sons.

"Tyler? What's up?" I asked, knocking on Tyler's door.

"It's unlocked," he said, and I walked in tentatively, cringing as a putrid smell wafted up my nostrils. "Tyler, I asked you to clean your room, why haven't you-"

"I have a problem," he said seriously, and I sighed, climbing onto his bed. Even though Jaden and I had two kids, one of which is in high school, we were still very young. I was only 27, and funnily enough, I haven't stopped dressing any differently. It was still always my skinny jeans and T-shirts. Tyler always though it was weird when his dad dresses the same as him, but we got over that a while ago. His friends apparently thought it was cool to have an 'in-with-it' father. And what was so amazing was that they knew Tyler was the son of two gay guys- most of the kids at his school taunted him about it, but he was a trooper and just told them to, in simplest words, fuck off. The people who were his friends were totally cool with Jaden and I, in fact, they always made fun of the way Jaden would always kiss me at inappropriate times when they came over. But enough about that.

"What's wrong, Ty?" I asked, touching his shoulder gently as he shrugged, biting his lip a little. "You can tell me anything, remember?"

"Yeah, and I know you won't have a problem with it, but I, um... like..." he thrust his hands forward in a gesture that I knew all too well. It was the same gesture I used when I came out to Ma. I looked blankly at Ty, who was also looking at me as if I were about to snap it at him.

But to his surprise, I just laughed and squealed (yes, I squealed) and pulled him into a hug.

"I KNEW IT!" I yelled, and he just muttered a low "What the fuck?"

"JADEN! GET IN HERE! YOU OWE ME FIFTY DOLLARS!" I hollered loudly, the door opening moments later with a curious Jaden at the door. My heart flipped in my chest as he smiled at me, joining Tyler and I on Tyler's bed, slipping his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. He kissed my cheek and then the curious gaze was back in his eyes.

"What do I owe you fifty dollars for?" he asked, and I smirked, making him raise a brow.

"Ty just told me he was gay," I said simply, and he growled, looking at Tyler with a fire in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you, but did you really have to make me lose the bet?" he asked, and Tyler just looked between both of his dads with confusion... and then he got pissed.

"You two were betting on my sexuality?" he scoffed, and we both shrugged, Jaden reluctantly handing me a crinkled fifty-dollar bill. "What kind of parents are you?"

"Fucking awesome ones," Jaden said, and I slapped his arm.

"Don't use that language in front of him," I scolded, and Jay laughed, kissing my forehead.

"You know he uses that language anyway. And when we were his age, well, we were worse," Jay added, and I sighed, giving in. "But some things never change."

"Like what?" I asked, but I knew where this was going. Jaden hadn't changed at all, he was still fucking gorgeous, sexy and everything that I had always loved.

"You're still beautiful," he whispered, kissing my lips hungrily. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him closer as our bodies pressed together. I heard a groan, but it wasn't from Jaden, but from Tyler, who was pretending to shove a finger down his throat, dry heaving.

"So gross," he said, pushing us both off the bed. "Go back to your room if you're going at it. And shut the door, unlike last time." He had this disgusted look on his face, but there was the hint of a smile on his lips as he shooed us out.

"Totally ruined the moment!" Jaden said after Tyler closed the door.

"Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," I said gently, and Tyler muttered a quick 'okay' before Jaden and I headed back to our room.

"Ten minutes?" Jay asked, pushing me down onto the bed.

"I think I can push it to twenty," I replied, making him nod in agreement.

"Better make this fast then, eh?" he growled, before ripping off my clothes along with his.

***

"Daddy, how did you and papa meet?" Cory asked, as I pulled the blanket over his tiny body, ruffling his hair softly. Since he had to male parents, he called me daddy and Jaden papa. It was adorable really- everything about Cory was adorable.

"Well," I said, kissing his forehead, as Jaden snuck in, pulling up a chair next to me, pulling down onto his lap as he kissed my shoulders, making me shiver. "It all started when we were both very young."

"So you have been lovey-dovey with papa for a long time?" Cory asked, his head tilting to the side a little, making me nod, linking my hand with Jay's.

"Yeah, I've loved him forever," I said gently, looking up into Jay's warm haze as he pecked my lips.

"And I've loved your daddy for a very long time too. And I still love him, so, so much."

"I love you too, Jay," I said softly, remembering something suddenly. I reached into the pocket of my hoodie, pulling out a pair of worn black fingerless gloves. Jaden's eyes widened as he stared at the gloves, and I slipped one on his hand, the other on mine, kissing him deeply.

"I had kept them, ever since the day you left," I said, and he pulled me close, enveloping me in his familiar warmth.

"God, I love you," he said again, making Cory giggle a little.

"Well, I LOVE YOU BOTH!" he shouted, and Jaden and I both shared an amused glance, before hugging our little guy tightly.

"Don't forget about me," a tired voice said lazily from behind. We all turned to Tyler, who bounded over to us, slinging his arms over my and Jaden's shoulders as he grinned.

This was our life, our perfect, little happy ending.