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Title: The Offer Still Stands…
Story Type: AU
Word Count: 6423
Rating: R, Porn…
Warnings: Anti-Michael, Passion and Lust…
Beta Queen: bigj52
Summary: Brian struggles with being a fulltime father…
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, plot, etc. are property of their respective owners, including, but not limited to Russell T. Davies, Cowlip, and Showtime. The author of this story is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended…
The Offer Still Stands…
Chapter 19 ~ I’ll Be Dog Gone
Brian awakens to a full-blown orgasm, thrusting his hips back and forth, loving the sensations of Justin’s slick tongue as he slides down his throat.
“Oh Fuck! Justin! Justin! Amazing!”
Justin continues to keep swallowing as Brian shoots his remaining juices. Still feeling his climax as he continues to shudder, he fists Justin’s hair, moaning his pleasure. Justin continues licking, inspecting and rotating Brian’s balls to make sure he’s covered all his tissues with his saliva. He’s decided that he’s going to make it a habit of examining his husband’s jewels, making sure there are no abnormalities. He never wants to have another day like yesterday, worrying and wondering about Brian’s health again.
“Justin, if you keep that up I’m going to cum all over your face in a few seconds.”
“You wish, old man. You’re not as young as you used to be and I doubt you can recover again so soon.”
“Smartass!”
“You so love me.”
Brian pulls Justin down on top of him and kisses the top of his head, while running his hands across his back. Brian may not admit to enjoying cuddling, but he loves holding Justin close after sex, especially if he’s extremely satisfied. The two of them lay there, slowly waking up, daydreaming about the changes that are soon to come. Finally Justin yawns and says, “Come on, I’ll make you a feta and spinach egg-white omelet.”
~~~
Michael picks at his breakfast, inspecting the imitation powdered scrambled eggs, wondering why the hospital doesn’t serve real eggs; after all eggs aren’t that expensive. He doesn’t have much of an appetite these days, he’s lonely and he’s missing his mom. She always gave him updates on what was happening with the gang, and, of course, Brian. He’s still having a hard time understanding why she felt she needed to stop visiting him, giving him some space to come to grips with his situation.
He thinks he’s doing so much better now, finally able to see that his actions have caused all his problems. Even though he still catches himself daydreaming about a future that will never happen, he knows that it’s foolish to contemplate being married to Brian. He knows that Brian and Justin are together, really committed to each other, even monogamous. But just because he’s accepted it doesn’t mean he’s not jealous, although these days he seems to be attracted to his psychiatrist.
Dr. Edwards is older like David was. He’s not bad looking, smart and rich. He is always patient and understanding when he talks with Michael. Unfortunately Michael misinterprets his bedside manner as attraction and he can’t help thinking that the doctor’s attracted to him. Michael’s attitude has improved, and he seems to be taking better care of himself. He now makes an effort to dress nicely, and is well groomed when he has an appointment. Dr. Edwards has noticed the improvement in Michael’s appearance and outlook. But he has yet to notice his attraction to him, which of course is unhealthy and counterproductive to Michael’s stability.
~~~
Emmett gazes over at Ben as he pumps iron, lifting barbells and flexing his muscles. He can’t help the attraction he feels for him, loving the way he keeps in shape. He tries not to think about Ben’s HIV status; he hates the idea of losing him. He’s thankful that Ben is always safe and healthy. His attitude is even starting to rub off on Hunter, who is now more health conscious, playing sports and working out with them when he can.
Ben suggests that Emmett give the barbells a try, adjusting the weights to what he thinks Emmett can lift. Emmett struggles with them as Ben coaches him, spotting him and helping him set them back down on the bar. It’s probably the first time Emmett’s ever broken a sweat while working out at the gym. Ben encourages him, saying that it gets easier with time.
He then suggests that they run a few laps around the track. Emmett’s feeling weak but he doesn’t want to show it. So Emmett starts running, quickly falling behind, but Ben slows down and jogs next to him while he finds his stride. Knowing how boring running the track can be, Ben suggests that they set a course around the neighborhood. He thinks seeing spring blossoming will be an inspiration for them both, and maybe Hunter can join them on occasion.
