What a Difference A Year Makes 2
Chapter 6
"Rachel."
"Yes, John."
"Just checking in," John said into his cell phone. "Everything okay?"
"Just peachy."
"Are … are you mad at me for calling?"
"No."
John heard the slightly harsh tone of the 'no', and he knew he had called once too often. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I like to know you and the baby are okay."
"We're just fine, so stop worrying."
"When do you complete the first trimester?"
"A little over a week," Rachel sighed.
"Then we'll know things are all right?"
"Yes, John, that's the first hurdle. I thought you were busy with the project for Brian."
"You mean you thought you'd never hear from me when I started the project for Brian," John tried to tease. He heard Rachel chuckle and he liked that much better than her tone of a few minutes ago.
"Something like that. Are you and Bobby going to come with me next Thursday for the sonogram?"
"Of course," John replied enthusiastically. "That is, if it's all right with you."
"It's fine."
"What time is the appointment?"
"Nine in the morning."
John had just had a thought. "Could you keep the rest of the day free?"
"I guess so, why?"
"I'll let you know later."
"Okay, but I need to be back to collect the girls from school."
"Oh, okay." John hung up.
"Brian."
"Hey, big bro'. What's up?"
"I have a big favor to ask you."
"Anything, you know that."
"Don't speak too fast. You might not like this one."
"I'll take my chances."
"Okay, next Thursday, could I bring Rachel to
"Have you been bugging the shit out of her again?"
"Well … kind of. I've been calling her since I can't go see her."
"Do you think she's going to want to go anywhere with you?" Brian laughed. He couldn't believe John had become such a wuss where this baby was concerned.
"She said she wanted to see your infamous loft before she got too big to fit through the door."
Brian chuckled. "I see."
"So can I bring her Thursday? We could stop by Kinnetik for the key."
"Yeah, you do that. I'll free up some time around lunch that day."
"Thanks, Brian, I owe you big time."
"No, just get that cottage habitable. Justin is renting space and he forgets to eat. I don't like it. I want to be able to keep an eye on him."
"Oh, the house. I meant to tell you…"
"What?" Brian asked dreading the news.
"You need new shingles. You knew that, but if you want to be able to use the attic at some point, I would really recommend pulling the roof off and starting over."
"Shit! How much is that going to cost? And how much longer?" Brian ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"It will be a few thousand, but my crew can get at it in a couple of days. In the long run it will make sense. I promise."
"Okay, okay, go ahead. I might as well be dead broke when we get the house as half broke," Brian griped.
"I'll keep the costs down as much as I can, and I'll try not to let the work run any longer than possible."
"Thanks, John. I'm sorry if I sounded ungrateful. I respect your opinion and you've already saved me a bundle."
"Okay, bro'. See you next Thursday."
"It's a date," Brian laughed. "And leave Rachel alone for a couple of days."
"Okay, I'll try."
"You do that," Brian chuckled as he hung up.
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John assisted Rachel from the back of the SUV. They made their way into the doctor's office, Rachel holding onto John's arm as he was ever the gentleman. She didn't really hate his tender care and concern for her. It was just that some days she could take it and other days it drove her close to distraction. George, her husband, wasn't too fond of John these days. He had gone through Rachel's mood swings with the other pregnancies and he had two beautiful daughters to show for it. This time he had to listen to Rachel gripe about John and his over-solicitous behavior. And at the end of it he would have nothing. Rachel knew George was all right with her decision to do the surrogate thing, but sometimes she couldn't control her complaining.
Today was a good day. She was looking forward to seeing the baby for the first time. She knew John and Bobby were extremely excited. The sonogram would make it all real. She felt John pat her hand and she smiled up at him. He really was a lovely man. Bobby was very lucky. When the doctor slathered the gel on her abdomen, Rachel looked over at John and Bobby. They were holding hands. John looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin.
Rachel could hear them whispering, "Red hair and hazel eyes, red hair and hazel eyes." She smiled over at them.
