The Discovery - 2. Chapter 2

Tanner stared out the window of the treehouse, looking down over the gathering. He took a drink from his bottled water and gazed out to the far side of the area where their fathers were sitting together, laughing and talking. “What do you suppose they talk about all the time?”

Chase shrugged from his spot on the other side of the window. “I dunno. Old people stuff?”

“They’re not old,” Matt said from his spot on the floor near the other two boys in the treehouse. “They’re just dads. Doesn’t mean they’re old.”

Tanner looked back at Matt. “Your dad didn’t fall and break his leg three months ago.”

“That was an accident,” Blake said. “He just slipped.”

Chase turned, leaning against the wall with a casual smirk. “Relax. Uncle Andy’s bounced back from worse.”

Tanner frowned slightly, wanting to change the subject. “So, why won’t you join the wrestling team with me this year? Coach said he would train you. With both of us, I bet we could talk Uncle Jacob to help us at the gym.”

Chase shrugged, but Tanner could see through his casual attitude. They had been friends for what seemed like their entire lives. At the mature age of twelve, he was starting to sense Chase’s different moods. “I just didn’t feel like it is all. Maybe next year.”

“Is this about the thing?”

Matt looked up curiously. “What thing?”

Chase stared at Tanner with a look of hurt betrayal before he recovered. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Matt rose to his feet, sensing Chase’s hesitancy. “You can tell me. I won’t tell your mom or dad.”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Matt frowned. It didn’t happen often between them, but there were times when Chase or Tanner would make their age gap seem huge. “Fine.” He stepped towards the window Tanner and Chase had been standing next to moments ago. “Do you think we’re weird?”

Carter spoke up from his spot in the corner. “Yeah. But is there a reason why you’re asking?”

“Everyone at school seemed to act funny sometimes around us. Do you think it’s because we have five dads and only one mom between the five of us?”

Blake giggled. “So? We’re lucky, is all.”

Tanner took another drink to hide his displeasure at the change in subject but let it go for now. He and Chase could get some private time to talk when the others were not around later. “You guys played a good game today. Don’t think anyone thought you were weird out there.”

Matt, Blake and Carter all smiled proudly. “Thanks,” Matt replied. “Just wish I hadn’t struck out in that last inning.”

Chase giggled at the memory. “I swear, your dad looked like he was gonna rush the field and scream at the ump.”

“Really,” Matt asked in surprise.

Tanner smirked in agreement. “It’s one of the few times I’ve seen him look pissed off. Uncle Jacob always seems so calm usually.”

Carter nodded in confirmation. “I saw him from the dugout.”

Matt grinned. “He just gets excited sometimes. He likes to watch me practice.”

“What about your other dad?”

Matt shrugged. “He’s been busy a lot. We talk some, but I was glad he showed up today.”

Tanner glanced out the window again and saw the crowd growing around their parents’ table. “Looks like he won’t be going anywhere for a while.” He watched curiously as a woman he was unfamiliar with approaching their dads’ table.

Unaware of Tanner’s gaze, Andy nudged Kyle slightly as he saw who was approaching. He smirked to himself and muttered in his friend’s ear. “Red alert.”

Kyle looked away from the conversation going on with the others and saw the woman approach. He quickly put on a polite smile. “Monica.”

Monica Jones matched his polite smile as she stepped up to the table. “Mr. Howard. We got a good win in court this week.”

Trust her to only think of work, Kyle thought through his smile. “Yes, it was.” Monica was a little younger than him, very smart and was a smart choice for an associate at his small law firm. Years ago, he had beaten her in a lawsuit that had taken up a lot of his time. Afterwards, they met and had drinks where she expressed her dislike of the firm she had been working for the past several years. Knowing that he was starting to get more work than he could handle, he offered to take her on and give her cases where she could put her talents to work helping people instead of defending corporations. Once he took on this last case, it had taken up almost all his time, leaving her to manage and hire a few more lawyers while trying to maintain their budget. Rosette had been the nominal person in charge and Monica respected her for that. But over the last year, she had started angling towards wanting more than just a paycheck. Kyle wasn’t sure he was ready for a partner in his own firm. “Looks like we’ll be just fine after all.”

