Chapter Six – Acceptance

It was just after midnight when Greg shook himself awake, hearing the familiar sounds of glass breaking, punches being thrown and the sound of someone in pain. He shot himself up into a sitting position, a little too fast from the sudden rush of pain travelling down his spine. He could feel tingles running in the direction of his toes, pain in his ribs and the distinct taste of blood in the back of his throat.

"No… not again." He held his head, trying to flush the images of that night from his mind.

"Oh sorry, sweetheart," Quickly grabbing the remote, his mother promptly reduced the volume to the television, rejoining him on the sofa. "It's just one of those old kung fu movies. Your father wanted to watch it, but he dozed off." She motioned towards the drooling man on the other chair. "He's an old man now, you know. He has trouble staying awake after ten these days."

Relieved that his parents were still here, Greg lowered his hands from his head, feeling the tingles starting to subside. He hated feeling like this. He hadn't had nightmares since he was a kid. One little fight had reduced him to a frightened puppy in the middle of a thunderstorm.

"Honey, is everything…"

"You realise that you're a month older than him." He finally engaged her with conversation, putting her own mind at ease.

"Yes, but it's a known fact that men age a lot quicker than women do." His mother mused. "I'm celebrating my fiftieth with a grand birthday party. It's one of the biggest milestones of my life and I plan to do it in style. I want those huge photos of me through the ages all around the room. I want a live band, playing all the classics throughout the evening with lots of dancing and wine. I want the theme to be all gold and silver. Streamers, balloons, wine, those little party poppers filled with confetti. I want a big ice cream cake, sweet little cupcakes covered with hundreds and thousands to celebrate how sweet I am. Party games, wine, scavenger hunts, tequila… I want an all gold prom dress and your father can wear this flashy silver suit I keep walking past in the mall."

"You said wine three times."

"I did." Jean giggled softly. "There will be a lot of wine. Your father just wants a sit down meal with the family for his fiftieth."

"I don't blame him. It's tough to go after something like that." He cracked a grin. "They'll all be saying remember Jean's party, now she knows how to throw a party."

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm no wall flower anymore." She matched his smile. "I'd like you and Nicky to come too. Don't worry; you don't have to wear themed clothing. It'll just be nice to have you both there."

"I don't get a prom dress?" He playfully whined.

His mother threw her head back in laughter. "I think your Papa Olaf might have a heart attack if he saw that. You know how nervous drag queens make him after that stand up comedian queen embarrassed him in front of everyone."

"He and Nick have that in common." Greg had yet to take his boyfriend to one of his favourite clubs since the older man was terrified of being around drag queens. "He's not too keen on clowns either."

"I better not book one for my party then."

"It's still almost a year off." He pointed out to her. "You only just celebrated your forty ninth birthday party in style. You're not losing your marbles already, are you, Mom?"

"No, you little turd." She playfully swatted his thigh. "It's important to plan these things ahead of time. I've had this one planned since my thirtieth. My mother thought I was mad, but she was really disappointed with her fiftieth party." Sighing softly, Jean turned her attention towards her son, watching him rubbing the cast over his arm. "Are you alright, do you need me to get you anything?"

"Don't fuss." Greg sighed, dropping back into the position he had previously been lying in. "I'm fine. It's just itchy. I can't wait to have this thing removed." He let it drop to his chest, cringing from the distinct odour it carried. He didn't know if it was the plaster cast itself or the dried blood on the inside. "Is Nicky home yet?"

"Not yet." She checked her watch. "I'm sure he's having a great time with his parents."

"You don't know his parents."

Squinting in the semi darkness of the hotel courtyard, Bill cast his eyes down towards the cigarette butts scattered across the floor, feeling a sudden craving for them. He hadn't smoked a cigarette in years. He had the occasional cigar on special occasions, but his wife had forbid him from smoking cigarettes ever since their first child was born nearly fifty years ago now. He didn't know where the time had gone. It still felt like just yesterday he was fixing together a crib for his first born or trying to find a house that they could raise their family in.

He was dreading telling the children that they were selling their childhood home, but the place was simply too big for just the two of them at this stage in their life. He would love the home to stay within the family, but so far none of his children had expressed any interest in running the ranch that had been a huge part of his life for the last fifty years.

He couldn't think of that right now though. Right now he had to focus on the son he had flown four hours to see.

Bill turned towards the door as it swung open, spotting his youngest finally emerging. His features reminded him so much of his own father. He was grateful that he didn't take after his personality though. He didn't know where he got his kind and sensitive side from.

