The Ranch

After Jaycen and Troy left his room, Levie started choosing clothes to bring for the week. The twenty-year-old got dressed while he packed. Levie pulled out a pair of slim-fit, grey jeans and put them on over his blue bikini briefs. Then he chose a dark green shirt that made his red hair look more fire-like, and after putting on his favorite pair of Scooby-Doo socks, he stepped into his tan, two and three-quarter-inch heeled cowboy boots. He'd almost finished packing when he decided to call Greg.

"Hey Angel boy, how's your day so far?" Greg answered.

"Hey, hey, can I say hi? I want to say hi to him too. C’mon, let me say hi to my new bro." Brandon whined like a small child.

"It's good. How about yours?" Levie chuckled, hearing the two brothers. He cracked up, laughing when he heard Greg squeal and protest the wet willie he'd just received. "Babe, you might as well put it on speaker." Levie said after he heard Brandon's threat of tickling Greg and his boyfriend saying, "Don't you dare."

"Hi Lev, I'm Brandon, your new brother. I can't wait to meet you." Brandon hollered.

The redhead giggled and continued packing. "Well, if you've got some time this afternoon, I'll be at Greg's in about an hour. I can't wait to meet you either." Levie continued chatting with the two men and told them about Jaycen's suggestion. Greg, and Brandon, expressed their surprise and happiness about the idea. After saying goodbye, and telling the brothers he loved them, Levie ended the call. He grabbed the suitcase and headed down to his jeep.

Levie loved his 1979 Golden Eagle CJ7. Ever since he watched the original "Dukes Of Hazzard" and saw Daisy's jeep, Dixie, he wanted one. Everyone loved General Lee, but Levie loved how fun the jeep looked and was dying to drive one. When he got his jeep, Levie updated the engine and put slightly bigger tires on the Golden Eagle. He attached a bar to the sides, making it easier for him to climb into the raised vehicle. The jeep was painted black and, the words "Golden Eagle" were written on the sides of the hood. Rainbow-colored pentacles surrounded the golden eagle on the hood. He put the luggage in the backseat then went to say goodbye to his dads. The young man yelped when he ran right into Jaycen's open arms.

"My kid's not leaving without saying goodbye to his dads. Is he?" Jaycen smiled, hefted the giggling younger man over his shoulder, and tickled Levie's sides. He spun the cackling, shorter man around. Jaycen playfully smacked Levie's ass and set him back on the ground. He gasped as Levie jumped at him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I'd never leave without saying goodbye. I'm going to miss you two so much." Levie said through his heavy sobs. Tears streamed down the twenty-year-old man's cheeks. However, the love flowing between him, and Jaycen, was comforting. Once his bropop let him go, Levie gave the same affection to Troy.

Before getting in the jeep, Levie walked down to the stable to talk with Triton. As soon as he entered the barn, Levie could hear the grey/blue stallion getting excited about seeing him. Levie giggled when the horse playfully reared up and snorted. Levie smiled and, he opened the stall door. Within seconds, the redhead got pinned against the wall. He laughed like crazy as his playful stallion tickled him. Triton nuzzled his nose against his boy's stomach and neck, which caused the hysterically laughing young man to slide to the ground.

"I love you, Tri." Levie said, between the laughter and squeals. Finally, Triton slightly backed off, so Levie could get to his feet. When he was standing Levie, and his steed spent the next few minutes hugging each other. They silently reassured the other they'd always be there. "I'll be back in a day or two, be a good boy for your Pap-Paw's okay. They love you just as much as I do." Tears streamed down Levie's cheeks. He'd never been away from Triton since he was born. The stallion nodded, and snorted, then hugged his owner again. Levie walked the horse back to his stall, then, after another hug and kiss, he closed and secured the stall door.

"I've never seen a horse and owner as close and bonded as the two of you are." The older man chuckled when Levie jumped and squeaked from surprise. Bill found himself encased in a signature Levie hug.

"Bill, please, watch out for my dads and Tri when I'm not here. If something ever happened to them." Levie couldn't continue his emotions got the best of him. The teary redhead melted into the ranch foreman's strong embrace.

"So, you've finally called them dads, huh? The other hands, your Pap-Paw Lyle, Mam-Maw Ev, Uncle's Stu, and Damian, and I had a bet on when you'd call them that." Bill's tears fell on Levie's head as he comforted Levie. The fifty-year-old, weathered man was twenty when he started working for Mark and Stacy. It had been a little over a month after Jaycen's birth that Bill came along, looking for work. He had a special place in his heart for the three young owners. The seasoned foreman had been instrumental in helping Jaycen and Troy take over the ranch. He was also the one who did most of Levie's training. The young man in his arms was like a son to him.

