Chapter 32

It was a warm and sunny early September Saturday afternoon and Brian was smiling at his sons who were laughing happily as they were playing together in Britin's garden. He was watching them from the barbecue grill, where he had just started barbecuing some burgers and other meat.

They were celebrating Luke’s second birthday and the toddler was beyond happy with all the attention he was receiving from all his favourite people in the world.

He had been awoken that morning by his daddy and his brother standing in his room and singing for him, his brother making funny movements to support their singing which had excited the small boy immensely.

They had then had all his favourite food like pancakes and eggs for breakfast and after breakfast his Daddy and Gus had joined him on the living-room floor where he had been allowed to tear at and play with lots of wrapping paper, which had also been a lot of fun.

Even better had been when he had found out that there had been toys under all that wrapping paper and according to his Daddy those were now his toys. And then, shortly after all the fun with the wrapping paper and the toys all his favourite people had shown up and had brought him even more wrapping paper and toys to play with. There had even been a cake and Luke had loved eating that, though his father had claimed that he had been making a huge mess instead of eating it. Luke hadn't cared, he had been happy.

It had been a great day so far and it still was great as the whole family was sitting outside enjoying a lovely barbecue in Britin’s vast garden. Everyone was sitting together and there was lots of laughter.

Brian watched as Gus pushed Luke around the garden in his Audi Push Buggy which looked like an close replica of the real Audi Brian was driving, both boys giggling excitedly at the fun they were having. Gus loved being an older brother and helping his small brother and Luke loved all the attention he got from Gus. He adored his big brother and could constantly be found toddling after him wherever Gus went when they were home. Thankfully the older boy wasn’t at an age yet where he minded and usually just held out his hand to his younger brother, taking him along to wherever he was headed.

Brian loved seeing them together and was glad that they got on so well. He loved Gus’ protective side when it came to Luke and he loved the adoration he saw on Luke’s face every time he looked at his brother. At times he wished that his relationship with his own sister could have been a bit more like that, that they would have been closer when they had grown up, but that was a train that had long left the station and Brian had accepted that there was no sense in mourning something that was never supposed to be. Knowing the kind of person Claire had become, he didn’t really miss her all that much anyway. He knew it was better for everyone involved that they had almost no interactions at all.

“You want another beer, Brian?” Carl asked as he got up and was on his way to head into the kitchen to get another bottle for himself.

“Nah, I am fine,” Brian answered, but smiled gratefully that the older man had been considerate enough to ask. Brian never drank more than one alcoholic drink when the kids were around. Firstly, because he knew that he needed to be attentive and needed to be responsible and secondly because he didn’t want to. He wanted to be nothing like his own father had been and if that meant cutting back his alcohol intake, that was fine with him.

Carl nodded and then left the table, asking Ted and Blake on his way into the house if he could get them anything to drink. The men had just returned from a quick walk around the grounds, making the most of the privacy and silence Britin offered.

“Water would be nice,” Ted said and Blake nodded in agreement.

“Got it, boys,” Carl confirmed before he made his way inside. As he went into the house, he passed Debbie and Jennifer, who were both carrying huge bowls of salad. Debbie a pasta salad and Jennifer a green salad.

“Finally, I thought we would have to starve,” Brian snarked as he got up from his seat where he had only sat down a minute before and went to the barbecue grill again to check on the meat he had put on earlier.

“Hold your horses,” Debbie snarked right back, leaving the salad on the table. “As if you’re going to eat more than two forkfuls of salad anyway.”

Jennifer couldn’t help but nod in agreement when Brian looked to her for support. When he saw that he wouldn’t get any support from her, he turned back to his barbecue grill and mumbled about “fucking traitors.”

That actually made both women laugh and their laughter made Gus and Luke aware of their return outside into the garden. Both boys immediately came running over to the table and looked at the salads the women had brought with them.

“That looks yummy,” Gus announced, peering into all the bowls on the table, giving his approval.

“Yum,” Luke mimicked his older brother and pretended to look into the bowls as well. He was hardly as tall as the table and could hardly look at the top of it, but that didn’t seem to bother him, when he just nodded once more and repeated his earlier ‘yum’ statement.

“You go and tell them, sonny boy,” Brian snorted, before he came over with the first pieces of meat laden onto a plate and put it on the table as well. He then picked up Luke and tickled his son’s belly which made the small boy squirm in his daddy’s arms with laughter and excitement.

“Daddy!”

“That’s right,” Brian agreed, now holding Luke in a position where he could really peer into the bowls on the table. “Now tell us again what you think of all this food.”

Luke frowned for a second, not quite sure what his father had meant and then a wide smile broke out on his face when he had seemingly understood and excitedly exclaimed “Daddy!” once more.

That made everyone gathered at the table chuckle which only seemed to amuse the boy even more.

“Well, I am not sure if I agree, but if you’re happy, I am happy,” Brian said gently, before he sat down in his chair, positioning Luke in his lap and helping the toddler eat some of the delicious food on the table.

