Alien_Friend: Interesting, definitely. They’re both stubborn, so we’ll see…
We have become totally dependant on technology… trying to contact someone without a cell phone these days can be nerve-wracking because all that information isn’t stored in our heads anymore… it’s in those phones! We wouldn’t be able to make the connection after just a few tries either, lol!
Thanks, we love posting them!
mary mary: Lol, yup, Michael knows. He may not acknowledge it very often, but he knows.
Thanks, we’re glad to be back on schedule!
keepsmiling7: We’re not sure how much Max loves it, lol!
Yes, and it was a solution that seems to have worked well for them.
Earth2Mama: It won’t take long to find out who will win this frustrating bet. Well, maybe a few parts, lol.
We’re pretty sure Liz will take care of her man.
We’ve missed the Thursday uppies as well, but that’s all over now.
begonia9508: Thanks!
Gotta love a road trip, right? Yes, at least half of this team totally agrees with you – flying sucks!
Eva: Think it’s gonna be a draw? They are passionate as well as stubborn… we’ll see what happens.
sarammlover: Seems like most of the reviewers wanna see him parading around in that shirt whether he wins or loses, lol! Well… we didn’t say Hank was coming back… we just haven’t heard from him in a while.
Although, a scene between Adam and Hank would really be interesting, wouldn’t it?
Part 122 – Best Friends, Fiancés, and An Unexpected Question
Brendan unlocked the front door and stepped into his apartment quietly, doing everything he could to avoid waking Caela up. She had been cranky on the flight and irritable in the car on the ride home, but she had finally fallen asleep just ten minutes earlier and he didn’t want anything to disturb her. They had stopped at a store just long enough for Karen to run in and purchase a crib since she knew what she was looking for without it taking forever and he had done his best to placate their daughter. His eyebrows had risen when she had come back out just minutes later with a store employee pushing some sort of cart with several large boxes piled up on it.
He had gotten out and basically repacked everything he had already packed in the trunk, moving that stuff to the backseat and loading the boxes in the back. He had ended up tying the trunk closed over the boxes protruding from the back and then driving to the apartment as slowly as possible to avoid them falling out in the middle of the street somewhere. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard someone coming through the door, expecting to see Karen with the bags that had been packed with Caela’s clothes and things.
He grinned when he saw Sean poke his head around the open door and he motioned for him to keep his voice down. “Hey, I tried to call you but it went to voicemail every time. What’s up with that?”
“Uh, what’s up with the kid?” Sean asked, lifting his left eyebrow in question.
“My daughter,” Brendan said proudly. “We don’t wanna wake ‘er though ‘cause she’s been cranky most of the mornin’.”
“Looks like we’ve got some catchin’ up to do.”
“Yeah, lots of it. Hey, would you mind holdin’ her so I can run out and help Karen carry her stuff in?”
“You sure?”
Brendan rolled his eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
“Because I’m gay,” Sean blurted out nervously. It was the first time he had openly admitted it to Brendan. They had talked around it a while back, but actually putting it out there left him feeling exposed.
“So… what, your hands are broken?”
A slow smile eased over Sean’s features at Brendan’s response. The guy was his best friend and he should’ve known better than to think that he might shun him. “Nah, man, hand ‘er over.”
Brendan shook his head as he turned and hurried back outside to carry their recent purchases in before Karen tried to do it herself. “Hey,” he called as he approached his car, “Sean just got home so you’ll get to meet him.”
Karen straightened up from where she had been leaning inside the backseat, trying to gather up as many of their bags as possible. “Oh, your roommate, right?”
He nodded. “Roommate, best friend…” he snorted. “I asked him to hold Caela and he didn’t think it was okay.”
“Why? Is he nervous around kids?”
“Huh-uh, he’s gay. I guess he thought… actually, I don’t know what he thought.” He pulled the first box out and looked at the pictures on the front of it. “Why’d we need a playpen?”
“Because we can have it up in a couple of minutes and we can put Caela down for her nap. The crib isn’t something you’re gonna assemble in a matter of minutes, Bren. I love you, but you aren’t exactly mechanically inclined.”
He shrugged. It was true so there really wasn’t any point in denying it. “Well, as long as it’s got instructions I’ll figure it out.”
