by Jaclyn Quinn
“You are not fit to raise these boys,” Arthur said to Jake then turned to Nick. “Did your uncle tell you that’s the way to handle things? By hitting someone?”
Nick just fucking lost it.
He jumped up off the couch and yelled, “Stop it! I got in a fight ‘cause two kids were making jokes about my parents being dead!”
Jake felt like he’d been punched in the fucking gut with a steel fist. “What?” The rage coursing through him, the need to protect his nephew, made him see fucking red. He felt a hand on his thigh and looked over at Eli. Eli looked ready to murder someone, but he shook his head at Jake, reminding him they had an audience.
Nick was hysterically crying and shaking now in the middle of the room. Jake hadn’t seen him let go of his emotions like that since the day his parents died. “They just wouldn’t stop. They kept saying no one was gonna want me, and that they were gonna take Dylan and me away from you ‘cause you’re a fa…” Nick didn’t finish the word, but he didn’t have to. He shook his head as more tears fell. “You’re…you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jake’s anger simmered as what his nephew just said hit him full-force, right in the fucking face. The only way those little shits would know about Jake was if their parents had been talking shit. And how the hell did their parents know?
“Now, do you see what we’ve been saying?” Arthur yelled at him, and for the first time in seventeen years, Jake wanted to shrink away from his father’s disgusted glare and his mom’s accusing scrutiny. He got in a fight because I’m a fag? “This is no environment for two young boys! Your lifestyle is unacceptable. It’s an embarrassment. Hell, the town you live in is full of them.” Jake just couldn’t find it in him this time. He was so damn tired of fighting. So damn tired of never measuring up. Was he taking the boys and Eli down with him?
Eli’s hand squeezed Jake’s thigh as he glared at Arthur. “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? Have you been flaunting this,” he waved his hand toward Eli’s hand on Jake’s thigh, “inappropriate behavior in front of my grandchildren? Kevin would be so ashamed—”
“My dad hated you!” Nick shouted so loudly, his face was mottled red, and everyone in the room just…stopped. Dylan jumped off the couch and held his brother’s hand, with tears of his own streaming down his face. Nick looked to Eli then back at his grandparents. “He hated both of you. That’s why we never went to see you, and that’s why he wants Uncle J to raise us.” He wiped his nose with his sleeve, and Jake took a chance and glanced at his parents’ lawyer, who sat there with a stern look on his face. Then he looked at Avery, feeling completely useless, but Avery just nodded his head, like he thought Nick should say whatever he had to say.
“Mom didn’t like you either because you were always mean to her. I heard my dad telling my mom late one night that he didn’t want us around people like you.”
Nick flinched when his grandpa stood up. “People like us?”
That’s where Jake drew the line. “Sit. Down.” He looked up at Arthur before standing and towering over him. “It’s his turn to talk.” Jake pointed to Nick. “So, sit down and shut up.”
“Who do you think you’re—?”
“Mr. Novak,” their lawyer said stiffly. “Let the boy talk.” Arthur floundered for a minute furiously but then reluctantly sat down.
Jake sat back down, too, leaving the floor to Nick and Dylan. “Go ahead, Nick.” Nick looked suddenly shy and scared in a room full of people staring at him.
“Remember your strongest weapon…” Nick’s back straightened again as he nodded his head at Eli. Jake glanced at Eli, wondering what the hell he was talking about until Nick started talking again.
“Mom and Dad didn’t want us to be around people like you. People who don’t accept everyone. Dad said if you wouldn’t accept Uncle J and Uncle Avery, then he wasn’t gonna make us spend time with you.” Nick peered over at Jake. “It was a few years ago when you spent all the holidays by yourself. Dad was mad ‘cause they,” he pointed to his grandparents, “said a lot of crappy things about you. We came home Christmas day that year, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember,” Jake whispered, and the pain he felt from the loss of his brother…the one person who had always stood by him…came back so strong he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
“I got in a fight at school,” Nick admitted, as if he was ashamed of himself, “but it wasn’t Uncle J’s fault.”
