Cards on the Table - 33. Chapter 33 On a Roll

Cards on the Table

Chapter 33

When Chet’s Jeep pulled into the parking lot of their building, Kendall had to give Michael a gentle shake. His head had landed on Kendall’s shoulder a couple of minutes into the drive, bringing smiles to the other three faces. Just like the trip to the stone house earlier, and to the gym before that, the two men in the front seat were in constant contact with one another, something Kendall was thrilled to witness. He cared a great deal for these two men, and Michael’s little speech at dinner corroborated his feelings.

“Come on, Ace, we’re home now. Time to wake up.”

A sleepy grin preceded slowly opening eyes. “Will you carry me in?”

Chet turned around in the front seat, and looked at Michael impishly. “Do you want Arron and me to carry you in like we did that big brute the other night? No guarantees we won’t drop your fat ass in the snow, though,” he warned, causing Arron to snicker.

“Hey!” Michael woke up the rest of the way, rubbing a face that was wearing an indignant expression. “What the hell was the ‘fat ass’ comment for? Is my ass getting fat… really, you can tell me… is it? I’ve been lying around too much, haven’t I... I knew it!” The look on Michael’s face broke Arron and Chet up completely, and they didn’t hold back their laughter.

Kendall did his best to contain his as he leaned into his partner and semi-whispered, “Remember what I said to you in the parking lot at Dr. Nathanson's office, when we were getting in the truck?” Kendall watched the light bulb go on in his partner’s head, and a ghost of a smile became a full-blown one.

“Damn right I remember.”

“Well, nothing’s changed, nothing at all,” he assured him, and Michael relaxed with a goofy grin on his face.

The guys in the front seat couldn’t contain their curiosity. “So, are you going to tell us what you said to him in that parking lot?” Arron asked.

“No!” they both answered at the same time.

No more than twenty minutes later, they were nestled in bed. It had been another one of those life-changing days, and Kendall felt the need to lie back and absorb the direction their life had taken in such a short span of time. In less than twenty-four hours, they had successfully battled for their baby against a formidable foe and secured a dream house to raise that child in. The stress and the excitement had worn him out, and he could see it had the same effect on his partner.

“I guess we need to call our parents. Who should we call first?”

“Aww, Babe, neither one tonight. Let’s keep it all to ourselves for a little while longer. Would it be okay if we postponed those conversations until morning?”

“Sure, if you want to, it’s fine. Why, though? You know they’re going to be excited. Like, out-of-their-minds excited.”

Michael hesitated. “I know… that’s why I’d rather wait till tomorrow. I just want to curl up with you, and enjoy this feeling together. Maybe it’s selfish, but I don’t want to share this yet. It’s all so new, and it’s overwhelming… in a good way, but… you know what? Never mind. I’m tired and I’m not making sense. Let’s call your parents first.” He seemed to force himself to perk up.

A hint of a suspicion arose that Michael was holding something back, but Kendall was too tired to be certain. “I like your first idea better. I think you’re right to want to keep these changes just between us for this one night. Our parents can wait.”

“Are you changing your mind because of me? I really don’t mind if you want to give them the good news. It’s probably the right thing to do.”

Kendall shook his head as he locked eyes with Michael. “The right thing to do is what you suggested. We’re both exhausted, and there will be a lot of questions asked, and now that I’ve thought about it, I don’t want to deal with those yet either. We’ve got the world by the ass, and there’s nothing wrong with keeping it private for a day. We didn’t get a lot of rest last night, horn-dog, and I want nothing more than to lie here with you and talk about how lucky we are, until we fall asleep.”

“Sounds good to me, but why are you calling me horn-dog? I think you earned that title last night. You were the one who was insisting we get physical, if my memory serves me right.”

“Oh, so I twisted your arm then, did I?” Kendall put a mock scowl on his face.

“No, Babe, I was just teasing you.”

Michael looked so contrite that Kendall couldn’t keep up the façade. “You are so easy,” he said as he pulled them into a closer hug. He spoke softly into his ear. “I wanted what we did last night; it was mind-blowing, and you took me somewhere so special it stayed in the back of my mind all day. Every time I looked at you, I could feel you there, just like last night. I was the bigger horn-dog, and I promise you it won’t be the last time."

