The Inheritance

This is the first part of a Trilogy.

Co-written by: Mel and LJ


It was Saturday morning. Todd had left to work at the dental clinic for a few hours and Hayden had just settled at his desk to reply to some overdue emails when the door bell rang. Any thoughts he’d had about getting back to his work were driven from his mind the moment he opened the door and saw a face he never thought he’d see again. Though her hair was streaked with gray and she had some lines of maturity on her face, she was still as lovely as she’d been the day they’d met thirty years earlier.

“Hello, Hayden,” she said when he didn’t speak. “Don’t you recognize me?”

Hayden recovered his senses at the sound of her voice. “Marie, I’m sorry. I’m just so surprised to see you.”

“I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I need to talk with you. May I come in?”

“Oh, of course.” He opened the door wider, stepping out of the way to allow his visitor inside. “Please come in. May I take your coat?”

He took the long, camel-coloured coat and hung it in the front hall closet before showing her to the living room. She was tall and regal-looking in a tan pant suit with print blouse. Though she had always been slender, Hayden thought she looked almost too thin. “Please sit and make yourself comfortable.” He indicated the sofa by the fireplace.

Marie could see the tension in Hayden’s face and knew her presence had shocked him. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘who can blame him when I show up out of the blue after nearly thirty years.’ She walked over towards the couch but didn’t sit right away.

“Hayden, I know this is a shock having me just show up, but please be assured I am not here to disrupt anyone’s life. I’d just like to ... well...talk to you about something.” Marie moved to the mantle over the fireplace and gently touched one of the photos. “He’s grown into a very handsome man; the spitting image of you.” She looked back to meet Hayden’s eyes. “Thank you for the photographs you sent every year. It’s been wonderful to see him grow up, even if it was just in pictures.”

Hayden smiled indulgently. “He has your eyes you know, the same spark in them that you have. He’s a good man, Marie. You’d be proud of him. Actually he just got married last month to a wonderful young man and they’re very happy.”

Marie grinned. “He’s gay then? Well I guess that was sort of inevitable, wasn’t it; given his parentage and all.” She turned away from the pictures and took a seat on the sofa. “Is Todd home?”

Hayden sat in the chair opposite of his visitor. “No, I’m sorry. He just left a short while ago and won’t be home for a few hours.”

“Well, perhaps that’s for the better. I know he was always a bit nervous around me since Zack’s birth,” she replied with a sad smile.

“He was very grateful to you; we both were. What you gave us was a gift we could never begin to repay.”

“I’m glad you were happy, and you were also more than generous. The education you and Todd paid for gave me a better life than I could ever have managed on my own. Though I’m far from rich, I did begin my own business and have made a good living. I never married, just never seemed to find the time or the right woman.”

She drew in a deep breath and fought to remember the words she’d practiced say so many times during her trip to Jade Heights. “Hayden, the reason I’m here today is that I’m dying; I have cancer. I’ve been told I have no more than a few weeks left.”

“Oh Lord, Marie, I’m so sorry. What can I do to...” Hayden began.

Marie held up her hand. “No please, Hayden, it’s all right. I’ve had this for more than three years. I’ve fought the good fight but there is nothing more they can do. I really have come to terms with it and I didn’t come here looking for help or sympathy. I’ve come because I need a lawyer to write up my Will and be the executor when I’m gone and I’d like that to be you. I don’t have any family beyond a couple of distant cousins. And when I look back over my life, I can say in all honesty the best thing I ever did was to bring Zackary into the world. Even if I was never a part of his life, he is still a part of me and I want him to be my beneficiary. I have a modest home and I sold my business last year when my cancer spread, so I have the assets from that and some small investments. When I’m gone, I’d like you to sell the house and investments, pay whatever taxes are due and ensure that Zachary gets whatever is left.”

Hayden was staggered and saddened by this news and also a bit unsure as to what Zack’s reaction would be, or Todd’s for that matter. “Marie, I know that our agreement was that you’d not be a part of his life. But Zack is an adult now. If you’d like to, I’m sure he’d...”

“No, no, Hayden, I won’t do that to him. I will not suddenly appear in his life asking him to acknowledge a mother who is dying, leaving him to feel some sort of obligation to me. It is better things remain as they have always been. I only want to leave this to him. He’s the best thing I ever did and all I have left should go to him.”

They continued discussing her wishes. Marie had brought all her financial statements and Hayden began to draft the will. She explained that she wanted whatever personal effects she had left, sold or given to charity. She’d already given things to any of her friends that she’d felt appropriate. The only personal stipulation was a gold pocket watch which she handed to Hayden. “I want Zackary to have this. It belonged to my grandfather and my father after him. Since I was his only child, it came to me but I’d like it to go on to Zackary.

She was adamant in her insistence that Zack not be informed of any of this prior to her passing, she went so far as to invoke client/solicitor privilege so that Hayden was in the position that he could not say anything even if he wanted to go against her wishes.

After two hours Marie had grown fatigued. The signs of her illness had now become apparent. “I’m sorry, Hayden, I have to rest now. My friend Lily came with me from Vancouver. I’ll call her now to pick me up. We are going to stay tonight at the Inn and drive back to Kelowna tomorrow for our flight to Vancouver. I was wondering if you would bring the final draft of the Will over to the Inn this evening so that I can sign it. Lily will be the witness and can attest to the fact that this was all my own idea in case there is any question.”

“Of course, I’ll bring it over tonight about seven. It’s fairly straight forward and won’t take long to get things finished up.” Hayden walked Marie to the door when her friend arrived. “Marie, I know I told you this before, but thank you for the gift of bearing Zack for us. He’s has been the joy of our lives; a joy Todd and I would never have known without you.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Six weeks later, Hayden received a call from the Main Street Hospice that Marie VanDinther had passed away peacefully that morning. Her friend Lily was at her side and a photo of Zack in her hand.

Hayden had done some rough figuring on the value of Marie’s house and assets. Even after all the taxes were paid, the proceeds would easily pay off Zack’s business loans on the pharmacy as well as buy Zack and Rene a nice house in Jade Heights. There should even be a bit left as a nest egg for them. Now all he had to do was explain this to Todd and Zack, and hope they could forgive him for keeping silent all this time.

He knew that his husband would not be best pleased with him when he found out about Marie’s visit and bequest to their son. Todd had always been nervous that she could interfere with his relationship with Zack. Try though as he might, Hayden could never quite take away Todd’s fear. Zack was Hayden’s biological child and even though Todd was as much a parent as Hayden right from the day of Zack’s birth, Todd still feared that the biological mother could somehow steal his place in Zack’s heart.

Though it had been many years since Todd voiced those fears, Hayden knew his husband well enough to know they still existed in some hidden spot of Todd’s psyche. Todd’s love for their son was as deep and rich as any parent could have and Hayden knew for a fact that Zack adored his Papa. There was a special tenderness in their relationship that Hayden had secretly envied. It was not that Hayden and Zack didn’t have a wonderful relationship, but Todd had a way with the little boy that Zack had been, a way that had given the two a special level of closeness.

Now Hayden could see that the adult Zack had taken on more than the role of beloved son; Zack was also Todd’s defender and protector. The strength and toppy nature that Zack had inherited from Hayden had come into play in Zack’s relationship with his Papa, for which Hayden was grateful. It made him feel better knowing that if anything were to happen to him, Zack would be there to care for his Papa. If he were anything less than totally secure in his own relationships with his husband and son, this could have caused Hayden a certain amount of jealousy. However, Hayden knew his place in the family was secure so he felt nothing but happiness and pride in the relationship that Zack and Todd shared.

Now he had only to ensure that Todd felt just as secure. After taking the call notifying him of Marie’s passing, Hayden was finally at liberty to inform Todd of the circumstances. He found his husband in the kitchen fixing lunch.

“Looks and smells wonderful, love,” Hayden commented as he took in the meal of hearty homemade soup and fresh bread. He wrapped his arms around Todd’s slim waist and kissed him. “I’ll set the table.”

Todd would rather have had more kisses but settled for going after more when lunch was over and they had extra time on their hands. Setting the food on the table, he took his seat and animatedly began engaging Hayden in a conversation of nothing in particular. He smiled contentedly when his husband showed his appreciation for the meal by consuming a good-sized portion of it.

Hayden waited until Todd was finished eating before he broached the subject. “Sweetheart, that phone call I got just before lunch was one to inform me of some sad news. Marie VanDinther passed away this morning.”

Todd’s jaw dropped and he felt like he had been hit in the stomach. While it was true, that up until a few years ago, he’d lived with the fear of Marie someday trying to get back into their lives; he was now very saddened to hear of her passing. His eyes filled, but he blinked back his tears before croaking out, “How did she die and who called you? Who even knew to call you?”

Hayden had prepared himself for these questions and hoped that his oft-times reactionary husband would hear him out before allowing his emotions to get the better of him. “She had breast cancer, love; had been fighting it for several years but it had metastasized to her lungs and liver. She knew that the end was near and lived out her last days in the Main Street Hospice in Vancouver. They are the ones who called me.”

“But what I want to know is how did they know to contact you? It’s not as if you were family. You could hardly even be considered a close friend.” Todd was uncomfortable with the topic if disease and death. He was also getting impatient.

Hayden reached out and took Todd’s hands into his. “Sweetheart, if you’ll just listen to me for a moment I’m going to explain it all to you.” Seeing his husband settle in to hear him out, Hayden continued. “I hadn’t heard anything from Marie since we sent the last tuition payment to the University for her, back in the eighties. You know I sent her a picture of Zack once each year on his birthday. But as per our agreement, there was never any correspondence from her other than a couple of change of address cards so I knew where to send them. That is up until six weeks ago when she appeared at our front door.”

Todd’s mouth opened and Hayden knew he was about to get an earful. He quickly put his hand up to silence the tirade before it could begin. “Todd, please listen before you start reacting.” Hayden practically shivered from the icy glare he received from his beloved. “Being a dental practitioner, you know full well the ramifications of client privilege. Marie asked me to write and execute her Last Will and Testament. That made her my client and I was forced to abide by her request that our dealings remain confidential until her death. I’m very sorry, my love, but I had no choice but to keep this from you until now.”

Todd had made an effort to stay calm and hear his husband out. He didn’t want to think mean thoughts of the dead, but the idea of Marie being here still bothered him. “Of course I understand client/patient confidentiality, Hayden, but there are numerous lawyers in Vancouver competent enough to have handled this. I don’t see why she had to come all the way up here. Didn’t she know you are retired?”

“Well, there is a very good reason she asked me to handle her estate. Marie had no family and it was her wish to leave all she had to Zack. She said giving birth to him was the best thing she had ever done and that she wanted him to benefit from what she had gained during her lifetime. Todd, I don’t think we could have picked a finer woman to bear our son for us. She told me that she’d owned a small business which she sold once her cancer had spread and that she wanted the profits she had from that and from the sale of her home to go to Zack.”

“Are you saying that Zack is Marie’s sole beneficiary?” Todd softly inquired; a note of wonder in his voice. He was slowly accepting his husband’s explanation and beginning to believe that it was all meant to be.

“Yes, love, that is what I am saying. However, what Marie didn’t tell me, I found out when I did a little investigating of my own. The business that she’d owned was M. Van D’s Imports. She imported hand-woven textiles from small villages scattered all over Peru. She paid the women who made these textiles wages comparable to Canadian unionized workers, allowing them to support themselves and their extended families and improve their standard of living by leaps and bounds. Marie then turned around and sold those textiles to high-end boutiques here at a reasonable profit. When she sold the business, she ensured the new owner would keep up her practice of paying the makers equitably for the textiles.

I also discovered that she donated half of the money she made on the sale of her company to the children’s hospital where she’d been a volunteer for over twenty years. So even though Zack is the only one named in her Will, there were a lot of people who were beneficiaries of Marie during her life; including you and I when she gave us our beautiful son.”

“She really was a marvelous lady, wasn’t she? Kind and generous with good business sense to boot; I think Zack will be proud to learn about her, don’t you? Marie has left our son a beautiful legacy of her life.” Todd felt humbled at their having had Marie touch their lives. He also felt a sense of peace as any negatives feeling he had been harbouring dissipated.

“Yes, love, she was a wonderful lady. I just hope that Zack is going to be okay with all of this. You know he’s never expressed much interest to me in his birth mother. I thought we explained it all very well to him when he was a kid. At first he seemed so curious but very quickly seemed to lose interest. I can’t remember the last time the subject came up at all.” Hayden sighed. “Well, we’re going to have to tell him and the sooner the better. I’ll give him a call at the pharmacy and see if he can pop over for a while. Hopefully his assistant is in and can manage the store for him.”

“Yes, he’ll have to be told,” Todd agreed distractedly as he got up to put the kettle on while straightening up the kitchen. He was trying to think if he had ever inadvertently said something to cause Zack to stop asking about his mother. Todd would be the first to admit that he had often verbalized his concerns of Marie trying to get involved in their son’s life, but he had always exercised care to avoid doing so unless he and Hayden were alone.

Although Todd could not remember having ever voiced his insecurities in Zack’s presence, it didn’t mean the boy hadn’t picked-up on his Papa’s feelings. Todd would never forgive himself if he was in any way responsible for his son’s less than positive view of his mother, providing such was the case.

Todd sadly accepted that he did not have a true understanding of what Zack felt towards his biological mother. So caught up was he in his thoughts, Todd hadn’t heard his husband ending the call with their son and coming up behind him.

“Hey, it’s only me, love.” Hayden soothed his husband as he jumped, startled in his arms. “You were a million miles away.” He kissed the side of Todd’s neck. “Zack is on his way over. I’m afraid he’s worried there is a problem by my asking him to come and see us in the middle of the day.” When Todd barely acknowledged him, Hayden turned him around in his arms to look at his face. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Todd wrapped his arms around Hayden’s waist and nuzzled into his neck. Unable to put his fragmented thoughts into words, he settled for mumbling. “I’m fine, nothing’s wrong.” He crossed his fingers in hope of his husband not pushing the matter any further.

They stayed cuddling for a short time, only separating when Zack walked through the back door.
“Hi there,” Zack greeted his parents. “I got here as quickly as I could.” He glanced from one older man to the other and immediately recognized the expression of uncertainty on Todd’s face. It only heightened his unease that something problematical had occurred.

Hayden greeted his son with a hug. “Thanks for coming so soon. Sorry we dragged you away from the shop, but as I said on the phone, we have something important we need to discuss with you.” He pointed to the kitchen table. “Why don’t we sit down? Todd, would you get us all some coffee? I just need to get something from the office.”

When he returned to the kitchen carrying a thick envelope, Zack and Todd were seated at the table with mugs of steaming coffee and a plate of cookies. Hayden could see the anxious look on Zack’s face and knew he’d better get on with the explanation. He took a seat next to Todd so he could look across the table at their son’s face while he spoke.

“Zack, I received a call today notifying me that your birth mother, Marie VanDinther, passed away this morning.”

To say Zack was surprised would be an understatement. He sent a brief glance Todd’s way before returning his full attention to Hayden. He was somewhat uncomfortable, suspecting the subject matter to be rather upsetting for his Papa.

“I see,” he quietly uttered. Unsure of what was expected from him, it was all he could think to say. Besides, he felt it might be best for all concerned to get through this as quickly as possible.

“What I have to discuss with you now is not so much as you father, but as Marie’s attorney and executor of her estate. Though I had not seen Marie since shortly after your birth, she came to visit me about six weeks ago and asked if I would draft her Will for her. She had cancer and knew that she did not have much time left.” Hayden studied Zack carefully as he spoke. The younger man was expressionless and stiff as though guarding his emotions. “I offered at the time to inform you. However, she was quite adamantly against that. She said that she would not suddenly appear in your life, expecting you to acknowledge a dying mother and end up having you feel like you should owe her some sort of obligation. She did however think a great deal about you, which is why she came to see me about drafting her Will. Marie never married and had no living relatives. She was a successful businesswoman and homeowner.”

Hayden paused for a second but when Zack said nothing, he went on. “Son, she told me that giving birth to you was the best thing she had ever done and she has named you as the sole beneficiary of her estate.”

Zack was totally unprepared for that bit of news. He sat staring at his parents as a multitude of emotions threatened to overwhelm him, not the least of which was anger.

“I’m going to need time to get my mind around this, Dad.” He shook his head as if to clear it of cobwebs, but was still unable to think straight. “Are there provisions made, should I decide to reject this bequest?” he softly inquired.

Hayden was startled by Zack’s question. “I...no, Zack; Marie had made donations to charities and gifts of certain possessions to friends prior to her passing. This left her estate very straight forward. She requested that her house in Vancouver be sold and all taxes and creditors paid, leaving all remaining funds from the sale of the house, as wellas her accounts and investments and life insurance, to you. She also left a single personal item in my care.” Hayden pulled the gold pocket watch from the envelope and handed it across the table to his son. “She said it had been her grandfather’s and she wanted you to have it.”