The family enjoyed a happy barbecued dinner together and conversation flowed easily all around the table. Brian watched his happily laughing sons and couldn't help but feel happy himself. Who would have ever thought that his life would turn out like this? Who would have ever thought that one day he'd have a barbecue with his two sons, their grandparents and his two friends and would be perfectly happy with that? Who would have ever thought that he could live his life without his regular visits to Babylon and the baths and would still feel fulfilled? Even more so than before? Sometimes it was amazing how life turned out, Brian couldn't help but muse as he watched Luke toddle around the table and stop in front of Debbie.

“Gamma!” He called out to her and lifted his arms, clearly asking to be picked up by his grandma who was only too happy to oblige and helped the small boy settle into her lap.

Just watching that scene made Brian's smile grew even wider. It had been amazing how things had played out over the last couple of months. Merely half a year ago he and Debbie had barely talked on the phone and now she was an inherent part of all their lives.

After Brian's invitation to join them at the barbecue at the beginning of summer, things had been awkward at first. It had been obvious that Debbie hadn't quite known how to act around Brian, the kids, Jennifer and Ted and Blake and the first barbecue had been filled with lots of tense silences. It had also been weird for Luke and Gus to see Debbie. For Luke she had pretty much been a new person in his life since he couldn't really remember her from before, but for Gus it had been pretty weird to see someone from his younger life make a reappearance. At first the boy had been really apprehensive about Debbie being at the barbecue and he had spent most of the day at Brian's side, cuddling into his daddy whenever it was possible.

Brian had expected Debbie to bolt at the tension and weirdness, but she hadn't. She had surprised him by speaking up to everyone present and apologizing for her behaviour and the things she had said to them and had promised that she would do better in the future. She had promised to give everyone time and had promised not to pressure anyone and she had also made it clear that she knew things couldn't go back to the way they had been before and that she didn't expect them to. She had just expressed her gratitude at her and Carl being invited to begin with and had then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon as much as had been possible.

Knowing that one meeting alone wouldn't be enough to make things return to normal, Brian had offered her an invitation to their own version of a weekly dinner at Britin and had offered her a way back into his family. From their earlier phone calls he had known that she had been trying really hard to give him the time that he had needed and he had known that she was trying very hard to be a better person herself.

Carl had told him in a quiet moment that afternoon that he and Debbie had started couples counselling and that it had really helped them, both as a couple, but also as individual persons. Brian had been glad to hear that he wasn't the only one who had finally accepted the help of a professional and to him Debbie seeing a counsellor was only one more sign that she was really serious.

With her having shown how serious she had been, it had then been on him to show that he had been serious as well and the invitation to the family dinner had been his best idea on how to achieve that.

After a couple of weeks the tension and weirdness had eased and Debbie and Carl had become more and more of a part of his little family again. Brian knew that there had also been meetings between Ted and Blake and Debbie as well as Jennifer and Debbie to work out their issues as well. At the time he hadn't really gotten involved in any of those meetings as that was between Debbie and the others and had nothing to do with things between him and Debbie.

Especially Luke had taken to Debbie immediately when she had reappeared and he had loved her loud, boisterous ways and he would often just sit in her lap for long times, looking at her smiling face, her bright red hair and smiling at her contently. It had taken Gus a bit longer, but after a couple of weeks, when he had seen that Debbie and Carl were a part of his life and were there to stay, he had also warmed up to them again and by now he loved his grandparents as much as he had ever which had made Brian happy.

Debbie connecting with his sons had also helped her connect with Brian again. If his sons were happy, he was happy. Sometimes it was as easy as that for him and if his boys liked Debbie and Carl then he wouldn't be the one to keep them away. Seeing his sons with what Brian considered to be their grandmother warmed his heart and made him happy as well. It made him feel as if another part of his life had been put back together in the way it was supposed to be and he had moved another step closer to his own happiness.

At times it felt to him now as if Debbie and Carl had never been gone from his life, it just felt so normal to have them around and there.

After having sat with his grandma for a while, Luke held out his arms in Ted's direction, who was sitting next to Debbie and called for his 'edie'. He couldn't quite pronounce Ted's name yet, but everyone around the table knew immediately who Luke wanted to sit with next.

The happy uncle eagerly obliged and took the toddler from Debbie, allowing him to stand on his thighs and jump up and down. Luke was gurgling with excitement and happiness and Ted was watching him with a tender gaze, a smile gracing his own features.

Watching the two of them together, Brian felt a sense of validation that he had made the right decision earlier that week. Now he only had to let Ted know.

Brian had been thinking for a long time about how he could repay Ted and Blake for all their support and friendship and help over the last two and a half years. He had wracked his brains and had known that something monetary like a bonus or a vacation might show his appreciation, but wouldn't be enough. He had known that he needed something more personal, something more special to thank them and for a long time he hadn't been able to think of anything decent.

That had been until he had watched a documentary a couple of days ago and had gotten an idea. He had thought about it for a couple of days and had then run it by the grandmothers who had both agreed with him that it was a lovely idea. Watching his son and Ted now, Brian knew it was the right way to thank his CFO and closest friend.

