Bill W

Castaway Hotel
Next Generation, Book 2

Chapters 34-42

Chapter 34
Summer Fun

We fell back into our normal grind again after Owen's visit. The boys played more baseball games and we were pleased by how well they were doing, because they continued to improve as the season progressed.

Owen asked Ryan to stay over at his house the weekend after he stayed with us, so Ryan asked him to stay with us again the Friday after that. Ryan had talked it over with Brandon and me first, because he knew we were having a birthday party for Elliot on Saturday and thought it would be fun to have Owen there as well. We agreed it would be fine and told him to go ahead and invite Owen again.

The boys all had practice on Friday night and games the next day, so it was fortunate that we'd planned the party for later in the day. We were going to have a cookout that evening, followed by the party afterward, so this would work out fine. Not only had we checked the boys' schedules first, but we also knew Brandon's parents were coming for this as well, because they wanted to spend more time with their grandsons.

Even though we knew when their plane was due to land in Pittsburgh, we weren't sure how long the drive would take, seeing it was a Friday night. They had informed us they would be renting a vehicle again, so they could use it to take the boys places, so we'd give them plenty of leeway when it came to showing up.

When Brandon and I arrived home from work that evening, Elliot met us at the door. "Have you heard the news?" he asked even before we got inside. We could see he was very excited about something, but we had no idea what it was.

"What news? What are you talking about?" Brandon followed.

"The Supreme Court just ruled on gay marriage and now it's legal in all fifty states," he gushed. "It means you guys can get married now, and Ian and I will be able to do that someday too."

"Really? The Supreme Court actually made a decision in our favor?" Brandon stammered in partial disbelief.

"Yes, it's been on the news all afternoon."

"That's great, but I'm not sure the battle is over yet. I'm sure there are some people who will try to find a way to keep that from happening," I added. I was happy to hear this news, but I also knew the diehards wouldn't give up easily.

The dinner table was abuzz as we talked about this while we ate. After dinner, Brandon took Benny and Joshie to their practice, while I took Ryan. We both stayed to watch the teams run through their drills, as we waited to take the boys home when they were done. Shortly after we arrived back at the house, Owen's mother pulled in the driveway to drop off her son, so I went out to chat with her.

"I'm so glad Ryan and Owen have become friends," Terri said after we'd exchanged greetings. "Ryan was a pleasure to be with last weekend, and Owen has never seemed happier. I can tell he likes your entire family, not just Ryan, so Brian and I are grateful that you're doing this for him."

"First of all, I'm glad to hear that Ryan wasn't a problem when he stayed with you, and we enjoy having Owen as well. Owen was the first friend that Ryan made after coming to live with us, so we're very thankful that this is working out so well and the boys are enjoying spending time with each other. By the way, does his team have a game or practice tomorrow?"

"No, they don't play again until Tuesday, so the coach gave them the weekend off."

"Then that works out fine. I hope he doesn't mind watching our boys play then, because each of their teams has a game tomorrow."

"No, he'll enjoy watching them play. What time do you want us to pick him up?"

"We're having a cookout first, and then the party afterward, so it will be quite late before we finish up. If you don't mind, Owen can stay with us Saturday night as well."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. Maybe I'll be able to talk Brian into taking me somewhere so we can dance. We haven't done that in a long time."

"Then you two have fun and we'll take care of Owen for you. Oh, one more question, we usually go to church on Sunday, but we didn't the last time because we weren't sure if you'd approve of Owen joining us."

"Brian and I don't go to church, but we wouldn't mind if Owen went with you, as long as no one insists he attends regularly or that we join him. I don't believe it would do him any harm, but I'm not sure he brought clothes appropriate for church."

"I'll ask him if he wants to go with us, and if he does we'll stop by the house in between games so he can pick up something to wear. One team plays at 10:00 and the other at 2:00, so we'll have plenty of time in between."

"Sounds like you're going to have a very busy day. I'm surprised you want him to stay over."

"With as many as we have living at the house, one more doesn't make very much difference. Besides, he helps to keep Ryan entertained so we don't have to."

"Ah, I see. At least now I understand, and we appreciate what you're doing for him."

After Terri left, I went inside to check on the boys. They were playing video games, but I made them stop as soon as the game ended so I could fill them in about something else. "I want you to run upstairs quickly to get cleaned up and ready for bed. Then, I want you to come back down here, because your grandparents will be arriving shortly."

"I guess we forgot they were coming," Noah stated, as he looked at the others.

"Yes, they're planning on staying for a week so they can spend some time with you boys."

"But what about baseball?" Ryan asked.

"I don't think it will be a problem, but we'll talk about that when they arrive. I'm not exactly sure what they have planned for you, but once they tell us we'll work something out."

"Ok," he muttered.

As the ballplayers headed toward the stairs to shower and change, I pulled Ryan and Owen aside. "You two should wear something to bed tonight, because I'm sure Ryan's grandparents will want to join us when we tuck you in."

"Yeah, I don't want her to see me with nothin' on," Ryan offered.

"I don't let my mom see me like that any more, so I definitely don't want another woman to see me naked," Owen added.

"I suspected that, so wear a pair of shorts over your underwear when you come back down, and then we'll be able to tuck you in as we normally do."

"Ok," they both chirped before racing up the stairs.

Brenda and Pat arrived before the boys returned, so we sat down to chat with them first. We told them that the boys were getting ready for bed and that Ryan had a friend staying over. We informed them that the boys had games the following day, and Brenda and Pat were excited that they would get to see their grandsons play. Then, they told us the specifics about the plans they'd made for the boys."

"It will mess with their baseball schedules, but I'll talk to their coaches tomorrow and work something out. I'm sure they can accommodate the boys for a few days."

We were still talking about this when the boys returned, and a few minutes later Elliot and Ian arrived. They'd been spending the evening with Ian's parents, since he was going to spend the night with us so he'd be here for Elliot's party too.

We gave Brenda and Pat plenty of time to be alone with their grandsons, and it would allow them to get to know Owen and Ian as well. I'm sure you noticed that we included Joshie as a grandson, which was decided on their last visit. Since Benny told them that he and Joshie were like brothers, they decided to treat Joshie and Wyatt like grandsons as well, so they wouldn't feel left out. Besides, they knew they'd have a hassle with Benny if they tried to leave Joshie out of what they were doing, so this was much easier.

We didn't share any of the information we'd discussed with the boys, and their grandparents weren't going to tell them anything until Saturday night. That would give us time to clear up the situation with their coaches first, and the boys wouldn't have time to get too hyper before anything happened.

As I suspected, Brenda and Pat were eager to join us when we went up to tuck the boys in. Dion and Trey decided not to join us this time, because there would be too many doing it, so they said goodnight to Benny and Joshie before they went upstairs.

"Just go through your normal routine, because we want to see what you do with them," Brenda stated as she followed up the stairs.

We went to tuck Benny and Joshie in first. "Do they sleep together every night?" she wanted to know.

"Not when they have school the next day, but since they're on vacation you'll find them in one or the other's bed every night," Brandon answered.

"Awww, that's so sweet. They really are as close as brothers."

"They certainly are."

Brandon and I then went through our nightly ritual with the boys, and then Brenda and Pat did exactly what we had done. Once we were in the hallway, I decided to offer another comment.

"We'll go upstairs and stop in to say goodnight to Noah next, but we don't tuck him in. Owen will be with Ryan, because they're sleeping together too, and he wants us to do the same things with him that we do with Ryan. He says it will be like his parents doing it for him."

"Awww, these boys are just so precious," Brenda observed.

After we'd stopped in to say goodnight to Noah, we knocked on Ryan's door and waited until he said we could come in. Ryan and Owen were standing by the bed, both wearing a pair of shorts over their briefs as they waited for us to pull back the bedding. As soon as they hopped in bed, we tucked them in and kissed them on the forehead. Then, Brandon and I changed sides, followed by Brenda and Pat.

As we walked downstairs, Pat made a comment. "I noticed that you knocked on Noah and Ryan's doors before entering."

"Yes, since they're teenagers, we try to give them some privacy. I don't think they'd mind if we just entered, but this way they don't have to worry about us barging in on them."

"Yes, I'm sure teenage boys do things that they'd rather not have their parents see." This comment caused Brenda to blush, since she knew he was referring to them masturbating.

We spent the remainder of the night talking to Elliot and Ian, seeing they weren't in a hurry to go to bed. I wondered if they would go out later, but I guess they'd decided to stay in since Elliot's grandparents were here. I'm glad they'd chosen to do this without us having to suggest it.

When the rest of us were ready to turn in, Elliot and Ian helped carry the luggage up to the same room they'd used on their previous visit. I told Brenda and Pat what time they would need to be up if they wanted to go with us to the first game, but I also told them they could go downstairs earlier, if they happened to wake up sooner.

Elliot and Ian mentioned that they wanted to go with us too, and that way they could visit with Brenda and Pat while watching the games. Once that had been settled, we said goodnight to each other and headed up to our rooms.

Our alarm went off the next morning before anyone else was up, so Brandon and I went downstairs to get things started. While I was making a pot of coffee, Dad came out and joined us.

"Brandon, I'll be happy to give you a hand with breakfast, if you don't mind.

"Not at all," he agreed, so I left them alone to do their thing.

Brenda and Pat came down about twenty minutes later, and then I went upstairs to wake the boys. Once we were all together, Dad and Brandon carried in the platters of food, which we passed around the table. After everyone had taken what he wanted, we dug in.

We urged Benny and Joshie not to eat too much, since their game was first and we didn't want a big meal to effect their play. After they'd finished eating, those two went upstairs to put on their uniforms, and Ryan announced that he was going to wear his uniform too. Even though we'd be returning home for lunch and he could change then, it seemed he was anxious for others to see him in his uniform, and we didn't have a problem with it. When he left the table to go to his room, Owen followed him upstairs.

When we were ready to leave, Brenda and Pat asked if the boys could ride with them. They'd rented a passenger van this time, so there would be plenty of room when they went on their trip, and we told them that would be fine. Dad and Pop rode with us, but Elliot took his car and asked Dion and Trey to ride with him. We formed a small procession as we made our way to the ball field.

The game was exciting and Brenda and Pat got a kick out of watching the boys play. Joshie and Benny each got a hit in the final inning that helped their team to win, which was quite thrilling. I think we were all glad that they'd played so well with their grandparents in attendance.

When the boys came over after the game, Benny had something to say. "I tried really hard because I wanted to do good for you," he told Brenda and Pat.

"Well, you did super!" Pat replied.

"Yes, you and Joshie played really well," Brenda added.

As we were getting ready to leave, I announced that I wanted Ryan and Owen to ride with us, since we were going to stop at Owen's house for a few minutes. Seeing we weren't going directly home, Brenda and Pat followed Elliot instead, and we went to pick up a change of clothes for Owen.

When we got to his house, Owen's mother had a nice outfit waiting for him on a hanger and his dress shoes in a bag, since she knew we'd be in a hurry. Once he had what he needed, we thanked her, said goodbye, and returned to the house for a quick lunch before we had to leave for Ryan's game.

Ryan played very well too, although his team lost, and I was pleased to see Owen attempting to keep Ryan's spirits up after the game. Ryan's grandparents also did their best to make him feel better and told him that he played super and they were very impressed with how well he'd performed. I guess that must have been enough to take the sting out of losing, because he was in a good mood for the rest of the day.

We told the boys to shower and change when we returned, and then we left them alone to spend more time with Brenda and Pat. I heard later that the boys had challenged their grandparents to play video games with them, and Brenda and Pat had been good sports and gave it a try. I don't think it was something they wanted to do, but seeing it was something the boys liked, they did it for their grandsons' sake.

I think they were relieved when some of our other guests began to arrive, because it gave them an excuse to quit playing. In addition to Aunt Sally, Aunt Mary, and Uncle Steve, we'd also invited Ian's parents. We'd asked Ian if he thought it would be appropriate, and he said he thought they'd love to come and would appreciate the invitation. Seeing he thought it would be all right, we invited them for both the cookout and the party.

When they arrived, we took them around to introduce them, starting with Elliot's grandparents. "Brenda and Pat, these are Ian's parents. This is his father, Dr. Cameron Hill, and his mother, Erin. Cameron and Erin, these are Brandon's parents, and Elliot's grandparents, Brenda and Pat O'Hara."

After they'd exchanged greetings and spent a little time together, we took Cameron and Erin around to introduce them to everyone else.

A short time later, we announced it was time to go outdoors to eat. Dad and Pop had been very busy grilling the meat, and had a nice selection to choose from. There were steaks and chicken breasts that had been marinated in a barbeque sauce, but they also grilled some hot dogs and hamburgers, because for some reason that's what the younger boys preferred. Brandon and Trey had prepared a potato, macaroni, and a green salad to go with the meal, so there was plenty of food for everyone.

After we'd finished eating, we sat around the picnic tables and talked. Steve, Mary, and Sally all asked Elliot about college and how he'd done, and we all got to know Ian's parents too, since we hadn't been with them very often. The Supreme Court ruling was also mentioned and everyone agreed it was a great moment in history, but they also wanted to know if any of us had set a date for a wedding. We told them not yet, but they'd be the first to know when we did. We had a nice time visiting with everyone, and it gave our meals time to settle before we had the cake and ice cream.

We moved inside to avoid the bugs, which were becoming annoying. The boys helped us clean up and carry everything inside, and then we all gathered around the dining room table while Brandon brought out the cake with a large '1' and '9' candle on top. After we sang to Elliot, he blew out the candles and cut the cake. I dished out the ice cream after Brandon placed a slice of cake on a plate, and passed it to one of those in attendance.

After we finished eating our tasty treats, Elliot opened his presents and thanked everyone. About a half hour later, Steve, Mary, Sally, and Ian's parents were ready to leave. They thanked us for inviting them, said goodnight, and went out to their cars. After they'd driven off, Brenda and Pat made an announcement to the boys.

"Owen and Ian, I apologize that you two won't be included, but we'll be leaving tomorrow to take you boys to Hershey Park," Pat told them. "We'll have breakfast before we leave for church, and then take off right after the service. You boys will need to pack enough for three days, because we've purchased three-day passes for each of us."

"What about baseball?" Ryan screeched, totally panicked.

"We've already talked to your coaches, so they know and have approved of you missing a couple of days," I explained. "Ryan, your team doesn't have a game until Wednesday and you'll be back in time for it, and Benny and Joshie's team doesn't have a game until Friday."

"So we'll be staying there the entire time?" Noah followed.

"Yes, we've reserved two rooms for our stay. Elliot, Noah, and Ryan will be in one, and Benny and Joshie will stay with us in the other," Brenda answered.

A look of horror suddenly formed on Benny and Joshie's faces. The other boys noticed this, even if Brenda and Pat hadn't. "I think they'd feel better if they were in with us," Noah offered, since he could tell the younger pair was worried about Brenda seeing them naked.

"But there are only two beds in each room. We thought you and Ryan would be able to share one, and Elliot would use the other. Then, Benny and Joshie would sleep in the second bed in our room," Brenda explained.

"They can sleep with me instead," Elliot offered. "We did that when they came to visit me at college and we can do it here too. It's not a big deal."

"But why be that crowded?" she pressed.

"It will be better if we're all together," Noah added.

"Benny and Joshie, is that what you'd prefer?" Pat followed.

I could tell the boys were having trouble answering, since they didn't want to hurt their grandparents' feelings, especially since they were taking them on this trip. Therefore, I answered for them.

"I'm afraid that since they live in an all male household, they've become a little too casual about some things. I believe they're afraid they might forget and do those things while they're away, and then they would be embarrassed." Although I didn't directly mention nudity, I think Brenda and Pat understood.

"As long as you boys agree you're fine with that, then you can all stay together in the other room. Just remember that you can come and get us if you need anything," Brenda offered.

"Thanks, and we'll do that," Elliot confirmed. "They'll be more comfortable with us, but only because we're used to each other and the way we do things."

"That's fine and we understand," Pat added, in an attempt to let the boys know it didn't bother them.

Dion and Trey sat down with us as Brenda and Pat explained their plans, prior to informing the boys. They'd wanted to take Wyatt with them too, but Dion and Trey talked them out of doing that. They felt Wyatt was too young and that he'd ruin the trip for the older boys, because he would be too small to go on most of the rides the others would want to try. They promised to do something special with Wyatt while the others were gone, so Brenda and Pat relented.

Once this little session broke up, I stopped Owen so I could explain something to him. Ian had known beforehand that Elliot was going to be spending time with his grandparents, but I'd completely forgotten about it when I suggested that Owen spend Saturday night with us too. I now felt bad about that.

"Owen, I'm sorry I didn't forewarn you about this. I don't want you to feel left out or neglected, but they'd arranged this before we asked you to stay tonight too."

"It's ok. I don't think my parents or grandparents would ask Ryan to go with us either, if we was doin' somethin' like that."

"I'm glad you understand, because I felt awful while they were talking to the boys about it."

"Don't. It's ok, and I'm glad Ryan is gettin' a chance to do it."

"You're a very wonderful and understanding friend. Ryan's lucky to have you."

"And I'm lucky to have him as a friend, and all of you too, cuz now I get to try stuff that I've been wantin' to do for quite a while. You guys have been great to me, so I'm not gonna cry about not goin' with them. I hope Ryan and the others have a good time."

"That's very considerate of you and I'm glad you understand."

Seeing it was getting late by this point, I sent the boys upstairs to get their things together for the trip, before they got ready for bed. Brandon helped Benny, and Trey helped Joshie, so I went to make sure Ryan didn't forget anything. Noah and Elliot were old enough to take care of things themselves, but I would mention to Noah and Elliot about a few items they'd need, just to make sure they didn't forget them.

When I got to Ryan's room, he was trying to decide which clothes to take. I suggested that he also take a pair of slacks and a short-sleeve shirt or a nice pullover, in case his grandparents wanted to take them out somewhere nice at some point. I also reminded him to take his toothbrush, and then I suggested he toss the tube of toothpaste in his bag after he brushed his teeth in the morning. That way, all the boys could share it.

I also made sure he took enough underwear and socks, and that he planned on wearing comfortable shoes, since they'd be doing a lot of walking. As Ryan was putting everything together, Owen was already stripping down to shower and left to use the bathroom first. He returned before I left, as Ryan was getting undressed to shower. As soon as Ryan left, Owen shared a secret with me.

"I'm gonna give Ryan a blowjob to last him until he gets back," he said with a grin.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that and will probably return the favor." As I was getting ready to leave, I gave him a playful slap on the bare ass. "Just make sure you both put something on before we come up to tuck you in, because I'm sure Ryan's grandparents will want to join us again.

"Ok, we will."

I was gone before Ryan returned, so I could go over to check in with Noah. Once I was convinced he'd packed everything he would need, I went down to see how Benny and Joshie were doing. I also had them pack a nice outfit, like I'd told Ryan and Noah, just in case they needed to dress up while they were gone. Then, I went down to check in with Elliot too.

"Having lived away from home, I think I know what I'll need, but thanks for thinking about me and suggesting I take something dressier too. I never would have thought about doing that."

"You're still our son, no matter how old you get, birthday boy," I added before releasing an evil laugh and leaving the room.

I went to chat with Brenda and Pat again, to see if they needed anything in particular from us. They were chatting with Dad and Pop when I returned.

"I hope you guys know what you're getting into!" I quipped as I sat down to join them.

"If you remember, we took you and Brandon on a couple of trips when you were younger," Brenda mildly scolded in response. "I think we're quite aware of what we're doing."

"But Brandon and I were older than Benny, Joshie, and Ryan at the time, and there were only two of us, not five."

"Yes, I know, but we'll be fine," she scoffed.

"If there's anything you need from us, just say so. We'll be happy to do whatever we can."

"We will, but I can't think of anything right now," Pat agreed.

"Ok, but don't forget."

When Brandon came down, he said Joshie and Benny were almost ready for us to go up to tuck them in. Dion and Trey were doing that now, so we waited for them to come downstairs first, before we went up with Brenda and Pat. After we'd made the rounds and said goodnight to everyone, Brenda and Pat said goodnight and headed to their room. They wanted to get a good night's sleep, because tomorrow would be a very long and tiring day.

Chapter 35
Good Times and Bad

Brenda, Pat, and the boys all woke up early Sunday morning, eager to get underway. After they were dressed and had loaded their gear into the van, we went inside to eat. We had a much larger breakfast than usual since the boys wouldn't be going to brunch with us after the service and we didn't want Brenda and Pat to have to stop again right away to feed them.

I didn't think they were planning on going to church before they left, but after Brenda learned we'd made a special trip to get Owen's clothes so he could join us, she didn't want him going alone. She said it wouldn't hurt if they all went, and it might be a good idea to have God on their side before making the trip. Therefore, we all went to church together.

We dropped Ian off at his house first, since he didn't have an appropriate outfit to wear and didn't seem interested in joining us. After we pulled into the parking lot, Ryan and Noah took Owen with them to their Sunday school class, while Benny and Joshie went to join their group. Elliot, Brenda, and Pat joined the rest of us in the adult class.

Once Sunday school ended, we all met together for church, but we needed to use more than one pew today. We let the boys sit with their grandparents, and the rest of us sat in the pew behind them. We felt that way we could keep an eye on the boys and give them a playful cuff if they started acting up, although we'd never had to do that before. It didn't happen today either, and as soon as the service ended, we left the church as quickly as we could so Brenda, Pat, and the boys could get underway.

