I Do Again

Chapter 7
 

The first couple of days with Ethan in their midst seemed to go smoothly. The little rugrat had enjoyed a few overnight visits with them in the past and this didn’t seem too much different. Of course, Reid wasn’t thrilled with the restrictions on when and where he and Luke could have sex, but those were the sacrifices he was willing to make for being a part of his partner’s huge family.

Every evening before Ethan’s bedtime, he and Luke would sit in front of Luke’s laptop and read a new email, usually accompanied by pictures, from Lily and Holden. Typically, Reid looked on from a distance, letting the brothers have their special time until the third night, when the two begged Reid to join them. “Reid, you’re my brother-in-law and you’re kinda like Luke’s husband so Mommy and Daddy belong to you too.”

Despite the urge to say something crass or sarcastic, Reid instead chose to join his partner and brother-in-law. Being a part of something had grown on him the longer Reid was a part of Luke’s life.

Looking at Lily and Holden’s smiling faces, enjoying a day on the cruise ship taking them through the Mediterranean, Reid held Luke’s hand and asked. “Have you emailed to tell your parents about the text you received after the wedding?”

“No.” Luke glared at Reid. “And I have no intention of ever telling them. They finally seem genuinely content and happy with one another. I don’t want to throw any wrenches in the mix.”

Nodding, Reid figured it could wait until the couple returned. He did want Holden to be aware of the contact, as Damian, at the request of Luke and a court order, was forbidden from contacting his birth son. He had tried during the planning of their commitment ceremony the previous year, which led Luke to file the proper paperwork, with Tom’s assistance, to get a restraining order against Damian. Reid knew Luke’s motivation to attain the order was primarily to keep Reid safe, and out of reach of Damian, should he find the doctor less than satisfactory for his princely son, but the ultimate decision seemed to have brought a relief to Luke that neither had expected.

As long as Damian made no further post-nuptial contact, Reid accepted Luke’s decision to keep his parents in the dark, without question.

 

*~*~*~*~*
 

The fourth morning of Ethan’s stay, Reid found the boy in the kitchen before either he or Luke had pried themselves out of bed, having stayed up late the previous night to enjoy some very athletic private time.

“Hi, Reid. I’m up.”

“I see that.”

Although having a conversation with a six year old wasn’t his ideal, Reid liked the kid and decided to make the best of it since Luke was still dressing.

“I brushed my teeth and got dressed with no help from you or Luke.”

“Bravo to you, kiddo.”

“Except I couldn’t find my toothbrush. I think I dropped it last night and I don’t remember where it fell.”

“So how did you brush your teeth?”

“I used the pretty blue toothbrush.”

Grinding his teeth, Reid asked, “The one on the left side of the sink?”

Looking at both of his hands, presumably confirming which was left from right, Ethan smiled. “Yep, that one.”

“Fu... Damn!”

“Reid! Mommy would yell at you if she heard you say that word.”

“You don’t know the half of it, kid.” Reid combed his fingers through his wet curls. “Why did you use my toothbrush?”

“It was there.” Ethan shrugged.

Luke walked in before anything else was said. “Eth, this isn’t your home where anyone’s toothbrush ends up being open season when you can’t find yours.” Luke held up a Super Mario Brothers toothbrush. “You didn’t leave this in the bathroom, I found it on your nightstand.”

“Ohhh, that’s where it went.”

Reid stared at Luke, his mouth opened. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Here.” Luke handed Reid an unopened toothbrush package. “I keep extras in case we have any guests unexpectedly.”

Eyes wide, Reid grimaced. “Who the hell were you expecting?” Reid didn’t know what to think.

“Calm down and get your mind out of the gutter or wherever it landed this morning. I have three younger siblings. If any decide to take off after an argument with my parents where do you think they’d end up?”

“You’re joking?”

Shaking his head, Luke walked toward Reid and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Do I sound like I’m joking?”

“Shit!”