They finish their workout and then enjoy the steam room and sauna; it’s good to relax their muscles after a good workout. Ben naturally turns a few heads with his perfectly sculpted body, but he only has eyes for Emmett.
~~~
Debbie and Jen sit in Café Marco’s, eating lunch and discussing Debbie and Carl’s wedding. Debbie plans on going all out. Who can blame her? She never thought that she’d see the day she’d be walking down the aisle. She just wishes that Vic was still alive to witness it, or that Michael wasn’t hospitalized. She’s had so much on her mind lately, she hasn’t thought much about Michael.
Even though it’s been the hardest thing for her to stay away, she knows it’s for the best. Whatever it takes for Michael to finally see his way in the darkness. She hopes he’ll find his own way in life and stop depending on others for his happiness and wellbeing. Jen mentions that she saw some beautiful dresses at Macy’s the other day with Molly. This seems to snap Deb out of her thoughts and back to reality.
The two of them spend the rest of the afternoon trying on dresses of all shapes and sizes. Debbie, of course, loves the ones with lots of ruffles and bows, with cascading layers of satin and beads. Jen can’t help but think that she looks like a human wedding cake. But she bites her tongue knowing that her taste is very different than Deb’s. She steers Deb’s desire for bridesmaid dresses toward something plain and elegant, saying that their dresses shouldn’t distract from the bride’s.
Debbie takes the hint and finally starts looking for something more modest, something that will look good on both Jen and Mel. That’s when they find a simple, slip dress made of satin with shoestring straps. It’s very plain but elegant at the same time. She can just imagine them in bright red, with the girls carrying soft pink roses for their bouquets. Even though the color choice isn’t what Jen would pick, it’s something bright and cheerful that reflects Debbie’s personality.
~~~
Brian’s sitting at his desk reviewing the presentation for the focus groups on Thursday for Greek Goddess yogurt. He snickers to himself that Ted may have just found Mr. Right. He truly hopes so because he likes Ted’s new-found confidence. Suddenly his office door swings open and Claire comes in. Brian stares at Cynthia, wondering how she got past his bulldog of an assistant.
“Brian! I know you’re busy, but I just have to see you. I just found out my worthless ex-husband has canceled the Blue Cross policy for John, Peter and myself.”
“Oh?”
“Brian, this is serious. We need health insurance. Who knows what might happen? John could get hurt playing soccer, and you know Peter’s asthma might act up. He seems to be allergic to practically everything.”
“It’s not my fault you married a worthless son-of-a-bitch! What’s his excuse this time?”
“He says that he can’t afford it now he has a new family. He’s even stopped paying child support. He just laughed at me when I threatened to sue him.”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
“Brian, I need help. You know I won’t be able to keep up the house payments without the boys’ support payments.”
Brian takes a deep breath, as he looks at his distraught sister, wondering how much she was going to cost him this time.
“How much?”
“Oh, Brian, thank you. Thank you so much.”
As much as he hated Claire growing up, now that he’s about to become a fulltime father he understands worrying about the welfare of your family and children. He can’t help being amazed at how much his life has changed over the last six months, and it doesn’t even scare him like he once thought it would.
Brian takes out his checkbook and writes her a check for five thousand dollars. He smiles as he hands it to her, telling her to expect a phone call from a friend of his. He tells her Melanie Marcus will handle all her legal problems so that John Sr. will soon be paying his share of expenses to support their children. Claire’s shocked and grateful to Brian for his generosity, and wonders if maybe this will be a turning point in their relationship.
~~~
Justin is finishing up his sketches for his life drawing class just as his cell phone rings. He’s surprised that it’s Gus’s school and hopes that everything is alright. Now that Gus will be living with him and Brian fulltime, Justin will be picking him up from school every afternoon. He’s now the primary contact person for the school. It seems that Gus has been sent to the principal’s office for fighting on the playground. Justin’s a little shocked, but tells the school secretary that he’ll be right there.
