Cards on the Table - 58. Chapter 58 You Can't Win Without Trust

Cards on the Table

 

 

Chapter 58

 

 

Nate and Bodie were frolicking on the front lawn, apparently partway through an attempt to build a snowman. Michael laughed when he saw the boys chasing each other as Kendall pulled Beauty into the Aceto driveway. Kendall added his own chuckle as Bodie went down under his boyfriend’s leaping tackle.

“That kid should play football, Babe.”

“I don’t think Bodie’s putting up much of a fight.”

“No, he doesn’t appear to be. Oh oh. Here they come.”

Kendall powered down the passenger window as he pulled further up behind Colleen’s car. “If you throw snow at us, there’ll be no presents.”

The two boys looked at each other and shrugged, and Kendall quickly closed it again.

“Well, that didn’t work. You better get ready.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“Why in hell are they out here so early anyway?”

“My guess is they’re waiting for us. Ready?”

“Yup.”

Both men jumped out of the truck and began running in different directions, trying to avoid the flying snowballs the boys must have prepared ahead of time. Michael took cover behind his dad’s truck and started firing back with hastily made projectiles, attempting to provide cover for Kendall. His partner proceeded straight for the pile of neatly-stacked weapons amassed on the ground, sacrificing himself to get to their arsenal and destroy it. The temporarily fearless boys turned tail and ran as the uncles successfully turned the tables in a matter of seconds.

It turned into every man for himself as white missiles flew everywhere. When Kendall felt the one from behind, he went after his partner with a vengeance. All four guys were soon collapsed on the thick blanket of snow, gasping for air because of the intense exertion.

“I can’t believe you turned traitor on me,” Kendall said while panting.

“Sorry, Babe. It was years of honed instinct.”

“Instinct my ass.”

“Not in front of the children. Remember, they’re impressionable.”

Kendall glared while Michael smirked, and the boys giggled.

“Is that all you guys think about?” Nate teased.

“No.”

“Yes.” Michael looked at Kendall and they both laughed.

“Your uncle Mike does. He has a one-track mind.”

“So does your uncle Kendall. He just pretends he doesn’t.” Michael had to spit out the mouthful of snow Kendall hit him with.

“Next topic, please!”

“Okay, Babe.” Michael sat up and shushed the giggling boys. “Uncle Kendall is tired from last night, so let’s be nice to him.” His eyes twinkled, and Kendall responded with more snow.

“Michael,” he warned. “So were you guys waiting for us?”

“Yeah, what took you so long? Grams is making us wait for breakfast, and we’ve been up for hours.”

“Not hours, Nate… maybe only an hour,” Bodie said with a grin.

“Tell that to my stomach. It can smell the food from here. She’s making Spanish omelettes!”

“Enough said… let’s go.” Michael stood up and they all followed suit. He wrapped his arm around his partner, murmuring apologies as they headed back to the truck to grab their bags and the Kendall-wrapped presents.

Bodie did the same with Nate, pulling him close, chuckling as they walked. “You and Michael don’t just look alike… you have the same stomach.”

“I’m a growing boy,” Nate said before sneaking a quick kiss from the smiling blond.

“Hey, quit sucking face in public,” Michael hollered out before stopping and turning as the side door opened. Colleen stuck her head out. “If you kids are finished playing, breakfast is in five minutes.”

“Okay, we’re coming.”

 

“So what’s on the agenda for today, Mom?” Kendall pushed his plate away and leaned back. “That was the best omelette in the history of omelettes.”

“Thank you, beautiful boy. For starters, someone better finish the snowman on the front lawn; I don’t want the neighbors thinking we’re cuckoo because he has no head.”

Nate chuckled. “It’s supposed to be Uncle Mike… that’s why we left the head off.”

While everyone laughed, Michael reached over and took Nate’s last piece of bacon, and leaned back with a smirk, munching on it.

“Hey, that was mine.”

“I think ‘was’ is the key word here, smart aleck. Are you saying I have no brain?”

“Um, no. We’ll put a head on it… it just won’t be a very big one,” Nate said as he jumped up and bolted out of the kitchen, with Michael close on his heels.

