Parks nodded and walked to the door. Brenden went to close it but forgot that Julian was still there with a smile on his face.What the hell is he smiling about?“Ah, Julian,” he said, getting the man’s attention. “Do you mind?”
“Oh, yeah… yeah, I need to go and get Nicholas, anyway.”
“Shit,” Brenden said. He’d completely forgotten about his kid. He scrubbed his face roughly, feeling tired mentally and physically; that was not how he was expecting his day to go.
“Don’t worry about it,” Julian told him.
Brenden placed his hands on his hips, closing his eyes taking a deep breath. “Thanks, I really appreciate it,” he said opening his eyes.
“You got it,” Julian said. “Do me a favor?” Brenden nodded. “Try not to yell too loud and disturb the other patients.” He closed the door not waiting for Brenden to say anything. He turned and looked at Stephen, trying to find the right words to say.
“I know what you’re going to say,” Stephen said to him.
Brenden quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really? Please, enlighten me.”
“Yes, and you’re right.”
“What am I right about, exactly?” Brenden crossed his arms over his chest and stared at his lover. “Because right now, I’m so fucking mad at you I can’t see straight.”
Stephen sighed and fixed the blankets around him. “I bet the first thing you called me was an idiot when you heard what I did.”
“You’d win that bet,” Brenden interjected.
Stephen would have rolled his eyes if the situation wasn’t so serious and if Brenden wasn’t angry with him. He was learning more and more about his lover the more time they spent around each other. “You’re right, okay, I am an idiot. I should have waited for backup before going into the building. I should have thought of the safety of myself and especially our daughter. Nothing should’ve been more important than her. Not the case or the evidence. It was reckless and an idiotic thing to do.”
Brenden continued to stare at Stephen and felt some of his anger slowly seep out of him. He took the short steps to the bed, putting a hand on the back of Stephen’s neck. Stephen tilted his head, and in an instant, they were kissing each other. It made Brenden aware that the man he loved was alive and right in front of him. Stephen moaned and grabbed on to his shirt, pulling Brenden down to him. He groaned as he made love to his lover’s mouth, telling him of his fears and desires and hoped that Stephen understood. They pulled back from their kiss, breathing heavily, and Brenden couldn’t help but stare at the other man’s cloudy violet eyes.
“You manipulative little shit.” Brenden sighed. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” he whispered. “I can’t lose you. I love you, you know that, right?”
Stephen smiled and nodded. “I do, and I love you, too. And I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, just don’t do it again.”
“I’ll try not to.” Stephen cupped the back of Brenden’s head and brought their foreheads together. Brenden watched as Stephen closed his eyes. He kissed Stephen on the crown of his head. “Come on, lie down, you look tired.”
Stephen didn’t argue and positioned himself on his side. Brenden was about to get the chair to sit beside his bed when Stephen grabbed his hand. “Can you hold me for a little while?”
Brenden smiled and took off his shoes. He lay on his side and draped his arm over Stephen, putting his hand on his stomach. He kissed Stephen in the crux of his neck and got comfortable. His thumb lazily rubbing Stephen’s bump where their daughter was safely secured. He froze at that thought.Wait… daughter. Did Stephen say, daughter?Brenden bolted up and looked at his sleeping lover recalling what Stephen had said earlier. A smile crossed his lips—they were having a little girl. He lay back down and pulled Stephen closer to him.A girl. I guess my grandmothers’ prediction streak continues.
** ** ** ** **
Stephen smiled, watching Brenden play with little Cayden and Nicholas. He was pleasantly surprised when he got home from the hospital to see the host of people in his small home. He had no clue how it happened, but the Smiths, Hamiltons, Colvins, and Youngs were all huddled in parts of his home getting to know each other. A few people were missing like Tyler, Lucas, Rebecca, and Ethan. But all the same, he was happy to see the others there for him. He certainly was not expecting his family of three to grow in to the size it was now. It’d been him and his dad for so long before he had Nicholas and knew that it would take some time for him to get used to it all.
Stephen hid his chuckle watching Rosa, Marisol, Carmen, and Marylin gang up on his father and Mark as they tried to talk them into having a large wedding rather than the small intimate nuptials they were planning. Stephen studied his father and noted that he hadn’t stopped smiling or left Mark’s side since he walked through the door. While he was in the hospital, he and Mark had a short but a very understanding conversation. Brenden had left to take Nicholas home and get him ready for bed. Julian still had work to do, and Mark wanted to check up on him.
“Do you love him?” Stephen asked.
Mark smiled. “Yes, I do.” The older man sat in the chair beside the bed. “I know it came as a surprise to you and Jaxson and I guess you’re wondering why now? If you’ve heard, my son and Rebecca did everything they could to find a new wife for me. But I don’t think they understood that I wasn’t ready at the time.” Stephen nodded. It occurred to him, and he’d heard the tales. “I have no explanation as to why now or why him. I didn’t one day wake up and say I’m going to fall in love with someone today. I’d given up on love after my wife’s death. Because I thought she was the one for me.”
“And what about my dad?”
“Other than being a man, he added something new into my life I never realized I was missing. It’s more than simply companionship. I’m at a loss for words, and that’s rare for me,” Mark said, and they both chuckled before he spoke again. “He’s caring and compassionate…” His voice trailed off, and a dazed smile graced his lips. And that made Stephen realize that Mark Colvin loved his father, maybe as much or more than Nicholas Young ever did.
“Take care of him, please. He saved my life in more ways than one.”
“I will. Thank you for your blessing.”
“I doubt you needed it.” Stephen smiled. “My father will do whatever he pleases, no matter what I think or say.”