When he gets there, Gus is sitting outside the principal’s office with his arms crossed over his chest, pouting. He’s giving the little girl across from him the evil eye. Justin spots him and goes over and kneels in front of him, asking him what happened.
“It’s all her fault! She started it!”
With that he sticks his tongue out at the little blond girl who’s sitting there like a little angel. She smiles back at Gus, and Justin is pretty sure she just flashed her eyes at him. He can’t help wondering if girls are just born flirts.
“Mr. Taylor-Kinney, why don’t you and Gus have a seat in my office? Then maybe we can get to the bottom of all this.”
Gus is still angry, glaring at her as they walk into the principal’s office.
“Now Gus, would you like to explain why you pushed Sally Meyers down on the playground?”
He just sits there, silent, refusing to say anything.
“Gus, you know it’s wrong to hit or push other students. Why would you do something like this?”
Gus finally repeats his accusation again.
“It’s all her fault! She started it!”
Justin runs his hand through Gus’s hair. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”
“She was chasing me. She wouldn’t leave me alone.”
He looks at Justin, ashamed. “She was trying to kiss me!”
Justin smirks, then in his serious tone of voice he says, “Gus, even if she tried to kiss you, you shouldn’t have pushed her down. She could have gotten hurt.”
“But I didn’t want her to kiss me!”
“I know, and that was wrong of her to do that. But it’s still not right for you to push her. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, but she was just mad because I didn’t want to be her boyfriend.”
“That’s probably true, but pushing doesn’t solve anything.”
“Is she in trouble for chasing me, and trying to kiss me?”
The principal speaks up, saying she’ll have a talk with Sally and her parents. That it won’t happen again.
They’re almost home free as they walk out of the principal’s office until Gus decides to add, “’Cause I already have a boyfriend, Robby Timmons.”
Justin can’t help smirking as he takes Gus’s hand and pulls him out of the office before the principal has a chance to respond.
“Justy, am I in trouble? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure daddy would have pushed her away too.”
Justin thinks to himself, yeah, I’m sure he would too.
~~~
Emmett and Ben decide that they have time for a quickie before Hunter’s due home from basketball practice. Ben pulls out his massage oil and starts rubbing it into Emmett’s back. Em loves the feel of his firm hands massaging his sore back muscles. After working out most of the afternoon Ben’s working wonders to help him relax. Moans are escaping him as he melts into the mattress. Emmett has never worked out so hard before, but he wanted to impress Ben with his stamina.
Ben leans down and starts running kisses down Emmett’s spine, and not a moment too soon. If Ben had waited much longer Em would have surely fallen asleep from his muscles relaxing to his tender touch. Ben works his way down until he reaches Em’s perfect cheeks, gently spreading them and continues until he’s found his delicate pucker.
He slides his fingers in until he breaches his tight ring of muscle, working his tissues, opening him up. He continues working his fingers in deeper, stretching and spreading him open, waiting for Em to relax. The cool gel helps glide his condom-covered cock into his nice tight ass. Em can’t help but push back to greet Ben’s firm member.
Soon the two of them are working themselves in a frantic rhythm as their pulses race, and their hearts beat faster. It isn’t long before they’re both totally lost in their own little world of intense pleasure. A few more thrusts they both fall over the edge and collapse onto the damp sheets. Both are thoroughly satisfied, loving the overwhelming sensations as their bodies quake. Ben nudges Em softly, suggesting they get a shower before Hunter gets home.
~~~
Debbie gets home exhausted from dress shopping, but she’s happy it was a productive day. She found the perfect wedding and bridesmaid dresses. Now all she needs to find is a little pink flower-girl dress for Jenny Rebecca, something frilly like hers with lots of ribbons and bows.
