BRIAN

Deb was home when I stopped by to see her. One of the things she was going to understand was that until Justin wanted his mother in his life, she needed to leave it alone. She didn’t always get that sometimes the things parents did weren’t easily forgiven. She spent years trying to help me with mine. Deb knew what it was like to lose your family, and thought she was helping. Carl was coming out of the house and heading to work when I got there, and let me in on his way out. Deb was in the kitchen as usual, making things to store for anyone who showed up. 

“Justin seemed to like my manicotti, so I have some for you to take with you when you leave. What brings you by?” Deb asked me.

“I just wanted to talk to you about Justin’s family,” I answered.

“Honey, after hearing about them from Jen, it’s no wonder Justin traveled as much as he did. Jen is really worried about how he’s going to deal with a baby. She said he’s been pretty much partying his life away. Which now that you and he are going to have a baby, it’s time for both of you to settle down,” Deb told me.

“We’re working on it. But it’s going to be the way we want it to be, not what everyone else thinks is right,” I told her.

“We should help him and his mother find a way to make up too. She knows she should have been there for him, but…”

I interrupted before she could start telling me what she expected me to do to help. “It’s up to him what he wants to do about the situation. Don’t bring her to our house unless Justin agrees to it. All you’ll accomplish is pissing him off. He’s not like the rest of us, willing to do something just because you ask, and what Jen says doesn’t mean we know all the reasons he isn’t willing to talk to her right now. Forcing the issue will just get his back up,” I warned her.

“I noticed at dinner that he wasn't backing down from Mel and Lindsay,” She told me.

“You’ll notice it more towards you too, if you bulldoze your way around what he wants,” I told her.

“In other words, stay out of it?” She asked, a little irritated, since she already knew the answer.

“Be friends with her if you want, but just don’t ‘accidentally’ bring her around, thinking Justin will be thrilled to see her,” I told her.

“You act like he’s as stubborn as you are, but from what Ben says, Justin just needs help seeing things,” She told me, which didn’t really help Ben’s case with me.

“Ben obviously doesn’t know the Justin I’ve spent the last year with, which means, listen to me and let Justin figure this out on his own,” I warned her.

“I’m worried about what going to happen when the baby is born. Jen and Ben both told me that Justin hasn’t been doing more than partying away the last few years. Babies are a big responsibility, one that neither of you have ever had. Before you say anything... I know it wasn’t your fault what went on, but still, there’s a lot more to raising a baby than spending time with them. It’s why we should help Jen and Justin find a way to mend their relationship. You both are going to need us to help,” She told me.

“Both of us will learn, just like all parents do. And regardless of what everyone told you, Justin isn’t some party boy heir. He just let the people who he didn’t really care about think that about him,” I told her.

The door opened and Michael came in, looking distracted. Which changed when he saw me sitting at the table.

“Hey, I was hoping to run into you. I thought we could all go out tonight, since we should all get to know Justin,” Mikey said, sitting down.

“I’ll ask if he wants to go out tonight,” I told him.

“Maybe we can give Ben and Justin a chance to talk too. Hunter already said he’ll watch Gus and Jenny for us,” Mikey offered, thinking that’s the only reason we might not come out.

“I think Ben’s been doing enough talking to Justin,” I told him.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Just that Ben has you to talk to, just like Justin has me. I’ll call you if we decided to come tonight. That doesn’t mean calling repeatedly until we say yes, understood?” I asked him, leaving to check how Justin and Molly’s conversation went.

JUSTIN

Emmett sat around while I worked out some of my anger about Molly on canvas. He was being too quiet, which I hate, because I need people talking to me when I’m working. It was the reason Cynthia and I became friends, I couldn’t sit in an office, creating, without someone to talk to.

“Have you ever been in love?” I asked.

“I thought I was. But unfortunately, like all my relationships, the other person wasn’t looking for what I was.” He answered.

“It took me a while to figure out that I loved Brian. At first I didn’t see us as being anything long term. It was just, instead of forgetting about him, I kept calling and he kept showing up. Only, I started to realize I wanted him around, but neither one of us were indicating we wanted something permanent, just doing what we’d been doing for the last year. We probably still would be if I hadn’t gotten pregnant. But then we talked, and we were both ready for the same thing at the same time, so here I am,” I told him.

“Baby, if Brian wasn’t serious about you, he wouldn’t have shown up. With you, he was different. Before, we would have heard about all his escapades. But, with you, he never said a word about all the fabulous places he was going. Blake and I tried to get out of Teddy where Brian was off to, but Teddy held firm, no matter what Blake tried,” He told me. He was so not getting what I was trying to lead him into talking about.

“I really don’t like my life broadcast, and Brian respected me by not talking about us. I know you’ve asked about my career as an artist, and I am famous in the art circles. In New York, I really have to keep a low profile or it’s news. Reporters can take something innocent, like having lunch with a friend, and blow it up into something it’s not. Which makes relationships harder if the other person believes what they’re reading,” I told him, hoping I didn’t just overplay trying to find out about Drew.

