Chapter 44 - Proof of Parenting.
Brian called Cynthia early the next morning and arranged to work from home for the rest of the week. Cynthia was completely in favor of the idea, especially since Justin had already called her and advised about Brian's too high stress levels and lack of weight gain. Cynthia volunteered to come over twice a day and bring Brian all the paperwork he'd need. Other than that, she'd email his messages and everything else to him and reschedule all his meetings to happen via video conferencing. She didn't think it would be a problem, and considering how ecstatically happy Ryder had been when he found out that Brian had cornered the Armani account single-handedly, Brian could probably get away with anything short of murder and the boss would back him up.
But, after getting that set up, all Brian did was go back to bed and mope. Justin had tried to distract him earlier with a nice long fuck, but it hadn't worked. The boy could tell that the news about how soon things could be happening had Brian completely thrown off. And it wasn't just the dread of the hospital and surgery. It was more about the fear of impending parenthood itself.
But Justin had long expected this moment would pop up and he already had a plan. Justin could easily prove to Brian that the man was more than capable of being a good parent. After making Brian promise not to go anywhere, the wiley young man headed out to get his secret weapon.
"Wake up, Daddy. You have a visitor!" Justin announced as he reentered the loft less than an hour later.
"Whoever it is, tell them to go fuck off. I don't want visitors!" growled Brian from his bed.
"Sorry, can't do that. Besides, this visitor you'll want to see," Justin maintained as he came up the stairs with Gus in his arms.
"Dada!" squeaked the little boy as soon as he glimpsed the messy auburn bed head.
"That's right, Gus. It's your Daddy! And now that you're here he'll cheer up, get out of bed and play with us. Won't that be fun, Gus!" Justin replied as he sat down next to the lump in the bed and deposited the wiggly baby on top of the man trying to hide from the world.
"Dada! Dada! Dada!" Gus sang, intent on getting his father's attention.
"Hey there, Sonnyboy," Brian sighed and rolled out from under his pillows holding his arms out to his son.
Gus crawled over the intervening bedcovers and into his daddy's arms. He was still singing 'Dada, Dada' and then patting Brian's cheek like he'd just made the most amazing discovery of all time. Brian couldn't stay mopey with that much cheerfulness directed solely at him. He hugged the little boy and smiled endearingly at his son. Justin smiled at everyone and then got up to get started on his plans for the day, while the two Kinney boys played together among the pillows.
That's all it took to reinvigorate Mr. Kinney. About 10 minutes later he wandered out of the bedroom, now fully dressed, with a happy, giggling Gus in his arms. "No fair using my own offspring against me, Sunshine. I can already see this setting a bad precedent for the future."
"I'll use whatever I have to, Mr. Kinney," Justin insisted. "You better get used to it. Now be a good little boy and eat your breakfast and then we'll go to the park and play. Doesn't that sound fun Gus? Then, after the park, we'll go shopping and buy some baby stuff for Junior. And there will be no more panicking, moping or freaking out, at least not for the rest of today. Got it?"
"Yes, Mr. Taylor," Brian responded like a sulky schoolboy, but he sat down to his breakfast without further complaint.
The rest of the day went much more smoothly. The two men took Gus to the park for an hour, taking turns running after the fast crawling little tyke and pushing him in the swings. All three of them lay down together on the roundabout and giggled at the trees swirling around over their heads. Finally, everyone - even Brian - had to eat a sno-cone from the vendor near the park entrance.
Next, Justin took the crew to one of those huge mega box 'Everything Baby' stores. Brian objected strongly to the poor quality of everything, but Justin finally got him to agree that not everything the baby needed had to sport a designer label - especially when most of it was meant to be pooped on, vomited on, spilled on or would be outgrown in less than six months. Once his objections were overcome, Brian had a great time. This was a whole new realm of shopping he'd never experienced before. He went a little mad and filled up two carts full of everything he or Justin could think of that Junior might possibly need. Gus was a big help with testing out possible toys.
Everyone was having a fabulous time giggling and laughing their way down the aisles of the store. The shopping excursion might've gone on even longer, but unfortunately poor Brian's back wasn't up for the task. When both Brian and Gus started to get grouchy, Justin herded them all out of the store, packed up all their purchases into the back of the Jeep and drove everybody home. Gus went down for a nap almost immediately. Brian retreated to his computer to start working on some emails and other paperwork that had come in while he was off having fun. Justin made lunch for everyone and then, in the afternoon, while Brian spent time on a video conference meeting with an important client, Justin took Gus off for another adventure to a nearby children's museum that he had wanted to go to for ages. It turned into one of the most pleasant days either Brian or Justin had experienced in a long time.
When it got late, neither wanted to return Gus. Brian called and begged Lindsey to let him keep Gus overnight just this once. She reluctantly agreed, over Mel's objections heard in the background. Justin decided that in celebration it would be a pizza and movie night. He ordered the pizza and then went to the video store with Gus to pick out a movie. Gus, of course, came home with the latest of Disney wonders and Brian was forced to watch 'The Little Mermaid' and eat pizza with his son. And, despite all the protesting the man did at the beginning of the evening, Brian didn't seem even a little bit unhappy when Justin caught a glimpse of him sitting on the floor with Gus in his lap singing along at the end of the movie.
