SIX YEARS LATER

BRIAN

I was waiting on Justin to get ready for date night. Jen told us we needed to have ‘us’ time. Neither of us really wanted to be away from the kids, but agreed. I think it made us realize that we needed to spend time alone. The sex alone was worth it. She and Anne also informed me that date night meant going somewhere, not getting naked the minute the kids left the house. I think they must not be doing it right if they think that. Justin told me to learn to lie to the moms, he was more than happy to stay home and fuck on every surface.

After Riley was born, we talked and Justin decided that unless I wanted to get pregnant, no way in hell, no more kids, so we stopped at three. Justin has banned tuna from the house forever. He was still trying to think of a way to get back at me and Emmett for the fifty cases we gave him for his birthday. It was our small revenge for the email. Blake got a year's supply of HoHo’s. Blake was still having a hard time fitting into anything pre-pregnancy. Ted was thrilled when Blake told him two was enough for him.

Jackson, Gus, and Riley now attend the same school but the boys play soccer at St James. The coach discovered that Jackson was a natural talent at soccer and was able to get special permission to use him on the team, since Jackson’s school didn’t have a team.

Without Lindsey to mess with Gus’s head, Gus was able to concentrate on school and was found to be almost as intelligent as Jackson. I told Mel it’s obvious where they got it from, me. Unfortunately that also means that we have fourteen year olds that are determined to blow up the back yard with every experiment the two manage to get past Justin. Justin was not amused when they decided that they wanted to try to make their own fireworks for fourth of July. I'll admit I bought the supplies but, they really shouldn’t have connected the fuses together. I will say that the twenty fireworks going off at the same time was spectacular, even if it only lasted a minute.

Riley, my perfect little angel, told the boys if they had just attached the fuses to a timer, it would have worked. She even made them one but waited to see if they figured it out themselves. She thought it was pretty for the minute we watched.

Michael came home to Pittsburgh and tried to convince Riley that he would be a better father than Justin to her and the boys. Big mistake. Riley wanted a resume with letters of recommendation. When Michael looked confused, she told him she doesn’t take the word of a man who couldn’t even tie his own shoes. She also suggested a diet to Michael, she told him that she could print him up a copy of foods that made his butt so big. Did I mention that Riley is me, only loved and cherished by all the men in the house. Her brothers, who are both tall and can glare like me, don’t let anyone near Riley. JR made the mistake of trying to tell Riley she was a brat, after the Michael incident. Gus and Jackson were ready to tell JR off, until Riley intervened.

“JR has a right to defend her dad, no one else wants to. She should just be glad she’ll be pretty like her mom.” Riley pointed out. JR took it as a compliment, and the kids stayed friends.

The boys let it go only because Riley wanted them too. JR, poor kid wanted a relationship with Michael. She wanted a dad like our kids had. Michael was blaming everyone for all his problems and telling JR his opinion as to why he isn’t welcome at anybody’s home. JR, not understanding that her father would lie to her, took his side and was pissed at all of us. Then, Michael made the mistake of telling JR that Leda wasn’t her mother, Lindsey was. JR might have wanted a father but she wasn’t going to forget the woman who loved and raised her. After that incident, she no longer blindly listened to daddy.

Michael came home a year after Riley was born, and I have to say I was surprised by the weight gain. David bought Michael a comic shop, as long as Michael opened it somewhere that wasn’t Portland. Michael tried to play it off as David giving Michael what he wanted. Emmett, being the gossip hound he is called David and was told David had caught Michael putting holes in the condoms, in an attempt to get pregnant. Michael tried to get back in the group but none of us hang out in the same places anymore. We found a new bar and the security guys at Babylon won’t let Michael in after he tried to do a striptease for me. I still haven’t been able to totally erase that episode from my head. Deb told Michael he could rent one of her rooms at her old house, but he would be sharing it with a couple waitresses from the diner. I think he lasted two weeks before Kiki tried to shove her size thirteen shoe up his ass. Michael ended up living in the back of his shop. He still runs around after us, we still pretend he isn’t there. I miss the ignore button.

Lindsey and Sam finally divorced last year. They spent four more years fighting and making up. The last straw for Lindsey was when Sam slept with Lynnette. She could forgive the eighteen year old girls, but not Lynnette who used it to one up Lindsey. Mel and I held our breath, we weren’t ready for Wendy to show up and wreak havoc on us. Lindsey instead met a sixty-five year old multimillionaire, who bought her a house bigger than both her mother’s and Lynnette’s. Harold was thrilled to have a trophy wife, Lindsey was happy to have all her WASPY dreams come true.

The halfway house was a success, Natalie promoted the hell out of it. Paul and Eli told Natalie and Deb it was a great cause but that they should be more selective of who they allow to reside in the house. They felt the hustlers gave the wrong feel to the cause. Natalie asked Eli if maybe they should add tails to the the back of all the hustlers pants and then Eli would fit right in. I heard they are trying to sell their house now.

Riley, Jackson and Gus are all waiting with me at the bottom of the stairs. I told them they could be here for this part. Riley wanted to give the ring to Justin, so I picked her up and handed her the ring. Justin comes skipping down the stairs in the tan leather pants and a tight baby blue shirt. I wanted to tell him to put more clothes on, but I would have had to unstick my tongue from my mouth.

“Nana’s not here yet?” Justin asks looking at the boys.

“Nana is waiting outside.” Gus tells Justin.

“Did you want me to walk you guys out there?” Justin asked them. The kids usually are out the door as soon as Jen or Anne show up.

“Justin.” I say to get his attention.

Justin turns to look at me. “Look Dad, Papa got you a ring to match our eyes.” Riley tells him. Justin looks at the ring and then at me.

“Marry us?” I ask him.

“Yeah Dad, will you marry Papa and us?” Jackson adds.

“We could get cake and stuff. I promise no tuna.” Gus tells him. The suck up.

We all waited for Justin to answer. He rolls his eyes and starts stuffing his hand into his pocket. When he pulled his hand back out something falls to the floor and Justin turns to pick it up. Definitely need to change into a longer shirt, but maybe we could stay and play naked games at home, or I could try to remove his pants with my teeth and tongue. I wonder if he’s going commando.

“Papa, Dad got you a ring too.” Riley grabs my face and makes me look at her instead of Justin.

I look over at Justin’s hand and I guess we were on the same wavelength.

“Yes.” I tell him.