Cards on the Table - 44. Chapter 44 The Waiting Game

Cards on the Table

Chapter 44

The sounds of laughter coming from the kitchen captured Michael and Kendall’s attention. The house was finally sounding the way it should have all along with a young boy in it. It was still Sunday morning in the Aceto household, although noon was fast approaching. Kendall could hear the sizzling of what he presumed to be home fries getting reheated. The thrumming of the microwave indicated the mountain of scrambled eggs and pile of bacon they’d left on the table were being given fresh warmth. He'd eaten a decent portion of his breakfast while talking to Nate, but he’d make room for more of Colleen’s cooking, and this time, he'd enjoy it.

“So what are we going to do? What are you thinking about?” Michael’s questions brought Kendall’s focus back to the living room. Their hands were still clasped as they continued to sit on the couch.

“I’m thinking Nate is acting so different from when we first arrived. He’s back to being that happy kid I remember, the one I used to love kibitzing with. He’s been through so much, but he’s a tough little cookie.”

“He’s not so little anymore, though. He’s grown like a frigging weed since he was here last. I was blown away when I first laid eyes on him.”

Kendall laughed. “So was I. He looks so much like you, it’s freaky.”

“So what you’re saying is, he’s a good-looking kid,” Michael said with a smug grin.

“Yup, that’s exactly what I’m saying. He sure doesn’t look fourteen. What did you mean when you asked me... what were we going to do?”

“Like you said, Mom’s on high alert, so do we tell them right away, or let her figure it out… because you know she will?”

“Well, if we tell them right away, we’ll be taking away some of Nate’s fun, and the kid is dying to tease us,” Kendall answered with eyes twinkling.

“That’s a good point. He’s had one hell of a tough week. You’re amazing, the way you always think of others first. It’s one of the million reasons why I love you.” Michael leaned in and gave his fiancé a kiss to prove his point. It was cut short by the sound of a snicker and Nate’s voice as he poked his head around the corner into the living room.

“Sorry to interrupt, but are you guys gonna have some more breakfast? Everything’s ready.” He snickered again, before pulling his head back.

Kendall heard Nate mumble something to his grandparents that was followed by rather raucous laughter from Colleen and Big Mike. “I think the little bugger is making fun of us, Ace,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s go. We’ll play it by ear, all right?”

“No plan is a good plan,” Michael opined, and Kendall let out a snort.

This time there was no tension at the table as everyone settled back into their seats. “So, do you guys kiss a lot?” Nate questioned as he looked slyly across at his two uncles.

Michael looked at Kendall before turning back to his nephew. “That is none of your business, you little pissant,” he teased, his eyes giving away that his stern frown was a mock one. He picked up a slice of bacon from his plate, and started chewing on it, ignoring Nate.

“We kiss all the time, Nephew, if you must know. Love does that to you. I hope that satisfies your curiosity, because that’s all you’re getting,” Kendall said with a smirk.

Big Mike, sitting at the end of the table, leaned in to Nate, and whispered, “They’re still in the newlywed phase. You know, that lovey-dovey-eat-your-face-all-the-time phase.”

That sent Nate of into a fit of giggling, and after a particularly long succession of them, he muttered, “Not yet, but they will be.” He started to giggle again, and then he stopped and blushed, realization showing on his face that he may have let the cat out of the bag.

Kendall glanced surreptitiously at Colleen, who had stopped to look at her grandson in mid-chew. He waited, knowing something was going to click. She might be exhausted, but Colleen was one sharp woman. Sure enough, he watched her swallow at the same time her eyes widened. Her eyes swiveled from her suddenly quiet, red-faced grandson to the two men sitting across from him, both studiously eating part-two of their breakfasts. Kendall chanced another glance and saw Colleen’s eyes watching their moving hands.

“Oh my God. My boys are engaged?” Colleen’s voice rose with each syllable. “Stop trying to hide your hand, Michael. Is that what those rings mean, or did you…?”

Michael shook his fist at Nate, while Kendall laughed and stuck his tongue out at the kid. “Go ahead, Nephew… tell your Grams and Gramps what they mean.” Both he and Michael were smiling.

“No, I… yeah? Do you want me to, really?” The boy looked confused, and a little embarrassed.

“Go ahead,” Michael said. “You’ve been dying to… now put your grams out of her misery.” He chuckled as he surveyed his mother, who was looking none too patient.

