Trust Fund Baby

by Aiden Bates

  The living room was slightly neater than when he'd left, the paper corralled into a corner, and the gifts piled on the dining room table. Teddy was arguing with Kurt about something, his hands waving all over the place as Cody ducked around him, grabbing errant pieces of garbage .

  "No, I know that Jay's looking for a house, but this place is perfectly central, and all it would take is knocking down a wall or two," he said. "It wouldn't even take that long ."

  "Teddy," Cody grumbled, nudging the redhead with his hip. "Drop it ."

  "Huh? Oh. Hi, Luke." Teddy pushed his glasses up his nose with a disgruntled grimace. "I'm not supposed to mention Jay's house hunting in front of you, but I really wanted to ask you about what you were going to do with your condo ."

  Biting back a laugh, Luke clapped the slender alpha on the shoulder. "Never change, Teddy," he said, ignoring the way the other guys groaned .

  "Oh, I won't," he said. "I was just telling Kurt that the adjoining unit is for sale, and if you bought it, you could turn this into a family-sized unit. It would double your kitchen space," he added hopefully .

  Luke blinked, startled by the thought. He'd seen something about the other condo being up for sale; Robert had talked about buying it just so he'd have the whole floor. It was tempting, if only for the extra kitchen space, and he knew that was the point. "I'll think about it," he promised .

  "See," Teddy said, crossing his arms. "I told you it would be fine. Tact is a four-letter word ."

  "Well," Marcus drawled, "you're not wrong. Does Jay need help with anything in the kitchen ?"

  "He's just talking to Uncle Robert," Luke said, belatedly remembering to hand out the drinks .

  "You left him alone with that sneaky old man?" Kurt raised his glass in a toast. "You are a brave man, Luke Carter ."

  "It's not that big of a deal ."

  "Kinda is," Cody said, his muscles flexing as he lifted the crib out of the way. Watching his shirt strain, Luke made a mental note to go to the gym more often. "This is the same uncle who has tricked you into showing up at six of your dad's last eight charity benefits? The guy who literally kidnapped you and put you on a plane the last time he thought you were working too hard? That Uncle Robert ?"

  "He didn't kidnap me," Luke muttered, rubbing his sweaty palms on his jeans. "I'll be right back ."

  "Good luck, man," Kurt called after him .

  Ducking into the kitchen, he was struck by how spotless the place was; all the flour and drips of cookie dough had disappeared from the counter. Jay was leaning against one end of the island, scrubbing at a stubborn stain and nodding at the phone. When he spotted Luke, he smiled faintly .

  "No, I understand. I'll keep it in mind," he said loudly. "I'm going to hand you back to Luke again. Of course. Talk to you later." He shoved the phone into Luke's arms with a growl. "I can't believe you." He leaned up and bit Luke's lip. "I'm going to make you pay for that ."

  "If that's an example of your punishment techniques, can I just point out that they're not very effective?" he said, trying to pull the omega in for a deeper kiss .

  Jay slid out of his arms with a quiet chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, backing out of the room .

  Luke sighed, belatedly remembering the phone. "Sorry, Uncle. I missed that ."

  "Ah, to be young and distracted," Robert said, doing a poor job of hiding his laughter. "I was just asking if you got Harry's gift ."

  Irritation brought him back to reality like a splash of cold water. "I refused delivery," he said, trying to relax his jaw as the muscle cramped. "Teddy made a crib for Jay. I don't need one from Dad ."

  Robert sighed. "You have plenty of reason to be angry at him," he said, "but he really does just want what's best for you ."

  "Save it. I don't want to argue with you today, and you have to get on a plane soon." He took a deep breath, trying to keep from snapping. "I'll see you when you get home, okay? Teddy had an interesting idea about the condo that I wanted to run by you ."

  "Alright, kiddo. I don't want to fight with you, either, but he's my best friend. I have to try at least once, you know ?"

  "I know," Luke said, and for the first time in a long time, he really did. He'd do the same for Kurt or Teddy if it came down to it, and he'd probably have to someday. "Have a good flight ."

  Disconnecting the call, he stared at the rag draped over the edge of the counter. It wasn't until he realized that he was planning what he'd do with all the extra counter space that he rolled his eyes and went back to the living room. He'd call his realtor in the morning .

  * * *

  "B oss, there's a call for you on line one," Vivian said, leaning around the door frame. "It's... Uh... It's Harry Carter ."

  Luke grimaced, tossing his pen down on the stack of papers he was very slowly working his way through. It left a long black streak down one page as it bounced off the edge of the desk. "Can you tell him I'm not in ?"

  "The call came through reception, so he already knows you're not scheduled for any meetings today. Sorry." She picked up his pen, setting it carefully on the tiny slice of free space he had left .

  He'd been working all morning to get enough work done that he wouldn't have to come in for the rest of the year. About half an hour after lunch, though, all three of the other partners had gone home with food poisoning, leaving Luke to handle the employee reviews. If he didn't finish these by the end of the day, there wouldn't be time to get the Christmas bonuses deposited before the holiday .

