Chapter 2

Justin let Aiden sleep in on Monday. He notified the school Aiden would be in around 10:30. It was about 9:00 when Justin heard little feet coming down the stairs. As he walked into the kitchen he was rubbing his eyes sleepily and crawled up onto Justin’s lap.  “Daddy, why did you let me sleep late?”

Justin hugged his son and kissed the top of his tousled hair.  “I knew you needed to sleep a little  extra after all the fun you had with Tasha this weekend.”

“The kids always look at me funny when I come in late and some of them ask if I was sick again.”

“And what do you say?”

“I tell them I’m not really sick but that I have something funny with my blood that means I get extra tired sometimes.”

“What does your teacher say to the other kids?”

“She told them about NTDT.  She is always nice about it and one time when one of the boys started saying something that wasn’t nice she told him to stop.”

“Well, I’m glad she understands.”  Justin held him tightly for a couple more minutes.  

“Daddy, you’re holding me kind of tight. Did you miss me?”

“I missed you so much.  You can’t imagine how much.”

Aiden turned and hugged Justin, “Can I have breakfast?”

“Of course you can, what would you like?”

“Do we have time for pancakes?”

“Sure, why don’t you go get dressed and I will have them ready when you come down.”

An hour later Justin pulled into the office.  He was hoping he could have a few minutes with Lindsay once he got in for the day.  When she had started working for him five years ago he had no idea she would still be with him but now he wasn’t sure what he would do without her. She had an eye for making things work the way the client requested.

They typically kept their family life separate from work but he thought the two of them might be able to talk and think more clearly without their overly emotional spouses being involved.  Justin stopped by his assistant Mitchell’s desk to review the schedule for the day.

“How is your little man? Aiden is so adorable.  I miss seeing him.  Now that he is in school he can’t stop by nearly as often.”

“Well, next month school is over and when we get done with our vacation, I will make sure he stops by.”

“Was he not feeling well this morning?” Mitchell asked with real concern.

“He just had a little too much fun this weekend.  He loves going to Molly’s. I let him sleep until he woke up and he looks like he is ready to go for the day.”  They reviewed his schedule and then he asked, “Is Lindsay in for the day?”

“Oh, yes.  She was in by 8:00.”

“Could you check her calendar and let her know I want to see her.?”

“Sure, I’ll let you know what time works for her.”

“Thanks, Mitchell.  Please don’t let anyone else in before buzzing me.”

“You’ve got it, Justin.”

Ten minutes later Mitchell called Justin, “I talked to Lindsay.  She can have lunch with you or she can see you around 4:00.”

“Lunch is great.  You know what I usually like at all the local spots.  Please ask Lindz what she wants and then order lunch for both of us.”

At 12:00 Justin’s phone rang and he picked it up, “Hello, love.”

“Hey, Justin. What time did Aiden wake up?”

“It was around 9:00.  I dropped him off at school a little after 10:00. Bri, I’m having lunch with Lindsay.”

“Is that smart?”

“I am hoping without Mel around she will listen to me.  It can’t hurt.”

“I guess there is no harm.  And that answers my question about a late lunch.  I was hoping I could molest you in the back of my old office.” Brian chuckled low and seductively. “Damn, I can almost feel your lips on mine right now. I just was looking at some copy and damn it was lips and that made me think about yours and…”

There was a knock on the office door and Lindsay walked in.”

“Oh, Brian, my lunch date is here.”

“Love you.”

“I love you, too, Brian.  Can you be home at 5:00 tonight?  Since I got in late I might be a few minutes late.”

“I will pick Aiden up by 5:15 and we will have dinner ready when you get home.”

“Thank you.  I will be home by 6:00.”  

Lindsay was carrying the bag with their lunch in it. She walked to the back room where the table was and she started pulling the food out.  “I had a feeling you would want to talk.”

“”I’m glad you could make it work.  I know we don’t mix our personal life with work but I am concerned about you. It is obvious you and Mel…”

“Can’t stand to be in the same room? Can’t talk without yelling?”

“Lindsay, are you working on it? I mean have you gone to counseling or… Sorry, it’s none of my business.” Justin took a bite of his sandwich.

