CHAPTER 37 - BBQ, WEDDING LISTS, FIGHTING AND BEING THANKFUL

FRANC

For a few minutes, nobody says anything. Nancy didn't faint, she merely went to sit down on a seat that wasn't there.

“Daph, can you take Gus in for a minute, please?” Mom asks.

“Come on Gus, we can start our wedding present list!”

“Oh goody! Now you’ll have to get a Leather Bear too, but daddy can tell you where to get that. Won't you daddy?” He looks at Brian with such seriousness that some can't resist smiling. “Daddy?”

“Yes Sonny Boy, I promise.”

“Great! Come on Daph!” He starts eagerly pulling her inside.

“Tell me everything!” She hisses at Emmy and he nods.

We wait for the kitchen door to shut before turning to face the shell-shocked Petersons.

“Lindsay, you can explain this?” Nancy weakly asks a stunned Lindsay.

“What the heck are you doing here?!” I demand, concentrating all my anger on Ethan.

“Fudgnucking hell!” Debs gasps and Jennifer immediately hands her a drink with an encouraging nod.

“I-I…” Lindsay stammers and looks at Ray, who is looking at Ethan, who in turn is looking at Lindsay with scornful amusement. “Ray, who is this?”

As Lindsay goes to speak he shakes his head. “I am the only person he will marry! You’re an actual woman? Ray, surely for decorative purposes, you could've picked someone less draggy. My ass is way better and even as a man, I have more curves! Now excuse us, we have a lot of making up to do after our little tiff.”

“Nobody is going anywhere!” Lindsay shouts. She takes a calming breath which sounds more like a buzz saw going through her lungs. Letting it out slowly, she continues with undisguised scorn in her voice. “Raymond, you will explain this... person. This is humiliating!”

Raymond frowns. “What are you doing here, Ethan? How did you know where’d I’d be?”

“Like I said, I’m coming back for what's mine.” He turns his full charm on Ray. “And that would be you…darling.”

“I thought I wasn't enough for you mere weeks ago!” Ray spits but I can see his resolve weakening. “You went to France and…”

“Italy. And it turned out my friend wasn't as kind or as loving as you.”

“Can you two idiots take this off my property?!” I growl.

Ethan holds out his hand and like a sycophantic puppy, Ray takes it and allows himself to be lead away. Lindsay just stares. Ronald hands a trembling Nancy another drink.

“What about me?!” Lindsay demands.

“Well I suggest you take your parents to somewhere and explain how you didn't tell them that you were going to knowingly marry a gay man…” Mom drips venom. “...but without that ring!” She holds out her hand and it takes one look from Ronald for Lindsay to take it off her finger. Then she turns to Michael. “Yours too!” He tries to go for puzzlement but mom has the measure of him. “Unless you want me to break the chain off…?”

He quickly reaches inside his jumper to take it out and with a glare, hands her the ring and she hands him an envelope. “You won't be getting into the apartment. I suspect that Ray, judging by that milksop expression, will be busy.”

“Why?” Nancy has found her voice.

“Who are you asking?” Dad asks.

“You knew that he is gay. Why put us through this humiliation?” She glares at mom...big mistake.

“Mr Peterson, take your wife and daughter out of my reach.” Mom locks gazes with Nancy. “The only person who owes you an explanation is your daughter. For this... and her other malicious behaviour since she returned to Pittsburgh.”

“Come on you two.” Ronald’s voice is thick with disappointment. “My apologies for both of their behaviours. I take it she was living with Ray?”

“I have no idea. But if there is anything of hers…”

“If you can give me the hotel address you are staying in, then I will arrange for it to be sent to her. Here's my card.”

With a nod, he heads out the way they came with Lindsay trailing dumbstruck in his wake. “Nancy!” He snaps. “Come on!” With one more look at us, she turns to leave but then stops. “Jennifer, how could you turn on one of your own like this?”

“Again out of reach and speak to your daughter!” Dad puts a restraining hand on mom’s wrist.

Ben follows them out and comes back in grinning!

“Okay how the hell did you get him here?!” He demands.

“FaceBook has its uses. I simply posted the engagement notice; they are still friends on that. Ray is a bit of a masochist where he is concerned.” Mom smiles and everyone looks at her in surprise. “Yes, it was all me. Franc just did what I asked...I said let me handle it and she did.”

“Michael, why are you still here?” Mel asks.

“Because…”

“Bye Michael!” Brian states firmly and Carl approaches him to make the point abundantly clear.

“This isn't over. Things will go back to how I want it to be!” He calls over his shoulder as he leaves.

“Look forward to that...not!” Brian shouts back.

“Can we come out now?” Daph whispers to me and I nod as she goes to get Gus.

“Papa, can you and daddy look at my list please?” Gus hands it to him. “Have I missed anything?”

Justin takes it and looks over it carefully and then smiles. “Gus, what’s this word supposed to be?” He leans down to point it out.

“A terraductil?” Gus looks at Justin strangely. “Papa, you are being Uncle Michael silly now. It’s the bony dino bird.”

“Ah I see. Well two things that’s not quite how you spell it. And, where are people going to get a pterodactyl from, when they’re no longer around?”

Gus looks thoughtful and disappointed. “Why aren't they around?”

“Because they lived a long time ago and now they're gone.” Brian replies, crouching next to him. “So maybe something else.”

Gus stares at the paper for a few seconds. “Oh I know! An emu; I can spell that! And people have to know what I mean don’t they daddy?”

“Yes.” Brian laughs and kisses his cheek.

RAY’S APARTMENT - AN HOUR LATER

SPARE ROOM

ETHAN

I stare round the room. It will do for practising in, I suppose. “Whose stuff is that?”

