Chapter Seven

"Trust me, that's nothing. A few weeks after Jackson was born, Colt was constantly fighting for our attention. He clung to Nick the day he was supposed to leave for a conference. Every time Nick set him down, he'd start crying until he was blue in the face. Bottle feedings were the worst. Colt had given up his bottles quite a long time before Jacks was born, but he always went into this jealous rage whenever he saw me feeding, Jackson. He'd throw himself about in a thirty minute tantrum, which was actually okay, because Colt had his nap the same time as Jackson in the afternoon and his tantrum always wore him out." Greg shared a little parenting insight with his fellow baby shower goers, wishing he hadn't come to this thing alone.

He wasn't the only man there, but he was the only one that was talking about babies.

"Colby was the same, except he was six when his baby sister was born." Julia piped into the conversation. "I'd try and get her a bottle and Colby would be right there, trying to get my attention. I rocked her to try and get her to sleep and he'd suddenly want a cuddle."

"Try having your mother in law live with you when you've got a newborn, not an easy task. I don't know which one cried more. The colicky baby or the menopausal mother in law." Evelyn drunkenly giggled, pouring out more wine for everyone on the sofa. She spilled half of it down her arm, prompting Julia to grab the bottle from her, before the red wine ended up on the cream white carpets beneath them.

"Here sweetie, maybe you should sit down." Julia assisted her.

"Fine. Are you not drinking, Greg?" Evelyn saw that his glass of wine was still full.

Greg shook his head, not really wanting another drop after last night. He had barely made it through the day babysitting the twins, now he was just trying to hold out until he finally got to see his husband for the first time after their night together. They had spent the whole night together last night, but he hadn't seen him all day to talk about where they stood, what was going to happen next or even if they at least made it to the finish before he passed out from all the beers he drank.

"Did you make a guess yet?" A woman dropped onto the sofa beside Greg, motioning towards the mother to be that they were here for. They were placing bets on what the baby's sex would be, as it was due to be born in a few days time. She was supposed to have her baby shower in two weeks time, but her doctor moved up the date of her c-section, so they all had to gather earlier to shower her with presents before her baby arrived.

Only Greg hadn't even bought her one, so he signed Evelyn's card that she brought with her, hoping that was enough to still get free babysitting from the woman.

"I'm guessing a boy." Evelyn squeezed in the other side of Greg, taking his full glass of wine off him to finish it herself. "She's already had three boys. It's gotta be another one. You're not sick are you?" She whispered the last part, giving Greg a concerned look. "Did the girls tire you out today? Were they bad and you just didn't tell me, because you're afraid it'll hurt my feelings?"

"No, they were great." He assured her, checking the time on his watch. Colt and Jacks had been out with Nick at the zoo all day. They were probably back by now, but Nick was going to feed them dinner at his apartment, before he brought them back home. "It's actually quite nice to have a quiet morning for a change."

"You don't have any girls, do you?" Julia remembered, grabbing herself a napkin as the waiter came round with the tray of food again. "Are you planning on having anymore?"

Evelyn made the cut throat signal to her friend, but Greg had already heard the question. He gave the woman a shrug, once again wondering if the pregnancies he lost would have been more boys or finally a girl.

"Who's that lady?" Julia quickly tried to change the subject, motioning towards a young woman that was sat twirling her hair around her fingers. "I've seen her before, but I don't know where."

"Oh, she's Greg's new neighbour. Her husband's a security guard or something. Works nights, a lot like your Nick does." Evelyn set her empty wine glass down, pulling Greg to his feet as she couldn't stand the misery on his face anymore. "C'mon, getcha coat. We're going home." She was a little tipsy, but she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"She hasn't opened the gifts yet." Greg tried to protest.

"You didn't get her one, so I don't think it matters if you're polite or not. C'mon, we'll sneak out while she's opening the diaper genies." Evelyn drunkenly snickered, leading the younger man towards the door. "Bye, Julia." She grabbed her own jacket, quickly slipping out the door with Greg before the host noticed them. "So, what's up with you and Nick? C'mon, I'm not blind. He doesn't come home after his shifts. He stops by at the weekends to take the boys out without you. The twins even asked me where he was today."

"Was it that boring for them?" Greg stuffed his hands into his jeans pockets, walking slowly as his neighbour slowly shuffled along the path in her heels. He didn't know why she always wore them, especially when she was drinking, as she couldn't even walk a few steps in them without wobbling. "Your husband hasn't exactly been around a lot lately either." He turned it around on her, getting a smile from her.