“Justin,” she set her fork down and took a deep breath. “I just don’t know… I think it is over between us.  I can’t see us coming up with any solutions.  I think we just need to figure out how to say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry, Lindz.  You know I have always liked you and Mel but you being together is obviously not right anymore and the effort you are trying to put into that….we are really worried about Gus. I’m afraid that he might…”

“Gus would never be stupid enough to hurt himself.”

“Did you know he is flunking out of English?  Did you know he sneaks booze out of the liquor cabinet? Has he been smoking weed at your place? Seriously, we don’t have an issue with a joint but I think that might just be the tip of the iceberg.”

“Did you say he’s failing English?”

“Yes, he wanted Brian to sign the paper.  I don’t think he wanted to add more stress between the two of you?”

“So it is our fault that Gus…”

Justin reached over and took her hand. “We aren’t blaming either of you.  I remember when Brian and I, well… When a relationship isn’t working it takes everything out of you and you just don’t have the strength for other relationships.  Maybe, Gus should move in with us until…”

“No.  I don't think so.  Gus is what keeps us civil.”

“Lindsay, should  that be the job of a 15 year old?”

Neither said anything for several moments as they both ate. Lindsay picked up her ice tea and, after taking a sip, she said, “Melanie has made it clear we are going to keep the custody agreement just as the court agreement says.  And I agree with her.  He is my son. He needs to be by his mothers.”

“Lindsay, I agree he needs his moms but his moms have to be able to focus on him and not just each other.”

“Is that what you think? Do you think Mel and I let Gus run wild.  He is Brian’s son.  You have heard the stories about him. Brian turned out well.  Gus will grow out of it.”

“That’s fine, if he lives long enough.”

“Justin, don’t say things like that.”

“I have to think about it.  What am I going to say to Aiden if his big brother has to go away or worse than that, doesn’t come back home.”

“Justin, don’t say things like that. Gus is fine.”

“You just keep thinking that. We are leaving for Montana as soon as school is done.  That is what the court decided.  We have custody the month of June.  Gus will be with us. Maybe you can use that time to make decisions about your own relationship.”  After saying that, Justin ate his lunch in silence.  

Lindsay stood, picking up her salad, “I have work to do.” With that she walked out of his office.

Justin looked toward the now empty doorway and hoped he hadn’t made anything worse.He really did want what was best for Gus but he also needed what was best for the rest of the family.

When Justin got home, Brian and Aiden were just finishing dinner. Justin kissed the top of Aiden’s head and then stepped up behind Brian and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing against him. He reached up under Brian’s arms and put his hands on Brian’s shoulder, kissing Brian’s back between his shoulder blades.

“Did you have a rough day?”  Brian asked as he set the spoon he was holding into the pot and turned to kiss Justin.  He pulled him close.

“It was a busy day.  We’ll talk later,” he glanced at Aiden. “So what did you help Big Daddy make for dinner?”

“We made pasgetti, Daddy.  I tasted the sauce.  It is good. Can we eat now?”

“You help Big Daddy set the table while I change clothes. I’ll be right back.” Justin went up the steps two at a time and when he came back down, five minutes later, the table was set and two glasses of wine had been poured.

The three enjoyed their meal.  Justin asked Aiden about his day and Brian told a funny story about one of his clients.  By the time they had all eaten their fill, Justin took Aiden upstairs for a bath while Brian cleaned up the kitchen. 

Justin helped Aiden wash his back and listened to him talk about his day.  His mind wandered off to Gus.  How many times had he done this with him?  “Daddy, you’re not listening.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Aiden. What were you saying?”

“I was just saying that you need to wake me up on time tomorrow.  Remember we have a field trip.”

“Oh, ya, I had forgotten.  And you promised to take it easy.”

“I will, Daddy, and the nurse from school is going to be my buddy. She will have my medicine.”

“That sounds like a great plan.  Are you ready to get your hair washed?”

Aiden laid back in the tub and Justin rubbed the shampoo into his scalp.  He knew how much Aiden liked this part of bath time. Justin gently rubbed his scalp and then he started pouring clean water over his hair. Brian had come up silently and stood in the door and watched the interaction between Justin and Aiden.

