“I fixed it the way you like, with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top of it,” Julian finished with a smile. He walked over to Stephen. “Listen, put all of what we were talking about out of your mind, and simply enjoy the day with your son and his father, okay?”
Stephen leaned up and kissed his father on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad, I really appreciate you more than you know.”
Julian pulled him into another hug. “I love you, kiddo.”
Stephen pulled back and looked at his dad’s face. “Love you too, Pop.”
They released each other and Stephen walked out to the car. He got into the passenger seat. Apparently, Brenden decided he was driving with him and not following them to the farm.
“Do you know where we are going?” he asked.
“I figured you would tell me how to get there,” Brenden answered.
Stephen looked over into the back seat and, just as he thought, Nicholas was knocked out asleep. This was not the usual time for him to be up. He looked back at Brenden, who was staring at him.
“He talked himself to sleep,” Brenden said with a smile.
“It’s normal.” Stephen smiled back. There was an awkward silence between them, and Stephen felt the urge to fidget. He turned fully in his seat, then pulled out his cell putting the address in the GPS. “It’s going to take us an hour to get there.”
“I can see that,” Brenden noted. “Do you think you will be able to talk to me that long without your father and Nick as the buffer between us?”
He stared at Brenden for a few long minutes,can I?
Seeing that he was taking too long to answer, Brenden spoke up. “Let’s make a deal.”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
“Let’s try to enjoy the day as friends; forgetting all the baggage between us. I won’t bring up the past if you don’t. What do you say?”
Stephen bit on his bottom lip, thinking about the proposal. “Are you confident we could go a whole day without yelling or kissing each other?”
“I think we can,” Brenden answered with a smile that reached his eyes. “We used to be friends once upon a time.”
“That’s true. Okay,” he said finally agreeing.
Brenden smiled and nodded before pulling out of the driveway.
** ** ** ** **
They’d arrived at the farm three hours earlier, and so far, things were going great. Brenden had lived in Providence his entire life except for his time in the military. But he’d never once thought to visit one of the farms for a day. They hadn’t even picked any apples yet since there was a lot more going on. After parking the car in their assigned spot, they hopped onto the buggy for the ride to the farm. They were treated to a western breakfast followed by a tour of the farm.
They were taught how to feed the animals and to Nicholas’ delight, how to milk a cow. Which was something Brenden prayed he’d never have to do again, since he got sprayed with cow’s milk, causing Nicholas and Stephen to burst in laughter. The day almost felt as if they were spending it like a perfect little family. They were sitting down having lunch with Nicholas and Stephen chattering away.
“Are you having fun, little man?” Brenden asked his son.
Nicholas set his glass of fresh milk down and smiled brightly, showing his milk mustache. “Yep, I love all the animals. I just wished we could have brought Poppin.”
“Next time,” Stephen told Nicholas then looked at Brenden. “How about you? Are you having a good time?”
“I am,” Brenden answered. “I’ve never done this before,” he admitted. He had to admit things seemed normal between him and Stephen. “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Thank Nicholas, it was his idea.”
“Either way, I’m still happy I came,” Brenden said tapping the table.
They stared at each other for a few minutes. Brenden’s eyes traveled to Stephen’s pink plump lips and a flash of their kiss from that morning entered his mind.
“Dad,” Nicholas said, pulling Stephen’s focus away from him.
