The Discovery - 13. Chapter 13

By the time Kyle arrived home from the office, he was tired and ready to just relax and begin his weekend. After talking to Monica, Michelle and Kevin returned from their trip to New York and briefed him on what they learned. He agreed they needed to look into the three men mentioned at the fateful party the night of Sharon Ellington’s murder. With Monica’s reserved approval, they made plans to locate and interview Grant, Dylan and Rodger. Kyle’s instinct said they needed to focus more on the later. But there were still a lot of questions and no clues as to what the answers might be. For now, he was fine with how things were progressing. Sometime next week after meeting with Josh again, he would have to start the process of filing the appeal in court. One of the reasons why he hadn’t approached law enforcement yet was out of an abundance of caution. If he did, it would only be a matter of time before the DA’s office would hear about it. He didn’t want that to happen just yet. Once he had the appeal written up then he would approach them directly.

With a sense of relief, he stepped up to the back door, with its green inlay that still glowed after all these years. The sun had set an hour ago and dinner would be starting soon. When he stepped inside, he was made very aware that there were a number of boys in the house as the noise level was higher than usual. While it was not the ideal way to end the day, he smiled feeling his spirits lifted. He walked in and was greeting by his father’s welcoming smile as he lifted the large kettle out of the cabinet.

“Did I miss dinner,” Kyle asked cheerfully as he shut the door behind him.

“No,” David said. “Just getting ready. We decided with five little ones tonight and four big ones we’d just order pizzas for everybody. This is for later.”

“Oh. Grandpa’s famous kettle popcorn, huh?”

David grinned. “Only famous for about a block. You’re a little late, aren’t you?”

“A little,” he admitted. “Had to have a discussion with Monica today.”

David tilted his head curiously. “She’s not quitting, is she?”

“No.” Kyle rolled his eyes slightly. “Though, I think for a moment she would have. I decided to go ahead and make her a partner in the practice.”

David frowned a little. “Okay. What’s that mean exactly?”

“It means she’ll have a share of control over how things are run. She’s effectively above everyone else in the office now.”

“She already was,” David remarked. “She was the first lawyer you hired.”

“True. But now I can’t really fire her. Not that I was planning on it. I’d be chopping off my own nose if I did that.”

“So, what’s changed now that she’s a partner?”

“Well, the name of the place will change. It’ll be ‘Howard and Jones LLC’ because she’s my partner now. No real big changes other than that. She’ll only have at most a twenty percent interest starting out. That’s mostly due to that big win I got last summer. So, for her, it’ll mostly just be a big pay increase and some more authority she didn’t have before.”

David’s shoulders shook slightly as he fought down the urge to laugh. “You sounded like your mother there for a second.”

Kyle awarded his father with a sardonic look. “Oh, thanks. That’s just what I love hearing.”

“I’ll tell her you said that.” David’s grin softened after he had his fun. “Well, if you feel it’s the right thing to do, then I’m sure it will work out. Go get cleaned up and changed before our last kid arrives.”

“Last kid?” Kyle thought for a moment before it came to him. “Oh, damn. Right. Their new friend. Mark… something. I’m supposed to talk to his parent when he gets here. I hope it’s his mom.”

“Why his mom?”

Kyle headed through the kitchen to get to his room as he answered. “Because his mom is being represented in her divorce by one of the guys on my staff.” He didn’t wait for his dad’s reply as he hurried through the house. He took a quick shower and changed into a pair of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. That was what made him feel most comfortable and most at home. As he combed his short hair and looked at himself in the mirror, he smirked ruefully at the wrinkles starting to form near his eyes. They had started a few years ago and he jokingly referred to them as the price he paid for having kids. Now there were a few lines starting to form on new places on his face. He sighed at the obvious slow degradation of his youth. It was unavoidable so it was best to just accept it as part of life. Still a part of him dreaded the changes that could not be stopped. Time was definitely against him.

Then he thought of Josh and his own battle with Time. He had most of his life stolen from him. Through no fault of his own his childhood had been ripped apart and tossed aside. Now, he was in prison facing a life sentence for a crime Kyle was sure he didn’t commit. The more he and the others were discovering, the more confident he was of that fact. Josh had already lost five years of his life and he deserved them back. If anything, Josh was as much a victim of the crime as Sharon was. They both deserved justice for what was done to them. He opened the cabinet behind the mirror and pulled down his medication and took the pill before he thought about it. For his family’s sake, he had to stay calm and not get worked up or anxious. But even as he turned away and headed out to join the others, he could not ignore the profound sadness of Josh’s plight in his heart.

