The Invitation

Written By: LJ

(This story is written from Dennis’ POV.)


I smiled down at my partners who were sitting beside me with their heads resting on my shoulders. Dusty was nestled against my right side softly snoring and Skyy was on my left with his legs drawn up under him. The plane we were on was large enough to give them the space needed to curl up and sleep. This was the first and longest flight of the two we would be taking today. Once a meal of sorts had been served and upon discovering they had already seen the movie, Dusty and Skyy quickly became restless. Fortunately the last several days had been hectic and exciting enough to leave them over-tired and in need of some down time.

Tucking the dark green blankets around them, I made myself comfortable and with a feeling of contentment let my mind drift. This trip was the result of an invitation we had received almost a month ago.

************

It felt so good to get home that Friday afternoon. It had been a trying day that ended with a faculty meeting going into overtime. From the moment I walked in the front door, I knew my partners were anxious to share something with me.

‘But first things first,’ I thought as I pulled them both into my arms to kiss and hug them; to just enjoy their closeness and take the time to reconnect after a long day.

When I finally let go of them, I had to laugh as a familiar look of anticipation appeared on Dusty’s face and Skyy bounced slightly from one foot to another. If I hadn’t been able to read my youngest Brat’s body language, I would have thought he had to go to the bathroom.

Pretending not to notice their excitement, I took my time hanging up my suit coat before taking my briefcase into the study. After their antics of a couple of weeks ago, that they still have the audacity to claim were merely April Fools’ jokes, I felt my guys deserved to be teased a little.

“Den, guess what?” Skyy asked when he wasn’t able to wait any longer. “We got a letter in the mail today that’s addressed to all three of us.”

“Really, Sport? I guess we’ll have to read it as soon as we’ve eaten supper and cleaned up the kitchen, right?” I baited and laughed again at the expression of exasperation on the young man’s face.

“Aww, Den, teasing is not allowed!” Skyy pouted as he tried to make on that he was annoyed. He had trouble convincing me of being put out with his eyes sparkling the way they were.

“I think it’s an invitation from Rowan in BC,” Dusty said as he thrust a square white envelope into my hand.

“Okay, boys, let’s go sit down and see what it’s all about,” I suggested, having decided I’d tormented them long enough.

My mouth watered and my stomach gave out a soft growl of appreciation at the delicious aroma that permeated our kitchen. Chef Skyy, as Dusty sometimes calls him, had concocted another delicious meal for us. The table was set with ice melting in three glasses and candles waiting to be lit. It made for a room that was warm and inviting.

“How about getting supper on the table before I open this?”

“Aaah, Den, nooo,” Skyy whined, his patience having run out. “Because then you’ll want to wait until we finish eating to read it.”

“I promise we’ll look at it as soon as we’re seated, honey. It’s getting late and I bet I’m not the only one who’s hungry.”

“All right,” he relented. “You pour the water and, Dusty, you get the salad out of the fridge while I get the casserole out of the oven.”

A few moments of teamwork and we were ready to begin a companionable evening together.

“Don’t tear the envelope, Den!” Skyy instructed as I started to open it.

“Why not, Sport? It is probably going to end up in the waste basket,” I commented. Nevertheless, I carefully slid my finger under the flap to avoid ripping the paper.

“Cause if you guys don’t want it, I do!”

“What for?” Dusty asked, heaping his plate with the Shepherd’s Pie Skyy had prepared.

“So I can keep it in my Project binder. It’s the first time any really good mail has been delivered with my name on it.”

“Come on, kid, you must have received mail in the past,” Dusty insisted.

“Any cards I received were always delivered in person. I’ve never gotten anything through the postal system. All the mail that’s ever come here has only had yours or Den’s name on it. I certainly don’t consider junk mail addressed to ‘Occupant’ as mine.”

“Here you go, Sport,” I said, passing over the requested item. I pondered briefly over Skyy’s words and recognized the truth behind them. In the year Skyy had been living with us he had rarely bothered to collect the mail and with just cause. Never once had there been a card, letter or notice of any kind to arrive with his name on it. Even the numerous Christmas cards we had received were addressed only to Dusty and myself. Most of the responsibility for that oversight was mine as I had failed to notify all but our family and friends who lived nearby, of Skyy now being the newest member in our family of three. Watching him meticulously smooth out the envelope, I vowed never to let Skyy’s unintended exclusion be repeated in the future.

