Henry and J.Jay both felt like something special had happened last night. J. would never be a person who was openly affectionate in public, but at least at home, J. had lost his inhibitions. Justin and Brian smiled as they watched him rest his hand on Henry's ass. "I'm glad J. is finally feeling more comfortable," Justin said. "Are we ready to go pick up Em and James?"

"I am. Don't tell him this," Brian said in a stage whisper, "I miss Em. Well, I miss James, too, but there was a time when I would have rather..."

"Spend more time with your mother than him." Justin kissed Brian's cheek. "If you two can keep your hands off each other for a couple hours, we are going to the airport. When I get back, J., we will go to the gallery and get it ready for tonight. Maybe Em will come with us. He always has some good design ideas."

Brian and Justin both kissed Jessi, who was the only child up yet. "Thanks. We would take her with us but we won't have room for two car seats. James and Em will have Amelia's seat.

"We got this," Connie said as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes and set aside food for the boys when they woke.  

As Brian and Justin walked out the door they heard Aaron's voice, "Hey, I awake."

"On my way." They heard Henry call as they shut the door.

"Have you thought more about the trip to Ireland?" Brian asked.

"I am thinking that Charly and Connor can stay in the barn. Henry and J.Jay can stay in the main house. I know they want to stay together, so now we need to get a nanny and a tutor. At least the houses we've looked at have staff." Justin reached for Brian's hand as he pulled out on the freeway.

"Unless we take Henry and J. with us." Brian said.

"I think it is best for them to stay in the states, at least while we are in Ireland. They could do with some time alone."

"You're right. We'll have to make some calls, unless you know someone that might like to go.  Can you think of anyone that might like to come with us?"

"You know, I need to get a background check, but Sonya, the artist I was telling you about, really doesn't seem to have a place to go when she leaves here. I already told her she could stay through the next group of classes. She has an education degree and Gus already likes her so much."

"So, that is one down, if her check comes back clean. Now we just need to find a nanny."

"She will help out with the other kids, too, but I do think we need one more." Justin's phone rang.  "It's Em!"

"Hey, sweetie!  We just landed."

"We should be there about the time you claim your luggage. How did Amelia do on the flight?"

"She was a perfect angel, and she is now sleeping in her daddy's arms. Better go. See you in a few minutes."

"They have landed."

"Great, we're five minutes out. We'll have to ask them if they know anyone who might like to come to Ireland with us."

As Brian pulled up to the terminal Em appeared, carrying Amelia, while James followed pushing a luggage cart. Brian got out and helped put the bags in the back while Justin got out and took Amelia from Emmett after giving him a hug. "She has grown so much in the last month."

"I bet Jessi has gotten bigger, too."

"She has, I'm glad you are here to help celebrate her birthday." Justin commented as he went over and hugged James. "Why don't you sit up front with Brian. I have a couple things to talk to Em about."

"I love it when you have something to talk to me about because it usually means you have something fun for me to do."

By the time they arrived at the house, they had caught up on what was going on at Britin and almost immediately J., Justin, and Em, along with Gus, left for the gallery. Gus hated having to make a decision whether to stay home with Amelia or go along, but when James assured him she would be going down for a nap very soon, he chose to go along.

"Justin, I got the security report from Connor on Sonya and she passed with flying colors." J.Jay drove up to the gallery.

"That's great. Don't say anything just yet. We'll ask her at the pool party Sunday.

"Daddy, what are you talking about?" Gus asked.

"I can't tell you at the moment, but I promise I will tell you before the end of the weekend."

"Ok, Daddy J. but I will remind you!" Gus said.

"Em, can you think of anyone that we could take to Ireland as a nanny?"

"I have missed you, sweetie," Em said, reaching from the back seat and placing his hand on Justin's shoulder.  

Justin smiled back at him and told him what Brian had said. "When we met the first time, who knew that Brian's best friends would be Ted and you? Have you heard from Michael lately?"

"I ran into Debbie the other day and she said he and Ben were going to be back in town early this fall."

"Well, we will be in Ireland then. I am not sure how long we will be in Europe, but we hope to go to Pittsburgh for a week or so and then we will fly over." 

