Work Text:
Present, February 2014
If he’d wanted to be precise, Brian would have been able to pinpoint to the minute the time that his day had started to spiral downwards: It was at exactly 6:30 AM, when his alarm clock had ripped him not-so-gently from a particularly juicy dream involving his favorite silk necktie that was not being used to complete a perfectly tailored business attire, some of their very expensive toys from their very exquisite toy chest, and an extraordinarily limber blond. The Great Alarm Clock Massacre, as Brian would later refer to this particular morning, had only happened four hours prior and already this day couldn’t have sucked more, in Brian’s opinion – and really, whose else mattered?
The first thing that was ‘wrong’ about this particular morning was the fact that he had to wake up in his huge bed alone, for the third time in a row. Justin had gone to New York to oversee the final organizing stages of what would become the first exhibit in their new gallery that was already expected and talked about excessively among the art critics and connoisseurs in the New York art world, as well as watched with a critical eye by almost anyone who mattered or proclaimed himself as such. According to his detailed schedule, Justin should have been back yesterday already. However, things were not running as smoothly as expected and he had called Brian the day before to tell him that he would need to stay a day longer and arrive in Pittsburgh International sometime today, probably in the late afternoon. Brian had grumbled something unintelligible in response, not wanting to be obvious about it and thus let Justin in on the already way too well-known fact that his mornings sucked when there was no one around to suck him.
The morning had continued in its determinedly sucky way when Emma refused to eat breakfast and sulked all the way to preschool. Brian knew she was being difficult because she missed her daddy, and at age four she had no other venting option than to be moody. He tried being patient with her and managed, mostly because he could sympathize immensely. And if he hadn’t been the parent and designated driver, he probably would have happily joined her in her sulking. Pulling up in front of the private school, he got out and walked around the car to open the door for Emma who was making no effort to move and get out by herself. Alex meanwhile unclasped the safety belt around her seat and got out of the car on her side of the vehicle, pulling hers and Emma’s little bags with her. She stood patiently on the sidewalk while her dad was trying to persuade her sister to get out and enjoy the day with her friends.
“Em?” Brian bent his knees and cowered down to be eyelevel with her. “Emma?” He tried again but she refused to look at him as she continued to stare down in her lap, lower lip stuck out in an image so reminiscent of a pouting Justin, Brian almost laughed if it hadn’t been so sad. “Don’t you wanna go in and have fun with all your friends? Look, Alex is already waiting for you.” He tried, glancing at his other daughter through the side window where she stood watching the two of them. When that didn’t work, he tried another tactic. “Miss Allison said you’d be making Valentine’s presents today. And you want to have a present for your Daddy when he gets back, don’t you?”
Emma didn’t move but Brian saw her raise her eyes and look at him sideways. The greenish aquamarine in her irises was so pronounced today, the way it would get when she was really upset about something, and Brian’s heart clenched a little.
“Daddy will be home today when I come to pick you up at Grandma Deb’s. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled if you had a present for him.”
Emma finally turned her head and looked with her big sad eyes directly in Brian’s. “He’ll be back today?”
Brian nodded. “Yes.”
“Promise?” Emma wasn’t convinced.
Brian closed his eyes briefly and prayed to every deity known to man that the fucking gallery shit would clear up by midday so Justin could get on his plane. “Promise.”
Emma graced him with a tiny smile and extended her arms towards Brian. “Okay.”
Brian sighed in relief and strapped her out of her seat, pulling her out of the car. She clung to his neck a little more desperate than usual and Brian hugged her back fiercely before walking around the vehicle and setting her back down beside where Alex was waiting.
The moment he put her down, Emma spotted some of her friends behind the fenced wall and waved frantically at them, calling out a greeting to announce her arrival – though really, it was somewhat redundant. In true Emma fashion, all sorrows from only ten seconds before were already forgotten as she dashed through the opened iron wrought gates. Brian looked after her before glancing down at Alex and catching her rolling her eyes. He bit his lip to not laugh out loud and bent down to give Alex a hug.
“Look out for your sister?” He asked Alex as her little arms came around his neck. She nodded into his shoulder.
“Bye, Daddy.” She kissed him on the cheek before disentangling herself and straightening up.
“Bye, Precious.”
She smiled a quick sunshine smile at him before turning around and walking the path after Emma.
“Daddy?” Alex called back halfway through the gate.
“What is it, baby?”
“Is Daddy really coming back today?” She asked simply.
“He said he would.” Brian replied, wishing he could be surer of it.
“Okay. Can you make him? Because Emma is really upset.”
“Come here,” Brian motioned her back to him again and wrapped her in his arms. “I’m gonna try.”
She nodded again before Brian released her and she walked across the school lawn.
Brian straightened his jacket and tie, and returned the smile and wave from Miss Allison who stood at the entrance of the school building, ushering her students inside.
Arriving at Kinnetik half an hour late due to an unlucky coffee-car-incident at a red light, which forced him to take a detour to the loft to grab a clean suit, he was greeted by a stressed out Cynthia who didn’t bother with pleasantries before she attacked him in the lobby.
“Kevin has fucked up the boards from yesterday again.”
“The ones I already approved of? How is it possible?”
“Yes, the very ones. He thought he might improve the background color or something, I didn’t go into detail.”
“But they were already approved of.” Brian stated unnecessarily.
“I know. You have to fire him.”
“Aren’t you the one who’s telling me not to fire people too overhasty?”
“He fucked up the boards!” Cynthia exclaimed. “The ones I’m going to need in about,” she glanced at her watch, “two hours.”
The truth was, Kevin had already received two warnings for being out of line; he obviously didn’t fit into the Kinnetik team and it was high time Brian threw him out. The only reason he’d kept him so long was because certain people forced him to believe in granting second chances. The problem was, Kevin was already on his third.
“Get Ted to do it.”
“No,” Cynthia protested. “He’s way too soft for that. He’ll probably end up writing him a letter of recommendation.”
True. There were things Ted was extraordinarily good at. Unfortunately, firing people was not one of them. And Brian knew better than to suggest Cynthia do it herself. At least not while she was still wired and angry about his latest fuckup. The poor guy would probably end up without his balls. Not that he didn’t deserve it, but he figured the paperwork would be a bitch and he really did not need that.
“Alright.”
They reached Brian’s office and he looked around for his assistant before adding her absence to the exceedingly long and still growing list of things that made this morning less than stellar.
“Where’s Lauren?” Brian asked irritably.
“I’ve had her send over to the art department to help the guys reverse what Kevin did. She saw the boards last before he mutilated them and knows what they should look like.”
“I need my coffee.” Brian stated blandly in a, in his opinion, perfectly logical explanation why he couldn’t tolerate Lauren not being there.
