Sins of the Father
Chapter 18
The troops all met up at the Ale House for
lunch. They had decided that this was their favorite place to eat in
"I had some wine sent home from the
"Sounds good to me, although we
usually eat at your place anyway," John laughed.
"Justin's a good cook," Bobby
stated.
"Yeah," Patrick agreed.
"Hey, what about my
breakfasts?" Brian
wanted to know.
"Your breakfasts are legendary,
Brian," Bobby laughed, "but I don't think we'll be
wanting the wine with breakfast."
"There have been days when that would
have suited me fine," Brian said thinking back.
"But not anymore," Justin said
squeezing Brian's shoulder.
"No, not
anymore."
They sipped their drinks as they waited
for their lunches to arrive. Brian found himself thinking about his trip with
Gus that would happen after they got back home. It made him think of the one
time he had been invited to go with Michael and Debbie to the Poconos. That was
their yearly vacation for as long as Brian could remember. He thought back to
that day when he had asked his father, Joan having said it would be up to his
father whether he could go or not.
"Dad?" Brian began when he saw Jack ensconced in front of
the TV after dinner. He had a beer in his hand which always made him a little more mellow. Brian hated it when they were out of beer. Then
he and Claire made sure to hide out in their rooms or get out of the house if
possible. The wrath of a sober and thirsty Jack Kinney was not something they
wanted any part of. "I have something to ask you."
"How much is it going to cost
me?"
"Nothing. Not much," Brian said quickly.
Jack sighed and took a pull of his
beer. "What is it?" he asked wearily.
"Um … Michael and Debbie are going
to the Poconos for a week starting this Saturday. They asked me to come with
them. Can I go?"
"Fuck no! You've got chores to do
around here. None of the rest of us get vacations, so why should you?"
Jack demanded.
"But…"
"Don't you start sassing me, boy! Get up to your room and forget all about vacations.
You're not going anywhere with that little faggot and his mother."
Brian shuddered.
"You okay?" Justin asked with a
frown. "What happened?"
"Just a bad
memory."
"Of what?"
"Dada?" Bree asked. "Hungry."
"She said hungry. I heard her
definitely say the 'r' all by herself," Justin gushed.
"I heard it too," John said and
Bobby nodded in agreement.
"Have you been coaching her?"
Justin asked Brian.
"Maybe a little," Brian smirked.
"But she's my beautiful and smart little girl, aren't you, Squirt?"
"Yes, Dada," Bree said with a
giggle. "Hungry."
"She's growing up," Brian said
rather wistfully.
"Yeah, in about fifteen more years,
she'll be going out on her own," Justin laughed.
"You just don't understand
sentiment," Brian declared, his tongue firmly in his cheek.
"Hungry!" Bree said more
forcefully with a decided frown on her face.
Just then the waiter appeared with their
orders and Bree dug right in. All was right in her world.
As they finished up lunch, John said that
he was going to go over to
"When did you decide you liked
Spanish Renaissance?" Brian wanted to know.
"I'm not sure that I do, but you
never know when a little of the influence from seeing these buildings might
creep into one of my designs," John said smugly.
"My eclectic big brother," Brian
laughed. "I think I'll let you do the buildings and I'll shop."
"Good Lord, Brian, you just sent four
boxes of stuff back to
"To
"Bree, do you want to come with
Patrick and us. Your daddies can have some alone time," Bobby suggested.
Bree nodded and reached for Patrick's
hand.
"We'll meet up back at the
B&B," John said as they started off down the street. "You guys
can take the van, and we'll either walk or get a cab."
"So, where shall we start,
Sunshine?" Brian smirked.
"Behave!" Justin said with a
swat to the chest.
"I'd say I've been on my very best
behavior for the last two weeks."
"Especially your very best bad
behavior when we were in
"I try," Brian smiled.
"And you are very good at it."
"Wait till we get home."
"Did you ship the dildo?" Justin
whispered trying to refrain from blushing at the mere mention of their new toy
which they had so effectively experimented with in
"As per your
request."
"Well, I didn't want airport security
dragging it out of our bags and asking for an explanation."
"It would only enhance their
education," Brian smirked.