It was a large old-fashioned pocket watch attached to a heavy gold chain. The cover was engraved with an intricate ring of flowers which circled very stylized initials reading H.V.D. The back had an enameled blue and white inlay picture of an old-fashioned clipper ship. For several minutes, Zack quietly studied the watch as he slowly turned it in his hand, appreciating the workmanship that had obviously gone into the piece. He rubbed his thumb on the smooth surface as he worked on overcoming his feeling of anger, but the hurt remained.

“It’s beautiful,” he softly acknowledged. “I will comply with Marie’s last wishes, Dad.”

It was a statement that definitely had a ‘but’ hanging on the end of it. However, Zack didn’t continue. He merely went on to say, “Guess I have a lot of news to tell Rene over supper tonight.”

Todd glanced worriedly at Hayden as he reached across the table and rested his hand lightly on their son’s arm. “Piglet,” he gently beseeched. “Is there anything you want to talk about? Would you like to learn more about your mother; how she ended up having so much to leave you and why? She was a wonderful woman, Zack; someone you can be proud of.”

“Not right now, Papa.” Zack sighed and slipped the watch into his pocket. “Dad, would I be permitted to read the Will?”

“Of course, son.” Hayden pulled a blue-covered folder from the envelope and slid it across the table. “This copy is for you. I have attached a financial statement so you’ll have an idea as to the estimated value before and after taxes and expenditures. It’s a fairly sizable amount of money; enough that you’ll be able to pay off the pharmacy free and clear as well a purchase a house if that’s what you and Rene would like.”

Zack opened the folder and glanced at the statement summary on the first page; his eyes opened wide when he took in the bottom line.

“Zack, I know this is something of a shock to you, and certainly a lot for you to take in all at once. But your Papa and I want you to know we’re here for you whenever you’d like to talk. And of course I’m ready at anytime to answer questions you might have about the estate from a legal stand point.”

Zack softly whistled and shook his head in disbelief before placing the papers on the table. The numbers he had quickly scanned had blown him away.

“Thanks, Dad. I’d like to talk things over with Rene before making any decisions. Although maybe this,” Zack indicated the folder, “will help me convince my young husband that he should replace that old car he drives. I’d like to invest some but with the markets the way they are……guess I’ll need some advice from you there.”

He forced a smile as he got to his feet. “I better get back to the store. I’ll ah…see you both in a day or two.” He picked up the folder and with a final wave, he was out the door.

With so many feelings vying for attention, Zack chose to put the whole matter on hold until he had some private time to think things through. All and all, he had found the news somewhat disturbing and as a result was likely not as pleased as he would normally have been.

“I don’t think that went over too well,” Todd mused quietly after his son had left. “I realized we were not actually expecting him to be delighted, but at the same time, neither were we anticipating him to be this upset. Although he did try hard not to let it show.” He turned sad eyes up to Hayden. “I’m wondering what’s going to happen next and I hate waiting.”

Hayden shook his head slowly. “You’re right; I have to admit to Zack’s reaction surprising me. I swear to you, Todd, I caught a flash of anger in his eyes and that was something I did not expect. Our son does not anger easily, but something about this is bringing out stronger emotions than I anticipated.”

Hayden noticed the worried expression on his husband’s face and immediately wanted to comfort him. “It will be okay, my love; it’s just going to take a bit of time for Zack to work through his feelings. Believe me I won’t let this get out of hand. I’ll give him some space for a day or two, but then we will talk and sort it out.”

Even though he had faith in his husband being able to smooth things over, Todd still could not help but feel he was in some way responsible for their son’s negative response to the wonderful gift he had been given. He let out a deep sigh and nodded. “Yes, I guess there is nothing else either of us can do at the moment,” he reluctantly admitted before getting up and taking the empty coffee cups to the kitchen sink.

“I do hope this doesn’t take too long to clear up or I might become a nervous wreck.” For some reason, Todd still seemed to feel it was necessary to warn his husband of thirty-five years. Nothing could be further from the truth.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zack finished up all that required his attention at the pharmacy and went upstairs to the apartment he shared with his husband. Out of habit, he would usually have changed his clothing into something more casual and started supper, but he had too much on his mind to follow his normal routine.

He sat down on the sofa in the living room and carefully perused the documents his father had given him earlier. When he’d read it through, he leaned back and closed his eyes in an effort to make some sense of it all as the sun slowly waned. He was still in the exact same spot an hour later; sitting in the now darkened room. This was where Rene found him.

Rene looked at his watch and picked up his pace. He had lost track of time again while doing the planning and preparation for the next day’s art class.He had expanded his time at the day care centre and was now teaching art three days a week to the older children who came after school. It wasn’t that he didn’t finish class in time to get home, but he wanted to ensure he was giving the children his best and giving the parents their money’s worth. Zack had talked to him a couple of times now about planning his time better and not worrying so much. He’d also made it clear that he expected Rene home on time in the future.

Rene was slightly out of breath as he ran up the stairs just two minutes past his expected time. He flung open the door and was about to call out that he was home, but was startled to find the apartment in darkness. He was even more startled when he flipped on the entryway light and saw his husband sitting on the sofa.“Zack?” he spoke softly as he made his way over to sit beside him. “Zack, are you okay?”

Zack blinked and looked up at the younger man sitting beside him. “Ah, yes, yes, I’m fine,” he answered quietly as he worked on getting his bearings. He reached up and turned on the lamp next to the sofa. “Sorry, love, I didn’t hear you come in. I was lost in thought and didn’t realize it was getting so late.”

Getting to his feet, he drew his husband into his arms and kissed him. “You smell of fresh air with a touch of paint,” he teased. “I have something important to talk over with you, but first we better get supper on the table. We can just heat up the leftovers in the fridge, if you like. It shouldn’t take long with the two of us doing it together.”

Zack picked up the papers from the coffee table where he had dropped them some time ago, and headed into the kitchen and placed them on the table. He planned to show them to Rene later. He washed his hands and then began pulling various containers from the refrigerator. “Let’s see what we have here; some rice, a couple of chicken breasts, veggies….hmm, just enough to make chicken fried rice for two. What do you say, sweetheart?”

“Uh...sure, chicken fried rice sounds fine,” Rene replied. He took the veggies Zack had taken out and began methodically chopping them into smaller bite-size pieces.He had watched as Zack placed papers into a folder and carry them through to the kitchen. Rene remembered clearly what the copy of his grandfather’s Will had looked like. It had the same funny, little, coloured paper corner holding the sheets together and in a fancy looking legal-sized folder just like this one. Rene felt frightened by the sight. It seemed to him that having a Will sitting out was never a good sign. That, along with Zack saying he had something important to discuss, suddenly made Rene’s heart climb into his throat. He wanted desperately to ask but was equally dreading the answer.He was thinking so much about the papers that he wasn’t watching what he was chopping until the edge of the knife came down on his thumb.

“Shit!” he yelped as he dropped the knife and stuck the injured digit into his mouth.Zack was by Rene’s side in a second.

“Let me see it, love,” he requested and gently pulled Rene’s hand down from his face. After making sure the injury was thoroughly cleaned, he applied an antiseptic cream and a bandage. Gazing tenderly into his lover’s eyes, Zack softly admonished, “You must exercise greater care, my love.” He smiled and kissed the palm of the hand he was holding.

“How about you setting the table while I finish up here?” he suggested. “And, Rene, it is going to be okay. There is nothing to be nervous of; the Will does not belong to anyone you know. I’ll tell you all about it when we sit down to supper.”

Zack cleared off the counter where Rene had been working and threw out the now unusable veggies. He finely chopped a fresh onion and cooked it up in the frying pan before adding the rice and meat. A few dashes of soya sauce, some spices and it was soon ready to put on the table.

Sitting down and looking across at his husband, Zack began his explanation as promised. “I went to see my dads earlier today. It was at their request. My biological mother passed away this morning. Dad is the executor of her estate and according to her Will, I am the main beneficiary. The inheritance is substantial, to say the least.” He had been watching Rene’s face and wondering what the younger man’s take on this turn of events would be. He was pleased to see the worried expression being replaced by one of relief.

Rene was both relieved and sad. He wasn’t even sure how to offer his condolences in the circumstances. He reached over the table and placed his bandaged hand on top of Zack’s. “I’m sorry to hear about your mother. But...well, you told me before that you’d never met her and yet she made you her beneficiary? I think she must have loved youeven if she didn’t really know you.”

Zack smiled somewhat sadly and turned over his hand to give Rene’s an appreciative squeeze. “That’s possible,” the older man answered noncommittally. He had his doubts about Rene’s comment but didn’t want to discuss it until he had resolved some rather negative feelings of his own.

They ate in silence for another minute or two before Zack ventured to ask, “Any ideas of what we should do with this unexpected windfall?”

Rene was never comfortable with money discussions and didn’t know what to suggest. “It was left to you, Zack. You should do something you want with it.”

“Rene love, I know the Will doesn’t have your name on it, but I have a marriage certificate that does. In my books, that makes the money as much yours as mine. Now, Dad suggested I pay off my business loans. He also thought we might like to purchase a home of our own.” Zack leaned closer to his husband. “And it would certainly put my mind at ease knowing you were driving around in a new car as opposed to that old beater you use.” He grinned at the look of surprise on his lover’s face. “So what do you have to say about any of those ideas?”

Rene returned Zack’s grin. He had been feeling that Zack was upset about this Will, but seeing him smile made him feel a lot better. “I think your Dad is right about paying off the business. I know you’d feel better owning the pharmacy free and clear. And enough for a house too, huh?” he looked at Zack who nodded in confirmation. “Well, I love the apartment and I am very happy here. But yeah, a little house would be nice, especially if we could get something nearby so you wouldn’t have too far to get to the shop and I could get to the daycare too.”

Rene chewed on Zack’s other suggestion for a moment. “Zack, my car is okay for my needs. It’s not like I’m living out of it anymore and most times I walk to the daycare, so it would be silly to waste money on that. You should have something special for yourself, something you’ve always wanted.”

“Neither of us have need of a car very often here in town as everything is so handy. However, due to our somewhat harsher weather conditions during the winter months and your need to travel to Kelowna now and again for your supplies, puts me in the position of insisting you get a more reliable vehicle. Your safety is my paramount concern, my love.” Zack finished his meal and sat back. “But all this can be put on hold, as there is no hurry to make any decisions right now.”

Getting a nod of agreement from his husband, Zack got up from the table and began the clean-up. After the kitchen had been put to rights, they spent a quiet evening watching one of Rene’s favourite movies. While it held the younger man’s attention, Zack found his thoughts wandering until the closing credits interrupted them and Rene announced it was time for bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two o’clock in the morning and unable to sleep, Zack slipped out of bed without disturbing his lover and headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. Settling for a mug of hot chocolate, he took it into the living room and plunked himself down at the small desk in the corner.

After booting up the computer, he typed ‘Marie VanDinther’ into the search engine and waited to see what would turn up. A couple of sites later, he had not only learned about some of this woman’s business success and generosity to others, he had also found out when and where her funeral was being held. The fact that the event was not open to the public didn’t deter him from making plans to attend, although he was at a loss as to why he felt the unexpected compulsion to do so.

He shut down the computer and returned to the warmth of his bed, where he spooned around his husband.

Several hours later he let Rene in on his plans, explaining it was just something he felt he had to do by himself and that he would be home sometime this evening. He would very much have liked to expand on his reasons for going, but so unsure was he as to why, it was impossible for him to explain further.

“I love you, baby; take care and stay safe until I get back.” Zack kissed his lover goodbye and was soon on his way to Vancouver.

Rene stood at the window of the apartment and watched as Zack’s car pulled out of the parking lot. He found himself feeling alone and unsure. He could feel deep inside that there was more to the death of Zack’s birth mother than his husband was letting on.

One thing he deeply valued from his relationship with Zack was the man’s steady certainty. No matter which of Rene’s personal demons arose to cause him grief, Zack always tackled them with openness and a calm, level attitude. He would help Rene through whatever was bothering him with a firm and loving hand, and guide them back to a happy place.

Up until yesterday Rene would have sworn that Zack had no personal demons to fight. He’d grown up in a warm and loving home with two dads who adored him and raised him to be a compassionate, responsible and generous member of society. The man was openly and proudly gay; yet had no difficulty working within society’s structures. He was a respected professional and businessman in a town of his own choosing. Though Rene knew Zack was just as human and just as capable of error as anyone, he also believed that Zack was one of those lucky people who had it all together, who knew what he was, what he wanted and he worked hard to accomplish it.

Now Rene wondered if the issue of Zack’s birth mother wasn’t a demon that had been awaiting a catalyst to set it off. Mostly now he wished he had the same kind of strength and ability to help Zack with his issues like Zack had to help Rene with his. But he wasn’t Zachary Pierce; he didn’t have it all together. He’d said it to Kadyn on the afternoon before the wedding and this just proved it to be true. He was not as good for Zack as Zack was for him.

He sadly turned from the window and went to the kitchen where he tossed the remainder of his breakfast in the trash, finished off the coffee and then went to get ready for work.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Todd had steadily worked himself into a dither and no matter how much Hayden tried to calm him; he couldn’t stop how he was feeling or how he was reacting to those feelings.

Last evening had ended with him arguing with his husband after having spent a greater part of the afternoon insisting they call Zack. Hayden had been just as insistent that they give their son the space he needed to think things through. It was Todd sneaking into the kitchen to place the call and being caught in the act that not only brought the situation to a head but also resulted in him being on the receiving end of several well-placed, painful swats. Hayden had prevailed and no phone calls had been made, but he ended up going to bed with a rather tearful companion.

Hayden had lain in bed with a weepy Brat in his arms and his Top alarm going off loudly in his mind. Todd was more worried about Zack’s reaction to Marie’s death than seemed warranted. It felt like Todd knew something about Zack’s feelings that he wasn’t sharing. He had spent most the day trying to get Todd to explain why he was so concerned but got nowhere. Todd just kept insisting that he needed to talk to Zack and be there for him.

Though Hayden was also concerned about their son, he also felt that it was prudent to let him have some space to work though his feelings. He knew Zack was mature and not given to over-reacting to situations. Even as a boy, Zack handled himself well during difficult times. Hayden had learned that if he gave his son time and room to consider a problem, the boy usually came up with the right way of handling it. And for those times when Zack didn’t deal with a problem in the right way, he accepted his errors and any consequences he earned and he learned from them. It was a rare thing indeed for Zack to repeat a mistake that had caused him trouble.

Todd though was another story. Although his husband was one of the most loving, kind, and intelligent men he knew, Todd followed his heart and his passions to the detriment of his own well-being. Todd simply felt things too deeply and worried too much about the people he loved. Hayden had to keep him reined in for his own good and the good of those around them.

He’d hated swatting his beloved earlier but he wasn’t going to allow him to get worked up beyond reason. They would talk to Zack tomorrow and go from there.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This morning, after a very restless night, Todd had risen early and padded down to the kitchen in hopes of speaking to his son. Learning from his son-in-law of Zack’s impromptu trip only added to Todd’s mixed feelings of anxiety and guilt.

He turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and glared angrily at his husband. “Zack has gone to Marie’s funeral. He didn’t even call to see if we would accompany him; said he wanted to go alone. I knew we should have called him last night. I told you so, but you wouldn’t let me. Now he’s gone off by himself and who knows what state of mind he’s in.”

Todd’s voice was steadily rising as his arms flailed wildly about. “We’ve got to hurry, Hayden. He’s got quite a head start on us and it’s going to be hard enough catching up to him without our wasting any more time discussing it.” He made to push his way past the slightly bigger man but found his exit solidly blocked.

Hayden wrapped his arms around his husband and pulled the slim body tightly against his own broader one. “You don’t need to worry about wasting time, my love, because we are not going anywhere. Zack is a grown man and if he felt the need to do this then we have to trust he knows what he’s doing. We’ll talk with him when he gets home from Vancouver.”

He guided his protesting husband to the living room. Sitting down on the sofa, he pulled Todd onto his lap and began to rub gentle circles over the agitated man’s back. “Now you, my love, are going to sit here with me until you calm down and tell my why this is bothering you so much.”

Todd huffed out his frustration and grudgingly leaned heavily against Hayden’s chest with his head on the older man’s shoulder. “Remember when you mentioned how Zack suddenly stopped asking questions about his mother when he was a kid?” he softly inquired and got an affirmative ‘hmm’ in response. “We must have missed something, Hayden, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is.” Todd mused as he absently played with the button on his husband’s shirt.

“After all, everything was explained to him, right? We didn’t hold anything back, did we? I mean, we were very open about discussing his birth and how much it meant to us to have him as our child, weren’t we?”

