by Trina Solet
Thinking about his faith in Brent made Nate consider how things had worked out for him. He seemed shallow, but things in Brent's life had a way of turning from practical to real. When he hired John and Quin, Brent had hired himself a family. Nate wondered about his role. Did his role stop at Brent's bed and with taking care of the children, or was there more to it like he hoped? Nate could hide his feelings, bury them until he was sure, but that wasn't like him. Even if it hurt, he wasn't going to let being in love make him a coward. He chose to believe in Brent and in the love that was in his expressive eyes, in his touch, and in every kiss they shared.
Nate was catching up on some texts from his friends when he heard Georgie's voice down the hall. He found her in one of the sitting rooms. Ricky was playing with assorted action figures on the windowsill. Georgie had abandoned her toys on the rug. She was dancing around the room and singing.
"Icky Ricky! Icky Ricky!!" was how her song went.
Ricky was putting up with it stoically.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nate asked her getting in the way of her dance.
"Singing," she said as she looked up at him.
"You're singing a mean song. You better cut it out and say you're sorry," Nate told her, but she only started up again. "We'll see what your dad says about that," Nate threatened. He couldn't believe he was falling back on the old "Wait till your father gets home" routine, but he figured Brent's disapproval would mean more to her. It was Ricky who objected to this tactic though.
"Don't tell him," he said to Nate.
Nate turned from Ricky's imploring face to Georgie, who wasn't worried at all.
"You hear that? Ricky doesn't want you to get in trouble. He isn't icky, is he?"
None of this had any effect on Georgie. She just kept singing, and Ricky was still asking Nate not to tell Brent.
"Because Brent will be mad at her, is that right?" Nate asked him.
"Yeah, he'll be mad," Ricky confirmed.
Nate had never seen Brent get mad at either of the children, but maybe this was a special case.
"Maybe someone should get mad at her," Nate said, but Ricky disagreed with an emphatic shake of his head.
"Listen. We want Georgie to grow up to be a nice person, right?" Nate said, trying to make him understand that he wasn't doing Georgie any favors by letting her get away with this kind of thing. "That's why we have to teach her right from wrong. And that means you too. Tell Georgie not to call you names."
Ricky looked from Nate to Georgie then went up to her.
"You are not supposed to call me names," he told her.
"It's not names," Georgie said.
Ricky looked at Nate again but quickly turned back to Georgie.
"It's names! It's mean. And you better stop it, or I'll be mad at you!" Ricky told her, throwing in a little righteous anger to back up his words.
"Icky!" Georgie said to him. She wasn't one to back down.
But this time Ricky wasn't backing down either.
"You're icky!" he told her.
"No, I'm not!" Georgie yelled.
Nate decided to step in.
"It's not nice, is it, Georgie," Nate pointed out to her.
She scrunched up her face at him, still ready for a fight.
"You don't like being called names. So don't call Ricky names either. OK?" At his words, Georgie still looked kind of mad, but Nate was pretty sure that some part of that lesson got through to her.
Brent was home earlier than Nate expected. They met up in the foyer. Brent smiled when he saw Nate and hugged him. As further greeting, he kissed Nate like he hadn't seen him for days. Nate loved how Brent showed him he missed him without a word. It was in his deep, passionate kiss and also in the way he held him close while gazing into his eyes.
"And how was your day, dear?" he asked Nate.
"I made the kids fight," Nate told him and made him let go. The kids weren't in sight, but they might show up at any time. He wasn't sure how much of that kind of thing they should see just yet.
"Were boxing gloves involved?" Brent asked.
"I wanted Ricky to stand up to Georgie," Nate explained.
Brent knew exactly what Nate was talking about.
"Oh, God. She walks all over him. But if I try to take Ricky's side, he just jumps to her defense, and I end up looking like the bad guy. I guess you had better luck."
"I am a child care professional," Nate boasted.
"She takes Ricky for granted," Brent said. "He's been there since the day she was born. She doesn't know what it's like not to have a big brother. Some kid once tried to convince Georgie that Ricky was only her half brother. She said, 'No, Ricky is my whole brother.'"
