Chapter 8

Brian sat in his vehicle in stunned silence.  He could have dealt with a father in jail.  He would have known what to do if the man was homeless and lived under a bridge. But what in the hell was he going to do with a priest? He hadn’t done church in years unless doing the priest counted and that had been a bit ago. He kept watching the door, needing to talk to Justin.  He was about to get out of the vehicle when he saw Justin walking toward him.  He got out and stood watching him walk.  Justin saw him and started jogging toward him.

“Sorry, you had to wait. I got caught up talking about the art program and then…” Brian’s mouth came down on Justin’s to quiet him. He felt he needed to silence him and by kissing him it calmed his nerves a bit. “Bri, are you alright?” He put his arms around Brian and felt his whole body vibrate. “Did Mrs. Connor tell you something?”

“Sunshine, will you drive home?”

“Sure, darling.  What happened?”

“I just need to think. Did you learn anything from Anna?”

“Anna wasn’t with us today.  Lily said she has been in her own little world since yesterday.”

“Oh, shit, we broke her.”

“It is normal for her, I was told.  We just happened to hit her on a really good day. Lily admitted she seemed to be a bit restless because of our visit but she was no help.  What did you learn? Did she know anything about Kevin and where he is?”

“Well, sort of.”

“Sort of?””

“Last time she heard of him he was in New York.”

“Did she know anything about him? Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I hadn’t even thought of that but I think the answer to that will be no.”

“Why, has he died? Has something happened to him?”

“Justin, after Anna had her breakdown he became a priest.  My father is a father.”

“Holy shit,” Justin said softly. “Did Mrs. Connor know what happened?”

“She only knew what the rumors were. It was said that Kevin came to my parents house expecting to find Anna.  He had been drinking and was out of it.  Well, he thought Joan was Anna and Joan didn’t protest. He confessed to Anna what happened and that is when she had her break from reality.”

“And you were conceived that night?”

“So it is said. You know I just realized I didn’t get a last name? I’ll have to call Mrs. Connor.”

“Brian, I think I have that.  Lily looked back in Anna Claire’s file and found the next of kin.  There was a name there.”

“And?”

“His name was Kevin, are you ready for this?”

“Justin, I am not in the mood for games.”

“Brian, if all of this is correct, your father’s name is Kevin Taylor.”

Brian tipped his head back and laughed loudly.  “Well, finally a name I would be proud to have.”

“You don’t have any long lost uncles do you? I wonder if my mother even realizes what your last name is?”

“I honestly don’t know.  What are you going to do next, Brian?”

“I am going to go have a conversation with my….her.  I promised I would have her out of here by Thanksgiving and that is only a couple weeks away so I am going to push her and then I am going to go dump her at her front door.”

“Brian, she isn’t ready to go without some assistance.”

“I know.  I talked to the agency that has been supplying the therapists and they say she doesn’t need nearly as much therapy anymore and it is much cheaper to hire home health care than therapists so her insurance will now cover her assistance at home.”

“I can’t wait to get her out of our place.  She has been nothing but a pain in the ass since Ronni insisted she come to our place.  Well, now she is on her way out.”

“I plan to talk to her the next couple days but after that I hope I never have to lay sight on her again.”

Justin pulled into the driveway and noticed a small car parked by the garage and next to it was a few pieces of wood and a box which Justin could only imagine was the ventilation system. As the garage door moved up Len stood in the front of the garage.

Brian walked directly into the house, not wanting to make small talk. Justin sat in the car for a second longer and saw the way Len watched Brian walk. He watched Len lick his lips as Brian closed the door to the house. He was glad his studio was being upgraded and then he hoped he never had to see this guy again.  He wasn’t sure what it was but he gave him the creeps.

“Hey, Len, were you able to get everything you needed for the project?”

“James told me he had dropped off the supplies and I told him I would move it into the garage and I will be back tomorrow to start the project.”

“Oh, that’s great.  I am looking forward to having a safe place to work and have my boys with me.”

“Brian looks like he has managed to play dad well.”

“He isn’t playing.  He is one of the best fathers I have ever seen.”

“Well, considering where your father is, you don’t have the best example.” Len smiled but it was a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and a shiver ran through him.  

“I will help you grab the supplies and then you can enjoy the rest of your day.”

“You and Brian still play now and then?”

“No, once we found each other again we committed.”  Justin grabbed some of the supplies and brought them in and so did Len.