“Well, what does the card say, Den?” My attention was brought back to the matter at hand by my youngest Brat’s soft voice.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I concentrated on answering his question. “Looks like Dusty guessed correctly. It is an invitation to attend Rowan and Darby’s wedding on Saturday, the twenty-first of May at their home in the Okanagan Valley. What do you say, boys; anyone up for a trip to British Columbia?” I watched two pair of eyes light up and took it to mean they liked the idea. “Okay then, this evening we’ll check on-line for flight schedules and fares.”

“We’ve also got to send a reply letting them know we plan to be there,” Dusty reminded me as if he was afraid I’d forget. Then he asked, “Where do you think we can stay?”

“Rowan sent this note saying we were welcome to stay in his home. He says they have room for us because only his parents will be staying there. Everyone else from out of town has made other plans.”

“WOW, this is so great. I’ve never been on a plane before!” Skyy exclaimed with a brilliant smile lighting up his face.

I made eye contact with Dusty and it was evident from his expression, we’d had the identical thought of ‘Quelle Surprise!’

“The best part is that I get to go with you guys!” Skyy excitedly announced, having missed the exchange. “Have you flown very often, D?”

“Quite a bit; I used to travel with my parents for family vacations. Two summers ago, Den and I, together with Dominic and his partners, went to Disney World.”

“Disney World!” Skyy repeated and gave me a questioning look of appeal.

“We’ll go back someday, Sport,” I promised, seeing his eyes sparkle with anticipation. “Finish your supper, sweetheart, before it gets cold,” I gently badgered him.

Looking back now, I can appreciate the humour in the bit of mischief that had taken place earlier in the afternoon. Of course, I hadn’t felt that way when first learning about it.

I had left the two of them to finish cleaning up while I went to the study to take a phone call from Dom. I wasn’t too pleased with the story he had to tell and both my partners were equally aware of my displeasure when I returned to the kitchen several minutes later. Fortunately, one of them was completely innocent of any wrongdoing in this instance.

“Dusty, why don’t you get on the Internet to look up flight reservations and prices while I spend a little time with our partner,” I suggested. He looked apprehensively at Skyy, obviously wondering what trouble the younger man had gotten himself into this time. “It will be okay, babe. We won’t be long,” I softly assured my older Brat and with a hug, sent him reluctantly on his way.

“Sit down, Skyy!” I ordered as I pulled a chair out from the table and took a seat. I waited for him to comply and then began questioning him. “Did Slade and Jayden call you earlier to find out how to roast a chicken?” Getting a nod, I continued. “And did they ask you how to make the stuffing?”

“Huh-huh! They weren’t able to get a hold of their foster mother. They’re not very good in the kitchen, are they? I mean, they hardly ever make a meal ‘cause Dominic usually does it.”

“That may be true, but today it seems they wanted to surprise their partner. Only instead of the anticipated enjoyment, all of them ended up having a bit of a shock. You wouldn’t happen to know what I’m talking about, would you?”

“Me?” he asked and I almost had to blink my eyes in order to dispel the near-blinding look of feigned innocence radiating from my Brat’s face.

“Yes, you! What did you tell them to put in the stuffing, Skyy?” Dom had already told me what had happened, but I wanted Skyy’s version of the events.

“Two cups of bread cubes, a quarter cup of melted butter, one small, finely chopped onion, and some spices.” He listed as he held up a finger for each ingredient.

“What else, Skyylar?”

“That’s all you need to put in it, Den.” He was hedging and we both knew it.

“What else, young man?” I tried to sound menacing in hopes of getting the proper response. It is often difficult to keep a stern façade in place when staring into those beautiful violet-blue eyes of his. Add a look of bewilderment and it becomes almost impossible.

“Hmmm, I think I kinda forget,” he parried.

“Do you think corner time will improve your memory, little boy?” Knowing he disliked having to keep still and had an aversion to being quiet even more, I was confident the correct reply would be forthcoming.

He expelled a long, deep sigh to let me know of his frustration at having to give in. “Two cups of popping corn,” he muttered as he squirmed in his seat. Then he spoke up to point out, “But I told them it was optional so it’s not like they had to use it.”

“Do you have any idea what resulted from them following that recipe?”

“Not exactly,” he stated and waited expectantly for me to tell him.

“Well according to Dom, the chicken exploded and blew the cover off the roast pan. The oven is a mess and guess who is going to clean it up?” I didn’t share with him Dom’s exact words of ‘blew the arse end off the friggin’ bird’.