“Later though, after she’s had her nap and she’s up again.” She could remember him trying to put together a small shelf her mom had bought and he had cursed throughout the entire process. When he had finished assembling it, it hadn’t looked anything like the picture in the diagram and there had been a pile of pieces left over. It had taken him about four hours to assemble a shelf that would’ve taken anyone else about 25 minutes, but when he had finally called it quits the thing had looked the way it was supposed to.
“Okay, maybe Sean can give me a hand if he’s not gonna be busy.”
“Does he have a boyfriend?”
“Huh-uh, I don’t think so. Not unless it happened over Christmas; he’s just recently started to deal with who he is.”
“Does he have his family’s support?”
“We haven’t really talked much since he went home for Christmas. He’s just been letting his calls go to voicemail, so I’m guessin’ his parents didn’t take the news that well.”
“That’s a shame,” Karen murmured. “He must be so lonely.” She grabbed a couple more bags and followed him up to the apartment. “Are you sure it won’t be too much for us to stay here since you have a roommate?”
“Nah, Sean’ll be cool with it.”
She rolled her eyes at his back and followed him into the apartment. He tended to assume that things wouldn’t be a problem for someone else simply because it didn’t present a problem for him. She pushed the door shut with her elbow and looked around the living area, hiding a smile at how clean and organized it was. Brendan was a neat-freak unless something rattled him and apparently his roommate had a similar nature.
Sean was in the kitchen pulling a couple of glasses down when he heard the front door open again and he turned to look over the bar at his roommate. Brendan was leaning over a large box as he opened it and pulled something out and he swallowed hard when he noticed the woman next to him and realized she was watching him. He saw her gaze move from him to Brendan and back again and he waited for her to say something that would out him.
“Okay, Karen, I’m gonna go set this up in our room an’ then I’ll come back an’ get her.” He looked at Sean. “You cool with that?” He made a face. “Oh, by the way, this’s my fiancé Karen, and Karen this’s Sean, my best friend and roommate.”
Sean nodded and was certain he was going to swallow his tongue when Brendan picked up the playpen and left them alone. “I’m uh… I thought maybe you’d like a drink. I know Bren will want chocolate milk; the man drinks it by the gallon. But I thought you might like somethin’ different… tea or coffee maybe?” He was babbling because he was so nervous.
Karen sat on one of the barstools across the counter from Sean and she smiled at him. “He’s easy to love, Sean.”
“No, it’s um… I’m not… I mean… I know he’s with you and I wouldn’t…” he sighed as he glanced after Brendan and after a moment he hung his head. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Sean. You’ll find the right guy… a guy who can give you what you need and love you the way you deserve to be loved. And if this’s too difficult… seeing him with me… I’m sure we can make other arrangements.”
He shook his head. “No, I’ll figure this out. I’ve known all along that Bren could never reciprocate my feelings and I’ve accepted that.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier though.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “Just be patient; it’ll happen for you when you least expect it. And when it’s right you’ll know it.”
Sean leaned back against the counter and rubbed Caela’s back when she shifted in her sleep. “I don’t have any clue what I’m doin’,” he admitted.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Sean. Most of us have no idea what we’re doin’.”
“So, I guess it’d be safe to assume you guys spent the holiday together?”
“Um-hmm, with his family up at Lake Tahoe.” She tipped her head to one side as she watched him.
“It’s good that he’s getting along so well with his family.” He stared at the little girl sleeping so peacefully against his shoulder. “Family’s important.”
“Okay, I’ve got the playpen set up,” Brendan said as he came back into the room. “You might wanna check it just to make sure I did it right. Oh, um, I looked in our bags but I couldn’t find her blanket.” He held his right hand up, showing off Caela’s beloved stuffed toy. “I did find Moo though.”
“Good, we’ll avoid the fit she’d throw if that toy disappeared.”
Brendan grinned at Sean as he pointed at his daughter. “You wouldn’t believe that someone so small could make so much noise.” He looked at Karen again. “Her blanket?”
“In the car.”
“Okay. Hey, it’s past lunchtime… you guys hungry?”
“Uh, ya know, you two probably wanna spend some time alone so I’m just gonna take off for a while.”
