Chapter 3

Justin heard Brian’s phone ringing as he woke from a deep sleep. “Bri, your phone.” 

“Ya,” Brian mumbled. “Who is it?” he said rather than looking at the screen.

“Brian, I am so sorry I woke you.” James said apologetically. “I just wanted to let you know what happened before you heard it in the Pittsburgh news.”

Now Brian was awake and sitting up.  “What is it, James?” The tone of Brian’s voice had Justin sitting up and Brian hit the speaker button on the phone.

“No one is hurt or anything.  There was an accident right by Britin and the truck ended up going through the front gate.  I already have a contractor who will come and put a temporary fix on it and then he will get it completely fixed in a couple weeks.”

Brian relaxed along with Justin.  “Thanks for the call.  I take it the press took pictures.”

“Yes, the truck was full so produce was everywhere and it was a real mess. I’ve been up most of the night.”

“It sounds like you have everything under control.”

“How are the guests?” Justin asked. “Any issues?”

“Nothing Mom and Nat can’t handle,” Em’s voice came over the phone.  “James has to go talk to the contractor. Everything is good here.  The guests are great.  All the family wants to do is hang by the pool and the dad works part of the time and most nights they go out for dinner.”

“That’s great,” Justin heard the boys, “Brian, can you go get them.  I will be there in a couple minutes.” They kissed before Brian got out of bed, slipping his robe on as he walked out the door. “Em, I am so excited….”

“Wait, can I tell you something first?”

“Sure, Em, sounds important.”

“Sunshine, Ronni said she would have a baby for us!  She is having some testing done but she wants to carry a baby for us!  It would be part of James and part of me!  I am so excited.”

“Oh, Emmett, I am so excited for the two of you. Well, actually it might be all four of you. You are going to be great dads and Ronni and Dante are the perfect grandparents.”

“What were you going to say before I interrupted?”

“It will wait, Em.  I was just going to tell you about Kevin’s girls.  They are living in our guest house while their house is being remodeled and I think Bri and I are going to get a night out this weekend.”

“Justin, you and Brian are a hard dad act to follow but I am glad we have you for advise. We will talk soon.  James is coming back.”

“Bye, Em.  We will talk soon.”

When Justin walked into the kitchen Gus was biting into a banana. “Good Morning, Daddy J.  What did Uncle Em say? I miss him.”

“Uncle Em and Uncle James are good.” Justin hugged Gus and then kissed the top of Aaron’s head before walking around to Brian and bringing his lips to Brian’s ear he said, “I have something to tell you later.”

“Hey, can we join you if we cook?” Sally said as she and Brandy came through the door.

“We had a lot of leftover biscuits and gravy yesterday,” Sally said.  

“And I thought I could make up some of my special scrambled eggs…”

“You make special eggs?” Gus asked

“I do!  I put magic sparkle dust in them and if you don’t hold them down they will float away.”

“Wow!” Gus was enthralled.

“Are you two off today?” Brian asked.

“We are and we think it is time for the two of you to take some time off.  Please let us have the day with our sweet nephews.”

Brian put his arm around both Sally and Brandy and kissed each of them on the cheek. He then walked over to Justin and pulled him tightly against him. “Damn, what will we do for a whole day?”

“I am sure we will figure something out,” Justin purred.

“You two are so cute,” Sally said.

“Now get out of my way so I can make magic eggs.” Brandy pushed them around the island.

An hour later, Brian and Justin were walking out of the house and heading to introduce Brian to Mary.  After that they had no specific plans except to enjoy time to themselves.

“Justin, look at that!” Brian slammed on the brakes and pulled into a Harley Davidson dealership.  

“I see lots of motorcycles.” Justin smiled over at him. “It is obvious that you see something special. You know I have never been into cycles.  I mean I could enjoy a leisurely ride now and then but I don’t know one from the other.”

“Sunshine, they have a softail.  The softail I wanted so badly at 18 but I barely had $10.00 let alone enough to buy even a rundown model that barely ran.” He pulled into a spot and jumped out of the car. 

