Hello, My Name is... - 7. Chapter 7 I Think I Can. I Think I Can...

“Now, you’re sure you’re okay with this?” David asked one last time as he picked up his keys. He was both anxious and nervous at the same time.. He wanted more than anything for their lives to get back on track, but more importantly he needed Christian to want it as much as he did. He didn’t want him just going through the motions for the sake of him and the kids.

“I’ll be fine,” Christian assured him as he followed him to the door. “I’ll get the boys up after I have my coffee and get them off to school.”

“And you have the address?”

“It’s right here.” Christian waved the sticky note in his face.

“Okay.” David laughed in spite of himself. He took a deep breath and his features took on a serious nature. “Listen, Chris-“

“I know. I’ll be here when you get home and if I run into any problems I’ll call you,” he promised through a cheeky grin. “Scouts honor.”

David pressed his lips together and smiled, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. It was nice to see Christian smile. He looked rested and he had that sparkle in his eyes that David had missed so much. “Okay.” He stole a quick kiss on the cheek before Christian had time to step back or object. Christian opened his mouth to speak, but just shook his head instead and ushered David out the door. He rested his back against it and sighed contentedly.

“Okay.” He blew out an exhausting breath of air, pushed himself off the door and headed to pour himself a cup of coffee.

…

“Oh, I know right?” He agreed as he casually crossed one leg over the other and took another sip of coffee. He was on his second cup and the boys were still sleeping. He glanced at the clock noticing the time.

“No actually there’s so much stuff on my desk I don’t know where to begin. No, no, I’m not going to do too much,” He promised, “but I do need to start somewhere. Um-hum.” He nodded agreeing with Taggart.

Taggart had called to check on him, while he enjoyed his first cup of coffee, and he had to admit it was nice just catching up. He also realized during their conversation that he had some pretty big shoes to fill. He and David depended a lot on each other to run their household smoothly. “No, I’m sure he won’t mind. I’ll give him a call to make sure though. Yeah, I’d love to see Jimmy. Um-hum.” He nodded once more. “Well look, I need to go. I have to get the boys ready for school. Hey, watch your mouth now,” he warned through a light chuckle. “Yeah, I’ll call if I need anything, and we’ll see you guys tonight.” He smiled as he ended the call. He took a deep breath and hoisted himself from the chair. “Here goes nothing,” He sighed as he made his way toward the boys room.

…

“Okay, Liam, put this on,” He instructed as he pulled the red tee shirt from the drawer.

“But that’s not mine, Daddy, it’s Ethan’s.”

“Oh.” He squinted at the little shirt. They all looked the same to him. “Which drawer is yours?” He asked feeling slightly overwhelmed.

“This one.” Liam pointed to the second drawer. He scrunched up his nose confused by the question.

Christian took a frustrated breath and sighed. “Okay.” He pulled the drawer open, and pulled out a yellow polo shirt. “What about this one?” He asked, his tone hopeful.

“Nuhuh.” Liam crossed his little arms over his chest and shook his head.

“What? This is your shirt, isn’t it?” Christian asked, holding the tiny shirt up for Liam to see.

“Umhum.” He nodded.

“Well then, what’s wrong with is one?”

“That color washes me out,” Liam explained like a big boy.

“What?” Christian creased his brows. “Who said that?”

“You did, Daddy.” Liam giggled.

“Oh.” Christian sighed. “Well let’s get another one then.” He smiled as he folded the shirt neatly and put it back in the drawer.

“Daddy, I’m phinished!” Ethan yelled from the restroom.

“I’ll be right there Ethan, hold on!” Christian yelled over his shoulder even as he rifled through Liam’s drawer to find another shirt.

“Daddy, can I wear my blue jeans? We go outside today.”

“Sure,” he replied whimsically, his mind still preoccupied on his current task.

“Daddy, all done!” Ethan yelled again.

“Okaayyy!” Christian yelled exasperatedly.

“I need socks, Daddy.”

“Whew,” Christian breathed, exhausted. “And what drawer are they in?”

