Friends and Lovers (22 page)

Jack strolled in and took the mug Josh had poured for him. He sat across from Tom, raising his mug in a silent salute. “Pass the Sports Section, babe?” 

Catherine stormed into the kitchen. “Men!” she snarled, her hands on her hips.

Tom raised his eyes from the Living Section. “What about men?”

Jack’s daughter scowled at him “They’re scum, every one of them!”

“Hey!” Theodore paused in putting the container of orange juice back in the refrigerator. “I’m a man!”

“No, you’re not. You’re a brother!”

“Well, what about Daddy and BT? And… uh… Josh?”

Catherine hunched her shoulder. “They don’t count. They’re gay.”

Josh choked on his juice. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, please. Who are you trying to hide it from?”

“Catherine,” Jack said sharply. As far as he was concerned, the sun rose and set on his daughter, but he wouldn’t permit her to hurt the feelings of someone who lived under his roof. “It’s not your place to out Josh.”

She looked mortified. “Oh, Josh! I didn’t mean…”

“I’m… It’s…”

Theodore rubbed his shoulder. “I’ll hold her down if you want to spank her, Joshboy.”

“You and what army, brother dear?” She placed her hand on Josh’s arm. “I really am sorry.”

“You might also want to apologize to Farmer John.” Jack nodded toward the young man who worked for him.

“Oh, hey, Farmer. I didn’t see you there. Sorry,” Catherine said distractedly, turning to speak more earnestly to her father. “I’m sorry, Daddy. But it su… it pi…” It was easy to see she was struggling to find a term that wouldn’t offend her father. Finally she gave it up as useless. “It makes me crazy! Nick is such a
jock
!”

“Nick? Kira’s boyfriend?”

“
Ex
-boyfriend! He broke up with her, by text message!”

Bobby Joe’s eyes had grown huge, and now his mouth dropped. Poor kid probably wasn’t expecting this kind of drama on a Sunday morning at his boss’ breakfast table.

“She’s in my room, crying her eyes out! She’s been crying all night!”

“Oh, Cath, I’m so sorry.” Jack rose from his seat and went to his daughter, enfolding her in a hug.

“Want me to go beat the crap out of him?”

“Thanks, DaddyTom. But I don’t think that’s going to help.”

“What happened?” Theodore passed behind Josh’s seat, giving his shoulder a pat and a squeeze. It was a fleeting gesture.

Josh glanced up and smiled, his heart in his eyes, and Tom smiled himself.
Am I the only one who noticed?
he wondered.

“That…
man
…” It came out like an epithet. “… got Betty Jean Harkness
pregnant
!”

The Reverend Harkness’ daughter? Tom saw his wasn’t the only mouth that dropped.

“But…”

“How did that happen?”

She gave her brother a scathing look. “How do you think?”

“What Teddy means is Nick’s been dating Kira for years!”

“Well, apparently that didn’t mean squat to him, Josh! He and that prissy goody-two-shoes have to get married, and Kira…”

“Did I hear my name mentioned?” Kira breezed in. Her eyes were a little more heavily made up than usual and her nose was a little pink, but other than that, there seemed to be nothing to indicate her world had just been turned upside down.

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”

“Why? Oh, you mean because of Nick?” She shrugged. “I was gettin’ tired of him anyway.” She was wearing indecently short shorts, a top that was tied beneath her breasts, leaving her midriff bare, and platform sandals that added at least three inches to her height. She snagged a slice of bacon from Theodore’s plate.

“Hey!”

“You don’t mind, do you, sugar?” She kissed his cheek, then made a production of wiping off her lipstick, making sure her thumb brushed over his lips.

Josh frowned, but before he could say anything, Bobby Joe spoke.

“You could have mine, Miss Kira,” he offered shyly.

“Why, thank you, Bobby Joe!”

“You’re welcome.”

He certainly didn’t look that enthralled when
I
used his name,
Tom mused to himself.

“Uh… don’t you think those shorts are a little… um… short?” Josh asked.