"There's the baby," the doctor said as she moved the metal disc over Rachel's tummy.
"It's so small," John breathed.
"How does it look, doctor?" Bobby asked.
"As far as I can tell, everything looks fine. Would you like a picture of your son or daughter?"
"A picture?" John asked astounded. "Yes, please."
The doctor hit the button to print a copy of the sonogram.
"You said son or daughter," Bobby said. "Can't you tell yet?"
"No, it's a little early for that."
"Then I guess you can't tell if it'll have red hair and hazel eyes."
"'Fraid not," the doctor laughed. "We'll know that when he or she pops out. Although most babies have dark hair and blue eyes for the first few days."
"Hmm," Bobby replied.
"Here's your picture and I'll see you in my office in two weeks, Rachel."
"Thanks, doctor."
"Um, doctor," John said hesitantly. "Is there a problem with
Rachel driving all the way to
"
"Rachel should be fine with the trip. Maybe stop once or twice to let her walk around and get the circulation going."
"Of course," John said with a big smile.
"So where are we going in
"Brian's loft."
"The infamous loft?"
"The same," John grinned. "Brian said he was fine with us coming around lunch time."
"I wish I could go too," Bobby said. "But they need me at the office."
"We'll drop you off," John said giving Bobby a kiss. "You can make a copy of this picture so that we can show Brian."
"Deal," Bobby replied.
John and Rachel were over halfway to
"Um, Rachel, I have something to ask you and I hope you won't mind."
"Shoot!"
"Do you care what we name the baby? I've been thinking about names."
Rachel chuckled. "This is your baby, John. Yours and Bobby's. You can name him or her whatever you like."
"Are you sure?"
"One hundred percent."
"Thanks."
When they arrived at Kinnetik, Cynthia showed them into Brian's office. Rachel was obviously impressed with the spacious area.
"This is lovely, Brian," Rachel complimented him.
"Thanks. You should have seen it before."
"Why?"
"It was a bathhouse."
"Oh my."
"Brian laughed. "Don't worry; we've chipped all the semen off the walls and floors."
Rachel blushed and looked helplessly at John.
"Brian," John said sternly. "This is the mother of my child you're talking to. Be nice."
Brian sucked in his lips. "Sorry," he said sheepishly but there was a glimmer of hidden fun in his eyes. "Let's go. You can drive to the loft, John."
It didn't take long to get to the loft. Brian pulled the door back without using a key and Justin stood smiling inside.
"Hi, Rachel."
"Justin, I didn't know you'd be here."
"We have lunch all ready. A nice healthy salad."
"That's so sweet of you," she replied glancing around.
"Brian can give you the tour and I'll dish up lunch."
As they walked through the loft, Rachel watched Brian. His pride in his home was evident. She couldn't imagine all the men who must have gone through there, and yet the place was immaculate.
"Is this the infamous bed?" she asked as a joke when they got to the bedroom.
"No, it's not."
"Huh?"
"That bed has been retired. It's in storage. This is mine and Justin's. No one else has slept in it."
Rachel leaned up and kissed Brian's cheek. "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard a man say," she whispered.
Brian blushed and stammered, "We … we should go get lunch."
They spent a pleasant lunch talking and laughing. Rachel would tell John on the way home that the loft had been as sleek and beautiful as she had imagined, but it was nothing like the den of iniquity that she had been led to believe it was.
"Wait till you see Brian's new place," was all John could reply.
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There was an accident on the thruway so it was slow going back to
Fortunately Rachel's mother was able to pick up her grandchildren from school. Since they didn't have to rush, John decided to give Rachel the fifty-cent tour of Brian's new cottage.
"John, this is lovely. It reminds me of your cottage."
"Yes it does. It probably was built around the same time. Most builders stick with what they know so that's why it has a similar feel. Of course, Brian needs more space for Gus and I'm adding a studio on for Justin. It'll be big enough so they can also use it as a sun porch if they want. The guest room will also double as a small office for Brian."
