Chapter Two:

"Seriously, you have a boyfriend? You're way too young to even think about boys." Instead of dwelling on the fact that his husband couldn't even look at him anymore, let alone talk to him when they were in the same room, Greg decided to hang out with his two younger sisters, Aza and Zane, with a movie and popcorn in his front room. "What do you need a boyfriend for at your age? Boys are too high maintenance, especially at your age."

"I'm fourteen." Zane pointed out to her brother, grabbing another handful of popcorn from the bowl on his lap. "You're so old, Greg."

"Am not." He jabbed her in the side. "I'm only... twenty eight years older than you."

His sister immediately giggled, rolling her eyes at him. "So, when did you have your first boyfriend then, old man?"

"Official? Not until I was in college." He admitted to her, combing Aza's hair behind her ear as she readjusted herself against his opposite shoulder. "Nearly in my twenties. I was a late bloomer because I had Mom hovering around me until I finally left for college. You're fourteen though. You shouldn't be worrying about boys yet. You should still be into Barbie dolls and things. Boys are complicated. Men are even more complicated. You should enjoy your freedom, while you still can."

"I like Barbie dolls." Aza lifted her head, getting a smile from her siblings. "I just got a Little Mermaid one."

"Did you?" Greg gave her a smile, asking, "Does she have the tail and that little lobster thing?"

"She has a dress shaped as a tail. And I got a cuddly Sebastian toy."

"Which ones Sebastian again?" He looked at her confused.

"The fish." Zane threw a piece of popcorn in the air, catching it in her mouth. She gave her brother a cheeky smile, grabbing another quick handful. "When did you ever watch the Little mermaid anyway? You don't even have an excuse, you have two boys."

"Late night television." He shrugged.

"Hello." Their mother poked her head into the front room, giving the three of them a smile. "Honey, Nick just left a message on your machine. Sounds like the boys are getting hungry. They're ready to come home. Would you like me to go and pick them up?"

Looking at his sisters either side of him, Greg gave his mother a nod, preferring the company of them to his husband. "If you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind." She stopped him there, hoping he was going to say yes, as she really wanted a word with Nick. "Micah and your father are still outside if you want to join them."

"No, I'm good here." He hugged his younger sisters tightly, giving his mother a smile.

"Okay. Listen out for the beeper on your oven. Put the potatoes in when it goes off. I should be back before its ready." Jean gave them a wave. She had been worried that her son would feel as though his parents had replaced him when the new kids came along, but he acted as though they had always been around. They were just like the younger brother and sisters he had always wished for now.

"Can we have some more popcorn? It's all gone." Aza pointed out to her brother.

"Yeah, because you ate all of it." He playfully tickled her sides, before he pushed himself to his feet with a sigh. "Drinks?" Greg reached out for their empty glasses. He collected them up, carrying them through to the kitchen with the empty popcorn bowl to get refills. "Dad," He stepped out in the garden, looking at the structure they had built so far. "What's that for?" He motioned towards a diving board looking thing off to one side of the climbing structure.

"For the slide." Daniel wiped the sweat from his forehead, showing Greg one of the sketches he had made of the design. "I just have to drill it straight onto the wood. It's still boxed up. We'll attach it last. How's it look at the moment? You like it."

Greg took a step closer, taking a look at the structure so far. There was a ladder on the far side, leading up to a platform that wasn't too high. From there he could see the section where the slide was going to go. Another board was nailed onto the other side of the platform, with circular markings from top to bottom. "What's that for?"

"Climbing wall." Micah showed him the box of proper climbing wall grips in all different colours. "Dad's gonna get a rope to tie to the top beam, so they can pull themselves up these."

"That's pretty cool." Greg brushed his hand across the ladder steps, feeling how smooth the wood was. "Are you gonna board up this side?" He motioned towards the empty side of the platform.

"Yeah, I'm making that now. Once I get some more supplies, I'll be able to put a roof on the platform. I could even put a swing set on the side if you want." He suggested, watching his son carefully looking every inch of it over. "Your climbing frame lasted for years. This one will too."

"I know." Greg smiled in his direction. "I was just thinking about the one you made me. I had rope ladders and I was forever getting rope burns on my palms. And when Nana Olaf went into hospital, I climbed up on the roof of it and wouldn't come down."

"Yeah, you almost put your mother in hospital too." Daniel laughed at the memory. "Your Papa Olaf had to borrow a ladder from the neighbours to get you down."

Greg chuckled softly at the memory of his Papa Olaf trying to get him off the roof as though he was a scared kitten. "It looks really good, but you don't have to finish it all this weekend."

