Should Old Acquaintance

Chapter 4

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Justin watched as Sidney carefully unpacked the paintings sent from Panama. He held his breath as each was revealed. They were wonderful. Some were religious in nature, as was the custom of the time. Families, especially those with some money, would have a shrine to a favorite saint. There were a couple that appeared to be portraits of family members of some family with enough money to afford such a painting. Justin wondered why the family would have parted with such a treasure, but then he realized that many families fell on hard times. Perhaps the painting had provided some much needed income. Maybe the younger family members no longer saw the value of family history when they inherited these paintings. Whatever the reason that they had become available. Justin thanked Edna for finding and attaining them.

Sidney was equally thrilled with the paintings and was already planning another Kinney show at his gallery. He pointed out to Justin Patrick's face looking back at them from some of the paintings. Justin had to smile. Obviously JABK never grew tired of painting his lover, just like Justin never got tired of painting Brian.

They unpacked the three little sculptures from their bubble wrap and cardboard. They both stood staring at them in amazement.

"They have to be Patrick's," Justin said.

"Why do you say that?"

"They remind me of something of his I saw in South America."

"He did other Wise Men?"

"You think these are the three Wise Men?" Justin asked.

"Don't you?"

"I'm not sure. I guess they could be."

"Then what do you think they are?" Sidney asked with a frown.

"I'm not really sure, but they seem to be a set. This one reminds me of JABK," Justin said running his hand over one of the sculptures. "I love the flowing gowns. They could be saints or angels without wings."

"They're beautiful enough to be either of those, but I still think they are the Wise Men."

"Have it your way. Maybe they're three gay guys," Justin laughed.

"I think I'll stick with my Wise Men theory," Sidney said as he used his cutter to open the box of papers. "My God, Justin, there's a lot to go through here.

Justin carefully lifted and examined the clumps of paper. "A lot of it seems to be Edna's records of what she found and how she obtained the art work. There's only a few pages of Kinney's diary. I'll look at it first."

Sidney sighed. "I'm not as young as I used to be. Do you realize it's after five? I should have closed the gallery twenty minutes ago."

"I guess we were so wrapped up in this that we didn't even notice. Your salesperson seems to have left, and it looks like he turned out the lights."

"That's good," Sidney yawned.

"I better call John."

Some time later Justin, John and the children arrived at the loft. They had bought takeout for dinner. The kids loved their McDonalds and John and Justin had found some halfway palatable stuff at the same fast food emporium.

"We better get rid of the remnants of this meal. Brian will kill me if he finds out I was feeding Bree this crap," Justin said as he finished his fries.

"You kids go play on the rug," John said. The two ran off to get their trucks and dolls and toys. "I'll help you clean up. We can put all this down the chute. Brian will never know."

"Don't count on that."

"Why? What do you mean?"

"Brian has a sixth sense about some things. He usually knows when I don't want him to know something."

"That's not good," John said.

"Tell me about it," Justin laughed.

They cleaned up and let the kids play for a while. By eight o'clock both children were showing signs of sleepiness. Their fathers laid them down on the big bed and it didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

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John and Justin stood outside the security barrier at the airport. Bree and Patrick slept in their strollers. Getting them into the SUV without waking them had been tricky. Patrick came to for a bit but then went right back to sleep. Bree didn't even seem to notice that she was being moved.

The televisions said that Brian and Bobby's plane had landed. They were waiting expectantly for their husbands to appear.

"What the fuck is taking so long?" John griped. "Where are they?"

"They have to clear customs and get their bags. They'll be out soon," Justin said trying to be optimistic. His arms ached to hold Brian.

"There's Bobby," John practically yelled and he bolted forward swooping down on his husband like a giant bird of prey. He pulled Bobby into his arms roughly and buried his face against Bobby's neck. "I've missed you so much," he whispered before he kissed him right in front of the whole airport. They got a few rude stares but many more smiles of understanding.

Justin was left with the two strollers. He couldn't leave the children alone so he stood on tiptoe and waved his arms frantically. Finally Brian, who had been looking around anxiously ever since John descended on his traveling partner, spotted Justin and jogged over to him.

"Sunshine," he said huskily as he took Justin into his arms.

"You're home," Justin cooed as he felt Brian's strong arms pull him close. They held each other for a few moments.