“Looks like you’ve already had one.” Cynthia said with a wink to his shirt and suit that were ruined in the coffee-car-debacle on the way over.
“Fuck.” Brian muttered, remembering. “I need to change. Tell Kevin I want to see him in my office in twenty minutes.”
The next few hours continued to piss him off. Angry clients called to express their unhappiness with their current sales figures, incompetent interns had never heard the word cool applied to colors before, which made Brian think of the last competent intern he had worked with and who had been so painfully missing from his daily routine this morning. And then there was the general stupidity that seemed intent on manifesting itself in the people around Brian today, and continued to beat a path to his door and make his day less than bearable.
By 10:30 AM he was ready to pay indecent amounts of money for anyone willing to shoot him, when Lauren announced Justin on line one. Having learned from the last four hours, Brian dreaded the worst and wasn’t disappointed.
“Morning, Honey.” Justin’s voice dripped with sarcasm and Brian suspected Lauren had given him an advance warning.
“Cut the shit.” Brian cut in. “Just tell me.”
Justin hesitated only a second. “Ehmmm, I think they need me here a couple more days.”
Brian pinched his nose with his right hand as the fingers of his left clenched tightly and angrily around the receiver, making the white on his knuckles contrast sharply with the tanned skin.
“Why can’t Arianna do it?”
“From Europe?” Justin asked. “It was either I go to France or she. I believe you were the one who decided I should go to New York and she should take care of the opening in Saint-Tropez.” Justin replied.
Brian remained quiet because he had nothing to add to the facts. It seemed like the better deal at the time – to have Justin only a few hundred miles away instead of a few thousand. But as it turned out, New York felt just as far away as Europe and Brian had to fight hard not to copy Emma’s morning behavior. Oh, fuck, Emma.
“I’m sorry I won’t be there for Valentine’s Day.” Justin said but Brian was mentally kicking himself for his words this morning.
As bad as it already was, and as worse as it was about to get with another morning of waking up without Justin, and being reduced to jerking off in their shower, alone, late in the evening, and dealing with morons for staff and even greater morons for clients, and overbearing family members – Brian would deal with all of that when the need came. But the worst of all would be admitting to Emma that her daddy was not yet back from New York, wouldn’t be for another couple of days, in fact. Brian was really not looking forward to seeing the disappointment in her huge trusting eyes and being cast as a liar from hereon. Maybe he would somehow be able to turn it into a fib?
“Brian?” Justin treaded carefully, guessing his confession had made Brian temporarily speechless with anger. “Brian, I don’t care if you didn’t get me anything for Valentine’s,” he tried to joke.
“Fuck, Sunshine!”
“What is it?” Justin asked, suspecting there was more.
“I promised. I promised Emma.”
“Promised what?”
“That you’d be back. Today. She was throwing a fit at the breakfast table, refusing to eat. Then she wouldn’t talk to me or Alex. And I promised her you’d be back.”
Justin was quiet for the longest time. “I’ll call her.” Justin finally said. “I’ll call her at Debbie’s and explain. I’ll tell her not to be mad with you; I’ll tell her that it’s completely my fault.”
Brian nodded; unaware that Justin couldn’t see him. No matter what Justin was going to say to her, it wouldn’t erase the look of disappointment on her face that he’d be greeted with when he went to pick the twins up from Debbie’s house.
“This sucks, Sunshine.”
“I know.”
“Get a gallery manager?” It was a request slash demand that was not made for the first time. Ever since the first time the idea came up to convert part of the former museum building that was to house the New York branch of Kinnetik into a gallery, Brian demanded Justin hire a gallery manager. But the blond was too picky and no matter how many people applied, he always found something wrong with them.
“How long did you take to find one for Kinnetik NYC?” Justin retaliated, as usual.
Brian had nothing to say to that because Justin was right. When they’d moved to New York almost three years ago, they had plans to only stay for a year at the most. But because Brian couldn’t find a suitable applicant to turn the reins over to, they had ended up staying almost two years. Eventually though, things had worked out perfectly. So well in fact, that Brian didn’t need to break up the dynamic Ted-Cynthia duo. It would be hypocritical of him to rush Justin to make a decision. So he shut up.
As Justin knew that he wouldn’t receive an answer to his last question, he changed the topic and amended. “I’ll take care of Emma, Brian. It’ll be okay.”
“Alright.” Brian said, because there really was no other way to respond.
“I miss you.” Justin whispered into the phone.
“I miss your cock.” Brian replied with a hint of sarcasm and defiance in his voice.
“Love you. Later?”
“Later.”
Brian hung up and sighed. The constant drum behind his eyes had finally developed into a full blown headache and he searched his desk drawers for the bottle of aspirin. Shaking out three pills, he swallowed them dry before walking over to the refreshments cart and downing half a bottle of water. He’d barely managed to sit down on the white couch to allow himself a minute’s rest when the phone buzzed again.
“A Mrs. Sterling on line two, Mr. Kinney.” Lauren announced his next caller.
“Who the fuck is Mrs. Sterling?” Brian asked her.
Lauren replied, “From the Mt. Lebanon Montessori School and Academy?”
That was the twins’ preschool. Brian breathed through the terror threatening to freeze up his heart and picked up the phone.
“Kinney?”
“Mr. Kinney, it’s Margo Sterling, I’m the director of the Mt. Lebanon School.”
“Are Alex and Emma alright?” Brian asked before the pleasantries could take over the conversation.
“Oh, yes, Mr. Kinney, they’re quite well. I’m sorry if my call suggested otherwise. There has been a tiny episode though and I would like to ask you to come over here to discuss it properly.”
“What kind of episode?”
“Nothing of too big importance. Just a minor misunderstanding between your daughters and another student. We like to address those issues with the parents present. It has proven to be the best way of action to deal with similar situations.”
“I’ll be over in thirty minutes.”
“My assistant tried to get a hold of Mr. Taylor. Will he be able to join you?”
“No. He’s in New York this week,” Brian explained.
“Well, I guess, then it’ll be only the two of us,” Mrs. Sterling replied.
“I’m on my way.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kinney.”
Brian slammed down the phone, cursing Cupid and everyone else who was responsible in the making of this day and slipped into his coat before leaving a message with Lauren that he’d be gone for an hour or maybe longer.
What the fuck was an ‘episode’ supposed to be? Brian wasn’t firm in the parent-teacher-slang and felt like he lacked some serious update to the parenting vocabulary to be able to translate the code. Apparently, he’d be facing Mrs. Sterling unprepared and unarmed. He only hoped he would come out of it with his mind and body intact. So far, he wasn’t providing too much of a challenge for anyone who set out to destroy him, Brian mused. The thought of Justin acting as his full-body armor suit kept him moderately entertained through his entire drive to the school grounds.
