GUS

It was weird seeing Brandon let down his guard instead of trying to be the Alpha male we usually saw at the club. He was funny, and actually a nice guy. He started giving Tom advice on exactly what would drive Luke nuts, and it worked.

Amanda and Jenny were busy making friends with the frat guys who were playing volleyball at the beach every day. Al reminded me of my dad, the way he seemed to watch every move the guys made around our sisters. I had to get Brandon to help me keep Al from ruining our sisters fun.

“They’re both adults, and believe it or not, likely to be as bad as you are with Gus.” Brandon says, realizing that was not helping. “I suck at this.” He shrugs.

“They’re just flirting. Let it go.” I tell him.

“Yeah, but can either of you tell me you like the idea that guys are looking at our sisters that way? And yes, I’m including you Brandon, you joined our group the girls are part of your responsibility too.” Al tells us.

I laugh at Brandon’s scared look. It was one thing to say we could be friends, but to put the responsibility of sisters on anyone, yeah that was scary. 

“Good God, are you really that big of a caveman? From what I’ve seen, the girls are just hoping to get out and have fun the way we all are. And yes, we’re all going to be here to make sure they don’t get in over their heads, but you know Jenny and Amanda aren’t doing anything all of us haven’t done in the past. If you go over there, you become the overbearing brother.” Ken tells him.

“Yeah but…” Al stutters, growling again when Amanda giggles at something one of the guys whispers in her ear.

“Ken, we’re taking one for Al.” Brandon tells him, yanking him off the sand and pulling off the shirt Ken was wearing.

“Dude, you do get that I’m more into the girls then you.” Ken jokes.

“You were hiding that under a shirt the whole time?” I accuse, seeing Ken was ripped.

“I didn’t want you deciding on me instead of Al.” Ken jokes.

“Come on. Hopefully you know how to play volleyball.” Brandon tells him, showing off bronze skin.

I laughed when Amanda swallowed at Ken and Brandon walking towards them. Jenny smirked as the women stared at Brandon, tilting her head at Ken. Then I started to get up. I mean, she’s my little sister. Al yanked me back down.

“We get to be cavemen from afar.” Al tells me.

“Why are we being cavemen?” Hunter asks, sitting next to us with Dee, then looking to see what Al and I were staring at. “Ah, the moment you realize they’re no longer the cute little girls we once thought they’d always be.” Hunter laughs.

“Boys, I swear you both look like fathers. Do the girls a favor and don’t make them want to do all the things you two likely want to do to each other.” Dee tells us.

“Not helping.” I tell Dee, as Al growls again.

“Will it help that Justin and Brian called to let me know Cameron and Anna begged to come here? And since they don’t know how to tell either of them no, they are going to come here. By the way, Emmett says to get your freak on now, since Samantha begged to see her Al.” Hunter tells us.

Al completely melted at the thought of his two girls coming. My sister Anna had all of us wrapped around her little finger, and Al was the worst. And Samantha was totally his. 

“We need to go get stuff for the girls. And Cameron wanted to go sailing.” Al told me, no longer worried about Amanda and Jenny.

“I’ll be here with Dee. We’ll make sure none of the guys get too friendly.” Hunter tells him, laughing at Al’s excitement over having Samantha, Anna, and Cameron here.

“You know, Dad will likely leave Cameron here.” I tell him.

“Which you’ll love, since he’s your favorite.” Al teases as we head to the car.

“He’s not my favorite, it’s just that I was there to help raise him. I always felt like he was more than my little brother.” I tell him.

“What about Jenny?” He asks.

“I guess for me it was different. Ben, Michael, Mom, and Mama were almost trying to outdo each other to prove who was the better parent. Jus and Dad let me be involved in everything to do with Cameron, and it’s the same with Anna. Only, now they’re more together then they’ve ever been and Anna doesn't need me to be more than her favorite brother.” I tell him.

“Do you want to do that? Have kids one day?” Al asks, and I realized we’d never really said one way or the other about the subject.

“Maybe after we’ve had a few years of just us. I wouldn’t mind seeing what your genes could produce.” I tell him.

“You don’t want a baby that comes from you?” Al asks.

“No. I honestly don’t. But not for any bad reasons. It’s more about the fact that, to Jus, it never mattered how we came to him, just that we were there. If you wanted me to I would, but my children don’t have to biologically be mine for me to want them.” I tell him.