“Um, Grams and Gramps,” Nate looked nervously from one curious face to the other, “My uncles are engaged… they’re gonna have a wedding and everything,” he gushed out at the end, eliciting a squeal from Colleen.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” was all Michael Sr. managed to get out before his wife took over.

“Oh, my dear boys,” she said in wonder. “When did this happen? Lord, this is such wonderful news. Who asked who? Tell me how it happened.”

Kendall grinned at Nate. “Happy now?” he asked, as Colleen continued to throw out more questions.

“Yup.” Nate delivered a blazing smile to Kendall, while Michael tried to slow his mother down.

“Mom, Mom, hold on and we’ll tell you. I asked Kendall to marry me on Friday afternoon after he got home from work, and he said yes, of course. Babe, you take over,” he said, passing the baton to his fiancé. Colleen had grabbed her son's hand and was staring at his ring in awe.

“These are so beautiful. Who picked these out? Did you both pick them out?”

“No, Mom.” Kendall laughed as he told her, “Michael picked them out all by himself, and they’re perfect. Everything he did was perfect. He caught me by complete surprise. He got down on one knee in front of the tree, with the tree lights on, and candles all around us, and he had the most beautiful song playing… it was something I’ll never forget as long as I live. Then he took me to dinner and there were a dozen red roses on our table, just waiting for me.” Kendall looked around the table to see he had everyone’s rapt attention… Nate’s mouth was hanging open… but the person who mattered most was staring at him with complete adoration, his eyes shimmering with the moisture of emotion... of love. Kendall locked eyes with him, and they spoke without words, drawing together until they were hugging.

“You guys are so awesome,” Nate blurted out, but softly, almost dreamily, and Kendall understood what he had just seen between two men had meant to him. On closer inspection, he could see tears filling the boy’s eyes. He quickly brushed them away, and anyone who saw them pretended they didn’t.

Colleen wiped her own eyes, but she was far from done. “Have you decided on a date yet, or where’s it’s going to be? There’s a church in town that’s just beautiful, and there’s another one in Siloam that is about 150 years old, and it has the most beautiful pine floors you will ever see.”

“Mom,” Kendall stopped her with a smile. “We’re going to have it at our house, and when you see inside, I think you’ll get why. We don’t want a big wedding anyway… just some close friends and family.” He looked at Michael, who nodded. “We’ve picked May fifth, the first Saturday in May, as the date... and now we’ll have to find a minister who’ll perform the ceremony for us.”

“Well, congratulations, boys. You make a father proud. I had no doubts you were committed to one another, but it makes me happy you’re making it official.” Michael Sr. looked at his wife. “A lot of people don’t think so anymore, but I believe marriage is important, and that’s a day I’m looking forward to.” Michael Sr. didn’t just have Kendall and Michael’s attention. As Colleen looked on with pleasure, Nate hung on every word. His gramps was showing him what true acceptance was. He finished up by saying, “Those are mighty fine rings you picked out, son. You did good in more ways than one.” He winked at Kendall. “So, will we have to do anything at this wedding?”

Michael looked at Kendall because they hadn’t discussed the parents’ roles. Kendall had an answer ready, though. “You and Mom will be giving Michael away, and my parents will give me away, and that’s it, I guess?” Kendall said with a question in his voice.

“Oh, bonnie boy, we’ll be glad to give you away.” Colleen giggled at her look-alike son.

“That’s for sure,” Big Mike echoed the sentiment with a grin.

“Haha, very funny,” Michael directed towards a laughing Nate. “You guys can’t get rid of me that easy.”

Big Mike sighed. “Yeah, we know,” and they all laughed as they dug in to their breakfasts, enjoying them far better than the first ones. Kendall looked around the table at the happy people and thought about how it wasn’t such a bad day after all.

They all piled into Black Beauty. It was a crisp, sunny afternoon and the uncles were giving Nate his wish. Kendall would have thought the kid would be tired after his rough late-night travel and nightmare-filled sleep… not to mention the stress of the morning phone calls. But Nate was nothing if not resilient, so they were fulfilling his request to see their new house. In about a month it would officially be theirs.

