To Serve and Protect

By: BJ Williams
(© 2013-2014 by the author)
Edited by: Gerry Young

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 12

Thom was in the pool with the boys; he had been instructing Adam on how to swim, which the boy caught onto easily. Aaron had left to answer the phone and had a strange look on his face when he returned.

“Are you alright, babe, who was that on the phone?” Thom asked when Aaron had returned to the patio.

“That was Andrew, it seems that he and Michael are in Florida on business and wanted to know if they could come here,” he told him.

“What did you tell them?”

“I said 'yes', of course, and they will be arriving sometime today, they have a rental car and are driving down.”

“Did they say what kind of business?” Aaron shook his head.

“No he didn’t, but he seemed strange … almost unusually happy? Do you think that they are coming down to get married?”

“If that had been the reason for them to have been in Florida, they would have come directly here,” he reasoned with Aaron. “No, they had something else that brought them here, so we’ll just have to wait and see until they arrive. Now come on in, the water’s fantastic and the boys have been asking you to join us.”

“Is that so? Where is Shane, I don’t_...” his words ended when the boy came up behind him and gave him a shove.

Aaron tried his best to turn the sudden lunge forward into a dive, but it resulted in being the best belly flop ever. Shane jumped in beside him, and tried to swim away. But Aaron had recovered quickly from his plunge into the pool and grabbed his thin ankles as the boy tried to swim away.

“You little dickens, you come back here,” he pulled Shane to him and hugged him close to his body before he pulled them both underwater.

Shane came up coughing and when Aaron eased his hold, the boy laughed and swam away.

“Gotcha, Daddy,” he called out as he swam over to Thom. “Did you see me, Pops? Did you like how I got him to come in the pool?” he asked and Thom laughed.

“You did it like a pro, son,” Thom said as he hugged the boy to him and tickled him. “Now who's ready for some pool basketball?” he asked and grabbed the ball that lay poolside and tossed it into the basket that had been attached to the diving board.

They played for close to an hour, got out, and had lunch, before they went into the house to shower and change.

*        *        *

“What did he say,” Michael asked from the back seat.

He had been sitting with David, using the driving time to get acquainted. But the boy had fallen asleep shortly after they left his home and mother.

“I got Aaron, and he’s excited that we're coming?”

“Did you tell him about, David?” he asked.

“No; it wasn’t my place to do so.”

“Andy, you are as much his dad as I am, I want you to understand that.”

“I know, honey, but telling people about him … well, that should be your pleasure. I’ll tell my mother once we're back home, ok?” he smiled into the rearview mirror and Michael blew him a kiss.

The drive seemed endless and when they crossed the bridge that would take them to Key West, they both grew excited. It was close to dark when they had finally reached Aaron and Thom’s house.

“Wow, would you look at this place,” Andy said as he pulled the car into the driveway and parked it beside one already there.

When they had gotten out of the car, Thom had come out to greet them. He was a bit apprehensive to see Michael with Andy, because he still had his reservations about the man.

“Thom,” Andy hurried to him and hugged him while Michael got out of the car.

“I can’t believe that you are here, and with him,” he whispered as he nodded with his chin to Michael.

“Now Thom, Michael and I have worked out our problems and he’s a very decent man,” he said in Michael’s defense.

“If you say so, but I…” he went quiet when he saw a boy beside Michael. “Who’s the boy?” he asked.

“That, Thom, is our son, David,” he proudly said and interlocked his arm with Michael’s.

“Your son? When did this come about?” he asked.

“Hey, Thom, I’d like you to meet … Michael David Brady … my biological son,” Michael said, Thom gave him a stern look and then knelt down to David’s level and shook the hand that the boy offered to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a smile.

Michael pulled Thom aside, while Andy and David retrieved the suitcases from the trunk.

“I know that you don’t like or trust me, Thom, but I swear to you that I love Andy, and we … or rather … he … turned me around. He’s the only man who ever got past my defenses.”

“You had better mean it, because if you ever hurt him, I’ll see that you hurt worst.” He got a suspicious look on his face, when he looked at David. “The boy, how old is he?”

“Nine, why?” he asked.