"Ok, behave yourselves and have a good time," Brandon said after the boys climbed into the van.

"Make up your mind," Noah quipped. "Do you want us to behave or have a good time?"

"Pat, do you want to run back to the house with us so we can loan you our whip and chair to use on these animals?" I joked in response.

"No, I think we can handle them without using those things."

"Ok, it's your call, but don't hesitate about clamping down on them if they begin acting up," Brandon quipped.

"Dear, we're taking our grandsons, not you and Danny, so we're not worried about anything like that," Brenda shot back.

Her remark caused the boys to laugh and point at us as the van started to move, and we all waved at them as they took off on their trip.

"You guys joke around a lot, don't you?" Owen observed. "I like that and think it's fun when you do those things."

"Yes, we certainly like to pull each other's legs," I agreed, and I noticed a playful gleam appear in Owen's eyes.

"Yeah, I like pulling Ryan's leg too," he whispered to me as we got ready to take him home, "especially his middle leg." I should have known that was coming.

We'd had Owen put his things in the SUV before we left for church, so we wouldn't have to go home again before dropping him off. His mother came out to greet us when we pulled in.

"Did you have a good time, sweetheart?" she asked her son as he got out of our vehicle.

"I had a great time. I even liked going to church with them. Why don't we ever do that?"

"I guess your father and I weren't brought up like that, but I can talk to him about it, if you want. If your father and I decided we don't want to go, though, maybe the Curries will agree to pick you up each week so you can join them."

"Yeah, if you and Dad don't want to go, then I'd rather go with them. It was kinda fun being in the same group with Ryan and Noah, and there were some other kids that I knew too."

"That's fine and we can talk more about this later."

"I hope we haven't accidentally created a problem," I offered, mildly concerned after seeing how persistent Owen was.

"No, it's not a problem at all. And thanks for last night. I got Brian to take me out and we had a wonderful time."

"I'm glad to hear that. Maybe you'll get a chance to do it more often from now on when Owen is spending time with us."

"Yes, that might be a possibility if I can convince Brian to do it," she agreed.

The house seemed unbelievably quiet for the rest of the day, and it lasted throughout the next couple of days. After we ate lunch on Sunday, Dion and Trey took Wyatt to a children's activity center for the afternoon, since they didn't want him to feel left out. They also took him on day trips over the next couple of days, visiting a petting zoo on Monday and then going to the Harrisburg Zoo on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they spent the day playing with Wyatt outside and in the pool, and although they kept him busy, he still asked where the other boys were.

Brenda and Pat's rental van was already in the driveway by the time we arrived home on Wednesday, and the boys came running to greet us just as soon as we walked through the door.

"Did you have a good time?" Brandon asked.

"It was a blast," Ryan gushed, as he flashed us a grin that went from ear-to-ear.

"Yeah, we went on all different kinds of rides," Benny added. "I even got to drive a car with Elliot and we crashed into everyone else." I hoped he was merely referring to riding in a bumper car.

"They had some really wicked roller coasters too," Noah chimed in. "They all went fast, some went really high, and others spun us upside down."

"And we went on swings that went around in circles way up in the air," Joshie followed.

"And I had fun taking my little brothers on the different rides," Elliot added.

"So I take it you all had fun?"

"Yeah," they all answered in unison.

"How about you?" I asked, looking at Brenda and Pat.

"We enjoyed ourselves too and got a kick out of watching the boys having so much fun," Pat replied.

"But it will probably take me a week or more to recuperate after we get home," Brenda quipped. "It was worth it, though, seeing the boys had such a wonderful time."

"Well, you can take it a little easier for the next couple of days, but things will probably become hectic on Saturday, since it's the Fourth of July," Dad offered.

"And then we'll be leaving on Sunday," Pat said. "I'm just glad I have Monday off so I can catch my breath before I have to return to work."

"And I'll wait a few days before I unpack from this trip," Brenda added. "I must be getting old, because this took a lot out of me."

"Well, I hope neither of you is too tired, because Ryan has a baseball game in a little while, so we've got to hurry and eat. I see Trey's putting the food on the table, so let's go sit down."

The boys told us more about their trip in between shoveling food into their mouths. When he finished, I sent Ryan up to his room to change into his uniform, and then we all got ready to leave.

"If you don't mind, I'm going stay here and call Ian so I can ask if he wants to come over. I missed him and want to spend some time with him now," Elliot explained.

"Sure, that's fine," Brandon concurred, and then Elliot went to his room for some privacy. We left for the game while he was on the phone, and Dion took Benny and Joshie to their practice.

Since Ryan had missed a couple of practices, his coach didn't start him tonight, but he went in to sub in the fourth inning. When he came up to bat in the fifth he got a hit and drove in a run, so he didn't look too upset about sitting on the bench for the first three innings. He had another hit in the seventh as well, so he was all smiles as Brenda and Pat praised his play.

As soon as we got home, Elliot came running out to greet us. "You won't believe this, but Ian's mother just told me he was attacked Monday night while we were gone. She said he has to stay in the hospital until at least the end of the week and Ian thinks it was the same guys who busted up my car that attacked him."

"Then I'm surprised you're still here."

"Oh, I went to see him while you were gone, but his parents said he needed his rest and asked me to come back tomorrow."

"Ok, I understand now. Is he going to be all right?"

"His mother says he'll be fine, but she told me the doctors had to use pins to set his leg after one of the guys stomped on it. He looks terrible, and they said it will be a couple of months before his leg is healed, so I hope it happens before he's supposed to return to campus. Besides the broken leg, he's also got a bunch of bruises, cuts, and scrapes from the beating."

"So where was he when this happened?" Brandon asked.

"Ian said he was missing me, because he knew it was my actual birthday, so he went out to be with others we knew. He said he was just leaving the club and heading toward his mother's car when they jumped him. He said one guy pinned his arms behind his back, while the other wailed on him, and it would have been much worse if it hadn't been for a group of our friends. He said they were leaving the club while he was getting beat up and saw what was happening, so they chased the attackers off. Ian said those guys probably wouldn't have left so easily, except they heard one of the girls calling 9-1-1 on her cell phone."

"They probably didn't want to deal with the cops," Pat agreed.

"Yes, but when they were leaving the guy who'd been throwing the punches delivered a final blow. When Ian collapsed on the ground after the other guy let go of him, he stomped on Ian's leg before they took off."

"That's unbelievable!" Brenda gasped before placing her hand over her mouth.

"So did anyone recognize the guys?" I followed.

"No one knew their names, but they gave the attackers' descriptions to the police."

"Then I hope they get caught and go to jail," Brenda spat out, very upset. "If you hadn't gone with us, that might have happened to you too."

"Yes, it probably would have."

"What makes you think it was the same guys who messed up your car?" Dad wondered.

"Because Ian said when they first grabbed him from behind, one of them said, 'We warned you fags, and now you're gonna pay for being a pervert. We only wish your boyfriend was here so we could take care of him too'," Elliot informed us.

We quickly explained about the incident with Elliot's car to Brenda and Pat. We told them the reason we hadn't mentioned it previously was that we didn't want them to worry, but we also thought it was merely an isolated incident. That's why we didn't make a big deal out of it.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say this sounded like something David Hubbard might do," Brandon pointed out.

"It can't be him though, because he's confined to a wheelchair," I stated. "In fact, I've heard his health is deteriorating due to the beating that put him in that chair. I've heard others comment that the beating he received had badly damaged a bunch of his internal organs and now they're starting to fail."

"Who is this person you just mentioned?" Pat wanted to know.

"You may not remember his name, but he's the guy that gave our family all kinds of problems when the boys were growing up. He was also the one who ended up getting Shannon, Pat, Brandon, and me arrested for supposedly beating him up," I confessed.

"Oh, so that was the boy from when you went to court?" Brenda asked.

"Yes, and that's why I said it sounded like something he'd do," Brandon said.

"We're positive he couldn't have been involved, though," Dad added, "but there's no doubt there are others out there who are just like him."

"That's for sure," Elliot agreed, and I noticed he was trembling slightly as he said this.

We spent some time trying to calm Elliot down and make him feel better, but we realized that wasn't going to happen soon. "Would you like one of us to sleep with you tonight, so you're not alone?" Brandon offered.

"No, you've got to work tomorrow, so I don't want you losing sleep worrying about me. If I don't want to be alone, I'll just go up and crawl into bed with Noah."

"Ok, but let us know if you need anything," I added.

"Us too, dear," Brenda chimed in.

"Ok, but I'll be alright. Ian's parents told me the doctor said there shouldn't be any permanent damage and he should be fine, just as soon as his leg mends. I just hope they catch those bastards and make them pay for what they've done."

"I'm sure we all do," Pop added, speaking for the first time.

We then headed to our rooms, because it was late and we all needed our sleep. I had mixed emotions running through my mind as Brandon and I crawled into bed. "I'm glad Elliot wasn't there when it happened, but I feel badly for Ian. I can't believe there are still people around who will do those types of things just because they don't agree with who a person loves."

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," Brandon offered. "Even though there have been many gains made concerning gay rights over the past few years, I'm beginning to think it only makes those who disagree with us even more determined to set the clock back a few decades."

"I know. Look at how long the blacks have been dealing with hate like that, and it's still happening."

"And similar things have been happening to the Jews for centuries. I guess there will always be haters."

"Unfortunately, you're probably right about that."

I'm not sure how well any of us slept that night, since visions of the incident, including Elliot being with Ian at the time, invaded our dreams. At least Dad, Brenda, and Pat would be there for Elliot during the day, although I was fairly certain he'd be spending most of the time with Ian.

When I got to work, my nurse asked a question. "Was that your oldest son's boyfriend who got beat up a couple days ago?"

"Yes, and we just found out about it last night, so how did you know?"

"I called a friend I used to work with when I got home yesterday. She's an O.R. nurse now, and she mentioned it to me because she knows I work for you. I think you probably know her too," she added, as she told me the woman's name.

"Yes, I worked with her before I opened my practice. She's very good at her job, so I'm glad she was there to help Ian."

"I'll be sure to tell her that."

When we got home that evening, Elliot was still at the hospital with Ian. I was told he'd spent the entire day there, and if the staff allowed it, I suspected he would spend the night there too.

As soon as we finished eating, we had to take the boys to their practices. We told Brenda and Pat they could stay home and rest while we were gone, because we knew they'd want to go the following night to watch Benny and Joshie's team play. They thanked us and hugged the boys before we left.

Elliot still wasn't home when we got back, and he didn't show up for another half hour. When he returned, we had a lot of questions for him.

"How's Ian doing?" Brandon asked after we all sat down together.

"He's in good spirits, but he's still experiencing a little pain."

"Didn't the doctors give him something for that?" I pressed.

"They did, but it seems to wear off before it's time for him to take the next pill."

"Then it's not the correct dosage."

"So is he completely bed ridden?" Brenda wondered.

"For now, but he said the doctor told him he'd be able to use crutches to get around once he was released, although they warned him he shouldn't try to negotiate any stairs. His mom said he could sleep on the sofa in their family room when they got home, so he wouldn't fall trying to get to his room. He's ok with that, cuz he'll be able to watch TV and use his laptop, so he says it won't be too bad."

"If he's released before our cookout on the Fourth and you think he'll be able to get around well enough, you should ask Ian and his parents to join us. You can do it when you visit him tomorrow," I suggested.

"Yeah, I'll see what his parents have to say, but do I have to go with you to the parade?"

"I think it would be good to keep things as normal as possible, and it will be the last full day your grandparents will be here. They'll be leaving to return home the next day, so I feel you should spend as much time with them as possible," Brandon replied. "I think it's the least you can do, since they've done so much for you boys and have been so good about letting you spend time with Ian."

"Ok, I'll do it then. I'll explain it to Ian too, since he knows I was supposed to be spending the whole week with them."

"I'm glad you realize that," I confessed. "Now, go spend some time alone with your grandparents before you turn in."

About a half hour later, Brenda and Pat went up with us when we tucked the boys in, and then they spent a little more time with Elliot until they went to bed too. It was good that they'd had this chance to spend with him now, seeing Elliot had been gone so much to be with Ian.

When we got home from work on Friday, we had to hurry to get the two younger boys to their game. Elliot wasn't home when we arrived, and we were told he'd spent the day with Ian again, which we'd expected.

After we ate and the boys had changed into their uniforms, we loaded into the van and SUV to head to the game. We dropped Ryan off at his practice on the way and told him we'd pick him up later, and he seemed fine with that. When we got to the other field, we all piled into the bleachers as Benny and Joshie went to warm up with their teammates.

It was an exciting game and both boys played well, but their team lost. "I wanted to win the game for you," Benny whined to his grandparents when he came over to join us afterward.

"You can't win them all," Pat responded sympathetically, "but you both played very well. It wasn't your fault your team lost, because you both did everything you could to win."

That seemed to make him feel better, but they were still slightly bummed out as we went to pick up Ryan and return home.

Elliot still wasn't there when we got back, but showed up about an hour later. "Ian came home from the hospital today and his parents said they'd love to join us for another cookout, but this time they'll bring the steaks and several bottles of wine."

"That's fine, and I'm sure they won't go to waste."

"What time is the parade?"

"It starts at noon, but we'll be going down about an hour before that so we'll be able to find a parking spot that isn't too far away, as well as locating a good place to watch the parade from."

"Ok, at least I won't have to get up too early," he said, before spending a little time with his grandparents.

Fortunately, none of the boys had a practice or game over the weekend, so we'd be able to concentrate on Brenda, Pat, and celebrating the holiday before they left. Ryan didn't have a game until Tuesday and the other two had a game on Wednesday, so the coaches felt they could all take the weekend off and spend time with their families.

After the boys got ready for bed, we went up to tuck them in. I think this was one of Brenda and Pat's favorite tasks, because the boys gave each of them a hug before their grandparents kissed them on the forehead. It was very touching to watch this play out.

Everyone slept in a little later on Saturday morning, because it had been a rough and hectic week. Neither Brandon's nor my office was open that day because of the holiday, and we had Monday off too. Now, we could enjoy the time with our loved ones.

As soon as everyone was up, we all enjoyed a rather large breakfast together, because we knew we'd be gone for quite awhile as we enjoyed the day's activities. Dad, Brandon, and Trey also packed up a couple of coolers to take with us for later, and we loaded them in the back of the SUV before we took off.

The parade was a typical small town event to celebrate the holiday, but besides enjoying the bands and floats, we also ran into people we hadn't seen for some time. In fact, Elliot bumped into several people he went to school with, including a couple from the swim team, so he was glad that he'd come as well.

Following the parade, we drove over to the park where a concert was scheduled to be held. We unloaded the coolers and took them with us, so we could eat lunch while we enjoyed the music. It was like having a serenaded picnic as we sat on the grass and listened to a selection of patriotic songs, both old and new.

As soon as the final notes of the last number had faded into the air, we packed up and took everything back to our vehicles so we could return home. When we reached the house, we had a little time to kill before our guests started showing up. You see, all of our extended family members who lived in the area were going to be joining us for the cookout, along with Ian and his parents.

The Hills showed up first, since they wanted to get Ian situated before there were too many others around. Elliot raced out to greet them and give Ian a hand, and noticed that Ian was in the front passenger seat, where Ian's mother generally sat.

"My mom let me sit here today," Ian stated when Elliot opened the door and looked at him confused. "She said I could slide the seat back and it would leave more room for me to stretch out with the cast."

"That was nice of her," Elliot replied as he helped Ian get out of the car, got his crutches out of the back, and then helped him walk out to the picnic tables.

Once the others began showing up, we chatted with them for a while before Dad and Pop went to stoke up the grills. As soon as those devices were going, Dad and Pop began cooking enough meat to feed this rather large horde. Although it took time to get everyone what they wanted, eventually all were full and we continued to chat about a wide variety of subjects.

Before the daylight began to fade, we moved indoors to have dessert, and while we were enjoying the sweet treats, Brandon and I handed both Benny and Ryan a rather large envelope. They looked at them for a few seconds, and then up at us.

"What's this?" Ryan asked.

"Open it and you'll find out," I replied.

"How come you only gave these to me and Ryan," Benny followed.

"Just open them and you'll have the answers to your questions," Brandon urged.

After they tore open the envelopes, their eye grew wide, their mouths dropped open, and then they looked at us again. "You want to adopt us?" Ryan asked, now that he'd read the certificate inside.

"Yes, you've been our sons for a while, but now we want to make it legal, if that's ok with you."

"Yes!" they both screamed in response.

"I guess you have your answer," Dad quipped, before he congratulated each boy.

"Today we celebrate the formation of this country, followed by the formation of an even larger and incredible family," Uncle Steve added. "I can't wait to preside over the ceremony and make this happen."

Shortly after things had calmed down again, Dad and Pop disappeared. We assumed they'd gone outside to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything, and to see that the grills had cooled down, but they were gone for a fairly long time. When they returned, they moved around from one group to the next and chatted a little more, before they called for our attention.

"Now that it's dark outside, if you'll all go out to the front yard, we have a little surprise for you."

We all did as he'd requested, with Elliot and Cameron, Ian's father, walking on either side of Ian to make sure he didn't fall. Some of the others were wondering what the surprise was, while the rest of us had a pretty good idea. Our hunches were confirmed when the first rocket soared into the sky and exploded with a loud boom, as it released a brilliant display of multicolored lights. Obviously, Shannon and Nick had sent more fireworks for us to enjoy.

After watching several more rockets light up the nighttime sky, one after the other, three more were set off in a cluster. Another group of three followed that, followed by the rapid release of several more rockets. Soon, the air was filled with shock waves that jolted our bodies, while displays of colorful lights split the darkness. We noticed several of our neighbors had come outside to enjoy the fireworks too, and we even heard some of them cheer as the final group of rockets exploded in the air. It was a wonderful ending to a truly enjoyable day.

Chapter 36
Troubling Times

Sunday morning we got up, ate breakfast, and then went to church together before we said goodbye to Brenda and Pat. They had loaded their belongings into the van before we left the house so they could leave for the airport as soon as the service ended. It was a long drive to Pittsburg, so we wanted them to have plenty of time to get there and catch their flight home.

"Mom and Dad, I'm really glad you were able to visit and spend time with all of us," Brandon began. "I know the boys enjoyed being with you too, especially on the trip, and we hope to see you again over the holidays."

"I'm not sure how we're going to work that this year," Brenda responded, "but we'll see you sometime, either at Thanksgiving or Christmas."

"And we both enjoyed this week with all of you too," Pat added. "We have some truly awesome grandsons, and they've got some really nice friends."

"Thanks for doin' all that stuff with us," Benny chimed in. "It was really fun."

"And thanks for taking me too," Joshie followed.

"Why wouldn't we? You're our grandson too, so we wouldn't think of leaving you behind," Brenda assured him.

"And I'm glad I finally got to meet you," Ryan added. "I've never had grandparents before and I'm glad I got a grandma and grandpa as nice as you."

"We're glad to have you as our newest grandson as well," Pat followed, causing Ryan to smile.

Noah and Elliot said goodbye to their grandparents after that, but they had spent lots of time with Brenda and Pat on other occasions, so the goodbyes weren't as emotional. Then, it was my turn.

"It's always great to see you two again and we'd love to have you visit more often. Don't worry, though, we won't expect you to do as much for the boys as you did this time. We just want to spend more time with you."

"And we enjoy spending time with all of you too," Brenda agreed. "Just don't forget to call us if we suddenly get any more grandchildren." She laughed after saying this.

"Don't worry. We won't," Brandon confirmed.

"And don't forget, I wouldn't mind an infant next time," Brenda added.

"We'll do what we can," Brandon replied, although he seemed slightly uncomfortable as he did so. Then Brenda and Pat got in the van and we all waved at them as they drove away.

As soon as we got home, Elliot hopped in his car and went to spend time with Ian. As soon as he left, Noah asked if he could call Adam to see if he wanted to hang out. We told him that would be fine, and he left the house about twenty minutes later.

Ryan, Benny, and Joshie spent the rest of the day playing video games and enjoying the other items that Benny had gotten for his birthday. While they were doing that, the rest of us were busy doing other things, at least until I heard a commotion coming from the family room. Curious about what was going on, I went to see if there was a problem.

"Ok, what's all the shouting about?"

"Joshie broke the robot I got for my birthday," Benny answered, looking visibly upset. "So I don't want him to play with it any more."

"It was a accident," Joshie countered. "I didn't mean to do it." I picked up the robot and inspected it briefly.

"It's not broken, it just came apart. Since you can make different robots out of the pieces and put it together in different ways, one of the connections just came loose."

"But he's too rough with it, so I don't want him to play with it any more."

"Then you can't use my PS4!" Joshie shouted in reprisal.

"But I have my own games for it," Benny pointed out.

"But the PS4 is mine. My dads gave it to me for my birthday." I could tell neither one was going to give in easily, so I decided to add my two cents.

"In that case, I don't want either of you using my television."

"It's not just yours," Joshie challenged.

"It is too. Grandpa Josh has signed over the house and everything in it to me, so if you two want to be stingy and act that way, I will too."

