Author's Note: As we come to the end of this story, I feel like I have to apologize to Peg Hunnicutt the fictional character, and to all of Peg's fans, who are most definitely real. Normally I write her as a very understanding, tolerant (almost ridiculously so) woman, but when I got this story request, it made me realize I tend to make Peg too good to be true. I decided it would be interesting to make her more realistic for a change, especially as a woman of the 1950s. I hope I managed to strike a good balance here, portraying her as a product of her times but also someone who could eventually adjust and forgive.
A year later…
"There's a parking space, Beej," Hawkeye said, pointing up ahead. "Finally!"
B.J. deftly pulled into the spot his partner had indicated. "Must be a pretty big birthday party," he said. "The block is all parked up."
Hawkeye smirked. "You're not kidding. This girl—Debbie, was it?—is only turning 4. How many people can she know at this point in her life?"
B.J. chuckled as he killed the ignition. They got out of the car and headed toward the sound of laughing, shouting children. They were running a little late picking up Erin from the party and B.J. was starving. Hawkeye had promised to make spaghetti and meatballs once they got back home, and it was all B.J. could think about.
Life, B.J. reflected as they walked in silence, was very good. He and Hawkeye were still getting Erin every other weekend, and occasionally more often than that, when Peg had to go out of town on business. Considering the situation, the way the Hunnicutt marriage had broken up, it was really the best outcome B.J. could have hoped for. He thanked God every day that Peg had agreed to this, and continued to agree to it. After all, the courts had determined that she had every right to prevent B.J. from ever seeing his daughter again.
But Peg had settled into her new life, and she accepted B.J.'s as well. She was flourishing in her real-estate career. And she was now four months into her first serious relationship following the divorce, with an architect named Ron. Every time B.J. saw her, he noted the contentment and serenity in her expression.
As for him and Hawkeye, they were still working at the same hospital, still enjoying every second that they got to spend with Erin, and still head-over-heels in love with each other. They were finally talking about buying a house, as opposed to continuing to rent, because they were sure now that they were going to be staying in Mill Valley. Near Erin, of course. Hawkeye was trying to talk his father into moving out to California; maybe, Hawk suggested, they could find a house that had an in-law suite and Daniel could live with them. B.J. had even asked Peg to keep an eye out for such a house. It boggled his mind a little… the idea of his ex-wife brokering the sale of a house to him and his same-sex partner.
Welcome to one man's family.
Now he and Hawkeye made their way into the back yard where the birthday party raged, scanning the crowd of kids for Erin. "There," Hawkeye said as he pointed. "She's at the picnic table with that blonde girl… that's Debbie, right?"
They headed in that direction, and B.J. called out, "Erin! We're here, honey. Sorry we're a little bit late."
Erin whipped her head around and spotted them, gave a smile and an enthusiastic wave, and then turned back to her friend. "Bye, Debbie. I have to go now."
Debbie squinted up, regarding the two men as they approached. "OK. Bye, Erin." Then, as though it were an afterthought: "Which one's your daddy?"
Erin didn't miss a beat. "They both are," she said matter-of-factly, then scampered off to join them, walking in between them, holding their hands.
