Sins of the Father
Chapter 12
After the near disaster at lunch and
before they got on the highway that would lead them to St. Augustine, Brian
decided a pit stop at a local convenience store would be prudent.
When he came out laden with his booty,
Brian was treated to the sight of the adults in the van laughing
uncontrollably. Brian had a sneaking suspicion his whole foray into being
helpful and supportive of same sex committed couples was being joked about. He
raised a brow then scowled at his loved ones as he stowed the goodies then got
in to start the van.
"So, Bri?" Bobby said gently.
"Hmm?"
"What kind of china pattern do you
think would accent our decor?" Bobby asked innocently then they all roared
with laughter, Brian's death glare notwithstanding. All thoughts of incompetent
wait staff and bigoted restaurant managers were forgotten.
*****
"Mr. Taylor, I apologize, I was
hoping that they would change their mind and leave as planned. You asked for
the largest suite available and the couple who had rented last week decided to
add a few more days to their stay. I couldn't get them to change rooms."
The innkeeper of a quaint B&B called "Piece of Plenty" in
The ride into
"Mr. Taylor, I will, of course be
discounting your charges. I hope your family will be comfortable in these
rooms," the innkeeper stated worriedly.
"Mr. Griffin, from what I can see,
the rooms are fine. John, Bobby, what do you think?" Justin asked his
in-laws.
"I'm happy!" John replied, the
rooms were small but that was to be expected. They were beautifully kept.
"I love the view!" Bobby said
enthusiastically. The rooms were on the harbor side. Boats of all sorts could
be seen from their windows and they had a glimpse of the fort.
"I want to see the fort, Daddy!"
Patrick chimed in.
"Bri, what do you think? Bri?
Brian?" The men turned to find out why Brian wasn't answering. They all
saw the sleeping man with a serene smile holding his sleeping daughter.
"Well, that settles it. Mr. Griffin,
these rooms are fine. Believe me, my partner would not be sleeping that
peacefully if the bed wasn't up to his standards," Justin chuckled.
"Will you need a crib for the little
one?"
"We've been separated from our
daughter for a week, while on our second honeymoon. I don't think Brian will
let her go," Justin added. "It'll be okay."
"Thank you, you're being very
gracious. You all are. Breakfast is served between eight and eleven. Lunch and
dinner are on your own but there are plenty of local pubs and restaurants. This
is a family oriented town, and tolerant. I think you'll all have a wonderful time
here. And of course, there's plenty of shopping!"
The guys gazed down at Brian and Bree then
at each other.
"You in a hurry to go anywhere?"
John asked Bobby and Justin.
"Nope," Bobby replied.
"Uh uh," added Justin.
"How about you, little man?"
John asked his son.
"No, Dad," Patrick answered with
a loud jaw cracking yawn.
"Then I think we should follow
Brian's example." John, Bobby and Patrick went back through the bathroom
to their own room as Justin removed his sneakers and cuddled next to Brian and
Bree. Even in their sleep, Justin felt his spouse and his daughter edge closer.
Justin curled up closer then fell asleep.
*****
Brian awoke with a start. Where the hell
was he? He looked around the dimly lit room and realized that it was still
daylight, but curtains blocked out most of the sun. He was lying in a bed with
Bree and Justin … in
Shit! He was getting old. Soon he'd need
false teeth and hair transplants and liposuction. Fuck! What the hell had he
been thinking? It had been such a trying day.
Brian looked down at the faces of his two
angels still sleeping peacefully. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was
almost five in the afternoon. They had wasted the first day of their vacation
with Bree.
Brian sat on the edge of the bed debating
what he should do. He should probably wake them, but they looked so peaceful
and he had fallen asleep first. He'd let them sleep a little longer. He gently
leaned over and pressed a kiss on each forehead. They sighed and kept on
sleeping. Brian walked to the door of their room and stepped out. He wended his
way to the sitting area that had been pointed out to them when they arrived.
"Ah, Mr. Kinney, you've arrived back
from the land of slumber," Mr. Griffin greeted him. "Come in and have
a seat. I really do apologize for the problem with your rooms."
"It didn't stop me from sleeping
apparently," Brian chuckled. His bad thoughts from earlier seemed to have
left him. "And call me Brian."
"Ah, I'd like that, if you will call
me Seamus."
"Seamus? That's a good Irish
name," Brian said.
"Most people just think it's
funny."
"Not if you come from an Irish
heritage. It's a fine Gaelic name."
"That it is. So you're Irish?"
Seamus asked. "Would you like a glass of lemonade? I was about to pour one
when I heard you moving about."
"That would be nice," Brian
replied accepting the frosty glass. "This is very good."
"I make it myself."
"Well, I can't say that I've ever met
a man who makes his own lemonade before," Brian laughed.
"Then you haven't been hanging around
with the right people," Seamus replied with a waggle of his eyebrow.