"I guess Georgie knows what's what." She might have a funny way of expressing it, but Ricky was her world.
"We spoiled her rotten and it shows," Brent admitted.
Nate didn't disagree so Brent decided to explain his parenting style.
"I just don't have the heart to deny them or to punish them. I feel like any minute it could all disappear. It did before. Happiness can just evaporate. One minute it's there then it's gone."
"You better enjoy it when you've got it then," Nate told him.
"I enjoy myself plenty."
"But you're missing out too. You love being with the kids and you deny yourself. Not to mention, the kids need you. Mainly for comic relief," Nate said remembering how Georgie had said her dad was funny.
"Is that why you've been enticing me to stay home?"
"How have I been doing that?"
"By being here and being so irresistible." Brent proved it with another long kiss.
Since Brent was home, Nate decided they should all make dinner together. He had stocked the kitchen with pasta and sauce. He gave the kids small tasks. Georgie's main job was not to do anything too destructive. Brent had the opposite idea. He pretended not to be able to open the jar of spaghetti sauce.
"Here, you open it," Brent told Georgie and moved as if he would hand her the big, glass jar.
Nate grabbed it away from him and pointed Brent toward the big salad bowl. Brent and Ricky teamed up to make a salad. When Brent cut up an apple and some walnuts to add to the salad, Ricky asked Nate, "Is that OK?"
"I'm not the salad police," Nate told him. "Put whatever you want."
"M&M's!" Georgie screamed out.
"Go get them," Brent told her.
Ricky looked like he wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. Nate called Brent's bluff and made no objections.
"We'll have them after," Brent told Georgie when she brought a half finished bag to him. He gave Nate a look that said, "You won this round."
Chapter 16
Nate left Brent to do the dishes and took the kids to keep him company while he did some reading in the library. He made himself comfortable in an armchair even if it made taking notes a little harder. After a while he noticed what Georgie was up to.
She was piling books on top of the one Ricky was reading. He had to constantly slide his book out from under them.
"You are in fine form today," Nate told her. "What are you doing there, Georgie?"
"I'm bothering Ricky," she said.
"It's nice that you are upfront about it. But wouldn't you rather read something too?" Nate asked her. Her version of reading was to look at the pictures and call out what she saw.
"She can't read," Ricky said.
Georgie contradicted him immediately, "I can too."
"No, you can't. You just make things up," Ricky said while Georgie tried to stare him down.
"So?" she said.
"That's not reading," Ricky told her.
"Want me to teach you to read?" Nate offered mostly so Ricky could have a little peace.
Georgie came over eagerly, carrying a book, and climbed into his lap. What Ricky said was true, of course. Georgie pretended to read while looking at the book and just made up her own disjointed, nonsensical story. Nate tried to get her to focus on individual let
ters. G for Georgie and R for Ricky were the two letters she already knew. Nate showed her the letters in other people's names. Now instead of reading the actual words, she just called out people's names.
"It's a good thing she's cute," Brent said after hearing a little of Nate's valiant struggle to educate Georgie. He had sneaked up to stand over the armchair where Nate held Georgie and a book.
"You want me to teach you to read," Nate said to Brent.
"Move over, Georgie. I want to sit in his lap," Brent told her, but she wasn't budging.
She did make a suggestion.
"Ask Ricky to teach you. He knows reading too," she said to her dad.
Brent did as he was told. He sat cross-legged on the carpet across from Ricky.
"Georgie said you're supposed to teach me to read," Brent said to him.
"You know how to read," Ricky told him.
"Are you sure? Have you ever seen me read?"
"Yes," Ricky said right away.
"Darn. My secret is out. I do know how to read," Brent said.
To prove it, he read to the kids for a while. His version of reading was a lot like Georgie's. He made up a lot of it. At first, Ricky wanted to object, but soon he was too busy laughing. He was delighted when a brave, blue eyed boy named Ricky made an appearance in Brent's version of the story as well as Santa Claus and Bigfoot. While Brent looked for another book he could mangle, Quin marched into the library.
