Chapter 17 - Life With Others

One of the most difficult things for an ex-loner like myself to adjust to once I did relent and let others into my life, was that I had to learn to trust people. For most humans that may not sound like anything extraordinary, but for me it's one of the lessons that took me the longest to learn. Trust may come naturally to some folks, but by the time I'd reached adulthood, any residual trust I might have had as a child had been beaten out of me.

Part of learning to trust is also learning how to accept the fact that there really are people out there who care about me enough to stand up for me. I had kept to myself for so long - insulating myself from the inevitable let down I had grown to expect when everyone I'd ever known repeatedly failed me - that I'd come to just automatically expect that I had to fight all my battles on my own. I'd been alone so long that I truly didn't expect to ever have a defender willing to support me. I mean, lots of people - people I considered my friends even - might have spouted that cliche about ‘having my back', but I never actually believed them. I ALWAYS watched my own back, prepared for someone to stab me there at the first sign I'd dropped my guard.

To finally find someone who I could rely on, was quite the revelation. It wasn't easy for me to open up to Gus or Justin at first. Even though I was drawn to them almost from the start, I still felt like I should hold back. I still didn't know if I could trust them. And it wasn't until I saw that THEY trusted ME that it finally started to sink in.

But the true revelation was when I came to eventually accept that these people not only wouldn't let me down, they would step up and fight my battles with me. Or even fight for me when I couldn't or didn't want to myself. That somebody actually thought about me and put my welfare ahead of even their own, was more than just surprising. It was truly the most amazing epiphany of my adult life.

Which is probably why it took me so long to actually believe it could be true . . .

.:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:.

Waking up at Emmett's the next morning, it took Molly a few minutes of blinking around at the outrageously decorated guest room where she and Gus were sleeping before she remembered where she was. The contrasting zebra and leopard skin prints with royal purple accents really were a lot to take in first thing in the morning. Molly laughed softly at the lovely craziness that was Emmett.

Just looking around the room brought to mind the tremendous fun they'd all had the night before. Emmett had set up his living room like a spa and given them all facials. Then the three of them had corralled Emmett's boyfriend, Drew, and forced him to have a facial and a pedicure too. Drew had proved to be a good sport about the whole thing, although he had put his foot down at having his toenails painted. After the beauty treatments had been finished, they'd all joined in to cook up a batch of the most sinfully delicious seven layer cookies Molly had ever tasted. Even Gus had found he couldn't eat more than two due to them being so incredibly rich. But that only meant that there'd be more cookies to take home and savor later - which Molly approved of thoroughly. All in all it had been a great evening for the bunch of them.

She hoped that her brother and Brian had enjoyed themselves just as much. She totally approved of Justin's new love interest, as well as all the interesting new friends Brian brought with him. After their mother had died, they had both been so traumatized that neither had been really interested in socializing. They'd become semi-hermits for several years, preferring to go places with just the two of them or with Daphne. But Molly now realized that she and Justin had been alone for far too long. It was time for them to get out there and live a little.

The rustling of the sheets in the bed next to her interrupted her thoughts and told Molly that Gus would be waking up soon. She sighed but rolled out of the bed and padded down the quiet hallway to the bathroom to take care of herself first. When she was finished, she returned to the room and lifted Gus' suitcase up onto the bed in order to fish out some clothes for both of them.

Since both their clothes were in there, Molly zipped the small case wide open and flung the top back. While she was digging through the piles of clothing, she spied something white tucked inside a flap on the bottom of the suitcase that she hadn't noticed before. The item, which turned out to be an envelope, was held tightly by the flap of fabric and had also been taped in place for extra security, so it took some effort to dislodge it. Considering how well it had been hidden, it was no wonder that both she and Brian had missed it before. The girl flipped the envelope over and saw that it was addressed to Brian in fancy handwriting. With a curious, ‘Hmmm', she tucked the envelope back into a more accessible outside pocket and made a mental note to remember to give it to Brian when he and Justin picked them up. Then the preteen returned to her task of getting both herself and Gus up and dressed before heading off to rouse their host.

Emmett wasn't nearly as jovial or enthusiastic that early in the morning, but Drew picked up the slack with a smile and quickly settled the crew at the table with toast and hot chocolate. Gus and Molly thoroughly approved of that development and ate with gusto. The entertainment of laughing at a floral-robed Emmett stumbling along in search of coffee with his eyes half closed, added to the fun of the morning.

