Flare (10 page)

Finn seemed carefree as he buried
treasure
in the sand, nose covered in turquoise zinc oxide that almost matched his eye color. He’d talked Hugo’s ear off at breakfast, telling him about any and all activities Hugo had missed while gone, including the summer gymnastics class Kevin had signed him up for. Ever since Hugo taught Finn how to walk on his hands, he’d been obsessed with balance. He never quit talking about it, and after their lives settled down, Kevin suggested taking a summer class to see if Finn was really and truly as interested as he thought. Apparently he was.

Rowan even gave Hugo a little rundown of the days he’d been gone, including him as if he were really the kids’ dad. It made Hugo happy, not only that he got to hear all these cool stories about Brooke and Finn from an outsider’s perspective, but also because Rowan was treating him as an equal, as if his involvement in these kids’ lives was just as significant as Kevin’s was. When he said as much, Kevin looked at him funny, scrutinizing Hugo’s face before he said, “Well, of course you are. We’re parenting these kids together. We’re partners in this, just as much as we are in our relationship.”

“Parenting partners?” Hugo asked, quoting one of Lori’s favorite phrases, and Kevin nodded, smiling at the reference.

“Yes. Partners in all things, how does that sound?”

“I like the sound of that. Speaking of which, have you heard anything more from Mark?”

“Yeah. He’s been in communication with the Clarkes’ lawyer. At first he asked how taking the kids away from their one living parent who is well-known as a good father and provider could possibly be in the ‘best interest of the child.’ I guess that’s how Minnesota law states things when it comes to custody.”

“Good question,” Hugo said. “I have no clue how they can see this as anything but harmful.”

Kevin nodded and took a sip of water. “Mark was doing his typical nice-guy approach, but it wasn’t getting him anywhere, so he upped the ante. Basically he asked their lawyer if the Clarkes felt that Finn was genuinely in a situation causing him harm, why didn’t they file a report with Child Protection? Why go about it this way? Mark dug into him and pressed pretty hard, I guess, and alluded to some statute about knowingly making false allegations of child abuse and how we could have easily brought a civil suit against them. Since they live in North Dakota, false reporting is actually a misdemeanor, but I don’t know how that works over state lines, which was why I hired Mark. He basically accused them of trying to get custody in a convoluted way without breaking the law themselves. If they truly thought you or I were hurting the kids, then they’d report it in a heartbeat. The fact that they didn’t is highly suspect.”

“Okay,” Hugo said, feeling a flood of relief but not really knowing where that left things. “Nothing was said about the doll?”

“Nope. Nothing at all. He’s treating this as a pretty straightforward kinship custody case based on what the papers said. The Clarkes don’t have a clue that we know about the conversation they had with Finn about the doll. Mark wants to keep that out of the dealings unless they bring it up, or if we need to use it later in a civil suit.

“He’s trying to set up some sort of mediation sessions,” Kevin continued. “He thinks they want custody because of their biases. Since their feelings on gay men raising kids were pretty blatantly stated when Erin was alive, they don’t have a leg to stand on, especially with our knowledge of how they tried to get Finn to say he was inappropriately touched. They’re digging deep and trying to make something stick. Fortunately for us, there isn’t anything. I’m hopeful, after talking to him.”

“And Tad? Have you heard anything from him?” Hugo asked.

“He’s only seen Finn twice, but he saw no need to see him again. There are no signs whatsoever that Finn’s been sexually assaulted and since that’s his expertise, he felt there was no need to continue their relationship. Besides, Lori and Finn have a healthy therapeutic relationship. I’m not nearly as concerned as I was because Child Protection hasn’t shown up to the house to start a formal investigation. I guess they have a time limit to contact us if a report has been made. Of course, Tasha and Kyle could still report their suspicions. That could happen anytime. Tad said he’d testify if he’s subpoenaed.”

“Good. Good,” Hugo said, releasing a huge sigh as he felt the weight of the world coming off his shoulders. He knew he’d been worried about this, but just knowing that two mental health professionals had been able to see the truth for what it was
and
help Finn relaxed him. Another thing that eased his mind was that both therapists had seen no evidence to suggest the Clarkes had irreparably harmed Finn. Sure, what Tasha had done had been reprehensible, but nothing therapy hadn’t already started to fix. Hugo knew he needed to continue to be that stable force, that solid presence in Brooke and Finn’s lives. He was more determined now than ever before.

