GUS

When I called Mama and told her what Al and I wanted to do, she told me that she and Leda would be on the next flight out. She was sniffling when I told her she was the first person I told. She always ended up being told things somewhere after the dads. After talking with Al, I realized I tended to tell her second or third, only because Dad and Jus were usually the first people I talked to when I made big decisions.

Dad told me he’d get everyone to the beach house, since they were the ones interrupting my party with my friends. When they arrived, Cameron was running to the house, likely trying to get away from Anna and Samantha expecting him to play with them. He launched himself at me.

“Gussy, save me from having to play dress up with them.” He joked.

“We don’t need you anymore, we have Al now.” Samantha tells him.

At first Brandon stayed on the other side of the room when Dad and Jus came in with the kids. Anna was the one that helped Brandon by going over to meet the new person that she planned to have for her friend. She got Brandon to agree to play with her and Samantha. My dad backed off when Brandon readily agreed to do anything the girls wanted. Jus was going to check on Hunter when I asked to talk to him and Dad first. 

“Hunter is doing great, so you can stop worrying about him.” I tell Jus.

“What did you want to talk about Sonny Boy?” Dad asks.

“Al and I don’t want to wait, we want to get married this weekend.” I tell him.

“Is there a reason?” Jus asked.

“I really just want to be married to him, and waiting just doesn’t make a lot of sense when everyone can be here for the small wedding we want. Mama already said she’d be here and we just have to get Al’s parents, Nana, Ted, Blake, and Max here and we’ll have everyone we want.” I tell them.

“What about your plans for working? Don’t take that as either of us objecting to what you want, if this is how you want to do it, it’s how we do it.” Dad tells me.

“I gave it a lot of thought and I can continue what Jus has been doing. In other words, branch out the Liberty Group to other communities. I can help the small businesses, and work with people wanting to start businesses. I kept thinking I had to do it on my own, like being part of the family businesses made it less me showing what I could do. Only, I have nothing to prove that I can’t prove by growing what Jus started.” I tell them.

“With you and Hunter helping the whole time.” Jus tells me.

“I know. But I never wanted to feel like I had advantages because of you and Dad.” I tell them.

“It’s something none of you can avoid. You do have advantages because you are our children. Only all of you were raised understanding that it doesn’t make any of you better than anyone else, just luckier, because you didn’t have it as hard. You wanting to continue what Justin started just means you see the merit in what Liberty Group was created to do, and that it shouldn’t just be beneficial to one community but to any that need it. What you want to do means helping others, not yourself. Us backing you up financially means helping to get the businesses that are in trouble help faster then if you had to start from the ground up.” Dad tells me.

“It’s why I started it, to give people the chance to succeed, and I couldn’t be prouder of you for wanting to help the community that’s going to become your home.” Jus tells me, hugging me. 

“I guess we need to buy a house close by for when we visit.” Dad says, smirking at me.

“I’ll ask Nana to look for something for you while she looks for a place for Al and I to live.” I tell him, smirking back.

“Of course. But you know the kids would want to be as close to you and Al as we can get.” Dad tells me, walking outside.

“Gus, he’s dealing with you being away from him, but he’s always going to want to make sure you have everything.” Jus tells me.

“I have Al, and that is everything.” I tell him.

“Cameron wanted to spend time with you. Why not do that while I keep your dad from buying half the properties he’ll tell Nana to look at for you.” Jus tells me, smiling as he walked over to my dad and they both walked to the beach with their arms around each other.

I went to see where Cameron was and found him sitting on the chairs out back. He was slathering himself in sunscreen since he was like Justin and burned if he didn’t. He hated that Anna tanned while he burned. He smiled Justin’s smile when I sat next to him.

“Emmett is going to kill you when he finds out you're in a rush.” Cameron tells me.

“I didn’t want a big wedding, and the more we were planning the bigger it seemed to get.” I tell him.

“Dad really likes Al. He said hopefully all of us will find the same thing one day.” Cameron tells me.

“I hope so too. Want to go and play some games together in my room?” I ask.

“Anything not to have to watch that.” Cameron says, watching as the girls start burying Brandon in the sand. “He really must have pissed Dad off to agree to that.” Cameron tells me.

“He hit on Jus.” I tell him.

“Let’s hope Dad doesn’t decide to help.” Cameron laughed as he followed me to my room.

Cameron and I were playing for close to an hour before we heard Emmett shrieking. “I guess Dad just clued him in.” I tell Cameron.

“Are you moving away?” Cameron asked.

“Al has to be near the base, so yeah.” I tell him.

“So I can’t just see you when I want.” Cameron says, not looking at me.

“Cameron, look at me.” I said, waiting for him to look up. “If you need me, all you ever have to do is call and I’ll get there. If Al and I could stay at the loft we would, but his job makes it so we can’t. It’s why I wanted a job where I could work from anywhere, because being with him means supporting where he needs to be. I’ll always be there when you need me.” I tell him.

“I know. It’s just weird, since you’ve been close by all my life. Dad said he planned to buy something near you and Al, and we could visit. It would be cool if you and Al lived near the house Dad buys.” Cameron tells me.

“Good God he has you helping him.” I laugh, ruffling his hair.

“If it means us being together as much as possible, I’m going to help him.” Cameron says as he hugs me.

“I’ll remind you of that when you find someone.” I tell him.

AL

Brian was sitting next to the water when Justin came in to talk to Emmett. I went out to sit with him after Emmett shrieked about us changing the date. Brian was smiling with his shoulder shaking as Emmett started naming everything he needed to get done.

“You made Justin tell him?” I ask.

“Better him than either of us.” Brian tells me.

“Are you okay with what we want to do?” I ask.

“It’s the same thing Justin and I did; got married the way we wanted to.” He tells me, shrugging.

We both looked back when Emmett called Hunter to gather the troops, holding a pad and writing instructions.

“We didn’t include Emmett for this reason.” Brian jokes.

“He’ll get everything done and keep the guys and girls busy, so, win.” I tell him, looking annoyed when Jenny and Amanda brought a couple guys from the frat with them.

“I see the girls found friends.” Brian glares.

“See, you get it.” I tell him.

“Yep. And like you, I’ll reserve judgement and hope we raised Jenny as well as we raised Gus. Although it doesn’t hurt to make sure they know they’re being watched.” Brian tells me.

“Al, I called Nick and he thinks he can get everyone on your team here, but said thanks for the short notice.” Justin tells us, handing Brian a beer.

“Now that Justin is here, we wanted to talk to you.” Brian tells me.

“Is this the sex talk?” I joke.

“No. It’s the us wanting to make sure your okay with what we have planned talk.” Justin tells me.

“Gus wants to buy our house on our own.” I tell them both.

“It’s not about that.” Brian tells me.

“Then what?” I ask.

“We both want you and Gus to be the people in charge of Cameron and Anna if something ever happens to us. And no, we aren’t worried something will, just that we both know you and Gus would make sure they were taken care of if something did. I know it sounds morbid a couple days before your wedding, but we planned to talk to both of you about it when you came back from here. Until now we had Molly in charge, but we both know the kids would want to be with you two.” Brian tells me.

“You didn’t even have to ask. Both of us would be honored to do anything for the kids.” I tell them.

“Would that include living in the cottage house next to the house we’re planning to buy?” Brian asks, handing me his phone.

“You never give up do you?” I ask him, looking at the house that Gus and I could afford, and the house next door wasn’t outrageous either.

“When it comes to my kids or Justin, no I don’t.” Brian tells me.