"I'm gonna tell my dads," Joshie threatened as he stood up and bolted from the room. A few seconds later, he came back with Dion and Trey.

"What's going on in here?" Dion asked after they entered the room.

"Let me explain," I answered, as I began to tell them what had happened. I whispered, though, so the other boys couldn't hear what we were saying, and when I was done, Trey spoke next.

"Uncle Danny is right. Grandpa Josh has put him in charge now and signed everything over to him, so what he says goes."

Both boys looked at us, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open as they digested what they'd just heard. We waited to see who was going to give in first, but nothing was said for a minute, until one of them finally spoke.

"Ok, he can play with my robot, but he's got to be more careful and not make it fall apart again," Benny relented.

"I will, and I'm sorry it happened," Joshie agreed. "And you can use my PS4 too."

"Can we use the TV now?" Benny asked right away, as both boys nervously awaited my answered.

"As long as you two are willing to share, then so am I. You can use my televisions, as long as there are no more arguments."

That seemed to settle the problem, at least temporarily, so the rest of us left the room. We stood in the foyer and listened for a while first, to make sure they didn't start in again, but it became very quiet in the other room. Seeing there were no further outbursts, we went back to what we'd been doing before this all began.

Elliot and Noah arrived home before dinner, and Elliot passed along a message while we ate. "Ian wanted me to tell you that he and his parents had a good time at the cookout on Saturday. They liked the little surprise at the end too, because they didn't think they were going to see any fireworks this year."

"We're glad they enjoyed themselves," I responded. "We like each of them and wouldn't mind if they joined us more often."

"Great, I'll tell them that."

"You should invite Adam and his parents to come too," Brandon mentioned to Noah. "We've met Adam, but we've hardly ever seen his parents."

"Yeah, they keep to themselves a lot and don't even go to see the things that Adam's in. I know it bothers Adam a little, and I'm glad you guys aren't like that."

"Do you know why they don't go to those things for Adam?" I followed, more than a little curious.

"Yeah, it's because of his mom. She's got some really bad scars on her face from having measles or something when she was younger. I guess some people have made fun of her problem, so she prefers not going out very often. She's always afraid that people are staring at her, so when she does go out she uses a ton of make up to cover over those things. I think it makes her look even worse, like a clown or something."

"Well, we're glad you don't react negatively around her," Brandon added.

"Yeah, I'd never do anything like that, but I've noticed what she's talkin' about. I just don't think it looks that bad."

"But when people pick on you about a noticeable bodily flaw, especially if it happens while you're growing up, the scars aren't merely the obvious ones," Dad explained. "I'm sure she is reacting more to the emotional scars from the abuse, rather than the physical ones."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Noah agreed.

"You can invite them to join us sometime too, and you should even assure her that nothing like that will ever happen here," I suggested. "Just approach the topic tactfully and don't broadcast that you mentioned her condition to us. We'll just invite them to a future gathering, and if they decline you can simply tell her that she would feel at ease when she's with our family."

"Ok, I'll try. I know Adam wouldn't mind doin' stuff like that with his parents once in awhile."

We spent a quiet evening with the boys after that and watched a movie together. Then, we went up to tuck them in after their showers. When we reached Noah's room, he made another comment.

"I'm glad you guys are willing to do that for Adam's family."

"Why wouldn't we? We treat all of your friends and their parents like they're part of our family too," I explained.

"I know, and I think it's great."

When we got to Ryan's room, he had something to say as well. "Do you think we can have Owen and his parents over to do something with us too?"

"Of course. We probably should have invited them for our Fourth of July cookout, but I just didn't think of it soon enough. I'll include them the next time, or maybe we could just have a special cookout for all of your friends and their parents before the end of summer."

"Yeah, I'd like that, cuz they're really nice to me when I'm at their house."

"I'm glad to hear that."

When we woke up Monday morning, it took a few moments before Brandon and I remembered that our offices were closed and we had the day off. We decided to do something with the boys, so as we were eating breakfast together we asked them what they might like to do.

"Will you take us to see Jurassic World?" Noah asked, looking hopeful.

"Yeah, let's go see the dinosaurs fight each other and eat people," Ryan added. I hoped his comment didn't indicate a hidden sadistic streak.

"Is that what you all want to do?" I followed.

"Yeah," Benny and Joshie chimed in.

"I think I'll go see Ian while you're doing that," Elliot stated.

"I understand," I replied, "but it's Jurassic World for the rest of us then."

"Can I call Adam and ask him to go too?" Noah wanted to know.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Then can I ask Owen?" Ryan followed.

"Ok, but that's it. I'm not going to rent a bus to take you guys to the movies."

They all giggled after I'd said that, as Noah and Ryan raced off to make their calls. While they were gone, I hopped on my laptop and checked the show times for today.

Once I knew when we'd be going, I asked Dion and Trey if they wanted to join us. They said they didn't want Wyatt to see that particular movie, because they thought it might give him nightmares, so they would take him to see something else. I could understand their reasoning, so I had the boys get ready to go out.

After we picked up the other two and purchased our tickets, I offered to buy each pair a small tub of popcorn to share and drinks for everyone. They liked that idea and thanked me as we moved inside and found a place to sit.

The movie was exciting, but quite predictable, especially if you'd seen the previous installments. The premise this time was that twelve years after the Jurassic Park debacle, a new park was opened, called Jurassic World, but this time additional safety measure were taken first. In fact, the park had been opened for a decade by this point, but attendance had been declining in recent years. In order to stimulate excitement and interest in the park again, management decided to create a new attraction.

The scientist put in charge of creating a new dinosaur species felt pressured and ended up taking moral and ethical shortcuts. They named this new creature Indominus Rex, or I. rex for short. As always happens in these films, something went terribly wrong and the animal escaped, which led to a bloody rampage that killed numerous people. The movie was exciting, and the boys enjoyed it, and that's all that really mattered.

During the movie, I looked around to see how the different boys were doing and noticed that no one seemed to be bothered by the gore. I also noticed that Benny and Joshie hadn't eaten all of their popcorn, so it was obviously too much for them. However, later I saw them passing what was left to Noah and Adam, who happily scarfed it down.

When the movie ended, we made sure the boys collected all of the empty popcorn tubs and cups so we could toss them in the trash on the way out. As we were doing that, Adam came up to me.

"I just want to thank you for letting Noah invite me to come with you."

"Hey, you're more than welcome, and we enjoy your company."

"Yeah, I want to thank you too," Owen added. "I know Ryan probably suggested it, but thanks for letting me come with you too."

"You boys are always welcome, since you're so nice and never cause us any problems," I confirmed as we were walking out of the theater.

After we'd dropped those two off at their houses, we went home. The boys had to tell Grandpa Josh and Grandpa Jake about the movie, so I decided to ask Trey how they'd made out.

"We took Wyatt to see the Minions and he loved it. Actually, Dion and I enjoyed it too, so I'm glad we went. Obviously, the other boys were happy with Jurassic World, so it appears no one was disappointed."

"Yes, they all seemed to have a good time."

Elliot arrived home later, in time to have dinner with us, but he was excited and had something he wanted to tell us first. "While I was with Ian, a detective showed up and wanted to talk to him. He brought a bunch of photos along and wanted Ian to look at them to see if he recognized his attackers."

"Well, did he?" Brandon pressed.

"Yes, he pointed out the picture of the guy he said threw all of the punches, but he said he never saw the guy who was holding him."

"So have they arrested his attacker then?" I followed.

"I guess the detective was going to do it after he left the house, now that Ian had positively identified him. The detective said the descriptions the witnesses had given them were very good and helped a lot, so they think they know who the other guy is too."

"That's great, and I hope they throw the book at those guys," Brandon stated.

After we finished our meal, we had to take the boys to their practices. I went with Ryan and stayed to watch again. This time his team was practicing at a huge athletic complex that had a ball field in each corner of a large, square expanse that was completely open, since none of the fields had fences. It was also large enough that there was enough room to mark off both a youth football and a youth soccer field in the fall, without damaging any of the baseball diamonds.

A couple of other teams happened to be practicing there as well, and as I said, it was large enough that they didn't interfere with one another. I was sitting in the bleachers watching the drills when a group of boys approached.

"Hey, you're a Currie, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Why do you ask?"

"What are you doing here? You don't have a boy on the team, so are you just perving on the other boys?"

"For your information, I do have a son on this team."

"There's no one named Currie out there."

"Not yet, and technically he's my foster son, but I'm planning on adopting him."

They stopped talking to me and started whispering amongst themselves. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but judging from the looks I was getting, they either didn't believe me or didn't like what I'd said. They eventually wandered away from where I was sitting, but when I glanced in their direction later, I could tell they were still watching me. I wasn't sure if it was to see what I was up to, or to see who went home with me, but I guess that really didn't matter. I didn't like the feeling I got from them, but there was nothing I could do about it unless they did something overt.

When the practice ended, Ryan came running over to me as soon as the coach released the team. I hurried him out to the SUV and we got out of there as quickly as possible because I didn't want those other boys to create a scene. Ryan, however, didn't seem to notice what I was doing, because he was completely focused on something he wanted to ask.

"Would it be alright if I call Owen and invite him to stay over this weekend?"

"Let me talk it over with Dad B when we get home, but I don't foresee any problem with doing that."

Brandon and the other two boys were already home when we got there, so I spoke with him quickly before I told Ryan he could make his call. A minute later he came running back to tell us something.

"Owen says he's got a game at noon on Saturday."

"That shouldn't be a problem, unless you have a practice then too. Tell him he can still stay over and we'll take him to his game, so his parents can meet us there. Just make sure he brings his uniform with him Friday night."

"K." He then went running off to relay my message and returned a couple of minutes later. "He said his parents agreed that would be fine, but now they want me to stay with them the next weekend."

"I don't have a problem with that, and if you have a practice on Saturday we can pick you up and take you there."

"K, I'll tell him that too."

Seeing everything was settled, we sent the boys up to get ready for bed, and then we went up to tuck them in. When I stopped in to say goodnight to Noah, I asked him a question.

"Do you want to go with us to Ryan's game tomorrow, and Benny and Joshie's game on Tuesday?"

"Yeah, and I'll ask Adam if he wants to come with us. He likes the boys too, and he also likes baseball, so I think he'll want to join us."

"That's fine with me, and I think the boys will like having another person cheering them on."

After we got home from work the next evening, we hurried through dinner, sent Ryan up to change, and then we picked up Adam as we drove down to Ryan's game. Dion took Benny and Joshie to their practice, and Dad and Pop rode in their own car, because we didn't have enough room for them too, but we all sat together to watch Ryan play.

The game started out slowly, with neither team doing much in the first inning, but when Ryan's team was in the field in the second inning, I noticed something that bothered me. The same group of boys that had approached me the previous evening was standing along the fence in right field and they seemed to be saying something to Ryan. This field was completely fenced in, so they couldn't get too close to him, but whatever they were saying seemed to upset him. When he came in after the end of the half inning, he said something to his coach, while pointing at the group of boys. Then his coach called the other team's coach out to home plate so he could talk to him and the umpire at the same time.

"What do you think that's about?" Brandon asked.

"I have no idea," I answered.

"It obviously has something to do with Ryan, though, so it troubles me," Dad followed.

"Yes, those boys seemed to be saying something to him when his team was in the field and it appeared to bother him," Pop chimed in.

"I know, but I don't want to go down there to ask," I responded. "We can talk to Ryan about it on the way home, but I don't want to bring any more attention to the situation than there already is."

The two coaches and umpire had been discussing whatever Ryan had told them and held the game up for several minutes. Then, the other coach called his assistant out to join them and the umpire summoned a guy out of the concession stand. Then, those two left the field of play and walked down to where those boys were standing. After talking to them for a brief time, the boys left, but the assistant coach and other man stayed there for the rest of the game. Whatever the problem had been, it seemed to be settled for now.

I think Ryan must still have been a little rattled when the game continued, because he wasn't performing as well as he usually did. Unfortunately, his team ended up losing, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was due to what had happened earlier. I didn't want to ask him about the incident until we were in the SUV, because I didn't want to embarrass him in front of anyone else.

"So what was up with those boys and what did you say to your coach?" I could see Ryan in the rearview mirror and it appeared that he didn't want to answer. "You can tell us. No matter what was said, we won't blame you. Did you even know those boys?"

"I don't really know them, but I recognized them. I've seen them around school before, but they're in the grade ahead of me."

"So what were they saying?"

"They were just makin' me mad."

"Why?"

"Ummm, they asked me, uhhh, something I didn't like."

"Ryan, I don't know what you're scared of, but no one is going to be mad at you. So, please, just tell us what they were saying."

After another brief hesitation, he finally responded. "At first they just said they knew I was living with you guys, and then they asked me something I didn't like."

"What did they ask you? Just tell us."

After swallowing several times, he finally answered. "They wanted to know if I was a fag or just a fag lover."

There was a total silence inside the SUV for the next several seconds, as we digested what he'd said. I'd even forgotten Adam was with us until he spoke.

"I hope you told them you lived with one of the nicest families around and the rest of it was none of their damn business!"

"I didn't say nothin', but I told my coach. He talked to the umpire and the other coach and asked them to send those boys away."

"You shouldn't have had to put up with that, but it seems there are still people around who despise our family because some of us are gay. Now that you're aware of this situation, we will understand if you want to change your mind about having us adopt you. Regrettably, it's very possible that something like this may happen again if you remain part of our family."

"I don't care. I want to be your son and I want you to adopt me. They can say whatever they want about me, but I was mad cuz they were sayin' mean stuff about you and Dad B. I think they meant Grandpa Josh, Grandpa Jake, Uncle Dion, and Uncle Trey too. I don't care if those guys are stupid and want to say mean things like that, cuz I love all of you and want to stay with you."

"Then as far as we're concerned, that's the way it will be. I just wanted to give you a chance to change your mind, if what just happened bothered you deeply."

"It bothers me, but I won't change my mind. I want you to be my dads, and next time I'll fight them if they say more stuff like that."

"No, we don't want you to resort to violence, because that never solves anything. Just look what happened to Ian. If you pick a fight, there's a chance it will be more than you can handle alone, or you might even inspire them to attack more of us instead. No, if this happens again, then just come to us or another adult in charge at the time, like you did tonight. Don't try to handle it yourself."

"K, but I think I'd feel better if I punched one of them."

I could see Noah and Adam in the rearview mirror as well, and they were both sporting huge smiles and attempting to stifle their laughter at Ryan's vehement outburst.

"If it comes time to do any fighting, let me handle it, little bro," Noah told him. "If they're a year older than you, then they'll be in my school next year, not yours, and I'd be happy to put them in their place. I also have enough friends that I won't have to do it alone either."

"I appreciate the thought," I interrupted, "but I don't want any of you fighting. I'm glad you're willing to stick up for one another, but I don't want you to fight unless the other guy swings first or there's no other option."

"And then we'll mop the floor with them," Noah added.

I felt that was enough for the time being, but after the boys went to sleep that night, I got the rest of the adults together to talk about the situation too. After I explained what happened, Dion was the first to comment.

"I think I know exactly which boys you're talking about. I would sometimes overhear comments that group made, but I also heard some of the other teachers complaining about them as well. They're a small group of Neanderthals who've spent more than their share of time in detention, and I think some of them might have even been expelled for short periods of time."

"I could tell something was bothering Ryan as he was playing," Dad said, "but I didn't realize exactly what it was. I thought those other boys were just trying to get under his skin so he wouldn't play well, but I didn't know it was a personal attack."

"Yes, we're going to have to keep an eye on things in the future. I want someone to be at all of his practices and games from now on, so we can step in if needed."

"Count me and Adam in on that," I heard a voice say from the other room. Noah had apparently come down to talk about the situation again after he thought Ryan was asleep.

"As long as one of us is there to keep you under control, then you can be there to help. I just don't want you or Adam doing anything unless you check with one of us first."

"We'll only tell those guys to back off, and we'll let them know they'll have us to deal with, not just someone smaller than they are."

"That may be enough to get them to back off, so ok. Just remember, no fighting unless they start it."

"And then we'll knock them into next week."

I sent Noah back to his room after that and we ended our brief discussion. I think we were all well aware of the situation now, and had a verbal agreement on how we were going to proceed. I just prayed that neither Ryan nor Noah lost his cool and started something on his own.

Chapter 37
Problem Solving

Tuesday night, I was caught in a bit of a quandary. Benny and Joshie had a game, but I wanted to go to Ryan's practice, in case those same boys showed up again. That's when Pop stepped in and solved my dilemma.

"I'll go with Ryan to his practice, because you should go to Benny's game. He needs your moral support, and I can handle things with the boys that gave Ryan crap. Besides, Noah and Adam have said they want to go to Ryan's practice too, so I'll have them to help out."

"Yes, I suppose the three of you can handle things, because we're not even sure those boys will show up again. Ok, I'll go to the game. Just don't let Noah get carried away or do something silly if those boys show up."

"Don't worry. I won't."

Pop used his car to drive Ryan, Noah, and Adam, so the rest of us went to the game. As I was watching the boys play, I couldn't help but wonder what was happening at the other field. I hoped I was wrong, but I had a feeling those boys were going to show up again.

Benny and Joshie played very well and their team won. We congratulated them when they came over to us after it ended, and then I was in a hurry to get home. I wanted to find out if anything had happened at Ryan's practice, but they weren't there when we reached the house. They arrived less than a minute later, though, and we went inside together.

"How did things go? Did you have any problems?" I asked, anxiously awaiting their reply.

"Don't worry. Those guys won't be bothering Ryan again," Noah answered, looking smug.

"What makes you say that?"

"Me and my friends confronted them."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, Adam had called some of our other friends and asked them to meet us at Ryan's practice. When we saw those guys walking toward the field that Ryan's team was using, we went out and confronted them."

"Yeah, you should have seen Noah," Adam added. "He scared the crap out of them."

"How did he do that?" I asked, wondering if he'd heeded my advice.

"When we walked up to them, I just told the assholes that I was Ryan's brother and we had the same Dads. I told them if they had any problem with our family then they should tell me face-to-face, or just shut the hell up," Noah explained.

"And none of them said a word," Adam followed.

"I also told them they were really brave with all of them picking on one boy who was smaller than they were. Then, I said if they pulled that shit again they'd answer to me and my friends," Noah replied. "I said if we weren't there at the time, we'd hunt them down and pound their big mouths and thick skulls into the dirt. I also reminded them that they'd be going to the same school with us this year, so they wouldn't be hard to find if they tried pulling anything else."

"Yeah, they weren't so brave after that, cuz they all turned around and left in a hurry," Adam said before laughing.

"I only saw what was happening from a distance," Pop chimed in, "but seeing Noah had so many friends with him, I wasn't too worried."

"But I don't think that group will be bugging any of us again," Noah confirmed. "Oh, and Adam's going to spend the night."

"I had a feeling he was, since he was here, so make yourself at home, Adam. And thanks for helping us with those guys."

"No problem. I had fun doing it. Noah can be a real badass when someone pisses him off, and he scared those boys real bad without even touching them." Adam laughed again.

"I'm just glad you two are friends. By the way, we want to have you and your parents over for a cookout before the summer's over."

"That sounds nice. I just hope my mom will come."

"You can tell her it will just be family, and possibly Ryan and Elliot will each ask a friend and his parents to come too, but they're all really nice and no one will say anything about her condition or make fun of her."

"So you know about her problem?"

"Yes, Noah explained it to me when I mentioned I wanted to do this. He only shared that information so we'd understand why she might be reluctant to accept."

"Yeah, it's ok, and I hope she agrees to come."

"Us too."

"And thanks for doin' that for me tonight, Noah," Ryan said. I just realized he'd been there the entire time, listening to what was being said.

"You're welcome, little bro. Don't worry, cuz me and my friends will take care of things for you."

"Yeah, I know."

I sent the ballplayers upstairs to get cleaned up, while Noah and Adam headed out to the rec room, and the rest of us grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down to chat. When Noah came out to the kitchen to grab a drink for Adam and himself, I spoke with him briefly.

"Since Adam's here, we won't stop by to say goodnight later."

"He wouldn't mind, but you can do it either way."

"Are you sure he wouldn't mind?"

"Yeah, he likes how close our family is, so I think he'd like it if you stopped in later to say goodnight to both of us."

"Ok, but we'll knock first, so we don't see anything we're not supposed to."

"K, but you really don't have to. I'm sure Adam wouldn't mind. I have a feeling he'll be swimming naked with us at some point, so you'll see everything then. He's not shy at all and you should see him struttin' around the locker room."

"Interesting. He must be proud of what he's got then."

"He's not hung any better than me, and he's not afraid to show it either. He even whipped it out at a party after someone dared him, and there were both guys and girls there at the time."

"Then he should fit in quite well here," I said smiling, before walking away.

Shortly after Noah took the drinks back to share with Adam, Elliot arrived home. "Hey, kiddo. How are things going?"

"Not so good. The detective stopped by Ian's house earlier to warn him that they haven't been able to arrest the guy who beat him up."

"Why not?"

"They said when they went over to his parents house he wasn't there, and it looked liked he'd taken some of his belongings with him. The detective said they went over to arrest his friend next, the one matching the description the witnesses gave them for the other guy, but he wasn't there either. The detective said they've got arrest warrants out for both of them, but he wanted Ian to know just in case he ran into them or they showed up at his house."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but at least they know who they're looking for."