Rowan’s screams and laughter caught Kevin and Hugo’s attention, and they looked toward the shore where the kids had ganged up on her, splashing and using pails to throw water on her. Kevin stood and walked closer, telling them to settle down and also to get them to hand the pails over to Rowan so she could get some sweet revenge. She gave a pass on the pails, but did give Brooke and Finn a little splash back.

“I’m moving,” Hugo said when Kevin joined him again.

“What?” Kevin sounded stunned and worried, so Hugo replayed his words in his head.

“No, no, no. No. I mean, I’ve decided to move out of my apartment.”

“Oh thank God! I’m not even forty; I don’t need a frickin’ heart attack already,” Kevin said while clutching his chest.

“I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget that you don’t come along for the ride in my head.” Hugo reached over and squeezed Kevin’s arm. “I want things to feel more permanent. I was thinking about how it was stupid to keep the apartment while I was in LA. I don’t want to live there alone. The only time we even head there anymore is if someone is watching the kids, and while Rowan’s here, I don’t think that justifies what I’m paying, just so we can go and”—he looked around and then lowered his voice—“fuck in peace.”

“That’s a nice way to put it.” Kevin chuckled. “It’s a lot of money, and it’s not like we have to hide our relationship from the kids anymore.”

“And I feel like we’ve gotten through the hardest part of adjusting to not having Erin here with us anymore. I’m not afraid of us drifting apart in our grief and being… abandoned.” Hugo shook his head, embarrassed that once again his fear of being left behind had held him back.

Kevin nodded. “Yeah. I hear ya. When were you thinking of letting the place go?”

“Not sure. I wanted to talk to you about it. I didn’t know how you’d feel.”

“I’ve been wanting you at home with me for months. But, I know you’ve been holding on to the apartment for a reason. I know you said it was so we could have a place, but I suspected there had to be more to it. I didn’t know everything behind your decision or if you knew either, but I hoped you’d eventually be ready.”

“I am.”

A
S
EXPECTED
,
getting back into the groove again was hard, especially after a few lackadaisical days at the lake, but it was amazing too. Learning that Kevin and Hugo were going to now live in the same place, the kids deemed it cool, which was a relief for Hugo. He’d had an inkling of a worry that maybe they didn’t want him living at their house full-time, but his concern ended up being ridiculous.

It was the last weekend in June. That meant it was the Twin Cities Pride Festival. It was also the very last weekend Hugo could be in his apartment since his landlord had people on the waiting list who were anxious to move into the building. Somehow he and Kevin were going to try to sandwich hauling the last of his belongings to Kevin’s in a weekend stuffed with events. Luckily, he didn’t have much, so a few trips in Kevin’s CUV and maybe one in Russell’s truck would do the job. They moved all the furniture out except for Hugo’s kitchen table and chairs on Friday evening.

On Saturday the family spent time doing various activities at Pride. Brooke even insisted on her dad driving her back to Edina to get Lulu when she found out about the Doggy Drag Show. They met Hugo at his apartment where he had already pulled out a few things from his drag closet for Brooke to choose from before closing the door and locking it. Brooke and Finn dressed Lulu up—within reason—for the contest. She didn’t win, but the kids had a great time.

Hugo also had the joyous experience of trying to define drag for a six- and an eleven-year-old with no help from Kevin. He sat back with a smirk on his face watching Hugo struggle with his words as Brooke attempted to secure a rainbow-colored feather in Lulu’s fur. Not surprisingly, Finn took the part of Hugo’s explanation that he understood and ran with it.

“It’s dress up for adults. Like Halloween but boys dress like girls and girls dress like boys. What’s so hard to get about that?” Finn asked his sister.

“I think it’s about more than that,” Brooke responded as she studied Hugo’s eyes. Hugo smiled back, pulling out all his acting skills to appear as cool as a cucumber. After that, Brooke didn’t ask many more questions unless they had to do with how to secure something safely around Lulu’s little body.

