Chapter 11

By Monday, life was getting back to normal at Britin.  The boys were a little bit clingy.  As much as they loved being at Jenn’s, they were ready for normalcy. Kevin made sure he scheduled time in the city and Brian scheduled his work schedule along with Kevin so Ronni could get the boys back in sync while Justin started working on Em and James’ wedding gift.  He started a portrait of them. 

And by Monday, Emmett knew the plane was taking them to Fiji. James pulled out the brochure.

“I can see I will not be wearing a lot of clothes on the honeymoon and better yet, I am hoping you don’t.” Em purred as he kissed his husband. “Damn, I wish planes had rooms.  And I did the mile high club once.  You know the story.  I just can’t do it again.”

“Oh, love, I would never ask you to but…” he said as he pushed the button for the attendant. “Could we have a blanket please.” 

Soon the attendant was back.  “Would you like the privacy curtain drawn?” 

“There’s a privacy curtain?” 

“You are in first class, of course there is a privacy curtain,” and with that he pulled down a curtain that did not block everything but it definitely gave them a sense of being alone.

“Now,” Em draped his legs across James' lap, “Come here you gorgeous hunk.” and as he leaned against the window, he pulled James toward him by the front of his shirt.  Soon Emmet’s legs were sticking out from under the curtain as James' hand was inside his pants.  When he knew Em was almost ready to cum, he brought his mouth down firmly and Em’s as his legs stiffened and shoes pointed and then relaxed.  “I love you, James.”  They then relaxed and fell asleep.

As the plane descended, James and Em looked out the window at the beautiful blue water. It was a long flight and 4 planes but they were here for two full weeks. They both knew it was going to be well worth it. As they disembarked there was a bus to their resort and 30 minutes later they were being escorted to the farthest hut. All of the huts had an entry from the boardwalk but the area where they would spend their time outside faced just open water so only people on boats would be able to see them and even then there were panels offering privacy.

“Look at this place!” Em immediately started undressing and he pulled a Speedo out, as quickly as possible. “I don’t think I even need this but for now….” Em opened James’ suitcase and handed him his suit but he threw it back to Em.  He pulled off his clothes and offered Em his hand and together they went out on the private deck.  Em slipped out of his, too, and together they lay in the hammock for two and looked at their surroundings. 

“This place is as beautiful as it looked.”

“It is beyond everything I could have imagined.  It is perfect.”  They realized all they had to do each day was order the food they wanted and tell them what time they wanted and each day their food was delivered. They did not leave their hut for the first week.

Father Tom was glad Kevin was there.  He wanted to be able to help Nathan the best he could and he hadn’t worked with anyone going through something like this.  They were sitting in Tom’s office going through some church records. Kevin had never seen Tom so quiet.

“Tom, what has you so deep in thought today?”

“Nathan has been reserved the last couple weeks.  I know he had been very involved in the wedding and  his family coming so I figured that had him busy but last night he told me what was really going on.”

“And what was that?”

“He wants to transition. He got his first hormone shot this week.”

“Does he plan to completely transition?”

“I don’t know if he knows...do I call him her? I don’t mean to disrespect him if I say the wrong thing. What advice can you give me?”

“Tom, first of all, Nate will not be angry with you.  He knows you support him. You do support him, don’t you?”

“Of course I support him.  He and I talked and since our relationship is just friends the relationship doesn’t have a future, really.”

“Tom, are you really going to go with that?”

“What?”

“I know you really care about him and it is more than a friendship but if you want to…”

“I just need to support him and we will see where the future leads.  He is my focus at this point.”

“I have counselled several people as they went through the different steps.  For some the hormones alone are fine with them.  Others need to go through the surgery. They want to be able to have sex like everyone else of their sex.” 

“I know Nathan, who plans to go by Natalia, will know when he knows.”

“Next week, when I head back to Atlanta, I can link him up with one of my kids.  I can think of one young gal who would be a good resource for him.  She stopped before the big surgery.  To her that wasn’t important.  She has a partner who doesn’t care whether or not she has a cock.”

“That would be so helpful, I know it would.  Nathan doesn’t know anyone who has done this and I am sure his counselor and doctor will hook him up but I know he will be glad to have someone he doesn’t know to talk to, too.”

“Tom, what is the church going to say if they find out you are supporting this.  In my case they consider it my mission.  Will someone give you problems?”