"Where's the Squirt?" Brian asked as he kissed Justin and released him.

"Right here," Justin said pushing the stroller forward.

"Squirt," Brian said kneeling beside his daughter and holding her little hand.

"You can pick her up," Justin said softly.

"I don't want to wake her."

"I doubt she'll wake up, and if she does, she'll be so happy to see her daddy."

Brian smiled and unhooked the restraint in the stroller. He gently lifted his little girl into his arms and cradled her there. She slept on obliviously. "I've missed you both so much," he whispered as he pulled Justin against him.

"We missed you too."

Bobby rushed up and knelt in front of a sleeping Patrick. He gave him a kiss and then turned to the others. "Let's go home," John said.

"That sounds like the most wonderful thing in the world," Brian said.

They quickly made their way to the SUV. Brian refused to let Bree go back in her car seat. They unhooked it so Brian and Justin could squeeze in the back next to Patrick in his car seat. Brian held Bree all the way back to the cottage.

When they had the children safely stowed in their crib, John and Bobby headed to the sun porch and Justin and Brian went to the main bedroom.

"I should have taken a shower," Brian said as he undressed.

"I like the smell of you just the way you are," Justin said softly.

"I missed you so much."

"I couldn't sleep without you beside me."

"I had some trouble with that too," Brian admitted remembering the night he and Bobby had spent in the same bed because they were so lonely for their partners.

"I'm glad you're home," Justin said huskily. He wanted his husband so badly that he could taste it.

Brian pulled Justin against his naked body. Justin could feel Brian's hardness against his groin as the man kissed him and then kissed him some more. Brian gently lowered Justin onto the bed and knelt between his legs.

"I dreamed about this while I was away."

"But the real thing will be better," Justin promised. That earned him another long and burning kiss that left them needy and on fire.

"Now, please, Brian," Justin begged.

Brian fished the lube out from under the pillow and prepared his husband. He then sank his aching cock into the soft tightness of Justin's body.

"Oh fuck!" Brian groaned as he embedded himself fully. "I never want to be away from you again."

"You don't have to be," Justin said.

Brian found their rhythm and started them on their journey to the fulfillment they both knew awaited them. When he finally came just after Justin had, he knew he was really home. It was the only place he wanted to be.

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Early the next morning, Patrick and Briana were the first to rise. It was all quiet in the house with each couple still fast asleep. The lovemaking that went on the night before and into the morning was sweet and tender, tinged with the sorrow they were all feeling for the loss of their dear friend Edna. And the joy and relief that their journey to Panama was completed so quickly, and the two families were now whole again.

Patrick, learning the ways of being a gallant young man, kindly assisted his petite cousin down from her bed and onto her daddy's big four-poster. Bree started to giggle softly as she was preparing her pounce. Patrick smiled broadly and put his finger to his mouth to quiet her. He gazed at his unsuspecting uncles who were wrapped around each other in a peaceful sleep. His Uncle Brian looked so much like his own handsome father. Justin's pale creamy skin reminded Patrick of his daddy Bobby, except for the blond hair. Patrick tiptoed out of the bedroom and quietly hurried into the sun porch where his own daddies lay asleep. The scene was almost identical with his daddy John wrapped protectively around Bobby. As if on signal, both children pounced on their daddies, squealing loudly at the 'oomphs' each dad exclaimed, and giggling with glee as each child was rewarded with kisses and tickles. After some time the giggling settled down and breakfast was declared. A naked Brian climbed out of bed with Briana in his arms and started for the bedroom door to begin breakfast.

"Uh, Bri," Justin began as he noted the obvious state of undress his lover was in. Brian stopped at the door and turned to his partner. Justin got out of bed and put on a t-shirt and sweat pants. Justin stood with his hands on his hips and glared at his spouse, a jovial twinkle was in his blue eyes.

"Oh for fuck sake, she's not seventeen!" Brian said with a loud sigh. The glare became more intense. "Okay, okay." Brian put his daughter down on the bed as he rooted around in his drawer for some jeans. "What's this world coming to if a man can't be comfortable in his own home? Don't answer that," Brian grumbled. Now at least partially dressed, Brian picked up his daughter and went for the door. "May I?" he asked Justin.