“Is that good, Aid?”

In a soft, sleepy voice Aiden said, “Can you rub it just for 2 more minutes?”

“Of course I can, son.”  

Brian walked in and picked up the large bath sheet.  When Justin helped Aiden sit back up and then helped him stand, Brian reached in and, wrapping the towel around him, picked up the little boy. He carried him to his bedroom and soon the little boy was in fresh pajamas and tucked into bed. 

“Goodnight, Daddies.  I need to sleep now.”

Both of them gave him a kiss and a hug before they tucked him in and turned off the light as they left the room. Before they made it into their own room, they saw GC come up the steps and slip into Aiden’s room. Brian pulled Justin close.  “Looks like Aiden and I both have bed partners tonight.”

“Would you prefer to have GC? I could sleep with...” Justin smiled up at Brian.

“Don’t you even think about it!” His lips came down hard on Justin’s and Justin melted against him.

“I think I will sleep in my own bed tonight.” Justin said when Brian had finally stepped back. 

“I have an idea, let’s take a bath, a long, hot bath.  Have I ever told you how hot it is to watch you with our son? The love you show him is just so…” Brian kissed him again.

Justin brought his mouth close to Brian’s ear and whispered, “Let’s go wash your hair.” As he said this his hand moved to Brian’s crotch and he started lowering his zipper.

The candles were lit and the bathtub was full of warm scented water. Brian wrapped his arms around Justin as his hands moved slowly across Justin’s slick body, stopping at the small patch of hair on his chest from time to time.  “So how did the meeting with Lindz go?” His head dipped and kissed Justin’s shoulder.

“You and I both know she loves Gus as much as we do but right now she is so wrapped up with the situation with Mel.  She is still struggling to save their relationship. Mel is sticking with following the court custody paperwork which I think we both know is her attempt to have control over something. I know they still love each other but they haven’t been in love for a long time.”

“So, what is Lindsay going to do about it?”

“She never said anything really but I told her that we have custody for June.  That’s what the original judgement said.  I told her they should take that month to get their lives straightened out.”

“Good.  I can tell you Gus will not be going back to live with them if they haven’t got something worked out.”

“I made that clear to her.  She wasn’t happy when she left my office but it wasn’t heated either.”

“You are always better at that shit than I am,” Brian’s hands slid lower and he was soon stroking Justin’s cock. Justin turned his head giving Brian the ability to kiss him.  The kiss was broken long enough for Justin to turn around and wrap his legs around Brian’s waist. As their lips again came together, Justin began to slowly rock against Brian’s dick with his own and as Justin began to move faster, Brian’s kisses became more desperate. Brian then tightened his grip around Justin’s waist and as he held him close they climaxed together. Justin relaxed against Brian and they stayed like that for several minutes. 

“I guess we should get out of here before we fall asleep here,” Justin commented.

“It is still early.”

“Well, I don’t know if I would say early but it is a little early to go to bed. I think it is the perfect time to watch that movie we have been trying to watch. On second thought, maybe we should start making plans for the trip to Montana.  It is early enough to call the caretaker out there.”

“You’re right.  Let’s dry off and get our plans in place.” Brian offered Justin his hand as Justin moved to get to his feet and soon they were both wrapped in plush robes and with a laptop on Justin’s lap and the cellphone in Brian’s hands, plans were being made.

Gus tried to avoid his dads as much as he could the next two week. He had lunch with them one weekend but then blew them off until the last week of school.  Brian had checked with the English teacher and he was assured Gus was working on a special project that should raise his grade enough to pass the course.  “Mr. Kinney, it is obvious you care about your son.  Has something happened this year? At the beginning of the year, Gus was an excellent student. He wasn’t excited about my class but he worked at succeeding but the last semester he seems distracted and at times disrespectful.”

“I’m working on it.  His mothers are having personal issues and if they don’t clear it up, by next fall I will have full custody, I am sure.”

“I am glad to know someone is watching out for him.  Relationships around a student can have such an effect.  Although we have only met once briefly I understand you and your husband have a strong partnership.  I have no doubt that if he can spend more time with your stable homelife, Gus will be fine but, although I haven’t seen it, word around school is he has been seen hanging out with the wrong kids. I don’t want to see a bright kid like him end up having drugs stop his successes.”