Big Mike, of course, had seen it many times, and he'd taken Colleen for a roadside viewing as soon as they found out the boys had purchased their first home, but it was a surprise for Nate. “Oh my God, it looks like a castle. You guys bought a big stone castle.” The awe was written on Nate’s face, and sitting there in sunlight, Kendall had to admit it was rather imposing. The stonework was reminiscent of castles in a way, particularly the silvery color of it. The driveway, as they passed the sold sign, was clear all the way up to the house, but Kendall stopped partway so they could look at the façade. Nate wasn’t long in jumping out, and like a big puppy, he scampered up the driveway ahead of him. All the adults laughed at his exuberance as he went into explorer mode, and soon disappeared from sight around the back corner.

“Is it alright for us to be here like this?” Colleen asked while looking somewhat overwhelmed by the structure in front of her. This was the closest she had been to the house. “You don’t own it yet, and what if the owners are in there?”

Michael laughed. “Mom, you worry too much. There are no tire tracks, aside from the tractor that cleared the drive, and if they are in there, we’ll say hello.”

“Is there anything the boy can get hurt on back there? Where did he go, anyway? He should be sticking with us,” Colleen complained. Kendall knew then, just how stressed Colleen had been, and still was. This wasn’t typical of her. It dawned on him she was worried about what was going on between Mark and Megan, possibly at this very moment.

“Mom, Mark and Megan will work this out. They both know what’s at stake now.” Kendall said soothingly. She was sitting beside him, with Michael on her other side. Kendall twisted, and gathered her in his arms… and she slowly, quietly, went to pieces as he held her. Michael reached his arms around her from the other side, and they both let her cry. Big Mike watched for a bit, and then got out of the truck to join his grandson. He winked his thanks at Kendall as he walked past his door, and sauntered up to the corner of the house.

Colleen took all of five minutes before she was back in control. “Thank you, boys. It’s been a tough day. I just would hate to see Megan’s marriage come to an end after almost fifteen years. She’s a smart girl though, and she’ll do whatever she needs to. Thank you for being so understanding of your silly mom. Now let’s get out of this truck before Mike comes back to check on me. He’s looking this way. For God’s sake, open the door, Michael. I’m fine now.” Michael rolled his eyes at his mother’s sudden impatience, but did as he was told.

Nate was in a perpetual state of excitement as he ran around looking in the windows and examining the stone of the house. Michael made a futile attempt to keep up with him before throwing in the towel and joining his dad as a spectator. One second, Nate was in the driveshed, and the next he was over in the trees in the far corner of the property. A foot of snow did not deter him in the least. The grownups stood and enjoyed the change that had come over him in such a short time. The tears Kendall remembered, of when they were on the bed earlier, now seemed a distant memory.

At Colleen’s request, he helped her get to some of the windows, and hoisted the tiny woman up so she could peek into a few of the rooms. Insisting she see the back side where Agnes and Carson’s apartment would be, Kendall had no choice but to carry her. She too, had gained a new energy, and they were laughing as Kendall carried her through the deeper snow, back to the driveway side of the house.

Kendall was surprised to see Nate down near the road entrance, talking to a bundled up figure attached by a leash to a powerful-looking white dog with patches of dark on it. Michael was already, albeit slowly, meandering towards the pair, the ever-vigilant uncle who was a cop, Kendall thought wryly.

While Colleen and Big Mike got back in the truck to stay warm, Kendall began trekking down the drive, figuring they were about to meet a future neighbor. There was a conversation underway by the time he’d caught up. The bundled up figure turned out to be a boy about Nate’s age, and for some reason, they were discussing school bus-routes and times.

“It comes right by here, and it goes to the end, and then goes south to the next road and comes back west, and straight to the school. It takes about fifteen-twenty minutes from here, and you have to be waiting at 8:15 or they just keep going. If they don’t see you, they don’t stop.” The boy glanced nervously at the two big men as they approached, but his dog had no trepidation. Its whole back end was wriggling in a happy welcoming gesture, and Michael leaned down to greet it, letting it sniff his hand before slowly reaching out to scratch its ears.

“What’s this handsome fella’s name?” he asked, looking up to a face that was visible now that the boy had pushed his hood back.

“Her name is Dinah, sir. She’s an American Bulldog,” he said proudly.

“Well, she is beautiful. Does she live around here?” Michael asked with a twinkle in his eye. Kendall noticed Nate was taking this opportunity to stare at the blond-haired young man. The kid was definitely good looking. It was cute to see red spots form on Nate’s cheeks when curious eyes swiveled towards him for a second before they turned back to Michael.

