In Sickness and In Health

Chapter 13

Edna's Treasures

Bobby's POV:

This is the best time of the day. The cottage is quiet, the kids are still sleeping or playing quietly in their rooms. The morning sun is peeping through the curtains and John is quietly snoring beside me. God, I love this man.

And what the fuck has Brian Kinney been teaching him?! I don't think I could get my dick up with a fork lift and a crane! Damn! Four days away from home, staying with Brian, and my husband comes home a sex fiend. I'm not sure if I can walk. I know I'll be walking bow-legged, the smug bastard. I have never been so sucked, licked, kissed and so well fucked in my whole life. And he just lays there; God I love him so much.

Maybe I can get a couple more hours of sleep.

Patrick's POV:

My Daddy's home, and Uncle Brian. Poppa tried to explain what happened, I don't understand all of it but I do understand that they were scared. They all thought Uncle Brian was really sick but he isn't and they're back. They were really noisy in their room last night and I heard them laughing too. Daddy's happy to be home and Poppa's really, really happy too. I'm glad everyone is home, and me and Bree don't have any school for a week!

I'm getting hungry, bet Bree's getting hungry too. I'm a big boy. I can get us some cereal and juice. I'll let them sleep. Bree and I can watch cartoons all we want!

Brian's POV:

"Holy fucking shit!" I blurt out. Justin pops up, sitting up straight, blinking his eyes.

"Ow," he moans. I bet his ass is sore; mine ain't so hot either. "What?! What's wrong, Bri?"

"Sharon Brenner."

"Sharon Brenner?"

"Yeah, Sharon Brenner and Owen Senior."

"What about them?"

"Your mother invited them to Christmas dinner."

"WHAT?!"

"You heard me. That's what the call was about last night. Sharon is feeling lonely, so Jennifer invited her and Owen to Christmas dinner. Your mother says they had already invited their vet and his partner to dinner, so they're all coming."

"What about your mother?"

"I think Joan is coming up with Jennifer and Katerina."

"Damn! How many people are going to be here, Brian?"

"Too fucking many. We need to call out the troops."

"Let's go take a shower, make breakfast, then call Emmett. He's the party planner; let's let him plan!"

"You're so smart, Sunshine." I pull him in for a long lingering kiss. I wish I had the energy to fuck again but I think my need for a shower and coffee is overriding my need to fuck Justin blind. Besides, I think I hear the kids in the kitchen. We're too out in the open for sex.

"If I'm so smart, I wouldn't be sitting on my ass! Ow!" Justin jumps out of bed, scrambles for his underwear then heads for the bathroom. I lay back down for a moment. It's so good to be home.

I turn my head to look out the sun porch windows. It's not as windy as yesterday and the sky is cloudless. In the distance I can see the smoke rising from Emmett's fireplace. And Beau is out on patrol. He'll be with us a year come Christmas day and I can't imagine our lives without him. He's a good dog.

I must have dozed off for a few minutes because the next thing I see are the deep blue eyes of my daughter peering down at me.

"Dada, you okay?"

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm fine."

"You want breakfast? Patrick made me Cocoa Pups."

"He did?"

"And he got me juice and we shared a banana!"

"He's a good man, your Patrick."

"Oh Dada, he's not MY Patrick."

"No?"

"Nope, he's our Patrick. I share." Briana smiles brilliantly at me. She has her father's smile. I grab her and hold her close to me. I feel some tears slipping down my face.

"Don't cry, Dada. You're my bestest Dada."

"They're happy tears, Squirt, only happy tears."

"Okay, Dada." She rests her head against my heart and stays quiet for a while. "Dada, you want Cocoa Pups?"

"I can eat."

"You go to the bathroom and when you come out, me and Patrick will have breakfast all ready for you and Daddy. Okay?" Her smile is so blinding. And my little girl is growing up.

"Okay, baby. Why don't you tell Patrick to find out if his dads want breakfast too? We can all eat together."

"'Kay, Dada. I go tell Patrick."

I watch Bree climb down from the brass bed to find Patrick. Between the two of them, I'm sure breakfast will be well organized. I better get my ass in gear.