“Thank you.  We suspected he was involved in something but ….well, I will let you go but thank you again.” Brian ended the call with the teacher and called Justin.

“Hey, Bri.  Going to talk dirty to me? I could use a distraction.”

“Damn, I wish I had time.  I have a meeting in a few minutes.  I just wanted to let you know Gus is going to pass English so we can leave a week from Saturday.  Has Lindsay said anything more to you about what’s going on at their house?”

“All I know is there was an incident where Gus didn’t come home by curfew.”

“And they didn’t call us?”

“I think he was brought home by the police before they had a chance.”

“The police? Gus was arrested!” Brian shouted into the phone.

“Babe, he wasn’t charged.  It was a warning.  I will tell you what I know tonight.  Aiden is going to be so excited tonight with tomorrow being his last day of kindergarten. I think he needs this vacation as much as we do.  There has been so much going on.  Once we get to Montana we can all relax.”

“But they should have…”

“It will work out, Brian. Now, go to your meeting.  Is pizza Ok for dinner? Aiden would love it and if Gus decides to come over….”

“Pizza is fine.  Love you.”

“I love you, too.” Justin set his phone down on his desk and turned around to look at the drawing board where his latest project was laid out.  He wasn’t sure how long he had been there when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” he said as he turned around to see a stressed looking Lindsay walk in.  He got up and walked toward her, putting an arm around her waist and guiding her toward the sofa off to the side.  Once she had sat down he went and grabbed them each a bottle of water before sitting next to her. “What is it, Lindz?”

“I’m sorry.  I know we aren’t co-parents at work but, I know Mel wouldn’t agree, Gus is in trouble. He did get his English project turned in so last night Mel told him he could go to an early movie with his friends.  He didn’t get home until midnight and I don’t know if he was high but he was definitely drunk.”

“And Mel? Did she agree?” 

“Um, Mel wasn’t home.”

“At midnight? In the middle of the week?”

“She has been sleeping at, ah, the office.”

“Whose office might that be?” Justin said before he could stop himself.  “I’m sorry, that wasn’t nice.”

“No, it wasn’t but it is true. I’m glad you are taking Gus away for the month.  I hope by the time Gus returns we will be more settled.  I will be staying in the house and Mel, well she appears to have other lodging planned already. I’m not blaming this all on her.  It has been over for a long time and she is just brave enough to admit it. How do we tell Gus?”

“Do you really think he doesn’t know? He lives with you.”

“But we have never talked…”

“Don’t worry about it.  Brian and I will talk to him while we are gone. Are you going to be able to focus on this place, too? If not I will put someone else in charge while I’m gone.”

“No, I will be fine. I know you are going to be available through emails and calls and you have hired very capable employees. Besides, I will need a distraction without Gus around and with Mel moving out.”

Justin gave her a hug. “I think once this is over, you and Mel will go back to being friends.  It may take a while but I know you both love Gus and will do whatever it takes to do what is best for him. Now, I have to get back to my drawing board so it is ready to turn over to the graphic design department before I leave tomorrow.”

“Justin, thanks.”

“For what?”

“For caring as much about our son as Brian and I do.  And Mel too.”

Once Lindz left, Justin texted Gus, hoping he would come over for dinner.  Aiden asked about him every night. ‘Come for pizza at 6:00? Aiden misses you. We all do.’

Justin went back to work.  It was mid afternoon when his phone sounded.  It was Gus.  All it said was ‘can't’.  Justin responded, ‘Aiden will be sad’.  There was a short pause and then another message came back, ‘I'll come tonight if I don’t have to go to the cabin’.

 Justin sighed, ‘See you Saturday morning, 6:30 a.m.’ He sent the message then sent one more, ‘We love you, Gus’. He waited but realized a response wasn’t coming. He hoped this trip turned out better than he was sure it was going to start.