“Yes, sir, we live at that second driveway down there,” he pointed to the east. Our house is back in the trees, so you can’t see it from here.” As he talked, he became more confident. “So Nate says you’re the new owners? We knew it'd been sold, but we didn’t know who bought it.”

“Yes, we are. I’m Michael, and this is my partner, Kendall. We’ll be moving in on the fifteenth of January.”

“Partner?” the kid asked, and then blushed, his eyes flicking away from Michael’s.

Michael ignored the question. “Nate, why don’t you introduce your new friend, here?”

“Oh, sorry. This is Bodie. He goes to the new high school in Markham, and he’s in grade nine too,” Nate stammered out.

“Nice to meet you, Brody,” Michael said as he extended his hand.

“It’s Bodie, sir. It’s Scandinavian. My grandmother was Swedish,” he said as he shook the offered hand.

“Oh, okay. Cool name. And yes, this is my partner, my fiancé, Kendall.”

Kendall watched Bodie’s eyes widen as he extended his hand in greeting. At the same time, he saw a pained look on Nate’s. “Nice to meet you, Bodie. I wonder if you would do us a favor?”

“Sure, if I can, sir.”

“Do you have a cell phone?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. If we give you our phone numbers, seeing as how you live so close, could you maybe call us if you see anything suspicious around the house while it’s sitting empty? It would put our minds at ease, and Michael’s a policeman, so we’d have someone out here right away if need be. Would you do that for us?” Kendall smiled at the boy, and the blushing reaction he received made him wonder.

Bodie swallowed a few times before answering. “Ah, sure, no problem. I’d be glad to do it,” he answered as he pulled his phone out. “It’s a pretty quiet area though, so I wouldn’t worry too much about vandalism or anything. It’s a really nice house, so I understand. Better safe than sorry.” His eyes seemed drawn back to Nate, again and again. “I’ll give my parents your phone numbers, too. They’ll be glad to hear one of our new neighbors is a cop.”

“That’s great. Thank you.” Michael turned his smile on the boy, and Kendall noticed the effect it had on him, even more so than when Kendall had smiled. Michael proceeded to give him both their numbers

“Nate, maybe you guys should exchange numbers, as well,” Kendall suggested.

A stunned Nate didn’t say anything until a suddenly intense Bodie said, “I’d like that. Maybe we can be friends if you move in here?”

Kendall could see Michael was as flummoxed at that supposition as he was. What the heck had Nate said to Bodie before they arrived? Move in here?

“Um, that would be great, but I don’t think I’ll be living here. He shot a loaded look at his uncles. “Ah… well… my family is kind of up in the air right now. If I stay in Ontario, and that’s what I really want to do, I guess I would be staying in Uxbridge with my grams and my gramps… um, I mean my grandparents. I’d love to live here, though,” his intensity had ramped up to match Bodie’s. Kendall experienced a strange feeling, watching this exchange between his nephew and a relative stranger. For a split second, he saw himself and Michael, and it threw him.

“Hey, I call my grandparents grammie and grampie,” Bodie admitted with a giggle. “We could still be friends,” he continued seriously, stressing that, “Uxbridge isn’t that far away.”

Kendall watched a downcast Nate visibly brighten at Bodie’s persistence, and he could almost swear he saw something pass between them. “Nate, if you do end up living with Mom and Pop, you’ll be here a lot anyway, right? Just don’t get your hopes up until you hear from your parents,” he cautioned his nephew.

Nate drew his eyes away from Bodie, and smiled at both his uncles. “That’s true. You guys are going to need me around here,” he told them.

Michael laughed at his nephew’s audacity. “I don’t know about needing you around, but you’ll be welcome anytime.” He reached across and ruffled Nate’s hair.

“Yeah, well, if I’m not here, who’s going to walk the dog when you guys are at work and stuff?”

Bodie was watching the interchange with a bemused expression. Kendall was getting the idea that these two had done a lot of talking before he and Michael had joined them.

“Have you lost your mind, Nathanial? We don’t have a dog,” Michael said, looked at him strangely.

“What, don’t you like Dinah?”

“Of course I do. She’s a beautiful girl, but what does that have to do with us having a dog?”

“What If I told you that she has eleven puppies at home, and Bodie offered us one?”

“What? When did you guys talk about this? You just met, for Pete's sake.”