“Dom?”

I shook my head at his cheeky answer, pulled him off his chair and onto my lap. “No, Brat, you are! Although you are not responsible for Slade and Jayden putting the popping corn in the chicken, they never would have done so if you hadn’t suggested it. I told Dom I’d be driving you over to his place first thing in the morning to take care of it.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing as he dramatically glowered at me from under lowered eyebrows. “Oh, I also mentioned that if an argument ensued, you’d be doing the job with a sore bottom.”

We sat there, him straddling my legs with his arms around my neck, and looked into each other’s eyes. He gently patted my cheek as a grin slowly spread across his face and we both burst out laughing. We’d reached an understanding. He’d found so much entertainment in orchestrating this bit of mischief, he didn’t really mind paying his dues. He kissed me and jumped up off my lap.

“I’m going to tell Dusty what I did!” he announced cheerfully as he headed down the hall.

‘Well, so much for feelings of remorse,’ I thought, smiling and shaking my head as I went to join my two guys in front of the computer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning we left Dusty straightening up the house and paid our promised visit to Dominic and his partners. It didn’t take Skyy all that long to get the oven back to its’ usual pristine condition. Although still feeling a little put out, Slade and Jayden begrudgingly accepted their part in the fiasco and by the time we said goodbye, all had been forgiven and put behind us.

The following week, Skyy was kept busy with final exams and I had term papers to mark as the semester came to an end. Dusty helped out by putting together a special event to be held on the last Saturday of April.

“At least Skyy’s birthday party turned out better than the one your Brats had for you a couple of weeks ago, Dennis. This was so well organized, considering…..” Dominic said to me as I refilled our cups of coffee. Three of us had left our younger partners talking and laughing outside while we unwound at the kitchen table.

“Considering what?” Stephen inquired.

“A lot of the get-togethers held here are like a multi-national, meet-your-neighbour festival,” Dom laughingly informed him.

“I take it you’re referring to the folks that make up Skyy’s rather eclectic family,” Stephen commented and chuckled along with our other friend.

“Organization is what’s needed to keep chaos from taking over, especially with four, make that five, Brats looking for a good time and not caring where they find it,” I pointed out, shifting in my chair. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling a little uncomfortable after eating so much.”

“I know where you’re coming from, Dennis. I haven’t eaten such a variety of ethnic food in a long time, if ever, and most of it was so rich!”

“That’s because, Stephen, this is the first time you’ve attended a party here when these guys’ entire family is present. Skyy’s adopted grandparents went all out due to it being his birthday celebration,” Dominic explained, which saved me having to. “The kid will be nineteen tomorrow, right, Den?”

“You got it! This year we had time to put a lot more effort into planning the event and making it just right. A year ago we didn’t even know any of these people existed, so only Dusty’s and my family along with a few of our friends attended the small dinner party we had when he turned eighteen. This party was a great improvement over the last one.” I was pretty sure Skyy thought so too.

“The only family members not to show up were Curtis and Bernice. They’re Dusty’s brother and sister-in-law, aren’t they?” Stephen asked me, having met them only once before and not under the best of circumstances.

“Humph! After last time, I wouldn’t think Curtis would have the nerve to show his face around here,” Dominic commented, his disgust evident. “When is his court appearance anyway, Dennis?”

“Not until June. We received notification of it yesterday. Skyy may have to testify but I’m hoping our lawyer will be able to get him out of it.” Yet again I was thankful that the court notice had not been the first piece of mail my youngest partner ever received.

“I’ve been meaning to tease him again about his hair. Although it is growing quickly and looking pretty good,” Dom chuckled. He was probably finding amusement in remembering the events that had led up to Skyy’s hair having to be cut so short and the uproar that had resulted from that particular prank.

“You little shits!” Dusty’s yells of indignation easily reached us through the back door.

“What the hell is going on out here?” Dominic demanded when he was the first to get to where three men stood sputtering and dripping water all over the deck.

“They turned the hose on us!” Jayden shouted and pointed an accusing finger at the culprits ducking around the corner of the house.

“Skyylar, get back here!” “Aaron, get your tail over here, young man!” Stephen and I loudly ordered at the same time.

Skyy was the first to return and stood squirming in front of me, with his head down. I knew for a fact that far from hanging his head in shame, my Brat was trying to keep his totally unrepentant grin hidden.

“What did you do, Aaron?” Stephen barked as soon as his partner put in an appearance.