Brian got home at 6:00 and was welcomed by a bundle of energy.  “Big Daddy, tomorrow I will be a First Grader.  Well, by the end of the day I will be.  On Saturday we are going to our cabin.  I’m glad GC is coming.” Aiden kept talking as he followed Brian up to the master bedroom.  Once Brian had pulled off his suit jacket, Aiden wrapped his arms around Brian’s waist and was silent for a second.

Brian picked Aiden up and gave him a hug in return. Aiden then puckered his lips and waited for Brian to do the same as he kissed his daddy with a loud smack.  “I got a kiss before Daddy did.”  Aiden smiled at him.

“You are always welcome to a kiss, Aiden.  I am going to finish changing clothes.  Can you tell your daddy I could use a drink? Is the pizza here yet?”

“Pizza will be here any minute Daddy said.  I will go tell Daddy to pour you a drink.”

“Shall we eat in front of the TV tonight?”

“Can we?” Aiden hugged him once more and kissed his cheek before Brian set him down and he was gone. 

For a moment Brian gazed out the door. He remembered Gus at that age.  He wished Gus was here tonight.  He had only seen him for a few minutes in the last few weeks and he missed him.  He changed into some comfortable pants and a T-shirt before going down to be with his family.

“Aiden said we are eating in front of the TV tonight?” Justin commented as Brian walked over and kissed him.

“I hope that is alright?”

“Sure, we don’t do that often and Aiden loves it.” Justin handed Brian a bourbon.  “I didn’t think you wanted wine tonight.”

“You read my mind. Did you talk to Lindsay today?” Brian took a sip of his drink just as the doorbell rang.  “Is it paid for?”

“Yes, tip included.” Justin called after Brian as he pulled out the plates.  He looked out the back door and called to Aiden who had gone to play catch with GC.  They both came flying in just as Brian walked in with a large pizza. Soon they were sitting on the floor by the sofa using the coffee table for their drinks. Aiden sat between them and after eating his fill he took turns sitting on one lap and then the other. 

“I was hoping Gus would come have pizza with us.  I haven’t seen him for a lot of days.”

“Well, I invited him but he decided he should stay home since he will be with us in Montana on vacation soon.  I am sure his moms will miss him.” Brian looked at Justin over top of Aiden.  Justin hadn’t told him he had even invited their older son.

As soon as the movie was done Brian and Justin tried to calm Aiden down enough for him to sleep. He did fall asleep about half way through the second story so at that time Brian and Justin left him with GC lying on the floor beside him. They walked downstairs and Brian poured another bourbon for each of them.

“Were you going to tell me you invited Gus for dinner?” Brian dropped onto the sofa. Justin sat a little distance from him turned sideways to talk to him.

“I would have.  There is more to talk about.  Lindsay and Mel are definitely separating.  Mel will completely move out once Gus is with us in Montana.  Gus stayed out until midnight last night and then came home drunk.  Lindz wasn’t sure if he was high or not. Mel wasn’t home.  She was pretty shook up about it.  I think she is finally realizing Gus really could be in trouble.”

“Well, we told them that a month ago!” Brian drained his glass. “And Gus didn’t want to come for pizza?”

“The only way he would come for dinner was if he didn’t have to go to Montana.”

“Shit! I was hoping that he might have just accepted the trip and he always has fun there,” Brian reached for Justin and Justin turned so he could lean against Brian and Brian wrapped his arms around his shoulders, absorbing his warmth. “So what are we going to do about him?”

“I know he is going to hate every second of it but I think we need to make it an electronic free zone most of the time. I know you and I have to check up on our offices but maybe we allow him a half hour of computer or phones a day and TV will only be for family time? Either we all watch or no one does.”

“He is going to hate it.”

“I know but I think soon, without others influencing him, he will start talking to us.  Even if he is hostile at first, I think he will come around.” Justin leaned his head back onto Brian’s shoulder.

“Do you think….what will happen if he is really addicted to something?”

“I think the first chance we get one of us takes the boys for a walk while one of us stays back and searches his stuff.”

“There is going to be hell to pay.  He is going to hate us.”

“Brian, I would rather have him alive and hating us than dead from an overdose. We are his fathers not his friends.”