After eating breakfast, Molly, Gus, and Emmett - who finally seemed fully awake - took Sunshine for a long walk. They ended up at the dog park and Molly watched as Emmett and Gus took turns throwing a frisbee for the dog, who loved to jump up and catch it. She would then obediently run it back to whoever had thrown it and drop it at their feet, directing a doggy smile upward and panting at them until they threw the damned thing again.

Everyone had fun and the kids were still laughing by the time they headed back to Auntie Em's just in time for lunch.

.:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:.

After lunch Brian picked up the kids, intending to take them back to Justin's. Gus ran to the door as soon as he heard Brian's voice, hugging the big man's knees and seeming highly relieved that his ‘B'ine' had remembered him. Sunshine was almost as excited to see Brian as the boy, and was waggling her tail so vigorously that her whole body would bend almost in half. Molly was the only one able to maintain any dignity in the situation. She helped Emmett get their things together and then took charge of hustling the Mutual Appreciation Society of man, dog, and boy out to the Jeep. Brian just laughed at the officious girl and let her take charge with only a shake of his head. He followed her out the door with a shouted ‘Thank You' to Em and Drew tossed over his shoulder.

Once back at Justin's condo, Molly and Gus settled on the sofa and were watching cartoons before she remembered the envelope and jumped up to retrieve it.

"Brian. I found this taped inside Gus's suitcase. It's addressed to you. Maybe it's from his mother," she told the older man quietly, handing over the envelope before returning to sit with Gus so they could finish watching the Power Puff Girls.

Brian, who had been sitting in the kitchen talking with Justin, held the envelope out, staring at it suspiciously.

"If you want to know what it says, you should probably open it," Justin teased, kicking the big guy's shin under the table to encourage him to action. "I'll go sit with the kids and give you some privacy, if you like," the blond announced, standing and already starting to walk away when Brian still hadn't moved after a moment or two.

"Oh, no you don't. You are staying right here," Brian said, grabbing Justin's wrist before he could get too far.

"Okay. Well, let's get coffee first," Justin proposed, turning to fill their mugs before handing Brian the sugar bowl.

Brian set the envelope on the table, took his coffee cup from Justin, who reseated himself next to the concerned brunet, and then they both stared at the waiting missive.

"Well, we won't know anything until you open it," Justin prompted when he finally got tired of waiting.

"I know," Brian answered, sighing before picking it up, ripping off the end and cautiously looking inside.

After making sure there was nothing inherently dangerous in there, he pulled several things out of the envelope; a letter, some pictures, a signed and notarized document giving Brian sole custody, Gus's Birth Certificate, and his Passport. He shuffled through them all briefly before taking up the handwritten letter that had been on top of the others. As he expected, it looked to be a letter from Lindsay.

Brian,

I'm sorry I never told you about Gus before now. At the time, I thought I wanted a baby and I knew you wouldn't want that kind of responsibility, so I didn't bother telling you. Unfortunately, my girlfriend, Melanie, left me when she found out I was pregnant, and, even though I thought I could handle raising him myself, I just can't do it. I'm sure you're surprised and maybe even doubtful, but I can assure you that he's yours because you were the only man I was with, anytime, up until last year. But now I've met someone and I want to be able to travel with him. I've known him for about a year. He tried to accept that I had a child, but he's just not father material. He's given me an ultimatum - either I send Gus to live with you or he was going to leave me. And, I guess you know which I chose, since Gus is now with you. Please don't try to find me. I won't change my mind. I plan to change my name, move away and make a clean break of it. I think that will be best for all of us. I'm enclosing Gus' Birth Certificate and Passport so you will have them. The custody papers will ensure no one, especially not my parents - not that they even know about him or would want him if they did - will ever be able to take him from you. I've also enclosed some pictures of him when he was little and a few of me in case Gus ever wants to know what his mother looked like. Please be good to him - he is a great kid.

Goodbye,

Lindsay

Brian pushed the letter towards Justin and tried not to cry for the little boy whose mother just said, outright, that she didn't want to be bothered with him. Fucking mothers. Although, based on Brian's experience with his own mother, maybe Gus would be better off in the long run.

Justin read the letter quickly and reached out his hand, which the older man grabbed like a lifeline, pulling the blond onto his lap and bending to hide his face in the crook of the younger man's shoulder. The reassuring touch of skin on skin as well as the comforting scent of Justin's cologne, eventually calmed him. After a few minutes, Brian gulped a deep breath, sat up, looked into the concerned cornflower-blue eyes and leaned in to softly kiss the perfect pink lips before speaking.

