Together (Sequel of 'Broken Hearts')

Chapter 28: Ante

I was on my way toward Mr. Collins' office for another meeting with Jonathan and Martha Mattel. Our last meeting was two weeks ago and I was hoping they brought what I had asked. When I arrived in his office, they were all here waiting for me. I greeted them and we immediately started.

"We brought the pictures you asked. Do you want to see them now?" Martha asked once the small talk was done.

"Sure, let's start with the pictures." I answered with a small smile.

She handed me her phone and told me to scroll to the left. The first picture shown a two story yellow house with sunflowers on the side of the porch. I scrolled to the left and discovered a dark red barn and a silo behind the house. On one side, there were barriers and I could even see two cows in the background. I continued to look at the various pictures and discovered the inside of the buildings. The home decor wasn't super modern but it looked cosy. The last picture was an empty room with a view on the corn fields.

"This would be his room. As you can see it's empty so far but he could decorate it the way he wants, if we can adopt him." She added as I looked at it for a few more seconds before handing the phone back to her.

"You have a beautiful farm. And that room looks spacious and luminous. It would be perfect for a growing child." I admitted after a minute of silence. "Do you have the other things I asked for?"

She nodded and handed me a few sheets of paper. I quickly read through them, smiling slightly at the way people they knew described them. They seemed well liked and always ready to help people who needed it. From the corner of my eyes, I could see that Jonathan had a reassuring hand on Martha's leg, making me smile slightly. Their relationship seemed strong and fusional.

"I think we could try a meeting with Ethan, maybe at a park or at the beach." I finally said and watched as a smile appeared on their face. 

It was easy to see their emotions; their eyes were almost like an open book. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Mr. Collins being pleasantly surprised.

"Thank you." They answered at the same time.

"We would need to schedule something during the weekend." I added. "It will also be better not to mention that you are his potential future adoptive family. It would get under his skin and could easily ruin the whole thing."

"Of course, we totally understand." Martha said, nodding energetically.

"Other than that, no physical contacts unless he initiates it. Avoid asking questions about his biological parents; it's a subject I'm working on but it takes time. And just takes things slowly. He gets really shy and nervous around strangers."

"No problem. You don't have to worry, we will do everything to help him feel at ease."

I smiled at Martha's answer and nodded. I didn't have anything else to say.

"When would you be free?" Mr. Collins asked, finally inserting himself into the conversation.

"Any weekend is fine. Just let us know when it would be better for you." Jonathan answered, and I nodded.

"Just let me check my schedule, but I don't think we have anything planned." I said, pulling out my phone. "We could organize something next week, if that's fine for you? Preferably on a Saturday."

"That's perfect." 

"Good. I will ask Ethan if he prefers going to the park or the beach and I will let you know." I told them before turning toward Mr. Collins. "And I will let you know how it went in the evening."

They all nodded, satisfied with the plan. After a few more minutes, we all said our goodbyes and I left walking back home. I was greeted by Ethan and Nazar's smiling figure.