All Good Things

All Good Things Chapter 11 -- New Beginnings

After the 4th of July celebration turned a bit sour, I wasn't expecting much out of the rest of the summer. To my surprise, it went by very smoothly. In fact, there was little for me to do, since there were no classes that I was teaching, and I'd taken the only class I have to take during the summer during the first of the two summer terms. I spent most days watching cartoons in my boxers until 12. Tony, on the other hand, was bogged down with classes, getting up early for school and not returning until 5 or 6. We met most days for lunch, but the stress from school had forced him to leave his job at the gym on campus. He really stayed tired most of the time, but I completely understood. The only time he did get out of the house was when his fraternity was having a party. As the President-elect of the fraternity for the coming year, he found himself more and more stressed by the goings on and found his time dwindling away as he worked to bring his organization in line. During the recess between classes, I made him go to the beach for a few days and relax completely. He protested at first, but eventually gave in, realizing that he not only needed a break from Auburn but needed some time with his fabulous boyfriend.

As the trip ended, we got ready for the new semester, which started as smoothly as the previous few semesters had. I was working on teaching two classes and taking two as well. Tony had a full four-class schedule himself.

Six weeks into the start of school, we took a weekend trip to Toronto for Thanksgiving, which in Canada is celebrated in October. Thankfully for all of us, the Harpers were unable to attend the festivities. Without them there, there seemed to be a calm relaxed mood at the family celebration for the first time in a very long time. On the Monday morning of the holiday, there was a bit of excitement, though, as my sister went into labor just as we were sitting down to lunch. Seven and a half hours later, we welcomed baby Daniel to the Henry and La Salle families, and quite proudly I might add. Danny and Tony seemed to be the most excited about the coming, though everyone else was ready for the arrival of the child as well. Danny and Jean-Marc argued about what hockey team the child would be a fan of, while Tony looked comfortable simply holding the baby in his arms. We regrettably had to return to Auburn that night in for classes in the morning. As much as I wanted to stay and play with the baby some more, I knew that the American Thanksgiving holiday was just around the corner, and I would have plenty of time to spoil my nephew then and at Christmas.

The rest of the semester went by smoothly. For the first time in my graduate career, I earned a 4.0 for the semester. It was a lot of work to achieve, but something that I found myself very proud of the work that I'd done, and smiled proudly as I saw the grades I'd earned in 20th Latin American Novel, among my other classes. Tony was very proud of himself as well, since he'd also earned very high marks in some rather advanced and taxing architecture classes. He breathed a sigh of relief as he checked his grades in OASIS, the university's grade reporting and scheduling system. He then laughed at his receipt of three A's and one B in his classes. Both of us were so happy. We'd planned on leaving for Charlotte to spend a few days with his grandmother and brothers before heading on to Toronto. I always loved being there with them. Between the four of them there was so much love for one another, regardless. Maria joined us for lunch at a swanky Italian restaurant on one of the days we were there. We all enjoyed tremendously large plates of pasta and other dishes as we sat around a large, round table. Much to the surprise of everyone at the lunch, which included Tony, Martin, Nani, and I along with the happy couple, Gui stood and got down onto one knee.

"Babe. I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Since the moment I met you, I could tell that you were a very special person. You are sweet; you are smart. And Babe, you...are...SMOKIN'." She giggled a little bit, but returned her complete attention to him.

"Uh huh..."

"And in these few months, I have grown to realize that I can not, nor would I want to live without you in my life. And so this Christmas," he said, grabbing a small box from his coat pocket, "I ask you to honor me by spending the rest of your life with me, as my wife." She started to cry a little bit, but there was no answer. "What do you say, Maria Carvallo?"

"Guillermo...el honor seria mio ser tu mujer por siempre." (It would be my honor to be your wife forever.)

"Bueno..." he said as he took the platinum band with a set of diamonds across the top and placed it on the ring finger of her right hand. He stood and looked at her in the face before reaching down and kissing her on the lips. "I love you, Maria."

"I love you, too, Guimo," she said, using a pet name that she had for him.

"Congratulations, Gui!" Tony and Martin said. There was applause from everyone at the table. The surrounding tables seemed to join in as well, with one old lady asking me what all the commotion was about. As I told her, she smiled and offered the happy couple a round of applause as well.

"That was totally unexpected," Maria said as she grabbed my arm. Since she was sitting directly to my left, it was an easy shot. She gazed at the ring for a moment and then at Gui, who was talking to Martin. She was glowing. "You know," she said to me, "when I met you guys, I thought he was so cute, but I was worried that he'd be just like all the other guys before him, and just try to use me for one thing. He is so amazing, though. He's so sweet and gentle...and my parents love him."

"Very nice," I added.

"I love him."

"I understand. I have my own Cisneros brother," I said. She smiled.

As lunch came to a close, we realized that we'd gotten caught up in the happiness of the moment that we'd soon miss our flight to Toronto if we didn't get a move on. Gui and Maria rushed us back to Nani's house while Nani and Martin stopped at the grocery store. We rushed to get our things together before Gui and Maria drove us to the airport for our flight. We quickly went through security to arrive at the gate just moments before boarding began. By the time we arrived in Toronto we were tired from rushing. Danny met us at the airport and drove us to his apartment for a bit before we went out to Mom's house. The apartment was amazing. Deep, rich colors permeated the walls and the furniture. The master bedroom looked very typically Danny, with clothes strewn around the room, in no particular order. The second bedroom was decorated with a monochromatic theme. The bed frame itself was a dark black colored wood, as were all the tables and the other furniture of the room. The walls and all the bedclothes were white, stark white. The pillows on the bed were neatly arranged, with cases alternating between black and white. The sheets, Danny informed us, were black satin sheets. The third bedroom had been converted into a gym. One could tell its use, if from nothing than the smell of sweaty man that overtook you as you entered the room. The living room was as spectacular, with deep, rich, red walls and dark, richly colored furniture. At the far end of the room was a large, panoramic window with an amazing view of the city, a view that couldn't be repeated. The window was broken into two parts by a door that led to a patio that was beautifully decorated with wrought iron furniture, similar to Nani's.

"So what do you guys think?" Danny asked as he finished the grand tour.

"Wow!" Tony said.

"This is so not a place I would expect you to live, Danny," I said as I looked out over the city, my city, my hometown, the place that I felt most at peace in the world, except for my apartment, but only when Tony was there.

"The girls are impressed."

"I would imagine," Tony said as I smiled, looking out over the city.