A squeal and a thud could be heard from the living room. “Aren’t you going to help your boyfriend?” Big Mike asked Bodie with a grin.

“Uh uh. Michael’s too damn big. I’ll just kiss it all better when they’re done.”

Big Mike guffawed, Kendall chuckled, and Colleen giggled while Bodie, with a little smile, nonchalantly continued eating his breakfast. It sounded like Nate was being murdered in the other room, but his dramatic cries for help went unanswered.

 

“Are you going to open my gift now?”

“Do you want me too?”

“Yeah, because we won’t be together tomorrow, and I’d rather watch you open it.”

“I’ll like it no matter what it is,” Bodie assured a fidgety Nate.

“I know, but… I’ll be sure of it if I see your face.”

“You’re really worried, aren’t you?”

“Well, after what you did for my birthday, I guess, maybe….”

“Then I’ll put you out of your misery. Hand it over.”

Nate grabbed the long, narrow present wrapped in silver paper with a plain gold ribbon, from under the pillow, and handed it to the blond boy at his side. “It’s not expensive or anything.”

“Do you really think I care about how much it costs?” Bodie stopped unwrapping and focused his bright, blue eyes intently on Nate’s darker ones.

“No, I know. I just… I wish I could have gotten you something… never mind… just open it, will you?”

Bodie’s further attempt to reassure Nate died as he lifted the lid off the box. Laying on white velvet was a pair of shiny engraved dog tags edged with black rubber silencers. They were attached to a chain that had the same shine. “Holy crap. These are great, Nate. Is this silver?”

“No, it’s regulation stainless steel… that’s what the jeweler called it… both the tags and the chain. And the silencers don’t smell like rubber… the stuff is odorless. Do you like the chain? It’s called ‘bar and ball.’ I thought it was nicer than just the ‘ball’ one. It’s regulation too.” Nate’s stream of remarks showed just how nervous he was.

“I love the whole thing. I’ve always thought these were so cool.” Bodie read the engraving. On the one, he read his name and date of birth, Bodie Cavanaugh, DOB May 03, 1997… and the other was inscribed in bold lettering… ‘WITH TRUST WE GO FORTH.’

Nate was watching for Bodie’s reaction. “Do you like what I chose to have written on them?”

“Do I ever.” Bodie swiped at his eyes. “It’s about you and me, isn’t it?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Of course… I wanted to, like, give you a message you could wear, but something only you and I understood.” Nate couldn’t prevent the blush under Bodie’s scrutiny.

“What’s it from?”

“It’s from me… well, with some help from my uncles.”

“They helped you come up with this?”

“Indirectly, sort of. Uncle Mike talked to me once about how much trust he had in Uncle Kendall, that he trusted him completely, and how without it, he thought couples didn’t stand a chance. It was a long conversation, but that was the important part of it. And Uncle Kendall talked to me another time about how I had to look forward, not backward, and that there was a whole world ahead of me... looking back for too long gets us nowhere. He said it was something Uncle Michael taught him… gave to him a long time ago.” He looked away from the still-intense gaze for a few seconds. When he got control of his voice, he spoke again. “So that’s how I came up with this. If we trust in each other, I’d like to believe we have a chance at maybe even forever. And, it even sounds kind of military, I think.”

“It does, and it’s the very best thing I have ever heard. I want to believe we do too. I do believe it, and I do have trust in you… in us. You had nothing to worry about. This gift isn’t just beautiful… it’s priceless, and I will always wear our message.” Bodie leaned in and kissed Nate softly. “Thank you, Nate. I love you.”

Nate’s breath caught at the unexpected declaration, but he didn’t hesitate. “I love you too, Bodie.” He smiled hugely after he said it, and got a matching one from his boyfriend. It didn’t feel like the enormous step he thought it would be. It felt right. He knew he had a lot of things in life to learn, but he already knew his heart, and this was no fleeting feeling. This beautiful blond young man beside him was someone he would fight for. “You’re not done yet.”

“Oh, yeah. Put it on me, please.”

“I will, but first you have to look inside.”

