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Ben went upstairs to see J.R. who dutifully showed him her short essay. She stood to the side of the small wooden desk as he took the paper from her and sat down in the small wooden chair to read it.  After reading it he placed the paper on the desk and motioned for her to come to him.  She quickly came to stand in front of him.

 

"You did a nice job, J.R.  I hope you understand that when grown-ups ask you to go away for a bit, it is not a punishment.  There are things that grown-ups need to discuss that children don't need to know about."

 

"I know," she said as she nodded her head in understanding.  "But does that mean I'm going to live with you?  I would really like that.  Gus told me he loves living with Uncle Justin and Uncle Brian."  She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and hugged him.

 

Ben's heart melted at her sincerity.  He was torn between wanting to wring Mel and Lind's neck at the neglect this delightful child had suffered and relief at their proposal that would allow him to be a big part of her life.  He understood that the circumstances surrounding this gift were unusual, but he had done his best to try and safeguard both of them in the future.  He'd been around too many of his friends when he was growing up whose parents were either divorced or getting a divorce.  He knew first hand how difficult life could be for them.  He did not want to be the parent who bad-mouthed the other parent.  While he was not married to either of J.R.'s mothers, he still wanted them to be a part of her life and had insisted that they spend at least some time with her each week. 

 

Of course, J.R.'s mothers were not really the big problem in his life; that would be her father, or biological father, Michael.  He'd finally admitted that he did not want to be with Michael anymore and now had to get him out of their home.  He thought Brian and Justin would support him, but what would these actions do to the rest of the family?  He wondered how Emmett and Ted and of course, Debbie would handle the news that he was helping raise J.R., but that Michael was not in his life. 

 

"Well, your mommy Mel is working on a plan for us to spend a lot of time together.  I have to talk to Uncle Brian about it too.  He and Uncle Justin offered to help out when I can't pick you up from school.  But for tonight, you are going to stay here.  I'm going to talk to your moms before I leave about this week, but we will let you know the plan."  Ben said, his voice trying to stay warm and reassuring while his mind raced with all the ramifications of his actions tonight.  He took a deep breath to re-center himself to the here and now.  "Why don't you read some more of your book that we picked up from the library and I'll go talk to your moms.  I'll come up and say goodbye when we have a plan for next week."

 

J.R. reached out and hugged Ben a second time.  "I love you, Daddy Ben," she said. She released him and went to her bed to pick up the book she had been reading when he came up the stairs.

 

Ben went downstairs and found Mel and Linds in the kitchen drinking tea.  "I told J.R. about our agreement and she's really excited.  I know you're going to work something legal up, Mel, but what happens until then?  Do you want me to pick her up from school and bring her to your house  or do you want me to take her home?"

 

"Oh," Mel said in surprise.  She hadn't really thought about the logistics beyond getting Ben to agree to co-parenting.  "Well, if you are able to pick her up after school and keep her, for now, that would be great.  I should have the agreement written in a few days. That will give me and Linds a chance to figure out our schedules and when it would be best for J.R. to come here."

 

"I'll pick her up tomorrow from school.  Let's pack some things now so we won't have to come back here.  Is there anything I need to know about.... After school activities, playdates, field trips in the next week?"

 

Mel and Linds looked at each other, neither of them had thought of any of those particulars."No. She doesn't really do after school activities as there was never any way to get her to and from them. The same thing for play dates," Mel said, realizing how her busy life was truly impacting their daughters.  "Let's go upstairs and pack her a suitcase.  Since she will be staying with you most of the time, we should gather some of her toys and books too."

 

As the three of them gathered clothing, books, and toys for J.R., Ben was excited about the prospect of being a more involved parent.  He couldn't wait to spend time with J.R. and help her explore and learn about the world.  He had a feeling that her existence was not filled with wonder but rather with "to do's".  After the bags were packed, he sat down on her bed and motioned for her to sit beside him.

