Before the Fall

Chapter 5





“Are you ready?” Drew asked as he came through the sun porch door.

“As I’m likely to be,” Brian replied.

“Then let’s get this show on the road.”

“John’s coming with us.”

“Good, another pair of hands, and strong biceps, will be welcome. We can take the Hummer.”

“I think the piano may be a little too big for the Hummer or John’s SUV. Steve will be there and we can bring the piano here in the back of his pickup.”

“Okay,” Drew agreed. “We can drive over in the Hummer and if it won’t fit, we’ll use the pickup.”

“Sorry to hold you up,” John said coming in from his side of the cottages. “Bobby wants to come too. He’ll be here in a minute.”

“The more the merrier,” Brian said with a smirk.

“Isn’t Justin coming?” Drew asked.

“He and Bree are baking cookies. The piano is a surprise for Bree,” Brian said in a whisper. “He’s keeping her busy.”

“Oh, then let’s keep our voices down so the princess won’t find out,” Drew said with a chuckle. “Emmett will be up soon to give them a hand.”

“I better tell them we’re going,” Brian said as Bobby appeared.

“Hey, pastry chefs,” Brian called, “we’re leaving.”

“Where are you going, Dada?” Bree asked sticking her head into the sun porch. Her nose had a daub of flour on the end and her hands looked gooey. Justin followed her into the porch.

“We’ll be back soon,” Brian said quickly.

“But where are you going?” Bree persisted. “Can I come?”

“No, Squirt, we have something important to do. You need to finish the cookies you and Daddy are making.”

Bree glared at her father, obviously not happy at being left behind. “I can do important stuff,” she declared.

Drew stifled a laugh and waited to see how Brian would handle this.

“I want some of your delicious cookies when I get back,” Brian said bending down to kiss the frowning forehead.

“Okay, but you better eat three cookies,” Bree bargained.

“Okay, three it is,” Brian agreed.

“Make big ones, Bree,” John told his niece. “Your Dada needs fattening up.

“’Kay, Unca John.”

Now it was Brian’s turn to glare. “Let’s get going,” he said hoping to get out of there before he had to eat even more cookies.

“Come on, Bree, letÂ’s make those supersize cookies for Dada,” Justin said with an evil wink at his husband.

“Fucking cookies!” Brian muttered as they all headed out the sun porch door.



*****



“Daddy, where’s Dada going?” Bree asked as they dropped cookie dough onto the cookie sheet.

“He’s running an errand,” Justin said trying not to reveal too much.

“It didn’t sound like an errand,” Bree observed. “He said it was important.”

“Well, it is an errand,” Justin replied. He was trying to figure out what to say to his perceptive daughter when he heard a welcome sound.

“Hallooooo!” Emmett called as he came through the sun porch.

“In here,” Justin replied glad of the interruption.

“And what are you two up to?” Emmett asked scooping some cookie dough out of the bowl with one of his fingers. He sucked it into his mouth. “That’s yummy.”

“It’s Gamma Susan’s choca chip cookies,” Bree said. “But you’re apposed to wait till it’s cooked, Auntie Emm,” Bree warned him.

“Well, paaaardon moi,” Emmett said with a giggle. “I couldn’t resist your culinary arts.”

“Huh?” Bree said.

“You make good cookies, sweetie,” Emmett said kissing the top of Bree’s head.

“Where’s Richie?” Bree asked.

“He has some reading to do to catch up with his studies. I left him to it.”

“Can we send Richie some cookies, Daddy?”

“We certainly can, once they’re cooked,” Justin said as he gave Emmett’s hand a slap when it reached for some more cookie dough. “Let’s get these in the oven.”



*****



“You sure Claire doesn’t mind parting with this piano?” Brian asked as they rode along in the Hummer.

“I never knew it was a piano,” John laughed. “It’s been sitting in the living room of our house for my whole life. I thought it was a sideboard.”

“Nobody ever played it?” Bobby asked.

“Apparently Aidan did. It was his piano, but when he died, it was never played again.”

“It will need a serious tuning,” Drew observed as he steered the vehicle towards Claire’s. “That’s a long time for a piano to sit idle.”

“How much will that cost me, and who will I get to do it?” Brian asked with a sigh.

“I don’t know any local piano tuners,” Drew said. “But I’m sure there are some in Pittsburgh.”