"Yeah, they told us the guy who beat up Ian is named Grant Ridley."

"I don't recognize that name. How about you, Dad?"

"I knew some Ridleys, but never one named Grant. Maybe he didn't grow up around here."

"That's possible, but then why the hell is he here now? Is it just to cause trouble?" I replied.

"The detective said his department has had run-ins with him and his buddy before, so that's why they were so quick to include their photos in the ones he showed Ian. Ian recognized this Grant guy, but not the other one."

"Do you know the other guy's name?" I followed.

"No, the detective wouldn't tell us that, because Ian hadn't been able to identify him."

"It would be interesting to see if I recognized his name," Dad added. "I wonder if they're both from outside the area?"

"The detective said he went to their parents' houses to pick them up, but they just weren't there, so they must live around here."

"Maybe now, but that doesn't mean they grew up here. They still could have moved here recently," Dad responded. "I'll call Uncle Steve and see if he can find out anything about them using his sources. Maybe he can help us clear this up."

"Good idea. Uncle Steve should be able to get that information," I agreed.

Brandon and I then went upstairs to tuck the boys in and say goodnight. Benny and Joshie were almost asleep when we got there. "You took a long time tonight," Benny said through half-closed eyes when we entered the room.

"Yes, and we're sorry. We were talking to Elliot."

"Ok, but I'm glad you got here."

We then tucked them in, kissed them on the forehead, and bid them sweet dreams. Then, we headed up to the third floor to say goodnight to the other two. I knocked on Noah's door anyway, even though he told me I didn't have too, and they were both wearing underwear when we entered.

"We didn't mean to interrupt, but we just wanted to say goodnight and see if you needed anything."

"Nah, we're fine, but thanks, Dads."

"Yeah, thanks Dr. Currie and Dr. O'Hara," Adam added. "I think it's neat that you do this every night with your sons, even Noah."

"Thank you, Adam, and it's been a very important ritual for us. One other thing, though. When you're at our house I want you to call us Danny and Brandon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, we insist."

"Ok, but you'll have to tell my folks you told me to do that, cuz they won't like it if they think I did it on my own."

"Don't worry. We'll explain it all to them when they come for the cookout. I think we'll have it in early August, after baseball season ends and before school begins."

"Ok. That sounds good."

We said goodnight to them again and walked over to Ryan's room. After knocking on his door, we went in to tuck him in next.

"Man, I can't believe Noah did that for me earlier. You should have seen the looks on those guys' faces."

"Yes, I'm sure they were surprised to have a group of older boys stand up to them."

"Yeah, so I don't think they'll bother me again."

"We certainly hope not," I agreed as we tucked him in, kissed him on the forehead, and wished him sweet dreams.

Wednesday was pretty uneventful. The boys all had practice, but no one came around to bother Ryan this time. When we got home after work on Thursday, Dad asked if he could speak with Brandon and me alone.

"Sure, Dad, what's up?"

"Uncle Steve called earlier and gave me some disturbing information."

"About the guy who beat up Ian?"

"Yes, Uncle Steve discovered more about him. He's the son of one of the Ridleys I knew, but I didn't realize he'd married David Hubbard's sister. That means Grant Ridley is David Hubbard's nephew."

"Oh, shit," Brandon uttered. "So we were partially right when we said what happened sounded like something David Hubbard would do."

"Or his surrogate," I added. "So why haven't any of us heard of this Grant before?"

"After his parents married, they moved to Altoona, where Derek Ridley, Grant's father, had a job as an auto mechanic," Dad explained. "It was also where Grant was born. If you remember correctly, after your trial the truth about what Hubbard had done came out. When that happened, nearly everyone he knew turned against him, so he moved in with his sister and brother-in-law in Altoona. Grant grew up with David living in their house and he spent years listening to his uncle's bigoted rants. I suspect that's why he's like he is today."

"That sure explains a lot. So when did they move back here?"

"After her father died, Grant's mother inherited her father's house. Seeing the state was paying for David's care, since he was totally disabled and had no income, she let him stay at their old house and she and her family moved here. She basically did it to get away from her brother, but it appears to have been too late for Grant. That was six years ago, just after Grant got out of school, and they've been living here ever since. Believe it or not, Grant's father works for your brother, Cole, now. Go figure."

"Yeah, that is strange," Brandon agreed.

"I talked to Cole, and he says Derek is a good mechanic and a hard worker, but he's never met Derek's son. I guess Grant took after his Uncle David, not his dad."

"That's a shame, because the world didn't need another David Hubbard," Brandon stated.

"So did you happen to find out about the other guy too?" I asked next.

"We think the other person is Grant's best friend," Dad replied. "They met shortly after Grant moved here and they've been best friends ever since. His name is Sam Abernathy. He grew up in Johnstown and only moved to this area shortly before Grant's family did. Some people have said Sam left Johnstown to avoid suspicion that he'd been involved in some burglaries that happened there around the same time. Since he has a history of running away from his problems, I have a feeling he's doing that again, but this time with Grant."

"That's as long as he's not still in the area and can't do more harm to Ian, but I hope the law locates them soon and they're made to pay for what they've done," I added, before we all decided it was time to turn in.

When we were at work on Friday, Brandon and I asked the various members of our staff if any of them were familiar with either Grant or Sam, but none of them knew or had heard of either one. That meant we didn't know any more than we did last night.

When we got home from work Friday night, we had to take the boys to their practices again. Ryan also reminded me that Owen would be staying over too, which had slipped my mind. It wasn't a problem, though, because Owen was a good kid and never caused any trouble. His only fault, if you want to call it that, was his propensity as an unabashed exhibitionist. That was more comical than a flaw, so we enjoyed it when he visited. We'd just have to take him to his game the following day, so I hoped none of the other boys had a practice then.

Once again, I took Ryan to his practice while Brandon took the younger pair. I went with Ryan to make sure those boys didn't show up again, but I never saw any of them. Maybe Noah was right and he and his friends had scared them off.

When the practice ended, we made our way home. During the last half mile of the trip, I noticed another car appeared to be following us. I didn't immediately recognize the vehicle, but I knew it couldn't be those boys, because they were too young to drive, unless they'd found someone to chauffeur them around. When I pulled into our driveway, though, the other car pulled in behind us, so I got out of the SUV quickly, in case there was going to be a problem. That's when I saw who was behind the wheel. It was Owen's mother.

"I hope I didn't scare you," she said as I walked up to the driver's side window. "Owen told me about the boys who'd been bothering Ryan, so I hope you didn't think we were them."

"It had crossed my mind, since I didn't recognize the car."

"Oh, I can explain that too. I had to take my car to the garage for some repair work, and this is the loaner they gave me. I'm sorry if it all added up to give you a fright."

"No, it's not your fault. I guess my imagination was just working overtime."

"Are you sure you want Owen to stay over, since you have so much to worry about?"

"Yes, he's more than welcome. Besides, Ryan would never forgive me if I sent him home."

"Darn right," Ryan chipped in as he walked around from his side of the vehicle.

"How about letting us pick Owen up for his game then, so that's one less thing you'll have to do?"

"I would have taken you up on that if Ryan had a practice at the same time, but his coach called their practice for 9:00, because he has a wedding to attend in the afternoon. That means Ryan will be done in time and we can stop for a bite to eat before we take Owen to his game. Ryan told me during the ride that he wants to watch Owen play, so we'll be going there anyway."

"Ok, if you're sure. Then Brian and I will see you at the game."

Owen was already lugging his gear toward the house after giving his mother a hug and kiss, so I said goodbye to her too, and then I waved at her as she backed out of the driveway.

When I went in the house, I asked Owen a quick question. "Did you just come from practice too?"

"Uh huh."

"Then you boys should run upstairs and shower. You can come back down afterward, but you can't stay up too late because we'll have to get up early tomorrow. I suppose you'll want to go with us to Ryan's practice before your game."

"Yeah, I do, and we'll just stay up in Ryan's room after we shower."

I merely looked at them knowingly. "Ok, I won't ask the reason for that."

"That's cuz you already know," Ryan said with a grin, while also grabbing his crotch.

"Yeah, that's what I figured. Get going before I decide to keep one of you down here until the other one's finished."

"No way!" they both shouted as they turned and raced up the stairs.

Once they'd disappeared, I chatted with Dad until Brandon and the other boys arrived. Brandon looked flustered as he guided the younger boys toward the stairs and sent them up to shower too.

"Is there a problem?" I asked as he joined us in the other room.

"Not a problem, but I was just talking to another parent at the boys' practice and he said he knew the boy who was with Grant. You know, Sam Abernathy."

"So what did he tell you?"

"First, he told me that a couple of years ago Sam spent a year in jail for assault."

"That's scary, especially after what they did to Ian."

"But that's not the worst of it. The guy I was speaking with said Sam has a gun fetish and owns several. He said he's even seen Sam with an assault rifle."

"That's even scarier. I hope he doesn't try coming after Ian and Elliot with one of those."

"I know, and that's what worries me. It's also why we're a little late getting back, because I was still talking to this guy when their practice ended."

"I think you both need to relax and think for a second," Dad urged. "Chances are Sam and Grant know that law enforcement is looking for them, so they've probably fled this area to avoid prosecution."

"I hope that's the case, but what if it's not?" Brandon offered.

"If they're the kind that runs from an assault charge, chances are they won't want to be implicated in a murder or attempted murder," he explained. "They know that would move them even higher up on the wanted list, so I suspect they'll be trying very hard not to draw any attention to themselves. If they get stopped for any reason, then a routine check will show they have outstanding warrants. That's why they won't be doing anything to attract attention to themselves, which gunfire would certainly do."

"Maybe you're right, but I'd rather be safe than sorry," I confessed.

"As would I," Dad agreed. "We'll just be on alert and keep our eyes open, just in case."

After we finished our discussion, Brandon and I headed upstairs to say goodnight to the boys. We stopped in to tuck Benny and Joshie in first, but we didn't have to worry about Noah. He was out with the friends who'd helped him with the boys bothering Ryan, and they were all going to spend the night at one of the other boys' home. Therefore, we went upstairs to say goodnight to Ryan next.

Even though we'd knocked and someone said 'come in' the boys were still scrambling around on the bed, both erect, so we felt we'd just interrupted them while the were performing a sixty-nine.

"Guys, you could have said 'just a minute', or 'hold on' so we didn't mess things up," I advised them.

"It's ok. We don't mind. Really," Owen told us. "We can finish later, but we like having you tuck us in."

"Yeah, because then we know how much you love us," Ryan added, while Owen was nodding his head.

"Yep," he mumbled in agreement.

"Ok, but we feel a little guilty constantly catching you in this state," I explained.

"We're always like this when we're together, because we know what we're gonna do, so you'll always catch us like this," Owen offered with a giggle.

"Then let us tuck you in quickly, even though you probably won't stay that way for very long, and then we'll get out of your hair," I stated.

"I don't see them in your hair," Ryan joked as he looked at Owen's head and then his pubic patch. "Do you see them in mine?"

"Nope," Owen agreed after he'd visually inspected the same areas on Ryan's body.

"You two know what he meant, so just let us do what we came up here for in the first place," Brandon ordered.

This caused the boys to hop off the bed and stand next to it, as they waited for us to pull back the bedding. They then crawled onto the mattress again, laid back, and allowed us to tuck them in. Then we kissed them on the forehead, switched sides, and did the same thing to the other one, before wishing them sweet dreams. We hadn't even left the room before they were pushing the covers back again and swinging around to perform a sixty-nine. "They sure are horny little buggers," Brandon commented once we were out in the hallway.

"If you remember, we were too when we were their age. Well, maybe we were a little older before we were that bad," I conceded.

"Point taken, but did we do it in front of your dad?"

"Our first try at intercourse we did, but I think that was all we did in front of him."

"Then these two are sure a lot less inhibited than we were."

"Yes, and it's something I wouldn't have expected, especially after the way Ryan acted when he first arrived here."

"Yeah, go figure," Brandon added as we were walking down the stairs.

Chapter 38
New Horizons

I got Ryan and Owen up at 8:00 on Saturday morning, had them eat a quick breakfast, before making sure they were dressed appropriately prior to leaving the house. Ryan was dressed for his practice, while Owen was wearing his uniform, because we wouldn't have time to come home in between. If we were lucky, we'd have just enough time to stop at a fast food joint and grab a quick bite to eat before we headed over to Owen's game.

Benny and Joshie's team's practice wasn't until 11:00, so Brandon stayed home to take them. He'd told Dion and Trey that they could spend the time entertaining Wyatt, rather than sitting around a practice. Neither of them were as into sports as Joshie was, and although Brandon wasn't big on sports either, at least he'd played on the soccer team with some of us when we were younger. He was never a starter, and I think he only did it because of me, but he was willing to watch and support the boys when they tried different activities.

As we were watching Ryan's team practice, Owen wanted to talk. "You don't mind that Ryan and I do that stuff, do you?"

I quickly looked around before I answered. "No, I don't, but I also don't believe this is the right place to talk about it."

"I'm not saying what we were doing, and neither are you, and there's no one around to hear us even if we did," he reasoned.

"That may be true, but if someone were to wander near us and we didn't notice them, they could overhear what we were saying and might be able to figure out what you boys are up to. I think that would be something you'd want to avoid, especially after the things those boys were saying to Ryan. They might turn on you next, if they thought you were doing those types of things as well. Even seeing you hanging around with us could cause them to assume that."

"I know, and I've talked to my parents about that, but they're not worried. They said we'd all just join forces if anything like that was to happen. They know I'm probably gay and something like that might come up anyway, but they said we'll deal with it when it happens."

"I'm glad they're willing to support you on this, but you'll still need to be careful so you don't bring these problems on yourself any sooner than necessary. I know what happened shook Ryan up pretty badly, so you probably should try to prevent the same thing from happening to you."

"Ryan probably acted that way because he's not gay, but I'm sure it was also because he was mad that they were saying most of those things about you guys. He really loves all of you and doesn't like it when other people start talkin' crap about you."

"I'm glad he feels that way, but we can fight our own battles. He doesn't have to jump in and defend us."

"I think he knows that, but he wants to do it because you guys have done so much for him. And he wants to show that he appreciates the things you let us do too."

"We realize you're both grateful, but there are other ways he can show it that are, shall we say, less threatening."

"Ok, I'll try to convince him of that for ya. I'll also watch what I say when we're not at your house."

"Good. That's all I ask."

As soon as Ryan's practice ended, I hustled the boys over to the SUV, drove to a fast food joint, and we all ordered just enough to tide us over until we got back to the house. Owen was out on the field warming up with his team when his parents showed up. They spotted us and came over to sit with Ryan and me.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing?" Terri asked Ryan before she sat down.

"I'm good, just a little tired. I had practice earlier."

"I remember your dad told me that. I just want you to know that I'm really glad you are Owen's friend, because he loves being with you."

"I know, and I like being with him too. We have a lot of fun together."

"Some of which you probably can't share with us," she teased, which caused a look of horror to cross Ryan's face, and then he began to blush. "Hey, we know boys will be boys, so don't be embarrassed. We figured stuff like that would probably happen sooner or later."

I'm not sure her last comment made Ryan feel any better, but she moved past us and took a seat. Brian then patted Ryan on the shoulder, before he sat down between his wife and me.

"I'm glad these two decided to try out for a team this year," Brian stated. "I was afraid Owen was missing out, since he'd never wanted to play a sport before, so I'm glad Ryan convinced him to at least try."

"Yes, I think it's been good for both of them. I know Ryan thinks it would have been better if they were on the same team, but they're still close and I think the friendly rivalry is good for them."

"I do too. I was looking at Owen's schedule before we came and realized Owen's team plays Ryan's team again on the 22nd. That's only a week and a half from now."

"I know, and the baseball season ends the week after that. I'm planning to have a cookout before school starts and I want you, your wife, and Owen to attend. It will only be our family and maybe two of my other son's friends and their parents, so I hope you'll agree to join us."

"Of course. We'd love too."

When the game started, we all turned our attention to what was happening on the field. Owen had a fairly good game and got on base twice, once on an infield hit and another time when he walked, so he was all smiles when he joined us after the game ended. Of course, he and Ryan then began to argue over whose team was going to win the next time they played each other.

The rest of us refused to get involved in their discussion, even though the boys tried to get us to share our thoughts, We didn't want to take sides, though, even for our sons. The boys eventually stopped their playful bickering and Owen said goodbye to his parents as we got ready to go back to the house.

"Did you remember to bring clothes for church this time?" I asked on the way home.

"Yep. That's another reason my parents let me stay tonight too, cuz they don't want to go to church."

"That's fine and we'll take you with us every Sunday, even if you don't stay over the night before."

"K, I'd like that."

When we reached the house, both boys went upstairs to shower and change. When they came down a half hour later, they asked a question.

"Can we go swimming in the pool?"

"I suppose so. It's a beautiful day and you probably should be outside, so that's fine with me."

Ryan and Owen then went in to tell Benny, Joshie, and Wyatt what they were going to do, so before long they were all racing toward the rec room. They only stopped long enough to strip off their clothes first, before bursting through the backdoor and darting toward the pool.

"Wyatt swims like this too?" Owen asked as he checked out Wyatt as I walked my nephew out to the pool.

"Yes, he likes doing it as much as the rest of you."

"That's cool," Owen replied, before turning around and racing off to catch up with the others.

I'd been out with the boys for about twenty minutes when Noah and Adam walked out to talk to me. "We just got here and Dad B said the other boys were in the pool, so is it alright if we join them?"

"Just so you know, none of them are wearing anything."

"Yeah, I figured that and we don't mind."

"No, I don't have a problem with that at all. I've swam naked before with some of my friends, so I hope the other boys don't mind if we join them."

"Oh, they won't. In fact they'll probably enjoy checking you out."

"Neat. I don't have a problem with that either."

Just like Elliot and Ian had done when they went skinny dipping with the younger boys, Noah and Adam shed their clothes and placed everything on the lawn chairs as they prepared to jump in the pool. Adam appeared to be built like a typical fifteen-year-old, except he was hairier than I'd expected. He already had quite a bit of hair on his chest, a thin 'happy trail' from his navel to his pubic patch, quite a bit of hair under his arms, and extremely hairy legs, compared to Noah's smoother frame.

As soon as they entered the pool area, I heard the other boys comment about Adam, and he just stood there for a minute, as he let them all get a good look. Then, he and Noah dove into the water with the rest of the boys.

After a short time, the boys decided to play tag. I wasn't sure who had initiated this, but I had my suspicions. My hunch was confirmed when I heard Adam make a comment a couple of minutes later.

"Hey, tag above the waist!" When I looked to see who he was talking to, it was Owen.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to do that." However, I'm not sure if any of the others believed him, but Adam wasn't mad.

"It's ok, it's just that you got me in the nuts too, and it hurt a little."

"K. I'll be more careful from now on."

The boys spent quite a bit of time in the pool, except for Wyatt. He got tired after a while, so I walked him back to the house. When I returned, I was carrying towels for the boys to use when they decided to call it quits, which didn't happen for another half hour.

"Man, I really like it here," Adam said as he was drying off. "I like that you let your sons and their friends do stuff like this, cuz I don't think my parents would."

"Not all of the boys' friends do this, and I'd prefer that you keep this to yourself. There are plenty of people who would try to make a major problem for us if they knew we let others do this too, not just our sons. I'm sure you can appreciate what I mean, since you know about the problem Ryan had with those boys."

"Yeah, and I won't say anything. I don't want to ruin it, because I want to come back here and do it again."

"I appreciate that, and you're welcome to join us anytime."

"As long as no one does this when my parents are here, that is, if I can get them to come."

"Don't worry. We only do this in private, not in public."

"Do you ever swim with the boys like this?"

"Yes, we grew up doing it as well, so we've all swum naked with the boys at different times."

"That's really neat. I don't think most parents want their kids to see them like that. I've been in locker rooms with fathers and sons before, and I've noticed that a lot of the fathers try really hard to keep their kids from seeing them that way. I think they're crazy doin' that, so I hope you'll go swimming with us sometime too."

"Yeah, me too," Owen chimed in with a huge grin on his face. His comment came as no surprise, though.

"Maybe next time."

After the boys got dressed again, they went off in different directions to do whatever they were going to try next. The younger boys went to the family room to play video games, Noah and Adam stayed in the rec room to compete with each other, and Owen and Ryan raced upstairs. I guess seeing the other naked boys made them horny, so they opted to take care of their sexual needs, rather than play other games.

Adam went home before we called the boys to dinner, saying his parents expected him to eat with them. That wasn't a problem, and the rest of us sat down to eat together. As soon as the meal ended, I asked what they wanted to do next.

"Why don't we all go out and play touch football," Noah suggested. "We've all done that before and it should be fun."

"Do you all want to do that?" I asked as I looked around the table.

"Yeah," they all agreed, so I checked with the other adults next.

Since Trey was the least athletic of the group, he said he'd stay and entertain Wyatt. Dion said he was willing to play, as were Dad and Pop, so we went outside and chose up teams. We played until it was too dark to continue and we all had a good time, even though no one bothered to keep score. It had just been a fun thing to do and it helped to pass the time, so we'd have to keep that in mind for the future too.