“Nine? How can that be when you are eighteen, that would have made you nine yourself when made him?”

“About that, I’m really twenty-two, not eighteen. You should have seen Andy’s face when I told him my true age.”

“I see you still like the lies,” he said with a condemning tone.

“Listen, Thom, Andy and I have had long nights talking and working out our, or rather, my lies. I have been completely honest and up front with him since.”

“What are you two arguing about now,” Andy asked when he approached them.

“Nothing, just making sure we both know where each other stands, is all,” Michael told him and then took the heavy suitcase from his son.

“Can we move on?”

“Thom, what is taking you guys so long?” Aaron called out from the front door.

“Coming, honey,” Thom replied and grabbed the suitcase from Andy.

He lead them into the house and after everyone had greeted each other and they had explained about David, Thom called out to his boys. Andy and Michael’s mouths dropped open when Adam and Shane came running out and into their dad’s arms.

“Andy, Michael, and of course you, too, David, I’d like you to meet our sons, Shane and Adam; they're identical twins. Boys, this is your Uncle Andy,” he paused a moment and added, “Your Uncle Michael, and their son, David,” he smiled.

“We got uncles and a cousin,” Adam asked enthusiastically.

Shane kept his eyes fixated on David, as did David to him. There seemed to be some unsaid exchange going on between the two.

“How old are you, David? We're ten,” Adam shyly asked.

“I’m nine, Adam, and you two look alike, I mean really, really alike.”

“Is that a problem, Davey?” Shane asked, already taking an alpha role with the group of boys.

“No, but my name is David, not Davey,” he corrected.

“Well, to me, you look like a Davey, so that’s what I’m gonna call you, got it?” he boldly said as if he were challenging David.

“Hey,” Thom lightly cuffed Shane on the head. “If he prefers David to Davey, then you had best respect his choice or else,” Thom sternly told him.

“Fine … David,” he said reluctantly and David shot him a grin, as if to say I win.

“I’ve got you across from our room, but I wasn’t expecting you to have a child with you,” Aaron said as he led them down the hall to the guest room.

“Davey … ah sorry … David can bunk in with us, dad?” Shane suggested and gave the boy a look that said, just you wait.

“But he may not want to be away from his dads yet, son?” Aaron looked over at David, who gave him a smile.

“I don’t mind, Uncle Aaron, it will give us a chance to get to know one another,” he gave Shane a look that said, bring it on.

The men noticed the developing struggle for alpha roll between Shane and David. But they simply shrugged their shoulders and decided to let them determine between them, what was what.

*        *        *

Later that evening, after the boys were tucked into bed, the men sat around talking on the patio. It was a very warm night and they had gone for a relaxing swim and had decided on cocktails poolside as opposed to talking in the house, where small ears might here them.

“It’s funny, how from all the turmoil and problems that we've all faced, something beautiful has risen from it. It’s like the phoenix that rises, where he’s suddenly reborn from the ashes,” Aaron remarked.

“Every once in a while, we do get miracles,” Thom said with his hand over Aaron’s. “Look at the beautiful boys we all have now,” they all nodded in agreement.

“That’s true, and I was thinking about something else,” Michael said and glanced over at Andy. “I want to get married while we are here, so that Andy can have his formal ceremony,” he added and leaned forward to plant a kiss to Andy’s lips.

“We can make a double ceremony, because Aaron and I had planned on marrying also before we left, and the boys can be our witnesses.”

They all agreed and it was also agreed upon that Andy and Aaron would handle the arrangements. Thom looked over at Andy, who did not look so enthusiastic about the weddings.

“Andy, you do want to marry Michael, don’t you? Because you look kind of apprehensive…”

“Oh, yes, I want to marry him more than anything else, but I’m going to be honest, this father thing has me worried. What if I’m not a good enough father for David?”

Michael decided to handle the question and turned to Andy and said, “You have nothing to fear, babe, because you will be a much better father to David, than I will be. Look how you turned out, the role model you had with your dad. What did I have, but a drunkard that constantly beat me? Baby, I’m relying on you to rub off on me, to show me by example what it means to be a father to my son.”

Andy was in tears and he hugged his man, and to Thom, Michael had moved from a jerk in his eyes to a man who deserved his love and admiration.

