Epilogue

It had been six months since Ben had brought J.R. to his home.  During that time, Mel and Linds had seen her every week for at least one evening.  They had set aside Thursday evenings as their night to be with her and both of them had cleared their calendars to keep that obligation.  They played games, talked, and visited.  She had begun taking cooking classes at the local grocery store and showed off her new cooking skills and after a few months asked to make special foods.  She was doing well in school and Ben had been helping her with her writing. 

J.R. was very busy and had a schedule of afternoon activities.  J.R.  spent several afternoons a week at Britin, visiting with her brother while Ben taught his afternoon class.  Gus liked seeing his sister and they often played with Colin when she visited.  She spent one day a week at Kinnetik, either working with Ted or attending the daycare for staff children.  She spent one day a week with Emmett and as she gained more cooking skills, he taught her about the catering business and they often tried out new recipes. The final day of the work week she alternated with going to the college and doing her homework or visiting a friend after school.  On weekends, Ben had arranged for her to have play dates at least once a month and sometimes she had friends spend the night.  As promised he had conversations with all the parents trying to ensure her safety. 

J.R. was happy with her life and everyone was glad to see how well adjusted she was.  She saw her grandma Debbie every Sunday at Sunday dinner and sometimes she got to go to the diner when she visited Kinnetik or Emmett.  Occasionally she would spend the night at her grandma's house too. 

As for her father, she saw him about as much as she did before all the custody issues occurred.  He would attend Sunday dinner and about once a month, he would have her come to his apartment for a few hours.  They usually watched a movie or he took her to see Debbie.  Michael was happy with the arrangement and didn't push for more. 

Gus was thriving at Britin.  He was a great student and had spent time with Justin in his studio, learning about painting techniques as well as the business side of art.  He occasionally went with his father to Kinnetik and his father explained to him the business side of the agency as well.  Gus had told his fathers that he thought he might want to major in business but they had told him he didn't need to make a decision for a few years.  As for his mothers, he saw them when they came to Sunday dinner, but that was only once a month or so.  Occasionally Lindsay would call him, but it was infrequent.  Gus questioned why his moms did not want him and his fathers explained that they were just really busy with their careers.  They tried to give him extra attention at those times, but eventually, Gus accepted that his dads were more interested in parenting than his moms. 

Baby Colin was a year and a half and exploring.  He was babbling and spoke a few words.  His fathers still spent almost every evening with him and Gus still found his big brother duties a big part of his life.  Brian and Justin were very happy with their decision to have a child and never regretted the changes in their lives. 

Ben divorced Michael and Michael did not contest the divorce.  Ben was a devoted father and even if Michael did not acknowledge this fact, he realized that he would not have wanted to be that involved in J.R.'s life.   Ben's life was very busy with his job as a teacher and his parenting but he managed to meet a few men and was considering dating a man he'd recently met at a lecture at the college. 

Fatherhood had been a blessing for Brian, Justin, and Ben.  Their friends became involved in the parenting process as well and all the men flourished for their involvement with their children.

The end