Since we'd all been running around and getting sweaty, we sent the boys upstairs to shower again. When we went up later to tuck them in, they all had something to say about what we'd done.

"That was fun, and I'd never done it before, 'cept at school," Benny said as we tucked him in.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Yeah, it was fun playin' against each other, since me and Benny was on different teams," Joshie added.

"That was to make the teams even," Brandon confirmed, as we finished up and headed to the third floor.

"Thanks for agreeing to my suggestion," Noah said when we entered his room. "I just wish Adam had still been here to play with us."

"There will be another time, I'm sure of it."

"Yes, that might be something we could do at the cookout," Brandon suggested.

"Yeah, that would be awesome," Noah concurred before we said goodnight to him and went over to Ryan's room.

"I had a good time playing football with you guys," Owen stated as we walked in. "I think my dad would like doin' that too."

"We just mentioned to Noah that we might do it at the cookout we're going to have for your families," Brandon offered.

"That would be great," Owen enthused.

"Yeah, it would," Ryan agreed. "I really had a good time doin' that, cuz Owen and I were playin' against each other."

"As we told Benny, we did that to make the teams fair," Brandon confirmed.

"Yeah, I know," Ryan confessed, "but it was still fun."

Brandon and I were glad they'd all seemed to have a good time. It was just too bad that Elliot wasn't here to join in, but Ian wouldn't have been able to participate. He probably won't be able to play at the cookout either, since we doubted his leg would be healed by then.

Sunday morning, we got the boys up, gave them a snack to tide them over, and had them get ready for church. After we got there, the boys each headed to their Sunday school classes, after saying goodbye to us. They were all smiles when they joined us for the church service later, so we all went in and sat down together.

When the sermon ended, we made our way out of the church as quickly as we could, because some of the boys were already complaining they were hungry. We went out for brunch next, and once the boys had full bellies, we returned home. Shortly after we got back, Ryan came up to Brandon and me and asked a question.

"Can we go swimming again?"

"Sure, we don't have a problem with that."

"And we want you guys to do it too," Owen added with a grin on his face. We could tell he was eager to see us naked too.

I looked at Brandon and read his non-verbal response first, before I answered. "Ok, we'll do that too. Go put your swimsuits on and we'll head outside."

"No way! We've got to do it like we did yesterday," Owen screamed, visibly upset. Brandon and I couldn't hide our amusement any longer and burst out laughing.

"Ok, we just wanted to see how you'd react," I assured him, once I was able to control my amusement. "I'll go see if anyone else wants to join us too."

To my surprise, everyone else thought it sounded like a good idea as well. That not only included Dad and Pop, but Dion and Trey agreed to do it with their sons as well. Since we were all in agreement, we stripped down and headed out the backdoor.

"This is so awesome," Owen practically purred as he checked each of us out on the way to the pool. "My dad would probably do this too, if my mom would let him. I don't think she'd want to do it with us, though."

"Probably not, and this has always been an all male activity when we do it here."

"Cuz we've all got the same equipment," Noah offered.

"And it's not much different from changin' in the locker room," Ryan added, as he nonchalantly referred to his first experience being naked in front of others.

"We might have the same parts," Owen agreed, "but there are still plenty of differences. Some of you are a lot bigger than the rest of us, and some of you have more hair on your bodies, but I like seein' all of it."

I was convinced the rest of us understood he was talking about Dion when he mentioned some being bigger, and Pop and me when he commented about some of us being harrier, but none of his observations seemed to bother anyone. I was mostly concerned that Owen was going to pass out from the over stimulation of seeing so many naked bodies, because it had caused him to sprout wood. That meant the blood was flowing to the wrong head, but he seemed to pull himself together once he jumped into the water.

When Wyatt began to tire, Dion and Trey got out of the pool to take him inside. Shortly after they left, Dad and Pop decided they'd had enough too. Brandon and I stayed with the boys, however, since they wanted us to play games with them, and we began with Marco Polo.

When it was Owen's turn to close his eyes and try to locate the rest of us, he tended to run his hands over our bodies when he found us. He never grabbed our penises, but he slid his hands over our chests, down our backs, and over our butts in the process. We let him enjoy himself when he did this, as long as he didn't get too carried away.

Once the boys were finally ready to call it quits, we dried off and went inside to get dressed again. Once we'd done that, the boys took off to play games, as Brandon and I went to see what the others were up to. Dion was with Wyatt, Dad and Trey were working on dinner, and Pop was outside mowing the lawn. Since they were all busy, Brandon and I decided to check the boys' baseball schedules so we could select a date for the cookout.

After studying the dates of the boys remaining games, and allowing for rescheduled games due to bad weather, we finally selected a date. Then, we went out to ask Dad, Pop, Dion, and Trey if there was any reason why that particular date wouldn't work. They didn't have anything that conflicted with what we wanted to do, so we settled on Saturday, August 1st.

Seeing we knew Owen's parents were expecting him for dinner, we went to the family room and told him to collect his things so we could take him home. He grumbled a bit about having to leave, but did as we asked, and on the ride to his house I informed him of the date we wanted to have the cookout.

"That sounds great, and I'll tell my mom and dad," he said when we nearly there. However, that turned out not to be necessary, since Terri come out to greet us as soon as we pulled in the driveway.

"I hope we weren't holding you up?" I said, when I saw her emerge from the house so quickly.

"No, I just happened to be looking out the window because I'd heard a child screaming, and then I saw you coming down the street," she said, trying to convince me that she hadn't been anxiously watching for us.

"That's good, because I certainly don't want Owen's visits to become an inconvenience for you. By the way, we've set a date for the cookout. We'll do it on Saturday, August 1st, but I'm not sure if we'll do it at noon or later. We'll let you know well in advance, though, but this will allow you to mark it on your calendar."

"Thanks, and I'll check to see if we have anything else going on that day?"

"If you do, just let us know and we might be able to move it to the next day or later in the day, so you'll be able to attend."

"I appreciate that. You're very accommodating."

"We just want to make sure you can attend, because I know Owen and Ryan want us to get to know each other better."

"Brian and I would like that too. We'd also like Ryan to spend next weekend with us, if that's not a problem."

"None that I can think of, and we'll pick Owen up the Friday after that. If you want, he can also stay at our place on the weekend of the cookout, and that way you and Brian will only have to worry about yourselves."

"I'll talk to Brian about that, but it seems you've got everything figured out. It has been really nice having these weekends free, because Brian and I have been able to concentrate on our relationship. It's almost like we've been dating again."

"Yes, I know exactly what you mean."

When we got back to the house, I also filled Noah in on what we had decided, and told him to let Adam know too. However, I asked Noah to go down to their house tomorrow night and invite Adam's parents personally. I figured that might ensure the best chance that they'd agree to come.

When Elliot arrived home later, we told him about our plans as well, so he could ask Ian and his parents to join us when he went over there the following day. He liked the idea too, and thought Ian's parents would be eager to attend. Elliot admitted that he'd heard Ian's mother complain about only being invited to stuffy, formal dinners with her husband's medical colleagues, so he thought she'd appreciate this.

I was pleased to hear that, since I was worried about how they'd get along with the other two couples. I'd never really asked what any of the other parents did for a living and hoped they wouldn't feel out of place, since Ian's father was a cardiologist and Brandon and I were in the medical field too. I would ask the boys what their parents did the next time I saw them, so I'd be better prepared for when we all got together.

When we went up to tuck Ryan in later, he seemed to be busting a gut waiting to ask us a question. "Did Owen ask you anything today?"

"I'm sure he asked us several things, so what exactly are you curious about?"

"Did he ask you something about me and him?"

"Maybe, but nothing that stands out in my mind."

"Then he must have forgot." Ryan looked very disappointed after saying this.

"Why? What was he supposed to ask us?"

"I think I'd better let him do it."

"Why?"

"Cuz it was his idea."

"Even if it was, you can still ask us. You'll be staying with him next weekend, so he wouldn't be here again until the week after that. Even though we'll be seeing him on the Wednesday before, when your two teams play each other again, if the question is about what I suspect it is, I doubt he'll want to ask us in front of his parents."

"K, then I'll ask you. Owen wants me to do to him what that guy did to me. He says he wants to see what it feels like and he wants me to do it."

Brandon and I were both left speechless for a few seconds. Even though Owen had hinted at this once before, I was hoping he'd wait until he was a little older before he tried it. Now, I had to say something to Ryan that wouldn't cause them to do it on their own, without our knowledge.

"The four of us will talk this over the next time he's here. I have some questions I want to ask first, and there's some information I need to share with you before you attempt anything like that. I'm sure you remember how painful it was when it happened to you, and I don't want it to be like that for Owen."

"But my dick isn't as big as that guy's was."

"Maybe not, but you can still hurt him if you don't do things properly. Like I said, we'll all talk about it when he's here again."

"K. I'll tell Owen what you said if I talk to him again before then."

We then tucked Ryan in, kissed him on the forehead, and wished him sweet dreams. Then, Brandon and I headed downstairs knowing we had something to discuss before turning in.

Chapter 39
Spreading Their Wings

The following week passed by quickly, since Brandon and I were busy taking the boys to their practices and games, as well as muddling through our normal routines. Elliot spent most of his time with Ian, while Noah was hanging out with Adam. Noah had also asked Adam's parents to join us for the cookout, but they didn't give him an immediate reply. They said they'd talk it over and then let him know later.

Since Adam was at our house one night when we got home from work, I decided to ask him about his father. "Adam, I was wondering what your father does for a living?"

"He's a supervisor at the D.O.T."

"I see. Does he in work in the driver and vehicle section, or the highway group?"

"He's in charge of the guys that do the road work."

"Ok, I just wanted to know before they came to the cookout, because I thought it might give us something to talk about. Have they decided if they're going to join us yet?"

"Nah. I think Dad wants to, but Mom is letting her hang ups get in the way."

"Did you tell her that no one from our family or any of our friends would stare or saying anything while she was here?"

"I told her some of it, but I didn't want her to know that you guys all knew about her problem yet. I thought she might decide to stay home if she found out about that."

"Well, keep working on her, as we still have a couple of weeks before we get together. Maybe you could share some of this information with your dad and see if he can find a way to use it to get her to come."

"Ok, I'll try that."

Since Ryan was staying over at Owen's house this weekend, I didn't get a chance to find out where Owen's dad worked, but I still had time to do that too. I wasn't about to press the issue or push the panic button just yet, as long as we were able to discover the information before we all got together.

The following Wednesday we all went to see Ryan's team play Owen's team again. I think both boys were more intent on winning this game than any of the others, especially Ryan, since Owen's team had won the first match up. Owen was apparently hoping to make it a clean sweep, while Ryan wanted to even the record. I had never seen either of them quite this determined before, so I hoped it didn't result in a problem when the game ended.

Both teams played well and both boys were doing better than they had all season, so we were all extremely proud of them. The lead had changed several times over the first five innings, and the score was tied when Ryan came to the plate as the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth. He looked determined and I knew he wanted to get a hit, but the second pitch was wild and struck him in the side, putting him on first base. As he was trotting down the baseline, I saw him looking out to right field, and then he either said something or made some sort of a signal to Owen as he stepped on the bag. I wasn't sure what it was about, but I saw Owen shake his head vigorously before Ryan turned toward home plate and concentrated on the game again.

The next batter laid down a bunt toward third, but it was fielded by the pitcher and he tried to get Ryan out at second, rather than taking the easier out at first. Ryan had managed to get a decent lead before the pitch was delivered, and then he started running as soon as the ball left the pitcher's hand. Since he was also fairly fast, he was able to slide into second well ahead of the throw, which put runners on first and second with no outs. As I looked out at Owen, I could tell he was upset that his team had failed to record an out, but surprisingly he still smiled and gave Ryan a 'thumbs up' signal when he saw Ryan looking in his direction. I think he was letting Ryan know that he was happy he'd done well, even if it was to his team's detriment.

The next boy up laid down another bunt, but this time the third baseman fielded the ball. Since there wasn't much of a chance to get Ryan out at third, the boy threw the runner out at first instead. Now, there were runners on second and third with only one out, when there probably should have been two outs and just a runner at third.

The following batter stepped to the plate and hit a long fly ball to the outfield. The center fielder was able to run it down and make the catch, but he wasn't able to throw Ryan out as he tagged up and dashed to the plate. He scored easily, putting his team ahead by a run, but that would have been the third out if the pitcher had taken the out at first earlier, rather than trying to get Ryan at second.

After the third out was made, Ryan's team went out to their positions again, ready to protect their lead. They were able to prevent Owen's team from scoring and ended up winning the game. As soon as it was over, Ryan came running up to us with a huge grin plastered across his face. After we congratulated him, we went over to chat with Owen and his parents.

"Ok, we're even now," Owen conceded as we approached. "Our teams each won one of the games we played against each other, so I guess we'll have to wait 'til next year now."

"Yeah, but I hope next year we'll be playing on the same team," Ryan added.

"Yeah, I'd love playing on the same team with you," Owen agreed.

"If you don't mind the interruption, I'm curious to know what went on between you two when Ryan got on base the last time?" I announced as I looked from one face to the other. "I saw you doing something, and then Owen shook his head, so what was that all about?"

"I just asked him if he told his pitcher to throw the ball at me," Ryan admitted before giggling.

"I probably should have, but I didn't," Owen joked in return.

After saying goodbye to Owen and his parents, after we told Owen we'd see him on the weekend. We also reminded his parents that we'd see them at the cookout the weekend after that, which prompted Terri to respond. "We're looking forward to it. Can we bring anything?"

"Just yourselves and a healthy appetite," Dad responded before I could.

Benny and Joshie had a practice the following night and a game on Friday, which was their last game too. It appeared as if things might calm down a bit after that, at least until school started again, and we were looking forward to being able to catch our breath.

Benny and Joshie were really psyched for the game, although they were also slightly disappointed that their season would be over after this game. They both played hard and did quite well, but they lost. Their team ended the season above .500, though, so they weren't too upset, but I'm sure they still would have liked to win their final game.

Terri dropped Owen off at the house after we got home from the game, and once we were inside, I decided to ask Owen a question. "Owen, where does you father work?"

"At Sun Trust."

"Oh, what does he do there?"

"He's the manager of the local branch office. Why?"

"I was just curious, since I wasn't sure what he did."

"Oh, ok," he replied, and then he moved a little closer so he could whisper something to me. "Ryan said he told you about what I wanted to do, so will it be ok if we try doing it tonight?"

I was hoping he'd forgotten about this, but I should have known better. Since I didn't want anyone else to hear what we were talking about, I pulled him away from the others.

"Look, let me ask you some questions first. Have you ever tried putting anything up there?" He immediately blushed, while at the same time his head drooped slightly toward his chest and swayed slightly from side to side until he answered.

"Uh huh," was his very brief and timid reply. I understood he was slightly embarrassed, but I wanted to know this information.

"So what things have you used when doing this?"

He hesitated for a few seconds before he looked at me and answered. "A magic marker, a big one, not one like a pen, and I've used the handle of a hair brush and a small flashlight too."

"Did you use anything to make those things slide in easier?"

"Yeah, I put some baby oil in my butt first, before I used any of them."

"And did you have any problems when doing that?"

"Nope. I even liked doin' it and thought it felt good. That's why I want to see what it's like when Ryan does it to me."

"He's a little bigger than any of those items you've mentioned."

"Not much bigger, so I don't think I'll have a problem with him doin' it to me either."

"I have to admit that you've done more already than I'd expected, but I'm still worried about you boys trying this. You're both still quite young and there will be plenty of time to do this later, so maybe you should just stick to the things you've been doing."

"But I'm ready to do this – I know I am – and I want Ryan to do it to me. I won't ask to do it to him, cuz I know he's not gay and doesn't want to try it, but please let him do it to me." I thought about this for a few seconds before I answered.

"You're absolutely sure then?"

"Yep. Totally."

"Ok, just let me get some lube for you boys to use then. Go get Ryan and I'll meet you up in his room in a few minutes," I told him.

I then went to my bedroom and retrieved the container of Glide before heading up to Ryan's room. While I was there, I wanted to tell both of them a few more things, before I allowed them to do this.

"Ryan, I want you to put some of this on your penis before you do this, but first I want you to put some of this on your index finger and then slide it back and forth in Owen's rectum. After you have done that for a while, I want you to lube up your index and middle fingers and then insert them at the same time so you can repeat what you just did with one finger."

"Ewww, that sounds gross!" Ryan complained.

"Wait! Stop and think about this for a moment. You've been teasing me to let you put your penis in there, so why do you think it's gross to put your fingers in there?" He looked at me pensively for a few seconds.

"Yeah, I guess I never thought about that. Ok, I'll do it then."

"Owen, after Ryan loosens you up, you might want to suck his penis and get it good and hard before he puts any lube on it. Then, when you're ready, it will be easier if you get on all fours and let Ryan enter you from behind.

"Ryan, I want you to add more lube to Owen's rectum and your penis once he's in position, and then take your time inserting your penis. Don't just ram it in. Take it slowly, and Owen you might want to push out slightly with your anal muscles, because that will make it easier for Ryan to slip inside."

"K, we'll do that."

"Just stop if there are any problems or if Owen feels any pain. Ryan, since you're the one inserting your penis, you'll need to be considerate about how it's affecting your partner, because you'll want him to enjoy this as well. That's why you don't want to just shove it in and possibly hurt him or do damage." It was obvious Ryan understood what I was saying, since that had happened to him with the trucker, and then both boys looked at each other and back at me before nodding their understanding. "If you have any questions, I'll be waiting in my bedroom until you're done."

"Thanks for letting us do this," Owen said as I was leaving the room.

I then found Brandon and explained the situation to him next, and then we both sat down on the bed and waited to see if the boys needed anything. Before long, they both came bursting in the room, still totally naked and with huge grins on their faces.

"It didn't hurt at all and I really liked doin' it," Owen gushed.

"And I slid my dick in and out of him until I shot my stuff in his butt."

"It obviously didn't take very long, but I'm glad it worked out and you both enjoyed it."

"So can we do that from now on?" Owen wanted to know.

"I don't think you'll need to do it every time you want to get off, because there are other things you can do that will accomplish the same results. I suppose we could allow you to do it once each time you're here, and I'll even let Ryan keep the lube in his room so you'll have it to use."

Brandon and I then walked the boys up to Ryan's room and tucked them in. I had no idea how long it was going to take for them to fall asleep, because they were still caught up in the euphoria of having tried anal sex for the first time.

The following morning, Ryan and Owen were still all smiles as they sat down at the table to have breakfast with the rest of us. Brandon and I noticed this, although everyone else seemed to be oblivious to their current, upbeat mood.

After they finished eating, the boys went to play video games for awhile, and then they came out to ask if they could go in the pool. We all agreed it would be fine, but none of us went out with them this time. They were all capable swimmers, so we let them do it on their own. A little while later, Ryan came in and asked to speak with me alone.

"I told Owen I needed to pee, but I came back so I could ask you a question. I know he's not pushin' for me to do the same thing he did, but I can tell he wants to try doin' it too. Do you think I should do it for him?"

"Ryan, that's up to you, but I'm really surprised you're even considering it, especially after what you went through."

"I know, but he really seemed to enjoy having me do it to him, and he's a lot smaller than the guy who did it to me before, so I thought maybe I should give it a try. I just want to do it for Owen, so he can see what it's like too."

"I'm pleased that you're willing to consider his feelings too, but are you sure you're ready to do this?"

"I think so, cuz I want him to be happy too. I'm afraid if I don't do it, then he'll want to find someone else to do it with, and then he might start doin' everything with that other person, and not with me any more."

"I suppose it's possible that might happen, but if you're not gay, then why would you care if he does that with someone else?"

"Cuz I like what he does to me and how it feels, so I don't want him to stop. He makes me feel really good, so I want to keep doin' those things with him."

"I can't see him stopping completely, even if he does find someone else to do that with."

"Maybe, but I still think I should do this for him. That way he won't have to think about doin' stuff with no one else."

"It's up to you, but if you decide to do this, then you should have him try using other things on you first, like he did to himself. If you really want to do this, then I've got some items you can use to get ready, but I also want to talk to you about some other issues as well. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok, but why do I need to do this? I've already had something up there before."

"Yes, and you said it hurt like hell, so I want you to be ready this time. Besides, that was quite a while ago and I'm sure your opening has adjusted back to its normal size since then."

"K, I'll talk to Owen about this later then and see what he thinks."

"Ok, just promise you'll let me talk to you again before you try anything."

"K, I promise."

Ryan then took off before the others figured out he was doing more than just using the toilet. However, when the boys came inside later, he and Owen came over to see me, rather than going to the family room with the other boys.

"We're coming to you, just like you said," Ryan began.

"Ok, follow me up to my bedroom."

When we got there, I had them sit on the bed while I retrieved a few things. When I came back, I had several additional items with me. "These are called dildos, and as you can see they come in different sizes. Since Ryan wants to do this and hasn't prepared himself like you did, I want you to use the smallest one on him first, and then work your way up through the larger ones. Just promise that you'll stop if Ryan feels any pain."

"K, but where did you get these?" Ryan wanted to know.

"Let's just say that you're living in a household that has had many gays, so these are toys we've had to play with."