"Sorry to interrupt. I'm requisitioning these guys," Quin said gathering Ricky and Georgie. "Go get ready. We're going to visit with Grandma Ruby and my mom."
Georgie loved the idea.
"Lemon bars!" she yelled.
"Yeah, my mom has the lemon bars ready for us," Quin said.
"Don't try to eat all of them again, Georgie," Ricky told her. "They are for Quin. His mom made them for him."
"I like lemon bars too," Georgie said.
Seeing that an argument was about to start, Quin warned them, "You kids get that out of your system right now. I don't want to be hearing that noise the whole drive over there." He turned to Georgie and told her, "Or no lemon bars for you."
"Will that work?" Nate asked him as Georgie went upstairs. He was wondering if lemon bars had special power over her.
"Not likely. She'll call anyone's bluff," Quin said then turned to Ricky, who was still lingering.
"Are Russ and Cal going to be there?" Ricky asked.
"Not today. You can watch TV with grandma," Quin told Ricky and sent him to get ready too.
Then he explained to Nate, "My sister's step kids were there last time. They all played together. But this is not playtime. I need those kids to distract my grandmother. She's gone extra religious since my uncle died. Now every time I go to visit her and my mom, she preaches at me. Then she and Mom fight about it. The kids are going to be keeping Grandma busy so I can visit with my mom in peace."
Nate noticed that Brent was grinning.
Quin looked from Nate to Brent.
"You two guys, play it safe," he told them.
Nate went up to help the kids get ready, or God knows what Georgie would end up wearing.
When Quin and the kids were ready to leave, Brent kissed the children and whispered something to them. Quin and Nate both looked at him suspiciously.
"Don't worry, we'll make your grandma be nice to you," Ricky promised Quin just as they were getting into the car.
Brent tried to look innocent while Quin grinned at him and shook his head.
Nate and Brent waved to the kids from the driveway as they left.
"We have the house to ourselves. Let's get crazy," Brent said as he moved to go in. Nate turned toward the garage.
"I want to test drive another one."
"Don't make me sound like a car salesman," Brent objected, then he looked at Nate. "Or do you want to test drive the back seat maybe or the hood?"
"This test drive starts with me behind the wheel. After a couple of miles of road, we'll see what kind of deal you can offer me."
Brent rubbed his hands together and said, "OK. Which one?"
As Nate was deciding, the Range Rover caught his eye.
"Quin said your dad had one," he said to Brent.
"Actually Mom and Dad had matching ones. Mom was always driving off in Dad's Range Rover. He would hide the keys, and she would always find them. Then he would look out the window, see her driving away, and yell, 'Not again!' Mom would stick her hand out the window and wave. So he got her a Range Rover of her own, but she still always took his." A smile lit up his face though his eyes were a little bit sad. "They really loved each other. That's why I felt so bad that my marriage couldn't be like theirs."
Nate had seen pictures of Brent's parents, always with their arms around each other, always smiling. He was silent for a while. He was debating with himself if he should say what he was thinking.
"Maybe you'll get another chance," he finally said.
"Next time I'll make sure it's the real thing." Brent had an intense look in his eyes when he said this. It seemed like there was a message in that look just for Nate.
"If you pick the right guy, that shouldn't be a problem," Nate said and kissed him. He cut the kiss short before Brent's on the hood of the car fantasy became a reality.
Since the kids weren't coming, this was Nate's chance to try out the Maserati, which was strictly a two-seater.
"Keep a firm grip on the steering wheel, I don't want you to lose control of the car while I'm groping you," Brent told him as they pulled out. He wasn't kidding either. His busy hands definitely challenged Nate's ability to concentrate. They drove out of Bridgegrove and headed toward less traveled roads where Nate could hit the gas and let the engine roar. After breaking the speed limit for a while, Nate looked for where to go next. Brent pointed to the gas gage as a gas station came into view.
Just as The Feeling's "Helicopter" came on, they pulled in to fill up the tank. Brent got out his card to pay, but Nate stopped him.
"Go in and pay for gas, then buy me some gum and we'll call it a date," Nate told him.