As he headed towards the living room, Jacob appeared in the doorway and smiled at him. “Hey, babe. How was your day?”

Kyle smiled and felt the warm reassurance of Jacob’s arms around him as he kissed him on the cheek. “It was fine. Making some changes at work, though.”

“Oh?” Jacob stepped back a bit but kept his hands on Kyle’s shoulders. “Big changes?”

Kyle shrugged. “Nothing major. Well, sort of. I’m making Monica a partner in the firm on Monday.”

Jacob frowned slightly and his eyes shown a little confusion. “Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” Kyle said. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’ll still be my law firm. Just sort of hers too. It’s not going to amount to a lot in the long run.”

Jacob watched his face and noticed a hint of sadness in his eyes. “Well, if it’s what you want, then it’ll be a good thing. Are you sure you’re alright? You seem upset for some reason.”

Kyle’s smile brightened and he forced the negative thoughts away for now and focused on the dark-haired man in front of him. “I’m fine, darling. Just a little tired is all.”

They were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing nearby. “Looks like our last kid is finally arriving,” Jacob commented as the other boys suddenly ran out of the room and headed to the door. Kyle and Jacob followed behind them and stood just behind Matt as he opened the door.

“I’m sorry we’re late,” Mark’s mother said with a weary smile. “It’s been a long day.”

Kyle put on his best smile and stepped closer. “Not a problem at all. Come in, please.” He put a gentle hand on Matt and slowly guided him backwards to allow their new guests to step inside the house.

Mark looked all around with a look of wonder at the old but well cared for house. “Wow. This is your house,” he asked Matt.

Kyle laughed as he took Mrs. Taylor’s hand in greeting. “It’s big but it’s old. How are you doing tonight, ma’am?”

“You can call me Terra,” she replied as she took her own look around the large entryway and the doorways that led to the other rooms nearby. “I’ve seen the house from the road on our way to the orchard a couple times. You do have a lovely house, Mr. Howard.”

“Please. Call me Kyle, this is my husband Jacob and that’s our oldest boy Matt, of course.” Remembering his promise to Matt he added. “If you’re not in a hurry, you should come meet my father. He’s in the kitchen now.”

The opportunity to see more of the house most of her friends had only speculated on but never seen was too tempting to pass up as she smiled and nodded. “I don’t really have anything special going on, no.”

Jacob smiled politely. “Why don’t you two head into the kitchen while I order the pizzas for all of us and get the boys settled in for a movie to start their night.”

“Thanks, dear.” Kyle and Jacob had already discussed their plan with this the day before, so it was easy to get her to come in and stay for a bit while they talked. Kyle led Terra down the hallway that went past the dining room and into the kitchen while Jacob stepped into the living room with the boys. Curiously, Kyle noticed David was at the stove heating up something just as he looked up and smiled to them as they entered. “Dad, this is Terra Taylor, Mark’s mother.”

David smiled invitingly to her as he spoke. “Welcome to my home, Terra. I was just making some tea if you’d like some.”

“Sure,” Kyle answered. “Here, Terra. Have a seat and we can talk and get to know each other a little better.”

Terra gave him a questioning look, but her smile only dimmed slightly as she slowly slid into the seat that was offered to her. “You have a lovely home, Mr. Howard.”

“Thank you,” David replied as he set out some cups and poured the tea into them. “I hear from Kyle that you’ve been having a difficult time with your divorce?”

Terra’s face drooped slightly in embarrassment. “It’s been a long fight, that’s for sure.”

Kyle nodded in sympathy. “Kevin tells me the two of you are coming close to an agreement. If I may ask, how has Mark been?”

“A little grumpy now and then,” she admitted. “Hank wasn’t the best dad, but not the worst. And we tried for years to work things out. But the truth is, we were just living together for Mark’s sake. All I could think about, towards the end, was how much I was missing.”

David took a seat on the other side of the table from her. “There’s no crime in that,” he said gently. “I’ve been through it myself and, it’s not an easy decision to make.”