Arriving at the school, he made his way through the brightly but tastefully painted corridors into the director’s secretary’s office. He remembered the way from his earlier visits to the school during the application process. Stepping through the arched doorway, his sight immediately caught of Emma who was sitting on a bench, letting her legs dangle back and forth. A young woman with a pretty and friendly face sat beside her and Brian guessed she was the secretary; he didn’t remember her and guessed she must be new.
As soon as Emma’s eyes caught sight of Brian, she exclaimed, “I didn’t do anything, Daddy!” Her eyes were wide as saucers and Brian knew that she spoke the truth. Whenever Emma actually did do something, she would proclaim exactly the same words, only she would squint when doing so and Brian hoped it would always be this easy to tell when she was telling a lie.
The young woman who was sitting beside her, stood up to greet Brian. “Mr. Kinney, I presume. I’m Amanda Davis, Mrs. Sterling’s assistant.” She said extending her hand, voice friendly and calm. “She would like to talk to you. You can go in right away.”
“Where’s Alex?” Brian asked, shaking her hand in greeting.
“She’s with Mrs. Sterling. Go on, I’ll wait here with Emma.” She smiled encouragingly and Brian stepped through the massive oak door after knocking once but not waiting for an answer.
Mrs. Sterling’s office was decorated like no director’s office Brian had ever seen. It was colorful and could have rivaled Debbie’s love for gaudiness, only it was coupled with an interior design that didn’t look like something that was spawned by the Muppets during an orgy while tripping on a particularly good batch of crack. Strangely enough, Brian was relieved. When Alex or Emma were called into the director’s office, he didn’t want it to be some stuffy place and a frightening experience for the girls. As it turned out, Mrs. Sterling sat unceremoniously with Alex on the floor, quietly engaged in what Brian suspected was an educational lesson masked as a fun game.
He cleared his throat to make his presence known and both, Mrs. Sterling and Alex, looked up. Alex scrambled to her feet and ran into Brian’s arms while Mrs. Sterling stood up and arranged her clothes. Brian picked up the little girl and listened to her talk without taking a breath.
“Miss Allison said we should talk to Mrs. Sterling. But I didn’t do anything. I swear. Steve was mean. And I didn’t lie, Daddy. You told me not to lie and I didn’t.” She finally stopped to take a breath when Brian scooped her up in his arms.
Brian felt torn and desperate. The thing that irritated him most, besides the fact that he couldn’t make heads or tails of the jumbled speech, was that it wasn’t like Alex to talk a mile a minute. That was a skill Emma was the residing champion of. Hell, he’d never expected to be called into the headmistress’ office because of Alex. Emma – maybe; she could get wound up in something where she wouldn’t budge. But Alex? Not in a million years would he have expected this. He wondered what could have happened that had Alex so riled up. Being watched by Mrs. Sterling didn’t help matters in the slightest as he was already feeling like the worst parent on the planet, even though he had no idea what he was ordered to the school for.
“What happened?” Brian asked, not sure whether he was addressing Alex or the director.
Mrs. Sterling smiled benevolently at Alex and motioned for Brian to take a seat across from her behind the heavy desk. Brian set down, placing Alex on his lap and listened to the woman.
“It appears that there has been a slight misunderstanding between Alex and another student which lead to a spat. You see, the students were asked to make Valentine’s cards and the teacher, Miss Allison, was moving around, helping those children who couldn’t sign their cards completely on their own.”
Brian held back a comment on the lack of ideas the teachers displayed in letting the children make Valentine’s cards. He also didn’t comment on the fact that the shitload of money he was paying the institution was used to brainwash his kids into pliable citizens that would later join in the commercialism and consumerism that was the propaganda of Valentine’s Day.
Brian didn’t know whether Mrs. Sterling saw him scowl, but if she did, she kindly refrained from commenting and continued unperturbed. “Anyways, as you can imagine, there was lots of commotion; that’s why Miss Allison, Alex’s and Emma’s teacher, didn’t hear the argument when it started. Alex had already finished her card and since she can read and write pretty well on her own already,” Mrs. Sterling sent a proud look in Alex’s direction, “she decided to sign it to make it a very special gift for her daddies, isn’t that right, sweetie?” She directed the last question at Alex.
Alex nodded gravely, a very serious expression on her face, before she melted further into Brian’s embrace.
“Maybe the whole situation will become clearer once you see what started it.” At that, Mrs. Sterling passed the self-made card in question to Brian and he looked at it. It was a fairly standard, red and white card, with a big, slightly misshaped, heart on the front. When Brian opened it, the text inside read ‘I love my two daddies’ in dancing capital letters. Brian had never thought he could be touched so deeply by something so humble and felt a lump in his throat the size of Arizona. He swallowed hard around it, took a shaky breath and pressed a kiss on Alex’s hair, moved by her simple words, and she burrowed her face into Brian’s shoulder, looking sideways at Mrs. Sterling from under long lashes.
Mrs. Sterling watched the emotional exchange with a soft smile. “Apparently, a boy in Alex’s class read the card and said to Alex that she can’t have two daddies. He then proceeded to explain that one can only have one daddy and one mommy.” Mrs. Sterling explained.
Alex lifted her head from Brian’s shoulder and, becoming agitated, interjected – big Justin-blue eyes focused solely on Brian. “I told Steve I have two daddies, Daddy. But he didn’t believe me. And he called me a liar. But I do have two daddies,” She insisted with a vehemence in her little voice that tolerated no contradiction, waving her small hands, palms up, in front of her for effect. “And I told him so. And Steve said, ‘Then you’re not a family.’ He said, ‘A real family is a daddy and a mommy and a kid.’ But Grandma Deb and Auntie Em, they always say we are a family. And they wouldn’t lie to me. And I said to Steve that I too have a family. And that I do have two daddies. And it’s way better than him because he only has one daddy!” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, an angry pout firmly in place. Brian found she was beyond adorable in her outrage and smoothed a soothing hand across her hair again.
“Mr. Kinney, the boy, Steve, he didn’t say it in a vicious way. He meant nothing malicious by what he said. He was simply confronted with a family structure that was unfamiliar to him. Please know that we do encourage and promote all kinds of ethnicities, religion, race, or alternative family structures among our students.”
Brian nodded at that. He knew. That was one of the reasons why they had chosen this school after returning from New York.
“You see, Mr. Kinney, the little quarrel resulted in a small fight when Emma somehow got involved into the argument. She has quite a temper, as I’m sure you are well aware of.”
Again, Brian nodded. Yes, he was aware, though he tried hard not to grin proudly at that. One did not want to cross Emma when she was on a mission, especially when it involved her sister.
