I lived in a community that, while not permissive, at least saw with both their hearts and their heads before making judgements, and was accepted as a single gay parent of a rather precocious six year old boy. My ex-lover, Ramon, and I had split up after a very satisfying 15 years together, but the strains of losing his job and adopting and raising Sammy were just too much, and we mutually agreed that he needed his own life back for awhile. Sammy was in pre-school while Ramon packed up his things and moved out, leaving the sleepy community that we'd been a part of ever since we'd moved there with Sammy.

Sammy came home and found that one of his daddies wasn't there, and after a long, quiet talk, realized that Ramon had left for awhile. He couldn't understand the part about Ramon's personal feelings anyway (he still loved the kid even though he couldn't deal with him anymore), so I just explained that Ramon might come back someday, but that we'd be our own little family for the time being. He accepted this as only a six-year-old could, climbing into my lap and giving me a big hug. "OK, Daddy." We had dinner after that (I having to relearn how to cook properly, Ramon had handled most of the meals for the three of us) and soon Sammy was bathed and put into bed.

A week later, my neighbors, Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Belva came by, each with a nice casserole and dessert as well as some loving advice for the single parent. They had both accepted and supported my relationship with Ramon and loved little Sammy, and when the rumor mill had told them that Ramon had left, they'd reacted just as if Ramon and I had divorced. "Now don't you worry," Mrs. Belva said, setting down her triple-layer chocolate cake on the kitchen counter, "I'll be happy to watch Sammy for you if you need some time to yourself."

Mrs. Saunders nodded. "Both of us have had wee ones once, and would be happy to help in anyway we can."

"Thank you both for your warm wishes and help!" I said, the burden of raising a small one and working full time having hit for the first time. "The only problem I have right now is that Sammy gets out of pre-school almost two hours earlier than I get done with work, and if one of you could pick him up and watch him those two hours, I'd really be thankful."

It was agreed, and the two women began arranging things between themselves, dividing up the time so that both of them would be able to have Sammy stay with them part of the time. As one, we rose from the kitchen table and each woman gave me a big hug. "You'll be alright, honey," Mrs. Saunders said, "It's hard to do it alone, but we'll try to ease some of the burden."

"That's right," Mrs. Belva said, "You just let us take care of Sammy whenever you want us too, and we'll help you out."

Thanking them again, I walked them to the front door, and they went back to their respective homes. Turning, I grabbed little Sammy into a big bear hug and told him about the arrangements we'd made with our neighbors. He was excited about it, especially since he and Ramon had visited the two women at one point or another, and liked them very much. We ate dinner from one of the excellent casseroles, had a slice of the delectable chocolate cake, and then I cleaned up and read to Sammy a little while until he started nodding off. Tucking him into bed, I couldn't help but feel that everything was going to go alright.

About a month later I had been able to adjust my work schedule so that I could spend some time with my son in the afternoons. The two neighbors had started taking young Sammy to the public library for story time readings by the new children's librarian there. Sammy was always really excited after I'd get home, talking through dinner about the great stories Mr. Marshall told him. "I like him, Daddy," he'd say, his mouth full of macaroni and cheese, "he's almost as good a story teller as you." I'd smile and we'd talk about Mr. Marshall and his stories long after dinner ended. "Mr. Marshall has lots of stories, and he's always letting us pick the ones we want to hear." My son splashed happily in the bathtub as I tried to keep a little more dry than usual. "My favorite one is the one about the boy with two daddies." Suddenly, his little face crumpled up and he wailed, "What happened to my other daddy? Why isn't he here?" I rubbed his back as he cried, telling him that his other daddy didn't leave because he didn't love him, or that Sammy had been bad, but because he had to leave for awhile, and that he'd be back some day. "I wish that I could have another daddy," Sammy sniffled, "maybe Mr. Marshall would be my other daddy!" Happy at this thought, he returned to splashing in the tub, and I grew thoughtful at this new development.