Nate stole a glance at the blond boy and started giggling. “He told me when I first saw Dinah and said how great I thought she was. So what do you think? Do you guys want one? You need a dog in the country.” He giggled again, and Bodie seemed captivated by Nate’s smile, and his playfulness. Kendall watched the way Bodie was staring, and became more certain with every passing second.

“Well, that’s something we’d need to discuss… Michael and I… not you, but I got to admit, that is one beautiful dog you’ve got there.” Kendall smiled at the kid, who managed to drag his eyes away from Nate.

“She’s really smart too,” Bodie bragged. “The males are already spoken for, but there’s eight females to pick from if you decide you’re interested. They’re purebred but there’s no papers. My parents would love to have one of her puppies close to home. They give them away, but you have to get them spayed. That’s all they insist on. Dinah was supposed to be spayed by now, but our old male had other ideas,” he said with a grin.

The whole time they’d talked, the dog had sat sedately, listening, and Kendall found himself impressed. “Okay, we have to get going. Did you two exchange phone numbers?” Both boys sheepishly pulled their phones back out, and Kendall winked at a smirking Michael as they watched them enter their numbers in each other’s phones. “By the way, how old are you, Bodie?” Kendall asked nonchalantly.

“I’ll be fifteen in March, sir.”

“So you guys are pretty much the same age, then. Nate will be fourteen on Saturday. Okay, we’ll be seeing you around for sure, and we’ll discuss the idea of a puppy. We have your number now, so we’ll call if we’re interested. They probably go pretty fast, I guess?” Kendall asked

“The previous litter took a while before the last one went. It’s just word of mouth. My parents don’t advertise them. Like I said, this litter wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“Okay, well nice meeting you,” Michael said as he gestured towards Colleen and Big Mike, who were sitting in the running truck. They shook hands with the boy, and left their nephew to say his own goodbye. “It'd be nice to have a dog, wouldn't it?.”

Kendall sighed. “Yeah, I’ve always wanted one, but it’s a big responsibility. Dinah’s beautiful, though.” He felt like a little kid as he thought about the possibility of finally having a dog.

Michael grabbed his hand and smiled. “No more responsibility than a baby. We’ll take our time and think about it.” He grinned, and Kendall saw his inner child come out as well.

“Did those two remind you of anything when we were talking to them?”

With no hesitation, Michael responded. “Yeah, us… a lot younger, but still us.”

“Hmm. That’s what I thought too.”

The sound of Nate’s running footsteps ended the conversation for the time being.

The ride back to Uxbridge was an interesting one. Nate gushed about the house, and Bodie... and the house... and Bodie. The only break was when he talked about Dinah and puppies. By the time it was over, he’d made it very clear he wanted to go to the new high school in Markham, the same one Bodie went to. When Big Mike asked him about hockey, Nate very matter-of-factly told his gramps he had no desire to play any sports for the rest of the year. He wanted to concentrate on his creative writing and his art. None of the adults knew what to say. Even if they did, there wasn’t much chance to get a word in edgewise. There was a lot of sighing, smiling, and non-committal noises. The only time Michael managed to say something, he commented on Bodie’s nice green eyes, while smirking at Kendall. Nate looked over at him like he had grown three heads. “Green! His eyes are a bright blue… how could you not notice that?” Nate looked downright disgusted, oblivious to the mirthful looks going around the truck. Nobody mentioned the fact there was a phone call to come that could put a damper on Nate’s enthusiasm, if not today, then soon.

When Kendall and Michael talked about returning home, Nate expressed his displeasure, and showed signs of sliding back into his earlier funk. They went to their room in back of the kitchen to talk as soon as Nate went to his room to "unpack some stuff."

“He’s still pretty fragile, don’t you think? I mean, he’s fine when he’s running around, but he has to be worried about what’s going on at home. That used to be one very close family.”

Michael sighed. “So what are you saying? What can we do for him?”

“I think we can stay here and have supper. Big sacrifice," he teased. "Then spend the night and let him know we’re here for him. Mom and Pop need some sleep, and if we’re here, they’ll be more likely to go to bed early. I don’t mind leaving from here for work in the morning. I’ll just stop at the apartment to get dressed. So what do you think?”

“I agree, and you’re amazing. I could take him shopping for his birthday tomorrow… it’s this Saturday… maybe get him some new jeans and a few shirts,” Michael said thoughtfully. “Did you see how short those jeans looked on him today, plus they’re getting a little too snug.”