“Emma can be very… protective when she feels wronged. And she and Alex are, understandably, very close. I guess she felt she needed to come to her sister’s rescue, even though Alex managed quite well on her own. As you can imagine, it got very loud between the three of them and the teacher wasn’t able to quiet them down immediately. Also, we usually try to give children room to solve little spats on their own. But Mr. Kinney, we do not tolerate children getting violent. That’s why we called you. Maybe it would be best if you talked to the girls while the incident is still fresh on their minds?” Mrs. Sterling suggested.
Brian felt a surge of barely controlled anger at the insinuation. He and Justin and the girls may not have been the traditional family, but Brian wouldn’t let anyone even imply that the way they chose to raise their kids left anything to be desired. He was fuming.
“Alex would never become violent! And neither would Emma.” Brian protested vehemently, and then turned to Alex. “Did you or Emma hit Steve?” Brian asked, disbelief clearly etched in his voice. Alex stared up into his face, eyes huge and mouth slightly agape. She shook her head slowly, lips forming a ‘No’ but no sound came from her lips.
“That settles it, I’d say.” Brian pronounced, knowing that Alex was telling the truth. Nobody should ever say that he didn’t know his daughters.
“No. Alex didn’t hit anyone. But she did shove Steve and we do not allow our students to lash out physically.”
“What did Steve do?” Brian simply asked.
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Sterling was flustered.
Brian chose to address his daughter. “Did Steve try to shove you or your sister?”
Alex shook her head again. “But he grabbed my card and I was afraid that he would rip it so I pushed his hand away. I didn’t hit him.” She assured.
“Mrs. Sterling,” Brian began, addressing the headmistress again, “I can assure you that violence is not tolerated in our household either. The way I see it – it’s not my kids who need to be talked to.” The clipped tone indicating this conversation was over.
There was no way Mrs. Sterling could have missed the hint and she hadn’t. Immediately backpedaling, she hurried to clarify what she had meant by her former statement. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Kinney, if what I said led you to believe I was implying an error on your part, because I wasn’t. That was never my intention. I was merely suggesting taking this incident as a lead in for a discussion about conflict resolution? It was in no way a critique on your style of raising your children.”
Brian nodded, accepting the apology but still feeling something ugly simmering just underneath his carefully measured and deceptively clam surface. He tried to detach himself a little from the situation to get an objective perspective. He didn’t intend to run into Mrs. Sterling like he did. Only it was hard to remain cool when it felt like she was critiquing Emma and Alex’s behavior, which he thought was totally appropriate and justifiable. Brian sighed. This talk was just the cherry on top of this shit sundae of a day. He squeezed the bridge of his nose with the hand that wasn’t resting on Alex’s back, feeling his headache return despite the three aspirin he took earlier.
The woman smiled sympathetically at him.
“I’m guessing you’re not having the best of days?”
Brian nodded in affirmation, recognizing the peace offering and accepting it. Despite everything, she was a nice lady and Brian wouldn’t have liked to elaborate on what an agony it was to be forced to start the day without his usual morning workout. Alex began squirming in Brian’s lap before she pulled away a little and looked at Brian, eyes widened in question and a frown creasing her forehead.
“Are you mad, Daddy?” She asked.
“No, Alex, I’m not mad.” He comforted her. “I am tired.”
She reached out and lay a palm on Brian’s forehead, imposing her wisdom on her father, “When you’re tired, you need to lie down and take a nap.”
“I’d really love that, sweetheart.” Brian replied, managing only a tired smile.
Alex pinched his cheeks lightly and pulled at the corners of his mouth with her fingers until he graced her with a smile that she deemed satisfactory in intensity.
Mrs. Sterling had watched the gentle exchange of words and gestures with a smile. “Mr. Kinney, please don’t think we’re making today’s incident into more than it was – a twist between children. As you’re well aware, I’m sure, we like to involve parents in the school’s everyday happenings and today was just another one of those things that every parent has to deal with on a daily basis.”
“Of course.” Brian conceded and asked, “Do you want me to sign them out for today?”
“Not at all. They are very welcome to stay until pick-up time.” Mrs. Sterling smiled again to communicate that she meant it and stood up, escorting Brian to the door. “You have two very bright girls there, Mr. Kinney. You should be very proud.” She smiled at him encouragingly again and Brian felt weirdly reassured.
He was. But Brian only had enough energy to nod at her compliment.
He was still reluctant to let go of Alex and carried her in his arms. Alex’s head lolled on his right shoulder and as Brian walked past the director on his way out, Alex sent a brilliant smile in Mrs. Sterling’s direction, waving at her with the Valentine’s card she was still clutching in her hand, and Mrs. Sterling smiled and waved back. That girl was really something, she thought fondly.
In the privacy of a deserted classroom, Brian listened to the whole story again, told alternately by Alex and Emma. Brian sat on a way too small chair listening carefully to Alex who sat opposite from him on a desk. Emma’s patience had been put to a hard test when she needed to sit still in the director’s assistant’s office and she was now running in zigzag circles around the tables and chairs.
“And Steve’s card was really stupid,” Emma called from the back of the classroom as the issue was raised once more.
“And now it’s not a surprise anymore,” Alex pouted, holding up the card she made.
“Of course it is,” Brian protested. “It was a huge surprise and I loved it. And Daddy hasn’t seen it yet. I bet he’ll be just as surprised as I was.”
Alex only shrugged, still a little upset about the whole incident. Emma made another circle around the two of them and said, slightly out of breath, “We made other things too. Wait till you see the—“ She was suddenly silenced as Alex leaned down and put a hand on her mouth.
“Emma, no! You can’t tell!”
“Oops.” Emma’s apology, muffled by Alex’s hand, could be heard.
Alex complained to Brian, “She can never keep a secret.”
“I can too!” Emma protested while climbing onto a nearby desk.
“You always tell everyone! You almost told Daddy.” Alex exclaimed indignantly to make her point.
“Only ‘cause I forgotted.” Emma answered and Alex sent another pointed stare at Brian.
“Do you think Daddy will be mad?” Alex asked Brian, changing the subject.
“No, I’m sure he won’t be mad at all.” Brian assured her.
“Maybe we can keep it a secret too?” Emma suggested, and added as she met Alex’s suspicious glare, “I swear I won’t tell this time.”
“A secret is not the same as lying, right, Daddy? ‘Cause I wasn’t lying.” Alex repeated, once again referring to the fight she had with her classmate.
Even through the hazy swirl of the last hour, Brian was able to smile at the success of his parental endeavor from a couple of weeks before, when he had sat down with the twins to explain that lying was not an accepted form of communication in the Taylor-Kinney household. Not wanting to be hypocritical, Brian had ended up explaining to two four-year-olds the vast difference between a lie and a fib, and the consequences that came with each one.