"So you guys can stay over here if you'd like," Danny offered. His tone said that he almost was bored and lonely amid the millions of people that lived in the GTA. I looked at Tony, who motioned that he really didn't care where we stayed, so I agreed for the two of us. It was an interesting night. Danny became excited by our acceptance, offering to cook and get movies. It was a fun night. Tony and I went to bed earlier, much earlier than we normally wood, climbing between the black sheets of the bed. It was peaceful there.

The next morning, I woke up before Tony did, but rather than lying there to watch Tony sleep, I managed to find my way out of the bedroom into the kitchen. Coffee was the nectar of the gods, and Danny, fortunately enough for me, had stocked his kitchen well with it, but probably for me. I fixed a pot and found my clothes. It had snowed the night before, and so the furniture on the patio was covered with a dusting of white snow. I made my way out none the less and sat at one of the chair, nestled into my jeans, house slippers, and a heavy coat that I'd grabbed off of Danny's coat rack. As I sat there, sipping my coffee, I began to long for the comforts of my hometown, with Greektown, Koreatown, Little Italy, and every other neighborhood that comprised my Toronto.

"Good Morning, my brother."

"Morning, Danny."

"How are you?"

"Good," I said, smiling as I looked over the view of the city.

"I'm glad. I see you have my good coat on," Danny said as he sat beside me in another chair.

"Sorry about that. I just grabbed one."

"It's not a problem."

We sat out for a few more minutes, until the coffee was gone and the cool breeze, or rather the cold wind, became too much for even the most seasoned of Canadian natives. We went back inside to find Tony stretching his long, ripped body after a night of long, luxurious sleep.

"Good morning," he said. He smiled at Danny, but came and gave me a huge hug. He kissed my neck as his arms caressed by body.

"Somebody's in a good mood," I said.

"Yes. He slept beside a wonderful man and thought about the two of them, having fun, making love, kissing, hugging, cuddling, loving each other."

"Awww..." I said as I smiled and kissed him. "I love me some Tony Cisneros."

"And I love me some Jacob Henry."

"Grrr...I noticed that Danny has an extra large tub in the spare bedroom," I whispered.

"I put that one in especially for the two of you," Danny joked as he came back into the room from the kitchen.

"Thank you very much," I said to my brother, all while not taking my eyes off of my amazing boyfriend.

Tony enjoyed a cup of coffee, and then the two of us were off to a long hot shower. Of course, only a few minutes of the whole thing were actually spent cleaning each other's body. More attention was placed on kissing, underneath the hot streams of water as they flowed over our bodies. Our hands explored all over each other's bodies, touching places that in the time we'd known each other our hands had become quite familiar. I felt every muscle of his back, of his muscular ass, of his waist and hips, all while his hands explored my arms, and shoulders and neck. The world outside seemed to disappear. In that moment, all that was were the two of us. I turned myself around so that the flow of water would flow onto my chest. Tony put his hands firmly on my hips and rubbed them gently. He kissed my neck. There was an amazing feeling as the sensations went throughout my body as he kissed my neck. I felt his hard penis against me. My moans served as permission to take total control of my body. I trusted him more than anyone else that I knew, and therefore was more than willing to give myself to him. From somewhere, a bottle of lube appeared and I heard him wiping it along the shaft of his penis. He returned his hands to my hips, and started kissing my neck again. I barely felt him entering me, but oh how nice it was to feel him pulling out and pushing back into me. My moaning went from barely audible whispers to loud moaning. He continued to kiss my neck, even though his left arm moved around and wrapped itself around my chest. Without words, I knew from his breathing that he was very close to losing himself inside me.

"God I love you," he whispered as he began to moan and breathe deeply. Warm gushes found themselves ejected from his body into mine. He pulled himself out of me, still kissing my shoulders and neck for a moment. He turned me around and placed me against the wall of the tub. He got down onto the floor of the tub. He put his soft lips on the head of my penis, and without thinking of things, took the shaft of my penis into his mouth. In what I would have to say was one of the best blowjobs in my life. He brought me to the point of no return quickly. With one final stroke with his lips down my shaft, I began to spurt in his mouth. Load after load went into his mouth. He swallowed every single drop before standing back up and kissing me on the lips.

"Is there NOT a time when you guys are LOUD as shit when you're fucking?" Danny asked as he laughed outside the bathroom. Tony and I smiled at each other as Danny's voice faded in the distance. We cleaned ourselves off in the flowing water and dressed quickly. The rest of the day, we found ourselves wandering around Toronto, in the middle of the happiness of the Christmas season. For hours, we walked from shop to shop, spending most of the money I'd budgeted for Christmas presents on my nephew.

Two days later, the whole family woke up at my mother's house on that amazing Christmas morning. Jean-Marc's parents (well...his mom and step-dad), Marie and Claude, had joined us the night before. As I pulled myself out of bed, I found that Tony was already up, working in the kitchen with Claude as the two of them prepared Christmas breakfast, which was Claude's present to the family for the holiday. I sneaked up on my boyfriend and wrapped my arms around his waist. I could feel him smile, but he tried to act as though I wasn't there, continuing what he was doing. To make sure that I'd gotten his attention, I slipped my hand under the waist band of his shirt and lightly rubbed his abs, which had grown a light fuzz, since he hadn't shaved it in a couple of weeks. That still didn't detract him from the work at hand, but he was loving it. The next plan of attack had a lot to do with the fact that he was wearing loose-fitting cotton sweat pants. I slipped my hand under the waist band of the cotton pants. Just as the night before, he wasn't wearing any underwear. I cupped my hands around the large flaccid penis. After stroking it a couple of times, I felt it hardening in my hand. He laughed as I took my hand from out of his pants and stood, leaning against the counter beside where he stood working. He looked up from the chopping and winked at me. He followed it with a smile. I melted.

A short while later, the breakfast was ready and the rest of the family joined us. It was nice to sit with them and share a meal. I longed to be closer to them so that I do this more often. Tony had been the only thing that kept me in Auburn as long as I'd been there. After breakfast, we all headed into the living room to open gifts. Jane and Jean-Marc went wild at the number of gifts that they'd be taking back to Ottawa. The gift that caused the most stink though was one that Danny had bought for Daniel. It was a baby-sized Maple Leafs jersey, complete with "La Salle" printed on the back with a random number on it. It was all in good fun, but Jean-Marc, a devout fan of the Canadiens, jokingly refused to let the little boy wear it.

