6.

Brian sat at his desk and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to get rid of the impending headache. He was dealing with a difficult client who has a franchise of car parts in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio. Justin comes in, and seeing the pain in Brian’s eyes, he goes behind him and starts to massage his neck and temples.

"I’ve redone the boards, Bri. I’ve given it my best."

He sets the boards up and Brian looks at what he’s done. It shows a mechanic with no shirt on and wearing form-fitting jeans bent over an open hood fixing a car in one panel. The others show him changing the brakes, and under a car putting in a new transmission. Boxes of parts bearing the franchise name were lying around the garage.

“Since they sell the parts, I thought we could show someone fixing their own vehicle and...”

The door bangs open making them both jump... “Briiiaaannnnn!!”

Before either man could respond, a hand clamped on Michael’s arm.

"I TOLD you they were busy. This is a place of business, and even if they wanted to talk to you, which they don’t, they don’t have time!”

"Let go of me. You have no right! Brian will..."

"Not do a damn thing. You are banned from here - permanently..."

Michael gives Cynthia a push, making her stumble back. When she grabs for him again, he raises his hand as if to hit her. The next moment, he’s on the floor holding his jaw. Cynthia stands over him shaking her hand out. Grabbing the back of his tee-shirt she starts to drag him to the exit. The receptionist holds the door open while Michael is taken out and left on the sidewalk. The door is locked behind him.

“Don’t worry about it, Dianna. It takes practice to keep Michael out.”

Going back to Brian’s office, she sees Brian, Justin, and Ted standing there with stunned looks on their faces.

"What? My days of being nice are over. You two are fighting back, so I will too. Ted? Contact our lawyer to see if he can’t get a restraining order against Michael. There should be camera footage of his behavior. Now, back to work." She returns to her desk. Calmly picking up a file and looking through it.

Looking at Brian and Justin, Ted says, "I think we should never get on Cynthia’s bad side. I’ll make the call.”

Later that day, restraint orders are handed to Michael, banning him from going to the loft or Kinnetik. He is also to stay fifty feet away from Brian and Justin.

That evening when Brian and Justin get home, as they’re getting out of the jeep they hear a screech behind them.

"I want to talk to you guys!” Deb screeches as she comes barreling towards them.

"Deborah, leave my sons alone!" Jennifer says as she puts a restraining hand on her arm.

“Sons? You only have one son. That bastard will give me an answer on Michael’s treatment today." She unsuccessfully tries to pull away.

"THEY are committed to each other. Thus Brian is my son now. I think we know who the bastard is. You were never married to Lt. Novotny or Danny DeVore. Deborah, you need to realize what you are doing. You are losing everyone you supposedly love. You are going to end up with Michael being the only one you have. Imagine listening to him whine about whatever is supposedly wrong in his world, all day. I know Vic tried to warn you that you were spoiling him. He needs to learn how to handle his own life. Let him grow up, Deborah. Now please! Go home and think about this. "

Jennifer goes on into the building. Deborah watches as Jennifer puts her arms around Brian. He lays his head down on her shoulder, drawing comfort from the only mother he can count on. Deborah slowly turns and walks away.

___________________________

Upstairs...

"A glass of wine, Mom?"

Seeing her nod, Justin gets her a glass of white wine and glasses of Beam for Brian and himself.

"Mom, Brian and I have been talking about buying a house. We don’t want it too close to the Avenue."

"We’d like to have something with four or five bedrooms, a studio for Justin, and an office for me. I’d like to have a gym in the basement with an indoor pool. Outside, we could have room for a bigger pool and a tennis court. We thought it would be nice to learn how to play. Perhaps four or five acres with some woods, as well."

Pulling her laptop out, she goes through several listings.

"I have four houses you can look at. Three of them have large finished basements. Let me see, this one in West Virginia is thirty minutes from Pittsburgh. Hmmm, the basement isn’t finished, but could easily be fixed up as a gym. It’s really the only one large enough to accommodate an indoor pool, and there is a tennis court as well. Have you ever ridden a horse, Brian? There’s a stable. We used to ride when the kids were young.“

"I never had lessons, but I did have an uncle on Mom’s side that we used to visit. He had horses that I’d ride. Jus, what do you think about these houses?"

“Well, this one on Allegheny Drive is on the river. We’d have to check it out. I like the look, but we don’t want to get blocked in by high water if we bought it. This one in West Virginia I really like. Uhh, Brian?”

“I’m listening, Baby. Just checking on something. Okay, it would be a bit of a drive especially in winter, but it might deter unwanted visits from unwanted guests; Mom excluded of course. Jus, let’s check this one out. Look at what I found on my phone. They have enclosed their outdoor pool. Notice the tinted glass on the sides, plus an overhead awning. We could swim year-round. Plus, we could sunbathe on the patio in the summer."

"I really like that one the best, Bri. I know we talked about selling the loft, but we could use it in bad weather."

"Baby, let’s see what your mom can do for us in the West Virginia manor. The pictures here show it to be in great shape."

