by Jake Biondi
“Your father says you’re joining the team as a quarterback. That’s killer,” Cole said. “Congrats. My best friend Jesse and I are both Domers so we’d love to come and watch you play some time.”
“Sure,” Hugo said. “That’d be great.”
“Jesse should be here soon, you’ll meet him.”
“Have you seen Keith?” Mateo asked. “I want Hugo to meet Michael’s partner.”
“He’s right over there,” David said, pointing out Keith.
“Great,” Mateo said. “Please excuse us a moment.”
Mateo led Hugo through a small group of guests to Keith, who was talking with Emmett.
“You look much better,” Keith told Emmett. “I’m glad you’re your old self again.”
“So is Max,” Emmett said, jokingly. “I was apparently pretty grizzly.”
“Excuse us,” Mateo said. “I don’t mean to interrupt.”
“Not at all,” Keith said. “How are you, Mateo?”
“Good, thanks. I wanted you both to meet my son, Hugo.”
“Hey, Hugo,” Emmett said. “Good to meet you.”
“You, too,” Hugo replied.
“This is your Uncle Michael’s partner,” Mateo explained. “Where is my brother anyway?”
Keith shrugged his shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. He got a call from the station on the way over here so he dropped me off and left.”
“That’s my brother for you,” Mateo said.
“Tell me about it,” Keith said, laughing.
Before Keith could make another comment, Rachel walked over and interrupted the conversation. “Hello, Dr. Martinez. Good to see you again. You remember me, I’m sure. Rachel Carson. We met at the hospital after the fire.”
“Oh, yes,” Mateo said. “Good to see you again. This is Hugo, my son.”
Rachel put out her hand to shake Hugo’s. “Just as handsome as your father.”
Hugo smiled. “Thank you.”
“And you, Emmett. It’s so good to see you looking better,” Rachel said with a smirk.
“Excuse me,” Emmett said, walking away from the group.
“Well, that was rude,” Rachel stated.
“You do seem to bring out the best in people,” Keith said sarcastically. “Come on, Hugo. Let’s get you some food.” Keith led Hugo away, leaving Rachel alone with Mateo.
“Nice to meet your son,” Rachel said. “Is your wife here, too?”
Mateo smiled. “I’m not married, Rachel.”
“Oh, I just assumed--”
“It’s okay, everyone does,” Mateo stated. “I have full custody of Hugo. His mother was really never in the picture.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. It’s been very good this way. Hugo and I are our own family,” Mateo declared.
Keith brought Hugo into the dining room and they both examined what the table had to offer. Keith patted Hugo on the back.
“Sorry to steal you away like that, but that woman drives me nuts.”
“I could tell,” Hugo said. “She’s pretty hot, though.”
“And dangerous,” Keith added.
“So, what, are you like my step uncle now? Or uncle-in-law?” Hugo asked, jokingly. “I’m not sure what to call you.”
“’Keith’ will be just fine,” Keith said, smiling. “No title is necessary.”
Hugo laughed. “Deal.”
“Hey, there’s someone you should meet,” Keith said. He called over to Jensen, who was standing on the far side of the room. “Hey, Jensen. Come on over here a sec.”
Jensen walked over and asked, “What’s up?”
“I want you to meet someone. This is Hugo Martinez, Michael’s nephew.”
“Oh, wow,” Jensen said, reaching out his hand. “Great to meet you.”
“Same,” Hugo replied, shaking Jensen’s hand.
“You two must be the same age,” Keith explained. “Hugo’s going to be a freshman at Notre Dame next year.”
“What about you?” Hugo asked. “What college are you going to?”
“I’m undecided at the moment,” Jensen said shyly. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Sure,” Hugo said. “There’s time.”
Emmett walked over to the three guys. Looking at Jensen and Hugo, he said, “Oh, I’m glad you two met.”
“Keith just introduced us,” Jensen stated.
“Perfect. Keith, can you come with me? Jesse and Logan just arrived.”
“Oh, great,” Keith said. “Talk to you guys later.” Keith followed Emmett away toward the living room.
At the front of the condo, Joyelle, Max, Cole, David, and Jesse hovered around Logan, welcoming him to the party.
“I’m so glad you came,” Joyelle said, kissing Logan on the cheek. “You look great.”
“You really do,” David said. “You being here is a great birthday present. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Logan said, holding his head a bit to one side to shield the burn on his neck from view. “Thanks for inviting us.”
“Wouldn’t be a party without you,” Cole said.
Emmett and Keith joined the group and Emmett gave Logan a warm embrace.
“It’s great to see you,” Emmett said.
“How have you been?”
“He’s been doing really well,” Jesse said, answering for Logan.
“I can vouch for that,” David added. “He’s a pro at physical therapy.”
“Let’s get you something to eat,” Keith said.
“And drink,” Logan added. “Lead the way.”
Keith and Emmett led Logan toward the dining room while the others lingered together.
“How’s he really doing?” Max asked.
“It was like pulling teeth to get him here,” Jesse stated.
“But he’s here,” Cole said. “That’s what counts, right?”
