Forever – Chapter 76

I woke up the next morning to see Sam on his back, fingers interlaced across his chest, looking up at the ceiling. And smiling.

“Morning,” I mumbled into my pillow.

He rolled onto his side and pinched my bicep.

“Ow! That hurt,” I said, rubbing my arm. I was fully awake now.

“Sorry. Just making sure you’re real and I’m not dreaming this.” I reached down and pinched his thigh. He yelped and moved away.

“Is that real enough for you?” I said, grinning. He grinned back, then leaped on top of me, pinning me to the bed, not that I put up much of a fight. He held my hands down against the top edge of the mattress, his blue eyes flashing.

“Do you have any idea how happy I am?” he asked.

“Tell me,” I replied. He smiled and rolled off sideways. I went with it and ended up on top of him. His hands naturally found my butt, and I settled in against his warm chest. His thick chest hair tickled my chin. 

“I don’t know if I can, really. Having you here with me, with my family…it’s a dream come true, Jack. I can’t thank you enough for this,” he said as slid his hands up my back, gently stroking my back.

I crossed my hands on his chest and rested my chin on them, looking up into his eyes. “I take it you’re no longer worried about your Dad?”

“Nope. You were right. We talked more last night while you were with Mom. He asked a ton of questions about law school, like I knew he would, but otherwise he was totally cool, just like his usual self.” His hands were back on my butt, two fingers tracing my ass crack up and down.

I sighed, relieved I hadn’t screwed things up with his parents. I gazed into his beautiful blue eyes and said, “I’m happy for you, too, Sam.”

Sam suddenly smiled big. “My mother clearly loves you already. She let you in her kitchen.”

“What do you mean?”

“She never lets me help with baking cookies.”

“Maybe if you didn’t eat half the cookies she makes?” He swatted my butt. I smiled.

He feigned shock. “I only ate four, for your information.”

I shrugged. “I’m just sayin’.”

“Whatever,” he said, rolling his eyes and grinning at me.

“I’m sure she was just being nice to her guest.” 

“Nope. She likes you better than me. It’s official,” he said, pretending to pout.

“You’re so full of it,” I said, reaching down to the side of his thigh and tickling him. He giggled and tried to wiggle out from under me. I managed to grab the back of his thigh and squeeze, tormenting his most ticklish spot.

He started laughing. “Jack! Stop it! I’m gonna pee the bed!” He grabbed my hand and tried to push me away. I doubled my efforts, rejoicing in his laughter. “No seriously…I gotta pee,” he said, sliding off the bed onto the floor. He jumped up and trotted to the bathroom, showing off his fine assets.

I was horny. I think Sam felt a little funny having sex under the same roof with his parents. He’d asked if we could just go to sleep last night when we finally made it to bed, exhausted. I was too tired to care. But now my dick was hard and wanted attention. 

I joined Sam in the shower a few minutes later. He playfully pushed me up against the wall and kissed me hard, grinding his groin against mine, our hard cocks rubbing against each other. He got over his reticence in record time. My legs were wobbly when we finally shut the water off and reached for our towels, totally spent. Sam had a satisfied smile plastered on his face. I was feeling pretty good, myself.

Getting dressed was a challenge. Sam kept grabbing me and kissing me, then letting me go. I got my second sock on and he pushed me back on the bed and buried his tongue in my mouth. Just when I shifted gears, he stopped and told me to hurry up and get dressed. I was trying to button my shirt and he reached over to tweak my nipples, knowing it would go straight to my dick. 

I pushed his hand away, smiling. “Cut it out, Sam, or we’re gonna be really late for breakfast.”

He kissed me, a huge grin on his face. “You are so fucking fun, Jack.”

I had trouble zipping my shorts. Things were a little crowded in the crotch. He had a similar challenge, but we somehow made it down to breakfast with his parents.

Sam’s mother was busy scurrying back and forth from the kitchen, and Sam’s father was buried in the Wall Street Journal. Sam was drooling over his mother’s delicious Belgian waffles smothered in maple syrup, stuffing his face with yet another slice of bacon.

“Where do you put it all?” I asked, rubbing my distended stomach. He shrugged his shoulders and kept eating.

Mr. Wainwright dropped his paper and peered over the edge at his son. “Sam’s eaten like a horse his whole life. You better be careful, son. One of these days you’re gonna take a bite too far.” Sam smiled and kept chewing.

“Mr. Wainwright, is there anything we can do to help before the rest of the family arrives?” I asked.

He dropped the paper to his lap, then folded it. “Jack, why don’t we drop the formalities. Just call me Curtis.” I nodded. “And you’ll have to ask Caroline what still needs to be done. I have no clue.”

Sam got the hint and he nodded to me. We took our plates to the kitchen and I started rinsing them in the sink while Sam went back to clear the table. His mother was nowhere to be seen. Working together, we had the kitchen spic and span in about fifteen minutes.

I was drying my hands on a towel when Sam’s mother appeared, carrying a small trash bag. “Sam, carry this outside for me, will you? Oh…you boys didn’t have to clean up. I would have done that.”

“No worries, Mrs. Wainwright. It didn’t take long,” I said with a warm smile. 

“Well, thank you, Jack. And I answer to Caroline or Mom, take your pick. Mrs. Wainwright was my mother-in-law, God rest her soul. Sam? Trash,” she said, handing him the bag. He grinned and winked at me. 

“I’m headed out to the grocery store with your father. Kat and David should be here with the boys in about an hour. She just called. And stay out of the cookies, Sam, you hear me?” She waved her finger at him, sounding tough, but she was smiling the whole time. 

“Is there anything you need us to do while you’re out?” I asked.

“No. I think we have it all under control. We’ll wait to decorate for the party after lunch.”

“The boys will probably want to swim, right?” asked Sam.

“I suppose,” said his mother. “That’s up to your sister. Have you seen your father?”

“He was out on the deck a minute ago,” said Sam.

“Right. Okay, then. We’re off. Stay out of trouble,” she said, looking directly at Sam. He just smiled. She walked over to me, slinging her canvas handbag over a shoulder. She rested a hand on my forearm.  “I’m so glad you’re here, Jack. Try to keep him in line, will you?”

I smiled. “I’ll try, but you know how he is.”

She laughed and went through the dining room to find her husband.

Sam paced back and forth, checking and re-checking at the front window for signs of Kat’s arrival. I was trying to stay calm, sitting on the couch and paging through a Coastal Living magazine. I was on the third issue in the stack and couldn’t remember a single thing I had looked at. 

“Sam, come sit down. You’re making me nervous, all that pacing.”

“I can’t help it. I’m excited to see them. It’s been too long.” I put the magazine down on the coffee table and stood up. He watched me as I approached, a huge grin on his face.

“What?” I said.

“Nothing. You’re just hot, that’s all.” 

“Oh, that,” I said, as he pulled me closer. His hands moved up my torso and grazed my nipples through my t-shirt. 

“Are you trying to distract me, Jack? I thought you were supposed to keep me in line?” Sam said with a leering grin.

“Anything to get you away from the front window. What’s it gonna take?”

His reply was to grab my hand and push my palm forward against his hardening cock. Then he kissed me. It got a lot harder. Then I remembered something.

“Holy crap, Sam. Stop!” We were both breathing hard. 

“Why? No one’s here but us,” he said. 

I jerked my head toward the fireplace mantle and the blue vase that clearly didn’t go with any of the other objects in the room. His eyes opened wide with a gasp, as he, too, remembered the security camera Ben had placed in the vase. I put a finger to my lips and tiptoed over in front of the fireplace. I waved my hand and stuck out my tongue.

“Jack! He’s so gonna kick your ass,” said Sam, grinning. My cell phone rang.

I waved the phone in the air. “Guess who,” I said, and answered it.

“Knock the shit off, Schaeffer,” said a frustrated Ben in my ear. “Do I need to come over there and whip that smart ass grin off your face?”

I rolled my eyes in front of the camera and stuck my tongue out at the vase. I heard faint laughter on the phone. “Fine, I’ll behave. Anybody ever tell you you’re no fun.”

“Yeah, usually when I’m saving their fool ass from danger. Anything else going on over there I need to know about?”

“No, I don’t think so. We’re just waiting for Sam’s sister’s family to show up. His parents went to the store, but you know that, I’m sure.” He grunted in the affirmative. “Oh…there is one thing. Sam’s mom said something about the whole family going to a parade tomorrow morning in Bristol. Will that be a problem?”

I heard groans and scraping of metal chairs on the other end. A muffled discussion ensued and I waited. Sam looked at me questioning, but I just shrugged my shoulders. 

“What time?” asked Ben gruffly.

“Parade’s at ten, right, Sam?” I asked. 

“Yeah. We usually go up early and set up lawn chairs along the parade route, then come back here.”

“Did you hear that, Ben?”

“Yeah. Got it. Have Sam call me later today if he can get a private moment. I’ll have some instructions for him.”

“Why him? What about me? Don’t you like me anymore?” I said with a fake whine, trying to keep a straight face and failing.

“You’ve been demoted for the day after your stupid antics. Get it together, Schaeffer.” 

“Fine, be that way. See if I save any birthday cake for you and your crew.” He laughed loudly.

“Tell Sam to call me. And Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“Relax. You’re doing great.” 

I smiled. “Thanks, Ben.”

“Heads up,” he said. “Sam’s sister just passed by. Gotta go.” My phone went silent.

“She’s here,” I said, as we heard the crunch of car tires on the driveway outside. Sam grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out the front door into the bright sunshine. I put a hand above my eyes to shield them so I could see the car as it approached.

The car hadn’t even rolled to a complete stop and the front passenger door opened. A tall, beautiful woman stepped out, looking at us from behind sunglasses. Her sleeveless yellow sun dress billowed in the light breeze as she shut the door and walked with elegant grace toward us, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head and locking her long, straight brown hair behind her ears.