Bodie grabbed the box and looked under the velvet, seeing nothing. He looked at Nate in confusion. “There’s nothing else in there.”

Nate smirked. “Not the box. You have to look in the tag with the message.”

“What? How the heck do I do that?”

Nate was giggling now. “You have to take the rubber silencer off… it’s easy.”

Bodie figured it out quickly, and pried the hinged dog tag apart. With reverence, he stroked the little photo of his boyfriend’s face, perfectly fitted on the left side while reading the engraving on the right. FOREVER-NATE was written lengthwise, in fancy script. “I didn’t think it could get any better, but it just did. Nate, where did you get this? You only had a few days.” He surveyed Nate in disbelief.

“I found a place online that made these… they’re in Toronto, and Grams drove me downtown to get them. It was a really busy jewelry and collectible store, and we had to wait most of the day, but they got it done before they closed. You texted me about eight times asking me what I was doing, and I had to keep making stuff up.” Nate’s eyes were twinkling now he saw his efforts were definitely appreciated.

“You mean you were lying to me?” Bodie’s eyes were twinkling too, although there was decidedly more shimmer to them.

“More misdirection than lying,” Nate confessed. “I hated doing it… but I hoped it would be worth it?”

Bodie sighed, and wiped his eyes again quickly. “It was. I am going to feel so proud to wear these tags. And the engraved one is such a special gift… like a cool, masculine, secret locket. I was expecting something like a shirt or maybe even a video game… not something this thoughtful. Thank you, boyfriend.”

“You’re welcome, boyfriend. Here, look at this.” Nate reached into his tee-shirt, pulling out the silver chain he always wore, and showed Bodie the matching engraving of their message. It was on the back of the section with his name. “We match now.”

“Yeah, I’d say we’re a perfect match,” Bodie said with conviction. “Best gift ever.” The follow up kiss was their best one so far. It was a kiss of newly-spoken commitment. “Put it on me, please,” he whispered when they drew back a few inches.

After Nate complied, Bodie got up and stood in front of the mirror over the dresser. “I love the photo. You look so handsome.” He carefully closed the tag he’d been staring at and replaced the silencer. Taking another look at himself with the tags outside his olive green tee-shirt, he commented with some amusement, “I look like a marine.”

“Marine? You do, actually… that is so hot.” Nate giggled.

Bodie did a few muscle poses, and had Nate literally rolling on the floor. “Are you laughing at my body?” he teased while joining Nate on the rug.

“Heck, no. I said you were hot, didn’t I? So what about my present?”

“You can open them tomorrow.”

Nate turned sideways, leaning on one elbow, and looked at his boyfriend, marvelling at how beautiful he was. “Them?”

“Yeah, they’re just normal gifts. Nothing with an amazing message or anything.”

“So then, why can’t I open them today?”

“Because I don’t want anything to take away from this moment.”

“You mean our message?”

“Yeah, that, and what we said to each other. I meant it, Nate… I really meant it, but I hope me saying it didn’t make you think you had to say it back?”

“God, Bodie. I would never tell someone that if I didn’t mean it.” Nate watched the smile blossom on his boyfriend’s very close face.

“Say it again, then.”

“What, I already did,” Nate protested with a fast-growing blush.

“Okay, you don’t have to.” Bodie’s pout was too adorable to resist.

“I love you, Bodie Cavanaugh,” Nate whispered. “And I really, really mean it.”

“Nathanial Grant… I love you back… so much… and I do believe in forever. Kiss me.”

Nate didn’t have to be told twice. He leaned over the sprawling young man and hovered over those perfect lips, teasing until Bodie had enough and grabbed the back of his head, removing the space between them.

“Oh jeez! Get the hose, Kendall. They’re on the floor sucking face again,” Michael called out from the open doorway.

“Uncle Mike,” Nate whined. “Don’t you ever knock?” Both boys sat up quickly.

“Why would I knock, doofus, when the door is open?” Michael’s smirk was damned annoying. “If you’re done with trying to eat the face off each other, maybe we should think about getting Bodie home. Miranda called and says she and your dad are missing you for some reason I can’t fathom.”

“They miss me because they love me.”