Speaking about ass, "Ow!"

*****

I'm finishing up my Cocoa Pups. I don't know how kids survive eating this crap. Thank the gods, Bree doesn't often ask for it. But how could I refuse to eat my Cocoa Pups when she and Patrick had them all ready for us, when Justin and I came out of the bathroom. Bree's a good kid, and so is Patrick. I look around the table, the kids, and John and Bobby and, of course Justin. They all make life so worthwhile.

Life is great. I'm alive and there's no cancer and I'm home. That's the best part of all.

The phone rings. I reach for the wall phone that's behind me.

"Hello."

"Brian?"

"Yes."

"It's Jennifer."

"What can I do for you, Mother Taylor?" I'm not sure what I want to say to her about the Brenners coming for Christmas.

"I … um … I just wanted to make sure you were aware that the Brenners were coming for Christmas Day. You … um … you seemed a little … um … distracted, when I asked you about it."

"I was," I smirk, remembering what we were doing. "It's fine," I say with a sigh.

"I could call and tell them there's been a change of plans," Jennifer offers.

"That's a great way to impress your daughter's new in-laws."

"Well, they'd understand … eventually."

"It's fine, Jennifer. What's a couple more mouths to feed among the masses that will be assembling here?"

Jennifer chuckles. "Okay," she says, "but there will be four more mouths."

"Four?" And then I remember. "Raphael and his partner. Shit!"

"Um … you don't want them there?" Jennifer asks, knowing by the tone of my voice that I'm less than pleased.

I look at Justin. He is giving me the major frown face since I mentioned the name Raphael. Jennifer doesn't know that Raphael was a former trick, but Justin certainly does.

"Really, Brian, if all this is creating a problem, I'll make other arrangements."

"There's hardly time to do that," I say testily.

"Well, I'm sure I can come up with something."

"It's fine. Just bring them."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"We'll turn the water into wine and feed the assembled masses," I say. At the same time I'm thinking about how I can possibly appease my husband when he realizes that a former trick of mine is coming to Christmas Dinner.

"Thanks, Brian. I'll see you Christmas Day."

I hang the phone back on the wall and turn to look at Justin. He has this funny non-expression on his face.

"We need to talk," I say.

"Yeah, we do."

"Come into the sun porch."

"Okay."

"Um … we'll clean this up and keep the kids occupied," Bobby says, realizing that there is something serious going on between me and Justin.

"Thanks," I reply as I stand up.

"Dada?" Bree asks. She can sense when something's wrong.

"I have to talk to Daddy for a few minutes, Squirt," I tell her. "You help Uncle John and Uncle Bobby clean up the kitchen.

She looks at me with those knowing eyes. "'Kay, Dada. Will you play Monoculy with me when you're done?"

I smile. I've been teaching her to play Monopoly lately. She's pretty good at all the counting and the money. I have to watch her though; she'll take some five hundreds from the bank if her stash starts to get low. Didn't take her long to figure out the dark yellow ones were the most valuable.

"Okay, when I'm done," I tell her.

She nods and I follow Justin out to the sun porch. Beau comes too. He must think we're going for a walk. If only that was the case.

"So, what's this about Raphael Angles?" Justin asks. "I assume that's the person you were talking to my mother about, since we don't know any other Raphael's. Unless there's a slew of former tricks named Raphael that I don't know about yet."

Beau goes and lays down on his big cushion. He looks mournfully at me. I think he knows that I'm in the doghouse.

I grimace. There could be a whole passel of Raphael former tricks out there, for all I know. I never remembered tricks' fucking names and I never intended to have anything to do with them after I'd fucked them. I certainly never expected to have them come to Christmas dinner in my home.

"It seems that when your mother invited the Brenners they had already invited Raphael and his … partner to their house. And when we were fucking, I told your mother to invite whoever she wanted, so they're coming." It sounded so lame I could hardly believe I had said the words.

"Un-fucking-believable!"

"I … I thought you were all right with Raphael at the reception," I say, searching for some way to make this right.