"Let me check something really quick. Hmm, where was it? Ahh, here it is. I know this is small, but it’s right behind Kinnetik. It’s a two-bedroom, but has one full bath connected to the master. Separate shower with a nice tub. Then a bath with a shower only. My thoughts are you could use this for the bad weather or when you work late. It’s been on the market for five years. The West Virginia house for eight years. Let me see what kind of deals I can get you. Justin, I’ve kept this quiet, but I have been in negotiations with your father. I backed him into a corner so he had to deal with me. He managed to get his friend at the bank to let him empty my inheritance from my father. I gave him the choice to replace the money or I’d file charges. He turned one of the stores over to me and I’ve sold it for half of the money. He had to empty his savings and sell stocks to repay the rest. I’m dividing it three ways between you, Molly, and myself. This second house, I want to buy and gift you and Brian. I have enough to do that and still have plenty for my retirement someday. Please Brian, Justin, doing this means a lot to me. Of course, you will want to see it first. If you don’t like it, there are some loft apartments that aren’t too far from Kinnetik. It’s in a mixed neighborhood. But it’s gay friendly. Brian please, you’ve always been there for Justin.”

Brian and Justin looked at each other. They silently communicated to each other. Finally, Brian smiled at Justin and gave him a kiss.

"Okay, Mom. Make arrangements to view the houses.”

___________________________

"Well, it is small, Jus. But if we used it as a place to go in bad weather, it should be okay. Plus there is a garage to park in."

"Bri, we could build a covered walkway between the house and Kinnetik. There is a backdoor to connect to. So Mom, are you sure you can handle this?”

"Yes, Justin. I wouldn’t have offered if I couldn’t. So I take it that you want it?"

Brian wrapped his arms around Jennifer. "Thanks, Mom.”

___________________________

They all rode together to see the manor. Though he tried to contain himself, Brian could tell Justin loved it. He had to admit that he liked it as well. He had already told Ted to free up the money for it. As they were walking the grounds, Brian’s phone rang.

"Hey, Ted, what did you figure out for me? Uh-huh. Great! Well, no gossiping about this, okay? It’s for a house. More like a manor."

He first grabbed Justin and swung him around. Then before she could move, he grabbed Jennifer and did the same with her.

“So Baby, we want this, right? I have enough to pay half down. Hopefully a thirty-year mortgage. We will sell the loft, furniture and all. Jenn? Can you get right on that and Ted will handle the down payment."

Within two weeks, they had both houses. The loft had several bidders and sold for $3,000,000. The only furniture they took was Brian’s desk and the chaise. The winter house, as they named it, had been painted and the walkway built. A fence surrounded the property with complete security. They had furnished it and moved in so the loft sale could be completed. Then Ted arranged for a portion of the money to automatically pay the mortgage. Not a lot had to be done to the manor. Justin did some sketches of what he envisioned. He found an app online that he could create what he wanted. Upon Brian’s approval, they hired a contractor to do the work.

___________________________

Ted, Blake, Em, and Drew were eating breakfast at the diner. Michael came storming in, immediately demanding Ted tell him where Brian had moved to.

"Not gonna happen, Michael. If he wants to let everyone know, he will tell them. His days of doing whatever you wanted are over with.”

Grabbing Ted’s chair, he spun Ted around. “He’s my best friend! You...”

Blake grabbed Michael and got right in his face. Kiki blocked Deb from getting out from behind the counter.

“Never do that again! None of us answer to you! He said no, accept it. You are no one's best friend! Best friends have each other’s backs. All you wanted was for Brian to keep drinking, taking Anita’s mix, and having sex with whoever. He’s not that man anymore. We can all see that. He sold the loft. Only his real friends know where he’s moved."

Blake let go of Michael as a man walked up to him. He handed Michael a paper and said, "This paper is a restraining order. You are not allowed to go to any residence or business Brian and Justin Taylor Kinney own. You must stay five hundred feet away."

Tearing the paper up, Michael stormed out of the diner.

"Deb, you really need to stop him before he gets too far. He’ll be jailed if he goes to Kinnetik," Ted says.

"Brian wouldn’t..." she starts then stops. She went and sat down at a table. Em starts to get up, but Drew stops him. Kiki sits down at her table.

“Deb, it’s been eighteen years since Brian came into your and Michael’s life. What started out as him doing what he could to help you - because you took care of him and showed him love - has turned into a demand for him to repay you. He doesn’t owe you anything. He’s grown up now. He loves Justin. Hon, Justin was never a trick, and he certainly wasn’t just a fuck. Brian was faced with a young man that had a crush on him that turned into loving Brian. But Justin was able to see the man inside wanting to come out. We all saw that, but you and Michael refused to. It took a while for Brian’s walls to come down, he didn’t know what to do with Justin. He didn't think he deserved him. Justin didn’t give up. He learned to back off, yet he was still there for him. I saw that many times when he was working here. Brian needs someone who will challenge him. Who calls him on his shit. He’s young, but Justin is more of Brian’s equal. You need to let Michael deal with his own life. Make him grow up. Listen to him, advise him, but don’t solve his problems."

___________________________

Dianna sees Michael heading for Kinnetik. Oh no! Why me? "Fred, if he doesn’t leave, call the police." She steps outside the door and locks it behind her. Her cell in her hand.

"Mr. Novotny, you need to leave. I know you got the restraining order.” He tries to move her out of the way, but she pushes him back. “I have three older brothers. I can put you on the ground. No! You are not getting in!"

Carl pulls up, with another officer pulling in behind him.

"Michael, this is your only warning. We WILL jail you. You must leave."

Dianna takes her phone and calls Brian’s office.

"Mr. Taylor Kinney, Michael is here as well as the police. What do you want to be done?" She puts the phone on speaker.

"I know he was served. Have the police take him in."

"Officer Hanley, do your duty. Cuff him."

Fred and Dianna watch as the police cars pull away.

Later at the station, Michael calls his ma. "You’ve got to help me, Ma. I’ve been arrested. WHAT!? What do you mean, 'No'? You can’t leave me here! Ma? MA!”