“We could adopt. There are kids who need parents and don’t get them because they’re no longer cute little babies.” Al tells me.

“You don’t want one that comes from you?” I ask, throwing back the question at him.

“It wouldn’t make them any less mine, but if we decide to have one of our own I’m good with it.” Al tells me.

“We need to talk about where we’re going to live, since you have to be closer to the base.” I tell him.

“What about what you’re planning to do for a job?” Al asks.

“I want to talk to Hunter about it. We both help with small business. I could still do that even if we lived outside Pittsburgh. I kept thinking I needed to do it on my own, but it doesn’t change anything if I take what the Liberty Group does and expand it. It’s really about helping out the community.  And it’s not like Liberty Avenue is the only community that needs the help. I plan to work with businesses, but I like what Jus started in Pittsburgh. So combined, it’s perfect, and I can be mobile to be with you.” I tell him.

“We need to start looking for a place where you can have an office at home.” Al tells me.

“Just don’t say it in front of my dad. We’ll end up having to kill him when he buys a house, claiming he planned to so he could visit us, and oh well, since he owns it we might as well use it.” I tell Al.

“It’s something I love about you.” Al says as he parks.

“What?” I ask.

“That you don’t feel like we have to compete with your dads to be happy.” He tells me.

“That sounds too much like my mom’s problem.” I tell him.

AL

I wanted all sorts of things for the girls to do when they were here. I figured Emmett, Drew, Brian, and Justin could go have fun while we got to hang out with the kids. Like I told Brandon, when you join in Gus’s family you become part of it. Amanda and Jenny were pretty much joined at the hip, and it surprised me Amanda didn’t give up my name to Jenny. Of course, she probably thought it was funny that I hated the name. Which I don’t really, I just didn’t need the guys razing me about it at work, at home, and at every party we threw.

I figured Brian likely invited my mom to come too, so I didn’t have to worry about what Jenny and Amanda were up to. Which meant I could play. Gus needed that... sometime to play. He tended to be the adult even when he tried not to be. It's a part of him, but there are times when I want to see him carefree, and his younger siblings bring that out in him. I love our times when it's just us, and when he moves to be with me, we'll have that. 

One of the things that separated Gus and his mother to the point he can't be around her was the way she sees everyone as only being there to give her things. It makes it harder on Gus to accept the things that Brian is dying to do for him. But I also respect Gus for wanting our life to be what we want it to be. He could have picked someone who could afford the kind of life he grew up in, but for Gus it wasn’t about money, but about loving the person he was with. There were many nights when I was in a county far from Gus, knowing how lucky I was that his love for me never wavered. I wanted Gus to have everything in his life. Including Lindsay, if she could for once see Gus and not a ticket to the life she thought Brian owed her and Gus. Only, I never got what she wanted, since Brian wasn’t like me or Gus, he was one hundred percent gay. From everything Gus told me over the years, until Brian and Justin got married, she accepted it and encouraged both Brian and Justin. Gus said it was more about Justin for her, but she lost all chances with Justin because of her attitude.

“Al stop.” Gus tells me.

“What?” I ask, looking around the store.

“You have the look you do when you think about my mom.” He tells me.

“I just wonder why she can’t give up on her quest to get you to help her.” I tell him, wishing he could have what I do with my mom.

“Dr Turner and I talked about it once, but all we could come up with was that my mother doesn’t want to believe she can’t eventually get what she wants. Dr Turner also said that in her own way my mom believes she knows what I should do.” Gus tells me.

“For her, not you.” I tell him.

“I think that’s a given. It’s why I don’t even try anymore, and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to change the person she pretty much is.” Gus tells me, reading me the way he always does.

“It’s hard for me. My mom is great.” I tell him.

“And your mother and Mama are enough for me. Mama turned out pretty great too.” Gus reminds me.

“I love you enough to want you to have everything.” I tell him.

“Do you love me enough to marry me now, since everyone will be here?” Gus asks.

“You don’t want to wait?” I ask.

“I told you my goal was to be married, I don’t need the circus.” Gus tells me, kissing me.

We both turned to see an woman who looked a hundred years old standing there clearing her throat.

“Young man, do him a favor and marry him however he wants.” She tells us, patting my shoulder.

“It’s my plan to make sure he has what he wants.” I tell her.