The Discovery - 3. Chapter 3

Kyle was sitting in his office typing notes on his laptop when the phone on his desk buzzed. Without taking his eyes off the screen, he picked up the phone. “What is it, Rosette?”

“Your one-thirty appointment is here, Mr. Howard,” came the formal answer through the phone. “And he is not alone.”

Kyle’s face broke into a wide smile. “Send him in.” He put the phone down and closed his laptop while he counted the seconds it would take for his door to open. Today had been a quiet morning which was a remarkable change in the last two months since he finished his big case. As much as he had wanted to spend his free time with Jacob, the last few months had proved difficult to get away. There were clients waiting for longer than they should on their cases and the hiring process for two new attorneys had been slow. It was only in the last two weeks Kyle had managed to start coming home at a reasonable hour and be able to spend time with his family.

The September air was clear and crisp outside his window. Leaves were starting to turn on the trees and before too long the cold of winter would settle into the area. So much had seemed to happen so quickly and he was looking forward to some downtime in the coming weeks. Then he could put his full focus on his boys.

As the door to his office opened, Aaron came rushing into the room in the clothes he had been wearing earlier that morning before going off to school and his little backpack over his shoulder. Behind him, David stepped into the room with a grin as he watched his grandson sprint around the desk and hop up into Kyle’s lap. “Hope you don’t mind. I just picked him up from school.”

Kyle hugged his little boy and chuckled as he kissed the boy’s hair. “Not at all. Nothing I love more than to see one of my boys for a few minutes.”

David closed the door behind him and sat down in the chair across from Kyle’s desk. He had to admit, Jacob had out done himself with that piece of work. The cherry stain finish along with the etchings on the front of the desk were a work of art. “How’s your day been going so far?”

“Pretty good,” he replied as he held Aaron and sat back in his chair. “It’s been mostly quiet. The two new people are getting settled in, and I’ve passed on a few clients to them to handle.”

“Throwing them in the deep end, huh?”

“Not exactly. I’ll keep an eye on them and probably go to the courthouse with them on their first few appearances just to get them comfortable. I’ll sit second chair though and let them do most of the work.”

David smiled with not a small amount of pride on his face. “I take it you and Monica can handle a couple new kids. Your payroll set for the rest of the year?”

Kyle nodded. “Yup. Everything is running smoothly for once. Which brings me to why I asked you here today.” He moved Aaron to one side before reaching over to pull open one of the drawers in his desk and pulled an envelope out. Pushing the drawer closed he placed the envelope in front of his father. “This is for you.”

David grinned and took the envelope and opened it. He knew what it was going to be, but he still wanted to see it with his own eyes. “I knew there was nothing to worry about.” He pulled the check out and held it in his hand. His grin faded and a look of concern started to take its place. “Kyle… what’s this?”

Kyle’s eyes glinted slightly as his smile took on a slightly more mischievous turn. “Exactly what you deserve.”

David opened his mouth to say something and then stopped to gather his thoughts. “This isn’t what you said it would be.”

Kyle shrugged. “I know. It was a big risk you took when you put a mortgage down on the house and then the orchard to help finance all the research and everything else that had to get paid during the huge legal fight. I discussed it with Monica and she and I agreed that, considering the size of the settlement we got and what the firm was paid, the agreed upon amount wasn’t enough.”

David shook his head. “Kyle. I appreciate it, but this… this is your money, not mine.” He put the check back on the desk. “When you told me what you needed, we found a way to make it happen. We had to be a little tighter with our budget and thank God for Jacob getting that sudden influx of business late last year. But you don’t need to pay me back this much.”

Kyle chuckled. “Too bad. That’s what you’re getting. So go pay off the mortgages and do whatever you want with the rest.”

David looked at the amount again and did some quick math in his mind. A smirk came to his face when he figured out how much overpayment Kyle had given him. “You’re really not going to let that go, are you?”

With a roll of his eyes, Kyle groaned softly. “Dad! It’s a thirty-year-old debt that you’ve never paid off.” This was an argument the two of them had had for the last few years now. The unlisted debts on his father’s books that he would never address or work to pay off, which seemed to just sit there year after year with no explanation. “And here you can pay it off with interest and it’s one less burden on your back.”

