EMMETT

It was really hard, but I was turning over my gossiping ways in order to not have Brian staple my mouth shut. It’s just a house and not just a house... more like dream home. I couldn’t say anything and it was killing me, not even to my buddy in gossip, Blake, because I knew he’d tell Ted and then somehow Brian would know it started with me. The fact that I was sitting at the diner waiting for the gang was even worse because Deb was here, my other source of gossip and my usual way to find out more - by sharing what I knew. 

Brian added a baby room to the mix today. Jesus, he was killing me. Brian and a baby, that was big, and I have an idea who, but no way to prove it. I mean, it was a year ago when Brian mentioned Ben’s friend and I know Brian took off, but as far as I could see nothing had changed in Brian’s life. Well, one small thing, that he seemed to be hiding from us, but well, guys tend to talk when the King was no longer accepting anything but blow jobs. Which I kept to myself, and most of the guys did too, since they didn’t want anyone to know that they weren’t good enough to grace the sacred bed. 

I tried to get Ted to talk, by checking with Blake if he managed to sex out of Ted anything we didn’t know. Nothing. Other than Brian was interested in real estate lately. Real estate was believable, but fell flat when he texted to make sure a baby’s room was finished by the time he got back. No date for that, just get my fanny busy. 

Ted and Blake walked in first, nodding when Deb told them she put in their order. Which we all learned meant we’d get what she brings us. Ted sat across from me while Blake stopped to talk to someone he knew. Ben came in alone, but turned, looking annoyed that Michael was outside, practically shouting into his phone at someone.

“What happened with Gus?” He asked Ted.

“I don’t really know, and even if I did, they had to know it was going to happen,” Ted told him, proving he knew something.

“Mel called, upset, wanting Michael to get Brian to call her, so maybe some help,” Ben told him.

“I told Mel not to involve Michael. Right now, not even Michael is going to be able to help her with Brian,” Ted told him.

“Mel was telling Michael that Gus won’t talk to her. I know he’s been moody lately, but I thought it was because of Brian’s lack of visits,” Ben told us.

“It’s not like the girls make it easy for him, and I’ve always thought Brian should have just told them to get over themselves and to accept that Brian is important to Gus,” I told them.

“Brian was barely interested when they lived here, and from what I heard from the girls, he makes up excuses to not see Gus. Not that he would have time to see him anyway when he runs off not telling anyone where he’s going,” Deb said, delivering our dinners. 

I didn’t say anything, because as much as I love Deb, she never really paid attention to anything but Jenny when the girls came. She didn’t see Brian and Gus together, I paid attention because it was the first time I saw Brian thaw, and Gus was the reason. Although now I wonder if maybe I should have paid more attention and passed out questionnaires about where Brian was going.

“I’m sure that’s what he wanted you all to think,” Ted mumbled.

“Ben, we should go see of we can help the girls. Brian isn’t answering my calls and Mel said that he let Gus go with some artist that Lindsay just met, because Brian knocked the guy up,” Michael told him, making me think I could swing a trip to Canada AND get the baby room done.

“They let him go with some guy they don’t know? Did they at least find out who it was?” Ben asked, as if Brian would just sent him off with a random person. Then my brain re-ran it, and ta-da, baby mystery solved. 

“I was in shock when she said Brian knocked someone up, and missed the name,” Michael said, practically announcing to everyone.

“Brian’s having another kid? Jesus Michael, we’re going to have to help him,” Deb screeched.

“Fuck me. He wanted to at least give Justin a chance to settle in before all this started,” Ted said, letting his head fall into his folded arms on the table.

“Justin?” Ben asked, which only causes Ted to groan.

“Ted, from what Brian told me he hasn’t seen Justin since that one trip a year ago,” Michael announced, as if he’s the authority on all things Brian.

“Justin hasn’t mentioned Brian at all, except when he was asking about Gus the other day,” Ben said, proving that he and Michael can sometimes ignore the obvious.