 

"Tonight, you are going to stay with your mommies and then you will come to stay with me.  I am taking these bags home with me so you will have lots of your things at my house.  Anything you want to come get, we can always arrange to do so.  I just want you to know that your mommies love you very much and want you to be happy.  They are just really busy right now and that is why you are going to stay with me more.  You will still see them."

 

J.R. leaned over and hugged Ben and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  "I love you and I love my mommies.  I'm the luckiest person in the world."

 

Ben grabbed the bags and walked down the stairs.  Lindsay was at the foot of the stairs as he came down and reached out to give him a hug.  "Thank you for your help."

 

Ben nodded and walked toward the door, not answering.  He didn't consider what he was doing was helping, but rather parenting.  Evidently, even with this new agreement, he and the women disagreed on what parenting meant.  He loaded the bags into his car and left the area.  He looked at his watch and saw that it was still early, barely 4:00 in the afternoon and he really wanted advice.  He pulled over into a nearby parking lot and got his phone out. Scrolling down to Brian in his contact list, he touched the icon.  Waiting with baited breath, he hoped he was home and open to a visit.

 

"Kinney," Brian answered, not looking to see who was calling.

 

"Brian, it's Ben," Ben said, his voice filled with hesitancy and uncertainty.

 

"Hey.  Everything okay?  You don't usually call in the middle of the afternoon," he said.  Justin looked at him quizzically and he mouthed "Ben".  Justin nodded and came to sit by him, leaving Colin to mouth his Duplo block.  Brian put the phone on speaker. 

 

"Well, I guess that depends on your definition of fine."  Ben hated to be evasive, but he really wanted to have this discussion in person.  "I was wondering if you guys were busy.  I could come out and explain the situation."  He had parked his car at the far edge of the parking lot at the local grocery store.  He watched as people brought their carts to their cars, unloaded the carts, and then placed the carts into the cart carousel.  He noticed there were several people with young children in tow and watched them with a renewed interest.  The people put the children in their car seats or in the vehicles first and then unloaded the groceries, leaving the child while they returned the cart.  He wasn't sure if that was the smartest move but then decided that a squirming child was hard to contain while someone unloaded groceries and they were probably safer in the car.  Assuring himself that the people were locking the car so no one could take off with the children, made him feel a little better.  He imagined that the best way was for two people to shop together; one to take the cart and one to take care of the children.

 

"Sure.  We're just hanging out with Colin.  Gus is over at a friend's birthday party today.  We have to pick him up at 7:30."

 

"Thanks.  I'll be over in about half an hour."

 

Justin and Brian looked at each other, both men shrugging their shoulders.  Justin watched Colin pick up another Duplo and place it in his mouth.

 

"Our child definitely has an oral fixation.  I swear everything he has he puts in his mouth,"  Brian said as he watched Colin.

 

"Every child his age does that.  He knows where his mouth is and that is the sense he is most familiar with.  He'll outgrow that behavior.  Although.... His father hasn't outgrown putting things in his mouth," Justin said as he teased Brian. "I'll go see what kind of tea Rosa has in the kitchen.  Ben doesn't drink coffee and he seldom wants a beer unless he's at Woody's," Justin said as he stood up to walk to the kitchen.

 

"Zen Ben does like his tea.  Although from the way he sounded on the phone, he might want a beer.  I wonder what happened," Brian said as he thought of their last conversation.  "Do you think he made a decision about Michael or J.R.?"

 

"It would be pretty fast. Ben doesn't strike me as the type to make quick decisions.  No need to speculate.  He'll be here soon.  Why don't you check Colin?  See if he needs a new diaper," Justin said as he called from the kitchen.  He looked in the pantry and found several kinds of tea and decided to put the water on to boil.  He found some cut up carrots and celery that Rosa had left for Gus' snack.  He took out some hummus from the fridge and put some in a bowl and surrounded it with the carrots and celery.  He took down several coffee cups and put them on the counter as well.  Bringing the tray out to the family room, he smiled at Brian who was sitting on the floor changing Colin's diaper.  "You've gotten really good at that.  He doesn't even spray you anymore."