Jake stood up and pulled Nick to him. “Come here, kid.” He wrapped his arms around his nephew—and thank fuck, Nick hugged him back. Jake felt Dylan squeeze his way in there and wrapped an arm around him too.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Avery announced, standing up. “Mr. Prescott, I think you can agree, these children have been through enough today.”
Evelyn quickly stood up. “Now, wait just a minute. Who are you to make that decision?” She then turned to her lawyer. “Isn’t this a conflict of interest, anyway? Why is he allowed to represent them?” She pointed to Avery, and for a moment, Jake panicked. He’d never thought about whether that was allowed, especially since the boys called him Uncle Avery.
Mr. Prescott stood as well. “There is nothing stating he can’t represent family or friends, as long as he applies the same ethics he would apply to any other case.” Then the guy looked at Jake. “I believe we’ve taken up enough of your time today. Mr. and Mrs. Novak.” He waved his hand to usher them to the front door.
“This is absolutely ridiculous!” Arthur shouted as he and Evelyn followed their lawyer out the front door. As the door closed, shouting could be heard from outside. “This is how you do your job? You’re fired!”
Three grown men and two kids all huddled around the family room window to enjoy the show.
“How am I supposed to do my job when you were anything but honest with me, Mr. Novak?” the lawyer retorted gruffly. “Those boys aren’t suffering. And why would you neglect to tell me that one of the reasons you thought him unfit was because he’s a gay man? I would have saved you the trouble of firing me because I never would have taken this case to begin with.”
“Damn,” Jake said as they all snickered. “Should we get some popcorn?”
Nick snorted. “With M&Ms mixed in.”
“Now I want popcorn,” Eli added.
They all looked out the window in time to see both the lawyer’s car and his parents’ rental car drive away. Jake turned to Nick and held his hand up for a high-five. “You did good, kid.”
Nick blushed but gave Jake the high-five.
“Honestly, this couldn’t have gone better, in my opinion.” Avery moved away from the window. “Those two people are going to have to prove that the boys’ lives would be harmed if they weren’t in it. Without a court order or your approval, they really don’t have a leg to stand on even just for visitation rights. Mr. Prescott, I’m sure, knew that; hence the reason he’s so pissed.” Avery shook his head. “I’m sorry, Jake.”
“What are you apologizing for?”
“I knew Kevin didn’t have a great relationship with your parents, but I didn’t know the extent of it. I honestly just thought going to Connecticut to see them was an inconvenience. I didn’t know Kevin and Maggie were purposefully keeping the boys from the influence of their bigotry.”
“Hell, Avery, I had no idea either. When it came to our parents, Kevin and Maggie knew I didn’t want to hear or talk about them.” Jake put his hands on his hips and hung his head. “This was a long damn day.” He looked back up at Avery. “Nina left a whole bunch of food in the fridge. Two roast chickens, some kind of veggie, and some mashed potatoes. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”
“I’d love to.” Avery grinned. “Thanks.”
Jake looked at Eli. “You’re staying.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Jake wasn’t ready for him to leave yet.
Eli met Jake’s eyes and nodded his head. “Okay.”
Once the food was heated
and on the table, the guys sat down and random conversation began. Nick had been a little quiet since his grandparents left, and although Jake was worried, he knew not to pressure him.
“There’s that farm over in Colts Bend,” Eli suggested before taking a bite of chicken.
Avery nodded his head and had a sip of his wine. “That one’s good, but I heard the haunted hayride is short.”
“Can we get pumpkins? I wanna carve something cool. Then we can eat the seeds, too.” Dylan lifted his iced tea, taking large gulps, then wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
“Yeah, we can get pumpkins, but just remember, me and Eli are professional artists.” Jake looked at Eli and smirked.
“Is that a challenge? Because if so, you’re on.” Avery held his hand out for Jake to shake.
Eli put his hand up. “Well, wait. We need rules and a judge.”
Jake laughed and looked back at Nick, who was staring at him with such gravity in his young eyes. “I’m sorry, Uncle J,” he said softly, his blue eyes glistening. The rest of the table grew quiet as Jake and Nick looked at each other.