Brendan frowned. “Sean, there’s no way you’ve had lunch yet. Unless you’ve undergone some major change while I’ve been gone you had a bowl of cereal for breakfast and you haven’t eaten anything since. Exactly,” he said when Sean shrugged one shoulder. “I swear, if me an’ Liz didn’t keep an eye on you I think you’d starve to death.” He was still muttering to himself when he walked outside.
“Sean, if this’s gonna be uncomfortable for you I’ll talk to him. Bren doesn’t always see what’s right in front of him.”
“That may just be the understatement of the year,” he said with a quiet snort. “There’s a list of restaurants we usually order from over by the phone.”
“You boys eat out a lot, don’t you?” she asked as she looked through the stack of takeout menus. “What’re the symbols by some of the meals? Looks like they’re on all of the menus.”
“Oh, that…” he cleared his throat. “Plus signs mean to double the order, minus signs mean he doesn’t like that item, an x means he’s allergic to somethin’ in it, and…” He trailed off and looked away, embarrassed.
“And question marks are for foods he eats depending on his mood,” she said with a knowing smile. “That’s very thoughtful. Thank you for taking such good care of him, Sean.” She had no doubt that he loved Brendan and cared about him, but she didn’t think he was actually in love with him. She motioned to Caela. “Why don’t I go put her down and then I’ll raid your kitchen and see what our options are for lunch.”
“Okay.” He gently shifted Caela into her mother’s arms and took a step back. “I guess I’ll go see if I can help Bren with anything.” He paused in the doorway and glanced back at her. “Hey, Karen?”
“Um-hmm?”
“Thanks for not makin’ me feel like some kinda freak.” He hurried outside before she had the opportunity to respond. He paused at the end of the sidewalk and laughed to himself when he saw Brendan trying to figure out the best way to carry the large box inside. “Need a hand?”
“Yeah, ya mind?” Brendan tipped the box over onto the longer side. “It’s not all that heavy, it’s just awkward to carry.”
“So, Karen… is she gonna move out here? I mean, you guys are obviously together.”
“It’s more than together, Sean. I’ve got so much I wanna tell you. Maybe we could go out for a beer later if you don’t have any other plans. I know you’ve gotta have a lot to talk about too, and even though Karen and our daughter are gonna be here now… you’re still my best friend, that hasn’t changed or anything.”
Sean smiled at Brendan’s attempt to reassure him and he nodded. “Sure, catchin’ up over a beer later sounds good.”
“Cool. Hey, you ever put a crib together?” Brendan asked as they lifted the box and started to carry it inside.
“Bren, I’m about as competent with tools as you are. You might wanna call Michael or one of his friends.”
“Nah, we’ll figure it out. Hey, so… my birthday’s comin’ up an’ the girls are gonna put somethin’ together for me an’ Michael. I’d really like it if you’d come an’ hang out with everybody.”
“I don’t know, Bren… do they all know?” He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he didn’t trip over the doorframe.
“Know what?”
“That I’m gay.”
“Why would they know? Last time we talked about it you weren’t sure and it’s not like it’s anyone else’s business, so I didn’t take out an ad or anything.”
“Well… I kinda let the cat outta the bag at dinner with the parents… mine and Liz’s, and just as a bonus, Liz and Max were there too.”
“But Liz already knew, right?” Brendan set his end of the box down and turned to close the door and lock it.
“She knew, but her boyfriend didn’t. I mean, he was pretty cool about it and he actually stood up for me, which kinda shocked me.”
“Max is a good guy.” Brendan’s eyes widened as he lifted his head to look at Sean. “Oh, wait, do you like him or somethin’?”
Sean nearly dropped his end of the box. “What? No! I just didn’t know if he would’ve said anything to his friends about me.”
“Not that I know of, and seriously, Sean… they’re not gonna judge you. First, that’s not who they are, and second, you’re a very good friend to both me and Liz. It might even be good for you to have some people on your side who would have your back, ya know? Although, if you really wanted to have some fun with ‘em you could hit on Max or Kyle… that’d be hilarious.”
“Getting my ass kicked wouldn’t be hilarious, Bren.”