“Go figure. I can’t understand why anyone would love a pain-in-the-ass like you. Now you boys get a grip on your teenage hormones and get ready to go.” He laughed at the tongue Bodie presented him with. “Cheeky little bugger… Nate’s a bad influence on you.”

When a chuckling Michael turned and headed back down the stairs, Nate whispered. “I can think of a hundred reasons why someone would love you.”

“And I can think of a thousand why someone would love you.”

“You’re handsome and smart… that’s two of them.”

Laughter bubbled up in Bodie. “You make me so happy. I hate leaving… I wish we could spend Christmas Day together, but I can look at your picture anytime I want without having to grab my phone, and I can feel you right here.” He put his hand over the dog tags, trapping them against his heart.

“And you’re here,” Nate said as he touched the necklace beneath his shirt. “Come on, boyfriend. Get up before that colossal pain-in-the-ass comes back.”

 

There were only two puppies left at the Cavanaugh’s, and they were playing in the outside run when the foursome arrived on the warm and sunny winter afternoon. The rest were already with their carefully selected new owners at the perfect time of year. Michael was out of the truck before the boys were, striding towards the run to greet Lily and Rose. He stopped partway, turned, and waited for Kendall who was close behind him. He smiled when Michael grabbed his hand, saying it was the first time they were meeting them as a family and they should do it together. He motioned for Nate to join them as they approached the chain link fencing and the fat wriggling bodies jumping all over each other trying to get at them.

“She’s beautiful, Kendall. I can see why she swayed you. I’m so glad we decided to keep both of them.” Michael squatted down and let the puppies lick his face through the chain.

Nate stopped dead and said incredulously, “Are you kidding me? You’re getting both of these? I thought you were just getting Eyebrows?”

“That’s what I said. Is that all right with you?” Michael asked, smiling at Kendall.

“Holy crap, yeah! Oh my God, this is the best Christmas ever. I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad and the girls.” A thoughtful look crossed his face, and then it was gone. Kendall didn’t worry… the kid had shown his resilience, again and again. Tomorrow was likely to be a little tougher for him.

“By the way, her name is Lily, and the other beautiful girl is Rose.”

“Cool names,” Nate enthused, and Bodie nodded his approval.

“Do you want to go inside or do you want me to let them out?” Bodie asked the uncles while smirking knowingly at Nate.

Nate was the first to answer. “Let them out. And you knew this and didn’t tell me?”

Bodie laughed. “I knew they each picked a different one, but I didn’t know they were keeping both till just now. I hoped they would, though.”

“You could have told me they chose differently.”

“And what would be the fun in that?” Bodie winked past Nate at Michael and Kendall. “So, should I release the hounds?”

Kendall and Michael repeated Nate’s words, “Let them out,” and Bodie complied, opening the gate at the far end of the run. It was hilarious to watch the big-footed, big-headed bundles of energy barrel down the run to freedom, leaping through and over one another as they made their way to their very own people. Lily arrived at a laughing Michael the same time Rose tackled a kid-like Kendall. Nate stood back and watched the fun, and it wasn’t long before he was included in the reunions going on. He joined his uncles and sat in the snow, pulling Bodie down with him. They all got attention as the puppies made the rounds.

Eventually, the bursts of energy petered out, and the puppies settled down on their chosen laps. Just like the greeting, it was Rose on Kendall’s, and Lily on Michael’s.

“I was surprised you decided to keep them both.” Bodie said. “We have someone else waiting to see if one would be returned.”

Kendall gave Michael a stricken look. “Are we doing the right thing, Michael?”

Michael looked up from patting a contented Lily. “Damn right we are. They’re family now, and they know it. Okay?”

Kendall blew out a relieved breath. “Yeah, okay. I have to admit I missed this little girl, and I wouldn’t want to give her up. Nor Lily either. How are they doing, Bodie?”

“These two are awesome. I bring them in the house every day and work on their training. Rose is really good at following her sister’s lead, and that makes it easier, given that Lily is quick to catch on to anything new. They’ve never messed inside, and are totally comfortable in the crate. By the time you get them, they’ll be perfect little ladies. They’re not strong enough to tackle stairs yet, so we’ve been avoiding them in the house. I don’t want to stress their joints, but, they’re getting stronger every day. I love their names, by the way. How did you come up with them?”

