JUSTIN 

I sent Drew a text to tell him Emmett was coming to get him. I think Emmett could use a friend like Drew. They both have had issues with being who they are. Drew texted that Ryder was bored and came along. I almost texted back that Ryder isn’t going to help, but cause chaos. Then I smile because at least he's fun. I send Brian a text because he’s about to meet my childhood crush.

“Really, Drew thinks that I need the competition?” Brian text back.

“He’s was just a guy who I thought was cute.” I text to him.

“Isn’t he related to you in some way?” Brian texts me.

“No, he’s Drew’s cousin, not mine. We just played together.” I tell him.

“Well I’m the only one allowed to play with you now.” He texts.

“Yes you are. Be nice, Ryder owns a construction company and could probably build the castle you want.” I text him.

“FORT. The castle will be for our princess.” He texted.

“Brian, she doesn’t need a castle.” I text, hoping he’s kidding.

“How can she be a princess if she doesn’t have one?” He answers.

“It better be child size Mr. Kinney.” I text him and put my phone down when Mel comes to the table.

“Well I’m here, what do you want?” She rolls her eyes.

“I want you to sit down and listen to me, because my next move is through attorneys who had a better education than Penn state.” I tell her.

“I’m not afraid of someone who had mommy and daddy pay for them to attend Ivy League.” She tell me.

“You should be since you barely got into Penn State. Surprise, I know that and a lot more.” I tell her when she sits down looking wary.

“Why are you getting involved in Jenny’s life?” She asks me.

“I wasn’t, it’s Gus and Brian’s lives that I’m involving myself in.” I tell her.

“What, Brian didn’t want to try to suck me in with more stories about his father spanking him.” She sneers.

“Abuse, not spanking. And I don’t appreciate that he had to bleed his life out to you and you take it like it’s a joke.” I warn her when my phone goes off.

“Whatever, it didn’t make me feel bad that someone wanted to beat the shit out of him, I’ve always wanted to.” She tells me.

“Why, what has he done to you that makes him the enemy?” I ask her.

“He wouldn’t leave Lindsay alone.” She tells me.

“Are you sure it’s not the other way around?” I ask her.

“What difference does it make? Brian gets involved and my life is dealing with the aftermath.” She tells me.

“What’s the aftermath?” I ask her, looking at the text Brian sent.

“Where are you? I just found out Emmett picked them up alone.” Brian sent.

“The aftermath is my wife comparing our lives to the life Brian could provide.” She tells me.

“I’m dealing with something.” I text back.

“It’s Lindsay trying to make everything I accomplish into failure, because she can’t buy everything she wants.” Mel continues.

“That explains nothing, so where are you?” Brian texts.

“I’m taking care of the easiest problem, don’t worry I’ll be okay.” I text back.

“Why is wanting to help women keep their families together such a bad thing? If they hadn’t trusted some swinging dick they wouldn’t have been in that situation.” She tells me.

“If she touches one hair on your beautiful head, she’s dead.” Brian texts me.

“Daph’s coming, so I can keep my hair.” I text.

“Then the minute I win a case, it’s not something to celebrate because my clients can’t pay enough to make Lindsay happy. So what do I hear but that Brian would have been able to give her and Gus better things.” She tells the table because she wasn’t talking to me.

“For that I’m adding on to the fort.” Brian texts.

“If it gets any bigger, I’m going to move in and post no Brian allowed signs.” I text him.

“That's just wrong in so many ways, I'm hurt, you have to kiss it better.” Brian texts.

“Gus acts like I'm not his mother because I hate Brian’s influence on our lives. I want to scream at Gus that his father was too busy tricking to give a shit while he was a baby, but no, I can’t say anything about Brian, because Lindsay thinks it's great that he never changed.” She mutters as the waiter puts wine and cheese on the table. 

“I'll kiss everything you want me to.” I text.

“Maybe Drew and Ryder can watch the kids while I let you.” He texts. 

“Then he marries you without telling everyone and I thought she'd see Brian doesn’t deserve her devotion when he hides things from her. I mean, in five years we never knew.” She tells me as she eats some cheese.

“Hopefully Ryder can help me get the boards to look right.” Brian texts.

“Just give him the plans and I promise it will look right.” I text.

“But no, it turns into a reason for her to run after Brian again. I mean, I taunted her with how little Brian cared that she knew about his new life and she takes it as a reason to be involved in anything Brian does.” She tells me sipping her wine.

“I wanted to build it.” Brian texts.

“Then listen to Ryder’s suggestions and help.” I text him.  

“What's so great about him that Lindsay and Michael can't let him go?” She asks me. 

I set my phone down and look at her. I wonder how she hasn’t even listened to herself when she talks.

“He doesn’t need validation to know he's worth something.” I tell her. 

“Please, what do you call all the drugs, drinking, and fucking, if it wasn’t validation everyone wants him or to be him.” She tells me. 

“I would call it loneliness, because he didn't find what he needed in the people in his life.” I tell her. 