 

"Ha. Ha," said Brian.  The only thing I want spraying me is your dick," he said as he took the dirty diaper and disposed of it in the diaper genie.  He walked to the hall bathroom and washed his hands and then rejoined Justin and Colin.  "Colin, your father is teasing me and if things were different, I'd take him over my knee and show him who is boss.  But you are too little to hang out by yourself and we are expecting company.  He will just have to wait."

 

Justin laughed at the monologue that Brian was providing to their son. "It's a good thing that he is only one and doesn't really understand what you are saying.  I'm just saying...."  The doorbell rang and Justin didn't finish his sentence.  He walked to the door and opened it, ushering Ben inside their home. "Come on in.  You missed the Brian and Colin show.  I was just telling Brian he's gotten really adept at the diapering thing.  I've made some hot water.  Would you like Earl Grey or Camomile tea?"  He motioned toward the couch where Brian was sitting.

 

"Earl Grey is fine.  I didn't know you drank tea."

 

"We don't, but mom does and sometimes Molly likes a cup too.  I keep it for them."

 

"So professor, what has you calling on us in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.  Visiting an almost one-year-old can't be high on your list of great entertainment." 

 

"As you know I had J.R. most of the weekend and I took her back today.  I had asked you to investigate my legal options for petitioning to be more involved with her."

 

Brian and Justin nodded. 

 

"When I went back today, I had already decided that I was going to ask to be more involved, but I was blown away when Mel and Linds asked me to basically take over.  They said they are very busy with their careers and realized that they don't have the time to devote to motherhood.  I told Mel I wanted a written agreement.  I didn't want them to change their mind six months from now and decide they wanted her all the time and I would be left with visiting her at their whim.  I insisted that they dedicate one night a week, when both of them were home, to having J.R. in their home."

 

Brian and Justin sat still for a few minutes, not sure where to start with the questions or comments.  They looked at their son, playing on the floor, happy to explore his surroundings and couldn't fathom a time where they decided that they were too busy with their careers to be parents.  They had worked too hard to get here and their decision to have a child was something they had discussed at great length. 

 

"Wow.  I didn't expect that," Justin said.  "I mean, I know that Lindsay has been spending a lot of time attending functions and Mel is super busy with her practice, but to actually admit out loud that they are too busy to be parents.  I..."  Justin faltered, not sure how he would voice all his thoughts.

 

Brian said, "Those bitches.  They start with not having time for Gus and then they practically accuse me of bribing Gus to stay with me and now this."

 

Justin laid his hand on Brian's, giving it a reassuring squeeze.  "Hey if they are too busy for J.R., they're definitely too busy to fight us for Gus."

 

Brian nodded in agreement. "So, what can we do for you, professor?  Seems that you don't need our input into convincing them to let you be more involved."  Brian watched Colin crawl to the couch, roll over and play with his feet.  He smiled at the antics of his son.

 

"I'm worried about picking up J.R. after school.  I can do it most days, but there are some days I have class.  I'm sure the dean will work with my schedule for next term, but for now, that is something I can't change."  Ben bent down and gave Colin a pat on his head and watched as he scurried off to find new adventures.  "There is so much I don't know, I'm not even sure where to start.  We kept J.R. for a few hours each week and occasionally overnight; this full-time parenting is going to be very different."

 

"You've actually done the hard part, deciding to be a parent.  Commitment is probably the biggest hurdle.  Rules and boundaries are important too.  Right now, J.R. is thankful that you are interested in her, something her mothers obviously lacked.  But fairly quickly she will start to challenge you.  Gus is a great kid, but he tries to push boundaries too.  He asks to spend more time playing video games and watching tv then we want him to.  He pushes his bedtime and a lot of other things, but we made rules from the start and he appreciates them,"  Justin said as he got on the floor to play chase with Colin.  Ben and Brian watched the two crawl after each other and the giggles and smiles from both made Brian's heart melt.  He wouldn't trade this for any amount of money.  Moments of play were truly the treasure of life.