Michael shared a look with his partner. “That stays between Kendall and me. Maybe we should be paying you for all this extra training and care you’re giving, though,” Michael suggested seriously.

“Are you kidding? I love working with dogs, especially young ones. There’s no way I’d take anything for it.”

Kendall smirked at Bodie. “Well, we are letting you have our nephew, so I guess were even.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Michael joked.

“Hey, I’m not your property,” Nate protested.

“Oh yeah, you are. We own you, and I have the signed papers to prove it,” Michael said while sticking his tongue out at Nate.

“I’d say that’s a fair deal,” Bodie said, grinning at his boyfriend. “He’s worth a little dog training.”

“Gee, thanks.” Nate muttered, but they all saw the adoring smile he bestowed on his boyfriend. Kendall gave Michael a knowing look, and they shared another secret smile.

Kendall was the first to get up out of the snow, his reason being Bodie’s parents strolling down the tree-lined laneway toward them. Miranda called out as they got closer, and Michael and Nate turned in acknowledgement. Kendall was struck first by how handsome Bodie’s look-a-like father was, and then by how ugly their Christmas sweaters were. He held back a laugh as they got closer.

“Merry Christmas, almost-neighbors,” Miranda said before giving each of the grown-ups a hug, and getting the same wish in return. “Hey, Nate. Are you looking forward to the big move?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Oh God, please don’t call me ma’am. It’s Mira, okay?”

“Okay.” He blushed a little and Bodie grabbed his hand instantly.

“Nate, this is my dad, Scott Cavanaugh.”

“Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh. It’s very nice to meet you, sir.”

“Just Scott, Nate, okay? It’s nice to finally meet my son’s boyfriend.”

“And this is Michael and Kendall,” Bodie said, continuing the introductions.

Scott shook both hands held out to him, and congratulated them on picking a really special house. He also congratulated them on their upcoming nuptials, offering the lawns at the bottom of the driveway for extra parking if they needed it. Miranda chimed in with an offer of extra fridge and freezer space for food or flowers, stressing it was such a short walk away, and that they had plenty of room.

Kendall was touched by the offers as he surveyed the friendly guy who would be their neighbor. They conversed easily about the beautiful day, and plans for Christmas. Bodie was well on his way to his father’s impressive stature, and he’d inherited his blue eyes and blond hair, as well as his strong jawline. The shape of the eyes, and the high cheekbones were from his mother… all in all, a perfect combination. Nate had done well if Bodie aged like his dad.

“What do you think of our sweaters?” Mira asked out of the blue, her eyes not doing a good job of hiding mirth.

“They look really nice… ah, Christmassy,” Michael said politely. The entire Cavanaugh clan exploded in laughter at his answer.

Bodie was the first to speak. “This is our family’s Christmas tradition. We have a bunch of the ugliest holiday sweaters we could find over the years, and we have to wear one of them today and tomorrow. We have a lot, don’t we, Mom.”

“Oh yes, our collection keeps growing, and it just so happens we have some for you guys if you want to join the tradition?”

“Hey, that would be fun,” Nate exclaimed, looking to his uncles for agreement.

Michael looked at Kendall. “I’m game, as long as we don’t have to wear them to church service tonight. I don’t think Mom would be amused.”

Mira smiled. “Good, it’s settled then. Come on up to the house and I’ll give you your box of lovely sweaters.” She chuckled… actually, they all did, now that it was okay to laugh at the ridiculous patterns.

“Box?” Kendall asked.

“Well, we have to include Nate’s grandparents, don’t we?” Mira was enjoying this immensely, and Kendall grinned.

“Yes, for sure. We wouldn’t want to leave them out, especially Big Mike.” This would be fun, and he could see his partner agreed.

They all said goodbye to Lily and Rose before Bodie and Nate returned the two tired lumps to the inside of the kennel. Kendall was surprised at how reluctant he was to leave them… he felt an actual pang, and when he turned away, he flushed at his partner’s sympathetic look. Yup, as Michael had said, they were part of the family now.