"You are so incorrigible."
"And that's why you love me."
"Absolutely."
"Let's walk to St. George. The van's
fine where we left it."
"Sounds like a plan."
*****
"My brother certainly is passionate
about old buildings," Brian observed out loud.
"He's passionate about a lot of
things," Justin countered as they were approaching a shoe boutique.
Brian stopped short to glare down at
Justin with just a hint of jealousy in his eyes. Justin watched as the hazel
eyes became a deep hunter green.
"Brian," Justin reached up to
gently stroke his partner's cheek then continued, choosing his words wisely.
"Your brother is passionate about his family, his partner and his son.
That passion carries over to us. He loves us, and like you, he'd defend us.
That's what I mean about passionate. When John loves, he loves completely, just
like you do."
The hazel eyes grew lighter again. There
were times when Justin proved to Brian just how smart he really was. Brian
kissed Justin's palm and they continued on.
"Look at this, Sunshine. The shelves
are moving." They stopped in front of the shoe store to watch the odd
display. On the shelves were tiny pink clogs. "Oooo!"
Brian exclaimed as he spied the pink footwear.
"Oh, Brian!" Justin burst out laughing. "You sound like
Emmett. Let's go in, I know you want to." Justin opened the door for his
partner.
*****
"Craig, what a
beautiful building.
According to the pamphlet, the college was once a luxury hotel," Susan
went on and on gushing over the old building.
"Are all the old buildings down here
former hotels?" Noting that the
"No, some buildings were
churches," Susan said a bit sarcastically. She was growing tired of her
husband's lack of enthusiasm. They went out of the main doors and into the
courtyard. There were a few summer students hanging about and a couple of other
tourists. That's when Craig saw him.
"You fucking bastard!" Craig
roared, attempting to rip away the camera in the taller man's hands. "You
stole my son, you stole Patrick Taylor's legacy and now you have the nerve to
cheat on him with this, that red-headed whore!" Craig pointed at Bobby who
was on the other side of the courtyard with the kids. They couldn't hear what
Craig was saying but saw him wildly gesturing. John motioned for them to stay
where they were. It pained Bobby not to stand up to this apparent lunatic
accosting his spouse but he had to think of the children. Bobby kept both kids
close and stayed put.
"I don't know who you think I am but
you should leave before someone calls the cops." John looked tall and
mean. At first glance he looked almost identical to the enraged Brian that kicked
Craig's ass last September but then Craig got a good look at John. A few more
laugh lines around the eyes. A little greying at the temple.
The broader, heavier musculature. Craig gasped.
"Craig? What are you doing?"
Susan cried out.
"Dad?! What the fuck are you doing to John?" Justin
yelled. "And where are the children?" Justin desperately looked
around for his daughter and Patrick. They had cut their shopping junket short
after buying the pink clogs for Bree. They decided they too wanted to soak up
some old buildings.
"You better give me one good reason
not to tear you apart, you motherfucker," Brian growled low like a lion
defending his pride. His fists were balled, ready to strike.
Both Craig and Susan were flabbergasted at
the sight of John and Brian. They had no idea what to make of it all.
Bobby edged closer with the children.
"Daddy?" Briana called out for Justin. "Who
dat man?"
"That man, unfortunately, is your
grandpa." Justin held the child in his arms and shook his head. He was
almost embarrassed by the man he had once loved and admired so dearly as a
child. Now he had only pity for him. "Dad, before my partner pops a blood
vessel, would you mind explaining what's going on here?"
"That's what I'd like to know,"
John added as he kissed Bobby's cheek then picked up his son.
Craig was too dumbfounded to say anything,
his eyes kept darting back and forth between the brothers. Susan decided it was
time to clear the air. Craig's legs began to buckle. Years of keeping up the
hate in his heart were now taking their toll. Susan let out a little cry,
unable to hold Craig's weight. Brian and Bobby grabbed the man before he landed
on the concrete, and brought him to a nearby bench.
"Justin, maybe you should introduce
us to your friends." Susan regained her composure somewhat. Justin nodded.
"Susan, Craig, this is John Anderson,
he's Brian's older brother. This is Bobby Morrison, John's life partner and
Patrick, their son. You know Brian." The aforementioned Brian snorted.