Hayden continued stroking Todd’s back as he considered the questions his husband had brought forth. “I have no doubt that we missed things along the way, sweetheart. No parent catches every little thing with their child. However, I do know that we gave Zack a very honest, full explanation of where he came from and how much he was loved andwanted. When we first sat down with him to explain things he was very curious and had a thousand questions which we did our best to answer as fully and honestly as possible." Hayden kissed the side of Todd’s face. “He was always a very inquisitive little boy and in hindsight I think we might have been more pro-active when he stopped asking about Marie. But we’re human, love; we let it pass and I’m not going to start second guessing things at this point in the game. But I’m thinking more importantly that you do not need to start second guessing yourself. You’ve been a wonderful father to Zack from the moment of his birth and he loves you very much. He is a strong capable adult, but I think this has come as a shock to him and he needs to work out his feelings on the matter. The best that you and I can do is to be here for him and answer any new questions that might arise from this situation. Now, how about we go and get some breakfast? I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

“Breakfast sounds good,” Todd murmured even though he made no attempt to get off his husband’s lap. Most of Hayden’s answers had a soothing effect on Todd, but there was still a small part of him that remained unsure.

“Damn!” Todd muttered as the button he had been toying with came off in his figures. He stood up and scowled at the small item in his hand. “Guess I better get my mending kit out. Give me your shirt, darling, and I’ll sew this back on while you get breakfast, okay?”

Todd tried to push away the last lingering thought, but was unable to completely eliminate his fear that their son had somehow picked up and misinterpreted some unspoken message; a message that he had at some time unintentionally conveyed. Deciding that staying busy would help to keep unsettling feelings at bay, he began mentally listing all the possible chores to be done before the day was over.

Hayden waited until Todd had climbed from his lap. Then he stood up, removed the shirt and handed it over to his spouse. “I’ll whip us up an omelet, while you sew.” He kissed Todd’s cheek as he headed to the kitchen. “It’s a good thing you learned how to handle a needle in dental school. Can you imagine all the money we’ve saved with the repairs you’ve made on our clothing over the years? Patching the knees of Zack’s pants alone must have paid for half our retirement fund. I never saw a child tear out the knees on a pair of new pants faster than that boy did.

Todd fetched his sewing basket and sat down at the kitchen table. The two men worked companionably while engaging in small talk and by the time breakfast was ready to be served, Hayden was being handed his shirt to put back on.

Todd enjoyed the meal placed in front of him; sometimes food tasted better, when prepared by someone you loved and who loved you.

“I was hoping that if I made out a list of staples we are running out of, you wouldn’t mind doing a bit of shopping while I get some housecleaning done.” Picking up on his husband’s indecision, Todd set about persuading him. “I actually have a lot I’d like to accomplish today, sweetheart, and you could really do with some fresh air.”

When Hayden returned from his shopping trip, Todd had assured him that he’d eaten while Hayden was out. So he got himself a sandwich and took on some outdoor chores of his own, having long since learned to stay out of Todd’s way while he was on one of his cleaning sprees.

The difference in weather between Vancouver and Jade Heights was significant. Hayden wasn’t used to dealing with so much snow. He cleared it away from the front and side walkways and after hiring one of the neighbourhood boys to deal with the driveway, he went back into the house chilled but invigorated by fresh crisp temperatures.

Late afternoon found Todd vigorously polishing the silverware while waiting for the final coat of wax to dry on the kitchen floor. Not that it needed doing so much as he needed something to do. After writing out a rather lengthy list for Hayden and sending the man out to run a number of errands, Todd had spent the day working around the house. Every room in the house had been dusted; carpets had been vacuumed and floors mopped; two and a half bathrooms had been scrubbed down, one of which hadn’t even been used since the last time it was cleaned; all bedding had been changed and several loads of laundry done. He should have been exhausted but was still pushing himself to keep busy even though Hayden had arrived home some time ago.

When asked earlier if he had eaten anything since breakfast, he assured his husband that he had and wasn’t hungry. Okay, so maybe he hadn’t actually had a sit-down meal, but he had nibbled more that enough to make up for it.

Hayden frowned when he saw Todd sitting at the table polishing silver. His husband looked pale and a sheen of sweat covered his face. He grabbed Todd’s glucometer from the drawer and brought it to the table.

Todd glanced up when the dreaded testing supplies landed with a soft thud on the table next to his arm.

“Now please,” Hayden ordered when Todd looked up at him. He watched as his husband begrudgingly did the test and was not at all impressed with the results. Though Todd’s blood sugar was not dangerously low, it was below his healthy range.

“Todd, when I asked you if you had eaten, you knew full-well that I meant a proper meal. I do not inquire as to whether you nibbled at some small snack. Now I want to know right now; did you eat a proper lunch that would fall within the guidelines that your dietitian gave you?”

Todd failed to meet Hayden’s eyes. He just looked down at the table and shook his head.

“You have been working yourself into a frenzy since yesterday and I can see that talking to you about this has had no effect whatsoever! So I am left with little choice but to do something that does have a proven effect on your behaviour. Stand up please.” Hayden dragged out the chair Todd had been seated on and sat down on it himself. He pulled his Brat to him and quickly undid his trousers and pushed them along with his boxers, down below his knees.“I’m not at all happy about this, Todd,” Hayden said has he guided his husband over his lap.

Todd was forced to grab the chair leg to balance himself while Hayden wasted no time and set to delivering a sharp spanking that quickly turned Todd’s backside a fiery shade of red and his face tear-stained. It was not a particularly long or harsh spanking but it was sufficient to ensure a message was delivered.

Once he was finished, Hayden guided Todd back up and pulled him onto his lap, ensuring the sore part of the bottom was not making contact. He gently rubbed Todd’s back as his lover cried. “I love you, Todd William Pierce, and I won’t allow you to get in such a state you’ll make yourself ill. Is that understood?”

Todd nodded and wiped his face with the handkerchief his husband had placed in his hand. “I’m sorry, Hayden. I had so much to do and didn’t want to stop long enough to prepare a meal,” he murmured with a voice still raspy from crying. “I love you too, you know.”

He looked up to see his lover’s expression and gave him a self-conscious grin before dropping his head onto Hayden’s broad shoulder. After yawning loudly, he softly pleaded, “I’m not really hungry, but I am feeling sleepy. If I have something to eat, will you lie down with me? We can wait to hear from Zack together, okay?”

Todd was grateful for his beloved’s understanding smile and nod of concurrence. He knew all had been forgiven and that they were back on track.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“May I help you, sir?” a lowered voice inquired.

Zack turned his head and glanced at the man who had silently come up beside him. “I am here to attend Marie VanDinther’s funeral,” he intoned just as softly.

“I am sorry, sir, but that service is being held privately; family and close friends only.”

“I am Ms. VanDinther’s son.”

The Funeral Director professionally hid his surprise as he stepped back to indicate the room Zack was looking for. “Of course; I am so sorry for your loss. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.”

Zack quietly opened one of the large doors and slipped into a seat at the back of the room. He sat listening to the numerous people who got up to share their thoughts about the friend they were saying goodbye to. He still hadn’t determined the reason for having come here, but in his heart he knew it had been the right thing to do. He found comfort as the stories he was hearing of Marie’s life painted a picture of the wonderful woman she had been.

A short time later, the group of mourners slowly filed out and Zack, believing he was allow, walked up to the casket. It was closed in accordance with the decease’s request. Marie had not wanted her friends’ last memory of her to be how she looked after being ravaged by the illness that had taken her life.

Zack ran his fingers lightly across the smooth mahogany surface as he gazed at the portrait placed next to the casket. He found himself looking into blue eyes that could have been his own, and a lovely face that show the love and passion this woman had had for life.

“She was a very special person,” a tearful voice near his side murmured, “and she was my dearest friend.”

Zack looked at the petite lady standing close to him. “I’m sorry,” he sincerely offered his condolences. He saw the light of recognition in her eyes and briefly wondered why, as they had never met before.

Clearing his throat, he ventured to ask, “Do you know who painted the portrait.”

“I did; several years ago for Marie’s fiftieth birthday.”

“It’s beautiful.” Zack felt a stab of disappointment. “I guess you wouldn’t consider selling it then.”

“No. It isn’t mine to sell.” Lily gently laid her hand on his arm and gazed into his eyes. “It belongs to you. You are Marie’s son, are you not?”

Zack blinked his surprise but before he could comment, she continued. “Marie often talked of you; especially on a certain day in June when she celebrated the date of your birth. She never lost the feeling of joy she had in being able to gift your fathers with a child.”

Zack felt his eyes fill and his chest tighten as the words found their way into his heart. He reached out and gently touched the cheek of the woman in the portrait. He now knew why he had come here. He turned to see that his mother’s friend had soundlessly left him to his own thoughts.

An hour later, Zack was on his way back to Jade Heights. The portrait protectively wrapped in soft leather and carefully placed in the seat behind him. He had so much to tell Rene about.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For the first time ever, Rene was glad that he suffered from cold feet and often slept with his socks on. Zack had teased him a few times about waking up to icy toes pressing against him. If he could keep his foot out of Zack’s sight for a few days, the bruising and swelling of his big toe would hopefully fade away.

He’d been feeling angry, frustrated and selfish, and now he was paying the price. Of all days for his car not to start, right after he and Zack had discussed replacing it, and then to be so stupid as to take out his anger by kicking the tire rim. Well, he was not going to give Zack any more grief than he was already suffering from; the toe would heal and he would be there for his husband.

Rene had been feeling sorry for himself, thinking he was useless to Zack. However, a call to his sister soon had him realizing the error of his ways. Trust a sister to tell you to get over yourself, put an end to your pity party and think of what you’re partner is suffering. Dorothy was right. Zack was having a hard time and he needed Rene to be understanding of his feelings and supportive of him while he worked through the death of his biological mother. Now, that was exactly what he was going to do. It was nearly time for Zack to be home so he pulled the ice pack off his foot, replaced it to its’ spot in the freezer and gingerly put on the heavy wool sock. He’d just sat down to watch some T.V. when he heard his husband coming through the door.

Zack had time to hang up his coat before his husband had made his way into his arms. He briefly wondered what had Rene moving somewhat slower than usual, but decided to put any questions on hold.

“It’s so good to be home, sweetheart,” he murmured into Rene’s ear after soundly kissing him. “It was a long trip without you next to me, but it was something I had to do on my own.”

Rene forgot about the throbbing of his toe when Zack kissed him. He was just happy to have his husband back home.

Picking up the covered picture he had leaned against the wall, Zack took his lover’s hand and led him back to the living room to sit down together on the sofa and get each other caught up on their day.

Carefully removing the leather covering, Zack held up the portrait. “What do you think of her, love? Does she have a place in our hearts and our home?”

Rene settled on the sofa and studied the portrait held up for his inspection. “Zack, she’s beautiful; but how could your mother be otherwise. We’ll have to find a special place of honour to hang it.”

He snuggled into Zack’s side, craving the physical contact of his lover while keeping his injured toe carefully out of the way. “I am curious though. How did you come into possession of such a wonderful painting? Although I wouldn’t know your mother’s face, whoever the artist is, they captured her eyes perfectly. I know that because those are your eyes looking back at me.”

Zack smiled as he tightened his arms around Rene and drew him closer to kiss him once again.

“My dads have often mentioned that very same thing,” he softly chuckled. “As for the painting, it was on a stand next to Marie’s coffin. A very pleasant woman told me she had painted it as a gift for Marie’s fiftieth birthday and informed me it now belonged to me. There is an inscription on the back which reads, ‘With love to my dearest friend, from Lily’. That is all I know, sweetheart, of the portrait’s history. Today’s trip answered several old questions but may also have raised new ones. However, all that can wait for the time being.”

Zack nuzzled his face into Rene’s soft hair, deeply breathing in the clean scent. “Right now, I’d like to hear about your day, love,” he murmured.

“Not a lot to hear really. Day care was good. The kids started the clay projects. I was going to go and see Mrs. Kensey about the painting she wants done of her grandkids, but my damn car wouldn’t start. I called her and postponed until next week. I’ll see if Billy Fleming can look at the car on Monday. That’s about all the excitement here,” Rene replied, carefully leaving out is impromptu response to his car not starting.

“Hmmm,” Zack softly mused. His Brat’s body language had the older man wondering if something was being left unsaid. Deciding to wait it out for the moment, he went on to suggest, “Maybe you should forget about sinking more money into that old car, Rene, and start searching for a new one. You can use mine in the meantime.”

Winking at his husband, he requested, “Any chance of you making this weary traveler a cup of your favourite hot beverage?”

The thought of coffee put a smile on Rene’s face. “Of course I’d be happy to get you some coffee. I’ll bring some of that lemon loaf too.”

He stood and was quite pleased when he made his way to the kitchen walking pretty steadily. He’d perfected walking with his weight on the side of his foot while keeping the sore toe slightly raised above the floor. He filled the coffee maker with freshly ground beans and turned to fill the pot with water when he grazed his injured toe against the leg of a chair that hadn’t been pushed fully under the table.

“Shit!” he yelped loudly.

“What happened?” Zack inquired as he came into the kitchen to find out what was going on. He had not missed the way his husband had walked out of the living room and was more certain than ever that Rene was keeping something from him.

He stood in the doorway, patiently waiting for an explanation and wondering if Rene would continue to avoid whatever it was he didn’t seem inclined to talk about.

Rene was cursing his clumsiness as the pain from his toe caused him to grimace and bite down on his lip. However, he wanted this evening to be all about Zack and not about Zack having to fuss over a bruised-up toe he’d caused by his own little temper fit. He wanted so much to be the kind of partner Zack could count on to support him and not just a needy wimp who had so little to offer.

“Just stubbed my toe on the chair leg,” he answered, trying to sound perfectly calm. “Go sit down and I’ll bring you your coffee as soon as it’s ready.” Rene felt proud of his reply. After all, it hadn’t been a lie; he had stubbed his toe on the chair. He simply wasn’t adding that it was so painful, he wanted to scream.

Normally Zack would have accepted that at face value, but not along with the other signs he was picking up on. He didn’t say a word as he walked over, placed his hands on Rene’s waist and lifted him just enough to plunk him down on the kitchen counter.

Next, he gently peeled off his husband’s sock and carefully examined the injured toe. Setting a hand on each side of the man sitting in front of him, Zack looked into slightly tearing blue eyes and firmly stated, “This is the result of more than just hitting it on a chair, Rene. I don’t know what information you are withholding, but all that’s important right now is having this seen to. Put your sock back on while I fetch our jackets. We are going to the ER.” He held up his hand to forestall any pending arguments. “Not a word, young man.”

After helping his husband down to the car and getting him settled, Zack took the shortest route to the hospital. Fortunately, not only was the waiting areas almost empty but as luck would have it, their family doctor was available. It wasn’t long before they were being lead down the hall to an examining room.

Rene had quietly obeyed Zack’s directives, knowing that arguing would only get him into further hot water. He cringed when Dr. Patrick Dean asked him how he’d hurt his toe and what time it had happened. The answers he gave did nothing to improve the stern look on Zack’s face.

X-rays were taken and while they awaited the results, Rene tried to talk to Zack about why he hadn’t said anything but Zack gently insisted that they would discuss it later at home. Instead, the older man just held his hand and talked to him about his trip to Vancouver and the sites he’d seen along the way, easily distracting Rene from his nervousness. The doctor returned and showed them the x-rays. A fracture of the bone in Rene’s big toe was clearly visible. It was explained that it was a non-displaced fracture and would be immobilized by buddy-taping it to the toe beside it.

Rene was not at all happy when he was told he’d have to keep off his foot as much as possible for the next couple of weeks, keep it elevated and iced several times a day. As they were leaving, Patrick emphasized the need for rest and humorously added that Rene should avoid kicking cars in the future.

When they pulled out of the hospital parking lot, Rene turned and looked sadly at his husband. “I’m sorry, Zack. You didn’t need to have to deal with this on the day of your mother’s funeral.”

Zack glanced into remorseful blue eyes and felt the tugging of his heart strings. What a sensitive soul his husband had. Even so, Zack still smiled patiently and shook his head. Taking Rene’s hand in his, he gently kissed the back of it. “We’ll talk soon enough, love. Everything will be fine.”
Home and seated once again in the comfort of their own living room, Zack gathered Rene into his arms and spent several minutes tenderly holding him before clearing his throat to speak. “There is no one in the world more important to me than you are, sweetheart. At our wedding two months ago, I promised to always put you first whenever humanly possible and that has not changed. You are all I want and need for my life’s partner. I am truly thankful for all the gifts you bring into our relationship. I want you to know how much I appreciate you listening to me talk through my feelings about Marie both last night and this morning, no matter how perplexing they were at the time. Your quiet strength and support was exactly what I needed.”