“I’m liking this tradition more and more, now that I think of it. I can just see Dad wearing one of those things.” He suspected Michael was trying to take his mind off Lily and Rose, and it was verified when he grabbed Kendall’s hand and spoke as they walked. “Don’t worry, Babe. We’ll see them again soon.”

“I love those little girls already.”

“Of course you do. Patch… Rose may have claimed you when she met you, but you claimed her too. I could see the soft spot you have for her.”

“I love them both, really.”

“I know, and so do I, but it’s okay to have our favorites for right now.”

“You have a favorite too, don’t you?”

“Uh huh. But I know it won’t last. Rose is just too damn adorable not to catch up.”

“And so is Lily.”

“We have a new house, a teenager, two dogs, and soon we’ll have our son. We sure have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?”

“Yeah, but best of all, we have each other.”

“That goes without saying, Babe.”

 

The huge, barn-like house was impressive, but still came across as a cozy, welcoming home. There were beams everywhere in the timber-frame part of the structure. The quickness of the tour was necessitated by the need to return to Uxbridge. They were expected back to attend the traditional Christmas Eve celebration at the charming place of worship in the center of town. It was important to Colleen, which meant it was important to the whole family. The abbreviated walk-through ended at the huge indoor pool, and then they had to take their leave. Mira made sure the sweaters were not forgotten when they departed, giggling as she handed them over.

Not only Kendall noticed the hug and kiss between Bodie and Nate as they were saying their goodbyes at the front of the house. Dusk had arrived, and he walked over to Mira while Michael was conversing with Scott about something to do with putting sliding doors on their new drive-shed. He knew Michael would fill him in at some point.

“They’re so beautiful together, aren’t they?” Mira’s eyes glistened in the decreasing light while watching the boys talking quietly, a little ways off by themselves, as if there was no one else in the world. Each boy was holding onto the chains around their necks as they murmured too quietly to be heard.

“Yes, they are. You son is an amazing young man. He feels like part of our family already. Mom and Dad have pretty much adopted him as another grandchild.”

Mira smiled at that disclosure. “And so is your nephew… a truly wonderful match for our son. I keep thinking how close we came to this being the worst Christmas ever,” she whispered, emotion raw in her voice.

Kendall was surprised at her openness, but it was what Michael had suspected after their first conversation. He decided to be just as open. “Believe me,” he said softly, “it crosses our minds too, but it didn’t happen, and they found each other. They make each other stronger, Mira, and I don’t think they would let themselves feel that desperate again. No matter what happens between them, they have us, and you just have to look at them to see what they share.”

“Thank you, Kendall. I used to be frightened for Bodie every single day after we saw the... after we discovered what he’d considered doing, but since you guys showed up that afternoon with Nate, it’s like our prayers have been answered. He’s a different boy now, and I don’t worry so much anymore. Our bright light is back.” They shared an intense hug before the group broke up and the three guys went to the truck. The Cavanaughs went in the doorway surrounded by cheery, colored lights while Bodie stood outside, waving to Nate until they drove out of sight.

“Did Bodie like his dog tags, Nate?” Kendall noticed how quiet he’d become after they left the Cavanaugh’s.

“How did you know he opened his present?”

“That’s easy. The way you two were looking at each other when you came downstairs, before we left to bring him home. “You looked like you were in loooooove,” Kendall teased.

“We are.”

“Oh really?” Michael asked as he turned around to look at his nephew in the back seat.

“We said it, and I meant it… and he did too,” Nate said quietly. Michael looked at Kendall, not responding.

Kendall realized right away what a big deal it was for Nate to lay that out there. He was both trusting them, and looking for their approval. “I have no doubt he loves you, Nate. You just have to see how he is around you. So you feel the same, huh?”

Nate leaned forward. “I love him so much, it’s almost scary. I hate it when we have to be apart. I wish he could… never mind.”

Kendall chuckled while Michael stayed quiet. “Love is scary, that’s for sure,” he said, squeezing the hand he held in his. “But it’s the best thing in the world when you find it. Were you going to say you wish he could be with you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what I thought. You have years ahead of you for that. Right now, it’s about his family. There’s no choice to be made here? You understand that, right?”