I received some time off and decided to spend most of it with Sammy, but I didn't want to interrupt his schedule, so as usual Mrs. Saunders picked up my son and took him to the library after pre-school. It was a really hot day and, since I didn't go into work, I'd been working in the yard and had just showered, standing before the mirror and noting that I was still as trim as I'd been with Ramon, and that it wouldn't take too much more to get back into dating shape. Sighing at my fancy, I dressed in a loose pair of shorts and pulled on a t-shirt that may have been too tight for the public library, but was what I'd grabbed after looking at the clock and seeing that story time was nearly over. I jumped into the car and sped over to the library.

When I arrived, parents were already picking up their children and walking them back to their cars. I parked and entered the library, turning to enter the children's portion, a large room with scaled down furniture and bright bold colors that children like. Only one child was left, Sammy, and he was perched in a young man's lap, listening raptly to the deep bass voice that rumbled out of the young man. " 'Bring me the heart of Snow White,' cried the wicked queen," said this young man, as Sammy shivered with delight, " 'so that I may be the fairest in the land!' " Looking up, the story teller saw me standing in the doorway, and smiled, his eyes echoing both the smile and some other emotion that I'd only seen in the big city gay bars. Sammy saw me and scrambled down to run over to me for a big hug. "Daddy!"

I picked up Sammy and slung him on one shoulder. "Are you going to introduce me to your buddy?" I said to my son.

"Mr. Marshall is my friend, and he reads stories almost as good as you do!" Sammy replied, smiling adoringly at me and at the young man.

The young man stood up and walked over to me. "I'm the new children's librarian, and my name's Paul Marshall. You must be Sammy's father, Mr. Danvers."

The deep bass voice that had so thrilled Sammy was doing the same thing to me, although my shivering was going on a bit lower and deeper. "Please, call me Mike." I set Sammy down and we shook hands. Again, that strange feeling from the bars hit me through his intense brown eyes, and I flushed, finally realizing that this handsome young librarian was CRUISING me!

Sammy, not seeing the deeper emotions playing between us two men, chirped up with "Mr. Marshall's said that he'd like to come to visit us someday. Could he visit tonight?" Paul laughed and actually tousled my son's hair, something that neither Ramon nor I had ever been able to do without Sammy protesting. "Let me explain," Paul said, looking back into my eyes, "while Sammy and I were waiting for you, he told me all about his Daddy and his other daddy that was gone. I had said that he must miss his other daddy very much, and he'd replied that yes, he did, but that he had decided that I would be a nice new 'daddy'!"

He laughed, another rumbling, sexy sound, and continued, "I've never been so flattered as well as taken aback by a child in my life! I explained that I was very happy that he felt that way, but that his Daddy should probably be talked with first before Sammy picked another daddy. He looked so sad after I told him this that I said that I could visit someday if his Daddy said it was OK."

"Please, Daddy?" Sammy tugged on my pants leg, and I picked him up, forgetting in my mixed emotions how long it had taken Ramon and I to break Sammy of this habit. "Can Mr. Marshall come over tonight for dinner and read to me?" I laughed, because when I turned to look back at 'Mr. Marshall,' his eyes had the same pleading look in them as Sammy's did!

"OK, Paul, would you like to come over tonight for dinner? It's nothing fancy, just a casserole, salad, and some of my neighbor's chocolate cake."

Paul smiled and accepted the invitation. "Sammy's told me all about the chocolate cake," he said, "and I wouldn't want to miss it for the world! I'm done here in another few hours. Would five thirty be too late?"

"Not at all, in fact, that's perfect." I gave Paul directions to my house, shook hands again, noting a more intimate pressure this time from Paul and strangely being returned by myself, and gathered Sammy's hand in mine to leave. "We'll see you at five thirty, Paul."

He waived back at Sammy and I, and then turned to enter his office, showing a very nice bubble butt in his trim, nearly tight slacks. As Sammy and I drove home, I couldn't help but think about Paul Marshall, his nicely shaped body, that bubble butt I'd seen when we left, and the well-packed but discreet basket I'd seen when he stood up. Sammy was chattering away about school and stuff, and I smiled and ruffled his hair without thinking. "Mr. Marshall does that and I like it," he said, nearly purring as I did it, "He says that it's a sign that somebody really likes you a lot." I though some more about Paul and the influence he was having on my son, and when we arrived home, asked Sammy to help me by picking up his toys around the house. He happily complied, and when five thirty arrived, the house was clean, picked up, and the casserole was just finishing in the oven. The doorbell sounded, and I went to answer it, Sammy pelting out of the living room and beating me to the door.