Mel stops by after picking Jenny up from daycare to see the dresses they chose this afternoon. She’s relieved when she sees the simple, yet classic slip dress that she’ll be wearing. She was so sure it was going to be some monstrosity of ruffles and flowers. She’s never been more thankful that Jen took the day off to go shopping with Deb, pointing her in the right direction.
She joins Deb for a glass of wine, as she listens to all the details Deb has planned for her nuptials. She knows that she’s stalling, not wanting to go home, knowing that tonight is the first night that Gus will be sleeping in his new bedroom at Britin. She already misses him, but she knows that she needs to get used to the idea of them now being a family. Besides she’ll have him on the weekends, and she’ll still be a big part of his life.
~~~
Justin is making a big salad, and marinating the pork tenderloin for dinner while Gus is coloring a picture to hang on the fridge. Justin looks over and notices that he’s drawing a picture of the three of them playing in the yard with a dog. He can’t help wondering about the dog in the picture, when Gus mentions that Mr. Rudy (Debbie’s neighbor) needs to find homes for all his puppies.
“Justy, do you think daddy will let me get a puppy?”
Justin groans inwardly, wondering how he’s going to explain to Gus why that’s probably not a good idea.
“I don’t know, Gus. I think your dad is just getting used to all the changes with you moving in. It might not be a good time to get a puppy.”
“But Mr. Rudy says that they all have to go to good homes. Don’t you think we have a good home?”
“It’s not that, Gus. It’s just that your father needs time to get used to all the changes.”
“But I promise I’ll take good care of him.”
“I’m sure you will, Gus. But you know your father needs time to adjust to you being here.”
“I’ll help him. You’ll see, he’s gonna love Zeek.”
“Zeek?”
“Yeah, I already named him. Mr. Rudy says he can come home with us anytime now.”
“I see…”
Justin bites his tongue, and just hopes that Brian has an easier time explaining to Gus why he can’t have a dog. He’s a little mad at Deb for letting Gus play next door at Mr. Rudy’s with all his puppies. She has to know that Gus will want to take one home.
“Here, Justy, I finished my drawling for the fridge. And I made one for daddy to take to work to help him get used to the idea of the puppy.”
“Oh, um… I mean, I’m sure he’ll love it.”
“I knowed he will.”
“Gus if you’re through coloring please put the crayons back in the box, and pick up all your cars and trucks and put them in your toy box.”
Brian comes in the back door to see Justin stirring something on the stove. He wraps his arms around Justin’s waist, pulling him into a big kiss.
“Umm, this smells great. I’m starving.”
Just then Gus comes rambling around the corner on his big wheel and races down the hallway. Brian cringes thinking about the hardwood floors and all the marks he’s leaving on the floor.
“Slow down there, Sonny boy. You might run into the wall and hurt yourself.”
“Daddy, you’re home! I got a present for you.”
“Oh?”
Gus comes over and sits at the table next to Brian. Justin hands Brian a glass of wine, and Gus a glass of chocolate milk.
“So Gus, how was school today?”
“Great.”
“Oh? I understand you had a little trouble?”
“Nope, no trouble.”
“Gus, I spoke with your principal this afternoon.”
“So you knowed it wasn’t my fault.”
“Gus, it’s never okay to hit, push or shove anybody.”
“But Daddy she ‘served it.”
“Deserved, and she could have gotten hurt”
“That’s what I said, and she’s just fine.”
“Gus, you do understand what you did was wrong?”
“Daddy, she was trying to kiss me. So I had to do it.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have done that, and you shouldn’t have pushed her. Did you apologize?”
“’Polgize? No way.”
“It’s apologize, and were going to have to work on your pronunciation.”
“But I not sorry.”
“It’s I’m not sorry.”
“’Zactly. You’re not sorry either.”
Justin’s trying his best not to snicker at Brian’s first interaction with Gus at being a good parent. Brian takes a sip of his wine, and Gus takes that as an opportunity to give Brian the picture he drew for him.
“I made this for you, Daddy. So you can hang it on the ‘fridgerator at work.”
Brian opens his mouth to correct Gus when his eyes land on the puppy in the picture.
