Chapter 10
Chapter List
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August
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"daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy..." Elijah yelled, running down the front stairs as fast as he could.
Greg looked up and raised an eyebrow as Rayne leaned against the banister and just smiled in amusement. He crouched down and caught his hyper son, "What's up sproglet?" He asked, closing his arms around Elijah in a warm hug.
"nicky's biwt-day." Elijah responded, peering up at Greg with his chocolate brown eyes.
"Er," Greg bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at Elijah's attempt at seriousness, "What about it?"
"nicky give books. i give someting." Elijah explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Greg stood up and picked up Elijah, settling him on his hip, "Do you have something in mind?"
Elijah looked up at Rayne who was starting down the stairs towards them, "Actually, he sort of does." She said, still amused.
"And that is?"
"gampa's shiwt." Elijah said.
"Grandpa's..." Greg trailed off as he tried to figure out what shirt Elijah was referring to. Normally, his father wore t-shirts and sometimes sweaters when they came out to visit, "Um, Elijah, I don't really..."
"footpwints." Elijah said, interrupting Greg.
Greg stared down at his son, still thinking. It took him a good minute, but it did finally dawn on him. His mom had helped him make the shirt when he was younger as a rainy day project for his dad. It was just a plain white t-shirt with different colored footprints scattered all over it. His own footprints, actually.
His dad still wore it with much pride, saying that it was like walking around with a little bit of Greg all the time. In fact, his father had worn that shirt to nearly every important function of Greg's. Elementary, High school, and college graduations were the main ones. He had even worn it to Elijah's christening, much to his and his mother's embarrassment.
"You want to make a footprint shirt for Nick?" Greg now knew why Rayne was amused. He really couldn't see Nick walking around in a shirt covered in little multi-colored footprints, although he could understand the significance behind Elijah's request. Elijah would ask his grandpa about the shirt every time he saw him wearing it and had always seemed so excited that his 'gampa' would still wear something that his daddy had made when he was his age.
Elijah nodded, happy that Greg had caught on. He then stopped suddenly and a pensive look crossed his young features, "diff'went dough."
Greg carried Elijah into the kitchen, Rayne following, "A footprint shirt but different from grandpa's." He bit his lip as he set Elijah in his booster. With this conversation going on, he was suddenly, incredibly, grateful that Nick got stuck working a double, "You know, I think I know what we can do and I've got everything we need too."
"weally?" Elijah asked, excitement making his face glow as he took his sippy cup from Rayne.
"Yup." Greg nodded and looked at Rayne, "You interested in staying to help?"
Rayne shook her head and glanced out the window, "Nope, sorry. My ride has just arrived. Just remember to show me the finished product after Nick opens it." She smirked then, "Or better yet, have him model it for me." She kissed Greg on the cheek and headed for the mudroom exit, "I'll see you two later."
"All right, sproglet. You want something different from grandpa's...how about footprints going up one side of the shirt and down the other? It'll look like you walked up his back, up over his shoulder, and then down his chest." Greg said as he poured out two bowls of Cheerios.
Elijah nodded, "cool."
Greg raised an eyebrow as he handed one of the cereals over, "Cool? Where in the world did you get that from?"
Elijah shrugged and stuffed a spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth, "nicky." he replied, while trying to chew at the same time.
"Mouth closed please." Greg said with a sigh.
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"All right." Greg ushered Elijah outside ahead of him, "We are so not doing this in the house."
Once they reached the patio, Greg pushed the couch back out of the way and laid down a few sheets of parchment paper, liberated from the kitchen. On top of that, he the laid down the black t-shirt he had stolen from Nick's drawer. It was one of at least ten, so he really didn't think Nick was going to miss it at all.
"Hop up sproglet." Greg said, patting the chair.
Elijah climbed onto the chair and watched as Greg pulled off his shoes and socks, running his fingers along the sensitive arches to make Elijah laugh. As the toddler came down from his unexpected laughing fit, Greg pulled out the white paint and a little paint roller, "Okay, remember what I said?"
"yup!" Elijah said and hopped off the chair, "gots ta be caowful."
"Right." Greg dropped to his knees and rolled up his sleeve's before pouring out the paint onto a paper plate. He ran the roller through it, "Okay, left foot first." Greg said, tapping Elijah's left ankle to help him figure out which one he was talking about.