“No, you weren’t. But Steve has a mommy and a daddy and he didn’t know that some children have only one daddy or only one mommy. And you have two daddies. He didn’t know that either. But it wasn’t nice of him to call you a liar.” Brian agreed.
Alex and Emma both nodded and Brian hugged them before asking, “You wanna go back to Miss Allison’s class and finish your gifts?”
Brian decided the bad news about Justin not coming back today could wait another hour or two and said goodbye to the girls, giving each a big hug and reminding them that Debbie would be there to pick them up later, before going back to the office.
When he finally called it a day, shortly after 5 PM, he justified his shortened workday with the excuse that, since the twins had to make do with only one dad these past days, they should at least have enough quality time together – even if it was just the three of them and would be for the next few days. Brian dreaded facing the accusing stare of Emma, and planned to make up for it by not going into the office until Justin came back. He packed his computer, and whatever files he would need to work from home, and drove to Debbie’s house.
Ringing the doorbell, he didn’t expect to be greeted by his daughter who almost threw him off his feet with the energy of her onslaught.
“Can we go home now, Daddy?” Emma asked instead of a greeting.
“Woosh, hold on Princess. We’ll need to say goodbye to Grandma Debbie first and get your bags.” Brian was irritated as to why Emma was so obviously jumping with joy instead of sulking around and glanced around, looking for Debbie.
He saw her exiting the kitchen just as he stepped over the threshold. “Didn’t Justin call?” Brian demanded to know.
“Yes, he did. A couple of hours ago.” Debbie answered.
“What did he say?”
“I don’t know – he talked to Emma.”
Brian looked down at his daughter who was tugging at his hand impatiently and jumping up and down in an attempt to force him to move faster. Brian looked around and raised an eyebrow at Debbie when he couldn’t spot Alex in the room.
“Upstairs. In the bathroom.” She explained. And added, directed at Emma, “Sweetie, come on, let’s get you cleaned up, alright?” Debbie suggested and Brian noticed only then that she was wearing a tiny apron and was covered in a fine layer of flour. “We were making cookies,” Debbie explained in Brian’s direction. “You’re early.”
“Emma, you wanna stay and wait till the cookies are done?” Brian asked Emma but she shook her head vehemently.
“No, I wanna go home, see Daddy.”
Brian frowned. Obviously Emma had misunderstood Justin and it was up to him to set the record straight.
Leading Emma into the kitchen so Deb could clean her up before taking the girls home, Brian sat down on a chair and explained. “Sweetheart, Daddy’s not home. I’m really sorry. We have to wait a few more days before he comes back.”
Emma again shook her platinum head, sending her long bushy locks, that she refused to let anyone cut, flying in all directions. She giggled, and Brian recognized the sound that she would make when she thought something the adults had said was silly. Oh, boy.
“Emma? Come here.” He pulled her on his lap and made sure she was listening before clarifying. “Daddy wanted to come home today. But he can’t yet. He really wants to see you and Alex again but he needs to stay and work for a few more days. He will come back when he’s all finished.”
“Unh-uh. He said you, Daddy, were right and that he’s coming home.” She explained and nodded with all the confidence of a four-year-old whose trust had never been betrayed yet.
Brian almost groaned at the stubbornness of the girl that he blamed on Justin’s ‘Taylor genes’. He didn’t know how to deal adequately with a situation like this. Just as he was about to charge into a new explanation, Alex entered the room and he pulled her into an embrace.
“Did you talk to Daddy, Alex?” Brian asked her.
She nodded.
“What did he say to you?”
“That he loves us and that he misses us and then he said later.” Alex answered.
“And he said that he’s coming home.” Emma insisted, getting a little agitated that no one wanted to believe her.
Brian looked at Alex, raising his eyebrows. She only shrugged her shoulders unknowingly in response. Brian pulled her closer again, placing a kiss on her forehead before standing up and gathering the twins’ things and pulling on their coats.
Maybe Emma was right? Maybe Justin did change his plans and decided to come home today? Brian really wished Emma had understood him correctly. The separation was wearing on his nerves, and he was finding it harder and harder to keep his mood in check. Thank god he had Alex and Emma to distract him!
Nearing Britin, Brian found himself looking out for light in the windows and cursed himself for allowing himself to get his hopes up as he found the mansion as deserted as he had left it this morning. He knew Trish would have left a dish in the fridge for him to heat up but apart from that, the house had seen no visitors – or residents – today.
The worst thing though – explaining it to Emma – still lay before him.
He barely had the time to unlock the door as Emma barged inside and ran through the darkening rooms in search of her father.
“Daddy!” She called out several times, upon entering every room. When, after inspecting every possible room downstairs, her search turned up unsuccessful, she finally came back and stood in front of Brian, looking up at him with an accusing stare in her watery eyes and a quivering lip. She breathed heavily through the tears that were about to fall and Brian sank to his knees to pull her into an embrace. She pushed him away, her tiny hands hard on his shoulders, turned on her heels and, in a swoosh, was gone and up the stairs. Seconds later, he heard a door slam shut loudly. If it was any other day, Brian would have smiled at her drama princess antics, today however, he felt like crying himself and swore silently.
He heard Alex walk up beside him moments before he felt her arms wrap around his neck.
“Emma misses Daddy.” Alex murmured and Brian understood her statement to mean that she missed Justin as well.
“I miss him too, baby girl.”
Brian knew he was right about her missing Justin too when Alex didn’t protest to being called ‘baby girl’ and squeezed her tighter. He threaded his fingers in her hair, removing the hairband that held back the strands from her face, and combed through the straight silken bangs.
“Why don’t you go choose a game for us to play before dinner and I’ll go get Emma, huh?” Brian suggested.
“Okay,” Alex nodded and took off towards the playroom after giving Brian another hug and a kiss.
Brian went upstairs and knocked softly on Emma’s door before coming in.
Emma sat on the bed, rhythmically kicking a chair’s leg with her foot, not glancing up as Brian came in. Before Brian had the chance of opening his mouth to say something, a loud “Brian?” rang through the house and Emma’s head shot up in surprise. The next moment, the hugest of sunshine smiles spread on her face and she dashed out of the room and down the stairs, Brian following close behind, and grabbing one of her hands, making sure she wouldn’t stumble on the stairwell in her haste. Reaching the bottom step, Emma didn’t even pause to get a better look at her Daddy who stood in the entrance, thick winter coat and boots still in place.
She threw himself into Justin’s arms and he pulled her close, whispering calming words in her ear. Emma being Emma, the hugging scene could only go on for so long before she extracted herself and turned to face Brian.
“You trickeded me!” She accused her father with no venom in her voice. “That was mean.”
