Justin Redmond: A Sweet Gay Romance (James Brothers Book 4) Page 5

  Hunter went to the stairs. “Simon, can you come down here for a few minutes?”

  It didn’t take long for him to come bounding down the steps. “Yes?”

  “Justin has something to tell you.”

  Justin smiled. “Not this Saturday, but next Saturday, I’m making an appointment with my friend to get your dragon tattoo done. Is that alright with you?”

  Simon grinned so big. “Yes, will it all be done that day?”

  “No, it will take a month of Saturdays for it to be finished. We’ll go over there for four Saturdays. It’ll be all day, and I’m not going to lie to you Simon it starts hurting badly after a while. He has to stick the needle into you many times to get it done, and with your scars, he will use them to make scales and stuff so it will feel rough when it’s healed, but you won’t be able to see the scars.”

  “I can take it. I have a high pain tolerance with all the beatings I have taken. My back is almost numb because of all the times I have been hit with so many different things.”

  “That’s all in your past Simon. No one here is going to hit you or do anything bad to you. Hunter, when you go shopping again, I need a huge jar of petroleum jelly and lots of gauzes. Oh yeah, I need some latex gloves as well. I will have to change his bandage every day and put the jelly on his back until it heals. I don’t want to use just my bare hands, so it won’t get an infection.”

  “I’ll add all that to my list upstairs. I have to go shopping on Monday, anyway. I’ll have everything you need after Monday.”

  Justin smiled at Simon. “Hunter has some good news for you and all the other boys too.”

  Simon looked at Hunter. “Well, it’s more like Justin’s news. He made it possible with a friend of his that you boys can come to his house this Saturday to go swimming in their pool and they are having a BBQ for all of you. Is that something you want to do?”

  “What about our scars? Can we swim in t-shirts?”

  Justin said, “Don’t worry about your scars. They have a ten-year-old son that they adopted, and he has the same scars that you boys have. His name is George, and he’s in the fourth grade. Trust me, Link and Alex will not pay attention to your scars.”

  “Are they gay?”

  “Yes, they are and happily married. They want to do this for you, boys, and I think you’re going to have fun over there. It’s a huge pool and even has a small pool for kids. I’m sure you guys are too old for that pool, but George and his friends use it.”

  Simon studied Justin’s face for a few minutes and blurted out, “Are you gay?”

  Justin chuckled. “Yes, I am. Does that bother you?”

  “Not at all. You know Hunter is gay too. Maybe you two could hook up.”

  Hunter blushed a bright red. Justin shook his head. “No, Hunter doesn’t want me. I tried, and he just pushed me away.”

  Simon gave Hunter a dirty look. “Hunter, he’s hot. What’s the matter with you? We all thought he was, and you two could be together, but I don’t know why you don’t want him. I’m straight, but if I was gay, I would be happy to be with Justin.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want him. I just didn’t think it would be a good idea with you boys being around. We need to keep this professional.”

  “That’s just plain dumb Hunter. We are mostly big boys and know what’s up. Don’t use us as an excuse if you’re afraid to be with him. We don’t care about your love life. As long as you don’t quit your job, then do what you want. I think you and Justin would make a good couple.

  “We don’t have any problem with gay people. We have a couple living here in the house. They just haven’t told you because they are afraid you would kick them out for being with each other like that.”

  “Who are they, Simon?”

  “No, Hunter. I am not going to rat them out. If you don’t know by looking at them, then you need to get your gaydar checked. It’s broken.”

  “Gaydar? What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know when you’re gay, you can sense other gay people with your gaydar. All gay people have it don’t they Justin?”

  “I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never had it. I don’t think it’s real. Just something some people made up.”

  “No, It’s real. The couple that lives here told us they knew Hunter was gay. He showed up on their gaydar. We always wondered why Hunter never had a girlfriend, and now we know.”

  “Simon, you’re talking about me like I’m not even here. I’m gay, but I didn’t think you boys knew. I didn’t want you to feel differently about me. I wanted to keep the relationship between us the same and not have you boys feel weird about me.”

  “We would never feel weird about you, Hunter. You will always be our Hunter, and we all love you for what you do for us. You give us the home that none of us have had. We even like the way you punish us for acting out. You never hit us and wouldn’t let anyone else hit us. Why wouldn’t we love you like we are your own sons? That’s the way you treat us.”

  Hunter got tears in his eyes and turned and went upstairs. Simon watched him go and frowned. He turned to Justin. “What did I say?”

  “He just needs a moment. I think he loves you as much as you love him, and you just brought on some tears he didn’t want you to see.”

  Simon smiled and went upstairs to tell the boys that they were going to go to a party on Saturday for BBQ and swimming.

  Chapter 8

  When Saturday came around, they went to Link and Alex’s house to swim before the BBQ. Sam was operating the grill, of course, and there were so many tin pans full of the good food they didn’t have room in the refrigerator, so they had them on the counters. Link and Alex were sitting at a long table in the back yard. Justin went up to them and shook hands with both of them. Link stood up, and Justin introduced them to Hunter.