Tony and I had purchased him a few outfits, including an Auburn football jersey that we'd bought before we left for Charlotte. Among those and the other clothes and the toys that were purchased for him, a good time was had by all.

The Harpers made their usual appearance, just in time to eat, as was their M.O. Without Dad there, my uncle thought that he might get away with some of his usual Christian rhetoric, but Mom quickly put him in his place, saying that there were a myriad of religious beliefs in her home, and that she wouldn't tolerate his offensive behavior. To her, that was the end of it, but to him, that was an invitation to get started. Because he lacked the brain cells to argue about things like the economy and social programs, he went straight into the gays. As we started serving dinner, he started again.

"Ernest. I have asked you nicely to stop."

"And?" he asked, sitting at the head of the table, where my father always sat. "Your husband didn't do a very good job of teaching his children the difference between right and wrong," he added, turning to look directly at me. "So it's my responsibility as a Christian to help educate your children." I could feel my mother's blood pressure rising. She was paying attention; she was hanging onto every word he said. When she'd had enough she calmly put her fork on the side of her plate.

"Ernest. Are you finished?"

"No. I'm just getting started," he said.

"I should have phrased that differently. You are finished," she said, looking directly at my uncle.

"Susan. You have to help them to know that they're sinning, especially Jacob."

"How is Jacob sinning?" Mom asked. "Tell me how my oldest had done anything worthy of your erroneous lecture for the cause of your Neanderthal way of thinking?"

"You know," he whispered to my mother, who was seated directly to his left.

"No...I don't."

"He's sharing a bed with that man," he said. The baby started crying within a second, giving Jane and Jean-Marc an out.

"That man? That man! That man's name is Antonio, and THAT man has done nothing but treat my baby really well, a LOT better than you, his actual family, has ever treated him." Mom stood up from the table. Uncle Ernest grabbed her arm. "You will let go of me right now."

I looked over at Danny, who looked like he was about ready to flip the table over to beat this man's ass. Tony was equally as angry, trying to not do anything that might offend my mother.

"Or?" Uncle Ernest asked, looking at my mother in a very condescending tone.

"Dad!" Pete said. "Please stop this."

"Shut up, Peter Harper."

"No, Dad," he said standing from the table.

"Peter. If you don't want a good beating, you'll sit back down. Right now!" Uncle Ernest looked at my cousin, with a look that he never would have given him here, in my parents' house, if my dad were here. Danny stood and looked at my uncle. Danny was about the same size as my uncle, but built of solid muscle. Ernest let go of my mother's arm.

"Ernest. I think it's time you left," Danny said.

"Look at the little boy trying to act like Daddy," Ernest taunted Danny as he stood. It was the only wise thing the man ever said. Danny was more like Dad than anyone had ever realized. Dad was never a violent person, but would defend his family if necessary.

"You have two minutes to get your coat and get your fat ass out of my mother's house."

"Or?"

"You don't want to know," Danny said, refusing to budge from his position. Tony and I stood as well. "Suffice it to say that there are three men a lot of stronger than you that can put your ass out of the house."

"All I see is a little boy and two faggots."

"That's it, Ernest!" Aunt Freda interjected. "I've had enough. You can't enjoy a moment with family. You can't just tone it down for a little bit and have a nice dinner with family. You have to act like an ass every time.

If Daniel were here, you never would have said anything about that, because if you had, he would have beat your good-for-nothing ass into the ground really quickly." The whole family, including Ernest looked at her. This was the first time in a very long time that I'd seen her stand up to anyone for anything. She paused for a second. "For the last 25 years, I have put up with you talking about my family like their beneath you. For 25 years, I have put up with you complaining about coming here, when I only get to see my sister twice a year, because you don't want her around. For 25 years, I have cooked for you, washed your clothes, raised your children, cleaned your house, gone to your church. I have listened to those damn hymns. I even washed your mother's ass when she lay in our house, dying, because you wouldn't get off your fat ass and do it yourself." She was on fire as she looked for a second, but she wasn't through yet. She got into his face. "And I can handle you yelling at me, calling me names, and hitting me, but you will NEVER do that to my children again, lest I put you in the ground MYSELF."

"How dare you talk to me that way?" he had the audacity to say.

She giggled evilly. "He wants to know how I can talk to HIM that way?" she said looking at the rest of us. "Sit the fuck down, Ernest," she said after noticing that he had stood to confront her. He raised his hand to her, but she didn't move. She didn't flinch.

"Think long and hard before you do that, Ernest," she said, looking him straight in the eye. "How would the people in your church like it if they found out you hit your defenseless wife?"

Ernest drew back his hand and looked at his wife. "I thought so. Now Danny told you a moment ago to be out of his mother's house in two minutes."

She looked at her watch. "It's now been seven minutes, and you're still standing there. Now if I were you, I would go. Go straight to Niagara, clean YOUR things out of MY house, and find some place to stay for tonight."

"Now listen...I paid..."

"And I've worked for you for 25 years and haven't gotten a CENT. So like I said, be out of the house by the time I get home. Am I understood?"

He walked out of the dining room and took his coat off the coat rack. He walked out the door and started to close it before returning. "Kate...Peter...Come on. We're leaving."

"There not going anywhere with you, Ernest. Leave!" He looked angry, but he left, without saying anything else to her or to the rest of the family. His car sped out of the driveway.

"Wow! Didn't know you had it in you, Freda!" Danny exclaimed, applauding her.

"That jackass has had it coming for years!" Mom added. She walked from the door between the dining room and kitchen to her sister. "You OK?"

"Do you have any tequila?" she asked. Pete and Kate looked at her with an odd face, but then they smiled after looking at each other. It was almost as if their mother's liberation had become their own.

"Of course I have tequila," Mom answered, taking her by the hand into the kitchen. "Anybody else want one?" Pete immediately raised his hand. Mom and Freda looked at him and laughed. Mom waived for him to follow them.

"You know," Freda said, "I should have known he was going to be a jackass when he made me tell Jake he couldn't call me Freaka anymore." She and Mom laughed, while I smiled.

"Freaka?" Jane and Danny asked, looking at me funny.

"I couldn't say Freda when I was little," I responded in defense of myself, to the laughter of everyone remaining at the table.

The three of them went into the kitchen and by the end of the evening, the entire family, with the exception of Marie and Jean-Marc had put a few back.

