Secrets

~ Seven ~

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The others didn't know about the surprise, as they later came to call it. They just simply had no reason to know anything about her or who she was. They didn't know that she'd be there and for that matter, most of them didn't even know that she existed.

They just thought it was another one of Deb's family dinners. Sure it had been called at short notice, but that happened sometimes. All she'd said was be there at six-thirty or she'd fry their nuts for dessert.

Waiting for the others to arrive, finishing the dinner, Deb had overheard Jamie in the living room asking Brian, "Why the fuck are we here? This place is cheesy and she's-God, she's like the fag hag to end all fag hags. You actually hang out with her?"

"Deb saved my life when I was your age, you got that? She's the closest thing to a mother I had and you treat her the way you treat your grandmother because that's what the fuck she is-and cut the crap."

"God, Dad…"

"You wanted to meet the people who matter to me and tonight you're going to."

"Are they all like her?"

"You could do a lot worse. Behave or no happy meal for you tomorrow, young lady." That actually got a smile out of her. "Besides, after the way you spent your morning, you could at least pretend that your life doesn't suck."

That rated him a quick hug. "Did you figure out if I'm going to get paid for that? I mean, some of the guys were talking and I was just wondering…"

"Legal called Donna's offices and told them what had happened. You'll get three thousand for the shoot itself and if they use the pictures, they're up that. Tomorrow we'll call Ford and explain it to them and see if they're willing to deal with this and sort out the contracts and all of that."

"But I haven't even told them that I'd sign with them yet and Mom and I were talking and I'm not sure she wants me to…"

"I know all that, but right now it's a done deal and you need someone who knows the business from that end of it to run interference for you. You haven't signed anything, you're not under contract and before you do I'll have legal make sure it's alright."

"Thank you, Daddy." She reached up and kissed his cheek.

Watching from the kitchen Deb almost swallowed her gum-Brian Kinney playing the part of the kind and protective and-God help us all-patient father. Jesus H. Fucking Christ. Who'd have ever thought they'd see that? For once, Debbie decided to just let them tell her when they wanted to-whatever the fuck they were talking about.

But-now that she thought about it, he was always gentle with Gus and he'd always come through when the girls needed anything for the little guy. Both Lindsay and Melanie said as much, grudgingly though it sometimes was and much as it killed Melanie to admit it.

So if Brian knocked up some girl when he was fifteen, sixteen years old-yeah, he'd probably try to help. That was just the kind of kid he'd been and thinking back she'd known that he always had a job when he was younger-ever since she'd known him in fact, sometimes more than one. He was always mowing lawns, stocking shelves at the food store, delivery pizza, doing whatever he could that would make money. He'd worked two jobs all through college, too. She knew he had because there had been vacations when he hadn't been able to get off and so had just worked extra hours and made more money instead.

She'd have thought that with all the time he'd spent at her house some hint would have leaked out, even from Brian. Something, some slip, some comment, but nothing, not in all those years and Michael didn't know either because Michael couldn't keep a secret if his life was at stake and that was a damn fact.

Of course, if Brian decided that it was no one's business, then no one would know squat about it and that was that.

But still, holy fuck.

Brian with a daughter? Brian with a daughter who was his younger female clone? And one who'd inherited his looks and attitude with extra helpings to spare? And she was a teenager, to boot. Babies having babies. God help us all.

And Justin sure as shit didn't look all that happy either.

This had to have hit him like a fucking ton of bricks and it didn't take a genius to figure out that these two kids were going to have at it before this was all sorted out and by the looks they were giving each other it was going to draw blood. Well, Justin could take care of himself, but if this girl was anything like her old man it was going to be a knock down drag out.