He looks at the cases. “Lindsay’s. Need to send them back to her.”

“Why was Novotny in the engagement picture?”

He hesitates before answering. “How do you know him?”

“He was on the cruise with Kinney and trashed the boardroom. That’s why he was kicked off the ship with me. Kinney has a lot to answer for; he almost cost me you. Although, I don’t understand why you were marrying her.”

“We weren’t going to get married. It was just to piss Franc off.”

“Why? What does Franc have to do with it? That makes no sense.”

He sits down on the bed frowning. “No, it doesn’t. But the way she explained it was that…”

“Did you give her a ring?”

“Oh fuck!” He drops his head in his hands and I want to curse his stupidity, although it always works in my favour. But I’m the only person that is allowed to do that to him, especially with that new pocketbook he has!

“So Novotny?” I prompt and I can’t help but laugh as he tells me how Franc fucked him over. I have to admit, as much as I loathe her, she is two things...smart and pretty. If only I was into girls and she didn’t hate me twice as much as I hate her, I would try my luck!

FRANC’S BUNGALOW

BACK GARDEN

BRIAN

We are all at a Mexican standoff, either sputtering or crying with laughter and we are blaming Gus!

Start of flashback

GUS - 40 MINUTES PREVIOUSLY

“Daddy do you want some of my rib?” I hold up the bone but daddy is facing the other way and when he turns round it smears right across his face! I back away.

“Gus. Why did you do that?” He asks me and picks up a bowl and starts to come towards me.

“Daddy! It was an accident! Daddy sit down! No daddy no!” I scream and run but he catches me and covers my face in rib sauce.

“Brian!” Momma shouts, laughing and while she’s doing that I head to the kitchen to wipe my face, I can only get so much with my tongue! Then I see the cupcakes that Franc wasn’t happy with and grab one.

“Daddy!” I call out and when he turns around, I throwed it as hard as I could but it hit Hunter.

“What did I do?!” Hunter looks at me and then at the bowl of salad. He picks up a tomato and when it splats on my shirt, I run back to the kitchen and the next thing I knowed everyone was throwing food! Well not everyone, Mr Markus couldn’t join in and Ruby has just been taken up by grandma...

“What the hell is going on?” Grandma yells and then she’s hit with a cupcake. She wipes her face and then looks round. “Oh it’s on!”

End of flashback

“Okay…” Franc blows flour off her face. “Everyone as one...put their weapons down. Just lower them to the floor, nobody make any sudden movements. Agreed?”

We all look at each other and nod. But then I see Blake, taking his time and looking at Ben. And when he throws it, the food fight starts all over again.

“Gucci!” I shout as Ted launches a cupcake...an actual cupcake at me!

“For the love of heaven!” Rupert shouts from behind a pillar. “Fudge me, that’s cold! Who did that?!”

Suddenly water balloons are flying out of the kitchen.

“STOP THIS!” Franc bellows and everyone goes still. “This is my house!” She heaves some breaths. “Let’s do this properly! I call Justin!”

An hour later, we are sticky in places that we really shouldn’t be but laughing as we try and clean up. I nudge Justin as I watch Franc head to Markus, who was moved to safety though he did get a bit messy.

“According to Emmy, she really likes him.” He has cupcake in his hair and judging by the way he’s wriggling, something in his shorts.

“Oh no!” Justin cries out touching his neck. “My chain from Gus it’s gone!”

Everyone goes quiet. “Okay, don’t panic. Hunter can you bring the bags back!” Debs calls out. “We’ll find it honey, we’ll find it.”

For the next hour, we painstakingly sift through the food debris after Carl called in a favour but to no avail and I’m dealing with two very upset boys. Gus, because he thinks he’s at fault for starting the food fight and Justin, for not taking it off first. Now would not be the time to mention that the first thing I did was put my bracelet in my jeans pocket.

“Why don’t you guys get showered and we call it a night?” Veri suggests as it’s clear that the mood has been killed and while people shower, Franc puts our clothes into to be laundered but Justin is refusing to give up the hunt.

Three hours later, it is just Justin and I to have a shower. Gus is inconsolable and has cried himself to sleep.

“Come on let’s go bathe and take our boy home.” I finally manage to get him out from under the grill. “Is there enough water for a bath?” I ask Franc and she nods.

I set the bath for us but he’s just devastated. “I should’ve taken it off.” He whispers. “It was the first thing he ever gave to me.”

“Justin stop.” I hug him tight to me and he sobs. “He will give you more things.”

“But not that.” He hiccups.

“Come on test the water.” I jostle him gently and he puts his hand in and nods. Slowly, I strip my tearful partner and love him even more for being so upset. “In you get.”

“Aren’t you getting in?” His big blue eyes shimmer with tears.

“No. You need taking care of, so I’m going to bathe you.” I take my time, gently pouring water over him and when he giggles when I wash his feet, I sigh in relief. “Stand up for me.” I slide his boxers down and he steps out and in a purely non-sexual way, I rinse off his butt and his cock and then we both freeze when we hear a tiny clink. “Don’t move.” I order.

Slowly I move my hands through the water and then I feel something. I wrap my fingers round a tiny nub and pull it out of the water...it’s his necklace!

“I-I don’t care how it got there but I’m so happy it did!” He hiccups and flings his arms around me.

“Yeah, let’s tell Gus it was caught on the inside of your shirt!” I laugh. “And get him to make...maybe a bracelet too?” I suggest but I am so relieved when he shakes his head. “Then we get a stronger chain.”

He nods into my neck and as I hold him tighter, all I think is I have Michael to thank for this!