"Fuck Lindsay. She doesn't deserve Gus. The stupid cow," Brian asserted with angry conviction. "But I'm not taking that cunt's word for anything. I'm going to get a DNA test done just to be sure. Then . . . Well, I guess I'll be taking it from there."  

"I think that's smart, Brian." Justin squeezed his hand and got up to grab his phone off the counter. "Let me call my friend, Daphne. She's a doctor and can probably do the test for you right here. Would that be alright? It'll save you a trip to the doctor's office."

"That would be great. I'd really rather not upset Gus - I don't want to tell him anything until we know for sure - so if we can do this without a big production it'll be much easier. Thanks."

Justin nodded his agreement and dialed Daphne's number. She agreed to bring the DNA kit over after she got off work. Which meant there was nothing left for Brian to do for the moment but wait and wonder.

.:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:.

Daphne was actually thrilled for an excuse to come over and check out her bestie's new squeeze. She hadn't told Justin, but Molly had telephoned the week before to tell her all about Brian and Gus and how the four of them had met. Daphne had always been close to both the Taylors, and Molly went to her anytime she needed a woman's ear. Or anytime she wanted to gossip a little. As a result, Daphne was already up to speed on Justin's whirlwind romance and was eager to meet the man who'd seemingly swept her friend off his feet.

As soon as her shift at the hospital was over, Daphne zipped over to Justin's. She was momentarily disappointed when Molly was the one who answered the door, but then saw the primary object of her curiosity appear over the girl's shoulder and almost squealed with glee. If this brunet god was the new boyfriend, her buddy Justin had lucked out big-time. This guy was positively drool-worthy! Why couldn't she find a hunk of man meat like that for herself? Life was just so unfair!

"Daphne, this is Brian," Justin offered in introduction. "Now, please shut your mouth and wipe that spot of drool off your face before you embarrass me."

"Sorry. But can you blame me?" Daph laughed at herself even as she followed directions and closed her gaping mouth. "Please, please, please tell me you have a straight brother who likes short, feisty, horny, medical interns," she begged Brian, clasping her hands together in prayer.

Brian laughed boisterously. "Sorry. Can't help you there. All I have is a bitchy, homely, older sister, whom I wouldn't set up with my worst enemy, be they gay or straight."

"Well, then, I forbid you to date him, Justin. You're only allowed to go out with guys who have datable brothers from here on out. Otherwise, I'll be too jealous and I'll end up saying mean things about you behind your back. And you don't want that, do you? So, sorry, Brian, but you'll have to go," Daphne asserted, eliciting a chuckle from the man she was ordering out and a backhanded slap to her gut from her annoyed friend.

"You can'ts tell my B'ine to goes away," a little voice from down by Daphne's elbow complained loudly.

When all the adults, including Daphne, responded to this assertion with an even more exuberant round of laughter, an incensed Gus added a sharp kick to the woman's shin, which shut her up but increased the jollity from all the rest of the audience.

"My B'ine innit scareded of you," the outraged Gus asserted boldly, standing in front of Daphne with his legs spread and arms crossed belligerently across his chest. "He likes Jussin a whole lots. They do the kissy face thing all da time. So we ain't gonna goes away jus cause of a mean lady like you. An you can'ts makes us, cause my B'ine is way biggern you and he can kick your ass if you tries and makes us go away."

Daphne, who was still recovering from the assault on her shin, bent down to rub her leg, using the motion to hide the grin Gus' speech engendered. Molly, who was standing behind the preschooler, clamped both hands over her mouth, not sure if she should be amused or worried by the cursing coming out of her younger friend's mouth. Justin, though, wasn't quite so adept at hiding his own mirth - he broke out into a full fledged belly laugh, guffawing so hard he ran out of breath and toppled backwards, sliding down the wall behind him into a giggling, amused heap on the floor.

Brian shot Justin an exasperated look, shook his head at the whole lot of them, pinched the bridge of his nose to help mask his own burgeoning amusement until he had it under control, and then knelt down in front of the still adamant boy.

"You can stand down, Midget," Brian smiled at his staunch defender and ruffled Gus' hair affectionately. "Not that I don't appreciate you sticking up for me like that. I'm glad you're willing to fight for my right to kiss whomever I want - even annoying, giggly, blond lesbians." Brian shot a look Justin's way, causing another freshet of chuckling to erupt from the gleeful artist. "But I'm pretty sure Daphne was just joking about making us leave, kiddo."