Michael shuddered at the tickle of Kendall’s breath. “I couldn’t look at your ass today without getting a semi. It was on my mind all day too. I think we were tied as the biggest horn-dog last night. You took me to that same special place, and I can’t wait to go there again.” He grinned almost shyly, just before he kissed Kendall tenderly, his heavy eyes making his partner smile.

“Well, you’re going to have to wait, because I’m as tired as you look.” Kendall watched as Michael’s eyes closed and stayed that way. He wasn’t long in joining him.

Opening his eyes to bright sunlight, Kendall closed them quickly against the glare. In that split second, he'd glimpsed dark blue eyes watching him. “What time is it?” He yawned, reaching blindly for the face in front of his. He found it as Michael answered.

“It’s 8:10. We slept for twelve hours, or at least I think so. Wasn’t it about 8 o’clock when we fell asleep?”

Kendall reluctantly opened his eyes again, drawn by the sound of Michael’s deep voice. “Around there. Maybe closer to nine. Good morning, Sunshine. God, you look handsome in the morning.” He snuck in for a quick and loving kiss.

Michael returned the favor with another one. “Good morning, Babe, so do you. What do you want to do today?”

“Piss. All I know right now is I gotta piss.”

“Me too, but I was waiting for someone to wake up. Let’s go.” Michael got up from the bed, and grabbed his cane, holding his other hand out for Kendall. When he muttered that it was too cold to get up, Michael started walking, taking the covers with him, and leaving a naked Kendall exposed to the cool air all at once.

“You bastard,” he shrieked at the laughing man who was already scurrying out of sight.

“So we have some news for you,” Kendall said, getting right to the point after the pleasantries. Carson was in good spirits, and Agnes sounded overjoyed to hear from them. Michael had already greeted them on the speakerphone, asking about their health and well-being, and getting upbeat answers from both.

“Did you find a house?” Carson asked.

“As a matter of fact, we did, and we think it’s a real gem,” Michael answered; then he and Kendall were like a tag team, taking turns answering a steady stream of questions after their disclosure. Carson was interested in every little detail, and every time they thought he was finished with the third degree, he came up with more questions. He even managed to stump them when he asked how the duct-work got from the front to the back section if the basements were separate from one another. The question stymied them, but they surmised it must go under the entry somehow, even though they couldn’t remember seeing it. Carson clearly got some satisfaction from asking a question they couldn’t answer with any certainty, causing Kendall to smile and roll his eyes at his partner.

“So, the back part's of no use for the time being?” Agnes queried after Carson ran out of steam. “If you’re not using it, do you have to keep it heated? That would seem an unnecessary expense to me.”

Leave it to his mom to worry about something like that. “Yeah, Chet says it has to stay heated even if we’re not using it, to protect the pipes and prevent mold from growing, but it has its own thermostat, so we can keep it a lot lower than the main house. I don’t know what we’ll do with that section because the house is plenty big enough for us. There’s five bedrooms all together, so we’ll have plenty of room when you and dad come visit. Maybe someday, when we can afford it, we’ll finish it and use part of it as a family room, or a play room for kids.” Kendall took in Michael’s grinning face when he said that.

“Kids?” Carson asked.

“Yeah, kids. There’s something else we have to tell you… and it’s about kids. Well, it’s about one kid for now.” Kendall felt the gentle grip of Michael’s hand in his. “Do you want to tell them, Sunshine?”

“No, Babe, you go ahead,” he said, and then mouthed that he would tell his parents. Kendall nodded agreement at the plan.

“For God’s sake, would one of you tell us, please?” Agnes asked, the excitement rising in her voice.

Kendall laughed. “Okay, okay, sorry. You guys are going to be grandparents in about six months. Michael and I are going to have a baby. Well, yeah, that sounds weird. Michael is the father, and we’ve arranged to get full custody as soon as the baby is born,” Kendall finished, and looked nervously at Michael when there was nothing but silence coming from the phone.

Then it was like a dam broke, and next thing they heard was a squeal coming from Agnes, followed by a litany of ‘oh my Gods’ from Carson. Michael and Kendall found themselves drinking in the genuine happiness coming from both of them, and Kendall felt the solidarity in this important family moment. He encouraged Michael to tell the basics of the whole story. Leaving out some of the baser parts, Michael tried to paint Candy in a reasonable light. The elder Dooleys could read between the lines though, as evidenced when Agnes commented on how the baby was much better off with ‘her boys.' They ended the call with a promise to keep the prospective grandparents posted on each new development.