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By quarter of seven they were all in the house, everyone she'd asked to come, saying hello to one another and getting settled at the table with the unmatched chairs and the plates from three different sets. To no one's surprise, Gus had been left with a sitter, yet again. Sure there was an extra girl there, but someone just said that her name was Jamie and most of them either assumed that she was another of Deb's strays or that she was a friend of Justin's along for the evening. Except for Lindsay. She knew who the girl was-it was Brian's story, not hers…not that she wasn't pissed that in all their years of being friends-and now with Gus in the picture-he couldn't have arranged a lunch or something? She'd kept the promise she'd made to Brian back in college, though. She'd never even told Mel about the girl. There would probably be hell to pay about that later when they got home.

Seated, food ready and everyone ready to start, Deb half stood and raised her glass filled with the wine Brian had brought. "I want to make an announcement-unless you'd like to do it?" She looked at Brian. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "OK. Then I'll fucking do it." She looked at the new girl, the one sitting between Justin and Brian. "The young lady joining us tonight, Jamie, is-oh fuck, you tell them." This time she tossed it to Brian without taking no for an answer.

They all looked at Brian. He was as inscrutable as ever.

"I'd like you all to meet Jamie Weller." A couple of them started to say 'Hello, Jamie' and the like but Brian finished what he had started saying. "She's my daughter."

The silence was loud and immediate.

Finally Michael croaked out a "Brian?" which broke the verbal logjam. Melanie added the expected, "You son of a bitch." And Emmett just looked thrilled, if slightly stunned before he said, "Sweetie, you have those Kinney eyes-I just know you're as fabulous as your daddy."

Ben just stared, observed, whatever you want to call it and Ted looked like he might cry. No one noticed. Vic smiled and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Brian went around the table, giving everyone's name and a brief run down of whom they were. "This is Michael Novatny. He's Debbie's son and we've been best friends since we were fourteen. These two are Lindsay and Melanie. They're married and Gus is their son."

"You mean my brother?"

"Half brother."

The girls looked like they hadn't really thought of that. Lindsay, of course, was the one to say the right thing. "I know he'd love to meet you and you should meet your little brother-maybe you could come over tomorrow?"

Jamie seemed to like Linds right off, unlike her first meeting with Justin. "That would be great, I'd love to."

Melanie was slightly less tactful. "Two kids? Are you sure you're a fag, Brian?"

"Melanie, two kids? Are you sure you're a dyke?"

And so on around the table. No one knew quite what to say. There were a hundred questions, but no one knew how to ask them. Deb saw the problem.

"OK, who's hungry? Sunshine? Get the Alfredo and I'll get the scampi, OK? Brian, pass the garlic bread and-sweetie, what's the matter?"

Justin was sort of frowning over at the stove. "Deb? Is this right?"

"Is what right, baby?"

"Well…look."

Deb looked into the large pot, sniffing. "Let me see that other bowl." She looked, sniffed. "Holy shit, we eat that and they'll be carrying us out of here on stretchers. That shrimp has gone moldy for God's sake."

"But, Deb, they said it was good, honest. They asked me what I was planning on doing with it and I told them eat it for dinner and they said that as long as I use a strong sauce and lot's of spices no one would say anything."

She looked at everyone around the table. "He offered to pick up some of the ingredients for me today." The poor man was close to tears. "Teddy-where did you get this fucking shrimp?"

"From Freddy."

"Freddy? The fucking cook at the diner Freddy?"

"Right. He's a nice guy."

"Freddy got fired from three diners because he doesn't bother to store shellfish right-Jesus, Ted, you almost killed us all. You heard about that writers party a year or so ago-God, that could have been us!"

"Good going, Theodore."

"Dad, these are your friends, right?"

The decision was made, quickly, to ditch the dinner and order pizza. In the semi uproar Michael pulled Brian aside.

"OK, asshole, what the fuck is all this about? Who is she and how the fuck did you end up as her father and why the fuck am I just finding out about this now?"

"Mikey, it was no one's business."

"I'm no one."

"You know that's not true, we didn't really tell anyone and we'd just moved here and-fuck it. It wasn't anything to do with you."

"You have a daughter and I find out when she's like ready to get fucking married?"

"She's fifteen, I mean sixteen, just turned…"

"Whatever. I just find out now? What kind of an asshole keeps something like that a secret? Who the fuck else knew?"