“What do you have that kept the great Brian Kinney?”  He set down the wood he carried.

“I guess I have his heart.” Justin said as he pushed the remote by the door and it slowly went down, leaving Len on the outside.

As Len got in his car he mumbled to himself. “I wonder who’d claim it if you were gone.” He looked at the house and he pulled away.

Brian was sitting at the counter glowering at Ronni and the look Ronni was giving her told Jusitn something had gone on. “That one of yours, Justin, you can deal with him.  I will go and check on the beautiful child that somehow came from his seed.” Ronni walked toward the steps and stopped.”There is some tasty stew warming and some bread, too, if you want it.”

“Thanks, Ronni.” Justin forgot about his encounter with Len. It wasn’t important. He glanced at the clock and saw it was after 1:00.  Neither of them had eaten since early this morning so he dished up two bowls and grabbed some rolls.  Justin knew it was best to give Brian a little time but he pushed the bread across to where Brian was sitting and then he sat down next to him and set a bowl in front of each of them.  He leaned over and kissed Brian’s shoulder, “Eat at least a little bit.”

Brian opened his mouth but instead of saying something he decided to pick up his spoon and took a bite. “She can be such a bitch!”

“My guess is she asked how the morning went?”

“It is none of her business!”

“She just cares about us.”

“Are you on her side?”

“Brian, we are all on the same side.  You know that.” Justin reached toward his face but Brian pushed his hand aside. “Come on, Brian.  You were quiet on the way home but now you’re damn right hostile. We’re not the enemy.”

Brian took a couple more bites and then reached for Justin’s hand. “I know you’re right.  I’m sorry. I am just so angry…. What if ….

Justin kissed him and ran his fingers through Brian’s hair. “Do you want me to go with you when Butterfield gets here?”

“I….yes, I’m sorry to make you go back out there but, I just can’t trust myself.  I’m afraid I’ll just end up yelling and that isn’t going to help anything.”

“Is the father stopping by here first?”

“Yes, I told him I wanted to talk to him before I brought him to her.”

“Ronni’s got the boys so I want to go with you. It will be fun to watch her squirm.”

“Do you think she will even react?” Brian rested his forehead on Justin’s

“I’ve been wondering that.” Justin rested his hand on the back of Brian’s neck. “I think she will if Tom is willing to back us up a little.  I know he’s a priest but he’s a priest that lives on the edge. All he needs to do is say she owes her son the truth.”

“And it’s true.  She has lied to me all my life.  I just want the truth.” He tugged Justin off the stool and pulled him between his legs.  “Thank you.  I will apologize to Ronni later.” His hands were just working their way onto Justin’s ass when Brian’s phone and the doorbell rang simultaneously. “Damn,” he said under his breath. He glanced at the number. “I’ll be right back.” He went to his office.

“I’ll get the door,” Justin moved to the front of the house while Brian headed to his office..  “Hey, come in.” After shaking hands he looked at Father Tom in his collar.  “What do you prefer to be called? Father Tom? Father Butterfield?”

“Tom, please.”

“Thanks for coming, Tom. Brian just had a business call come in but he will be with us shortly. Since we have a minute, Brian is very upset and he has a right to be.  Can I give you an idea of what is going on? I know Joan is one of your parishioners but she is a wicked woman.”

“Wicked is a strong word, Justin, or would you prefer to be called Mr. Taylor?” He smiled.

“Touche’.” Justin said. “Tom, can I get you a cup of coffee?”

“No, what has Joan Kinney done to make her so wicked.”

“In brief, she slept with her sister’s fiance and then didn’t tell Brian that Jack wasn’t his father.  And her sister has been hospitalized ever since.”  Tom stood there with his mouth open. “She has been heartless to him since his birth and now it might all make sense.”

“What is it you want me to do?” Tom asked softly.

“I want you to make her tell me the truth!” Brian’s voice came from behind them.

“Brian.” Tom said with a nod. “I think you know I can’t make her tell you the truth. It sounds like you have learned the truth.”

“Well, that is partially true.I know my father’s name is Kevin.”

Justin continued, “Brian wants to find out who his father is. We don’t know if she will tell us. And maybe if she won’t, you could help us,” he added.

“Now I’m confused,” Father Tom said.  “Was he Catholic? Do you want me to look into church records?”

