“This shouldn’t take long,” Vin assured him with a kiss.
“Okay…” Caelen droned in confusion.
They entered the house and Caelen quietly followed as Vin searched a few rooms. Most of the rooms were empty, but a couple had guys loitering in them. The entertainment room had a bunch of video game consoles in it that were being played by nearly a dozen men who drank beer and ate snacks as they played.
“Hey Boss!” They greeted Vin when they spotted him.
“Anyone seen Gordon?” Vin asked.
“I think he’s outside with your dad,” a guy replied, pointing out the window.
Relieved, Vin led Caelen out back.
“Vince!” Markus cried out happily when he saw them coming. “It’s actually been a while since I last saw you, but I heard you had a snafu with your women last night.”
“Yeah, I’ll get into it later,” Vin promised. “I’m actually here for Gordon.”
“Oh?” Gordon and Markus asked in unison. “Someone pressing charges?” Gordon added curiously.
“No, that fortunately got cleared up,” Vin assured him. “I actually need to know something. So, when a child is born, legal rights and responsibilities are divided up between the parents listed on the birth certificate, right?”
“Well, with priority usually being given to the mother when custody is in dispute,” Gordon answered.
“Yeah but they’re dead, so that doesn’t matter at the moment,” Vin stated. “The moment they died, I gained full custody, right?”
“Yeah, unless their maternal grandparents fight you, but they’d have to prove you’re unfit, which really isn’t likely,” Gordon said.
“Alright, so, from a legal standpoint, my husband – as their stepfather – would have authority over them too, right?”
“Uh…” Gordon droned as he and Markus stared at Vin in surprise. His mouth opened and closed a few times in less than a second, and then he cleared his throat. “Husband?”
“Yeah, we eloped to Vegas at the end of September,” Vin confirmed.
“Why didn’t you say so sooner?!” Markus blurted out. “And fuck! We haven’t been able to welcome him into the family! Ohhhhhh…. I am NOT gonna be the one to tell your mother!”