“Tell me about it. I was seeing a guy who I thought was the guy who I want to spend my life with, only he was deep in the closet, and wanted me to join him. Which I did for a while, but I got away from that bullshit years ago and refused to go back. Only, he outed himself, and for a while I thought we were on the same page,” He told me.

“What happened?” I asked, finally getting somewhere.

“He wasn’t ready to be with just me. Everything was new. The closet door opened and he saw the world he’d been hiding from. I saw him with another guy, knowing he was just at the beginning, while I was already past where he was. I told him he needed time to see what it was like out there, and let him go,” He told me.

“That was really kind of selfish, and not, at the same time,” I told him.

“He wanted other men, and I’m just not built to deal with it,” He told me, getting defensive.

“Yeah, but you were kind of his teacher, you know. He was out, and guys were throwing themselves at him. Of course he’s going to respond, but he didn’t ruin his career for them, he did it for you,” I told him.

“You heard about me and Drew?” He asked.

“Deb mentioned it while we were on our way to see Brian. She’s worried about you, and I guess when she worries, everyone else is supposed to join in,” I told him.

“Drew and I were different, he never called me again after I told him it was over. You and Brian were still seeing each other, even when you didn’t know what you wanted,” He commented.

“Why would he call you when you ended it? I mean, if Brian said bounce, then I’d bounce. You don’t chase after someone when they pretty much tell you they don’t want you,” I told him.

“I never said I didn’t want him, just that we weren’t in the same place,” He told me.

“Which, unless he could read your mind, sounded like you didn’t see him in your life,” I responded.

“How many relationships have you had?” He asked.

“The one I’m in now. But until Brian, no one made me want to try one,” I answered.

“What made him different?” He asked.

“He let me be me, and trusted me when he could have questioned being the father when I told him I was pregnant. It wasn’t like I would have been upset if he asked how I knew it was his, but he didn’t, just accepted that I wouldn’t lie to him about it. I like that he didn’t judge what he thought he knew about me. And even when he knew what my sister is like, he didn’t use it to score any points, the way my sister does,” I told him.

“Ben made it sound like you two were really close, but that’s not what it seemed like when she was here,” He commented.

“Ben really only knows what little I’ve told him about me,” I answered.

“You know he acts like you two were the new version of the ‘Brian and Mikey’ show,” He commented.

“Don’t get me wrong, I consider him a close friend. But I didn’t tell him everything, the way he made it sound like Michael did with Brian. There was also the problem that Ben didn’t seem to have much good to say about Brian. It’s just, the Brian I was getting to know wasn’t the guy Ben described. Michael made it sound like they never really warmed up to each other,” I told him.

“It sometimes seems like Ben puts a distance between us and him, but with Brian, it’s like a canyon; one neither of them really cares to do anything about. Thinking back to when you worked here, it wasn’t like there was any reason to keep it from Brian that you two were friends, but Ben never brought you around us. He knew you worked for Brian, so why keep you away from the rest of us?” He asked.

“He made it sound like you guys would be bored with us. We tend to debate about what he’s teaching, and apparently all you guys debated about was what time to meet at a bar and a club. Plus, I knew I wasn’t really in Michael’s good books for taking up Ben’s time, so he and I just hung out together instead,” I told him.

“Michael seemed to get over it, but yeah, he spazzed about it every time Ben told him he had other plans. Only, I saw you two together and there was nothing Michael should have been worried about.” He told me.

“Why he was worried didn’t make much sense to me. If in the years we knew each other before, nothing happened, then there was just nothing there between us. With Brian, I knew I wanted him the first time he stood over me, yelling to get his point across.” I admitted.

“Okay, I’m curious. How did him jumping all over you, turn into you wanting him?” He asked.

“While he was yelling, all I could think about was how to help him get rid of the excess energy it took to yell. Even when it irritated him that I wouldn’t bow down to his orders, I also knew it excited him to have someone stand up to him. Which practically poked me in the eye while he was yelling,” I joked.

“Something no one does when it comes to him,” He told me.

“Or for him, I learned,” I told him.

“It’s just the way Brian prefers it.” He told me.

“Or everyone just got used to not rocking the boat, because it’s easier and less scary than finding out the relationship you could have had with him, might be better if you did,” I told him.

“How did you turn that around on me?” Emmett asked, catching on.

“I just don’t get why you think Drew has to make all the moves, when you were the one who walked away,” I commented.

“Why do you care about that?” He asked. “It’s not like you know him, or even what we were like when we were together,”

“Because I was pushing Brian away, believing the wrong things. If you don’t want to see Drew, fine, then you live your life. But, from what I see, you aren’t living your life,” I told him.

“It’s just the idea that what we had didn’t stop him from looking at other men.” He told me.

“It didn’t mean he loved them, since he never outed himself, until you,” I told him.

“You never loved anyone until Brian, because you never stayed in one place until him,” He replied.

“Now I just have to tell him without it sounding like I only said it because I was pissed,” I grumbled, while he laughed.