“Teddy, grab Blake, because I need help now,” I told him, deciding to get at least one thing done the way Brian wants, and maybe learn a little more about Justin, since apparently he was going to be giving us a bundle of joy to spoil, and a new way to annoy Brian.

“You know he’s going to kill us don’t you?” Teddy mumbled, grabbing Blake on our way out.

“What did I miss?” Blake asked.

I looked at Teddy. Not that I wouldn’t tell Blake, but at least he’d feel included for a change. “Go ahead, since we’re all going to die anyway,” Teddy said, resigned.

BRIAN

Justin left us to talk, saying he needed to talk to his grandfather anyway. Gus kept his eyes on the TV, not looking at me.

“Are we going to talk?” I asked him.

“Why did they not want you to see me?” He asked.

He wasn’t going to start out easy, but I prepared for that. I knew Mel was really worried that I’d make her into the bad guy, but she loves Gus, and I appreciated it.

“They wanted you to be theirs; not mine and theirs. It’s something we all agreed to from the start. I really didn’t think I wanted to be a father. But you made that impossible the minute your mother let me hold you. I wasn’t ready to be a father in a way your mothers could accept when you were a baby. They knew it and only wanted the best for you. Only it wasn’t the best, because I figured out I wanted more than what they gave me,” I told him.

“They didn’t want you to see me,” He asked.

“Gus, it doesn’t matter, because if you need me, you call and I’ll be there.” I told him.

“Can’t I stay with you? Jenny is going to stay with Michael and Ben because it’s summer. I don’t care if I sleep on the couch or anything,” He told me, since he’d been to my loft.

All I could think was thank you for whatever it was that brought Justin into my life, and a house with a giant pool.

“I think we can do better than that, since Justin and I are moving into a house together,” I told him.

“He seems nice. He doesn’t seem to get what to do with kids, but okay,” Gus told me.

“You still need to talk right now?” I asked.

“Are you going to see Mama and Mom?” He asked.

“I need to, but I really would rather sit with you,” I tell him, deciding to let Mel and Lindsay sweat it out tonight.

I texted Lindsay when Gus went to sleep, that we could meet in the morning. I had something else I wanted to do. Justin was laying on the bed, sleeping. He’d come out and checked on us a few times, but left us alone. I felt bad that we didn’t include him, but he didn’t seem angry at all about it. When I laid down next to him, he opened his eyes, smiling sleepy.

“Everything go okay?” He asked. 

“Gus isn’t happy with Mel and Lindsay, but hopefully he won't stay angry forever.” I told him. 

“I was listening to what you said,” He told me. 

“And?” 

“You were trying to make it sound like they did what they did because it was best for him. It made me worry less about our baby, because it showed me that you'll be there to help me if I screw up,” He told me, kissing me.

“Gus mentioned that you didn’t seem to know what to with him,” I joked. 

“Molly was happy all the time, so, sullen was more me. She probably would have been more equipped to handle it, since she always got me to stop acting angry,” He told me. 

I refrained from giving my opinion for the reason that Molly was always happy. As far as I could tell, Molly was the princess to Justin's Cinderella in their family.

“The way my family acts is not her fault,” He told me, making me realize he could read me, better than people I've known all my life.

“Is it that your gay?” I asked, deciding that it was time we got to know each other.

“I’m sure they aren’t thrilled with it, but it’s more that I wouldn’t see the men they would approve of. My dad was constantly trying to get me to see men that would help his business interests. It wasn’t because he thought they were people I would be interested in, but people he could at least deal with, since they were from the ‘right’ families. There was even a guy who could have been my grandfather,” He told me.

“What about Molly, are they trying to force her to help the family?” I asked, with distaste at the idea of what he was telling me.

“I made it so she wasn’t around enough for them to try. I don’t want her to give in to my dad the way my mother has for years,” I told him.

“Are you close to your mother?” I asked.