  Hunter shook both of their hands. Link looked down the line of the boys. “You boys go jump in the pool. If you need to change into your suits, there is a cabana on the other side of the pool. I hope you enjoy yourselves today.”

  The boys looked at Hunter, and he nodded, so they took off toward the pool. Alex got up and looked at Justin and Hunter. “Can I get you something to drink? We have a few beers because I didn’t know if you drank or not, and we have juice and sodas.”

  Justin smiled. “I don’t drink, so a soda would be fine. Thank you.”

  Hunter said the same thing. So, Alex went to the outdoor refrigerator and got them each a can of soda. “If the boys want something to drink before we eat, there are plenty of sodas in here. Tell them to help themselves.”

  Hunter smiled. “Thank you for giving the boys this. They are going to love it. They don’t get out much because before Justin came, I had to be in so many different places at the same time. Now I can take the boys that I need to take like to school and leave the ones I have to home school.”

  “After what Justin did for us, we’re thrilled to do this for the boys. We’re getting our daughter next week, and it’s all due to Justin.”

  Hunter frowned and glanced at Justin. He couldn’t figure out what Alex was talking about; Justin had done something so they could get a daughter. Did he father the daughter so that they could get her? He shook his head and didn’t understand what they were talking about.

  Justin said, “Let’s not talk about that. I’m pleased where I am now. I love these boys. They’re all so good, and I don’t see how with the start they got in life.”

  Link said, “That’s the way George is. He’s just the sweetest little fellow. He has so many scars I don’t know if we’ll be able to get them not to show.”

  “Where is George?”

  “He spent the night with John and Clayton. He’s terrific friends with their son, and then Cade and Bradley’s son went too. They should all be here at any time now.”

  Link no more got that out of his mouth, then George ran around the side of the house and jumped into Link’s lap. “Dad, we had so much fun. Uncle Clayton built us a fort in the b
edroom with blankets, and we had to fight off the Indians, and then we had some kind of stuff to eat that Uncle John made, and it was good. I want to go to Uncle Cade’s house next weekend because we are all three going to stay with him. Then the next weekend they are all coming here to spend the weekend. Please, Dad?”

  “We will talk about this later, son. Right now, we have company. Grandpa Sam and Grandma Alisa are here. Also, you remember my friend Justin and his friend Hunter, and then there are sixteen boys in the pool swimming. You need to go and welcome them to our house.”

  “Ok, Dad, can I get some soda first?”

  “No, you can get some juice. There is orange or apple juice in the fridge.”

  George hugged his neck and then hugged Alex and ran to the refrigerator and got him an orange juice. He ran to the big pool with it. He looked at all the boys and at the scars on their backs and smiled. They looked just like him. He yelled. “Hi, I’m George and welcome to our house. I hope you have fun. If you want anything to drink, just come find me, and I’ll show you where you can get some soda. My dad doesn’t let me have a soda, so I have a juice. You can have juice too if you want it.”

  All the boys had turned to look at George and smiled at him. Simon said, “Thank you, George. Are you going to come swimming with us?”

  “No, my dads don’t let me swim in this pool without them. I have a smaller pool that’s just mine and my friends, and I swim in it because it isn’t very deep. You guys could swim in it too, but I don’t think everybody will fit at one time.”

  “We’re fine here. I just wanted to know if we needed to watch you while you were here. We don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Jacob and Danny ran over to where George was talking to the boys. George said, “These are my friends and cousins. This one is Jacob, and that one is Danny. We stayed all night last night at Jacob’s house, and his dads built us a fort. It was so cool.”

  Simon smiled. “I bet it was. I never had a fort when I was little.”

  George’s eyes got big. “I can ask my dads if you can stay the night tonight, and I’ll ask them to build a fort so you can play in it with me.”

  “Thanks, George, but I have to go home. I stay with Hunter, and he doesn’t let any of us stay the night somewhere else.”

  “Is Hunter your dad?”

  “You could say that. He and Justin are the ones that stay with us.”

  “Is Justin, Hunter’s husband? Do you have two dads like we do?”

  “No, he isn’t his husband. They just work together to take care of us. We wouldn’t mind them being our dads. They are pretty good guys.”

  “I saw the scars on your back. I have them too. Did you get beat every day like I did?”

  “Yes, George, I got beat every day until I moved in with Hunter. He has never hit me or any of the other guys. We all love Hunter.”

  “My new dads don’t hit me either. If I’m bad, then I can’t play my Playstation for a week, but Dad Link always gives in and lets me play some anyway. Our Dads are all good guys.”

  “Thank you for the warm welcome. We appreciate that.”

  George nodded, and the three little boys ran back to their dads to get dressed to go swimming in their small pool.

  When the meat was almost done, the eight men started bringing out food and setting it up on a table set up for the food. Justin wasn’t sure all the food that they had was going to fit on this table. They decided to leave the desserts in the house until after everyone ate. It wouldn’t do any good to bring them out. There was no room on the table for them. When everything was ready, Hunter got the boys out of the pool and handed each of them a towel he had brought with him. They dried off and followed him back to the table with the food on it. He handed out paper plates and let the boys get what they wanted. When the dads came to make their children’s plates, the boys stopped and let them go ahead so they could get food for the children. They did this without being asked.