I could feel her eyes on me as they took my measure. Her body language gave nothing away, standing ten feet back from us. I glanced at Sam. He was smiling wide. He took a step toward his sister and I let go of his hand.

Kat laughed when Sam wrapped her up in his arms and swung her around in a full circle, sending a white sandal flying off her foot. I retrieved it, and turned back. Sam still held her up off the gravel driveway, and they were staring into each other’s eyes without a word. I busied myself with wiping imaginary dust off the shoe and trying not to feel like a third wheel.

Sam finally put her down. That’s when she realized she was half barefoot. Standing on her shoed foot, and supporting herself by holding on to Sam’s shoulder, she turned to me.

“I believe you have my shoe, kind sir,” she said, grinning.

I walked over and handed it to her. “Here you go,” I said. She dropped it on the ground and wiggled her bare foot into the straps.

“As I’m sure you’ve already figured out, Kat, this is Jack. Jack, meet my sister Kat.”

“Nice to meet you,” we said in unison. She laughed, I blushed.

Then all hell broke loose in the form of two young boys exiting the car and yelling at the same time.

“Uncle Sam! Uncle Sam!” He turned and was attacked by two identical twin boys with white blond hair trying to climb up his body and get their arms around his neck. He crouched down and managed to get them both in his arms at the same time.

“Hey guys, long time no see,” said Sam. 

“Will you take us swimming? We want to go swimming. Mom? Can we go swimming now? You said if we were quiet in the car we could go swimming.” 

“First you need to help your father empty the car.”

“Awww. Rats.”

“No complaining,” said Kat. “Anyone I hear complaining gets fifteen minutes time out. Now get busy.” The wind knocked out of their sails by buzz kill mom, they drooped their shoulders and trudged back to the car. 

Their father was still behind the wheel, a cell phone up to his ear. “What’s David doing?” asked Sam. Kat sighed.

“Would you believe he’s been on that damn phone since we left the house. He’s on vacation, for crying out loud,” she said. She made a motion with her hands for him to wrap up the call. He held up two fingers and made an I-can’t-help-it face.

“I’m sure he’s only doing what he has to,” said Sam, trying to be helpful. 

Kat ignored him and pulled her sunglasses back down onto her face. “Can you guys help the boys empty the trunk? I think everything in there needs to come in. Jack…we’ll get better acquainted once I get my family settled.” I smiled, not sure what to say. I nodded, then followed Sam. I turned back for a second and I swear she was looking at my ass over the rim of her sunglasses. She smiled, then turned and headed for the front door.

An argument had ensued by the open trunk of the car. “No, this one’s mine. Yours is the one with the scratched lock,” said one of the boys as they played tug-o-war with a small red suitcase.

“Give it to me,” said the other.

“Boys!” yelled Sam, and they stopped pulling the suitcase. I noticed neither one let go. “Did you each bring your own?”

“Yes, sir,” they replied.

“Put the one you’re holding down on the ground,” said Sam. They complied, eyeing each other.

“Cam, you open this one and tell us whose stuff is in it.” The one closest to us looked at his brother like he’d won a victory and crouched down to pull the zipper around the suitcase. He pulled the top up and the boys crowded in to look inside.

“Well?” asked Sam. Cam stood up, smiling. Carter dropped his shoulders in defeat.

“Told you it was mine, lame brain,” said Cam. Carter made a move to hit his brother and Sam stepped between them. 

“That’s enough, both of you. If your mother heard you calling names, Cam, you’d be stuck in the house the rest of the day. Come on guys, you just got here. I’ve waited like, forever, to see you again. Let’s have fun, okay?”

“Fine,” said Cam. “Who’s he?” He pointed a finger at me.

“Guys, this is Jack. He’s with me. Jack, this is Carter,” said Sam, pushing Carter toward me. “And this is Camden.”

“Hi,” said Carter, offering me his hand like a proper gentleman. I shook it.

“Hi,” said Camden. I shook his hand, too. Clearly someone had taught them good manners.

“Hello,” I said. “I’m glad to finally meet you guys. Sam talks about you all the time.”

“I’m the oldest,” said Carter.

“By two minutes! Geez, give it a rest, lame…”

“Cam! Knock it off,” said Sam.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. He’s the oldest, but I’m better looking,” he said to me with a sly smile. I grinned.

“We’re identical, nimrod,” said Carter.

“Alright, that’s it. What’s gotten into you guys? Since when do you guys call each other names?” said Sam.

“He started it,” said Carter.

“Did not. You did.”

“One more word, and I’ll cancel the party tonight,” said Sam.

“Whoa,” said Cam, eyes wide as saucers.

“Yeah…you can’t do that. It’s our birthday,” said Carter. He turned to me. “We turned nine today.”

“Then act like you’re nine years old instead of nine months,” said Sam.

“We’re not babies, Uncle Sam. We’re growed up now.” 

Sam smiled. “Prove it to me. Show me you can be the cool dudes I told Jack you are.” They both beamed with pride at being called cool.

Carter spoke first. “Sorry, Cam. I guess my suitcase is the scratched one.”

“That’s okay,” said Cam. “I’m sorry I called you a lame brain. Come on, we better get this stuff in the house before Mom says we can’t swim before lunch.”

“That’s the spirit, guys. Come on, Jack and I will carry the big stuff, you guys get your bags.”

Together the four of us managed to haul everything out of the trunk and into the foyer inside the front door. David was still in the car on the phone, waving his hands and looking more and more upset by the minute.

I stepped outside onto the porch to grab two plastic bins of kitchen gadgets, plastic wrap, storage containers of various sizes, and what looked like a salad spinner. Sam put a hand on my shoulder, tilting his head toward the car. “Doesn’t look like his call is going well. And Kat’s pissed. Could be a rocky afternoon,” he said.

“Anything we can do?” I asked.

“Keep the kids occupied so they can work it out. Come on, let’s get this crap where it goes and put our suits on. The boys want to swim.”

Carter and Camden had hauled their own suitcases upstairs. We could hear them running around, feet pounding on the floor. I heard at least one door slam. Through the sliding glass door in the living room, I saw Kat sitting by herself out on the deck. She appeared to be just staring out at the ocean. 

Sam and I put everything that wasn’t a suitcase on the island in the kitchen. We moved the rest of the pile to the guest bedroom downstairs. 

I dropped the heaviest of the suitcases next to the bed and turned around. Sam had a lustful look in his eyes. He pushed me up against the wall, grinning ear to ear. He kissed me long and deep. I steadied myself by holding onto his arms.

Resting our foreheads together, Sam looked deep into my eyes. “There will be a lot of people around us for the next few days. I don’t want you to think I’m not thinking about you every minute of every day, wanting you and needing you,” he said.

“Mmmm…me, too. But it’s okay, Sam. This is your family. Be with them. Pay attention to them. I’ll be fine, I promise.” I leaned in to whisper in his ear. “And I promise to take care of any particular need that might arise from time to time, whenever we can.”

He growled and kissed me again. I felt it in my toes. When he reached for my chest I grabbed his hands to stop him.

“Don’t get carried away, big guy. We’ve got two little people waiting on us.”

“Crap! I forgot. Come on, let’s go,” he said, grabbing me by the hand.

At the top of the stairs we were almost run over by the twins, now dressed in nothing but matching navy blue swimsuits, racing back down.

“Hurry up and change, Uncle Sam,” said Cam.

“Yeah, before Mom changes her mind,” said Carter.

“We’ll be right down. Stay out of the pool until we get there – you got it?” said Sam.

“Yes, sir. But hurry!” They took off, bouncing down the steps two at a time. Carter leaped off the last four and landed like a cat. 

Of course Cam had to do the same. His landing wasn’t as graceful, and it looked like he was limping a little when he followed Carter into the living room and out of sight.

Back in our room, Sam and I stripped down and put on our board shorts and different t-shirts. He threw my flip flops across the bed and I jammed my feet into them.

“Ready?” asked Sam.

“Yep. Let’s roll.” 

We got half way down the steps and Sam stopped, looking at the landing. “Don’t try it, big guy,” I said.

He turned to me grinning. “Why not? They did it.”

“Yeah, and he’ll never admit it, but Cam twisted his ankle. That’s all we need, you re-injuring yours.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he said, moving down one step at a time in front of me. I stopped on the fourth step and waited for him to get to the bottom. When he turned back I jumped, landing slightly off balance next to him. He grabbed me to keep me from falling.

“What the…” he said. 

“They did it. Why can’t I?” I said with a grin.

He smiled. “You are a piece of work, Schaeffer.” 

“Yeah, but I’m your piece, right?” I said, putting my hand in the middle of his chest. He grabbed it with one of his own.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, kissing me. I caught sight of Kat rounding the corner from the kitchen and gasped against Sam’s lips. He turned to see what had startled me.

“Oh…hi, sis,” he said. The back of his neck turned bright red. She had a mischievous smile on her face. I moved behind Sam a little more.

“Don’t you go hiding back there, Jack,” she said. “Come on out.” I slinked around Sam and he grabbed my hand.

“Kat…” said Sam. She put up a hand, and moved to stand right in front of us. 

She looked at both of us, her expression hard to read. “Sam, it’s fine. You guys don’t need to hide who you are – you should know that by now. Besides, I’ve waited a long, long time to see my baby brother hold another guy’s hand. It’s sweet,” she said, leaning in and kissing Sam’s cheek. Then she looked at me.

She did the Wainwright thing with the eyes, staring into my soul. Maybe it was genetic? I let her in, which I think maybe surprised her. After a few moments, she nodded once.

“Thank you for coming with Sam, Jack. It means a lot to me, personally. But just so we’re clear, you hurt my brother in any way, and I’ll rip your balls off and feed them to the seagulls.” She was smiling, but I flinched anyway.