Kendall burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“You sound just like a dad.” Getting his laughter under control, he got serious. “I wanted to tell Mom and Dad about our engagement, but we can wait to do it tomorrow night. So, you don’t see the therapist again until January, right?”

“Yeah, I’m supposed to let my knee strengthen slowly and naturally, which reminds me of one of the ways to do that,” he wiggled his eyebrows at Kendall, making him chuckle. “Why?”

“I was just thinking. We don’t know what’s going to happen with Nate’s family, and if he has to go back to Alberta, he shouldn’t go by himself.”

“Now, who sounds like a dad?” Michael joked, but quickly turned pensive. “So you’re thinking I should go with him?”

“You’re probably the best choice. Let’s just be prepared for whatever Nate needs, okay? I’m kind of fond of the little bugger.”

“Yeah, me too,” Michael agreed. “Hey, what did you think of Bodie?”

“He seems like a good kid, and he sure took to Nate. Did you get a vibe from him?”

“Yup, sure did. Does that mean we have gaydar, after all?”

“Maybe. What are the odds we’d have a gay kid living two doors down, and Nate meets him like that? It’s kind of the way fate threw us together, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, I have to admit, as weird as it was, I really did see us when I was watching them.” Michael grabbed Kendall and pulled him down on the bed with him, snuggling into him. “The world works in mysterious ways,” Michael murmured into Kendall’s ear. “It would be nice if Nate could find a friend who accepts him after all his old friends bailed on him, especially that Josh kid.” Michael nuzzled further into Kendall’s neck, planting little licks and kisses as he went.

“Oh, no you don’t, horn-dog. Not with Nate likely to barge in at any minute.”

“Aww, Babe, he won’t barge in,” Michael whined. “We could just have a quickie.”

The words were just out of Michael’s mouth when the door squeaked open slowly, and Nate poked his head in. “Grams wants to know if you’re staying for supper? She says she’ll make beer-battered halibut and chips if you do… please?” he pleaded.

Kendall whispered, “I told you so,” to Michael. “Tell Mom we’re going to stay the night, would you, Nephew,” he smirked at Nate. “Now close the door, and knock next time, okay?”

Nate grinned at the two of them. “Why do I have to knock?”

“Because we said so, now get out of here, you little pissant,” Michael ordered with a pillow thrown for effect.

“Okay, okay, Jeez. Engaged people are touchy,” he complained as he closed the door with a giggle. They could hear him running down the hall, yelling, “They said they’re staying, Grams… they’re staying all night too!”

“It’s like there’s two of him,” Kendall words broke the new silence.

“What do you mean? Two of him? I’d say one’s enough,” Michael said with a chuckle.

Kendall laughed too. “Well, look at today. He goes from being this frightened little kid, shaking because he’s so terrified of what’s going to happen, to this incredibly mature young man who took on his father and literally leveled him. I mean, he handled that better than most grownups would, really getting his point across. The minute he’s done that, he collapses in Mom’s arms like the little kid again. And then coming home from meeting Bodie, he sounded like a young man, who, under all that yapping, knows exactly what he wants despite all this non-stop pressure he’s been under.” Kendall’s emotion threatened to spill over, from both compassion and pride. “Now he’s running down the hall like a six-year-old.” He barked out a feeble laugh. “I’d say that’s two of him… and I like them both,” he muttered quietly.

“I like them both too. Just like you, one breaks my heart and the other makes me proud as hell. I guess it’s as simple as the boy is being forced to become a man. It’s maybe not fair, but it’s the way it is. Whatever happens, we’re damn sure going to be there for him, though. He’s one of us.”

Kendall looked at Michael quizzically.

“I meant he’s family, Deuce, but I guess the other applies too. We can help him with that, with being gay… I’m beginning to understand, first hand, how tough it can be for young kids to deal with. I guess being oblivious had its advantages,” Michael attempted to joke, but Kendall heard the seriousness behind it. He didn’t say anything. He just pulled his partner closer, and soaked up his presence.

A delicious supper was served and eaten, and while on the surface everyone was relaxed, underneath there was a perceptible tension. They all felt it, but tried their best to ignore it. One thing loomed large. There was still no phone call from Megan. What had happened this afternoon in Edmonton? What was going to happen to Nate?