It was an amazing sight to see my aunt putting back tequila without salt and lime. She was a hero of mine for that! Well, that and the fact that she found her own strength that morning. It was the best Christmas gift that she could have given herself, to be rid of the asshole. Tony even made a joke that we should hook up Uncle Ernest and his Mom if something ever happened between his parents. What a match that would be! We went to bed later in the evening, and the Boxing Day shopping the next morning was awesome. Between Mom, Jane, Freda, and I, we spent so much money, far more than any of us would care to admit. Aunt Freda and Pete stayed through the New Year, but Kate wanted to get back to her boyfriend. He drove all the way to Toronto to pick her up and then take her to New York to see the "ball drop" to initiate the new year's birth. The two of them looked so sweet together.

By the time New Year's actually arrived, we were all ready to celebrate. Danny and Freda had stayed with Mom for the entire week. It was therapeutic for Freda in that she knew that her sister was there to support her; it was therapeutic for Mom because she had someone there in the house with her for a bit, to keep the huge house that once was filled by the day-to-day rumblings and goings on of a family of five. I wouldn't have been surprised if Freda stayed there for quite some time, hanging out and getting to know my Mom once again.

When Tony and I walked into the kitchen that morning, it was the to the sound of two women laughing with one another. "Good morning, guys. Did you sleep well?" Mom asked as she noticed Tony and me coming into the room.

"Yes ma'am. I slept next to this man all night," I said, wrapping my arms around Tony's waist before we had both woken completely.

"At least he's good looking," Freda said, winking at me. She was a different woman, and I was so happy to see that in her.

"Yes he is, Freaka." I looked at Tony, who was pouring two glasses of juice at the counter beside the fridge.

"Freda, I'm really the lucky one. Jake is an amazing man."

"When he was little, he used to come over to our parents' house, before I met the jackass. He would get up before everyone else in the house. He was so cute, he would walk out of his' room and come into mine. He would get to the side of my bed and try to climb up. When he couldn't do it, he would whisper Freaka' until I woke up. He would just smile as I picked him up and pulled him in to snuggle with me." Freda smiled gently. "Kate and Pete never did that. Of course, their father refused to let them sleep with us."

Freda lost herself in the memory of the moment. "Jake. I'm sorry."

"It's not a problem," I said as I leaned down and hugged her from behind.

"I love you, Jakey-butt."

"Love you too, Freaka."

Tony brought the juice over to the table for the two of us. My mom immediately offered him a bagel, which he accepted. There were some that Claude had brought from his shop in Montreal. They were a bit sweeter than the bagels we often purchased in America. They were uniquely Claude, though, just like everything else in his shop. We sat there for a bit longer, waiting on the others to get out of bed. Pete and Danny were asleep in Danny's old room, which Mom had had cleaned professionally, mostly to make sure that anything that might have caused an odor was permanently removed from the room. Pete was the first to join us in the kitchen. He had already showered and shaved for the morning.

"Morning, baby. Sleep well?" Freda asked as he came into the room.

"Yes ma'am. I slept great," he said, smiling as he hugged both his mother and mine. "Thanks for letting us stay here for a while, Aunt Susan."

"It's not a problem. I actually like the three of you," Mom said as she patted Pete on the shoulder.

"It's good to have you guys around a bit," I chimed in as my cousin looked at me and smiled.

"You guys happy to see me this morning?" Danny said as he walked into the kitchen, his hair standing on end as he smiled at the four of us.

"It's always a pleasure to see you in the morning," Mom answered. She smiled at Danny, obviously missing him being at home in the morning. Danny went over and kissed her on the cheek and hugged her. Mom ate up the attention that her baby no longer gave her in the morning.

"Morning Freda," he said as releasing my mother and yawning.

"Morning, Danny," she said as he hugged her just as he'd hugged Mom.

"Have you guys eaten breakfast yet?" Danny asked.

"Tony and I had a bagel," Mom answered.

"Cool. Well I want a doughnut, so I'm going to run get some. That cool with everyone else?"

"Mind if I go with you?" Pete asked.

"No problem at all," Danny answered. "Let me go put some pants on and grab my coat and we'll go."

"Cool," Pete said. "Aunt Susan. Mind if I have a glass of milk?"

"You don't have to ask for milk, baby."

"The only thing you have to ask for is the turron," I answered.

"What's turron?"

"It's kind of like nougat, but uniquely Cuban."

"Oh," Pete answered.

"Let me get you one," Mom said as she went to the pantry. She brought out a box of the delicacies that we often joked were the only reasons why she went to Cuba. "Here. Try this," she instructed as she handed Pete one of the candies that the three of us coveted when we were younger. "Have you ever had these, Tony?"

"No ma'am," he answered. She brought him one of the candies. He smiled as he bit into the piece of chocolate covered goodness.

"And Jake. I guess you can have one, too."

"Yay," I exclaimed as she handed me the treat. The first bite was pure heaven. It's funny how smells and tastes can invoke such memories, whether pleasant or not. With the first taste of the treat, Pete and Tony devoured the candy. I, on the other hand, ate the piece, which was about 4 centimeters (or about an inch and a half) long and covered in chocolate, with deliberation and small bites. With each bite, I thought back to my adolescence and all the fond memories of the island that I'd called home for those defining years.

"Do I get one?" Danny asked.

"Yes, baby," she said as she handed Danny the treat, which he consumed in two bites. He and Pete left in a moment, but I didn't notice as I was still savoring the small bites of the candy.

"Jake!" Tony said as I put the last bite into my mouth.

"Huh?" I mumbled with a full mouth.

Tony laughed at me and the fact that I'd lost myself in the consumption of the candy. "Let me get that for you," he said as he kissed the corner of my lip for the minute piece of candy that was still there.

"Thank you," I said. He winked at me.

"No problem," he said. My aunt and Mom giggled at us as they watched the scene unfold.

Jane and Jean-Marc had gotten an early start on the drive from Ottawa to Toronto that morning, and arrived shortly after the departure of Danny and Pete. "Hello!" Jane called as they walked in the door, carrying the baby carriage.

"Gorgeous!" Mom called as she stood from the table, abandoning the cup of coffee she'd been sipping for some time.

"It's good to see you, too, Mom," Jane said.

"Well. It's good to see you, Janey, but I was talking to my grandson!"

"Gee. Thanks Mom!" Jane laughed as Mom pulled the bouncing, smiling baby boy from the carriage in which it rested.

"Hey Jake and Tony!" Jane said as we waved at her. "Aunt Freda," Jane said, going over to hug our aunt. We all had almost forgotten the past as we welcomed them into the family, in the true sense of the word.

