Chapter 8: Seventeen Again

Weeks had passed since that horrible night at Pasquale's and Amy's recovery was coming along better than expected. She still wasn't up for being seen in public, but she felt sure that her body would be whole again by the time Frank and Phil's big day rolled around.

At least that was one thing going right with all this wedding planning business. Shortly after the attack on Pasquale's, the caterers Fenton and Laura had hired to provide food and drink for the wedding reception sent their deposit check back along with an apologetic letter that a previous engagement had been overlooked and that they would not be able to provide their services for the date they had been booked for.

"That's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard!" Aunt Gertrude balked when an distraught Laura let her read the letter. "They're afraid of being attacked because it's a gay wedding! They were all gung-ho to cater it when you and Fen approached them months ago!"

Laura allowed herself time to calm down before picking up the phone and calling Tony Prito, who was more than willing to accept their business after hearing about their plight.

"Don't you worry Mrs. Hardy! Come on by and talk to me and Marco this afternoon, we've got a catering menu all worked out and have done a couple of successful events since the attack while the contractors are working on the dining room repairs. It would be an honor to cater Frank and Phil's wedding."

Two days later a call to the Hardy's home from the owner of Flowerland Designs, Bob Freeman, tried to explain that they recently changed flower suppliers. He then proceeded to explain that the freesia and tulip arrangements, centerpieces, boutonnieres, corsages and bouquets that had been selected were out of season and he would understand perfectly if they wished to seek out another florist for the wedding. That was the straw that broke the camel's back in Aunt Gertrude's mind. She had been a faithful customer of the family-owned business dating all the way back to her own purchase of a boutonniere for her date the year of her senior prom, and that was back when beehive hairstyles were the vogue.

It was a simple remedy really, she drove down to the florist and upbraided Bob Freeman in front of his staff and customers. Cowed by Gertrude Hardy's "don't you dare fuck with me" attitude, Bob dialed his supplier with Miss Hardy hovering over him, and as luck would have it, freesias and tulips would indeed still be in season in late May.

"I'm sure I must have misunderstood them, Gertie, it's an honest mistake." Bob said nervously.

Gertrude raised an immaculately tweezed eyebrow at the balding man. "Mmm hmm." She turned on her heel and walked out, the door's bells jingling ominously behind her.

After learning about the Hardy's catering and floral woes, Pearl Cohen called Beachwood Manor to make sure that they weren't returning their deposit or cancelling on them either. However, they assured Mrs. Cohen that they had hosted many interfaith and bi-racial nuptials as well as same-sex commitment ceremonies over the years. They weren't about to cancel on their first state-recognized gay wedding, and after hearing about the attack on Pasquale's, they were going to beef up security measures with no extra charge.

Next, Pearl contacted the rabbi and the minister, both of whom had been very hard to find as the congregations of a small down like Bayport rarely saw inter-faith gay weddings. Both men were driving in from Brooklyn and Manhattan respectively and were not worried in the least about retribution from some small town, small minded local yokels. They'd be safely back home and in the anonymity of the larger cities before Frank and Phil's wedding announcement hit Bayport's little Gazette.

"Keep your fingers crossed Laura that nothing else goes wrong and we can get these boys married off!" Pearl confided with her future in-law.

…..

"Woohoo, look at you little Mama!" Joe wolf-whistled as Vanessa sashayed into the den, showing off the lovely, and figure flattering, evening gown she was going to wear as one of the female attendants for Frank and Phil's wedding in a few weeks. It was a dark, charcoal grey dress with a slight shimmer to the fabric.

"It's still a little tight here and here." Vanessa noted, as she directed Joe's attention to her bust-line and just around her ribs.

"I think you look smokin' in it!"

"I think I'd like to be able to breathe."

"Look at Mommy, Ashleigh, doesn't she look pretty?" Joe put his finger below the baby's bottom lip to make her mouth look like it was moving as his voice went a few octaves higher. "Why Mommy, you look absolutely fabulous!" Vanessa giggled and walked over to where Joe was cradling their drowsy infant on the den sofa.

"You're too kind, both of you!" She kissed Ashleigh's chubby cheek and planted a lingering kiss on Joe's lips.

"Mmmm… Van you keep that up looking that good and we'll be having another one of these in another nine months." Joe said jokingly.

"Ha ha!" Vanessa replied sarcastically. "Two in diapers at the same time? I'm not a glutton for punishment like your mom was. And by all means let me get this dress off before you get any randy ideas! That is still off limits until… about the time of the wedding, according to what my O.B. recommended."