“I won’t,” I said, with as much confidence as I could.

She looked into my eyes again. “I know you won’t.”

She turned to Sam. “He can stay – for now.” Then she looked at me again. “But I’m watching you.” She pointed two fingers at her eyes, then turned them to point at me.

Sam grinned and I exhaled.

“Uncle Sam! Come on already,” yelled one of the boys from the open sliding glass doors.

“Close that door. You’ll let in bugs,” said Kat, reverting to her mother voice. Her son complied.

“Mom called. They’re ten minutes out. I’ll help her with lunch. Can you keep the boys busy for a while?” she asked Sam.

“Planning on it,” said Sam. “Come on, Jack. Let’s get wet.” 

He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the living room and out onto the sun-filled deck. To the right of the doorway was a long table with a clear top. Ten chairs surrounded it, shaded by a huge double-umbrella covering. Two wooden shafts went through the table into stands underneath, holding up the dark blue canvas covering. I had never seen anything like it. It was huge.

The boys saw us and came running over. One of them grabbed Sam’s hand and started pulling him toward the pool. The other – I still couldn’t tell them apart – hesitated, looking at me like he’d just won second prize in some contest. He shrugged his shoulders and grabbed my hand, dragging me along. Sorry kid.

The pool was large, with an L-shaped bump out toward the house. This was the shallow area, three feet deep. The main part of the pool started at three and ended at six feet deep at the far end, perfect for a family pool. A curved water slide stood tall against the skyline on the far side. The boys took off for the slide and I joined Sam on the near side to watch for a moment.

“Walk, guys,” said Sam, cupping his mouth with his hands to be heard above the warm ocean breeze. They tried to slow down, but walk-raced each other to the slide ladder when they turned the corner. 

It was hot – close to ninety, according to the oversized thermometer hanging on the wall by the door. I had kicked off my flip flops, and my feet were now quite warm, standing on the bare concrete surrounding the pool.

“One at a time, Cam,” yelled Sam. The boy in the rear sighed and let his brother go up the ladder first.

“How do I tell them apart?” I asked, grabbing Sam’s arm.

“You’ll figure it out. I’ll try to use their names a lot, and you’ll see little differences in time. When they were babies it was impossible. Even David couldn’t tell them apart. Kat used to get furious with him.”

“Yikes. I better learn them quick, then,” I said.

Sam laughed. “You’ll have it before lunchtime. Oh crap! Sunscreen!”

“Uh…we didn’t bring any. I forgot.”

“Shit. Wait here and watch the boys. I’ll ask Kat if Mom brought any.” He took off before I could stop him.

“Walk, Uncle Sam,” yelled a wet little boy as he climbed out of the pool. Sam stopped mid-step, turned and grinned at us, then continued at an exaggerated slower pace to the door. 

“Hey, Jack! Watch this,” came a shout from the other one, sitting at the top of the slide. He suddenly turned around on his butt, leaned back to lay down, and let go. He slid upside down head first into the pool, yelling all the way. He came up out of the water, hands raised in victory.

“Did you see me?” he yelled from the ladder.

I walked a little closer so we didn’t have to scream. “That looked scary. You sure you’re okay?”

He laughed. “Of course. We do it all the time. You want to try it?”

“Uh…maybe in a while. I’m waiting for some sunscreen. Did you guys put any on?”

“Nope. Never do. Mom says we got a good base, whatever that means.” He did have a solid tan. Both boys were golden brown. Their blond hair was probably a shade or two brighter from the sun as well.

“Okay…well, be careful. You get hurt on my watch and they’ll throw me out of here.” 

“No they won’t. Mom says you’re somebody special and we’re supposed to be real nice to you.”

“Oh…well…in that case, knock yourselves out. Wait! Forget I said that.” 

He laughed. “You’re funny, Jack. I’m gonna go back on the slide.” I nodded, and he took off. He slowed to a walk before I could holler at him. I still had no idea which one he was.

Sam came back out a minute or two later with a tube of sunscreen. We pulled our t-shirts off and took turns doing each other’s backs. He tried to put his hands down the back of my suit and I yelped and twisted away from him.

“Stop it, Sam. The boys will see.” His blue eyes sparkled in the bright sunshine.

“Figure out who’s who, yet?” he asked, rubbing lotion into his chest. My eyes watched his hands slide over his pecs and down across his hard abs. I averted my eyes when I felt my dick rise in my shorts.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” I asked. He smiled.

“Never mind. I can see you aren’t thinking too clearly at the moment.”

“Ha, ha. Very funny,” I said. 

We finished our legs and Sam pronounced us ready to get wet. I followed him into the pool, stepping down carefully into the shallow end. We waded out into the main part of the pool and soon were standing waist deep in the cool, refreshing water.

“Uncle Sam?” asked the boy at the top of the slide. “Wanna see me go down backwards?”

“Sure. But be careful.” The kid rolled his eyes and spun around. I’m pretty sure it was not the same boy who I had talked to. Not to be outdone, his brother did the same move and followed him down into the water. They swam over to us, wiping water from their eyes.

“Who wants to play chicken?” asked Sam. Little boys started jumping up and down, squealing and splashing.

“Me! Me! I do,” they both yelled.

“Cam, you get on Jack. Carter, you’re with me. You guys take the far side,” he said, looking at me. “We’ll be over here.”

“Um…what are we doing?” I asked.

“You’ve never played chicken?” asked Cam, looking up at me. I shook my head. “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said, moving slowly through the water to the far side, hopping on one foot. Yeah, his ankle hurt.

He turned and leaned back against the side of the pool, then grabbed my arms and pulled me in front of him, so my back was to the other side. “Here’s what we do. I get on your shoulders. When we get the signal, we move to the middle of the pool. The first one to push the other guy off gets a point. Three outta five points and you win. Got it?”

“Three outta five…got it. You any good at this?” I asked.

“Uh huh, sometimes. Whatever you do, don’t fall down. And be careful. Uncle Sam cheats. He uses his legs to trip Daddy and knock us down.”

“Oh he does, does he? We’ll see about that,” I said turning around.

Sam was crouching down low in the water, his shoulders just under the surface. Carter climbed on and straddled his legs around Sam’s neck. When Sam stood up, Carter’s feet and ankles were the only things still in the water.

“Hmmm. Okay…saddle up, Cam. Let’s do this,” I said, crouching down into the water as Sam had done. Cam pushed up on my shoulders and I grabbed his legs, helping him into position.

“You guys ready?” yelled Sam.

“Bring it, big guy,” I said, smiling. He grinned from ear to ear.

“On the count of three. 1 – 2 – 3!” The boys started yelling, and I started moving through the water toward Sam. His eyes were fixed on mine. This was suicide, but I had to try. Cam was counting on me.

We met in the middle and the boys started shoving and pulling and yelling. Whenever we felt our balance shift out of control, Sam and I would take a step back to get our footing again. This went on for several minutes, neither team gaining an advantage.

“Do something, Uncle Sam,” said Carter, lunging for his brother. Sam moved closer and I felt a leg brush mine. Oh no, I wasn’t going down that easily. I stepped back to avoid his trick, nearly toppling over, but I saved it at the last second. I looked hard at him, and he gave me an evil, playful smile.

“Told you, Jack. He cheats,” said Cam, giggling above my head.

“That’s not cheating,” said Carter, laughing. “That’s how you win. Come on, horsey. Do it again.” He grabbed Sam’s hair in two hands like he was holding the reins and moved his head back and forth, urging him forward.

The next few minutes involved Sam and Carter chasing Cam and me around the pool. Cam was still having a blast, laughing and twisting and turning, trying to avoid his brother’s outstretched arms, intent on pulling him off my shoulders.

I noticed Sam had better balance in the deeper water. Being four inches taller than me, his center of gravity was higher. If I could lure him into the shallower water, we might have a chance. I turned and moved in that direction just fast enough to keep out of their reach, but not so fast they wouldn’t follow. When I saw Carter’s feet come out of the water completely, I did an about-face and attacked. 

Cam squealed with delight and lunged forward, pressing my head into my chest. I stayed on my feet. Sam’s eyes opened in shock, not expecting the attack. He shifted gears, trying to back up. He was too late. I ran right for him, and he stumbled as he turned to retreat. Right at that moment, Cam grabbed one of Carter’s shoulders and pulled. Carter yelled and fell off backwards into the pool, and Sam followed him under the water.

Cam started clapping his hands hard on my head, yelling “Victory, victory!” I reached up to grab his hands and stop him. 

“Easy on the head, buddy,” I said. He got the hint.

“That was awesome, Jack. Do it again! Do it again!”

We waited for Carter to remount, and we squared off again. Sam was more determined this time. I wouldn’t catch him off guard again. Over the next twenty minutes, we dueled to a tie, 2-2. I was nearly out of breath, and even Sam was breathing hard.

“Come on, Jack. We can take ‘em. I know we can,” said Cam. Easy for him to say. I was exhausted.

“One more point. That’s all we need, Jack. Come on, one more point.” I sighed and stood up straight. If we went down, we would go down fighting.

The battle was intense. Carter managed to push Cam hard enough that he fell backwards. I pulled hard on his legs and he managed to right himself at the last second.

“Whew! That was close. Nice save, Jack,” he said. “Come on, let’s get ‘em.”

Sam was sucking wind as much as I was. I had about two minutes left before I went under for good. We had to make it count. We thrust and parried, back and forth, for another minute, and then I made a mistake.

I got too close to Sam in the deeper water, where he had better balance. He managed to hook his ankle around mine and pull. Down I went, Cam’s scream muffled by a mouthful of water. We both came up sputtering and wiping our eyes. Carter was beside himself with victory, patting Sam’s head.

Cam looked at me, then grinned big. He put a fist up toward me, and I bumped mine against it. “Thanks,  Jack. That’s was awesome. We almost had ‘em.”