Deciding that now was as good a time as any to announce his decision, Brian cleared his throat, watching as everyone turned to him with expectant looks.

“There's something I'd like to say. Or announce more like it,” he started and wasn't surprised when he saw several confused faces staring back at him.

“For a long time I've been thinking about how I can properly thank you, Ted and Blake, for all the support you've offered me in recent years. For your friendship and help whenever it was needed and wanted.”

Brian watched as both men opened their mouths, probably to tell him that they didn't expect anything from him in return, but Brian wouldn't hear any of that. “You two, just shut up and let me finish!” He snarked and both men did as told and immediately closed their mouths again.

“I was thinking along the traditional lines of giving you a huge fucking bonus,” at that point Brian was interrupted by Gus who looked at him sternly, pointing out that he had used a bad word. Everyone at the table laughed at that and applauded Gus for paying such good attention on his father's dirty mouth. The small boy smiled proudly and Brian promised to try and not use any more bad words.

“Maybe a vacation, but the more I thought about that, the more I realised that that felt absolutely inappropriate and most of all impersonal. I wanted to do something better, something more fitting and I think I've found the right way to thank you both.”

Brian got up from his seat and walked around the table, taking Luke from Ted's arms, holding his sonny boy close as he waved for Gus and asked him to come over to his side. His son immediately came running and then stopped next to his father with a frown on his face.

“What are we giving them, daddy?”

“Us,” Brian said seriously, making Gus frown in confusion and the grandmothers smile gently.

“You?” Ted frowned, equally confused as Gus was.

“Well, technically speaking not really, but...in a way, kind of,” Brian hedged, then looked at his sons and back at Ted and Blake who were watching all three Kinneys in confusion and also slight excitement. They didn't know what Brian had planned, but they both knew Brian well enough to know that he was the master of the big gestures and didn't do anything small. So whatever he had planned for them would probably be really, really good.

“I wondered if you would do me the honour of becoming my sons' godfathers?” Brian asked, looking at both men from gentle eyes that clearly showed his affection and love for them.

“Godfathers?” Ted asked, not able to believe what Brian was actually saying.

“Yes, godfathers. I was wondering if you,” he nodded at Ted, “would do me the honour of becoming Luke's godfather and if you,” he now nodded at Blake, “would do me the honour of becoming Gus' godfather.”

“What is a godfather? I already have a father. You, daddy,” Gus pointed out, obviously not understanding what Brian was talking about and feeling confused when he saw tears on Blake's face. “Why is Blake crying? Don't make him cry, daddy.”

“Don't worry, son. I am pretty sure those are happy tears,” Brian said gently and smiled when Blake nodded to confirm his sentence. “And a godfather is someone who loves you very much, almost like a parent and promises to always look out for you and be there for you,” Brian explained carefully. He avoided the whole part about godparents taking care of children when they lost their parents, not wanting to alarm the boy for nothing. After all Gus had been through, he didn't need a scare like that and Brian decided that for now this explanation would have to do.

“Oh,” Gus frowned, then looked from his father to Blake and back. “I love Blake and I know he loves me too, so that's good, right?”

“Right, sonny boy,” Brian agreed, ruffling his son's hair. He then watched as Gus walked over to Blake and leaned into the man, hugging him as close as he could with his small arms. “Will you be my godfather? I love you, Uncle Blake!”

“I would love to be your godfather, Gus,” Blake replied through his happy tears, engulfing the small boy in a crushing hug. “There is nothing that could make me happier.”

Everyone at the table watched the scene between the two of them and no eyes stayed dry. Everyone felt tears prickling and both Debbie and Jennifer were dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs.

“Ted?” Brian asked after a few seconds, looking at the older man with an expectant gaze. “Does Luke get a godfather as well?”

“Brian, I...,” Ted started, not quite sure how to respond to such a big request. He couldn't believe that Brian wanted him of all people to be Luke's godfather. He eyed the father and son that were both looking at him and in the end just nodded, not sure that he trusted his voice.

“Thank you,” Brian said quietly and then handed a slightly confused Luke over to his godfather. It was obvious that the young boy didn't understand why everyone was so emotional all of a sudden and when he saw his Daddy handing him over to Ted, he was close to crying, but once he realised that it was his 'edie' his father had handed him to, he calmed down immediately and leaned into the older man. “Say hi to your godfathers, sonny boys,” Brian smiled, watching the scene of Ted and Blake hugging their godchildren.

When he saw how emotional the two men were and when he saw how content his sons were around them, Brian knew he had made the right decision and had found the perfect way to pay Ted and Blake back for everything they had done for him in recent years.

“Thank you, Brian. I... I feel so honoured that you would even consider us,” Ted muttered, still not able to wrap his head around what was happening.

“He couldn't have found two better people,” Debbie announced seriously, looking at the scene in front of her with tears in her eyes.

“Hear, hear!” Carl agreed with his partner and everyone at the table smiled widely.

Their happy day had just turned even happier for the extended Kinney family.

Luke's new Audi Push Buggy:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Avigo-Buggy-Canopy-Silver-Shipping-x/dp/B078YC88R6