“Stop assuming the worst about them. I’m just messin’ with you about hittin’ on Max or Kyle even though I think it’d be funny.”
“Then you hit on ‘em.”
“Please,” Brendan scoffed. “I’m completely out of my element when it comes to women; there’s no need to complicate things. I mean, if there’s someone you like you could ask him to go.”
“I don’t know if I’m even ready for that, Bren. It’d be so public.”
“It’d be safe.” He shrugged. “Admittedly I don’t know that much about this stuff but at least hangin’ out with all of us would provide some safety, ya know? Especially if you don’t know the guy that well. I never really thought much about it, but datin’ a guy would be a lot different than datin’ a girl.”
“Ya think?” Sean muttered sarcastically.
“Well, I mean, obviously it’s different… but, I guess what I’m tryin’ to say is you don’t really think about a girl in terms of her bein’ able to physically hurt you, but a guy… I’m just sayin’ it’s different and I don’t wanna see you get hurt, so, just think about it, okay?”
He nodded. “I’ll think about it,” he promised. “I’m not even sure how to meet guys at this point, Bren… they’re not exactly walkin’ around with signs that say ‘I’m gay’, ya know?”
Brendan snorted. “Have the girls help you.”
“Yeah, that’s just what I need… a bunch of girls tryin’ to find me a guy.”
He just laughed and walked into the kitchen for a glass of chocolate milk. “Well, you’d probably get better advice from them than you would from a straight guy. I mean, can you imagine me helpin’ you pick out a guy to date? Or better yet, Michael? You’d never find a date. At least with the girls they’re gonna have some kinda insight into which guys you should avoid. I mean, they’ve all been in relationships with Mr. Wrong, so they should be able to point you in the right direction.”
“Um-hmm, that’s what I’d really like to do, Bren… go out with four or five girls so we can sit around and debate the best and worst qualities, physical traits, and looks of guys we don’t know.”
Brendan made a face. “Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t work, huh? Okay, so we’ve gotta figure out how you meet guys.” He looked up when Karen came into the room and he reached for the blanket he had draped over his shoulder. “Hey, how do we find Sean a guy?”
“First, we don’t make it sound like a shopping trip to the local mall. I’m fairly certain I didn’t find you on a shelf while I was out shopping. And there’s no need to rush Sean in the dating department… he’ll find someone when he’s ready.”
“Well, how’s he gonna find someone if he doesn’t know where to look?”
“Brendan, take Caela’s blanket to her.”
He opened his mouth to say something else but changed his mind when she gave him the look. “Alright, but I don’t see why I’m bein’ sent to my room. I’m just tryin’ to help out… I don’t know what to look for in a guy, but that’s fine, just…” His rant continued as he walked down the hall but his voice got quieter the further he went.
“He’s tryin’ to help in a very Brendan way,” Sean said with a fond smile. “Why don’t I give you a hand with lunch and you can tell me if he’ll like what I got him for his birthday.”
Karen smiled and followed him into the kitchen. It was easy to see why he and Brendan were friends and she hoped she was right about his feelings for her fiancé. She didn’t want to see him hurt and she didn’t want to see anything come between the two men. It was obvious they both relied on each other and she knew it would hurt both of them to lose that friendship.
*****
Kyle and Tess were lying on the couch together, watching a movie when a sound from outside made her lift her head from his chest. “Was that a car pulling up?”
Kyle was just barely managing to keep his eyes open. The day had been long and exhausting. It was only 8:30pm, but he wouldn’t mind going to bed soon. “Huh?”
“I think I heard something!” Tess rolled off of the couch and walked over to look out the window. “Ah yes, they’re here.”
Kyle heard the relief in her voice and he knew that she always worried about her friends taking long car trips since the death of her friend a few years ago.
Maria stepped out of Michael’s car, stretching and flexing her body. They had already been at the airport and exchanged cars again. She glanced back over her shoulder when Max and Liz pulled into the parking lot behind them.
“I didn’t think you guys were ever gonna get here!” Tess shouted as she ran outside to greet her friends.
“Yeah, me neither,” Maria admitted tiredly.
“What’d you do, let Max drive?”
“Funny,” Max muttered.
