CHAPTER 17 - HOPPING TO AND INTO IT

EMMETT’S HOUSE - A WEEK LATER

BACK GARDEN

BRIAN

They are the softest, dopest bunnies ever. I shift Tonka a little bit so that he’s not smooshed under the paw of Holmes as he investigates his new brother. I have to admit to not being that much of a dog lover, especially so-called dangerous ones. But Holmes and Watson are just the gentlest things. And happily, they have full tails and ears. Hate it when any animal is docked, cropped or cut. 

“So we can definitely take them home today?” Justin whispers, holding Beam under his chin, then burying his nose into his fur.

“Yes, you can.” Emmett smiles as Sapphire nibbles on the grass. “So, how are you two doing?” 

“What do you mean?” Justin frowns.

“Honey, I know Daphne, and she lit out real quick when you texted her. So how are you two doing?”

“I see. It was a hell of a shock, but then again, it would’ve been more shocking for them if anything had come of it.”

“Of what? She lit out and that was it.” Emmett takes my hand. 

Fifteen minutes later he is looking furious. “Do you believe Lynette?”

“Not sure, but in any event that kid would not have been mine anyway. I have been renting it out for a year. I only went there once a week, if that, to check everything was okay.” Nobody says anything, they just stare at me. “And this silence is because...?”

“Someone needs to be taught a lesson.” Justin growls, his eyes blazing. “Call Lynette, tell her to say to Lindsay that she has talked you around.”

“Justin!” I exclaim. “Why the hell would I do that?1”

“Because…” He puts Beam down. “...from what I have seen and heard of Lindsay, I don't think she has given Lynette everything. And now that the surrogate is pregnant and they are estranged, what’s the betting that she would use this as a perfect way of making it up to Lynette?”

Now I am stunned, because he is absolutely right! I grab my phone. “Lynette, it’s Brian, have you spoken to Lindsay yet? No? Good! I need you to come around to Britin at six tomorrow. Just be there, alright?” 

“Why hasn’t she spoken to Lindsay yet?” Emmett frowns. “I mean, I can understand why, but why?”

“Guess we will find out when she gets there.” I sigh, perplexed as he is.

“Will you tell me after?” Justin asks quietly.

“No, because you’re gonna be there. In fact, everyone is. We need to make some calls.”

THE LOFT - THIRTY MINUTES LATER

BEN

“Loser does the dishes!” I pant, grinning at the pout Brandon’s sporting. “First to fifty press ups was the bet. You lost, and burnt the carbonara, so get scrubbing, my man!”

“Fine.” He grumbles, then heads to the kitchen, I keep my gaze trained on the outside world and not his sweaty back. Once I feel sure that he can’t see my admiration, I turn around. He hums as he cleans. 

“So how is Brian doing with all this Peterson shenanigans?” I ask. Nobody has seen him for a week. The last conversation he and Brandon had was to say nothing to nobody, he wanted to process it before he told the wider world.

“Not sure. Feels odd not speaking to him, but he’s got to...” He is interrupted by his phone. “...who is it?”

“Speak of the devil, Brian.”

“On speaker.” He orders as he approaches, wiping his hands. “Bruh! You alright?”

“Yeah, um, no, but I will be. You okay...um where are you? Sounds echoey.”

“Loft with Ben. Where do you need me to be?” 

“Us.” I correct him, already looking for my keys. “You wanna jump in the shower real quick, Brandon? So where do you need us?”

“Slow down, Starsky and Hutch!” He laughs. “I don’t need you until tomorrow evening. For six at Britin. What I need Brandon to do is call Mom and Dad first and tell them that. Emmett is gathering Jewel, Ted, Mel and the kids. Ben, you grab Hunter. And someone has to tell Michael.”

“Michael? What for?” Brandon frowns, then there is silence. “Brian?”

“Good point, forget Michael, just the people this concerns. Do you know if his rights have been revoked yet?”

“Not to my knowledge.” I reply. “But I got back last night, so haven’t caught up with any…”

“Where’d you go?”

“Anchorage. Always wanted to go and had some holiday…”

“So how was it?”

“Anchorage? It was…”

“Your first holiday together.” Brian interrupts, we both blush. “Come on, I need some levity today, have you done the deed?”

“No we haven’t!” Brandon exclaims. “We went as friends because we both wanted to go. Jeez, Bruh!”

“Uh huh. Well, I shall let you two buddies do what you weren’t doing, but, oh so want to.” 

For a few seconds after he hangs up neither of us says anything. “I shall call Mom and Dad, you call Hunter.”

“Alright.”

Ten minutes later, a confused Hunter but relieved Debs and Carl have said yes, and we’re back to the funky weird silence. 

“He was teasing us.” I declare firmly. “You know what he is like, sees something that isn’t there, and…” His hand is on my face, touching my lips. “...Brandon?”

“Oh so want to.” He murmurs looking into my eyes. 

“Kiss me.” I plead then melt when he does.

LINDSAY'S HOUSE - EARLY EVENING

LOUNGE

LINDSAY

I hang up feeling relieved, but at the same time furious at having to cancel my appointment. However, I need things to be right with Lynette, and Mel and the kids back here. I am finding living with Michael, quite a chore, but he provides company, even if it is mediocre. 

“Guess what?!” He exclaims as he comes through the door. “I found him!”

“Found who?” I pray it is not another rendition of Captain Astro in plastic form, I swear if they had cast him as a dildo, he would buy the lot!

“My dad! My birth father, I found him!”

“So that’s what you have been doing all this time?” I smile, then indicate a drink. He nods and I pour us both a glass of red and join him on the sofa. “So, what's he like?”