They attended many of the festivities as a family that day, even meeting up with Summer and Russell. Hugo would occasionally slip away to talk with friends he hadn’t seen in a while, but Kevin stayed with the kids; it was easier that way. Saturday night Hugo performed as Miss Cherrie Pop! along with Miss Ginger Tail and the new Miss Fanta Sea, also known as Frank, the kid Hugo had to turn down when he’d called to ask if Hugo would be his drag mother. Frank was now Gilbert’s boyfriend too. Hugo then stopped back at his apartment and scrubbed all traces of Cherrie away before heading back to Kevin’s place.

“I’
VE
GOT
to get going,” Hugo said, then took a few bites off a strip of bacon and headed toward the garage the next morning.

“What? Wait. You’re going already?” Kevin asked.

Hugo stopped in his tracks and pivoted to face Kevin, bacon still in hand. “I have to go if I’m going to be ready for the parade.”

“What do you mean? You have hours. Oh. Oooohhhh.” Kevin finally got it. Hugo was going to the parade as Miss Cherrie Pop!.

“Yep. It doesn’t just happen overnight or in the blink of an eye. Beauty takes time and effort,” Hugo said with a wink.

“So you’ll be at your apartment?”

“Yep.”

“I should come,” Kevin said before he glanced over his shoulder at the kids, who were in the midst of a conversation with Rowan. He looked back and had a funny little smile on his face, almost like he was caught with his hand in the candy dish. “Can I?”

Hugo shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Give me a few more minutes. Eat another piece of bacon and at least have one egg before you go. You’ll need protein.”

“Yes, Mother,” Hugo joked as he walked back into the kitchen to grab a soft-boiled egg. Kevin went to the dining room table to have a conversation with Rowan and the kids while Hugo tapped the shell with his spoon. He had been right about one thing, Brooke and Finn loved soft-boiled eggs after Rowan had introduced the kids to them, and now, so did he. He peeled back the shell, picked up his spoon again, and took a bite. It was delicious. He finished it in record time.

Kevin was going to take the kids to the family picnic this morning. It was at the same time as the parade, which was fine with Hugo, because he was going to be tucked and taped and marching in the parade. They’d meet up somewhere afterward.

“Come on,” Kevin said as he tugged Hugo toward the garage. “Let’s go.”

“What about the kids?”

“Rowan is bringing them. I need to help you finish packing up your place. May as well start now, considering all the other stuff you have on your plate today.”

“Okay….” Hugo didn’t know what to make of Kevin, but he got in his car and drove. It took longer than normal with the extra weekend traffic, but Hugo finally parked in his spot and walked toward his apartment. Kevin followed, silent the whole time.

As Hugo dug around in his guest room/drag closet and set out what he thought he was going to wear on the low built-in shelf, Kevin stood in the doorway looking around at everything in awe. He’d never been allowed in this room before.

“Kind of overwhelming, isn’t it?” Hugo asked.

Kevin made eye contact. “There’s just… so much stuff.”

“I know. That’s why I told you last year that I needed a lot of storage space if I was going to move in with you.”

“And here I was stupidly thinking you needed a spot to put some boxes,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “I always suspected this was what was in this room, but wow! It’s just so much more than I expected.”

Hugo gave Kevin a kiss as he walked past him on his way to the kitchen table, the place in his apartment that had the best lighting for his elaborate makeup routine. He set down his load, taking care not to tip over any bottles. “Not having second thoughts, are you?” he asked as he stepped back into the room to gather more supplies. “I promise not to turn you into a drag husband, making you haul all my stuff everywhere.”

“No. No second thoughts.”

“Good,” Hugo said as he sat down at the table and then reached for his foundation so he could start camouflaging his beard area. Kevin sat across the table from him for a few minutes and watched as Hugo started to transform himself, but as the process continued, Kevin stood and started to pack the rest of Hugo’s things into boxes.

“I said I’d be helpful, not just sit there and stare at you.”

“Thanks. If you’d like, you could start hanging some of my gowns in the wardrobe boxes. They’re in my bedroom,” Hugo directed.

“Okay. I’m not going to mess them up, am I?”

“No, but if you’re worried, I’ll do it when I get back from the parade. That’s not a problem.”

The door to the apartment opened and Summer backed in with her hands full, dropping her keys in the process. “Sorry I’m late. I stopped for doughnuts and coffee for my diva.” She turned and stopped in her tracks. “Oh hi, Kevin. I didn’t expect to see you here.”