J.Jay pulled up to the gallery and the three students were waiting at the door, obviously excited for their first professional exhibit. Em quickly got a feel for the space and soon was interacting with the students giving them ideas. All of them knew they had the final say on how to lay out their area and Em wouldn't be offended if they didn't use his ideas. Em made his way around the room until he ended up next to Justin. He hugged him from behind. Justin smiled. Brian hated when Em did that, but he had nothing to worry about. Em was a great friend and the touch couldn't be more different. When Brian did the very same thing, every nerve in Justin's body tingled. That never occurred when Em did it, although he felt loved.

"Now tell me everything," Em started. "That crazy lady that used to run this place is locked up?"

"Yes. We don't think there will be a full court case. It sounds like she is going to use an Alford plea."

"What's that mean?"

"It means she is going to plead guilty but not admit she did anything wrong."

"That's not fair!" Em stood up straight. "She could have killed you and she isn't going to have to go to face a trial?

"Em, this is what I want. We know Dad will end up here before the end of summer. He tried to hire a friend of our lawyer, who told him he needed to have a Georgia based law firm if he wanted to sue for custody."

"Justin, you aren't going to run if..."

"Em, if someone tried to take Amelia from..."

"Oh, stop! I can't even imagine! I am loving my day but I already miss my little bug. You do whatever you need to do to keep that boy, but it won't keep you in Europe permanently, will it?"

"No. It would just give our lawyer time to appeal."

"And running won't hurt?"

"Our trip is already planned, long before anything has hit the courts."

"You two are far too smart. That is perfect. Then the case is out of state when you come back to the U.S."

"Yes, and by then our lawyer will have time to get everything needed against Dad. I kind of hope he does something stupid and ends up a resident of the court in Georgia for a time."

"So, back to the crazy lady. You don't want any attention from that case on you?"

"Exactly. You haven't heard much about it up there have you?"

"Actually none. I only know about it because you told us."

"That is exactly what I hoped." Justin looked around the gallery. It looked ready for the opening. "Okay everyone, the place looks great. Go chill for a few hours. I will be back at 6:30. Would one of you mind being down here at 6:00 to show the caterer where to set up?"

"I can do that!" Sonya volunteered. "I know I am just too wound up to relax."

"Thanks, Sonya! And all of you are planning to come to our place tomorrow, right? Bring your suits and we will have all the food and drink you could want. J. will pick you up around noon, you can decide on the time, and we will get you home at the end of the evening so you will not need to drive and you can enjoy yourself."

After a few minutes of last minute questions J.Jay drove them all back to the house. Justin sat next to Gus in the back seat and thought he was very quiet. He wondered if he was tired. "Gus, is something wrong? Are you tired?"

"No. I was just thinking about Sonya. She is so nice and she is going to leave in a couple days and she doesn't have anywhere to go."

"Well, Gus, I already told her she can stay through the summer."

"Is that the news you talked about earlier? I am glad she is staying. I like her."

Justin hugged him as best he could while they were both restrained in the car. "Gus, we will make sure she has a place to live, Ok?"

"Ok, Daddy J."

"Oh, you two make my heart flutter," Em said, wiping a tear away. "I hope I have that with Amelia."

"You are a great dad, Em. She gets so much love she will know she can trust you and James with everything."

"I did get a good daddy to share her with."

"We are both really lucky in the husband arena."

A soft voice came from the driver seat. "I got lucky, too," J.Jay said softly. "He loves me the way I am."

"Oh, honey, I am so happy for you and Henry. I had a feeling you belonged together." Em patted his shoulder as J. pulled into the driveway.

While all three children napped, James and Brian caught up. They discussed Britin and the trip to Ireland. Then Brian brought up Craig. "Have you seen him around Britin?"

"Not him but we did have a PI show up. I happened to know the guy from when I first got to Pittsburgh when I was working as a bouncer. He said he was just checking if you were really out of town. You know they are about ready to file, right?"

"Yes. I am hoping he holds off a couple more weeks. We need to finish the summer here for Justin's art academy and hope to stop at Britin, but if we have to go straight to Ireland..."