“Haven’t met him yet. Just got a name and address from her, and the internet helped with the rest.” He looks nervously at his phone. “Thought I could call him from here and maybe arrange to meet him tomorrow, if the call works out.”

I look at the address and frown. “Michael, that's a day's worth of travelling, How are you going to do that and be at Britin for six?”

“Why am I going there?”

“From what I can gather we all are. Ted just called me, did anyone call you?”

“No!” He storms, gulping back his drink. “I still have my rights, I am still her father! I have waited long enough to find mine, one more day isn't going to make a difference.”

BRITIN - LATE NIGHT

BRIAN’S BEDROOM

JUSTIN

I look at the sleeping form of Brian when he snores softly before turning on his side, his back towards me. I wrap the comforter tighter around me and resume my drawing, I can't wait to put this on canvas. 

“Justin, it’s getting cold, come to bed.” I look up in surprise as he is right in front of me. “Come on, you can finish it later.” Silently, I let him lead me to bed, put socks on my feet before lifting the blanket. I say nothing as I slide in. “How about we discuss posing sessions in the morning?” He whispers as he gets in behind me. “That way you don’t have to creep in at night, okay?”

“Okay.”

My embarrassment at being caught subsides as the warmth of his body lulls me to sleep.

JEWEL’S HOUSE - NEXT MORNING

KITCHEN

JEWEL

I chuckle as Holmes gently noses Pearl’s kitten, Dempsey, out of his dish and back to hers. I don’t know why he is bothering, she's going to come straight back! And sure enough, she wiggles under his belly. With a resigned huff, he stands over her so she can get her fill. Then she waits, impatiently I might add, for him to finish so that she can curl up and have a nap. 

“Mom!” Pearl calls down. “Have you seen...”

“With Holmes!” I call back.

“I know that, it's lunchtime! I mean my Chloe top! Need to wear it!” Sighing, I head upstairs to see what our point scoring daughter is up to. 

Her room is it's usual disorganised chaos, as she calls it, though ramshackled hovel is a more apt description. “Why do you need it?” I ask, then groan as I see what she has laid out to wear. Gucci jeans, Stan Smiths, and a vintage leather bomber. “Okay, whose nose are you trying to put out of joint, or in the case of those threads, break.”

She plonks on the bed earning a glare from Watson who had just got comfortable with Makepiece. 

“Let’s go back to the kitchen.” She whispers. “Need to vent.”

“Sure.” I wave her ahead and smile as Holmes and Dempsey make their way upstairs to join them. “So?”

“Been speaking to Jenny, she’s the coolest…”

“And stalling…”

“Her blonde bint of a mother had more inheritance than she let on. She told Mel and them that she only had $700K, but she got $3m.” I blink at her. “I know, right?”

“Jesus. How did Jenny find that out?”

“Her Aunt Lynette told her. Seems that her late granddad could see right through his daughter and had a contingency should her true colours show.”

“But...that much of a lie, it's insane! What did she hope to achieve, and where is it?”

“They don’t know, but methinks they are going to hit her with that knowledge later.”

“Hmmm. So how goes the matchmaking? I need a laugh. Have you finally gotten him to at least agree to come here?”

“No.” She pouts. “And I can't think of a reason why he should!” 

“Plagiarism.” I grin.

“Who is doing that?! I will tear them a new one so quick and wide that...oh,  uh, Aunt Debs and her eidetic cooking ability?” I nod. “How exactly do I do that?” I blink at her again and wait for her gears to click. “Uh huh, got it.”

“Just to be clear, what have you got?”

“The food, could have a sample of hers be delivered to him?” She hedges.

“Yeah, you got it.”

DEBS AND CARL’S HOUSE - MID-AFTERNOON

KITCHEN

CARL

I come to an astonished halt. There is food everywhere! The apple brined chicken, maple ribs, turkey wings, rolled lamb breast and duck wings. 

“Debs!” I look around for her and am relieved when she comes in from the back yard with a handful of herbs. I zero in on the spatchcock chicken and pray. “Not that I have a problem, but what are you doing?”

“Jenny called and asked me to prep dinner. Just got this to do...l hope he’s not sick!” I pull her into my arms and hold her tight. I had been thinking the same thing. “It will be so unfair!” She weeps.

“Honey, listen. You've had him. You may not have known then, but you were still his Mom after Kiki, God rest her soul.”

“Yeah, she would be so proud of him…”

“Is proud of him.” I assert. “She’s not gone, her spirit is still here.” 

“Yes, yes, she is. I just wish she would manifest and give Michael the ass kicking that only she could!” I snigger at the many beatdowns I witnessed Kiki hand to him. “Do you think he knows about it?”

“The loft?” She nods. “Not sure, why bring that up?”

“These last few weeks I’ve seen such a nasty and cold side to him that I never noticed before. Has it always been there?”

“Yep.” I guide her to the chair. “Michael had you as the one person who focused on him and him alone, then I came back. When he was younger it was fine because I was another person to pander to his whims. And I did, have to hold my hand up to that, but as he got older and Brian became his focus, I saw parts of him that I didn't like at all. When we got married he deliberately got drunk so that Brian would take him home.”

“He was drunk?!” She gasps. “Kiki said he had a stomach upset.”

“Yes he was, and all because Brian was having a great time, and was happy for us. He was all set to take him home, but Kiki did instead. He was furious at what she did…”

“What did she do? She just said she sat with him until we got back.”

“Oh, he did have an upset stomach, but that was because of the Fernet Branca she made him drink to clear his stomach!” Her hand flies to her mouth but her eyes are dancing with mirth. “And now this father business is not a good thing. I hope he has changed.”

“Matthew?” She scoffs. “I doubt it! I don't understand why he wants to find him now.”

“I am sure it will come out.” I sigh, but deep down I am worried. After all, that side has got to have come from him!