He ran the roller along the little foot, leaving the arch as free of paint as possible to get a more defined footprint. Once the foot was thoroughly coated but not dripping in excess, he set Elijah's foot on the bottom of the shirt and urged Elijah to shift his weight forward.
It took about twenty minutes before the shirt was finished, given that they had to let the paint dry on one side before starting on the opposite side. Once it was done, Greg pulled a bottle of light blue paint from the bucket and poured it onto another plate. He then sat back and watched as Elijah carefully signed his version of his nickname along the bottom hem of the shirt the best he could, next to his last foot print.
Greg dated it in the same blue paint and then held up the shirt, smiling, "Looks good babe."
"tanks!" Elijah grinned and looked at the shirt as well, "we hide it?"
"Oh boy." Greg looked back at the house and tried to think of a place Nick didn't go that often, "Well, Nick's birthday is Sunday so how about we hide it in Aunty Rayne's room? He doesn't go in there. We'll wrap it before he gets up tomorrow afternoon before dinner."
Elijah nodded, "dat sound good."
"Okay." Greg stood up and quickly packed away the paint supplies, "Let's get this in the house and you cleaned up before Nick gets home." A quick glance at his watch showed only a half an hour until Nick arrived, or so he figured since Nick hadn't called to lengthen the amount of time.
Both Sanders 'men' were lounging up in the playroom when Nick finally arrived home. Well, more like Greg was lounging, watching Mulan on the plasma TV while Elijah sat in the corner at his play table, alternating between watching the movie and playing with paint to hide the fact that there hadn't been enough time to bathe him.
"Hey G." Nick said, stepping into the room, "Everything okay?"
Greg lifted his head off the arm of the couch and smiled, "Everything is fine, why?"
Nick looked around and smiled as Elijah squealed and ran to him, "Normally, I get a sound welcome when we get home at different times." He caught Elijah around the waist and bent over to blow a raspberry on the small sliver of belly that had come uncovered.
Greg winked at Elijah as he looked over at him, "Eli was painting when I got home and I just kind of fell and didn't want to get back up."
Elijah squirmed out of Nick's grasp and ran back to his table. Nick sat down on the couch next to Greg's hips just as Elijah ran back over, "look!" He said, pushing the paper into Nick's hands.
Greg pushed himself up onto one arm to look as well. Elijah hadn't been working on the picture very long, but he had refused to show Greg what he had been drawing and Greg was definitely curious.
It was a typical toddler drawing, messy and scribbled out, but there were also distinct figures that was unique to most three-year-old drawings. He could make out himself, thanks to the messy locks of hair his son had bestowed on his drawing self, Nick, who's drawing self had short brown hair and a bit more mass to it's body, and right in between them with a large bubble grin was Elijah, who's shock of red hair and short stature gave him away.
"Wow, little man." Nick said as he took in the picture.
"dat lulu." Elijah said, pointing to a round circle with four legs coming off of it.
Greg smiled at his son, "We should put this over on the fridge." he said, referring to the one in the kitchenette that already had some of Elijah's older artwork on it from daycare. Greg was looking forward to filling the fridge to the brim soon. He wondered if he should thank Nick for getting his son into art as much as he had.
Since his fathers gift had arrived, a week after they had gotten home from the ranch, Nick had spent more time drawing and painting in his den, the nook the perfect place to do so now that he had an easel and storage area for his supplies.
Elijah had also taken to spending time in there with his own children's easel set alongside Nick's, which had previously gone unused since he had gotten it for his birthday. Sometimes Greg joined them, curled up on Nick's leather couch with his puzzle books, but it was usually just Nick and Elijah spending time together.
Elijah nodded happily and left the picture with them, racing back to the table. Nick set it on the end table and leaned back, resting against Greg's pelvis, "I would love some of his energy right now." He muttered.
Greg weaved his fingers with Nick's and lifted his hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it, "One more hour and Bobby'll be here to pick him up. Then it'll be sweet sleep for us."
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Nick blinked his eyes open and reached for Greg, frowning when his hands met cold sheets. He yawned and ran his hand over his face as he sat up. He gave a brief thought as to where his bedmate might have gotten to, but pressing matters, namely his full bladder, put off his mild curiosity.
He climbed out of bed and walked to the en-suite bathroom, stumbling down the small hallway leading to it as he swiped the sleep from his eyes. He pushed open the door and realized in that instant just how sound-proofed Uncle Rick had made the master bedroom and its attached bathroom. Greg was listening to one of his loud, heavy rock bands and Nick hadn't heard it, not even when he was standing just outside the closed bathroom door.