“Whew, that was quite the conversation, wasn’t it?”

“Can you believe how happy my dad sounded? I knew Mom would be super excited, but Dad almost outdid her. He really is a different man, isn’t he?”

“He sure is. That was no illusion. He's over the moon at the thought of you being a dad and him being a grandfather. Don’t take this wrong, but he didn’t care diddly squat which one of us was the biological father, and I don’t think it would have mattered to him if neither of us were.”

“Why would I take that wrong? It makes me happy he feels that way.”

“I didn’t think you would, but I guess it means a lot to me he will be a grandfather to whatever kid we have. You just never know. It matters to some people whether a kid is blood-related to them. I don’t get that, myself, but I’ve seen it in domestic disputes where a father will say shit about a kid not being really theirs. I’m glad Pop’s not like that. I have to admit maybe a part of me was worried he would want the baby to be your biological child, and be disappointed it wasn’t.” Michael looked so vulnerable in that moment, it surprised Kendall.

“Well, now we know that’s not the case. To be completely honest, I didn’t have a clue how he was going to react. All I know is, in the end, this is my kid as much as it is yours… it’s already a part of me and that’s what matters. Having four loving grandparents is the icing on the cake, and I’m thrilled about it. I didn’t realize you were so concerned.” A light bulb suddenly flicked on, now that he was well rested. “Was this what was on your mind last night when you said you wanted to wait till today?”

“Yeah, to be honest... yeah. I think deep down, I wasn’t worried so much as I wanted to be prepared for anything, just in case,” he said with a smile. “And right now, I am really proud of Pop.”

“Me too. The man keeps surprising me, but in a good way, and I totally get why you wanted to wait... that was exhausting. Two down, and two to go. Wanna go see Mom and Pop? You know Mom will feed us, and it’ll make it more memorable telling them face to face.”

“I was going to suggest the same thing.”

“Because of Mom’s cooking?”

“No… okay, yeah, partly."

“Great minds think alike. Let’s get going. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can eat.”

“How about you call them, and I’ll send Mom and Pop some of the pictures we took yesterday. That'll make Carson an even happier man."

“And earn you brownie points with the in-laws?”

Michael turned to see Kendall’s smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Exactly. I told you I was going to make them like me best.”

“I’d say your mission was already accomplished. It’s a done deal, especially after today. You can’t top providing them with their first grandchild, so I think you can relax now,” Kendall teased.

“Nice try, but I’m still going to build up my cred. I can’t have you gaining any ground on me, now can I?” Michael got up and headed to the den, his phone, full of house pictures, in his hand.

Kendall laughed as his partner walked away. He watched that muscled ass disappear before he picked up his own phone to call Michael’s parents. He had to work hard to clear his head... there wasn’t an ounce of fat on that work of art.

Like always, they were met outside the door, on the side deck, with the usual big, Aceto hugs. Kendall couldn’t remember a time he’d approached this house when he didn’t smell the delicious aroma of food. He knew right away it was pot roast, and his senses overloaded with the savory onslaught. Colleen commented on how much better her bonnie boy was getting around as she hugged and kissed the both of them in her own motherly way. Michael told her he expected to be back to normal within the next week or so, and sent a wink Kendall’s way. He blushed when he saw Colleen’s knowing eyes flitting back and forth between them... that woman never missed a thing.

“What’s going on?” Colleen asked before they’d even made it to the kitchen table.

“What do you mean?” Michael asked, stalling for time.

“You tell me what I mean. I know something’s up. You two are practically bursting at the seams, and it’s not because of my pot roast.”

Colleen was like a dog with a bone when she sensed something, so Kendall knew there would be no build-up to this conversation. It was already underway.

“Give it up, sons. You know how she is.” Michael Sr. looked adoringly at his wife. “I can tell there’s something up, too. You’ve never been very good at keeping things from us.” He smirked while looking pointedly at Kendall.

Kendall burst out laughing, “So much for your plan to tell them after we ate, Ace. That’s not going to fly now.”

Michael's eyes sparkled as he slowly sat down. “You win. You know patience is supposed to be a virtue," he quipped, obviously enjoying moment... until Colleen spoke.