Brian, choosing not to correct her, just smiled, happy that he was spared an explanation and ecstatic to meet Justin’s gaze. Before he could grab the blond into a rip-crushing embrace, Alex appeared from around the corner, clutching a game of ‘Find a Pair’ to her chest and staring disbelievingly at Justin with a slack jaw. He met her halfway and picked her up, burying his face in the little space between her neck and shoulders.
“We missed you, Daddy.” Alex said. “Emma was sad and Daddy too.”
“Really?” Justin asked.
“Yes. I was sad too.” She admitted in a small voice, much quieter than before.
“Well, I’m here now. And I’m not going away.”
“That’s good.” Alex nodded. “Emma and Daddy and I, we were going to play a game. And we made you presents.” Alex glanced a shy look at Brian, begging him not say anything about the visit to the director’s office. Brian smiled reassuringly and Alex relaxed visibly.
“Hey, Alex,” Justin said, gently setting his daughter down again, “why don’t you and Emma set up the game, okay? I’m going to put away my coat and then we’ll join you, alright?”
“’Kay, Daddy.” Alex answered. She grabbed Emma’s hand and they disappeared around the corner, leaving Brian and Justin alone in the entryway.
Brian still stood at the foot of the stairwell, simply looking at Justin, secretly taking in the sight of his lover.
“You’re not going to say hello?” Justin asked with a grin.
“You couldn’t have called?” Brian countered.
“It’s a surprise!”
“No, you just love to make a big entrance. You spend too much time with your daughter.” Brian joked, referring to Emma’s love for a big show.
“So, I’m not getting a welcome home kiss?” Justin worried his forehead.
Brian stepped up to him, pushing the coat open and slipping his arms underneath, pulling Justin close. He kept his eyes open as their lips connected, Brian’s tongue slipping out to trace the rim of the luscious lower lip before a moan escaped his throat and he pushed himself into the blond’s mouth. He caressed the ridge of his teeth, traced the arch of his palate, and finally tasted his lover by sliding his tongue along the blond’s. Justin let Brian explore him and reacquaint with their mutual tastes, virtually dissolving in the older man’s embrace. Brian smelled so good! Ever since the brunet had given up smoking, his own inherent scent was even more pronounced, no longer clouded by a thin layer of cigarette smoke, and Justin almost sobbed at the relief of feeling Brian inside and around him again. He pushed against Brian’s mouth and parted his lips with his own to slip his tongue inside and mirror Brian’s actions. Sighing deeply, the blond wrapped his arms tightly around Brian’s neck, unwilling to ever let go again. When Brian made to extricate himself, Justin moaned in protest. But Brian only chuckled, pressed another sweet kiss on his wet mouth and pulled away slightly.
“And you’ll get so much more. Just wait till we’re alone in our bedroom,” Brian promised, “you’ll get a spanking too.”
“Really?” Justin exhaled, his breath washing across Brian’s face.
Brian was about to lean in and seal the deal with another kiss when a voice beside them interrupted.
“Daddies? We’re all set up!” Emma called excitedly.
Out of nowhere Alex appeared by her side and pulled her back by the hand. “Let them say hello first, Emma.”
Emma let herself be pulled away by her sister but objected, “But why do they need so long? It’s a really short word.”
“Daddies need longer to say hello. It’s a grown-up thing.” Alex explained to her.
Brian and Justin looked at each other, smiled, and followed their kids to the family room.
Brian let his hand land hard on Justin’s exposed ass cheeks, the sound echoed by Justin’s loud yelp of surprise. He’d just gotten out of the shower and didn’t hear or see Brian come into the steamy room.
“Now say ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Kinney. I promise I’ll never be an insufferable brat again.’”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Kinney, that you’re a spoiled old man who can’t go three days without his morning blowjob and reverts to a sulking grumpy bastard as a result.” Justin answered. “And I promise to make good on the blowjobs,” he added as Brian opened his mouth to object.
Brian took a step back, smiled and let his eyes rake up and down Justin’s naked and wet body. He reached for a towel, about to hand it to the blond, when Justin threw himself at Brian, soaking the front of Brian’s shirt and pants. On every other day, Brian would have thrown a fit but today he didn’t care. Just to feel Justin’s shower-warm body close to his, to feel his warmth seep through the wetness of his clothes, made him relax. He felt all of the day’s little annoyances drain away. He dimly wondered if he’d be able to coax a full body massage out of Justin when he realized that the blond wasn’t up for a leisurely fuck. He pressed tighter against Brian’s body, desperate to get even closer. His hands grabbed the hem of Brian’s shirt impatiently and he pushed the material up, his fingers finding and pinching Brian’s nipples.
Brian opened his mouth and released a moan and Justin snatched the opportunity and pushed his tongue into the taller man’s cavern. Brian just stood there, letting Justin use his body but not initiating any action of his own. Justin groaned in frustration and motioned for him to do something.
“Brian, come on. I need you.” Justin moaned, attaching his lips to Brian’s jugular and biting gently. He sucked greedily on the patch of skin before sliding down the man’s throat and sucking hard in the hollow of the collarbone.
“Brian,” the blond whined when his lover still showed no signs of moving things along and didn’t respond to Justin’s frantic attempt to entice a vigorous fuck session.
“So, you admit that you’re just as spoiled and grumpy after three days without my attentions?” Brian asked.
“No, I’m saying that I want you inside me. Now!”
He punctuated his words by quickly unbuttoning Brian’s pants and, upon freeing Brian’s hard cock, pushed himself against his lover and grabbed both their dicks, rubbing them together.
“Greedy, needy, little Sunshine.” Brian singsonged.
“Fuck me, Brian!” Justin almost screamed, rubbing them faster and squeezing harder, almost making himself come. “Oh, God, fuck me now.”
“Or what?” Brian needled, biting down hard on his lip to stop himself from screaming out and coming as well.
“Or I’m fucking going to explode.” Justin panted into Brian’s mouth before taking possession of it again.
Brian maneuvered them over to the bedroom and onto their bed, grabbing a bottle of lube in passing. He landed on top of the blond and rolled over, so Justin was straddling him. While the artist continued to kiss, suck, nip and lick along Brian’s upper body, Brian squirted some of the viscous liquid onto his palm and, not waiting for it to warm up, reached around and roughly pushed two fingers into Justin’s rectum. The blond briefly let go of the nipple he was nibbling on to release a groaned “Yes!” before he got back to the hardened bud and bid down hard on it.
“Fuck!” Brian exclaimed at the sharp stab of pain. He yanked his fingers out of Justin’s hole and slapped his ass once to retaliate. Justin lifted his head and grinned at Brian before he repeated the action with the other nipple which earned him another slap from Brian.