Michael laughed and grabbed some of the bags from the trunk. “We hit bad traffic the last 100 miles or so. It sucked.”
“Huh, I just figured you made the mistake of lettin’ Captain Cautious drive.” Tess stuck her tongue out at Max.
“Okay, has that been declared like my new official name or somethin’?” he demanded. “I’ve heard more than one of you use it now.”
Maria shrugged. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh-huh, well... whatever. Hey, are you guys stayin’ over here tonight?” he asked, directing the question at Michael.
Michael glanced at Maria. “Are we?”
“Well, if we go over to my place we’d have it all to ourselves.”
Michael made a face. “Not that we really need that.”
“So... you don’t wanna snuggle?”
“Do we need a place of our own to snuggle?” he countered.
Max rolled his eyes. They were seriously turning this into a conversation. “Liz, you wanna stay at your place tonight? We can take advantage of havin’ the place to ourselves since these two apparently don’t want it.”
She smiled. “Sure.”
“Okay, question asked and answered. See how easy that was? You two can stay here.” He turned back to Liz. “I’m gonna leave my stuff here so just gimme a few minutes to grab some clean clothes and we’ll head over to your place.”
Michael shook his head and went inside with a load of bags.
“Right now, I don’t care,” Maria said as she followed him. “A hot bath, a nice massage, and sleep... that’s all I want right now.”
“Better find someone for that massage,” Michael grumbled as he overheard her. Stupid bet.
“Find someone?”
“Yeah, maybe Tess wants to do it.”
“Why on earth would I ask Tess for a massage when I have you right here?”
“I just wanna sleep,” Michael said.
“Maybe the bath will loosen my muscles up since you’re so tired.”
Michael heard the sad tone in her voice and winced. He had to remind himself that he had agreed to the stupid bet.
“S’okay, don’t worry about it... we both know you just know you’ll lose the bet and that’s why you’re ‘so tired’.”
He made a face at her. “I’ll probably already be asleep when ya get outta the bathroom, so be quiet.”
“Okay,” she said breezily. “I’m gonna go take a bath then.”
“Do that.” He placed the bags in his room and went outside to get the rest of their luggage.
“You guys have another bet goin’?” Tess asked as she hopped up to sit on the counter while Maria got her water ready.
“A no-sex bet,” Maria admitted.
Tess laughed loudly. “Liar! You enjoy sex too much!”
“I just have to hold back long enough for him to give in.”
“What is with you two and these ridiculous situations you get into?”
Maria sighed. “I don’t know.”
Tess giggled. “Oh, you so backed yourself into a corner with this bet, didn’t you?”
“Yeah...” Maria sighed. “I can’t even remember how we got into this one.”
“There’s no tellin’, but you can console yourself with the knowledge that he’ll give in first.”
“Damn right he will!”
“Of course he will! And you know which buttons to push to get him to give in.”
Maria felt better now. “Yay.”
“See? Look, you already feel better.”
“I do.”
“Cool. Hey, I called Iz earlier tonight just to check in and see how she’s doin’ and we were thinkin’ maybe we should have like a girls’ night tomorrow... whatcha think?”
“Yeah, cool. I need to plan something for Michael’s birthday anyway.”
“Ya got somethin’ in mind already?”
“Hmm... I think we should just keep it private, ya know? Only family and the rest of us. Maybe a couple of friends.”
“So, where? Over at Alex’s house?”
“Yeah, probably. He has enough space.”
“So, their dad... he seemed pretty cool.”
“Yeah, Adam is really cool.”
“You think everyone’s gonna get along okay?”
“I really hope so. Some peace would be good for everyone.”
“It sounds like it’ll be fun.”
“It will be. At least I hope so. He deserves a good birthday for once.”
“Yeah, I might even get the jackass a little somethin’.”
Maria chuckled. “Yeah.”
“What’re you getting him?”
Maria sighed. “I don’t know. He just told me a few days ago that it’s his birthday soon.”
“Guess it won’t be kinky birthday sex, huh?” Tess teased.
“I really hope we’re done with the bet by then.”
“Well, you’ve got two days... you’d better start pushin’ his hot buttons.”
“Yeah, first I need to call my mom, take a bath, and then I’ll see what I can do.”
