Brian understood that Justin wanted to relish in the fact that they were on their way to having the family they'd wanted together. It didn’t mean Justin didn’t see Gus and Jenny as theirs, he did. When they talked about more children, it was more about wanting to have a child they didn’t have to share with others. They both hated only seeing Gus when it was their turn but dealt with it. Although Lindsay and Mel let them have Gus anytime, even if it wasn't the days they agreed to.

When the girls moved to Canada for a year and Justin went to New York, it left Brian with a lot of time to think about what he really wanted eventually with Justin. He knew everyone thought he and Justin would eventually break up again. They didn’t understand that both of them were committed to figuring out how to make it work between them. It meant a lot of travel, and as both of them became busy with their careers. They still made sure a day didn’t go by without contact with each other. 

Justin moved back when he knew he could work from Pittsburgh. Brian welcomed him home by telling him to send everything to their house. It wasn’t the original one Brian bought, but one Justin and Brian decided on together. The home they would want to raise a child or more they both told each other they wanted in. Brian waited for Lindsay to voice her opinion on Justin’s career and was surprised when she told him Justin knew what he was doing and never needed her to tell him. 

Lindsay and Mel ran into the problems they didn’t anticipate when they moved without making sure it was what they wanted to believe it would be for them. Mel found out a degree in the US wasn’t what the firms in Canada wanted. Especially since she dealt in family law and not corporate. There weren’t many opportunities for Lindsay either since she wasn’t given a work visa because she didn’t have the specialized skills they required to give her one. Brian didn’t say anything when they told him they were moving back. He was just happy to not have to schedule trips to see Gus. 

Justin was already in the kitchen, cooking like Deb when Brian came down. Brian walked up behind Justin, kissing his neck as he handed him his coffee. At the table, Max sat watching them, more curious than anything else.

“We need to tell your mother ” Brian told Justin.

“I know. I just wanted it to be us and the kids this morning. I could call her and ask her to meet us for dinner.” Justin told him.

“Make sure she knows you’re the one who made her wait.” Brian joked.

“Nana is going to kill you.” Gus sang as he snuck food for him and Max.

“She is?” Max said, worried.

“Nana isn’t killing anyone. Gus is joking.” Jenny assured Max. “Uncle Brian, can I talk to you?” Jenny asked, walking back out of the room with the toast Justin handed her.

Brian followed Jenny as Justin put food out for the boys. Max wanted to ask why Mr Brian left, then got distracted because he had an important question that he wanted to ask.

“Gus said it would be okay if I called you and Mr Brian something else,” Max told Justin.

“I told him he could call you guys dad and pa if he wanted,” Gus told Justin.

“What you call us is up to you to decide. Either way, we’re just happy that you’ll be ours.” Justin told Max.

Max thought about it, and since he felt like he could believe in the promise they offered him he was willing to give one more try at having a perfect life again. “I like Pa and Dad.” He told his new Pa.

“We like having a Max in our lives, right Gussy?” Justin said, getting up and fussing to hide the tears he felt when Max wanted to call them his parents. Brian had barely managed to keep from wincing at the Mr added before his name last night, much to Justin’s amusement. 

Brian sat down when Jenny started to pace back and forth. He was hoping he wouldn’t have to wait all day for Jenny to tell him why she wanted to talk to him. He had a feeling she wanted to talk about her dad.

“Jenny, just tell me,” Brian said when she didn’t start talking a mile a minute like usual.

“I’m supposed to go see my dads next week.” She told him, making Brian understand what she wasn’t saying.

“Your dad will know before you get there. Max isn’t a secret we have to hide.” Brian told her.

“Gus told me I was born to fret like my dad,” Jenny complained, walking off. She was relieved not to have to keep a secret. Something she really wasn’t very good at anyway.

Brian went over to where Justin was standing at the sink. Justin only stared out the window when he was thinking hard or dealing with his emotions and didn’t want anyone to see them.

“Your mother will be over the moon to have more grandchildren ” Brian told him.

“I know,” Justin told him, still looking out the window.

“Then what’s going on in that blond head of yours?” Brian asked.

“Max wants to call us Pa and Dad,” Justin whispered.

“Anything but Mr Brian works for me.” Brian joked, causing Justin to turn around and bury his head in Brian’s chest as he laughed. 

Justin and Brian drove the kids to school and went to the office to meet with the caseworker, who, while not happy with being ordered to make the transition to Brian and Justin as Max’s foster parents, was also happy to know the couple was serious about Max’s future in their lives. She made sure the school had what they needed to make the changes in Max’s situation. It helped that the school was willing to do anything to correct the mistake one of their teachers made yesterday. And it relieved the caseworker’s mind that Max looked happy when he walked in with Brian and Justin Kinney-Taylor. 