Curious as to what his boyfriend was actually doing, he stepped fully into the bathroom and looked beyond the linen closet to the large, whirlpool tub. Greg was happily ensconced in a mountain of bubbles, his hair plastered up into a point on the top of his head as he bobbed and weaved to the music.
Nick quickly used the toilet and stepped back out into the main bathroom, smirking when he saw that Greg still didn't know he was in the room. He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and just watched as Greg played in the water.
After about ten minutes had passed, Nick couldn't take it anymore. Greg still hadn't noticed him and he was as hard as a rock from all the glimpses of smooth, tanned skin he had kept catching sight of as Greg moved around to the music.
He pushed himself away from the wall and cleared his throat when the player was in between songs. He didn't bother to hide his laugh as Greg jumped at the noise and whirled around to face him, splashing water and bubbles over the edge in the process.
"Sweet Jesus Nick." Greg said, grasping his chest, "Give a guy a heart attack why don't you."
Nick rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the tub, "Looking for some company?" he asked, then shook his head slightly as the question brought back memories of Greg's foot covered in mildew. He hadn't joined Greg that afternoon, but this time...
"I...suppose." Greg said, sounding a bit hesitant in his answer.
Nick sat down on the wide ledge, ignoring the fact that his ass was now sopping wet from the puddle Greg had left. He framed Greg's face with his hands and said, "I don't have to Greg. You're running this show and if you don't want me to, just say so. I'm not going to love you any less for it if you say no."
With Nick so close, he could hear and see Greg's gulp and he raised his eyes to meet the brown ones he loved to stare into. He could tell that Greg was scared, but he also had a look of determination on his face that caused Nick to smile.
"No, I want you to." Greg said after a moments hesitation.
Nick stared at Greg's face and despite the blush he could see rising along his cheekbones, Greg did not look away from him. Nick nodded and stood up. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his sleep pants and his boxer-briefs, keeping close watch on Greg's face for any misgivings.
Greg's gaze never left Nicks face, except for a few brief flickers down to Nick's waist.
"Last chance G." Nick said, as he began lowering the two layers of cloth slowly.
"Damn it Stokes, will you just get on with it?" Greg exclaimed.
Nick's eyes widened marginally as Greg's hands shot out of the bubble mountain they had been ensconced in, grabbed two good hand fulls of the plaid cloth at Nicks thigh's and tugged, letting them drop down into the soapy puddle at Nick's feet.
Greg's eyes instantly zoned in on the bulge at eye level and his blush intensified, "I uh, still want you to join me, but um, do you mind if I turn around while you remove," He pointed his finger at the blue cotton boxer briefs in front of his eyes, where he was still staring, "Those?"
"Nah Greg, go ahead." Nick answered, amused. Who knew that the guy who could shoot the shit with the best of them as well as talk about sex and all its kinky components, without breaking into a sweat, could blush so easily at the mere thought of full nudity in his presence.
Greg turned around and fiddled with the CD player sitting on the ledge that ran along the wall and Nick quickly dropped his underwear. He climbed into the wide, oval tub and sat down across from Greg, glad that the faucet was on the side of the tub instead of at the end like on most versions. He entwined his legs with Greg's and leaned back with a sigh.
Greg turned to face him and gave a half smile, "Sorry, I just..."
Nick knocked a knee into one of Greg's and shook his head, "Don't worry about it, G. This is a big step from half dressed."
Greg's hands twisted together under the water as he looked down, "I know, but I feel like a blushing bride or something. I'm a guy for cripes sake, you'd think nakedness and sex wouldn't bother me this much."
"Well, you certainly fit the bill of the girl in this relationship." Nick said, a snicker passing his lips as he remembered a few days earlier. He had gone to put Elijah down for his nap and when he returned to the kitchen, Greg had been wearing a frilly green apron and dancing around the kitchen as he worked on dinner, listening to one of his loud rock groups.
His amusement was cut short, however, when he caught sight of the troubled look on Greg's face, "What's on your mind, Greg?"
Greg bit his lip and then sighed and ran his hands through his hair, disrupting the Mohawk he had been sporting, "I'm scared." He murmured, still staring down at the water.