Terra shook her head and smiled ruefully. “I felt trapped. Hank didn’t want me going out or doing much of anything that didn’t involve taking care of Mark. I love my son, but I wanted more.”

Kyle nodded. “Are you planning anything big?”

“No,” she said. “I just want to make friends and have a social life outside of working full time and taking care of my child. Hank always resented me going anywhere.”

“So, you’re not planning on moving then?”

She looked up at Kyle with a curious frown. “No. I love living here. Why would I move?”

Kyle smirked slightly. “Dad, could you go get Mark and bring him in here please?”

“Sure.” David smiled and rose from his seat and headed down the hall.

Terra watched him go, looking confused and a little worried. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?”

Kyle sighed. “Terra, my son and his friends were worried about Mark. From what Matt told me, Mark’s been upset because he’s worried about having to move away on top of his parents splitting up.”

Terra’s confusion gave way to remorse. “Oh… What gave him that idea?”

Kyle chuckled silently. “No idea. You can’t always guess what’s going through a child’s head. But I felt that you should be aware of the problem before it got out of hand. He needs reassurances that he’s going to be okay.”

Terra turned in her seat as she heard footsteps approaching. David appeared with his hand on the young boy’s shoulder. Mark looked up uncertainly as he was led into the kitchen. “He’s a good kid,” David said. “Dinner will be here in about twenty minutes.” With that said, David turned and left the kitchen as Mark stood next to the table, looking uncertainly from his mother to Kyle.

Kyle felt he needed to start the conversation first to break the ice. “Mark? Matt and Blake tell me you’ve been a little worried about your parents.”

His eyes widened slightly, as if he was in trouble. “Well… Sort of. I guess?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Mark,” he said with a reassuring smile. “What’s important right now is that you know you can talk to your mom or your dad about what’s troubling you.”

“Mark,” Terra began as she smiled lovingly at her son. “Your father and I aren’t going to be living together anymore but we both agreed that we’re going to both be spending time with you. And that means no one is going to be moving.”

“So, where am I going to live,” the boy asked his mother.

She shrugged. “We’re still working that out. For right now, you’re going to stay with me and see your father on the weekends. When you’re not with your friends.”

Kyle interjected gently, “and, Mark, while you’re only ten years old right now, you’ll get old enough that at some point, if you want to change how things are, you can talk to them, and they will work to accommodate your needs. Okay?”

Mark seemed uncertain about what to say. “I don’t want to make anyone mad.”

His mother looked at him with a sad, sympathetic look. “Oh, honey, you won’t make me or your dad mad. We want you to be happy. That’s why we’re being so careful when it comes to you.”

Kyle gave Mark a reassuring smile. “See? There’s nothing to worry about. But, if you really need help, you can always come talk to me and I’ll do what I can to help you.”

Mark looked at the older man in surprise. “Really?”

“Yup.” He nodded to emphasize his promise. “You can talk to Matt or Blake, or Carter and they’ll tell me, and we can find time to talk. Just like we’re doing right now. And if you just want to come here after school instead of going home, I’m sure we can work something out.”

That seemed to brighten his mood. “Thanks.”

“Good. Now, go ahead and get ready for pizza with the others while your mom and I talk.”

The boy hugged his mom first before leaving the kitchen. Terra smirked and stared at her half-empty cup of tea. “I don’t know why he never said anything before now.”

“Well, he probably just wasn’t sure how to say it to you or his father,” Kyle replied. “It happens. Don’t beat yourself up over it. For now, if you think Mark is starting to show any signs of stress at home, just feel free to call and we can take him in while you two figure out what’s going on. And even after that, he’s welcome to visit whenever he likes.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Terra said in thanks. “I’m glad he has friends who care about him.”

Kyle grinned. “Jacob and I are very proud of our son. And his friends.”

Terra drank the rest of her tea. “I should get going. You have a house full of boys to deal with and you’ll need all your energy for that.”

Kyle laughed as he rose from his seat. “Probably. But I have help. I’m glad Kevin is finishing up your divorce. He’s good at what he does. But even after that, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call us, okay?”