Levie lifted his head and looked into the older man's eyes. "Who won?" He asked, with just the slightest hint, of an amused smirk.

"Mam-Maw Ev, she said you'd start calling them dads when you got closer to your twenties and began understanding how much Jayce and Troy sacrificed over the years.

Levie gasped, and fresh tears started streaming down his cheeks. "T...They sacrificed a lot to raise me?" It was that moment, he realized, he'd never really talked to Jaycen and Troy about what they'd gone through to raise a young boy on their own. "I...I'm the most ungrateful brat alive." He said, just before breaking down.

Bill had never been stern with Levie before, but he was now. Firmly but gently, the older man pushed the redhead back, just far enough, so he could look into the young man's eyes. "Levie Michael, look at me."

The slightly stern tone was something Levie wasn't used to hearing from the foreman. It made him jump and gasp as he complied with the order.

The older man paused and took a breath. He wanted to phrase everything right. He guided the emotional younger man over to a bench, sat down, and pulled him onto his lap. A soft smile came across his face when Levie wrapped his arms around the man's neck and laid his head on his shoulder, just like he'd always done over the years. "Look at me, young man." Bill slightly lifted Levie's chin.

Levie's silvery, light green eyes opened and, he gazed into Bill's dark brown eyes.

"You're so far from an ungrateful brat. Levie, do you realize the first thing you said to me just now? I've never met a more caring, responsible, hard-working, and loving person. You do so much to help, not just your dads but the entire ranch. That's not even including all of the riding and marksmanship lessons you've given over the years." Bill paused and nodded towards Triton's stall. "Do I even have to say anything about how you saved, taken care of, and loved that stallion? Lev, your late parents, your dads, the ranch hands, your family, Son, we're all very proud and love you. Why in the world would you ever think you're an ungrateful brat?"

"We'd like to know that as well." Jaycen and Troy saw the entire interaction between the two men.

Levie and Bill jumped when they heard Jaycen's voice. Still crying and sniffling, Levie looked over and up at his older brother. "I...I said that because I've never talked to you guys about what it was like and what you've gone through raising me. I just took it for granted that you guys did that. Before he could do anything, Levie was instantly grabbed up, off Bill's lap, and cradled in Jaycen's arms. Levie wrapped his arms and legs around the older redhead.

Bill got up. He gave Troy and Jaycen hugs and, he kissed Levie's head. The older man smiled and left the younger men.

The two husband's sat beside each other on the bench, with their boy sitting across their laps. "Baby boy, just because we've never talked about what we experienced raising you doesn't make you a brat. Troypop and I purposefully made sure we only showed our love for you, this ranch, and each other so you'd never have to deal with the little drama we faced." Jaycen wiped his and Levie's tears, then he leaned over, kissed his husband and, they both kissed Levie.

"Lev, we did have some issues, but they weren't major and became very insignificant. They're all in the past and didn't affect us in the long run. Son, if you want to, we'll sit down and have a family discussion about the past." Troy smiled as Levie shifted positions and leaned against him. "Baby boy, the only thing that matters, is we love you more than anything on this planet. Jaycepop and I have never regretted loving and raising you. We started doing that when you were born."

"What do you mean?" Levie looked into Troy's loving, brown eyes.

"When you were born, Mom and Dad couldn't do all the overnight feedings. So Troypop and I helped them out. We went to the library and checked out books about caring for an infant. We'd do it all again Baby Boy." The two men hugged Levie and tickled the younger man's sides.

"Dads!" Levie squealed. He wriggled and squirmed as best he could. Levie's wild, high-pitched laughter bounced off the stable's walls.

"Do you still feel like you're an ungrateful brat?" Jaycen asked.

"I give! Uncle! I'm not an ungrateful brat." Levie surrendered. He heavily panted and was in the middle of a double bropop hug.

The couple released their kid and, after another shared hug, they walked back to Levie's jeep. All the men had tears streaming down their cheeks as they said goodbye. Jaycen, Troy, and Levie were all feeling the same thing. Even though they knew this didn't change anything, except where Levie slept at night, it was still an emotional parting.

"Lev, take tomorrow off, and spend some time with Greg." Jaycen snapped his fingers. "Why don't you see if Greg, and his family, can come out here with you on Sunday? We can show everyone around the ranch and spend the day working on blending our families."

"Babe, that's another brilliant idea. Have you been taking smart pills?" Troy laughed, like a hyena, when his comment earned him a noogie and a tickle attack.