"Andrea's keeping Ashleigh till morning the night of the wedding, right?"

"Morning… lunchtime. She's in second heaven when she keeps her. And I don't know who spoils her more, Mom, your mother, or Gertie."

"Oh, c'mon. How is it humanly possible to spoil a baby this wittle?"

"Holding her all day!" Van said as she started back to the bedroom. "I can leave her with one of them to run errands or to have a little time to myself and when I get her back I can't put her down for five seconds before she's squalling for someone to hold her again." With that she was gone back into their bedroom.

"You're just a people person, aren't ya?" Joe asked the baby. Ashleigh squirmed a little in her father's arms and her face reddened for a moment as she did something rather loud and foul smelling in her diaper. "You didn't really have to answer that."

…..

"Two more weeks and I think Amy'll finally have the last of that little toe back, the other burns are all but gone." Phil called from the bathroom as he finished brushing his teeth.

"Good! For one, I'm getting kind of tired of feeling like a pin cushion every week. And secondly, we can start concentrating more on tying up all of the loose ends for the wedding. I was thinking of asking Zeke to house-sit a few days before the wedding and while we're on our honeymoon. Even though we haven't heard anymore out of those bozos since that night at Pasquale's, no one is going to try anything in this neighborhood during the daylight hours. Zeke can keep an eye on the place at night." Frank said as he took off his glasses and turned off the light on his side of the bed and hunkered down under the covers. "And Amy said she'd come by from time to time and check on him."

"You still have your hat set for going back home to Casa Hardy a couple days before the wedding?" Phil entered the bedroom and sat on his side of the bed.

"And you're going back to your mom and dad's too! I think a few days of separation before the wedding will make it… I don't know, more special I guess. Seeing each other for the first time in days…"

"Franklin Lewis Hardy." Phil leaned over and kissed his fiancé on the cheek. "You are such a hopeless romantic."

"I try." Frank answered back with a smirk. He pulled Phil closer and ran his fingertips over Phil's closely trimmed beard. He actually allowed himself to be close enough to the raven haired man for their hips to brush against each other as he gazed into Phil's honey and hazel eyes.

"I love you so much Phillip. I'm so glad you came back into my life when you did. I had been so lost, felt like I shouldn't dare let anyone in. But with you I feel like my life is complete, that I'm found and it's possible to allow myself some happiness." Frank said, his voice growing tight.

"I love you too, Frank. And you are my life. Since I was a kid and even before I realized I was gay, I felt like when I met you, I'd met my soul mate. That you would in one way or another we'd be a part of each other's lives." Frank's chocolaty brown eyes began to mist over from the tenderness of Phil's words.

"Alright now, don't be getting sappy on me, save it for the wedding." Phil said as he caught a tear with his thumb. Frank rubbed his eyes with his wrist.

"Happy tears! Happy tears!" Frank insisted.

"I know something else that will make you happy." Phil pulled Frank closer, keeping in mind to keep his hips away from Frank's, and he kissed him. Slowly and deeply, running his tongue along the seam of Frank's lips to silently ask permission for entry. Frank did so gladly, allowing Phil's tongue to caress and explore. He tasted of spearmint and the strong, cool flavor sent a tingling sensation from Frank's mouth down to his toes. The brunette scooted closer and their hips brushed together again. Phil broke the kiss and raised an eyebrow.

"I thought Dr. Hippy-Dippy told us to abstain?" Phil rasped. He would gladly make love to Frank this very minute, but after going on for months of sexual denial and with the wedding so close, Phil couldn't help but need to know why Frank was having a sudden change of heart. And the last thing their relationship needed was for Frank to have sex with him before he was truly ready and have another psychological setback.

"Don't want to go all the way yet. But with Er…the Ex gone, gone for good, knowing he won't walk through that wall and have a front row seat to our lovemaking without us knowing, I feel like this wall of protection I had built up around myself…I can start tearing down, brick by brick. Doc said that it wouldn't hurt to start trying to be more intimate again so long as we kept it simple." Frank tried to explain.

"Like a couple of fumbling teenagers?" Phil asked.

Frank blushed and he looked away from Phil, down at their joined hands, at their matching engagement bracelets. They were in their mid-twenties now, hardly old men, hardly clumsy teens. They had christened every room in the house with their lovemaking. So it would seem kind of silly, starting the physical part of their relationship over like a couple of curious kids. But for Frank, there was something about the thrill of the forbidden, hovering just at the edge of losing your innocence and… And after all he'd been through, all that had been done to him… Frank needed to feel like an innocent teenager treading unknown waters.

