Chapter 7: Home for the Holidays – Version 2.0

"Winnie! Rhi! I'm home!" Darren called as he crossed our threshold. He came straight into the kitchen where I was working on Christmas cookies, since I had sent him on an emergency run for the Hershey's kisses I had forgotten.

My husband leaned in to give me a real kiss and handed me the grocery bag. "Boys home yet?"

"Nope, but Harry said he would be here before dinner, and the Allens should be dropping Van off any..." I was cut off by a horn honking in our driveway. "...minute," I finished with a smile.

Van called, "Winnie! Dad! Mom! I'm home!" Darren and I hurried to the living room to welcome our younger - and slightly taller - son home for the holidays. Van loved that he had ended up a half inch taller than his brother's 6' 2".

After exchanging hugs, I herded my guys to the kitchen so I could finish baking while we caught up on Van's news. Even though he was only 15 minutes away at the Bentley High Boarding School halfway through his senior year, he hadn't been home for a weekend since Thanksgiving. He assured us that it was because he had a group project to work on, which was undoubtedly true, but we knew that it was easier for him to spend time with his boyfriend if they both stayed there.

"So, Van, how's the 'project'?" Darren asked with a wry grin. Van smiled back sheepishly, replying, "Done, thank goodness...you were right, Dad, when you told us to let the music lead us where it should be, instead of us forcing it where we wanted it to go. Patrick sends greetings and salutations," he added while snitching some cookie dough.

I slapped his fingers and ordered playfully, "Hands off, Mister! Are the Allens still okay with Patrick staying over for New Year's?"

Van's smiled broadened, "Yep. They're going to drop him off on the 30th, so you can take us both back to school on the 2nd. Thanks so much for letting him stay, really...it means a lot to us that you...trust us...and want him here," he finished, smiling shyly.

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Needless to say, we had all come a long way since...that heart-breaking day three years before. Our immediate priorities were to insure Van's safety and remove the need for Harry to be his bodyguard. After some intense discussions, we decided - at his insistence - that Harry would finish his senior year at the public school both he and Van had been attending. Although he said it was because it wasn't worth the trouble to find somewhere else for only six months when he'd already been accepted early admission into Stanford's IT department, Darren and I concluded that our oldest son was trying to make it easier for us - emotionally and financially - to do what we had concluded was necessary for Van, moving him to a private school.

Jeff recommended Bentley, based both on its reputation and his having attended graduate school with the director, who he assured us had dealt with situations like ours before. Van's grades and talents made it easy for them to expedite his admittance, and he was a student there within two weeks of our discovery of the abuse he had been subjected to.

It took several months, but Van gradually started to heal - and then thrive - in the caring environment provided by Bentley. The school had a zero tolerance policy against bullying, and as Van came to see that he didn't need to physically - and emotionally - protect himself, he started to open up to the other kids, and eventually he found a circle of close friends.

We also took Chris and Jeff up on their generous offers, and provided more opportunities for both boys to interact with their honorary uncles so they could discuss their situations with someone who really understood. Even though Harry and Van denied feeling any negativity toward Darren and myself for our obliviousness, our family therapist agreed that this was an excellent outlet for them to vent to understanding adults who weren't their parents or were being paid to listen.

By the beginning of his junior year, Van was a confident young man comfortable enough with himself to have casually dated a few boys he met at Bentley or through his friends from there. He explained to Darren and me that while they were all perfectly nice and he enjoyed spending time with them, there wasn't any spark. Then, Patrick transferred in.

Based on the amount of time Van spent talking about him if nothing else, Darren and I knew that Patrick was going to be someone special. Although they were only in high school, they had such a strong and immediate connection that we wondered if perhaps he was "the one" for Van. We had a second version of "the Talk" after they started dating, making sure our younger son understood that not only should he insist on being treated with respect, he should always do the same for this sweet and energetic boy that he cared for so much.

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As Van reached into the bowl of dough again, a flash on his finger caught my eye...the ring finger of his left hand...

I grabbed his hand, pulling it toward me, and asked in a shocked voice, "Donovan Arthur...what is...this?" I pushed his hand toward Darren, indicating the silver ring gleaming in the sunlight.

A huge smile spread across Van's face. "Mom...Dad...you know that Patrick and I have been...in love since last Christmas...so now...we're...promised...to be engaged...some day..."

Darren and I stared at the ring, then at each other, then at Van.

"I know...I know...I should have said something before...I've only had mine for a couple of weeks...we're still getting Patrick's sized...he has the skinniest fingers..."

"Van..." I said in a vaguely warning tone.

"Oh, sorry...distracted myself..." he smiled at Darren.

"We know that we're young, and we have a lot of things to accomplish before we get married, but we also know that we're it for each other." Van paused, then begged with tears in his eyes, "Please be happy for us..."

Moving around the counter, Darren and I wrapped our arms around our son. His father said, "Van...we couldn't be more thrilled. All that Mom and I have ever wanted for you and Harry is happiness. If Patrick makes you that happy, then we're happy too."

Just then Harry, who we hadn't heard come in, appeared in the kitchen doorway and asked with a smile, "So, Van Man, I guess I don't have do ask what they said, do I?"

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Dinner that night was a raucous one, because not only did we have to get all the details on Van's new status, but Harry had an announcement as well. We had been expecting it since our older son had asked if he could have Great-Grandma's Criss' engagement ring to propose to his long-time girlfriend.

Melissa had beaten him to the punch, though, after tiring of our planner's insisting that they wait for just the right moment. Despite Darren's having shared the story of how we had spontaneously exchanged promise rings over tepid pizza on his old couch, Harry wasn't having it. And Melissa wan't having that - I liked this girl! She had gotten him a ring as well, and just the week before, impulsively asked our older son to marry her in the computer lab where they were working on a project for one of the many classes they had together.

No surprise, Harry was already planning the wedding they had tentatively scheduled for the following Christmas at Mrs. D's Place, so he asked Van to be his best man over dessert. Our boys' close relationship still brought tears to my eyes. Van would be attending UC-Berkley for music composition by then, so he would be close enough to be involved in all of the nuptial preparations and festivities.

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Our sons had shooed Darren and I into the living room while they did the dishes, so we were cuddled on the couch, with Winnie purring on my lap, enjoying the sound of our sons laughing together.

"Rhiannon..." Dare started as he rubbed his fingers over mine.

I smiled at him expectantly.

"Our boys are both in happy, committed relationships, on their way to fulfilling careers. You and I are successful at what we always wanted to do. After all these years, we are...happier together than we've ever been..."

He gave me a chaste but lingering kiss.

"Did you ever think we'd get this far, back at the book store?" he asked with a bemused smile.

"Dare, I thought I'd still be WORKING at the book store," I declared, making him laugh out loud.

That brought Harry and Van into the living room, where we spent the rest of the evening talking about anything and everything, ranging from silly to serious to sublime - as a family.