“Uh…you’re welcome. You put up a good fight yourself. We’ll get ‘em next time.”

“No way! I get to ride Jack next time,” said Carter.

Sam leaned over and dumped Carter face first into the pool. He came up for air, laughing hysterically. 

“That’s the thanks I get for winning the game?” asked Sam, pretending to be put out. The boys just laughed harder.

“Nobody is riding this horse until he has a little rest. I’m pooped,” I said, crouching lower into the water until just my head was visible. 

“Sounds good to me, too,” said Sam. “Let’s all take a break.” Surprisingly the boys didn’t put up a fuss, and we all four found seats on lounge chairs. I closed my eyes against the hot sun and tried to breathe deeply. Sam was in the chair next to mine, and he reached over to grab my hand. The boys were stretched out on two chairs facing ours. I didn’t see Cam nudge Carter’s shoulder when he noticed Sam’s move.

It was suddenly too quiet. I opened my eyes, squinting at the boys. They were gesturing and silently debating among themselves.

“What’s going on over there?” asked Sam, giving them a knowing smirk.

“We have a question,” said Carter. I was starting to recognize their voices, just like Sam said I would.

“So ask,” said Sam.

“Are you guys…like…boyfriends?” asked Cam.

Sam looked at me and grinned. “Yeah, Cam. We are. You guys okay with that?”

“Cool!” they said in unison. “Does that mean Jack will be coming with you all the time?” asked Carter.

“Yep. He will.”

“Awesome. Are you guys staying for the parade and the fireworks tomorrow night?” said Cam.

“We’re staying until the end of the week. Same as you guys.” 

The boys smiled, then put their heads together and conspired about something else. I looked at Sam and he shrugged his shoulders. We waited. Finally they nodded to each other, and turned to face us again.

“Would you guys be willing to help with something?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Hold, up. It depends on what it is?” said Sam. 

“Well…we really, really, really want pizza for our birthday dinner. But Mom says we can’t because Grandma made a special dinner,” said Cam.

“Fish. Yuck,” said Carter.

“And you want us to convince Grandma to change her plans?” asked Sam.

“Could you?” asked Cam.

“Ha! Fat chance. You know your grandmother has been planning this for weeks. Besides, she’s already bought all the food. You guys gonna pay for the pizzas?” said Sam, winking at me.

“Oh…well…um…how much is a pizza?” asked Carter.

“More than you’ve got. And Aunt Myra and Uncle Eugene will be here, too. That’s ten people who need to eat dinner.”

“Oh, yeah. We forgot,” said Cam, his shoulders drooping.

“Oh, well. It was worth a try,” said Carter. He fixed his eyes on me. “Hey! Maybe she won’t do it for us, but she might do it for Jack.”

“Yeah…for Jack. He’s a guest and all. You like pizza, don’t you, Jack?” said Cam.

“I love pizza, but I don’t know, guys. Might not be a good idea to go up against Grandma. What if she won’t feed us the rest of the week? Then what do we do? We’ll be forced to find little crabs on the beach, or jellyfish, and cook them over a fire.”

“Ewww. That’s gross,” said Carter.

“You can’t eat jellies, Jack. They have stingers,” said Cam, smiling.

“They do? Hmm…I didn’t know. I heard they tasted really good with hot sauce, but maybe I’m wrong,” I said, trying to keep a straight face.

“You’re lying. Is that true, Uncle Sam?” asked Carter.

Sam smiled at me. “I think Jack is pulling your leg. Tell you what…I’ll talk with your mom, and maybe…maybe…she and I can convince Grandma to save her dinner plans for another night. But if she says no, there’s no complaining, right?”

Both boys sighed and nodded their agreement to Sam’s terms. It would be interesting to see if he and Kat could pull off the request. No matter what happened, there was no way I was eating jellyfish, with or without stingers.

“I’m thirsty,” said Carter.

“Me, too,” said Cam.

“Me, three,” said Sam. We all laughed.

“I’ll check the fridge for water,” I said, standing up. “Be right back.” What I really needed was the bathroom. I dried off my feet and legs with a towel from a large stack by the back door. Sam was asking the boys about their recent summer adventures.

I found the bathroom around the corner from the kitchen. From the noises I was hearing, it sounded like Kat and her mother were busy preparing lunch. I did my business, and when I came out, I stopped short of rounding the corner. Kat and her mother were arguing about something.

“All I’m saying is, we don’t know anything about him,” said Kat, tapping a spoon against a metal bowl.

“Honey, Sam’s not a little boy anymore. If he says he’s in love with Jack, then we go with it,” said Caroline.

Kat slammed something onto the granite countertop. “How can you be so calm about this, after what happened with that asshole Jeremy?”

“Katherine! You shouldn’t talk like that.”

Kat sighed. “Fine. Bury your head in the sand if you want to, but I’m getting to the bottom of this, one way or another. I smell trouble.” I heard the refrigerator door open and close. A lid spun off some kind of container and clattered to the floor. Water started running into the kitchen sink. 

“Kat, your brother is moving on with his life. You’ll always be his big sister, and he’ll always need you. But you have to let him grow up, okay? You’ll understand someday, when the twins reach the same crossroads.” The water stopped.

“That’s different. They’ll have each other. Who does Sam have watching out for him?”

“He has you. And your father and me.”

“But what if he’s in too deep, too fast? You know how he is. He makes up his mind and blindly jumps.” The refrigerator door opened and closed again. “How can Sam say this guy is the man of his dreams, when they hardly know each other?”

Caroline laughed.

“What’s so funny?” asked Kat.

“You. I remember a certain young woman who came to me, stars in her eyes and heart all a flutter, going on and on about the boy she was going to marry. If I’m not mistaken, you had just met David the night before at a college dance. Am I right?”

“You know, mother, sometimes you can be so annoying.” Sounds of the dishwasher being filled with dirty utensils.

“Guess you know where you learned it from, dear.”

“It’s not funny. I just don’t want Sam getting hurt. I miss him so much, you have no idea.”

“Honey…listen to me. The best thing we can do right now for Sam is believe in him, and support his choices the best we can. Promise me you won’t make this visit hard on him. We just got him back. I don’t want to drive him away.” Somebody smacked their lips, probably tasting something they’d just made.

“Then why on earth did you invite Aunt Myra to the party? What were you thinking?” said Kat, as a drawer slid open and slammed shut again.

“My hands were tied. When Sam said he wasn’t coming home this summer, I thought it would be an opportunity for Myra and Gene to spend some time with the family. I couldn’t very well tell her not to come, not after they’d already purchased the plane tickets.”

“I would have. I’m not the one you need to worry about, where Sam’s concerned. That woman is evil.” I heard the unmistakeable sound of a watermelon cracking open.

“Hush now, you’re talking about my sister. I know you don’t understand, but she wasn’t always so…so…”

“Mean? Judgmental? Ridiculous?”

“Enough. Come on, we need to get this finished. The guys will be hungry and your father wants to get in a round of golf before the party tonight.”

I heard Curtis coming down the hallway. I couldn’t eavesdrop any longer, so I stepped back into the bathroom, flushed the toilet, and tried to make it look like I was exiting for the first time. Curtis nodded to me and went the other way as I rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Kat and her mother looked up from final meal preparations. Kat scowled, then tried to hide it quickly. Her mother smiled.

“Can I help you find something, Jack?” she asked.

“The guys sent me in for water,” I replied.

“There should be some in the refrigerator door. Help yourself.”

“Thank you. Do you ladies need any help?”

“We’ve got it under control,” said Kat.

“Oh…okay. I’ll just get the water and get out of your way, then,” I said.

“Tell the boys lunch is almost ready,” said Caroline.

I nodded, grabbed four water bottles from the fridge, and made my exit. One thing was crystal clear – Sam’s sister was not going to be easily won over. I shook my head, wishing I could erase the conversation I’d just overheard. I understood her concern for her brother. She just didn’t understand how much I shared her concern. The last thing in the world I would let happen is for Sam to get hurt, least of all by me.

“What took you so long,” asked Cam, jumping up to meet me as I came outside.

“Had to use the bathroom. Sorry, guys,” I said.

“When a man’s gotta go, a man’s gotta go,” said Carter in a terrible attempt to mimic John Wayne’s accent. Cam laughed and spit water all over the deck.

Sam smiled. I could tell he loved being around his nephews again. 

I grinned at Carter. “Where’d you ever hear John Wayne?”

He pointed to Sam. “He makes us watch all these old movies. I like the cowboy ones the best.”

“Not me,” said Cam. “I like the war movies, especially if they have tanks and big boats. Those are so cool.”

“Sam, your mom said to tell you lunch is almost ready,” I said, the overheard conversation suddenly clouding my mind again. He looked at me funny.

“You okay, little man?”

“Me? I’m good.”

“You sure?” he asked, reaching for my hand. I held it for a brief second, aware of two pairs of little eyes watching us closely.

“I promise. I’m good. Do we eat out here or inside?”

“Usually out here. I should check to see if Mom and Kat need help.”

“I already asked. They said they were good.”

“Dad!” yelled the twins in unison. I turned to see a remarkably handsome man step out onto the deck, dressed in fancy khaki shorts, a Brooks Brothers navy blue polo shirt with white edging on the collar, and expensive sunglasses pushed on top of his head.

He looked at me, smiled, and extended his hand. “You must be Jack. I’m David, Kat’s husband. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.”

“Sam. How are you?” he said. Sam walked up and pulled him into a hug.

“I’m good. How are you? Everything good?”

There was a slight hesitation, but he recovered quickly. “Uh…yeah, I think so. My office is in total meltdown today. Always happens before a holiday. But enough of that. I need a vacation. Looks like you guys have already been in the pool,” he said, ruffling Cam’s hair. Cam looked up in adoration at his father’s face.