“Well, you see, Tom, you take after my father more than I do.” Brian commented. Justin could see Brian’s patience was running low.

“And what does that mean, Brian?”

Justin put a hand on Brian’s arm, “After Kevin realized what he had done and that he had lost his love, we were told he went to a monastery and is now…”

“My father is a priest or at least that is the story.”

Now Tom looked at Brian and saw the pain he was really in.  He stepped toward Brian and put his hand on his shoulder. “Brian, I will do my best to help get the information for you, whether that means from your mother or through the church.”

Brian nodded and Justin said, “Thanks, Tom.  That means a lot.”

“If you direct me, I’ll go talk to your mother.”

“She has never been my mother.  She may have given birth to me but that is all she ever did for me. I’m going with you.  I want to see if she has the guts to tell me what she really did.”

“Brian, vengeance….”

“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.  Well, back in the day I was called a god.” He stopped and took a deep breath. Justin put an arm around Brian’s waist. “Just once I would like to see if she will do what is right.” He put an arm around Justin’s shoulders and pulled him close.

“Follow us, Tom.” Justin and Brian led the way out the back door and over to the pool house.

Brian and Justin hung back and let Tom walk in first.  “Oh, Father Tom, it is so good to see you.  I didn’t think HE would ever call you.”

“Do you mean your son?”

“Well, of course I do!” she snapped but then remembered who she was talking to.  “He has just kept me here.”

“Well, from how well you are speaking at the moment, I think you could have called me yourself.” Tom’s voice was gentle but made his point.  “Your son has a lovely home and husband.”

“Sodomist!” Joan scowled at Brian and Justin as they walked in.

“Joan, your son and his husband obviously love each other and, from everything I can see, have supplied you with a nice place to stay and good healthcare.”

“He doesn’t care.  He has only come by a couple of times in the month I have been here but, who wants to come visit his sick, widowed mother.”

“Oh, stop the bullshit. Poor widow my ass.  A cheating whore is more like it.”

At the same time Justin and Tom said, “Brian!”

“No, it is time this was said.  Who was Kevin? Was his last name Taylor? Don’t you think I have a right to know who my father really is. I don’t mean the drunk you were married to but the man you screwed one night that drove your sister into a hospital over 30 years ago. What was his last name?”

Justin tried to get Brian to move out the door but he had his eyes locked with his mother. Justin stepped between them and forced Brian to look at him.  “Brian, why don’t you go back to the house.  You trust me, right?”

Brian looked at Justin, and nodded. “Go play with the boys and I’ll be in shortly.”  Brian opened his mouth and was going to say something and then he turned and walked out.

Before turning to face Joan and Tom, Justin took a deep breath.  He wanted to lash out at her like Brian had.  He couldn’t understand how a human could treat another human that way, especially your own child. He turned but didn’t say anything. He just looked at Tom.

“Joan, it seems like your son is very stressed because of something he learned about his past.”

“Do you really believe those two?” she said, now looked at Justin.

“Joan, we have all made mistakes and if that is what happened, don’t you think it is Brian’s right to know his true lineage?” Tom went on, “I am sure it hasn’t been easy to keep this all these years.”

Justin saw Joan starting to shut down.  He walked over and pulled a chair right in front of her. “Joan, was his name Kevin Taylor? Brian deserves to know if not for himself, for his son.” Justin shrugged at her silence and then stood and looked at Tom.  “Stop by the house before you leave. Stay for dinner if you can.”

As Justin walked out the door he heard her say, “I have never been invited for dinner.”

“Joan, now that we are alone I can take your confession if you would like.” Tom put the stole he had brought along on.

“Father Tom, you can’t agree with my son’s way of life. The Bible says it is wrong.”

Tom looked directly in her eyes, “The Bible says lying is wrong, too.”

She looked surprised at his response. “So you are believing what he told you?”

“Brian and I spoke before I arrived and I did a little research into this.”  That was partly true.  He looked up Joan’s history at the church. She had been baptized and married in the church. “I saw records of Anna Claire.  She is your daughter’s Godmother.”

“She was weak.” 

“I saw records of her doing so many good things for the church,” Tom stated.

“All she did was smile,” she said a little softer.

“Happy people are so pleasant to be around.”

“But she was mentally feeble.  I mean she just fell apart.” Joan no longer looked him in the eye.

“What caused her to fall apart?”

