Part Seven



The reception was set up in another part of the resort that was no less picturesque.  The buffet and dance floor was set up under a picnic shelter that overlooked a glassy lake reflecting the mountains and fields of wildflowers.  The shelter had been bedecked in gauzy white linen curtains and wildflowers.  It was perfect and everyone was having a great time.



Justin and Brian had shed their jackets and were swaying to a slow song played by the hired DJ when Alex and Robbie came running up to them looking very upset.  They tugged at Brian and Justin until the two men followed them back to the kids table where Gus was sitting picking at his food and looking slightly guilty.



“Okay, boys, what’s wrong?” Justin asked as he took a seat and let Robbie climb onto his lap.



Alex, who was similarly situated on Brian’s lap, spoke up.  “Papa, he call you Daddy!”



“Well, that’s because I am his Daddy,” Brian said.



“No, you Papa,” Robbie said stubbornly.



“Ah I see,” Justin said.  “Remember how we said that Daddy and Papa means the same thing?”  The two toddlers nodded.  “Well, Papa has been Gus’ Daddy for a long time.”



“But he Papa!” Alex insisted.  His blue eyes were beginning to tear up and Brian and Justin shared a helpless look.



Gus sighed in a way that only an eight year old can manage.  “Fine.  He’s Papa.  Happy?”



Alex and Robbie nodded warily, not sure how to take Gus.



“Thank you Gus,” Brian said.  “You need to find a way to get along with Alex and Robbie.  They’re your brothers now, you know.”



“No bruhver,” Robbie said.



“No bruhver,” Alex repeated with a decisive nod.



Justin sighed and gave them a look.  “Gus is your brother.”



“No Bruhver,” Robbie said again.



Alex looked at Gus and then Robbie and said, “No bruhver.  Not look me.”



Justin chuckled at that.  “Guys, not all brothers look alike.  Some brothers have different hair.  Some have different skin.  Only very special brothers called twins look alike.”



“We t’ins?” Robbie asked



“That’s right,” Brian said.  “You’re twins, which makes you a special kind of brothers, but Gus is your brother too, and you have to learn to play together.”  Brian spoke to the twins, but his eyes were focused on Gus.



Gus rolled his eyes at his dad and said, “Come on squirts.  I’ll take you to the playground and push you on the swings.”



With that one act of reluctant kindness, Gus became the twins’ favorite person—for the moment at least.  Justin leaned his head on Brian’s shoulder and watched them run to keep up with Gus as he invited Jenny to go with them and then led the three younger kids to the playground about a hundred yards away.



“They’ll work it out,” Brian said.  “Gus isn’t used to sharing me with anyone, and the boys aren’t used to sharing with anyone but each other.  It’ll take time but they’ll work it out.”



Justin nodded.  “Hmmm.  This is nice.  In fact this whole day has been more than I could have hoped for.  I would ask how you pulled it all off, but that’s like asking a magician to give away his secrets.”



“You’re learning,” Brian teased.



“Alright, now that the children are away, you can explain just what in the hell you were thinking, Sunshine!” Debbie said as she joined the newlyweds at the children’s table.  “You should know that family helps each other out when we’re in trouble.  You shouldn’t have tried to take all this on by yourself!”



“I know Deb,” Justin sighed, knowing he deserved all the lectures that Debbie, his mother and Brian wanted to hand down.  “I fucked up.  I’m sorry.”



“Damn right you’re sorry,” Debbie huffed.  Then she sat back and looked at the kids playing in the distance.  “But I suppose it all worked out in the end.  And those babies are precious.”  She turned to Brian and proudly told him, “They call me Grandma Debbie!”  Brian sucked his lips in to keep from laughing, but Debbie saw and slugged him in the arm.  “Asshole.”



Brian leaned over and kissed her cheek.  “I’m really glad you came.”



“Of course I came,” Debbie said, her voice filled with emotion.  “You’re my boy, just as much as Michael is.  I would never miss your wedding.  Christ!  Someone give me a fucking tissue already!”



Justin chuckled and handed her a box of tissues that the cater-waiter rushed over with.



