Emerge Victorious

Chapter 3

“Are you all settled?” Brian asked as he came to the entrance of the sun porch.

Lindsay had just settled herself into the big brass bed. She could have had the new double bed in Gus’ room, but sleeping under the stars in the sun porch had appealed to her more. She told Gus to take his own room. “I’m good,” Lindsay replied to Brian’s question.

“Are you … really?”

Lindsay understood the change in the meaning of Brian’s words. “Yes, I believe I am,” Lindsay said meaning every word. “Have you got a minute?”

“I have nothing to do but fuck my husband senseless,” Brian replied tongue firmly in cheek.

“Well, by all means, don’t let me keep you from it,” Lindsay laughed.

Brian liked the sound of her laugh. There hadn’t been many opportunities for that lately. “Of course I have time for you,” Brian said moving farther into the sun porch. Lindsay patted the side of the bed indicating that Brian should sit. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Life, love…”

“And the pursuit of happiness.”

Lindsay giggled. “Where have I heard that before?”

“It couldn’t have been from me.”

“You, love? Never!” Lindsay shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said that, even as a joke. Of all of us, you and Justin seem to have got it right.”

“Who would believe that I’d be with the same man for almost twenty years?”

“I guess you got all the distractions out of the way before you met Justin.”

Brian looked thoughtful then he said, “You know, I don’t know what I was looking for before I met Justin. I would have said that I wasn’t looking for anything … except instant gratification. And for a long time that seemed to be enough. But then a pair of blue eyes…”

“And a delicious bottom,” Lindsay supplied.

“And a heart as big as the world…”

“Took over your life.”

“Yes, Wendy, he did. He turned me into something quite different from what I thought I could ever be.”

“And you’ve been happy ever since.”

Brian stared into Lindsay’s eyes. “We’re not happy all the time. We’ve had problems, but…”

“Love has seen you through.”

“Yeah, I guess it has.”

“That’s what I want, Brian. I want someone who will share the good and the bad with me, who wants me to be the best I can be.”

“And Melanie never really fulfilled that role did she?” Brian asked gently.

“I tried to pretend that she did. I wanted her to, I really did.”

“I know.”

“But I was always settling for almost, for what could be, but it never happened. She always managed to let me down.”

“Linds…”

“Don’t get me wrong. We were happy on and off, but I really believe now, that we were never truly happy and … contented, not like you and Justin are.”

“Christ, contented? Is that what the fuck I’ve become?”

“It’s not the kiss of death, Brian. It’s a good thing to be contented.”

Brian shook his head. “Maybe it is. I like my life. But don’t ever tell anyone else that I’m … contented.”

Lindsay chuckled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Lindsay frowned and looked at him questioningly. “You know, with the rest of your life.”

“Do I have one?’

“Of course you do. You’re a beautiful woman. You’ll find someone.”

Lindsay appreciated Brian’s kind words. She needed to hear that after Mel had effectively dumped her for some other woman. “When I’m ready,” she added.

“Definitely when you’re ready.”

“What do you think about me asking Candy to live with me when…”

“I think it’s a good idea.”

“Justin was really going to ask her to come here?”

“Yes, he was. That’s his huge heart that I mentioned before. But I think we’ve both figured out that it would be extremely difficult, and probably a bad idea all round.”

“The idea of having her live with me is kind of growing on me.”

“I hope you don’t feel pressured.”

“No, I’m good. I’m not ready to talk to Candy about it, but maybe soon I will be.”

“It could be good for both of you.”

“Thanks for agreeing to come to the cottage with me tomorrow,” Lindsay said changing the subject. “I really didn’t want to go there alone.”

“Memories can be a bitch.”

“Yeah, even the few that we’ve amassed since we got the cottage.”

“Are you going to be okay when Melanie comes to town?” Brian asked.

“I am, but if I need you, can I call?”

“At your service, lovely lady. I’ll rip her balls off if she hurts you.”

Lindsay laughed. “I’ll tell her that.”

“I’d be happy to do it, you know. I’ve been told her balls are bigger than mine. We could settle that argument once and for all.”

Lindsay laughed harder. “You are so bad.”

“That’s why you love me.”

“Yes it is. Good night, Brian, and thanks for this talk. It helps.”

“Night,” Brian said leaning over to kiss Lindsay on the forehead. He stood up and smiled gently at her before he headed back into the house.

Lindsay snuggled down in the big bed. She placed her arms on top of the sheet, smoothing out the soft, cool cotton with her hands. She stared up at the stars through the glass. For the first time in a long while she felt at peace. Strange that it would take an impending divorce to make her feel that way.

 

*****
 

“Are you all tucked in, honeybun?” Michael asked as he tapped on JR’s bedroom door.

“Daaaad!” JR whined at Michael’s use of that obnoxious word.

“Sorry, kid, but you’re always going to be my honeybun.”

“You’re impossible.”

“But you love me anyway,” Michael chuckled.

“Yes I do.”

“Do you think Mommy and Mama are going to be able to settle things?” JR asked before Michael could close the door and leave her alone.