“Another bad word!” Ethan called out. “It’s cool being here. No one gets in trouble if you use swear words.”

“Wanna bet,” Luke called over his shoulder. “If you’re under ten years old, you can’t use swear words in this home.”

“Phooey.” Ethan lowered his head for a moment. “Oh, I almost forgot, I made you guys breakfast -- all by myself.”

“You did what?” Reid felt the panic building. The kid was too young to be using the stove, or even the toaster for that matter.

“Relax, Reid. I’m sure he just poured some cereal into bowls for us.” Luke patted Reid’s cheek and then gave him a quick peck on the lips.

“Nuh uh,” Ethan chimed in. “I wanted to be a good guest. I know Reid likes big sandwiches so I made you both a special sandwich.”

Walking further into the kitchen, Luke and Reid scanned the counters. While Luke grinned, Reid was far from amused. The beautiful granite surfaces were covered in sticky fingerprints.

“What the he.., heck!” At least they wouldn’t get stuck in another swear word discussion.

For the first time, Reid took a closer look at Ethan’s clothes. They were smeared with peanut butter. Sure. Why bother washing with soap and water when a T-shirt was available.

“Ethan, I see that you used the peanut butter, but where are the sandwiches?” Luke seemed to search the room for the missing breakfast.

With sticky fingers leading the way, Ethan opened the refrigerator. “They’re in here because I used some stuff that needs to stay cold and I didn’t know when you two would wake up.”

“Smart thinking, Ethan.”

While Luke was being the ideal big brother, Reid tried to remain silent, rather than risk losing any of his recently earned points as the ideal brother-in-law. He would have been able to continue in that direction had Luke not found their breakfast sandwiches.

“What the hell are those?” Language concerns bit the dust when three gooey monstrosities nearly had Reid gagging... and he’d seen mangled brains up close and personal.

Proud as can be, Ethan declared, “They’re peanut butter, banana, ham, and jelly sandwiches. I thought you’d like a sandwich with all of my favorites in it.”

Smiling, Luke kissed Reid on the cheek and whispered in his ear. “Let me take care of this. Please don’t say anything. He tried.”

Rolling his lips inward, Reid nodded.

Luke approached his little brother. “Listen, buddy, there are some things that work well together in a sandwich and some that don’t. It usually takes until you’re about eight to start getting it right.”

“Did I mess up?”

The pout on the kid’s face made Reid almost willing to eat the nauseating mess -- almost.

“No, Ethan, you didn’t mess up, but you tried to do something you weren’t grown up enough to do.” Luke hugged his brother. It was obvious he’d have to change his clothes, but it didn’t seem to stop him. Reid was impressed.

“How about you and I make some new sandwiches with ingredients that work better together while Reid opens his new toothbrush?”

Ethan looked at Reid. “Are you mad at me?”

The kid had big beautiful eyes like his older brother. “No, kiddo, I’m not mad at all. I’m impressed by your thoughtful actions. I look forward to seeing what you and Luke come up with for breakfast.”

Looking back at his big brother, Ethan smiled. “You really did pick a good husband.”

“What? Ow!” Reid bit his tongue, shocked by the kid’s statement.

Luke gazed at Reid, but spoke to Ethan. “Listen, Ethan, there’s something you should understand about Reid and me--”

Cutting him off, Reid walked back to Luke, cupping his cheek. “Yeah, Ethan, you need to understand how to make the proper sandwich. You and Luke can put something together for breakfast, but I’ll bring home everything we need tonight to make the perfect dinner sandwich.”

“Yay!” Ethan jumped up and down and then focused on opening the package of bread Luke had set on the counter.

Staring at Reid, Luke’s brow furrowed. “Reid?”

“No need to explain semantics to the kid. If that’s where his interpretation leads him, so be it. After all, he’s only six.”

“I love you, Reid.”

Nodding, Reid left the room. There were some things he could give Luke even if he wasn’t completely comfortable with them.

[TBC]

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