Justin held onto Brian as Max walked into Lindsay’s class. Just like before when Gus went to school. Lindsay smiled, remembering how hard it was for all of them when it was Gus. And it didn’t get any easier when it was Jenny. She had the easy part because Max was staying with her. Brian reminded them they needed to go and hear Gabriel’s recommendation on how to proceed so they didn’t have to wait a year to adopt their son. When Justin still didn’t move Brian asked Lindsay if they could come back and have lunch with Max. Justin finally left with Brian and groaned when he reminded him to call his mommy.

Jen was heading to work when Justin called telling her he wanted to meet her for dinner. She asked why they couldn’t meet now since she hated waiting when her children wanted to talk to her.

“Brian and I have an appointment with a lawyer this morning,” Justin told her, not saying it was with Gabriel since his mom knew he was the lawyer they hired to help with the adoption.

“Is something wrong?” Jen asked, ready to meet them immediately if Justin told her yes.

“Everything is great, Mom. Brian and I are still happy and not breaking up, my career is still the same as it was yesterday, and as far as I know, Kinnetik is still making Brian richer than yesterday.” Justin recited, trying to cover everything in hopes to not end up telling her about Max.

“Then why are you meeting with a lawyer?” Jen quizzed, wanting to know now not hours from now.

“Just tell her,” Brian said through the speaker. 

“Yes, please. Otherwise, I’ll be at work worried until I want to ring your neck for not putting me out of my misery.” Jen told Justin.

“Remember when Brian and I told you we were waiting for news?” Justin asked.

“Did they call?” Jen asked, excited.

“No. But hopefully, since we were already on the list, it will make it easier to adopt your grandson, Max.” Brian told her, when Justin sat there, not sure of how to tell her.

“You both have a lot of explaining to do, and dinner is too far away. I’m assuming you're going to meet with Gabriel?” Jen asked.

“Mom…” Justin barely got out before Jen ran over his protests.

“This is my grandson. You really think anything matters to me other than meeting him and knowing what hoops it takes for you two to make it official?” Jen asks them.

“We’ll tell them to let you in when you get there,” Brian said, laughing as he hung up.

“How does she do that still? I mean, I’m thirty-one and I feel like I’m Max’s age when she uses the mom voice on me.” Justin complained.

“I don’t think it matters how old we are, your mother and Deb still make us all feel like kids,” Brian told him, getting out of the car.

Gabriel was waiting when Justin and Brian walked in. He’d been making calls so he’d have the answers for Brian and Justin by the time they arrived. While he was sure they’d get what they wanted, he wanted confirmation before talking to them. He knew his answers were going to make Justin and Brian happy since they’d been working on this since last year. The only reason they hadn’t gotten a call sooner was because of the age they told him they wanted. They followed him into the office after telling Gabriel’s clerk to let Justin’s mother in when she arrived.

“I don’t want to wait a year,” Justin told Brian and amused Gabriel when Brian looked to Gabriel to give Justin what he wanted.

“You won’t have to since you were already approved once a child was available. It will still take two months before he’s officially yours, but it’s just about paperwork. It helps that Max has been in the system for as long as he has too, and there aren’t any parents to deal with opposing the adoption.” Gabriel told them.

“What happened to his parents?” Brian asked.

“Max’s father is listed as unknown and the mother died not having anyone to take Max. He became a ward of the state and for some reason didn’t get adopted even though he would have fit the criteria most parents want.” Gabriel told them.

The door opened then and Jen came in. She kissed Justin then Brian before shaking hands with Gabriel. 

“I assume everything is going to work out for Brian and Justin,” Jen told Gabriel, not asked.

“Yes, Mom. In fact, since we were already approved, Gabriel told us we didn’t have to wait a year as Mel told us last night.” Justin told her.

“Mel also didn’t know we were just waiting and we’d been waiting for almost a year.” Brian reminded Justin.

“Did anyone but me know?” Jen asked.

“I didn’t even tell Daphne,” Justin told her, making Jen tear up.

“What is it with you two? Lately your crying like Lindsay. Justin acted like our son calling him Pa meant leaking. Now you, because we wanted our mother to know before everyone else.” Brian said, hoping to stop the tears regardless of the reason for them.

“They were also approved to keep Max until the paperwork is done. There will be a couple of home visits but it’s standard. Go celebrate, and congratulations to all of you.” Gabriel told them.

“Where is he?” Jen asked when they walked out.

“At school, like all five-year-olds,” Justin told her, being a smart ass.

“Can we please just go see him? I won’t be able to work until I meet him.” Jen told them.

“I’m sure Lindsay isn’t going to care, and we do need to make sure Mom’s on the list to pick Max up if we can’t,” Brian told Justin.

“We’re still going to have dinner, and you better be ready for Molly’s reaction.” Jen reminded them.

“She’s barely awake by dinner, after running after the twins all day,” Justin told her, getting in the car before Jen could retort.