“No. But only because I have a hard time respecting her for staying with my dad. My dad isn’t faithful to her, but she acts like she doesn’t know. It’s why I’ve never wanted a relationship, since all I see is what my parents had been like,” He told me.

“What about her parents?” I ask, because from what I found out they’d been together and solid.

“Until my dad kicked me out we didn’t get to see them as much, but even now I see them as unique, since every other relationship I’ve seen isn’t like theirs,” He answered.

“I wouldn’t say it in front of Ted, but he and Blake make it work. They had a hard road, but from the beginning they couldn’t stay away from each other. Now that they’ve cleaned up their act, they are probably one of the unique couples you’re describing,” I told him.

“Ted worships Blake. The whole time I worked there I could see it. If I hadn’t bothered Michael, I would have tried to get to know Blake, because Ted made him sound like a saint,” He told me.

“Blake brings out a side of Ted that I always knew was there, but it was hiding under all Ted’s insecurities. One day I hope the same for Emmett, even though most people don’t see Emmett’s insecurities the way we could see Ted’s,” I commented.

“That’s why I never reacted when everyone else ran to hide from you,” He told me, closing his eyes.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because underneath all the things that scare everyone else, you actually care,” He said, falling asleep.

“Only you bring that out in me,” I whispered, watching him sleep.

MEL

When Brian called this morning he told Lindsay that he wanted to talk to me alone. Right now, I wasn’t going to argue. Lindsay told me what Gus said yesterday, and why we let it go on no longer mattered. We agreed that we would never treat either of the children differently, but it’s what we ended up doing. 

When we decided to have Jenny, we both knew we couldn’t ask Brian again, because he wouldn’t let us do it the same way again. I could see he didn’t like the way Lindsay and I decided what his role in Gus’s life was going to be, and that’s why we went with Michael. Michael and Ben were like us, and willing to let us raise Jenny, while providing a male influence in her life. There were a couple of issues, like when they tried to sue for sole custody. But in the end, even though I was angry, we managed to co-parent Jenny easily. Well, as easily as anyone could with Michael constantly wanting to know every second of what Jenny did. I guess part of the problem for me was while I wasn’t best friends with Michael or Ben, they believed in the same things we did. Brian on the other hand, stood firm on his beliefs. Which to me was partying till it killed him. Michael agreed that Brian would never want to be more than an occasional father, and since it fit what I wanted, I agreed and thought I was doing the right thing for my son. 

It was selfish, because it was more about liking that for once Brian wasn’t in charge of everything. I got what I wanted, but in the end it hurt Gus, by making him feel different from his sister. Then accepted money from Brian as if he had to pay to see his son, something Lindsay is still upset about. She insisted the money go into an account for Gus, and that we didn’t use it. I agreed, because what kind of person would it make me if we used the money that Brian didn’t owe us for anything but Gus. We tightened our belts, and were proud of ourselves for learning to live within our means. But why be proud of ourselves, when we ignored what it did to Gus?

I didn’t know what to think when Lindsay told me the guy we just met was with Brian. He seemed so different from the kind of guy I would expect Brian to be with… I never expected Brian to do anything but be irresponsible, but he’s turning that on its ear. 

“Mel, we can sit here not talking, but it isn’t going to solve anything,” Brian said, as if he doesn’t have all the cards in his hands.

“Are you happy about the baby?” I asked, because I can’t get my head around it.

“It might not have been planned, but yes, I am.” He told me.

“You didn’t even question if it was yours? Lindsay said Justin told her that,” I questioned, not trying to cause problems, just knowing if I was in his situation I would.

“Justin wouldn’t have told me it was mine if he didn’t know for sure,” Brian told me. Showing me that the trust he had in Justin was more than I ever had in Lindsay. 

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Lindsay, but we had issues. No matter how much you forgive someone, both of us cheated at one time. It’s not something you forgive even when you say you do.