"I bet I had sex more... more... reg... more recently with my husband than you did yours." She garbled her drunken words.

"I doubt that." He reached for her arm, stopping her from wandering too close to the road. "I bet I've screwed up my relationship with my husband, more than you've seen your husband this year."

"I wouldn't take that bet." Evelyn pulled the hair clips from her hair, wincing as she forgot to unclasp them first, pulling some hair from her scalp. "Ow, my god. That hurts." She stopped on the pavement to hold her head for a moment, remembering what they were talking about a moment later. "You can't have screwed up your relationship with your husband that much. You're practically glowing, Greg. It might just be the fact that you've barely slept or the stench of day old alcohol on you... or is that me?" She held her hand over her mouth, wishing she hadn't eaten those weird looking prawn appetizers when she first got there. "You did sleep with Nick last night, didn't you?"

"Sorta." He took her hand, trying to get her walking again. They lived at the other end of the block, meaning they still had a long way to walk in the dark, before they were finally home. "It's complicated. As usual. Nick will never be simple. Part of what I love about him. But sometimes I kinda wish that he was. He worries about everything." He stopped while Evelyn adjusted her shoe on her foot, holding her arm as she almost toppled over.

"I thought that you liked him worrying about you all the time?"

"Yeah, but this is nonstop worrying. In some ways, he's worse than my mother. He never stops trying to make things perfect. He has this ideal reality of where everything in his life is perfect, but he hasn't realised that I'm not perfect yet. So he can't exactly achieve his dream with me."

"I think you are." Evelyn gave out a snicker, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket as she felt a breeze. "Oh, I feel sick again. How much did I drink?"

"When we got there, you helped yourself to three glasses of champagne, then you had loads of those little nibble things, before you found the red wine that's supposedly your favourite. I think you only had two glasses of that one, before you started sharing round the merlot." Greg reminded her, helping her to zip up her jacket as he couldn't bear to watch her struggling anymore. "Honestly, you were a little tipsy after the first glass of champagne."

"I'm a light weight." She linked her arm with his, starting to walk again. "Always have been. I had one shot at a friend of mines birthday party when I was twenty or something, and I was dancing on the table before they even poured out the second round. Funny enough, that was the night I met my husband." Evelyn giggled softly, glancing around the empty streets. "Where is everyone?"

"It's night." Greg pointed up to the sky, wondering if Nick was back yet. He had his own key to their house, so he'd let himself in if he was there.

"My father met my Mom when he was drunk. He head butted her when they were dancing, and it was love from there."

"Love at first head butt?" The younger man giggled, trying to remember the first time he saw, Nick. "I think the first time I met, Nick, he had just finished making out with a lab tech. I walked in on them in the locker room at the lab. My friend, Catherine from work was showing me round on my first day, and just casually introduced Nick as 'the Ladies Man' of the lab. I didn't know his real name until three or four days later." He reached for Evelyn's hand again, stopping her from stepping out into the middle of the street. "If you told me back then that I would be married to him and have two of his kids, I wouldn't have believed it for a second. I still don't really believe it now."

"Are you planning on having anymore any time soon?"

"You're kidding, right? We split up because I lost two baby's. Having another would be the biggest mistake ever, especially since we're not really together anymore." Crossing the street as they approached Evelyn's house, Greg released her hand a moment, so he could open the gate at the foot of her driveway. He led her towards the door, keeping her upright as she searched for her keys.

"I know they're here." Evelyn brushed her blonde hair back behind her ears, holding her hand bag a little higher. She dropped it to her side again, combing her fingers back through her hair. "Did I leave them there?"

"Let me see." He gave her a hand, pulling her bag closer to take a look. He pulled her closer with it, revealing her keys to her within a few seconds. She gave him a smile, suddenly leaning forwards to press a kiss to his lips, as though it was their first date. "Evelyn, Evelyn..." He quickly pushed her back, keeping hold of her hands in case she fell over in her drunken haze. "It's not that I don't like you... it's that... I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kinda gay. And I'm trying to work things out with Nick."

"I know. My kids are inside too, so I can't exactly invite you up." She teased him, opening the front door with the keys she now had in her hand.

"Who is looking after the kids?" Greg queried, acting as though nothing had happened.

"Oh... eh... one of Ceira's friends."

"Hey, how is Ceira doing? She's started her first year at college, right?"

"My eldest," Evelyn shook her head, making herself dizzy. "No go. As in, she didn't go. Dropped out after the first month. A boy and his stupid idea of touring the world." She stepped through her open front door, fiddling with the light switches against the wall. "Hold onto your baby's while you still can, Greg, they'll be grown up and hating you before you know it."