She got to her feet, smiling with a little more ease than she had when she first arrived. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

Kyle smiled and led her out the back door and down to her car. “Just for future reference, while the front door is an option, the back door is where most people come and go. If you’re expected, there’s no real need to knock first.”

Terra grinned a little. “Just an open-door policy around here? I wouldn’t have expected it from a bunch of guys living out in the country.”

Kyle laughed. “Things are pretty quiet around here most of the time. Just how it’s always been here. And we’re not that far from town.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” They reached her car. “Seriously. Thank you for your help. I wish Mark had said something sooner, but I’m glad he managed to find help in his own way.”

“Well, we’re a helpful bunch, I guess,” Kyle conceded. “Be safe on your way home. Jacob or I will drop Mark off tomorrow afternoon, if that’s alright with you.”

She nodded. “Sure. Have a good night.”

“Same to you.” Kyle stood back as she started her car and carefully made her way down the long drive to the road that led back to town.

When he walked back in, he headed to the front room only to be stopped in the hall by Jacob. “Everything worked out,” his husband asked him.

Kyle smiled and nodded. “Yeah. She’s really nice. After their divorce is settled, we should invite them over more.”

Jacob smirked. “I’m fine with it. Want to start picking out movies before the pizzas get here?”

“Sure.” They went to the front room, ready to start their night with their boys and quietly reliving their memories of their own times shared in the same way their sons got to experience.

****

The weekend went smoothly for Kevin, keeping himself busy at his small apartment and even making a trip to the gym on Sunday. It had helped put this new case he got himself wrapped up in into a better perspective. He always knew he wasn’t the best lawyer in the world and never would be. But what he knew he was better than most at was as a showman. He knew how to craft a message. How to paint his client as being on the right side of an argument. That’s what made him the go to person in the office for divorce suits in the last year. Once he got to know his client and their needs, along with whatever prompted them to leave their spouse for whatever reason, it was simple for him how to get the best judgement for them when the time came.

And now here he was, sitting in a prison meeting room with his boss, waiting on his client to arrive. While he had technically worked on a criminal case in the past, it was actually as an intern, not as counsel, and it never even went to trial since their client had been guilty and had pled to a lesser offense to avoid a long prison term. But without thinking, he had offered himself up as more experienced than he was. Before he knew it, he found himself roped into this case that he had no idea how to defend. Michelle was away today, working on another case and would later run down more leads in this one, but today, he was stuck with Kyle.

Kyle, despite his natural inclination to put people at ease, intimidated Kevin. No matter what he did, Kyle always made it look effortless. Even the drive to the prison seemed completely unremarkable no matter how fast he drove. He was hoping by the end of this, Kyle would see him as more than just a low-level associate that just does one good thing around the office. Unfortunately, before that could happen, he would have to find a way to overturn a murder conviction.

Kevin wasn’t as sure as the others that would happen.

“How long do we have today,” Kevin asked his boss quietly as he checked his pen again to make sure it had ink in it.

Kyle glanced over at Kevin’s fidgeting hands, wondering what was wrong with the younger man. “However long it takes. There’s some things we need to go over with him this morning and then we need to go into the city and find this councilman. What’s his name again?”

“Uh… Devin Goode,” he replied, checking the notes in their expanding file. He only just stumbled a little bit on his response, and he internally wished Michelle was here. It was easier to interact with Kyle with her in the room. Almost like a buffer between the two of them.

The door opened and Josh was escorted in, this time without the handcuffs. Once he was seated and the door closed, the three men were alone. Josh turned his gaze to Kevin with a questioning frown before Kyle spoke up. “How are you doing?”

“I’m alright, I guess,” Josh replied. His voice still carried a sense of apathy and resignation to it. But Kyle thought he could detect a little more life in him. “Still here. But I guess it’s gonna stay that way for a while.” He turned his attention to the new person in the room. “Who’re you?”

Kevin looked up at him. While he had been told Josh was Jacob’s brother, he had never actually met him before. What he saw across the table was a thin looking man in a grey jumpsuit with short, dark hair and sky-blue eyes. The skin was smooth but pale from being inside longer than he should be. “My name is Kevin Bryant. I’m one of Mr. Howard’s associates.” With that out of the way, he decided to go right into the questions he had prepared for this meeting. “Mr. Carter, can you tell us anything about Grant Johnson? We’ve learned that Sharon was at his house a few hours before she was killed.”