“You’re not my father!” Her voice was strident. She flushed, took a breath, and smoothed her hair. “Why don’t we ask an unbiased spectator? What do you think, Bobby Joe?”

“I think you look beautiful, Miss Kira. You always look beautiful! And… and your boyfriend was a
fool
to even look at another woman!”

“Thanks.” She smiled, but anyone could see his compliment didn’t mean anything to her. “Well, I’ve got to run. I’ve got a date.”

“You do?” Catherine was watching her not only with concern but with confusion. “You didn’t just a little while ago.”

“Well, I do now. Don’t wait up for me!” The clatter of her sandals sounded across the tiled floor, and then the back door slammed shut behind her.

There was silence in the kitchen for long minutes. It was finally broken by Bobby Joe.

“She called me Bobby Joe!” He blushed when they all turned to stare at him, and ducked his head, but a smile lit up his plain face, making him look almost cute. “She knew my name!”

3. The Wedding –
(no, not that one!) June, eighteen months later

Seeing Josh get more and more nervous as the date for his brother’s wedding approached, Theodore hatched a plan: Catherine would go as Josh’s ‘date.’

“And she can pose as the daughter of a movie star. That’ll impress your folks!”

“No, it won’t. They’d just look down on her. Now if she were related to someone high-ranking in the military…”

“No, that wouldn’t be half as much fun. I’ve got it!” And Theodore’s eyes lit with unholy glee. “How about if she’s Michael Corleone’s daughter?”

Josh’s eyes widened, and then crinkled in amusement. “By George, I think you’ve got it!”

“Great! And Daddy and BT and I will be her bodyguards.”

“Dressed in black on black?” Tom asked dryly. “We’re going to look like undertakers.”

“No, we won’t! We’ll look like Tony Soprano’s men! And Josh and I can go shopping for thin gray ties. It’ll be a hoot!”

“Yes, it will!” Catherine bounced with excitement. “I haven’t been to Atlanta since my high school field trip junior year!”

And hadn’t Jack been a wreck that weekend? The only reason Tom hadn’t driven the almost two hundred and fifty miles to the state’s capital to make sure she was all right was because each day he’d had to talk Jack out of making that same drive.

“Please say we can go, Daddy!”

“What do you think, Tommy?” Jack asked, grinning broadly. He was as bad as the kids.

“All right, but only because a responsible adult needs to accompany you!” The real reason behind his concession was because he had no intention of allowing Josh’s parents and brothers to hurt him any more than they already had. Just the thought of it started his blood pressure rising.

“Do you think you can get us invited, Josh?”

“Yes, I… I think so.”

“Invited where?” Kira sauntered in, having spent the weekend with her latest boyfriend.

“To John’s wedding.”

“The one in Atlanta? Ooo, me, too!” Kira enthused. “I’ve never been there! And to go to a high society wedding…!”

“You’d… you’d all do this for me?”

Theodore cuffed Josh’s head. “Of course we would!”

“All right, then! Um… are you bringing Davy, Kira?”

“No, we broke up. He was getting too possessive.”

“Better get an extra invite anyway, Joshboy,” Theodore said in a stage whisper. “She’s sure to have someone new by then!”

Kira grinned and fluffed her hair.

And so Josh called his mother to ask if he could bring some friends to the wedding. Tom wasn’t privy to that conversation, but from what he gathered from Theodore’s angry scowl, permission, while granted, had been done so grudgingly.

“Geez, BT! They can afford it! Why are they acting like Josh is asking them to invite all of P and J?”

Tom patted his shoulder. “Some children just aren’t valued as they should be.”

“Well, if
I
ever have kids…”

“You’ll be an amazing dad, just like your father.”

Theodore blushed and ducked his head, but the smile on his face told Tom he was pleased with the comparison.

The day before the wedding, Jack went and rented a big, black SUV that would comfortably hold the six of them – Kira was temporarily sans arm candy – and they drove up to Atlanta and checked into the three bedroom, bi-level suite that Josh had reserved at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center.