"Daddy, Mr. Marshall's here!" I stopped and greeted Paul, and admired the view a few minutes while he chatted with Sammy. He had showered and changed, his medium length hair still slightly damp and curling a bit around his ears. His torso, which was well shaped and proportionate to the rest of his body, was encased in a tight white t-shirt with a library slogan and pictures of children's books across the pecs. I'd never seen "Madeline" or "Curious George" look so good. A pair of dark brown shorts, hemmed high enough to show some pretty impressive thighs, showed the promising basket and bubble butt that his slacks had at the library, and the legs that reached all the way to the floor were muscled and lightly furry with medium brown hair.

We shook hands and walked into the kitchen, where I was just finishing up the last bit of dinner. Paul sat down with Sammy, and soon I had dinner on the table and conversation turned around the library. "Sammy really likes your stories," I said, passing the salad bowl to Paul for seconds. "He's always telling me about the dragons, fairy princesses and wicked witches from the stories."

Paul put the salad bowl down and smiled at Sammy. "I've always wished that I had a child," he said, "because I remember my own father telling me stories when I was little. He used to encourage me to read along with him, and then encouraged me to read by myself. I remember best the stories he used to tell me before I went to bed, stories that would keep a little boy interested, but not be too scary or too stimulating before bedtime. There's so little of that in this world, now, and I guess I'm trying to bring back the past a little."

We talked a little bit more about his job and my job, and then Sammy started yawning over the remains of his chocolate cake. I smiled and wiped his little face and hands, then told him to get ready for bed and maybe both Paul and I would tell him a story before bedtime. The kid nearly set a new speed record getting upstairs! "Take it easy!" I called out, "Don't hurt yourself!" I heard the bathroom door slam open and the stool hurriedly pulled towards the sink. When I heard the water run for the toothbrush, I knew that Sammy was alright, and so Paul helped me clean up the dishes and put away the little bit of leftovers in the fridge. When the kitchen was back in order we walked upstairs and entered Sammy's bedroom.

Freshly scrubbed and teeth clean, he had his pajamas on and was in bed, his teddy bear with the leather jacket and cap that Ramon gave him on his last birthday hugged to his chest and ready for his stories. I sat on one side of the bed and Paul sat on the other, and we took turns telling the story of the three bears. Paul was a really inventive story teller, and Ramon's gift featured into the story as the papa bear, Paul's deep voice reverberating from his chest as he said, "Who's been eating my porridge?" Sammy just squealed with delight everytime Paul spoke in the papa bear's voice, and hugged his bear tighter. At the end of the story, when Goldilocks is caught red-handed, Paul's version of the story had Goldilocks cleaning up the bears' house and making them dinner to pay for the dinner she ate and sleeping in the baby bear's bed. "...and everyone lived very happily ever after, even Goldilocks, although she had dish pan hands. The End."

Paul slid off the bed and quietly left the room as I tucked Sammy into bed. Sleepily, he rolled over, his bear clutched tightly, and murmured, "I wish Mr. Marshall could be my new other daddy..." I smiled and smoothed his hair and, as I turned off the small lamp beside his bed, I whispered, "Me, too..."

When I went back downstairs, Paul was sitting on the couch, looking through the magazines there on the coffee table. "Would you like some coffee?" I asked, sitting beside him, mostly because the couch was the only piece of furniture in the room one could sit upon. He nodded, and we went to the kitchen and made some decaf, and carried it back to the couch. We talked a while longer, and Paul "confessed" to cruising me at the library. "I hope you don't mind," he said, a little embarrassed, "but I had heard some of the ladies talking about you and your lover, and how he'd left recently, and I thought that you were too handsome a man to let get away without a look." I smiled and sipped my coffee. "You seem to be a really good father to Sammy, and I find that as attractive as I do your smile." He mock-punched me in the arm after I set down my coffee cup. "Of course, you're body isn't too bad, either!"