“You know Michael, it takes a mighty big man to admit his faults, and an even bigger one to ask for help,” Thom said and got up. He pulled Michael to his feet and hugged him. “Son, you just moved into my heart,” he whispered for him alone to hear.

“Thank you, Thom, and I promise to never let you down,” he whispered. “Because I plan to use you as an example on how to be a good husband for Andy,” he said, which caused Thom to choke up.

“Alright you two, let's lighten up this conversation before we're all crying like babies,” Aaron said and walked over to Thom and Michael and gave them a shove, which plunged them headlong into the pool.

Thom caught Aaron’s hand as he fell away, and pulled him along with him. Andy laughed as he got up and walked to the edge of the pool.

“Hurry, babe, give me a hand up,” Michael asked as he reached up to him, and like a fool, Andy trusted him, reached down and clasped hands, only to be pulled in as well.

*        *        *

“Why do I have to sleep alone,” Adam asked Shane, who had tried to persuade him to switch beds with David.

“Because he’s the new kid and I don’t want him to feel alone on his first night here, is why.”

“Then I’ll sleep with him, that way he won’t be alone,” Adam reasoned but Shane shook his head.

“I’m the oldest and I say that he’ll sleep with me,” he countered back, using the fact that he was five minutes older than Adam.   

“Oh, then I guess so, but tomorrow night I get to sleep with him,” he insisted and let Shane up to go sleep with David.

“What are you doing … whichever one you are?” David whispered as Shane climbed in behind him.

“Shhhhhh, do you want to get us all in trouble for being awake?” Shane scolded. “It’s me, Shane, now go to sleep,” he said and tried to pull David into a spooning position.

“Hey, why do you have to hold me like that? I’m not a baby that needs to be held close like I was afraid of the dark,” he said and turned to face Shane.

“I didn’t say that you were a baby, it’ll give us more room in the bed,” Shane said and he hoped that David would buy his excuse.

“Fine, then turn around and let me hold you,” David said with a grin.

“I’m the oldest here and I say that I will hold you,” he demanded.

“You know what, Shane, I’m going to sleep with Adam, and that way you can have the bed all to yourself,” he ordered back, got up and moved across the room to where Adam lay. “Can I sleep with you, Adam?” he asked and Adam moved over and let David scoot in behind him.

“I like this, you are all nice and hot,” Adam said looking back over his shoulder.

David placed his arm over Adam’s, and Adam locked hands with him.

“You can put your leg over mine, Shane says it makes it easier for him to sleep.”

“Ok,” David said and placed his leg over Adam’s.

He was nestled up close to the boy, his groin tight against Adam’s behind.

“Grrrrrr,” Shane grumbled from his bed, which caused David to chuckle softly.

“Shane doesn’t like it when someone refused to do what he says,” Adam whispered to David. “He likes to be the boss with me. But I don’t mind if you want to boss me around, David.”

“No one is ever going to boss you around again, not me or Shane, not as long as I am around you,” he promised and Adam snuggled back tighter and giggled. “What’s so funny?”

“Your peepee, it’s sticking me in my butt,” Adam said.

“Oh … sorry,” he moved his leg off of Adam and scooted back, but Adam reached behind and pulled David back.

“I don’t mind, it kinda feels good,” he said and David moved closer, and once again, he tossed his leg over Adam’s.

Soon they were asleep, but Shane, he laid awake grumbling, because he was upset with David.

“You may be the new kid on the block, but I’m the king of this hill,” he growled, turned over to face away from the boys and he still could not fall asleep.

A half hour later, when the men were heading off to bed, they looked in on the boys and found that all three were in the same bed.

“Will you look at that, Shane is spooning David, while David, spoons Adam,” Aaron mused as he looked at how they were sleeping.

“I don’t know if you noticed it, but there seems to be a silent battle of wills between David and Shane, over who is top dog,” Michael whispered to Thom.

“Oh, I saw it, and I also saw how Adam has been sucking up to David. I guess it's best to let them be, and see who comes out the alpha of the two boys,” Thom whispered back and Michael nodded.

“Would you care to put a little wager on who will win out?” Michael asked.