“That one.” Liam pointed his chubby little finger to the bottom one, tilting his head slightly looking at his father as if he had two heads.

“All done, Daddy,” Ethan giggled his voice sounding closer than before. Christian glanced back over his shoulder and did a double take with his eyes wide and his mouth agape. There stood Ethan; bare bottomed, his arms and chest wet, holding out his potty chair. “Look, Daddy,” He said proudly. “All done!”

“Ethan.” Christian sighed, slapping the palm of his hand against his forehead. “Oh boy…” He uncrossed his legs and pushed himself off the floor.

“Daddy, I need a shirt,” Liam reminded him.

“It’s your lucky day, Son; you get to pick which one you want to wear,” he stated as he hurried to meet Ethan who was spilling pee with every step.

“YAY!” Liam exclaimed excitedly.

“Come here, you little munchkin.” Christian grabbed the potty chair from his son’s hand before taking his hand into his own and carefully guiding him to the restroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Why aren’t you potty trained already?” He asked rhetorically.

“Potty! YAY! I did it!” Ethan giggled as he was dragged out the room.

…

With both Ethan and Liam now clean and dressed, Christian embarked on his next task…Breakfast. He filled Ethan’s Sippy cup with milk before giving Liam a cup of juice.

“Okay, boys, what will we have for breakfast?” He clasped his hands together with enthusiasm. “I can do this,” he muttered under his breath.

“Pancakes!” Liam exclaimed excitedly.

“Candy!” Ethan yelled while clapping his hands.

“Okay, guys.” Christian placed his hands on his hips and pouted teasingly. “No candy, Ethan. I’m sorry, Buddy.” Christian poked out his bottom lip. “And, Liam I don’t think we have time for pancakes.”

“Pancakes,” Ethan said two beats later, before grinning and sticking his fingers in his mouth.

“How about oatmeal?” Christian sang merrily trying to entice them.

“No, no, no,” Ethan chanted, cupping his hands over his mouth while shaking his head vehemently. “Nasty.”

“We don’t like that stuff,” Liam explained speaking for the both of them.

“Why not? It’s good for you,” Christian reasoned while reaching for the container of oats.

“We want pancakes, right Ethan?” Liam asked receiving a quick nod from his little brother even as he reached for his Sippy cup.

“Pancakes,” Ethan repeated.

Christian sighed and continued making oatmeal. “Sorry, guys, I’m going to have to pull the ‘daddy card’ on this one,” he said under his breath.

While he prepared the oatmeal, he and the boys talked casually. Liam tried to teach his dad a song he’d learned from school, and when they weren’t singing Christian quizzed Ethan on his primary colors by pointing out objects in the kitchen. It took longer than usual because he had to familiarize himself with the kitchen, but after a few minutes the oatmeal was finished.

“Okay, guys, all done,” He announced even as he spooned oatmeal into each of their bowls.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Liam frowned disappointedly, but was polite about it.

“Here, you go Ethan.” Christian smiled as he placed the bowl in front of him. Ethan frowned and pushed himself back from the table. “Be careful, it’s hot,” Christian warned. He turned to get the honey when he heard a crash behind him. He glanced down at the spinning bowl and noticed oatmeal all over the floor.

“Uh-oh…” Ethan giggled before stuffing his fingers in his mouth.

“Ethan!” Liam chided. “Daddy, Ethan knocked over his oatmeal!”

“I see,” Christian replied slightly winded while reaching for the paper towels. “It’s okay, accidents happen. We can clean it up and get him another bowl.”

“But he did it on purpose,” Liam stated matter-of-factly.

“Nasty,” Ethan said covering his face with his hands.

Christian took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. He wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. He couldn’t remember what type of disciplinarian he had been, but at the same time, he didn’t want Ethan to think it was okay to behave that way.

“You gonna spank him, Daddy?” Liam asked with a mischievous grin.

He pondered the question, trying to decide what to do. “Ethan.” He smiled kindly. “Did you do that on purpose?” He asked in a kind, even tone.