 

"I agree with Justin.  You need to think about rules and guidelines for J.R.  She probably hasn't had a lot of structure from what you are sharing.  While she was probably great this weekend and when she comes to visit, it will be different when she is living with you full time."

 

Ben listened to the men and nodded in understanding.  "Rules, I guess I need to think about them."

 

"Not really, just incorporate them into routines.  She's smart, she'll catch on.  Tell her what you want and what to expect, its way better than a rule chart and make sure you have consequences for when the rules are not followed.  Don't just say you will never play video games or play on youtube or any other fun thing unless you really mean to take away the privilege."  Justin got up and returned to the couch.  Colin decided that since his father wasn't playing anymore, he would see if he could stand up and tried standing at the edge of the couch.  All the men stopped their conversation to watch and cheered when he pulled himself up and took a few steps holding on to the couch.  He did this a few times and got bored, crawling over to his soft balls and mirror where he decided to have a conversation with the cute baby smiling back at him.

 

"This all makes great sense.  I just don't want to ask for advice from Mel and Linds.  I don't want them to think I don't know what I'm doing.  I have some professor friends in the child development center who could guide me.  I also don't want to ask Debbie.  She's a great supporter of children, but I don't want child-rearing advice from her."

 

Brian and Justin nodded in agreement.  None of them wanted to condone how she raised Michael but it was definitely on all of their minds.

 

"Speaking of Debbie, what about Michael?  Is he on board with the whole parenting thing?"

 

Ben grimaced at the mention of his husband.  "Well,... actually that is a whole other issue.  Michael is not on board at all.  Despite his verbiage of "we need to protect J.R., she's my daughter, etc, he wanted Mel and Linds to do the work."  Ben looked around the room, seeing all the infant toys, the plugs in the outlets, the soft foam on the edges of the furniture and flashed back to the times he'd been in this room prior to his friends having a baby.  They had literally flipped their world upside down and changed their lifestyle for their child.  He was ready to do this for the opportunity to be a father, but he understood that Michael was not going on this journey with him.  This made him sad.

 

"Michael is vested in his comics, his conventions and when I mentioned having J.R. on a regular basis, he basically balked.  I don't want to force him into fatherhood.  I'm not interested in fighting that battle.  This is really important to me and I don't want to fight with him about whose turn it is to tuck her in or pick her up from school.  He's already told me that after school is his busy time at the store and he isn't available.  When I unexpectedly had J.R. for the whole weekend, he was unwilling to give up his plans to spend time with her.  I don't want a partner that isn't interested in the same things that I am.  Unfortunately, I've been thinking about this reality for a while and gaining custody of J.R. solidified it.  We are done."  Ben rubbed his hands over his face a few times, but then looked at Brian and Justin.  "Now the really hard part of this is how do I handle that situation.  I think that it will be harder than becoming an instant full-time father of a 7-year-old."

 

Brian and Justin looked at each other, neither speaking but each in deep thought about the latest revelation. 

 

"So you're done?" Brian asked.

 

"Yes.  Michael sees fatherhood as a way to bond with you, and has never understood that fatherhood is its own joy.  I know he's "your best friend" and I hope my decision doesn't impact our friendship." Ben said as he finally voiced what he knew in his heart for several months.

 

"Professor, I think that train left the station a long time ago.  He still thinks he's my "best friend", but actually that role belongs to my husband.  Unfortunately, I agree with you regarding Michael's interest in fatherhood.  He just sees it as a way to hang out with me and Gus.  He doesn't even want Colin around as he takes my focus away from Michael.  He prefers Gus and I to hang out with him as Gus is pretty independent and doesn't require my full attention."

Brian leaned over and gave Justin a quick kiss on the lips.  Justin smiled and returned the kiss.