"Pancho," He used his familiar childhood nickname to ease the tension between them. "Is your mother…?"

"Yeah, I took her up to her room. Said she's goin' to sleep after all the wine she drank." Nick zipped his jacket up, joining his father under the dim garden lighting. "You said you wanted to talk to me." He really wanted to get back to Greg after being away from him for so long already, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to talk to his father.

"Yes, I did. I mean, I do." Mustering up every bit of courage he had, Bill started, "I have a couple of things I want to talk to you about actually. First of all… I just… I want you to know that I've always been proud of you, Pancho. Always. There's nothin' that you could do that would change that."

Nick sunk his teeth into his bottom lip to keep it from quivering; only managing a nod in response.

"I… I didn't handle it well when you came out to us. Understatement of the year." The man remarked. "But I would really like to genuinely apologise for everythin' that I said to you after you told us that you were gay. Findin' out that your son is… not who you thought he was after thirty odd years is…"

"I'm still the same person." He quoted his boyfriend. "It's just a small part of me."

Bowing his head, his father nodded softly as he leant against the railing behind them. "I didn't handle it well, I know that. Your mother has always told me to think before I speak, but speakin' comes more naturally to me than pausin' and thinkin' about it first." He softly smirked. "I don't blame you for hatin' me after what I said. I want you to know that I've never stopped lovin' or carin' for you. This… it doesn't change anythin' between us." He lifted his gaze to look into his son's eyes. "As a father you do the best that you can to protect your children. The thought of you bein' taken advantage of like…"

"That's not what," As much as Nick wanted acceptation from his father; he didn't quite want it to go like this. "Bein' with a man doesn't mean that I… I don't let anyone take advantage of me. That's not what it's about. After what I went through as a kid, I would never let anyone…"

"Of course… I didn't mean it like," Bill tightly clutched the cold railing in his palms. "This here is exactly the reason why I've always left the emotional topics to your mother." He cracked a smile at his son. "It's no secret that I'm useless at this stuff."

Nick gave the man a smile, joining him against the railing. "To be honest, you took it better than I had always imagined it."

"I did?" He sounded surprised.

"Yeah, I mean… I didn't think that you would literally kill me or anythin' like that." He put his father's mind at ease. "I think I just always assumed the worst possible outcome, so I delayed it for as long as possible. I didn't want to disappoint you and I couldn't change who I was… so I thought that not tellin' you was best for everyone."

"You don't have to change who you are for me, Pancho. You should never change who you are for anyone, least of all your father." Bill rolled his head back, wishing he knew where he had gone wrong. "I had this vision for each of you when you were little. Lily was going to marry a man who wanted to travel as much as she did. Billy would find a girl who could tolerate his quirks and make him see what was important in life. Gwen was going to marry a banker or a lawyer. Someone who could keep her in the shoes she spends extravagant amounts of money on or someone who could rein her in and get her to focus on her life."

"Anthony the mechanic didn't quite live up to that." Nick smirked.

"No," The Judge agreed with him. "My daughter's the bread winner, curing teens with eating disorders rather than counselling in her own private practice and he's become a house husband. I saw him the other day and all he could talk about was this ballet recital." He sighed softly. "For you, I pictured someone who could bring you out of your shell. Put a smile on your face and take care of you. After seein' you with Greg at the ranch, I realised that he was exactly that… he just wasn't quite what I expected."

After a long pause, Nick asked, "Because he's a guy?"

"Yeah… I don't know what I was expectin' really. You told me you were gay but I was still expectin' you to bring a girl home. I'm not even completely against… that sort of thing. There's scientists tryin' to prove that it's natural. I just… don't know anyone who is. I don't think I've even known anyone who is," Lowering his head, Bill admitted, "I didn't think it was a long term relationship kind of deal. I just thought… ugh, I don't know what I thought. I'm not disappointed in you was my point. I've never been disappointed in you. I'm disappointed in myself for creatin' this rift between us. When you were little we were inseparable. I couldn't do anythin' around the ranch without you at my side. Your mother used to call you my little helper. Everythin' I did, you wanted to be a part of. When did I start to push you away?"

Nick shrugged his shoulders together, trying to think back. "I… don't know. I think I pushed you away more. I wasn't Billy."

"What do you mean?" Confusion twisted in his brow.

"I don't know," Nick struggled to explain without getting too emotional. "Sometimes it just felt like you were comparin' me to him all the time. Billy was always your golden boy. He did everythin' right and I could never be as good as him. You approved of everythin' that he did. He's even named after you. I often felt like I was second in line or somethin'."

