e A Christmas Promise e

by tim the story guy

This is a one time story, about two men and a boy. It does not contain any sexual situations, but it is about a gay relationship between the two men, and their love for a boy who needs it. If this subject might offend you, what are you doing here at Nifty? This story is © 2006 by tim, and is protected by copyright law. Please do not copy to distribute, or post to other sites without the author's permission. This is a fictional story. Any similarities to actual people or events are purely coincidental. Please send all comments to: timthestoryguy@yahoo.com. For a complete listing of all of my stories, please visit my web site at: www.timthestoryguy.us. Thanks, and enjoy my Christmas present to my wonderful readers.


A Christmas Promise

My name is Tim, and the world is never absolute about anything. You would think with me being in my forties, I would know that by now. For whatever reason though, I still keep making absolute statements. Among those was the statement, "I'll never get married!"

You see, I was born and raised in the U.S. To complicate matters even further, I'm gay. I've known that my whole life, and as a gay man in the U.S., I resigned myself to the fact that I would never get married. I suppose I could have put on a charade, and found some woman to convince I wasn't too gay to marry. Yeah, right! The big problem with that is, that to even think of being intimate with a woman would have made my dick shrivel up to the point of falling off. Nope, as far as I was concerned, I would never get married. Then, it happened.

It started off as an online friendship, and quickly grew from there. It seems we were both looking for the same thing, and just couldn't find it. Not until we met, that is. After months of getting to know each other intimately, my Jay came from Canada to visit me. The day he came here to the U.S. was the happiest day of my life. We immediately knew that we were meant to be together eventually. Then he asked me to marry him, and I accepted. That would mean me going to Canada where we could be married, but I would follow Jay to any corner of the Earth.

The wedding in Canada was beautiful. It was still late winter, and snow covered everything. I thought it made it look that much more beautiful though. I quickly settled into married life with Jay, and settled into a good job there. Jay and I knew that when we were doing well enough, we would want to adopt children. The adoption laws in Canada are much different than in the U.S., where I was also sure that I would never be able to have children. In Canada though, it looked like a good possibility. What made it even more possible was when Jay and I both had works we had written published by a Canadian publisher. That allowed us to build a home together, and begin looking into adoption. Just before my first Christmas with Jay, the social worker finally came to us. She was about to give us the greatest Christmas present of all, even though it would rip our hearts out.

"Mister Lawson, Mister Finkle, we have been working for you at the Catholic Children's Aid Society." said the social worker. "It's just that we have such a large caseload these days. I'm actually surprised that we could help you so soon, but this young boy is a special case. His name is Emanuel, and he is four years old. He just came to us last week, but we've already run into difficulty placing him. You see, his home was involved in a fire. The official cause was listed as faulty lighting on the family Christmas tree. The fire fighters did manage to pull Emanuel out of the house in time, but were unable to save his parents and older sibling. As a result, Emanuel cries almost uncontrollably most of the time. When he has been able to get past that, he is very clingy. That tends to make most couples shy away from him. I wish it didn't, because Emanuel will be a very fine little boy once he gets past this tragedy."

I excused Jay and myself to the next room, so we could supposedly talk it over. The real reason is that we were both about to burst out into tears over Emanuel's story. After we were able to compose ourselves, we went back out and told the social worker that we would love to meet Emanuel. To our surprise, the social worker had Emanuel waiting out in her car. I guess she figured that we would at least want to meet the boy.

When the lady came back, she was leading the saddest little boy Jay or I had ever seen. You could see that there were still fresh tear streaks on his face. He was of African descent, and had a dark complexion. That made the streaks on his little face almost glisten in the light of the room.

"Hi Emanuel, my name is Tim Lawson, and this is Jay Finkle." I said to the boy.

Emanuel immediately took my right leg into a bear hug, and began crying.

"Emanuel, what did I tell you about doing that?" admonished the social worker.

"He's fine, really." I replied for the boy. "Emanuel, if you let my leg go, how would you like to hug my neck instead?"

For a second, Emanuel almost managed to smile. As soon as he let go of my leg, I stooped down so he could put his arms around my neck instead. Then I lifted the adorable little boy up into my arms.

After enjoying Emanuel's hug for a few moments, I said, "Jay wants to help raise you too Emanuel. Would you like to give him a hug too?"