Brian wasn't quite sure what Seamus meant
by that. He thought the man must be gay, but he didn't give off a distinctive
gay vibe. He was probably in his early sixties, but had taken quite good care
of himself by the looks of it. Brian decided to change the subject.
"So you must be Irish too."
"Yes, my family came to
"I don't hear an accent."
"Years of practice. I did my best to
get rid of it."
"You succeeded," Brian said
toasting Seamus with his lemonade. "How did you end up owning a B and
B?" Brian asked.
"I spent years working as an engineer.
Got a fine education here in the States, and made my fortune, but I always
wanted to do something like this." He waved his arm around indicating the
house. "The climates much better here than
Brian snorted. "I don't know about
the fine part," Brian said by way of explanation. "My father was an
electrical worker. I had to work my way up."
"Me too. I'd say we have a lot in
common."
"Maybe so," Brian said
thoughtfully.
"Have you stayed in a B&B before?"
Seamus asked.
"No, this is the first time. I don't
usually take vacations."
"You don't? Well, I hope you enjoy
this one."
"I'm planning to. My partner and I
spent last week at Gay Days and then my brother and his partner brought the
children down this morning."
"Ah," Seamus said. "I
thought I saw a resemblance between you two. More than just the height."
"We're actually half brothers,
although he's the only brother I have."
"Oh, are you an only child?"
"No, although there were many times I
wished I was. I have a sister, Claire. When I saw Justin and Briana sleeping
upstairs, it reminded me of a trip that my family took when I was about five.
We drove up to my mother's brother's house in
"That's a shame."
"Yeah, but it's not the only thing my
father ruined," Brian said shaking his head. He didn't know why he was
telling Seamus that stupid story.
"Well, I'm sure you would never do
something like that to your daughter. She seems like a little angel."
"She has her moments," Brian
chuckled as he thought back to the restaurant. He also knew that he would never
deprive Briana of things the way Jack had done with him and Claire.
"Don't they all," Seamus
laughed.
"I'm surprised you take children in a
B&B. You have so many nice things. Kids get into everything."
"They're just things. I never had any
children, so it's nice to have children around. And then they go home after a
few days."
"Vicarious enjoyment?" Brian
smiled.
"Exactly."
"Dada," a little voice said from
behind Brian. He turned to see Justin holding Bree in the doorway.
"I'm here, Squirt. Did you have a
good sleep?" Bree nodded her head and held out her arms for Brian to take
her.
"Would you and your daughter like
some lemonade, Mr. Taylor?" Seamus asked.
"We'd love some, and it's
Justin."
"I'll be right back," Seamus
said heading to the kitchen to get a couple of glasses.
"Are the sleeping beauties up?"
Brian asked.
"I heard some rustling from next
door. They should be down soon."
"Good, we can ask Seamus about some
places to eat and things to do," Brian suggested.
"Sounds like you two got rather
chummy."
"I'm just making friends and
influencing people wherever I go on this trip," Brian said tongue in
cheek.
"That's actually not far from the
truth," Justin told him as he accepted a glass of lemonade from Seamus.
Brian frowned and thought about that.
*****
The B&B had a bunch of the local
sightseeing maps. The guys availed themselves of them and decided to walk up
"Brian, it's getting close to seven
and I don't want a repeat of this afternoon. We need to find a place; if you
know what I mean." Justin chose his words judiciously.
"Message received and understood,
Sunshine. You guys see anything promising on your little map?"
"The A1A Ale House looks interesting.
It's on the other side of the plaza. We can go over our plans while we, um, you
know."
"Gotcha, Ale House it is."
Justin and Bobby led the way with Brian and Bree in her stroller and John and
Patrick close behind.
*****
The A1A Ale House was situated on
Their waiter was a very good looking sandy
haired young man who couldn't have done enough for the two elder dads at the
table. Justin was a little miffed especially since the flirting was being done
in front of the children. But Bobby pointed out that John and Brian were just
being polite and not responding to the come-ons. They were more concerned that
the children were eating their vegetables and not getting too messy. Justin was
much more at ease after that. He had had all the misunderstandings he could
take down in
"Any suggestions of what we'd like to
do tomorrow?" John asked the table as he nibbled a piece of roasted
pepper.
"The fort, Dad! Please! I really want
to see the fort," Patrick begged.
A sightseeing trolley chugged its way
around the corner and caught Briana's eye. "A twain, Dada. Twain!"
"That answers that," Brian
mumbled around his salad. "You guys are going to the fort and we're in for
a train ride." Everyone nodded in agreement and dinner continued at a
leisurely pace.
*****
"I am stuffed!" Justin exclaimed
as they left the Ale House.
"Dinner was very good. And I have
never tasted such creamy root beer," Bobby added.
"And everyone was very polite and
courteous," John stated.
"It was all right," Brian
snarked. They all turned to look at Brian who merely shrugged and grinned.
"It was good; I mean it. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the relaxing
atmosphere. I wouldn't mind coming here again." Satisfied that Brian
wasn't being sarcastic, they slowly walked back toward the B&B.
