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JUSTIN

 

I went to meet with the owner of the gallery who wanted to show my work. He invited me to have lunch with another artist who asked to meet me. They were seated when I got there, so I made my way to the table. Wes made a big production of introducing me to Sam Auerbach, but not to the woman sitting with them. I've heard of Sam, and how anyone on his arm was only around until he got bored with them. I wasn’t surprised when Sam ignored her, and waited for him to introduce her.

 

“Wes speaks highly of you,” Sam tells me.

 

“So did you when you saw his work,” Wes reminds him.

 

“It's impressive Justin, you don’t recreate the same types of styles over and over. When Wes told me how young you were, I didn’t believe him. You're doing things I was still trying to do at your age,” Sam tells me.

 

“I doubt you couldn’t do what he's doing,” She tells him, looking down her nose at me.

 

“I wanted to see if you'd allow me to use a few of your pieces in my show, it would complement and contrast with mine. It will give you the exposure that your work deserves,” Sam tells me, ignoring her and her comment.

 

“I told him you already had a show to work on but he insisted on talking to you,” Wes tells me.

 

“The paintings I want to show with mine, you already have hanging at Wes’s gallery. I'd love to see some of you other work too. Your talent needs to be seen,” Sam tells me.

 

“It's not done Sam. People come to see your work, not an unknown,” She tells him.

 

“Ignore her,” Sam glares at her. “I'm assuming you've seen my work, and could see how putting your pieces in my show could draw a crowd,” He tells me.

 

“You draw them already. Why add me when you don't need it?” I ask.

 

“At least he sees that his work couldn’t compare to yours,” She tells him, rolling her eyes.

 

“Linds, you're sitting across from the next big artist New York produced. Unlike you, I understand what I saw at Wes’s gallery. Like I said Justin, ignore her, if she keeps talking it might mean going back to her dreary little gallery and hanging the crap she calls art,” Sam tells us.

 

“It's up to you Justin. Sam offered to let you see what he's working on, and see if you agree with him about showing together,” Wes tells me, ignoring the pissed off blonde at the table.

 

“We could go now,” Sam offers.

 

“He gets to see and I don't?” Linds fumes.

 

“I would love to, if we could do it another day. My boyfriend's extended family made plans to have a picnic in the park after I got finished here. We've been trying to cram everything in while they’re here,” I tell him.

 

“How's the baby?” Wes asks.

 

“Lily is enjoying having attention from her new family on my boyfriend's side,” I tell him.

 

“Ethan showed up with some people, bitching about some guy he saw you with. I really enjoyed kicking him out. Although I was surprised to hear you were dating,” Wes tells me.

 

“I was surprised myself, but it's great to have the other father involved. Lily has a brother, uncles, aunts, and grandparents now,” I tell him.

 

“Wes mentioned you just had a baby. Congratulations. It's something I see doing in the future,” Sam tells me. Linds seemed happy to hear it.

 

“If only you had met my lambskin, we could've raised him together,” She tells him.

 

“When I say having a baby, that would mean with someone who thinks about more than what I would get raped for by you,” Sam tells her.

 

I got up, deciding this was not an argument we needed to be here for. “I’ll get with Wes about a time to see your work.” I tell him.

 

“You think I would only have a baby to get money from you?” She asks him, getting upset.

 

“It’s what your mother told me you did to the first guy you managed to convince that you’d be a good mother,” Sam tells her.

 

“Mother doesn’t know everything. I never asked Brian for anything, he gave it without question. It wasn’t my fault that he thought money was the only thing our son was worth,” She tells him.

 

“Sam, we’ll see you.” Wes tells him as he gets up, not wanting to be here any more than I did.

 

“What’s your son’s name?” I ask, when it started clicking in my head.

 

“Gus. Why?” She sneers at me.

 

“No reason. I just wondered,” I tell her. “Sam, thanks for the offer but Wes is right, I have a lot of things going on and another show is more than I feel I can do at this time,” I tell him.

 

“I’ll keep asking,” Sam tells me.

 

“I’ll keep saying no. I like my career the way it is, without the problems yours has,” I tell him, looking at Lindsay.

 

“IT won’t be a problem if you say yes,” He lets me know.

 

BRIAN

 

Gus was all over the place with his cousins, only looking back once in awhile. Lily was napping on a blanket with CJ, who was tired from running after the kids while we waited for Justin to get here. Emmett and I were watching Ted from a distance, as he was listening to the people playing music. It was the first time he didn’t just pass it by since we moved here.

 

“He told me he wants to go see an opera,” Emmett tells me.

 

“I would love to go to one while we’re here,” Diana tells us.

 

“Then Ted is your man, Sweetheart. This boy only listens to rock,” CJ tells her, smiling at Lily when she started waking up.