Brent's eyes lit up, but he still said, "You take being a cheap date to a whole new level."
A little later, he came back with a pack of gum and several boxes of condoms.
"Damn, Brent, I'm not a football team or an army," Nate told him.
"I just wanted to scandalize the girl at the register."
"Whatever gets you off," Nate said as he drove away.
"I said a girl."
They drove on roads that meandered through empty fields and nature preserves. The light was dimming. Distant lights of houses and cars were becoming more prominent, but there weren't many ahead. A deserted two-lane road called to Nate and he turned. As the road curved gently and there were no other cars around, Nate hit the gas pretty hard. He enjoyed how the car took each curve like he was carving the road with a sharp knife. Brent's hand on his leg squeezed him in excitement.
Nate only glimpsed the field for a fraction of a second as he went by. That meant it was perfect. He slowed then backed up. Driving off the road, he turned into a small opening between some bushes and trees. He continued forward until the car was well hidden.
"You know how to drive and how to drive a man crazy," Brent complimented him as he leaned over for a kiss. Their tongues glided over one another. Nate stopped and looked deep into Brent's eyes.
They got out of the car and grappled with each other as they kissed again. Brent put his hand down to ease himself onto the low hood of the Maserati.
"Nope," he said as he straightened. "You got the engine all hot too." Brent pouted and looked around for a spot they could use.
Nate wasn't too disappointed.
"The hood wasn't my goal anyway," he told Brent. "Come on."
The sky was a deep blue edged with gold along the horizon. Every shade of green was darkening as the sun was setting. Nate led the way until he found the field again. It was hidden from view in all directions, not just along the ro
ad. Tall bushes almost swallowed the old wooden fence on two sides. On the other two sides, the fence sagged under the deepening shade of some trees, the beginning of a forest. A sliver of the field could be seen from the road. Nate made sure they moved away from there. He chose a patch where the grass grew long and soft.
"Is this the spot?" Brent asked, guessing that they had arrived. He linked his arms around Nate's waist to bring him close. Nate grunted as their mouths met, hungry for each other.
They didn't stay upright long. Pulling each other down, they rolled around in the grass. At first they kissed and laughed, but then they needed to save their breaths. Their kisses became heart-stopping, hard and deep. Again they had to stop just to catch their breaths. They both laughed and looked at each other. Then things got serious. Getting on top of Nate, Brent straddled his legs and unbuckled his belt. He unbuttoned his own fly so Nate could grope him. Impatient for Nate's cock, he pulled his hand away and lowered his face to Nate's cock still trapped, straining against the fabric of his boxers. Brent freed it, stroking the hard length of it. He felt it get even harder and thicker in his mouth and moaned. Not letting himself get carried away, he sat up again on top of Nate. He was flushed and beautiful in the fading light. Digging his heels into the dirt, Nate raised his hips and Brent pulled off his jeans and boxers roughly. Nate tugged at Brent's too, until he was free of them. They took their shirts off hurriedly. Now they were both naked and out in the open air. They were breathing hard, cocks jutting, ready. Nate was on top of Brent, bringing him down, kissing him. Brent turned over, head down, clutching at the long grass they had trampled.
"Can't wait any more," he gasped.
Nate went digging through the pockets of his discarded jeans for lube and a condom. Brent reached back to feel his cock one more time before the condom went on. Nate lubed him quickly. Brent's moans intensified as he pushed in further, added a finger then stroked him with three. He was still tight, but he was ready, clutching at Nate's side to pull him in. Careful despite his urging, Nate pressed the head of his cock against his ass and watched it give, swallow him up as Brent gasped. Nate felt the opening and closing of his muscles subside, and he pushed in to the sound of Brent calling his name. As his whole body throbbed with need, he waited for Brent to surface from the mindless pleasure that only called for more. Brent's body welcomed him inch by inch until Nate was fully inside, running his hands over Brent's back and his thighs. Gasping moans answered him as he pulled back against Brent's body trying to drag him down. His thrusts were deep and slow. Brent approved them with a "Yes, please, yes!"
