After leaving his brother’s house, he headed to the diner. That felt weird even thinking. He never had a brother before, the closest he had was Michael. He had planned a day to take Jack out on Saturday. The plan was to introduce him to his kids and have a good time. All he had to do now is get better kids. Today, Gus had baseball practice, John had student government, so Peter was with Debbie until he was able to pick him up. It felt like forever since he had time to just go to the diner. He decided on his way there he and Peter would eat there. John and Gus could have last night’s leftovers.

The place was busy, not that he was surprised, it was late evening after all. He spotted his youngest right away, he was sitting at the back table with Michael and Ben’s youngest son, Brad. They were laughing and seemed to be talking animatedly, he decided to not crowd him. As he thought about taking a seat at the counter, something caught his eye. He noticed Justin and his children sitting at a table. It had been easy to miss them, the small family were surrounded by the crew from Diana’s, a strip club that specialized in drag queens. With their group, it was hard to notice anyone else.

Going with the spur of the moment, he slid into the booth beside Justin. Mika and Nanette were on the other side.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he said to the kids.

“Brian!” Nanette yelled as she shimmied out of the seat and ran over to him. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he said, looking over catching Justin’s eye.

They hadn’t spoken since he dropped him off after the spectacular blowjob days before. He wasn’t sure what had changed Justin’s mind but wasn’t complaining. He was confused because he expected Justin to try something later. That hadn’t happened. Most men he had been with begged for another try. Maybe it had been because he didn’t get to exercise his expertise. Whatever the reason, he had been busy finding Jack because while his mother told him about him, she didn’t give an address or anything.

“Nan, come sit back down,” Justin told Nanette. Nanette crawled under the table and got back into her seat.

“So, what are you doing today?” he asked.

“Having dinner here then going home.” Justin looked distracted but Brian knew better than to ask about it in front of his children. “What about you?”

“Same. Both John and Gus are busy this afternoon. Thought me and Peter would get some dinner.”

Justin looked over to where Peter was sitting. “He’s not sitting with you.”

“Just wait, you’ll have teenagers soon enough. As crazy as they made me, I miss when they were Nan and Mika’s age. I was the coolest person they knew.”

“Well, I’d trade projectile vomit for eye-rolling any day. They still get car sick if we drive too far.”

“Sorry, that doesn’t stop either.” He had lost so many shoes and designer clothes to the boys and their vomit along with other things best not to talk about.

He caught Kiki’s attention and ordered his regular, telling her would pay for both his table and Peter’s.

“You don’t have to do that, Brian.”

Brian looked at Mika. “Hey, kid, what’s your favorite color?”

“Green.”

“Girl kid?” Looking at Nan.

“Orange.”

“Alright, that’s a focus group to me. I’ll just write it off.” He smirked at Justin.

“If you’re always going to be that creative with the books maybe you should warn Mr. Schmidt.”

Brian laughed at anyone calling Ted that. “I think he’ll live.”

Debbie came over carrying Justin and the kids order. “Dad can we sit with Peter,” Mika asked.

Justin looked shocked for a moment, that confused Brian. Little kids loved hanging out with older ones, it made them feel grown up. “You have to ask him and his friend if it’s alright.”

“Damn straight its alright,” Debbie said, walking over and putting Mika and Nan’s plates at the table with Peter and Brad.

Brian laughed at his son’s face, he was shocked but quickly accepted he was at the kids table.

“Brian?”

Kiki had just dropped of his sandwich. Debbie seemed too busy to do more than look at him curiously.  

“What?” Brian asked, picking at the dry looking sandwich.

“I was wondering…what happened the other night?”

“I found out my bitch of a mother had a child in between Claire and me. Looks like she drank more than she did with us, too much. He was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. They put him in a state home, he grew up there. Why couldn’t they keep him? I know it’s childish to think, but maybe the old man hit us all the time because something was missing from him…Jack. When the lady who helps Jack talked about my dad, it sounded like she was talking about someone else.”

“I’m sorry. That’s a terrible way to find out. Have you met him?”

Brian smiled. “Yeah, taking him out on Saturday.”

“That’s great.”

“Now your turn, Sunshine?”

“What?”

“Why have you been in such a mood lately?”

“Oh, that…I don’t really feel like talking about it.”

Brian snorted. “I spilled my guts, you start spilling.”

“I had a friend over the other day. He really was Ethan’s friend, we never really got along. But after I lost Ethan, he really stepped up for us. He dropped a pretty devastating bomb. Ethan, my Ethan, was a lying, cheating, deceiving fucker. Cheating on me, I think I could get over, even if it hurt. But he had his bit on the side provide the sperm for IVF. My children now could be taken away from me by Tara and Carter.”

“Hell. Did you get the results back yet?” Brian asked.

“No.”

“Yes.” Justin’s head snapped up and he looked at his sister. She was holding two envelopes in her hands. No. No. No.

She set them on the table, his appetite leaving him. He didn’t want to open the envelopes. Once he did, it was over. All over.

“We’re here for you,” Molly said, sitting down at the table.

“I can’t do it. You do it,” he said, pushing them towards Brian.

“Are you sure?”

Justin nodded.

Brian grabbed one and opened it, Justin’s heart was beating out of control. It felt like it was going to crack him open.

“It’s Nan’s. Percentage 99.99 match. She’s yours.”

“Thank God,” Molly said, tears coming from her eyes. All Justin could do was nod.

Brian opened the last envelope. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“He’s yours!” Brian said, sounding shocked.

“What? He can’t be.” For four years he’s known Mika wasn’t his biological child, it didn’t matter though.

“Sorry to break it to you, both of them are yours,” Brian said, Justin could see how relieved he was behind his smirk.

“Let me see that,” Justin said, snatching to paper from Brian.

Looking over it, he saw just want Brian did. 99.99 percent, just like Nan’s. Well, his grandmother on his dad’s side had dark hair and eyes, and he had no idea about Tara’s family. Tears starting to stream down his face, this was not something he considered.

Suddenly there were two little children trying to climb beside him. “Why are you crying?” Mika asked, patting Justin’s face.

“Are you sad?” Nanette asked.

“No, I’m not said. I’m crying because I’m so happy.”

For the first time since this fight started with Tara, he felt like he had a chance now.