“There are a few.”

“What will you do if the church pressures you?”

“I am not sure. I think I would push it.  We are to be here for our community and that means all of the community.”

“If things change, Nathan would be welcome to my place during his transition.  Once he has completed he could come back.”

“I will let him know that.”

“But you don’t want him to leave? Well, maybe at that point we both will come down.  I love being a priest but if they don’t change, I may have to leave.”

“You would be welcome any time.  I’m not as young as I was and numbers only increase.”

“That is an interesting thought.  I won’t forget it.”

The two men continued to work for some time before Kevin left for the day. When Kevin arrived at Britin, he slipped up to Justin’s studio before entering the house.  He tapped on the door. There was no answer but he turned the knob and walked in quietly. Justin had been working on it for a week now and although it wasn’t finished yet, it was obvious how good he really was.  After watching him a couple more minutes he cleared his throat.  He didn’t want to scare him and he was surprised when Justin didn’t even blink. After another couple minutes he moved into Justin’s peripheral vision and that was when he went to grab a paint knife to get a perfect line he noticed Kevin.

“Oh, Kevin. Let me guess you tried to get my attention?”

Kevin smiled at his talented son in law. “It’s happened before?”

He laughed, “So many times. I’m sorry.  I get so into the project…”

“Your piece is beautiful.  Em and James are going to love it so much.”

“Do you really think so?” He had gotten pictures of both boys at about three or four and he integrated the childhood pictures into the portrait.

“You could make a lot of money if you put more time into this.”

“I have made a lot of money,” he corrected Kevin, “but right now raising our boys is so much more important.”

“And you do that so well,  I have never known someone so young who is so skilled in everything he does. How old are you?”

“I’m 23.”

“Justin if you could do anything what would it be?”

“I would raise the best children in the world.  Children who choose what is right and what is kind.”

“You already are doing that.”

“Well, personally, I would like to go to school.  Not necessarily to get a degree but to improve my skills. I try to keep up on the new techniques and I have come up with a few of my own but I just want the exposure.  I know Brian’s business will always pay our bills but when I don’t do this for a while,” he looked around his studio, “I just have to come up here and do something.  It is like it anchors me. You know Brian is my very breath but once in a while I just need to ground myself.”

“I understand that completely.  And you know you do that for him, right? When he is worn down or needs to refocus, he needs you and the boys.”

“I don’t think…” Justin was going to deny it but stopped. “He has always had to be so strong.  When we met I was his soft spot to land, even if he didn’t know it and when he thought I was dead, he helped my mom and Mol which in turn helped him. Kevin, you know how much you have done for his self esteem already, don’t you? Sure Brian had enough cockiness to do almost anything but this is the first time in his life that he has felt he had a parent who loved him, someone that wanted to be with him for him, not just because he has a payday for them.”

“Jack didn’t do…..of course he did. I wish I had known.  I don’t know what I would have done but I would have figured out something. And this conversation reminds me, are we going to the hospital to see Anna Claire tomorrow?”

“It is on right now but I will have to see what she says in the morning. It is always up to her.”

“I understand.  I just hate to think I have come this far and can’t see her.”

“Well, I hope you will come to visit frequently so if it doesn’t work this time it will next.”

“I will let you work, Justin. I will go play with the boys.”

“Kevin, if I am not down there by 4:00, please come get me.  I want to be down there when Brian gets home.”

“I will do that,” Kevin said and kissed his cheek.  “You are an amazing man in every way.”

“Maybe sometime we should talk about my father.” Justin laughed.  “He would have a lot to say about that.”

Brian was home at 5:00 and thanks to Kevin Justin had gotten most of the paint off of him and he was making dinner while Brian and Kevin played with the boys out by the pool.  Dante had surprised Ronni with a short vacation for the two of them.  So Nate was the only help they had right now except Kevin was also there to help.

Nate came into the kitchen about about 5:15. “I am sorry I am late.  I know I was going to help with dinner and now I am late and…” Nate felt a tear slide down his cheek.

“Nathan, if you aren’t up to it, I can do this myself. Are you feeling unwell?”

“It is the hormones.  They told me my emotions might be out of control, especially until we get things balanced.”

“You know you don’t have to worry about us. You might like to see if Tom wants to come out more often,  I think just having him around might make you feel better. Tom is one of the best supporters you could have on your side.”