“Nothing! Skyy did it!”

I could tell by Skyy’s surprised reaction that his friend had lied.

“Did you spray water on Dusty, Slade and Jayden, Skyy?” I spoke as calmly as I could, fighting down the anger I felt at Aaron having put all the blame on my partner.

“Ah, maybe?” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Is that really what happened, Skyy?” I tried one more time to get to the truth.

“Well, it could have happen that way,” he said quietly while concentrating on his sneakers.

“What did I tell you I would do the next time you told a lie, Skyylar?” I bent forward slightly, put my hand under his chin, lifted his head and looked right in his face. “Answer me, please.”

“You’d soap out my mouth,” he murmured, turning red.

“I’m going to ask you one last time; did you turn the hose on our partner and his friends?”

He pleaded silently with his big violet-blue eyes, begging me not to make him respond but I remained firm.

“One!”

His lips tightened as he continued sending me a silent message.

“Two!” Leaning in closer, I whispered a warning, “If I get to three, Skyy, I’m going to spank you. I don’t want to do that, little one,” I told him, throwing in a little pleading of my own.

“N-no, I didn’t,” he stammered in a small voice and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I think these guys need to get dried off,” Dominic commented and started gently pushing three shivering Brats into the house.

“Why, Aaron?” Stephen turned to glare at his partner.

“It was just a joke done in fun, Steve. I didn’t think Skyy would get into trouble if he took the blame. Skyy told me that he and Dusty are always pulling pranks on each other.” Aaron looked a little confused and I wondered if he really had any idea of what he had done wrong.

“I believe it would be best if Aaron and I finished this discussion at home,” Stephen suggested as the four of us walked around the side of the house to the driveway. “Thanks for inviting us, Dennis. Say our goodbye to the others please,” he softly requested and I watched as he hug my youngest partner before taking his own by the hand and leading him over to their car.

“You shouldn’t have made me tell you, Den. It wasn’t that big a deal. We were only fooling around,” Skyy said once they had driven away.

“That’s not the point, Sport. Chances are Aaron would have only been scolded for misbehaving and inconveniencing others, but that changed when he lied and tried to get you to take full responsibility for the mischief.”

“But I didn’t mind!”

“Maybe you didn’t, sweetheart, but I certainly did, as did Stephen.”

“Well I just hope Aaron isn’t mad at me!”

“You did nothing wrong, Skyy! Telling the truth was the right thing to do,” I tried to assure him. “What say we go see how our drowned rats are faring and check out the rest of that birthday cake Nonna baked.”

“I kinda wish it had been you to soak us, little buddy, ‘cause then you’d be cleaning my truck tomorrow,” Dusty teased once we were all seated around the table finishing up the last of the cake.

“Ha! No way, man!” was Skyy’s adamant response as he burst out laughing. “But it would have been worth it after seeing the looks on your faces.”

“When do you guy leave for BC?” Dominic asked, clearly hoping a change in subject would derail any unpleasant comments from his partners

“On the eighteenth of the May,” Dusty answered.

“That’s in less than three weeks,” Skyy informed them as if they wouldn’t have figured it out themselves.

“I hear this is the first time you’ll be flying, kiddo. I bet all of you are looking forward to it,” Dominic carried on conversationally while I sat back to enjoy the excitement lighting up my partners’ faces as they discussed the plans for our upcoming trip.

“Yeah, but the next little while is really going to drag by,” Skyy screwed up his nose at the thought. “The semester just finished and the summer one doesn’t start until we get back, so I have nothing to do to pass the time.”

“I bet I can find plenty of things for you to do, Sport.” My offer resulted in a crooked smirk from Skyy and chuckles from the rest of us.

“Hey, Skyy, we’re pretty busy this time of year. Would you like some temporary work?” Slade offered.

Dominic and I exchanged glances of concern as his partners had at one time made their animosity towards Skyy very apparent. I had my doubts about leaving my youngest Brat alone in their company for even a few minutes let along all day.

“I don’t know, boys….” Dominic began only to be cut off by the oldest of his two partners.

“Look, Dom, I understand we’ve given you more that enough cause to suspect we’d have something other than Skyy’s best interest at heart, but please let us try to regain your trust in this matter,” Slade earnestly pleaded for one more chance.

“Slade’s right, Dennis; we’re sorry for the way we’ve acted in the past. We would like to get to know Skyy better and prove we can be trusted not to let anything happen to him,” Jayden added to his partner’s plea. “And we’ve gotten over the things he’s done to get even with us.”