They went back over to where the other adults were gathered at the two other tables after Debbie pulled herself together.  Emmett, who considered himself to be the expert on all things wedding related, decided that they had to do the toasts.  But since they hadn’t actually chosen best men, the floor was opened to all present.



Ted was the first to stand.  “Brian, you are my boss, but you are also my friend.  And Justin, I have nothing but the deepest respect for a man who can not only capture, but keep Brian’s heart.  Congratulations.”



Lindsey stood next.  “In a way, I feel like I’m mourning the end of an era—I mean, what will Wendy do without Peter?—but at the same time, I know that this is only the beginning of a whole new adventure for the two of you. I don’t know any two people who deserve happiness more.”
Michael was next.  “I have watched Brian change and grow more in the years since Justin came into his life than in the entire 15 years I knew him pre-Justin.  I loved pre-Justin Brian.  He was my hero.  He protected me and did all of the crazy things I could never do.  All of you know that the only person who fought the changes that came post-Justin more than Brian was me.  But as I watched the two of you exchange vows today I knew deep in my heart that Brian had finally found love.  So I want to thank you Justin, for letting my best friend know what love and happiness are.”



Mel stood up next and Brian groaned.  “Shut up asshole.  I’m going to speak, like it or not.”  She glared at Brian for a second longer than necessary before turning and smiling at Justin.  “Baby, I have no idea what you see in this asshole, but if he’s what you want—and you’ve been telling us all for 8 years that he is—well then, I’m happy for you.  Mazal tov!”



“Thank you,” Justin said with a smile.



“You can sit now,” Brian said.



“I’m not finished,” Mel said haughtily.  “Now, since we’re all here on this historic occaision, I thought it might be a good time to make an announcement.  A wedding present of sorts.”  Brian eyed her warily and she smirked back at him.  “We’re moving back to Pittsburgh.”



There were questions and shouts and excitement from all over the place.  Even Brian got a wide grin on his face.  Gus was coming home.



“Sidney is retiring and has offered to let me take over the gallery,” Lindsey explained.  “And Mel’s firm here has never stopped trying to get her to come back.  And we know things aren’t perfect, but we also know that it’s better to be with friends and family than to be alone.  So we’re coming home.  The move is scheduled for August, so we can get settled before Gus and Jenny start school.”



“That’s a wedding present I won’t be returning,” Brian said with a smirk.



BJBJBJBJBJ



Jennifer volunteered to watch the twins over night, with Gamma Debbie and Auntie Em chiming in with their services as well.  That left Brian and Justin free to leave the reception and hide away in their suite for a full twelve hours of twin free time.  What they did with that time, no one doubted.  Especially after a very happy and very tired Justin and a very smug Brian turned up at breakfast the next morning.  They hadn’t even taken their seats when they were attacked by Robbie and Alex.



“Daddy! Papa!  Miss you!”



Justin swung Alex up into his arms while Brian lifted Robbie over his head before settling him in his arms.  “Well we missed you too.  But did you have fun with Grandma and Grandma Debbie?”



Robbie nodded seriously.  “Watch Pan.”



Peter Pan was the twins favorite movie, even though they really didn’t understand much of it yet.  “Well, that sounds like a very good time,” Justin said and tickled Alex.



“They were angels,” Debbie told them.



“They used my best lipstick to draw on the walls,” Molly tattled.



Jennifer glared at her daughter.  “I told you I’d buy you a new lipstick.  Be nicer to your nephews.”



“I think you two will want to see the paper,” Ted told Brian as they finally sat down.



Brian and Justin looked at the front page and both grinned.  “Conspiracy Scandal in Mercer Exposed: 12 people charged by State’s Attorney.”  The story below went on to detail most of the dirt that Waters had dug up for Brian in preparation of the hearing.  There was even a picture of the Andersons being led away in handcuffs.  Justin smiled.



“Fitting end for two of the very worst people ever to cross our path,” Brian said.



“I’m just glad they’re out of our lives for good,” Justin said.  “They should rot in jail for the rest of their lives.”



“Considering their ages and the list of charges being brought against them, it’s likely they will,” Ben said from the other end of the table.



The entire table was quiet for a moment as they let that sink in.  Then Brian turned to Jennifer.  “So Mother Taylor, you survived your first night with the terrible twosome with minimal damage.  How’d you like to volunteer for an extended gig?”