Zack felt some of the tension leave his husband’s body. He kissed Rene’s cheek and moved back enough to look at him directly, making note of the conflicting expressions passing over the younger man’s handsome face. It had been a long day and it was beginning to take its’ toll. Zack would very much prefer not having to chastise his partner, but acknowledged that postponing the inevitable would prove detrimental to both of them. The repeated problem of withholding information had to be taken care of before bedtime.

Taking a deep breath to strengthen his resolve, Zack calmly inquired, “Right now, we need to deal with that unacceptable decision of yours to break one of our main rules, do we not?”

“But I...” Rene shook his head sadly. He’d thought for a moment that Zack might let it go, given his broken toe and all, but he knew in his heart that this was an issue his husband was not about to simply forget. Deep inside, he honestly didn’t want him to forget about it. Knowing Zack cared enough about their relationship to deal with this even after the rough day he’d just had, spoke volumes to Rene. “Zack, I’m glad that you felt good about me being here for you to talk to. I only wish I hadn’t added to your hard day by you having to take me to the ER. It was my own fault. My own temper that caused this and I’m so very sorry. You deserved better than this.”

“I have all and more than I deserve, Rene. I didn’t mind taking you to the hospital, love. It was not a problem regardless of the type of day I’ve had. True, your injury is a result of not controlling your temper, but neither of those has earned you chastisement. Now, I expect you to tell me exactly why I am going to spank you.”

Rene sighed. He just wanted Zack to get it over with. Having to discuss why he was about to be spanked seemed worse than the spanking itself. But he knew his husband well enough to know that Zack didn’t do things that way. Zack always made sure he knew exactly where he was coming from and that he felt loved and understood before any punishment was meted out. “Because I didn’t tell you I was hurt and I’m not supposed to keep things like that from you.”

“Right on the money, sweetheart.” Zack gently tugged until Rene was face down over his lap. He reached under his husband to undo the man’s jeans and pulled them along with the underwear down to mid-thigh. “Hopefully the day will soon come when you realize it is better to talk to me before you find yourself in this position, Rene.”

Zack’s hand began to rise and fall with the first resounding smack landing on his Brat’s right cheek, the second one on his left. The spanking that followed was neither harsher nor longer than the others that had been administered for this particular infraction, nor would it ever be; it was no more than a reminder of expectations.

When done, Zack lovingly lifted Rene unto his lap while taking care that nothing jarred either the sore foot or the sore bottom. As he murmured out words of love and assurance that all was forgiven and the slate cleaned, he removed most of Rene’s clothing.

It took several minutes for Rene to calm down enough to enable Zack to help him into their bedroom, where the older man got him settled under the blankets in their bed. Zack left his husband long enough to fetch a glass of water and a warm, wet washcloth. Sitting on Rene’s side of the bed, the older man waited patiently as the water was gulped down and then he gently cleaned Rene’s face, pushed the sweaty bangs aside and kissed his forehead.

“I’ll be right back, love,” Zack softly promised in response to the questioning look he got as he stood up. He quickly stripped and stretched out on his side of the bed to pull his Brat into his arms to cuddle.

It took Rene a long while to get his thoughts in order enough to speak. He’d been feeling terribly guilty about his behaviour, but Zack’s calm reassurance and firm chastisement absolved him of those negative feelings. Now he felt warm, loved and centered again. Nothing was nicer than being cuddled up, naked in bed with his husband. If it weren’t for his throbbing butt and toe, he’d have tried to instigate a little loving. But now, just cuddling was enough.“I love you, Zack. Thank you for taking care of me. I just hope I help you even half as much as you help me,” he whispered sleepily and slowly drifted off to dreamland, safe in his Top’s embrace and with his head on the older man’s chest.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Zack hung up the phone and turned around to tidy his work station. He smiled at the man he saw standing on the other side of the counter.

“Hello, Papa. To what do I own this pleasure?”

Todd’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He really felt completely unable to make small talk and so came right to the point of his popping in unexpectedly. “We have to talk, Piglet. Something has been bothering me and I need to get it out in the open.” He relaxed somewhat when his son nodded in the direction of his small office. It was a good indication that the younger man was willing to take the time out of his busy day to visit with his Papa.

“You’ve made a few changes in here,” Todd commented as he looked around and took in the two-seater sofa taking up one wall. The desk had been moved to the far corner and the boxes of inventory that had often cluttered up the room had disappeared.

Zack sat down beside his father. “I thought I’d make it a little more encouraging for you to stop by more often. Now what has been playing on your mind that Dad has not been able to fully appease?” He was beginning to realize just how troubled the older man was when he saw Todd perched awkwardly on the edge of the sofa and unconsciously wringing his hands.

Placing his hand on top of Todd’s in an attempt to quell the nervous action, Zack softly intoned, “It’s going to be fine, Papa. Whatever it is, we’ll work it out.”

Take a deep breath, Todd blurted out the questions that had been plaguing him for two days. “What did Hayden and I miss when you were a child, in reference to your biological mother that is? Was there something I said or did that caused you to stop talking about her? Why were you so angry when your Dad told you about the Will?”

Todd searched his son’s face in hope that Zack’s expressions would give some clue as to what the young man was thinking or feeling. He was disheartened by the frown that appeared and though it quickly vanished, he was unaware of its’ passing due to him having bowed his head.

Zack sat back and gave his father’s uncertainties serious consideration before answering. He wanted to figure out how best to clarify this without causing the other man further anguish. “I thought those discussions upset you, Papa. Then at some point in time, I managed to convince myself that you and Dad were keeping something from me. I don’t even know how it happened, but somehow I began to believe that my birth mother had rejected me. That misconception was the reason behind my initial anger when I learned of her leaving so much to me. I wondered if maybe she was trying to soothe a guilty conscious.”

Todd leaned forwarded and rested his elbows on his knees with his face in his hands. His worse fears had been confirmed; he was responsible for his son’s misapprehension.

He turned towards Zack, glanced up and sadly shook his head. “Marie has always loved you, Piglet. But it was mutually decided right from the start, when Marie first came to us and offered to carry our child, she would not be involved in your upbringing. Looking back, I can see where that decision was necessary mainly because of my insecurities concerning her usurping my place in your affections. Although I also believe she may have felt it would be easier for her to maintain a distance, knowing she was never going to be taking on the role of mother. I am so sorry for denying you her love.” Todd’s voice cracked as he uttered his heartfelt apology, even knowing it would not make things right.

“Oh, Papa,” Zack whispered as he wrapped his arm around his father’s shaking shoulders and drew him closer. “All erroneous beliefs are of my own making, Papa. I should have at least talked it over with Dad. You have never denied me anything. There is not another soul on earth who could ever take your place. There is no one who would have made a better ‘mother’ for me than you. You and Dad are the perfect parents. I can only hope and pray that if Rene and I are ever blessed with a child, we can be half the parents you and Dad are.”

Picking up on the calming effect his words were having on the other man, Zack continued. “You know, when I was growing up my friends and I often compared parents. They all had a dad and mom, but I was so much luckier because I had a Dad and a Papa. Believe it or not, some of my chums even admitted being jealous of me. Most thought you were really cool.”

Zack chuckled. He was happy to see Todd’s eyes light up and a grin spread across on his handsome face.

Todd punched his son lightly on the arm in an effort to hide his blush of pleasure. “I seem to remember occasions when my somewhat unique mannerisms caused you a bit of discomfort, my Piglet.” He laughed when it appeared he had turned the table and had his son blushing.

“Hmm, possibly,” Zack reluctantly admitted, pleased with the conversation having taken on a happier connotation. “But I also remember you always being there for me. You took the time to accompany me to daycare on regular bases. I still recall the time I spilled yellow finger paint all over your good suit. Man, I thought you’d be angry. But surprisingly, you just laughed it off. Even then I seemed aware of how fastidious you were about your appearance.”

Zack turned serious again. He felt the need to further explain his actions of the last day or so. “Papa, I want you to know beyond a doubt that I am at peace with Marie’s role in my life. Attending her funeral yesterday was a great eye-opener. I am eternally grateful for all she has done for us and what she sacrificed so we could be the family we are. I truly appreciate her beauty; it was apparent in every aspect of her life. This morning I was able to talk it all out with Rene. He is a marvelous listener and I am extremely blessed to have him as my husband.”

“Good!” Todd enthusiastically agreed as he landed a firm pat on his son’s knee. “I am proud that you realize what a special man you’re married to. And speaking of your young love, what’s he up to today?”

“Not too much, actually; he’s resting his injured foot.” Zack smirked at Todd’s raised eyebrow. “He and that old clunker of his had a bit of a confrontation and I am afraid Rene is a little the worse for wear because of it. I’ll let him tell you all about it this evening when you and Dad come over. That is, if Rene is inclined to do so. And I have a surprise for you both. It’s something I brought home from Vancouver.”

Zack held up his hand to forestall the question he knew Todd was dying to ask. “No, I am not going to tell you now. You’ll just have to curb that curiosity of yours and wait.” He laughed at his father’s groan of vexation and got to his feet.

Todd stood up and embraced his son. “I’ll try to be patient,” he promised with little hope of that being true. “Thank you, Piglet. I love you.” He kissed the younger man’s cheek and then with a lighthearted wave and a ‘see you later’, he was gone.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Todd was flying high as a result of day’s events. His conversation with Zack had lifted a weight off his shoulders and he had spent most of the afternoon recounting the tête-à-tête with Hayden.
“Did I mention Zack having a surprise for us this evening, Hayden?” Todd finished straightening his tie and smiled in the mirror at the reflection of the handsome man standing next him. The two of them were in their bedroom getting dressed for an evening out. They were having supper at the apartment with their son and son-in-law.

Hayden grinned tolerantly. “Yes, love, I think you’ve told me that at least three times now.”

He was relieved to see his husband feeling happy once again. He didn’t like to see Todd in the state he’d been in the last couple of days. From the day Zack had been born, anytime the boy was in pain either physically or emotionally, Todd suffered with him, usually suffered more than him. Todd simply couldn’t abide their son being anything less than happy. It was a source of many difficult times during Zack’s growing up years. Anytime Hayden had to discipline the young boy, Todd would become far more upset than Zack ever was. It would absolutely tear out Todd’s heart anytime he had been forced to chastise the boy himself. It was fortunate that Zack had been a fairly easy-going, good-natured child; not getting into any serious trouble beyond the normal mischief that an active healthy boy would.

Hayden pulled on his sports jacket and laughed at the face Todd made at his choice of clothing. “We’re going to our son’s for a casual supper. Just because you choose to wear shirt and tie doesn’t mean that I have to.” He gave the pouting lips a kiss. “You know, I did suggest they come here tonight but Zack wouldn’t hear of taking Rene out. I felt so badly when he told me about the poor boy’s toe. Oh and Todd, promise me that you won’t fuss too much over Rene. I’m sure Zack is taking good care of him and we don’t want to make him feel self-conscious.”

Todd rolled his eyes at the suggestion that he had a tendency to fuss over people. “As if I would,” he huffed and finally satisfied with his appearance, turned from the mirror.

Hayden glanced at his watch. “We’d better get going. I promised Zack we’d pick up the Chinese food on our way over, since he’s been busy in the store and with Rene.”

“We also have to stop and purchase some vanilla ice cream to go with the apple pie I baked this afternoon,” Todd reminded his husband as he followed him down the stairs. “I hope the Piglets don’t mind that I used Splenda instead of sugar. See? I can be good, sometimes.” He smirked at Hayden, grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

Meanwhile, Rene was ensconced on the recliner with his injured foot carefully resting on a pillow. He frowned as he watched Zack setting the table, his right butt cheek still stinging from the swat he’d received moments earlier.

“I’m sorry Zack,” he called. “I just wanted to help out. I’ve been stuck in the apartment all day. It’s not like I’ve broken my leg you know, and setting the table isn’t strenuous.”

Zack smiled and shook his head at the slight whine he picked up in his Brat’s voice. “I know it’s not strenuous. I also know it will only take me a moment or two to do it.”

“There, all done,” he announced, coming back into the living room and planting a kiss on his husband’s head. Taking a seat on the sofa, he looked over at the other man and teasingly inquired. “So you really expect me to believe you’ve stayed off that foot all day?” He laughed when Rene sighed dramatically; both men knew it was a rhetorical question.

“I guess it might be only fair to warn you so you’re prepared for Papa fussing over you. It’s his nature and although I am sure Dad told him not to do it, he won’t be able to help himself.”

“I’m glad your dads are coming over tonight and I’ll even let your papa fuss over me a bit.” He looked thoughtfully at his husband before adding. “Zack, I’m sorry I was being difficult. It was lonely stuck in the apartment today while you worked. I can go to work on Monday, can’t I?”

“You were not being difficult, love,” Zack assured the other man as he got to his feet and moved over to the recliner. He helped his husband up, sat down in the big chair and gently tugged Rene down onto his lap. “I can just imagine how lonely you must have been, sweetheart.” He held his lover closer and kissed him. “As for next week; if you promise to stay off that foot as much as possible, you should be able to spend afternoons at the daycare and be back to full time by the following Monday. I’ll provide transportation for the first few days. How does that sound?”

Rene cuddled into his husband’s arms and smiled. Zack’s solution was better than he’d expected. “Thanks, Zack; that sounds great. And I do promise to stay off my foot as much as I can.”

He was just thinking about how pleasant it was to be sitting here on his husband’s lap and that maybe it was a shame that company was expected so soon, when the door bell rang. Chuckling to himself, he climbed off his cosy perch. “I’ll get it.” He hobbled to the door and opened it to the sight of his two fathers-in-law standing there with arms loaded down with food. “Hi, come in,” he invited, standing back to allow their guests entry. “That sure smells good.”

“Hello, Rene. How’s the foot?” Todd inquired as he stepped into the apartment.

“It’s okay,” Rene replied, “not as sore as yesterday.”

Todd would have asked the young man why he was up and walking around, but Hayden’s raised eyebrow had him biting his tongue. He glanced about, looking for Zack and spotting Marie’s portrait instead.

“Oooh, is this your surprise, Piglet?” Todd asked, his voice almost a whisper. Moving closer, he stood gazing up in awe at the beautiful woman in the painting. His eyes filled as he remembered with overwhelming gratitude and affection, all this exceptional lady had given them.

“Yes, Papa, it is.” Zack stepped up behind his father and placed his hand gently on the older man’s shoulder. They stood staring at the portrait in silence for a few moments, each man dealing with a rush of emotion.

Zack softly disturbed the mutual contemplation by clearing his throat and offering to take the items out of his father’s hands and to hang up the man’s coat. He turned to see that Hayden had already put his parcels down and was coming over to look at the portrait.

Hayden looked at the painting and felt a tear rise in his eye. “She was a lovely woman.” He put his arm around Zack’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze. “And she gave us the most precious gift imaginable.”

It came natural for Zack to lean into his father’s hug. He’d never been uncomfortable with his parents’ demonstrative ways. Such displays of affection were the way of the Pierce family and something which he perpetuated within his own marriage.

Hayden studied the signature at the bottom of the picture. “Lily Teasdale; she’s the same lady who brought Marie up to Jade Heights when she came to see me about the Will.”

Rene limped over to stand with the others. “Lily Teasdale?” He let out a soft gasp. “I was so caught up with my toe last night that I didn’t even look at the artist’s name, which is really unacceptable.” He shook his head in dismay of himself.

“Haven’t any of you ever heard of her? Lilly Teasdale is quite a well-known artist and she’s also a professor of art at Simon Fraser University. She was one of my professors when I was there. I learned a lot about composition and colour from her. I saw right away the portrait was of outstanding quality, but a Lily Teasdale original makes this a very valuable piece.”

“I can’t say that I’ve heard of her, love. I really haven’t been all that interested in the arts; that is, not before meeting you.” Zack smiled as he began gently pushing his husband towards the kitchen. “Go sit down while I get supper on the table before it gets cold.” Glancing over his shoulder at his parents, he whispered, “Dad and Papa will join us shortly.”

Hayden had moved from hugging his son, to wrapping his arms around his husband as they admired the portrait. “Are you okay, my love?” he whispered. “Our son is going to be fine you know. He’s a strong man who loves us both; though he has a terrible soft spot for his papa. I personally think it’s the homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you’ve been bribing him with all his life; the boy has my sweet tooth.”

“I know Zack will be fine. You are right and have been all along, my darling.” Todd gazed up at his husband, his oft-times feelings of hero-worship shining from his blue eyes. He stretched to place a loving kiss on Hayden’s cheek. “As for the cookies, you figured out my secret, huh?” The question was teasing and rhetorical. “We best follow the boys if we plan to eat with them. That aroma coming from the kitchen is enticing and making me hungry.”

Sometime later, Zack pushed back from the table and rubbed his stomach. “That was delicious, Dad. Thanks for treating us. I may have to wait awhile before digging into that pie you brought over, Papa. Good thing about Chinese food, it doesn’t keep you full for long.”