"My parents."

"And?"

They were out on the front porch now, speaking in either loud whispers or quiet talking. "Her parents. Hardly anyone knew. I gave her as much money as I could when I was younger and now I help out when they need it."

"What there was a judgment against you for support or something?"

"Fuck no. Listen, Mikey, I, we were both like fifteen years old and it just sort of happened-these things do. She decided to have the baby-we're all Catholic, remember? And I, shit, she's my daughter. I do what I can for her."

"And in over fifteen years you never found five minutes to let me know that you'd be busy Friday because you had to go to your daughter's class play? What kind of a schmuck have you been playing me for?"

"I didn't tell anyone Mikey, it's not like you were singled out."

"And as your best friend shouldn't I have been singled out? So I take it that you see her more that you see Gus?"

"Gus has two parents to take care of him and it's not the same situation with him. You know that."

Michael stopped. He knew Brian wouldn't budge an inch. He had made a decision a decade and a half ago and that was that. He wouldn't explain it any more than he already had.

"Who's her mother?"

"My best friend from our old town, before my parents moved here."

"How come I never heard of her before?" He looked at Brian. "Of course. It was none of my business." He just shook his head. "So why are you telling us now?"

"Because Jamie wants to see how I live when she's not around. She wanted to meet my friends."

" 'What she wanted' and fuck what we may want. Does she know you're a queer?"

"She knows and she knows that I live with Justin."

"And she's OK with that?"

"Sure." Well, she would be sooner or later.

"And Justin is OK with this? His step daughter is like his age, practically."

"Justin will be fine with it, too."

That was a bit telling. There was a problem in paradise that even Michael could see. "Sure he will."

The pizza delivery guy parked out on the street, checked the address and got out of the car, pie boxes in hand. "You guys order pizza?"

He came up on the porch, took the money and the tip from Brian, thanked them and left. "C'mon, the others are hungry." Michael held the door open, giving Brian one of his 'I don't believe you did this, asshole' looks and followed him inside.

Everyone was sitting around in the living room, asking Jamie questions and she seemed alright with the scene. She was smiling and it sounded like she was telling them all about her day at Vanguard and her first photo shoot. She was Brian's daughter, not lacking in confidence and just fine being the center of attention in a room full of strangers. Ben was still observing, Justin was in the kitchen and the others just seemed to be trying to make her welcome. Or at least it seemed that way.

She even had some copies of some of the shots from the morning's shoot to show around. They really were good, she was good. The others were suitably impressed and it gave them all a fairly neutral topic to talk about without causing major problems or angst. There was a lull in the conversation when she asked, "Dad? We have to call Mom about this tonight, OK? I meant to but we were so busy that it just kind of didn't happen."

"Sure, when we get home."

Well, no one ever said Brian was a font of information, evidently that was one of his consistencies.

The pizza was handed out, the dinner garlic bread was passed around and the wine glasses were refilled. Melanie moved over next to Brian. Oh, great.

"So you're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"It's part of my charm." He ate one slice, no more. The wine, however, he was happy to refill.

"So, I was wondering what kind of financial arrangements you have with Jamie's mother?"

"Cut to the chase, why don't you? It's none of your fucking business."

"As a matter of fact it is. Since both Jamie and Gus are your biological children, assuming that she is-and she sure as hell looks like one of yours-then I want to make sure that there's parity between the two of them."

He half smiled at her. She was just so-Mel. "Tit for tat, as it were."

"As it were."

"Whatever arrangements I have with Jamie's mother are none of your business and the situations aren't similar so the learned counsel can stick a fucking legal sock in it." And unspoken was the fact that Brian had taken out a million dollar life insurance policy with Gus as the beneficiary and that he'd made a number of contributions to Gus's college fund and expected to continue to do so.

"Brian…?