"Are they clean then?" Owen asked, making a face.

"Yes, and I'll show you why." I then pulled out a small box of condoms and a tube of lube. "We always put one of these over the dildo before we used it, to keep it clean for everyone else. I'll show you how to put one of them on the dildo, but you'll also be using them on yourselves, if you start doing things like this with anyone else. Once the condom is in place, just add some lube to it and you'll be ready."

"But we didn't use one of those when Ryan did it to me," Owen stated wide-eyed.

"As long as you aren't doing things with anyone else, then it should be all right to do it without one. However, if either of you start messing around with other boys or girls, then these will become necessary."

I then showed them how to properly slip the condom on the dildo, while making sure they also realized it was the same procedure they would use when putting one on themselves. Once I was certain they understood, I let them go up to Ryan's room carrying the items I'd just given them.

When they came downstairs again before dinner, I didn't notice anything unusual about them, so maybe they hadn't tried doing anything after all. If they had, it must have gone well, because I didn't notice Ryan walking funny, but I was convinced they'd let me know about whatever went on later. At least I hoped they would.

After we ate, I decided to take the boys out for a walk. Benny, Ryan, and Owen hadn't been given a tour of the property yet, and there were still a couple of hours left before it would start getting dark, so I asked if they wanted to do this. After they all agreed, I had them dress appropriately first, because I didn't want them to get scratched up by the briars we might encounter while we were out there.

It was a nice outing and I pointed out several features to them as we circled around the property before returning to the house. It was something different from the things we normally did, and I think the boys enjoyed spending time outdoors and getting to see how much land we owned. When we got back to the house, I sent them all up to take their showers, while I sat down to talk with Brandon and the others.

"Did you show them the ravine?" Dad asked. "No, I stayed away from there, but I'll do that another time. The daylight was starting to fade when we got near there, so I felt it would be better to do it when the sun was brighter and they could see the ravine clearly."

"So none of them complained that doing it was boring?" Trey followed, as he flashed me a sly grin.

"No, surprisingly they didn't. They were actually very good about it."

As soon as we heard the boys finishing up, we gave them a few more minutes before we went upstairs to tuck them in. When we got to Ryan's room, Owen had something to tell us.

"When we left your bedroom and came upstairs, I told Ryan he didn't have to do it, but he wanted to try, so we used the dildos you gave us. I put each one up his butt, and he was ok with it."

"And how did you feel about it while he was putting those things in you?" I asked Ryan directly.

"It was ok and it didn't hurt at all, so I think I'm ready now."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I want to do it for Owen."

"Ok, just heed the same warnings I gave you last night and stop if there's any pain at all. We'll wait in our bedroom again, if either of you needs anything."

"Ok, and thanks for letting us do this."

Brandon questioned me about this, once we got to our room. "Do you really think this is a good idea, after what Ryan has been through?"

"Yes, because he wants to do it. Since they used the dildos to get him ready, and seeing he didn't have any problems with those items, I felt we should let him give it a try."

"So you don't think his being raped will make it difficult for him or cause him to mentally balk?"

"There wasn't much scarring around his rectum from when it happened to him, and he hasn't had any problems with bowel movements, so I think he'll be fine physically. He also has expressed a desire to try this, so I doubt he'll change his mind in the middle of things, but we'll wait here, just in case. I don't expect any problems, though."

"Ok, you're the doctor, so it's your call."

We hadn't sat there for very long after we'd finished talking when two naked boys came bursting into the room. "I did it and it didn't hurt at all," Ryan boasted.

"Yeah, he didn't have any problems and I really liked doin' it to him. I liked it a lot."

"How about you? Did you enjoy it too, Ryan?"

"Not like I did last night, but it was ok. I didn't mind doin' it for Owen, since he did it for me."

"As long as you're both ok with it, and I'm glad neither of you experienced any pain."

"Maybe there was a little, but not very much," Ryan admitted, as we walked them up to his room. After tucking them in, we went to our bedroom again.

"I'm glad it went well," Brandon said after we shut the door.

"Yes, they both seem happy and neither one had any problems."

"But does it mean they're going to be doing this all the time from now on?"

"I told them I thought doing it once each time Owen stayed over should be enough for now, and they could satisfy any other needs by doing the things they'd been doing before."

"Ok, I just hope they stick to that."

When we were getting ready for church the next morning, I was curious to see if Ryan or Owen would have any qualms about joining us today, after the things they'd done over the weekend. Neither of them seemed fazed in the slightest, though, as we walked to the main entrance of the church and separated to go to our Sunday school classes.

When we all met up again for the service later, Owen made sure he sat beside me. I wasn't sure why he did this, because he didn't say anything, although I hoped he'd explain it to me when we got to the house. I wanted to know if there was a particular reason he had done this, or if it was purely coincidental.

After church, we went out for brunch before going home. As soon as we reached the house, the boys began asking if they could go swimming.

"I don't have a problem with that," I agreed.

"But we want you guys to do it with us this time," Owen insisted as he looked at the rest of us hopefully.

"Ok, I'll go in the pool with you then," I agreed.

"And so will I," Brandon added.

Before long, everyone had agreed to take a dip in the pool too. This time we went to our rooms to undress first, and then we carried the clothes we were going to put on afterward when we came downstairs again. At least that's what the adults did. The boys all paraded downstairs totally bare-ass, as we headed toward the backdoor.

"Thanks for doing this with us," Owen said as we were walking toward the pool.

"It's not a problem, and I know how much you enjoy seeing the rest of us like this too."

"Yep, especially you. I'm really happy you let Ryan and me do those things we wanted to try."

"I'm sure the others would have let you do it too, but since I'm the doctor, they leave those decisions to me."

"I'm gonna have my mom start bringing me to see you when I get sick or need a doctor from now on. You can even give me a physical."

"Well, I've seen everything already, so I'm sure you won't have a problem with anything I'll need to do."

"Nope."

We spent about an hour in the pool with the boys, and then the rest of us got out, dried off, and returned to the house. Most of the boys stayed in the pool, and we didn't have a problem with that, but Wyatt was getting tired. So Dion and Trey made him come inside with us.

When the boys came in around 3:00, I asked Owen if he was ready to go home. "Uh, me and Ryan want to go up to his room and do something first," he replied, before the two of them darted up the stairs.

I didn't question what they were up to, but after we'd dropped Owen off at his house, I decided to ask Ryan about it. "Owen wanted me to do it to him again before he went home."

"Just don't overdo it and start acting like a couple of horny newlyweds."

"Ok, we won't." "So you were ok when he did it to you?"

"Yeah, it wasn't anything like when the other guy did it to me. Owen was really gentle and kept asking if I was ok. I thought it might bother me once he started, but I didn't mind it at all."

"If you thought it might bother you, then why did you want to do it with him?"

"I told ya. I don't want him to start messin' around with no one else."

"So you were willing to do something you didn't really want to do, plus you were willing to possibly endure some pain so Owen wouldn't find someone else?"

"That was part of it, but I wanted to do it for him cuz he was letting me do it to him. I didn't think it would hurt like it did with the other guy, so I wasn't too worried, but I just wondered if I'd feel bad afterward, cuz I'm not gay. I never even thought about that when we was doin' it, though, and it even felt kinda good. It doesn't mean I'm gay, just that I don't mind doin' it with Owen."

"Would you have a problem if it turned out that you were gay?"

"Not really, it's just that I don't want to have more problems like I had with those other boys. I still want to try stuff with a girl too, but I don't mind doin' this with Owen."

"Ok, and that's fine. There are other guys that don't mind doing those types of things with either sex as well, which means they are bisexual."

"Yeah, maybe I'm one of them, then."

"You might be, but you're young and are still trying to figure things out, so there's no need to label yourself. What you should be aware of, though, is how you feel about the other person. Do you have feelings of love for him or her, or does he or she feel that way about you? Are you doing this because you really care about each other, or is it just for the good feelings you get from having sex. That's what will decide if you're gay, straight, or bisexual."

Chapter 40
Victories

As soon as Brandon and I pulled in the driveway after work on Thursday, Elliot came rushing out of the house to greet us. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"Come inside. They're talking about it on the television."

When we reached the family room, the local news broadcast was on and the entire family was watching it. "It was an unbelievable and bloody scene," the reporter was saying. "In all, there are five dead and several others were wounded in the incident that took place earlier today."

"What the hell is going on?" I asked, totally unaware of what this was about.

"Just listen and you'll find out."

"It all started a little over two hours ago when a car with two sheriff's deputies and another with two state police officers pulled up in front of the house you see behind me. They arrived here to serve arrest warrants on two young men they believed were inside the premises, but as they approached the house gunfire erupted. A sheriff's deputy and a state police officer were hit in the initial exchange, and then the others took cover before returning fire. I've been told that the remaining officers called for backup and the gunfire continued for another forty minutes before the lone survivor inside the house finally signaled he was ready to surrender. When the standoff ended, five lay dead and several others were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated."

"Have any of the victims been identified?" the anchor in the studio asked next.

"No, their identities are being withheld, awaiting notification of the next of kin."

"Do you have any idea what the charges associated with the arrest warrants might have been?"

"No, that information hasn't been released either."

"Well, thank you and we'll check in with you again later."

"I look forward to it. This is Alan Harding signing off from the scene in Altoona."

Even though I hadn't found out many particulars from the reporters, I had a fairly good idea about what was going on. "So you think this involves the guys who beat up Ian?"

"There's a good chance," Dad answered. "When the news first broke, I called Uncle Steve to see if he could find out if David Hubbard was still living in Altoona. He called back several minutes later and told me that not only was David still living in Altoona, but there was currently an incident taking place at his residence. It looks like Grant returned to the home he'd grown up in and figured he could hide out with his Uncle David."

"Shhh," Elliot told us. "The reporter's saying something else."

"So did the people whose names were listed on the warrants live in this house?" the anchor asked.

"No, I understand they were merely staying with the current occupant temporarily. It was also mentioned that one of the two might be related to the person who resided here."

"So what led law enforcement to this particular house, if neither of the men lived there?"

"It's my understanding that someone from the area recognized one of the men and knew he was wanted in connection with a crime in another jurisdiction. He reportedly phoned in a tip to the local hotline, and then officers were dispatched from these two agencies to make the arrests."

"Did they know the subjects were armed?"

"Obviously not, or the S.W.A.T. team would probably have been involved. However, I've learned from reliable sources that one of the young men they were about to arrest is a firm believer in the Second Amendment and allegedly owns several guns."

"It seems the officers should have been more cautious then, or didn't they have access to this information?"

"I'm not sure, but it appears they hadn't been informed of these facts."

We all continued to wonder if Grant and Sam had been the two in the house, or if these were just some other lowlifes who happened to hang out with David Hubbard. Knowing his background, that was a possibility, although the information we'd heard so far certainly sounded as if they were talking about Grant and Sam.

We eventually left the family room because no new information was being presented and Trey had let us know that dinner was ready. When we went in and sat down at the dining room table, we continued to discuss what was happening while we ate.

After we finished the meal, we went to watch TV with the boys, and every so often a news bulletin would interrupt the show, but we learned nothing new from any of these breaks. It was merely a rehashing of what we'd seen and heard earlier. Then, at 10:15 there was another bulletin.

"Those killed in the shootout earlier today have been identified. Stay tuned for more information on Channel 10 news at 11:00."

"Maybe we'll find out if it was them in a little while," Brandon stated, verbalizing what the rest of us were thinking.

When the 11:00 news came on, we all sat glued to the TV screen. "Here's the latest information we've obtained about the shootout that happened earlier today in Altoona. Two sheriff's deputies and two state police officers arrived at a home there to serve arrest warrants on two men. According to the information we obtained recently, the house belongs to a Derek Ridley, but was currently being occupied by his brother-in-law.

"As law enforcement approached the front door, shots erupted from inside the house and a sheriff's deputy and a state police officer were hit. Before it was over, several more from law enforcement had been struck as well, along with the three men inside the house."

"Can you give us the names of those who died or were wounded?"

"Yes, I can share that information with you now. Two of the men inside the house were killed, and the third one is currently in the hospital with life threatening injuries. The dead have been identified as Sam Abernathy, 24, and David Hubbard, 32, while the wounded man was identified as Grant Ridley, also 24. He is the son of the owner of the house."

"And which two were the arrest warrants on?"

"That would be Abernathy and Ridley. The warrants stem from an assault that happened approximately a month ago in Bedford County."

As soon as he heard this news, Elliot began jumping around and celebrating, so we weren't able to hear the names of those in law enforcement who'd been killed or wounded. We'd be able to get that information in the next news broadcast, though. For now, I believe we were all merely grateful that Frankie was currently stationed in another part of the state and hadn't been involved.

Even though I hated to see Elliot so excited after learning that people had died, I could relate to the relief he was feeling. He and Ian no longer had to worry about having their property damaged or being attacked by those two again. I was about to tell Elliot to settle down when his phone rang.

"Yeah, Ian. I just heard it on TV too. One of your attackers is dead and the other one is fighting for his life. Even if he lives, he'll be going to prison for the rest of his life for murdering those cops, so we'll never have to deal with him again."

Elliot then paused as he listened to Ian say something else. "Yeah, he was the same guy that my dads had trouble with when they were younger, so he's no longer a problem for them either."

There was another pause. "Yeah, I'll come over tomorrow, but you should sleep a lot better tonight."

We then heard Elliot kiss the air as he sent his love to Ian and said goodnight. Then he turned to us again.

"I'm glad this is finally over. I guess Abernathy must have taken his guns with him when they fled, so I guess that meant they weren't planning on being captured alive."

"That's possible, although I don't quite understand it. Instead of spending a few years in prison for assault, they opted to do something that had a good chance of ending their lives instead. That doesn't sound particularly bright to me."

"Who said they were smart?" Dad chimed in.

"Since we all know how they felt about gay sex," Trey added, "maybe they were afraid something like that might happen to them in prison."

"Maybe, but if that's what they were worried about, they certainly went to one hell of an extreme to keep it from happening to them," Pop observed.

"I'm just glad they didn't use those guns to come after Ian and me. They still might have died in a shootout if they'd done that, and if the police didn't get there in time to confront them then, they might have been killed later. That's because the cops would have been ready for them when they went to arrest those guys later. Seeing they were willing to die, I don't understand why they didn't try to kill us first, because that was what they threatened," Elliot added, and then I noticed his body visibly tremble.

"I'm very glad they didn't do that, because I wouldn't want to lose either of you. If someone had to die, I'm much happier that it was them instead of either of you," I assured him. In fact, I think we were all breathing a little easier when we went to bed that night.

The next morning we had to start turning our attention to the cookout, which was the following day. We were definitely glad that we didn't still have the other problem hanging over our heads while we were doing this, but now we just wanted to make sure everything went well. It would be the first time we'd be meeting Adam's parents, seeing they finally had agreed to come, so Brandon and I wanted the day to go perfectly.

When we got home from work on Friday evening, we double-checked to make sure we had everything we'd need for the next day, but I also made sure everyone was prepared as well. I'd asked Elliot to mention to Ian and his parents about Adam's mother's problem when he was over there earlier in the day, so they wouldn't say anything about her condition or stare. When Terri arrived to drop Owen off, I went out to say hello and told her the same thing. Then, I sat down and talked to the boys about this after dinner, so they wouldn't do anything like that either.

"Guys, we're having company tomorrow for a cookout and I want everything to go well. You know Ian and Owen's parents, and they'll all be here, and Adam's mom and dad are coming too. We haven't met them before, but we've been told that Adam's mother had the measles when she was younger and it left her face scarred. She is very sensitive about that, so I don't want anyone to say anything about it, and we don't want anyone to stare at her either. I'm not sure how noticeable it is, but I know she doesn't like to go places because of it, so please make her feel welcome."

The boys all promised they would, so I thanked them and went back to making sure everything else was set. The ground beef, hot dogs, and steaks were in the fridge, along with a container of chicken breasts that were marinating in barbeque sauce. Trey and Brandon were busy finishing the salads they were working on, and I checked to make sure there would be enough to drink for everyone. We had a huge selection to choose from, which included soda, ice tea, flavored and plain water, wine, and beer. I wasn't sure what the others would prefer, but they should be able to find something they liked from the selection.

When we went up to tuck the boys in later, we reminded each of them to be careful about not staring or saying anything to Adam's mother about her condition. They promised they wouldn't do those things, so I just hoped they kept their word.

When I said goodnight to Noah, he had something he wanted to tell me instead. "Adam and I are really glad his mother's going to do this, so I hope no one slips up and does something that makes her feel bad."

"I know, and I've warned everyone. That's the best I can do, so now we'll just have to pray no one messes up."

I was nervous as I went to bed that night, because I was worried that something would go wrong and ruin this outing for Adam's mother. There was nothing more I could do about it, though, so I'd just have to wait and see how things worked out.

I told the others to show up at 11:00 and we'd visit first, and then we'd eat at noon. Before anyone arrived, I arranged the non-breakable dishes and silverware on a large tray first, and then I asked the boys help me put a variety of the beverages into our two coolers and take them outside. Dad and Pop were busy placing the meat on another tray so they could carry it outside, and then they fired up the grills so they'd be ready to use. Now, we waited for everyone to show up.

Ian and his parents arrived first. Elliot and I went out to greet them and see if we could give them a hand. "Hi, Danny. Thanks for inviting us," Ian's mother, Erin, said.

"It's our pleasure and we hope you enjoy yourselves."

"We wanted to get here first, so Ian could get settled before everyone else arrived," Ian's father, Cameron, said next. "He's pretty good on the crutches, but with the uneven ground and the boys running around, we didn't want him to have an accident and get hurt worse."

"You don't have to worry about that. I've got a lawn chair set aside for him," Elliot responded, as he went to help Ian get out of the car.

"Somehow I knew you would," Erin teased as we walked toward the picnic tables on the side of the house. I then let Elliot introduce Ian's parents to everyone else.

Owen's mom and dad arrived next, and Owen raced out to the car and was opening his mother's door almost before the vehicle stopped. "This is gonna be great," he shouted as he gave his mom a kiss, and then he raced back to find Ryan.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that boy," Terri said shaking her head. "It's a miracle we aren't constantly taking him to the hospital to be treated. I'm so glad he wants you to be his doctor now, because that will make it a lot easier and take a big load off my mind."

"I'm just happy he's acting like a normal kid and enjoying life," Brian added as he reached out to shake my hand.

I had just walked them over to the picnic tables when another car pulled in, so I told Owen to introduce his parents to anyone they didn't already know. While he was doing that, Noah and I went to greet our new guests.

"You must be Adam's parents," I said as they were getting out of the car. "I'm so glad you came and I want you to know we all think the world of your son. I'm Danny, and you already know Noah, and when you're ready I'll take you around to introduce you to everyone else."

"I'm glad to meet you and I'm Wil," Adam's father said as we shook hands. "And this is my wife, Judy."

"I'm so glad to meet both of you," I said as I smiled and looked into each of their eyes. "I really appreciate that you let Noah spend so much time at your house."

"Adam enjoys his company and he's never a problem, but I think Adam's been here nearly as often as Noah's been at our place," Wil said.

"Adam's always welcome here, as are you, so let's head to the picnic tables so you can meet the rest of the crowd."

Judy looked nervous as I turned to lead them, but she followed me just the same. Before long, I was taking them around and introducing them to everyone personally. I was pleased that the others were very friendly, including the boys, and no one made any serious blunders. I held my breath when Ryan did more than merely say hello, though, as he welcomed them to our house.

"I'm happy you're here, cuz I like Adam a lot," he said. "He and Noah helped me when some boys were pickin' on me, so now they don't do that any more."

"I'm glad he was able to help you, sweetie," Judy said as she gave Ryan a little hug. "You seem like a really nice boy, so I'm pleased Adam did that for you."

She and her husband then took a seat, as she chatted more with Ryan. Over the course of the next hour I saw her smiling and talking to the others as well, so it appeared everything was going as hoped.

Shortly after noon, Dad made an announcement. "The dishes and silverware are over there, so grab a plate and some utensils before coming over to the grill and telling me what you want. We have steaks, barbequed chicken breasts, hamburgers, and hot dogs. You'll find the buns and condiments on the picnic tables, along with a selection of salads, and the drinks are in the coolers located at the side of the house. Let's get started."

I told the boys to let our guests get their food first, and then we got in line behind them. Once everyone had what they wanted, Dad and Pop got their food too and we all sat down at the picnic tables to eat and talk.

"This was a really great idea," Terri said in between bites. "It's nice to finally meet the other parents, since we already knew their sons."

"And I enjoy this much better than a formal dinner and a night filled with boring medical talk," Erin added.

"I can always leave you at home next time," Cameron teased.

"I just might take you up on that," she countered.

"I'd like to thank you for inviting us too," Judy said next. "The food is delicious and everyone is really nice, so I'm glad we had an opportunity to do this."

"We're glad you came too," Brandon replied. "Adam has become a valuable friend and ally for our sons, so we were eager to meet his parents. We knew they must be really special people to have raised such a wonderful son."

"Are you sure you're talking about our boy?" Wil joked, as he playfully pushed his son. "Absolutely," Dad confirmed.

After we'd finished eating and were letting our meals settle, I noticed that Owen was taking his dad out behind the house so he could show him the pool. I thought I'd walk out and fill Brian in about a few things as well.

