Leaving Home

by Chase, T. A.

  “Sorry, Margie. We’ll go change, then come back and clean this up.” Peter gestured

  towards the trail they were leaving behind them.

  “Of course you will. I have to finish getting dinner ready. You have about a half-hour

  before your uncle gets here.” She glanced at the clock.

  “I know.”

  He and Chaz parted in the hallway, each going to their separate rooms. In twenty

  minutes, they returned to the kitchen. Peter cleaned the floor while Chaz helped get the

  dining room table set. Peter smiled as he listened to Chaz chatting with Margie.

  Peter had spent the entire day showing Chaz around the ranch, telling him about all the

  different operations Les and Randy had going. Chaz had been suitably impressed, and Peter had been proud to know he’d had a hand in all of them. Of course, Peter thought Les had the Midas touch when it came to business. Every company the man started seemed to flourish

  and turn a profit.

  The doorbell rang just as the burgers had finished cooking. Peter went to the front door, but froze instead of opening it. Why was he so nervous about meeting his uncle? He didn’t remember a lot of about the man since no one had talked about him after he’d left. Peter

  didn’t even know what he looked like.

  The doorbell rang again, and he jumped when Chaz reached past him to open the door.

  He shot Chaz a glance, and his lover gave him a small smile. Simply knowing Chaz was

  there helped give Peter courage. It was silly to feel that way about a man he’d just met, but there it was, and Peter wasn’t inclined to dissect his feelings at the moment.

  “Hello, you must be Roscoe. I’m Chaz O’Brien, a friend of Peter’s.”

  Peter felt his mouth drop open. Looking at Uncle Roscoe was like looking in a mirror.

  They had the same bright blue eyes and blond hair. Peter saw the quick glances Chaz was

  shooting between him and Roscoe.

  “Is this why you were disowned?” Peter blurted out.

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  Roscoe shook his head. “No, I was sent away before your mother knew she was

  pregnant. Since no one knew how to find me, she was left with only one option and that was to marry my brother.”

  Margie came up behind Peter. “I’m Margie, the housekeeper here at the ranch. Please,

  come in. You timed your arrival perfectly. Dinner is ready. We’ll eat, then you and Peter can go and catch up.”

  “Sounds like a good idea,” Chaz spoke up. “I’ll take your coat.”

  Peter couldn’t bring himself to say anything or do anything except follow the three of

  them as they walked to the dining room. He and Roscoe sat while Chaz and Margie got the

  drinks and the rest of the food from the kitchen.

  This wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all, and Peter wasn’t sure he wanted to know

  anything else about what had gone on between his uncle and his mother. Hell, the man

  wasn’t his uncle, he was his father, but Peter wasn’t sure he could get his mind around that at the moment.

  Chaz served everyone, then sat. He looked over at Peter, and obviously could tell Peter

  wasn’t able to say anything yet.

  “Where are you living now, Roscoe?” Chaz opened the conversation.

  Peter sent him a thankful smile. He did want to know everything about Roscoe, but he

  was still processing the biggest shock of his life.

  “I just moved back to the States, and live in Washington D.C. right now. My home was

  in Argentina, but I’ve travelled all around the world for business.”

  “Argentina? That would explain the accent.” Chaz grinned. “You kind of sound like the

  guys we have on tour from Brazil, though, if I remember correctly, you wouldn’t speak the same language.”

  Roscoe nodded. “You’re right. We speak Spanish while the Brazilians speak

  Portuguese. If you listen closely, our accents aren’t the same, but to the uneducated ear we do sound close.”

  Chaz laughed. “I never said I was good with accents or anything like that.”

  “What do you do, Mr Skinner?” Margie asked, keeping a close eye on Peter.

  “I worked for an Argentinean-based computer company as a troubleshooter for them,

  which is why I could travel around the world. I retired from there, and decided to open my own consulting firm. I missed the United States, so I set my company up here.” Roscoe took a

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  bite of his burger. After he had swallowed, he said to Margie, “This is wonderful. As good as the spaghetti I had in Italy.”

  Margie shook her head. “Thank you, Mr Skinner, but flattery isn’t needed.”

  “Please call me Roscoe, everyone. Mr Skinner is what I’m called at work, and I’m on

  vacation right now.” Charm oozed out of every one of Roscoe’s pores.

  Peter couldn’t see any resemblance between Roscoe and his father, or his grandfather

  for that matter. He finally shook off his shock, and spoke.

  “Why did you come back home? Was it just because my mother got sick? Did you

  always know I existed?”

  He had a million questions trying to burst from him, yet the last one he asked was the

  most important one.

  Roscoe set his fork on the table before leaning back in his chair. He studied Peter, and

  while Peter didn’t know what to think about it, he wasn’t about to back down. He had the

  right to know the answers.

  “Going right to the heart of the matter, aren’t you?”

  Peter glared at Roscoe. “I have the right to know the truth, Roscoe. My father always

  treated me kindly. Well, up until I came out and he threw me out of the house. Grandfather never treated me badly either. Do they not know you’re my father?”

