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TK took a seat on the couch, slipping his sneakers off on the floor as Carlos slid closed the door to the loft. Dropping his keys on the table and slipping his boots off by the door, Carlos wandered around the back of the couch to sit next to him.
"I want to thank you" Carlos said, placing his Stetson on the table in front of him, then sitting back on the couch and turning to face TK.
"For what, babe?" TK asked turning to face Carlos and hitching his knee onto the couch in front of him.
"For being there for me, while I worked through this."
"I could have handled it better." TK said smiling shyly.
"I don't think so, I know how difficult it has been, how difficult I've been." Carlos said, searching TK's eyes nervously.
"Yeah, I remember the fun talks in therapy." TK sighed.
"Well, thank you. This was something that I just had to work through. I, uh.." Carlos's voice crackled. "I couldn’t live with this unresolved, I just felt like I was letting him down."
TK scooted over closer to Carlos and took his hand, placing it on his lap. "You have never let him down."
"Well" Carlos said, a small tear falling down his cheek. "What happened to my dad, it will never..." he paused. "It will never be ok."
TK nodded as Carlos continued. "But I hope now he can rest, now we know what really happened, and who did it and why."
"I know it's hard that it's never going to come out." TK said, stroking Carlos's hand.
Carlos sighed. "It's something I'm just going to have to come to terms with. I'm not happy about it, but we've been through enough, and at least he can never hurt anyone else."
"That's true."
"We'll just have to keep fighting the good fight. That's how I'll honour Papa, being the best I can be and doing the best I can. I want to make him proud everyday"
"You already do." TK said. "I'm so proud of you."
Carlos smiled at TK. "I hope that mom can find some peace now, and I do feel better now we know that she is safe, and that no one is going to try and hurt her. I don’t think I realised how much I was worried about that, when I didn’t know why this had happened."
"She is safe babe. I know it was hard to tell her about him..." TK said, softly wiping the tear away from Carlos's face.
"I get that this didn't make things better for her" Carlos sighed. "I really wish I could make things better. But the not knowing, I think that was so much worse."
"It really was babe. and you have made things a bit better, as much as anyone could anyway. It's so hard to be betrayed like this in the worst way possible by someone you knew and trusted for so long. But your mom wanted the truth, she needed the truth and now she can start to move forward." TK said cupping his hand around Carlos's cheek.
Carlos smiled gently leaning into TK's hand, nodding. " I guess so."
"I know so. There's no one in the world who is stronger than Andrea, she is not going to let him keep her down. He is a nobody. No one will ever take her memories of Gabriel away."
"Thanks babe." Carlos whispered.
They sat quietly in silence for a moment, TK continuing to stroke Carlos's hand.
"I've been thinking as well." Carlos said, breaking the silence and linking his fingers through TK's, squeezing their hands tight.
"Oh yeah?" TK asked leaning over and placing his head on Carlos's shoulder.
"Yeah, about, our..." Carlos paused. "About our future."
"Hmm" TK said, nuzzling more into Carlos's side.
Carlos, took a deep breath. "Our future with Jonas"
TK said up abruptly, looking at Carlos, curiously. "Our future with Jonas?"
"Yes, well, um" Carlos said nervously. "If you still want to, adopt him that is."
"Of course I do."
"That's good, because I was hoping that maybe this was still something that you wanted to do together?" Carlos asked.
"It is." TK said, his smile starting to stretch across his lips, his cheeks beginning to glow. "Of course it is."
"Maybe, then we could start looking at starting the process?"
"Really?" TK said, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Yes." Carlos said. "I know I said that I wasn't ready, even before this all happened. But if all of this has taught me anything, it is that life is too short. I want us to be happy, so happy, and I just hope I will be the best dad that I can possibly be."
TK's smile started to wobble as tears filled his eyes.
Carlos smiled back at him. "And I think now I can start to move forward from this. I don’t mean forget my dad." Carlos said.
"We'll never forget your dad" TK said.
"Like we'll never forget your mom." Carlos smiled. "But we can start to move forward, Jonas needs us and I'm ready now."
"Carlos" TK whispered, his voice wobbly.
"I'm so sorry I made you wait so long." Carlos said moving so that they were touching foreheads and noses, staring into each other’s eyes.
"It's ok babe. I know that you needed time." TK leant in and kissed Carlos softly. "So we're doing this?"
"We're going to be parents." Carlos said, smiling broadly.
"We're going to be dads!" TK said starting to jiggle on the couch in excitement.
"Get the computer babe" Carlos said gently slapping TK on the thigh.
"Right now?"
"Haven't I made you wait long enough?" Carlos teased.
TK jumped up, running over to grab the computer and putting it on the coffee table. He turned back to the couch sitting on Carlos, straddling him, his knees either side of Carlos's legs, wrapping his arms around Carlos's neck. " I love you." He said rubbing their noses together. Carlos smiled, kissing him softly. "I love you too." he said, settling TK on the couch next to him and putting his arm around him. "Come on then" he nodded towards the laptop "let’s start sorting out our future."
TK grinned, stretching forward he picked up the laptop and sat back against Carlos's open arm, opening the computer lid. "So this is how much I done so far..."