"Sure." squeaked Emanuel, who had at least managed to stop crying.

I placed Emanuel gently into Jay's waiting arms, and he bonded with Jay just as quickly as he had bonded with me. Then I turned back to the social worker, who was now smiling.

"I don't know how anyone who wants a child could turn down a boy who needs a family as much as Emanuel does." I said. "Jay and I are in the process of moving into our new house, and we were going to take the last load over today. Is there any chance of taking Emanuel with us today?"

"I think that would be wonderful, Mister Lawson." replied the social worker. "Emanuel lost everything in the fire. What few things we've provided him with are in my car. I can bring them in, if you like."

"Please do that." I replied.

Once the social worker had brought Emanuel's few belongings in, and had me and Jay sign a bunch of papers, she left us to bond with our first son. There would be a lot to do that day. It was a few days before Christmas, and Jay and I were finishing our move. Although we did build a three bedroom house in anticipation of adopting children, the two extra bedrooms had not been furnished yet. That now moved to number one on our "to do" list. Fortunately Jay and I were wishful thinkers, and had been thinking about this day. We knew how we wanted to furnish our first son's room, so it was now a matter of going to the different stores to get what Emanuel would need. The biggest sticking point was that also included clothes. We didn't have a clue what to get there. It was Jay's idea to watch Emanuel as we went through the boys clothing department, and get whatever he seemed to like.

That Christmas was such a rush of activity that we didn't get to putting up a tree. We did make sure that Emanuel had more than his share of presents wrapped up on the living room floor on Christmas morning though. As for Jay and myself, we had our Christmas present. Jay and I cuddled and smiled on the sofa, as we watched Emanuel go through his presents.

The excitement of that first Christmas wore off quickly for Emanuel though, as he went back to remembering that he was an orphan now. Jay and I gave him all of the love we could though. Emanuel spent the next several weeks sleeping between us at night, leaving his room empty. We were finally able to get Emanuel in to see a counselor though, two weeks into the new year. It was pretty rough going at first, but we gave Emanuel all of the love and support he needed. The counselor was impressed by that. It was his opinion that Emanuel definitely needed Jay and I as his fathers at this important time in his life. That was why at the adoption hearing, the counselor was solidly in our corner. That helped keep the social worker on our side, and eventually swayed the hearing in our favor. It had already been decided that if we were to start getting adoptions approved, the first child would have my name, and the second would go to Jay. Therefore, the day after mine and Jay's first anniversary, we were granted the adoption of Emanuel Lawson.

Jay and I were honestly a good influence for Emanuel. Sometimes we just didn't feel like putting any clothes on right away, and Emanuel soon took to going around the house naked most of the time. Jay and I didn't mind that at all, seeing that Emanuel was such a beautiful little boy. Before long, Emanuel seemed to take great pride in his adorable little naked body.

By summertime, Emanuel seemed to be back to being a normal and happy little boy. He still had moments when he missed his family, but he was now calling me and Jay both dad most of the time. I was now Daddy Tim, and Jay was Daddy Jay. We kept Emanuel busy that summer, taking him places where little boys like to go. The amusement parks were fun for me and Emanuel, although Jay didn't care much for rides. I went on everything with Emanuel though, and Jay had a great time watching us. When we went to the park, it was Jay who played catch with Emanuel, and I got a chance to watch. Emanuel seemed to be happy with whichever dad was doing things with him though.

Emanuel also got to the point where he didn't mind seeing Jay and I sharing moments of affection. We did have to explain to him about the love that mommies and daddies have for each other, and Jay and I were kind of like that. Emanuel understood that though, and gave us one of his wide smiles that Jay and I were now becoming very use to.

Emanuel gave us both a kiss on the cheek, and said, "I love both of my daddies, and I'm happy my daddies love each other the way they do."

That was one of those moments when you are so happy that you choke up a little, and I could see that it had the same effect on Jay. After one of the happiest summers I had ever had, which included Emanuel's fifth birthday, it was time for Jay and I to enroll our son in school. Jay and I were almost as nervous about Emanuel's first day of school as he was. Emanuel got over it much quicker than we did though, when he saw how many new playmates he had at school. As fall wore on, we were sure that Emanuel was just about over the disaster that he had gone through just before last Christmas.