“Purpose,” Ethan parroted. He gestured with his hands and shrugged his shoulder his eyes filled with curiosity as if he didn’t understand what the word meant. Christian covered his mouth to hide his amusement. He needed to be serious.

“Did you knock over your oatmeal because you didn’t want it?” He tried asking the question in a different way but received the same reply. “Shit,” he mouthed still perplexed at what to do. He glanced at Liam who was sitting with his arms folded, resting on the table as if he was watching a chess match and it was his father’s next move. Then the idea hit him. “Okay.” Christian sighed as he hoisted Ethan out of his chair. “Come on little guy, you’re going to clean up your mess,” He informed his son while sitting him down on the floor. Ethan drew his face into a disapproving scowl as his daddy handed him a wad of paper towels. “Have at it.” Christian nodded to the mess on the floor and crossed his arms over his chest. He was feeling quite pleased of himself because he was sure Ethan did dump his bowl on purpose.

“Pffff…” Liam huffed, narrowing his gaze at his little brother. It was obvious to Christian that Liam was hoping for a spanking.

“You.” He pointed to his son. “Eat,” he warned sternly before turning his attention back to Ethan who was struggling to clean the floor. He was smearing more oatmeal then he was cleaning up, but that was beside the point. He was using the ‘Natural Consequence method,’ he remembered learning in college. He opted not to spank, because according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, spanking could result in making children more aggressive, or even violent, thinking it’s OK to physically hurt someone you love.

After a few minutes of watching Ethan make a bigger mess not only on the floor but also on his hands he decided to intervene.

“Okay, okay, Son, that’s enough.” Christian squatted down eye level with Ethan. He gave his son a kind smile even as he took the paper towels from him and proceeded to clean off his little hands. “Ethan.” His tone was calm and even. “It’s not nice to knock over your food, just because you don’t want to eat it,” he counseled meeting Ethan’s frightened gaze head on. “The next time you do this, you will get a time out,” he promised. He was sure Ethan understood by the crestfallen expression and tears that filled his big blue eyes. Ethan poked out his bottom lip, deepening his frown and lowered his head.

“Look at daddy.” He lifted Ethan’s chin to meet his warm smile and his heart almost broke into a million pieces. His son’s deep blue eyes were filled with tears and his bottom lip quivered as if he would burst out crying at any second. Christian took a deep breath and continued his reprimand. “You have to be a good boy for daddy, okay?” He encouraged as he pulled Ethan into his embrace. “And if you want to be big and strong like daddy and me, you have to eat your oatmeal.”

“Okay, Daddy.” He pouted and lowered his head. “I sorry,” he apologized while wringing his little fingers together tightly.

“Apology accepted.” Christian smiled lifting himself and Ethan off the floor. Ethan wrapped his arms tightly around Christian neck preventing him from putting him down, holding on to his dad just a little longer.

“Luv you, Daddy,” He said before giving Christian a wet kiss on the cheek.

“I love you too, Son,” Christian caught himself saying and at that moment he knew he meant it.

“More oatmeal, please.” Liam smiled holding up his empty bowl.

“Heeyyy,” Christian laughed. “I thought you didn’t like oatmeal.”

“I want to be big and strong like you.” He pointed his chubby little finger at him.

“Me too,” Ethan cheered happily.

~*~*~

It felt like he had been talking for hours when in reality it had only been thirty minutes. Christian managed to get the boys off to school without any more mishaps. He was warmly greeted by the boy’s teachers and by other staff members he didn’t remember, but it felt nice to know they all seemed to like him, maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

He called David before he left the house and promised to text him when he arrived at the doctor’s office, which he did. So now here he was hoping this man could help him regain his memory, perform a miracle…come on miracle.

He watched Dr. Reeder jotting down notes; he hadn’t looked up for a while, he would just wave the pen motioning for him to continue. He felt he’d rambled on enough and didn’t have anything left to say.