Justin and Bobby were doing a running
commentary of the sights they each were interested in. Justin wanted to visit
the myriad of galleries, John was interested in the historical sights.
Patrick's ears perked up when he learned about the lighthouse and Ripley's
Believe It or Not Museum. Bobby was interested in the ghost tours and the 'Love
Tree.'
"Twain!" And Briana still wanted
to have her train ride.
"Sunshine, I think Rage needs to hit
his restorative bed if he's going to survive this week." Justin nodded as
they neared the B&B.
*****
The next morning they all slept late still
feeling some of the effects of the trying day they had had before. The children
had been so excited about the trip to
When they got back to the B&B, the
adults had put the children to bed and then had joined Seamus for a drink. He
was a very nice and helpful host. Brian decided that he would get a couple of
bottles of liquor so that they could have a drink in the evening with Seamus,
without feeling that they were taking advantage of his hospitality.
Seamus had advised them all to take the
train ride through St. Augustine, since that would give them a good overview of
what was available for them to see and do. He said the guides on the trains
were very knowledgeable and helpful. After that they could split up and do
whatever they wanted.
So, Brian and Justin had retired to the
room they shared with Bree, and John and Bobby had gone off to their room where
Patrick was already asleep. The fact that Bree was sleeping deeply allowed
Brian to make long, slow, passionate love to his husband. They kept it quiet so
as not to wake their daughter, but it was very satisfying nonetheless.
*****
Justin had awakened with a warm kind of
glow from the true intimacy they had experienced the night before. They had
showered together before Bree woke up, knowing that they could not count on
Bree sleeping so well or so late every night. In the shower they had had
another bout, this one more heated and urgent. They came out of the bathroom
flushed and satisfied to find their daughter sitting on the bed looking at
them.
"Hungy, Daddy," Bree told them.
"She certainly inherited that
appetite from you," Brian chuckled.
"Shut up," Justin laughed as he
swatted his husband.
"Let's get you dressed, Squirt, and
then we can scope out what kind of breakfast Seamus provides," Brian said.
He scooped Bree up and started finding clothes for her.
Justin got dressed as Brian helped their
daughter. He watched Brian knowing that it wouldn't be long before Bree could
start dressing herself, and then she would want to start choosing what she
wore. He prayed she wouldn't be as big a label queen as her Dada, but he could
live with it if she was. He smiled at the two of them. Brian was tickling
Bree's tummy as he pulled her little undies on.
"I'll do the rest," Justin said
as he pulled his T-shirt down. You get dressed." Justin took the little
shorts outfit from Brian.
"We better make sure we slather her
with sunscreen if we're going on that train ride," Brian observed as he
selected what he wanted to wear. "She's got your skin."
"Twain, twain," Bree yelled
bouncing up and down. "Yay!" She clapped her little hands together.
Justin groaned. He was sick of hearing
about how he would burn. He knew if Bree was getting coated with sunscreen, so
would he. "Okay, Bree, calm down. We have to have breakfast first."
He managed to get one arm into her top and then the other.
"Are we ready to roll?" Brian
asked him.
"Ready!" Bree yelled holding up
her arms to be picked up.
Brian grabbed her and tossed her in the
air before holding her in the crook of his arm. "Let's go."
They walked out into the hall where they
met John, Bobby and Patrick. They all headed for the dining area. As they
stepped into the room they noticed that it was empty. The other guests had
probably already eaten. Seamus had set a couple of tables together so that they
could all sit together. On the table was a fruit cup ready and waiting for each
of them.
"Booberries," Bree said as Brian
sat her in the child's seat that was conveniently awaiting them.
"Blueberries," Patrick corrected
his cousin.
"You like blueberries, don't you,
Squirt?" Brian said as he let her pick out the blueberries from her dish
of fruit.
"Good," she said nodding her
head and chewing away.
Seamus came out of a doorway carrying a
pot of coffee. "Coffee for all the adults?" he asked. They nodded and
he started to pour. "I have milk or juice for the children."
"Milk, please," Justin replied.
"You seem to have thought of everything. Bree loves your fruit cup."
"I love little ladies with good
appetites," Seamus said with a smile. "I'm making waffles for
breakfast today."
"That sounds good," Bobby said
as he finished off his first cup of coffee and Seamus poured him another.
"Why don't I just leave the pot, and
I'll go get started on your waffles."
Soon they were all enjoying Seamus'
delicious waffles with syrup or fruit topping, and a side of bacon. Even Brian
ate most of his. Bree had syrup all over her hands and face as she fed herself
waffle.
"Do you make a breakfast like this
every day?" Brian asked Seamus as he poured them coffee from a new pot.
Seamus nodded. "It's a different
breakfast every day, but comparable."
Brian let out an audible groan. "I'll
have to do four hours a day on the treadmill when we get home."
"You'll survive," John laughed.
"A little meat on those bones won't hurt."
Brian gave him a death glare. "Time
for the twain," he said as Bree clapped her hands in glee.
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