As Christmas approached, Emanuel was actually getting excited about it. That was due to listening to his friends at school going on and on about what they hoped to get for Christmas. When Emanuel finally started opening up about what he hoped Santa would bring him, it made me and Jay both smile. We knew Santa had given us the greatest gift ever last year, and we hoped that he would come again soon. We wanted to give Emanuel a brother, to share his happy home with.

The holidays tend to bring out the best in some people. In others though, that isn't quite the case. For them, it's an excuse to wallow in their self destructive behavior. The only problem is the damage it does to others. On the day that we went to get a tree for the upcoming holiday, we were met upon returning to our house by the social worker.

"Hello Tim, hello Jay." greeted the social worker. "I know you two are looking to adopt again, and I was wondering if you could help me out."

"I hope we can." I replied. "What's the problem?"

"I have two boys in the car with me." said the social worker. "Brandon is age five, and Shawn is age three. We got a call from their babysitter earlier this week, after their parents failed to return home. We investigated, and quickly found out that their parents had been killed in a hold up attempt by a drug addict, while they were Christmas shopping for the family. No one seems to want to take on kids who are emotionally traumatized around the holidays, but I know you have before."

"And we will again too." replied Jay. "I can tell by looking at them in the back of your car that they need us."

"I was hoping you guys would say that." smiled the social worker. "I'll go over and get them, and we can go inside to discuss you taking custody of them."

After the social worker left, the rest of that day was spent giving comfort to Brandon and Shawn. The next morning, we set up the tree we had bought. It was very life-like, seeing that it was the top of the line. Then we decided to go shopping before decorating it. Jay and I had had a few weeks now to feel Emanuel out as to what he wanted Santa to bring him. Brandon and Shawn would be tough, as they were not too talkative when it came to Christmas. While one of us would keep all three boys occupied, the other would sneak off to buy a round of presents. Then we would trade duties, and the other would go off shopping.

Once Jay and I finally felt we had gotten all three boys enough, it was time to go home to decorate the tree. The first thing Jay brought out to put on were the lights. Neither of us thought anything about it, until we heard Emanuel start screaming.

"No! No! Nooo!" screamed Emanuel loudly, before running from the room in tears.

I quickly followed Emanuel to his room, and found him curled up on his bed, sobbing heavily. I picked our poor baby up from the bed, and held him tightly against me as his tears soaked through my shirt. Then I gently rubbed his back, until it stopped heaving quite so much.

"What's wrong baby?" I asked as comfortingly as I could into Emanuel's ear.

"It's the lights Daddy Tim." wept Emanuel. "They killed my mommy and daddy, and my brother Noah, and I don't want them to kill you and Daddy Jay, and Brandon and Shawn either."

"How do you know that baby?" I asked.

"The firemen didn't think I could hear them, but I could." replied Emanuel, as he continued to weep. "They said that it looked like the fire started around the Christmas tree, and it was probably started by forty lights. Daddy Jay was going to put way more than that on the tree."

"Baby, they said faulty lights, not forty lights." I said. "That means that the lights weren't working properly. That still doesn't excuse me and Jay though. We didn't even stop to think about that, and we should have. Can you forgive me and your Daddy Jay for being so thoughtless?"

"What were we thoughtless about babe?" asked Jay, as he entered the room. "Is Emanuel okay?"

"It was the lights dear." I replied. "You know, Christmas tree lights, like the ones that were on his tree last year."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Jay. "How could we have made a mistake like that?! We're so sorry son!"

"Would it be okay if our tree had no lights at all baby?" I asked Emanuel.

"But everyone thinks lights make it look pretty." replied Emanuel, as his weeping let up.

"Most people do." I said. "I'm only concerned about how you feel about it though. The lights scare you, and I don't want them on our tree. Is that okay?"

"You'd do that for me Daddy Tim and Daddy Jay?" asked Emanuel.

"We'd do anything for you son." replied Jay. "You are the most precious gift we have ever been given, and nothing is more important than your happiness."

"He's right baby." I said. "I promise you that we'll never have lights on the tree inside. There are other alternatives to lights. If Daddy Jay wants to put lights on a tree, he can put them on the one in the front yard. If it catches on fire, it won't matter. We'll just invite the neighbors over for a bonfire."

