JUSTIN

I was going stir crazy. My life had always been where I was off to next. Now, instead, my days are looking at four walls. Well, that’s just an example. After the diner, even with Emmett and the fabulous Drewsie showing off, they latched on to the gossip of Liberty Avenue. Brian Kinney was getting married to me, and they were apparently confused about which one of us was pregnant. Michael and I theorized the shock that Brian was getting married meant that they didn’t listen to the rest. So a guy told a guy who told another guy then possibly a girl, not to be completely sexist about this, and the bump watch was on. So was the press, and somehow it turned into me not only knocking up Paula, but one Brian Kinney. The story of my father showing Paula some love got knocked off the front page.

With nothing better to do we agreed to go over to Deb’s house. Gus wanted to see Jenny, and I was sort of complaining long and loud about the things we could have been doing. It was summer. I thought we could go some place where summer was considered a good thing, like Atlantis, since there was something for everyone. Brian didn’t seem to think we needed to be out of town until things got cleared up here. The way Paula’s lawyer was fighting the paternity test should have been a BIG clue. Although I have to give it to Mel, the minute Brian called her, she showed up to help my mother. Lindsay stayed behind to pack, since they needed to be here sooner. Brian was a little put out when I sort of loaned them his loft, but he got with the program when I asked where else would they stay.

Ben and Michael showed up after their self imposed shut in was over, and Michael pouted that he only just found out that Emmett and Drew were back together. 

“They just got back together, you didn’t miss anything important, other than Liberty Avenue practically taking bets over what Justin and Brian will do next, and who’s having the baby. So far they’re still stumped at the idea that Justin might have gone where no man has gone before with Brian,” Ted ttold him.

“Look at it this way, the guys on the Avenue will be bowing to your greatness,” Michael assured me.

“Michael, that’s not helping,” Ben commented.

“Why would they… oh never mind. Why do people believe Brian only tops?” I asked, as Brian glared at me. But really, it's something I can be proud of, being the only one he let's top him.

 “Because he tops,” Michael assured me.

“Yes he does,” Emmett seconded, to stop me from shattering Michael’s illusions, not that I planned to when Brian relented from his health kick with me.

“Are you and Brian going to find out if it’s a boy or girl?” Deb asked.

“I don’t really care.” I told her.

“I wanted to start a blanket for the baby, but I could just go with rainbow colors,” Deb said, nodding, much to Brian’s horror.

“When are you two going to tie the knot? I think I should be allowed to help plan it, since Brian did it for Ben and me,” Michael said, while Emmett replaced Brian in the horrified look department.

“Honey, I plan. You just do what I say,” Emmett told him.

“I see one rainbow and I’ll throw you off a cliff,” Brian whispered to Emmett.

“We could go now,” I said, excited at the idea of being anywhere but Pittsburgh right now.

Brian was cut off from responding when my grandparents showed up with my mother and Mel. I really wanted to go now, but for my grandparents I’d be nice.

“Justin, we need to talk to you,” Pop told me.

“Did you know your father put your name on the business?” Mel asked.

“Since when?” I asked.

“When I gave him the money for the improvements he wanted to make, he put your name on it. He also paid himself as if he was on your payroll,” Mom informed me.

“Why would it matter?” Brian asked.

“Because now the money looks like I loaned it to Justin. While Craig was being paid for running it for Justin,” Mom told him.

“Then he’s lost everything, because this is a right to work state. Justin could fire him,” Brian told us.

“Only then he can fight Mom on the money because he was an employee, while I was the one who owned the company. Which won’t help him when I sign it over to Mom,” I told them.

“I don’t want you to,” Mom told me.

“Why? It was the money you invested that kept the business from going under,” I asked her.

“He threw you out and still used you in order to make sure I’d have to sue you for the money if I divorced him. He thinks he can get away with it, but he made the mistake of pissing off his secretary, Wendy, who he was sleeping with. She overheard him and Paula arguing about the paternity test showing Craig was really the father. Wendy figured out she wasn’t the love of his life, just getting screwed by Craig in more than one way,” Mom told me.

“Justin, think of it as another project we could turn around,” Pop told me.

“It really wouldn’t be much of a challenge, we’ve pretty much talked over the mistakes he’s been making for years,” I told him, not really interested in anything that pointed out that I was Craig Taylor’s son.

“Is Wendy willing to admit to what she heard?” Brian asked.

“She doesn’t want the press hounding her. We promised to keep her name out of it,” Mom answered.

“Why? She was screwing your husband,” Brian asked my mom, looking at her like he didn’t get it.

“By the time Wendy and Craig got involved, I honestly didn’t care anymore. I stayed married to him only because it was easier, something a lot of women in our circle do. It might sound strange, but Wendy was never anything but nice and respectful when we crossed paths,” She told Brian.

I got why this confused Brian and pretty much everyone in the room. I might have been raised in the circle my mother was talking about, but I didn’t care what anyone thought of me, just that I didn’t let anyone shit on me for the sake of appearances. 

BRIAN

While I’ve dealt with the people who lived the kind of life Justin did, there was no way I would have given a shit how nice or respectful they were, in my head they were still screwing her husband, which in no way puts nice and respectful as a way to see what Wendy was doing to her. 

“Brian and I need to talk about this first. We planned to spend the summer with Gus, not running a business. Plus I’d like to actually have time to be a father to this one, not shuffle him or her off while a business I don’t honestly care about takes too much of our time,” Justin told them.

“Justin, you already have the business plan we talked about, all you need it someone who can execute what you want and be available if they run into problems,” Marshall told him.

“Justin, why are they saying you could run the business?” Ben asked, confused since this didn’t fit with his version of the Justin he knew.

“Justin’s been my right hand when I look in to what business to either partner up with or buy out. It’s why he’s constantly traveling, which I have explained to my daughter. It wasn’t one big party the way Justin lets people believe,” Marshall told him.

“It’s why he was here originally, to look into Kinnetik for Marshall,” Ted told him.

“How does your father feel about a woman running it?” I asked, after Ben seemed to get that he didn’t know everything he thought he did.

“Craig is the classic ‘a woman's place is where a man tells her it is’,” Vivian commented, which wouldn’t have made her like her son-in-law, since she worked alongside Marshall.

“Cynthia is going to love firing Craig,” Ted laughed.

“You’re going to hate the extra work coming your way,” I told him.

“Please, he lives to crunch numbers,” Blake told us, kissing Ted.

“Why do you want to use Cynthia?” Marshall asked.

“She’ll make sure what Justin wants done is done, and will make a decision if she knows it’s the right one. Once she gets everything in order, she’ll assign one of my execs to start working on the rebranding and get a campaign that will get people out of the Big Q and willing to spend for quality over price,” I explained to him.

“I see what you were talking about, he’s already thinking three steps ahead,” Marshall told Justin.

“It’s why I didn’t think he would willing take on a partner, he’s all about controlling everything,” Justin couldn’t resist picking at me for saying ‘no’ to leaving town.

“We can go once the Paula issue is over,” I told him, earning a smile.

“Like Gus and I were really going to let you stop us,” Justin told me.

“Where are you going to go?” Michael asked.

“I thought, hey we have a  kid, why not go to Atlantis? But no, apparently Brian thinks we need to be here until my dad has to take the blame for the baby,” Justin complained, which got a plate full of food from Deb.

“Why would it matter if you guys found out here or on vacation?” Michael asked.

“See, Michael gets it, but fun versus reporter, I think fun wins,” Justin told us.

“You know, if there’s a problem, Drewsie and I could come too,” Emmett added in. 

“What? I just wanted to be included,” Emmett said, when we all stared at him.