I laughed and relaxed some more, and told him that I thought the same things about him as well, how well he related to Sammy and that his body, too, wasn't hard to look at. Paul suddenly got this serious look on his face and, his hand moving across to touch my thigh said, "Are you ready for some male companionship, or is it too soon?"

His touch on my bare skin felt so good, and I responded by placing my hand upon his bare thigh. Squeezing his firm flesh, I said, "Ramon didn't die, you know, he just wanted more than I and Sammy could give him. We probably fell out of our relationship some time ago, but never really realized it until Sammy came into our lives." I fondled his skin as he stroked my own, and continued, "I miss Ramon terribly, but more for Sammy's sake than my own, because while I can understand what happened between us, Sammy can't, and I know that it's hard for him."

Paul's hand moved higher up my leg, nearly brushing my thickening cock, and stopped, our mutual "grope" limited by the caring about the little boy upstairs and knowing that we'd want to be more respectable around him. I could feel the head of his own hardening cock bumping against my hand, and I removed it, putting it instead around his shoulder. "Just tonight, when Sammy was drifting off, he said that he wished you could be his other daddy."

Paul got a happy grin on his face, a really satisfied look, and said, "He really said that? I sure would love to be his other daddy, if it was OK with his real daddy." He moved suddenly and kissed me, a feather touch that sent both the message and the promise to my head at the same time.

I squeezed the strong shoulder muscle under my palm and said, "Let's see what develops, OK? I really find you attractive, but I always have to consider Sammy's feelings."

"I do understand," he said, lying his head against my chest, "I would consider all the angles, especially my child's welfare and happiness, before I became involved with a strange man."

"You're no stranger to us, but let's go slow. I really want Sammy happy about this, and I think we should be careful ourselves."

Paul nodded, then yawned and rose. "Thank you for a wonderful time, Mr. Danvers. Your dinner was delightful and your company certainly stimulated me!" He laughed as my eyes raked over the thickened bulge at his crotch. "Oh, yes, a very stimulating night!"

I laughed and got up as well, letting him see my own excited member trapped in my shorts. "You're a very stimulating man yourself, Paul!" We hugged before the door and kissed each other softly before saying our good nights. "I hope we can get together real soon," I said, as he walked down the path. "Soon, indeed!" he said, as he got into his car and drove away. I closed the door and, after locking it and the rest of the house up, I retired to my bedroom and released my load into a spare towel, thinking of his firm hands on my body and remembering what desire felt like.

A few weeks later, Mrs. Saunders said that her son's youngest son, Michael, was coming to spend the weekend with her and, she said, "Sammy's about his age and the two boys could get into some mischief together." I thought about it, and agreed, and we arranged for Sammy to go over that Friday night to her house and spend the weekend with her and her grandson. "You know," Mrs. Saunders said as she offered me another glass of iced tea, "this gives you a free weekend to do whatever you wanted, perhaps get more intimate with a certain young librarian?"

I flushed and stammered something, and she reached over and patted my hand. "Honey, don't you worry. Us girls have eyes, and we know that you and that cute children's librarian have more in common than you think. We also know that both of you have been dating, albeit carefully because of your son which we applaud your discretion, and because of that we felt you two should be rewarded."

Seriously, she stirred her coffee and continued, "You know, when Miss Sally retired, and that cute young man applied, there were a very few people who weren't sure if we wanted him to be that close to our children. However, myself, Melva next door, and many of the other people around here said that if you were any kind of example of how well a homosexual male can love and care for a child, then who were we to not allow this other homosexual man into our community?" She smiled and turned to face me directly. "You might even say that it was yours and Ramon's relationship and caring about Sammy that helped us see beyond a person's sexuality and see the true person within that got Mr. Marshall his job."

I sat speechless a few minutes, and we ate in quiet until Mrs. Saunders cleared her throat and said, "I hope I haven't been too forward with you, Mike, but I have always felt like you were a son I didn't have, and wished that I did, because you are such a good father for Sammy. My own boy is loving, but just doesn't have the same understanding as you do."

"Thank you for those kind words," I said, feeling closer to my neighbor now more than ever, "I really appreciate it, because I've hoped for your acceptance of Paul in my life. In fact, he's wanted me to spend time with him at his cabin some weekend, but I was racking my brains trying to figure out how to take care of Sammy as well as myself for that time."

