Throwing Stones

Chapter 8






Molly and Taylor arrived the next day to spend a couple of Molly’s days off at her cottage. Molly called Edna’s Treasures to see if Justin would like to have coffee with her, but Justin suggested she bring her son up to their cottage so that Ashley and Bree could play with Taylor.

Following greetings and hugs all round, Justin and Molly sat down with their coffee in the kitchen and the girls took Taylor to the sun porch to play. Taylor clutched his favorite fireman in his hand as he toddled along after the girls.

“He’s growing all the time,” Justin said as they watched the little group disappear into the sun porch.

“He’s getting to be a real handful.”

“Oh?”

“Those terrible twos, you know,” Molly said with a sigh.

Justin chuckled. “What’s he been up to?”

“Let’s just say that he and the time out stool have become best friends.”

“That bad?”

“Yep.”

“Daddy, can we take Taylor outside?” Bree asked as she ran into the kitchen.

Justin looked at Molly to make sure that was okay with her. Molly nodded.

“Okay, but keep a close eye on him and call if there’s any problem. Don’t leave the yard,” Justin warned.

“’Kay, Daddy,” Bree said and ran back to the sun porch.

“She’s such a good child,” Molly said wistfully. “Do you think Taylor will turn out that well?”

“Taylor’s a boy.”

“So that explains the bad behavior?” Molly asked raising an eyebrow.

“All kids get into trouble,” Justin said with a smile. “Boys more than girls.” Justin chuckled at the look on Molly’s face. “Bree scared the guts out of us yesterday. She disappeared and we didn’t know where she was.”

“Every parent’s nightmare,” Molly said knowingly. Justin recounted the story of Bree’s trip to the stream with Ben. “So she was really fine the whole time?”

“Yeah, but we didn’t know that.”

Molly shook her head and took a sip of coffee. The silence was broken by Bree’s voice yelling, “OW!!! Taylor, stop that. Ow! Stop it. Daddy!” she called.

Molly and Justin rushed to the back of the house.

“What’s going on?” Justin asked. Bree was rubbing her face and Ashley was holding onto Taylor who was struggling to escape. He had a fistful of something in the hand of the arm that Ashley clutched.

“Taylor threw stones at me … twice,” Bree said.

“Bad boy, Taylor!” Molly said grabbing her son’s arm from Ashley and forcing his hand open so he would drop the stones that he held there.

“What happened?” Justin asked again.

Bree had big tears in her violet eyes, but she didn’t seem to be hurt. “Taylor was picking all Dada’s flowers over there,” Bree said pointing to one of the gardens where a pile of flowers lay scattered on the lawn beside it. “I told him to stop and he wouldn’t. I tried to pull him away, and he ran over here and grabbed some stones from the path and threw them at me … twice,” she added with a sniffle. Justin gave his daughter a big hug. A few tears trickled down her face.

“Taylor, you’ve been very bad,” Molly said sternly.

Taylor frowned but didn’t look the least bit contrite. “No!” he said.

“Yes, very bad,” Molly repeated. “You need a time out.”

“No!” Taylor said struggling to escape her grasp.

Molly merely gripped his arm harder and marched him into the sun porch. She pulled out Bree’s stool from her little table and sat Taylor down on it.

“No!” Taylor wailed, the tears coming fast and furious.

“You will sit there until you are ready to apologize to Bree and behave yourself.”

“No,” Taylor wailed. “No.”

“Yes, and the sooner you’re done crying the better.”

“No,” Taylor whimpered. The fight seemed to have gone out of him, but the tears fell faster than ever.

“You sit there for three minutes, and then I’ll come back to see if you’re ready to behave like the good boy I know you are.”

Taylor didn’t answer, just continued to cry.

Molly walked back outside. “I’m really sorry he threw stones, Bree. Are you hurt?”

“No,” Bree said with a sniffle.

“That’s good,” Molly said pulling her niece into a hug.

“Why did he do that?” Bree asked.

“Taylor’s two. They call it the terrible twos. They get into everything, learn the word no, and generally try out everything they’re not supposed to do. Anything bad they can think of, they do,” Molly added with a sigh.

“So, does Taylor still like me?” Bree asked.

“He loves you, Bree. He just doesn’t like to be told that he can’t do something,” Molly explained.

“I don’t like to be told I can’t do stuff either, but I don’t throw stones,” Bree informed her aunt.

“And Taylor shouldn’t be throwing stones,” Molly affirmed.

Bree pulled away from her aunt. “Can I still look after Taylor?” she asked.

Molly smiled. “I’m so happy you still want to.”

“I do, and so does Ashley, right Ashley?”