Slade and Jayden were landscape designers and co-owners of their own business. They were also several years older and physically much larger than Skyy.

“Just what kind of work do you have in mind for Skyy?” Dominic asked.

“Well, we could really use some help preparing flower beds and gardens for some of our clients. We still have quite a number of yards that need to be cleaned up and we’re starting to fall behind on our contracts. Skyy, you like working outdoors, don’t you?” Jayden turned towards my younger partner to include him in the conversation.

“Yeah, I love being outside and I like learning about plants and stuff.” Skyy sounded a little unsure.

“Would you be willing to work for us?” Slade asked. “It would help us out of the bind we find ourselves in as we’re really short-staffed at the moment.”

“I guess I could. I mean, I wouldn’t mind earning a bit of extra spending money for the trip but I have to talk it over with Den first. I can’t start before Tuesday anyway because I have to return my books and pick up my grades at the university on Monday.”

“It’s getting late, boys. There’s a lot to talk about and we don’t have time to hash through everything tonight. We’ve had a great evening but it’s time to call it a day and head for home,” Dominic said, pushing away from the table and standing up.

“We’ll talk it over tomorrow, guys, and maybe get together with you later in the day. How does that sound?” I asked, getting up to walk them to the door. I definitely didn’t feel up to discussing the issue right now. I needed time to give it a lot of thought.

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Dusty added his support. His silence up to this point indicted to me that he also had some concerns about Skyy’s safety.

Once our guests had left, I ushered my partners upstairs to get ready for bed. It had been a long day and the cleanup could wait until the morning. Skyy was already asleep when Dusty and I got in beside him twenty minutes later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Skyy and I were just finishing our breakfast by the time Dusty decided to put in an appearance Sunday morning. He was barefoot, still in his sleeping attire, hair sticking up, morning stubble very noticeable, and not quite awake. He kissed Skyy and came over to sit on my lap.

“Morning, Grease-monkey,” I said, wrapping my arms around him and kissing his forehead. Unlike Skyy, Dusty is definitely not a morning person.

“What all do we have to do today, Den?” he mumbled into my shoulder.

“No plans made, love. Skyy’s already cleaned up from yesterday.”

“Why’d ya do that, little buddy?” he asked, lifting his head and looking across the table at his fellow-Brat. “You should have left it for us to do, ‘cause it was your birthday party.”

“Hey, D, I didn’t mind. I had nothing to do and you guys were still sleeping. Besides, now we have the rest of the day free,” he explained with a cheerful grin. “I’m going to visit Uncle Earl today. Wanna come?”

“Sure, why not!”

“We also have to talk about the offer Slade and Jayden made you last night, Skyy,” I reminded him as I put Dusty on his feet and got up. “Get yourself something to eat, Dusty, so we can finish up the dishes.”

“Have you thought about it, Den?” Skyy asked, joining me at the kitchen sink.

“I have a few ideas, Sport, but I’d really like to get your opinion first.” Although I had concerns, I wanted to hear Skyy’s take on things before making any final decision and from the expression of his face, he was giving it some serious thought.

“Okay, you always say list the pros and cons, right? The pros as I see them are; one, I’d have more spending money for our trip. Two, I like being outdoors doing yard work and gardening. Three, it would make the time go by faster if I keep busy; and four, they said they could really use the help.”

“What are some of the cons, Skyy?”

“Hmmm, I’m not sure. You don’t think they’re planning something underhanded, do you?”

“I’d like to believe they’re not and I am willing to give them another opportunity to regain our trust after their past behaviour. But I will be insisting on having strong guidelines in place to keep you safe.” I turned to Dusty as he slid his dirty dishes into the sink. “Do you have anything to add, love, before we talk to Slade and Jayden this evening?”

“Slade and Jayden are my best friends, Den, and while I don’t appreciate the way they’ve treated Skyy at times, I would like them to have one more chance to prove they can get along with him. Maybe it’ll work out okay, especially if you can figure out a way to keep an eye on things.”

“Leave it to Den, Dusty, he can figure anything out!”

‘My little confidence booster,’ I thought with a smile, hoping I could live up to his expectations.

“So these are the guidelines, guys, and unless you can agree to them, my partner will not be working for you!” I firmly stated later on that afternoon.

“We’ll do whatever you want, Dennis,” Slade promised sincerely.