“It was awesome, Dad. Jack and Sam played chicken with us.”

“Let me guess – Sam’s team won?” The boys laughed. Sam smiled.

“Yeah, but it was close. Jack and me almost took ‘em,” said Cam.

“That right?” said David, looking at me with a grin. “I’m impressed. Sam’s a tough opponent.” I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

The sliding door behind us opened, and Sam’s parents came out, carrying platters of food. Kat followed with a large saucepan, a pot holder underneath to protect her palm. Once the food was on the table, Curtis and David shook hands, and Caroline gave David a kiss on the cheek and patted it with her hand.

“I’m so glad you could get away to be with us, David. We don’t see enough of you.”

“I’m glad to be here, too, Mom.”

“Everybody sit. Help yourselves. I’ll be right back with iced tea and lemonade. Can I get anybody anything else?” Everyone shook their heads.

We dug in. Roast beef sandwiches on sourdough rolls, homemade potato salad, baked beans with bacon pieces, and sliced watermelon disappeared into hungry mouths. Sam ate two sandwiches, of course, and a large helping of potato salad.

As we ate, we listened to Cam and Carter take turns telling us about their summer adventures, including a weekend camping and fishing trip with their father that was obviously the highlight thus far. They had each caught three fish, and in true brotherly competition, Carter was declared the winner for catching the biggest fish. Cam was declared the best fire starter in the family.

“When are you gonna take us camping, Uncle Sam?” asked Cam. Sam had a mouthful, and held a finger. 

He swallowed and said, “I guess it depends on my school schedule, but maybe Jack and I could come out to Connecticut for a weekend this fall and we could do an overnight camping trip somewhere.”

The boys looked at each, wide eyed with excitement.

“That would be awesome,” said Cam.

“Yeah,” said Carter. “When can we go?”

Sam smiled. “Guys, I don’t have my class schedule yet, but I promise I’ll do what I can to find a weekend to come out, okay.”

Cam caught the look on my face before I could reset. “What’s the matter, Jack. Don’t you like to go camping?” I turned to look at Sam, and he had an apologetic look on his face. All eyes were on me, waiting for my response. How did this keep happening to me? I barely survived my last venture into the woods. Still, I couldn’t let Sam down. Or the boys.

“Well…I don’t have much experience camping, buddy. But if you guys want to go, and you’re willing to teach me what I need to know, I can make it work. But you have to promise if a bear starts chasing us, you’ll let me win.” 

Cam and Carter cracked up. Sam reached under the table to squeeze my hand. David smiled, and Kat looked across the table at me like I had just overstepped into unwelcome territory. She said nothing, but there was a whole conversation happening behind her flashing blue eyes. Thankfully Curtis changed the subject.

“Who’s up for a round of golf?” he asked.

David looked at Kat. “You cool if I go?” he asked.

“Sure. Somebody needs to make sure Daddy makes it back for dinner on time. Be careful. Did you bring your clubs?”

“Yeah. They’re in the trunk of the car.”

“Sam? You and Jack want to play a round?” his father asked.

Sam looked at me and shook his head. “Not today, Dad. Jack and I promised Mom we’d stay and help decorate for the party. And the boys want a rematch in the pool later.”

“Yeah!” yelled the twins.

“Suit yourselves. I’m going to go change. Meet you out front, David?”

“Yes, sir.”

Curtis stood up, and it was the cue for everyone to follow suit. With everyone helping, we had the table cleared in one trip. Sam insisted he and I be allowed to clean up the kitchen.

“Sam. I told you both this morning you don’t have to do that. This is your vacation.”

“It’s your vacation, too,” said Sam.

“If anyone ever volunteered to clean my kitchen, I’d certainly not say no,” said Kat.

Caroline sighed. “Fine. But just stack up the things on the island here if you don’t know where they go.”

“Got it. Go take a load off, Mom. You look tired,” said Sam.

She walked up to him and patted his cheek. She had to crane her neck to look into his eyes. “I’m fine, sweetheart. Thank you for doing this.”

“Sam’s right, Mom. You do look a little tired. Is everything okay?” asked Kat.

“Honestly, you two worry too much. I’m fine, I promise. I’m going to sit outside in the sun for a few minutes and rest up before we do the decorating. Kat, if you want to pull out the large blue bin in our bedroom while the boys clean the kitchen, you can go through it and see what you want to use.”

Kat nodded and headed in the direction of the bedrooms. Caroline left to sit by the pool, and Sam and I, with Cam and Carter’s limited assistance, managed to clean up the kitchen. I noticed Sam kept eyeing the cookie tin.

“Those are for later, Uncle Sam,” said Carter with a grin.

Sam held up his hands. “I didn’t touch it.”

Cam laughed. “Yeah, but you thought it. We know your kind.”

Sam smiled. “Oh, yeah. And what kind is that?”

“A cookie monster!” they both said together.

“Arggghhh!” yelled Sam, hands outstretched to tickle them. The twins squealed and took off running. I heard them make it to the stairs before Sam must have caught one of them.

“Run Carter! He’s got me. Save yourself,” yelled Cam. Footsteps bounded up the steps. A moment later I heard a loud “humpfff”, and then more footsteps scampering up. I hung up the dish towel on the bar next to the sink. There was noise behind me. I turned, expecting to see Sam. It was Kat, staring at me.

“Can we talk?” she asked.

I swallowed. “Sure.” She turned and headed for the front door. I followed. At the threshold I turned and looked up. Sam was looking down at me from the landing at the top of the stairs, cupping his balls, slightly doubled over.

“What’s the matter? What happened.”

“Nothing. The kid kicked me in the nuts accidentally. I’m fine. Where are you going?”

“Your sister wants to talk.”

“You okay?” he asked, heading for the stairs.

I held up a hand. “I’m fine, Sam. Stay with the boys. We won’t be long.” The look on his face betrayed his apprehension. He wasn’t the only one feeling it.

“Jack? You coming,” asked Kat from the front porch.

“Right behind you,” I replied, closing the door.

She said nothing as we walked down the driveway, the small gravel crunching under our feet. She stopped suddenly, and put a hand on my shoulder to steady herself as she shook out a rock from inside her sandals.

“Damn rocks. Who in this day and age has a gravel driveway? Million dollar house and it’s full of fucking rocks.” She kicked her foot and sent pebbles flying into the lawn. 

I followed their trajectory and noticed a short man in dark green coveralls carefully trimming the hedge lining the one side of the property. He looked at me and nodded twice. One of Ben’s guys, obviously. He turned and I saw him lift his wrist to his mouth. Reporting me for leaving the house unannounced, I’m sure.

“Is something wrong, Kat?”

“Wrong? Why do you say that?”

“You seem upset, and I don’t think it’s about the rocks.”

She stopped and looked at me, pushing her sunglasses up to fix her eyes on mine. After a few seconds, she said, “You’re insightful, I’ll give you that.” I assumed she meant it as a compliment, but I kept silent. 

We walked on, moving further down from the houses to our right toward a small park-like area near the end of the street. Beyond was only the ocean, white caps appearing here and there across the never ending expanse of dark blue water.

“Do you love my brother?” Kat asked.

“Yes, I do. Very much.” In my peripheral vision, I caught a glimpse of a man dressed in black running shorts and t-shirt stepping out from behind the last house and moving into the same park area where Kat and I were headed. She paid no attention to the man. I was pretty sure it was Ben, but he was too far away to be certain.

We followed a blacktopped trail to a bench facing the water crashing on the rocks twenty feet below us. Sea gulls cried out to each other, floating almost motionless on the swift, warm breeze coming off the water. Kat sat down, and I joined her. So far she hadn’t responded to my declaration of love for Sam.

“My brother is different. Different from most people, I mean. Not because he’s gay, that’s not what I’m saying. He’s…I don’t know.” She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “He’s too damned trusting, that’s what it is. He sets himself up to be hurt. He’s done it since he was a little kid. He believes the best in people. It’s like he can’t conceive of someone having ill will or false motives or…whatever. It’s so naive. The world isn’t like that.”

“Is it so awful to be immune to the ugliness in people?” I said gently. “I wish I was.”

She glanced at me again with another sigh. “I suppose in some ways, no. I do envy Sam’s ability to be happy, even when life’s a giant shit storm.” She turned sideways to face me. “But it doesn’t keep him from being hurt. I’ve seen it too many times. Jeremy Reynolds was the worst. It nearly broke him. I know it broke my heart. I can’t let that happen again.” Her voice caught in her throat, and she turned back to look at the ocean. Her bottom lids were heavy with pending tears.

“I hear you, Kat. I understand.”

She looked at me. “You understand what?”

“You love your brother, and you’ll stop at nothing to protect him. Good. I’m glad he has you on his side. He thinks the world of you. I imagine you’ve been his savior on more than one occasion.” She nodded. 

“Look, I get it. You don’t know whether I’m friend or foe. I can tell you that I love your brother with all my heart and there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for him. That he’s my entire world now and I wasn’t even living until he came into my life. That I would be utterly lost without him, and the idea of living one minute apart from him scares the crap out of me, or that I start every day thinking about what can I do for Sam today to put a smile on his face. But in the end, they’re just words. I need time to prove it to you.”

She grinned. “I don’t know, Jack. Those are pretty nice words.”

“I believe every one of them, Kat. But more than that, I believe in Sam. In his goodness. In his character. He’s teaching me how to be a good man. I need him in my life.” My own voice cracked, and she turned to me. 

Fighting tears, I whispered, “Please give me a chance. Let me love him, too.” I felt a single tear slide down my cheek. I wiped it away, annoyed.

She stared into my eyes. I knew there was nothing else I could say. She would believe me, or not. I waited silently for her verdict.