"You promise Daddy Tim?" asked Emanuel, as he almost giggled lightly.

"I promise baby!" I smiled.

By the time we went back out to the tree, Brandon and Shawn were getting kind of nervous. Jay and I gave them both a warm hug, and told them that we loved them. That seemed to calm them back down for now. Then I went back out to the department store, and found a good alternative to the lights. It was mirrored stings that glittered and twinkled in the room light, no electricity required. When I returned home, and we got them on the tree, I thought they actually looked better than lights.

Jay did go ahead and put the lights in the tree out front. He even managed to get an angel up in the top of the tree. It's a good thing the lights and the angel were weather proof. Then he put up a lighted inflatable snowman, and a lighted animated Santa. By the time he was done, the front lawn was all decked out, and drawing current from all of the eastern provinces. The neighbors did compliment us that at least now our street didn't need street lights.

The promise that I made to Emanuel was one that I would keep for many Christmases, until he was out on his own. Well, I don't know how out on his own you would call three houses down the street. Emanuel was feeling guilty about being the cause of no lights inside on that Christmas though, so I had to do something about that. After placing all the presents around the tree, I pinned a note to the tree:

Dear Lawson/Finkle family:
Your tree is the best looking tree I have seen tonight. Everyone tries to make their tree as flashy as they can, but your family made yours beautiful instead. It will be a joy for me to come back here for many years to come. And Emanuel, I don't see anything wrong with you running around the house naked. I know that boys will be boys. I hope you love the gifts I left tonight.
Merry Christmas,
Santa

I kind of chuckled at that last part I put on the note, then I headed off to bed. The next morning I was awoke by whispering beside mine and Jay's bed. Jay had kicked the covers off of us overnight, and his hand was wrapped gently around my cock and balls. When the boys saw one of my eyes open to peek at them, Emanuel and Brandon began to giggle.

I shook Jay gently and said, "Honey, the kids are all here, and you're trying to put on a show."

"So kids, your Daddy Tim likes to feel my butt too." mumbled Jay groggily. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

That got Brandon and Emanuel laughing, as Jay and I got up and put on our robes. Then we went ahead and followed the boys to the object of their attention that Christmas morning, the tree. All of the boys "Oohed" when they saw all the presents around the tree. Then Emanuel saw the note on the tree, and read it. After reading the note, he quickly passed it to Brandon. Emanuel and Brandon immediately ran to their rooms, and came back naked a few moments later. Shawn didn't know what was going on, but he pulled off his underwear, which was all he was wearing anyway.

Jay and I sat on the sofa and smiled, as we watched three naked boys go through all of their presents. We thought that our first three children complimented each other perfectly, and were all three the most adorable kids we had ever seen. I even caught a glimpse of Brandon looking at Emanuel's dick, which was natural. All three boys were different there, and were likely to be curious. Emanuel had three very cute inches which he seemed to like to show off now, whereas Brandon was right around two inches. Then came Shawn at about an inch and a half, because he was the youngest. Jay and I knew that the boys would likely share those toys at some point too, regardless of whether they ended up being straight or gay.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Christmas morning. Emanuel now seemed to be completely over the tree incident. Brandon and Shawn seemed to be holding up well after the terrible start they had gotten to the holidays. I knew that at least Brandon would have to let it out at some point though. Jay and I just hoped that Shawn was still too young to do anything except wonder where his mommy and daddy had gone. For now though, all of the boys were having a wonderful Christmas, and they deserved every moment of it.

Through the years our family would grow twice more, with Jay and I ending up with four boys and a girl. By the time the second adoption became final, we decided that all of our kids should share the combination name Lawson/Finkle. There would be the normal bumps and bruises along the way. All of the kids took to going without clothes, with the exception of Sarah when she began to hit puberty. The boys were always very respectful of their sister though, so she didn't mind that they continued going naked through their mid teens. Through all the years though, I never broke that Christmas promise to Emanuel.

I hope everyone enjoyed my Christmas message. I hope all of my readers have a safe and happy holiday, and I want to thank the greatest guy in the world for asking me to be his husband. Thank Jay, you mean everything to me. Please send all comments to: timthestoryguy@yahoo.com. Thanks to my readers again, and happy holidays.