“I don’t know,” Michael replied truthfully. “Melanie really hurt Lindsay leaving the way she did.”

“I know. Why do you think she left like that? Does she hate us that much?”

“I don’t think she hates either of you. I think Mel’s been unhappy with herself for a long time.”

“Unhappy with herself?” JR questioned with a frown. “How can that be? She’s always so … confident.”

“Do you know what bravado is?” Michael asked.

“Yes, it’s when you pretend to be a lot more brave and … confident than you really are. Oh! You think that’s what Mama has been doing?”

Michael nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Are you ever afraid, Daddy?”

“Yes, everyone is.”

“I always thought adults knew everything and weren’t afraid of anything.”

“You must be becoming an adult when you realize that adults are just bigger versions of yourself, with maybe a little more experience to draw on.”

“I’m not sure I wanted to know that,” JR admitted scrunching up her face.

“Just one of those facts that disillusion us,” Michael said with a gentle smile.

“Good night, Daddy,” JR said. “Thanks for talking to me like this.”

“Night, honeybun,” Michael said with a mischievous grin before he kissed his daughter on the forehead. JR didn’t even protest the use of the word “honeybun”. She seemed lost in thought.

Michael closed the door to her room behind him. As soon as Michael turned around, Ben grabbed him and pulled him into a warm kiss. “What was that for?” Michael asked.

“Because I love you,” Ben grinned. “And I loved what you said to JR.”

“Take me to our bedroom so you can show me just how much you love me,” Michael said with a waggle of the eyebrows worthy of Brian Kinney.

 

*****
 

“How is she?” Justin asked with a giggle as Brian crawled into the bed from the foot of the bed. He lifted up the covers crawling slowly up Justin’s body like a cat on the prowl.

“She’s fine, or will be, when this mess is all over,” he replied when he popped his head out from under the sheets. Justin giggled even more at the state of his spouse's hair which was sticking up in several different directions. Very few people ever got to see Brian’s hair any other way than perfectly styled. Justin thought a wild messy Brian was just as sexy as a perfectly coiffed Brian, maybe even more so.

“John and I will take her over to the cottage after breakfast,” Brian murmured low as he nibbled on Justin’s lips.

“That’s good, she shouldn’t be alone over there,” Justin commented as he kissed Brian’s chin then rubbed his nose over Brian’s five o’clock shadow. Justin loved a scruffy Brian.

“I won’t let her go up against that bitch alone,” Brian vowed as he began to slowly grind his cock against Justin’s.

“She’ll have all of our support,” Justin said, punctuating his remark with his own bump and grind.

Brian covered Justin’s mouth with his own. Justin opened his mouth to him, accepting the questing tongue. Justin felt that familiar tingling feeling deep in his stomach that spread southward. The same feeling he always got when he and Brian made love or fucked themselves silly. After all this time it never got old. Justin grabbed a fistful of brunet hair then rolled them over.

“I think you got me,” Brian whispered with a self satisfied smirk.

“And don’t you ever forget it.”

“Never, Sunshine. You and me are in it for the long haul.” Brian dragged out the word long as he arched his hard length against Justin’s. Justin smiled at Brian with a devilish grin.

“I want you,” Justin whispered as he nuzzled Brian’s neck then worked his way down to an armpit. Justin inhaled the musky scent before working his way to a nipple. Brian responded, wantonly spreading his legs for his mate. “I love you,” Justin murmured.

“I know,” Brian moaned as Justin made love to him.

 

*****
 

“You’re up early,” Lindsay commented as she came into the kitchen. Brian was at the stove cooking up a batch of his famous bacon and eggs. He had a pile of toast on a plate sitting on the counter. Lindsay found the butter then lightly smeared some on a slice. She began to nibble on her toast just as the kettle came to a boil.

“Help yourself,” Brian indicated the kettle. He was in the midst of turning each slice of bacon so it would cook to perfection. “I’m always UP early.”

“You really enjoy cooking, don’t you?”

“No, Justin really enjoys cooking. I just have a way with bacon, eggs, an occasional pancake and grilling large slabs of meat,” Brian proudly admitted. Lindsay laughed. “You should do that more often,” Brian remarked.

“What? Eat buttered toast?”

“Laugh. Remember when we were at college, you’d sneak into my dorm on the pretense of studying.”

“We didn’t get much studying done.”

“No, we didn’t. You made me laugh too much.” Brian plated up the mound of bacon then slid the pan of eggs into a colorful serving dish.

“Won’t everything get cold?” Lindsay asked. They seemed to be the only ones awake. Brian shook his head, waiting for only a moment. A rumble of feet was her answer.

“Mmmm, smells good, Pop!" Gus said as he and Ray helped themselves.

“Coffee!” Bobby grunted as he stumbled in with John. John took pity on his spouse and fixed two large mugs full of the hot liquid. He got Bobby situated at the table then prepared two plates.

Bree came running out pulling Patrick along with her.

“Bacon and eggs for two, Dada!” Bree ordered.