"My dad bought this pool when my brothers and I were younger. It's been well used and a valuable retreat on hot summer days."

"And the area is nicely secluded with no neighbors in sight. It's a perfect spot for taking a naked dip in the pool." Owen's mouth dropped open as he looked at his dad. "Come on, don't tell me you've haven't ever thought about doing that." Owen blushed and stammered a bit when he began to speak.

"Yeah, ummm, we've ah, kinda tried that. I hope you're not mad?"

"Mad? No way. In fact, I'm glad to hear that you're not ashamed of your body. If Ryan's dads ever do it with you, then I might try slipping away from your mother sometime so I can come over and join you." I thought Owen's eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Really? You'd do it with us."

"Of course. Just don't tell your mom."

"Oh, I won't, cuz I don't want her to know I'm doin' it either."

"Good boy, and you're more like me than I thought."

That was an interesting exchange, and I followed them as they walked back to rejoin the others. As we got closer, Noah posed a question?

"Dad, can we play touch football now?"

I quickly informed the other parents about what the boys wanted to do, and the other three fathers agreed to join in. The three women said they'd just sit and talk some more, so I told Ian he could referee from the sidelines, since he wasn't able to play. I moved the lawn chair down to the area where the game would be played, as Elliot walked with Ian to make sure he didn't fall while using the crutches.

Once we were all together, we picked up teams, splitting up each pair of boys, as well as the rest of us. Since there were only three other fathers, Elliot agreed to play too, and then Dad and Pop were placed on opposite teams, as well as Brandon and me.

The game was mostly for fun, and we had a few good laughs along the way, but we let the boys do most of the running. I think Ian made up a few calls in order to keep the score close, but no one complained – well not seriously that is. We did give him a little grief now and then, so he wouldn't feel left out.

When we finished, we were all hot and sweaty, so everyone grabbed a drink from the cooler before sitting down again. "I would have said that looked like an old-timers game, if our sons hadn't been playing," Terri quipped.

"Hey, you're the same age I am," Brian shot back.

"Yes, but I wasn't playing and trying to act like a kid again."

"I haven't heard that much wheezing since I visited the patients with emphysema at the hospital," Erin teased.

"It must be that some of the boys are suffering from asthma then," Cameron countered.

"Yeah, sure," she replied.

"I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I haven't seen Wil run that much since he chased me around on our honeymoon," Judy threw in next. This caused Wil to blush and the rest of us to laugh.

"Guilty as charged," he finally relented.

Over the next hour things began to wind down. Trey brought out a cake and Dion carried out a cheesecake, as they asked each person which they wanted for dessert. Once everyone had something and downed the tasty treats, some of our guests announced they had to leave.

"Thank you for the marvelous day," Erin said as she and Cameron got ready to go home. "We had a great time and hope we can do this again."

"Yes, and I think we'll do it at our house next time," Cameron added.

"Well, we're glad you joined us and we enjoyed your company," I confirmed.

After the Hills left, Adam's parents said they had to get going too. "I'm really glad you invited us and I had a truly wonderful time," Judy informed us. "I don't do this often, but I'd love to join you all again sometime."

"And you won't ever get a better compliment than that," Wil added.

"Then we'll plan on it. Maybe we can all get together for a holiday party this year too."

"That would be lovely," Judy agreed.

Once the Garcias drove away, Terri and Brian walked up to me. "We should be going too," Terri stated. "We all had a great time and the food was delicious."

"I'm gonna stay here again, right?" Owen asked. "I want to go to church with them, so I'll come home sometime tomorrow." Terri looked at her husband and then at me.

"It actually works out better for us that way, as long as you don't have a problem with it," I told her.

"Ok, but I think we're going to have to add your names to his birth certificate, since he spends so much time with you," Terri stated as she gave Owen a playful punch. "I'm really glad you don't mind doing this for him, but don't let him take advantage of you."

"Don't worry. We won't."

"Thanks, Mom," Owen said as he gave her a hug and kiss. "And you too, Dad," he added as he hugged his father.

Once they left, I asked the boys to help us pick up the mess and carry everything inside. As we were doing that, I heard several comments.

"Today was a lot of fun," Benny said. "I really liked playin' football."

"Yeah, me too. Too bad your team lost," Joshie countered, jokingly.

"Nuh uh," Benny disagreed, and the two continued bickering about it as they walked toward the house.

"Thanks for lettin' me stay again too," Owen offered. "I don't think my mom would have let me do it if you hadn't said it was ok."

"Then I hope I didn't upset her."

"Nah, she just thinks I'm takin' advantage of you."

"Well, we do it because we need our weekly dose of seeing your naked butt streaking around the house." Owen just looked in my direction and gave me a devilish grin before shaking his butt at me.

"Come on. We got other stuff to do," Ryan interrupted, in an attempt to urge Owen to get a move on.

"Ok," he replied before turning back to me. "And you'll get to see more than just my butt." Then, he took off to catch up with Ryan, and I had a good idea what they were going to do.

"I'm really glad you invited Adam's parents," Noah stated next. "I think his mother meant it when she said she had a good time and wanted to do it again."

"I'm glad, and after hearing Wil's comment, I think he was pleased and surprised as well."

"Yeah, and Adam was really happy about it too. You know, I don't think she used quite as much makeup today either, like she usually does when she goes other places."

"That's encouraging, and I hope it means she'd already thought she could trust us."

"Yeah, me and Adam kept telling her that, so I guess she finally believes us now."

Later, after the boys showered, we went up to tuck them in. Each one thanked us again for having the cookout and said they had a lot of fun. When we got to Ryan's room, Owen kept his promise, because he stood by the bed, totally naked again, when we entered the room.

"Told ya," he whispered as I tucked him in.

"You're something else," I countered as I kissed him on the forehead and said goodnight.

Chapter 41
Another Milestone

Sunday morning, we all went to church together before going out for brunch. Shortly after we got home, Uncle Steve showed up.

"We didn't expect you," Dad said after greeting him at the door.

"I know. I just wanted to see how Elliot was doing after that scare with those guys who were involved in the shootout. But I also wanted to have a quick chat with Benny and Ryan."

"I suppose it's about the adoption ceremony," I said, since they were my sons.

"Of course."

"So have you set a date?"

"That's one of the things I want to discuss with the boys. I'm a little late doing this, because I've been involved with a couple of very messy cases the past couple of weeks, but now I think I can finally schedule a date for this to happen."

"That's great. I'll go get them."

I went up to Ryan's room and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" I heard Ryan ask.

"It's me."

"K, come in." When I walked through the door, I froze for a second. The boys were on the bed and Ryan had his penis shoved up Owen's butt, so I'd obviously interrupted them. "What's up, Dad?" he said nonchalantly.

"Uncle Steve is downstairs and he wants to talk to you and Benny."

"Can't it wait? I'm kinda busy."

"Yes, I noticed, but Uncle Steve made a special trip. You can come back up here and finish up later. I want you to get dressed as quickly as you can and join us in the living room."

As soon as I got downstairs again, I located Benny in the family room and asked him to come with me, while telling Joshie that Uncle Steve wanted to talk to Benny alone. When we got to the living room, Ryan wasn't there yet, so I told Uncle Steve that Ryan would be right down. About that same time, I heard thumping on the stairs, as Ryan came lumbering down to join us.

"Hi, Uncle Steve," both boys greeted him.

"Hi, guys. I just wanted to speak with you privately for a few minutes." Getting our cue, the rest of us excused ourselves and left the room. "First, I just want to make sure you haven't changed your minds about being adopted."

"No way!" we could all hear Ryan shout.

"No, I want to be 'dopted," Benny added.

"Great! That's what I figured. So now I have a couple of other questions for you. What are you going to use for your last name?"

"Whatcha mean?" Ryan wondered.

"Well, you could keep your name just as it is now, or you could change it to Currie, O'Hara, or do like Elliot and Noah did and use a hyphenated last name, O'Hara-Currie."

"That will be a lot to write when we have to sign our names," Ryan pointed out.

"Yes, it would, so it's your choice."

"I want to do what Noah and Elliot did," Benny stated. "That way we'll all be the same."

"Yeah, me too," Ryan agreed. "We're all brothers, so we should all have the same last name."

"That's what I thought you'd say. Now, I have another question for you. Do you want to keep your middle name or use your old last name for your middle name?"

"I'll keep my middle name. I don't need my old name any more," Ryan said bitterly. I guess he felt his family hadn't done anything for him, so he didn't owe them anything either.

"Ok, then after the adoption ceremony you'll be known as Ryan Edward O'Hara-Currie."

"I want to do that too," Benny quickly confirmed. "Then your name will become Benjamin Alan O'Hara-Currie."

"Can't we just use Benny?"

"People will still call you Benny, but your legal name will be Benjamin."

"K."

"Now we just need to pick a day when we do this. Do either of you have a particular day you'd prefer?"

"Yeah. I heard our dads sayin' that Grandpa Josh's birthday is comin' up, so how about then. He's the one that adopted our dad, and he wouldn't be doing this for us now if Grandpa Josh hadn't done it for him, so I think we should do it on his birthday. That way we'll be connected to him too."

"Yeah, and Grandpa Josh does lots of stuff for us, like teachin' us 'bout baseball, so I want to do that too."

"Then I guess we have our date. I'll just check and see what time I have free that day and pencil you in. I think it will make Grandpa Josh feel really good that you wanted to do this."

"Good!" they both said.

Uncle Steve then told the boys they could go back to what they'd been doing – if he only knew in Ryan's case – and then he came out to speak with us.

"Josh, you don't know this yet, but the boys just gave you a huge compliment. They want the adoption ceremony to take place on your birthday."

"So I guess they must have just picked that day and don't know it's my birthday," he countered.

"No, they know your birthday is coming up and specifically asked to do it on that day." Dad looked stunned for a second, before he began to beam. "They basically told me they wanted to do this, because they wouldn't be here now if you hadn't adopted Danny and started the ball rolling. That's why they want to do it on your birthday, as their way of thanking you."

"Then I'll have to give those two little buggers an extra squeeze tonight," Dad stated, as the rest of us chimed in our agreement that the boys had made a very wise choice.

"Well, that's all I needed to do," Uncle Steve said, "so I'd better get going. Mary won't be happy if I stay here too long without her."

"Thanks, Uncle Steve, and we want you and Aunt Mary to go to dinner with us to celebrate after the ceremony."

"I wouldn't miss it, and I'm certain Mary will feel the same way."

After Uncle Steve left, I spent time with Brandon, Dion, and Trey, as we not only made plans to celebrate the adoption, but Dad's birthday as well. Brandon and I thought it would also be a good time to notify everyone about something else, so it will be a multi-faceted celebration.

A short time later, I decided to find Ryan and Owen again. They'd obviously had time to take care of their 'needs', so I felt it was time to do something else. They were both grinning as I walked up to them.

"I hope you liked what you saw earlier," Owen quipped.

"And I went back and finished up after talkin' to Uncle Steve," Ryan added.

"I have to admit that I was definitely surprised, seeing you told me to come in."

"You've seen everything already and know we do that, so we didn't think it would make much of a difference."

"I may have seen all the parts, just not in action like that." Both boys began to giggle as I continued to speak. "Owen, I want you to go grab your gear so I can take you home. I'm beginning to think your parents might not want to take you back, if you keep spending so much time here with us."

"That would be ok too, but can you give us a little longer? Ryan just did it to me earlier, but I haven't done it to him yet." I merely rolled my eyes.

"Make it quick then," I agreed, as the boys went racing up the stairs. They returned about fifteen minutes later.

"Ok, I'm ready now," Owen said as he held up his bag to prove the point.

We then walked out to Brandon's car and I took him home. His parents waved at us from their front door as Owen walked from the car to join them.

"I'm glad you gave us time to do that," Ryan said as I was driving home.

"So you like doing it now?"

"Maybe a little, but mostly I like that it makes Owen feel good." I didn't pursue what he'd said and we continued on in silence.

Life went back to normal after the cookout, and Adam told us several times that his mother really enjoyed spending time with all of us. He also said she was looking forward to doing it again, so we told him we were looking forward to it as well. That seemed to really please him.

Since Ryan was spending the following weekend at Owen's house, Noah decided to ask Adam to stay with us. His parents had no problem with him doing that, so Noah and Adam ended up leading the parade out to the pool on both Saturday and Sunday. Even with the age differences, the boys all seemed to enjoy spending time with each other, and Adam was very good with the youngest three.

The following weekend, Owen stayed with us again, and all weekend long the main topic of discussion was the upcoming adoption. "So Ryan's going to have a new name?" Owen asked shortly after he arrived on Friday.

"He'll have a new last name, but the rest will stay the same."

"Then maybe we'll be in the same homeroom this year. My last name begins with M, and his new last name will start with O, and there were other kids in my homeroom last year whose last names began with O too."

"Yes, I guess that's a possibility. I just hadn't thought about it before."

"I'm really glad that he's doin' that, cuz now we might be together in a bunch of different things, not just homeroom. Lot's of stuff goes by your last name."

"Yes, I realize that, but I guess I'd never given it much thought before you mentioned it."

"Well, it makes me really happy." His huge smile would have told me that, even if he hadn't verbalized his feelings.

"I can see that, and I'm glad."

The boys spent the rest of the night doing their own thing, but Owen and Ryan stayed with Benny and Joshie most of the time, which really surprised me. I guess it meant the older pair was either waiting until later to have sex, or they were going to do it tomorrow instead.

When Brandon and I went up to tuck them in later, I decided to make a comment. "I was surprised you two stayed downstairs all night."

"Yeah, you told us you didn't want us doin' it all the time, so we was just doin' like you said," Ryan explained.

"And I wasn't even sure that you boys were listening to me."

"Of course we were," Owen responded. "You're really good to us, so we listen to everything you say."

"I'm glad to hear that. You've just scored a brownie point."

"Uh, what's that?" Ryan wanted to know.

"It's an imaginary reward for doing something good." "So it's not real."

"Only to you and me. It means I'll remember what you did and then sometime in the future I might even show you how much I appreciate it by doing something special for you too."

"Then I think I like brownie points," Ryan responded.

"Me too," Owen added.

Before we left the room, Brandon and I kissed each one on the forehead and said goodnight to them. I wasn't sure if they were planning on doing something after we left, but if that was the case, then they didn't seem to be in any hurry to get started.

The next morning at breakfast, I decided to ask the boys a question. "We haven't gone to see a movie in a long time, so how would you like to do that today?"

"Sure. Can we go see The Fantastic Four?" Noah wanted to know.

"Do you all want to see that?"

"Not particularly," Elliot answered, "but I'll go with you anyway."

"Yeah, we want to go too!" the other boys replied.

"Ok, then I'll see what time it's showing."

"Can I ask Adam if he wants to go with us?" Noah asked next.

"Sure. I don't have a problem with that."

"Then can I ask Ian," Elliot chimed in. "Sure, if you think he'll be able to get around in there."

"He'll manage, because I'll help him."

It was another movie based on comic book characters, which seemed to be in vogue both in the theaters and on television. I didn't have a problem with that and checked to see who else wanted to go with us. Brandon said he would, but Dion and Trey didn't think it was something Wyatt should see, so they were going to take him to see The Seventh Dwarf instead.

We both chose times after lunch, so the boys went in to watch cartoons until we ate. Adam arrived just as we were finishing up, so I had the boys get in the SUV and we took off for the cinema complex at the mall. Elliot drove his own car, so he could pick Ian up, and told us he'd meet us there.

Since we'd just finished lunch, the boys said to only get them a bag of popcorn to share this time, along with their drinks. That was fine with me, so we grabbed everything and went in the theater to find seats together.

Brandon and I weren't overly fond of the movie, although the boys were, but it wasn't so bad that we wanted to leave right away either. When it was over, I had the boys throw their trash in the garbage container before we went home. On the ride back, they made comments about the movie.

"I wish I could move from place to place as easy as they did," Benny stated.

"I'd rather have their superpowers," Ryan disagreed.

"Benny, if you moved to another dimension like they did, then we wouldn't be together any more," Joshie stated.

"I'd take all of you with me."

"I'm not sure we'd all want to do that," Owen challenged. "Yeah, I'd rather stay here," Noah confessed.

"No matter what we wish for, we're always going to be stuck being ourselves and living with our families," Adam offered, putting an immediate damper on the conversation.

When we got to the house, I asked Dion and Trey how they'd made out. "We all enjoyed the movie we went to. It was really cute."

"I'm glad it worked out for you then, because I think I'd have been better off staying home."

The boys wanted to go swimming next, and the rest of us agreed to join them. After spending an hour in the pool, the adults left the boys on their own and went back in the house. Having kids certainly keeps you active, and you can have a good time doing those things with them, if the young 'uns don't tire you out.

After dinner, we let the boys entertain themselves, as we made certain everything was ready for Tuesday and the adoption ceremony. While Brandon was checking all the boys' suits, dress shirts, and ties, I called the restaurant to confirm our reservations for Tuesday evening. Once we were sure everything was in order, we spent a little more time with the boys until bedtime.

After church on Sunday, we followed our normal routine and went to brunch before going home. As soon as we got back, the boys wanted to go swimming again, so we told them to go ahead. They wanted us to join them again, but we explained that we had other things to do. They kept pleading with us, so Brandon and I finally agreed to join them for a half hour, but that was all. They weren't thrilled about this, but they realized it was better than nothing at all and stopped whining.

Before we took Owen home that afternoon, he asked if he could come with us to the adoption ceremony. I told him we didn't mind, but he'd have to wear a suit, because we were going to a really fancy restaurant afterward. After he confirmed that he had a suit, I told him I'd check with his parents when we reached his house.

After I explained the situation to Terri and Brian, they told me they'd make sure Owen was ready so I could pick him up on the way to the courthouse. They also said they would send enough money with him so he could pay for his own meal. I told them that wouldn't be necessary, but they insisted, so I relented. They also agreed to have him bring a change of clothes, since Ryan wanted him to spend the night afterward.

I don't think they minded that Owen was going to stay with us again on Tuesday night, since we were going to have a full-house the following weekend and Owen wouldn't be able to stay over then. All of the family was planning on coming to officially welcome Benny and Ryan to the family, as well as to celebrate Dad's sixty-fifth birthday. Once everything had been cleared up, Ryan and I returned home, excited that we were inching closer to making him a legal member of our family.

Monday went by in a blur, since Ryan and Benny were constantly asking what was going to happen at the courthouse and what they were going to have to do. Since they were still so hyper when we tucked them in that evening, I wasn't sure if they were going to get any sleep.

We let them sleep in a little later on Tuesday morning so they would be well rested, as the ceremony wasn't until 4:00. When they finally came down to join us, they both looked much better than they had the previous day, but there were still a few hours to go before the ceremony.

After lunch, we sent the boys up to take another shower and brush their teeth, but we didn't have them get dressed until 2:30. We told Owen we'd pick him up around 3:15 and then go directly to the courthouse. I wasn't sure if Uncle Steve would want to meet with the boys again before the ceremony, but we'd be there early enough so he could do it, if that were the case.

When we were finally let into the courtroom, we all sat in the gallery while we waited for Uncle Steve to enter. When he did, we all had to rise, and he looked out at us and smiled as he took his place behind the bench.

"As I've said in the past, this is one of the more enjoyable duties I get to perform as judge. It was quite a few years ago when I first became introduced to this wonderful family, as they first came together and continued to add even more to their number. This time, however, I get to add the newest members to the next generation of this unique family, since one of the boys from that first adoption ceremony is now adopting more children of his own.

"I've already presided over the adoption of the first two to join this new generation, and I see them sitting with the other family members as we get ready to add two more. I just hope this isn't the last time they'll require my services, because I'm certain there are other youngsters out there that would benefit from their love and guidance as well.

"Benny and Ryan, will you please step forward," Uncle Steve added, and we had to prod the boys so they would do as he'd requested. I felt they were a little overwhelmed at this point, as we eagerly sent them on their way. "We're here today because Daniel Currie and Brandon O'Hara have petitioned the court to adopt both of you. Are you willing to let them do this?"

Ryan and Benny merely nodded their heads, so the bailiff had to prompt them about how they should respond. "Yes, your honor," they both agreed verbally this time.

"Since I approve of this wholeheartedly, and all the legal requirements and obligations have been met, I will now affix my signature to the documents to proclaim it so. Benjamin Alan Devaney Jr., you will now be known as Benjamin Alan O'Hara-Currie and I will present you with the documents you will need to prove this, including a new birth certificate."

"Ryan Edward Hayes, from henceforth you will be known as Ryan Edward O'Hara-Currie, and I will also provide you with the documents you will need, including your new birth certificate. Do either of you have any questions?"

They both shook their heads this time, so the bailiff prompted them again. "No, your honor."

"Then come up here and get the documents from me, before you go back to celebrate with your dads."

Both boys were beaming proudly as they took the papers from Uncle Steve, and then they trotted back to join us. I think the bailiff was about to tell them to walk, but he noticed Judge Shay shake his head, so the bailiff didn't say anything.

As soon as the boys joined us, Brandon and I gave each of them a hug and kissed them on the forehead. Then, we inspected their new documents with them and admired their new names.