"Mom will pack up your stuff and send it to you. None of us will let that man get our boy." James stood and looked into the backyard.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, James? Is something going on at Legacy?"

"No, not at all. I don't want to tell you something that may not be my place, but I think Charly and Connor will be leaving soon. Connor has been offered a great job in security in California. It will be good for them."

"That is great! I hate to lose them, but we aren't sure how long we will be gone and Henry and J.Jay can deal with the main house, and, once they are gone, I will contact the builder to start the changes in the barn so it will work for Sunshine's academy. Then it should be ready to go when we decide to come back and you and your mom can hire a couple new people to help.  The pool house will be free for someone to live in."

As the conversation wound down, James went to their room to check on Amelia and then unpacked a few things, but didn't want to wake her. As he opened the suitcase, the door opened and Emmett walked in. James smiled and Em walked into his arms. They kissed, but James pressed him tightly against his pelvis and Em smiled at him. "We don't have time for that right now," he said softly. "You know I have never cum quietly." Em kissed James playfully.  

Amelia started to move in her crib and Em and James knew it was daddy time.

The art show was a total success. J.Jay had watched the door most of the night, wondering if his mom would make an appearance. She didn't, but Rachel arrived about 20 minutes before it ended. J.Jay rushed to her and hugged her. "Rachel, thanks for coming!"

"Sorry, I am so late. My boss is impossible. I completed a project this afternoon and he made me change up a bunch of it. He never pays attention and he refused to listen when I told him I did it the way the client wanted it. I need to find a new job." She took a deep breath, "Sorry, this is your night. I want to see your work!"

J.Jay started showing Rachel around. Justin noticed and walked up to Henry, "Who's J. with?"

"Oh, that's his best friend from childhood. We ran into her the night you let me off early. She is really sweet. We told her about tonight but weren't sure she'd come. I'm glad she did. Look at how happy J.Jay looks."

"Go join them," Justin said. "And if the three of you want to go out after, we can handle the kids.  Kevin will be there and we have James and Em, too."

"Thanks! I'll let J. know," he said over his shoulder as he walked across the gallery. He draped his arms around both J. and Rachel. 

"He is so amazing!" Rachel said as she turned and kissed Henry's cheek.

"You don't have to tell me that! He is amazing in so many ways." For a split second J. dropped his head on Henry's shoulder. "Oh, Rachel, do you have plans when this closes? Justin just told us to go have fun when we are done for the night."

"How can I get a job with a boss who is that nice?"

"Brian and Justin are great," J. told her. "I hope Justin will let me keep working for him for years."

"Well, if you want to go out, I know a great place. It's a place where everyone is welcome. There is dancing and good food but it is still chill."

"None of our old friends..."

"No, none of the old crowd will be there. A friend of mine works there. I will text her and see if there is a table for us in about half an hour?"

"That should be about right. It will only take us a few minutes to wrap up here once we lock the door in about ten minutes."

J.Jay walked over to Justin while Rachel and Henry strolled around the remainder of the exhibits. "I want you to meet Rachel. We have been friends since I was about eight and she always knew who I really was."

"I would love to meet her," Justin responded. "She almost missed it."

"She has a job she hates."

"What does she do?" Justin asked.

"I don't even know. She works with client plans but I don't know what she plans."

"That almost sounds like Brian's line of work."

"Daddy J.!" Gus ran up to Justin. "Daddy wants you."

"J. I better go see what he wants. He's been working on selling my big mural. Please invite Rachel to the house. I really do want to meet her."

"Sure, that would be great." J.Jay walked toward Henry and Rachel as Justin moved toward Brian.

Kevin had taken his three grandchildren home earlier and Connie met them there to put them to bed while Emmett and James had stayed a little longer but left before 10:00 also. Henry, Rachel, and J.Jay, along with the three students, left for the club while Brian and Justin finished the sale of the mural and then Justin locked the door behind the buyer. 

Brian led Justin to a sofa out of the view of the windows and they sank into the cushions. "Two down, two to go," Justin rested against Brian. "I can't believe I sold that mural. I hoped someone would commission me to do a scene of their choice but to have this one sell... let's celebrate!"

