by K E Osborn
Brielle and Adam arrive shortly after and then Aiden makes the phone call to Mike that he can finish up for the day and join them for dinner tonight.
Mike walks through the doors out onto the deck surprising us all we weren’t expecting him for another half hour.
“What’s all this then?” Mike asks with a chuckle looking at the O’Connell family and Sarah and I.
“Umm, surprise!” Brielle yells, making us all laugh.
“You weren’t meant to be here for another half hour. We were all going to jump out at you and surprise you,” Callie says as she stands up and kisses Mike on the cheek.
“Well, I think the cars at the front gave it away that you’re all here, but why is this a surprise for me? It’s not my birthday?” he questions with a confused look.
“Nope, it sure isn’t, it’s your bachelor party,” I exclaim.
He looks at me with his eyes open wide and then to Aiden, who nods his head.
“Really, you guys are throwing me a bachelor party? At my age?” he asks with a slight chuckle.
“Who cares how young you are Mike? You’ve never been married so we wanted to give you all the traditions that go with it. Us guys are heading into the man cave after dinner and we’re not leaving until at least three in the morning,” Aiden says with a smirk.
“Well, thank you guys, this was completely unexpected, but I am honored. So thanks,” he says.
I get up and walk inside to get the food prepared for the barbeque. Benjamin comes in to help and so does Adam. I decide to let Aiden spend some time with Mike, he’s going to be is stepfather soon. It’s great that they get along so well. We all head out to the barbeque and cook up a feast.
After dinner and a general chit chat around the table the girls head inside with the kids putting the younger ones to bed. Lilly, Brody and Ethan stay up a little longer. The men head to the man cave to really get this party started.
“Have a good time,” Callie calls out as we all walk down the hall.
Aiden has set it up with posters of half-naked women, cars and football teams.
“Wow, does Jeni know about all these naked women in here?” Mike asks as he looks at a poster and laughs.
“Are you kidding me? She’s the one who picked them out. She said, if you’re not having strippers then you need something to get your heart racing. Her words, not mine,” Aiden says with a chuckle.
“Well, thank… you… Jeni,” I say as I look at some brunette in black lace on a Harley. H.O.T!
The guys all laugh as Adam pours out a round of beer from the keg.
“Here’s to Mike,” Adam says raising his glass.
“Here, here,” I say and we all clink our pint glasses together and beer spills everywhere. We then all down our beer in one go, including Mike. I’m surprised he can keep up with us.
“Right, poker or pool?” Aiden asks and we all look to Mike. It’s his night so we do what he wants.
“Um pool, poker’s more fun when we’re all wasted,” Mike declares.
The night flows with plenty of male bonding and a shit load of beer. We’ve finished the keg I had delivered and now we’ve hit Aiden’s whisky collection. He’s brought out the old Macallan and we’re all sipping it around the poker table. I can hardly keep my eyes focused, I’m beyond wasted and I know I’m going to pay for it in the morning when Ella starts to cry or when Ethan jumps on the bed, either way I’m going to be in a world full of hurt.
“Cheek,” Adam says as it comes to his turn.
“Don’t you mean check?” Aiden slurs.
“Cheek, check same difference, either way I fold, my hands shit,” he says and turns his cards up showing three sevens.
“Dude, you had three sevens, that’s a good hand,” Blair chuckles and Adam looks at his cards again.
“Oh crap, I thought I was seeing triple I’m so wasted, I unfold,” he says and picks his cards back up and he stares at them with his eyes wide like he’s trying to focus on them, but can’t, it makes me laugh. Mike’s having a blast. I’ve never seen Mike drunk, he’s actually pretty funny.
“Hey Chris, did you know my friend Billy is a poker player and he lost his arm in a nasty accident. He's now got a prosthetic replacement and he just can't deal with it,” Mike jokes and for some reason we all laugh like it’s the funniest thing we’ve ever heard.