“I need a piano teacher too.”

“There’s probably someone local for that,” Bobby said.

“Did any of you take music lessons?” Brian asked.

Everyone except Drew shook their head.

“My mother was too busy trying to keep us fed and together to worry about music,” John stated. “I kind of wish I had taken lessons though. I enjoy hearing Bree play.”

“I started piano lessons when I was eight, but I hated them,” Bobby said. “When I got interested in baseball, my mother let me off the hook for music lessons.”

“Looks like you’re the only prodigy in the group, Drew,” Brian said with a chuckle.

“Hardly a prodigy, but I’m kind of glad now that I made that agreement with my mother,” Drew admitted as he pulled the Hummer into Claire’s lane.



*****



“Easy, don’t scratch it,” Brian said as Drew, John and Bobby hoisted the piano onto the back of Steve’s pickup.

“Thanks for your sage advice, little brother,” John said sarcastically, “but I don’t see you bustin’ a gut to get this thing onto the truck. It must weigh a ton.”

“Someone has to supervise,” Brian said with a smirk.

“There, it’s on,” Bobby said heaving a huge sigh. “I thought since it was a smaller piano, it wouldn’t weigh so much.”

“It’s old,” Claire added. “Old things tend to weigh more. They were more substantial. And don’t say it,” she threatened with a look at Brian.

“I wouldn’t dare say anything, Miss Claire, after you so kindly donated this fine instrument to my daughter’s musical education.”

“You know I love that little girl. I hope she enjoys it.”

“That makes two of us,” Brian replied.

“Three.”

“Four.”

“Five.”

“Six,” came the list of replies.

Everyone laughed as they tied the piano securely in the back of the truck.

“I’ll drive the truck,” Steve offered. “Someone should ride in the back with the piano just to make sure that it doesn’t tip over.”

“I’ll do that,” Brian volunteered hopping up onto the pickup bed.

“About time you did something useful, little brother. I’ll ride with you,” John offered.

“Me too,” Bobby said.

“I have to drive the Hummer,” Drew said sadly, looking rather longingly at the other men who were situating themselves in the back of the truck.

“Remembering the wind in your hair, dear?” Claire asked him. Drew nodded. “It is fun to ride in an open truck.”

“If you want to ride with the other boys,” Steve said, “you could come back with me later and get the Hummer. It’s not that far.”

“Okay,” Drew readily agreed, hopping up onto the pickup, and not giving a thought to the three trips he was going to be making back and forth.

“You boys behave yourselves,” Claire admonished. “I’m going to ride with Steve. I want to see the princess’ reaction.”

“We’ll be good, mother,” John said.

“Don’t let that brother of yours cause any trouble, Jackie,” she added with a grin and a wink at John.

“I’ll be good,” Brian replied. “It’s the least I can do.”

Claire smiled and got into the cab of the truck. Before they started away, they could hear Steve and Claire having a brief discussion.

“I don’t think she meant you,” John said as they finally pulled away from the farmhouse.

“Do you have another long lost brother I don’t know anything about?” Brian asked.

“No, it’s a private joke.”

Brian raised an eyebrow, but didn’t pursue it.

“So, is Bree going to like this piano better than the pink one?” Bobby asked.

“She fucking better,” Brian retorted.

John laughed. “The princess is nothing if not unpredictable.”

“Bite your tongue.”

“I’m glad she didn’t come with us to get the piano,” Drew said. “I still have nightmares about taking her to the Christmas tree lot.”

“I think she wants to do that with you again this year,” Brian added wickedly.

“Bite your tongue,” Drew reacted.

“I’d rather have Justin bite it,” Brian smirked.

“Eiieew, TMI.” John said making a face.

“Like you never take a nip out of Bobby’s tongue.”

“Never,” John said solemnly.

“Liar.”

“Am not,” John argued.

“Maybe it’s that naughty brother of yours who does,” Brian said with an arch of his brow, earning a glare from John.

“Will you two stop bickering?” Drew said. “We’re almost at Edna’s Treasures.”

Brian leaned over the side of the truck and keyed in the code for the gate to open. Bree would soon have her piano.



*****



Before the beep sounded indicating the gate mechanism had been triggered, Bree was up and out the front door like a shot.

“Dada!” she shrieked.