“But the last thing I feel like doing is having sex. I hope this gets easier. I mean, I know I am putting my body through a lot.”

“Did you talk to your parents about this?”  Nathan nodded. “I take it they weren’t supportive?”

“They are confused.  I can see that.  My mom will accept it.  I really think my dad is hurt.  How could his only son want to be a woman? He is thinking he wasn’t manly enough to make me a man.”

“You are very observant, Nate.  Give him time.” Justin said as he pushed the pan in the oven.  “I am going to go outside while this bakes.  You can join us out here.”

Nate smiled, “Thanks, but I think I will just watch something and give Tom a call.”

“You know if you have any questions or concerns, I am sure Kevin is willing to talk to you.”

“Thanks, Justin. I’ll think about it.”

Justin walked out to his family.  Nate would need to work through this for himself but they would be there for him.   Justin sat on the edge of the pool near Gus who was swimming in the shallow end. “Everything Ok with Nate?” Kevin asked.

“The hormones are just making him feel a bit off.”

“Is he on the phone?” Brian asked, looking through the windows.

“I mentioned Tom.”

“Are any of us still believing they are just fuck buddies? Tom has had his special friends in the past and he never came over just to spend time with them.”

“I do think Nate is special.” Justin saw the look on Kevin’s face.  “Does this relationship bother you, Kevin?”

“Not in the way you are thinking.  I worry about Tom’s future.  The church has not changed its rules.  If someone gets a whiff of the relationship….I think the church would support his counseling Nathan but if Tom really loves him, he may have to be prepared to leave the priesthood.”

“Nathan can’t deal with that right now.  I think he would feel the need to leave,” Justin stated worriedly.

“I would never do that,” Kevin said. 

“None of us would,” Brian said as he dropped Aaron’s feet in the water.

“Hey, Tom,” Nathan said into the phone.  “I was just wondering if you had plans this evening but of course you do.  You are a busy man.  I was just thinking about you. Have a good night.” Ten minutes later Nate’s phone rang.  Tom had listened to Nate’s message and could hear something in his voice. “Hey, Tom.” Nathan answered.

“Sorry I couldn’t answer.  I was finishing confessions. Is everything Ok?”

“I didn’t mean to bother you.  It is just this hormone stuff.  I’m fine.  I am having dinner with the family in a few minutes.”

“I could come out.  I don’t have anything until late tomorrow morning.”

“Tom, I would love that but, I am definitely not in the mood to have sex.  I just feel kind of gross right now.”

“Nate, I don’t spend time with you just for sex.” Tom stopped for a split second.  They were friends.  It didn’t mean he had other feelings...of course he knew he did. “How about I come about 8:00? We can watch a couple movies.”

“Tom...thank you.”

The next day Justin verified that Anna Claire would see them so after breakfast Nate took over the care of the boys and Kevin and Justin went to the hospital. Justin used his volunteer pass to get in. Kevin had to smile at the reception his son in law got from all his staff and the patients that knew him. His relaxed demeanor kept them at ease.

“Are you going to show us how to paint something today?” One of the patients asked.

“Not today, Fred, but I believe Angie is here today. She has some really fun projects planned for you.”  Fred smiled and walked away.

“You are good with them.”

“I guess with all my rehab and hospital time, I know what it feels to be ‘trapped’ even if you don’t know why.”

“That makes a lot of sense.” Kevin looked at the halls as they walked. “This doesn’t look like a bad place.”

“It isn’t. I have made this my project and I donate with every sale I make.  The money is earmarked for improvement in patient living conditions. Sometimes one of them just needs something that doesn’t fall under their insurance and they just don’t have funds for it.”

“That is a great project.  And I am sure they enjoy the art, too.”

A young nurse walked up to the men, “Justin, so glad you could come today.”

“Did you tell her I was bringing an old friend with me?”

“I did. She is curious.  May I suggest you go in alone, first? You have a good rapport and feel for her moods.”

“Ok,” Justin turned to Kevin, “You can wait in there.” He pointed to a small visitors room across the hall. “It shouldn’t be long. She may want to meet in here.  She is sometimes kind of funny about who she lets in her room.” 

Kevin went into the small room and  Justin tapped on the door.  “Anna Claire, may I come in?”

“Oh, Justin, yes please. It has been too long since your last visit.”

“I am sorry, Anna.  Remember I told you about my friends’ weddings.”