"I was. At the reception … not in our fucking home!"

"I … I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"To quote the infamous Brian Kinney, 'Sorry's bullshit'. And that's what you are, full of shit!"

"And just how do you figure that?" I ask arching a brow and frowning.

"I heard your end of that phone conversation. It sounded like my mother offered to back out of this arrangement and you told her it was all right. Well, it's not fucking all right!"

I have to admit to myself that he's right. I could have let Jennifer get me out of this. Justin would have been happy and it would have been easier all round. Why the fuck didn't I do that?

"So, why didn't you do that? You had the opportunity."

I stare at him. I don't know what to say. "I guess I'm stupid," is what comes out of my mouth.

"Oh no you don't! If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you're not stupid. What's the real reason, Brian? You longing for a final romp with Raphael?"

I'm stunned. "How can you possibly think that?" I ask in amazement.

"Then tell me why the fuck you're allowing him to come here."

"I already told you," I say, getting my back up. I refuse to defend myself against ridiculous accusations. I've always refused to do that. I'd rather just take the blame.

"Fine, then I'll make other arrangements for Christmas. I'm sure I can find somewhere to go." Justin turns away and stares out at the frog ornament that I bought for Bree. Its legs are barely moving.

"Justin, all our friends and family are coming here. Where would you go?"

"I'm sure there's a hotel somewhere with a room I can have, and a restaurant that serves a Christmas dinner."

"Justin, please," I beg. "I just got home and we just got past this scare. Don't do this."

"Don't pull that 'poor me' shit! You could fix this if you wanted to."

"You're right. I can," I admit. I walk over to the chaise and pick up the phone from where I tossed it last night. "I'm calling your mother."

"Good."

I hit the speed dial number for Jennifer and wait. I get her answering machine. "Jennifer, there's been a change of plans about Christmas Day. Give me a call when you get in." I cut the connection.

"There! Are you satisfied?"

"That was just an ambiguous message. It didn't solve anything."

"It will when I get to talk to her."

"You'll really tell them not to come?" Justin asks.

"I'll really tell them not to come," I repeat, and I mean every word of it. "Don't you know that you're the most important person in my life? If this makes you upset, then they don't fucking come here."

"You mean it?" he asks.

"I never meant anything more," I tell him, my voice getting soft and gentle. I love Justin so much.

"Then he can come."

"What!?" I demand.

"I said that Raphael can come, and whoever else my mother invited."

"But…"

"I guess I needed you to prove to me that Raphael doesn't mean anything to you."

"Of course he doesn't."

"Yeah, but I needed to know that for sure."

"Do you know that now?"

Justin nodded. "Now I do. But don't think I won't be watching you."

"You will?" I say with a smile. "I haven't seen this jealous side of you for a long time."

"You better hope you don't see it rear its ugly head anytime soon," Justin warns me.

"Yes, sir. I'll take that under advisement, sir," I say in my best military voice.

Justin smiles and then he's in my arms. Our lips lock and I'm ready to throw him back onto the unmade bed and fuck him senseless again.

"Monoculy, Dada," a little voice says, before I can do any of that.

I groan. I look into Justin's eyes and he's laughing. That's a good thing. "Okay, Squirt," I say. "Let's ask Daddy if he'll play with us."

"Yay! Play, Daddy!" she demands.

"Okay," Justin laughs. "Let's see who the Monoculy champion of the Kinney-Taylor household is."

Bree brings us the Monopoly box that she's been holding all this time. We put it on her little table and Justin takes the lid off. She makes a grab for the five hundred dollar bills. That's my girl.

"Hey!" Justin says. "I'm the banker. You have to wait for me to give you your money."

"'Kay, Daddy," she says contritely.

The phone rings.

"Maybe that's Mom," Justin says. "You better answer it and tell her that the plans for Christmas are fine the way they are."

I smile appreciatively at him and pick up the phone.

"Hello."

"Dad, how the fuck could you not tell me about this medical stuff? I'm not a kid anymore, you know. And you better fucking be all right."

It's Gus.

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