"I never meant," The man shook his head, finally seeing things from his son's perspective. "I think I'm officially out of the ranks for father of the year award now. Fifty years of havin' children and it turns out I know nothin' about them and I did a shitty job in the first place."

"You weren't that bad." He spoke softly, giving his father a smile. "We're all still alive, so you must have done somethin' right."

Groaning softly, Bill pushed himself off the railing, turning to face his youngest. "Your brother, Billy was not my golden boy. I didn't love you any less because you were born after him. I love all of my children the same. Billy was just… louder than you. You were always quiet, reserved. Billy was into his sports, the trucks, he always had a new girlfriend on his arm…"

"You're doin' it again." Nick stopped him there.

His father held up one finger while he gathered his thoughts into what he really wanted to say. "You always got the good grades. You worked hard. We never had to remind you to do your homework because you were always doin' it. You helped out on the ranch. You loved takin' care of the animals with me and your mother. You always volunteered to walk the dogs in the mornin' before school. You got into college on your baseball scholarship. You work in one of the top labs in the country. I am so proud of you, Nicholas. You're named after my Grandfather. The man who taught me how to fish, hunt, drive… I idolised that man growin' up. I always wanted to be just like him. I don't compare you to your brother. I never have. I'm sorry that I ever made you feel that way."

Nick clenched his teeth into his bottom lip for a second time, seriously wishing that Greg was here right now.

"As for Greg," The man paused for the longest moment in deep thought. "I have nothin' against him personally."

"But you don't like him?"

"Of course I like him, what's not to like. He's polite, intelligent… he has a good sense of humour to him. I hope he didn't feel as though we were against him. He seems like a fine young man." He assured him, before he made a confession. "The sleepin' arrangement speech back at the ranch could have gone a little better. I don't want you to feel like we were pushin' you away or out of your childhood home because he was with you. We would have done the exact same thing with one of your sister's boyfriends before they were married. It was never our intention to make you feel unwelcome or force you out to a hotel."

"So if Greg and I were married?" Nick put the question to his father.

The Judge raised an eyebrow, his face draining a little. It never occurred to him that his son might actually marry the man he had introduced him to. As much as he liked Greg, could he really accept him as his son's husband?

"I uh," He struggled to think for a moment. "I don't know. Is that a possibility?"

The nerves were bubbling to the surface of Nick's stomach now. He felt as though there was a pit of acid inside him, making him feel as though he was about to throw up or maybe even pass out. "I… well, we've been together for so long now, it feels like the right thing to do. I… I want to show him how much he means to me and I think that… maybe marryin' him is the right way to go about it."

After a beat, Bill Stokes smiled. He tapped his hand to his son's shoulder, wondering what he had been so worried about. "In that case… of course. Absolutely. You're both always welcome at the ranch anyway; I don't want you to feel as though you are a second class citizen in your home. If you gave us time to work it out, we could have found space for Greg to stay over too. I never said that you should leave or any of that… it was just… a little bit of a shock."

The two men stood motionless for a few minutes, trying to think of a new topic to get them past the awkward tension.

"He's… an interestin' man."

"Yeah, he is." Nick agreed with his father on that one. "I care about him a lot. He cares about me too. I've never been with anyone as lovin' as he is. He checks every box and he was there when I needed him the most."

"For what it's worth, I'm glad that you've found someone that makes you happy. That's all I ever wanted for you. Your sister, Gwen told me that I have to see the person rather than the packagin'. I didn't quite understand what she meant… until now, of course."

Nick cracked another grin, starting to finally feel more at ease around his father. "What uh… what was the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

"What? Oh, right." The man remembered the second uncomfortable subject he wanted to discuss. "Your mother and I are sellin' the ranch." He decided to say it as quickly as possible. He figured it was like ripping off a band aid. "I'm eighty two years old, Nicholas. I can't climb the stairs without gettin' short of breath. I can barely walk down the end of our drive with the dogs anymore. I can hardly keep on top of everythin' at the ranch."

"I kinda figured that out already." Nick broke it to him. "Yeah, the clearin' out all the junk thing kinda tipped me off."

"Oh," Bill gave his son a proud smile. "See there's that brain of yours again. You definitely didn't get that from my side. Maybe from your Great Grandfather though. He was always super intuitive. He could tell what you were thinkin' just by lookin' at you." He stared up at the sky for a moment, trying to gather the courage and find the right words to ask his next question.