“Yeah, anything to prove you can trust us,” Jayden acceded with an equal amount of genuine candor.

“I want you to write out a complete schedule of where Skyy will be every day and the times he’ll be there. I will be randomly dropping by to check on him and he better be where you’ve said he’d be or else.” I looked at them sternly, making sure they had a good grasp of the situation and understood the implications behind my thinly veiled promise of retribution should my stipulations not be adhered to. I could see Dominic nodding his support of these orders when his partners looked at him for his input.

“It’s a deal!” Slade declared after getting an unspoken agreement from Jayden.

“Well, Skyy,” I said to the young man who had been quietly sitting on the floor in front of me, listening to the conversation. Neither he nor Dusty had participated, both apparently in favour of my taking control of the discussion. “What do you have to say?”

“I knew you’d come up with a good plan!” he stated as he gazed up at me with a grin.

“Guess you got yourself a job, little buddy,” Dusty chimed in and high-fived him just as the doorbell rang to let us know the pizza had arrived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was working at the University Monday afternoon, trying to finish up the last of the semester’s workload. “Come in,” I called out in response to the knock on my office door. I heard the door open as I continued entering my students’ final marks into the computer. I almost suffered heart failure, as it was unexpectedly slammed hard enough to rattle the pictures on the wall. I turned in my chair to see my youngest Brat stomping across the room. I don’t recall ever seeing him so angry.

“He told me to get lost and never come near him again! It’s all your fault!” he shouted as he smacked his hands down on the desk and glare at me.

I got to my feet and fighting to keep my own anger in check, walked around my desk, turned him by his shoulders and swatted the seat of his pants all the way to the nearest corner. Then without saying a word, I locked my office door and returned to finish what I had been working on.

“Den!” Skyy wailed several minutes later just as I completed my task and was shutting down the computer. He had spent the time sniffling and leaning dejectedly into the junction of two walls while trying to rub my stinging handprints off his backside. I hoped he had also been thinking of why he was presently where he was.

“Are you ready to speak to me in a proper manner, little boy?”

“Yes, sir!” he mumbled and I saw him nod his head.

Getting up, I walked over and gently took him into my arms for a comforting hug before guiding him to the large leather sofa and pulling him down beside me. His next words confirmed that he had been giving some thought to his unacceptable behaviour.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Den,” he said softly, his eyes filling up.

“I realize something has happened to upset you, Skyy, but is that how we talk to one another?”

“No,” he answered in a small voice and shook his head.

“And why’s that?”

“Because it’s rude and disrespectful…..feelings can get hurt and our relationship can be damaged.”

“Close enough. What happens when you behave in this manner, young man?”

“I get spanked,” he whimpered, low enough that I could barely hear him. He so seldom threw a temper tantrum or acted out like this and although I hated having to punish him, I knew I couldn’t let it go. Skyy would find any inconsistency on my part unsettling. It would cause him to wonder if the security he found in the boundaries we had in place was being threatened.

“That’s exactly right!” I agreed patiently as I settled him across my thighs. Turning him slightly, I undid the button and zipper on his jeans and pulled them and his boxers down to his knees. Lifting his shirt, I raised my hand and brought it down quickly in the first of many painful spanks. His bottom was a uniform shade of red by the time I accepted he had learned his lesson and brought the spanking to an end with three hard swats.

Although he was crying hard, he managed to scramble off my lap and throw himself into my arms. His sobs continued more out of remorse than pain as I rubbed his back and murmured words of comfort. Gradually the cries subsided until only intermitted sniffles remained.

“I’m sorry, Den!” He let out a long sigh and melted against my chest.

“I know, little one. We’ve taken care of it,” I assured him. I let the next ten minutes pass in silence as we cuddled. Then deciding it was time to move on, I gently bullied him into rearranging his clothing. “What happened, sweetheart?” I inquired softly as he moved around to straddle my legs.

“It was Aaron. He said it was my fault he got punished after the party on Saturday because I told you I didn’t do anything. He said we weren’t friends anymore and that he didn’t want to see me again.”

“I’m so sorry, baby!” My heart broke when I heard the pain in his voice. Skyy had a hard time making friends with people his own age. Aaron had been the exception.

“I didn’t cause the trouble. It wasn’t my fault,” he murmured.

“I believe that your friendship is important to Aaron, Skyy. Give it a little time. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him do an about-face in the very near future and before you know it you’ll be friends again.” Fortunately, by the end of the week my prediction came true.