Until Danny and Pete's return from Tim Hortons, not much went on. We sat around the table and talked, and upon their return, stuffed doughnuts into our face. The deep fried goodness made Tony and me both hyper and horny. When we went up to shower a bit later, we made love in the shower. Tony's ass was tight and he was eager to take the sexing that I was more than willing to give to him. Thank God the bathroom attached to my room is virtually sound proof, so that the family didn't hear Tony's moaning and groaning as the conversed downstairs.

After drying each other off, we walked into my bedroom and began to dress. I couldn't help but look at Tony as he pulled white boxers with little maple leafs all over them. "Those look good on you," I commented.

"Thanks. This really hot man bought them for me for Christmas."

"Oh really? Do I know him?"

"You might," he smiled turning to face me. "He's smart, funny, charismatic...hot. Damn he is really, really hot. And he makes love with an energy that I don't know I can explain."

"Oh wow! He sounds like an amazing man."

"He gives me so much."

"Sounds like you really like this guy," I said as I walked over to him.

"I don't really like him," Tony said. "It's more like I love him."

"Aww...I want him."

"Sorry. I got him first," Tony said, pecking my lips twice. He pulled away smiling and finished dressing himself. I watched as he pulled on a tight polo-style shirt and some low rise jeans that perfectly cupped his very alluring ass. As I dressed myself, I thought about how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. He was not only gorgeous, but also very kind, something one rarely finds in a gay man.

We walked back downstairs, where Jane, Danny, and Pete seemed to be planning something in the living room. Jean-Marc sat there, playing with the baby. He was probably trying his best to ignore the goings on between my brother and sister. Jane was the first to see that we'd come back down and started, "So my lovely mother and my lovely aunt have agreed to watch my lovely child for the evening so that my lovely husband and I can go out and have some fun. You guys up for a night at the gay bar?"

"I don't know. Somebody might try to hit on my boyfriend, and I might get jealous."

"You so wouldn't get jealous," I responded. "You'd be like: `that's my boyfriend,' with a cheesy grin on your face."

"Probably," Tony answered, looking at me.

"So are you up to it?" Danny asked as he and my sister both looked at us.

"Sure. Why not?" I answered.

"Yay!" Jane said. "It's been so long since I actually got to go out." She clapped and smiled. "So we should leave early and go get some dinner or something," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Danny said.

"Italian?" Jane asked, looking around the room.

"That sounds really good," Pete said, "but I don't have much money."

"Don't worry about that, we'll get you this time. You can get us next time," Danny said.

"Cool."

We finalized plans to go to a restaurant in the heart of Little Italy called Coco Lezzone that Danny had found one night when he was bored. He said that it looked really good, but hadn't had an opportunity to go yet. He scoured the internet to find the phone number, and managed to get a table for that very busy evening. A bit later, after Tony had a chance to play with Daniel for a bit as the rest of us got ready for the night's adventure.

At around six, we headed toward little Italy. Danny drove his car, with me and Tony with him. Jean-Marc drove his wife and our cousin. The restaurant was very easy to find, and when we did, I'm glad that my brother had suggested it. The ambiance was amazing. It was a perfect setting for young people, but it was also one where we as a family could assemble and have a nice dinner together. It was full. There were all kinds of people, smiling and enjoying all the scrumptious-looking gourmet dishes.

"I'm Alberto," the waiter said as the six of us took our seats at a large circular table against the walls, which were painted with a golden textured paint. There were large red drapes that hung from passageways between the various dining rooms. Alberto took our drink and appetizer orders and promised to be right back out.

"So guys," Jane said, looking around the table, "what do you say that we revive a tradition that we lost a few years ago?"

"That would be a nice idea," I said.

"What tradition?" Tony and Pete asked as they looked at the three of us.

"When we were little, we'd sit down to dinner on New Year's Eve. Dad would open up a bottle of sparkling grape juice and pour a champaign flute for each of us, then we would go around the table and tell something that had changed our lives for the better in the past year," Danny explained. Alberto brought the drinks to the table and distributed them among the six of us. "Could we get a bottle of Prosecco?" he continued.

"Sure. Give me a moment to run grab it for you?" Antonio asked as he placed the final glass on the table.

"Cool. Thanks," Danny answered, smiling at the waiter. "So with the tradition, you have to tell what changed your life the most this past year before you can drink the juice, or in our case, wine."

"Wow. That sounds cool," Pete said. "With Dad, he would always make us sit around the table and pray as the new year opened. So this will be totally different."

"So how does this thing start? Is it random?"

"Nope. The newest addition to the family starts," I explained, turning and smiling at my boyfriend.

"So???" Tony asked.

"You start," I answered, winking at my boyfriend. Alberto returned just in time, opening the bottle as it sat beside Danny. He poured each of us a glass and walked around the table delivering them. Pete looked lost. "You OK, Pete?"

"Yeah. I've never had wine before."

"Oh. This is a really good one," Alberto said. "Just sip it. Savor the flavor of it." He was openly flirting with Pete, but it was more interesting to see Pete's response. He was smiling, but in a reserved way.

"Thanks for the advice," Pete responded, getting a big smile from the tall, Italian man.

"No problem." Alberto walked off from the table. From his gait, the whole table could tell that he was smiling.

"Pete. Me thinks you have an admirer," Jane joked with him.

"So Tony goes first," he said, changing the topic.

"Yep," Tony said, looking directly at me. "Este ano, muchas cosas me han pasado. Estas cosas culminaron en la realizacion que encontre un amor verdadero. En este ano, mi novio precioso me dejo cumplir una fantasia. ?l me permitio ser mi mismo. ?l me defendio desafiantemente contra mi madre, que queria hacer mal mi vida con el. ?l me ha apoyado. Cada dia me siento bien que lo tengo, pero no me siento que le merezca yo. Y, en el ano que viene, espero que el vaya a seguir conmigo, para hacer mas recuerdos lindos." I reached up and kissed him on the lips. "Te quiero, babe." (This year, many things have happened to me. These things culminated in the realization that I found a true love. This year, my precious boyfriend let me fulfill a fantasy. El permitted me to be myself. He defiantly defended me against my mother, who wanted to cause rifts in our relationship. He supported me. Every day, I feel good that I have him, but I don't feel that I deserve him. And, in the coming year, I hope that he will continue on with me, to make more happy memories. I love you, babe.)

"Te quiero mas, y si no fueramos en este restaurante, te haria el amor," I said as I lightly kissed him on the lips again. (I love you more, and if we weren't in this restaurant, I would so make love to you.)