"Are you okay?" He caught her as she stumbled over the carpet in her hallway.

"Perfect." Evelyn pulled her jacket off, reaching it out for the coat hanger in the cupboard in the dark. She missed it completely, dropping her jacket to the floor. "Do you want a coffee? I'm pretty sure I have something drinkable in my kitchen." She left it where it dropped, making her way through to the kitchen.

"No, thank you. I'm good." He motioned over his shoulder. "I have to get back."

"Okay... bye, Greg." She gave him a wave, stumbling off into the living room to remove her heels. Her neighbour closed the door as he left, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, before he made his way across the street to his own house.

Locking the door behind him, Greg hung his jacket up, noticing Nick's behind the door. "Nick?" He stepped further into the house, catching the man coming off of the stairs. "Hey, did you have a good time at the zoo?"

"Great." Nick avoided any eye contact with him, making his way straight to the door to grab his jacket. "I put them to bed already. I'll be round next weekend."

"Hey, hey, wait a second." Greg positioned himself between his husband and the door, trying to stop him from leaving so soon. "Nicky, shouldn't we talk about what happened last night? It changes things right?"

"Apparently not."

"What?" He gave him a confused look.

"I saw you, Greg. I saw you kiss, Evelyn." Nick snapped at him, trying to move him out the way of the door. "Don't even try to deny it. I saw the whole thing from upstairs."

"I..." Keeping his position at the front door, Greg tried to explain, "She was drunk. I was just walking her home. Nicky, you can't honestly believe that I would want to date someone like, Evelyn. There's nothing wrong with her, she just reminds me too much of my mother. And I'm gay and in love with you."

"Can you move?"

"Listen to me for just a second!" He begged him. "Please, Nick."

"Move."

"I was the kissee. I did not kiss her." Greg protested, feeling his heart pounding at the thought of losing Nick again over something so silly. "If you saw, then you would have seen how shocked I was. I pushed her away."

"Don't play the innocent card. Can you just let me out? Don't make me move you."

"Go ahead. Because I'm not moving."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, you want me to move, move me." The younger man folded his arms across his chest, standing guard at the front door to stop the man he loved from walking out on him again. "You can't leave me like this. We only just got back to where we were last night. You can't just throw it all away, again, over some stupid drunk woman's kiss that didn't even mean anything. There wasn't even any tongues. Strictly lips, right before I pushed her away."

"You're beginnin' to make me feel claustrophobic, can you let me out?"

"No." Greg shook his head, pushing the older man away from him as he got closer. "Nick... please."

The older man refused to listen, grabbing hold of Greg's arms to pull him away from the door. Greg kept himself grounded at the door, readying himself for a fight, when Nick suddenly leant forwards to kiss him. He pushed him back against the door, sliding his tongue into the younger man's mouth as he reached for the door handle against Greg's hip. He pulled Greg out of the way a second later, attempting to pull the door open to leave the uncomfortable situation as he was accustomed to doing in the past.

"No." Greg threw his weight back against it, slamming it closed again. "Are you serious? You're going to trick me with a kiss, before you run off again?" He clenched his fists at his sides, releasing all his energy on his husband's shoulders, sending him crashing back to the hard wood floor beneath him. "Ooh... oh my god, I'm sorry." He quickly knelt down beside him. "Nicky, talk to me. Are you okay?"

"Ow," Nick remained flat on the floor. "What'd you do that for?"

"I didn't mean to." He supported Nick's shoulders as the man leant up on his elbows. "Are you okay? It was just meant to be a light tap."

"You freakin' shoved me."

"Okay, there's no need to get hysterical."

"Hysterical? You pushed me over." Leaning back against his husband's arms, Nick gave out a sudden chuckle, shaking his head as he looked up at Greg above him. "I think you threw out my back. And bruised my shoulders... as well as my ego. I just got decked by a light weight."

"I'm not a light weight. Did you hit your head?" He gently brushed his fingers through Nick's hair, feeling for any unusual bumps on the back of his head where he fell.

"No, I think my elbows took most of the fall." He raised his elbow to eye level, seeing a reddish graze beginning to appear. "I still can't believe you did that."

"I guess you can't leave now."

"Don't make me laugh." Nick tried to suppress his laughter, attempting to lift himself off the floor. "Ahh... Greg." He dropped his head back to the younger man's lap, lifting his hips off the floor, which only caused him more pain in his lower back. "Yep, you threw out my back. Are you happy now?"