“Yes, was it lovely? I haven’t been to a wedding for a long time. I was supposed to get married.  Kevin was so handsome but things went wrong. My sister, your mother in law…”

Justin was surprised Anna Claire brought up her sister.  She rarely did.  “Anna, did they tell you I was bringing an old friend along today?”

“Yes, I couldn’t figure out who it would be.  We don’t know that many of the same people.”

“Would you like me to get him or would you like to meet him in the visitor’s room?”

“It is a him? I think it would be best if I didn’t meet him in my room.  A single woman with two men in her room? You are family but…”

“Come with me,” he rested his hand on her lower back. He placed a kiss on her cheek. They walked across the hall and Justin opened the door moving Anna inside.

“Hello Anna Claire,” Kevin stood and looked at her.  She looks slightly older but she was still beautiful.

“I know you, don’t I.” Justin guided her to the chair next to Kevin but as he planned to move to the door Anna Claire squeezed his hand and he sat next to her.

“Yes, but it has been a very long time.”

“You are, Kevin, aren’t you? I still have your ring but I can’t marry you.”

“I understand, Anna.  And I understood why you couldn’t forgive me.”

“Kevin, I forgave you but I couldn’t forget that my nephew was my boyfriend’s child. Justin knows all this?”

“Yes, he brought my son and me together. He found me because of your help.”

“Where have you been, Kevin? Did you become a priest?”  Justin was amazed at the details she was remembering.

“I did and I am still doing that.  I live in Atlanta now.”

“Kevin, will you come visit me again?”

“I will be here from time to time.  I will be here for a few more days and then I will come to visit every couple of months.”

“Will you come visit me next time you are in town?” Anna Claire reached across and took his hand.

“I would love to,” Kevin smiled at her and he thought she really hadn’t aged much.  She was as innocent and pure as she was when they had met.

“Justin, can you take me back to my room. I think I am tired.” Anna stood and looked at Kevin, “Do you still love me, Kevin?”

“I will always love you, Anna Claire.” She stepped toward him and kissed his cheek. “Come back soon.”

Justin opened the door and made sure she got back to her room.  “Anna, are you alright?”

“Yes, I think so. You will bring him back won’t you?”

“I will and I will make sure I let you know when he will be coming.” Justin kissed her cheek.  “I will visit soon.” With that Justin left her looking out the window. She seemed to be traveling back in time.

When Justin entered the visiting room, Kevin sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.  Justin sat next to him and draped an arm around his shoulders.

“Justin, I am the reason she has been here over thirty years.”

“No, Kevin, she is here because she was always fragile.  Her family broke her long before you came along and because of her family you were drawn into a tragedy but I have to say, that tragedy is my blessing so don’t be too hard on yourself and it is amazing she wants to see you again.”   Justin stood and offered his hand to Kevin who took it.  Kevin hugged him tightly for several minutes.

“Let’s go see my grandsons.  I need their joy right now.”

Emmett and James used their second week of the honeymoon to do a little sightseeing.  They took a couple day trips and bought little toys for the boys. One evening as they lay naked in the hammock, James said, “I can’t believe that we only have 2 days left.”

“And as much as I love laying naked with you in paradise, I miss home a bit.  I can’t wait to get on with our real life together. We haven’t talked about kids for a while. I’m not pushing you.  If we decide to wait a couple years I am good with it but I can’t wait to have kids with you.”

“We will need to decide if we want a surrogate or if we will adopt.  Are we going to try for an infant or an older child? I have been thinking about it, too.”

“If I am way out of line, tell me.  I won’t be angry but, do you think that your mom would be willing to be our surrogate? She is still young enough and then we could have a child blood related to each of us.”

James turned to focus on Em instead of the sky, “I like that idea but that is a lot to ask her.  I think she will be engaged herself by now.  Can we ask her and Dante to give up their first year together.”

“That’s true. Just forget about that.  We will love any child we get to raise.” Em pressed his pelvis against James’.

“I love you, Emmett Honeycutt Augustin.”

“Then SHOW me!” 

“My pleasure!” After ten days the men knew exactly what to do with hammock lovemaking.

When they had finished, Em said, “We really need to get one of these by the pool…”

“Or our backyard.” They both relaxed into the netting. “We’ll order it in the morning.”

