BRIAN

I finished work early because I promised to be home in time to put the kids to bed. The last year has been like our first five years, us being happy. 

When we returned from Hawaii I no longer played the games they wanted to play. Michael and Lindsay wanted to continue their vendetta, but with me no longer allowing them near me or my family, they played alone. 

Michael tried to run to everyone to get me to talk to him. All he got was closed doors and an angry mother. Jen made good on her decision to tear down the building Michael’s shop was in. Michael seemed to think that if he didn't move his store she'd leave him alone. Jen had the locks removed in the middle of the night and left the doors open. Michael only managed to keep the comics no one bought. He stupidly tried to sue her for his losses, but found out that with an eviction, your shit is your responsibility to protect. Ryder mentioned that Michael and Calvin dated for a month until Calvin got tired of listening to Michael piss and moan about Calvin expecting him to change. Emmett laughed so hard we started to worry about his breathing. Michael once again tried to tell Ted to dump Blake for him, but apparently Blake took out the trusty crowbar and chased Michael home for good. Michael went to Ben’s office, thinking that somehow he could convince Ben to try again. Ben picked him up and dropped him next to his car telling him to take a ride in it, away from him, while he rode Ryder for life. Ryder told me he's trying to figure out how Ben seems to be more like me when dealing with people. I told him it’s because being like Ryder means talking people to death.

Lindsay had a little girl with Johnny boy. Justin worried about the baby because none of the people in involved in bringing her into the world were willing to take care of her. I had to put my foot down, because I understood his worry but I wasn't letting Lindsay or my birth family invade our lives. Joanie tried to get me to help support her and Claire in fighting Lindsay for the baby. I showed my mother to her cab and told her God would help her, not her queer son. Lindsay went for counseling, but couldn't convince the therapist to release her to see Gus. She seemed to think she was there to bitch about Justin, not get help. With no options but to get a job, she found out that she burned bridges in the art world by fucking with Justin. No one was hiring someone who shit on a money maker. It could have had something to do with Gary letting galleries know that if they hired Lindsay, don’t call him to get Justin. Lindsay’s sister took the baby to raise and offered Lindsay a ticket and a house anywhere but Pittsburgh, I almost called and told her I'd pay for the baby's college for that one. Ted found out that Lindsay moved to France, so I told Justin it's one country we wouldn’t ever visit. Gus worried about the baby and just wanted to see her, so I called Lynette, who was happy to let him visit. Gus checked out everything in Lynette’s house and told her how to baby proof the house because he didn't want Jasmine to get into things. Lynette smiled and thanked him for the advice. Gus told her it wasn’t advice but what she needed to do if she planned to be a good mother to Jasmine. Lynette and Gus developed a relationship without Lindsay there to cause problems, but Gus only did it to be close to the baby. I realized that like me, he's always going to take care of those he loves.

Justin and I were going to arrange to have another baby, but he seemed reluctant. I asked him why and he told me that he wanted to adopt this time. He wanted to give a child, one that was already here, a better life. We discussed it and he told me there were kids who were being bounced in and out of foster homes who needed a home of their own, and we could give them that. We began the process and it was heartbreaking to see kids, who, as beautiful as they were, weren’t being adopted because they weren't babies. I spent time with the agency and figured if people can advertise a pet, why not children who needed love. I met Daniel during one of my sessions with the agency. He was a five year old little spitfire who never got adopted because he was born with health issues. He was as blond as Justin, with huge blue eyes full of life, in that moment I knew I'd found our son. Daniel was skittish at first because all his short life was spent  going from one home to the next. Justin, from experience, did what he did with Gus, showed him he had a place in our life as our son. He wasn't the baby I wanted, but the child I needed to complete our family.

Ryder and Ben still share a house with Mel. Ryder built it so that she had her side and they had theirs, with Jenny’s tower in the middle. It reminds me of the turrets you see on the corners of a real castle. Ryder built the house around her room. He wanted her to always know she's the center of their family. Ryder got baby crazy recently and he and Ben decided to go with a surrogate. It's a girl. God help them if she grows up with the name Helena Troy Boyd-Bruckner. Hopefully Ben will come out of his love coma before that happens to the kid.

Emmett and Drew decided they wanted to wait for kids, because Emmett loved traveling to games and partying for now. They visit when they want home, but Emmett was happy to see the world. He told us Hazelhurst and Pittsburgh just couldn't hold a candle to seeing the world. I figure by the time Drew retires they'll settle down in one place. Ted and I are just happy to see his eternal flame lit up for good.

I walk in the kitchen to see Daniel, Gus, and JJ, carrying blankets and grabbing enough food for a couple days.

“Where you headed?” I ask Gus.

“No place special.” He tells me. 

“I can change that.” I tell him, and follow them to the picnic Justin and Julia were putting out next to the fort. 

Gus was wrong, it was some place special, because our family was together.