Justin got out and followed Brian.  He wasn’t sure but he thought Brian might have skipped on his way in. 

“Look at it, Justin.  Isn’t it gorgeous? I mean it has been restored to its original look.”

“I kind of like when I’m the one you call gorgeous.” He looked at a couple of the things Brian pointed out.  

“I will show you later the difference between this being gorgeous,” he smiled over at him, “And this being gorgeous.” He ran his hand over Justin’s neck.  “I want to kiss you but for some reason I am not sure that is the best idea right now,” he said as a salesman walked up. 

“You have great taste,” the salesman said. “It is rare to find a softail of this age in this condition.”

“It is very nice. I could…”

“What is the cost of this machine?” Justin interrupted.

“It is a steal! The cost is only $12,500.”

“Is this the only one you have?”

“We have another one over here.”

Brian hadn’t noticed the other one standing off to one side.  “Oh, what the fuck? Where did you get this? Justin, I want….”

“Sir, the cost of this one?”

“I’m afraid this one is more expensive.  We are asking $15,000 for this one. We don’t have much wiggle room.  This ….”

“Thanks for the information.  We’ll go discuss…”

“Sunshine, what are you doing? We…”

Justin took Brian’s arm and led him out of the building.

“What are you doing? I want ...no, I need one of those.  The second one we saw…”

“Bri, you were way too eager and we haven’t even looked at the price range anywhere.”

“Damn, I hate it when you’re right.”

“Let’s go meet Mary and then do a little research and then we can go back there before we go home.”

“Do you always have to be so right?” Brian pulled him close.

“I was right when I picked you.”  Justin kissed him and said, “I’ll drive.  I know how to get there.”

“That sounds good.  I will look up the bikes.” Brian was quiet for a few minutes. “You’re right, Sunshine, they are priced too high.  I’ll keep looking.”

“Maybe we should just wait until we get home.  I mean if you buy one here we will have to figure out how to get it home and I am not thrilled with you riding one of those, but at least at home you know the roads and could even put in a track around our property.”

“Justin, a Harley is made for the open road. You and I could take it up to the mountains for a weekend.”

“You have to promise me something,” he said as he pulled into a parking spot at the hospital.

“What is that?”

“You aren’t 18 anymore and you have a loving family that needs you more than life itself.” He leaned in and Brian met him half way. Brian reached and put a hand behind Justin’s head, taking the kiss much deeper than Justin had planned.  “Ok, you haven’t forgotten.  One more thing before we go in there.” They both got out of the car and started walking to the building.   He stopped and faced Brian, “I feel like I pressured you into this baby and I know, that can’t be how we decided to add to our family.  If you really don’t want to grow our family, I understand.”

Brian stepped closer and put his arms around Justin’s waist, “I was only hesitant because you do so much already. I don’t want you to ever feel like all you have time for is being a parent when I know what an amazing artist you are. But last night, when you were with Aaron, I swear you were reenergized.”

“Ah, how can you not feel their souls and get reenergized.”  They started walking again.

Brian all the sudden remembered something, “In the kitchen this morning you said there was something you needed to tell me.  Does it have anything to do with Mary and the baby?”

“Oh, no but I’m glad you reminded me.  This morning after you left, Em told me some news.”

“I thought you might have told him our news.”

“I was going to but I haven’t even told Mom yet, which by the way I need to do tonight.  Em told me he and James are working on parenthood themselves.”

“That’s great.”

“That’s not all.”

“What else could there be? James isn’t quitting is he?”

“No, nothing like that.  Ronni is going to be their surrogate.”

Before Brian could answer, the elevator door opened and Brian and Justin moved down the hall and into a room.

“Justin, Father Kevin said you were coming this morning.”

Justin walked over and gave her a hug.  “Mary, I would like you to meet my husband, Father Kevin’s son, Brian.”

Brian walked over and took her hand, “Nice to meet you, Mary.  How are you feeling today?”

“I feel like a blimp. Who am I kidding, I look like one, too.” Mary smiled over at Brian.  “You look like your father. He is a wonderful man.”