“Yeah, I guess it’s up to him now, isn’t it?” Skyy spoke resignedly before reaching out to gently caress my face. “It wasn’t your fault either, Den. I know that and I shouldn’t have said it was.”

“I know, baby!” I assured him. I kissed him and deliberately changed the subject to emphasize that he had been forgiven and we were back on track. “Did you exchange your text books at the campus bookstore, Sport?”

“Yep, and I signed up for two courses over the summer. I also got all my marks for this semester and they’re not too bad, you know,” he informed me, his exuberant bounce returning.

“Not too bad!” I smiled at him. “I happen to know for a fact, young man, that your marks are excellent. You’ve done a lot of hard work, Skyy, and you have every reason to take pride in your accomplishments. I’m certainly proud of you and I’m sure Dusty will be too.” His response to my smile was a beaming one of his own.

“Hmmm, are you ready to go yet, Den?” my Brat coyly asked, leering at me in that ooh, so suggestive manner of his.

Trying not to laugh at him, I agreed that leaving now was a good idea even though it was still early afternoon. I was fully aware of what this little lover of mine wanted and as I felt myself responding to him, I realized it was prudent to head for home while I was still in control of my mind and my body.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity. Dusty put in extra hours to compensate for the time off he had requested. I had faculty meetings to attend in preparation for the summer semester. Skyy worked hard at his temporary job with Slade and Jayden. In addition, we had a wedding gift to decide upon, suits to be taken to the dry cleaners, plane tickets to pick up, arrangements to make for mail and paper deliveries, and of course, packing for our trip. On top of all this, I kept a close eye on Skyy’s schedule, making spot checks as planned. Everything had fallen smoothly into place.

“We just came over to say goodbye and wish you a safe journey, Dennis!” Dominic announced when he and his partners dropped by the house on Tuesday night. “Got everything ready?”

“Yabetcha!” Dusty answered excitedly, indicating the luggage next to the front door.

“Where’s Skyy? We brought his wages. He’ll want this money for the trip,” Slade said, waving an envelope.

“He’s in bed asleep,” Dusty informed them as he led the way into the living room.

“How come? It’s only eight-thirty!” Jayden exclaimed. “What did he do this time?”

“He hasn’t done anything wrong, Jayden, if that’s what you’re implying.” I frowned, letting him know I didn’t appreciate his insinuations. “He is just very tired and we have an early flight in the morning. I’ll give him that if you want, Slade.”

“Sure! Thank, Dennis!” He handed me Skyy’s pay packet and sat down on the sofa. “You know, the little guy really surprised us. He’s a hard worker and a lot of fun to be around.”

“Yeah, he works fast and does a terrific job. If he finishes sooner than expected, he finds something else to do without being told,” Jayden added.

“That’s right! When he ran out of things to do, he’d ask the client if they needed anything else done and take care of it as best he could.” Slade continued to praise my youngest partner.

“Man, even old lady Saunders couldn’t say enough nice things about him. She’s never given us any indication that she’s satisfied with anything we’ve done other than giving us more work. Yesterday she asked if Skyy would clean out the gutters on that big old house of hers,” Jayden started to laugh and before he could say more, I jumped in to question him.

“Did Skyy do what she asked?”

“No!” Slade emphatically declared. “He told her he wasn’t supposed to climb that high unless someone else was around to help. He said it was a safety precaution.”

I was relieved and very pleased to learn that my Brat had adhered to the rules concerning the unsupervised use of ladders.

“Anyway,” Jayden laughed again. “When we got to her place to pick up Skyy, they were having a great time in her kitchen eating fresh baked cookies and drinking milk while trying to decide which new curtains would look best in her sun porch.”

We all enjoyed a good laugh at the picture that presented and once our laughter had died down, Dominic suggested that he and his partners go home, so Dusty and I could also get in an early night.

“I wish Skyy would come back and work for us when you return,” Slade said as they were leaving.

“You knew he’d only be available temporarily. He’s taking a couple of courses this summer and getting his old job back at Mulligan’s Farmer’s Market. I’m sorry if that’s leaving you short-handed,” I told them.

“Oh, but we’re not going to be because Skyy found a replacement for us. His friend, Aaron, is going to take on the job until September,” Jayden informed us, heading towards their car. “We’re just hoping he’s as good a worker as Skyy was.”

“Sounds like everything’s working out just fine,” Dusty exclaimed and waved goodbye.