Jennifer narrowed her eyes at her son-in-law.  “What exactly did you have in mind?”



Justin was the one who answered.  “Well, it wouldn’t be for a couple months at least since Brian really has to get back into the office, but we’d like to take a honeymoon at some point in the near future.”



“How long are we talking?”  Jennifer asked.  She may love her grandsons, but they were a handful.



“Two weeks,” Brian said.  “And we would set up video conferencing so the boys could talk to us and see us everyday, in case they get worried.”



“And I’m sure the others would all agree to help out…” Justin looked to Debbie and Emmett for support.



In fact, everyone volunteered to help for at least a night.



“I don’t know if they’ll stay with us, since they refuse to learn our names, but we’ll help if we can,” Ted volunteered.



“And it will be good for them to spend some time with Gus and JR,” Lindsey pointed out.



Jennifer chuckled.  “Fine.  But I won’t be able to clear my schedule until October.”



Brian leaned over and kissed her cheek, “October is perfect.”



“At least I’ll be at college by then,” Molly muttered.



“Just wait,” Justin scolded his little sister.  “One of these days, you’re going to have kids and you’ll want them to get along with Robbie and Alex.  So be nice.”



Molly stuck her tongue out at Justin but then the two cracked up.



“It must be a sibling thing,” Brian said.  “Debbie and Vic used to do shit like that and I never understood it.”



“Shit!”  Robbie shouted.



“Shit!” Alex repeated.



“Fuck,” Brian muttered while Justin and the other s all laughed.



“Fuck shit!”



“Shit fuck!”  And the twins were off on another of their spontaneous songs without tune.



Once Justin was able to control his mirth, he stopped the two boys.  And made sure they were both looking at him. “Those aren’t words that little boys should use.”



“No shit?”  Alex asked.



“No fuck?”  Robbie asked.



Brian bit his lips to keep from laughing himself this time.  “Papa sometimes uses words that only grown-ups should use.  So does Grandma Debbie.”



“Shit and Fuck are two of those words,” Justin told them.  “If you hear someone use a word you don’t know, you need to ask me or Papa what it means and if it is a word that little boys should use.  Okay?”



“’Kay,” Alex agreed easily.  He and Robbie were soon sliding down so that they could crawl around the floor under the table and tickle people’s ankles.



“You think that will work?” Brian asked Justin.



“No, but if we keep repeating it, it should help,” Justin said with a shrug.



Jennifer smiled at her son.  “You used to like to sing about ca-ca.  Took us months to get you to stop.”



“Mom!” Justin’s face was beet red and the others all laughed.



BJBJBJBJBJ



Before long they were all splitting up for the long trip back.  Most of the group would be traveling together and driving straight through, but Brian knew that they would have to stop more often than the others and would be stopping for the night halfway.  The others had all packed up their bags before coming to breakfast, so they left as soon as they were finished, leaving the new family to pack up and check out at their leisure.  



They had only been on the road a few minutes when Alex, the ever inquisitive one, asked, “Where picture people?”



Justin turned in his seat and said, “They went home. But we’ll see them again real soon.  We’re going to have a new house with Papa that’s close to all the picture people.”



“Not picture people,” Robbie corrected both his brother and his Daddy.  “Gamma say Fambly.”



Brian grinned from his place behind the wheel.  “That’s right, the picture people are our family.  And you and Daddy and me, we’re going home so that we can all be a family together.  And soon, Gus and Jenny and their moms will be there too.  All our family in one place, where they belong.”



“Fambly,” Alex nodded.



“Fambly,” Robbie agreed.



“Family,” Justin said as he took Brian’s hand and beamed at his new husband.



Brian took a moment to savor the peaceful feeling that had filled his chest.  It wasn’t to last, however.



“Pee Pan!” Robbie shouted.



“Pee Pan,” Alex shouted.



Brian groaned and set the DVD to play.  It was going to be a very long trip with two over-excitable toddlers.  They would drive him crazy before they even made to the hotel that night.



But as he watched Justin get the boys settled with the headphones, Brian realized he wouldn’t have it any other way.





The End