Kevin and Tom loaded the van for Kevin’s trip home.  Tom had located beds and mattresses in a boarding school that had gotten new ones.  They had loaded 15 bed frames and mattresses into it. This would be the last time the two priests would see each other before Kevin left in the morning.

“Tom, you and Nathan? Have the two of you changed your status?”

“You know I can’t do that, Kevin.”

“Can I be completely honest with you?” Tom nodded.  “When you are ready to admit it, I have a job for you in Atlanta.  You and Natalia would be a great addition to my project.”

“Kevin, I’m not even sure Nate will want to be with me but I know I will be here for him or her until he or she tells me differently.”

“I’m here for both of you if you need to talk but now, my friend, I need to get back and spend a little more time with my family.” The priests hugged and Tom wished him a safe trip and promised he would be in touch.

By the time Kevin arrived at Britin, Brian was just pulling into the garage.  “You’re home early, son.” Brian hugged his father as he approached the SUV. 

“I hate the fact you leave tomorrow.  I wanted to have as much time as we could together.”

“Me too, but I have to get back to my own life and I can only look on it as one of the best trips of my life.  I got to know my son’s family and I think I have helped Anna Claire a little bit.”

“And, we will be in contact regularly, not to mention, we will be visiting in a couple months.  I have to meet these ‘sisters’ of mine.”

“Daddy!  Grandpa!” Gus flew out of the house and ran over to two of his favorite men. Kevin stopped in front of the speeding child and picked him up. “Grandpa, I don’t want you to go,” Gus hugged him tightly around the neck.

“Well, I will miss you SO much but your dads promised me that you will come visit very soon.”

“I already have my moms a long way away.  Now my grandpa will be, too.”

“Gus, I can promise you we will fly down to your grandpa in July and we will stay for a while.”

“Ok.” Gus reached over to Brian who took him from Kevin. “You are home early, Daddy.”

“I thought we could all go swimming for a while and then order some pizza. How does that sound?”

“Will you order cheese?”

“Don’t we always get one cheese?”

Thirty minutes later the pool was full of laughter and  splashing.  When Nate arrived Gus ran to him, “Come join us, Nathan.  We are having pizza later so you don’t have to cook.”

“Wow, that sounds great but …”

“Please don’t say but.  It is Grandpa’s last night.”

Nate had to smile, “Of course I will join you. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”  And true to his word soon Nate did a cannonball in the deep end, causing a loud, happy squeal as he had water splash in his face.   

An hour later Nate was sitting on the deck when Kevin sat next to him.  Brian and Justin had taken the boys in to get them some water and order the pizza.  “How are you feeling, Nate? Are you having bad side effects?”

“Kevin, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I think it is a little early for me to see physical changes yet but my emotions are starting to jump around. Tom is being great.  I mean the thought of sex right now just disgusts me. I know I am not being logical but I know all of this is normal. Can I tell you something, like a confession?”

“Sure, I won’t say a thing.”

“I know Tom and I were not going to get emotionally involved.  I knew I was probably going to transition and I just wanted to have some experience.  I still don’t know how much physically I will have done but I really don’t expect Tom to hang around even if I do have feelings for him.”

“Are you saying you love him?”

“I have been rolling it around in my head for weeks and no matter how I thought it through, yes, I love him but I know he can’t reciprocate and when the time comes, I will be ready to move on. How dangerous is it for Tom…”

“Father Tom knows what all the possibilities are.  He will make his own decisions. If you two are supposed to be, God will make it clear and Tom will make the correct decision.”

“But what if he doesn’t want to leave and he has to?”

“Nathan, he knows he could have a job with me at any time but he needs to make his own decisions.”

Nathan let out a sign, “That makes me feel better.”

Kevin reached over and patted Nate’s leg. “I am going to go pull on some shorts.  I leave this resort living tomorrow.  I will miss them all so much but I miss my life in Atlanta, too.”

“I think I will enjoy the late day sun.  I am dry anyway.” 

They ate out by the pool.  Even Aaron seemed to know Kevin was leaving. He sat on Kevin’s lap while they ate and as Aaron began to nod off, Kevin kissed him and passed him to Justin and a patient Gus took his place on his Grandpa’s lap. An hour later he was still on his lap but now they were inside and Kevin was reading yet another book.  Gus was asleep more than awake but he just didn’t want to say goodbye.

When they had gone in, Nate had said goodbye and the two men had hugged. And now it was time for Kevin to say goodbye to his grandson.  He laid the book down and stood up. “Grandpa, just one more story?” Gus said sleepily.