This morning hadn’t exactly gone like clockwork. In fact, it had been more like a three-ring circus. When I finally got Dusty out of bed, he and Skyy wasted a lot of time just getting in each other’s way. It was only under the threat of cancelling the trip and staying home that I eventually managed to get them to settle down long enough to finish getting dressed and have something to eat. Dusty’s father, Leonard, who was good enough to drive us to the Toronto airport which was an hour away, wasn’t at all impress when we kept him waiting at the curb. The upside to arriving in time to meet the deadline for checking in was that my Brats didn’t have time to wander. However, it was an entirely different story as we made our way to our gate.

“Where’s Skyy?” I asked Dusty when he sat down beside me. When I had last seen our youngest partner all of five minutes ago, he was with Dusty watching the planes landing and taking off.

“I though he came back to sit with you,” he answered, his words instantly raising my anxiety level.

“I want you to stay here with our carry-on luggage while I look for him. Don’t move from this spot, Dusty!” I quietly but firmly ordered. After getting his promised that he’d stay put, I began my search.

Skyy had been captivated by the vastness of this large airport. There was just so much to see and not enough time to see it all. He continually fell behind as we were making our way from one area to another. I lost track of the number of times I’d had to retrace my steps in order to keep him moving along and prevent him from stopping to investigate everything that attracted his attention.

After fifteen minutes of searching, I spotted him kneeling in the midst of a small group of people watching some mechanical fuzzy things whirl around a glass enclosure. Once my heart-rate returned to normal and worry had changed to relief, anger quickly followed. Striding over to him, I grabbed his arm and hauled him along to the nearest self-contained washroom facility.

Inside, I locked the door and turned to face him, glaring down at him for several moments until my temper subsided and he began to shuffle uncomfortably. Then I bent him over my left hip and planted three resounding swats on the seat of his pants.

“What were you told not to do, young man?” I asked as I set him back on his feet. My voice echoed off the walls causing him to cringe and I took deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

“Wander off?” he murmured timidly, with wide-opened violet-blue eyes staring back at me.

Stooping slightly and looking into his face, I sternly admonished through gritted teeth. “This is positively your last warning, little boy. I’ve had all the reckless behaviour I’m going to put up with. Do not leave my side again or the next time we find ourselves in this type of situation, it will be my hand and your bare bottom holding a much longer discussion. Do you understand me, Skyylar?”

“Huh-huh!” I didn’t think it possible, but his eyes opened even wider at the implications behind that particular promise. I had never before physically discipline either of my Brats in a public place but he instinctively knew I’d carry out the threat.

Not feeling the need to say anything more, I unlocked the door and taking his hand, walked back to where I had left our other partner. We returned to the gate just as our flight was starting to board.

‘Thank God,’ I thought, ‘only one more airport to go!’

************

A small movement by my side alerted me to an awakening Brat. Dusty stretched and yawned before turning a sleepy smile in my direction. “Will we be landing soon, Den?” he asked; his voice a bit husky.

“In about half an hour, love.”

“Skyy still sleeping?” He glanced around me at the blanket-wrapped bundle on my other side.

As if on cue, Skyy stirred and straightened out his legs as he pushed back the blanket. He lifted his head to look at us. Then his smile turned soft and his head fell back to my shoulder.

I shifted in my seat until I was able to get an arm around each of these two beautiful young men who make up my world. They were everything I needed and without them my life would be silent and empty.

Dusty raised his hand and put it in mine, stroking his thumb rhythmically over the back of it. He leaned into me and I kissed first his head and then Skyy’s before pulling them closer. It was a sweet interlude in time and I greedily took advantage of it. We would be arriving at our final destination in a little under two hours. I didn’t know exactly what our visit would hold but I did know we’d be very busy over the next several days, renewing old friendships and starting new ones, helping where possible with wedding preparations and the probability of a bachelor party. I also knew that Dusty would be accepted with welcoming arms but what about Skyy? Would his being the third man in, so to speak, make others uncomfortable, causing them to ignore him and push him to the side? I was sure Rowan and Darby would not have a problem as they had addressed the invitation to the three of us. It was others unintentionally or maybe even intentionally, shunning this young man Dusty and I loved with all our hearts that caused my concern. I silently vowed to anticipate nothing but at the same time to be ready to protect my youngest partner if need be.

“One more flight, huh, Den?” Skyy’s still-sleepy voice ended my musings.

“Yes, baby, only one more flight; a short one at that,” I whispered.

The End