"Fuck off, Mel." He got up and poured himself another glass of wine, sitting back down next to Jamie. He checked to make sure that she was doing alright, but it seemed that everyone was going out of their way to befriend her-other than Michael and Justin. Michael was sitting next to Em and Justin was over in the kitchen clearing some plates. Lindsay was arranging the time tomorrow for Jamie to come over to meet Gus so that he wouldn't be napping or at nursery school.

The talk went on for another hour or more. Jamie told them about her mother and where they lived, how Brian was always at her school things and how he'd taken her and Mom to New York for her sixteenth birthday last week. She told them about her boyfriend and how she wanted to study writing in college, maybe at Pitt, but maybe someplace else.

Ben tapped Brian on the shoulder. "A word?"

They moved over to the bottom couple of steps. "Is Justin OK with this? He hasn't said anything all night."

"He'll be fine. He just has to get used to it."

"You may want to talk to him about this. I think he's pretty upset."

Brian looked at him still in the kitchen scraping plates but now Deb had joined him, talking to him and he was listening to whatever she was saying. "He was, he's getting over it. They have to work out a few things between them."

"I don't know. He's not happy. You know he's got to be jealous with this just being dumped in his lap like this-I mean, he didn't know any more than the rest of us did, right?"

"Justin knows this doesn't change anything. He's smart enough to know that."

"Brian, no one, especially a nineteen year old kid is smart enough to know that. He's still dealing with the very real abandonment by his father and the breakup with Ethan-which from what I gather was a betrayal of some sort. Plus you have the fact that he's adjusting to you two working out a restarted relationship which has to leave him with feelings of insecurity and possible rejection."

"You done?"

"Almost. You also now announce that you have a daughter who isn't all that far off from Justin's age and he has to see her as a threat to his place in your affections."

Brian was tired of the good professor telling him the consequences to Justin's delicate emotional make up. "He's fine." Brian got up and went over to Justin. A couple of the others tracked him as he went. Debbie stopped talking, giving Brian one of her, "Yeah, so?" looks. "We should get going pretty soon. You about done playing kitchen maid for now?"

"Ready when you are."

Brian thought he even detected a bit of a leer and an invitation there. Maybe the night would end well after all with the twat. Gathering his daughter, explaining they had a full day tomorrow and all of that sort of thing Brian herded the two teens to the front door.

Jamie thanked everyone, kissed and hugged Deb, who she had decided was alright after all once you got used to her. She promised the girls that she'd be there to meet Gus the next day and that she would love to go shopping with Emmett.

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Twenty minutes later and after a reasonably pleasant, if quiet ride they were back in the loft. Fine, the other two hadn't been exactly chatty, but they'd get used to one another. It would just take some time.

Brian was listening to messages on the answering machine and Jamie was in the shower. Justin came down the bedroom stairs with a duffle over his shoulder.

"What's that?"

"This is fucked, Brian. I'm going to stay at Daphne's for a few days."

God, his life was a series of drama queens in full sail.

"That is so like you. Things aren't going the way you want them to so you leave. Fucking grow up."

"Me? I'm not the one who's been keeping a second family a Goddamned secret for the last fifteen, excuse me, sixteen years. Who the fuck does something like that? What kind of an asshole does that?"

It was too easy. "The kind who fucks men."

"Up yours, Brian. You've pulled some real bullshit since I've known you, but this takes the cake."

Brian was still blocking the door. "So instead of dealing with this, you decide to take a hike? What? You're upset that I don't spill everything I've ever done in my entire life to you? It's none of your fucking business?"

"Fucking excuse me? We're not talking about the time you had measles when you were ten. This is your daughter we're talking about and the fact that after living with you on and off for three years I'm just now finding out that you see her every week? That you pay their fucking mortgage? That you took her to New York? What the hell else are you keeping so Goddamned secret? You're an Interpol spy?"

Justin stood there, breathing hard, angry, betrayed and outraged by what was happening.

"Walking out won't solve anything."

Justin put his Duffle back on his shoulder. "I know that, but right now I don't want to be around you. I'm going to Daphne's for the night. You're going to be at Lindsay and Mel's tomorrow at one. I'll meet you there."

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