As much as he wanted to maintain this high and keep everything rosy between them from now on, he knew that he would never forgive himself if he didn't ask the question that had been keeping him up all night.

"I… I uh was hopin' we could talk about what we should do about… what she did."

"Who?"

The older man sighed. "What you told us back at the ranch… about the babysitter. I want to talk about what she did and what we should do about it."

Nick felt his heart racing in his chest. His throat was starting to feel a little tight, but he didn't want to show any sign of weakness in front of his father. "What do you…?"

"What kind of father would I be if I just let somethin' like this happen to you?" He cut him off. "I am your father. I failed you. I should have protected you from this." Bill reached out for his son's shoulder again, giving it a gentle squeeze. "None of this is your fault. I want you to know that. The only one to blame here is her. And I don't want her to get away with it unpunished."

The tears he had been desperately struggling to hold onto suddenly started to flow.

The battle was lost.

Tilting his head back against the arm of the sofa, Greg's eyes followed the bright white lights from a car's headlights outside. He could see every little mark in the paintwork on the ceiling. A cobweb was hanging from the light fixture. There was a moth or something resting on the inside of the grey lampshade and an oddly shaped brown mark on the arch of the doorway.

The lights went out before he could explore the room further.

He recognised the sound of Nick's truck engine being cut off, before the door popped open. He counted his footsteps to the door, feeling butterflies fluttering to the surface of his stomach as he listened to the jangle of his keys clattering together in the lock. He struggled to sit himself up as the door eased open, greeting the man he adored with a lively smile.

"Hey you."

Nick immediately whipped his head around; surprised that anyone was still awake. He quickly wiped his hands across his cheeks, before he made his way towards him. "Hey. You didn't have to wait up for me." He ditched his keys on the coffee table, leaning down to his boyfriend's level to press a kiss to his lips. "You should be sleepin'."

"I can't sleep without you in that huge bed." Greg slid back against the arm of the sofa, tugging Nick down beside him. The warmth of his body alone was more of a comfort to him than just sniffing his pillow. "I missed you."

"You missed me?"

"Of course I did." He placed his hand on Nick's thigh, noticing the familiar signs of emotional breakdown in his features. "So, how did it go?"

A small smile spread across the man's lips.

"That well, huh?"

"You uh… you wouldn't believe me if I told you." Shrugging his jacket off his shoulders, Nick tossed it across the room to the other chair, running his fingers back through his hair. "I feel like I dreamed up half the night. It felt too surreal to be real." He bent to loosen the laces to his boots, feeling the younger man's hands creeping across his shoulders. His arms gently snaked themselves around his neck, before he rested his head against him, breathing soft wispy breaths across the ticklish hairs on the back of his neck.

"Tell me all about it. Don't leave any parts out."

"Are you sure?" Nick gently smoothed his fingertips across the cast draped around his neck, stopping as he reached his partner's delicate skin. "You seem a little…"

"I popped a sleeping pill about an hour ago after my folks went to bed." He rolled his head across the man's shoulders. "I feel sleepy but I still can't sleep. You know when you get back from a shift and you feel really exhausted, but your brain is just too wired to relax?"

"Yeah… you didn't take it with the other…"

"No." Greg giggled softly at the worrier. "I haven't taken a diazepam in days. I told you I don't like them."

"The doc prescribed you them to help you sleep."

"They make me drowsy and make me feel numb. They don't even help me sleep. I just wake up constantly and feel like I'm trapped in my thoughts. I don't like em." Greg tightened his grip around the man's shoulders, listening to his heart pounding through his chest. "So, tell me what happened with your folks. And don't think I didn't notice those tear streaks."

Nick smirked softly, placing his hand over Greg's. "I love you so much."

"I knew there had to be a reason why you asked me to marry you." He cracked a grin, clutching the man he adored tighter in his arms. "Stop stalling. Talk to me."

"You know me too well." Relaxing back against the warm embrace of his boyfriend, Nick made a confession, "I told my father that I'm marryin' you. I left out the part about my proposal. I don't think he's quite at the stage of helpin' us plan our weddin' or even walkin' me down the aisle, but he took it better than I ever expected."

"And what happened to waiting to tell our parents?" He sounded a little annoyed since his parents were currently living with them and they had yet to be told.

"I'm sorry. I know we were goin' to wait until we ready to tell them or ready to start plannin' the big day, but it… it just kinda came out. I'm sorry." He brushed his thumb across the back of Greg's hand, realising that his father might tell his mother. Before he knew it his entire family could know, bringing back his anxiety. "I honestly didn't mean to tell him like that. He was just apologisin' for the ranch. He mentioned that he would have done the same to my sisters before they were married and I had to ask to see if he was serious."