“You’re asking me to risk my brother’s life on your promise. Do you understand that? If you hurt him, you might as well kill him. He won’t survive it, not after the last one. My mother would say I’m being overly dramatic, but I’m not. She wasn’t there. She didn’t see the empty shell of a man I saw.” Her eyes filled again, and she turned her face away from me. “Thank God for Tommy Barlow.”

“Tommy’s an amazing friend, that’s for sure,” I said.

“You met him?”

“Yes, in Hawaii. Sam introduced us. You know, Sam told me essentially the same things you’re saying, about Jeremy and what it did to him. I do understand the risk you’re taking, if you let me into the family. But I wouldn’t be here if Sam didn’t want me to come. Family is everything to Sam. And I promise you, I will never let myself, or anyone else, come between Sam and his family. Never.”

She smiled. “You say all the right things, and I believe you believe them. But I’m not Sam. I don’t trust easily. Give me some time, okay?”

“Of course.”

“Come on, let’s get back before Sam comes looking for us,” she said, standing up. I did likewise, stretching my back.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Just a little stiff. I think playing chicken in the pool with the boys took more out of me than I thought.”

She cracked a small smile. “They certainly enjoyed having you around today. My husband doesn’t always get to come on these trips. His work keeps him in the city a lot during the week.”

“You both have awesome sons. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you. It takes constant vigilance, and patience, and a dozen other things I don’t even know what they are. But we’re proud of them, so far.”

“You should be. I’ve really enjoyed them, too.” We started down the path toward the street. I saw our watcher in the distance following us discreetly. Ben definitely had us in a tight bubble this trip.

“What was that look you made about the camping trip?” she asked.

“You caught that, huh.” I sighed. “The truth is, I hate camping. I hate the woods. The last time I went into the woods I got lost and Sam had to come find me. It was horrible.”

“So why did you tell Cam you would go?”

“Because it’s important to the boys, and it’s important to Sam. He loves your kids like they were his own. So I’ll go, and I’m sure Cam and Carter will make it fun. I wasn’t kidding about the bear, though. I’m running and not looking back.”

She laughed. “I don’t think there are bears in the Connecticut woods. You’re right about Sam and the twins. You should have seen him when they were babies. He was amazing. No fear. Nothing upset him. He practically lived with us. He’d feed one or the other in the morning, go to school, come home, and start all over again. I don’t know what I would have done without him. David got jealous at one point. He was afraid the boys would think Sam was their father instead of him.”

“Sam would be a great father.”

“I agree. What about you? Do you want kids?”

“I never thought about it, to be honest. Not till recently. I didn’t have a father growing up, so I don’t have any idea what a father should be. Sam has such deep respect for your father. He tells me stories about things his dad taught him over the years. About character and perseverance – stuff like that.”

“So? Do you want kids or not?”

“I’m leaning that way. It really doesn’t matter. Sam does, and I want him to have that opportunity someday. After we get through school, first. I promised Tommy, and now your father, that I wouldn’t let anything keep Sam from getting his degree.”

“I’m sure that made my father very happy. I swear sometimes that’s all that man cares about.”

“I think he sees a potential in Sam that even Sam doesn’t see. I see it, too.”

“Like what?”

“Like being the youngest judge to ever sit on a state supreme court. Maybe even be Chief Justice someday. Maybe politics. Whatever he wants.”

“You’re joking,” she said, looking at me sideways as we reached the driveway.

“Why? You said yourself there’s a goodness in Sam. He’s a born leader. Think of the lives he could change, the true justice he could wield. I think he’d be an amazing judge.”

“What if he doesn’t want all that? What if he just wants to be a lawyer with a family and a normal, everyday kind of life?”

“Then that’s what we’ll have.”

“You would really do that?”

“Do what?”

“Make your life all about Sam living his dreams. Adopt a kid so he can be a father. Be a family with him.”

“Absolutely.”

“What about you? Who’s going to be looking out for your dreams?”

“Sam.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Isn’t that how a relationship works? I make my life all about Sam, and he makes his all about me. We both get what we need, but no one is taking from the other. We’re only giving. It’s worked so far,” I said, stepping up on the front porch.

“Damn. I’m starting to see why Sam’s in love with you,” she said. I smiled.

The front door burst open. “There you are. Everything alright?” said Sam, worry still etched across his brow. I stepped up and kissed him lightly on the lips. 

“I’m good. How about you?”

“Missing you. Where’d you go?” he asked, putting his arm around my shoulders and reclaiming me unto himself.

“For crying out loud, Sammy, relax. We went for a walk down to the park and back. No big deal. Where are the kids?”

“I’ve got them blowing up balloons. It’s hilarious.”

“Oh my God, you didn’t,” said Kat, as she pushed past Sam through the front door.

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Taught ‘em how to breathe in the helium and talk funny. It’s hysterical. Come on,” he said, grabbing my hand. I followed him out to the deck. Kat was doubled over, laughing at Cam and Carter as they tried to talk in high pitched, chipmunk voices. They were red in the face.

“Try it, Jack,” said Carter, then held onto his stomach as he burst into peals of laughter.

“What do I do?” I said to Sam.

“Watch,” he said. He took an empty red balloon from a bag on the table and wrapped the open end around the nozzle of a large gas tank. He held the balloon in one hand and opened the valve with the other. The balloon swelled in size instantly. He closed the valve and put the balloon tail against his lips, letting some of the helium into his mouth and lungs.

“That’s all there is to it,” he said. I laughed. He sounded like a four year old girl. He filled a green balloon and handed it to me. I inhaled a tiny bit of the gas, but nothing happened.

“A little more,” said Sam. I inhaled a third of the balloon. I immediately felt light headed.

“That feels weird,” I said. Cam fell on the deck laughing. Carter was watching me. I took another hit of helium.

“When a man’s gotta go, a man’s gotta go,” I said. Carter practically wet himself in hysterics. Kat had tears in her eyes. Sam had the biggest grin on his face I’d ever seen.

“Samuel Alan Wainwright! What’s the meaning of this?” asked his mother, standing in the sliding glass doorway. He breathed in more helium.

“Nothing,” he said in a high pitched voice. She smiled.

She smacked his shoulder. “Are you ever going to grow up?” He shook his head, smiling. I loved the big kid in him. I hoped he never grew up.

“Grandma, you gotta try this,” said Cam.

“Yeah, it’s the coolest thing ever,” said Carter.

“I’m too old for such foolishness,” said Caroline.

“Try it, Grandma. Please.”

“Pretty please. It’s our birthday,” said Carter.

“Oh, very well. What do I do?” she said, unable to resist the twins’ charm. I doubt anybody ever had, besides their parents.

Sam filled a balloon and handed it to her. She inhaled half the balloon like a pro.

“What’s the big deal?” she said, bursting in laughter at the sound of her voice. The boys squealed with delight.

“Again! Again!”

She took a couple of deep breaths and put the balloon to her lips, taking in the remaining helium. 

“Is there a party in the house tonight?” she said.

That did it. Kat fell in chair, holding her stomach, completely unable to breathe, laughing so hard her face turned bright red. Sam held onto my arm, laughing in my ear. Like Kat, I couldn’t breathe, either. I wasn’t sure if it was from laughing or a helium overdose. 

The doorbell rang.

“Oh, my stars. That’ll be Myra and Gene,” said Caroline, letting her balloon go. It swooshed around our heads and finally landed at Kat’s feet. Flustered, she said, “Sam, get this mess cleaned up. Finish blowing up the balloons and hang them around the deck and pool, please. Let me see…Jack, there should be some Japanese lantern things in that bin over there. Kat, you’re with me. I still need to get to the store to buy the fish for dinner. Goodness, where did the day go?” 

Kat followed her mother, still trying to catch her breath.

“Uncle Sam, what about the pizza?” said Cam, now talking normal again. Carter was picking up empty balloons from the deck and stacking them on the table next to the gas cylinder.

“Right. I’m on it, buddy. Jack, you think can help these guys finish the balloons? There’s a roll of string on that chair and a pair of scissors. Tie a three foot piece to each balloon and we’ll figure out where to put them when I get back.”

“We’ve got this. Go save dinner,” I said. He smiled and kissed me.

“Cam, grab those scissors. Carter, you man the roll of string.” Together we managed to cut about forty pieces of string, the same number of balloons we had. I started blowing up the balloons. The first one got away from me, but thankfully it was stopped by the canvas covering over the table. I stood on a chair to pull it back down.

“Slippery little buggers, aren’t they,” I said. The twins were giggling at my ineptitude.

“Here’s a string, Jack,” said Cam. I tied it around the closed end of the balloon and handed it to Carter.

“Maybe tie them to that chair over there – the bar across the back. Try not to tangle up the strings too much.”

We had all but two balloons flying high by the time Sam returned.

“Good news, guys. You’re getting pizza for birthday dinner.”

“Yes!” said Cam.

“Thank you, Uncle Sam,” said Carter, hugging his waist.

“Thank Jack. He gave up his special dinner for you to have yours.”

“I did?” I said.

“It was supposed to be a surprise. My mom was going to serve the same meal you made for me at your place in Hawaii. She said we can still do it later in the week.” 

“But…how…”

“She asked me what your favorite foods were, and it was that or steak and potatoes.”

I laughed. “Steak and potatoes are your favorites, Sam.” He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

“Thanks for doing pizza for us, Jack,” said Cam.

“You’re welcome. Come on, let’s get these balloons in place.” 

The four of us divided up the balloons. Carter and I hung balloons on the ladders leading into the pool, four in all. Cam and Sam found places around the deck to stage theirs. 

Sam helped me string the Japanese lanterns across the deck diagonally, and we plugged in the one end by the house to confirm they all worked. It was starting to look like a party. We unplugged the lights and cleaned up the mess. The rest of the party supplies were for the table, so we left those in the bin for now.

“Who wants a chicken rematch?” asked Sam.