Taking his conversational tone as an invitation to join them, Monica sat down across from him. She grinned slightly and leaned forward slightly. “You got lucky, Kyle.” While she may be embellishing a little, she more than anyone else knew the risks they were taking as a law firm to have taken on such a large class action suit on their own. She had urged him to pass the case up when the first claimant turned into two and then three, but Kyle was like a dog on a bone once he set his mind on it. Despite her warnings and the financial strain put on them both, she was more relieved that she let on.

Kyle’s smile tightened slightly, determined to remain polite. “Well. I’ll take luck over losing, I guess.”

She grinned, obviously pleased as his response. “So, what’s our next move?”

With a sigh he replied, “I’ve already talked to Rosette. We’ll do more hiring.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “And what about the debts incurred?”

“Dad gets paid first,” he answered in a tone that let her know there was no negotiating. “After that we’ll see where we are. But we’ll end up with more than enough to handle any debts we have.”

“That’s no big surprise,” she said with a smile. “Well then. Again, congratulations on your win. We can go over details on Monday.” She started to turn away when she stopped herself. “Oh, yes.” She smirked a little. “While you were gone, we did get pretty behind on our caseload. It would be appreciated if you look over some of the things that have come in in the last few weeks.”

He checked a sigh, knowing he likely wouldn’t get as much time off as he hoped. “I’ll do that. Thanks again.” He ignored the fact that she said nothing about his anniversary, but she never seemed that interested in his personal life.

Andy hid a chuckle behind the hand he leaned his head against as he watched Kyle’s partner depart. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Jacob leaned in closer, having not heard all of the conversation in the middle of the dozen people around them. “What did she want?”

Kyle smirked. As much as Monica wasn’t that interested in his personal life, including his husband, he knew the feeling was mutual between she and Jacob. “Nothing, dear. She was just offering her congratulations.”

Jacob made a noise to show he doubted that. “She’s gonna suck the life out of you someday.”

“And here I thought that was your job,” Brian quipped out of nowhere. They all looked at him with mixed looks of amusement. He shrugged. “Hey, all I heard was Jacob complaining about someone else sucking you.”

Kyle laughed and the slight cloud that had come over their group quickly disappeared.

****

After the sun had set and evening turned into night, most of the party goers said their goodbyes, leaving Kyle and the others to start the cleanup. Jacob and Colt supplied the boys with trash bags to collect the garbage while Troy, Brian, Kyle and Andy moved the tables back into the storage barn. Once the boys got started, Colt and Jacob hung back on the porch to supervise. Aaron dutifully stood between the two of them, stretching slightly so he could look over the railing to watch. He had all day with his brother and their friends. But he got the most enjoyment sitting with his grandpa and Colt. “Why do you have to go?”

Colt turned his head and down to the little boy next to him. “Because your grandfather and I have plans.” His eye flicked up to Jacob for a moment who was smirking as he continued to watch the boys. “Besides, Davey gets the biggest kick out of coming home after a trip.”

Aaron put on his best pouty face. “You’ll be back before I start school?”

“There’s no way either your grandpa or I will miss that day,” Colt assured him. “We’ll be back long before the apples start to drop.

Aaron leaned a little closer to Colt but seemed satisfied. Jacob looked down at his son and smiled. “You won’t have time to miss them, bud.” He put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “We’ll be swimming and going to ball games and all sorts of fun.”

Colt made a quiet chuckle. “So, what’s with those boxes I saw on the kitchen counter?”

“Oh.” Jacob rolled his eyes. “Stupid DNA tests Brian and Andy got all of us. They thought it would be fun if the five of us all did one. That way, we can start tracking out ancestry. So, our kids and their kids and onward into infinity will have a record of all of us having been here. I guess. I dunno. Probably mostly just for fun.”

“Try not to sound so excited,” Colt cautioned him with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Jacob shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Dunno when we’ll get the results back. Probably in a year or something.”

Colt looked out at the boys finishing up and carrying the bags to the trash cans. “What do you and Kyle have planned while we’re gone?”

Jacob got a soft smile on his lips. “Going to spend some time together. It’s been months since we spent any meaningful time together. I think we’ll take the boys swimming sometime next week.”

“Good.”

David stepped out the backdoor and walked over to them, putting a hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “Almost done?”

“Yes, sir,” he answered with a nod. “The boys are getting rid of the last of the trash now.”

Kyle and Troy were carrying the last table into the storage barn, setting it on top of another table and making sure there was room for the chairs that were still needing to be collected. “So, what are you going to do?”

Troy blinked. “What do you mean?”