"Do you want to go out somewhere?"

"No, I want to celebrate with you. I'll be right back." He got up and took the steps to the next level two at a time. Two minutes later he came back with two champagne flutes and a bottle of Dom Perignon. He handed the glasses to Brian, and, after making sure he wasn't pointing the bottle toward any art, he worked the cork out until it made a loud pop. As the liquid poured out, Brian held a glass under the rim of the bottle and then put the other one under it. Justin set the bottle down and accepted one of the glasses as he kissed Brian and then brought the glass to his lips.

"Wait, we need to toast." Brian held his glass up and Justin did the same. "To the most talented, caring, loving man I have ever known in my life. You take care of me and our kids and yet manage to run this art program for others that are trying to get a start. To my husband," Brian lifted the glass and Justin tapped his glass against Brian's and then took a sip before he pushed Brian backward causing him to sit back down on the sofa. Justin dropped to his knees between Brian's knees and started undoing Brian's fly. He reached in and pulled Brian's cock out of his pants and saw he was already responding. Justin grabbed his hips and pulled him a little closer to the edge making it easier for him to take the erection into his mouth. His warm mouth closed around the phallus and began to move up and down. He grazed his teeth along it one time and the next he drug his tongue over the now rock hard cock. 

"Oh, god, Justin, that is... you are..." and all the sudden his cock felt the cool air and Justin was frantic to get out of his shoes and then his trousers. Brian extended his hand and Justin straddled his thighs, and then, with Brian's guidance he lowered himself and as Brian entered him the moment of pain was overpowered by the pleasure he received watching Brian's face. As he began to slowly move up and down, Brian moved to meet him. They tried to make it last but neither of them had the willpower to take it slow. Soon they were both shouting in the pure joy of being together.

Justin fell against him as their heartbeats began to return to normal rhythm. Brian stroked his back, "What did I do to deserve that?"

"You know I am nothing without you, without your love. Our family is all that is important in this world. I don't want you to ever think that this... I mean, I love my art and working with these students... but this will never be as important as you and our kids."

"Sunshine, I know that and I never doubted that for a minute." Brian kissed Justin gently. "I guess we should go home."

"Do you know something about Dad?" Justin got up and began to dress.

"I know he is going to file soon." Brian stood and zipped up his pants. "I asked James if he knew anything and he told me a PI was looking into stuff for the asshole. He said the lawyer doesn't think he has a chance to get anything." Brian wrapped his arms around Justin and kissed him one last time. "We are a family of five and an extended family of many. Aaron is ours and always will be."

The club was busy, but, true to her word, Rachel's friend had a table set aside for the six of them. At one point Henry was dancing with Sonya and J.Jay and Rachel sat alone at the table.  "I know you went to college, Rachel. What did you get your degree in?"

"I was an idiot. I didn't want to go to college right away. I started looking into travel. I had started looking into going to Europe. I had heard about an agency that helped people find jobs like being a nanny or maid. I knew I didn't know what I wanted to do but I went to school and got a degree in Communication with a minor in Business. Now, I hate the job I have but it is really a worthless degree."

"Do you still want to go to Europe?" J. asked, leaning in close so she could hear him.

"I'd love to, but I don't have any money. My parents did pay for school but if I don't keep working I won't be able to pay the rent and I can't move back into my parents' place. My father still believes everything your father says. I just can't do that anymore."

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Looking at want ads. Why?"

"Justin and Brian want to meet you and they invited you to their pool party tomorrow. My mom is probably going to be there."

"Really? If she is willing to do that, she wants to be part of your life."

"I know she still loves me, but she loves my dad too and he will always take priority."

"Hey, gorgeous," Henry said as he slipped onto the stool next to J.Jay. "Did you invite her to the party?"

"I did."

"Is she coming?"

"She hasn't answered yet." J. responded, dropping one of his hands into Henry's lap.

"I'll be there. What time?"

"Lunch will be about 1:00 but people will start coming around noon and most of them will stay until late afternoon or even later. You can stay as long as you want. You will like Brian and Justin," Henry assured her.