“That’s it.” He shrugged and took a deep breath. Dr. Reeder looked up and smiled kindly and finally put the pen to the side.

“So seeing the picture of you and your family didn’t jar anything at all?” He questioned curiously.

“No.” Christian shook his head. “It was like looking at someone else’s family with me stuck in the middle.”

“But it’s your family, Christian,” he pointed out objectively.

“I did recognize Ethan’s smell,” he interjected, hoping to gain some points with the doctor.

Dr. Reeder arched his brow quizzically and fumbled through his notes. “Your youngest son,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Yeah.”

“And how did that make you feel?”

“I don’t know. Was I supposed to feel something?” He questioned.

“Maybe,” he stated simply. “There are several factors involved in regaining memory. Two are simple, Recall and Recognition. Remembering your son’s scent would fall under recognition, that’s how you respond to a sensory cue. You look at something or in this case smell something and your mind goes to work, searching to see if there’s any stored memory of it,” He explained. “And in this case, there was.”

Christian nodded thoughtfully as he absorbed what the doctor was saying.

“Then there’s ‘recall’ memory, meaning you obtain information without having a cue prompt the response. You essentially draft the memory without any assistance.”

“Like Tag.”

“Your friend.” The doctor nodded. “Yes. You said as soon as you saw him you recognized him right away.”

“I did.”

The doctor shifted in his seat and picked up his pen. “And then there’s your husband.”

Christian wasn’t sure why, but referring to David as he husband made him feel uncomfortable, though he was sure that’s what he was. He just wasn’t processing that information properly.

“Yeah.” Christian sighed. “What about him?” He asked nonchalantly.

“There’s nothing about him, nothing at all, that you remember?”

Christian took a deep breath and pondered the doctor’s question. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand thinking long and hard. Truthfully, David was great. It appeared their life together was great. But it wasn’t the house, the kids, or the huge family portrait that hung over the mantle that stirred something within him. It wasn’t that at all. It was the way David’s fingers traced effortlessly over his skin causing it to tingle every time he touched him. The way his deep blue eyes penetrated his soul every time he looked at him. And though their lips only touched for brief moments at a time, David’s mouth left a scorching burn on his lips long after the kiss ended. He may not have remembered their past, but the taste of David’s mouth and the way he felt when he was around was creating new memories.

“Christian?” The doctor’s voice was soft and calm, pulling him out of his reverie.

“Huh?” Christian shook his head coming out of his daze.

“You mean to tell me nothing about your husband jars your memory?” He asked with a hint of disbelief.

Christian chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked away before speaking. “I’m finding myself attracted to him,” he admitted faintly.

“Good,” The doctor said simply with no sign of emotion present.

Christian’s jaw relaxed and he glared at Dr. Reeder incredulously. “Wait. I just tell you I’m attracted to a man and all you have to say is ‘good’. I just poured out my soul and all I get is a good?” He griped.

“You admitting that you’re attractive to your husband does not constitute pouring out your soul last time I checked,” The doctor rebutted teasingly trying to lighten the mood. “And besides, I was starting to worry.”

“Why?”

“Christian, you’ve been with David for…” He looked through the documents. “Almost six years. You’re raising a family together and you keep saying you’re not gay. You admitting that you’re attracted to him is a step.” He said as he set the pen down, and clasped his fingers together. “My concern is that you’re blocking this part of your life out for a reason.”

“Oh.” Christian nodded slowly.

“It’s obvious you’re gay yet you’re in denial,” he explained. “And this may not have anything to do with memory loss as much as you’re actually blocking out something. Something you don’t want to remember,” he said meeting Christian’s concerned gaze head on. “I have some techniques I want you to try over the next few days and I want to see you back here on Monday,” he said as he reached for his pad and pen.

~*~*~

“He wants me to come back on Monday,” Christian informed David as he swirled around in his chair.