  “I’m not sure, but it seems to me they’d have to know. They aren’t stupid. You don’t

  look anything like Thomas, but as long as I wasn’t around, and your mother toed the line, they probably didn’t care.”

  Peter rubbed his forehead. Chaz reached over to touch his shoulder. When he looked

  up, Chaz smiled at him.

  “Eat, Peter. All of this will be easier to take on a full stomach,” Chaz suggested.

  “I’m not sure about that. I might end up just throwing it all up.” He hated making that

  admission. He was afraid it made him look weak in front of Chaz and Roscoe.

  Chaz chuckled. “I’d probably feel the same way if this was all happening to me, Peter,

  but I’ve learnt unexpected news tends to go down better after you’ve eaten.”

  “I wasn’t sure you were mine, Peter. When I heard she had a son very quickly after she

  and Thomas married, I was curious, but your mother wouldn’t talk to me after I left. I

  couldn’t ask her.” Roscoe shrugged. “I had a few friends left in town, and I told them to keep an eye on you. They sent me reports about you and your mother.”

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  “But you never once thought I might like to meet you or talk to you, especially if you

  were my real dad.” Peter ground his teeth together, and clenched his hands.

  Roscoe dropped his gaze to the plate in front of him. “I thought you were better off

  never knowing me, since none of my family acted like I existed anymore. I have a question, though. How did you find out about me? I know what my father is like. I figured all pictures and mementos of me would be thrown out.”

  After taking a few bites of food and swallowing, Peter replied, “I found a few pictures

  in a box in my mother’s closet. She told m
e that they were of my Uncle Roscoe, but we could never mention you or those photos to anyone, or we would get in trouble.”

  “So she kept photos of me, huh?” Roscoe’s smug grin made Peter slightly nauseated.

  Margie grunted softly. “I’m not sure it’s something you should brag about, Mr

  Skinner.”

  Roscoe looked surprised at Margie’s admonishment, and Peter rolled his eyes.

  “Why did you have to leave?” Chaz enquired.

  “To be honest, I wasn’t the greatest kid. Got into a lot of trouble while in high school, and wasn’t doing much except embarrassing my family.” Roscoe ducked his head. “I got a

  girl pregnant, and I wouldn’t marry her.”

  “You got someone else pregnant, in addition to my mother? Jesus, man, why didn’t you

  use condoms? I mean, really, if you can’t keep it in your pants, then why risk getting girls pregnant? Since you weren’t man enough to step up and accept responsibility for what you

  did.” Peter couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Does that mean Peter has a brother or a sister somewhere in town?” Chaz sounded

  upset. “Neither one of them knew about each other.”

  “No. The other girl got an abortion. She didn’t want a kid either. But about five years

  ago, I fell in love, and married a really beautiful woman. We have three wonderful kids, and I’d like you to meet them some time, Peter.”

  Roscoe held out his hand imploringly, but Peter ignored it.

  “Fine. I’ll have to think on that. Did you tell her you might have a son that you let your brother claim as his?” Peter wanted to know if Roscoe had ever thought about admitting

  Peter was his.

  “No.”

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  Peter jumped to his feet, letting his chair crash to the floor. “Why did you come here

  then? Did you really care about my mother? Did you expect me to welcome you with open

  arms?”

  Roscoe looked around the room. Chaz and Margie stared at him, and it was obvious he

  wasn’t going to get any support from them.

  “Well, no, I didn’t think you would let me into your life just like that, Peter. I know

  you’ve found good friends who took you into their home and hearts. That makes me happy.”

  “Then what the hell do you want?” Peter shouted.

  Roscoe ducked his head. “Well, you see, I’m in a bit of a bind, and I need some help

  paying off some debts from starting up my business.”

  A light went off in Peter’s head, and he started laughing. “Oh my God, I should’ve

  known a man who would abandon his pregnant girlfriend and force her to end up marrying

  his brother would be the type of guy who does something like this.”

  Margie grabbed Roscoe’s plate and told Chaz, “Why don’t you and Peter escort Mr

  Skinner out?”

  “With pleasure,” Chaz snarled as he took Roscoe’s arm in a tight grip.

  “Wait a minute. Peter, I really did want to get to know you, and to find out how your

  mother was.”

  Snorting in disbelief, Peter followed Chaz and Roscoe to the front door. “I think you

  decided getting to know your first born son was an opportunity to get some money from me.

  Your spies in town probably told you who I was living with, and since Les has money, you

  thought you’d come and see if I’d help my long-lost dad out.”

  “Man, that’s low, and I thought the rest of your family sucked.” Chaz opened the door

  to shove Roscoe out on the porch.

  “Peter, please.”

  “I don’t want to see you again, Roscoe. I don’t care if you’re my dad or not. You know

  what? Having a blood family isn’t important to me anymore. What is important is people

  who let you into their lives because they choose to, and not because they have to take you in.”