“Michael Angelo Aceto!”

“We bought a house, Mom," he blurted out. "Jeez.”

As expected, all hell broke loose again. It was more or less a replay of the morning conversation with Agnes and Carson, with rapid-fire questions coming at them. When they learned where the house was, they were ecstatic, as it meant they were closer still. Colleen pointed out how she could zip over and visit them on the days she went into the parts store with Big Mike.

Kendall clued in to Pop's thoughtful expression. When he asked him what he was thinking, Michael Sr. caught him off-guard by saying he knew exactly which house it was, informing them he had detoured by the place for years just to look at it. He even remembered when the owners tore the front veranda off. He'd thought they would rebuild it, and was always disappointed they didn’t.

“It needs to be put back on. You guys should have seen it with the veranda. It made the house look even more special. It's a peaceful spot, and I always wanted to live there, and now my sons are going to. It’s like it was meant to be.”

“You know, Dad, the three of us could probably figure out how to replicate it, if you’re able to help?”

“I would love to do that with you boys. I can still picture it perfectly. We could do it this summer. The shop is pretty much running itself, and I have a lot of free time on my hands. And I’ll tell you what. As a house warming gift, we’ll pay for all the materials, and don’t you dare argue with me or I’ll sic your mother on you.” He gloated over his own ace-in-the-hole.

“But, Dad…. ”

“Ace, shut up. We don’t stand a chance."

“Good boy,” Colleen praised Kendall, and he gave her a grin.

The pot roast was served while they continued talking about the new house and the history of the limestone, and all kinds of little details. Michael bragged about the big four-bay drive-shed, and Kendall rolled his eyes when Michael wasn’t looking. As the meal wound down, Michael pushed his plate away and sighed. Nonchalantly stretching, he shot a quick questioning look at his partner, and received an almost imperceptible nod before Kendall looked down at his plate.

“Mom, Dad, there’s just one more little thing we have to tell you.” His face gave nothing away.

“Oh? What’s that, bonnie boy?”

“How would you guys feel about being grandparents again?”

“I thought there was something else. Are you serious? Oh my god, Mike… did you hear what he asked?” Colleen momentarily concentrated on her husband’s open-mouthed face.

Then she looked over at Kendall and started to cry. The drops landing on the table reminded him of the ones he'd seen slip from Michael’s eyes when he told him he was gay and in love with him. He found his eyes welling up. Michael had gone around the table to hug his mother and father, and Kendall did the same. He could feel Michael's intense gaze, even through the chaos erupting from Colleen and Big Mike. He went from hugging Colleen to being enfolded in strong yet gentle arms. Michael’s embrace was a needed one, and Kendall felt himself let go. That mental picture of Michael sitting at the table crying while he walked away from him had shook Kendall up.

“We’ve come a long way since that night at Sticks and Suds, haven’t we?” Michael murmured to his partner. “It’s all happy tears now though, right?”

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

“We’re soulmates, Babe.”

Kendall stared at his partner with wonder. He finally noticed Mom and Pop had halted their reactions, and were giving them this moment. “You constantly blow me away, big guy, and you’re right… only happy tears. You and me, we are worth all those sad ones. I think Mom is about to burst,” he whispered. Michael snorted, and that turned into laughter for both of them as they broke apart to get on with the job of satisfying a mother’s curiosity.

The first thing Colleen asked was who the mother was, and how this all came about.

Michael looked to his partner for assistance, but Kendall just smiled and said, “You can handle this one.”

So Michael went through the whole story, and this time he painted Candy as she truly was. Colleen wasn’t one to judge people, but she shook her head in astonishment a few times during the story. Big Mike stayed silent. When Colleen asked what the due date was, Michael turned to Kendall with a look that said ‘help.'

He smirked in amusement, which got him a shrug in return. “We haven’t been given a date from Candy yet, but I can tell you that she is about three months and one week. So with a forty-week gestation"--he noticed a cheeky eye-roll from Michael, but so did Colleen, who gave her bonnie boy a swat--"that would put it at around the first two weeks of June.” He then stuck his tongue out at his partner.

“Do you need a swat too?” Collen asked.

Kendall was quick to point out, “He started it."

“Hey, I didn’t start it, you did,” Michael countered with a smirk.