“What are you going to do about Chase?”

Troy sighed, wishing it hadn’t come up again. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Kyle eyed him dubiously. “Just don’t wait until he’s getting married. It’ll probably be too late by then.”

“What are you gonna tell Matt when it’s his time?”

Kyle paused as they set the table in place. “I’ll just go with what feels right at the time.” He smirked and then added, “or just have Dad do it.”

Troy fell into step with Kyle as they headed to the door. “I have to admit, Liz is probably right. He’s been a little moody at times lately. Not total drama queen moody, but it’s been noticeable.” He thought about it as he picked up a set of chairs Andy and Brian left at the door and moved them inside. “I think I’ll just open the door to him. See if he’ll start the conversation first.”

“Not a bad idea,” Kyle replied with a shrug. They put the chairs away and headed out into the night, letting the soft glow of the back door guide them to their destination. “Boys,” Kyle called out into the dark, “you done yet?”

Out of the dark near the nearly empty workshop came the reply. “Coming Dad.”

Andy and Brian were hurrying to get the last of the chairs into storage with Andy limping behind slightly. They had told him he didn’t need to help with the cleanup, but he gave David an almost insulted look and the matter was dropped. “We’ll get the light when we’re done,” Andy said to Kyle as they passed. “Tanner, Blake,” he called out next, “grab your gear and get ready to go.”

A few seconds passed before they heard running feet pounding across the blacktop between the barns and the house. “Hey, dad,” Tanner began to ask, “can Chase stay the night with us?” He looked from Andy to Troy with a hopeful look.

Andy looked to Troy who met his silent question with an indifferent shrug. “I guess.” Tanner said his thanks and ran over to find Chase and Blake. “After hearing what you said earlier,” Andy muttered softly with a smirk, “don’t think for a second I’m giving him The Talk for you. You’re on your own with that.”

Troy grinned and patted his shoulder. “And here I thought you wouldn’t be able to see through my evil scheme.” He started to head inside to get his wife and kids. “Be careful limping home.”

Andy chuckled and flipped him off. “I don’t like you anymore.”

Kyle shared Andy’s mirth as they watched Troy go inside. The two friends leaned over the railing looking out over the darkened orchard before them. After hearing the last of the kids go inside, he quietly spoke. “So, how are you really?”

Andy sighed in exasperation. “I’m fine, bro. Nothing to keep you up at night. Just a little stiff sometimes.”

“It’s never going to be one hundred percent again though, is it?”

Andy laughed despite himself. “Are you trying to talk me into suing Troy?”

Kyle blinked in shock. “No! I’m just worried about you. You’re my friend and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Andy turned to look at him with a more serious look. “What did Brian tell you?”

Kyle looked at his friend as his eyebrow raised. He sighed and admitted, “he told me about the break and where it happened.”

“And…?”

Kyle’s eyes blinked a few times and looked down between them. “And what might have happened.”

Andy sighed. “That man. He’s lucky I married him.” He reached his hand over to Kyle’s shoulder. “He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. Did you tell Jacob or your dad?”

“I don’t think he meant to,” Kyle admitted. “And when he did, he swore me to secrecy. Why won’t you tell the others?”

“Because it fixed itself. The swelling went down and after a few tests, the doctors said I was in the clear.”

“We’re not talking about a knee or your ankles swelling, Andy. It was your brain.”

“Which went away.” He emphasized. “He probably told you because he couldn’t talk to the others, and you were on the other side of the state, and he had to tell someone because you know how he gets.”

Kyle shook his head. “I just… felt so helpless. I should have been here.”

Andy’s eyes narrowed slightly. He knew the tone in Kyle’s voice was tinted with a guilt that was misplaced. “You’re a lawyer, not a doctor. I’m fine. Maybe my leg will always feel a little stiff, maybe not. Trust me, I’ve been through worse. You being here or not wouldn’t have changed that.”

“Just promise me no more falling off houses.”

Andy smiled. “I promise.” Seeing Kyle’s acceptance, he straightened up and nodded towards the door. “Let’s go in so I can say my goodbyes and get the boys.”

Kyle smiled and affectionately put his arm around Andy’s shoulders who returned the gesture. The two friends headed into the sound of conversation between David, Colt and the others as children wandered around for a final snack, shoes were being put on and that familiar, comfortable atmosphere of the Howard home put everyone at ease.