“You think you know him, because he married you, but I know him better. He's selfish and wants everyone to kiss his ass.” She tells me. 

“The man I know wants his children happy and makes me feel privileged that he married me.” I tell her. 

“It's punishment not a privilege, to be in his world.” She tells me. 

“Then what did you do to deserve punishment?” I ask her. 

“I was stupid enough to believe that Lindsay loved me more than her precious Peter.” She tells me. 

“That sounds to me like you made the mistake, not anyone else. I really wanted to get to the reason I asked you here.” I tell her. 

“What, to threaten me if I hurt Brian?” She asks me. 

“Nope, he's a big boy and you're hardly a speed bump in our lives. My reason is because you cause my son pain and he shouldn't be treated like that. Gus needs to be able to be a child, not an adult. He shouldn't be guarding Jenny from her mothers. Unfortunately, like his father he wants to protect those he loves from what hurts them. Which means, as his other father, I deal with you and your wife. So explain to me how you love the kids, but make sure they fear being home with you?” I ask her. 

“Gus is blowing it out of proportion.“ She tells me.

“I guess Jenny was what, ‘blowing it out of proportion’ too? Do you want to hear what happened after she got to my house? I'll tell you, whether you want to hear it or not. Jenny kept Gus beside her the whole night. If he went to the bathroom he had to get my four year old son to hold Jenny’s hand until he came back. It took Emmett and Ben to make her understand Gus was there for her and even then, she had to sleep in bed with him to be okay. That's what trauma does to someone, they need to be near the thing that makes them feel safe, which sure as hell isn't you or Lindsay. I paid for you to have a meal because I thought you should have your favorites, cheese and wine to go with all the WHINING you want to do about how your life is what you made it. Here's some free advice, if it makes you miserable, get away from it before you drown in it. I plan to insure that my family and your daughter don't get caught in your riptide.” I tell her, getting up when Ryder waves.

“What do you plan to do? Because my daughter is my business.” She asks me standing.

“I plan to let my lawyer meet yours with everything you've done or not done to take care of Gus and Jenny. Courts really frown on parents who scare their kids, don't you think? I bet my ‘spoiled brat’ and his sister would love to tell what living with you and Lindsay is like, but then, that shouldn’t bother you because you don't see anything wrong with your idea of love. Like I told Brian last night, I don't think you love them that much if you don’t think of them first. I guess slinging mud at your wife is more important. You have until Monday to change before I let my bloodsucker loose on you, and she smiles at the carnage she leaves behind. Just a friendly warning, because if Gus feels the way he felt last night, that warning turns into a promise.” I smile and walk out to see Drew.  

MICHAEL 

Ben came home last night but told me he needed to be alone. 

“You've been gone all night, how much more time alone do you need? Where were you, because Calvin and I went to the campus?” I ask him. 

“I was meeting your competition, and I can say, you are already the loser if you think you'll ever be able to separate them.” He tells me. 

“So you met the kid?” I ask him. 

“No, I met Brian’s husband, who makes me question who ‘the kid’ is.” Ben tells me.

“Ben, why would Brian hide this KID if he's so great?” I ask him. 

“He didn't hide Justin.” He tells me. 

“What do you call him keeping it from me?” I ask him. 

“Doing what it took to make his relationship work, because he knew what you are really like.” He tells me. 

“I'm a person who doesn't want Brian taken advantage of.” I tell him. 

“No, you’re a selfish friend who can't see Brian being happy unless it's with you. Why did you even marry me if you wanted him?” He asks me. 

“I love you.” I tell him. 

“Then prove it by leaving Brian alone, he's happy.” He tells me. 

“He just thinks he is, trust me, get him to the club and he'll change his mind.” I tell him. 

“That’s the reason I don't want you in bed tonight, because you can't believe he could find happiness with someone else. I wanted to wait until morning to talk to you but I doubt anything will change with sleep. I think we need to separate.” He tells me. 

“Ben, you don't mean that. I know I've been worrying about Brian, but I still want us to be together.” I tell him.    

“I just don’t think I can stay with someone who wants to destroy his ‘best friend’, all in the false name of caring. I can't overlook things that I know are wrong. I'm not asking you leave but that we spend time apart until I know if I want to spend my life with someone who can't love just me.” He tells me. 

“You told me you understood how I feel about Brian.” I tell him, scared because he wants to leave me.

“I thought you meant how you felt in the past.” He tells me. 

“What's the big deal? I still love you.” I tell him. 

“The big deal is that you love him more, and unlike Mel, I know it's your fault, not his.” He tells me, walking into the bedroom and closing the door.

“What am I supposed to do? Brian needs me to keep him from ruining our lives. He was supposed to grow old with me, not someone else. Ben doesn’t realize that one day he'll leave me alone and I depended on Brian to be there for me. I'll get Ben to understand, and then he can help me work on Brian.” I mumble. 

I woke up to a note from Ben on the coffee maker.

“I'm going to stay with a professor at the college until I figure out where I want to be. If you figure out something let me know, because I heard what you said last night, and I can't be a placeholder for anyone.  BEN”