Tess snorted. “So, when you win the bet, what do you get?”
“He has to wear a shirt under his football jersey that says ‘I love my girlfriend’ and he has to show it off after every touchdown.”
“Really? And he agreed to that?”
“Well, he is certain he’s gonna win.”
“Overconfidence... it’s a sure sign he’ll lose.”
“Hey, babe, I’m gonna go to my room. Ya gonna join me?” Kyle asked through the closed bathroom door.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there. Oh, Kyle! Did you tell Michael about askin’ your dad to call the owners of the beach house?”
“Damn! I forgot. I’ll do that now.”
Tess grinned. “Kyle was talkin’ to his parents earlier and tellin’ them about everything that’s been goin’ on and Jim offered to contact the people who own that beach house on the private beach where we stranded you and Michael? Anyway, he said if Michael wants he can call them and see if they’d mind his family usin’ it while they’re here.”
Maria smiled. “That’d be cool.”
“Yeah, and Jim’s pretty sure they wouldn’t mind. And please, if you’re gonna stay in Long Beach, you should totally spend it near the beach!”
The other girl chuckled. “God, it seems so long ago since we were there.”
“It does, doesn’t it? So much has happened since then.”
“Yeah, a lot of drama.”
“Good stuff too, though.”
“It turned out good in the end, yes.”
“I’m just glad we’re past so much of that drama! This first year isn’t even over and we’ve been through so much!”
“Weird, huh?”
“Very. Hey, Maria?”
“Huh?”
“Can you see yourself still with Michael in several years?”
She nodded. “Definitely.”
“Does that make you nervous at all?”
“No. It’s more the opposite. It makes me nervous to think of a time where he might be not around anymore.”
Tess nodded. “Do you think that’s weird at our age?”
“Do ya feel the same for Kyle?”
Tess worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Yeah... I mean, I’m not ready to like, get married or anything, but, the thought of not bein’ with him...” She shook her head. “I don’t know, it makes me feel really weird inside.”
“It’s probably weird at our age,” Maria shrugged. “But I love Michael and I don’t wanna be without him anymore.”
“Yeah.” She shook her head. “So, whose idea was it to call and invite your mom?”
“Michael’s.”
“He really gets along well with her, huh?”
“Yeah, they make a good team against me.” Maria rolled her eyes.
Tess snorted. “Your mom’s great though and he’s never had that so he probably just eats that attention up.”
Maria glanced at her watch. “Speaking of her, I’d better call her before it gets too late.”
“Alright, I’d better go... Kyle’s waitin’ for me.” She winked. “And we don’t have any of those crazy no-sex bets goin’ on.”
Maria stuck her tongue out at her friend and left the bathroom as well to look for her cell. She walked into Michael’s room in time to see him place his own phone on the nightstand next to hers.
Michael pulled his tee shirt over his head and tossed it over on his desk chair before flopping back on the bed. “Gonna call your mom?” he asked.
“Yeah, before it gets too late again.”
He nodded and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on and muting it as he scanned through stations looking for something to watch. He shifted over when Maria nudged his hip and he rested his hand against her back, unconsciously seeking out tense muscles and rubbing them.
Maria dialed the number of her home and waited for her mom to pick up.
Amy was just reaching for the light switch when the phone rang and she hurried to pick it up before the caller could hang up. “Hello?” she greeted breathlessly.
“Hey, Mom... everything okay?”
“Hi, sweetie. Oh, yes, fine. I was just on my way out and was trying to get to the phone before you hung up.”
“Going to work again?”
“Yeah, just a few hours tonight... the longer hours as usual will be over the holiday.”
“Oh,” Maria said, disappointed.
“You hadn’t planned to come down over New Years’, had you?” Amy asked, hoping Maria hadn’t made any special plans.
“No. Michael and I just thought it’d be cool if you could come to Long Beach, but...”
“I wish I could, but I’m covering for one of the other nurses... I’m sorry, sweetie,” she said, hearing the disappointment in her daughter’s voice.
“Yeah, I already figured you wouldn’t be able to come.” Maria tried to not sound sad.
“We’ll try to arrange a time for me to come out there soon. Maybe in the spring.”