“Oh, you like that one, what about this one - a boy comes home from school and walks into his parents room where he sees his mom and dad are in bed making love. The boy asks, "What are you doing?" His dad replies, "Playing poker. Now get out." He goes to his older sister's room to find his sister and her boyfriend in bed making love. The boy asks, "What are you doing?" His sister replies, "Playing poker. Now get out." He goes to his older brother's room and finds his brother masturbating. He asks his brother, "What are you doing?" His brother replies, "Playing poker." The boy asks, "I thought that it takes two to play poker." His brother replies, "Not if you have a good hand.”
Man Mike’s jokes are killing us. We laugh and continue to play poker into the stupid hours of the morning. The other guys have decided they have the munchies so have gone to the kitchen to eat some left over barbeque food while Mike and I sit in the man cave smoking cigars.
“So, you having a good night?” I slur trying to keep my eyes focused on Mike.
“Yeah, I’m having the best guys night out I’ve had in… well… ever! I’m just so glad that my son has taken me in the way he has. Aiden means everything to me, so to have his approval is the best thing a father could ask for,” Mike slurs taking another guzzle of his whisky and instantly I sober up.
“You mean best thing a step father could ask for, right?” I ask.
“Yeah, what did I say?” Mike asks suddenly looking very guilty.
“Mike, what aren’t you telling me?” I ask and he exhales and runs his hand through his hair. He’s suddenly very pale and he’s sweating.
Holy Fuck!
“Look, I’ve been holding this in for all of Aiden’s life,” Mike says and then it’s like his mind drifts off.
“Mike, are you Aiden’s father? His real biological father?” I ask, dreading the answer.
Mike instantly tears up and he swallows the rest of his whisky. He doesn’t need to answer me, I already know by the look in his eyes that it’s the truth.
“He doesn’t know,” Mike says and looks back at the door, I’m assuming to check that no one is there.
“Fuck,” I exclaim louder than I wanted to.
“You can’t tell him Chris, it’ll kill him. He’s happy with the way things are, he treats me like I’m his father anyway, so he doesn’t have to know the truth,” Mike says rubbing the back of his neck and looking at me intently.
I don’t know what to think. It’s like I’ve been slapped with a fucking great brick wall and all my air has left my lungs.
“Shit, Mike, this is huge. Aiden deserves to know. You know that right?” I implore and he shakes his head.
“No, Callie and I agreed after Alistair died that our secret would go with him.”
“Did Alistair know?” I ask.
Mike shakes his head. Fuck this just keeps getting better and better.
“I never meant for anyone to find out. This is exactly why I don’t drink, because the truth comes out. Please, you can’t tell him, if he was to find out, it should be from Callie and I. Please Chris, I don’t normally beg, please don’t tell him—”
“Don’t tell who, what?” Aiden asks as he walks back in with a huge bowl of chicken wings.
I look at Mike and he’s staring at me holding his breath.
“Don’t tell you about the surprise Mike has for the wedding,” I say and Mike instantly exhales and his body slumps.
He looks up at Aiden with a look that can only be described as adoration and undeniable love. I know he’s not purposely trying to hide this massive secret from him, and I can understand why he wants to keep it from him, but he deserves to know because being a stepfa
ther is majorly different to being your real father.
“If it’s a group dance or something, count me out,” Aiden says, slumping back down on his chair as Adam, Blair and Benjamin walk in.
Mike and I laugh.
“No, nothing like that,” Mike says as he nods his head in my direction. I’m assuming in a gesture of thanks for not saying anything.
The tension between Mike and me is palpable and I know that everyone else notices, but they’re too drunk to care. We play poker for another couple of hours until I can’t take it anymore. I’m completely sober now and starting to wonder what I should be doing about this whole situation. I think I should leave before I can’t help but blurt it out.
“Well, guys I’m done for the night, Mike happy bacheloring or whatever you’re supposed to say at these things. I’ll catch you guys in the morning,” I say and I slap Aiden on the back. It’s good to see he’s having a great time and unwinding a little.
“You’re weak, goodnight pansy,” Aiden smirks at me and I chuckle and shake my head.
“Night Mike, think about what I said,” I whisper and he nods. I walk up the stairs to my room and I know it’s around four in the morning, but I need to talk to Sarah. I climb into the bed and she stirs.