"You know. I don't speak Spanish, but I take it what Tony said was good," Pete said.

"Oh yeah," Jane said. I could hear her smile, even though my gaze was still firmly affixed on my boyfriend.

"So now it's Jean-Marc's turn," Danny said after a moment of deafening, but happy silence at the table.

"Bon. Depuis qu'il puisse parler en espagnol, je puis parler en francais, n'est pas?" Jean-Marc asked. (After he got to speak in Spanish, I can speak French, right?)

"Mais oui," Jane answered, turning to her husband. (But of course.)

"Bon. Cette annee, deux choses m'ont passe bien. La premiere est que je m'ai marie avec la fille plus belle que tout les autres filles du monde. Comme Tony, je pense que je merite pas cette femme remarquable. Si je puisse, je la merierait chaque jour pour le reste de ma vie." He accented several words of the sentence, as if to make it known just how he thought about my sister. "Et, j'ai vu les yeux de mon fils cheri pour la premiere fois. C'est un sensation tres...tres...C'etait un sensation que m'a rempli avec fierte." Jane smiled at him, and he smiled back. (Well. This year, two good things happened to me. The first is that I married the most beautiful of all the girls in the world. Like Tony, I don't think I deserve this remarkable girl. If I could, I would marry her every day for the rest of my life. And I saw my son's eyes for the first time. It's a feeling that is very...very...It was a sensation that filled me with pride.)

"Yeah. I know I'm remarkable, but I would still marry you every day too, if I could," Jane responded to the very sweet oration that my brother-in-law had given. Granted, Tony's was better, but Jean-Marc's was still very sweet and filled with love.

"So now it's Pete's turn," Danny said. Before Pete could open his mouth, the object of his affection returned to the table. Pete had started to speak, but found himself unable to do so while Alberto stood over us.

"I'm sorry about the delay, guys," Alberto said as he put the appetizers onto the table. "We've been swamped tonight, so I haven't had a chance to get these out to you before now. I'm so sorry."

"It's not a problem," we assured him as he set the plates in the middle of the table.

"Well. I feel so bad that I talked the manager into not charging you guys for these," he added as he smiled.

"You don't have to do that," Danny said.

"Oh. Well, it's not a big deal. My mom's the manager," he answered, smiling at us.

"Well, tell her we said thank you."

"Not a problem," Alberto said as he walked around refilling glasses. He quickly freshened each of our glasses, but slowly poured Pete's. Jane wanted to crack up laughing at his relentless flirting with our cousin, but didn't, mostly to avoid any undo embarrassment being brought on Pete. While he stood close to Pete, he took our dinner orders, in the event that we had to wait a bit on those. He scurried off without writing down a single word of our order.

"So why am I next?" Pete asked.

"Cause you're two months, four days, and sixteen minutes younger than me," Danny chimed, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Well since you put it that way," Pete said, trying with great difficulty not to laugh at my brother.

"I think the best thing that happened to me this year is that my Mom caught me kissing a guy." There was another dead silence at the table.

"Congratulations, Pete," Danny said.

"Thanks Danny."

"It takes a lot to come out, and I think we're all glad that you trusted us enough to do it just now."

"Yeah. So now it's your turn, cousin," Pete said, keeping the rest of us from commenting on something.

"Well. I think that the best thing that happened this year came from something really bad." The table sat there for a second. Each of us had a special memory of my dad, even Tony and Jean-Marc. "I think that because of Dad's passing, I was able to grow up a bit and I got to know my brother and sister a little bit better as an adult." He stopped for a second. "And then there is my nephew, who is going to be the best goal tender the Leafs have ever had."

"Hey now. I don't know about that," Jean-Marc said as he and Danny laughed a little bit.

"So sis. Your turn," Danny said. She sat for a second as she chewed a piece of shrimp from her appetizer.

"Hmm..." she said as she swallowed the last bite and took a sip of her wine. "Have two men that like my tits isn't such a bad thing," she said and smiled.

"What TWO men?" Jean-Marc asked.

"Don't get so upset baby. I'm talking about my beautiful baby and my beautiful husband," Jane confessed as she turned for a second to wink at Jean-Marc.

"OK. I guess for now I can share you with him," he said.

"Nice," Jane answered, kissing her husband on the cheek.

"So Jake...you're the big man now. The last on the list," Danny said.

"Yeah." I thought for a moment. There was Tony; there were my siblings; there was my nephew, my darling nephew. "So many good things about this year. Of course, I had my Tony. I got a new brother-in-law to along with the siblings I already had. I got my nephew. My aunt is now my hero for the way she defended herself. And I feel a little closer to Pete after tonight. I would have to say that while Dad's death was a horrible thing that I would never wish upon anyone, this has been an OK year."

Before anyone could comment, Alberto returned with our plates. It hadn't been as long as we'd waited on our appetizers. Tony ordered a dish called squash agnolotti, which, according to the menu, was served with sundried tomatoes, goat cheese and in a rose sauce. I had a very yummy smoked chicken risotto that I thought was simply the best dish that I'd ever put in my mouth. I was too busy stuffing my face to even remotely be interested in what any of the rest of our party had ordered. We all finished about the same time, though, and sat around talking about pointless things as the hour waned and the restaurant began to clear. After spending three hours there, talking and enjoying each other's company, we decided that it was time to pay the checks and head to Danny's apartment. He needed to get ready to go out, and Jane wanted to see the place that Danny had bought and decorated.

We piled back into the cars and headed the few kilometers from Little Italy to Danny's apartment. Jane was first impressed by the decor of the lobby of the building. It had been improved from the first time Tony and I had been there a few months before. We took the elevator to the 13th floor and eventually made our way down the hell to Danny's apartment. He put his key in the door and invited us all in.

"WOW!" Jane exclaimed as she walked into the apartment. "What team of gay people did this?"

"You mean that you don't think that I did this all myself?" Danny asked, acting offended.

"Well, I suppose you could, but I just assumed..."

"OK. So I did have a team of gay guys come in and decorate the place."

"It looks good. You got your money's worth."

"They only charged me about $5,000 dollars plus the cost of all the furniture and paint and stuff."

"That's not very bad either."

"That was with a 20% discount, too."

"How did you manage that?" Jane asked.

"I just to walk around in a towel for a minute every morning."

"My God, Danny!" Jane said laughing hysterically.

"This is a really nice place," Pete said as he explored a little. It was a totally new environment for him. He looked at all the things in the room. "You gonna let me bring a guy over here sometime?" he joked.