“Ya, you’re right.  I just want him to be happy and healthy.  Hopefully, we can be friends when he’s grown.” Justin turned in Brian’s arms. “I’m a little worried about Aiden.  I think giving him a little warning might be good but we don’t know exactly what Gus is doing so what can we tell Aiden.”

“Maybe tomorrow we can just tell him some very generic things and tell him that even if Gus gets angry or sullen that none of it is his fault,” Brian said.

“I am done at work at noon tomorrow.  I am really basically done now. I just have to send a couple emails so after I pick Aiden up, I will take him out for ice cream and give him a head’s up, unless you want to be there.”

“That sounds like a great idea.  You will be in an unthreatening place and I know you will tell him enough but not give him a lot of stuff he doesn’t need to know.”

They each had another bourbon as they talked about plans for their vacation.  They wanted to have enough things for Gus to do so he couldn’t say there was nothing to do. They knew there were a lot of games for inside and out, as well as art materials.  Brian had asked the caretaker to get some pot for them.  He had brought them some many times but they were being proactive this time.  If Gus needed something, a joint was the best option.  They planned some hiking trips and a couple overnight trips to a couple nearby vacation spots just that they hoped would be entertaining for Gus and Aiden.  With the boys being nearly 10 years apart it was harder to keep both of them entertained.

After going to bed they made love and afterward, Brian rested his head on Justin’s chest and listened to Justin’s heart beat.  “We are doing the right thing, aren’t we? I mean should we be checking him into a treatment place or a camp for angry youth?”

“Bri, if this is too much for us we can get him some more help.  I actually have looked up a couple places that handle his kinds of issues and there is one of them that is located not too far away from the cabin.  I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but I contacted them.  If we get out there and he is far more out of control than we expect, for Aiden’s sake, I needed to have a backup.”

Brian sat up and looked down at Justin, “So Aiden is more important than Gus? We can just ship off Gus.  Aiden is always going to be more important, isn’t he?”

“Brian, that’s not fair and you know it. I have loved Gus since the day you introduced us.  My heart is breaking for him but Aiden is so little and helpless.  He has a life threatening medical issue. I don’t love him more, I just have to love him differently.” Justin sat up and rested an arm around Brian’s shoulders. At first he pulled away but then he leaned against Justin, “Aiden’s life is always in my hands.  Gus is making his own decisions.” Justin ran his hand along Brian’s jaw and then he lowered his head and kissed him lightly.

“I’m sorry, Sunshine.  I am just so worried about him.  I should have gone to court at Christmas and gotten custody but I let his moms talk me out of it.  Maybe this wouldn’t have happened if…’

“It is not our fault. You are the best father.  I don’t plan on him needing to go away but if he needs more help than we can give, there is a place for him.”

“I know you’re right and I know how much you love and care about Gus.  And you have a right to worry about Aiden.  I worry about that beautiful, little boy all the time but he is so strong, maybe not physically, but mentally, he is stronger than any of us.”

Justin placed his hand on Brian’s cheek and his thumb traced his lips.  He brought his head in close and kissed him. “I love you, Brian.  I love our family.”  Justin kissed him again, this time he pushed him back down on the mattress and straddled him. “What would my life be without you?”

Justin began to make a rocking motion on Brian’s body and slowly he moved further down Brian’s body but when he was ready to position himself to lower himself onto Brian’s erection, Brian rolled over and Justin slowly began to enter him instead.  He moved slowly and deliberately and soon Justin leaned over and as he bit Brian’s ear he thrust once more, climaxing and he felt Brian tighten around him knowing he, too, had cum.

As Justin lay in Brian’s arms as they both fell asleep, Brian mumbled, “I love you, Sunshine.” And they both drifted off to sleep.

The next day was a whirlwind of activities.  Aiden was beyond excited to finish kindergarten.  Justin had dropped him off and promised to be there for the end of the year school picnic at noon.  Justin made sure he had everything wrapped up at work and before he left he stopped in Lindsay’s office.

“Hey, Lindsay, I just wanted to make sure you knew we were picking Gus up at 6:30 tomorrow morning unless you want to drop him by tonight.”

“He has plans with his friends tonight.  I thought he deserved that.  I told him he needed to be by home by 11:00 at the latest.”