The long-time friends lingered and continued talking past what they had planned and when they finally brought themselves to leave, it was with a reluctance born of life-long bonds that had kept them together, in spirit if not always in person. When Brian finally collected the DNA tests and hugged Kyle and Jacob goodnight, the back door closed for the last time that night. Colt and David retired upstairs while Jacob and Kyle got to work getting Matt and Aaron cleaned up and ready for bed.

The couple said little to each other as they went about their tasks, but they couldn’t hide the smile on their lips. Kyle gave Aaron extra kisses on his cheeks to, “make up for all the ones that were missed,” before tucking him into his bed and one last heart-felt hug. The boy’s bright smile lifted Kyle’s heart and he marveled at how much life and possibilities lived behind those bright blue eyes. With one last pass of his hand through his precious boy’s dark hair he headed out the door and headed down the hall to Matthew’s room.

As Kyle stepped inside, his mind returned to a past that seemed so distant. While it was Matthew’s bedroom, it was also his. The walls had been painted; the bed was new as was the rest of the furniture. Yet there remained a ghost of the memories of pictures on the desk next to a small pile of books. Ribbons and medals on the walls. He imagined if he stopped and listened hard enough, he could hear the voices of the past in that room. Memories that shaped and guided him into who he was today. His smile widened as he put the memories aside and focused on building new ones with the boy sitting up in the bed looking at him expectantly. “Hey, Baby boy.”

“Hey, Dad.”

Kyle smirked and shook his head. “Whatever happened to ‘daddy?’”

Matt rolled his eyes dramatically. “I’m too old to call you ‘daddy.’”

Kyle chuckled and sat down on the edge of his bed. “Not really. Not to me, at least.”

Matt looked up at his father for a moment before saying in a quieter voice, “I’m glad your home.”

“Me too.” He leaned in and kissed Matt’s cheek. “I’ve missed you so much. But I’m done with that case now and I’m not going anywhere any time soon.”

“So, we have the rest of the summer?”

“Yup.”

“What are we doing tomorrow?”

Kyle grinned. “I thought we might go swimming together. If that’s something you might be interested in.”

Matt’s eyes widened along with his smile. “Awesome!”

“Then you better get to sleep. And we can hang out and have fun tomorrow.”

Matt laid his head down on his pillow. “Goodnight, Dad. I love you.”

Kyle could still feel a little lump in his chest whenever he hears that. “And I love you, Baby Boy.” He leaned in to give his son one more kiss on the forehead before getting up. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Keeping quiet, he left the room, silently closing the door behind him. He took a moment to enjoy the moment he just had before heading down the stairs, heading towards his next special moment.

One of the things he used to love most when he was growing up in this house was how dark and foreboding it could appear to someone not used to living out in a rural area where there were no streetlights outside to shine through the windows. He could recall his first few nights in a dorm room being hellish with the glare from the lights outside his window and how the room never seemed to be dark enough to allow him to sleep. It was this deep darkness in the house that always felt most comfortable to him. And it also made it much easier to spot the glow of any carelessly forgotten lamp or moonlight drifting through a window. Even before he finished his descent, he could see the faint glow of the television in the front room for just a moment before a dark shape blotted it out of his vision.

He smiled as the shape moved towards him and he could detect just a hint of a smile on that all too familiar face. Kyle stepped towards it and put his hands out to touch his shoulders. When he spoke, it was with a kind of conspiratorial whisper. “Movie night?”

Jacob leaned in a kissed him softly. “All set. Just the two of us.”

They entered the front room and laid down together on the sofa as Jacob began to press the buttons on the remote. “What are we watching,” Kyle asked him.

“Does it matter?” He laid down, gently pulling Kyle into his arms he worked the remote.

“Actually…” Kyle deftly took the remote from Jacob and started navigating his way through the menu.

Jacob waited patiently, content to just hold his lover close and revel in the feel of his body and the hint of sweat on his neck from being outside most of the day. To him, this was as good as sex. To feel this close connection between them and never seemed to wane no matter what gets in the way. With each year, it’s been built upon the last, it’s added depth and new meaning to their lives. None of it perfect, but all of it meaningful. Caught up in looking at Kyle and thinking of the past six years together made him unaware of what Kyle himself had been doing until he heard a familiar sound. The opening of a movie that sparked even more memories. He looked at the screen to confirm what he heard and broke into a curious smile. “Pirates of the Caribbean?”