His smirk turned into a gentle smile that matched his calm voice. “I will pay it off when I choose to and not before then.”

“Oh, so you have the money to pay it off, you just haven’t gotten around to it yet.” Kyle still felt mildly annoyed David seemed to go out of his way to avoid explaining all the orchard’s finances. “Aren’t you worried what’ll happen if they come to collect?”

David grinned. “No. When they come to collect, I’ll handle it. Some debts are more than just money, son.”

Kyle sighed. “Well, in the meantime, go buy yourself a new car. Or twenty.”

David’s eyes met his son’s, staring each other down as the smirk on his face got bigger. “You’re such a stubborn…” He looked at Aaron who was watching them with a gleeful smile. “Stubborn little boy.”

Kyle laughed and set Aaron down on his feet. “Sweetheart,” he began as he took the check off the desk, “take this and put it in your bookbag until you get home.”

“Okay,” the boy replied, always eager to help.

Kyle grinned at his dad who shot him with a rueful stare. “I think our business is concluded.”

David yielded and got up with a sigh. “Come on, Aaron, let’s get you home and get some snacks while we go over everything in your bookbag.”

The boy walked around the desk with Kyle following behind him. Kyle patted his dad’s shoulder affectionately and maybe a touch of sympathy. “I’ll walk you out.”

David smiled and let Kyle lead them out of the office and down the hall to the receptionist’s desk. He was impressed with the growth in Kyle’s office since it first started. When it was just Kyle working from home taking on one client at a time, to him suddenly having an office that he went to every day, it seemed like everything was falling into place for not just him for but his whole family. Over time, he got new employees, new lawyers and along with all of that came more opportunities and growth. When he took on the class action lawsuit that almost no one else would touch, it was the biggest gamble he could remember his son ever taking. Had he lost, not only would his office have suffered, but the mortgage on the orchard might have jeopardized all their lives. But he saw the determination in Kyle’s eyes and knew he wouldn’t ask for so much if he wasn’t sure he had a way to win.

As usual, his son did not disappoint.

Now, the office is growing and expanding. Soon, Kyle had hinted, they might be remodeling and taking the office space next door. As they stepped into the lobby, David put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. Kyle turned his head and gave David a quizzical look. David just smirked and patted his shoulder. “Dinner will be ready at six. Don’t be late.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat disrupted their moment as father and son both turned to find Rosette standing behind them with a serious look on her face. “Mr. Howard, did you forget about your ‘appointment’ Friday evening?” Her eyes shifted to David and back to Kyle.

“Oh.” Kyle suddenly remembered. “Hey, Dad, can you and Colt watch the boys Friday night? Jacob and I are having dinner at Andy and Brian’s.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Kyle smirked. “Our DNA results are in. We’re gonna have the big reveal Friday.” David didn’t seem to understand why it was such a big deal until Kyle added, “he’s making stuffed peppers.”

“Ah.” David nodded with a grin. “I guess I’ll have Tanner and Blake too?”

“Just Blake. Tanner’s gonna stay at Troy’s with Chase. Liz is gonna watch them.”

“Alright then. But, if I’m gonna watch the kids, I want something in return.”

“Name it.”

David leaned closer to him to emphasize his point. “He makes 4 extra stuffed peppers, and you bring them home for me and Colt.”

Kyle laughed. “Done. Don’t forget to cash that check today.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He sighed and gave Kyle one last hug before he and Aaron departed with Aaron waving goodbye before the door closed behind them.

Rosette looked at him expectantly. “Should I call Mr. Stewart now or are you going to tell him yourself?”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “I think I can manage that one. Thanks for the reminder though. What’s next?”

“Just a consultation at two,” she replied as they walked back to his office. “How did he handle the payment?”

“Like I was trying to force medicine down his throat.”

Rosette made a noise that hinted at her displeasure. “Told you. Shouldn’t put him in a spot like that. Especially in front of his grandbaby.”