“Coming right up, General Squirt!” Brian gave Bree a salute as he prepared the plates. Bree sat primly at the table next to her Patrick.

“Order up!” Brian shouted, slapping the counter several times. Bree giggled as her other daddy came into the kitchen, grumbling.

“Keep yer shirt on!” Justin griped a la Debbie, as he grabbed the plates then served Bree and Patrick. “Two pink plate specials coming right up!” The kids laughed as they picked up their forks.

“Nothing we cook hangs around long enough to get cold,” Brian said as he nudged Lindsay. He put a full plate in front of her.

“I’m not really hungry,” Lindsay protested. She tried to push away the dish.

“Uh, uh, uh, it’s tradition to eat my special breakfast after one of our barbecues,” Brian said as he pushed the plate closer. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to insult your host, would you?”

“Heaven forbid!” Lindsay declared as she accepted her breakfast.

As the family ate, Brian made another pot of coffee then began cracking more eggs.

“More?” Lindsay asked.

“Hi! Hi! Hi!” Emmett announced, as he swooped through the front door with the rest of the family behind him. He gave everyone a warm greeting then shooed Brian away from the stove, taking over the cooking. Brian poured himself a cup of coffee, sat next to Justin then began to steal bacon off his plate.

The family continued with breakfast, enjoying the peaceful morning and each other.

 

*****
 

“You ready for this?” Brian asked as they pulled up in front of the ex-muncherville.

“As I’ll ever be,” Lindsay replied as she took a deep breath before getting out of John’s Navigator.

“You’ll be fine,” John assured her as he opened the SUV door for her. Lindsay smiled, grateful that John and Brian were with her. “We’ll make this as easy as possible. Anything you want to take with you now, we’ll load into the truck and we’ll make a list of the furniture you want shipped or put into storage,” John stated logically.

“You guys are determined to keep my nails in a state of ruin,” Brian griped. “I’m an adman not a laborer.”

“Today you are a laborer,” John ordered as he pushed Brian toward the front door. Lindsay seemed to be having trouble with the lock.

“Linds, let me,” Brian said softly as he gently took the key out of her hand to unlock the door.

“We haven’t been here for months,” Lindsay said noting the slightly musty odor.

“We try to air it out once a week,” Brian said almost apologetically.

“I know,” she said as she gently caressed his cheek. “Thank you. Thank you both for caring and trying. I’m so sorry we disappointed you.” Silent tears began to slip down her cheeks. John put his arms around her.

“Brian, do you have some idea what Lindsay and Mel would want to bring back to Pittsburgh?”

“Yeah, I do. Why don’t you go into the garden?” Brian gave his brother a look; John nodded in agreement. “Linds, maybe there’s some plants you’d like for your yard. Point them out to John and I’ll take care of them.”

“Okay. Um, I brought a notepad with me.” Lindsay fished a small pad and pen out of her bag.

“Great! Let’s go to the garden,” John said as he ushered Lindsay back outside.

Brian frowned as he looked around the cottage. They tried. They all tried but it wasn’t enough. And now it was time to move on. What was that old saying? When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window. Brian still didn’t believe in God but he did believe in opportunity and knowing when to cut one’s losses then move on.

He packed up Lindsay’s art supplies and brought them out to the truck. He checked the bedrooms and noticed that there were no clothes in any of the closets or dressers. The bathroom was devoid of feminine toiletries. Even JR’s room was relatively empty.

“It’s like a hotel,” Brian said to himself.

He peeped into Mel’s office. Her treasured desk was the main feature. Brian resisted spying in the drawers. He’d have the movers handle it when Mel was ready to take it back to Oregon with her or store it somewhere. Taking the family pictures off the mantle, Brian took one last look around then went out to the yard.

“There wasn’t much but what little there was, I put in the truck,” he informed Lindsay. “Are there any plants you want?”

“No, I don’t want you to dig up anything. Leave it for Riley. He admired the garden so much. But could you do me a favor?” Lindsay asked looking up into Brian’s eyes with her own moist ones.

“What?”

“Design something in my backyard. I want to be able to go back there and sit in the middle of color.”

“That’s a great idea!” John said trying to lighten the mood. “Brian finished replanting our surrounding towns including the new school district and Bridgeton. He needs a new project,” John teased getting a little smile from Lindsay.

“Do I have to?” Brian whined.

“Yes, little brother, you do.” John patted Brian on the back.

“If I must,” Brian said with a long suffering sigh. Lindsay rolled her eyes.

“I have it on good authority that there are some new flavors of ice cream at the general store. Why don’t we pick up some to bring home?” John suggested as Brian locked up the cottage.

“I don’t want a new flavor. Vanilla is good enough for me,” Brian said with a waggle of his eyes.

“Don’t you two ever get enough?” John grumbled. Lindsay, momentarily diverted from her woes, laughed at the brothers’ banter.

“Never enough, big bro! Never enough,” Brian repeated as John pulled away from the curb and headed them toward the store then back to Edna’s Treasures.
 

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