“Grant was an okay guy, I guess,” Josh said in his normal quiet voice. “He liked having people over to his place so most of the time he threw little parties. Sharon and I went to his place a few times in the past. He was polite enough. But I always got the impression he wasn’t all that interested in me.”

“Why do you think that was,” Kyle asked in a more familiar tone than Kevin’s professional manner.

Josh shrugged. “Don’t know. He was a loud kind of guy and I’m not comfortable around a lot of yelling. Our personalities were just different, I guess.”

Kevin made a note before continuing with his questions. “Did you know someone named Rodger? He was there that night.”

Josh nodded. A ghost of a smirk crossed his lips for a moment before he answered. “Yeah. I never told Sharon this but… he sort of hit on me. Well, more like just came onto me one night. I politely turned him down. Though I was kind of flattered.”

“Why’s that?”

Josh shrugged. “He never hit on the other guys in the room.”

Kyle made a note of that and decided Rodger was someone they needed to find right away. “Ever been hit on by a guy before that?”

Josh shook his head dismissively. “Just one of my foster brothers. Told him I wasn’t interested but promised to keep his secret from the rest.”

Kyle nodded. There was so much about this person he needed to learn still. Before he could say anything, Kevin continued with his questions. “What about Dylan Goode? Was your relationship with him a lot like Grant’s?”

“He was an alright guy. I knew him almost as long as Sharon. Was a polite type and we seemed to get along. Sharon didn’t see anything special about him though.”

Kevin nodded. “We’re going to spend the rest of the week running down leads. Unless you have anything else you want to share.”

Josh shook his head. “You gotta understand, I knew these people, but only as much as I spent time around them with Sharon. She was their friend. I was just the boyfriend to them. I spent more time working for a paycheck than any of them did.”

Kyle leaned forward as he started to explain what was going to happen next. “We’re still going to be running down a lot of these people and getting information from them. But next week, I will be filing the appeal on your conviction.”

“How long is that going to take?”

“If I were to guess, we’d get a hearing in front of the appeals court sometime in December. And not get a ruling until January. It’s more than likely that they will vacate your conviction but will order a new trial. I’ll argue heavily for your bail, but I can’t promise anything in that respect.”

Josh seemed to accept that for now. “So I’ll be stuck in here for a bit longer.”

“Not exactly,” Kyle said. “What will likely happen, at least what I will push for, is that you’re released from this prison and transferred to the local county jail during your trial. That way you’ll be closer to what’s going on and you’ll be able to have some more visitors as well.”

“Like Ramon?”

Kyle smirked, glad to know his conversation paid off. “He called you, then?”

“Yeah,” Josh’s lips tilted up in something closer to a smile Kyle had seen on him for the first time. But it wasn’t the first time he saw that look. Many years ago, when he was just a teen, he saw someone else who hid his smile almost as well as the man in front of him. “It was nice hearing from a friend.”

“So, you have more friends than you thought,” Kyle pointed out.

“Speaking of,” Josh began as his face turned serious again. “Did you find out more about... The other thing?”

Kyle tried to evade the answer. “I’m still working on that.”

“I’m sorry,” Kevin interjected. “What ‘other thing?’”

Before Kyle could stop the discussion, Josh surprised him by explaining. “Mr. Howard told me that I had been adopted at birth. Told me about my parents but didn’t know anything else.”

Kevin slowly turned his attention to Kyle. “What about—”

Kyle leaned in and gently pulled Kevin by the arm to him close enough to whisper in his ear. “Not yet.”

“He should know it all,” Kevin whispered back. “The last thing you should do right now is lie to your client.”

Kyle sighed, knowing he was right and sat back up in his chair before turning his attention back to a curiously concerned Josh. “Josh, first off, before I explain this all to you, I’d prefer you just call me Kyle. It’ll probably make this next part easier.”

“Alright.” Josh’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What’s the big deal?”

Kyle reasoned in his mind there was no point in holding the rest of the information from him. He’d deal with telling Jacob in time one way or another. Then he could focus on his job. “You have a brother. His name is Jacob.”

Josh stared at him flatly. He wasn’t as well educated as his lawyer, but he knew there was something else going on. “Okay. So, what’s the big deal?”