“I guess. I would want to be with my mom and dad if I could,” he said thoughtfully, and Kendall got what was bothering Nate.

“It’s easier to not miss them when you’re with the guy you love.”

“Yeah." Nate hesitated for a few seconds. "Bodie helps me not think about it. I’ve never spent Christmas without them before. I really miss Kelsey and Lacey too.” Kendall hated hearing the tremor in the boy’s voice.

“You’re supposed to miss them,” Michael spoke up. “You know they miss the hell out of you, although I’m not really sure why.”

“They miss me because they love me,” he echoed Bodie’s words exactly, from earlier in the day, bringing a smile to his uncle’s lips, “and because I’m a lovable guy.” Nate’s attempt to be funny didn’t hide his state of mind from his uncle Kendall, though.

“Well, there you go, and they’re proving just how much by what they’re doing now. Do you get that?” Kendall asked.

“Yeah, they doing this all for me.”

“No,” Michael responded. “They’re doing some of this for you, but it’s about the whole family. I talked to your mom this week. Megan called me to see how you were doing, and she sounded so happy about making the move back here. So don’t put this all on you. I’m going to tell you something that maybe I shouldn’t.” Michael paused.

“What? Tell me, Uncle Mike.”

“Okay, but it’s between us unless your parents tell you tomorrow. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Your parents were making last minute plans to fly out here and surprise you, just for a couple of days over Christmas.”

“But, I thought they couldn’t… what happened?”

“That’s what you were supposed to think. They only told you they couldn’t, but you know the trouble Kelsey has with her ears?”

“Yeah, she gets bad infections every winter. Oh, so she has one now?”

“Yup, and that means she can’t fly.”

“Oh, poor Kelsey. They make her so sick.”

“She’s getting better, though. Megan thinks she be able to enjoy Christmas.”

“That’s good. I don’t get it, though… why didn’t they tell me?”

“They didn’t want to disappoint you, Nathanial. They figured they’d leave it as is because you seemed okay with it. You weren’t, though, were you?”

“Yes I was… well, okay, not really, I guess. I just miss them so much.” Nate’s voice broke, and Kendall was tempted to pull over, but Michael made it so they didn’t need to.

“I just thought of something. If we can find a free hour tomorrow, maybe we should go visit the new members of our family.”

“You mean the puppies?”

“Of course the puppies. I didn’t mean Bodie,” Michael said with a smirk directed towards his partner.

“That would be the best, Uncle Mike! Do you mean it?”

“Do I mean it, Babe?”

“Yes, you mean it, Sunshine. But it has to be okay with Scott and Mira. We could drop you off to see Lily and Rose, or whoever, and Michael and I could go check out the house and maybe go for a romantic walk along our new road.” He looked over at his partner and winked. “That would give you a half hour or so… maybe even an hour, to spend with the puppies. Does that sound okay with everyone?”

“Sounds perfect to me, Babe.”

“Awesome. That would be so freaking awesome. I’ll text Bodie now. Better yet, I’ll call him. You guys are the best uncles ever.”

“Yes we are. Good job, partner,” Kendall whispered as Nate started his phone conversation. “You were right to tell him about what Mark and Megan intended.”

“You too, partner. I didn’t know what was bothering him at first,” he murmured back. “I’m loving the idea of a romantic walk on Christmas day. It’ll make more room for dinner.

“Yeah, that’s why I suggested it.” Kendall shook his head, groaned, and rolled his eyes all at the same time.

“It’ll also make me horny.”

“How will a walk make you horny?”

“Endorphins… it’s a known fact.”

“No it’s not. Oh my god, food and sex, that’s all you think about.”

“What else is there?”

Kendall finally had to laugh. “You have a point, big guy. I’ll see what I can do.”

“Ewwww… gross. I can hear you guys, you know… and I’m impressionable.”

The giggle coming from the back seat said all was now right with the world, and Kendall looked over at his partner and smiled. This father thing was a piece of cake when they worked together.