The four men had enjoyed a delicious meal and an interesting conversation; one that would continue as the evening progressed. There were plans to be made.

Getting to his feet, Zack began clearing the table. “If you guys want to go get comfortable in the living room, I’ll take care of these and get the coffee on.”

Rene climbed to his feet and followed his husband in gathering the dirty dishes and leftover food containers. “I’ll help you, Zack.”

“Oh no, you won’t, young man.” Todd took the plate and cutlery out of Rene’s hands and set the items back on the table. Placing his arm round the slightly shorter man’s shoulders, he began firmly steering him towards the living room. “If I am not mistaken, you are to stay off that foot as much as possible, right? And no need to turn those puppy-dog eyes to Zack because he can’t help you,” he teased as he cajoled the unwilling man out of the room.

He waited until they were out of earshot. “If we’re lucky, they might serve us our dessert and coffee.” Todd threw out the incentive, fully aware of Rene penchant for the drink.

Zack smiled his understanding and winked at his husband as the young man was lead from the room. “Looks like Papa has gone into ‘mother-hen’ mode,” he commented to his father with a soft chuckle.

Hayden took over from what Rene had been doing once their son-in-law and Todd had headed into the living room. “I believe it was yours and my turn to do the dishes at this meal since Papa and Rene did them the last time.”

They quickly got all the food put away, the dirty dishes scraped and ready for washing. “Son, I’m glad for this chance to talk with you in private. I’ve been concerned about you since this whole business with Marie came to light. I feel perhaps Papa and I could have done a better job of explaining our arrangement with Marie. I’d like to take a bit of time now to tell you some of what went on at that time if you’re willing to listen.”

“Like I told Papa earlier, there is no need for either of you to beat yourselves up over what was or wasn’t said back then, Dad. Both of you were wonderful parents and no kid would hope for more. That being said, I’m always interested in anything you have to say.” Zack grinned at his father, noticing a vague express of doubt in regards to his last statement.

Hayden talked while meticulously drying the dishes that Zack washed. “Though things still aren’t easy, being the late seventies it was a lot harder for a gay couple to gain acceptance and next to impossible for them to have a family of their own. But both Papa and I longed to have a child of our own. We both wanted that real sense of family and joy that only a child can bring. Adoption laws were such that we could never expect to get a child that way. Then I happened to read about a couple in England who had found a woman willing to become surrogate for them. At that time I’d never even heard of surrogate mothers but the more I thought about it, the more the idea appealed to me.

When I proposed the idea to Papa, he thought it was wonderful. However, he did insist that I be the biological father. I know you’ve heard Papa talk about his sister who had cystic fibrosis and died as a child. He never wanted to take the chance that he might carry the gene and pass it on. He couldn’t have survived losing someone else to that horrible disease.

So once we had a plan in place; we had only to find a woman willing to help us, which of course was another matter all together. Marie was the receptionist at the firm I worked for at the time. She assisted me with a little off the record litigation I worked on and during that time she learned about our desire for a child. She later came to me and offered to be a surrogate, asking for nothing in return while giving us a gift for which we could never repay her. You should understand, Zack; that Marie never set out to become a mother. Her intention right from the first was born of a generosity of spirit to give a child to a couple who could never have one on their own. She had a heart of gold and a beautiful spirit, which I have seen reflected so many times in her son.”

Zack stopped what he was doing and gazed solemnly at the man beside him for several moments before softly speaking. “Everyone who spoke at Marie’s funeral highly praised those exact virtues, Dad. I came away with a feeling of comfort and peace…..but also with an almost overpowering sense of pride. As a wonderful human being, Marie certainly complimented you and Papa.”

Hayden felt immensely relieved. “Well, my son, I know this situation was hard for you at first, but you’ve handled it with grace and I’m very proud of you. I also want to thank you for how you comforted Papa. He was very stressed over it and you made him feel a lot better.”

“Only too happy to set his mind at ease, Dad; I really hate to see him fretting.” Zack rinsed out the sink and dried his hands. “That didn’t take long, did it? I’ll get the coffee on and cut Papa’s pie. Then we can join our husbands.”

In the living room, Rene patiently tolerated Todd’s fussing as he was seated back in the recliner with his foot once again elevated and resting on a pillow. “Thank you, Papa, that’s very comfortable now. And thank you too for bringing the Chinese food. It is one of my favourite meals.”

“You are more than welcome, Rene.” Todd lowered himself into one corner of the sofa and after putting the daily newspaper on the end of the coffee table, place his feet on top of it. “So, my boy, care to share how you got yourself in this predicament?” He looked pointedly at the injured foot.

Rene let out a soft sigh. “I don’t supposed you’d believe me if I told you an elephant stepped on my foot, huh?” He gave a small laugh when Todd raised his eyebrows at that. “Okay, well it was worth a try. What I really did was have a bit of a temper fit with my car. I had to take a bunch of supplies to the day care and decided to drive over. But my car wouldn’t start again and I was running late, so I kicked the tire rim as I was walking past it with my arms loaded down. You’d be amazed just how hard those rims are. I fractured my big toe. It hurt like a son of a ‘B’.” Rene held back on his language, not being entirely comfortable swearing in front of his father-in-law.

“Hmmm, a temper tantrum, huh? I can just imagine where you were coming from, having lost my own temper a time or two.” Todd chuckled at the thought and then squirmed when he remembered Hayden’s reactions to those uncontrolled bouts. “Well, I hope it will heal quickly for you as it isn’t very pleasant having your activities curtailed. And I am speaking from personal experience.”

“No, it sure isn’t. I hate not being able to put in my regular time at the day care, but Zack is insisting that I only go in half days this week with him driving me to and from. I also have a commission I should start, but that requires me to go out to a farm on the twelfth concession to do my sketches. I had to call the lady who asked me to do it and postpone for a couple of weeks. So all in all, it was costly temper tantrum.” Rene shook his head at himself.

His mood brightened when the smell of freshly brewed coffee reached him. “Mmmm, I think we’re about to get that coffee and dessert.”

Hayden carried a tray with streaming mugs of coffee through to the living room while Zack followed him with the slices of Todd’s homemade pie.

“Here’s coffee and dessert for everyone. Hope you haven’t missed us too much while we slaved over the dishes,” Hayden teased. The men enjoyed their treat and all praised Todd on his spectacular pie.

Hayden felt it was a good a time as any to bring up the subject of Marie’s house. “Zack, I’ve been in contact with Dwayne Henley, the real estate agent that Papa and I used to sell the house in Vancouver, and he has agreed to handle the sale of Marie’s house. But first we need to go down and get the rest of Marie’s things sorted out and removed. According to the instructions Marie left with me, her friend Lily will have the keys and would have taken care of most of her personal items. However, there would still be furniture and such to decide upon. I was thinking of going down three weekends from now. Would you be available then? Perhaps Papa and Rene might be interested in accompanying us.” He glanced at the other men.

“I would most certainly look forward to going with you, Dad. You never know what treasures we’ll discover. Rene’s toe will be well on the mend by then and it will give me plenty of time to arrange for someone to fill in for me at the pharmacy, so the timing could not be better.”

“Humph, I’d like to see you go without me.” Todd turned a feigned put-out expression his husband’s way. “The way I look at it, if it has nothing to do with business, then I get to tag along. Besides, Zack’s right. The trip just might hold some surprises.

Hayden laughed at his husband’s remarks. “All right then, gentlemen, I’d say we have a date. I’ll book us a couple of rooms at the Delta, which is near to Marie’s address. We can head down Friday afternoon and stay through to Sunday. That should give us enough time to take care of everything.”

The End

Two Golden Rings

Co-written by: Mel and LJ


Todd glanced around the room and experienced an intense feeling of contentment. It had been a hectic few weeks and the culmination of tonight’s very special event will have made every moment leading up to it, priceless.

Beautiful invitations had been sent out and to Todd’s knowledge most had been responded to. All Christmas decorating had been done with the upcoming wedding in mind. When the tree had been taken down, it left the entire downstairs of their home glistening with silver and royal blue. Extra chairs and a long buffet table had been rented and set up; the services of a bartender had been obtained; tray upon tray of finger foods had been lovingly prepared and were awaiting final warm-up when the time came; a two-tier wedding cake sat in the center of the dining room table and a dozen bottles of champagne were chilling.

Todd clapped his hands in uncontainable glee. It was only two in the afternoon and he had everything ready. Suddenly, he felt rather weak and his legs began to tremble as sweat appeared on his forehead. He grabbed onto the door frame for support and briefly wondered if he’d be able to make it over to a chair to sit down.

Hayden had been working in his den polishing up what he was going to say during the wedding service this evening. Todd had banished him from the kitchen earlier, declaring that his offer to help with the food preparations was neither needed nor wanted. His beloved husband had informed him on more than one occasion that though Hayden might be a serviceable cook of basic comfort food, he was completely incompetent in the preparation of such delicacies as those Todd was planning for their son’s wedding celebration.

As Hayden pulled the final draft of his speech off the printer, his stomach began to rumble. He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was two o’clock. Realizing he hadn’t eaten since breakfast some hours earlier, he headed to the kitchen to see if he could rustle up a sandwich amongst the trays of food for this evening.

When he turned into the hall, he was greeted with the frightening sight of Todd grabbing at the kitchen door frame as his legs seemed to give out from under him. Hayden flew down the hall and had Todd held up in his arms within seconds.

“Easy, love, I’ve got you,” he soothed as he moved the shaking man into the living room and gently lowered him onto the sofa. He could feel the cold sweat on his husband’s face and the tremors going through his body. Hayden easily recognized the classic symptoms of hypoglycemia and exhaustion in the man he loved. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he commanded firmly as he ran to the kitchen for the needed supplies.

He brought back a glass of orange juice into which he had stirred two teaspoons of sugar. He also brought along Todd’s glucometer. He pressed the glass into Todd’s hand and held it steady to ensure the shaking did not allow it to spill. “Drink it down please.” Hayden waited until all the juice was gone and Todd seemed to steady a bit, though he was still a bit sweaty and pale.

“I need to check your blood sugar, sweetheart,” he explained as he quickly took a small sample of blood from his husband’s finger tip and placed it onto the test strip. Within seconds he got the reading which confirmed that Todd’s blood sugar had dropped to well below his normal range. Hayden knew that the sugar which Todd had just ingested would take a bit of time to reach his system.

“You’re going to be fine, love. You just need to relax for a while,” he said reassuringly.

Todd leaned heavily against his husband’s chest, relying on Hayden to care for him. He had robotically obeyed the instructions to drink up and had sat in a daze while watching Hayden prick his finger in order to test his sugar levels. But now he was slowly beginning to feel more like his usual self.

“I lost track of time, Hayden. I forget to eat lunch,’ he softly confessed. “I wanted to make sure there was enough for everyone, but made a point of not nibbling as I worked.” Looking up at his Hayden, he gave him a bit of a smirk. “Nibbling is bad for me, right?”

Hayden shook his head sadly at his husband’s confession. “You’re right, my love; nibbling is not a healthy way for you to eat, but neither is it healthy for you to skip meals. However, given how much work you’ve put into today and how distracting this whole thing is, I do understand how it happened.” He frowned, thinking of his own responsibility. “I am as much to blame as you are. I should have realized the time and ensured we both took a break for a meal.” He stroked the side of Todd’s face, glad to see the colour returning.

“It is something we are going to do right now. I want you to stay here. Do not move from this couch until I get back. I’m going to go and get us some lunch. Then we are going to go upstairs and have a rest for an hour.” He shook his head when he saw Todd was about to protest. “I’m serious, Todd. We’re ahead of the game here and we could both use a proper break.”

Hayden soon returned from the kitchen with a tray laden with fruit, cheese, celery, carrot sticks, crisp breads, and tall glasses of ice water.

Todd kept up a merry chatter while enjoying the light meal Hayden had prepared for them. “This is just what we needed, my love; a bit of time for just the two of us before the next hectic wave hits. Although I do believe we have just about everything done.” He smiled contentedly at his husband before reaching up to pull Hayden’s head down and gently kissing his cheek.

“I would like to show you all that’s been done before we go upstairs, but I can’t decide if I want to hear your speech now or wait and be surprised at the ceremony. Guess I’ll leave the choice up to you.” Todd energetically nodded his head, his sparkling eyes clearly showing his excitement in this evening’s very much looked forward to celebration.

Hayden pulled Todd to him and kissed him deeply, quickly taking possession of his husband’s mouth. As soon as he felt Todd melt against him, he pulled away enough to whisper in his ear. “You’ll have time enough to show me what you’ve accomplished a little later. Right now, I intend to take you upstairs and have my way with you and if you’re good, I’ll read my speech to you after.” He pulled them both up off the couch and led the way towards the staircase.

When he noticed Todd glancing back at the dishes being left on the coffee table, Hayden grasped his arm and gave a light swat to the small tight butt. “They’ll keep, where as I won’t. So get a move on, lover, unless of course you’d rather I took you right here in the hallway.” He growled menacingly.

Todd squealed with delight and instantly forgot about the mess they were leaving behind. He loved it when his lover got all ‘Neanderthal’ on him. He momentarily considered encouraging his husband to make love right where they were before quickly deciding to be patient long enough to seek the comfort of their big bed.

He clasped Hayden’s hand and all but skipped up the stairs behind the bigger man. Gone were all thoughts of the wedding preparations and gone were worries about having everything done to Todd’s exacting specifications. Only one thought remained and that was to spend time in his lover’s arms.

Once in their bedroom, he couldn’t get undressed fast enough; luckily, neither could Hayden. Todd yanked down the bedcovers; then both men fell onto it stark naked and reached for each other.

Hayden pulled Todd tightly against him; his kisses were deep and possessive, his love-making strong and all consuming. He took his husband with the physical force and strength that they both needed to feel. Though never in anyway harmful, neither was he particularly gentle or tender. He felt a driving need to reaffirm the life force of the man he held in his arms, to ensure the unity of their lives.

Todd had frightened him earlier and he was blaming himself for having neglected his responsibility to his beloved husband. Nothing was more important that Todd’s health, not even today’s much anticipated festivities. He could never forgive himself and doubted that Zack could either, if something had happened to this wonderful man because he’d been too consumed with his speech writing to think about Todd’s health needs.

Though Hayden had never come out and said this directly to his husband, one of the driving forces behind his insistence that they take early retirement, was that he would be able to spend more time each day with Todd. He had an all consuming need to ensure for himself that his beloved’s health was being maintained to its’ highest degree. Todd was his world and he’d known for years that life without him wouldn’t be worth living. He’d confessed this once to his business partner and best friend, and had been summarily told that his obsession with Todd was unhealthy, that he should seek therapy.

But Hayden knew better, he knew that the Gods had granted him a gift in the form of Todd William Rogers-Pierce; beloved husband, loving papa, compassionate dental practitioner, flamboyant gay rights proponent and exasperating Brat. Caring for Todd was his responsibility, his privilege, his reason for being. Even on the days that the Brat in his husband drove him around the twist, he still knew he was the luckiest man on earth, just because he could call Todd his own.

In the aftermath of their love-making as Hayden lay with Todd securely held in his arms, he thought of the wedding ceremony he was to perform this evening and knew that if Zack found one tenth the joy and happiness in his life with Rene as he had found in his life with Todd; then his son would be truly blessed.

Todd lay in the surreal afterglow of their mutually satisfying climaxes and wondered, not for the first time, how his lover found the wherewithal to gently clean him up when he himself was barely able to move. He dreamily smiled as Hayden returned to their bed and reached over to gently gather him into his arms.

Lovingly running his fingertips over the smooth surface of his husband’s face, Todd gazed mesmerized into the warm hazel eyes of the man he had loved and admired for over thirty-five years. A man he trusted with his very life, a man he hero-worshipped, a man his entire world revolved around, a man he could never live without.

His eyes fluttered sleepily and he just managed to murmur, “Thank you, my beloved, for everything,” before nodding off.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rene said his good-byes to the children at the day care centre. Miss. Stephanie, the day care owner, and the other teachers had given him an envelope with his and Zack’s names written across it. They had been very specific in their instructions that they should open it together.

He couldn’t get over the number of gifts he and Zack had received in the last few days. It certainly was a nice feeling to know so many people were wishing them well in their marriage.

Marriage; Rene kept saying it over and over in his head, today he was getting married. Up to this point he hadn’t been feeling overly nervous as he’d been too busy with planning and preparation. But now it was beginning to sink in, that today was really it. He and Zack would be married in just a few more hours.

He looked at his watch and realized it would be another four hours before Zack finished up at the pharmacy. He had finished all his pre-wedding errands and needed to do something to pass the time and keep the nervousness at bay. Well Kadyn had said that it was his job as best man to help out in any way needed and right now Rene needed a distraction.