  "I really don't have time to deal with him," he muttered, digging his phone out from under a stack of secretarial reviews. "Handle those," he told her. "You know better than anyone who pulls their weight ."

  She picked the stack up, hesitating as she smoothed the pages. "Do you want me to stay ?"

  "No," he said, his finger hovering over the flashing light of line one. "I need these done more than I need my hand held. Next time, though, I'm going to insist." He slammed the button harder than necessary, then remembered. "Shit, what are you bringing for the party ?"

  "I already told Jay when he called," she said, shutting the door behind her and leaving him with nothing to get him out of dealing with the phone call .

  "Luke?"

  "Hi, Dad. What can I do for you ?"

  "I was just calling to see how you're doing," Harry said. He was trying to be cheerful, but Luke could hear the strain in the way he put too much energy into every word .

  "I'm fine ."

  "Good, good. And Jay? How's he doing? No morning sickness ?"

  Luke ground his teeth, counting to ten. "Jay is fine ."

  "That's good." The silence stretched awkwardly, but he ignored the nagging need to make things easier for his father. "I saw that you sent the crib back. Robert mentioned that one of your friends made you one already. Let me know if there's anything you'd rather have ."

  "I can't think of anything ."

  "Well, if you do, let me know. I'm going to be in California for a while, so I can grab whatever you want and bring it by. Let Jay know, too. Whatever he wants ."

  "I'll let him know, Dad," Luke said, lying through his teeth. "I'm sorry to cut you short, but I have a whole stack of employee reviews to get through ."

  "Oh, of course. You got stuck with that stuff, huh? I used to let you fill out the reviews when you were a baby. Everybody got big bonuses, and they loved your artwork. Win-win. You always loved coming to w
ork with me, before your mom died." Harry cleared his throat .

  "I've really got to go, Dad ."

  "Right." He hesitated, and Luke was tempted to hang up on him. "I actually called to see if I should bring anything specific to the party. I know Jay said I didn't have to, but you know how nice he is. It sounds like you're going to have quite a few people. I can have it catered, free up some time for you ."

  "I'm sorry, what?" Luke said, his voice flat with shock .

  "The Christmas party? Jay said you were having a potluck, and you know how useless I am in the kitchen. I could get John Higgsby to cater for you, though. You always liked his green beans ."

  "When I was seven, Dad." He barely managed to keep from shouting. "It's just a bunch of friends. Nothing fancy. That's kind of the point ."

  "Oh, right. That makes sense." He cleared his throat again. "I'll figure something out, then. I should let you go. Don't work too hard, and tell Jay I said hi ."

  "Believe me," Luke said, a headache stabbing into his right temple out of nowhere, "I will." He set the phone down gently and pulled out his cell. Not trusting himself to keep his cool, he composed and discarded a dozen texts before settling on stating the obvious .

  "You invited my dad. —Luke "

  There was no immediate reply, and he set his phone on the desk next to him. With barely any of his mind on the reviews, he flew through them; anyone who didn't like it could do them all next year .

  There was still no answer by the time he locked his office door and headed home, and he started to wonder if Jay was ignoring him on purpose. Against his better judgment, he tried calling, but it just went to voicemail .

  "Are you at the studio? —Luke "

  "I'm coming over. —Luke "

  Traffic was terrible, as usual, and by the time Luke found a parking place a block from the studio, he was barely keeping it together. It wasn't like Jay hadn't known how he felt about his dad. They'd had long conversations about it ten years ago. It had been one of the things that they'd had in common, both of them not sure what to do about their complicated family relationships .

  He would never have gone behind Jay's back and invited Mary. A tiny voice in the back of his head, this one with Teddy's matter-of-fact monotone, pointed out that Jay had tried to invite her, but she declined so that she could go to her husband's business party. Jay was more forgiving than Luke had ever been .

  Pressing his forehead against the steering wheel, he focused on breathing until he could think about his father coming to the party without wanting to yell at something. Jay had to have a reason for doing this, probably something about family and healing his relationships. It was nothing Luke hadn't heard before. Hell, he'd thought it all before .

  Jay hadn't been there for ten years of trying to forgive and forget. Ten years of making plans only to have his dad cancel last minute because Meredith didn't want him to go. Ten years of birthdays and holidays and special events without so much as a phone call. Harry Carter was a charming man, and he always won his way into people’s good graces, but it didn't take long for him to let them down, either .

  He probably wouldn't show. Luke wasn't sure if that would be better or worse. He was used to Harry letting him down, but he didn't want Jay to have to figure it out the hard way .

  "Sorry, I'm here. Yes, I invited him. —Jay "

  Staring at the message for a long minute, Luke sorted through possible responses in his head .

  "I didn't want him there. —Luke "

  He thought that struck the best tone, making it perfectly clear that Luke was willing to take the blame for uninviting his father. The phone buzzed right away with an incoming call .

  "I know you don't get along with him, but he is going to be a grandpa. I thought he deserved to be there. Besides, it felt wrong to invite Robert and not invite him," Jay said, not bothering with hello .