Joan was silent for a moment but then stiffened and in a flat tone said, “I may have made a mistake but I raised him by myself.  My husband was no help.”

“But Joan, why all the hate? He didn’t cause the situation.” 

“He was always an unpleasant child.”

“He was a child.  Maybe you are placing unpleasantness in the wrong place.  But, I will say goodbye now.  I have a dinner invitation I plan to accept.” Tom had never been so rude to a parishioner but it was time for him to leave.  “If you ever want to make a confession, feel free to call.” With that, Tom zipped up his jacket and walked to the door. He turned and looked at her, “You know you can confess without me around.  Was Kevin’s last name Taylor?”

As he pulled the door shut he was sure he heard her say, “Yes.”

When Justin had arrived back at the house, Ronni had the boys and pointed up the stairs.  “Thanks.  By the way, I think Father Tom will be staying for dinner.”

Justin went upstairs and walked into the bedroom.  He found Brian staring out the window onto the pool area.  He wrapped his arms around him from behind. “Are you alright, darling?”

Brian took Justin’s hands as Justin dropped his head on his back. “Did she say anything to you?”

“Nothing worth repeating.  I tried to get her to admit Kevin’s last name but she didn’t say anything.”

“You weren’t begging her when you went in front of her, were you?”

“You could see me?”

“Yes, just like I can see Tom put on the stole right now.”

“I was just trying to talk to her.  I guess showing the love I have for you doesn’t go very far with her.”

Brian turned around and put his arms around Justin, pulling him close. “You know that’s enough, right? You and the boys, that is more than I deserve.” Brian’s mouth descended down to Justin who accepted the kiss eagerly.

When they separated, Justin rested his head on Brian’s chest. “I invited Tom to stay for dinner.”

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I’m nice,” he said as he smiled up at him. “It’s dinner time and he may have learned something else but think about it, Brian.  He doesn’t have a family to eat with.”

“You are nice.  I can’t argue with that,” Brian hugged Justin. 

Justin saw  movement over Brian’s shoulder.  “He is on his way back to the house. Let’s go down.”

“I’d love to go down but we have company.” Brian gave Justin’s crotch a little squeeze and he smiled.  “I love you, Sunshine.”

“I love you, too, Brian.”

“My name is Tom.  And what is your name?”

“I’m Gus and my brother’s name is Aaron.  He can’t talk yet but he is getting bigger.”

“Well, he has a big brother to talk for him.”

“Do you know my daddies?”

“I do. I also know your…”

“Tom, glad you could join us,” Brian interrupted just before Tom could finish his sentence. “Gus, Tom works at a church and he knows Joan. He came to visit her and is going to eat dinner with us.”

“Will you sit next to me?” Gus asked the priest.

“You won’t eat my food will you?” Tom smiled down at him and Gus giggled.

“Ronni always makes lots.”  

Brian poured four glasses of wine. Ronni took a sip when Brian handed it to her. He kissed her cheek and she patted his.

“I need to bring Joan her meal and then I will be back and serve up the meal.” She looked over at the priest, “Sir, are you on a timeline?”

“No, I am in no rush. I would enjoy getting to know this young man a little better.”  Gus smiled up at Tom. 

“Do you like to fix puzzles?” Gus asked.

“Gus, our guest may….”

“I would love to fix a puzzle, Gus.”

Brian and Justin sat on the sofa with Aaron moving back and forth between the two of them.  They watched Tom and Gus’ interaction.  “You know he is with a lot of people but I wonder how often he spends time like this?” Justin said softly. “He’s really good with him.” 

Brian pulled Justin against him and Aaron crawled up Justin’s chest and kissed him sloppily.  Brian reached over Justin and lifted Aaron up and he squealed happily. Soon they were all sitting around the table with Ronni and Justin putting the food on the table.  Everyone chatted and ate.  Tom talked to everyone but made sure Gus felt included and when he started getting restless Ronni took both boys upstairs to start getting ready for bed.

The men cleared the table together and then each took their glasses of wine and sat on the sofa, Justin relaxing against Brian. 

“You two have a wonderful family, despite the woman in the pool house.”

“Did she say anything after Justin left?” Brian asked.

“She seemed to verify that his name is Kevin Taylor. Justin, you don’t have any relatives…?”

“Not that I know of and I doubt my mother will know since it would have all happened long before she married my father and as far as I know his family wasn’t Catholic.”