“You’ve got nothin’ to be sorry for.”
“When I said I hated you,” Nick’s voice cracked, “I…I didn’t mean it. I’m really sorry.” A tear broke free and opened the gates for more as they fell down Nick’s face.
Jake’s chair scraped across the floor as he stood and went to his nephew, pulling him up into his arms. “Hey. I know you didn’t, bud.” Nick nodded his head against Jake as Jake ran a hand over his brown hair. “Listen to me. I love you no matter what, okay? Even if you get pissed at me or I get pissed at you, I will always be here for you, got it?”
“Love you too.” Nick pulled back and smiled as he wiped away tears with his sleeve. The damn thing had to be covered in snot after the day they’d had. When Jake and Nick sat back down, the table was awkwardly quiet. Jake looked at Nick and hated the sadness he still saw as Nick absently pushed string beans around his plate.
Fuck it. This has to stop. Jake picked up his fork, filled it with creamy, delicious mashed potatoes—and fired. Nick looked up, shocked, with mashed potatoes hanging from his hair. Dylan absolutely lost it, laughing so hard he almost fell off his chair.
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Eli asked right before he flicked a forkful of potatoes across the table, hitting Dylan on his forehead.
Jake barked out a laugh and nearly caught potatoes in his mouth. He looked over at Avery. “Oh, man! Whose side are you on?”
“Every man for himself!” Avery yelled, and an all-out food war began.
Food flew everywhere. Mashed potatoes hung from Eli’s ear, a string bean was on top of Nick’s head, and gravy dripped down Avery’s cheek. Jake yanked Eli in front of him, using him as a shield, until Eli reached back and smashed a handful of potatoes on his head.
“What is going on in here?” Nina yelled over the commotion. They all froze. Jake’s hand slowly lowered, still holding a bunch of string beans. “Look at you! You’re a mess. And look at this room!” she reprimanded, but her lips trembled and her mouth quirked with a smile she was trying to hold back.
Stan was next to her and went to enter the kitchen when she pointed at him. “Don’t you even think about it.”
The man pouted and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I miss all the fun.”
Jake looked at the mess they’d made. But then he looked at his nephews’ faces, seeing them both with the biggest smiles he’d seen in what felt like forever.
Totally worth it.
“I called you three days ago, Elijah,” Jonah said, but Eli knew there was no anger behind it. More like concern, if he knew his brother at all.
“I’m sorry. It’s been crazy busy here.” Eli flopped down on the couch, completely exhausted from the long day. He’d left at the same time as Avery, knowing Jake and the kids were exhausted too—after they had cleaned up the mess, of course. No one wanted to mess with Nina. Eli smiled as he thought of the sweet woman and her incredibly kind husband. It was so clear how much they loved the boys, but Eli noticed how Nina was also growing fond of Jake. There was no doubt, they could all fill a void in each other’s lives. But will I always be a part of that?
“Hey, you all right?”
Eli leaned his head back on the couch. “Yeah, just really tired. Hell, it’s still early and I’m ready for bed already.” He didn’t mention that he had to change his clothes as soon as he walked in the door because they were covered in food.
“Eli, come on, man. Talk to me.”
Eli released a heavy sigh and put his feet up on the coffee table. “It’s just been really crazy since all this happened, you know? Like a fucking whirlwind and I’m waiting for the damn thing to toss me.”
“You still spending time over there?” Jonah asked hesitantly.
Eli huffed out a humorless laugh. “Yeah, and honestly, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. Nick asked me if I’m Jake’s boyfriend, and I had no fucking clue how to answer that. I went down the road I swore I would never go down again. And yeah, things are better than they were before, but I have no idea if he just needs me now. When all this falls into place for the three of them, where does that leave me?”
“You’ve gotta ask him. He’s the only one who can answer that,” Jonah replied.
“Yeah, but…” Eli shook his head, as if Jonah could see the movement. “Fuck.”
“But you’re afraid of the answer,” his brother finished for him.
“Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “It’s bad enough that I can’t seem to stop loving the asshole, but now, I’m falling for those kids too. What the hell am I doing?” Jonah was silent for a minute, and Eli knew that meant he was debating his next words. “Just say it, Jonah.”
“You’ve never said you love him before.”
Oh Fuck.
“I haven’t?”
“Eli, I know you’re the type of person who wants to help. Trust me, you and I are cut from the same damn cloth. I blame Mom.” They both chuckled. “And what Jake and those boys are going through is devastating, but…”
“But…?”
“You need to talk to him because, honestly, as much as I don’t want you to get hurt, I don’t want those kids to get hurt, either. They’re getting just as attached to you as you are to them…and they’ve already lost enough.”
“Fuck. You’re right.” Eli pinched the bridge of his nose right between his aching eyes. “Why the hell did I listen to Zach? I should’ve stayed away.” God knows, he couldn’t pull back when it meant losing Jake. But for those boys? He’d walk away now if that was the best thing for them.
“Zach?”
“Yeah, I went home again a couple of weeks ago, and Zach told me I was runnin’ away from my problems, and that I should be there for them.”
“Listen to me.” When Eli didn’t respond, Jonah added, “You listening?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t go assuming you know what’s best for them. Don’t pull yourself out of their lives without making sure that’s what they want. That’s not what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is you need to make things clear to Jake. He needs to know what they all mean to you.” Jonah sighed into the phone. “You’re so much like me…ready to make the sacrifice before anyone even says they need it.” Jonah was quiet then continued, “Sometimes, it is needed, but don’t forget, what you need is just as important. I think that’s what Zach meant. Trust me, I learned pretty fucking fast that sometimes you can’t be the one to back down. You have to be the one to fight for what you want.”
Eli exhaled in frustration. “Why do things have to be so damn complicated?”
“Trust me, Elijah, when it’s right, eventually, it’ll all fall into place. And it’s the best fucking feeling in the world.”
Eli smiled and stood up. He walked into his bedroom and flipped the light switch. “So, I take it you and Cameron are still going strong?”
“Yeah,” Jonah sighed. “Better than ever.”
“Good. No one deserves it more than you, Jonah.”
“You deserve it, too, Eli. Don’t forget that.”
“Thanks. Say hi to Cam for me.”
“I will. I’m always here for you. Remember that, okay?”
“I know.”
Once he ended the call, he grabbed a hooded sweatshirt, pulled it on, and went out onto his balcony. The fall air was crisp and chilly and the sky was dark, but he loved it.
Maybe his plan to help out with Dylan was backfiring. He could always talk to Nina and tell her he couldn’t watch Dylan on Tuesdays and Thursdays anymore. He pressed a hand to his chest because the thought physically hurt.
His thoughts wandered back to the office that morning with Jake. When it was just the two of them, it felt like things were moving in the right direction. Jake mentioned twice now that they needed to talk. The first time, Eli recommended they wait until things settled down to talk, and the second, Dylan interrupted them. While he was sitting on his balcony alone, he could admit he was relieved Dylan had busted into the room because it was just like Jonah had said—
He was afraid of the answer.
He was waiting for the moment when Jake decided to go back to his old ways. He was waiting to be tossed aside…again.
The next day at the shop seemed long as hell. Luckily, he’d been busy all day, but seeing as he got no sleep the night before, he was ready to go home and crash.
“You’ve been quiet today.” Jake stood in the doorway to Eli’s station. “Everything okay?”
“Just tired.” It seemed to be his go-to answer lately, but today, it was actually true.
Jake walked over to him, stopping right in front of Eli, and took the disinfectant out of his hand. He set it down on the counter then wrapped his arms around Eli’s waist. Eli took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When Jake’s lips found his, he kissed him back until common sense set in. Eli pulled away and picked the cleaner back up.
Jake gave him a strange look. “You coming over tonight?”
Eli stopped wiping the counter for a second, gearing up for his answer, then started up again. “Nah. Think I’m gonna go home and crash.”