Theodore, Catherine, and Kira looked around in wonder.

“Holy smokes!”

“Oh, wow!”

“Yeah!”

The lower level contained the dining area with a table that sat four – “I didn’t think it mattered, since mostly we’ll be eating out,” Josh told them. – and a living area that had a mini bar and a flat screen TV. To the right was a small kitchen with a microwave, and cabinets and a small refrigerator that could be stocked for an additional charge.

The master bedroom was on this level as well, and it took Tom’s breath away. Windows looked out on a view of downtown Atlanta, which was nice, but what drew his eyes was the king size bed, the 50-inch plasma screen TV, and the adjoining bath with a Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower enclosure.

He was also interested to note that Josh wasn’t in the least fazed by the luxury of their surroundings. The boy was so unpretentious that it was hard to remember he’d lived with this for most of his life.

“Would you like to see what’s upstairs? That’s where the four of us will be sleeping,” Josh said.

“Let’s go!” Theodore grabbed his hand and bounded toward the spiral staircase, the girls at their heels.

Tom and Jack followed at a more leisurely pace.

“Getting old, buddy?”

“Bite your tongue, Jack! I’m three years younger than you!”

“I’d rather bite your tongue.” Jack gave him a look that even after all this time went straight to his cock.

“Hold that thought!”

“Okay.” Jack grinned and strolled into the first of the two bedrooms on the upper level.

And he knows I’ll be watching his ass!
For a moment Tom lost himself in the wonder of his lover’s ass, so tight and firm and… He adjusted his trousers.

Jack came to a halt and let out a low whistle, and Tom bumped into him. Jack looked over his shoulder, grinning. “I’m happy to see you too, babe.” He’d felt Tom’s erection.

Tom blushed and stepped around him to examine the bedroom.

“This one is ours!” Teddy declared, giving the girls a hard stare. It had a queen-sized bed and an armoire that revealed a TV as well as drawers for their clothing, and a small alcove to hang his suit and Josh’s tux.

Kira looked as if she was about to object, but Catherine had walked through the shared bathroom and called, “Oh! Come look at this!”

That bedroom had two double beds, a dresser with a TV on top, an alcove similar to the other bedroom’s for hanging their dresses, and French doors that opened onto a small balcony complete with a pair of chaises and a small table between them.

“Bet you’re sorry you chose the other room now!” Kira declared smugly.

“The balcony is a plus, but the beds are too short for me.” Theodore shrugged. “We’ll stay where we are, thanks.”

“Is this okay?” Josh asked. “I know the TVs up here are smaller, and we’ll have to raid the mini bar downstairs if we want any snacks, but… It… it was the best I could get on short notice.”

“Short notice?” Theodore’s jaw dropped. “You called them four months ago, Joshboy!”

“June is the month for weddings, so families like to book for out of town guests well in advance.”

“Well, if this is the best you could get, I suppose we’ll just have to make do.” And he gave a put-upon sigh.

Josh actually looked worried, and Tom was going to cuff Theodore’s head when Jack did it for him.

“This is fine, Josh.”

Theodore gave his father an injured look, which was spoiled by the laughter in his eyes.

“That’s great!” Josh’s face lit with a relieved smile. “Let’s get unpacked, and then if you don’t mind,” he looked from Tom to Jack, “I thought I could show Teddy, Cath, and Kira the sights? Since this is my hometown.”

“I don’t mind. Do you mind, Tommy?” Jack’s back was to the kids, and he waggled his eyebrows.

“No.” Tom swallowed a grin. “That sounds like a good idea.”

“Come on, buddy,” Jack called over his shoulder. “You don’t want your suit to get all wrinkled, do you?” And he went back down the stairs and into the bedroom on the lower level.

Of course Jack had more in mind than simply hanging up their suits, and once they finished putting the rest of their clothes away, and after the kids were finally gone, he tackled Tom to the bed, rolling so Tom landed on top of him.