Ashley nodded in agreement. “But no more stones,” she added.

“Let’s see if Taylor is ready to apologize,” Molly said as she headed back to the sun porch. They all followed her. “Are you done crying?” she asked Taylor. He nodded his head. “And no more throwing stones.” He shook his head. “Then you can play with Bree and Ashley as long as you say you’re sorry to Bree. And you must be a good boy from now on.”

“’Kay,” Taylor said. “Sowwy, Bee.” He stood up.

Molly nodded and off he went outside with the two girls.

“You handled that very well,” Justin said.

“It’s exhausting though. I hate punishing him, but it has to be done.”

“You should have seen Brian when we had to punish Bree.”

“Tell me all about that over a glass of wine?” Molly asked coyly.

“He’ll kill me if you tell anyone else,” Justin warned.

Molly zipped her lips and crossed her heart before they headed to the kitchen to get a bottle of wine.

Some time later Bree and Ashley appeared in the doorway from the sun porch.

“Daddy, can we have drinks?” Bree asked.

“Sure, sweetheart, I’ll get you some lemonade.” Justin stood up.

“Where’s Taylor, Bree?” Molly asked when she didn’t see her son with the two girls.

“He’s okay, Auntie Molly. We brought him in with us. He’s playing with his fireman in the sun porch.”

“Good girl,” Molly told her niece.

Bree beamed. “We need a drink for Taylor too, Daddy.”

“Juice it is,” Justin said as he took the sippy cup that Molly held out to him. “I’ll take this out to Taylor,” he said as Bree and Ashley joined Molly at the kitchen table to drink their lemonade.

Justin almost stepped into the sun porch when he heard Taylor talking. He stopped to listen to what the little boy was saying. Taylor had his fireman sitting on the stool that Molly had used for timeout.

“Are you done cwying?” Taylor asked the fireman. “No? Then you hafta stay there till you are.”

Justin swallowed hard to keep from laughing out loud.

“Are you done now?” Taylor asked again. “You can’t get up, till you behave yourself.” Taylor glared at his fireman on the stool.

Justin chuckled to himself as he called Taylor. “Taylor, come have some juice with us,” he said. Taylor ran over to him. “Do you want to bring your fireman with you?”

“Nope, he’s bad. He hasta stay in timeout.”

“Okaaay,” Justin said as Taylor took his hand and they walked back into the kitchen.



*****



“Have you settled in?” Brian asked as Gerry entered the sun porch.

It was the middle of July, John and his crew had finished the new cottage; Ben and Michael commandeered the first floor while Gerry took over the loft. It was perfect for him. With Michael’s permission Gerry had contacted Michael’s doctor and gotten orders for a simple home exercise program but only to be done under Gerry’s watchful eye. Bree, Ashley and Patrick started day camp. Edna’s Treasures was quiet once again.

“Yes I have, thank you,” Gerry replied.

“How is Michael doing?”

“Better, but he needs to learn how to pace himself. Thank goodness he listens to Ben.”

“More or less,” Brian snarked.

“That’s for sure. But I think if he can get himself into a good routine by the end of the summer he may be able to go back to the city. But he’d be better off here.”

“Then here is where heĀ’ll stay,” Brian stated with authority. “Ben has taken the year off and Debbie has the store under control. Lindsay and the girls have decided to spend time here so Michael will have family around him.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“I sense a but.”

“Not where it concerns Michael.”

“Justin?”

“No, but I have added some light weight training to his exercise program.”

“Sooo, and don’t make me use the whole name.”

“You.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

“It’s time for you to lose that walking boot for short periods and with me only.”

“I knew you cared,” Brian flirted shamelessly making Gerry laugh.

“I’ve consulted the hibiscus gods and your orthopedist and they both agree that we can start putting a little weight on that ankle. But as I said only with me and here in the house where it’s level.”

“Hot damn!”

“I thought you’d see it my way.”

“When do we start?”

“No time like the present.” Gerry squatted down in front of Brian to loosen the boot. “All we’re doing today is flexing the ankle, I want to test your strength,” Gerry said seriously. Brian paid close attention to Gerry’s instructions and an hour later Brian had to admit he was tired and his leg was beginning to throb.

“That’s it for now,” Gerry said.

“But...”

“No, I won’t have you overdo and ruin all my hard work.”

“Your hard work? I’m the one doing all the work,” Brian protested.

“Sure you are. You keep that up and you’re going to re-injure yourself and then what will Justin do to you?” Gerry glowered at Brian.

“He’d beat the shit out of me,” Brian said with a certain amount of meekness.