“I see.”
“It’s a picture of all of us.”
“All of us?”
“Yep, there’s you and Justy and me and Zeek.”
“Zeek?”
“Yeah, Daddy, he’s our new puppy.”
“No. No, no, no. Justin?” No, No, NO, NO, NO! JUSTIN?”
“It’s okay, Daddy. Justy splained that you need time to just. So I drawed you a picture so you could just.”
“Just? Justin!”
“It’s okay, Daddy. We don’t have to bring him home till ‘morrow. You think you’ll be justed by then.”
“JUSTIN!”
“Gus. I told you this probably wasn’t a good time to get a puppy. Remember?”
“I knowed. But it’s my present for Daddy.”
“No, no, no…”
“Yes Daddy… I just knowed you’re gonna love him. He can bring you the paper and get your sippers.”
Brian’s mind flashes to his precious Wall Street Journal all wet with slobber, and his designer Prada slippers chewed to bits. A look of bewilderment comes over his face, as Gus stares at him with big puppy-dog eyes, almost ready to cry.
“But Daddy I just knowed you’re gonna love him.”
“Gus, I’m going to have to think about this…”
With that Gus takes off on his big wheel again and Brian glares at Justin.
“A puppy? Justin where did this idea come from?”
“Don’t blame me, blame Debbie. She let him go next door to Mr. Rudy’s and play with his puppies. She had to know Gus was going to want one. He’s already named it.”
“I… I’m not ready for a puppy. Hell, I’m just getting used to being a fulltime parent.”
“Well, I think it’s going to take a few more talks with Gus, before he’s going to understand.”
“Justin, you heard him. It’s like he didn’t even hear me. I’m not sure I’m ready to be the parent.”
“Yeah, parenthood’s a bitch.”
“I need more wine. How am I ever going to say no to that face?”
~~~
With Michael showing improvement in his mental health, Dr. Edwards thinks he’s ready to be released from the sanitarium, and continue on an outpatient basis. He’s writing up his notes for his progress report and decides that he’ll talk with Michael about it after breakfast in the morning. The hospitals objective is to work with patients needing the most help, then get them back into circulation, making room for the more serious cases. He was worried about Michael’s denial and fixation with Brian. But now that he’s able to see that he was obsessed and admits that Brian never felt the same way about him, he’s ready to start accepting reality. It’s only a matter of time before he’ll be ready to start an internship towards learning a new skill in the prison system.
~~~
Mel spends the evening reading legal briefs and preparing for court in the morning. She’s missing Leda while waiting for her to get home from work. The time difference between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles makes it hard to talk on the phone much during the weekdays, so she can’t wait for the weekend. Leda’s been sending out her resume, but she hasn’t had much response. Mel can’t help thinking that she should just pack everything up and ship it to the Pitts and worry about getting a job once she’s here. After all she can always sell the house without her being in LA.
Jen is working on finding a new house for them to live in. Mel really needs a change from living in the house her and Lindsay shared as it’s like living with a ghost. She can’t help but get depressed with all the memories everywhere she looks. And she’s just ready to start her new life and really give this thing with Leda a chance. She just hopes that all the changes aren’t too much for Leda. After all it’s a really big change from being single and independent. Not to mention becoming a step parent to Jenny Rebecca, and even Gus, when he stays with them on the weekends.
She’s looking through the new set of properties that Jen emailed her, taking the virtual tours on her laptop and flagging the ones she wants to go see. She’s still flabbergasted that Brian insisted on helping her out. He wants to make sure that they have a nice place to live in a safe neighborhood. His generously is more than she ever expected, and at first she resented him trying to control her choices. But then she soon realized he just wants what’s best for them, well, mostly for Gus. No, that’s not fair, he really does care about all of them. She hates to admit that maybe she misjudged him all these years; she really never gave him much of a chance. And that mostly stemmed from Lindsay’s obsession with him, thinking he could do no wrong.