  "He's not going to be a grandpa. He's barely been a father," Luke protested. "I don't want our daughter to be disappointed every time he breaks a promise ."

  "People change, Luke. Maybe he won't disappoint our son ."

  It was petty, but for a moment Luke hoped that he would, if only because it would prove that it was Harry's problem and not just something in him that made him unlovable. "Are you sure you want to take that risk ?"

  Jay was quiet for a moment. "There are still at least three years before the baby remembers anything. I think we should give him a chance ."

  "I don't," Luke said, biting off the rest of the words that wanted to come out. "He's not dependable, Jay. He probably won't even come to the party. He'll meet some woman in a hotel bar and disappear to the Bahamas for six months ."

  "Then we'll have a nice Christmas with the rest of our friends ."

  Growling in frustration, he snapped, "I stopped speaking to him to remove that kind of uncertainty ."

  Jay sighed. "You can't just shut him out without giving him a chance, Luke ."

  "I've given him chances my whole life. Do you not remember how I ended up at your house to begin with? He swore for weeks that he was going to come get me and take me on vacation, just the two of us." Even now, he could remember the humiliation when he'd realized his dad had gone to the Caribbean without even bothering to tell him that he wasn't coming .

  "I think you should give him a chance," Jay said. "If only to make life easier on Robert ."

  "I don't think I should," Luke said, his voice rising .

  "Luke..."

  "I don't want him in my house," he shouted. "He is not invited, and if hell freezes over and he does show up, I will have him escorted out by security. I am not going to give him the chance to walk all over me again ."

  The sound of his ragged breathing echoed in his ears, muffling the horns and sirens of the city .

  "And I don't suppose what I want means anything," Jay said finally. "It is your house, after all ."

  Knocking his head against the steering wheel, Luke cursed, all his anger draining away and leaving him exhausted. "Jay ..."

  "No, I get it. It's your safe space, and I shouldn't have imposed. I just know that if my mom put forth even half the effort that your dad has, I'd be so fucking happy, and I wanted that for you." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about the invitation. I knew you wouldn't be happy. I'll call and explain ."

  Luke opened his mouth to apologize, but nothing came out. He wasn't actually sorry. He didn't want his dad anywhere near his house, or Jay, or the baby. "I'll see you for dinner tomorrow," he said instead .

  "I can't. I'm checking out a few open houses up in the park district, remember." Something clattered to the floor, and Jay sniffed loudly. "I should go ."

  "I'm right outside, can I give you a ride home ?"

  "I'm at the gallery, actually. I wanted Bonnie's opinion on the watercolors," he said. "I'll see you this weekend ."

  "Jay..."

  "I really do need to go. Their Christmas party is starting in a few minutes, and I still have to add glitter to my entry in the ugly sweater contest. I'll call your dad in the morning ."

  The line went dead, and Luke cursed, long and loud and in every language he knew. It fogged up the inside of his windshield, and he had to turn the heater on and wait for it to fade before he could head back to his condo. His empty condo without so much as a houseplant .

  After Liam, he'd gone to New York, and when he'd come back, the condo had just been there, full of all his stuff. In the two years since, he'd never thought of it as unwelcoming, but like one of those paintings with the hidden image, now that he'd seen it, he couldn't get it out of h
is head. He'd never made it a home .

  It wasn't that he hadn't tried, but what did he know about homes? He'd never even slept in the same bedroom for a whole year before he moved into the frat house. There were more homey touches in his room in the New York guest suite than in his entire condo .

  And Jay wasn't there .

  Heading for the highway, Luke ignored the turn that would take him home. He couldn't stand the idea of sitting there and stewing. There was a winery just outside town that had a wonderful restaurant attached. Maybe the drive would clear his head .

  18

  "T his room gets excellent light, and there's a big backyard," the realtor said, her smile a little strained .

  Jay sighed, looking around. It was a nice house, probably the best he'd seen all morning, but there was just something missing. "The kitchen is really small," he said, opening one of the half-dozen cupboards skeptically. "I like to cook." That was a complete lie, but he was still hopeful that Luke was planning on spending a lot of time in whatever house he bought .

  "For the price they're asking," the realtor said, glancing at her sheet, "you'd still have room in your budget to remodel ."

  He still wasn't sure what his budget actually was. Marcus had handled all of that, setting him up with a highly recommended service when he mentioned wanting to look for something more permanent than his tiny sublet. What he was sure of was that he didn't want to have to renovate a house .

  "I think I'd like to see something else," he said .

  "Of course. I can set up another viewing after the holidays." She scribbled vigorously on her notepad. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to hear from her again .

  "Sounds great." He managed a strained smile as she showed him out, a brisk breeze making him shiver. "Happy Holidays," he added as she got into her car. She didn't reply .

  He couldn't blame her. They'd been to six houses today, and he hadn't even considered any of them. It would be easy to put it down to bad sleep since he'd been up most of the night, or an off mood caused by the mild nausea he'd had all morning, but he didn't think it was either .