“I wouldn’t want to take you money, Michael, because it’s obvious that Shane will win this battle.”

“I’ve got fifty that says that Shane will eventually give in to David,”

“You’re on, but like I said, I’ll just be taking your money, because my Shane, he never ever backs down to a challenge.”

“What are you two whispering about?” Aaron asked.

“Oh, nothing really. I was just making a few observations,” Thom said.

*        *        *

The weddings were a week later, and the grooms all wore white slacks, a Hawaiian print shirt and were barefoot when they spoke their vows to each other on the beach. A large canopy had been set up with tropical plants and flowers all around. The three boys all were witnesses and had been dressed to match their prospective parents. Andy’s mother, Claire, had flown down for the ceremony and to watch the boys while the men went for a brief honeymoon. Judy and Jeanine, who were now a couple, came for the wedding.

“I now pronounce you, Thom and Aaron, husbands,” he said and stood quietly as Thom took Aaron into his arms and kissed him. “I also pronounce you, Andrew and Michael, husbands,” he finished and Michael dipped Andy backwards as he placed an erotic kiss to his lips.

“I want to have a wedding like this when I grow up,” Adam dreamily stated, while he looked at David.

“Not me, I just assume shack up with the person, marriages are so overrated,” Shane interjected and he, too, was looking at David. “What do you think, Davey?" he asked, knowing how much that name irked the boy.

“I tend to agree with Adam; a wedding is very nice, provided that you find the right person to spend life with … Shaney!” he replied and watched Shane cringe at the name.

“Whatever,” Shane replied and walked away, leaving Adam with David.

“So tell me, David, do you have a girlfriend?” Adam asked.

“Ewww, no! Why? Do you?” he answered and made a face that said … 'ewww, girls are gross'. “Why? Do you have one,” he asked.

“Oh, no,” he paused and leaned closer to David, and whispered, “I like boys but please don’t tell Shane … ok?” he added.

“Like boys? Like how? Like our parents like each other?” he asked and Adam nodded.

“I like you, David; can I be your boyfriend?” he dared to ask.

“What makes you think I like boys, like that?”

“Oh, I know you do. Why else would you have rubbed up against my butt all night,” he asked.

“Oh … you noticed, huh?” David was blushing.

“Yeah … like how couldn’t I?” he smiled as if to say that he enjoyed it.

“Well, just to make things clear here, your brother did the same thing to me all night as well,” he was quick to confess to Adam.

“Oh, I know that Shane likes boys, he’s always doing that with me,” he added and then realized what he had said and blushed.

“Adam, why are you and David, blushing?” Michael asked and both boys shrugged their shoulders.

“Like I said, lines are drawn and already, Adam is laying his claim,” Thom whispered from behind Michael.

“That may be so, but that doesn’t mean squat, not when it comes to our bet, mister,” Michael was quick to reply.

The small party was elaborate; it was the Key West party of the year. They had invited new friends whom they had met during their stay in Key West. And when the night wound down, each couple was alone in their room; already they had made love and were standing on their balcony that looked out over the ocean, feeling the gentle breeze, aware of the salt scent on the air…

And then … nothing else … nothing else at all, except for each other. They spent their days together, playing in the sand and surf, but each night after dinner, the couples parted and had long nights in each other’s arms, making love.

“I love you, Michael,” Andy whispered against Michael’s lips.

“I love you, and I am so grateful that you never gave up on me, Andy.”

“Never, because I saw the real you that night, our first night together, and I fell in love with him, and now I have married the real you. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I know that there is still that caveman mentality living somewhere in you.”

“Moi?  Never, because if there had been, I would have just clubbed you over the head and dragged you by the hair back to my cave,” he mused and Andy playfully punched him.

“You are so bad, Michael, but so wickedly sexy,” he said as Michael crawled atop him.

“I am, ain’t I?” Michael said with a grin and then as he kissed Andy, he slid his manhood fully into him, and they made love again.

The End

This is the end, but the characters will return again in, To Serve and Protect - II, A Change of Venue. I do hope that you have enjoyed my story and please, take a moment and let me know what you thought about it. Bryan

Posted: 02/14/2014