“It is not an unusual name.  More than likely you aren’t related. I will do some looking into Kevin Taylor for you.” Tom looked at Brian, “I am sorry, Brian.  No one should have that kind of hostility coming from a parent.  I knew she wasn’t a pleasant woman but I had no idea the depth of….” He wasn’t sure how to even finish the sentence so he changed the subject.  “Gus is such a wonderful little boy.  I take it he doesn’t know that Joan is your mother?”

“No.  We didn’t want him to be hurt by her.  He has talked to her a couple times but you can tell what a gentle soul he has,” Justin drifted off thinking about their son.

“You are doing an amazing job.  I know Gus is your biological son, Brian, but may I ask about Aaron? Is he your son?”

“Both of the boys are our sons,” Brian said a little sharply.

“Bri, he didn’t mean it that way.  He can tell that they are both our boys. I am sure you know my whole story.  My father had a relationship with a lovely woman and Aaron is the result of that.  She knew she was not in a place to be a mother and I couldn’t see family going to strangers. I legally adopted him.  Of course, they wouldn’t put Brian’s name on the birth certificate, too, but he has legal guardianship as well as I do.”

Tom sipped his wine and watched the fire. “I love my job and most of my parish,” he smiled a bit, “but I sometimes wish I had this.”

Brian kissed Justin’s hair and said, “Tom, you’re welcome anytime you need a little ‘family’ time. I don’t know what I would do without all of them, including Ronni and Tracy.”

“Well, gentlemen, I better go before I have another glass of wine and have to stay. I will be in touch if I learn anything from either Joan or about Kevin.”

“Thanks for everything, Tom,” Justin gave him a hug.

Brian stepped up to him and was surprised when he hugged him instinctively.  “Tom, do you have plans for Thanksgiving?”

“I have had a few invitations.”

“Well, you are welcome here if you would like to come.  It is obvious Gus would like to see you again. You don’t have to answer now.  As Gus said, we always have plenty of food for one more.”

Tom paused for a moment and then said, “I’d like that.  I feel like I can be me here.”

“Great!  I’ll be in touch once we have a time locked down.”

They said goodbye and Brian and Justin went upstairs.  After checking on the boys they got ready for bed.  Justin came out of the bathroom and saw Brian staring out the window toward the small house his mother was in. 

Justin got in bed and softly said, “Brian, come to bed.”

Brian walked over to the bed and got in next to him. “Justin, can we not talk tonight.  I just don’t want to talk.”

“I can think of other ways to communicate.” Justin stretched over Brian’s chest and their lips met. Justin began working his way down Brian’s body and as he did he could feel Brian ‘s body begin to respond and forget about outside distractions.  As Justin’s mouth slipped over Brian’s cock, Brian audibly sighed and his body arched so Justin could take more of him in but Justin began to toy with him until he begged for release.  Justin took him all the way into his mouth and as the warm liquid rushed down Justin’s throat, Brian shouted and then relaxed as Justin coaxed every drop out of him.

As they lay there a little later, they talked softly about everything that had happened throughout the day.

“I will be glad when that Len is done.  I don’t know what it is about him but I just don’t feel comfortable with him around. He has a fixation on you.  He kept bringing you up.”

“Well, we can hire someone else.  There have to be others out there that could do the job.” Brian pulled him close.

“He has everything he needs and he is going to start tomorrow.  By the end of the week he should be done.  By mid week next week she will be out of here, right?”

“Yes, I told Claire she needs to pick her up next Wednesday.  She will be out of here the day before Thanksgiving.” Brian’s hand moved down Justin’s body and his fingers began to slide between his well formed ass.

“Well, that is definitely something to be thankful for!” As Brian said this he found the spot he was seeking and his finger slipped in and soon it was Justin’s turn to feel the pleasure only Brian could give him.

James received Len’s text that he would be at the house in 40 minutes. He walked up behind Emmet who was brushing his teeth and wrapped his muscular, ebony arms around him and held him tightly against his impressive chest. “I wish I had more time,” he kissed Emmet’s neck and onto his shoulder, “for this right now but I need to get ready.  Len is on his way.”

“Damn, I don’t like that guy.  There is something about his aura that just doesn’t feel right.” James kept running his mouth below Em’s ear. “Hell, you make it hard to think.”  He could feel James erection pressing against him.He set his toothbrush down, turned to face James, and after a quick kiss he went down on his knees, taking the towel wrapped around James’ waist with him. He opened his mouth and took him deep in his throat. 