“How does she do that?” Emmett asked out loud. The remaining men folk were sitting in the kitchen nibbling some of the warm cookies.

Richie had walked up from Emmett’s dream cottage after he finished his reading. Patrick had come in from his room where he was studying his baseball camp material. His dads were not only sending him to the day camp but Patrick was going to the away camp where he could eat, sleep and play baseball for two intense weeks. Bree was working on her own dads. Her soccer camp had a sleep away program as well. Justin was all for it; he had positive childhood camp experiences. However, Justin and Bree knew it was going to take a lot to convince Brian that his little baby girl was old enough to face the big wide world without him for two weeks.

“She’s always had her Dada-dar,” Patrick explained matter-of-factly as he munched a gooey chocolate chip cookie.

“Oh,” Emmett said with a shrug as if that made any more sense. Richie also shrugged as he sipped his milk.

“Even as a baby she knew when Brian was driving up the lane. Kept me in shape running after her,” Justin chuckled as he got up to follow his daughter. The guys decided to do the same.

“Dada!” Bree called out as she saw her father in the back of the old pickup. It was slowly making its way closer to the cottage. It was followed closely by the Hummer.

“I’m glad Claire suggested to have Steve drive the Hummer,” Drew commented. Riding in the bed of the pickup wasn’t the most comfortable thing to do. He was happy he no longer had to make a second trip to the farm.

“Well, I’m impressed,” Brian began. “Your mother really knows how to handle the pickup,” Brian said to John.

“Oh my, was that a compliment?” Claire teased Brian as she climbed down out of the cab of the truck, overhearing Brian.

“Yes, it was, Miss Claire. You handle this truck like a pro,” Brian admitted quietly as he kissed Claire’s cheek. Claire blushed at Brian’s sincere praise.

Before they had left the farm, Claire decided to change the driving arrangements. She realized that it wasn’t a good idea to drive the truck on the highway with the boys in the back. It was more prudent to take the back roads to Edna’s Treasures. Claire volunteered to drive the truck while Steve drove Drew’s massive Hummer. They slowly traversed the back roads with Steve following, keeping one eye on the truck with its precious cargo and the other on the road.

“I did grow up on a farm,” Claire said reasonably as a strawberry blond whirlwind jumped up into her Dada’s arms.

“What’s in the truck, Dada?” They had the piano protected by a heavily padded tarp.

“This is a very special piano,” Brian said as he carried Bree toward the truck. “This belonged to Uncle John’s grandfather.” Brian hesitated to say that Aidan was also his grandfather. Brian had only one memory of the kindly big man. John had wonderful memories and stories to tell.

“John and Grandma Claire have decided that you should have it,” Brian explained further.

“Really!” Bree exclaimed with a surprised gasp. “It’s going to be all mine?”

“Yes, Squirt, all yours. Once we get this thing cleaned up and properly tuned, we’ll get you real lessons. Now, what do you say to your uncle and grandmother?”

“Oh thank you, Unca John!” Bree cried out with glee. She reached out her little arms for her uncle; Brian willingly transferred Bree to John.

“Thank you,” Justin whispered to Claire, giving her a hug and a kiss just before John pulled his mother into Bree’s hug.

“While this love-fest continues, how do we get this thing into the house? And where do we put it?” Brian asked the remaining men.

“I can help with the first part,” Steve said as he got into the truck to drive it up the driveway closer to the front door.

“And I think I can help with the second part. You know, sometimes your minimalist tendencies are a good thing,” Emmett commented. “There’s a cozy corner in the living room that would be perfect,” Emmett said as he took Brian’s arm to show him what he was talking about.

“Emily, sometimes you do come up with good ideas,” Brian complimented Emmett in his own snarky way. Emmett curtsied then went to fetch a vacuum to prepare the already immaculate corner for the instrument.

“Not the sun porch?” Bobby questioned. All hands were on deck to hoist the spinet out of the truck bed and onto the narrow walkway that meandered in the front of the cottage toward the main door.

“I think if we try to put one more stick of furniture in the porch, your husband is going to have to enlarge it,” Brian groaned as he put his shoulder into his end of the piano.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Bobby admitted as he pushed his end.

The wheels on the bottom of the feet barely wanted to turn so the boys took hold of whatever straight edge they could get a grip on then lifted the piano so they could walk it into the house.