 

“What about you guys, want to show how much you love me by coming?” Diana asks us.

 

“Not if I can help it,” Emmett tells her.

 

“CJ and I need bonding time. Which doesn’t include opera,” I tell her.

 

“I wouldn’t mind, I’ve never been,” My mother tells her.

 

“Dad won’t go, he’s on our side,” CJ tells us.

 

“Justin, you’ll come to the opera won’t you?” Diana asks him as he comes over to us.

 

“Brian I need to talk to you,” Justin tells me, distracted.

 

I got up and followed him to the bench away from everyone. We sat there with him not saying anything, and I started getting that feeling he was going to say he didn’t want me in his life. It made me feel like I have all my life, that he found a reason I wasn’t good enough for him. I was about to lash out, to make it easier for him to tell me to fuck off.

 

“I just met Lindsay,” He tells me, looking at the kids.

 

“How?” I ask.

 

“The artist that wanted to meet me, she was with him. It was a great opportunity he was offering, but I couldn’t do it,” He tells me.

 

“I don’t want you to give up anything that could advance your career,” I tell him.

 

“It wasn’t hard to say no, and it wasn’t because of you,” He tells me.

 

“How could it not be, without me you wouldn’t think twice, even if Lindsay was around,” I tell him.

 

“It’s about Gus, not you. I won’t let anything hurt him. My career would mean nothing if to me if it allowed her a way to screw with Gus, or you,” He tells me.

 

“Then you can’t say it’s not about me,” I tell him.

 

“I know you could handle her, but Gus isn’t ready yet. We’ll know when he is, because we’ll raise both him and Lily to understand no one hurts OUR children,” He tells me.

 

“You realize... I love you, don’t you?” I ask, looking down at my lap before glancing at his face.

 

“You show me every day, but it was nice hearing it,” He tells me.

 

“If you want to do the show, do it. Lindsay doesn’t get to ruin anything we want,” I tell him.

 

“We’ll see. I have a feeling Sam will be looking for a new muse. Wes and I left them fighting at the restaurant,” He tells me.

 

“Did Sam say why he wanted you to show with him?” I ask, not really seeing Lindsay’s hand in this, since she doesn’t know about Justin.

 

“He thinks one day I’ll be as big as him. It’s sort of him being able to crow that he helped me get a leg up,” He tells me.

 

“He wants to ride your coattails, it’s a smart move for him. He hasn’t had the success he used to, for the last few years. He’s still doing well, but likely using you to boost his attendance.” I tell him as we go back to the family setting up lunch.

 

“You know this how?” He asks.

 

“I make sure I know everything, I don’t like being blindsided, the way I was in the past,” I tell him.

 

“Justin, are you going to come to the opera with us?” Diana asks him again.

 

“I think Brian and I had plans, whatever night that would be,” Justin smirks.

 

JUSTIN

 

We got home after hanging out at Brian’s with his family. Brian didn’t say much in the car on the way here and walked into the bathroom, still not saying much. I put the kids to bed, then flipped channels, waiting to see if he was coming out. After another fifteen minutes went by, I knocked on the door to see what he was doing since I didn’t hear water running. The door wasn’t locked and I just wanted to see if he was okay. I just wasn’t prepared to see him standing there naked, staring in the mirror.

 

“Brian?”

 

He prowled towards me and walked us backwards towards my bedroom. “Tell me no,” He says.

 

“No.” I answer.

 

He nodded then turned to leave. “Can I say yes now?” I ask.

 

I wasn’t self conscious when he removed all my clothes because it was hard to think about anything but him. He touched me as if I would break or run away from him. It wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted the man who looked at my body like he found a meal he couldn’t resist. I pulled him down with me onto the bed, running my hands down the body I’d been dreaming about since we met. I pulled open the drawer where I put the condoms I bought before he moved in.

 

He grabbed my hips and pulled me to his mouth, licking the pearls leaking from me. I felt his fingers running over my ass then rubbing my rim before breaching me. I pushed back against his finger because it felt so good after so long. With his mouth on my cock and fingers fucking my ass I knew I’d end up cumming too soon. I covered him and let him lay me on my back. Brian watched as he pushed into me, and then watched me to see when he could start moving. I didn’t want slow, because I was too close.

 

I put my legs around his hips and started topping from the bottom to get him to move. It was all he needed to start thrusting quickly and it was over for both of us faster than either of us seemed to expect.

 

“It’s been forever. Hopefully next time I won’t embarrass us,” I tell him.

 

“You won’t, since I’m not done yet,” He tells me, reaching for a new condom.

 

I was falling asleep later and realized I never said anything to him after he told me he loved me. “I love you too,” I whispered to a sleeping Brian, he smiled in his sleep and pulled me to him.

 

 

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