Things were going pretty much on schedule, to his surprise, and he had a few of hours to himself before he had to pick up Liam and Ethan from school. He decided to try one of the exercises the doctor suggested. ‘Reassessing’ his personal belongings. And what better place to start, than in their office. He sat down at his desk and went to work. Looking over blueprints, sketches and contracts that he’d signed. He was actually studying them this time, that’s when David had called to check in.

“It sounds like that went well.”

“It did.”

“That’s good. I’m glad it went okay. What about getting the boys off to school how did that go?”

“Well,” Christian chuckled and shook his head. “Ethan dragged pee all over the house so I had to clean that up and they tried to challenge me, but in the end Daddy ruled.”

He heard David laugh on the other end of the phone.

“What did they do now?”

“They didn’t want to eat their oatmeal.”

“They don’t like oatmeal,” David informed him.

“They do now,” Christian stated proudly.

“Really?”

“It took a little persuading, but...”

“I’m impressed,” David voiced. “You were the one who decided to stop forcing them to eat it. You said it was too much work and with Ethan always knocking his bowl over...”

“Really?” Christian furrowed his brows together tightly. “I didn’t remember that.” He said more to himself. “If we didn’t feed the boys oatmeal, why do we have it?”

“Um… Because we eat it.” David laughed, amused.

“Ohhh.” Christian laughed as well.

“Anyway, I’m glad everything is okay,” David stated, sounding genuinely relieved. “I’ve got to go. I have a meeting in five minutes.”

“Oh, okay. But before I let you go, I was wondering if it would be okay if Tag and Jimmy stopped by this evening? Nothing fancy,” He added quickly. “Just have a glass of wine, maybe.”

“Sure, Baby, anything you want. I was thinking about taking you and the boys out to dinner that way we don’t have to cook.”

Christian ran his hand over the scar behind his ear. The hair had pretty much covered the incision, so he hesitantly agreed. “Sure. And maybe Tag and Jimmy can come over after we put Ethan and Liam to bed.”

“Sounds good.”

Christian took a relaxing breath and smiled. “So I’ll see you when you get off,” he stated more than asked with a hint of excitement in his voice that he was hoping David didn’t pick up on.

“With bells on,” he assured him.

They were about to hang up the phone when Christian’s eyes rested on the calendar. “Um, David?” He said catching him before he hung up.

“Yes, Baby?”

“I noticed on my calendar I have this Friday circled in red, do you know why?”

“Oh, yeah. We’re having an awards dinner for the top producers in the company Friday night,” he explained.

“Really?” Christian asked with excitement. “That’s cool. Are you one of the top producers?”

“Yeah,” David answered modestly. “But I told them we couldn’t make it.”

“Why?” Christian frowned already knowing the answer. He didn’t like the fact that he was the reason they’re lives had changed so drastically.

“Well, with the accident and all….”

“We should go. I mean it’s not everyday someone make top producer, right.” Christian remarked proudly.

“We don’t have to.” David stressed, being considerate of his husband’s situation and feelings.

“I want to.” He scratched behind his ear curiously. “Um, do they know you’re married to me? The people at the office I mean?” He winced and ducked his head.

“Of course, Christian. I’m a happily married man and they know it. My desk is filled with pictures of us and the kids.”

“And they’re okay with it?”

“I guess. I honestly don’t care whether they like it or not.” He shrugged. “I’m sure there are some who don’t, but we have a ‘No Tolerance’ policy so…”

“Do we have to dress up?”

“It’s ‘black tie’.”

Christian thought about it for a moment and nodded. “I want to try,” He commented convincingly. “You never know, it might help.”

“It certainly couldn’t hurt, but that’s if you’re positively sure, Chris,” David stated sincerely. “I don’t care about some dinner. All I care about is you and you getting your memory back.”

Christian sighed and scratched between his brows. “I know. I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen.” He took a deep breath trying to still his nerves. “I better let you get going. You don’t want to be late for your meeting. After all, the ‘Top Producer’ of the company can’t be late. It wouldn’t look good. Not to mention they may take your award away,” he teased.