Big Mike cleared his throat, having been quiet for a while. “Are you sure you two are mature enough to raise a child?” Collen giggled, the sound making the men smile. “Seriously, boys, you're going to be great fathers… you’ve made your mother and me very happy.” He snuck a sideways glance at Colleen. “Your biggest problem will be keeping Grandma from spoiling him or her rotten.” Michael Sr. wasn’t quick enough to dodge his wife’s well-aimed swat.

“Well, it looks like our kid won the grandparent lottery,” Michael said as Kendall drove them home from Uxbridge.

“I expect baby stuff to start coming from Mom any day now,” Kendall replied with a grin. “I think Pop’s right about the spoiling to come. She already wants to buy the crib, and there’s no way we could say no. She’s going to steamroll over us, not that I’m complaining.”

“You know she’s going to want to decorate the nursery too, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah, and I, for one, am not getting in her way… well except for the crib placement. I know exactly where that has to go.” He glanced over to see a pleased look on his partner’s face.

“I love how much this baby means to you.”

“It’s a part of you, which makes it a part of me.”

They had gotten home and were sitting at the kitchen counter, contemplating their plans for the evening, when Kendall’s phone rang. It was his parents, and Kendall bet Michael his dad had more house questions, before answering.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Kendall, it’s Dad.” Kendall smirked at his partner, and mouthed ‘I won’.

“Can you put me on speaker? I wanted to talk to you and Michael about something while your mom is out with your aunt Tess.”

Instant worry reared, and Kendall's mind went right to the cancer. “Is everything okay? You’re on speaker now.”

“Oh yeah, there’s nothing wrong. Hi, Michael.”

“Hey, Pop. Did you get the pictures I sent you?” Michael winked at Kendall.

“Yes, I did, thanks. It was nice of you to do that.” Michael chuckled, but didn’t look at his partner this time.

“No problem. Glad to do it… so what did you think?”

“I think you boys found yourself something in a class by itself, and it looks huge. By the way, you can see in one of the pictures where the duct-work comes out in the back basement, and it’s dead center, so there must be a crawlspace under the entry.” Carson’s comment spurred another round of humorous eye-rolling as both men held back their shared mirth.

“So what did you want to run by us, Pop?”

There was a hesitation before Carson got rolling. “Well, there’s a lot that’s been going on since you guys left here, and don’t go worrying… because it’s nothing bad. It’s just that I have to make some decisions, and I’m having a tough time. It’s kind of hard to bring up, but for your mother’s sake, I have to. She’s not really as happy as she should be, and that’s bugging the crap out of me.”

“At least you can still take a crap, Dad.” Kendall’s joke caused Michael to smack himself in the forehead. Fortunately, Carson found it hilarious, or maybe he was just glad for the break in tension they could hear in his voice. “You can talk to us about anything. We’re here for you and Mom, aren’t we, Ace?”

“No question, so what’s going on with mom, Pop?”

“She misses you guys, and I mean really bad. She puts on a good front, but she doesn’t fool me. She loves hearing from you, but to be honest, it’s not enough. It only makes her worse sometimes. She gets awfully quiet after she talks to you boys, and I feel guilty because she’s stuck here looking after me.”

“You know you and Mom can come visit us anytime you want. We can always make room for you. I don’t know what else to say, but I don’t like that she's feeling this way. We miss you guys too. It’s too bad you don’t live closer.”

“Why don’t you send her for a visit, Pop, and maybe you could have a nurse while she's gone?” Michael asked, shrugging at his partner.

Carson let out a sigh they could hear clearly. “First of all, I don’t need a nurse, but besides that, I don’t think a visit is what your mom wants, boys. I think she wants to move closer to her sons, and that’s why she gets depressed. She went too long without you in her life, Kendall… we both did, and she’s been talking to Colleen, and I think she wants… no, I know she wants to be able to see you regularly, like Colleen and Mike do.”

“God, Dad, what are you going to do? I know you have your career, and you have chemo and radiation coming up, so what choice is there?” Kendall’s breathing had gotten shallow as he became more distraught, thinking about what Agnes was going through, and the position this put his father in.

“Pop, you said you wanted to run something by us. Does that mean you have an idea that will make Mom feel better? If you do, we’ll help anyway we can.”

“Well, I have been kind of working something out in my head, and your news this morning got me thinking some more. How would you two feel about us moving to Ontario, somewhere close to you?”