Gus looked up at the doctor, who donned her most sympathetic look and nodded vigorously. Gus screwed up his little face in a doubtful assessment. He still wasn't sure about this one. She didn't LOOK mean, though.

"Well . . . mebbe we kin gives her a chance." He looked around at his friends and Brian, who were all smiles and nodding at him encouragingly. "But she gots to promise not to be mean no more. An if she tells us we gotta leave Jussin, I'm gonna kick her agin. Kay?" Gus relented finally.

"Agreed," Brian said, seeming relieved as he climbed back to his feet, giving his Midget one more reassuring smile.

"If she tries to make you guys leave, I'll kick her too. Okay, Gus?" Justin offered in solidarity.

"Sheesh. You guys have no sense of humor," Daphne complained good-naturedly before turning to face her accuser directly. "I really was joking, Gus. I didn't mean anything by it. I promise." Daphne crossed her heart as evidence of her sincerity. "How about we start over?" She held out her hand towards Gus, grasping his small mitt in her own. "I'm Doctor Daffy. Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr. Midget."

Gus eyed her warily, still not trusting her, despite the friendly overture, and then looked up at Brian for his okay. Brian winked at the boy and gave a curt nod indicating his approval. Gus wrinkled up his nose while he thought the matter through, and then apparently came to the conclusion that Dr. Daffy wasn't so bad and shook the proffered hand energetically.

After that it was all good. The boys ushered Daphne in and plied her with her favorite Bass Ale while the kids went back to the game of Snap that they'd been playing before she arrived. Brian explained a little more about what was going on with Lindsay and why they needed the DNA tests, advising Daphne not to give too much away to Gus till they knew what the situation was. Daphne was sufficiently scandalized by Lindsay's behavior that she immediately agreed. She proceeded to swab both Brian and Gus' cheeks, merely telling the boy it was for a doctor's thingy - that explanation being readily accepted by the child.

"It could take up to two weeks to get the results," Daphne explained as she stowed away her samples. "I promise to let you know as soon as I have them, though."

Brian thanked her and then showed the doctor to the door. He was happy to have that project underway, even though he really didn't want to think about what the results would mean - no matter what those results might turn out to be. He shrugged it all off, as was his habit, disinclined to worry over something he had no control over. There would be time enough to to figure out what he was going to do once the tests were done. Instead of fretting over that eventuality, he opted for tracking down his wayward blond, who seemed to have gone astray.

.:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:. .:G:.

While Daphne had been collecting the samples, Justin had escaped into his studio to get on his computer. He was just as upset by the letter from Lindsay as Brian seemed to be and decided they all needed a distraction while they waited for the DNA test results. Luckily, Justin had a few ideas about exactly how to accomplish that objective.

First off, he quickly texted Cynthia to find out what Brian's upcoming week looked like. He was reassured when the amiable assistant told him that the schedule was light and Brian could easily take the entire week off. Cynthia readily approved of Justin's plan, as soon as he let her in on his idea, confirming that she and Ted could easily handle things without the Boss, and wishing them a good journey. So, having obtained that all-important approval, Justin pulled up the web page for one of his own favorite destination resorts, and smiled to himself as he scrolled through the reservation information.

When Justin and Brian had talked about their lives - one of those times, deep in the night, when they'd actually talked between rounds of sex - Brian had disclosed that he'd never been to an amusement park, even though he had always wanted to go. Justin had vowed right then and there to ameliorate this egregious oversight. So, when Justin determined that they were in need of a ready made distraction, it was clear to him what needed to be done. He was going to fulfill one of Brian's longest held wishes.

With a couple of taps to his mouse, Justin quickly made reservations for five at the not-too-distant, and widely acclaimed, Hershey Park.

Last on his ‘To Do' list, Justin texted Daphne to inform her that she was finally going to have to use some of that accrued vacation time she'd been saving up for ages and come with them to Hershey. The woman had been bitching to him for months about the unfair rules that said she would lose her unused vacation time if it wasn't used by her hiring anniversary. She hadn't wanted to go anywhere by herself and had been too busy at work to go out and find someone interesting to share her vacation with, so all that vacation time had just continued to pile up. But it was all about to evaporate soon, and Justin figured this was the perfect opportunity to force his friend to use some of it. He also figured Daph's babysitting services would come in handy while they were away so that he and Brian could get a little free time without the kids. Not to mention the fact that Daphne needed the time off almost as much as Brian did. So, Dr. Daffy would just have to sacrifice some of her vaunted vacation time and force herself to come have fun with them.