The younger woman nodded to herself. “Okay.”
“How was Lake Tahoe?” Amy asked, trying to cheer her daughter up.
“It was great. I’ve never seen so much snow, Mom.” She got up, making a sign to Michael that she was going back to the bathroom.
He nodded and mentally kicked himself for suggesting that they should call and invite her mom to come to Long Beach for New Years’. Now she was gonna be down about it all because he just had to open his big mouth.
“I totally sucked at the snowboarding part,” Maria continued to talk to her mother.
Amy chuckled. “And the other parts?”
“The other parts were great. The cabin was awesome.”
“Well, I’m glad that you had such a nice time, sweetie.”
Maria closed the bathroom door quietly before she said what she had to tell her mother. “He told me that he loves me.”
Amy couldn’t control the huge smile at her daughter’s hushed admission. She knew Maria loved Michael with her whole heart. “I’m so happy for you!”
“He gave me a set of those dog tags for Christmas. They have my name engraved on them.”
“That’s sweet... do you like them?” she asked, knowing how picky Maria was about the jewelry she wore.
“I love them.”
“You’ll have to send me a picture so I can see what they look like.”
“Will do. I’ve got one of Michael’s tags as well.”
“You’ve got one of his? What, on your necklace?”
“Yeah.”
“Does that mean he’s wearing one of your tags?”
“Yeah, he won’t admit it though.”
Amy laughed. “Well, no, I don’t suppose he would.”
Maria smiled and sat down on the edge of the tub, lost in thoughts about the past few days.
“Hey, you okay?” Michael asked as he nudged the door open and poked his head inside.
“Huh?” She glanced up. “Hey, Mom, I guess I need to hang up and you need to go to work. I don’t want ya to be late.”
“Oops,” Michael muttered. “Sorry.” He had thought she was off the phone.
“Alright, sweetie, and I’m really sorry I can’t make it up there for New Years’.”
“Yeah, me too, but I understand. Call me on New Year’ Eve, okay?”
“I’ll make sure to do that. I love you, Maria, take care of yourself.”
“Love you too. Bye, Mom.” She hung up and placed the cell far away from the tub.
“So... you okay?” Michael asked again.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she said quietly as she started to undress.
Crap, now she was... well, maybe not upset, but definitely sad. “I’m sorry, Maria. I shouldn’t have suggested it.”
“It’s not your fault, Michael, and it’s okay. Really.”
“Yeah, but... want me to wash your back?”
She nodded, and climbed into the tub, which was filled with hot water and a lot of bubble bath.
“Bubble bath, huh?” He reached for the snap on his jeans. “Well, alright, I’m completely secure in my masculinity, so I guess I can handle a few bubbles.”
She snorted. “I’m sure you’ll survive.”
“Guys like me do not take long soaks in bubble baths, Maria,” he growled as he motioned for her to scoot up to make room for him. He’d better watch out or the next thing he knew she’d have him sitting in bubbles baths surrounded by candles. He rolled his eyes at that image.
“Hey, I didn’t ask you to join me, you made that offer,” she complained.
He snorted and eased down behind her. “Got that water good an’ hot, didn’t you?”
“Sure. It’s a hot bubble bath. Deal with it.”
“No, not complainin’,” he groaned as his muscles reacted to the heat. “It feels good.”
“Told you so, but you were all grumpy and told me to go find someone else.”
“Yeah, like I’m really gonna sit back and let someone else put their hands on your hot little body. Huh-uh, no way.”
She settled back against him. “I know.”
“Know it all,” he muttered affectionately as he wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the tub.
She caressed his arms automatically as they laid there in silence for several minutes. “Is there anything ya want for your birthday?”
“Just want you to be with me,” he said quietly.
She smiled and intertwined their hands. “That goes without saying, baby.”
“Well...” he shrugged. “You’ve just about given me anything I think I could want. My family, a dad, a shot at a real future, I’m happy for the first time in my life, I’ve got you in my life and we love each other... I don’t really want anything else.”
She bit her lip as she tugged at his watchband. “Would this be the right time to tell ya that I think I’m pregnant?”
*****
A/N: The mini voting fic is up. You can find it in the AU With Alien thread.