  He slammed the door shut, then leaned against it. Folding his arms, he met Chaz’s gaze.

  “Well, this sucks.”

  Chaz nodded. “Have to agree with you. Is it always so exciting around here?”

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  Peter shook his head. “Not even when Les and Randy are here. Can you believe the

  bastard would try something like that? All because he found out who Les was and figured

  I’d be able to get money to help him out.”

  “I’m sorry it didn’t work out quite the way you were expecting.” Chaz wrapped his

  arms around Peter’s waist to pull him closer to him. “But you still have all your friends, and me. I’ll be more than happy to cheer you up.”

  Peter pushed closer into Chaz’s embrace, crushing their mouths together with a low

  moan. He slid his hands down to grasp Chaz’s butt, then dug his fingers into the firm flesh.

  Chaz arched his back, bringing their groins into contact.

  God, he wanted this man more than he’d ever thought he could want anyone. A noise

  coming from the kitchen caused Peter to remember where they were. No way would he get

  caught making out in the hallway. It didn’t matter that Les and Randy had it happen to them all the time. Peter really wasn’t into exhibitionism.

  “We need to go and help Margie with cleaning the kitchen before we do anything,” he

  whispered.

  Disappointment crossed Chaz’s face before he nodded. “You’re right. I don’t want to

  leave her having to clean up after she went to all that trouble to cook us dinner.”

  Peter reached down to adjust himself, glad he was wearing jeans and not sweats. He

  didn’t want to give Margie an eyeful when they came into the kitchen. Chaz watched him,

  then winked as he did the same.

  “I think, to make up for how crappy a day you’ve had, you should be given a chance to

  pop your cherry,” Chaz murmured to Peter as they returned to the dining room.

  Inhaling sharply, Peter glared at Chaz. “Thanks for that. I’m not going to be able to

  stand up straight while we rinse the dishes.”

  The smirk Chaz shot in his direction made Peter chuckle. Margie gave Peter a hug when

  she came back from the kitchen.

  “Honey, you know we all love you here, and you have a home here for as long as you

  want to be with us.” Margie patted his cheek. “Did you want to finish eating? If not, you can put the rest in the refrigerator, and have a midnight snack later.”

  With her affirmation of his place at the Hardin ranch, Peter found his appetite again. He picked her up and swung her around.

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  “Thank you, Margie. I think I’d like to eat now, and after that, Chaz and I will clean up, so you can go and put your feet up.”

  She giggled, and that sound made Peter’s heart swell. It wasn’t often Margie let go of

  her stern façade, and usually it was only with Les.

  “Come on, Chaz. Let’s enjoy Margie’s marvellous cooking. We’ll need our energy for

  later on.”

  Chaz’s surprised expression drew laughter from both Margie and Peter. That was the

  theme for the rest of their dinner. Peter allowed himself to forget about Roscoe and what the Skinners had done to him. His last name might be the same as theirs, but he didn’t consider himself as one of them. He was a member of the eclectic collection of people who gathered on this ranch, calling it home and the people who lived here family.

  When Chaz laughed at something Margie had said, Peter studied him. Would Chaz fit

  in with the rest of the guys? Was there a future in this relationship? Peter found himself making
a quick decision. He would do what he had to do to keep in touch with Chaz once

  the man left for Tulsa. It would be worth the effort to see if Chaz could be the one he became serious with.

  * * * *

  An hour later, Peter put the last plate into the dishwasher. He and Chaz had spent the

  time chatting about nothing important while they restored the kitchen to its spotless

  splendour. Margie had gone to her suite of rooms, and Peter knocked on her door.

  “Yes?” she asked as she opened it.

  The TV was on, and he saw she had a cup of tea steaming next to her armchair. There

  was some yarn and knitting needles as well.

  “Chaz and I are done in the kitchen. We’re probably going to watch a movie in the

  living room, then head to bed.”

  As much as he wanted to fuck Chaz, he also wanted to spend some time with him that

  didn’t involve sex.

  Margie gave him a knowing look. “All right. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

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  Peter joined Chaz in the living room. Chaz had the TV and DVD player set up, and was

  sitting on the couch. Peter curled up next to him, resting his head on Chaz’s shoulder.

  “Thanks for being willing to watch a movie with me, instead of falling right into bed.”

  Chaz shrugged. “It doesn’t matter whether we have it right now or have it later,

  eventually we’ll be having sex. I can wait, and I like spending time with you outside of the bedroom as well.”

  “Anticipation is a great aphrodisiac.” Peter thought he sounded very wise, even though

  he really had no experience with that.

  “Exactly,” Chaz agreed.

  Peter started the movie, and settled back against Chaz, looking forward to enjoying the

  rest of the night.

  The credits were rolling when Chaz stretched. His arm had gone to sleep under Peter’s

  head, but he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to disturb Peter. It was the first time Chaz had ever simply watched a movie with one of his lovers. Usually he’d just fuck them