"It can be a late birthday present for Colt. We'll finish up this and I'll buy the stuff for the swings and the roof tomorrow."

"Thanks, Dad." He hugged the man tightly, smelling the strong scent of wood shavings on his father's clothes. "And thank you, Micah." He playfully wrestled the seventeen year old into a head lock. "I never got to do this to anyone when I was a kid. It feels so... exhilarating." He laughed, releasing his brother after he ruffled his hand through his hair.

"Hey. I know karate, you know." Micah combed his fingers through his tousled hair, play karate chopping his brother's arms.

"Ow."

"Boys, careful." Daniel warned them, smiling as Micah managed to wrestle his older brother into an arm lock behind his back.

"Dad." His eldest reached out to him for assistance.

"Nooo, I'm not helping you. You brought this on yourself, Greg." Daniel laughed at them, looking over his shoulder as he heard a beeping noise from the kitchen. He wiped his hands down the overalls he was wearing, hurrying into the kitchen to put the potatoes on like his wife instructed. "Oh, Jean." He rolled his eyes, noticing her phone left on the side.

"Daddy, where's Greg gone?" Aza stepped into the kitchen with him, noticing the microwave was on, but there was no sign of her big brother.

"He's in the garden." Daniel motioned over his shoulder, grabbing for the oven glove off the opposite counter, before he attempted to put the potatoes in. "What do you think of the climbing frame so far? Do you like it?"

"Looks cool." Aza stepped up to the back door, noticing her brothers wrestling beside it. "Boys." She rolled her eyes at them. "Dad, where's Nick?"

"I don't know. Working probably." Her father dropped the oven glove on the side, finally washing the wood shavings from his hands. "Careful." He watched her opening the popcorn bag, not wanting her to burn her fingers. He took over for her, pouring the contents of the piping hot bag into the bowl. "Drinks too?" He grabbed the juice bottle from the fridge, filling the three empty glasses that were on the side. "Your movie still on?" He helped her with them through to the front room.

"Yeah, we were waiting for Greg." Aza crawled back under the blanket beside her sister, making room beside her as their father sat down with them for a moment. "Why's Mom gone to pick the boys up? Where are they?"

"With Nick." Zane remembered their mother saying.

"I don't know." Daniel answered as his daughters looked round at him. "You'll have to ask, Greg." He scooped out a handful of popcorn for himself, sitting with them for the rest of the movie.

Jean arrived at Nick's new apartment building within a few minutes, taking the elevator up to the third floor. She made her way towards his door, giving it a light knock. One of the other tenants to the building had let her in downstairs, so her son in law didn't actually know that it was her, yet.

A few seconds later, Nick opened the door with Jackson in his arms, giving the woman a surprised smile. "Hi... Jean." He took a step back, letting her in. "I thought Greg was..."

"He's back home with his sisters. The three of them are watching a movie together, so I offered to come and get the boys." Jean gave her grandson a smile, noticing he had food down the front of his top. "Have you fed them already?"

"Only the brownies they brought with them." Nick licked his thumb, rubbing it on the stain on his son's t-shirt. "Eh... Colt's in the bathroom."

"Okay." Jean reached for her grandchild from his arms, gently placing him on the floor. "Can you go and get your brother for me? Nana and Daddy need to talk for a minute." The toddler looked between the two of them for a moment, before he hurried off through the apartment.

"Jean, I know what you're goin' to say."

"No, you don't." Jean leant against his kitchen counter, folding her arms across her chest. "But you're going to listen to me anyway. I care about my son more than anything in the world, but he doesn't always make the best decisions. The move to Las Vegas for one and then the field position at the lab. I thought you were one of those bad choices when you walked out on him and your baby, but you came back. And you've been everything he needs since."

"I didn't leave." He tried to defend himself.

"I know. He told me the whole story." She stopped him there. "Another one of his dumb choices was kicking you out when you needed each other the most. Nick... nothing in the world compares to losing a baby, but losing each other at the same time will destroy you. Both of you. From here, it just gets bitter and messy. You don't need all of this on top of the loss of a baby. You need each other right now."

"Two." Nick corrected her, leaning against the opposite counter. "Ten weeks is still a baby. We lost two."

Jean smiled at him, agreeing with him on that one. "I've been there and done it all, Nick. I pushed Daniel away more times than I can remember, but he never gave up on us. Greg is just like me. He'll push people away to protect himself. But he still loves you and he needs you now more than ever. You both need each other. And more importantly, the boys need you two together. You should be together through this, sweetheart. I know it's not all down to you, but you are the one that's giving up here."