So minutes later Rene was walking in the front door of the convenience store. “Have you got the coffee pot on?” he called out to the young man behind the counter. “I need an extra large caffeine fix!”

“Ya betcha!” Kadyn looked up with a wide grin on his face. “Figured you’d be dropping by. Getting kinda antsy, aren’t ya? Not that I blame you any; I’d be nervous too if I was in your shoes.” He began to laugh. “Let me guess; Miss. Stephanie and members of her staff were congratulating you and smothering you with kisses. I can tell, ‘cause there’s still some tell-tale lipstick on the side of your cheek.”

Rene scrubbed his palm over his cheek trying to remove the marks. “Geezh, another good thing about being gay, Zack never leaves lipstick stains on me.” He happily accepted the large mug of coffee Kadyn placed in his hand; took a long sip and sighed. “Mmm thanks, I needed this.”

Rene walked around the counter and took a seat at the small table Kadyn had there. He smiled nervously at his Best Man. “You’re right about me getting antsy. I didn’t think I would, but suddenly it hit me today that we’re really going to be married. You know; all legal and forever. I mean, it is what I want and I’m really happy but I’m also a bit scared.”

He chewed his lip thoughtfully and then swallowed down most of the coffee left in his cup. “I don’t know if I’m going to be as good at this as I should be. Zack is so great, so sure and steady, but me? Well, you know I’ve got my issues. I just want to be as good for Zack as he is for me.” Rene gulped down the remaining coffee and held out his mug. “More please?”

Kadyn poured more of the hot liquid into his friend’s cup. Putting the pot back in its’ place, he took a set beside Rene, leaned closer and looked him right in the eye. “You gotta stop putting yourself down, man. Zack loves you; you are the man he wants to marry, no one else. Not someone who looks different or behaves different or has different talents, characteristics or anything else different. You don’t have to be anyone but who you are to make Zack happy.”

Sitting up straighter, Kadyn feigned a stern expression and scolded. “That’s quite a gorgeous hunk you’re getting there, my friend; not to mention a great family you’re marrying into. And you better believe me when I tell you how much they are looking forward to having you as a member of the Pierce clan.”

Seeing the other man starting to relax a little, Kadyn took a sip of his own drink and began regaling his friend with what he had seen that morning. “I was by Hayden and Todd’s house earlier. I had to drop off the special handmade candy I ordered from the ‘Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’ in Portland, Oregon. I suggested it be put out on display with little silver bags that the guests can fill with their favs and take home. Todd kinda liked the idea. But wait ‘til you see the place, Rene.”

Kadyn was warming up to his narrative. “It’s like a winter wonderland; all snowy looking with royal blue and silver running through it. The furniture has all been rearranged in the parlour to make it look like a small chapel. They rented white folding chairs and put down two dark blue carpets for aisles leading to a beautifully decorated archway of sorts. There are sparkling little white fairy lights everywhere. And the food! Man, you should see the variety of things to eat.” Kadyn’s eyes lit up at the memory. “Todd’s done almost all of it. He kicked me out when I offered to help. And I didn’t see Hayden anywhere, so I can only figure that he wasn’t allowed to step foot in the kitchen either.” He smiled and slowly sipped his coffee while letting his companion absorb all he had been told.

Rene had to grin at the picture Kadyn’s words painted of the house. He already knew that Todd was working hard and unwilling to accept more assistance than had already been given. He and Zack had both been summarily dismissed last evening after having dinner with Zack’s dads. They had helped with moving a couple of pieces of heavy furniture andthen were shown out the door after being told the rest of the decorating was in Todd’s capable hands.

“Thanks, Kadyn, you’re right. Zack is one handsome hunk of a man and I am so damn lucky to have him, I still can’t believe it. And his dads; well Hayden and Todd are the best,” he laughed. “Of course, I’ve been told they are to be called Dad and Papa, which I’m trying to get used to. Zack says I’ll feel more comfortable about that once we’re reallymarried. God, they are so special. But how could they be anything else? They raised Zack, didn’t they? He got what every kid should get growing up; unconditional love and understanding. Not that they didn’t discipline him. God knows he had to learn about that somewhere.”

Both of the young men broke into laughter at that. When he stopped laughing, Rene smiled. “Wow, in a few hours time I’m going to be an official part of that family. Did I tell you I’m taking his name? I’m going to be Rene Pierce. It feels right to me. I want to share the same name as the man I’m married to. Kinda old fashioned, huh?”

“Maybe, but I think it’s neat. If Vincent ever asks me to marry him, I’d want his name. But I don’t imagine that happening for some time though, if ever. Vincent probably heard somewhere that the first five years are the hardest and he is waiting to see if he survives that long with just us living together.” Kadyn smirked, finding the whole idea amusing. He was quite happy with his and Vincent’s living arrangement.

“I bet this is gonna be the perfect fairy-tale wedding.” Kadyn bounced in his seat and rubbed his hands together in merry anticipation.

A few moments later, he turned a little serious. “I know, Rene, you told me about inviting your family, but you haven’t said whether or not you’ve heard from them. Are they able to attend?”

Rene gulped down more coffee as he shook his head and frowned. “Well, I always knew my dad would sooner throw himself off a cliff than attend a gay wedding and well... my mom, she just wouldn’t go against him. I was sorta hoping that my sister Dorothy and her husband might come but they got two little kids and it is New Year’s Eve and all, sothey probably have other plans. It’s okay though, cuz I got everyone I need coming.” He looked into his nearly empty mug and pondered. ‘One for breakfast; one on break at the day care; two here; yeah, I’m good for another.’ “Got more?” he asked.

“Yeah, but are you sure you want more? You’re getting a real buzz on,” Kadyn chuckled and getting a nod from his friend, got up and refilled his cup for the third time. “Sorry about your family, Rene, but you’re probably right and they are busy.” Kadyn didn’t believe for one minute that his comments made the other man feel any better but he couldn’t think of anything else to say and was wishing he hadn’t even brought up the subject.

Remembering something he had overheard earlier, he posed what he hoped would be a happier inquiry. “By the way, who are the piglets? When I arrived at the house this morning, Todd was singing about everything having to be perfect for his piglets.”

Rene savoured the coffee while knowing in his head that the caffeine wasn’t exactly the best idea when he was already experiencing some nervousness, but it did give him the energized feeling he needed. He rolled his eyes when Kadyn asked about the piglets. “Oh geezh, he was singing it?” Rene grimaced when Kadyn nodded.

“Well, it seems that all his life poor Zack has been stuck with the nickname, Piglet. It’s really just Todd that uses it. It comes from the Winnie the Pooh story. You know; the little pig character. I think Zack must have loved that story when he was a kid. Well, now it seems that since I’m Zack’s partner, I’m like piglet number two in Todd’s eyes. I can’t even get mad about it or anything cuz Todd is such a nice sweet guy. Really, I defy you to get mad at him no matter what he called you. So I’m stuck being one of the piglets.”

When Kadyn burst out in laughter, Rene jabbed him playfully in the ribs. “Watch it or I'll tell him you liked the story too. Maybe you can be his little Pooh.”

The two friends laughed and talked away most of the afternoon until Rene noticed it was almost time for Zack to be closing up the pharmacy for the day. Telling Kadyn he’d see him later at the house, a caffeine-dosed Rene headed home to the apartment.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zack had just stepped out of the shower and was drying himself off when he heard the front door opening and closing. He calmly strolled out into the living room wearing nothing more than he had been born with and grinned broadly at his partner. “I closed the shop a bit early,” he explained, knowing Rene would not have been expecting him to be home so soon. “Too excited I guess about our big day.”

Rene saw Zack naked every day but he wasn’t normally greeted with the sight of his Top standing nude in the living room in the middle of the afternoon. Kadyn was right though; he was about to marry one beautiful hunk of a man. Zack was better than four inches taller than Rene and out-weighed him by at least forty pounds, and even standing there without a stitch on, his presence was commanding and forceful. Rene almost melted where he stood.

“Hi,” Rene replied. “I’m glad to see you; all of you,” he grinned. “I’m pretty excited about tonight too, and seeing you like that is making me more excited.”

Zack deftly removed the hat from his Brat’s head, unwound the scarf from around his neck and helped him out of his jacket. Leaning in close, he softly murmured into Rene’s ear. “Think you can get out of the rest of those clothes and in our bed by the time I count to ten?” He landed a gentle smack on his partner’s butt by way of encouragement.

“One…..two…..three…..” he chuckled as he leisurely began to count while hanging up the outdoor clothing and watching his lover scramble.

Rene’s sweater landed in the hallway, his pants and boxers in the entry to the bedroom. He sent his socks flying as he scooted onto the bed, one landing on the dresser and the other hitting Zack in the face as the older man entered the bedroom.

Rene turned a peculiar shade of red when he saw the sock strike his lover. “Oops,” he laughed at the look of surprise on Zack’s face. “Well, you did want me to hurry.” He got into a fit of laughter fueled by his nervousness and the caffeine he’d consumed. His laughter was quickly doused though when Zack practically leaped on top of him and covered his mouth with a possessive kiss.

“Brat,” Zack growled when he broke the kiss. He licked his lips. “Hmm, coffee, lots and lots of coffee,” he mused, rolling off the younger man in order to retrieve the lube from the drawer in the night table. “Now, where were we?” he chuckled. “Oh yeah, I remember.”

Zack began kissing Rene’s neck and then slowly, sensually moved down his partner’s supple body; a body he had learned to bring to the heights of sexual pleasure over the past few months; a body he would once again bring to the same soaring heights of ecstasy.

It was sometime later, after they had recovered and were relaxing in the afterglow of their love-making, that Zack turned somewhat serious. “Rene, love, we are going to get up now and shower together. Then I want you to completely clean yourself; you know exactly what I mean, sweetheart. I have something special planned for later, but it is a surprise so I’m not saying anything more. I fully expect you to do as I’ve asked.”

Rene enjoyed the shower and the feel of Zack’s hands on his skin as they washed each other. Zack’s touches both soothed and stimulated him. He was more than used to his lover’s commanding way of giving instructions. It made him feel secure and loved. But Zack had never given him orders to take an enema before. That had always been something Rene did on his own prior to sex if he felt it was needed.

Once they were finished in the shower, Zack dried off and left him in the bathroom to follow the instructions. Rene was meticulous and ensured he was well cleaned out before emerging from the bathroom. Knowing they would dress in their suits before leaving, Rene just pulled on his bathrobe. As he left the bedroom, the scent of Zack’s homemade soup being heated reached him from the kitchen.

Zack said they would have an early, light meal before heading over to his dads’ home, where they knew there would be mountains of hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and treats. Rene wasn’t really hungry as he was feeling too nervous about the evening ahead. He hoped Zack wasn’t going to insist on his eating much.

Rene entered the kitchen with a smile and gave Zack a kiss. “All done,” was all he said in response to Zack’s orders. He then headed to the coffee maker to start a pot of his favourite brew.

Zack intercepted his partner. “Sorry, love, but I think you’ve had enough caffeine this afternoon. You are edgy and need to calm down a bit; more coffee will not enable you do that.” He pulled Rene close and embraced him. He felt the tension in the rigidly-held body and understood the inner turmoil his Brat was dealing with. Rene badly wanted the coffee, but at the same time he wanted equally as much to please his Top.

“Relax, babe; it’s going to be all right,” Zack murmured and was rewarded by the younger man slackening against him. 'How I love the feel of this very special man in my arms,” Zack thought, deeply breathing in the scent of his lover. He allowed several minutes to pass before lightheartedly proposing. “Maybe we better sit down, sweetheart, before one or both of us falls asleep right where we stand.”

Once seated, Zack filled and passed a bowl of soup across the table to Rene. “You don’t have to eat it all, love. Just do the best you can so you don’t start off the evening on an empty stomach.” He smiled when he heard his Brat let out a sign that sounded suspiciously like one of relief.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kadyn stood glaring at his reflection in the full-length, bedroom mirror. Gone was the excited bounce and his usually animated face was distorted by a dark frown. “I hate wearing one of these,” he grumbled. “I can’t even get the damn thing done up properly.” Rolling the tie up in a ball, he turned and threw it across the room. That is he tried to, but it unfolded and fluttered down to the floor a few feet in front of him. He looked up to see a displeased Top standing in the doorway of their en suite.

“Pick that up now!” Vincent said in a clipped voice that left no room for argument. Seeing Kadyn comply, he added in a more normal voice. “Give it to me please, and I’ll help you. I’m pretty good at doing ties; all you had to do was ask.”

“I don’t need your help, so there,” Kadyn rudely intoned, tossing the tie on the dresser as he passed it by. “I don’t know why I have to wear one anyway when I hate wearing stuff around my neck.”

Vincent raised his eyebrows, walked over to Kadyn, turned him around and smacked him hard on the butt twice. “I won’t have you talking to me like that. I know you’re nervous about being Best Man for Rene, but I will not put up with that kind of behaviour. You need to calm down. We have plenty of time before we have to leave, so just relax a bit and everything will be okay.”

Kadyn looked at his Top through unshed tears and rubbed at the handprints throbbing on his rear end. “Sorry,” he muttered, and he meant it. Taking Vincent’s hand, he led the older man over to the big comfy armchair in the corner of their bedroom.

After his partner had taken his silent hint to sit down, Kadyn situated himself on Vincent’s lap and wrapped his arms around the bigger man’s neck. “You’re right, Vince; I am nervous…actually more than nervous. I’m kinda scared. Rene is a good friend and he is such a nice guy. He deserves the best wedding possible. But what if I blow the little speech I’m supposed to give? What if I mess up something?” He dropped his head unto Vincent’s shoulder and cuddled closer, seeking reassurances.

Vincent hugged Kadyn tight while stroking his hair. “You’ll be fine and you won’t mess up. You’ve gone over that speech at least three times a day since you wrote it and I am sure you know it by heart. As for the rest of the ceremony, you’ll do fine there too. You’re the friend Rene wants to stand up with him and you’ll do a great job of it.”

Seeing Kadyn had calmed down, Vincent softly inquired, “Now, are you ready for me to help you with that tie?”

“Uh-huh,” Kadyn capitulated and pushed himself up. He stood as still as possible while his partner skillfully tied the dreaded item around his neck. “I just have to remember not to crawl around under the tables and not return the hors d’oeuvres I don’t like to the plate I took them from.” He smirked up at Vincent, his eyes sparkling with humour, and giggled at the expression of disbelief on the older man’s handsome face. “Yep, I’ve already done both those things and my mom told me they were definitely frowned upon. Of course, I was only a kid back then,” he laughed and easily side-stepped his Top’s big paw.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hayden was hiding-out in the den on the pretext of polishing off his speech. He didn’t want it known that he was just hiding from his beloved husband’s perfectionism. He was sending mental waves of sympathy to the string quartet Todd was currently supervising. Only Todd could make an issue of the fact that three of the members were wearing regular black leather shoes while the fourth was in patent leather.

He was forced to emerge from his hiding place by the ringing of the front door bell. He glanced at his watch thinking it was a bit early for the guests to arrive, so he was quite surprised to see the group of obviously dressed-up people smiling at him when he opened the door.

Standing at the front of the group were two little girls dressed in wool coats with the hems of party dresses hanging below them. A tall young woman with dark hair stood behind one little girl and a slightly taller, handsome young man behind the other. It was, however, the petite older woman standing beside the little girls who caught Hayden’s attention.

She had slightly graying dark hair, and blue eyes shining out from a face that was vaguely familiar. It was when the woman smiled at him that Hayden realized who he was looking at. There could be no doubt that this lady was the mother of his soon-to-be son-in-law. It was truly the feminine version of Rene’s face; her smile mirrored the young man’s exactly. Hayden returned the smiles he was receiving.

“Good evening,” the older woman spoke first. “This is the Pierce residence, I hope?”

“Yes,” Hayden replied. “You’re here for the wedding, I presume?”

Hearing unfamiliar voices coming from the hallway, Todd let his curiosity over-ride his desire to direct the setting up of the quartet. Much to the relief of the musicians, he quickly left the room to join his husband in welcoming their guests.

Not recognizing any of the people standing just outside their front porch, Todd glanced up at Hayden and inquired, “Who do we have here?”

The lady in question answered before Hayden could ask. “I’m Marjorie Wilson, Rene’s mother. We’ve come for the wedding,” she said a bit awkwardly.

“You are Rene’s family. How wonderful that you could make it,” Todd greeted excitedly. “Please, come in; come in.”

Mrs. Wilson entered the house first followed by her family. Once the door was closed behind them she began the introductions. “Yes, this is my daughter Dorothy, and her husband Rob. Their two daughters, Jennifer,” she indicated the older girl, “and Leah.” She then looked at the two men. “I presume one of you is Mr. Pierce?”