“Okay.“ David laughed lightly. “Love you.” He hung up before Christian could say anything. Christian wondered if he did it on purpose. Either way he was glad he did, that way he wouldn’t feel obligated to say something in return.

He set the phone aside and exhaled deeply. A small smile creased his lips. He couldn’t explain it but he suddenly felt a warmth envelop his body and it felt nice.

“Back to the memory board,” he said jokingly as he cracked his knuckles. His eyes darted over the desk trying to decide what to do next. He glanced at the time, noticing he had two hours before it was time to pick up the boys.

…

Christian leaned over and whispered in Taggart’s ear as if it were some secret reveal. “I had my first therapy appointment today.”

“I know,” Taggart whispered back as he poured the wine into the glasses. “What did he say and why are we whispering? It’s not like he doesn’t know.”

“Oh, yeah,” Christian replied, his voice returning to its normal volume.

“Did he tell you how wonderfully gay your life is? Or what an amazing man, who by the way would do anything in the world for you, your husband is? Or maybe what monstrous children you guys have, who worship the ground both of you walk on.” Taggart rolled his eyes feigning disgust. His playful scowl quickly turning into a smile.

“Tag!” Christian laughed shaking his head as he cut the garlic bread into small squares.

“Well.” Taggart shrugged with that southern accent that had that twang that said yes, ‘I’m gay what about it?’

“I know.” Christian blushed.

“Oh, wait. Did he tell you what a perfectly non-perfect life you have? Hummm.” He bounced his brows teasingly.

“Nooo.” Christian grinned as he set the knife aside, “But he did tell me that I’m possibly blocking this part of my life out for a reason,” he stated frankly.

“I’m not a doctor, nor do I have a degree, but he might be right. I mean, you seem to be accepting the kids. It’s David and your relationship you seem to have a problem with,” he added further.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I like David, he’s patient with me and I know that he loves me.”

“More than anything.” Taggart nudged his shoulder with his own. “And, as quiet as it’s kept, you love him too.”

Christian blushed and nibbled on his lower lip. “And he is cute.” He stated with a dreamy faraway look in his eyes.

“Yeah.” Taggart pursed his lips. “If that’s what you like, and apparently you do.” He grinned; causing Christian’s already reddened cheeks to burn. “He’s too young and too preppy for me.”

“Heyyy, He’s only a couple of years younger than me and he’s so not preppy,” Christian defended, even as he picked up the knife again.

“I see you.” Taggart smirked. “Defend your man. All in the name of love…right?”

“Whatever.” Christian sighed exaggeratedly.

“But, he is your husband; you’re supposed to defend him,” Taggart said while placing the glasses filled with wine on the silver tray. I’ve got room.” He nodded for Christian to put the bread and roasted garlic butter on the tray as well.

“Thank you,” He said with a twist of the shoulder as he sauntered pass his friend.

“Hon, you better wake up and claim what’s rightly yours.” Taggart rolled his eyes as he picked up the tray and heading for the living room.

Christian’s expression was thoughtful as he followed his friend into the living room. He caught sight of David’s profile and Dr. Reeder’s words as well as Taggart’s flooded his mind. He smiled softly noticing the state of contentment he displayed. He was actually the perfect host to their guest and he didn’t seem to mind this impromptu get together.

When they entered the room, David and Jimmy were engrossed in a conversation about Harley’s. Jimmy was the manager, head mechanic, and owner of his own Harley Shop. Second to Taggart, motorcycles were his life.

Jimmy stood about six foot-five, with a thick build, though not heavy. His thick curly black mane was worn short and tapered on one side and around the nape of his neck, and on the other side he allowed his curly locks to cascade down the side of his face. Like his partner, his body was littered with tattoos and body piercings. His style of dress fit his personality. You never saw him out of his usual attire; a pair of starched riding jeans, a clean crisp white tee shirt and a leather or suede vest of some sort with a pair of the latest riding boots. Taggart made sure Jimmy looked good wherever he went; it was obvious he was a kept man and he was his man.