“Yes he is.  I have only known him for a few months but I can tell he has done a lot of good around here.”

“I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t taken me in. I was very young and on the streets with nowhere to go.  I …. I am done with that life but now I have this life,” she rubbed her stomach, “and I know I am not ready to be a parent.  Do the two of you know someone looking to adopt?” Mary started to tear up.  “I should have planned.  I have never been good at planning.” Tears now ran down her cheeks.

Justin moved close and held her hand, “Mary, I showed you pictures of our boys.”  She nodded.  “We think they need a little sister. We are hoping you might let us adopt her.  Kevin said he has a lawyer that can help with the paperwork and, of course, we will pay for all of that.”

“Are you serious?Those beautiful boys will be her brothers?”

“And she will have a grandmother and aunt that will love her so much, not to mention our extended family.” Justin kissed her cheek and they talked for the next half hour before Brian and Justin left to get the paperwork started.

The rest of the day went too quickly.  They talked to the girls who told them to take their time.  They had just put the boys down for naps, even though Gus was sure he was too big for naps.  When the boys woke they were all going to a nearby park for a bit and they would have dinner ready at 7:00.  Sally said, “Unless you two want to go out for dinner.”

“No, we will be home by 6:30 or so. Any suggestions for a romantic lunch?” 

Brandy and Sally both said the same place at the same time.  Brandy said, “It is run by friends of ours.  They will have a table ready for you.”  And with that they hung up.

Brian and Justin walked up to a gate that appeared to lead them into a back alley.  “Are you sure we have the right place?” Brian asked.

“I just double checked with Sally and she said this is right.  We just need to press the button.” Justin reached over and pressed what looked like a doorbell.

“Brian and Justin?” a voice came over the speaker.

“Yes.” Brian said, a bit surprised.  The gate swung open. 

“Just follow the path. It is the second door on the left. No rush, enjoy the view.” They walked through and it shut behind them.  

Going through the gate had somehow transported them to a Mediteranion village.  They linked fingers as they strode slowly. Justin spent a couple minutes looking at a mural.  “Isn’t this beautiful,” Justin said almost in a whisper.

As they moved closer to the door the mural had been vandalized. “Who could ruin such a marvelous….” Justin started but was interrupted.

“Brian and Justin, please come in. I am Camile.  My husband and I own this little place.  When Sal called we started a special lunch for you.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“This place is great,” Brian said as they were ushered into a small inner courtyard that was shaded and had small fans cooling the area.

Brian pulled out Justin’s chair and kissed him as he sat down. “Please we have a chilled salad waiting for you.  Please sample our different dressings. Oh and there is a basket of bread sticks.  I will be back when your main dish is ready. Take your time.”

“Wow,” Justin continued to look around. “Every place I look I see something else I want to paint.  I think I might be adjusting my work at the shelter.”

“This is definitely a calm, relaxing place.” They ate their salad full of fresh fruit and spring greens.  They tried the three dressings that were available, each better than the one before.

“I hope I’m not rushing you,” Camile appeared, followed by another wait staff.  “Here we have a specialty of the house.  Brandy assured me you were not picky eaters so I hope you enjoy the fish.  It has been poached in brown butter with dill and lemon. And,” she turned and took the plates from her staff who then turned and left.  She set down a platter of different olives and cheese and in her other hand was another basket of bread.  Rather than the crispy breadsticks that had been served with the salad, this was a sliced baguette that was perfect for sopping up the sauce with the fish.

“Damn, this is SO good.  I mean Brandy and Sally are great but this is a totally different style.” Justin said as his hand went under the table and found Brian’s crotch. “If I didn’t know better they put something in this food that made me horny as hell!” Justin unzipped Brian’s fly and slipped his hand into it. Brian closed his eyes as Justin’s warm fingers grazed his cock. With his free hand Justin popped an olive in his mouth and rolled it around on his tongue for Brian to see. Justin felt Brian’s reaction as his cock got rock hard. After swallowing them he popped a couple more in his mouth and then immediately dropped under the table.  Brian felt the heat of Justin’s mouth and the chill of the olives move across his erection and, he wasn’t sure why but, he lost control and climaxed within moments.