For some reason, the words were hard to get out. As if saying them would change the entire world, which was likely going to happen. “I’ve known Jacob for a long time now. In fact, we only just learned about you being alive this past summer.”

“Okay…” Josh looked at his lawyer who seemed to have a kind of guilty aura around him. It was obvious to him that there was more to it than what was being said. “How long have you known him?”

Kyle tried to do the math in his head. “You would’ve been fifteen when he and I first met.”

He frowned at the obvious evasion that was going on. He looked at Kevin who seemed unwilling to speak but knew the answer to his question. “How do you know him? How close are you and this Jacob?”

Kyle held up his left hand and put his wedding band on display. “We’re very close.”

Josh’s eyes narrowed into slits. An uncomfortable cold feeling was growing in the pit of his stomach. “So… what’s going on here then? I mean, why did you just suddenly show up?”

As he explained it, Kyle’s voice started slow until it all started coming out in a rush. “Around four months ago, Jacob and I, along with our friends decided to do a DNA ancestry test. When Jacob got his results back, we discovered for the first time in his life, that he had a sibling. I tried to backtrack his past to find out about his mother, who he never knew well, and found out that she died in childbirth. With you. Your father, for some ungodly reason, put you up for adoption and later he and Jacob started moving around until in high school, I met Jacob and we fell in love. We got married and had kids, he’s a carpenter, I’m a lawyer, we work together on an apple orchard, and I’m now realizing how ridiculous all of that sounds.”

Kevin spoke up, trying to be helpful. “To be fair, his dad is the one who puts in most of the effort with the orchard.”

Kyle glanced as Kevin, slightly wounded. “Next time I need to spend my Saturday pumping fertilizer over a few acres of trees, I’ll be sure to invite you over to show you just how effortless it is.”

Josh’s face went blank for a moment, trying to absorb all of this. “So… your husband… is my brother. And that would make you, my brother-in-law?”

Kyle nodded. “Yes. In hindsight, maybe I should have just gone with that pretty straight forward explanation.”

“So, does he know? I mean, about me? Have you told him everything?”

The uncomfortable look on Kyle’s face returned. “Not so much, no. But that’s not about you. That’s about him. His father… your father… was very abusive to him growing up, and an alcoholic as well. Jacob, turns out, picked up that gene from his father, but he’s nearly ten years sober now, if I remember right. We have two boys. Matthew and Aaron.”

Josh put up his hands to forestall any more surprises. Learning this just made him feel irritated and he decided he didn’t need to know any of it right now anyway. “Okay, okay. Let’s just… keep it basic for now?”

Kevin remarked, “probably best to just stick to the case for now and work from there.”

Kyle sighed. He felt a small measure of relief in that Josh seemed to be accepting it better than Kyle expected. That gave him hope that eventually, Jacob would come around. But Kevin was right. They needed to focus on getting him out of prison first. If he didn’t manage that, then everything else he just divulged would be meaningless. “Let’s get on with the questions we have today. If you want to know more, I can call you later this week and we’ll go over it.”

Josh stared at them both. Never in his life had he expected that he would be stuck in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, only to then learn that everything he believed about his life had been a lie. When he had been with Sharon, he remembered how good it felt to be around her parents and had hoped that someday he would be a part of that family. But that dream ended abruptly and had destroyed what little hope he had. And now, here was this lawyer. Was what he was saying even possible? Maybe they were wrong, and they had the wrong person? He wanted to believe it was possible, but it was hard to put trust into someone’s words again. All he wanted was a chance at a peaceful life. With no more pain or heartache. No more losing people or feeling like he was getting thrown away for no reason. Being forgotten and unwanted. He looked at their expectant faces and realized he’d been silent for too long. The desire to still believe in hope was buried so deep down inside him he almost forgot it could still be there. But Josh ignored it for the moment and decided to just focus on what was in front of him. Maybe he could have a real family again, but the odds seemed unlikely. Josh took a breath, let it out and then nodded confidently and replied, “I got nothing better to do. Let’s do it.”

****

Andy watched from his spot on the bleachers as Tanner sat on a bench down on the side of the gymnasium floor. His son had won most of his matches quickly, though the coach said he still needed to work on his technique. Andy couldn’t assist in that regard. But what he had done was help him bulk up and stay within his weight class. For the last two months, they had worked together alongside Jacob to get stronger through weight training. Jacob had been impressed with the young boy, but Andy had reservations about his competing in matches in the beginning.