“Is he packed? He will mainly need jeans and T-shirts.  A couple pairs of shorts would be good and don’t let him forget a jacket.  It will always chilly in the evening in the mountains. It is easy for a kid to forget that.”

“Yes, I know, Justin! He is my son and he has been doing this for years.  I think he knows what he needs,” Lindsay snapped.

“Well, I guess I will see you early tomorrow morning.” Justin walked toward the door.

“Justin, I’m sorry.  I seem to be saying that to you a lot lately. I will try not to bother you too often while you are on vacation.  I will either email you first thing in the morning or last thing of the day. I’ll only call if it is an emergency.”

“Lindz, I would not have put you in charge if I didn’t think you could handle this. If there is a financial issue contact Ted.  He has banking privileges for the company.” Justin gave her a hug, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, I’ll be fine.  Knowing Gus is with you and having a good time will help a lot. I love my son but right now I think I need just a little time to find me again.”

“I think that is a good idea, Lindz.  You deserve a real life again.”

“Thanks, Justin.  Have a nice time.” 

Justin got to the school on time and Aiden ran full speed into his arms.  “Oh, Daddy, I am so glad you could come today. A lot of kids’ parents couldn’t come because they couldn’t leave work but you work and you came.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it.”

“I didn’t know Big Daddy was coming!” Aiden broke away and ran away.  To Justin’s surprise Brian came walking over, holding Aiden’s hand.

“Brian, what are you doing here?”

“I decided I didn’t want to miss out on the last day of school picnic.  Why should you get to have all the fun,” he kissed Justin’s cheek. “And besides, my afternoon meeting was switched to this morning so I was done with everything.”

Brian and Justin enjoyed watching Aiden as he mingled with his friends and after they had eaten hotdogs from the grill, they asked Aiden if he would like ice cream on the way home.  Of course he did.  Aiden rode with Justin and Brian met them at the small local ice cream shop in their neighborhood.  They each had a small sundae and sat by an outdoor table.

Aiden looked at Justin and then at Brian, “What’s up, guys? You are acting funny.”

“Aiden, we just have something we want to talk to you about,” Justin said, smiling at his son.  “I am sure you have noticed that Gus hasn’t been around a lot lately.”

“I miss him.  He’s coming on vacation with us isn’t he?”

“He is, Aiden, but we just want you to know that if he seems upset or angry it isn’t at you.  Gus has had some things he is worrying about and it has made him feel a little different.  That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love us all just as much, it just means that he is working some stuff out in his own head.”

“What has made Gus upset?”

“It is just something that happens when you get to be his age.  A lot of things are changing and he just is learning to adjust it,” Brian said to Aiden.

“Ok, I won’t bug him if he is in a mood.”

Brian and Justin had to laugh at the tone Aiden used. He sounded so sincere. “I think Gus knows how lucky he is to have such a great little brother.”

“Now that I have finished kindergarten do you think you could say younger brother instead of little? I’m not little anymore.”

“We will do our best, son,” Justin said as he kissed the top of Aiden’s head.

Early on Saturday morning, Brian and Justin loaded their suitcases and GC into the SUV and as they pulled out, Justin texted Gus to say they were on the way.  When he didn’t get a response he texted Lindsay. ‘Not getting a response for Gus. We are on our way.’

When Brian pulled up to Mel and Lindsay’s house, the front light came on and Lindsay stepped out onto the porch. “Hey Lindz,” Justin said as he stepped out of the car.  “Is Gus ready?”

“Oh, Justin, when I got your text I went to make sure he was up and ready but, Justin, he isn’t there.  Gus didn’t come home last night!  What do I do?”

“What the hell do you mean he isn’t here? You didn’t notice our fifteen year old son didn’t come home? What kind of mother are you?”  It was out of Brian’s mouth before he could stop himself.

“Brian, it isn’t my fault.  Mel told him he could go and I agreed.  It was the last day of school.”

“Does Mel know where he is?” Brian looked toward the door.

“She does now.  I texted her.  She will be here in a few minutes.”

“Damn it, Lindsay.  We are trying to help our son and now we don’t even know where he is!”