Mrs. Saunders laughed and patted my knee. "Honey, don't you think I've known about this cabin? Paul's talked about nothing else for the last few weeks about wanting to take you up there, the only thing that's stopped him from pressing the issue is his own feelings and understanding about Sammy's needs. That's why I got my son to send my grandson to visit, so that not only would you have a great excuse to be with your young man and see if any sparks fly, but also make sure you would be comfortable with leaving your son for the weekend with somebody reliable and who cares about him almost as much as you do."

I laughed, and hugged Mrs. Saunders. I don't think she was quite ready for it, but she gladly returned the hug and then briskly began clearing the dishes. "I can't tell you how much this helps," I said, helping her take the dishes into her kitchen, "thank you so much."

"You just make sure that Paul's the right one for you AND Sammy," she said, shaking a big index finger at me, "make sure you two love each other enough to stay together for Sammy, and then I'll be amply repaid."

I picked Sammy up that afternoon and told him about staying with Mrs. Saunders and her grandson while I went on a short weekend trip. I've never lied to Sammy, just not really told the entire truth, so I said that Mr. Marshall and I would be going to work on new stories for Sammy over the weekend at his cabin. Sammy smiled and bubbled happily the rest of the week, telling people that his Daddy was going to find him another daddy!

Paul and I made our plans, packed up the Blazer with food and such, and took off Friday afternoon, after taking Sammy over to Mrs. Saunders. "Now, honey," she said, when Sammy realized that I'd be gone for a couple of days, "don't you fret about your Daddy. Why, he'll be back before you even know it!" She went over to a large, child-height calendar on the wall. "Do you know what this is?"

Sammy sniffled and said, "A calendar?"

"That's right!" She gave him a big hug and then a big red crayon. "This is today, and this is the day that your Daddy and Mr. Marshall will come back." She pointed to Sunday. "Why don't you draw a big red heart right here when he'll come back so that you'll know when to have a big hug and kiss ready for him?"

Sammy drew two big hearts in the Sunday space, and then asked Mrs. Saunders for some paper. Drawing the two big hearts on the page, he wrote his name and gave it to me. "This is your big heart and Mr. Marshall's heart, Daddy," he said, "so you know that I have a big hug and kiss for both of you." Patting him on the head and telling him that I'd be back really soon, Mrs. Saunders shooed me out of the house to the Blazer where Paul waited. "Get out of here, Mike, before the water starts flowing on both of you! Land sakes, you'd think you were leaving him for good!" Her rock-solid common sense broke through my sadness at leaving Sammy, and I waived at him from the car as we drove off.

We arrived at the cabin about an hour or so later, and set up "house." Paul apologized that there was only one large bed and bedroom, and that he'd sleep on the couch if I preferred. Putting aside my caution, I put my hands on his strong shoulders and said, "Don't you think it would be a good idea to see how compatible we really are? How can we do that if I'm sleeping in there and you're way out here?" He grinned and we put the suitcases in the bedroom.

We made dinner, and I experienced my first heart pang at not having Sammy with me. Paul noticed and immediately walked over to me and put his arms around me. "He's all right, don't worry," he said, hugging me close to his chest, his deep voice rumbling between us, "he's probably forgotten that you're not around right now and having a nice dinner with his new friend. Besides, Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Belva will take care of everything."

"I know," I sighed, reaching up to touch his muscular forearm. "I guess I'm just not used to not eating dinner with Sammy."

He nodded in compassion, then got a wicked grin on his face, bent down and began nibbling on my earlobe. My hands slipped up to rub his chest, and we had some nice foreplay before deciding that we'd better finish dinner first. After we cleaned up the dishes, we walked out to the living room and, hands all over each other's bodies, fell onto the couch.