“Can you do that?” Kendall was shocked at his father's question. “What about your job... and your pension?”

“You know, to be honest, my career doesn’t seem that important anymore. My perspective has changed on a lot of things. My first priority is my family now, and that’s your mom, you, Michael, and my coming grandchild. Three of you are in Ontario, and that’s where the fourth wants to be. Truth be told, it’s where I want to be, too. It’s not just your mom who misses you.”

Kendall found himself choking up at his father’s words. “This is where we want you too, but how would you work it out? Would you quit the force? And what about your cancer treatment?”

“No, I wouldn’t quit. They’ve already made me a written offer. They figure I’m only going to be fit for desk duty after I’m done my treatment, and I haven’t bothered to try and convince them otherwise. Like I said, my priorities have changed. They want me to stay on disability for another year and a half, then back on sick-leave for six months after that, all at full pay… and then go on my full pension. It’s their way of getting rid of me, and that suits me fine. I’ll be 55 years old then, so I’ll be eligible. The union says it’s a good deal. What do you think, boys? Should I sign?”

“If you think you’d be happy, I’m one-hundred per-cent in favor of it, Dad. You know the treatments could knock the hell out of you… the doctors have warned you about that, so it makes perfect sense to me. Full pension is nothing to sneeze at. What about your treatment though… should you be changing doctors during it?”

“I don’t think that would matter in this day and age, Babe. Pop could get his treatment here just as well as there,” Michael interjected, showing his support for the idea, and making an emotional Kendall smile.

“Michael’s right. I checked online, and there’s a new hospital in Markham that has a highly respected Cancer Center, so it isn’t an issue. I could start the treatment here, and finish it there. Listen, boys, I don’t want to put you on the spot, but our talk this morning got me thinking. I know what was on your mother's mind when she mentioned about there being no use for the back part of your new house, and her comment about the waste of heating it. You know I worry about her... if something happens to me... so I was thinking… I want to make you boys a proposal, and please, by no means feel like you’re obligated. It’s just a thought, but I was wondering… if I was to pay for the back section to be completed, would you maybe want to rent it out to your mother and me?”

Kendall was struck dumb as he looked at Michael. It had come completely out of left field, the whole conversation had, and he had no idea what to say, but his father was waiting for an answer. “Dad, I’m sorry, but Michael and I have to talk about this before we can let you know, okay?”

“Of course. That’s what I expected, and like I said, don’t feel obligated. We can get ourselves a condo just as easily. Your mom will be happy as long as she’s reasonably close to you two and the baby. I just thought this might be an option to consider. I haven’t said anything to her, so you guys have your talk, and let me know.”

“We don’t need to talk, Pop. I can tell right now what Kendall wants, and I want the same thing. I agree to everything but the rent. If you’re paying to renovate, there’s no way you’re paying rent. You can just pay for your share of the utilities.” Michael glanced at his partner. “Is that alright with you?”

“That’s more than okay. Are you sure?”

“Yup, I’m sure.”

“It looks like it’s all settled, Dad. My awesome partner has made the decision for us.”

“Your partner is awesome. Maybe you should make an honest man out of him before someone else steals him away.” Carson’s laughter showed how happy he was with their reaction to his proposal. Kendall’s jaw dropped at what his father had just said.

“Close your mouth, Babe, you’re gonna let flies in there,” Michael teased. “So, Pop, what about your house, and when would you want to move here?”

“Actually, I have an offer on the house right now… or an offer to offer. Everyone wants to live next to the yacht club, so I keep getting real estate agents coming to the door. This one guy knocked on our door about six months ago, and said he had someone willing to pay $800,000. I said thanks but no thanks. Well, he showed up again the week you guys went back to Ontario, and said he could get me 1.2 million… you know we have the widest lot on the street, and it’s all about frontage, so they can make the house bigger. Anyway, I told him to come back when he could get me 1.5 million, and son of a bitch, the guy did. That’s what brought this all to a head. I think I’m going to have to take those people’s money,” he said with a chuckle.

“Wow, that’s a hell of a lot of money. It doesn’t surprise me you’d get that though. Chestermere is on the list of most desirable communities in Canada. We’re really happy for you.”