Levie shook his head and giggled at the two men. To him, they were the perfect couple, as well as being incredible role models. The young man thought it was awesome that Jaycen and Troy met when they were three years old. Stacy Stillman knocked on Ev'lynn Moore's front door. She showed up with a u-haul, three large pizzas, and a three-year-old Jaycen.  Stacy was there to move Ev'lynn, and three-year-old Troy into the three-bedroom cottage, beside the main house at the ranch. Even as teens, the couple spent at least a few hours every day together, before falling asleep, in each other's arms. Twelve years ago, the couple got married, and to this day, they're still madly in love with each other.

The redhead thought about when he was eight years old. Mark, and Stacy, told him to be honest about how he felt about them and his older brothers. Then, they asked him if he saw Troy and Jaycen as his parents and if he wanted to live with them on the ranch. The couple smiled when he told them he did see his brothers as parents and them as grandparents. The twenty-year-old wiped a stray tear. Levie vividly remembered after he answered, his parents took him in their arms, then hugged and kissed him. They both told him they knew he felt that way, but they had to hear it for themselves. Levie also remembered how his dad said if he ever felt comfortable calling Troy and Jaycen his dads, he would be proud to share the title with his two sons.

Levie reminded himself to stop at the bank and make his monthly thousand dollar transfer from his regular savings account to his secret "Bropops" account. He chuckled and said, "If you two kids could get serious for a minute."

Jaycen and Troy stopped their playful roughhousing and looked at the smirking redhead. Then, working as one unit, they tackled Levie to the ground. The couple peppered Levie with kisses, tickles, and a couple of Jaycen's signature noogies as he squirmed and giggled. The three of them got to their feet and had one more love-filled kiss and hug. Levie wiped his eyes, said he'd be back on Sunday, and hopefully, have the Wilmonts with him. Levie climbed into the Golden Eagle, put his sunglasses on and, shifted the jeep into drive. He gave one last wave goodbye and headed down the long, gravel drive.

Levie had to stop and dry his eyes before getting on the road. After taking a deep, calming breath, Levie put his turn signal on and turned left onto Duncan Road. He followed the quiet back road for ten minutes, and every so often, would take a glance at the passing mountains. Levie stopped at the light, then he made a right-hand turn onto the exit ramp and got on Highway 250, which took him into the city.

Greg & Brandon

Brandon and Greg finished eating, paid the bill, left a generous tip for the waitress, and left the diner. The young men stood side by side, in front of Greg's Tacoma, and stretched.

Finally, Brandon broke the comfortable silence. "Hey, G." The blonde nervously played with a lock of hair.

Greg looked at his brother's habitual nervous action. He smiled because Brandon's done the same thing since the day they met and, he knew how to calm his brother down. The brunet took hold of the hand that played with the hair and then gently guided his brother in front of him. Then, Greg wrapped his arms protectively around the smaller male and pressed their bodies together. "What's on your mind, Bran?" Greg softly stroked Brandon's hair.

Brandon sighed and pressed his head into his brother's chest. The only two men whose heartbeat and protective embrace could calm, and comfort him, were his dad and brother. Greg's gentle touch was also working to calm his nerves. "Well, I've been wrestling with the move. G, I'm so torn." Brandon's tears fell and dampened Greg's shirt. "I'd like to move and think it would be a great adventure. However, I'm not comfortable being so far away from you. Yeah, Mom and Dad will be there, but not you. You're my rock. You've always protected and loved me. Do you remember when you took on those two guys who beat me up for not letting them bully that one kid? You were like possessed. I'd never seen you so pissed."

Greg continued holding his sobbing brother. He did indeed remember that day. The twenty-year-old also remembered the rage he suppressed when he saw Brandon's body, bruised and bloody, just because he stepped up to stop a bully. Greg also remembered how their parents went to bat for them. The principal was a family friend of the guy, who'd beat Brandon, and was gunning for Greg. He tried saying the raven-haired teen started the whole thing, that is until Linda and Tom confronted the detestable man with a copy of the altercation. One of the boy's friend's recorded the fight on his phone. The brunet shook his mind, back to the present. "I can't tell you what to do but, I will tell you, I love you, and no matter what you decide, I'm behind you, just as I've always been. Mom and Dad will understand and back any decision you make."

Brandon stepped back and kissed his brother's cheek. "Thank you, Greg. I know what way I'm leaning and just needed your reassurance. Now, let's get to your place. I have a new brother to meet."    

To be continued...

Posted: 08/26/2022