Camile had approached the door but when she saw the scene she backed off.  Dessert could wait. She came back ten minutes later and Justin was sitting back in his chair and Brian was having a hard time keeping his hands off of him.  “I figured you two could use just a little something sweet so I brought you a sample platter.” There were several ten bite size bars on it, five different treats for each.

“Oh, Camile, I don’t know if I can eat anymore,” Brian sighed.

“Well, may I suggest you both try this bite size baklava and I will box these up for you to take home with you.  Brandy asked me to send something home anyway.” Camile headed toward the door.

“Oh, Camile, before you go, I was going to ask, what happened to the mural outside?”

“We had vandals break in.  Thankfully, they didn’t have time to trash the whole thing but I think we will just have to paint over part of the mural.  We cannot leave the damage as it is.”

“Camile, I would love to redo it for you.  I am just not sure if I have time this trip.  I think if I had two days I could finish it but it might be a little hot right now anyway.  Do you think you could maybe just hide it for now and we could make a trip in the fall….”

“You would do that? I have seen your art.  You are so talented.  I am not sure we could afford… We have only been here five months and you can see we hope for quality but we don’t have room for quantity.”

“I work for food.  Feed us like this when we come to town and we have a deal.  You buy the paints, I’ll put in the labor.”

“You have a deal!” Justin stood and Camile hugged him.

“Hey, Brian, I need to use the bathroom.  I will meet you by the front door.” Justin rushed to the restroom.  He had managed to send an email to the Harley dealer earlier and made them an offer on the second bike they saw.  He looked for a response and the dealer said they had a deal.  He gave them his card information and said he would talk to them tomorrow.

Brian and Justin spent the next two hours with lawyers.  Kevin’s associate had the paperwork started and Brian had his lawyer on a conference call so he could start drawing up a new will.  He also had his lawyer work on a financial agreement for Mary.  They would pay for all her medical expenses.  They had to be careful how everything was worded so it didn’t look like they were buying the child.  The two lawyers said they would work it out so it met the Georgia law.  Brian and Justin knew Mary had been laid up for a while so they hoped to be able to do something for her. 

When Brian and Justin left the lawyer Justin did something he hated to do to Brian.   When Brian said he was going to stop at the Harley Dealer on the way home, Justin lied, “Bri, I think I am getting a headache. I promise, we will go back tomorrow.”

Brian was concerned and said, “Of course, Sunshine.  Let’s get you to the house so you can take your pill and drink your tea.”

“Thanks, Bri, I love you.”

“I love you, too, Sunshine.”

Justin was actually happy to drink a cup of tea.  They had drank some wine at lunch and between that and the baby and the motorcycle, he had had a busy day. And he was very excited to see his boys.  Over lunch they decided they wouldn’t tell the boys about the baby yet but Justin wanted to spend as much time with the boys as he could now.  He was sure Gus would be thrilled with a new baby but he had a feeling Aaron would be confused and may have some adjustment issues but whether they were here or back in Pittsburgh, they always had help.  Justin was already thinking about hiring another nanny.  If Nat wanted it they would be thrilled but Justin had an inkling that Nat wouldn’t be staying too long.  Once she was comfortable in her own skin he could see her go somewhere and start over.

“Up.” Aaron said and Justin reached down and picked him up.  “Dada!” Aaron puckered his lips and Justin did the same and they kissed. 

“I love you, Aaron.”

“Kiss.” Aaron said.

“You have the two most loveable children I have ever met and not just because they are now my sudonephews,” Brandy said.

“He’s your nephew.  Our family has never been about blood. It’s about heart and from what I saw when we got home he loves you already.  They both do.”

That touched Brandy.  Justin walked over with Aaron and hugged her.  “I don’t know why I am so shocked but when people are as kind as you and Brian…. I was used to rejection all my life. Well at least by people I loved.  May I?” she reached toward Aaron and he happily came to her.