“The skin grafting has healed nicely, but it’s still noticeable. Clearly, there is some permanent damage and that’s all he focuses on. He’s really self-conscious about the burns and scarring,” Jesse continued.
“I noticed he’s trying to shield them from view,” David said. “You know, Mateo is here. Maybe you should talk to him about some plastic surgery?”
“It’s worth asking about, right?” Joyelle asked.
“One step at a time,” Max said. “I think what’s important--”
Max stopped talking at the sight of Dustin and Derek walking up the stairs and entering the party.
“What are you doing here?” David asked, wrapping his arm around Cole’s waist.
“I was invited,” Dustin said. “Happy birthday, David.”
“Thank you.”
“I think he was referring to Derek,” Cole added.
“Oh, he’s my date,” Dustin said. “I hope that’s okay.”
“Hi, everyone,” Derek said quietly. “Joy, you look fantastic.”
“Thank you,” Joyelle said. “Excuse me,” she added, walking away from the group.
“Oh, these are for you and Tyler,” Dustin said, handing David two small, gift-wrapped boxes.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll put them on the gift table,” Cole said, taking the presents from David and walking away.
Jesse followed Cole.
“You sure know how to clear a group, don’t you?” Max said, smiling. “One of your many talents.”
“I’m sorry,” Derek said. “I don’t mean to disrupt things here. I’ll go if you want me to.”
“No,” David said. “You’re Dustin’s date and you are welcome to stay.”
“Thank you.”
“Come on,” Dustin said, taking Derek by the hand. “Let’s get a drink.”
As Dustin and Derek headed further into the condo, Max put his arm around David.
“Never a dull moment with this group, huh?”
David smiled. “You’re not kidding. Come on, we need drinks, too.”
“Hey, guys,” Michael said as he bolted up th
e stairs dressed in his uniform.
“Hey, hey, “David said. “Better late than never.”
“But it’s not a costume party,” Max said, jokingly.
“Keith is in the back,” David stated. “I’ll show you.”
“Actually,” Michael said, “I’m not here to see Keith. I’m here on police business.”
Cole placed the two small gifts from Dustin onto the table with all the other gifts that guests had generously brought to the party. He glanced over the pile of presents as Jesse stepped over to talk to him.
“You okay, bro?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Derek,” Jesse said. “I saw the look on your face when he arrived with that guy.”
“It’s Dustin. It’s no big deal. Besides, I’m with David now. Derek can do whatever he wants.”
“You still love him, don’t you?”
“Jesse, come on. Derek and I have been done for a while now. It’s over.”
“Way to avoid my question.”
“Our lives are going in two different directions now. And I’m tired of his games. Do I still love him? Of course, I do. How could I not? But I’m not wasting time on him. Let him be Dustin’s issue now.”
“And you’re okay with him being with that guy?”
“Geez, Jesse,” Cole said. “It’s just a date to a birthday party, my boyfriend’s birthday party, ironically. Trust me, I’m fine.”
“There you are,” David said as he walked over and planted a kiss on his boyfriend. “You okay?”
“You bet,” Cole said.
“Tyler and I are going to thank everyone for coming,” David said. “Come stand next to me so I won’t be so nervous. You know I hate speaking in front of a crowd.”
“Have a shot first,” Jesse said with a smile.
“That’ll help, too,” David agreed. He took Cole by the hand and walked into the main room of the condo to find Tyler.
While Cole and David headed to the fireplace, Keith grabbed Rachel and pulled her into a small bedroom just off the hallway.
“What the hell are you doing?” Rachel asked, taking her arm out of Keith’s grip.
“Me? What about you? Making those comments to Emmett like that. What are you? Nuts? You should be staying as far away from him as possible.”
Just outside the room, Jensen was looking for a bathroom. Upon hearing Keith and Rachel, he stopped outside the doorway to hear what they were discussing.
“Relax, would you? Our plan is over and it worked perfectly, without a hitch.”
“Our plan? Poisoning Emmett was never ‘our’ plan. It was your plan. The whole thing was your plan.”
“Well, it worked. The drugs altered his mind just enough to disorientate him for a while. He signed over his part of the company to me and now he’s fine again. Everyone is fine.”
“We could have harmed him badly.”
“But we didn’t,” Rachel declared. “And because the plan worked, your dirty little secret will be kept from your boyfriend and the rest of the world so only you and I know about it. See? Everyone wins.”
Upon hearing Rachel’s statement, Jensen turned to continue to look for a restroom and nearly walked right into Hugo, losing his balance somewhat.
“Oh, sorry,” Jensen said, looking up at Hugo, who gently wrapped his arms around Jensen to steady him.
“No problem,” Hugo replied, looking into Jensen’s eyes. “No apology necessary.”
Jensen began to tremble as Hugo leaned in to kiss him.
Tyler and David stood in front of the fireplace at the center of their home. With Cole standing nearby, David tried to get everyone’s attention by hitting a spoon against his glass. The faint sound did little to stop the conversations occurring in the room.
“What were you thinking bringing Derek here as your date?” Max asked Dustin as they stood a few feet from Tyler and David.
“Well, you were unavailable, right? Besides, you told me to find an eligible guy and he is both eligible and hot. So why shouldn’t I ask him out?”