“We aren’t here to talk about my relationship with Justin, but our son and what we need to do to give him what he needs. I won’t do what we’ve been doing, you and Lindsay won’t keep me away from him,” He told me.

“It’s not like we have a choice right now, even if we made him come home, he wouldn’t talk to us. He’s been upset for the last year and we ignored it, hoping in time he’d get over this,” I told him, wincing at the look on Brian’s face.

“Have you gotten over your parents rejecting you, has Lindsay gotten over it? It’s what Gus thinks, that I was rejecting him. Something Justin feared I would do to him and our baby, all because I let this whole thing go on too long. Even I thought I wouldn’t be the kind of father Gus needs, but you know what? A father who wants him has to be better than what you and Lindsay let him believe,” He told me.

“We never told him you didn’t want him,” Which was weak, but it was the truth.

“No, you let me do it for you. It stops now. When he comes back after the summer, when he wants me, you tell me, and don’t make it hard for me to see him. In turn, I’ll up what I’ve been giving you so neither of you has to worry about anything again,” He told me, not helping our case by sounding like exactly what he’d been doing to see Gus.

“We already made that mistake, and no, you won’t give us anything to see Gus. It might not mean anything to you, but all the money you sent is in an account for Gus. We planned to give it to him when he graduated from school to do with what he wanted later in life,” I told him.

“Making sure he knew it was from you and Lindsay, I’m sure,” He told me, and I couldn’t say anything, because that was what we planned.

“How is he? I know he has to hate us now that he’s talked to you. I don’t blame you, but I need to know that he’s okay,” I asked him.

“I told him a watered down version of why you and Lindsay did what you did. That I wasn’t father material when he was born and you and Lindsay did what you thought was the right thing. Only, OUR son is far from stupid and can read between the lines. I’ll do what I can to make it easier on you, but I won’t sit back and pretend. All of us should have been better parents to Gus,” He told me. Why couldn’t he just say Lindsay and me?

“Lindsay and me, not you. We’re the ones… I’m the one, who wouldn’t believe you could change.” I told him.

“It was all of us. I’ve never let anything stop me when I wanted something, but I thought it was best because I didn’t want Gus to watch us fight the way I watched my family fight,” He told me.

“Brian, we never once believed you would do anything to hurt Gus, it’s not the man you are. Please believe me on that, Lindsay tried to tell me we needed to stop making it harder for you to see Gus, but I wouldn’t listen,” I told him.

“Are you listening now? Because Gus wants to spend the summer with me, and unless you make me fight you, it’s what he’s going to do. He needs to get to know Justin and see that another baby isn’t going to change that I love him just as much as I always have. I don’t have a problem if you and Lindsay want to come and see him. I’ll even make sure you have open tickets to Pittsburgh anytime you want. I want us to figure out how to share Gus the way you share Jenny with Michael and Ben. I also want rights to him, I’m not asking for anything more than you do for Jenny,” He told me, which was perfectly reasonable, but scared me.

“I’ll talk to Lindsay, we already agreed to let him go with you. You don’t have to pay for us to be able to see Gus, we can do that ourselves. I only have one question, the loft isn’t exactly made for more than you…”

“The house Justin and I are moving into is, and it would even have room for you and Lindsay to stay… on the other side of the house,.” He smirked.

“One other thing, we want to add your name on the account we have for Gus. Most of the money is what you gave us, and we added what we could, but in the end it’s really from you,” I told him.

“Send Ted the information and he’ll add the money I put aside for Gus’s future in it too,” He told me.

“I didn’t expect you to be reasonable about this,” I told him, as he got up to leave.

“You never expect me to be reasonable, or anything that would change your opinion of me. I want you to know calling Michael wasn’t earning you any brownie points with me. Instead of giving Justin a chance to settle in, now the whole family is going to descend like locusts on us. It was something I wanted to avoid, but apparently you decided to share our news before we wanted to, thanks,” He said, giving me a look that made me feel like utter shit.