“Exactly. We have to strengthen your ankle more before you can put weight on it without the boot. Tomorrow we’ll do the same but with ankle weights.”

“Okay,” Brian said contritely. He knew when to bow to the experts.

“Good boy,” Gerry said with a smirk.

“Don’t push it,” Brian growled. Gerry laughed.

“I’ll bring you something for the pain then I’m going out.”

“Out?” Brian asked with an arch of his brow.

“I’m having lunch with a certain man of the soil.”

“Ah. Have fun. Play safe and be home before ten,” Brian teased. Gerry just shook his head. He still couldn’t quite get over how he had become adopted by Brian and his family, but he was enjoying it.



*****



“What are you smirking about?” Justin asked a couple of hours later as he came up the stairs into Brian’s attic office. Justin had been cleared to drive so after he had dropped the kids off at day camp he drove into the city to bring paintings to the gallery. Sidney was back in charge full time since Lindsay decided to finally take a long overdue vacation. Justin had spent the morning with him.

“Just looking over the second quarter financial reports for Kinnetik and the garden center,” Brian said as he looked up from his computer.

“And I take it you’re rolling in dough?” Justin crossed the room to plop his ass into Brian’s lap.

“I wouldn’t say rolling but we’re good,” Brian said nonchalantly.

“Uh huh.” Justin knew what that really meant. “Speaking about the garden center.”

“You mean specifically the man in charge of the garden center?” Brian said with a gleam in his eyes as he leaned back a little to gaze into Justin’s glittering eyes.

“Uh huh,” Justin nodded with a devilish smile.

“They’re having lunch.”

Justin laughed. “I can’t believe you played matchmaker.”

“I am a fag, ya know. It’s written in the fag handbook, to be a good fag, one must do a little matchmaking. I think I qualify.”

“I noticed.”

“What else have you noticed?” Brian asked as he did a little bump and grind into Justin’s ass.

“I’ve noticed that we appear to be all alone,” Justin replied as he ground his ass into Brian.

“And what should we do about it, Sunshine?”

“Let me show you,” Justin said as he stood taking Brian’s hand leading him to the futon.

“By all means, McSunshine, lead on.” With a waggle of two sets of eyebrows, the boys took advantage of their current solitude.



*****



“Daddy.”

“What is it, honeybun?” Michael asked as he was resting on a chaise in the shady backyard of the new cottage.

“Mama called me this morning.” JR ignored the ‘honey bun’ part.

“That’s nice.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?” Michael asked suddenly alarmed.

“She said something weird.”

“How weird?”

“She was asking about my favorite colors and what kind of computer did I use and how she wanted to know how you were feeling,” JR said looking a little scared.

“What did you tell her?”

“I couldn’t lie,” JR mumbled as she crawled onto the chaise next to her father and laid her head on his chest. Michael’s arms went around her.

“I know, baby. And I’d never want you to lie to her.”

“Daddy, I’m afraid. I love Mama, but I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to move. Do you think she’ll take me away?” JR sniffled softly.

“I don’t know, honeybun. We’ll work it out, I promise,” Michael said as he tightened his hug.

“Okay, Daddy,” JR said as she shed silent tears.

Ben watched from the back door of the cottage. He couldn’t help but overhear what his husband and JR were talking about. He stepped back inside to make a call.

“Bobby Morrison.”

“Bobby, it’s Ben.”

“Ben? Is Michael okay?”

“Physically, yes, but I think we need to seriously go over Michael’s custody agreement.”

“Has Melanie done something?” Bobby asked with concern.

“Not yet but I’m afraid she might be planning something.”

“Ben, I only handled Lindsay’s end of the ‘divorce’.”

“I know and I’m prepared to go to the attorney who handled Michael’s agreement, but I’d feel happier if you took a look at the paperwork first.”

“Do you have a copy with you?”

“Yes. Something told me to bring it here with us.”

“We have a fax machine in our home office; send it to me. The number’s programmed in.”

“Thank you, Bobby. I appreciate this.”

“No problem. We’re family and family looks out for each other.”

“Five minutes,” was all that Ben could say.

“I’ll be waiting,” Bobby said before he hung up. “Shit,” Bobby murmured to himself. He wanted to call Brian but stopped himself. This was something Michael and Ben had to do. Brian couldn’t fix this.



*****



Across the country, Lorna called out to Melanie. “Hey, baby, come back to bed. What good is a few days off if you’re going to spend them reading contracts,” Lorna shouted from their bedroom.

“Be right there,” Mel called back as she stared at the two legal documents in her hands.

“Hurry up, the sheets are getting cold!”

“Yeah, cold,” Mel mumbled to herself as she studied the documents looking for loopholes.