Once Justin was back in his loft he finally let out a breath. Brian was pregnant with his child. How crazy was that? It was so overwhelming. After Tommy and Marissa, he thought he was done with kids. It worried him that Brian probably would chose to terminate. But it was his choice, it wasn’t something Justin could choose for him. Not that Brian would let him.

When he left Brian’s, he was worried about leaving the boys. But he felt that testing Brian’s limits wasn’t for the best. The boys would be fine, if a little confused and worried.

Justin fed Marissa, burped her then changed her. She was already dozing by the time he laid her down. His phone rang not long after.

“Hello,” he answered quietly.

“I didn’t mean to yell,” Brian said gruffly.

Justin noticed Brian hadn’t said he was sorry. It really wasn’t in his nature though.

Stepping over the baby’s bouncy seat, he walked over to his bed. Sitting down, his body and mind finally caught up to the day.

“So, have you decided what you want to do?” Justin asked.

“Yes.”

“Well?” he asked, when it was clear Brian wasn’t going to say more.

“I’m going to have it.”

“What?” Justin was shocked, very shocked.

“You weren’t raised in my house. I have my own reasons for having it. We need to talk about what happens next?”

“What is that?”

“Well, I can’t have three kids in this loft. It’s already filled to capacity. I’m thinking about getting a house.”

“A house?” A smile curved his mouth just thinking about Tommy and Gus playing in a backyard. “The boys will love that.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Would you and Marissa like to move in with us?”

Justin couldn’t believe his ears. Was Brian really asking him what he thought he was?

“Really?” He wanted to be a family? Justin’s heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest. He had wanted Brian Kinney the first night he met him, five years ago.

“Yes, it will be good for the boys, Marissa and this baby. Not to mention that if you live with me, it will be easier to have our own lives again. I could start going back to the gym in the evening, Babylon on weekends.”

That’s when Justin saw the offer for what it really was. A live-in nanny. Or maybe a housewife without the benefit of a relationship or love. He was tempted to say no, but looking over at Marissa sleeping in her bed, he knew he couldn’t deny her living with her siblings.

“Sure, sounds great,” he said, faking enthusiasm.

The next day Brian told him he had an appointment at the doctor. Brian wouldn’t let him come with him. He tried not to let it show how much it hurt.

A family dinner was called for that Saturday at Debbie’s. Justin knew the reason, Ted and Erik were announcing their pregnancy.

When Saturday finally arrived, Justin found himself with all three kids. Justin was driving the kids over to Debbie’s for the dinner. Brian had gotten him an SUV, just a few days earlier. At first he told Brian no, but the older man pointed out that it was a necessity with the children.

“Is Daddy going to be there?” Gus asked from his seat.

“Yes, his flight arrives in an hour. He’s going be there soon after he lands.” Brian had to flight to New York the previous day. One of his clients, was having a major meltdown about his new promotion, one that he had already agreed on.

“Can I eat ice cream for dinner?” Tommy asked.

“No, Debbie worked hard on the food she’s making. You’re going to eat whatever you are served.”

“Eww…what if she makes broccoli?” Tommy asked wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“You don’t have to eat anything that you don’t like, but you will eat real food.”

“Fine,” Tommy huffed.

Justin pulled up and parked near Deb’s. He hoped that Brian was in a better mood when he arrived. Ever since he found out he was pregnant and chose to keep the baby, he’d been on edge. It was hard to talk to him without worrying about making him shutdown.

“I want you two to hold hands when we cross the street,” he told the boys as he got Marissa out of her carrier.

“Can we skip?” Gus asked.

“Umm…sure, have a blast.” He didn’t know what that was about, but was sure it would be over his head. Children’s logic was something he didn’t get.

So he walked alongside two little boys holding hands and skipping. His father would be so proud. Not.

“Heya, honey. You’re the first to arrive,” Debbie greeted them at the door. Justin smiled as they walked into the house.

He was exhausted. Utterly exhausted. Robert Stanley of Stanley Waters Corp was a nightmare. At first, he loved the campaign, then when the ads were headed to print he said he was going to pull the plug. Brian had to make him see sense, which wasn’t easy.

It wasn’t until last night, that the man said why he really wanted Brian there. The slug of a man, had the audacity to threaten to pull his whole account, if Brian didn’t sleep with him. There was a lot of things he had done in the past for business that he hated. But those days were over. Brian pointed out he had a contract, and nowhere in it said he had to fuck him. When the man’s face reddened, Brian told him his lawyer would be in touch. The guy backed down. Apparently, having his family lawyer deal with his case of blue balls wasn’t something he wanted. Must not have wanted the wife and kids to find out either.