Hayden glanced at Todd and then smiled. “Yes, we both are. I’m Hayden Pierce and this is my husband Todd. We’re Zachary’s parents.”

There was no mistaking the slight intake of breath from Rene’s mother. The lady obviously had no idea that Zack had two fathers and the concept seemed to leave her speechless.

It was Dorothy who spoke up. “We’re very pleased to meet you both. I am sorry about arriving like this without calling ahead.” She glanced to her mother. “I’m afraid coming today was something of a last minute decision.”

“That’s quite all right,” Todd hastily assured her. “We are just so very pleased to have you attend the wedding. Please, let me take your coats.”

“Yes,” Hayden also insisted. “We’ve very pleased to have Rene’s family here.” He helped Todd gather the coats up and hang them in the hall closet which they had emptied for the occasion. “Why don’t we take a seat in the family room? The living room has been set up for the ceremony so we can be more comfortable in the other room.” They ushered their guests down the hall to the family room which had also been decked out for the evening in blue and silver.

“You have a beautiful home,” Marjorie spoke, finally managing to get over her shock.

“Thank you, Marjorie. We moved here to Jade Heights last fall to be near our son and our future son-in-law,” Todd merrily informed Rene’s mother.

The group sat down on the sofa and chairs that formed a comfortable seating area in the cozy room. “I’ve never been up this way before,” Marjorie replied. “However, from what we could see as we drove through town, Jade Heights looks like a lovely place to live.”

“We’re very happy here. It’s a small town but they’ve been very welcoming to both of us. After living in the bustling city of Vancouver all of our lives, the small town life is something of a pleasant relief for our retirement years,” Hayden answered.

Looking at the clock, Todd realized other guests would soon be starting to arrive. “Will you excuse me for a few minutes, please?” he politely requested. Getting affirmative nods, he headed for the kitchen where he made a quick phone call to Kadyn and took several item from the refrigerator before returning to the family room in time to hear Hayden offering refreshments and being graciously declined.

In his hands, Todd had a number of flowers; two large corsages and two smaller ones. He handed one to each of the ladies and knelt down to pin one on each of the little girls’ dresses. He also had a boutonnière for Rob that closely matched the ones he and Hayden were wearing.

Marjorie looked at the orchid Todd had given her. “This is beautiful. But you weren’t expecting us. Are these not meant for someone else?”

Todd smiled. “No, they were purchased for you. Somehow, I had a feeling you would be coming.” Todd had a tendency to let his hopes rise to the point of convincing himself that what he wanted to happen would happen, and he knew just how much it would mean to Rene to have his family here.

A tear glistened in Marjorie’s eye. She felt a bit choked up and she looked to her daughter. Dorothy reached over and squeezed her mother’s hand. “We...I didn’t think I would come. When the invitation arrived, Rene’s father... he didn’t take it very well.” She looked into Todd’s face, hoping to find understanding there. “My husband isn’t a bad person, Mr. Pierce, believe me. But this...this is difficult for him to understand. It goes against everything he’s been taught to believe. He doesn’t wish anyone ill but neither can he accept this. I’m so sorry.” A tear ran down her cheek as Dorothy wrapped her arm around her mother’s shoulder.

Dorothy spoke up. “My father is an old-fashioned man raised with a very staunch Catholic point of view. He does love Rene and wants him to be happy, but I’m afraid he’ll never really understand his being gay. It was very hard for mother to leave him today to come with us. But we want to be here for Rene. He’s my brother and I love him with all my heart. If Zack makes him happy, then that’s all that matters to me and Rob and the girls.”

“And to me,” Marjorie added. “I do want Rene’s happiness above all else. This is a happy occasion and I’m not here to spoil it with tears.” She put a smile on her face and wiped the tell-tale moisture away

Todd gently patted her arm while Hayden passed her a box of Kleenex. "We understand, my dear, we really do. The most important thing at the moment is that you’re all here and Rene is going to be thrilled.”

“Yes,” Hayden added. “We really do understand. We’ve dealt with this sort of thing all our lives. We’re just pleased that you’ll be able to witness this wonderful occasion and see for yourselves that your Rene is happy. He’s an exceptional young man, and Todd and I are very proud to have him as our son-in-law.”

“Thank you.” Marjorie smiled. It was then that she happened to glance up at the wall behind the chair where Hayden was seated. A painting of a very familiar style held a place of honour there. The signature of the artist brought a smile to her face. “Oh my.” She touched Dorothy’s hand. “Look at the painting.”

Rene’s family all looked at the large canvas. It was of this house all alight with Christmas splendor and the two men standing on the porch arm in arm were the picture of happiness.

“Uncle Rene painted that!” Jennifer exclaimed. “That’s his signature on the bottom. Just like the one he sent me for Christmas, only mine had me playing with my puppy.”

While the others continued to discuss the painting, Todd moved over to stand beside the two little girls. He leaned down and whispered conspiratorially. “I have a very special surprise planned for your Uncle Rene. Would you like to help me with it?”

“Can I help too?” Leah asked shyly.

“Of course, sweetie; I need the help of two beautiful little girls. You see, the surprise happens during the wedding at a time when I have other responsibilities. But it is a secret. Can you keep a secret?”

Both girls nodded seriously. “We’re good at secrets. We didn’t even tell about presents at Christmas,” Jennifer replied.

“Good. Come into the other room with me and I will show you what needs to be done. It is very easy.” Todd led them into the parlour where the ceremony would take place and showed them the long white ribbons hanging from a spot near the ceiling. He patiently explain what he wanted them to do and told them to watch for the signal he would give them at the exact moment they were to pull on the ribbons. Even though he didn’t tell them what would happen, they both excitedly promised to follow his directions.

“We better get back to the others before they begin to wonder what we’re up too,” Todd suggested with a wink before escorting the girls back to their parents. He gave Hayden a sweet smile in return for the raised eyebrow. He inwardly squirmed with glee at the thought of surprising everyone including his husband.

Hayden and Todd were delighted to see their guests begin to relax and enjoy themselves during an impromptu tour of the house.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vincent and Kadyn were shouldering into their suit jackets when the phone rang. “I’ll get it!” Kadyn hollered as he leaped over the bed in order to reach the night table first. “Hello, Vincent and Kadyn’s pad; Kadyn speaking.” He muffled a laugh when he saw his partner rolling his eyes. Vincent had repeatedly instructed his Brat to answer the phone with ‘Hello; LaMaur/ Hart residence’.

“Sure thing, Todd; we can do that. We will be leaving in a few minutes. See you soon.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, Zack and Rene were getting dressed. They put on crisply ironed shirts, brand-new suits and well polished dress-shoes, and then tied each others ties.

Zack was in the midst of pulling their over-coats out of the closet in the hall when there was a knock on the front door. He and Rene exchanged quizzically glances before Zack opened the door to find Kadyn bouncing on the landing.

“Todd asked us to pick you up. Vincent is keeping the car warm,” Kadyn informed the two men, chuckling at the surprised look on their faces. He tripped down the stairs in front of them and out into the nippy evening air. With a flourished bow, he held open the back door of the vehicle. “Your chariot awaits, gentlemen.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Zack and Rene arrived with Best man and chauffeur in tow. They had deliberately planned their arrival before that of their guests in order to go over any last minutes instructions Todd was sure to have. Knowing all the work Papa had gone to, they were more than willing to comply with his wishes.

“Oh, the Piglets are here!” Todd gaily announced when he heard the front door open and snow being stamped off several pair of boots.

He and Hayden headed for the hall to greet the latest arrivals. Both found it difficult to contain their excitement in anticipation of Rene’s reaction when he saw his family. Todd was beaming and almost bouncing with joy for the wonderful surprise in store for this very special young man.

After hanging up their coats, Zack and Rene allowed themselves to be herded into the family room, the other four men trailing along behind them.

Rene was complimenting Hayden and Todd on how beautiful the house looked as they walked into the family room. He stopped dead in his tracks and in mid-sentence when he saw his mother standing up from where she’d been seated on the sofa. “Mom!” he exclaimed rather loudly. He then noticed his sister, bother-in-law and two nieces were also in the room.

For a half a moment he was gripped with fear that they had come here to try and stop the wedding, but the loving smiles on both his mother’s and Dorothy’s faces made him realize they had come here in goodwill. He ran forward and wrapped his mother in his arms. “I can’t believe you’re here!” he cried.

Marjorie pulled back slightly so she could touch Rene’s face. “Oh, Rene, you have no idea how happy I am that I came.”

Dorothy tapped Rene’s shoulder. “We’re all glad to be here, little brother.” The siblings exchanged hugs and Rene then turned to quickly greet his brother-in-law and nieces as well.

He stood up from where he’d squatted down to hug the two little girls, turned to Zack and took his fiancé by the hand, pulling him close. “I’d like you all to meet my very soon-to-be husband, Zackary Pierce. Zack, this is my mom, Marjorie Wilson; my sister Dorothy Thompson and her husband Rob.” He stopped to indicate each person as he spoke, “and my two beautiful nieces, Jennifer and Leah.”

Zack had been standing to the side, thoroughly taken up at the sight of Rene’s beautiful face lighting up the way it did, but he had easily moved forward at his partner’s unspoken invitation to participate in the unexpected reunion.

“I am pleased to meet you, Marjorie, and very happy that you and your lovely family made the trip to attend our wedding.’ Zack gently kissed his future mother-in-law’s cheek. Turning, he greeted Dorothy in a similar manner and then shook hands with Rob.

Getting down on one knee, Zack smiled at the two little girls. “Guess I’m going to be your new uncle, right?” He chuckled when Jennifer and Leah looked at each other; then covered their mouths with their hands and giggled.

Zack straightened up and wrapped an arm about Rene’s shoulders. “Quite a nice surprise and a perfect gift, isn’t it, sweetheart?”

Much to his embarrassment, Rene found himself brushing tears from his face. “This is the best gift I could have hoped for. Thank you all so much for coming.” He glanced at his two future fathers-in-law. “Well, since you’ve obviously met Zack’s dads, I don’t need to do that introduction. When did you get here and where are you staying?”

Marjorie quickly explained about their trip up and that they were staying at a motel on the highway between Kelowna and Jade Heights. She also knew her son well enough to recognise the line of worry that had formed in the beautiful young face. So while the others were talking and getting acquainted, she guided Rene to the side; though she couldn’t help but notice that Zack was watching them closely. “I’m sorry, honey, you have to know why he wouldn’t come.”

Rene nodded. “Yeah, I know; it’s probably better this way. I just wish he could understand.”

Zack had been introducing Dorothy and Rob to Kadyn and Vincent while keeping an eye on Rene. He saw the brief expression of sadness pass over his fiancé face and accurately guessing the subject of Rene’s father had been brought up, quietly closed the gap between them and gently rubbed a hand over Rene’s back to let him know he understood.

Marjorie watched as her son relaxed under the touch of his soon-to-be husband and she was grateful to see that Zack could make her son feel better.

The next couple of hours passed in a whirl of activity as family members and friends from near and far arrived. Introductions were made, conversations got underway, drinks were served and light refreshments placed in convenient locations around the room.

Hayden and Todd’s home was warmly lit up and humming with a sense of happiness and excitement, with everyone looking forward to the highlight of the evening: the wedding ceremony. Todd was in his element as a congenial and laid-back host. It was hard to comprehend the contrast between how worked-up he would get while preparing for an event and how serene he’d become once the event was underway.

Throughout the evening, Todd merrily circled the big room and pinned boutonnières of white roses on members of the wedding party. All this while keeping an eye on the professional photographer to make sure the man got the shots of moments that held particular importance for Todd; and at the right angles of course.

It was almost ten-thirty when Hayden called for everyone’s attention. “Friends and family, I’ve been reminded that it’s time we proceeded with the reason for this gathering,” Hayden announced while giving a smile to his son who prompted him by tapping his watch face. “Would you kindly take your seats in the living room?”

Hayden stood in the dining room with Zack and Rene, and watched with a smile as Todd and Kadyn fulfilled their roles as best men/groomsmen by ensuring that Rene’s family were seated at the front along side of Hayden’s own brother and sister-in-law who had made the trip from their home in Nanaimo. The string quartet was playing ‘Green Sleeves’ and the room was lighted only by candlelight, save for a single illumination on the beautifully decorated arch centred in front of the large bow window.

The plan was for the two grooms to enter the living room and walk up opposite sides of the seated guests accompanied by their best men; then walk across the front and meet together under the archway.

Once the guests were seated, Hayden gave the two grooms a hug and kiss. “Are you two ready? No last minute cold feet?” he teased.

“I am more than ready, Dad. I feel like I have been preparing for this moment for as long as I can remember and there is no way I am backing down now.” Zack knew his own heart, he knew he loved Rene with every fiber of his being and he wasn’t about to let the love of his life get away from him. “How about you, love?” he asked Rene.

Rene’s smile filled his entire face, showing the happiness and excitement he was feeling. “I have to admit to being a bit nervous about getting through the ceremony without fobbing my lines. But there isn’t even the slightest doubt in my heart about what I’m doing.”

Hearing exactly what he expected, Hayden gave each of the young men another kiss on the cheek. “I love you both.” Todd and Kadyn rejoined them at that moment, having seated the last of the guests. “Well, I’d better take my place. Todd, will you give the signal to the musicians to start the processional once we’re ready?”

“It will be my pleasure,” Todd laughed. “I am not usually given permission to direct things,” he joked as Hayden left the room.

Hayden stood under the archway and watched with pride as Zack, accompanied by Todd approached from his left and Rene, accompanied by Kadyn approached from his right. The gentle strains of music from the string quartet set the mood for the occasion. When Zack and Rene came together in front of him, Hayden reached forward and placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders, giving them both a smile. Then he looked out over the small assembly of family and friends seated before them.

“What a beautiful evening, and what a wonderful occasion we have come together to celebrate. The joining in marriage of two persons very much in love is a tradition that predates recorded history. Tonight we write the first page in the history book of Zachary and Rene as a married couple. Being able to preside over this joining is both an honour and an incredible privilege for me. This in fact, is the first wedding ceremony I am officiating over since receiving my license as a Marriage Commissioner and what better way to start than the marriage of my son Zachary to his beloved Rene.”

Hayden looked to the two young men standing so seriously in front of him. “Zachary and Rene, it takes love to make any marriage work. Love should be the core of your marriage, love is the reason you are here. But it will also take trust; to know in your hearts you want the best for each other. It will take dedication; to stay open to one another, to learn and to grow together even when this is not always so easy to do. It will take faith; to always be willing to go forward to tomorrow, never really knowing what tomorrow will bring. And it will take commitment; to hold true to the journey you both now pledge to share together.

Zachary and Rene, I ask that you both remember to treat each other with respect and remind yourself often of what brought you together today. Give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your marriage deserves. If each of you will take responsibility for the quality of your life together, it will be marked by abundance and delight.

Now if you two will please join hands and face each other, you may share the vows you have prepared for this day.”

Rene was to speak first. He drew a deep breath and prayed that the vows he’d worked so hard to write and memorize, would not leave him now that the critical moment had arrived. However, one look into Zack’s loving eyes gave Rene the courage to begin.

“Some months ago, a vagabond arrived in a small town.
He was a lonely young man in search of something, but he knew not what.
He believed his art was all he needed in life, as if art alone could sustain his soul.
Though his heart had long cried out for love, the young man had ceased to listen.
He believed that if he allowed his heart to reach out and love, it would only be broken.
Then the face of a god appeared to him. At first the young man was scared.
He tried to push the man who belonged to that face away, but the man wouldn’t listen.
The man kept coming back and slowly, carefully pulled the young vagabond into his home and his heart.
The man showed him love and melted away the shield the younger man had placed around himself.
The man cared for him even when the vagabond said he didn’t want to be cared for.
The man guided the young vagabond with a firm but fair hand; he showed him the real meaning of love.
And now on this day, the vagabond will vow his love and eternal devotion to the man.
He/I will be a vagabond no more. I will become a husband, a partner, a lover and a friend.

I, Rene Albert Wilson Jr., declare on this day my lifelong commitment to you, Zackary William Pearce. I promise to be an eternally faithful, devoted and respectful husband. I pledge to share with you all my worldly goods, to stand by your side through all that life can give to us through both the good times and the bad. I will follow you wherever you may lead, and I will honour you and cherish you all the days of our lives.

Zack willed his moistening eyes not to overflow as his beloved’s words caused his heart to swell. He reached out and gently caressed Rene’s face. He gazed into the blue eyes belonging to this man he loved so much and did his best to clear his throat before softly speaking his vows.

“This time last year I was a lonely man waiting for someone. Someone I had loved for a very long time, but whom I had yet to meet. Rene, I have loved you for many years, I just didn’t know who you were until the very first time I looked into your beautiful blue eyes and my soul sang out; ‘This is the one.’