“Asking him for a date is one thing, but bringing him here when he has so many connections to people is another.”
“How was I supposed to know that? I’m new to this group, remember?”
Elsewhere in the crowd, Logan leaned over toward Jesse and whispered into his ear, “I want to go. I feel like everyone is staring at me.”
David tried once again to get everyone’s attention.
Derek returned to Dustin’s side.
From where he was standing, Cole watched Derek closely.
Across the room, Michael located Justin where he was standing with Gino and Marco.
“Hello, Justin,” Michael said.
“Hi, Michael.”
“I need to speak with you.”
“Okay,” Justin said curiously.
“We should probably go someplace more private,” Michael suggested.
“Sounds ominous,” Marco said.
“I think it’s for the best,” Michael added.
“Whatever you want. We can go into one of the bedrooms down the hall,” Justin said.
“I’m going with you,” Gino declared.
“You okay with that?” Michael asked Justin.
“Of course,” Justin stated as he led Michael and Gino down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
Finally, Tyler let out a loud, high-pitched whistle like he was at a ball park or stadium. Instantly, a hush fell over the room.
“Thank you,” Tyler said loudly. “Sorry for that whistle but David and I wanted to get your attention for a moment. We wanted to personally thank each and every one of you for coming tonight and making our joint birthday very special.”
“We didn’t even know until recently that we shared the exact same birthday,” David added. “No wonder we get along like brothers.” He laughed as Cole and Derek exchanged glances through the crowd. “I really lucked out with my birthday buddy. And we really do want to thank all of you for making this evening amazing. And special thanks to our great friend Brian Felder, who’s been tickling the ivories all night for us.”
The guests applauded and looked toward the piano where Brian raised his hand to acknowledge their praise.
Dustin watched Derek closely as his eyes shifted back and forth between Cole at the front of the room and Joyelle off to the side.
“Having a good time?” Dustin asked Derek softly to get his date’s attention. Derek looked at him and nodded without saying a word.
“By all means, please stay all night long. Our landlords are here with us tonight and we don’t think they’ll care if we party all night long,” David said as Emmett and Max laughed.
Then Marco approached the fireplace with two large envelopes in his hand. David and Tyler looked at him oddly as he approached them.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Marco said as he addressed the entire room. “I’m sure we all want to thank these two great guys for inviting us to this amazing celebration tonight, right?” People nodded in agreement and some clapped more. “I mean they are two of the best guys we all know.” Marco continued as he looked at David. “Like brothers, isn’t that what you said? Well, I wanted to give them my birthday presents in front of all of you so that all their friends could enjoy the gifts as well. In some way, what’s inside these envelopes may not only be a gift to the two of them, but also to many of you, too.” Marco handed David and Tyler each an envelope. “So, please, go ahead and open these gifts in honor of your birthday.”
The guests watched in relative quiet as the birthday boys cautiously opened the envelopes.
Derek used the opportunity to leave Dustin’s side and walk over to Joyelle.
“Can I please talk to you a moment?”
“What do you want?”
“It’ll be quick, I promise,” Derek said, gesturing for Joyelle to step toward the stairs with him. He followed as she walked over to the stairs. “Thank you.”
“What is it, Derek?”
“You loo
k really nice tonight.”
“Thank you. Is that what you needed to talk to me about?”
“No. I wanted you to know that I signed the divorce papers. I’m not going to fight you on it. I just want you to be happy.”
“Thank you,” Joyelle said. “I appreciate that.”
“Joy, this wasn’t how it was supposed to end for us.”
“It wasn’t supposed to end at all, remember? But then you decided Cole was more important than our marriage.”
“Joy, I--”
“No, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that.” Joyelle took a deep breath so as to compose herself. “Honestly, Derek, I don’t want to fight. I’m sure that living a lie all these years wasn’t easy for you.”
“Living a lie?”
“I just wish you had the faith and trust in me to tell me the truth from the beginning. You would have saved us both a lot of pain and a lot of years, too.”
“What are you talking about? What lie?”
“That you prefer the company of men,” Joyelle said quietly.
“I never lied to you,” Derek said angrily.
“Well, what do you call it when you’re sleeping with Cole behind my back?”
Derek grabbed her arm firmly. “I’m not sleeping with Cole anymore.”
“Let go of me.”
“Did you hear what I said?” Derek asked, shaking her. “I’m not sleeping with Cole anymore.”
“You’re hurting me,” Joyelle said, trying to pull away from Derek. “Let go of me.”
Joyelle tore her arm violently from Derek’s grip. Losing her balance, she fell backwards, tumbling down the stairs behind her.
“Joyelle!” Derek yelled as he watched her body hit the floor at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, my God!”
At the same time, David and Tyler opened their envelopes while their guests watched in anticipation. As they read the documents inside, their guests watched their faces fill with shock. David finished reading first and looked up at Tyler, watching him until he finished reading. Then they both looked at Marco.
“What the hell is this?” Tyler asked.
“Is this some kind of a joke? Where did you get these?”
Marco smiled as he responded. “Those are no joke. They are official, legal documents. One hundred percent authentic.”