"Brian can be a little intimidating the first time you meet him but if he likes you, he's a great guy." J.Jay said and began to gently rub Henry's crotch. "I think I am ready to go home." 

"I'll go tell the rest they are on their own." Henry went over and let the young artists know they were leaving while J.Jay programmed the address into Rachel's phone. 

Rachel hugged J.Jay, "I'm jealous of your love. You deserve this."

Henry slipped his arm around J.Jay's waist and as they walked away, Rachel waved.

The next morning Nat and Tom were at the house by 9:00 to see Emmett and James and to meet Amelia. Connie had made breakfast earlier and now just had fresh fruit and pastries for anyone who had slept in or who arrived early. It was a lot of work for her but she also enjoyed every minute of it. She had gotten most of the food in the last couple days and they would fire up the grill to make burgers and chicken breast as well as some vegetarian options.

Natalia took Amelia from Em and kissed her. "Uncle Em, she is so beautiful. I am so glad you came down. I have missed you."

"Well, you and Tom will come to Pittsburgh at some point won't you?"

"Yes, I think we will be up this fall. Tom and Kevin have something planned."

"Well, I am sure there will be room at Britin. Brian and Justin will be out of the country so I am sure you can stay there." Em saw how Nat engaged with Amelia.

"I'll let Tom know. This new project Brian and Kevin are planning sounds really interesting." Nat put the infant up on her shoulder.

"Have you thought of having a baby?" Em asked his niece.

"Tom isn't sure. We make enough to live on but getting a surrogate is expensive. We don't have a mother who will carry a baby for us."

"Awe, Baby, that shouldn't make a difference. I would think Tom would be able to locate someone willing to help."

"Like I said, we agree on almost everything but he won't agree to having a child and I don't know why. Enough with my moaning. Business is amazing. I have had to hire about a dozen employees. Only a couple are full time and the rest are part-timers. Some of them are in culinary school. I allow them to use the building to try new recipes and then sell or give samples of the product to test it with consumers."

"I am so proud of you. You are really making a name for yourself. Your mom has to be over the moon."

"She is. Didn't she tell you some of this?"

"She did but I wanted to hear it from you. She was happy for you but now I can feel all your excitement and commitment."

"I think that might be why Tom isn't rushing into kids. He always worries about me. He doesn't want me to have to do too much. I know I had some hard times earlier, but I know who I am now. I am Natalia. I am Tom's wife and I love my life."

Em hugged his niece until Amelia whimpered. "Sorry Bug, Daddy didn't mean to squash you." He looked into Nat's eyes. "I think Tom will come around. You are young but I understand why you want to share your love. Call if you need to talk."

"I will Uncle Em. Thank you." He looked around and saw more people had arrived. "Who are they? Do you know?"

"Those are the art students that had the show last night. They are all great." He told Nat their names and then walked over to greet them.  

Sonya greeted Emmett. "Oh, Emmett, is this your daughter?" Amelia gave her a grin.

"This is Amelia and that stud over there," he pointed at James, "is my husband. This little one thankfully takes after him." Just then James waved at him to come over.

"Do you mind?" Sonya extended her arms and Emmett handed her over. "I will sit right here in the shade so you know where to find us."

Henry and J.Jay arrived still flushed from making love and started chatting with the students, and when Kevin walked up he made sure he had met each of them.  

"J. you are still okay with seeing..."

"He is," Henry answered for him. Henry pulled him close and kissed his cheek. "Oh, there's Rachel!" Connie was guiding her to them.

"Kevin, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine." J.Jay met Rachel and brought her over to Kevin and Henry. "Rachel, I want you to meet Father Kev. He helped me so much when I came back to the states and I knew I couldn't go home. Father, this is Rachel. We were kids together."

They shook hands and Kevin said, "It's nice to meet you. J. has mentioned you a few times. How did you reconnect?"

Rachel linked arms with J. "We ran into each other in our old neighborhood last week. He told me Camilla was coming and I thought he could use a little support."

"You are a good friend. What do you do?"

"Right now I am working at a job that is supposed to be a think tank but I don't think anyone thinks there. I hate it. I am looking for something different. I don't want to be locked in an office.  Not at my age. Later, with the right boss, I think I could enjoy that work but right now I just want to find some adventure."