 

"So, do you need a divorce lawyer?" Brian asked as he mentally went through his list of contacts who were lawyers. 

 

"I hadn't thought that far ahead, but I guess the answer is yes.  Preferably one that is not expensive.  We really don't have any assets. The house is in my name since he had no credit.  I don't want the comic shop or any of his earnings.  We have no children,"  Ben said but then stopped short.  "Do you have a lawyer who could look over the papers that Mel is putting together?  I know that she wants me to be sole custodian of J.R., but Michael is her biological parent.  I could see Debbie fighting over her "rights" to J.R."

 

"I agree.  Don't worry about a lawyer.  I'll talk to my lawyer that helped me with Gus."

 

"Thanks, but I don't..."

 

"...have a lot of money.  Don't worry, professor.  Money is something I have in abundance.  And as we discussed earlier, money is not what J.R. needs.  She needs a parent who is there for her and you want to do this.  I can help you by paying for the legal side of things."

 

A tear slid down Ben's cheek and he wiped it away.  "I don't know how to thank you.  You are being so generous."

 

"My thanks will be seeing J.R. grow into a beautiful young woman and my son getting to see his sister on a regular basis.  Welcome to the family," Brian said as he moved to shake Ben's hand.

 

"But what should I do about Michael?"

 

"That one is a little harder, but I can pay for a lawyer there as well."

 

"Brian, you are too generous.  I can't ask that."

 

"You're not asking, I'm volunteering.  You need to concentrate on settling in with J.R and adjusting to parenthood.  The Novotnys are known for their drama and no one wants to hear or put up with it.  I would suggest you move in with us for a while, but I don't think that would be helpful.  I can't guess how Michael will react, but my guess it won't be good.  If I may make a suggestion...."

 

"Sure, I'm open to anything," Ben said.

 

"You might want to tell Emmett and Ted before you tell Michael.  I know he will go directly to them and start his "I'm wronged saga".  But if you get to them first, you will have allies."

 

"Brian, do you really think they will side with me?"  Ben asked, uncertain of the loyalty of the members of their group.  Ben and Michael had been married for almost 10 years and while he was accepted by the group, he was never sure they would support him if Michael was not in the picture. 

 

"Ben, you've been a part of this family for a long time.  Don't sell yourself short.  Besides, your biggest ally will be J.R.  The fact that Mel and Linds are giving you custody will speak volumes," Justin said.  He knew what it was like to be the outsider, but had been accepted by the "gang" a long time ago.  When everyone saw that Brian was wanting him around, everyone but Michael was supportive of their relationship.  Michael still resented the marriage and their child, but that was his loss.

 

Ben looked at his watch and saw that it was almost 7:00. He'd been there for several hours and needed to let them get back to their family and he had some major planning to accomplish.  "I guess I need to go figure out how to start the next chapter in my life.  If you could talk to the lawyers, Brian, I'd appreciate it.  I don't know how I will repay you."

 

"Like I said, professor.  I've got more money than I can possibly spend in a lifetime.  Let us help you.  We can pick up J.R. from school any time.  This way she gets to spend time with Gus and you feel confident that she is not left alone.  As for the other stuff, it will come together.  I do suggest you tell Ted and Emmett as soon as possible.  The longer you keep Michael in the dark, the more difficult it will be."

 

"I agree.  It's early.  I'll give them a call on my way home and tonight I'll tell Michael.  Wish me luck, gentleman.  I think these next few hours will be the most difficult in my life."

 

Justin got off the couch and gave Ben a huge hug.  "We'll be there for you, Ben.  Give us a call if you need anything.  Do you need us to pick up J.R. tomorrow?"

 

"No.  I'll do it.  I think I need to pick her up and tell her about Michael and how things are going to work out.  These next few days will be a challenge."

 

"Agreed," Brian said. He stood up and walked Ben to the door.  He gave him a hug and said, "Take care, professor.  I'll make those calls in the morning.  I'll text you their information."

 

 

TBC

 

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