Andy had not chosen to play contact sports when he was growing up. His own father had encouraged him to find something he enjoyed and that had become swimming with his two best friends. The memory of those days still brought a crooked smile to his lips. The addition of Brian to their intimate circle only made those days brighter. Those were such innocent and wonderful days and the fact that his oldest son was the same age he was when he and Brian first met seemed both weird and heartening. Maybe someday soon Tanner will meet someone who will grab his attention.

“How’s it going?”

Andy’s attention was interrupted as he turned his head towards the familiar voice right next to him. He grinned as the man next to him grunted softly while taking the seat next to him. It wasn’t the first time David had come to see Tanner wrestle, but it was still a welcome surprise. “What’re you doing here?”

David regarded him with a pleased smirk. “Well, I had time and heard one of my boys was in a wrestling match and I wanted to come watch.”

Andy chuckled silently and turned his gaze back to his son as he waited for his match to start. “Haven’t missed anything yet. Tanner will be up in a few minutes.”

The older man nodded and turned his attention to the floor below. “Kyle’s been busy,” he remarked casually.

Andy smiled. While they have been keeping in touch with each other online, he and his friends didn’t see each other as often as they may have wanted. Taking care of children along with working and being in relationships take a lot of time and effort. “Busy good, or busy bad?”

David made a noncommittal noise in his throat as he shrugged. “Never can tell with him sometimes. Whatever he’s doing, he’s lost a little sleep over it.”

Andy had a feeling that while David honestly was here to see Tanner compete, he was possibly on a fishing expedition as well. “Well, whatever it is, I’d be the last to know. I haven’t talked to him face to face in weeks, I think. What does Jacob tell you?”

David’s lips tugged downward slightly. “Not much. He hasn’t been sleeping all that great either, if I’m any judge. Hasn’t been since your little dinner party.”

“Oh?” His face took on a more serious look as took that in. “He has been acting funny a few times. Like when I asked him about the search for his long-lost brother.”

David nodded as if that’s what he expected to hear. “I broached that subject with him myself not too long ago. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he almost got angry with me.”

Andy made a mental note to discuss that with Brian later tonight after the boys were in bed. “Maybe I need to start paying closer attention then.”

“Maybe,” David said casually.

Their conversation stopped and their attention focused on Tanner as he stood up from his seat and stepped onto the mat. He’d seen Tanner wrestle half a dozen times by now, but it still made his heart constrict in concern for his little boy even as he was pulling his phone out of his pocket and starting to record. Tanner faced off with his opponent and within moments, the two preteens were grappling for dominance as they both twisted and turned to see which one would be down on the mat first. Eventually, after a few grabs and groping, the other boy managed to flip Tanner backwards onto his back. He quickly twisted to get a pin, but Tanner scrambled out of the way.

Andy and David shouted encouragement from their seats and cheered when Tanner scored his first two points as he eventually got his opponent down on the ground. They struggled for a few more minutes until the boy broke free and with surprising quickness, turned and flipped Tanner onto his back and pinned him down. In a second the whistle blew, and it was over. They watched as Tanner slowly walked back to his spot on the bench looking both crestfallen and angry.

David shook his head sadly. “I don’t envy you on the drive back home.”

Andy sat back again on the bench and sighed. “Took a bad hit to his ego, looks like.”

“Yup.” David grunted softly as he sat back. “But that’s what growing up is all about. And he’s definitely growing up.”

“Yeah.” Andy smiled slightly with pride but at the same time felt a strange ache in his chest. “Did it feel this fast for you?”

David smiled. “Watching the boys I love go from little kids to teenagers? Yeah. That’s the pain that comes from being a parent. Every day brings you one day closer to the day they don’t really need you anymore. You try to take it in stride. Not gonna lie, though; Peter and I shed a couple tears when you all left the nest.”

Andy nodded. “Still feels weird knowing that it’s going to happen eventually.”

“No,” David corrected him. “It’s going to happen sooner than you think. Just remember that every day you have with him and with Blake are perishable goods. Once a day is over you don’t get it back. And the older they get, the fewer days you get with them. So, treat each one like your last.”