“No, love, it is time for you to go to bed.  I am leaving early in the morning so I need to go to bed soon. I will go tuck you in.”  He moved up the stairs and after helping him with his pajamas and brushing his teeth he tucked Gus in.

“I love you, Grandpa. I will miss you so much.”

“Oh, Gus, I will miss you too.  I will see you in a few weeks and you can see where I live.”

“Ok, please don’t forget about me.”

“I will never, ever forget you.”  Kevin ran his fingers through Gus’ hair until he was sound asleep.  He slowly moved off the bed and went back downstairs.

“I am going to head to bed,” Justin said, kissing Kevin’s cheek.  “I will say goodbye in the morning.  I am going to put together some food for you so if you don’t want to stop you won’t have to.”  Justin kissed Brian gently.  “Take your time. I will see you when you come up.” 

Kevin sat on the sofa and patted the spot next to him.  Brian walked over to the bar and poured two small whiskeys and then came back and sat down next to his father, handing him one of the glasses. “Thanks, son.” He placed his arm around Brian’s shoulder and instinctively dropped his head on Kevin’s shoulder.

“Dad… you know this is the first time in my life that saying that word feels right.” Kevin kissed his head.

“I know I couldn’t have done anything about your situation but it is still painful.  Joan and Jack were married.  Back in the 60s a married couple would never be questioned. I would have just been drug through the press.  I would have probably been considered a vet that came home on drugs and got a married woman pregnant, his fiance’s sister.”

“I don’t blame you for anything they did. They were both drunks.  That makes it sounds like she is dead but she is to me. Justin sees her every couple months because of Gus.  Justin doesn’t expect her to change but he has managed to get her to send a couple pictures of me as a baby, hoping she will continue to loosen up a bit.”

“So when are you coming to visit?” Kevin asked.

“I am thinking maybe we will come down for the month of July? We will find a house swap or something like that.  I wouldn’t do it but with the guys staying here it wouldn’t bother me as much.”

“That sounds great.  You could meet my girls, Sally and Brandy.  I think you will like them.  Their childhoods have a lot of similarities to yours.”

“Dad,” Brian sipped his whiskey, “I … it took thinking Justin was dead to admit I loved someone besides Gus. You are so easy ….I love you, Dad.”

“Oh, Brian,” Kevin set his drink down and sheltered Brian in his arms, “I love you and your family with all my heart. You will always be a part of me.”

“You need to get to bed.  You will have a long day tomorrow. Please promise me if you ever need anything you will ask.  It is obvious, I can afford to help you.”

“Thank you, Brian.  I hope I can say you got your heart from me.”

“You are right.  I always wondered why I felt led to give.” Brian finished his drink and stood. You head up.  I will lock up and turn off some lights.  I will say goodbye before you leave in the morning.”

Kevin kissed his cheek before going up to his room. 

Brian started making a cup of tea for Justin and locked up the place while the water heated.  He then poured the water into the travel mug and he moved upstairs. He knew Justin would be awake. He walked in and found Justin laying in bed reading a book. Brian sat down next to him on the edge of the bed and kissed him, “I brought you your tea. I’ll go get ready for bed while you drink it.”

Justin reached out and touched Brian’s cheek, “Are you alright, love?”

“I am, I’ll be back.” Brian trailed his finger across Justin’s chest before he stood up and disappeared into the bathroom.

By the time Brian came back out, Justin had set the mug on the bedside table and he lay on his side facing Brian’s spot. Justin opened his arms and Brian lay down accepting Justin’s warmth. Justin brushed his lips over Brian’s pliable mouth and Brian accepted Justin’s intrusive tongue. Without a word Brian rolled over and offered himself to Justin.  He knew this mood. Brian just needed to feel needed.  Justin entered him.  Even after all these years it surprised him how Brian knew just how to relax, even if it had been a month or two since he was penetrated.

Justin brought his mouth near Brian’s ear. “Bri, you are the most amazing man. I love you so much.”  It wasn’t frenzied loving making.  It was all about love, touching hearts and souls and when they both orgasmed together, they knew this was exactly what they both needed.

“I keep thinking all of this is a dream.  If it is, don’t ever wake me up.” Brian turned over and pulled Justin close. “I have a father that loves me. I have everything I have always wanted. Good night.  I am sure you have the alarm set early.”