“Hey babe, are you totally sloshed?” she murmurs.
I pull her to me and take in a deep breath. “No, completely stone cold sober,” I whisper, she slowly opens her eyes and frowns.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.
“If I tell you, you can’t say anything. I’ve been sworn to secrecy,” I say and she creases her eyebrows.
“I’m not going to like this am I?”
I shake my head and she leans down and rests her head on my chest.
“Mike…”
“Yeah?”
“He’s, Aiden’s Dad,” I say.
She’s silent for a moment. “What do you mean?” she asks and I exhale again.
“Mike is Aiden’s biological father, and Aiden doesn’t know.”
“What the fuck?” Sarah says louder than expected as she sits bolt upright in the bed staring at me.
“Are you serious?” she asks, her eyes wide with confusion.
“Deadly! Mike let it slip accidentally when we were alone in the room. Now I know and I can’t stop thinking about it,” I whisper.
“Jesus, this is fucked. Aiden needs to know,” Sarah exclaims.
“I know, I tried to tell Mike that, but he thinks it’s better left the way it is. I don’t even know if I can face Aiden tomorrow. How am I supposed to keep this from him? If it were me, I’d want to know. Sure, I’d be pissed, but at least I’d know,” I say and Sarah caresses my cheek.
“Maybe we can have a chat with Mike in the morning, see if we can knock some sense into him?” she asks and I nod. Yeah, I think that’s what I’m going to have to do, because this is a secret I don’t think I can keep.
Chapter Twelve
I wake suddenly to Ethan jumping on the bed.
“Daddy, get up,” he yells as he jumps and lands on my legs.
“Oww, damn kid, you’re getting too heavy,” I say as I bring my hand up to my pounding head.
“Ethan, let Daddy sleep,” I hear Sarah whisper and then she pulls him down to her and cuddles into him. I turn my head to look at Sarah and she’s smiling at me.
“I want Daddy to play with me and Brody,” Ethan whines and Sarah giggles.
Fuck, I love that sound.
“Daddy had a big night and needs some more sleep baby. Why don’t you go find Brody and play together, just be careful on the stairs,” Sarah says and lets him go. He jumps up and runs out of the room.
I exhale and place my forearm over my eyes.
“How you doing over there?” Sarah asks, as I hear one of the twins start to cry.
“I feel like shit, I’m hung over, but more importantly, I’m stressed about this whole Mike thing. I have no idea what to do, baby,” I admit, because I have no idea how to handle this situation.
“We need to talk to Mike, get everything out in the open,” Sarah says and then cuddles in to me, “and then you need to be there for Aiden ‘cause this is going to turn his world upside down.”
I nod and exhale loudly.
This fucking sucks!
“Okay, well obviously Aiden and Jeni are up ‘cause the baby’s stopped crying. I’m going to go find Mike,” I say.
“Do you want me to come?” she asks, just as Ella gurgles and wakes up.
“No, you feed Ella and I’ll talk to Mike. See you downstairs for breakfast,” I say, leaning in and kissing her forehead. I put on a shirt and walk downstairs and I notice Blair and Benjamin asleep on the couch with Lilly cuddled into Blair. I walk out to the deck to see Callie and Mike in a deep conversation. Mike’s sitting with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He looks like he’s a mess as Callie tries to comfort him.
I clear my throat and they both look up at me. “Morning guys,” I say quietly.
“Morning Chris,” Callie says and Mike looks up.
“Mike, we need to talk,” I say and he nods patting the seat beside him.
“I know, Callie and I have been discussing it. I haven’t slept. I’m terrified he’s going to hate me,” Mike says with tears forming in his eyes.
“Hey, he’s not going to hate you. He might be a bit angry that you never told him, but Aiden forgives easily. Plus, he loves you like a father anyway. You need to tell him Mike, ‘cause I don’t think I can keep your secret,” I explain and he nods.