“Well, I hope you consider us family that loves you. You two are welcome with us anytime. Have you ever been to Pittsburgh?”

“I haven’t.  Sal has.  In fact, I think she has some relatives up there.”

“We will expect you to come with Kevin at Christmas. We have plenty of room.  I am sometimes almost embarrassed at the size of the estate but we try to share it.”

“I have heard you talk.  It is obvious you two know what to do with your money.” Aaron was getting antsy in her arms. “Looks like this guy wants to go.”

“Oh, by the way, lunch was so amazing.  Thank you.”

“It is the least we could do since you have been so kind to us.” Brandy carried Aaron over to where Sally was working on dinner and Brian moved up behind him and slipped his arms around Justin’s shoulders.  

“How’s your headache?” he ran his lips along Justin’s neck.

“Thankfully, I think it was a false alarm or I just caught it in time.  It is almost completely gone.”

“Sunshine, the headache wasn’t just because you don’t want me to get the motorcycle, was it?”

Justin turned and kissed him, “I have to say it makes me nervous and we are going to set down some rules, like not riding when you are angry and never take the kids out on the road, but I know how much you enjoy the speed and freedom.  Please make it more about freedom than speed.  You are going to be the father of three very soon.  I need you, my love.”

“I promise, Sunshine.  You will always be my top priority.” Brian pulled him close and kissed him long and hard. Justin’s body melted into him.

“Alright, alright you two.  Enough is enough.  You have family here.” Kevin said with a smile in his voice.  “I am so glad my son is so in love and with someone as special as Justin.”

“Oh, Kevin,” Justin blushed a bit, “I don’t think I had a choice.  How could I not love him?”

The rest of the night the family enjoyed time together.  Brian told all of them about the motorcycle they saw and how amazing it was.

“Daddy, will you take me for a ride?” Gus said, getting off his chair and crawling onto Brian’s lap.

“I can take you on the drives on Britin and once we get a safe track made we will have a place to drive.”

“And we will need to get you a helmet, of course.”  Justin said.

“And a leather jacket.” Brian threw in. “Every motorcycle rider needs a leather jacket.”

Sally and Brandy insisted on putting the boys down for the night.  Brian went with them to help fill them in on where things were.”

Justin and Kevin sat in the living room drinking coffee.  “How is the headache?”

“I feel like I should say, Father, I have sinned.  I lied to Brian.  I didn’t have a headache but I didn’t want to go past the Harley Davidson dealership.”

“You don’t want him to get a motorcycle?” Kevin asked, reaching out and putting a hand on Justin’s shoulder.

“No,  well I am not thrilled about it but that isn’t why.  I already bought it for him.  I am going to stop by tomorrow for a couple upgrades I am having them add, and then it will be his.  Can you help me distract him?”

“I think you can be forgiven for that. I will do what I can to keep him busy.  We need to come up with some evening activities and I could stretch the  truth and tell Brian I stopped by and it had been sold.  That really isn’t a lie.  It has been sold.”

Justin leaned over and kissed his father in law. “That would be great!”  They heard the other three coming their way.  Soon all five of the adults were in the living room and Justin was talking about the lunch place.  Justin told them they would plan to come this fall so he could redo the mural for them.  They would check Gus’ school schedule and come when he was out for a week.

“Now that is good news. And if we go up to Pittsburgh for Christmas, we will get to see these kids, including the baby. When do you plan to tell the boys about their sister?” Sally asked as she snuggled up to Brandy in the loveseat.

“We thought it might be best to wait until we take her home. Not that Mary is going to change her mind but if something went wrong with delivery, we don’t want to have to face the questions.”

“You’re right.  Gus would be devastated.” Sally said and glanced at the clock.  “I hate to say it but we have an early morning so at 9:00 I turn into a pumpkin and those two small boys really tired me out.”

“But they are so worth the energy.” Brandy said standing up and, after pulling Sally up, she kissed her. “Come on, Sal.  That alarm is going to be going off in eight hours.”