Kyle sighed as he entered his office and walked around to his chair. “It’s called paying him back for what he did for us. Plus, interest.” He gave her a playful smirk as he sat down. “I didn’t hear you complaining about your bonus.”

She huffed dismissively. “I earned it. Your daddy’s another story.”

He sighed as he pulled his laptop open and went back to what he was writing earlier. “I have a dozen motions I need to type out and file before noon tomorrow.”

Rosette frowned, knowing he was putting too much work on himself, as usual. “Pass some of that onto one of the new guys. That’s why you hired them.”

“They’re new,” he replied as his fingers moved across the keyboard. “They’re already working on cases.”

“Not as many as you are,” she said without missing a beat. “You’re gonna go home and keep working all night? I’m sure your husband loves that.”

Kyle grimaced slightly. He had meant to spend at least a week or two on a break so they could have some quality time together but since his return in the summer, they had only had a handful of days when he wasn’t busy with one case or another. “He hasn’t been too thrilled, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Then give me one of two of those cases and I’ll pass them onto the new guy. What’s his name? Dave?”

“Dale is six months out of law school,” Kyle countered. “He wouldn’t know how to handle most of this. I need him sitting second chair with me and Monica for a while until he gets a better feel for the work.”

Rosette’s voice got a little louder, sounding more like a scolding mother than an office manager. “He’s a grown man who knows how to do his job.”

Kyle looked up with a playful smirk on his lips. He could tell in her eyes she wasn’t leaving until he gave in or at least compromised. The more entertaining part of their faceoff was that he was fully aware that she knew he was going to eventually give in. With a reluctant sigh, he looked at the stack of files on the other side of his desk and flipped it open to check its contents before holding it out to her. “Here. It’s a simple claims case. Have him contact the client today and set up a meeting with them tomorrow to go over it. He can come to me if he needs any help.”

She took the file from him along with her victory. “If he needs help, I’ll send him to Kevin or Ms. Jones. You have enough on your plate.” She muttered something under her breath he didn’t quite catch, which he didn’t press, knowing it would just spark another confrontation that she would win. Before leaving his office, she reminded him again about his appointment before leaving him alone with his work.

****

Troy stood in front of the closed door and let out a breath to steady his nerves before knocking on the door. “Chase? You got a minute?”

The answer on the other side of the door sounded normal to his ears. “Sure, Dad.”

He let himself in and stood in the doorway for a moment to survey the room before stepping in. To his eyes, it appeared to be a typical twelve-year-old boy’s room. Slightly messy with a few carelessly discarded shirts that didn’t quite make it to the hamper, posters on the wall depicting his son’s favorite football and baseball teams. The bed was made, and Chase was laying on an oversized pillow on the floor, looking up at the screen in his room with a controller in his hand.

A smile lit his face as he looked down at his oldest boy and had to admit that he and Elizabeth had done a pretty good job raising him. His eyes were always clear and full of potential, while his pleasant nature made him a kid most people enjoyed being around. As it was near bedtime for him, he was dressed in cotton shorts and a loose shirt with his light-colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of his eyes. “What are you playing?”

“Halo,” Chase replied as he put the game on pause and sat up on the pillow. “What’s up?”

Troy cleared his throat as he moved to sit on the bed. He had done some reading and planned out in his mind what it was he wanted to talk to him about, but being confronted with that innocent looking face, he wondered if he wasn’t rushing this. “Oh, ah. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Chase gave him a suspicious look. “I’m fine. Why?”

“Nothing. I just…” Troy struggled to find a casual way to get this conversation moving in the direction he wanted. “I’m just thinking how much you’ve grown up in the last year.”

“Um. Thanks?” He stared up at his dad, wondering why it looked like he was about to break out in a sweat. Was he in trouble? “Mom said I grew another inch in the last two months.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Troy replied with a chuckle. “I grew a lot when I was in seventh grade too. It should even out in a few years. By the time you start high school you’ll probably be looking me in the eye.”

Chase grinned at the thought. “Cool.”

Troy smiled back at him. It was rare that Chase couldn’t make him smile. “Is there… I mean…” He mentally kicked himself for stumbling over his own tongue. “Do you have any questions about anything? You know… man to man?”