"And this is Briana, our daughter." Briana wasn't too happy about the
grumpy people she was meeting so she stayed quiet in her daddy's arms, giving
them her version of the Brian Kinney death glare.
"John, Bobby, this...this is Craig
Taylor, my father and Susan, his wife."
John nodded at Susan. Craig was staring at
his sneakers as Bobby was slipping into lawyer mode.
"Mr. Taylor, why
were you attacking John and by default attacking Brian? It's obvious you've mistaken John for Brian. I have
to warn you, I'm not only John's partner but his and this family's lawyer. If
you don't want a lawsuit on your hands I suggest that you or Mrs. Taylor
explain your actions."
John beamed at his spouse. It wasn't often
that he got to witness Bobby in lawyer mode. He was so proud he was practically
bursting. Brian noticed the look on John's face and he knew he wore that same
look when he accompanied Justin to one of his shows. The Kinney men had it bad
for their feisty twinks.
"I, um..." Craig sputtered,
unable to formulate a coherent sentence. Susan placed her hand on Craig and
attempted to explain Craig's growing obsession.
"Justin, you know that your father
never really accepted you're a, um..."
"Sexual
orientation?" Justin
supplied.
"Yes, but ever since that man visited
from
"What has?"
"His belief that somehow Brian stole
you away from him and that he cheated your dad out of his share of Patrick
Taylor's legacy. And well, we've seen Brian with Mr. Morrison. We thought Brian
was cheating on you."
This time John snorted and Brian burst
into giggles. Bobby rolled his eyes at the absurdity of the whole thing.
Justin handed Bree to Brian then squatted
in front of his father and Susan. "First things first, Brian didn't steal
me. You couldn't face having a gay son and I couldn't live a lie. We both made
mistakes. I ran head first to Brian and I can't tell you how many times he
tried to push me away but I'm stubborn."
"Tenacious twat," Brian mumbled
as he bounced Bree in his arms and kissed her nose that looked so much like her
daddy's.
"Dad, there is no Patrick Taylor
legacy other than the seeds of his family. He was an artist but he never
developed his talents. His partner John Aidan Brian Kinney was the artist in
the family. Patrick appeared to be satisfied with supporting him, emotionally
not monetarily. Kinney was a landowner in
Justin stopped and looked up into Brian's
eyes. He saw the twinkle Justin knew he had put there. Justin saw his love
reflected back.
"He wouldn't dare. He so loves me. I
suspect you saw John and Bobby; John and Brian can pass for twins. Brian was
never into red-heads. Now if Bobby were dark..." Brian stepped closer and
placed his hand over Justin's mouth.
"Sunshine, your mouth runneth over.
Mrs. Taylor, take your husband home. Try to make him see reason. We're going
home tomorrow. Justin has accumulated extensive documentation on Kinney and
Patrick. If you're interested in learning about what we know of Patrick, call
me. We can meet for lunch some time." Brian handed Susan his business card.
"Brian," Justin was about to
protest. This was his fight with his father not Brian's.
"Justin, neutral ground, away from
the kids. Trust me on this."
"See, he bosses you around. Tells you
what to do like you don't count." Craig finally found his voice and began
to spit venom.
"No, Craig, that's you. Brian is just
protecting me, like he always does."
"I tried to protect you from this
molester. And how can you trust him with your daughter?" Justin saw red
and was about to let it fly when Brian shoved Bree into his arms.
"Mr. Taylor..." Brian began when
Bobby stepped between them.
"Mr. Taylor, adding slander to your
assault charges won't help your case, will it?"
"I can't change what you think of me
and frankly I don't give a shit. But if you want a chance at reconciling with
your son and knowing your granddaughter then you're going to have to deal with
me. I can't help it if I get overbearing. I'm in love with your son and I will
make sure YOU never hurt him again. Let's go Justin; we have to pack." Brian
ushered his family toward the main gate. Bobby lagged behind.
"Mr. Taylor, I am
licensed to practice law in several states,
"Susan, when we get home, I am going
to..."
"Shut up, Craig." Susan got up
from the bench and walked toward their car.
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