The older man was completely at Justin’s mercy, loving how desperate his lover was for him. He smoothed his hand over Justin’s ass again and found his opening, pushing his still wet fingers inside the man again.
Brian allowed Justin to fuck himself on his hand for a couple of minutes, watching the blond losing himself in the frantic ride. One hand was grabbing Brian’s wrist to yank it deeper inside him on every down-thrust, the other was clutching Brian’s hair, dominating their kissing. When the sounds he was making gained a low quality and his breaths were coming out in short gasps, Brian knew Justin was only moments from coming. He rolled them quickly over, pushing Justin’s knees to his upper body, and sinking into the dark, hot tunnel.
They both groaned their relief as they connected.
Justin felt as though Brian’s presence inside his body had replaced the urge that had guided his actions before. His movements slowed down and his limbs felt deliciously heavy as his heart rate evened out again and he was able to take deeper breaths. He was still painfully hard, and the need for Brian was still strong, but the wild, untamable beast inside him had now quieted down, allowing him to enjoy Brian’s closeness. He wrapped his legs tightly around Brian’s waist and his arms around Brian’s neck, stroking the brunet’s hair with one hand.
“I missed you so much,” Justin whispered quietly as they began to move against each other slowly. “It’s fucking crazy how on edge I am when I don’t see you all day. Three days is torture from Hell.” Justin told him.
“I know the feeling,” Brian said, gently pulled out and smoothly slid in again.
“Make me come?” Justin pleaded.
“Like this?” Brian asked quietly.
“Yeah.” The blond breathed and closed his eyes, letting everything but Brian fall from his mind.
Brian wrapped his arms around Justin’s torso and adjusted the angle of his thrusts until Justin’s keening told him he’d hit the bundle of nerves and he made sure to graze it with every inside push. They moved like this – tightly clutching at each other, Justin’s cock trapped between their bodies – until they felt the cliff come closer and Brian sped up his thrusts, not letting go of his tight hold on Justin. The blond only tightened his legs around Brian’s middle, adding to the intensity of the penetration and after another moment they both came, Justin spilling onto their chests and stomachs and Brian spilling into Justin.
“I have something for you.” Justin announced less than half an hour later, after they both cleaned up a little. Laying there, feeling Justin’s soft strands tickling his neck and shoulder, Brian felt all of the day’s little annoyances drain away and made a plan to sort out all the little things that kept sucking his energy at work. He’d call in a staff meeting first thing next week, then he’d call back the whining client and tell him not to get his panties in a twist, because sales usually tended to go down after the Christmas/New Year’s rush; and finally, he’d tell Cynthia to ask interns for compelling samples of their work before hiring, and to expect a higher standard in general from any and all applicants who wished to work for Kinnetik.
Brian raised his head and Justin pointed to the end of the bed where a cooler stood on a foot step, holding a bottle of expensive champagne, beaded with tiny drops of water. Brian wondered how he had missed it before.
“I don’t like champagne,” Brian said.
“You just haven’t drunk it the right way yet,” Justin answered and wiggled his brows suggestively.
He pushed himself off the bed and crawled over on all fours, taking the bottle from the ice. He drank a sip from the bottle and leaned over Brian to share the taste with him. Brian laughed and sealed his mouth over Justin’s accepting the golden liquid. They shared a few more sips like that, their fooling around getting messier until Justin’s body was streaked with running down rivulets of the fluid.
Brian followed them with his tongue and slurped the drink out of Justin’s belly button, saying, “You’re right. It does taste entirely different like that.” He picked up the bottle from the nightstand and let some of the champagne pool in Justin’s navel again. “I wonder if it’ll taste differently here,” he said and with a move of his hand rolled Justin over. Tilting the bottle close to Justin’s neck, he watched as the liquid ran down Justin’s spine and collected in the dimples above his ass. He leaned down to gather it with his tongue.
Brian realized he’d fallen asleep after their last round of lovemaking, as he slowly came back to and felt Justin between his legs. The blond was kneeling between his thighs, slowly running his palms up and down Brian’s back. Brian knew it was only a matter of moments until his mouth would follow. And sure as a Swiss Clock, a second later, Brian felt Justin’s tongue trace every bump of his spine on his way southwards.
The blond reached the crease of Brian’s ass cheeks and parted them slightly with his hands. He feathered the pad of his thumb over the soft skin folds around Brian’s opening and bent down to blow lightly over the sensitive skin. Brian shivered in anticipation. Justin had gotten so fucking good at this. A moment later the blond’s tongue darted out to take a lick. Hesitant at first, he traced the rim slowly, before carefully prodding inside. As expected, he was met with resistance and Justin pulled back, licking another circle around the pink bud, before trying to push inside again.
Brian made a conscious effort to relax to grant his lover access. It took several more tries before Justin could sink his tongue inside the brunet’s ass. Justin alternated between gentle nibbling, insistent sucking, and vigorous tongue fucking, driving Brian up the wall with want. He was already so relaxed, he didn’t get what Justin was waiting for.
Thinking, he’d give the blond a subtle hint without actually asking him to fuck him already, he’d grabbed the lube bottle and tossed it in Justin’s direction. Justin caught it and laid it somewhere beside his hip, not making use of it but proceeding to torture him with his mouth and teeth.
Finally, Justin rose from the bed and Brian pushed a few pillows under his hips to make himself more comfortable for what was to come. He felt Justin return and buried his head in the pillow, controlling his body’s movements because he was sure a shiver was about to run down his spine. Suddenly he felt something cool against his entrance and was about to bark at Justin to warm up the lube before using it, but a second later he realized, it wasn’t Justin’s fingers. It was in fact his mouth.
Justin sealed his lips tightly over Brian’s hole and used his tongue to push the small chip of ice from the champagne cooler into Brian. As he’d expected, Brian bucked his hips, trying to get away from the coldness before he realized that there was no getting away from it. He let his hips rest on the bunched up pillows again and Justin admired his self-restraint as Brian refused to lift his head from where it still rested on his arms.
Justin reached for another piece of ice, sucking it into his mouth, smoothing out any sharp edges before placing his mouth over the opening again and letting the small piece slip into his lover.
Brian, knowing what was coming this time, didn’t buck but he couldn’t stifle a moan either. The contrast of the cold ice and Justin’s hot lips was amazing. It was like he was burning up while at the same time having cold goose bumps. It made his dick achingly hard and he waited for Justin to repeat the game.
Justin picked up a slightly larger piece and, sucking quickly around it, pushed it inside again. Only this time, he followed with his finger. He directed the ice chip to Brian’s prostate and as soon as it made contact with the bundle of sensitive nerves, Brian was lost. He bucked and thrashed on the bed, swearing loudly and imaginatively as Justin continued to rub the spot with his fingertip while Brian continued to soak the sheets under him with streak after streak of his cum. Once Brian had calmed down again, Justin pulled out and licked around the hole, pushing his tongue in as far as he could manage, still feeling the coolness instead of the usual heat.