She’s jolted out of her thoughts when she hears the phone ring and she knows it’s Leda; she already feels better hearing her voice. Leda mentions that she’ll be coming into town a little sooner than expected. Mel’s excited and plans to makes arrangements for Brian to pick up Jenny on the way home from work and keep her for the weekend. This will give her and Leda some much-needed time together. She can’t help smiling, thinking that this co-parenting thing with Brian and Justin just might work out after all.
~~~
Brian and Gus snuggle down and start reading a bedtime story. Gus is actually pretty good as Brian helps him with the hard words. Of course it’s a Doctor Seuss Book, and Gus knows it by heart. He’s getting sleepy, having a hard time keeping his eyes open. Brian pulls the blankets up and tucks him in. Just as he makes it to the door Gus asks in his sleepy voice, “Daddy, can we please get the puppy? I just knowed you’re gonna love him?”
“Gus, we discussed this earlier.”
“I knowed that, but were not done ‘cussing yet.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Daddy. We have to ‘cuss it till you say yes. Okay? Please, Daddy?”
Brian takes a deep breath and says, “I’ll think about it overnight.”
“He can be your puppy and I’ll just play with him for you.”
Brian walks down the hall to his and Justin’s bedroom as he remembers how much he wanted a dog as a little boy, and what a bastard his father was about it, and his heart softens a little. Justin’s fallen asleep, reading his art history book. Brian takes the book out of his hands and sets it on the nightstand. He crawls up his body and straddles Justin’s thighs as he leans in and starts peppering his face with soft kisses, slowly waking Justin up.
Justin blinks a couple of times, then looks up into Brian’s eyes and starts returning his kisses. Soon the two of them become more passionate, sending signals to their groins as they start rutting against one another. Justin is panting, still slightly sleepy as he lies back on the bed, wrapping his legs around Brian’s waist, pulling him down on top of him. Their pre-cum mixes together, creating a silky puddle on Justin’s belly that they both enjoy as their cocks slip and slide between them.
Justin is totally turned on as Brian slips his legs up onto his shoulders. His dick leaves a slick path as it runs down between his legs and cheeks. They continue to make out. Justin loves the feel of Brian’s plump head nudging at his opening. The look in both their eyes shows the longing they both share, wanting to be together raw. But they both know that even though they tested negative, they need to wait the full six months just to be safe.
“It will be here before you know it…”
“I know. I just want you so much. I’m not sure I can wait.”
“Justin… I want you safe. I want you around for a long time. For an eternity.”
“I love you too, Brian.”
With that Brian reaches into the nightstand and grabs a condom and the tube of lube. Justin arches his back as he feels the cool gel coat his rosebud. Brian’s finger penetrates him, circling around and stretching him open. He relaxes to the intrusion as Brian continues fingering him. Then he aligns himself and pushes gently into him, filling him up while stroking his prostate. Justin tosses his head back and Brian takes advantage by running kisses from one ear to the other, licking him behind his left ear, driving him crazy.
Justin is totally lit, loving the sensations that are coursing through him. He subconsciously starts chanting Brian’s name, over and over as Brian sets a steady pace, caressing his prostate on each downward stroke. Their bodies fit together perfectly unlike anyone else’s, both knowing they were made for one another. Brian’s forever grateful that he finally came to his senses, finally telling Justin just how much he needs and loves him. Having almost lost him so many times in the past he’s determined to never make Justin feel unloved again. Yes, it’s true. Leopards can change their spots.
~~~
The next morning Teddy wanders into Brian’s office telling him that Trojan Inc. just called and they want to meet to create a campaign for their new line of lubricants. Chuckling, Ted says that Trojan couldn’t imagine anyone else more appropriate to do their new ad campaign.
“You should be receiving a box of samples so you can try them out before designing the new ads.”
“I’m sure Justin and I will enjoy that.”
Cynthia interrupts them saying that Melanie is on the line for Brian. She explains that Leda is coming into town this weekend and asks if he can take Jenny Rebecca for the weekend.