Kevin smiled, "I can totally understand. Oh, J.Jay, I see your mom. I am going to go in and talk to her and Connie. Would you like to come in or just wait until we come out in a bit?"

"Why don't you do your introductions and when she comes out here, we'll talk. We can always go into the pool house." Kevin patted his shoulder and moved toward the house.

Soon there were people everywhere. Brandy and Sally had arrived with Kelin, and soon Kelin was laying next to Amelia in a playpen. While Sonya was entertaining them both, Rachel walked over. "Could the children get any more beautiful with this group?" 

As she asked, Henry walked by with Jessi. "Babies... Hehe, babies," she said, reaching for the playpen.

"Hehe? Let me hold that child, Hehe." Rachel laughed at Henry's reaction. 

"Jessi just started calling me that. I guess I'm pleased I am important enough in her life that she has a name for me," Henry said, and when Rachel raised her arms, Jessi came right to her.  "She loves babies. She has never seen both of them at the same time."

"Well, let us have girl time and you calm J.Jay's nerves." Rachel turned to Sonya as Henry walked toward J.  

Henry led J.Jay to the back corner, away from everyone else. He could see J.Jay getting paler and he couldn't stop looking toward the house where Brian, Kevin, Connie, and Camilla talked.  "J., what can I do to help you? When she comes out, do you want me to stay by you or give you space."

"Can you stay here until she comes out and after I introduce you I'll let you know if I want you to stay or not."

"Of course, Love." Henry glanced and pulled him close and kissed him.

"Oh my goodness!" Camilla blurted out in the middle of Brian reviewing the backers of the new organization. 

He stopped and looked at her in surprise. "Do you know something about that last donor I mentioned?" Brian was looking at the shocked look on her face.

Still staring out at the pool deck, she finally said, "I just saw Joanna kissing a man. I expected... I guess... I have no idea what I thought." She sagged as she sat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. "I guess I thought she would date women since she was now a man." 

Brian didn't correct her but he said, "J.Jay and Henry have been a couple for a while." Brian saw Connie's and Kevin's looks, but he continued. "I know J. didn't want us to tell her, but she knew it. J. is a transexual male who has fallen in love with a man." Brian pointed at Natalia, "Nat is a transexual female. She has been there for J. as he gets used to the new person he is."

Camilla looked at Brian, "Can you tell me why she... no... he, felt the need to do this?"

"Oh, Camilla," Connie said and turned toward Kevin and Brian, "Why don't the two of you go out and in about five minutes send J.Jay and Henry in here." 

Kevin stood and, putting his hand on Brian's back, guided him out of the house. "It's time to start the grill anyway."

Connie moved around the counter and sat next to Camilla. "Do you love your child?"

"Oh, of course, Connie. How could I not? She was the sweetest little girl. Even as a teenager she never gave us any problems. Where did we go..."

Connie cut her off, "Don't go there. I am sure your husband goes into the thing that God doesn't make mistakes. He didn't make a mistake with J.Jay. He made him just the way he needed to be. There is a reason for everything and I believe we aren't supposed to question God's choices."

"She's right, Mrs. Carter." Henry and J.Jay stood in the door. "I love your son just the way he is.  He is so loyal and loving. He is the first one to offer to help and he cares so much about everything. I am sure you taught him that. You raised an amazing man."

Camilla looked between Henry and J. as Connie slipped out the door. "Mom, this amazing man is Henry. He is the love of my life."

Camilla walked to meet them in the middle of the room and then she extended her hand to Henry. "It is nice to meet you, Henry. I am glad J.Jay has found such a wonderful person to be in his life." Henry shook it and then J.Jay threw himself into his mother's arms. "J.Jay, I can't promise I will never make a mistake and call you Joanna, or say she instead of he, but darling, I will do my best because I want to be part of your life. And I hope you want to be part of mine."

J.Jay threw his arms around his mother and they hugged. Henry backed up, allowing the two of them a little space, but before they realized it, the patio door opened and a stream of people rushed in as the heavens opened up and the rain came down.