Soon we were naked before the fireplace, a cheery glow pouring over our skin as we lay beside each other on the floor. An innate signal passed between us and Paul reversed directions, positioning his face near my crotch, his own "Mr. Happy" before my face. Mutually, we sixty-nined, my mouth making love to the rigid pole and velvety, heavy orbs while he made my own cock and balls sing with every downward thrust of his neck and lick of his tongue. Our hands explored our bodies, sometimes stroking a thigh, playing with a hard pec and nipple, or slipping around to lightly stroke our tight puckerholes. My finger was positioned against Paul's pucker, just barely entering when I felt the first signals of orgasm, and felt Paul's cock flex and expand in preparation of his own. Suddenly, I felt Paul's finger enter my asshole and shoot directly against my prostate, my own finger automatically doing the same to his own tight hole. This additional feeling, a strong finger pressed up against my love button did it, and I shot, Paul only a second or two behind me. We filled each other's mouths with our man juice, and after swallowing down the sweet-sour liquid, dropped apart a minute, our chests heaving with our exertion.

We lay side by side before the fireplace, our backs against the couch, idly tracing patterns with our fingers through the sweaty hair on our chests. Sexually, we were as compatible as any two men, but was there that something else that would make us partners and Sammy his two daddies?

Paul startled me by interrupting my musing with a deep kiss and then laying his head in my lap, looking up at me with his dark brown eyes. "I bet I know what you're thinking," he said, snuggling into my crotch and feeling my cock against one ear, "you're thinking about Sammy, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I'm wondering if we could build the type of relationship that Sammy needs, rather than a sexual one that only starts to cover mine."

Paul grew thoughtful,then said, "How do you feel about me?"

I looked into his eyes and said, "I think that I could fall in love with you very easily. You are not only a handsome man, but you are stable, loving and dependable. Sammy adores you and has often asked me if you could be his other daddy. I guess that we could try to work out the rest as we went, but I have to know how you feel about me, and us, and Sammy."

"I already love Sammy as if he was my own son," Paul said, certainty and love throbbing in his voice. "I've known that ever since I met him holding onto Mrs. Belva's hand that first day she brought him to the library. When all the other children left, he would crawl up into my lap and beg me to tell him more stories until his daddy came to pick him up. An adorable, loving child, is your Sammy, and after Mrs. Saunders gave approval, he would put his arms around me and give me big hugs in "payment" for the stories." He smiled along with me at the antics of my son. "No other child has had that effect on me in the ten years I've been a children's librarian, and I knew that it was Fate or something that drew me to your son."

He reached up and pulled my head down, moving up to plant another kiss upon my lips. "When I met you that day, wearing that t-shirt and shorts, I first had an incredible sexual desire to sleep with you. Then, when Sammy ran over and you picked him up, I felt such a strong feeling of love emanate from you that I couldn't help but fall in love with you as well."

He sat up and rested his head against my shoulders. "I would be honored and gratified beyond belief to have you as my partner in life, and would try to be as good a father to Sammy as you are. I know that we both have our own lives to sort out in this relationship, and I think that you will want some time to make up your mind. This weekend was set up by Mrs. Saunders and Mrs. Belva, you know, to see if we were compatible enough to make such a relationship. I think we can!"

I pulled him into a big bear hug, tears of joy running down my face. "Thank you for your honest feelings, Paul. I thank you for letting me go at my own pace for this; I have to make sure that I'm doing the right thing for both Sammy and I."

Paul got a mischievous grin on his face and reached between us to grasp our hardening cocks. "Now, I never said that I wasn't going to take incredible liberties with your body, nor did I say that I wasn't going to try to give you the best sex you've ever had."

I gasped at the surge of love and lust that flowed through my body, and sagged against his strong muscular chest. "Oh, be gentle," I said, mockingly, "I have a young son at home that needs me." He just growled and pulled me into the bedroom.

Sunday afternoon we returned to town and Paul dropped me off at my house. Discreetly we kissed each other within the relative privacy of his Blazer, and then I left to enter my house. Inside, across the front room, was a banner that Sammy had made (with lots of help from Mrs. Saunders, no doubt) that said "Welcome Home, Daddy!" I grinned and walked next door to pick up my son.

"Daddy!" A little flying bomb came at me, and I swept him up into a big hug. "I missed you really bad! Can we go home now?"

I nodded. "Let me talk with Mrs. Saunders, OK, Champ? We'll go home right after that." He nodded, happily returning to his little friend under the shady tree where they played. I spoke with Mrs. Saunders a few minutes, and was told that Sammy was a little angel and both her grandson and he had just gotten along famously. I thanked her and gathered up Sammy and took him home.