"Anytime you need, primito," Danny said. He held up one finger and walked into the kitchen. He handed Pete a key. "In case I'm not here or something. The door code is on the ring," he said.

"Well, thank you," Pete said.

"No worries." Danny looked at his watch. "We better get going."

We quickly walked out of the apartment and to the bar. I wrapped my arm in Tony's. It was in part because of the blistering cold of winter; the other part was that I wanted to be with the man with whom I would enter the new year. I smiled as I thought about the times that we'd spent together and the times we would spend together in the future. As we walked up, Tom was working the door.

"Hey guys!" he said as the six of us walked up.

"Hey Tom. Happy New Year!" Danny said.

"You too, Danny." Without any problem, we scooted into the bar ahead of so many people that had lined up at the door. We walked up to the bar, where Dave was feverishly working to serve the patrons that waited.

"DANNY!" Dave said.

"What's up, Dave?"

"If you do me a favor, I will make you the happiest man alive?"

"You'll get me ten hot women, one for each day of the week and four for Sunday?"

Dave looked for a moment, "Yeah...sure."

"So what you need?" Danny said, smiling at Dave.

"That's a LOADED question, Danny. Now, for real, I need some help tonight.

The two guys that were supposed to come in all called in sick. I am about to go crazy back here. Do you think you could possibly help me out?"

"Sure. Not a problem," Danny answered. "I'll see you guys in a little while," Danny said as he walked behind the bar.

"He really is a nice guy," Pete said.

"He is," Joey said as he walked up behind us.

"JOEY!" I yelled as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"How are you doing man?"

"I am wonderful."

"Hey Joey!" Tony exclaimed as he wrapped his own arms Joey's shoulder just as I'd done. Despite having spoken to the boy at least three times a week for the last year, we hadn't had a chance to see him since his birthday earlier in the year.

"How's life, Tony?"

"Life is wonderful."

"OOH! There's someone you have to meet."

"OK," I said as I pulled him to my sister. She gave him a good looking over without Jean-Marc noticing. As I introduced her, she reacted just as Danny had done a year before. She hugged him deeply and kissed his cheek. She thanked him for saving my life some time back, and was happy that he was doing well. We introduced him to Pete and Jean-Marc as well. He introduced us to his escort for the evening, a nice man named Paul.

The time wound down on the old year. Danny was working for more than he'd expected to have to work. He was slinging drinks like a professional. He seemed to be enjoying himself, too. At 11:55, Dave announced the he was stopping the flow of alcohol until the new year. With that, he and Danny joined us, carrying enough champaign flutes for all of us, along with a bottle of Dom Perignon. He popped the cork with only minutes to go before the start of the new year. Quickly, he and Danny poured each of us a glass.

"Two minutes," Tony said after checking his watch.

"TWO MINUTES!" Dave yelled across the bar. "Thank you, Tony."

"No problem."

I snuggled in closely to my boyfriend. I wrapped my arm around his and squeezed a bit. A minute and a half passed quickly. Jane was ready to pounce on top of Jean-Marc for a New Year's kiss. I was latched with Tony. Pete downed one glass. Dave refilled but warned him not to drink too much as he might go home with an ugly person if he drank too much. Pete laughed.

He was already feeling the liquor of the evening. It was his first time to be sloshed, and he was enjoying it.

"15 seconds!" Tony said.

"15 SECONDS YOU GUYS AND GIRLS, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE!" Dave screamed over the bar. A countdown started, and with 10 seconds to go, everyone joined in.

"10"

"9"

"8"

"7"

"6"

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone in the crowd yelled. I immediately turned to Tony and kissed him solidly and strongly. He returned the kiss, taking the breath out of me as our tongues played with each other.

"OH MY GOD!" my sister yelled. Our kiss broke as we looked at her. We followed her gaze to Danny and Dave, who were kissing as hard as Tony and I had been.

"WOO HOO HOO," Tony and I yelled, breaking their kiss.

"Damn," Dave said quietly. "I think I came a little." Danny laughed.

"You know this is a one time thing, right?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. I know. You're straight, and I'm married," Dave answered, smiling at my brother. "Will you do me a favor, though?"

"If I can."

"Teach my boyfriend how to kiss like that. Damn!" Dave pulled my brother back behind the bar and began serving drinks. The crowd began to file its way out of the bar around one. Joey and Paul left shortly before two, as both of them had a long day ahead of them. They seemed cute together, but something about Joey didn't seem right. Perhaps it was that he felt something more for Paul than was the case from the other end. Perhaps Paul liked Joey, but was unable to compare with the image of the perfect boyfriend in Joey's mind. Who knew what they were thinking though? By three, only Dave, Tom, and our group remained. It had been a long evening, but a great one. Tom even asked where his kiss was, and when Pete plopped a big one on him, he seemed impressed by the boy's guts. The two of them seemed to hit it off well, too.

"So Dave warned me not to drink too much," Pete said as he talked to Tom.

"Why is that?" Tom asked with a smile on his face.

"Because he said I might go home with an ugly guy." Tom laughed hard.

"That sounds like something he'd say," Tom announced as he released a loud belly laugh.

"So I can't tell, are you an ugly guy?" Pete asked, between hiccups.

"No. I'm pretty hot."

"Well...I'm not." He tried to continue, but Tom put his finger of Pete's mouth.

"You're cute. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"So you think I'm cute?"

"Yeah. You're very cute." Tom stopped for a minute and leaned into Pete's ear. "You're cuter than your cousin." He kissed Pete lightly on the cheek.

Pete smiled and blushed at the same time.

"Thank you. I needed someone to say that."

"Anytime you need someone to tell you that, you just come and see me. I'm here every night."

"Well, I live in Niagara."

"Then I'll give you my number, and you can call me."

"Alright," Pete said. "But do me a favor and don't be mad at me if I call you tomorrow and ask who you are."

"I will tell you that I'm the fine man from the bar that kissed you."

"OK," Pete said.

"I love you," I whispered to Tony as the rest of the crowd turned their attention to something else.

"I love you, too, Jacob." He wasn't looking at me as he said that, but he did smile. When he did turn, the smile was still there. I melted at the look in his eyes. I reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Ooh. You can do that again," he whispered. I kissed his cheek again, followed by the edge of a jaw line to his ear. "Nice," he said as I pulled away.

As the third hour of the new year rolled around, we were all ready to leave. Pete, Jane, and Jean-Marc rode with Tom to Danny's house, while Dave drove Danny, Tony, and me. The sleeping arrangements were odd enough. Danny gave up his bed to Tony and me. Jane and Jean-Marc slept in the guest room, all while Pete and Danny slept on the twin couches in the living room.