Once the women had walked out, Kevin stood, too.  “I think I will take a cue from them and head home.  Are you two coming to the shelter tomorrow?”

“Yes, I am going to start painting.  Did you talk to the young man you said might help me?”

“I did and he is very excited. He will be available all day tomorrow.”

“That’s great! Once I get it started, maybe he will be able to take over and he will feel comfortable doing more around the building.” Justin smiled at Kevin.

“That is what I hope. If he is as talented as you said, I hope I can give him the confidence to continue doing more painting.”

Kevin hugged him, “Justin, you are a wonderful man.”

“I will second that.  What do you have for me to do tomorrow?”

“I have a couple Board members coming in to meet you and we hope that you can help us figure out other ways to keep this shelter in the black.”

“Sounds good, Dad.” Brian embraced his father and then they were alone for the first time since lunch.

Brian pulled Justin close. “Why don’t you go make some tea.  I hate to do it but I know Ted sent me something before he left work and I have to look at it before morning.  I promise 15 minutes, no longer.”

Justin pulled Brian’s head down to his and kissed him. His tongue probed deep into Brian’s and he drug the tip over Brian’s palate causing him to shiver.  “I understand, darling. Take your time and come to bed when you are done.”  

“Ten minutes.  I’ll….” he kissed Justin once more and rushed to the small office.

When Brian came into the bedroom fifteen minutes later, Justin was working on his lap top. “What are you looking at, Sunshine? Porn to get you in the mood?”

“Darlin’,” Justin purred as he shut the computer and set it beside the bed.  “No porn could compare to you.”

Brian smiled and basically flew into the bed as he hurled his body toward the bed.  He landed right next to Justin.

“You seem to have forgotten this will get in the way.” Justin pulled Brian’s shirt up and with a  little effort it was off. Then Justin’s focus went to Brian’s pants.  He rolled him onto his back and undid the fly. As he did so, Brian tugged at the sheet over Justin’s lower half and as soon as he realized he was completely naked, he pulled the sheet lower and he moved toward him.  He stopped his move just long enough to get his own pants off and then his mouth took Justin. Justin relaxed and let the sensation wash over him.  How had he gotten so fortunate? In some of the hours he was alone, being held by his father, he wondered why he was still alive, his life was so lonely.  Now, he would do it all over again to have the life he has.

Brian’s tongue began to tease the tip of Justin’s cock, playing with the opening found there.  It was only moments before Brian was feasting on the cum in his mouth.  He then moved lower and came up between Justin’s legs.  Justin moved one leg to the side and put the other on Brian’s shoulder as Brian moved up his body. Leaving a trail of kisses up his blond glory trail until his mouth arrived at Justin’s and as his tongue, still tasting of Justin, slipped into Justin’s mouth, he moved into Justin.  It wasn’t long before Justin began to move quickly and forcefully.  When he couldn’t wait any longer, he exploded and as he shuttered and Justin used muscles trying to get every drop out of him, he collapsed onto Justin.

After both of them calmed their senses a bit they went to shower off. As Brian ran the bar of soap over Justin’s back and said, “Do you think we will have time to go back to the motorcycle tomorrow?”

“I don’t know.  I am going to have the young man help me with the mural and you know Kevin has Board members for you to talk to.  I promise, I will talk to them and see if they can hold it for us.”

“Ok.  What were you doing on the computer when I walked in?”

“Ordering baby girl stuff,” he turned and took the soap from Brian and started on his chest. I figure Jessi can use the cradle for a few months and by then we can get a toddler bed for Aaron. I ordered some onesies and other clothes plus I let Em know, I ordered a case of diapers that will be delivered to Pittsburgh.  I also ordered some of it to come here.”

“My little boy scout, always prepared.”

“What did Ted need you to look at? Something with the baby?”

“Actually, yes. For now we are just adding an addendum to my will.  Eventually I will want to redo it all but this way the basics are covered.”

“And now who is prepared?” His hands slid down Justin’s wet back.