After their conversation over breakfast the other day, Christian was sure David could give a hoot about motorcycles, but Jimmy would never know it by the seemingly interested expression David had, he was giving him his undivided attention.

“Jimmy,” Taggart said his name as only he could, grabbing his attention immediately.

“Yeah, Babe.” Jimmy looked up quickly using his hand to push his hair back out of his face.

“I need help.”

“Yeah.” Both Jimmy and David jumped up. Jimmy took the tray from Taggart while David made room on the table.

“Looks good,” David complimented as he swiped a piece of bread and dipped it into the garlic butter.

“No double dipping,” Taggart warned sternly with an arched brow even as David stuffed the bread into his mouth. Christian laughed as he sat down on the sofa, but not before grabbing a glass of wine. He took a small sip and watched David lowering himself down on the floor beside him, resting his back against the sofa as Taggart handed him and Jimmy their glasses.

“Thank you.” David saluted before taking a sip. Christian smiled for no apparent reason as he glanced down at the handsome man beside him. “Claim what’s rightly yours.” Taggart’s words ran in his head. ‘Was this man truly his?’ He wondered.

“I think this cause for a toast.” Jimmy grinned from ear to ear before taking a sip of his wine.

“A toast,” Taggart parroted, sending Jimmy an adoring glance.

David looked up and smiled receiving an approving nod from his husband. Everyone stood up, holding out their glasses and waiting for Jimmy to make the toast, since it was his idea.

“Here’s to great friends.” He nodded toward David and Christian. “To the best partner in the world. My world wouldn’t be the same without you in it.” He winked at Taggart causing him to squeak out an excited giggle.

“He is the only partner you’ve had,” David pointed out jokingly, receiving an elbow to the ribs from his husband, which caused everyone to laugh, including David.

“Ouch.” He stumbled backwards clutching his side.

“Watch yourself,” Christian warned sending him a teasing glare.

“He’s right you know,” Jimmy laughed. “That’s beside the point. I don’t think I could have found a better man to spend my life with. But more importantly I want to toast to Chris. You had us worried. Welcome back, man.” He saluted.

“To Chris,” Everyone echoed Jimmy’s sentiments while clinking their glasses together.

“To Christian.” David pressed his lips together and smiled.

“Thank you.” Christian took a deep breath. “I don’t remember much, so I’m depending you guys to help me.”

“Sure,” Everyone agreed as they glanced around the room.

“Especially you, David.”

“I got you,” David replied faintly. He bit his lower lip locking gazes with Christian. Blue eyes filled with determination meeting hopeful brown ones.

…

“Good lord,” Taggart pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed exaggeratedly, “If we keep babysitting your litter monsters, we’ll never want to have kids of our own.”

“I don’t know, Babe, that little one makes a mighty fine handyman,” Jimmy stated with a straight face. “And Liam loves to ride on the back of my Harley, shit, I was even thinking about teaching him how to ride.”

David stopped chewing and almost choked. His eyes were wide as saucers even as he attempted to object.

Christian laughed and shook his head. “Please, don’t get him started,” he warned.

“Oh, silly, he knows we’re only kidding.” Taggart laughed boisterously.

“I wasn’t.” Jimmy shrugged nonchalantly while reaching around Taggart for his glass of wine.

“Stop it!” Taggart swatted playfully. Both Christian and David shared a look before taking a sip of their wine and breaking out in contagious laughter.

They spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking about old times. Some were embarrassing, but most of them were just down right funny. Though the recent ones didn’t jar any memories, the childhood ones with him, Taggart, and Jimmy back in Mississippi did. The biggest benefit was Christian was learning a lot about David. Not only was he smart, a great partner and father, but he had an incredible sense of humor and liked to pull practical jokes. It made him kind of sad because with everything going on he was missing that side of him.

They ended the evening early and Christian escorted their guests to the door while David gathered up the glasses and took them to the kitchen.

“Okay, so we’ll drop the boys off around 6:30 on Friday night, if that’s okay.”