"Wow, he's put a lot of thought into this, hasn't he?"
"My brother is a man of definite ideas. Plus he's concerned for Justin."
"Why? He's a big boy, young and strong."
"Yes, but he also has a tendency to throw himself into his art. Which isn't a bad thing except for when he forgets to eat or overuses his hand. I think Brian wants to be able to work from home so he can keep an eye on the lad."
"Brian is a contradiction, isn't he?"
"That he is." With the tour over, John drove Rachel back home.
John pulled up into Rachel's driveway and opened the door.
"We didn't overdo today, did we?"
"No, not at all. It's nice to get out. I may not get that opportunity when I get bigger. Thank you, John. I had a wonderful day."
"Have a good night, Rachel, and remember..."
"You'll be the first I call if I need anything. Goodnight John, and give my brother a kiss for me."
"Will do." John saw Rachel to the door then went home to start dinner for his lover.
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Brian and Justin went back to work after Rachel and John left.
Justin sat in his studio staring at his recently completed canvas. He
knew it was good, probably the best thing he had ever done. He could hardly
wait for
But there was someone else he wanted to see it first. He picked up his phone.
"Kinney."
"Hi, Kinney," Justin cooed.
"Didn't I just leave you a few minutes ago?" Brian smiled.
"Hours ago."
Brian looked at his watch. It was barely two hours. He still had several more hours of work ahead of him. "What's up?" Brian asked knowing Justin wouldn't have called for no reason.
"I finished my painting."
"Good for you. How did it turn out, as if I don't already know?" Brian said with a smile.
"Great. I've been sitting here admiring it."
"No shit."
"And I want some company."
Brian laughed. "You want me to come and tell you how magnificent your work is?"
"Yep."
"I don't know, Justin. I still have a lot of work to do."
"I want you to be the first person to see it. Please," Justin begged breathlessly.
Brian felt that word and all its implications go straight to his dick. "Can you give me an hour," he asked.
"Make it half an hour."
"Okay," Brian agreed starting to rearrange files on his desk. There was nothing he couldn't do tomorrow.
"That's what I like to hear, a quiescent fiancé."
"Ooh, French," Brian laughed. "I feel like Gomez Addams."
"Hurry," Justin whispered in his best lust filled voice before he cut the connection.
Less than an hour later Brian walked into Justin's studio. He was greeted with a delicious kiss that left him wanting more. Justin had other ideas. He dragged his fiancé over to the easel which held his recent creation.
Brian stopped in his tracks. "Fuck!"
"What? Don't you like it?" Justin asked suddenly worried. Maybe it wasn't as good as he thought it was.
"It … it's stunning," Brian stated as he moved a little closer to examine it.
Justin's smile was many suns in intensity. "I thought for a minute you didn't like it."
"The impact is overpowering."
"In a good way?"
"In a very good way." Brian found Justin in his arms and his suit being pulled off. Soon they were naked and fucking on the old couch that Justin had found for the studio. As Brian pulled out at the end of it, he squeezed down beside Justin on the narrow couch. "If you're going to invite me here for afternoon sex, we need to get you a bigger and better couch."
"What about morning and evening and
"That too." Brian pulled Justin even closer and locked lips with him in a soft and tantalizing kiss.
"Yum," Justin cooed. "What was that for?"
"For this," Brian replied holding up his cowry shell with the sun carved into it. It still hung around his neck where he said he would always keep it.
"I gave you that ages ago," Justin said coyly.
"You know what I mean."
"You saw it?"
Brian nodded. "Why did you paint it into your picture?" Brian wanted to know. His hands were sliding slowly up and down Justin's hip.
"I decided that I loved that symbol as much as I did when I first saw it. It's you and me together … inseparable. I intend to work it into each of my paintings from now on. It will be my trademark."
Brian smiled openly and warmly. "Have I told you how much I love you?" he whispered.
"You just did but you can tell me again and again and again … and
then again when we get the new couch." He found himself enveloped in
Kinney.