"Of what, sex?" Nick asked, feeling confused. Here he had been thinking that they had already hashed this out while at the ranch. How could he have missed that Greg was still having reservations about them having sex?
"No!" Greg's head shot up and his eyes locked with Nicks, "No, not about that."
Nick pulled his legs up and rested his arms on his knee's as he leaned forward, "Then what are you scared about?"
"Us." Greg shrugged, "I'm scared about us."
"Us? In what way?" Nick asked, now sounding more concerned then confused, "Look, if this is actually about us having sex you know you can..."
Greg clasped both hands into his hair and growled, "Will you drop the sex already? It's not about that!" By the end of his sentence, his voice had grown to a yell and his hands had dropped to slam onto something solid, a common move when he was frustrated. He forgot, however, about the water until his hands actually made contact and sent a large splash of water and bubbles up into both of their faces.
The luke warm water and the taste of soap calmed Greg down considerably and he tossed a dry washcloth at a spluttering Nick before wiping his own face down. He dropped the cloth onto the small hand bar and sighed, "Sorry."
Nick wiped down his own face and grimaced as he swallowed, "Shouldn't have had my mouth open." He stood up to reach the sink where the towels were resting and then blushed at the high pitched squeak that came from Greg's direction. He looked down and grimaced. He was still half hard from watching Greg earlier. He muttered his own sorry and quickly turned around. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the tub.
"Where are you going?" Greg asked, his voice cracking slightly.
Nick turned around to look at him, "First I am going to get something to drink. Soap is disgusting." He then leaned down and gave Greg a reassuring kiss on the forehead, "Then we are going to talk about this. Something is bothering you and we're going to get to the bottom of it."
Greg caught the towel that was thrown at him as Nick reached the sink. He hit the stopper with his toe as he stood up, carefully holding the towel in front of him. He wrapped it around his waist when Nick took a drink and then climbed out of the tub. He glanced back at Nick before he left the bathroom and went into the larger of the two walk-in closets that separated the bathroom from the bedroom.
Nick sighed and threw back the last of his water before following, although he detoured off into his closet, the smaller of the two. He slid on a fresh pair of underwear and grabbed his navy blue plaid robe off the door, sliding it on as he went back out. He paused outside and tapped on the door frame of the other closet, "Greg? I'm gunna go down and get some coffee. I think you could use one."
Greg poked his head out from behind the built-in, double sided dresser and nodded, "Sounds good."
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Greg stood at one of the windows in the sitting room off of his bedroom, staring out into the vastness of the Mojave desert that spanned out beyond his backyard. He rubbed his arms as a cool blast of air shot across his body as the AC turned on.
"Here."
He turned around and smiled at Nick as he took the large mug, "Thanks." He took a sip and began fingering with the sleeve of his t-shirt, "I don't really know where to start."
Nick dropped onto an arm chair and set his coffee on the table between the two chairs before turning his full attention to Greg, "Well, I get that you're scared, but its the whys and whats that have me lost."
"Nick, we've never talked about where we're going with this. No plans beyond a few months have been made. I can understand why that is, really, but you gotta understand it's not just me thats invested in this relationship."
"Elijah." Nick stated.
Greg nodded, "You two have gotten so close. He really loves you Nick and that scares me." He set as mug on the mantle of the fireplace and began pacing, "On top of that, I don't want to push you into anything so it's almost like I'm being pulled in two directions. What my heart wants, which is you completely, and what my common sense is telling me."
Nick stared at him for a moment before asking, "And what is your common sense telling you?"
"That Elijah has to come first. Especially since he is about two steps shy of calling you dad as well." Greg had only figured that out when Elijah wanted to make the t-shirt for Nick. It had been a slap upside the head when he realized the full implications of what the shirt had meant coming from the toddler. He ignored Nick's shell-shocked face and plowed on, "I still don't want to push you and it's not like I'm asking for marriage or anything like that..."
"Greg..."
"Of course...it's not like two men can get married, but thats not my point. I think we should just sit down and decide if we're both looking at something long term or..."
"Greg..."
"Or not, 'cause if you're not that's fine, but I really think I should know now before..."
"Greg!" Nick stood up and grabbed the lab-rat by the upper arms, stopping him in mid-step, "Calm down before you walk a hole down to the kitchen." He maneuvered Greg to the unoccupied chair and pressed his coffee into his hands, "Listen, I agree with you."