“Thanks for the warning.” It was a truth he had already believed. One day, Tanner and then Blake would be out of the house and living their own lives separate but close to his. There would still be calls and messages and holidays. But little by little, he would see them less and less. He knew in his head that was how it was supposed to be. His heart, on the other hand, still had a difficult time accepting it.

“Just some friendly advice from one father to another.”

Andy decided that he didn’t want to think about it for the time being. Changing the subject he commented, “after Thanksgiving you and the Colonel will be leaving for Florida this year?”

“Yup,” David nodded. “We should be back sometime in April.”

“That’s a long time,” he said casually. “You sure you can manage to stay away that long?”

“I think I can make it,” David assured him with a playful smirk.

After all the wrestling matches concluded, David and Andy went down to stand near the locker room door, waiting for Tanner to appear. David stood next to him so they both saw the disappointment in Tanner’s eyes as he came out with his bag hanging over his shoulder. Andy knew that look and he met David’s eyes before he sighed inwardly and put on his best face for his son. “Ready to go home or is there somewhere else we’re going?”

Tanner’s eyes looked down, not wanting to meet his dad’s cheerful smile as he responded in a subdued voice, “let’s just go home.” He glanced up and saw David standing there and felt even worse about his loss than he did before. “Hi, Grandpa.”

David saw the despondent look on the boy’s face and wanted to comfort him. But he held back, knowing that was Andy’s job. “Hey, Tan. Tough break on your match today. There’ll be other days though, right?”

“Yeah. Guess so.”

“Well, I’ll let you boys get home for dinner and I’ll see you in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.” He put his arm around Tanner’s shoulders and gave him an affectionate squeeze. “Love you, Tanner. You’ll be okay.” He made his way to the exit.

Andy watched his son and smirked before he put his arm around Tanner. “Let’s go, kid.” Tanner didn’t respond, instead just following where Andy led him out of the school and down the street to Andy’s truck. Once they were on their way, Andy glanced over at Tanner before saying, “how do you feel?”

“Like crap,” Tanner said as he stared out the side window.

“Why? Because you lost?”

“Yeah.”

Andy managed to not be dismissive, even though he knew in the long run, losing one match was not the end of the world as it likely felt to his son in this moment. “Hurts like hell, sometimes. But you’ll get better.”

“I hope so,” Tanner replied. “I don’t want to be the guy letting the team down.”

Andy chuckled and shook his head. “I’m almost positive you’ll never be that guy. Today, tomorrow or twenty years from now. You didn’t have a bad day. The other kid just had a better day than you. Someday you’ll meet him again and it’ll be different.” His words were met with silence, so he let the moment rest until they pulled up in the driveway. “Tanner… No matter how good anyone is, they’re never going to win every time. You can never expect to be perfect. Just do the best you can do. No one’s going to ask for more than that.”

The young boy sighed. “I know. It just… just sucks.”

Andy laughed softly. “Well, yeah! It’s never fun to lose. But what’s important is that you enjoy trying to win. When I was swimming with your uncles, the most important part to me was that we were a team. That we worked together. Sure, we won as many times as we lost, but we remember the wins more because we won them together.”

Tanner nodded slowly, taking in his dad’s words. “Okay.”

“So, this was just a minor bump in the road,” Andy said calmly. “You’ll get better eventually. And, Tan, really, you’re just getting started wrestling. Hell, the coach said you did great up until the last few seconds. I heard him say it. So, don’t let this bother you. Wait until you’re in high school. Then you’ll be wiping the floor with your opponents.”

Tanner smirked slightly and turned to watch his dad’s face. “You think so?”

“I know so.” When he pulled into the driveway Andy turned the engine off. He turned to his son and asked, “when’s your next match?”

Tanner looked at him. “In two weeks.”

Andy smirked. “I think it’s a cheat day for you then. Pizza and chocolate ice cream sound good to you?”

A ghost of a smile appeared on the boy’s lips. “That’d be cool.”

“Perfect.” Andy jumped out of the truck and went around to meet Tanner, throwing his arm around his son’s neck. He grinned mischievously, saying in a confidential tone, “and if you think that what happened to you was bad, ask your stepdad about the little scar on top of his head.”