Later that afternoon he loads all her toys, playpen, highchair and overnight bag into the Mercedes and straps her into her car seat. He makes a brief stop before heading home, so by the time he pulls into the garage he’s happy that Justin will be there to help him with Jenny Rebecca. It’s not that she’s too much trouble, it’s more about his self-confidence in taking care of such a small child.
Brian comes into the kitchen, surprising Justin as he leans over and kisses him on the side of his neck, driving him a little crazy. Brian calls out to Gus, who comes running in from outside. He sees Brian kneeling on the floor next to Jenny Rebecca and the cutest puppy you ever saw. Gus isn’t sure what excites him more - having his baby sister there for the weekend, or seeing the new puppy Brian has brought home for him.
“Oh, Daddy, I love you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the world’s bestest Daddy!”
Now Gus is lying on the floor with Jenny Rebecca, rolling around playing with the new puppy so overcome with joy. He can’t believe that Brian brought him a new puppy. Justin on the other hand, looks over at Brian and wonders if he has a chance to explain.
“I’m glad you’re so happy, Gus. Now take Zeek and Jenny Rebecca out back and play with them.”
“Okay, Daddy, but his name isn’t Zeek. It’s Thor!”
“Thor?”
“Yeah, Zeek’s already out back.”
With that Gus and Jenny Rebecca run out back, as Gus starts rambling on about all the fun they’ll have together.
“JUSTIN, JUSTIN!”
Justin looks a little helpless wondering what he can say.
“Justin, you know I said I wanted to take him to get Zeek.”
“But Brian, you called and said you were working late. So I took him to get Zeek.”
“But my meeting got out early… So I thought I’d surprise him.”
Justin smirks and says, “Surprise!”
“Oh God. What are we going to do?”
“I guess we’ll have to learn to tell them apart.”
“This is not funny…”
“Well he’s right, you really are the bestest Daddy ever.”
“You think this is funny? You’re going to have to pay for this, little boy.”
Justin grins back at Brian. “I guess you’ll just have to spank me.”
“Don’t think I won’t.”
“Promises, promises.”
~~~
Saturday morning Mel and Leda sleep late, waking up to a leisurely morning. They both forgot just how much they love waking up with the person they love. It’s just so great to finally be able to start planning their future. After much discussion Leda agrees to move to Pittsburgh even without a job, as they both want their new life together to start as soon as possible. They decide to go to the diner for breakfast, and then meet up with Jen to look at houses.
Much to Mel’s surprise several of the houses are near Brian and Justin’s house. She’s concerned that she can’t afford a home in such an affluent neighborhood. But Jen reassures her that Brian specifically requested that they try and find something close by so that it would be easier for all of them while taking care of the children. Mel tries to be angry with him, but she also sees the advantages in being near one another.
When she starts to question Jen about the cost of the houses, Jen simply says not to worry about it. Brian has agreed to pay the difference from what Mel had budgeted. Mel can’t help but be a little shocked because these houses, even though they’re smaller than Brian and Justin’s, are still about twice as much as she planned to spend.
As they walk through the first one, Mel’s impressed with how large the rooms are, and there’s even extra rooms for her to have an office, and Leda to have an art studio. The house is in an older neighborhood that at the time it was built was very grand. The landscaping is beautiful, and there’s even a pool out back. She can’t help but be overwhelmed; she never even dreamed of living in such an impressive home.
They spend the day looking at all the homes Jennifer has selected, and then they spend the evening weighing the pros and cons of each of them, finally settling on one just a few blocks away from Britin. They call Jen and have her make an offer, keeping their fingers crossed that it will be accepted.
~~~
Justin leans over and kisses Brian good bye, reminding him that Gus and Jenny Rebecca will be up soon. He has a field trip for his ceramic class at Abernathy Pottery today. After the class lecture the students will have a chance to work in the studio with the artist, getting first-hand instruction and advice. Justin’s excited as he hasn’t worked much in clay or porcelain and can’t wait to try his hand at creating something special.