“We know. We won’t ask you to do that, that’s why we’ve decided to tell him, but we think it’d be best if you and Sarah were here, as a buffer and also to help Aiden and Jeni come to terms with what we have to tell them. I’m fairly sure they won’t want us around and we want you to be here to help them through it,” Callie whispers and I nod finally feeling some relief from the anguish that I’ve been feeling.
I exhale and slap Mike on the back. “You’re doing the right thing; you’ve kept this from him for thirty-four years. I don’t know how you managed to keep it a secret for so long. It must’ve been killing you, Mike?” I ask and he nods.
“You have no idea how horrible it’s been. When he was born was the worst time of my life,” Mike grimaces and Callie wipes a tear from her cheek.
“When do you want to tell him?” I ask.
“Today, when all the kids leave and it’s just us. I think Aiden should know before Blair and Bree do, it’s only fair,” Mike declares and I nod.
“Okay, today it is then—”
“Why do you all look so gloomy?” Jeni asks.
We turn around to see her holding one of the twins. Aiden comes up behind her with the other and kisses her on the cheek. Considering the amount of alcohol Aiden had last night he hasn’t pulled up too bad.
“Too much alcohol,” I say for both Mike and I and Jeni laughs as Aiden winces.
“Baby, I love you, but quiet voices today, please,” Aiden jokes as he exhales, he obviously looks better than he feels.
“Sorry hun,” Jeni says with a smirk and then walks off as Aiden sits down nursing a baby and a sore head.
“Man do you feel as shit as I do?” he questions and I nod my head.
“Fuck yeah,” I exclaim as Jeni brings a can of ginger ale and some pain killers for Aiden. I smile at her and she winks at me.
“You guys want some too?” she asks, looking at Mike and I. We both nod and she smirks walking off to the kitchen.
“Hey, is it okay if we stay for dinner again tonight, we can order in if you want?” Callie asks Aiden and he nods as he takes a sip of his ginger ale.
“Yeah, Chris, you and Sarah can stay for dinner too if you want?” Aiden queries and I nod. I guess we’ll be telling him after dinner. We just have to get through breakfast and lunch first.
Jeni brings Mike and I our pain killers and a ginger ale.
“Okay, who’s for a cook up? Bacon, eggs, pancakes?”
Jeni asks and instantly my stomach rumbles.
“I’ll take that as a yes from Chris,” Jeni says making us laugh.
“I’ll help you sweetheart,” Callie says.
Jeni walks over to Mike and hands him a twin.
“Hey little cutie, which one have I got?” Mike asks and we all laugh. Aiden looks over.
“You have Katie, Kassie has a freckle under her ear. It’s the only way we can tell them apart,” Aiden explains and I chuckle.
Twins, what a head fuck!
We spend the next few hours socializing with the family as the kids play with the baby chickens that have recently hatched. Eventually one by one, the others leave, until it's just Mike, Callie, Sarah and me with Aiden and Jeni. I filled Sarah in on what was going to happen. We decided we’d have dinner and then tell Aiden. I’ve been a little distant all day, I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help it. I feel so damn guilty for knowing and not telling him. So, I got distracted with the kids by playing with them for most of the day despite my raging headache.
We ordered pizza and had it delivered. The kids were happy and ate heaps as usual and are all resting with full bellies in the living room, while we sit out on the deck. It’s a beautiful night and it’s about to be ruined by a dark secret that’s been years in the making. Sarah comes back from putting Ella down in the porta-cot and when she sits down the atmosphere changes and I know Callie and Mike are about to start talking.
“So, Aiden there’s something Mike and I have been wanting to tell you,” Callie says.
My heart rate rises and beats hard against my chest wall. Sarah takes my hand under the table and I watch Aiden’s face intently. He seems so cheerful in this moment, he has no idea what’s about to hit him.
“We asked Sarah and Chris to be here for this because we thought they could support you with what we need to tell you,” Mike states and Aiden looks at Mike with his eyebrows creased.
“Okay guys you’re starting to freak me out, you’re not splitting up are you?” he asks.
“No, no, nothing like that honey, Mike and I are doing great and I can’t wait to marry him in three weeks time,” Callie announces.