“Thanks, Kendall. It's the location they'd be paying for. Are you guys up for hiring a contractor when you move in, and taking care of that end of things? I was thinking we could make the walk-out basement our apartment. I like all the big windows down there. It could have a bedroom, bath, and combination kitchen/living area, and the main floor could have a big family room like you guys mentioned. We wouldn't need all that space for just us. We could have our own nice little patio on the back side of the house where we could do a little flower gardening. Does that sound all right? Maybe we could hire an architect to draw up plans?”

“It sounds perfect, Dad. The whole idea sounds perfect, and we have the ideal architect in mind. He’s a friend, and he already knows the house, inside and out, and he’ll know a good contractor. I don’t know how long it’ll take to get this done, though, but you guys can come any time after January 15^th, and stay in the main house.”

“Thanks, boys, but I think I’d like to wait till it’s all done before we make the move. The people who are offering on this house want to be in by spring, so that gives us good leeway. You guys can line up some people and I’ll have a sit-down with your mother, and talk all this over with her. I’m sure she’ll want Tess to be able to visit once or twice a year, so she may have different ideas for the plans. You’ll be hearing from her, soon, I’m sure.” Kendall heard a sound that sounded like a soft sob. “And boys, thank you for this. Agnes is going to be so happy. I have to get going now. Good night, my boys.”

“Good night, Pop.”

“Good night, Dad. We love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Kendall sat in stunned silence, thinking over what had just occurred. This was a momentous day for the Dooley family. It was the final step towards being reunited, something Kendall could never have envisioned happening a month ago.

“Are you okay?” Michael grabbed his hand, and led him from the counter over to the couch. Maneuvering around so that Kendall’s back was against his chest, Michael just held him while he got his emotions and thoughts in order.

“Can you believe him? He’s going to give up being a cop. You and I know damn well they couldn’t stick him on a desk if he gets medical clearance. This is his decision. He really has changed his priorities, and he’s putting his family first.”

“Are you happy about it, that he’s coming to live here? Did I jump the gun on saying yes to them living in the back part?”

“God, no. It meant the world to me when you spoke for both of us. I thought I owed it to you to talk about it first, but you knew what I wanted, and you took the bull by the horns.”

“That sounds kind of dirty, Babe.”

Kendall laughed at that. “Here we go. Do I have to tell you to shut up again?”

“That would be twice today. Are you getting frisky?”

“I’m thinking about Mom and Dad, so that would be a no,” he answered firmly, but he was smiling.

“What exactly are you thinking about?”

“I’m thinking about how sad my mom has been, and how happy she’s going to be after Dad talks to her. It makes me feel good I’ll be able to see them every day, and that they will be a part of our kid’s life right from the beginning. I’m happy.”

“If you’re happy, I’m happy. You know I love your parents too, right?”

“I know you do, and that makes me even happier. Can you believe my once homophobic father said what he did about me making an honest man out of you? He shocked the hell out of me.” He tried, but failed to stifle a giggle as he thought about the weirdness of it.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing. The man has a point… someone could steal me away if you don’t. So how about it, Mister?”

“Michael, shut up. There’s a time and place for everything.” He shook his head in disbelief. “'So how about it, Mister?' Seriously? Is romance dead?” He shifted around so he could see him.

“You told me to shut up again. You are frisky… please tell me you’re frisky,” Michael pleaded.

“Yeah, I’m getting there. I’ve been thinking about your beautiful ass all day… ever since you walked down the hallway and into the den to upload those pictures.”

Michael’s eyes visibly widened. “Really?”

“Yeah, really. I’m thinking maybe I’ve been neglecting it. What do you think?”

Kendall watched Michael swallow before speaking. “I think you definitely have… neglected it.” He swallowed again.

It was hard not to laugh at his horn-dog partner. “God, I love you… let’s hit the shower.”

“Okay,” Michael squeaked out as he got up from behind his partner, and headed for the hallway. “I love you, too… hurry up.”

“I’m coming.”

“You’re not yet, but you will be,” Michael called from the bathroom.

“You’re first,” Kendall promised when he entered to find an already naked Michael.

“Fine with me. You’re the boss.”

"I am?"

"Of course... you haven't figured that out yet? You own me, Babe. Now get your damn clothes off."

"You own me too, Sunshine."

"I know. Stop stalling, and get naked."

Kendall laughed, and did as he was told.