As Emmett’s mouth and tongue began to work, James leaned over to support himself on the sink as his knees felt like they might give out. Emmett and James soon were in a rhythm and then James lost control.

“Emmett, you are the most amazing…” Emmett stood and kissed him.

“As I was saying, I don’t like that Len and the sooner he is out of here the better.”

“I don’t think he is a threat to anyone but there is something about him. Well by the end of the day tomorrow at the latest he should be done and I will make up some excuse in the spring why we can’t hire him.” He kissed Emmett once more, “Emmett Honeycutt, I love you.”

“Oh, Jamesy.  I love you, too.”

An hour later James stood in the studio with Len.  “Jim, you don’t have to be here.  I will need help placing the unit later but that won’t be until the end of the day.  Just leave me.  I will call you if I need a hand.  I am sure you have other things to take care of on this estate.”

“Well, ok.  I will stop by from time to time and give me a call if you need an extra set of hands or have a question.”

Once James had left Len alone, he got busy. He went through the supplies.  He watched Ronni leave. He wondered how many people were actually on the property. He had hoped to get a glimpse of Brian.  That man was still as hot as he had been five years ago. There was a time he thought he might actually have a chance with him.  Brian had always looked for him in the back room but he had to accept the fact that he fell for the little blonde.

Justin popped in around lunch.  “How’s it going? Ronni won’t let anyone go hungry here so I brought some lunch for you.”

“Just set it down,” he said dismissively.

“So how’s this system going to work? Will there be a switch? Or will it be a remote?” No answer. Now Justin was irritated.  “Excuse me, but I’m asking you something and since you are working for me…”

“And you will rub that in!” Len then caught himself.  “I apologize.  I had a fight with my boyfriend this morning,” he lied.  “I have just been stewing over it all morning.” He then went on and explained it would be a remote operated system that would work like anything else run with a remote. As he continued to work he said, “It will have a low and a high setting.  I would suggest you always have it run low but if you are using something with more chemicals you can put it on high.” He then looked at Justin. “Do you work up here a  lot?”

“Lately not as much as normal.  With a baby and Brian’s mother here, there just is always something to do.”

“Brian’s mother?”

“Long story.  She has had some health issues.  She will be leaving next week. We can’t wait to have her off the property.”

“Is that both of you or just you?”

“No, Brian doesn’t speak to his mother more than a couple times a year. Brian’s stress level will be cut in half once she is out of here.” Now Justin shivered.  He wasn’t sure why but he was liking Len less and less. “Well, I better go.  Ronni will need to go pick up Gus in a couple minutes.  You can either leave the dishes here or drop them in the kitchen,” and Justin made his escape.

Brian put in a long day.  He had not been in the office as much as normal lately so he wasn’t expected home until late.  Sweet natured Gus was not in a good mood.  Justin and then Tracy had tried to put him in a better mood but Justin finally sent him to his room. Then to top off his night, Joan messaged that she needed someone to help with something in the pool house. 

Tracy volunteered to go see what she needed but Justin said, “I’ll check it out.  I get the feeling this is something with the actual house.  Aaron is asleep and, well, you know Gus’ mood.”

“I’ll see if he wants me to read him a book.  Maybe that will make him happy.” 

As Justin slipped on his jacket, he saw the stack of pictures he had just printed out.  He picked one of his favorites and took it with him.

“What can I do for you, Joan?”

“My son isn’t responding.  I guess he is still upset with me,” Joan commented.

“He is still at the office.”

“Looks like he takes advantage of your kinder nature.”

Justin took a deep breath, “You said something about the sink?”

“Yes, the drain is very slow.”

He laid the picture of the boys on her small table and then took care of the sink. When he came back into the living room and saw Joan looking at the picture.  “Since you are going to be leaving soon, I thought you might enjoy having a picture of your other grandsons.” Justin looked around the room and noticed most of the therapy equipment was no longer there. “This place seems to be a good place to heal.  When I got here I couldn’t speak well or move smoothly either.” Justin noticed Joan looking at the picture. “Does Gus look like Brian? I have never seen any baby pictures of him.”

“I don’t remember what he looked like.” She said bluntly.

“Well, I better go. Gus wasn’t happy tonight.”