Meanwhile back at the house, Brian, Gus and Jenny Rebecca are having a fun day watching movies and eating popcorn. By the time Justin gets home it’s late afternoon and he’s starving. Walking into the house he smells the wonderful aroma of something baking in the oven, and if he’s right it smells like Deb’s lasagna. As he rounds the corner to the hallway he notices what looks like hundreds of white paw prints going off in all directions on the hardwood floors.
Poking his head into the living room he notices Jenny Rebecca and the puppies, all curled up on a blanket in front of the TV. He calls out to Brian as he walks into the kitchen. Gus comes running over to him looking like a miniature Pillsbury doughboy, covered in flour from head to toe.
“Justy, Justy… Daddy and I made you zunya.”
His eyes scan the kitchen as he thinks to himself that it looks like a nuclear meltdown has occurred. He smiles at Brian as he turns to greet him. Brian doesn’t look much better as he’s also dusted with flour, wearing an apron and oven mitts.
“You’re home.”
“Yeah… What’s going on in here?”
“We decided to surprise you and make you dinner. I know you love Deb’s lasagna so I called and got the recipe. Surprise!”
“Wow, you shouldn’t have…”
Looking around he thinks to himself, ‘you really shouldn’t have… God, what a mess’.
“Well, I’m definitely surprised. It smells great.”
“Thanks, but I can’t believe it’s still not done. It’s been baking for the last hour and a half, or so.”
I grin at him as I take one of the homemade bread sticks and try it. Biting down on it, it’s hard as cement; he must have overworked the yeast. I take the one Gus grabbed away from him so he won’t break his teeth.
“Here, let me check the lasagna and see how it’s doing.”
I open the oven and it smells great but looks really crispy. I take it out and try cutting it with a spatula; it’s also hard as a rock.
“Brian, did you cook the pasta sheets?”
“Yeah, like I said it’s been in the oven for almost two hours now.”
“But… Did you boil the pasta sheets first?”
“Why would I boil them when I’m just going to bake it?”
I can’t help the huge grin I get on my face as I hug him and tell him how much I love that he tried to cook for me. I spot the bottle of merlot he’s set out on the table for dinner and pour him a big glass.
“Here, now take this into the living room and watch the news on CNN. I know how much you love that. I’ll clean up in here and order us a pizza.”
“What? Why?”
“I truly appreciate that you made me dinner. That’s just incredible. But the lasagna is never going to cook with the noodles still hard, and the bread sticks didn’t rise quite right, so they’re also really hard. But the salad looks great and we’ll have it with the pizza when it gets here.”
“I guess I totally fucked up… and I tried so hard.”
“I know, and I think it’s really amazing that you made me dinner. I love that you really tried.”
“Deb never said anything about boiling the pasta. Why wouldn’t she tell me?”
I reach out and hug him as I hear something crunching under my feet. I’m afraid to look down and see what I’m stepping on.
But Gus pipes in with, ”Oh that’s popcorn. Daddy made me and Jenny Rebecca popcorn for lunch.”
“Popcorn? Popcorn and what else?”
“Popcorn, and M & Ms… Oh and milk and Oreos.”
“Brian?”
“And we watched Snow White, and Booty and the Beast. We all had a great day together.”
I just stare at him and he looks a little sheepish, and shrugs his shoulders.
“He wasn’t really hungry for lunch after all that.”
I just shake my head as I reach for the broom.
“Why don’t you get Gus in the tub for a bath and I’ll be there in just a few minutes. Then by the time he’s done, the pizza should be here.”
“No, no… I don’t want to go to bed.”
“You don’t have to go to bed, but let’s just get the bath out of the way and then you can have pizza. How’s that sound?”
“But I don’t have to go to sleep right away? Right?”
I really do think it’s totally sweet and romantic that he wanted to make me dinner. I look around at my beautiful new kitchen that looks like a bomb went off, and realize that I’m lucky to have a husband who really loves me. Husband. Wow. I still get that giddy feeling every time I say that.
TBC…