“Bri, as much as I would like to make love again, tomorrow will be a long day and we still need to do a few things around here in case the baby comes early. She will have clothes and diapers. She can use Aaron’s baby shampoo and we can get the formula once we know what the doctor suggests.”

“I have to admit, I can’t wait to meet her despite getting up every two hours.”

“We will work it out. Maybe we should hire another staff member.  If Nat wants to nanny for us she could or we can hire a nanny and Nat can continue running the kitchen and helping Ronni who will do everything.”

“Well, if she will be carrying a baby,” Brian and Justin stepped out of the shower and Brian continued, “she may need shorter days.  I agree we are going to need to hire another staff member.”

They both dried off and headed to bed.  “I’ll call Ronni and tell her about Jessi and have her talk to Nat and start hiring.  We will need to tell Em and James.  Tomorrow night we will do a skype call.”

The men got in bed and kissed. As Justin’s back pressed against Brian’s chest, Brian’s arm came over and rested on Justin’s heart. “Goodnight, Sunshine.”

“Goodnight, Brian.”

The next several days, Justin and Kevin kept Brian busy.  Justin managed to call the cycle shop and told them the few things he wanted added.  Brian and Justin had talked to both Ronni and James and Emmett, who were thrilled for them.  And they got into a routine. 

By the end of the week, Justin found out the motorcycle was ready.  He talked to Kevin and on Friday night Kevin would pick up the bike and they would surprise Brian with it.  Justin and Brian had taken the boys to the Aquarium for the afternoon.  Without Justin knowing anything about it, Sally and Brandy took the night off to make a large family dinner for them all to enjoy and then they all just waited for Brian, Justin, and the boys to arrive.

“Sunshine, you seem jittery.  Is there something wrong?” Brian asked as he drove them home.

“Ya, Daddy J, what is wrong?”  Gus asked.

“Nothing is wrong.  Did you have fun at the aquarium? What was your favorite part?” Justin asked which kept Gus talking the rest of the way home, although Aaron added the word fish from time to time. Justin texted Kevin letting him know they would be there in about three minutes and Kevin and his girls went to wait for the garage door to rise.

“Who are you texting?” Brian asked.  

“I was just checking if your dad was coming to dinner tonight.”

Brian turned into the drive, “Is he?”

“He didn’t respond yet.” 

Brian stopped in front of the garage and pressed the door open.  “Oh, Bri, just shut the car off. One of us will need to bring Kevin home.”  Justin stated and Brian put it in park and turned off the key. He smiled back at the boys and then looked forward.

The garage door was now open and for the first time he noticed it. “Holy shit, Sunshine!” he said softly.

“What is it, Daddy?” Gus asked as Brian got out of the car while Justin did too.  Sally and Brandi came forward to get the boys out of their carseats while Justin moved to Brian’s side and took his hand. 

“Sunshine, how did you do this? How did you….”  Brian kissed him quickly and then went to examine the bike more carefully.  He looked over every inch and as he got to his father he hugged him tightly.  “I take it, you drove it here,” Kevin nodded. He went back to looking.  He noticed something had been painted on the gas tank. He could see it was a heart but as he came closer he saw something inside the heart.  He bent down and saw J & B inside of it. He looked up and his eyes locked with Justin’s and they closed the gap between them. “How did you do all this without me knowing?”

“It was hard.  You notice everything.”

“Well you managed. It is so perfect. I love it!” Brian again took him in his arms and this time Brandy and Sally carried the boys into the house and Kevin pressed the button to close the garage door and followed the rest in the house.  They melted against each other. Their lips first brushed and then fused together. The kiss went on as they began to move their hands around exploring the bodies they knew so well.  When they began to separate, they both held each other’s forearm until they could stand individually. “I know you really didn’t want me to have this.”

“Brian, it isn’t that I didn’t want you to have it but I want you to be safe and remember. You promised not to drive it when you’re angry.”

“Why is that so important?”

“Because if you are angry, especially with me, you seem to forget how to think.  And if you leave because of a fight and then have an accident….I couldn’t live with it.”