"No, I just wanted you to stay. You even said that we're going to start listening to each other more, but you won't listen to me. You won't even believe me about the Evelyn thing. I've kissed loads of women like that, it doesn't mean anything."

"Loads?" Nick frowned in his direction. "How many are we talkin' here, G?"

"Is now really the time for that?" Reaching for his jacket off the pegs above him, Greg folded it up, carefully placing it beneath his husband's head for a pillow, so he could climb to his feet. "Remember the last time I threw out your back? It wasn't really my fault though. You were the one who wanted to lift me in the shower for your little fantasy scenario. You ended up getting no sex and spending the night on the bathroom floor."

"With you weepin' beside me the whole night." His partner smirked, sliding his hand to the small of his back. "You know, if you wanted me to stay that badly. There are other ways."

"You grabbed my arm." He defended himself, making his way back from the kitchen with an ice pack in his hand. "You should know better than to box me in and grab my arm. Where do you want it?" Greg wrapped the ice pack in the towel, gently placing it against Nick's elbow as he raised it off the floor.

"I'm sorry. It hurts though. Not just my back, but seein' you with other people. You and Evelyn have been close since we got here. Everyone used to call me a ladies man, but you get on with more women than me. And you have a really close relationship with them. Not just Evelyn, but Catherine, Wendy, Mandy... Sara. You had a crush on her before me. Before you and I got together, I always thought that maybe you and Sara would..."

"Please, that would be like you sleeping with your sister, Gwen. Sara's like the big sister I never had. I admit I did have a crush on her when I first met her, but that quickly changed when I got to know her more. Besides, I am in love with you, even though you are an idiot."

"Hey." Nick pouted at him. "A little sympathy for the man that just got tackled by a light weight here. Help me up."

"Are you sure? Shouldn't I call for an ambulance or something?"

"No, I don't need to go to hospital. Help me up. I don't wonna be stuck behind the door all night."

"Okay, easy babe." Greg slid his arm beneath Nick's back, putting the man's arm around his shoulder. He waited until Nick was ready, before he eased the man to his feet, taking him through to the front room to lie down on the couch. He positioned one of the scatter cushions behind his head, before he knelt down beside the sofa to remove Nick's boots and socks. "I love you, Nick. I really do, but you've got to learn to trust me a little. I'm married to you, and I only want you, doofus."

"Is the name callin' really necessary?"

"Yes, because you were willing to throw it all away over a stupid kiss. And you're dumb enough to believe that I would actually cheat on you with Evelyn. If I was going to cheat on you, I'd do it with her husband, not her." He admitted to him, receiving a scowl from his husband. "What?"

"You're not helpin' your case, G." He struggled to sit up, adjusting the cushions behind his back. "Is it a crime that I love you so damn much?"

"No." He took a seat on the edge of the sofa against Nick's leg. "It's like... okay, bear with me for a second. But it's like you put me on a pedestal. You think I'm this perfect person, and you keep me high up on this pedestal. And when I screw up, it's such a big shock to you, because you don't think that I can do something so terrible. But I'm not this perfect person that you think I am. I'm just... I'm Greg. And I screw up all the time."

"Greg's a pretty cool person to be around. And I don't put you on a pedestal."

"Yes you do. My Mom has been saying it to me for years, but it's just started to sink in lately. You think I'm this perfect amazing person. Your dream guy, but I'm not. And that's why we fight so much, because I don't live up to your standards of perfect. You need to learn to accept me the way I am." He explained to him, changing to more hysterical tone. "And you're crazy when you walk out on me like that. I only just got you back. I've been stuck at a baby shower for the past three hours, waiting to come back and see you. And what do you do? You try and run out on me, again! Our baby showers were way more fun than this one. I only knew two people there, and I had to babysit Evelyn all the back, only to have you try and walk out on me . . . again."

"Well you took care of that." Nick held his back as he adjusted himself on the sofa. "I don't put you on a pedestal. I don't." He protested, getting a look from his partner. "Greg, I'm not an idiot. I know that you're not perfect. You're human. You have tons of flaws."

"Like what?" Greg queried, receiving a glare from the man. "Just give me a for instance. Is it the way I sleep, chew, laugh?"

"I'm not gonna say." Nick shook his head, biting his lower lip. "I was supposed to work tonight."

"I'll call in sick for you. You can't work with a bad back." Greg raised Nick's elbow, peeling back the ice pack to take a look. "Do I still tut in my sleep?" He asked, glancing up at Nick. "My Mom said I used to do it when I was little. Do I still do that? Does it annoy you?"