Daphne quickly texted back that she was on board with Justin's plan. She just needed to drop the DNA sample at the lab, check in with a couple of patients, and then run home to pack a bag. Justin told her to take her time. They wouldn't leave for the four hour drive until morning, but she was welcome to sleep at the condo so that they could all get an early start. She assured him she'd be there before midnight. Justin told her to let herself in with her key because he was pretty sure he and Brian would be busy by that time. Daphne texted back a long string of winking smiley face emojis . . . which was what had Justin laughing so hard when Brian finally came into the studio to find him.

Surprisingly, Brian put up very little fight when he was informed of Justin's plans. Justin had been sure he'd have to use his blond Twinkie wiles to sell the idea to the reserved and stoic brunet. But Brian latched onto the idea with gusto. Of course, he excused his enthusiasm by saying that it would be a fun outing for Gus, not even mentioning how thrilled he was to try out his first amusement park himself. He didn't even get too miffed when Justin confessed that he'd already gone around Brian to clear the week with Cynthia. His only real concern seemed to be that he was worried about the adequacy of Justin's transportation plans.

"Are you sure we can all make that drive in my Jeep, BB? It's not that big. With all five of us in there, it will be a tight fit. Especially with Gus' booster seat. Maybe I should rent something bigger?"

"No worries, Stud. We'll take my car," Justin answered casually.

When Brian made a face, Justin smiled and told him, "I'll even let you drive."

"I'm not driving that glowing clown car," Brian objected, referring to Justin's neon yellow Jeep Compass.

"That's not my only car, Stud. I have another one that's much more comfortable for long trips," Justin replied off-handedly, but refused to say anything more, no matter how much Brian tried to get it out of him. All he would say was that Brian would see ‘Matilda' in the morning.

"What the fuck kind of name is ‘Matilda' for a car? It sounds like a lesbian car," Brian teased, trying to cajole a little more information out of the closed-lipped blond. "I swear, BB, I am not riding in some broken-down, old-maid jalopy, no matter how comfortable you think it is."

Justin simply smiled and said nothing. Brian huffed out his frustration, giving his lover a searching look. Justin smiled even more broadly, suggesting they see if they could get the kids to bed early, and then proceeded to distract Brian so well for the rest of the night that he forgot all about their car issues till they were heading out the door the next morning.

Justin shushed Brian's renewed questions with a kiss and ushered the nosy man - along with Daphne and the two kids - into the condo's garage, whereupon the vacation planner hit a button on a vehicle key fob causing the lights to flash on a huge silver Hummer.

"Brian, meet Matilda."

"Damn, BB! That's yours?" Brian asked, his eyes lighting up. "I think I'm in love with a female for the first time in my entire life," he declared, as he lightly ran his hand along Matilda's shining silver paint job. "This is perfect. It's definitely big enough."

"Yep," Justin agreed, smirking. "Sometimes even I like to take the big one out for a ride."

"Don't we all," Brian whispered, brushing past his well-endowed twink as he moved around towards the driver's side of the vehicle, and surreptitiously reaching around to squeeze the Big One he'd taken a ride on the night before. "But maybe we could give her a new name? I mean, I can't let it get around that I'm having a love affair with anything named Matlida. Maybe we could call him ‘Matt' instead?"

"Sorry, Stud. I love ‘Matilda'. The name stays," Justin insisted as he turned around to help Gus into the huge middle seat where he'd already installed the boy's car seat. "Don't worry, though. You'll get used to it eventually. I promise, Big Guy, you'll learn to love this ride as much as all my others."

That left Brian speechless. But it was okay, because he realized he truly did love riding with Justin. So maybe he could learn to live with ‘Matilda' too? He was beginning to think that almost anything was possible with his favorite blond boy.  

And, while Brian was still contemplating his newly acquired love of big rides, the five of them piled into the huge vehicle and situated themselves for the long trip. Brian took his place at the wheel with Justin sitting in the front passenger seat. They had brought dvd's for the kids to watch on the overhead player, which took care of those two. Daphne took the far back seat so she could stretch out and read. Sunshine was lying on the floor at the kids' feet so that she could be dropped off at Em's on their way out of town. Altogether it was quite the expedition.

Then they were off, and Brian was still too busy thinking back on the pleasure of Justin's Big Ride to even realize he was heading out on a family vacation with his boyfriend, their two kids, and a chaperone.