At bedtime, they sandwiched Gus in between them in the big bed so he couldn't roll out, and then all climbed into bed and read one of the new picture books they'd purchased that morning. Brian lost the coin toss so he had to do the actual reading. Justin got to pick the book, and he selected one called 'The Napping House' thinking that it sounded suitable for getting their little rug rat off to sleep.
It worked wonderfully on Justin, who'd been running around all day after the baby, but not quite so well on Gus. Brian eventually determined that "gen, gen" while shoving the book at his father's belly was Gus' way of asking for a repeat. Brian smiled indulgently and then read the book a second time. However he refused to do a third rendition, choosing instead to turn off the lights and nestle down under the covers and tell Gus stories that he made up about their new house and Gus' new baby brother, Kevan, and how they were all going to live together and play and go fun places . . . Until Brian talked them both to sleep.
Gus woke them all up bright and early as soon as it was daylight out. Justin made pancakes with happy faces made out of marshmallows and chocolate chips that made both Gus and Brian giggle as they ate the pancake men's eyes out first. Justin didn't care about the cannibalism, he was just happy to see Brian eating for once without complaining.
The only sad time during the whole visit came when it was time for Justin to take Gus home. Brian had three back-to-back video conference meetings that morning which he couldn't put off, so he wouldn't be able to go with the boys. Gus was devastated at the idea of having to leave his dad. Only Brian was able to stop the little boy's tears by promising him repeatedly that Gus could come back over soon and Dada would tell him more stories about Baby Kevan and all the fun they'd have in the new house.
As Gus finally let Justin take him out of Brian's arms, the younger man looked up at Brian smugly. "Who was it that thought he wouldn't be a good father?" Justin asked sarcastically.
"Get out of here you brat," Brian said with a smile as he turned back to his desk and tried to settle his mind back into business mode.
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"What or who the hell is Ken?" Melanie's voice came out of the phone line so loudly that Justin could hear the question from where he was sitting on the couch several feet away.
"Ken? I have no idea who Ken is," Brian replied in confusion. "And, why are you yelling at me?"
"Because your son has been babbling all day about Ken, or maybe it's Kenin. He keeps saying something about Dada's ‘Baby’ and then saying Ken over and over and it's driving us crazy. Did you introduce him to some trick of your's named Ken? If so, it's the last time you're going to be seeing Gus. I don't want him exposed to that lifestyle, Brian. Especially if he's going to get so attached to every Ken, Dick or Harry you happen to be fucking that night. Couldn't you just keep it in your pants for one night, Brian?"
"Fuck you, Mel. I did NOT fuck some trick last night when my son was here visiting," Brian roared back into his end of the phone line. "You're an ass to even suggest that. I'm his fucking father. I would never do anything that irresponsible where my son is concerned. And, for your information, all we did last night was watch The Little Mermaid, read picture books and then I told him stories till he fell asleep. Justin was here with us the whole night if you don't trust me and need a witness. So just shove all your shitty accusations back up your twat hole and don't talk shit about things you know nothing about!" Brian screamed into the phone and then ended the call.
"What the hell was that all about, Brian," Justin asked in concern as Brian paced back and forth angrily.
"Gus apparently learned a few new words while he was visiting last night and Mel interpreted them to mean I'd been tricking with Gus around," Brian explained.
"Why the hell would she think that? Of course neither of us would do that when Gus was here. And what was that about some guy named Ken?"
"Not 'Ken', 'Kevan', or at least Gus trying to say the name Kevan," Brian started to explain. "Last night after you fell asleep, I started telling Gus stories about . . . well, about the baby and how I hope Gus will get to come stay with us sometimes in the new house and get to play with his baby brother and . . . Anyway, today, when Gus started telling his mommies all about 'Dada's Baby' and 'Kenin', Mel just assumed he was talking about some guy I brought home. I mean, give me a little credit - I may not have much parenting experience, but I'm not that stupid. I'm NOT going to be bringing tricks home to meet my kids!"
"What are YOU laughing about," Brian rounded on a chuckling blond who wasn't being sufficiently outraged for his taste. "I don't think this is funny."
"I was just trying to imagine you calling some trick, 'Baby'," Justin broke out into full laughter at the ridiculous thought.
It took Brian a few moments to see the humor in the situation. When he did, he chuckled too and reached out to wrap his arms around the still giggling boy. "Shut up you twat!"
"See!" Justin laughed even harder. "I live with you and the closest I get to an endearment is being called a 'twat'. I just can not imagine you calling some trick 'Baby'."
"I've NEVER called anybody 'Baby' or any other stupid pet name," Brian insisted. "But, if it makes you feel better, Sunshine, you ARE the only one I ever call 'twat'!"
"Awwww, don't be going all sappy and sentimental on me now, Brian," Justin teased. "When you call me a twat, I want you to mean it, damn it! Besides, I like 'twat' a lot better than 'Baby'."
"I know, Sunshine," Brian whispered into Justin's ear as he kissed down the artist's long supple neck. "No silly pet names for you, right?"