"Do you like my banner, Daddy?" he said, a bundle of joy and excitement that ran around me as we entered the house. "Mrs. Saunders and Mikey helped me make it."

"I love it, sport. We'll leave it up for a little while, OK?"

"OK."

We straightened up the house together, putting away toys and picking up clothes. I sorted out the laundry with Sammy's help and soon we had the place back in order. "Come upstairs with me a minute, Sammy." We walked upstairs and stopped at Ramon's room.

I opened the door that had been closed every since the day that Ramon had left, memories flooding me as I gazed at the simple room. A double bed, chest of drawers and one small pennant of Ramon's favorite baseball team was all that was in the room, Ramon having taken everything else when he left. We had set up the room together after buying the house, because Ramon wanted a small private place for himself whenever it got too strong elsewhere for him. I had agreed, thinking that this would help keep us together, unfortunately, I should have seen the rift already growing that time.

"Sammy, would you like Mr. Marshall to spend some time with us for awhile?" I looked at my son and he had a big smile on his face.

"Is Mr. Marshall going to be my new daddy?" He hopped up and down and said, "Yes, Yes, I'd like Mr. Marshall to stay here forever!"

I laughed and told Sammy that I wanted it to be a surprise for Mr. Marshall, and that tomorrow after story time the three of us would go to dinner and talk about it. The rest of the evening was spent preparing the room and trying to unwind my now hyperactive child, who was beside himself with happiness at getting a "new daddy." I must confess, I was also very happy.

The next day after work I came by to pick up Sammy from the library. The other children, as usual were gone, and Sammy was in his usual place on Paul's lap, listening to a story. When Sammy saw me he couldn't contain himself, and he launched himself at me. "Can we tell him now, Daddy?"

"Tell me what, Mike? All I know is that Sammy hasn't been this excited since I've known him."

I asked him if he had any plans for the evening. "Oh, nothing that is important enough to have to do tonight. What's on your mind?"

"Would you like to go to dinner with Sammy and I?"

"Yes, I'd like that. When would be good?"

We made arrangements to meet at a nice Italian restaurant (which also happened to be owned my Mrs. Belva's cousin Antonio) and then left to get ready. Two hours later we were seated and had a glass of wine before us (Sammy had a wine glass of 7-up and felt really 'grown-up') and waited for our orders. "OK," Paul said, "what's going on? Sammy looks as if he's ready to explode, and you've almost got that same look."

I took a sip of wine, then jumped into the fire. My heart pounded as I turned to look at him, handsome and willing to be my lover and partner, the candlelight turning his strong face into a symbol for love. "Sammy and I would like to have you stay with us for awhile if you'd be willing. I've got plenty of space and you could come and go as you wish."

Sammy burst in at that time, "Please, Mr. Marshall, I want you to stay with us and be my new daddy."

Paul looked stunned, as if he wanted to cry, laugh or dance at the same time but couldn't make up his mind what to do. "Are you sure, Mike?"

I took his hand between my own and said, "I'm very sure, Paul. Sammy and I would love to have you stay with us and see how well we do as a team."

His eyes glistened with manly tears, he pulled my hand briefly to his lips and then reached over to grasp my son's hand. "Sammy, do you really want me to stay with you and your daddy?"

"Yes, I do, Daddy."

The use of "Daddy" to Paul caused him to lose those tears and they trickled down his face as he saw the answering tears in my own eyes. "I guess that I'm moving in." We hugged each other, and soon our food came. We ate in companionable chatter, Sammy already decided that his other "Daddy" was a foregone conclusion. After dinner we returned to what was now our house, and took Paul ceremoniously up to his new room.

As Sammy chattered about, bringing in some favorite stuffed animals and toys into the room for his new "Daddy" so that he'd feel at home, I told Paul that there would be many times that his bed might be empty. His eyes shining, he gave me a kiss and when we broke apart, looked to see Sammy standing there, a big grin on his face. "Now I have my two Daddies again!" He ran to us and hugged our legs, and we picked him up and became a family.