The boy’s eyebrows lowered as he pondered what his dad was talking about. “Not really. I’m doing okay in my classes.”

“Yeah? How are all your friends?”

“They’re fine,” he answered with a shrug. “Nothing new. Tanner’s still all excited about starting his wrestling stuff. He asked me the other day if I wanna go to the gym with him.”

“Is that something you want to do?”

“I guess,” he answered. “Sounds like it’d be fun.”

Troy saw a tiny opening and decided to try it out. “Tanner mentioned a few weeks ago, he was hoping you’d join the wrestling team with him. Why didn’t you?”

He squirmed a little in his spot. “Don’t tell him, but… I just don’t like it.”

“No harm in that,” Troy said to reassure him. “Anything you might be interested in trying this year?”

“Well…” Chase looked around the room, wondering how he was going to say this. It was never something they had discussed, and he wasn’t sure how his father would react. “One of the teachers said something to me about trying out for the school play later in the year.”

Troy blinked in surprise but did his best to keep his face neutral. His son wanted to be in the drama club. This wasn’t something he had expected and wasn’t sure what it may mean for Chase as a whole. “Oh. So… not really interested in sports?” Before Chase could answer he put up his hand to stop him. “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. I’m just wanting to understand better.”

“Not right now,” Chase replied in a quieter voice, as if to not disappoint him. “I may change my mind. But it sounded like fun, and I thought I might give it a try.”

“That’s fine, kiddo,” he said seemingly unperturbed. “If it sounds like fun to you, then you should try it out and see if it works for you.”

“Really?”

Troy grinned. “Really.”

Chase’s smile came through like a beam of sunlight. “Awesome, Dad.”

His smile softened along with his tone, remembering how David would sometimes talk to him when he was around the same age as Chase was now. “All that matters to me is that you’re happy.” He was suddenly reminded of what he was going through when he was twelve years old. Watching his mother’s health deteriorate and his father stoically stand there and watch the love of his life waste away. How disjointed his life had been and uncertain his future had seemed. His only bright moments back then had been when he was with David and Kyle. How they had helped him when he felt there was nowhere else to go. Those days spent at the orchard while his parents went through months of therapy and ultimately loss had buffered him from the worst of his mother’s death. And they helped protect him from grief compounded by his father’s emotional withdrawal from life by giving him a place where he was loved by someone who gave him everything his father couldn’t at that time. “Any questions about anything?”

Chase shook his head. “Nope.”

“Okay.” Troy rose from the bed and knelt to give Chase a hug and kiss on his head. “Half an hour more and then get to bed. You got school in the morning.”

Chase returned the hug, secretly still enjoying how it felt when his dad hugged him. “Okay. Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight.” Troy made his way out the door and closed it behind him before returning downstairs to join his wife on the couch. He sighed as he sat down, automatically putting his arm around her shoulders.

Liz smiled and leaned against him. “Good talk?”

“You could say that,” he replied with more confidence than he felt he should have since he didn’t really talk to Chase about what he had planned.

She turned her head to regard him with an arched eyebrow for a moment before quietly declaring. “You didn’t do it.”

He chose to now meet her scrutiny as he answered. “I didn’t think it was time yet. We talked about some stuff. I might take him with Jacob and Andy to the gym a few times when they take Tanner. He’s not interested in sports right now, by the way.”

“Mm hm,” she muttered. “What is he interested in then?”

He paused and tried to keep his neutral tone. “Trying out for the school play.”

“Oh.” She couldn’t help a small giggle from slipping out. “Maybe we should have Jacob give him the talk then.”

He sighed in exasperation. “That doesn’t mean anything other than he wants to try something that he thinks might be fun.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“Of course,” he insisted honestly. “I told him all I want is for him to be happy. He’s got that going on in his head right now. Talking about anything else right now probably wouldn’t help much other than make him feel he’s stuck in a corner talking about something he’d rather not. At least now he can get more comfortable talking with me about the smaller stuff and we can work up to the bigger stuff.”