“I do, I do,” shouted two voices with much jumping up and down. 

“Come on, Jack. Time to get wet again.”

“Did you call Ben?” I asked Sam, coming out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around my waist.

“Yeah. He’s going to have one of his people set up ten chairs in the best spot they can find on the parade route early in the morning.”

“How are we going to explain that to your family? Don’t you and your Dad usually go up together in the morning to set them up?”

“Yep. I’ll text Ben when we’re almost there. As we approach the spot, he’ll have his people remove the chairs they put up and suggest we set up in the same spot. Should work without a hitch.”

“Cool.”

“What did you and Kat talk about?” he asked, pulling on khaki shorts over his blue boxer briefs. 

His chest hair was still damp and all I wanted to do was bury my face in it. But we didn’t have time for that. Our chicken rematch ended in a two-two tie after an hour, when Kat called the boys in to shower and change clothes for the party.

“She just wanted to know a little more about me. Big sister stuff. Looking out for you.”

“She didn’t give you a hard time, did she?”

“Nope. It was fine. But we have to give her time to adjust to a new man being in your life again. She doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Never gonna happen,” he said, pulling me into a scorching kiss.

“Mmmm…never gonna happen,” I said. I rested my head against his damp chest. 

“If anybody messes with you, you need to let me know, okay?”

“Sam, everybody seems fine with me, so far. I’m good, I promise. I love your family. The boys are super fun. David seems nice. I haven’t spent much time with him. And Kat will be fine, once she knows she can trust me. It’s all good, big guy.”

“You haven’t met Aunt Myra yet. If she says anything, just try to ignore her, for my mother’s sake. Kat said she doesn’t think Myra and Gene know we’re here.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Right now I want to lead you to bed, but we can’t. Let’s shake it. The boys are waiting.”

We met David and Kat on the staircase, carrying up suitcases. They looked like the ones we’d brought in earlier.

“What’s goin’ on, Sis?” asked Sam.

“One guess. The wicked witch has arrived. She refuses to sleep in a room upstairs.”

“She has difficulty going up and down stairs?” I asked. Sam gave me a strange look.

“Hardly,” said Kat. “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. David and I can stay up here. It’s not a problem. We’re used to it. Besides, we can keep a better eye on the boys.”

Sam grabbed the suitcase out of Kat’s hand, and I followed her down to get the rest of their things. Sam and David came down right after us, and we finished the move in one trip.

“So tell me,” said Sam, looking at his sister as she opened up a suitcase and started distributing clothes into a closet.

“Let it go, Sam.”

“I want to know.”

“No…you don’t.”

“I’ll just ask, Mom, then.” He had a tone in his voice that set me on edge. He was pissed about something.

“Leave it alone. Don’t you dare ask Mom. She feels bad enough as it is. Tonight is about the boys’ party.”

“Fine. But if she starts anything, we’re outta here,” said Sam.

“Which is exactly what she wants. Don’t play into her hand,” said Kat, throwing a plastic bag full of toiletries on the bed. 

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Kat sighed. Sam looked at David, but he just turned his head, pretending to ignore us, and kept unpacking. The tension in the room was stifling.

“Oh, fucking hell!” said Kat. “Why does Aunt Myra always have to have a bug up her butt about something.”

“Spill it, Kat,” said Sam. She looked at David.

“Tell them. They have a right to know.”

Kat sighed and sat of the edge of the bed. “Sam, you know she’s the biggest homophobe on the planet, right? Apparently she saw you out in the pool with the twins. Mom hadn’t told her you were coming, so I guess she was surprised. Then she asked who the other young man was in the pool with you. When Mom said it was your boyfriend, and he’s staying with us this week, she pretended to almost faint, huffing and hyperventilating all over the dining room table. Uncle Gene got her calmed down, but she demanded to not have to sleep on the same floor with you guys.”

“Why?” I asked innocently.

Kat looked at me, and the dime dropped. Oh, crap.

“You’re kidding, right?” I said.

“No…she’s not,” said Sam, his voice laced with anger.

Nobody else said a word. I could feel tension crawl up and down my spine and the room started to spin. Sam sensed it and pulled me into a hug. 

“It’s okay, Jack. Relax. I’ll keep it together, I promise. But she’s not going to insult us like this, either.”

Feeling a little more steady on my feet, I looked over at Kat. She was silently pleading for me to do something. I looked up into Sam’s flaring blue eyes.

“Do you trust me?” I asked. He nodded. “Then here’s what we’re going to do. We ignore her. If she says something stupid, we don’t take the bait. We’ll avoid her as much as possible. We have to do this, Sam.”

“But Jack…” I put a finger to his lips.

“For your mom, Sam. She’s in a very tough spot right now. She’s doing her best to keep the peace. We have to help her. Come on,” I said, squeezing his arms. “We can do this. It’s only words. And after this week, we don’t ever have to see your aunt and uncle again.”

He looked into my eyes and thought long and hard about my plan. He nodded once.

“Fine. But I don’t like it.”

“I know, but Kat’s right, big guy. It’s not about us. It’s not about your aunt and uncle, either. It’s about Cam and Carter. We don’t want their party ruined over someone else’s small mindedness.”

“Here, here,” said David.

“Are we all agreed?” I asked. “We stick together, we do our best to ignore whatever dumbass comments or digs she throws at us, and we keep it moving for the kids’ sakes.” Everyone nodded.

“Thank you, Jack,” said David.

Kat put a hand on my arm. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, patting her hand. “It’s gonna be fine. We’ll get through this.”

“We’ll see.”

“We should go down,” said David. “Mom and Dad are alone with the kids and they’re antsy as all get out.”

The four of us descended to the main floor in pairs. Everyone else was now gathered out on the deck, most sitting around the table. Someone had put out the party decorations. They added the perfect touch of festivity. Cam saw us through the back door and came running.

“Uncle Sam, Jack. Come see our birthday cake. It’s so cool. It’s Lego.” They made a cake out of plastic building blocks?

Carter joined us around the kitchen island. The cake was a half sheet, chocolate cake, with white buttercream icing.  A large number of Lego pieces were scattered around the top of the cake, embedded in the icing around the blue lettering declaring “Happy Birthday, Cam and Carter.”

“You can’t eat those, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, we can. They’re made of sugar, right, Mama?” asked Cam.

“That’s what the lady at the bakery said. But I agree with Jack, those look like real Lego bricks.”

“Can we try one?” said Carter.

“Later, after dinner. Besides, we have to sing and light candles and make birthday wishes.”

“There you all are,” said Curtis from behind us. “Your mother wants you all out on the deck.” We slowly shuffled our way through the dining room and living room and out onto the deck.

A large stocky man with a deep receding hairline stood to the left, a wine glass in his hand. He saw Sam and stiffened his stance.

“Uncle Gene, good to you again,” said Sam, extending his hand. Gene hesitated, but went ahead and shook his hand.

“Sam.”

“Did you have a good flight in this morning?”

“It was fine. Hour delay in Atlanta, but you have to expect that sort a thing in such a cesspool of humanity. It’s a wonder anything ever works in that town.”

“I’d like to introduce my friend, Jack. He’s staying with us for the week. Jack Schaeffer, this is my uncle, Eugene Janzen.” I put out my hand and he looked at it like I had leprosy, but he did shake it. He let go quickly. I felt Sam stiffen next to me as I pulled my hand back to my side.

“Nice to meet you,” I said politely. He nodded, but said nothing.

“How’s business?” asked Sam, trying to start a conversation. I was proud of him for trying, but it was like pulling teeth.

“Can’t complain,” he mumbled.

“Dad told me you put in another line of injection molding equipment. Sales must be up.”

“A little. Too early to tell if it’ll pay off, but we’re optimistic.”

Turning to me, Sam said, “Uncle Gene’s company makes plastic parts for Toyota’s assembly plant near Lexington.”

“If you’ll excuse me, I need a refill,” said Gene. He walked over to a makeshift bar set up on a card table off to the side. The red plastic tablecloth already showed signs of spillage.

“That was rough,” whispered Sam.

“You’re doing great,” I whispered back.

“You ready to wade into the really deep water?”

“I am if you are.”

The doorbell rang. “Pizza’s here!” yelled Cam. He and Carter jumped up out of their seats.

“Woah, there, tiger,” said Curtis, wrapping his arm around Cam’s chest.  “Better let me get that. You boys find a seat at the table.”

“Dad, why don’t you let Jack and me pay for the pizza’s, since it was our idea,” said Sam.

“Nonsense, son. But you can help me carry them in.” We followed Curtis to the front door. When he opened it, I gasped. Ben was standing there, holding six large pizza boxes in his hands, wearing a visor emblazoned with a pizza parlor logo. Huh?

“Evening, sir. I have a delivery for Wainwright?”

“That’s us. What do I owe you?” He settled up with Ben, giving him a big tip. He handed the pizzas to Sam’s dad, and Sam took half of them from the top of the stack. When they walked away, Ben winked at me.

“You all have a good night,” he said, stepping backward.

“Wait,” I hissed, stepping out after him. “Did you and your team get dinner?”

“I followed your lead and ordered pizza, too. We’re good. Stop worrying about us. Looks like you’ve got your hands full tonight.”

I sighed. “Yeah. Pay attention – it could get ugly.”

“I’m on it. Be careful. A lot’s riding on this, Jack. But so far, the odds are looking in your favor.”

“Thank you,” I said. “Hey…you look good in that pizza getup. Goes with the gun and the whole tough guy image.”

He laughed. “Fuck off, Schaeffer. And get back inside.”

“You know you like me,” I said with a big grin as I stepped back inside. He gave me the finger, then turned and walked away, and I closed the door.

The boys loved their pizza. Thankfully everyone was too busy shoving food into their mouths for any unpleasantries. I caught a couple of odd glances in my direction from Aunt Myra, but I just smiled. She would look away when she realized she’d been caught.