"So, how did he take the news?"

Nick smiled softly. "Honestly, I think I dreamed that whole part. He didn't react the way I thought he would at all. In fact he gave me this whole speech about how he accepts me and you. He gave you quite a few compliments actually. I really wasn't expecting that."

"Compliments about me?"

"Yeah, he was serious too. He wanted to apologise if he made you feel unwelcome at the ranch. He told me that he really likes you and he can't wait to get to know you better." He held the younger man's arm tighter across his shoulder, feeling the pounding of his heart beat through his back. "He told me they're sellin' the ranch too. He hasn't told the others yet. He doesn't want them to freak out or demand their share."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I know it's my childhood home, but I don't expect my parents to live there forever. I think it's time for a new family to move in and make their own memories." He tilted his head back, feeling the younger man's breath on his cheek. "I can't wait for us to move into our place. We can start buildin' our own lives, memories."

"You have to strip out the floral first. It gives me a headache just thinking about it."

"I will. I'll make it so you never even knew it was there."

"Another reason why I love you." Greg made a move to lie down, pulling Nick down beside him as the sleeping pill finally started to take effect. "Don't go anyway, okay?" He spooned his safety blanket tightly in his embrace.

"Are you sure you don't want to move to my bed? It might be more comfortable."

"No…" Greg breathed softly against the older man's neck. "I'm… okay here. Just don't go."

"I won't." Tilting his head back, Nick watched the younger man dozing off to sleep, adoring him even more. He had never been more sure in his life. Greg was definitely the one and he wasn't going to let anyone or anything get in the way of that.

The next morning, Daniel Sanders awoke to the sound of a doorbell chiming. He thought he was imagining it at first. He tried to roll over to drown it out, trying to get just a few more minutes of sleep in. He wasn't at all prepared for the pillow to come flying his way, hitting him right in the face.

"Daniel, get the door. The boys must still be asleep and I can't answer it I'm naked." His wife exclaimed, running back to the bathroom.

"Yes, dear." Clearing the cobwebs from his eyes, Daniel shifted himself out of bed, grabbing his robe from the end. He tied it into place around his waist, sleepily trudging through the hallway towards the front door. He took a quick look through the side window, vaguely recognising the man from somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where. He popped the door open, giving the confused man on the other side a smile. "Good Morning. Can I help you?"

"Uh," The other man's eyes darted around the foyer a moment, before they settled on the familiar looking man and his robe. "Sorry, I didn't realise it was so early." He checked the time on his watch, before he extended the hand towards the man in a polite jester. "I'm Bill Stokes. By the look of you, I'd guess you were Greg's father."

"Nick's father?" Daniel caught sight of the boys on the sofa in the next room, easing the door closed a little so the other man couldn't see. He didn't know how comfortable he was with their intimacy yet. "Right, yes. I'm Greg's father. Hello, I'm Daniel." He accepted the man's hand for a stern shake.

The older man gripped his hand painfully tight, crushing the bones of his fingers together. He figured he deserved that one for his son corrupting his youngest. If Nick was a girl in this situation, he imagined a punch would have been coming his way.

"Is Nick about?" The Judge knotted his brow together, watching the Greg lookalike trying to think of an excuse.

"Uh… yes… actually I think he's still sleeping."

Taking another step into the house, Bill Stokes followed the man's gaze, seeing his son embracing the other man's son. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt pangs of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He could see the bright bumpy bruises covering the younger man's features, realising he had pulled Nick away from that to talk about his own guilt.

"Uh… can I get you some coffee?" Daniel tried to lighten the situation.

"Oh… okay then…" He took another step inside. "Is your wife…?"

"In the shower. She kicked me out of bed to answer the door." He cracked a smile, leading the older man through to Nick's kitchen. It was all open plan so the Judge could still see his son, but at least it put some distance between them. "Where's your wife? Did she fly over with you?" He made awkward small talk while he got to work on brewing them some coffee.

"Oh yes, she's still a bit… hung over." Bill admitted, returning the man's smile. "She overdid it on the wine last night and wanted to stay in bed. Our flight home is this afternoon, so I wanted to pop by and see Nicky before we left." He folded his arms across his chest as he examined his surroundings, spotting a photo of his son with Greg's parents pinned to the fridge. "When was that taken?"

"Hm?" Daniel followed his gaze, feeling another bout of guilt. "Oh, that was last year for Greg's birthday. We took my boat out. It poured down with rain for three days." He smiled at the memory. "But Nick caught a big one his first time out."