Liz shook her head. She had to admit to herself that he had a point. “Okay. We can wait a while, even though it’s already been months since we first discussed this. He’ll be thirteen before we know it and then we’ll have to cross the Rubicon one way or another.”

He nodded in agreement, feeling that he had done the right thing by chickening out. “That’s not until June. It’ll all work out, babe.”

She laughed to herself. It always amused her when he thought he wasn’t so transparent to her. “Nice save with coming up with the big master plan on the fly.”

He smirked. “I thought it was pretty nice. You sure you don’t want to come with me to Andy and Brian’s tomorrow night?”

“No. You guys deserve to have your little club meetings in private.”

He kissed the side of her face. “Well, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of leftovers I can bring home to you.”

“You better,” she warned. “I still haven’t figured out what the hell he puts in those peppers other than maybe crack.”

He chuckled at that. “Good luck figuring it out. He preps it before anyone gets there so no one knows exactly what’s in them.”

“What a little shit he is.” They shared a laugh together before she asked, “so how is he doing with his new job?”

“He’s actually pretty good at it,” Troy admitted candidly. “Never really occurred to me, but he’s got the right kind of personality for sales. Plus, he’s been around the job enough in the past ten plus years, he can give people good estimates on time and everything.”

“Good. No more having to put himself in danger. You guys need to learn you’re not little kids anymore. You can’t just brush that kind of stuff off anymore like you may have before you had kids.”

They fell into a companionable silence and finished watching their latest Netflix binge before they decided to head to bed.

****

“Oregano.”

“Cumin?”

“Maybe rosemary.”

“It’s probably ginger.”

Andy looked around the table as everyone finished eating with his enigmatic smirk as he answered each one separately. “I’m not telling. I’m not telling. I’m not telling. And I’m not telling.”

The four of them groaned in good natured disappointment. “Who would’ve thought I married a sadist,” Brian said with a smirk.

“Why did you make so many,” Jacob asked as he pushed his plate away after taking his last bite. “There’s like a dozen more left in the kitchen and we all had two.”

Andy shrugged as he stood up to take away the empty plates. “Just my way of thanking David and Liz for letting us boys be boys for a couple hours instead of husbands, fathers and just adults in general.”

“I know for a fact Liz is looking forward to getting her share.” Troy stood, following Andy into the kitchen to refill his wine glass. “So, how is this gonna work, Brian? You haven’t seen any of this information yet?”

“No,” he replied. “I had a secretary in the principal’s office open the files in my email and print them all off and then had her label the envelopes with the first name on each report and seal them for me.”

Jacob stood and stretched before grabbing his drink and taking it into the front room. “That sounds like a lot of work for a silly test.”

“You’re such a party pooper, sometimes,” Brian said. “Drink your root beer.”

Kyle grimaced slightly at Jacob’s tone. Everyone knew he meant it jokingly, but he suspected it was some suppressed frustration. “It’ll be fun, sweetie.”

Jacob gave him a lukewarm smile and sat down on the couch. “Well, let’s not waste any time. I still have to get up in the morning for work.”

Troy came out of the kitchen with his refilled glass, giving Jacob a surprised look. “On a Saturday?”

Jacob shrugged. “I have to make sure the deliveries are going out and everyone’s doing their jobs. I have staff to, you know.”

Brian picked up the stack of large envelopes and set them next to him, flipping through. “I’ll read them out in order of how we took the tests.” Brian broke the seal on the one with his name on it and opened it up. He pulled out the papers and examined them before he got a disappointed look on his face. “Well, fuck.”

Andy looked over his husband’s shoulder, curious. “What?”

Brian let out a disappointed sigh. “Well, according to this, I’m whiter than white. Ninety-nine point 4 percent European.”

Everyone in the room chuckled. “What else does it say,” Troy asked.

Brian skimmed the information before saying, “it’s mostly Scandinavian with some English mixed in. The rest is Sub-Saharan Africa.” He flipped to the next page. “Says here I have a gene that has been seen in a lot of people with diabetes.” He looked through the other pages and shrugged. “And that’s that. Nothing else noteworthy.”

“Told you this was a waste of time,” Jacob said as he took another drink from his bottle.