"I haven't..." Nick stared up at the ceiling, trying to stop the tears in his eyes. "All I ever do is screw things up for Greg. And he lets me. He can't see straight when it comes to me. He puts me before everythin', and he always ends up gettin' hurt. He's better off without me."

"And the boys?" She motioned towards the two of them in the front room. Jackson was sat on the floor with some of his toys, while his brother was leant over him, trying to instruct him on where the shapes went. "Are they really better off without you around, Nick? I've seen you with them and you're great with them, everything they need. But they need the two of you together more."

"I don't know. Maybe they are better off without me. Greg and Colt were doin' fine before I came back."

"You only saw him what... one day with Colt on his own? You have no idea how hard it was for him to go through all of that on his own. He stuck it out because he had to for the sake of his child. Having a baby alone completely threw him out of his comfort zone, but he forced himself to change for your baby. He'll never last with two of them though. You and I both know that he's too selfish to keep it all together for them. And it's my own damn fault for spoiling him rotten, after I lost all of my babies."

"I don't know. He's changed a lot. I think I'm more selfish than him now."

"Well, whether you like it or not, you both have two children that are completely dependent on you. This can't just be about your feelings or Greg's feelings, you have to factor the two of them into every decision that you make. You still love him, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Do you really?" She questioned him.

Nick gave the woman a nod. "Of course, I do. I love him more than I've ever loved anythin' my whole life. I've got a lot of regrets in my life... Greg is the one thing I would never want to change."

"In that case, I don't understand."

"Understand what?"

"If you still love him, why don't you want to be with him?" Jean spoke in a hushed tone, keeping her eye on the boys in Nick's open plan apartment. The sofa where they were playing was just a few feet away from where they were stood, making her fear that they might hear them. "You're already a huge part of this family, Nick. Micah, Zane and Aza already see you as a big brother. Daniel sees you as a son. Greg's Aunts and Uncles ask about you all the time. We're your family, Nick and we're not prepared to let you go, just because you don't think you're good enough for Greg. We think you're good enough and you belong together."

Over the past few years, Nick had learnt not to argue with his mother in law, but he couldn't bear the thought of hurting Greg again. He thought that if he just let him go, it would spare the man he loved a great deal of heartache, but things weren't always that simple.

"I love him. I really do." Nick assured her. "But he's better off without me. I can't bear the thought of hurtin' him again. I'm sorry, I really am. But I don't want to hurt him anymore. This is what's best for everyone."

"You'll change your mind. You can't stay away from the one you love for too long. You'll see." Giving out a soft sigh, Jean pushed herself off the counter, making her way into the front room. "C'mon then boys, it's time to go." She gathered up their things, ushering them to the door to get their jackets on. "You don't need that." She stopped her grandson, Jackson from putting his pacifier in his mouth. "Papa said bedtimes and naptimes, remember?"

"That's eh... my fault." Nick scratched his fingers though his hair. "I told him he could have it. I didn't know about..."

"Another reason." Jean smiled at him, lifting Jackson into the stroller. She buckled him in, giving him one of his toys to play with, while she helped, Colt with his sneakers. "I bet you can't wait until we get home. Granddad and Micah have been hard at work in the garden for hours now."

"Is it ready?" Her grandchild's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I play on it yet?"

"Not quite, but I'm sure Granddad wouldn't mind you having a little go to test it out." She zipped up his jacket, giving Nick a smile as she climbed to her feet. "Say goodbye to Daddy. We've gotta get back for dinner."

"Can't Daddy come with us?" Colt pouted his lip out at his Nana.

"No, I gotta go to work, bud. But I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Daddy." Colt hugged him tightly as his father knelt down his level.

"Bye, bud. I love you." Nick pressed a kiss to his forehead, giving him a smile as he pulled back. "Be a good boy for Papa. I'll see you soon." He gave him another hug, before he knelt down in front of the stroller to press a kiss to his little boy's forehead. "Bye, bye, buddy. I love you."

"Buh, bye, Dada." Jacks waved his little hand at his father, trying to see him round the side of his stroller as his grandmother wheeled him out of the apartment.

Colt gave his father another quick wave, feeling bad for leaving him all alone. Back at home, they were surrounded by their family, but his father didn't have anybody with him. He was all alone.

Thank you for reading, please review. It's a little dark until about chapter 7, but they have a lot of issues to work out, so it needs to be done. Have a great weekend.

~ Holly