I know without a doubt there will only ever be just one man for me. You are the man whose arms I want wrapped around me at the end of a long, hard day; the man who makes my troubles seem less challenging just by listening; you are the man who stands beside me and who steals my heart over and over again; you are the man I will love forever.

I cannot imagine days without your smile or nights without the comfort of your touch. It is your love that enables all that is strong and good in me. You make our life together the best that it can be and I cannot begin to thank you for the treasured gifts you bring to our relationship, except to say I vow to spend a lifetime loving you.

I, Zachary William Pierce, do hereby pledge to love, honour, cherish and care for you for the rest of my days, and to always put you first whenever humanly possible. To you, Rene Albert Wilson Jr., I humbly give all that I was, all that I am, and all that I will ever be.

Hayden gave a nod to Todd and Kadyn as he began the next part of the ceremony. Each of them reached into their pockets and pulled out the rings to hand over to the respective grooms.

“The exchanging of rings is a symbolic gesture of the never ending love and commitment that Zachary and Rene pledge here today. You have both chosen to wear these symbols as an outward sign of your status as married men. Just as the circle of the ring is without end, so too should your love and faithfulness be never ending.

Zachary, please place the ring on Rene’s finger and repeat after me. This ring I give you as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”

“This ring I give you as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.” Zack gazed into the beautiful blue eyes of his beloved and solemnly repeated the words in a voice rough with emotion.

So focused on the handsome man in front of him, Zack was oblivious to anything going on about them. He missed his Dad discretely passing Papa a clean handkerchief when the beauty of the moment became too much for him and he was no longer able to hold back the tears.

“Rene, please place the ring on Zachary’s finger and repeat after me. This ring I give you as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.”

“This ring I give you as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love.” Rene repeated the words slowly and carefully. His legs were shaking from the overwhelming emotions of the moment. He knew he had never been nor could ever be happier than he was at this moment.

“Zachary and Rene, in so much as the two of you have agreed to live together in marriage, and have promised your love for each other by these vows and the joining of your hands and the giving of these rings; I now declare you to be married. Congratulations; you may share a kiss.”

It was at this moment in time that Todd signaled to Rene’s nieces. Jennifer and Leah didn’t let him down as they quietly moved forward until one stood on each side of the arch, then each of them carefully picked up the end of a long satin ribbon. They gave the ribbons a gentle tug and stared wide-eyed as two lovely, white turtle-doves flew from the small cage hanging near the ceiling and circled the archway a couple of times before coming to rest on top of it. The birds were meant as a sign of good fortune for the newly married men.

Zack shook his head in amazement, momentarily wondering what else Papa had up his sleeve. He smiled as he advanced a step and placed his hands on Rene’s waist. He bent his head and gently kissed his new husband’s slightly parted lips. He lifted his head, but feeling the need for more than a chaste kiss, he leaned in closer and once again kissed the lips of his beloved. He allowed the kiss to deepen as his arms wrapped around the love of his life and he raised Rene off the floor.

It was his father’s barely heard clearing of his throat that caused Zack to end the kiss. He grinned wickedly at the rather dazed younger man he was holding and winked, not at all embarrassed by the snickering from the family members and friends avidly watching them.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to introduce for the first time, Misters Zachary and Rene Pierce.”

Todd wiped at his eyes as he hurriedly embraced the newly married couple. He wanted to be the first one to pass on good wishes before stepping aside to enable others to come forward and offer congratulations.

Next, he sidled over to his own husband and wrapped his arm around Hayden’s waist. “It was all so exquisite, my love. There is not another person drawing breath who could have officiated as superbly as you did,” he softly whispered and stretched up to steal a kiss from his long-time mate.

Hayden pulled Todd tightly against him and held the kiss for a moment. “Thank you, love. This is a day we’ll never forget. Our little boy is now a married man. We did pretty good, huh?” he added with a laugh.

Kadyn took advantage of being nearest his friend. He smiled broadly as he patted Rene on the back and shook hands with him. “You did it, man. I wish you both a long life of happiness,” he said with a nod in Zack’s direction, then moved out of the way.

He bounced on his feet while waiting for his partner to come up. It took some time as Vincent was half-way down the line that had formed.

Marjorie moved in quickly, pulled her son into her arms and kissed him. “Congratulations, my darling. I wish you all the happiness in the world.”

Rene beamed. He had never envisioned his mother’s open approval of his lifestyle. “Thank you, Mom. I know I’ll be happy. Zack is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Marjorie smiled. “You know, Rene, I believe you are right.” She then stepped back and allowed in the others waiting in line to congratulate the grooms.

Marjorie Wilson had always considered herself a simple woman. Her life experiences were that of a dutiful daughter who became a dutiful wife and loving mother. Her education finished with high school and her work experience consisted of part-time job at a dry cleaner which she gave up when she married.

She had married young and being a good Catholic wife, she gave birth to her first child barely ten months after the wedding. Sadly though, there were complications with Dorothy’s birth and she had been told it was doubtful she would be able to have another child. However, fourteen years later much to her and Albert’s delight, Rene, their little miracle had been born. They had doted on this child all his life, calling him their gift from God. So they were both shocked and heartbroken when Rene informed them that he was gay. They felt somehow that their gift had been damaged and worried that they were at fault.

Now this self-proclaimed simple woman found herself at the home of a homosexual couple, watching her son marry another man. Everything that she had been taught told her that this was wrong, that this was against God’s law. And yet her heart could find no fault here. This place seemed only to be filled with love and joy. How could this be wrong? From the moment she’d walked through the door, she’d been welcomed with open arms. She had spent the last few hours very carefully studying this family of men her son was joining. She had been surprised to learn that Hayden Pierce was the now retired senior partner of Pierce, Beckman, Stein, and Latham; a law firm of certain prestige in the Vancouver area, and that Todd was a retired dentist and Zachary a pharmacist with his own business. These were professional men of standing; that alone was impressive.

But what impressed Marjorie the most, was what she observed in the tiny movements and looks that passed between these men. Even when engaged in conversation with someone else, Zack’s eyes were constantly searching out Rene, wherever he might be in the room. When they were close together, Zack’s touches, though subtle, seemed to settle her normally hyper son, whose face glowed with happiness. She saw very similar looks and touches being shared between Hayden and Todd and several of the other gay couples in the room.

After the guests had moved through the line and congratulated the happy couple, Marjorie found the moment she had been looking for. Rene was busily talking with some of his co-workers and Zack was momentarily alone. She approached her new son-in-law in hopes of a minute of his time. “Zack, could I speak with you for a moment?”

Zack smiled at the woman who was now his mother-in-law. “Of course,” he gently replied.

“I just wanted to thank you for making my son so happy and for getting him to settle down. I never had a single decent night’s sleep when he was traveling around and living out of that wreck of a car of his. I was so terrified someone would hurt him. He’s always been a bit too trusting and traveling alone like that...well, I just thank God he found you. I also want to thank you for helping him to cope with the issues he has with his father. I realize now that it was you who got Rene to come home for our anniversary. After the awful row Rene and his father had at the time of his Aunt’s funeral, I didn’t think he’d come. You’re obviously a very calming influence on him and I want you to know how much I appreciate it. I don’t know if I’ll ever convince Albert to accept Rene’s lifestyle, but at least I know my son is happy and with someone who loves him and will care for him.”

Zack gazed at the woman in front of him with genuine fondness. “Thank you, Marjorie, for your kind words. I will do everything in my power to live up to them. Mostly though, I thank you for the gift of your son. I also want you to know how grateful I am to you and your family for making the time and effort to be here this evening. We do not know what the future will bring, but I hold out hope that some day Mr. Wilson will be able to accept Rene and I as a couple and become involved in our lives. Rene needs and deserves to have both his parents in his life.” He grinned and added, “in the meantime, I am more than content with having you as my new mother-in-law.”

While the grooms were milling around and conversing with their well-wishers, Hayden directed the rearranging of the rented folding chairs to make a small dance area in the middle of the living room floor. The string quartet had packed up and music was playing from speakers hidden around the room. When the melodic voice of Johnny Mathis filled the air, Rene found himself swept up into Zack’s strong arms and led onto the small dance floor.

Maybe it’s much too early in the game,
Ah, but I thought I’d ask you just the same,
What are you doing New Year’s -
New Year’s Eve?

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight
When it’s exactly twelve o’clock that night,
Welcoming in the New Year -
New Year’s Eve

Maybe I’m crazy to suppose
I’d ever be the one you chose
Out of a thousand invitations
You’d receive,

Ah, but in case I stand one little chance,
Here comes the jackpot question in advance,
What are you doing New Year’s -
New Year’s Eve?

When the song finished, Rene looked up into Zack’s eyes. “I want to spend every New Year’s Eve from now on in your arms just like this.”

For a while the two grooms were separated to dance with a number of the guests. Rene and Zack both had dances with Marjorie, Dorothy and Rene’s two little nieces as well as several others.

During this time and much to the dismay of two little girls, Todd fetched a large cage from the kitchen and coaxed the trained doves to seek refuge in it. He set the cage off to the side so Jennifer and Leah could still see the birds inside.

Next, he commandeered the help of Hayden, Kadyn and Vincent to set out the numerous platters and serving bowls of food that had been prepared. A small fountain had been placed on a table in the corner of the family room, and it was into this that Todd poured several pitchers of punch. Once he turned it on, the guests only needed to hold their glasses under the falling liquid to fill them. When all was ready, Todd clapped his hands to attract everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, please help yourselves to refreshments.”

Once again people lined up, this time to enjoy the fruits of Todd’s efforts. Over the next half hour or so, speeches were made and glasses of the best Champaign money could buy, were raised in toasts to the happy couple. Zack and Rene had just finished cutting their wedding cake when the clock struck twelve and another celebration was underway as everyone welcomed in the New Year.

Two thousand and nine rung in, and Rene and Zack were finally married. Rene laid his head against Zack’s broad shoulder; the New Year’s kiss his new husband had given him left him breathless and wanting more. He whispered into his lover’s ear. “It’s been a great evening, Zack, but do you think we can leave soon?”

“Yes, I think we can make our escape now,” Zack chuckled. Although he was enjoying himself, he was also very much looking forward to the surprise he had in mind for his new husband, and they had to be in the privacy of their room at the Inn for him to carry it out. “Let’s go over and let my dads know.”

“Dad, Papa.” Zack, with Rene at his side, stepped up to his fathers and spoke softly so as not to be overheard. “We want to thank you both for making this important day so extra special for us.” Zack hugged and kissed both his parents, then continued. “It’s after twelve thirty and time we were thinking of leaving. Our room at the Trillium Inn awaits us. That, plus there are others who may want to head for home but want Rene and I to leave first.” He nodded towards Dorothy who was covering two little girls sleeping in the large armchair, with a throw from the sofa.

Hayden grinned knowingly. “Papa and I were more than happy to have your wedding here at our home. Though you have your Papa to thank for all the food preparations and decorating.” He gave Zack a wink. “I was just his personal gofer. We do have one other small gift for you two.” He handed Zack an envelope. “It’s an all inclusive weekend for two at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort; you’re booked to arrive tomorrow afternoon”

When Zack opened his mouth to protest, Hayden raised his hand and shook his head. “No arguing; all the arrangements are made, including having Mr. Baluster step out of retirement for a couple of days and take care of the dispensary end of the pharmacy for you. The rest of your staff is more than happy to deal with the rest of the business. We want you two to have a bit of time to yourselves; so no setting foot back in the store until Tuesday, okay? Now you’re right, it’s time for you two to say your good-nights and head off to the inn.”

Zack grinned and gracefully accepted the gift from his parents. Glancing over at Todd, he brought up the subject of transportation. “You know, Papa, not having my car here is going to make getting to the inn a tad tricky, don’t you think? I trust you had a good reason for Vincent playing chauffeur earlier,” he teased; pretty sure his father had something planned.

“It’s all taken care of,” Todd assured his son with a beaming smile. “You Piglets just go say your goodbyes and get ready to leave. Go on now!” He insistently shooed them on their way before stepping into the hall and making a brief phone call.

Twenty minutes later, Todd handed Rene the small overnight bag Zack had brought to the party with him and excitedly shoved the two men out the front door. “Your ride is waiting!” he announced and pointed towards the road.

There at the end of the walkway was an elegant sleigh drawn by two beautifully decked-out horses, with a driver patiently waiting for his passengers.

Todd was absolutely ecstatic over having pulled off this coup de Graz. Everyone crowded onto the wide veranda that ran the entire width of the house and pictures were taken as Zack and Rene climbed into the sleigh.

Hayden pulled Todd into his arms as they watched the newlyweds climb into the sleigh. “You’re a true romantic, my love. This was a perfect send off for the boys.”

With a final wave, they were off. Zack lovingly tucked the heavy fur blanket snuggly around his husband and drew him closer. The moon was shining and a light frost was beginning to settle. The bells on the horses were lightly ringing as their hooves stomped along the road and the runners of the sleigh crunched over the packed down snow.

“Isn’t this marvelous, love? Only Papa could have executed something this romantic,” he whispered then leaned in and kissed Rene’s lips.

Rene snuggled up against his husband. “It’s really nice, Zack. Your parents are wonderful people and today has been the nicest day of my entire life. I really belong to you now, legal and everything, don’t I?”

“You better believe it, my love; and now that you do belong to me, I am never going to let you go!” Zack ardently assured his beloved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The upper floors of the inn had been in darkness when they’d arrived, indicating most of the guests were already in bed. However, the lower floor radiated a warm glow of welcome from soft beams of light coming from the windows and the large entry way.

The newly-married couple had been shown to the honeymoon suite, The Fairy Slipper, where they immediately began winding down from their busy day of anticipation and the celebration that had followed.

After a nice long shower together, Zack had quickly toweled down and then had unhurriedly dried off his husband before scooping him up in his arms and depositing him of the king-size bed.

“I want you to hold on to that, Rene,” he instructed as he lifted the younger man’s arms and placed his hands by the headboard. “I want to pleasure you without any participation on your part.” Getting a wide-eyed nod of compliance, Zack set about slowly bringing his lover to the heights of sexual fulfillment.

Lying next to Rene, Zack started his assault by kissing him. He kissed him again, longer and deeper. He then trailed slow, tantalizing kisses mingled with tiny nibbles down the exquisite body stretched out for his enjoyment. He licked and sucked at Rene’s nipples until they hardened.

When he reached his lover’s erection, he licked and blew on it in a teasing fashion before running his tongue down to the scrotum. He cupped and gently massaged Rene’s testicles for a moment, lingering long enough to look up and watch the expressions on Rene’s face. Then he took them into his mouth one at a time and sucked while softly humming. He stopped and once again blew on the dampened skin, preventing his lover from cumming.

Rene was gripping the rails of the headboard for all he was worth. He wanted to comply with his Top’s command, but it was hard not to reach down and add his own hands to the mix. Zack’s mouth was doing things that had him about ready to explode. The vibrations from the humming while his lover sucked on his balls was incredible. He was moaning and squirming. If Zack didn’t have such a firm grip on his hips, Rene thought he might have lurched off of the bed.

“Oh, Zack...oh God...” he panted out.

Zack turned Rene onto his stomach and placed a pillow, covered with a towel, under Rene’s hips. He gently ran his fingers down Rene’s back before kneading and lightly nipping the firm butt cheeks. He parted the beautiful white globes and drew a line with his tongue along the cleft all the way to Rene’s still damp testicles, licking the entire furrow from top to bottom with the flat of his tongue.

He had rimmed a couple of times before but knew this was Rene’s first time. It was a gift Zack wanted to give his new husband.

With softened lips, he kissed the pucker opening directly, then pressed a flattened tongue against it for several seconds before starting to move with an in and out motion, using just the tip of his tongue to lightly lick around the rim of the opening. He smiled as his Brat’s moans and groans grew louder and the quivering butt was pushed towards Zack’s face. Gradually, he worked his tongue into a rhythm with short, firm licks and continued until Rene was beyond himself and whimpering for release.

Zack darted his tongue inside and moaned his appreciation, knowing his moaning was causing his tongue to vibrate and that there was no other sensation like it in the world.

He knew his husband could not hold out much longer, so he smeared some lube on his own erection and steadily plunged into his lover’s welcoming body. It only took a few thrusts before both men were howling out in joint climaxes. Zack fell forward to land across his lover’s back, and as his heart rate and breathing slowly returned to normal, he momentarily wondered if the rooms were sound-proof and instantly realized he didn’t give a damn.

The big man chuckled when he saw that he had succeeded in turning his lover into a mass of proverbial jelly. He shifted himself before rolling Rene unto his back and using the towel to adeptly clean both of them. Then spooning in behind the love of his life; Zack softly vowed past his heart which was tightly lodged in his throat. “I will love you forever, Rene. You are my lover, my best friend, my spouse.”

The End