Kyle smirked. “What were you expecting anyway?”

“I don’t know,” Brian replied. “Something more exciting maybe.” He put the papers aside and opened the next one. “Let’s see what Andy’s said.” Studying the first page, Brian nodded with a half frown. “This makes sense.”

Andy leaned in and laughed. “Ninety percent European. And the breakdown looks interesting.”

Brian arched an eyebrow. “Whatever, Jarhead. He’s like a little bit of everything. Though the biggest percentile is Irish. Then there’s Scottish, Polish and Italian.”

“Sounds like he comes from a bunch of sluts,” Kyle quipped with a grin to his friend.

“He’s got like genes from India all the way to Dublin,” Brian reported. “So, yeah. Bunch of sluts.” He turned the page over. “Oh. Here’s a breakdown of it all as far as which parent you got it from. Your mom’s Eastern European, it looks like. You got all the Irish stuff from Pete. Along with your Indian ancestry. Looks like mom has some Russian in her too.”

“Any health problems,” Andy asked.

Brian looked at the next page and shook his head. “Nope. No genetic reason why you fall off roofs.”

“And take bullets in the ass, I suppose,” Andy joked.

“Not funny,” Troy said with a frown.

“It wasn’t,” Andy assured him. “If you don’t believe me, try it out for yourself.” Before he forgot, he smirked and asked Troy, “how did the talk with Chase go?”

Jacob sat up a little more and grinned. “Yeah. I’ve been waiting to hear how that went over.”

Troy grimaced slightly. “Well… the thing is…”

Kyle looked over at Jacob. “I knew it.”

“You wussed out,” Brian said with a shake of his head.

“Not exactly,” Troy replied. “We talked about some stuff. He wants us to go workout with you and Tanner,” he explained with a nod to Andy. “Then we talked about some other stuff and… well…. My first-born son said he wants to be in plays.” He took a drink of wine.

The others exchanged confused looks. Kyle finally broke the silence. “So?”

“I was thinking,” Troy continued slowly, “that that may mean… you know.”

Andy had a good idea what Troy was hinting at, but he wanted to make the moment last a little longer. For Troy’s discomfort and his own amusement. “No, we don’t.”

Kyle pretended not to understand. “Just tell us.”

Troy tried not to look uncomfortable as he explained. “Well, after we got done talking, it occurred to me that maybe he was maybe gay.”

Jacob looked confused. “Just because he wants to be in a play?”

“Did you go back and ask him,” Andy asked.

Troy shook his head. “No. I’m not ready for that yet.”

Kyle giggled. “Why not? You didn’t have a problem with talking to me about it.”

“We were older than he is now,” Troy countered. “Not to mention that I went about it totally wrong with you. No wonder Andy and Brian never came out.”

The two of them exchanged surprised expressions before they leaned forward. Brian looked truly concerned as he responded to Troy. “Do you think us not saying anything to you back then was because of how you cornered Kyle and forced him to tell you?”

“And you’re just now telling us this,” Andy added.

Troy looked down at his glass, as if ashamed. “So, why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because we weren’t ready, dipshit,” Brian replied. “Yeah, we fooled around when you guys weren’t around, but never anything serious until the end of high school. Then stupid jarhead over here decided to run away to the marines. I got disowned once I came out. That’s part of why we kept it to ourselves at first, Troy. It wasn’t your fault.”

Andy nodded in agreement with Brian. “Have you been feeling guilty about that this whole time?”

Troy looked at them with not a small measure of guilt in his eyes. “Maybe a little.”

Brian giggled. “You’re sweet. But you’re wrong. We messed up. Me and Andy. Not you. Or Kyle or Jacob.”

Kyle could tell from the look on Troy’s face that he wasn’t fully convinced. “When I think back on it, I’m glad you forced me to do it. I had no idea how bad my anxiety attacks were back then. I wouldn’t have been able to talk to Dad about it if it hadn’t been for you talking me down.”

Troy eyed him suspiciously. “You’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

“You should know me better than that by now.”

Troy’s smile slowly returned as he absorbed the words of his closest friends. “Okay. But what do I do about Chase?”