Brian rolled around eventually and stared into Justin’s face for a long time. Justin simply looked back at him.
“You’re… fucking incredible.” Brian said.
Justin grinned wide. “I know.”
He opened his mouth and pushed out his tongue, letting Brian watch as he put another ice chip there which he sucked on. He then dived to Brian’s half-limp cock and sucked it into his mouth. The coldness of Justin’s tongue on his sensitive cock head felt absolutely heavenly and as it quickly turned into heat, while Justin continued to suck it, Brian felt himself grow hard again. Satisfied with this course of action, Justin let him slip from his mouth and reached for the previously discarded lube bottle. He never broke Brian’s stare as he carefully lubed himself up and positioned his cock at Brian’s hole. He was still looking at Brian when he suddenly smiled mischievously. He reached for the cooler again, rummaging inside the half-molten ice cubes. He grabbed a piece the rough size of an almond and slipped it into Brian again, quickly following and pushing himself inside to the hilt.
Brian’s breath caught at the sudden and unexpected move and Justin gasped too as the tip of his dick connected with the coldness inside his lover and he slid out an inch before pushing back in, another shiver running down his spine. The motions quickened fast and before he knew it, they were both racing towards the abyss again. Groaning loud and with abandon, they finally let themselves collapse on the bed, both of them exhausted.
Justin lay on top of the cover, head resting on Brian’s hip. He remembered that he’d woken up in the middle of the night with the intent to start making up on his promise of blowjobs. He’d been so blissed out from their previous rounds however that he must have fallen asleep right there, near Brian’s groin area. It was such a comfortable place, he decided, that he didn’t feel like moving even after he woke up to find daylight streaming in the French doors.
He reached for the Valentine’s card that lay on his bedside table and the flat package that the twins had given them last night. Justin had already read the card, but opening it again he couldn’t help it as his eyes welled up with tears. He slowly traced the words with the tip of his finger. Brian’s fingers, that were threaded in his hair, moved to massage his scalp lightly and Justin knew Brian was awake as well.
“Have you opened the present yet?” Brian asked referring to the flat package.
Justin picked it up and held it so Brian could see it was still wrapped. He slowly and carefully removed the paper and revealed a framed picture of the girls smiling into the camera. Brian realized it must have been taken yesterday at school. The frame itself was decorated with tiny hearts made of macaroni.
“Emma’s idea, Alex’s execution,” Justin said, looking at the frame. Brian nodded in agreement. The older the twins got, the more obvious it became that Emma had inherited Justin’s artistic gene. But she was flighty and impatient and it was always up to Alex to finish what she’d started. Justin had watched this development with a critical eye, but decided not to intervene as long as they both profited from their little arrangement. Eventually though, Justin knew, Emma would have to learn to follow through on projects that she started.
Justin lifted up and moved a few things around on the bedside table to make room for the picture. Then he lay back down in the same place on Brian’s hip again. Brian resumed the stroking of his hair.
“They’re gonna make me one of those wussy parents who tears up at every gift.” Justin complained, still studying the card, and Brian refrained from admitting that he’d had the same reaction when the headmistress had presented it to him in the school.
“There was a call from the school on my voicemail but when I called back it was already too late. I couldn’t reach the secretary.” Justin suddenly remembered.
Brian sighed once and quickly relayed the story of him being called into the director’s office. “Keep it a secret, Sunshine, lest Alex finds out. We had an understanding: I was not supposed to tell you.” Brian proceeded with the recollection of his first appearance before the headmistress.
“I swear, having kids is going to turn me prematurely grey,” Brian groused, remembering the terror he felt when the school called.
“It’s not having kids that does that,” Justin objected, “It’s loving them.”
“Same diff,” Brian answered.
Justin smiled, wondering if his lover realized what he’d just said. They’d come such a long way and Justin wasn’t going to make Brian self-conscious by pointing that out. But maybe Brian did realize it, Justin thought, because a second later, he changed the topic.
“What made you come back?” Brian suddenly asked.
“You.”
“Huh?”
“I was on the phone with Emma, about to explain how I needed to stay a while longer when she told me you promised her I’d be there today. She had such confidence in you, in your promise. I didn’t want to do anything to destroy that for you. You’re her hero. I never want her to lose that trust in you, especially not when it is entirely my fault.”
A small knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Justin got up and pulled on his pants to open the door. He threw a glance back at Brian.
“Are you decent?”
“I am now,” Brian replied, pulling on faded sweat pants and getting back into bed.
Justin pulled open the door to let the girls enter their bedroom. They were both still wearing their pajamas, not yet fully awake and rubbing their eyes. Alex pulled Emma inside and Justin bent down to kiss them good morning before he followed them as they made their way to the bed.
The girls crawled on top of the mattress to give Brian a good morning kiss as well and wish a “Happy Va’ntine’s Day.” Emma moved a little to make room for Alex under Brian’s arm in her regular spot.
“Can we have chocolate, Daddy?” Emma asked Justin.
“For breakfast?”
“Yes. You know, it’s Van’tine’s Day and you’re s’posed to make cards and eat chocolate.” Emma reasoned.
“Okay, you can have chocolate, but only after you’ve eaten your sandwich and drank your milk, alright?” Justin negotiated.
“’Kay.” She agreed.
“Can we go visit Gus today?” Alex piped up.
“You’re gonna see him at Grandma Debbie’s today.” Brian said. It was Saturday and thus time for the family lunch at Debbie’s.
“Good,” Alex replied. “’Cause I have a card for him too.”
Oh, boy, Brian thought. His children were turning into good American citizens who celebrated things like Valentine’s Day and made cards. He rolled out of bed and walked to the chest of drawers, pulling out two boxes of chocolates and giving one to Alex and one to Emma who both squealed with delight.
“After breakfast,” Brian admonished and they nodded enthusiastically.
“Don’t I get any chocolate?” Justin pretended to pout.
“I’ll share with you, Daddy,” Alex supplied.
“Open your drawer,” Brian suggested, motioning towards Justin’s bedside table.
The blond leaned over, pulling the compartment open and picked up a fairly large rectangular box. Pulling away the paper, he revealed a large pot of edible chocolate flavored body paint and grinned up into Brian’s smiling face, ideas taking form in front of his inner eye. Brian could see the blue eyes glinting mischievously already.
Emma eyed the large container appreciatively, saying, “But you have to wait ‘till after breakfast too, right?”
“Princess, Daddy’s going to have to wait even longer than that.” Brian answered, earning himself an amused scowl from the blond.
The End.