"Yeah, like a couple of stupid…"

"Hell yes!" Phil kissed him soundly then pulled back. "Do you know how long I've been wanting to touch you? If going back to square one is what you need, then we'll start from there. Work our way up and save the good stuff for the honeymoon. Yeah?"

Frank nodded and pulled Phil to him for an embrace.

"Thank you for being so patient…" Phil didn't wait for Frank to finish as he dove in for another long, steamy kiss.

Frank ran his fingers over Phil's toned chest, stopping at his nipples to rub the rose colored nubs to erectness. Frank's touch, his hands on his skin after so long felt so good… Phil ran his hand down to Frank's waist and caressed the smooth skin there, gliding his fingers over muscles and ribs, and back down to slip his fingers under the waistband of the brunette's pajama bottoms, down to his hip bone. As he moved his hand further down Frank's outer thigh, he gently fingered the scars there, left from the surgeries he had last year to repair his shattered femur.

It was a sobering reminder of why they were having to start all over again in the first place. But his strokes either went unnoticed or ignored by Frank who was planting butterfly kisses to Phil's jaw line, working a trail up to his ear where Frank nipped playfully before finally grazing his tongue over that smooth, tender place behind his ear, then latched on, softly sucking and kissing at the skin and tendon below it. Frank allowed his hands to re-explore the muscles of Phil's back, the dips above each of Phil's firm buttocks as his pajama bottoms were already slung low on his hips.

Frank bucked his hips experimentally, enjoying the delicious friction caused by the two layers of cotton between their bodies.

"Frank?" Phil groaned.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know my only regret in life?" the raven haired boy asked.

"You want…eh, to tell me this right now?" Frank raised an eyebrow but continued to grind his hips in the rhythm their bodies had started.

"That we didn't realize we felt this way about each other when we were younger, like… back in high school… do you know how fuckin' hot you looked in your baseball uniform? Or how many times I daydreamed about laying you out on that locker-room bench and ridin' your cock with those tight white uniform pants around your knees?" Phil grabbed Frank's bad leg over his own hip so their shafts were sliding against each other.

"Oh yeah? What about when you were on Bay U's swim team? That damn burgundy Speedo you wore? G-d what I would have given to have gotten you hard and then peeled that down just enough for your cock to spring out. To have tried to taste it to see what doing that was like?" Frank huffed as he buried his head in the crook of Phil's neck and shoulder. Phil grabbed the hair at the back of Frank's head and kissed him so hard it took his breath away.

"Damn I love it when you talk dirty!" Phil thrust up again, causing Frank to throw his head back in long, lust filled moan. Oh that delicious neck! Phil ran is tongue flat on that exposed neck and over Frank's Adam's apple. Phil could feel the coolness of his pre-cum against his cotton pants, but it was nothing compared to the heat of Frank against him. The warmth low in his belly was intensifying and he could tell by the familiar way Frank's breath was hitching that he wasn't going to last much longer either.

"G-d I've missed this…missed you, so much." There was another thrust, then Frank tightened his leg around Phil as he went still, all but for the spasms Phil felt coming from his groin. The hot, pulsing moisture spreading between them was a welcome sensation and triggered Phil's climax and he joined Frank as he came in his pajama bottoms. Frank lay there panting, his palm on Phil's cheek. Phil turned his head and kissed the inside of his palm, then took his hand and laced their fingers together.

"That was…"

"Quick." Frank finished, face reddening with embarrassment.

"I was going to say that felt so fucking good. Don't you dare be embarrassed, I came right along with ya." Phil wrapped his arm around Frank, ignoring the cooling, wet mess between them. He saw the heavily-lidded, sated look on Frank's face. Frank lazily draped his arm around Phil's waist.

"I feel too mellow to move right now." Frank slurred as his eyes finally drooped closed. Phil kissed his nose and allowed himself to relax and sink more comfortably in the bed. Yes, they were going to have a sticky mess to clean up in the morning, a rookie mistake for sure. But tonight, this night anyway, they were seventeen again.

….

Author's Note:

I know, I know, this update took forever. There was a portion of this chapter that just didn't set well with me, but it's a part of the story that needs to be told. So I did a little cutting and pasting to save it for later. R & R and thanks always for your patience and readership.