"I've never heard you tut."

"It was before I had my braces put in." The younger man remembered, leaning back against the sofa across his husband's legs. "Maybe it was something to do with my teeth."

"I've never seen any pictures of you before you had braces." Nick suddenly realised, trying to picture what he looked like. "How young were you when you first had them put in?"

Greg shrugged slightly. "Thirteen or fourteen. Five years of misery, on top of the misery of Highschool. I had the full head gear too, making it even more impossible to make any friends."

"I would have been your friend."

"You would have been four years older than me, and too busy hanging out with your jock friends to notice me. Although, you probably would have noticed me. The metal was kinda hard to avoid." He sat up straight, adjusting the pillow behind Nick's head. "Do you think Jacks is gonna need braces? I know he doesn't have that many teeth in, but his bottom ones are a little wonky, like mine used to be."

"We'll have to wait and see."

His husband climbed to his feet, kicking his sneakers off beside the sofa. "Can you make it upstairs?" He slid his arms beneath Nick's, helping him to stand. He immediately kissed him as soon as he was on his feet, reminding Nick of just how he felt about him. He brushed his fingers back through the older man's hair, looking into the deep chocolate swirls in his eyes. "I love you."

"You want me to stay then?"

"You know I do." Greg supported his man's back, walking him towards the stairs. He took the stairs one at a time with him, taking him towards their bedroom that they hadn't both been in together for months. "Lay down." He eased him onto the bed, removing his jacket for him, before he lay him down against the pillows. "You want your jeans off?" Without waiting for an answer, Greg unbuckled Nick's belt, loosening his jeans from around his hips. "Weird being back?"

"Like I never left." He unbuttoned his shirt buttons, letting Greg help him to get it off, leaving him in just his white vest and boxers. "Ahh... easy, baby." He dropped his head back to the pillow, feeling his breath hitching in his throat as the younger man straddled his bare thighs. "Never like it is in the movies, is it? Instead of the romantic reunion in the rain, we get the weird awkward moments like this."

"What movies have you been watching?" Greg giggled, resting his head against Nick's shoulder as he lay himself down against him. "You were thinking about Ross and Rachel's first kiss from Friends, right? When he watches her through the glass door of Central Perk as she's closing up. Then she opens the door and steps out into the rain with him."

"I haven't even seen their first kiss episode." Nick wrapped his arm around him, pressing his lips to his younger lovers hairline. "I remember our first kiss."

"You would. You missed a huge part of their story missing that episode." He circled his fingertip over Nick's heart, making the man shiver slightly from the tingles running down his spine. "How was the zoo today? Did you have fun?" He tilted his head back, looking at Nick laying beneath him.

"Yeah, Colt had hold of the camera the whole time, so he'll probably show you them all tomorrow. He got a few thumb shots at first, but he got the hang of focusin' it after a while. Jacks managed to say 'otter'. He couldn't say 'owl' though. He walked around with Colt for a little while, but then he wanted to go back in the stroller. He fell asleep after his lunch and he missed the bird show, but Colt got to hold a little snowy owl. I got loads of pictures of that. You could blow some up and send em to your Mom."

"Or your Mom." Greg suggested, getting the familiar look. "She knows she has two grandsons from you, but she doesn't have any pictures of them since Colt was younger than Jacks is now. Maybe sending her pictures of her grandchildren is the first step to breaking that cold heart of hers."

"She does not have a cold heart." Nick protested. "She's just... old fashioned."

"So, that's why she disowned you for loving me," His husband sarcastically remarked. "And she refuses to call Colt or Jacks her grandchildren, because you had them with me. Face it, when I die, you'll all be welcome at the ranch. Until that day, you're all stuck on the outside with me."

"Not such a bad place to be stuck." The Texan smirked at his lame attempt to cheer his partner up. "Tryin' to get my Mama back into my life hasn't crossed my mind in years. You and our boys is all I want. Bein' stuck on the outside away from the three of you has shown me that I only want to do what's best for all of you. No one and nothin' matters outside this house. Includin' drunk kisses from the neighbour. I'm sorry I overreacted, but you didn't have to cripple me."

"Self defence." He defended himself, struggling to sit up beside his partner. "You'll be fine in a day or two. In the meantime, you need to get some rest. I'm gonna go lock up." He climbed off the bed, grabbing the empty coffee mug and cereal bowl off his bedside table to take downstairs with him. "Hey Nicky, welcome home, baby."

Thank you for reading.

Please Review

~ Holly