"I get all tingly just looking at it," Ryan said as we inspected his new birth certificate together. "I can't believe that's really me now."

"You'd better, because I'm not ready to go through this again," I joked, and then I gave him another hug.

After we left the courtroom, Uncle Steve came out to meet us in the hallway. "The reservation is for 6:00, so we'll see you and Aunt Mary then," I reminded him.

"You certainly will," he replied, as he shook hands with both boys and gave them a quick hug.

We went home in between, because we had time to kill before leaving for the restaurant. Everyone was congratulating the boys, as well as congratulating Brandon and me, and before long Owen came over to do that as well.

"I'm so happy for you," he told Ryan. "I think you got the best parents, besides mine."

"Yeah, I do too."

When we pulled up in front the restaurant a little later, Owen made another comment. "This place is super fancy."

"Have you ever been here before?"

"Nah, but my mom and dad have, so I've heard them talkin' about it. They come here sometimes for stuff to do with the bank, and mom told me to mind my manners while I was here."

"I have no doubt you will."

We were then led back to the private dining room. Everyone from the house was there with us, along with Owen, and then Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Sally joined us. The rest of our brothers didn't come this time, because we would be celebrating with them on Saturday, at the house.

Once everyone had arrived, we placed our orders, and enjoyed our meals when they were delivered a short time later. Everyone was talking excitedly about today's events while we ate, and once the staff had cleared the dishes from the table after we'd finished, our waiter returned carrying the cake we'd ordered for this event. On one side it read, 'Congrats, Benny & Ryan', while on the other side was 'Happy Birthday, Dad/Josh'.

"I thought this was just to celebrate the boys joining the family," Dad said after seeing the cake.

"Come on. How could we do this without celebrating your birthday too?" Brandon countered.

"And now we can celebrate together every year," Ryan chimed in. "In a way, it will be Benny's and my birthday too, since we are kinda being born into the family today."

"You know, I like that idea and I'll be happy to share my birthday with both of you from now on," Dad concurred.

There were two candles on Benny and Ryan's side of the cake, and a single candle on Dad's section. After the waiter lit the three candles, we sang 'For They Are Jolly Good Fellows' to Benny and Ryan, before singing Happy Birthday to Dad. Then we told each of them make a wish and blow out their candle.

"But I just got my wish," Ryan countered, looking at us confused.

"Me too," Benny added.

"And I began living my wish ever since I started taking in you boys," Dad said next.

"Hey, who was the first one?" Ryan wanted to know.

"That would be your Uncle Ricky, and then your dad, Danny."

"So one good and one bad," Noah commented before releasing an evil laugh.

"I hope you meant I was the good one," I challenged.

"We'll let Grandpa Josh decide that," Noah replied with an evil smirk.

"I wouldn't call either of them bad, but Ricky sure tests our patience at times," Dad responded. "However, I would definitely agree that your dad was the good one."

Once we had all finished our piece of cake, Brandon and I had something we wanted to say. "Before you leave, Brandon and I have an announcement to make. Since gay marriage is now legal in Pennsylvania, as well as the rest of the 50 states, we've decided to get married the day after Thanksgiving this year, and you're all invited."

The boys immediately began to cheer and everyone else took a moment to congratulate us. Then, Dion made a comment. "My birthday is the day after Thanksgiving this year too, so we'll be sharing a date on the calendar as well."

"Oops. In our excitement, we overlooked that, so we hope you don't mind," I stated.

"Not at all. I think it's great that the three of us will be able to celebrate together each year."

"And this way my parents can come then too, because we can celebrate our anniversary each year over the holiday weekend," Brandon added.

"So where are you going for your honeymoon?" Trey wanted to know.

"We'll be taking a delayed honeymoon. Maybe we'll do it like we did this year and go away over Memorial Day Weekend again."

"That's an awfully short honeymoon," Pop pointed out.

"Since we've been together for so long, it's all we really need," Brandon confirmed. "Besides, we don't think we could handle being away from the boys for longer than that." The last half of his comment elicited smiles from the boys.

Shortly after we'd shared our news, we said goodbye to Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Sally as they left for their homes. We had the waiter box up the rest of the cake so we could take it with us, because we knew the boys would polish it off over the next few days. It had been a long and emotional day, so we all went to bed early that night, secure in the thought that we were a family and no one could separate us now.

Chapter 42
A Close-knit Family

Those not living at home started to arrive on Friday night, in preparation for the party the following evening. Ricky was the first to show up, and he pulled into the driveway just before 6:00.

"I took a little time off from work so I'd miss the worst of the traffic on the way here," he announced as we greeted him at the door.

"It's nice to see you, but you don't seem to have anything with you," Dad remarked, since it didn't appear as if Ricky had even brought a change of clothes.

"It's in the car and I'll get it later. I didn't want to waste time lugging everything around, because I wanted to spend as much time with you as I could, along with getting to meet my newest nephew."

"Well, we can certainly take care of that. Come into the living room and make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, I could use a beer."

"I'll get it," Trey offered, "so you two can chat."

"Thanks, and will one of you call Ryan to come here, so we can introduce him to Ricky."

"Do you think that's wise?" I teased, which caused Ricky to make a face.

"Just go get him."

Before long, I was returning from the family room with Ryan by my side. As we entered the living room, he looked at Ricky and then turned to ask me a question. "Is he the uncle that all my brothers said to watch out for?"

Before I could answer, Ricky snapped. "So you guys are already trying to turn him against me, even before we've had a chance to meet?"

"The other boys were just trying to protect their newest brother," I responded. "They wanted him to know what he was up against."

"That's not fair. It seems like I'm being found guilty before I've even done anything."

"Unless you count all of the things you've done to everyone else on all those other occasions," Brandon reasoned.

"But I've never done anything to him," Ricky said as he pointed toward Ryan.

"That's why the boys warned him, so he'd be prepared." I then introduced Ricky to Ryan and they shook hands.

"Don't believe everything you hear about me. I'm really a very nice guy."

"With a sneaky and mischievous streak," Dion added, which caused Ricky to flash him a dismissive stare.

Over the course of the next few hours, more of our guests began to arrive. We figured those living farthest away would show up tonight, so they'd be able to rest up before the party. This also included three of Dad's biological children and their families, but we already knew the last one wouldn't be able to get here until the following day.

As the others arrived, we offered them a drink and a bite to eat first, before we informed them which bedroom they'd be using, since Brandon and I had worked out the logistics in advance. Then, we let them unpack and freshen up, if they wished to do so, before we sat down together to visit.

The only other person who attracted more than the normal amount of attention when he arrived was Frankie. The minute Benny saw him, he went running toward Frankie and leapt in the air, right into his uncle's arms.

"Hi, Uncle Frankie. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too, sport! And it's nice to see you again."

"Ryan, this is Uncle Frankie. He's the one who found me and brought me here to live."

"Nice to meet you, Ryan. And welcome to the family."

"Thanks," Ryan said as Frankie bent down and gave him a hug while still holding Benny.

We had a really nice time chatting with those who'd shown up early, and Ryan got to meet some of the uncles he hadn't seen before. Benny knew who most of them were, although he forgot a couple of their names until we reminded him, but everyone told him it was ok, because it would take time to keep everyone straight.

Then around midnight, the last of us decided to turn in, although we left the front door unlocked in case any stragglers showed up. We weren't worried about leaving the door unlocked, since we felt someone would have to be insane to try to burglarize a house that had so many cars in the driveway, as well as on the lawn.

After we got up and fed everyone the following morning, the younger boys went to the family room to watch their Saturday morning shows and cartoons. They'd been in there for about a half hour when I heard some screaming, so I went to investigate.

"Hey, what's going on in here?"

"We found this bag that had a bunch of small bags of Cheetos in it, so we was gonna have some," Joshie began.

"We thought it'd be alright, cuz there was a note on the bag that said 'Enjoy', so we each grabbed a bag," Ryan continued.

"But when we opened them, there was other stuff inside, not Cheetos," Benny followed. "My bag was filled with fake spiders and it scared me really bad, cuz I don't like spiders." I knew this was true, because at Halloween Benny had steered clear of the tank in the basement that contained the spiders.

"And my bag had plastic bugs," Joshie added, "but they weren't as scary."

"The bag I helped Wyatt open had small rubber snakes inside," Ryan stated. "Wyatt started crying and jumped off my lap the minute he saw them." As I looked at Wyatt, he still had tears streaking down his cheeks and his chest was heaving as he continued to sob.

"Obviously, someone tampered with these bags and was playing a joke on you boys."

"Nuht uh," Benny replied. "They looked the same as they would in the store."

"Yeah, we checked the bags over and none of them had been opened before we opened them," Ryan confirmed, as he looked at me confused.

"Let me see those bags," I said, and the boys passed the small, aluminum foil containers to me.

I inspected each one carefully, as I attempted to figure out how this could have been done. As I studied the final two bags, I spotted my first clue. After checking out the last bag, I spotted another clue that provided me with the answer to this conundrum.

"It appears that someone opened the bags from the bottom, emptied the contents, and then glued them shut again."

"How'd you know that?" Ryan challenged.

"I noticed that one bag had been sealed unevenly, which could have possibly happened during production, but then I checked the other bag. I found one of the bugs that were still at the bottom of the bag after it had been emptied. When I tried to get it out, I discovered it was glued to the inside of the bag."

The boys all looked around at each other and then responded in unison. "Uncle Ricky," they all shouted.

"You're probably right about that, but we can't prove it was him for certain."

We left it like that until Ryan and Elliot came up to me later. "Tell em," Ryan urged.

"Ryan told me about the Cheetos bags, and I saw Uncle Ricky carrying that plastic bag they were in earlier, when he went out to get his things out of his car. He waited until most of you had gone to bed before he did it, but I was in the kitchen getting a drink of water when he came back inside. I know that was the same bag, because we don't have any of those stores around here," he added as he pointed to the logo on the bag in question.

"Then maybe there is enough proof, but what can we do about it?"

"Oh, we'll think of something," Elliot replied with an evil grin.

"Are you sure you'll have time to do that before he leaves?"

"Yeah, not a problem."

"By the way, when are you planning to go back to school? I thought you'd have taken off already."

"Classes are starting a week later than last year, so I'm not leaving until next Thursday. That way I'll have the entire weekend to get moved in and settled before classes start."

"Ok, that sounds good, but please don't do anything to Ricky that's going to create even bigger problems," I replied before he and Ryan turned and walked away.

Throughout the morning and early afternoon more of the family began to arrive. Graham, Sammy, and Andrew showed up just before noon, since they didn't live quite as far away as some of the others, but they told us they would also be spending the night before returning home.

Around 4:00, those living in the immediate area began to show up too, because the party was scheduled to begin at 6:00. We had told everyone we would be having another cookout first to feed this massive horde, and Pop, Trey, and Brandon had volunteered for that duty. The rest of us told them that we'd help and do whatever we could, so the burden didn't fall entirely on them. The menu was also going to be the same as the other cookouts, except this time we'd also be offering Italian sausage with peppers and onions.

When Little Ricky came through the door, Ryan greeted him nearly as enthusiastically as Benny had greeted Frankie, except he didn't try to leap into Little Ricky's arms. "Hi, Uncle Richard, I'm really glad to see you again. I'm legally part of the family now, and that never would have happened without you."

Ryan then explained to Benny how Little Ricky had brought him to live with us, much like Frankie had done for him. He also told Benny that he should call him Uncle Richard, so he wouldn't get confused with the other Uncle Ricky.

"Yeah, cuz they're nothin' alike," Benny agreed.

Over the course of the day, everyone was introduced to Ryan and had a chance to tell him a little about themselves and how they became part of the family. They also made their way around to congratulate Benny and wish Dad a Happy Birthday as well, since this was a joint party. The only one who didn't know this was Dad, but we figured he must have suspected this was the case. I mean, after what we did Tuesday night at the restaurant when we celebrated the adoption, how could he not realize we'd be doing the same thing today.

When Pop told us everything was ready, we all went to grab a plate and some silverware so we could get what we wanted. We let Dad, Ryan, and Benny go first, since this party was for them, and then everyone else lined up behind them. Those of us who still lived at the house waited and were the last ones served. We'd not only done this to be polite, but we also wanted to make sure there was enough food to go around. If we ran out, then we could always fix something else for ourselves, but there turned out to be more than enough food for everyone.

Since the chore of feeding everybody took quite awhile, those who had been served first already had time for their meals to settle. Since that was the case, Brandon and Trey went inside and each one came out carrying a rather large sheet cake. One of the cakes congratulated Benny and Ryan, while the other one wished Dad a Happy Birthday. His cake also had a large, wax '6' and '5' prominently displayed on top, but no one lit the numbers right away, because Uncle Steve wanted to say something first.

"Today we're gathered here to honor two significant events. The first is to honor the founder of the 'Castaway Hotel' on his sixty-fifth birthday. Happy Birthday, Josh!" There was a slight pause while everyone else chimed in and wished him a Happy Birthday too, and then Uncle Steve continued speaking.

"It was a little over eighteen years ago when Josh opened up his home to boys who desperately needed a safe place to live. His biological family had grown up and were living on their own by that point, and Josh had been living alone in this big, old house for some time before he took in his first two boys, Ricky and Danny. I only mention them because Danny is now carrying on the tradition and emulating Josh's terrific example, so today we are also here to welcome his two newest sons into the fold. Congratulations, Benny and Ryan."

Uncle Steve paused at this point so everyone could offer their greetings of welcome to them, and then Uncle Steve spoke again. "I know each of you will welcome Benny and Ryan as the newest members of the next generation of residents to move into the Castaway Hotel, but don't forget to wish the founder of this wonderful establishment a Happy Birthday and also thank him for all the great work he's done."

Everyone began to cheer and applaud again after Uncle Steve finished his comments, and then they began to mill around, as they did the things Uncle Steve had requested. It was definitely a time of great joy and enthusiastic revelry.

When things began to calm down, Dad suggested something next. "Danny, why don't you tell everyone your news too?"

"What news?" the others began to ask. After having several people confront me, I finally relented.

"Brandon and I have been waiting a very long time to do this, but since gay marriage is now legal, we've set our wedding date for the day after Thanksgiving. All of you are invited to join us, if you can."

"It's about time," someone shouted, as they began to come up and congratulate us too.

As the day wore on, some of the family began to consume the beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages in greater quantities than the rest of us. They got a little loud in the process, but no one did anything to cause any problems, although a couple of them needed help getting to their bedrooms when it was time to turn in. Eventually, the house grew quiet, as everyone fell into a restful slumber.

The next morning, nearly everyone else was up and had come down for breakfast when I realized Ricky was nowhere around. I wasn't sure if he was merely sleeping off the excessive amount of beer he'd drunk the previous evening, or if he might be up to something, so I went to check on him. I eventually discovered that he was still in bed, but not in the way I'd expected. I also found his current situation very comical, so I had to make sure I shared it with others before anything changed. Therefore, I hurried downstairs and called out to a few of the others.

"Dad, Pop, Brandon, Dion, and Trey. You've got to come see this."

They all looked at me quizzically, but followed me upstairs anyway. I then opened the door to the bedroom Ricky was staying in and led them inside.

"Quit gawking and laughing and help me get out of this," he demanded, although no one was in a hurry to assist him.

"This reminds me of Gulliver and the Lilliputians," Dad observed.

He was correct, and I'm sure that same thought had flashed through everyone else's mind as well. As Ricky was sleeping under a single sheet, someone, or a small group, had managed to tie him to the bed using a ton of dental floss. The sheet had obviously prevented the floss from cutting into Ricky's skin, and whoever did this had also looped the waxy string around the area where the sheet covered his wrists too, so he couldn't use his hands to free himself.

As I stood looking down at him, I found it hard to believe how many times the dental floss had been wrapped around Ricky's body, from his shoulders down to his ankles. There had been so much floss placed over the white sheet and now bound him to the mattress that it made it appear as if his body was encased in a cocoon. I found that image slightly unsettling, because it made me wonder what type of creature this metamorphosis might cause Ricky to turn into.

"Anyone up for tickling the monster before we free him?" Trey joked.

"Don't you dare!" Ricky screamed. "I swear I'll get even with anyone who tries doing anything like that."

"Maybe we should just leave him then," Dion followed, as he turned and headed toward the door.

"Dad, you love me, so get me out of this," Ricky pleaded.

"Well, you'll definitely stay out of trouble this way," Dad quipped, leaving Ricky to wonder if he was serious.

"Come on, quit foolin' around and let me loose. I have to find out who did it so I can get even with them."

"That's a good enough reason to leave him right where he is," Pop observed.

"Yes, I definitely don't want a war breaking out and ruining this wonderful weekend," Dad agreed.

"He can't cause any trouble like this," I added, "so maybe Pop's right."

"Quit joking around and cut me loose," Ricky snapped.

"Only if you promise there will be no paybacks!" Dad stated, knowing Ricky wasn't in a position to argue or refuse.

"Ok, I promise I won't do anything to anyone before I leave today," he concurred.

"Sneaky, but he just left open the possibility that he'd do it the next time he was here," I pointed out.

"Yes, so do we want to take that chance?" Brandon followed.

"As long as he promised not to do it this time, I'm willing to let him loose," Dad stated. "We can always tie him up again if he does something else later."

We were all trying to keep from bursting out in laughter as we watched Dad free Ricky with a pair of scissors. Ricky's face was beet red, so we knew he was upset that someone had been able to do this to him, but he had himself partially to blame. I had a good idea about who might have done this, but Ricky had fired the first shot across the bow and set the ball in motion. Not only that, but if he hadn't drunk so much beer the previous evening, whoever did this might not have been able to pull it off without waking him up.

When we got downstairs, word quickly spread about the predicament Ricky had been in and the others began ribbing him about it. Since Ricky didn't particularly enjoy this sort of attention, but seeing he had promised not to seek retribution, he did his best to ignore them. However, it didn't mean everyone else stopped talking about what had happened.

"I'm pretty sure I know who did this," Brandon told me after we were away from the others.

"Do tell," I said, although I thought I knew too.

"When Elliot came to get his teeth cleaned earlier this month, my hygienist said he'd asked her for extra floss. She said he told her it was for his friends at college, and since we get it free from the supplier to give to our patients, she didn't see any harm."

"So you think she gave him enough to do that?"

"No, so he must have bought more."

Throughout the day, we said goodbye to the others and thanked them for coming before they returned home. Ricky was back to his 'old self' by the time he left, although we knew we had to be ready for him to seek retaliation on his next visit When the last of our visitors had departed, Brandon and I called all of the boys together for a little chat.

"We have a pretty good idea about who did that to Uncle Ricky, so is there anything any of you want to tell us?"

"I told you we'd take care of the problem after he played that prank on my brothers," Elliot responded with a smirk.

"He didn't actually hurt anyone, though," Brandon challenged.

"Neither did we, but his prank upset Benny and Wyatt pretty bad," Elliot added.

"Yeah, I don't like spiders and that really scared me," Benny confirmed.

"And Wyatt is afraid of snakes and he cried for a long time after he opened that bag," Joshie informed us.

"Ok, so maybe it was worse than we first thought," Brandon relented.

"Since it took so much dental floss to pull that off, you must have been planning to do this for quite a long time," I stated while staring directly at Elliot.

"Not really. I had collected that stuff to do it to one of the guys who's in my classes at college. He's always giving people shit, so I thought I could get some of the others to help me pay him back."

"So this wasn't something you planned specifically for Ricky?" I followed, slightly confused.

"No, I just happened to have all the things I needed, so I decided to do it to him as a trial run."

"Very interesting, but I know you couldn't have pulled that off by yourself," I challenged.

"No, I had some help."

"And who was this mystery accomplice?" It looked as if Elliot didn't want to answer, so someone else did it for him.

"I helped him," Noah admitted. "He'd upset my brothers, so I thought we needed to pay him back."

"It must have taken you two a really long time to tie him up like that."

"Yeah, it did," Elliot confirmed, "but we just kept passing the floss over his body and under the bed, and then we tied it off after that container was empty."

"So how long did it take you?"

"Ummm, a few hours, but it was definitely worth it," Noah said with a huge grin.

"I know you didn't get all the floss from my office, so did you buy the rest?" Brandon followed.

"I stopped at Uncle Kevin's pharmacy cuz I was gonna buy more, but when he saw me taking all the floss he asked what it was for. I told him it was for guys I knew, so he told me if I didn't mind some damaged containers that he had a box of floss that he'd give me. He said it got damaged in transit and the company had replaced it, because they couldn't sell containers like that. He said the company had told him to just get rid of the damaged stock, but he hadn't done it yet, so he gave it to me instead."

"How fortuitous," I joked.

"Yeah, because there's enough left over so I don't have to buy a whole lot more to do it to the other guy too."

"Just don't get caught, in case that boy turns out to have an even hotter temper than Ricky."

"Don't worry. He's just got a big mouth."

"I hope so, because you certainly don't need anyone else coming after you, now that Ridley and Abernathy are out of the picture."

"Ok, I'll be careful then."

Brandon and I would still worry about him, as all parents do when it comes to their children, no matter how old they are. We also shared one other constant, though, and that was the love we felt for one another. We may not have originated from the same bloodline, but we have all bonded together as a family and we loved and cared for each other deeply, and that was the one variable that would never change.

The End