“Yup.” Kyle smiled and relaxed into Jacob’s arms. “Haven’t seen it in a while. And it always makes me think about you.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“It was our first movie night together.” He slid his hand into Jacob’s and gently ran a finger over his palm. “Way, way back. Back before kids and college and everything else.”

Jacob tried to recall the moment. “Our senior year?”

“The summer before that,” he corrected him. “Before our first dance. Our first kiss.”

Jacob smiled, remembering it now. “That was a long time ago.”

“Yeah. Back when everything was… simpler.”

Jacob’s face softened at the memory. Recalling all those hectic years. How desperate he was to escape his personal hell. He often wondered what may have been had he the strength then that he has today. “In some ways. All that matters to me right now is that I get to watch a movie with my best friend.”

Kyle smiled and turned his head to share a kiss before the two of them settled in to enjoy their quiet moment together. Nothing in his life felt more special than these moments that belonged only to them.

****

With a deftness born from years of practice, Tanner and Chase tiptoed their way down the stairs, lugging pillows and blankets under the cover of darkness. They both knew sleeping in the basement was frowned upon but wasn’t something they would get in trouble for. While his bedroom was big enough for them to share, they enjoyed the added solitude being in the basement afforded them. Years ago, when he was younger, the basement room was just a place for Tanner and his brother to store their toys. As time went on, toys were replaced, video games started to become more common and eventually another screen to keep them occupied when their fathers wanted to watch other things upstairs.

The boys set up their blankets on the floor before closing the door behind them and turning out the lights. Tanner didn’t need light to know where he left the remote and before Chase could get settled into his spot, the television cast its glow on them. He watched the menus on the screen as Tanner manipulated the buttons. “What are we watching?”

Tanner shrugged. “Probably just an old Marvel movie.”

Chase accepted the answer and laid his head on his pillow. “So, what were you and your dad talking about in his room earlier?”

“About me joining the wrestling team.” He laid back on his own side, watching the opening montage. “Just basic stuff.”

“Stuff like what?”

Tanner said dismissively, “stuff like I have to keep my grades up, do all the other good boy stuff and other things too.”

Chase gave him an annoyed look. “I saw the look on your face when you walked out. You were smiling. What was that all about?”

Tanner’s lips involuntarily twitched. “Well… Dad said that if I’m gonna do it, I have to do all of it. So, he was gonna talk to my coach and find out what all I need to do once school starts. Did you know when our dads were on the swimming team they had to stick to a diet?”

Chase blinked in surprise. “No. Dad never really talks much about it.”

Tanner frowned slightly. “Well, Dad says I’ll have to stop eating certain things. And I’ll have to go to the doctor and get a physical.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Yeah, but there is a payoff kinda.”

“What?”

Tanner couldn’t hold back his grin as he answered, “I get to start going to the gym with him and Uncle Jacob.”

The look of envy on Chase’s face was unmistakable. “No way.”

“Yup,” he grinned while nodding. “Just the three of us. I know Dad and Jacob usually workout twice a week, but Dad hasn’t been able to in a while.” He thought about it before adding, “you could come to if you wanted.”

Chase pondered the idea. “Maybe. My dad goes with them sometimes, but not often.”

Tanner looked back to the screen. “Well, once Dad talks to the coach and the doctor, then he said we would start getting me ready for wrestling.”

Chase still had a hard time believing his friend was going to do this. It had been something he talked about months ago and he had been present for a few of the back-and-forth’s with both of his fathers which had never ended the way Tanner had wanted them. “What got you so interested in doing this anyway?”

Tanner groaned softly. “I just like it. I like the competition. You and I used to wrestle a lot just for fun. I thought you’d wanna try it too.”

Chase frowned slightly and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I just need some time to get comfortable about… you know.”

Tanner sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. “I don’t get the big deal you’re making out of it.” He lay on his pallet looking at his friend who stared at the screen. “Have you talked to your dad about it?”

“Hell no.” The idea made his stomach queasy, and he wanted to drop the subject, but he could see Tanner’s expression from the dim glow of the screen and sighed. “I’ll think about it. Let’s just watch the movie.”

Tanner silently agreed and laid his head down on his pillow. There was silence between them as the movie played until he whispered quietly to his best friend, “just remember, no matter what happens, we’re always going to be friends.” When he didn’t get a response, he looked over only to see Chase’s eyes closed in sleep. After a few more minutes, Tanner joined him.