“That’s fine. Jimmy just bought a whole bunch of kiddie movies-“

“Not to mention it’s Friday Night Smack Down,” Jimmy chimed in excitedly. “Shamus. Shamus. Shamus,” Jimmy chanted jokingly.

“Lord, I don’t know what he sees in that pasty white man when he as all this over here.” Taggart rolled his eyes teasingly.

“Um, maybe it’s the accent,” jimmy shot back.

“Accent my sweet ass. I got your accent,” Taggart pursed his lips before leaning back and placing a quick kiss on his Jimmy’s mouth. “Mmm…” They both moaned approvingly.

“Anyway,” Taggart smiled lovingly at Jimmy before turning his attention back to Christian and David. “We can pop popcorn and order a pizza, but no pepperoni, Ethan threw up last time he ate them,” he recalled.

It amused him that as much as Taggart talked about the kids being little brats, it appeared he was actually very fond of them and went out of his way to make sure they had a good time when they were around him. And the comment about Ethan getting sick off of pepperoni didn’t get past him. It was stuff like that he wanted desperately to remember. Were their shots updated? Were they allergic to anything? These where just a few questions that any good parent should know the answers to.

“The kitchen’s all clean and I put the glasses in the dishwasher,” David announced as he stepped up behind Christian.

“Thanks,” Christian glanced back over his shoulder and smiled. David returned the smile even as he turned his attention to Taggart and Jimmy, absentmindedly placing his hand on the small of his husband’s back. Christian stiffened slightly but soon relaxed, taking a deep breath.

“Thanks for coming over guys.”

“You know how we do it, David. I’m just so glad that Chris is okay.” Taggart smiled before pulling his friend into a hug. “I’ll call you tomorrow,” He said as he tightened his hold on Christian. He released him and smiled. “I have to work at the shop with Jimmy tomorrow, earn my place in his bed.” He giggled, “but I’m just a phone call away.” He assured him.

“I’ll be fine,” Christian replied as he stepped back toward David. “But if I have any problems I’ll call you.”

Jimmy looked into the night and held out the palm of his hand. “Come on, Sweets, we better get going. I think it’s going to rain,” he said as he pulled his riding gloves from his back pocket.

“Bye fellas,” Taggart waved and stepped off the porch. “And please do something I would do and then some,” He teased.

“Okay.” Christian laughed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“He’s so crazy,” David chuckled while waving good-bye. He and Christian stood in the doorway and watched as Taggart and Jimmy rode off into the night. Jimmy revved the engine once more before the bike disappeared out of sight.

“That was nice,” David admitting while allowing Christian to go inside before him.

“It was,” Christian agreed. He stepped back and watched as David closed and locked the door.

“Are you ready for bed?” David asked as he closed the space between them.

“Yeah,” Christian replied, subconsciously stepping back slightly. He couldn’t help but notice the crestfallen expression that appeared on David’s face and it saddened him. “I’m sorry. He frowned as he reached out for him.

“It’s okay.” David cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “I’m going to take my shower and go to bed. I’ll check in on you, if that’s okay.” He bobbed his head quickly.

“Please do.” Christian smiled sadly.

They made sure all the lights were off and the kitchen sliding glass door was locked before parting ways in the hall, David going one way and Christian heading to the guestroom.

…

His mind was going in so many directions when he stepped into the bedroom. He took the towel that was draped around his waist and used it to dry his hair before tossing it to the floor. Today went better than he expected, and he figured he was going to like Dr. Reeder.

He pulled up his pajamas and sat down on the edge of the bed wondering if there was any truth to what the doctor said about him blocking out his memory on purpose. ‘What could have happened?’ He furrowed his brows, shaking his head in confusion. He was about to pull his shirt over his head when his cell phone vibrated on the table. He squinted at the caller ID not recognizing the number. It wasn’t Taggart’s. He reached for the phone before glancing at the time noticing it was almost eleven o’clock.

“Hello?” He answered cautiously. He squinted when he recognized the voice on the other end. “Mom?”