Every single slice of pizza disappeared. Caroline and Kat had put together a delicious looking salad, but I think only one person ate any. Oh well, it would keep. I had pushed it and eaten four pieces of pizza. Now my stomach hurt.

“When can we have cake?” asked Carter. 

I groaned. “You can’t be serious. You both ate as much pizza as me.”

“We’s growing boys,” said Cam.

“‘We’re,” said Kat.

“Huh?” said Cam.

“You said it wrong,” whispered Carter.

“Oh. But we are.”

“You certainly are,” said Sam. Aunt Myra snorted and her husband patted her arm. She looked like she would explode under the pressure of keeping her mouth shut. Time to diffuse the situation.

“Hey guys, didn’t you say you had a new game you wanted to show Sam and me?” I asked.

“Yeah. It’s really cool. It’s called Clue.”

“You have to figure out who the murderer is. It’s awesome.”

“Oh my heavens,” said Aunt Myra. “Really, Kat. I always thought that game was quite violent, even when I was a little girl. Is this really wise?”

“It’s for eight years old and up,” said Cam.

“Yeah. And we’re nine today,” added Carter.

“It’s harmless,” said David. “Boys, wash your hands, and you can bring down the game. Maybe set it up on the living room floor.”

The boys took off. Sam pushed back from the table, motioning for me to follow with a head nod. We took our plates – we were using paper party plates, so no dishes – and the empty pizza boxes to the large trash bins behind the pool supplies closet at the edge of the deck.

Sam pounded his fists against the deck railing. “Can you believe that woman?” whispered Sam.

“Shhh. Somebody might hear you,” I whispered back. “I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she’s not making it easy. She really refused to sleep on the same floor as us?”

“I guess. You heard Kat. It doesn’t even make sense.”

“Nevermind. Let’s just play the game with the boys. They need something to distract them. So do I, quite frankly.”

“Me, too. Come on. They’ll be back down soon.”

We made one more round to clear the table of whatever was no longer in use. Myra actually thanked Sam and me for taking her dirty plates and napkins. That was a surprise. Go figure. We dumped the trash, then took turns using the downstairs guest bathroom. When I came out, Cam and Carter had the board game set up on the floor, and Sam was splayed out on his stomach, reading the instructions.

I joined them, and we had a blast discovering the murder was committed by Professor Plum with a dagger in the Library. Cam guessed wrong and was eliminated before Carter solved the case. It was great fun.

We started a second round, and after three turns apiece, Cam made a wild guess and solved the case. Carter was suitably impressed and high-fived his brother.

“How did you do that?” he asked.

Cam shrugged. “I don’t know. It just clicked in my head.”

“Cool,” said Sam.

“Way cool,” I said.

Kat stepped inside and asked, “You boys ready for cake and ice cream?” They jumped up and started shouting their approval. Silly question. She laughed, kissed their heads, and led them to the kitchen. The remaining adults slowly trickled in. Sam and I held back a bit. I worked on cleaning up the game off the floor. 

David whispered to Sam, “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay. The boys are a great distraction.”

“They have their uses from time to time,” said David with a grin.

“I’ve missed them.”

“They’ve missed you. I’m glad you’re back. I hope we can see you more once school starts. And for what it’s worth, Jack here is a keeper in my book.” He grinned at me.

I smiled. One more down. Yes!

Kat lit all eighteen candles –  nine on each side of the cake. “Wait till we sing, then you make a wish before you blow them out. Got it?”

“Yes, mama,” said Cam, rolling his eyes. Everyone laughed, and we started singing. I flashed back to my birthday party and how wonderful it was to be celebrated. I reached behind me for Sam’s hand and he grabbed it, stepping right up against my back.

Both boys closed their eyes and made a silent wish, then blew out their candles in one breath. The adults cheered, then dispersed around the dining room table or stood in the living room, giving Kat and her mom space to cut the cake and dish out the ice cream. David got the task of handing out servings to everybody.

“I scored you a big piece, Sam. I know how much you like chocolate cake.”

“Yum,” he said, shoving a big mouthful in. I waved David off with my piece.

“You sure you don’t want any?” he asked.

“I can’t. I’ll get sick. I think I swallowed too much pool water today. I’m good.”

“Suit yourself. More for the rest of us.” From the size of that cake, we’d be eating off of it all week.

The boys were made to sit at the dining room table next to their parents on one end. Myra and Caroline sat in the other two chairs. The rest of us stood nearby.

“What did you wish for, Cam?” asked Curtis.

“I can’t say, Grandpa. I might jinx it.”

“Oh, is that so? Well, I wouldn’t want you to do that. What about you, Carter? Care to share your secret with the rest of us?”

He looked at his father. “Can I say it?”

“Sure, if you want to. But you don’t have to,” said David.

And then he looked right at me. “I wished that Jack could be my uncle, just like Uncle Sam.”

I stopped breathing. I would have fallen back if Sam hadn’t been there to hold me up. 

“Oh, for the love of God!” said Myra under her breath, twisting in her chair so she didn’t have to look at Carter. Kat looked like she would commit murder with her bare hands, right there in the dining room. Question was, who was she gunning for? Me or Myra?

“Did I say something wrong?” asked Carter, looking like he was on the verge of tears. Cam reached out and grabbed his brother’s hand, looking to his dad for direction.

“Okay! Present time,” said David. He stood up and immediately herded the boys into the living room to sit in front of the TV. “You boys wait right here, and we’ll be back with a few surprises. Don’t move.”

“Jack and I have to get our present. It’s upstairs,” said Sam, pushing me toward the staircase. I felt like I was walking through quicksand. How I made it up the stairs I’ll never know. Sam manhandled me down the hall into our bedroom and closed the door behind us. I turned and literally fell into his arms.

He held me as I valiantly fought back tears. “Did you hear him, Sam? That precious little boy, who barely even knows me, used his one birthday wish to say he wants me to be his uncle. Holy crap! What do I say? What do we do? Oh my god – Kat. Is she mad? I didn’t even think? What have I done, Sam?”

“Would you stop for a second? Slow down, and breathe. That’s it…just breathe. Listen to me. You did everything right. That’s the point. They love you. When you were out with Kat on your walk, Cam and Carter told me they really, really like you, and they hope you and I stay together forever. I was going to wait to tell you after everyone went to bed. You’re a natural, Jack. They think you’re the bomb, as Cam put it.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. You are fucking awesome, you know that? You nailed it, Jack. My family loves you, just like I told you they would.”

“You think?”

“You heard David. And the boys. Yeah, you’re in. Way in.”

“I don’t know about Kat. She might be the hold out.”

“You said it yourself. She’ll need time to get her head around it. She’s the family protector. But once you’re in, she’ll fight for you the same as the rest of us. You’ll see.” 

“Crap! We have to get back down there or people will think something’s wrong. Where’d we put our present?”

He pulled it out of the closet, and grabbed my hand. I opened the door but he pulled me back. “I love you, little man,” he said, then he kissed me. I wanted to close the door and stay locked away forever with him, but we couldn’t. Our nephews were waiting for us.

Thankfully David’s diversionary tactic worked, as far as the boys were concerned. They opened several Lego kits from Aunt Myra and Uncle Eugene, each one something they had waited just forever for. They made a big show of hugs and kisses to thank them. If I’m not mistaken, Myra actually wiped away a few tears of joy, seeing their enthusiastic response to her gifts. Kids do bring out the best in people.

They were less excited about the new swimsuits and flip flops, or the beach toys from their grandparents. But when they opened two XBox 360 video games, they started jumping up and down, going wild. 

“Boys! Settle down, before you break something,” commanded Kat. They sat down, but their little bodies were bouncing on their butts all over the floor. I looked to the mantle, knowing Ben, or somebody, was watching all this. 

“This is what I wished for. For you and me,” said Cam to his brother. “An XBox 360.”

“But…these are just the games. How will we play them?” said Carter, looking around. They had opened all the presents.

“You might want to open this last one,” said Sam, holding out a large box, wrapped in Lego gift wrap. He set it carefully on the floor between them. You could see the nervous excitement pinging off of them as they stared at the box.

“You do it,” said Carter.

“No, you do it,” said Cam.

“You both do it at the same time,” said Sam. “1 – 2 – 3. Go”

Wrapping went flying as they tore into the package. It was the XBox 360 Gaming Console. Sam had convinced Kat to let him buy it for the boys. She had insisted it was too much money, but Sam prevailed. Now I knew why. 

“Really? You got this for us, Uncle Sam?” asked Cam, his hand caressing the box.

Sam crouched down to get closer to them. “Jack helped me. We knew you really wanted one. Do you like it?” They jumped up and ran into his arms. He closed his eyes and hugged them tightly. My heart melted on the spot. I looked at Kat, and she wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye. She looked at me and mouthed a silent thank you. I nodded.

The boys startled me by letting go of Sam and flinging themselves around my legs, nearly knocking me down. Carter looked up at me, his eyes glistening.

“Thank you, Uncle Jack.” 

“Yeah…thanks, Uncle Jack,” said Cam.

I put a hand on each of their heads. “You’re both very welcome. But whatever you do, don’t ask me to play that thing. I’m terrible at video games.” They laughed. Cam whispered in Carter’s ear, and he smiled. Then Cam whispered in Sam’s ear, and Sam started laughing.

“I’m not gonna tell him that. You tell him,” said Sam. Carter giggled. Cam smiled at me with a wicked grin.

“We’ve decided you have to play every game with us. That way we know we’ll always win.” The whole room cracked up, even Myra. 

The boys were happy, and my man was happy. So I was happy. Overall, it had been a very good day.

Which made me wonder why Sam’s father was looking at me from across the room like a witness about to be cross examined before a judge…

<– Previous Chapter | Next Chapter –>