“Oh, Sunshine, damn, I thought I couldn’t love you more and now you trust me and….well….” They kissed again.  

Before they realized anyone was near them Gus tapped Justin’s waist. “Daddy J, Daddy, Aunts say it is time to stop kissing and come eat.”

“We are on our way,” Brian said, lifting Gus up and setting him on the motorcycle.

“Will I get a ride?” Gus asked.

“Definitely when we go back home,” Brian lifted Gus off and holding him on his hip, he reached over and took Justin’s hand as they walked into the house.

The family sat down together and feasted on the girls’ dinner.  They made sure there were things the boys would like as well as some more complex dishes that the adults enjoyed.  They all put on suits and went out to the pool and swam for a bit but Aaron was the first to fall asleep with Gus soon behind.  

“I think he is dreaming of the dolphins he saw today.” Kevin said, kissing his grandson’s head. “His little body is making the slightest moves. LIttle boy dreams. Did you dream a lot as a boy, Brian?”

“I don’t really remember.” Brian said as he sat down next to Justin who had Aaron sleeping on his lap.  “No one cared if I woke up excited about swimming with dolphins or if I woke up scared being chased by sharks. I vaguely remember going to their room after a bad dream and getting immediately sent back to my room.”

Justin could see that Brian was thinking about his childhood so he changed the focus.  “Kevin, tell us about your childhood.  You were raised in Iowa right?”

“I was.  We worked hard on the farm but we were loved.  My grandparents lived in a house on the same farm so if Mom couldn’t kiss a booboo, Grandma could.” Kevin glanced over at Brian and, handing the sleeping Gus to the girls he walked over to where he and Justin were sitting. He bent and hugged his son.  With a voice full of emotion he said, “I am so sorry, son.  If only I would have come back.”  Brian stood and the two men hugged for a long time.  It was dark enough the rest couldn’t see their tears but everyone knew a few were shed. 

Aaron whimpered in his sleep.  “I think this little guy needs to get in his bed.” 

“We’ll come with you, Justin.  This one is ready too,” Sally said.

“Kevin, thanks for the help in the surprise. Bri, why don’t you drive your dad home and I will see you when you get back.” They kissed before Justin and the girls moved to the house.

“That young man loves you so much.”

“I know I am the luckiest man in the world.  No one would love me more and the feeling is mutual.”

“Brian, Justin is such a wonderful man because you two make each other great.” Brian pulled out onto the road. 

“Dad, tell me more about your childhood. I can’t imagine growing up on a farm.”

“Well, I had a couple brothers and the three of us got into plenty of trouble but we were just boys. We were expected to work hard but my parents made sure we had time to play hard, too. I am sure we horrified our mother when she would watch us swing on ropes in the haymow. And my favorite time was the spring when all the baby animals were born.  I slept out in the barn with a cow many times.”

“Did you ever go to the movies or hang out with friends?” Brian glanced at his dad.

“Brian, the nearest movie theater was over 30 miles away.  And the small town we went to school at was about 12 miles from our farm.  My brothers were my best friends.  Our farm was where we hung out.  We built a fort in our grove and sometimes we even slept out there.”

“I don’t know if I could have lived like that.”

“I didn’t know any other way of life but I am really glad that is where I was born.  My parents taught me what was really important in life.  If I had followed what I was taught, I wouldn’t have hurt Anna Claire so much but…”

“I wouldn’t be here,” Brian said softly.

“And now, I can’t imagine a life without knowing you and your family. My parents prepared me for this in life, too.  Not everything in life was always easy or perfect but what you do with the situation tells others what kind of person you really are.”

Brian pulled up in front of Kevin’s home and put the car in park.  “Dad, I have always tried to do that, even when my parents were assholes to me and the world.  Do you think I got that from you?”

“I would like to think so but remember, even though Joan somehow missed out,  Anna was one of the sweetest women I have ever met.  There has to be part of her in you also.” Brian had walked him to the door. “Brian, I am so proud of you.  You don’t have to prove yourself anymore.  You just need to be you and do what you know is right.  There is nothing that will stop you and Justin.”