Tony and I elected to leave the door open, in the event either of them needed to use the bathroom. I'm glad that we did, as Pete took full advantage of the facilities in those early hours of the first day of the new year.

"You OK?" I asked as I walked into the bathroom.

"God. I will never drink again," Pete said as he sat next to the toilet. I grabbed a rag from beneath Danny's sink and wet it lightly.

"It's OK, Petey."

"Do you remember how much I had?"

"A lot."

"I vaguely remember talking to a guy named Tom."

"You did."

"Did I do anything that I should be embarrassed about?"

"Not at all. You got his number, which is something a lot of guys that go to that bar wish they could get." Pete smiled.

"I should call him tomorrow and apologize."

"You shouldn't apologize; you should ask him to dinner or something. I'm sure he would give you the time of day if you asked for it."

Pete smiled again. "Who knows?"

"Yeah."

I returned to bed shortly, after making sure that Pete was OK. He was a bit shaken up by his first night of inebriation. It was a right of passage that he needed in order to enter the next chapter of his life. The next morning, Tony and I woke around the same time. As usual, he was horny. I'd come to expect that he would want something early in the morning. Not that I was upset by it. I was, myself, usually horny in the mornings. He kissed the back of my neck a few times.

"That feels good, babe."

"I know. I wish we could do it right here, but your brother might not like it."

"This is true."

"Jake. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, babe. What brought that on?"

"I don't know. I've been thinking about some things lately, and I just wanted you to know that I loved you so very much."

"What kind of things?"

"Graduation."

"Ah."

"I've got internship. You've got exams. Neither of us is going to have much free time. I just wanted you to know in advance that I love you."

I turned and faced him for a moment. "There is something that I've been thinking about lately, too. Not that I'm not worried about exams, but there is something that has been on my mind."

"What is that?"

"What happens after graduation?"

Before Tony could offer a response, Danny barged into the room. He was hyper. He was far more hyper than any person should be at ten in the morning. "GET UP!" he screamed.

"Danny!" I yelled. "Why are you up so early?"

"We've got to get going. Mom is cooking lunch."

"Danny. It's ten. Can we sleep for another half hour?"

"No. Come on! Get up and get dressed."

I exhaled. "We'll talk about this later, Jake," Tony assured me, flashing a smile. We dressed quickly as Danny egged us on. As we walked into the living room, Pete sat on one couch, holding his head as if it would make the headache go away. Jane and Jean-Marc were slightly more pleasant. Note the use of the word slightly. They hadn't drank as much as Pete had, but they'd consumed enough to make the evening a success, as it were. Danny was the only one among us to be happy that morning.

We went about our business and soon left for Mom's house. As we drove through the traffic, Danny noted that we should be glad that he insisted on our early departure from his apartment. As we weaved into our childhood neighborhood, Danny spoke of childhood memories. Most of them made me smile as I thought about Danny's youth in trying to adjust to living in Canada after having only known Cuba.

"Hey guys," Aunt Freda said as we piled into the house.

"Hi, Mom," Pete said, waving his hand at the woman as she fed the newest addition to our family.

"Have fun?" she asked. Pete groaned. "I'll take that as you had a lot of fun last night, but very little this morning." Pete gave her a thumbs up and tried to smile.

"Hello!" Mom said in her normal voice as she came down the stairs.

"Please don't yell, Mom," Jane asked as Pete held his head.

"I'm not yelling." She looked at Jane. "You had a lot of fun, didn't you?" Mom whispered.

"Uh huh," my sister answered.

"You needed it, and we needed the baby."

"How was he?"

"An angel...as always."

"Good," Jane smiled. She was very prideful of her son, but I would imagine that any good mother would have felt that way. When I was home, I often caught Mom looking at us and smiling. Jane took my nephew into her arms. In a gently yet playful way, she made him giggle and smile.

After showering and getting cleaned up, we came down and had lunch with the rest of the family. Mom and Aunt Freda slaved for a while over the lunch, and it was truly enjoyed by all. The remainder of the day went by quickly. It seemed to fly by. Tony and I didn't have a chance to talk until later that evening, as we were getting ready for bed.

"So what we were talking about this morning," Tony said as he took his shirt off his well-defined body.

"About what we're going to do after graduation?"

"Yeah."

Tony went silent for a moment. He took off his pants and lay them over the back of the chair at my desk. "It's not going to be decided tonight, anyway."

"What are you thinking?"

"You know. I'd kind of like to be back in Charlotte, but then again, I've always felt at home here...in Toronto."

"Uh huh."

"And I know that you'd have to jump through hoops to be able to stay in the US, though."

"Yeah," I said smiling. "I've looked into it, and it could be a very long process."

"And I don't mean this in a bad way, but you don't have to work if you don't want to."

"True."

"So It's all a lot of stuff to be worked out."

"Yeah."

"And it's not going to be decided tonight."

"Right."

"What do you think?"

"Honestly, I would like to be back in Toronto. You're the only reason why I've stayed in Auburn as long as I have." We climbed into opposite sides of the bed and moved in close to each other. "But I could get used to Charlotte as well, I suppose." I snuggled up into Tony and gently kissed the back of his neck. "I could get used to it though as long as I have you close to me."

"Aww...I love you, Jake."

"I love you more, my Tonito." I kissed the nape is heck once more, which made him giggle a little bit. He moved his hand around and tapped my ass a couple of times. He rubbed my leg a couple of times more before he moved his arm back to the front of his body. He took my arm and wrapped it around tightly around his chest once more before drifting off into sleep.

As I fell asleep myself, I thought about the happiness that I'd felt almost every night since we met some time before. I was happy to have him in my life, and I was honored that he loved me as much, if not more, than I loved him. He was an amazing man, and as I thought about what I'd had before, I smiled. Tony was so much more of a man than Adan could ever have hoped to be, in every way.

The next morning, Tony left for Charlotte. He was spending the rest of his break with his brothers. The three of them, along with other friends, were going to rural western North Carolina for a hunting trip. The thought of hunting for sport repulsed both of us, but Tony saw it more as an opportunity to spend time with his brothers. It was a time they desparately needed to spend together, though, as I'd taken up the vast majority of Tony's time over the previous year. I, on the other hand, spent the rest of my break in Canada, hanging out with my Mom and brother, something I hadn't been able to do much of in a long time.