“Looks like it needs a good scrubbing,” Brian commented as they gathered near to admire the piano.

“You don’t ‘scrub’ a piano,” Drew said with exasperation.

“Then what do you do to it?” Brian asked with a glare.

“You call in a proper tuner. The hammers might need to be replaced, the levers will certainly need to be oiled and the springs....”

“Okay, Liberace, I get it. I’ll talk to Allen, he should know the best person for the job,” Brian said as he held up his hands in surrender. Satisfied with Brian's response, Drew placed the bench in front of the spinet, sat down then gently raised the protective key guard.

“Unca Drew?” Bree sidled up to the big man. He lifted her onto his lap.

“This old girl hasn’t been played in a long time, Bree, and it just got all shook up on the ride over here. So don’t be surprised if the only notes you hear are dull thuds. But why don’t you try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” Drew softly suggested. Emmett sniffled as he watched with awe. His big he-man football player was truly a gentle giant. He reached out to take Richie’s hand, smiling fondly at the boy. Richie returned the smile, knowing his fathers were the sweetest and kindest of men.

“Okay, Unca Drew,” Bree replied kissing the quarterback’s cheek. Drew helped Bree to find middle ‘C’ then positioned her hands. The spinet keys were perfect for little fingers.

“The sound won’t be as full like your piano at school but it will be better than your pink piano. But remember some of the keys may not work at all until your fathers get it tuned,” Drew reiterated. He didn’t want Bree to be too disappointed. Bree nodded then began to play.

The piano squawked, dinged and protested but it reluctantly made some recognizable sounds. When the song was over and Bree received her applause, Drew insisted that they give the piano a rest.

“She has to get used to her new home,” Drew instructed, “and we could do further damage trying to play her before she’s ready.”

“Okay, Unca Drew, I understand,” Bree said as Drew got more kisses before Bree slid off his knee.

“That was very good, Sweetheart,” Justin said giving Bree a hug.

Brian remained quiet, sucking his lips into his mouth. His little girl was growing up way too fast for his liking, and with the ability to charm all the big macho men.

“You okay?” Justin asked his mate as he gently steered Brian toward the kitchen under the pretense of making lunch for the macho men and ladies. Justin knew the look on Brian’s face and realized he needed a moment to get his emotions under control.

“We have a beautiful family, Sunshine,” Brian whispered into Justin’s ear as he drew the younger man close.

“Yes, we do,” Justin agreed as he wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist and pressed the side of his face into Brian’s chest. “Come on, let’s feed everyone,” Justin said after a while. Brian nodded, kissing his lover then releasing him so they could fix lunch.



*****



“So are we going to the cottage with your mothers or is your dad coming to get us?” Ray asked as they were eating lunch at the diner.

“You know I have no clue,” Gus answered honestly. “My moms are still not talking to each other. I just don’t get them sometimes. Every couple has arguments, but my moms’ arguments are legendary. I can’t tell you how many times I thought they’d break up for good. Then Pop comes along and fixes everything. He sent them to Florida, set up romantic weekends for them at the Plaza and even helped with their cottage. They don’t appreciate it, especially Mama. Just when I think she’s gotten over her ‘I hate all things Brian Kinney’ phase, she starts all over again.”

“I’m sorry, Gus.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, but thanks.”

“Hey, at least your fathers are cool.”

“Yeah,” Gus mumbled around a pickle.

“Hi, guys,” Ted said as he and Allen came into the diner and walked toward the boys’ table.

“Hi, Uncle Ted,” Gus replied.

“Hi, Mr. Schmidt.”

“Hi, Ray. I’m glad I caught you. Your stuff arrived yesterday.”

“Great, we’ll come by later to pick it up.”

“It’s heavy, what’d you get, rocks?” They all laughed.

"Nah, my dad shipped me my clothes. I decided to stay instead of going back for the NY PRIDE. Mr. Morrison offered me an internship at his law firm for July. I needed some good clothes.”

“Very true, you can’t intern in jeans and t-shirts,” Ted wisely counseled both boys. “You both will gain experience in business and it’ll look great on your resumes.”

“If you’re going back to Kinnetik after lunch we’ll follow you and pick up the box,” Gus offered. Ted nodded then he and Allen joined the boys for lunch and to catch up on the latest gossip.