"Nick was on a boat… fishing?"

"Yeah, he picked it up really quickly. When Greg was a kid he usually just sat on the edge with his stick and string, pretending he was fishing. He never wanted to do it for real. He didn't like the idea of sticking a fish with a metal hook. Nick picked it up straight away though and he caught a big one to feed the six of us. He scaled and cleaned it better than Greg ever could too." Daniel gave the man a proud smile, turning back to finish their coffees.

"Six?" The Judge gave him a confused look. "I thought Greg was an only child."

"Oh, yes. He is." He quickly backtracked. "My wife's parents were there too. Nana and Papa Olaf, Greg calls them. They love Nick."

Bill turned his attention away from the photos, feeling as though his son had been living a double life. "I used to take the boys fishing when they were little. My eldest, Billy would always get bored and start ninja fightin' or somethin' with his pole. Nicky always brought a book to read so he wouldn't get bored. He would never pick up a knife to skin them though. He would always name them as well. The moment they came out of the water they had names, so we would have to throw them back. I didn't want him worryin' that we were eatin' Harvey for dinner."

Daniel gave the man a smile, handing him the second coffee mug from his hands. "He's a good boy. I don't know what my son would have done without him these past few weeks."

The Judge wanted to admit that he felt the same. He had been worrying more about his son since his abduction six feet under. He thought he was still alone, living by himself or maybe even suffering after what had happened to him, but it turned out he had been with Greg the whole time living a secret double life away from him.

"Mornin'." A familiar voice startled him from his thoughts.

"Morning, Nick." Daniel gave him a warm smile.

Nick felt his heart skipping in his chest at the sight of the two men sharing an early morning coffee. He always assumed they would trade punches if they ever met each other, but for now it seemed to be going smoothly.

"Mornin'." Bill finally responded, lowering his coffee mug to the side. "I was just gettin' to know Greg's father here. Tradin' fishin' stories." He gave him a genuine smile to prove that everything was okay between them. "Son, if you have a minute… I just wanted to…"

"Don't mind me." Daniel made a beeline out of the kitchen. "I'll get out of your way." He tapped Nick on the shoulder as he walked past him, giving him another smile to assure him that everything was okay.

"He seems nice." The Judge put his back to the counter, watching his son pouring himself a cup. "Son, I didn't mean to push you last night."

"Dad… I really don't want to talk about it." He whirled around to face him. "I didn't tell you because I wanted justice. I told you because I wanted you to know what happened to me. I don't know if I'll ever really be over it… but I don't want it to control my life. It's in the past."

"I understand that." He spoke softly. "I'm still sorry that I brought it up. I was hopin' that this could be a fresh start for the two of us… the last thing I want to do is tear a new rift between us after we've worked so hard to put it back together."

"I don't want that either." Nick agreed with him. "But you have to let me deal with this in my way."

"Understood." He bowed his head. "I didn't say anythin' to your mother about," The man tapped his ring finger. "I won't tell her until you're ready. I'm grateful that you trusted me with somethin' like this. It feels like it's been so long since we had that."

"I know." He took a sip of the hot liquid, amazed that his father was even still here. He figured he must have been serious about their new found bond, rather than just pretending for the sake of his mother. "Thank you." Nick spoke softly. "For bein' here. Sometimes I look at the bond Greg has with his father and I feel a little envious that I don't have that. I want a fresh start for us too."

"Makin' up for lost time." The Judge raised his coffee mug in a toast.

Nick matched his smile, clinking his coffee mug against his father's. He couldn't believe it. He felt as though he had to pinch himself to make sure that he was really awake and not having some elaborate fantasy.

"Good Morning!" Jean sung as she made her way into the kitchen. Her hair was still wet but at least she was dressed. "Hello there, I'm Jean Sanders. You must be Nicky's father, we've heard so much about you. It's lovely to finally meet you." She practically lunged at the man to hug him, showing her true warm colours right away.

Nick caught the look in his father's eyes as the strange woman hugged him, trying to suppress a smile. He couldn't even recall his own parents hugging.

"Well, shall I make us all some breakfast?" Jean rubbed her hands together. "Eggs and bacon sound good to everyone? I'll make the Jean Sanders Special."

Bill wanted to leave, but he didn't want to upset his son. He put on his best smile, planning to remain civil for his son's sake. "That sounds… lovely, Mrs Sanders."

Thanks so much for reading! More on the way soon.

~ Holly