“Now that sounds like his father,” Joan blurted out.

“The truth is he misses his father.  If Brian was a fussy child maybe it was because he missed his father’s and mother’s love.” With that said, Justin left the pool house.  As he walked toward the door he glanced up and saw that a hole had been cut in the wall of his studio and the ventilation unit had been put in.  From here, even in the dark he could see that some trim would need to be done before it was complete.  Once Len had left Justin had checked inside and from what he could see, it looked like Len had done a good job so far.

When Justin got back in the house he went up to Gus’ room where Tracy sat in an overstuffed chair with Gus on her lap but he still wasn’t happy. “Daddy J, where did you go?” he sniffled. Justin picked him up off of Tracy’s lap and he clung to Justin’s neck.

“I don’t think he is feeling well,” Tracy commented.  “I asked him if something hurt but he wasn’t sure.”

“I’ve got him.  Thanks for your help.”

“If you need anything I will be practicing a couple things in the kitchen.”

“Thanks.” Justin turned his focus on Gus.  He placed his forehead on Gus’ and could feel it was warm.

“Where’s Daddy? I want my daddy.”

“Let’s look at my phone and see when he will be home.” Justin looked and saw what time Brian had left the office and he should be pulling in any time. “Your daddy should be here very soon.  Let me tell him where we are.” Just quickly texted him and said Gus wasn’t feeling well.  In a few minutes Justin heard Brian’s car and then they just waited.

When Brian walked into his bedroom, Gus instantly moved off of Justin’s lap and rushed into his daddy’s arms. “Hey, Gussy, I hear you aren’t feeling well.”

“Oh, Daddy, I missed you.  Where were you? You are always here for dinner.”

“I am so sorry. Daddy had to work late tonight but I promise not to do that often.” Brian sat down with Gus and Justin could see the little boy relax and after having him take something for his fever Brian laid with him in bed until he was asleep. 

Brian went to look for Justin.  He found him in the kitchen where he had warmed up a plate of food for him and a glass of whiskey. Brian put his arms around Justin.  “Bad day?”

“I just hate seeing Gus like that and then Joan…”

“She didn’t give you any trouble did she?”

“No, I was just glad Tracy was here to stay with Gus, and Len was here all day and…” Justin took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, you worked hard all day. You don’t need this.”

“I need all of this.  We share all of this,” Brian said as Justin pointed to the seat and brought the food and drink to him and then sat next to him with his own glass of amber liquid.

While Brian ate, Justin told him about the day.  He told him about his encounter with Len but that he had made good progress and he told him about giving a picture of the boys to Joan.  “I don’t know how she can’t look at those sweet faces and feel something.”

“You are too kind sometimes.” Brian kissed him.  “I promise I won’t be late again until after the first of the year.”

“Bri, you can’t promise that but thank you.  I know you don’t like to be late.”

“Do you have any idea what is up with Gus? Was he complaining about anything?”

“No, he was just not his cheery self.  Maybe he is getting a cold. Little boys have off days.  If his fever is higher tomorrow I will call the doctor. He wasn’t happy with me today.  He only wanted you.” 

Brian could see this bothered Justin a little bit.  “You know how much he loves his Daddy J.”

“I do know that.  It just made me feel a little helpless.”

I told them I would be in late tomorrow. If Gus is still fussy, I have to run in for a bit but I will be home most of the day.  Right now, I would love to share a bath with you.”

“That sounds like just what I need.” Justin responded and kissed Brian. Brian put his dishes in the dishwasher and arm in arm, they went upstairs together.  As they sat in the steaming water the tensions of the day drifted away. 

“I am keeping Gus home tomorrow, no matter what. By tomorrow night I think the ventilation system will be in place and Len will be gone.”

“And a week from today is Thanksgiving and I will be thankful that she will be half an hour away. That is something to definitely be thankful for.  Let’s try to get together with Ronni, Emmett, and Tracy together tomorrow and get the Thanksgiving party planned.  We have everyone invited but we haven’t given them details yet.” Brian’s hands slid over Justin’s water slicked body.

Justin sighed, “I think that is a great idea.”

“I think I will go in early and be back by lunch.  You can tell Gus I will be with him all afternoon.”

“Brian, you are such an amazing dad.  You have to know that.”

“That is the nicest thing you could ever say,” Brian whispered as his hand turned Justin’s head for a kiss.