Jacob was the first to answer. “Just be patient with him. Maybe he is and maybe he’s not. Let him figure it out himself first. Then just keep your door open to him.”

Troy fixed him with a knowing look. “You sound just like your dad.”

“I learned from the best,” he said as he leaned back in his seat. “Brian, what does Kyle’s chart say?”

Brian tore open the next one and pulled out the papers to read. “Well…. Another ninety percent European. Most of his is British and Irish. Then some German. Hm. Five percent Indian. Says here it’s likely of Roma decent. Then there’s some Arabian and African.” He flipped over to the next page. “Hey, you have the same gene as I do when it comes to diabetes.”

Kyle shrugged. “I’ll keep my sugar intake under control I guess.”

Jacob scoffed. “Yeah. Only half a cup in your coffee from now on.” He chuckled as Kyle playfully poked him in the ribs. He leaned over and kissed his husband on the lips. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll help you stay healthy.”

Andy chuckled at the two of them. “Move on before they start getting anymore frisky and we got every tomcat in the neighborhood outside our door.”

Brian giggled as he moved onto Troy’s information. “Sixty percent Scottish,” he read. “Fifteen percent Eastern European. Like a mix of Russian, Ukrainian and Romanian. That’s new. Twelve percent Irish, five percent French, four percent Scandinavian and the rest is so minor it’s not worth mentioning.” He flipped to the next page and nodded. “Oh.” He grimaced slightly. “Looks like you have a higher than average risk for cancer with a couple genes. I suggest you talk to your doctor about that.”

“That’s not that surprising really,” Troy admitted. “Mom had ovarian cancer so I would expect it to creep up somewhere eventually.”

“Get tested,” Kyle said with a firm tone of concern. “Don’t wait until it’s too late.”

Troy rolled his eyes. “Yes, sir.”

“And last, but not least,” Brian said to end the conversation as he grabbed Jacob’s envelope. He opened it and read it aloud. “Huh. Forty percent Greek. Wow. That makes you about the only non-western European in here. Twenty four percent Italian. Gee, I wonder which part of you that is?” His eyes went across the room and settled on Jacob’s lap meaningfully before smirking at the sound of Kyle’s giggle and continuing on. “Twenty percent German and fifteen percent Irish.”

Troy looked at Jacob playfully. “Italian, huh?” His eyes repeated where Brian’s went, and Andy helpfully went along with him which rewarded them with Jacob’s cheeks turning pink as he subtly put his hand over his crotch. Kyle said nothing, opting to sit there with a slightly smug look on his face.

Brian turned to the next page and chuckled. “Hey, Jacob? It says here you have a gene that is commonly present in people who suffer from alcoholism.”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “Really?! Wow, it’s a good thing you told me or else I might end up getting in trouble with that.”

Brian laughed. “You’re welcome. Happy to help out. Also says you have a higher than average risk of heart diseases, so the same thing goes for you as with Troy. Get checked out.”

Jacob rolled his eyes, unperturbed. “Yeah, yeah. All this stuff is silly. Mostly already telling us stuff we already knew.”

“Yeah, well…” Brian flipped to the last page and his words slowly cut off. His face took on a measure of surprise as he sat up straighter. Everyone could see him reading the page over and over as his eyes widened.

“What is it,” Kyle asked with concern.

“Oh, my God.”

“What?”

Troy started to get worried. “What does it say?”

Brian read it one more time to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. “The… the last page. It’s…”

Jacob started to get up from his spot, trying to discern if Brian was being serious or silly. “It’s what?”

“Well…” Brian tried to keep the shock from his voice and was partially successful. “It says they have a genetic match on file. One sibling.”

“What?!” Jacob stepped up to him and took the page out of his hand. “This is…” He read the paper himself and stopped when he saw the notation. “Wha…”

Kyle and the others were on their feet, watching his reaction as he held the paper in his hands. “Jacob?”

Andy and Troy stepped up behind Jacob and looked down at the page in his hand to see it for themselves. A moment of silence passed in the room before Andy asked in a deadpan voice, “is there anything you neglected to tell us about yourself for the last twenty years?”