  Hunter and Justin were so proud of the boys for their manners and behaving. Hunter made the decision that he would do something special for the boys. George went up to Simon and asked if he could sit beside him while they ate, and Simon said he could. George was so happy to be able to eat with the big boys. When they sat down at the table, Jacob and Danny also sat down between a few of the boys. The boys thought it was great that the little boys weren’t afraid of them and wanted to sit with them. The adults all sat at another table.

  Hunter glanced beside him, and Justin was in a deep conversation with Link. Hunter felt a little left out until Cade started talking to him. Cade was Link’s brother, and he was a really nice man. His husband was Bradley, who was Clayton’s younger brother. Clayton was married to John Willis, the doctor. It seemed some way or another, they were all family.

  Cade asked Hunter, “Are you and Justin in a relationship?”

  “Oh no, we just work together to take care of the boys. He’s the psychologist, and I guess I’m the house father. I’m in charge of the boys, and he’s trying to get them healed. All of the boys have been abused in one way or another. They went through a tough time when they were younger.”

  “They are well behaved for what they have been through. What’s your secret?”

  Hunter gave a wry smile. “I don’t hit them. They all came to me beaten, and most of their backs look like they have been through a meat grinder. Now all I have to do is speak to them, and they are good as gold. They appreciate that I don’t beat on them. I never would, and they know it.”

  “I want to ask you a question, but I don’t want to offend you.”

  “You won’t, so ask.”

  “Are you gay? I know that Justin is, but you seem to me to be gay, but if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”

  “I don’t mind answering. Yes, I’m gay. I told Justin, and he tried to get into a relationship with me, but I don’t want to interfere with the boys, and I don’t know how they would take us being together.”

  “I think the way they feel about you that they would want you to be happy. Justin is a good guy. If not for him, we wouldn’t be getting our daughter, and Link and Alex wouldn’t get theirs either.”

  “I heard Link say something about that, but I didn’t understand what he did to give you two daughters. Did he impregnate some women so you could get daughters?”

  Cade chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I think it would be better to ask him about that. It really isn’t my story to tell, and I don’t want to embarrass him with it. It took a big toll on him, and I don’t want to be the cause of him being hurt.”

  “Maybe when I get to know him better, I’ll ask him. I don’t know him well enough to get into his business.”

  “It’s not my business, but you really should give him a chance. He’s a good guy, and I think he would make you very happy. Talk to your boys and see what they think. I bet they would tell you to go for it.”

  “Yeah, they already did, but I’m afraid that after a while, they wouldn’t want to share me with Justin.”

  “I think they wouldn’t mind. I don’t mean to badger you or anything, but I’m just saying.”

  After they ate, the boys swam for a bit longer, and they were ready to go home. Link and Alex made them take most of the leftovers back with them and about 2/3 of the desserts. No one would have to cook for a few days. Just heat up leftovers. Sam Willis cornered Hunter before they left. “Hunter, do you need more money in the account. I don’t mind putting more in there if you need it.”

  “We have plenty, Mr. Willis. We haven’t even used any yet. We are starting with Simon’s tattoo next week, so we’ll use some of it then, but there is still more in there than we need. Judge Stone keeps money in the household account for groceries and whatever the boys need.”

  “If the house isn’t big enough, I can buy you a bigger one.”

  “No, thank you. It is more than big enough for the boys we have now.”

  “Do you need a bigger vehicle? I can get you a minibus if you n
eed that?”

  “Thanks, but that’s what we have now, and all the boys fit on it just fine.”

  “Do you have a personal vehicle?”

  “I don’t, but Justin does, if just one of the boys has to go somewhere, he can take them.”

  “Ok, if you need anything, Hunter just let me, or the judge know, and you’ll have it. I want to make things as easy on you and the boys as I can, Justin too. I know it’s rough doing what you do.”

  Hunter nodded and then went to make sure all the boys were on the bus and each holding one of the pans of leftovers. Justin had Simon, James, and Leon in the truck with him. They left, and Hunter got on the bus and started home.

  Chapter 9

  All the way home, Hunter thought about what Cade said about giving Justin a chance. He thought he would talk to the boys together and see what they had to say about him starting a relationship with Justin. He figured the best time was when they had the next meal and before he called Justin up for dinner. He could ask them what they thought about it and then go with what they said. It seemed they all were aware that he was gay.

  Hunter looked in the mirror back at the boys and wondered which two were gay and in a relationship. He should have asked Cade. Maybe he had that gaydar that Simon was talking about. Cade knew that he was gay, so perhaps he could have told him which of the boys were. He kept glancing back at the boys while he drove home. He saw Dalton and Michael sitting closer together than the other boys were. They were always together. They were two of the seventeen-year-old boys he had. Maybe it was them. He was going to talk to them and see if they would tell him.

  When they got home, Justin was already there in the kitchen, putting the pans in the refrigerator and making room for more. The house had two large size refrigerators, and Hunter was hoping all the food would fit. He helped Justin make room in the second refrigerator, and they loaded both up. It just barely fit in them. Some of the desserts like cakes were put in cake savers and put on the counter.