Greg stared up at him with wide eyes, "You...you do?"
Nick nodded and smiled softly, "Yeah, I do." He leaned over and knocked his forehead into Greg's, "and not just because I want to get into your pants, either."
"Idiot." Greg pushed him away and sighed. He slid down in the chair, rested his head on the back and swiveled it to look at Nick, who was sitting back down across from him, "So what do you propose then?" He blushed at his poor choice of words in light of his babbling, "And I don't mean that like it sounded either."
Nick chuckled softly and as Greg watched, Nick's eyes sort of glazed over. It would have been something to worry about if Nick hadn't started speaking just then, "When I realized I was into guys as well as girls I also realized that I tended to float more towards the males. I knew I wasn't going to be able to have a family, because while girls still turned me on, I wouldn't be happy with one for the long haul. Adoption never crossed my mind and neither did surrogates."
He smiled, "When I started falling for you, I still didn't think about kids or anything even though I had a broader perspective. Especially after meeting Randy and Jenna." Nick glanced over and met Greg's eyes, "No offense 'cause I know how much this bothers you, but at the time, I couldn't see you with a kid either."
Greg waved it off but didn't say anything. It was like there was a spell over Nick at the moment and he really didn't want to break it.
"Then I met Eli. I love my nieces and nephews, don't get me wrong, but that little man just grabbed hold of my heart right along with you and I realized I could have it all." He paused and then laughed, but to Greg, it sounded pretty depreciative, "I thought about that just before we started dating when I first found out about Elijah, actually. I imagined some of the guys I'd been with in the past with a kid and even then, I couldn't see myself staying with them.
"I know you already know that I'm not in this just for Elijah, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you and the little man and like the thought of the three of us being a family someday."
Greg smiled, "Me too."
Nick eyebrows rose, "That's it?"
"That's it what?"
"I spill all of that and all you say is 'me too?'"
Greg blinked his eyes in confusion, "What more do you want me to say?"
Nick shook his head and stood up. He held out his hand to Greg, "Come here."
"What?" Greg took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He wasn't expecting an extra tug, however, and he fell into Nick's arms. He grinned and turned his head so he was looking at Nick, "Hi."
Nick leaned in and whispered, "Hi." against his lips before closing the small gap.
Greg dropped Nicks hand and wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders. Much to his annoyance, Nick kept the kiss soft and pulled away just as Greg was getting into it. He straighted up and stared straight on into Nick's eyes, loving that there was barely an inch in their height difference, even if it was a bit odd to him that he was the taller one. He could see the mischief crinkling Nick's eyes and before Nick had a chance to act on whatever was going on in his head, he tightened his grip on Nick's neck and tugged him forward.
This kiss was as passionate as the other had been soft and Greg felt himself drowning into it. When Nick finally forced his mouth open, Greg came back to himself and was surprised to find himself keening at the back of his throat. With the way Nick's hands were scrambling for the bottom of his t-shirt, he could tell the sounds were turning the older man on and so he didn't bother with trying to stop them.
Nick's mouth left his own and began a half suckling, half kissing trek across his jaw to his neck that had Greg aching to wrap his arms and legs around Nick. Once Nick's hands made contact with his ass, he went with his feeling and slid a leg up and around Nicks hip while pushing himself up onto tip-toe with the other.
Nick got the idea and his hands clasped where they were resting before lifting Greg fully off his feet. Greg wrapped both legs around the trim waist and tightened his grip with one arm as he slid a hand up to Nicks hair and pulled. He got enough distance between Nick's mouth and his neck to dip in and take another kiss.
Greg deepened the kiss this time, being in the better position to do so. He was so intent on making Nick moan and shiver that he hadn't noticed Nick walking until he was pressed up tight against the stone of the rooms fireplace. Greg pulled away from the kiss and leaned against the stonework, breathing heavily. He licked his lips and watched as Nick's eyes narrowed and honed in on his visible tongue.
Greg was caught unaware as Nick surged forward again, pressing their bodies together and joining their mouths. Greg's eyes shot open seconds later as Nick pressed further into him and he pulled away from the kiss, "Nick..." He panted out while avoiding the Texans mouth, "Nick, we gotta stop."
Nick pulled back, "Going too fast?" He asked through his own gasps for air.
"Not really, no." Greg shifted and grimaced, "Just...the stone is pressing into my back and it really, really hurts."
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TBC...
Chapter 11