"Yes, you may," Justin chuckled at Brian's back and winked at Bree, who appeared to be enjoying the whole encounter safely from her father's arms. She didn't care if her father was naked or not, she just cared that he was home. "Besides, Brian, we have guests."

"They are not guests; they're family and they've seen us naked."

"I know they have but that doesn't mean they want to now, and the construction crew should be here soon."

"Construction crew? What construction crew?" The plans for combining the cottages had slipped Brian's mind with all that had recently gone on.

"John's construction crew, specifically Gordon and his men. They should be here any minute now. John had them here to start marking out and clearing the land behind the sun porch. Brian, you do want to go ahead with combining the two homes, don't you?" Justin was a little worried that Brian wasn't serious about this undertaking.

When it sunk into Brian's sleep deprived and caffeine free brain, Brian nodded. "I remember, Sunshine, and yes, I'm all for it. I think it's the best deal for all of us. Especially since John's been picking up more clients out of Pittsburgh. I'm not the only Kinney with branch offices," Brian stated proudly. He was truly happy for his brother's good fortune.

After a hearty and leisurely breakfast, the family planned to catch up with one another. Justin and John were interested in learning what transpired in Panama and they all wanted to know what was in the box of documents that Edna had accumulated.

"Sidney and I didn't have time to go through all the documents but the gist of it all was about what Edna had found, how she went about it and the contacts she made. I'm not sure if she had a premonition that she wasn't going to be around to carry on the search, but she left instructions for her bank manager and Juan Perez to contact us if more Kinney and or Patrick art is uncovered," Justin explained. "But we'll have to go through the papers more thoroughly. Sidney said he'd ask Lindsay to help."

"What about the paintings? Did he find any more journal pages in them?" John remembered how finding Kinney's will in the back of the mansion painting saved them all from losing the farm and Claire's home.

"I don't know yet. Sidney will have the restorers start on the paintings today. I'm sure he'll call if he finds anything." They were all quiet for a moment then Bobby remembered the snippet of journal he did get to read.

"Justin, we did read of small bit of Kinney's journal. He mentioned that Patrick wanted children. Kinney missed his family terribly but he seemed to be afraid of entertaining the idea of having children together with Patrick. I can't begin to imagine what they would have had to go through to have children as they were trying to find a permanent home for themselves. Look at what they had to go through just to be able to live together. They never seemed to find peace." Bobby's voice was quiet and sad at the thought of Kinney and Patrick spending their lives alone, without the privilege of having children.

John gently patted Bobby's hand, remembering the heartache they both suffered in trying to have a child of their own. The lovers again counted their blessings. The world was far from perfect but they were fortunate to have good homes, wonderful careers and the children they wanted.

Sensing the mood was turning morose, Brian suggested they all get cleaned up and take the kids on a little 'march' through the woods, check out the area and plans for the latest renovations for the Kinney/Taylor 'estate'. Everyone cheerfully agreed.

With the breakfast dishes scrubbing away in the dishwasher the families got washed up and prepared the children for their outing. The weather was warm and inviting, just right for a walk through the woods and down to the stream.

As they were preparing, they first converged in the kitchen. Justin wanted to pack some snacks and bottles of water. They also decided to pack some blankets and toys. That's when Brian noticed the light on the answering machine blinking. They had gotten home late and had other more important activities on their minds the previous night; listening to phone messages was not a high priority.

As Brian was reaching for the button, Patrick decided to share his innocent observations.

"Uncle Brian, you and daddy really look alike."

"Yes, we do, Sonny Boy."

"He calls me that too."

"He does? We think a lot alike too," Brian said proudly and with a smile.

"He sure looks a lot like you when he's sleeping with Uncle Justin!"

"He what!?"

"I said..."

"I heard you. Justin! John? Is there something I should know?" Brian knew nothing could have happened between Justin and John but he couldn't help the jealous tone in his voice. Justin, John and Bobby all started talking loudly and at the same time Brian's finger grazed the button on the answering machine.

"Brian, it's me, please call me as soon as you get this. She knows, Brian, Joan knows about Bree. Please Brian, call me." The terror and concern in Claire's voice was painfully obvious.

"Oh fuck!" Four voices called out as they stared at the damned machine.