“Good morning, Emmy.  We are going home today.  It is now time to go back to the real world and our real life.”

“As long as we are together, I don’t care.  I have kind of let my business go while planning our wedding but I know Tracy has been keeping it up.  It is time for me to pull my weight and make plans.”

“You know you can do whatever you want.  If you want to sit on the sofa all day, I would be a happy man.”

“You know I could never do that unless of course you were with me on the sofa each day.” Em kissed James. “Neither of us could do that but I do hope to leave the cooking to Nathan and Tracy. They are much better in the kitchen than I am.”

“I have cooked with you in the kitchen more than once.” James kissed his neck.  “We better get up.  I have a feeling if we stay in bed too long we will miss the plane.”

They finished packing up and, after enjoying breakfast from the hammock, they strolled down the long boardwalk, hand in hand, before boarding the bus back to the airport.  “James, promise me we will come back in maybe five years.”

“Sure, the kids can stay with Mom.”

“I love the sound of that.” Em and James kissed as the bus began to move.

Justin slipped out of bed, he set his alarm for 30 minutes so it would awake Brian.  He moved out of the room quietly.  He made a pot of coffee that he put in a thermos.  He then made some sandwiches as well as fruit, chips, and cookies.  As he started chopping some vegetables for Kevin to munch on, he started getting a heavy feeling as his heart realized his wonderful father in law was leaving.  He realized as much as he would miss him, he knew this was just the beginning of their extended family.  They would be back together in less than two months. He quit cutting when his eyes misted over.  

“Justin, are you alright?” Kevin walked up and put his hand on his shoulder.  Justin turned into Kevin’s arms and put his arms around his father in law.

“I am so happy we have you in our lives.  I just started thinking how much I will miss you but how amazing it is to have you in our lives. And I know we will see you again soon.”

Kevin pulled him close, “You can’t get rid of me now,” he smiled and gave Justin a kiss.

“I caught you!” Brian laughed. “Dad, if I ever saw Sunshine in any other man’s arms, he would be out cold.” Brian kissed both men. “Anything I can do? Take your bags out to the van?”

“No, I only have the one bag and of course Justin’s feast.”

“I was just going to fill this small cooler with drinks.  I have most of it filled with water.  Would you like some sodas?”

“If there is room for a couple with caffeine it might be good.”  Justin put as many as would fit.

“Now, Kevin, stop when you get tired. You ….”

“I just texted the address for the hotel you will stay at in Charlotte.  That will be about eight hours today, meaning tomorrow morning you can get up and be in Atlanta by noon.”

“Son, I love saying that, son, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did. I just found my father.  I don’t want to hear that he drove off the road because he fell asleep.”

“Kevin, I will see you when we get to Atlanta.  It has been so wonderful having you visit and the boys and I love you so much.”

“Justin, give them both a kiss for me and,” Kevin looked at Brian, “Turn your head because I am going to kiss your husband again.” Kevin kissed him and gave him a long hug. “Call so I can talk to those boys soon.”

“We will.” Justin handed Brian the coolers and bag with food. “Walk your dad out.”

Brian and Kevin walked to the van.  Brian put the food in the passenger seat so Kevin could reach them easily and he tucked his bag on top of the mattresses in the back.  Then Brian and Kevin stood facing each other. “Brian, I can't believe we just met two weeks ago. I feel like I have known you all…” Brian hugged Kevin.  “I wish I had known you all my life but you were worth waiting for.” Brian’s voice cracked.

“Well I say we should have another 20 years or so together.  Take care of your lovely family and we will see you in a couple months.” Kevin kissed his son.  “And Brian, thanks for the hotel room.  I am sure I will appreciate it by the time I get there.”

With that Kevin got in and drove away. Brian hadn’t heard him come out but Justin was next to him and directed him into the house. Brian had tears in his eyes but started to laugh at the same time.  “Justin Taylor, I have a father.  He loves me and my family and I have fallen in love with him.  Can you believe that someone loves me?”

“I have no problem believing that.  I have loved you since the day I met you?” Justin pressed against him and kissed him lightly but then the kiss got deeper.

Brian’s mouth moved to Justin’s ear, “When is the last time we made love in the kitchen.”

“Ten minutes from now.” Justin said as he tugged Brian to the island and then he dropped his shorts and leaned over the counter.