Arriving at Debbie’s, he could hear laughing and chatting inside. He walked in without knocking. Inside, he saw most everyone in the living room. Ted was sitting in Vic’s old recliner, Erik on the arm. Ted looked even bigger than when he saw him yesterday morning. Marissa was on the floor with both Gus and Tommy, they were shaking baby toys in her face then tossing them away when it looked like she was interested in them. Typical. Carl and Emmett were chatting on the couch. When he walked by, it sounded like they were talking about football. That couldn’t be right though. He could hear Debbie in the kitchen talking. Not surprisingly, Justin was in with her and Ben putting the finishing touches on dinner. What did surprise him was Lindsay, who was sitting at the table reading a magazine. He didn’t expect her to be there.

“Hey, Linz.” She looked up and glared at him.

She would be getting Gus every other weekend until her house was sold. She needed a stable living environment, and for some reason she refused to stay at her house. Right now, she was living in a hotel with that Sam guy, no place for a small boy. But he had to allow visitation or it would look bad on him.

“Brian,” she said primly, before turning back to the magazine. It was funny, she bitched about wanting to spend time with her son but here she was not even in the same room with him.

“Is Melanie coming?” Debbie asked hesitantly.

“No, I don’t think so. She doesn’t care anymore, about anything. She’s gone.”

Brian and Debbie exchanged a long look. It didn’t seem like Mel to give up without a fight. Also, odd was not speaking to any of them. Ted was her best friend, and he hadn’t heard from her in a while.

“Dinner’s ready!” Debbie yelled.

Everyone sat around the extended table, except the boys, they had a child table just inside the living room. Marissa was in the crib.

“So, what’s the big news?” Emmett asked.

Ted spoke up. “Guys, well as you’ve been noticing, I’ve gained a little weight.”

Brian snorted, but then remembered his own situation, making it not so funny then. Looking up he saw Erik glaring at him. He held up his hands in surrender.

“Anyway,” Erik said. “It looks like you’re going to be a great aunt.” He was looking over at Debbie.

“What? Teddy’s pregnant? I can’t fucking believe it.” She jumped up hugging both Ted and Erik. “How far along are you?”

“That’s the thing, I’m only five months along.”

“I thought for sure you’d be further along,” Justin said before blushing and hanging his head. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, about that,” Ted said.

“Is it twins?” Emmett asked, clapping his hands.

“No,” Ted said slowly.

“Is something wrong with the baby?” Carl asked. By the faces around him, Brian guessed that the thought never occurred to them.

“Well, Baby A seems to be in the best shape, health wise. Baby B, is just a little smaller but looks pretty healthy. But Baby C is struggling. As of Monday, I go on bedrest.”

“Triplets?” Debbie screeched, looking like she was going to faint.

“Yes, Baby B is a boy. A and C are girls. But C is pretty small. The doctor was very clear; Ted needs to rest as much as possible. Baby C will need the most time to grow. We still could lose her or all of them.”

Everyone congratulated them. Even Brian told him not to worry about work. Baby C’s situation sounded precarious. He didn’t need the stress of work.

Sharing a look with Justin, they silently agreed to wait on their news. It wasn’t like with Ted and Erik. They weren’t a couple; they were acquaintances that now shared two children, not a couple

Two days later Brian, Justin and Marissa were touring houses. None of the houses spoke to Brian, so he decided to wait a little longer to decide. He had nine months after all.

Justin invited Brian and the boys over for dinner. At first, he thought he would turn him down. But Brian accepted and now Justin was nervous. Things hadn’t been bad since he found out he was pregnant but that wasn’t to say things were happy-go-lucky.

Marissa was thankfully sleeping, which made cooking dinner easier. Tommy was pickier eater than Gus but they both loved chicken and rice. He was using a new recipe he found. Tommy was very anti-vegetable. That meant he had to sneak in the veggies.

A quiet knock sounded from the door.

“Once second,” he yelled before washing his hands and drying them.

When he opened the door Gus was standing in front of the door. Alone.

“Where is your dad?” he asked.

“Coming, I’m faster,” he said, puffing out his chest.

Just then, he saw Brian coming down the stairs. He was carrying a smiling Tommy.

“Did I miss something?” Justin asked.

“Nope, just trying to keep my figure. I shudder to think about turning into a blimp like Theodore.” Brian put down Tommy, both boys then ran inside.

“Unlikely, unless you have triples too.”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Brian said, without heat.

“I know this must be hard on you,” Justin said seriously.

“Of course it is. But that doesn’t change anything. Well, except you are never getting near my ass again.”

“Brian,” Justin hissed, his face blushing scarlet.

“What?”

“The boys are right there,” Justin said as he pointed to the boys, who were now crawling on the floor.

“What are they doing?” Brian asked.

“Isn’t is obvious?”

“No.”

“Boys, tell your dad what you’re doing.”

“Looking for treasure,” Tommy answered.

Brian looked back at Justin, brow raised. Justin was now laughing. “You had no idea either, did you?”

“Nope.”

Justin cackled more as he turned around. It earned him a smack on the ass. Turning back around to look at Brian he could swear he saw something close to affection in his eyes. But it was gone before he could be sure. He must have been seeing things that weren’t there.