Laramie

Laramie Chapter 24

Here before you is the final chapter of this book. We've taken a long journey with our boy from Eureka, Kansas. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, remember Nifty makes our connection possible. Consider a donation to keep it going. https://donate.nifty.org/

As a reminder, the last chapter took place in June of 2026.

24

March 13, 2027

Laramie Jenkins (38)
Grayson Jenkins (35)

Laramie

Destiny purred next to my head sounding like a helicopter traveling in one ear, through my skull and out the other. I was fully awakened.

I felt Cooper's hand on my butt cheek. I loved routinely waking up to that, even after all these years.

Then I realized how just those thoughts made us sound ancient. I was only turning 38. I had been with Cooper all of four years, but our love had weathered any simple disagreements, business snarls ... and a hormonal teenager.

I rolled over to face my partner. I hated for his hand to leave my ass, but I kissed the tip of his nose.

"mmm," he softly grunted. "What time is it?"

I craned my neck. "8:11."

"I guess we should get up. Are you excited to see Grayson?"

How totally fucking awesome it was for Grayson and Miranda to come and visit for my birthday weekend. This was a real treat. Grayson had only been here once since he helped me move to Jackson Bend in my 20s. It had been several years. We had taken occasional brothers' trips, but it wasn't until Cooper helped me reconnect to my Kansas roots that things really improved.

"Can't wait," I said. "They were at Miranda's parents overnight, but they should get here around lunchtime."

"It will be nice to see them."

It would. We hadn't seen my brother and his wife in five months. We went back to Kansas to see their second baby, Cruz. He was named after Miranda's father.

Corey hadn't come down yet. I hoped cereal would be fine when he did. I wanted to straighten things around our home a bit more. For three men in the house, we actually were fairly neat. But there were things to put away.

Corey trudged downstairs.

"I hope cereal is okay," I said.

"Sure," he said as blankly as a person can.

"I'm excited for you to meet my brother today."

"Why?"

"Well. Don't sound too eager."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"The two of you mean a lot to me. It will be nice for you two to meet. I talk about you a lot. It will be good for him to finally meet you in person."

"Why do you talk about me? What do you tell him?"

"I tell him you're a grumpy teenager that hates everything."

"Whatever."

I walked over to wrap my arms around Corey. I had about an inch on him and that was it. Corey had sprouted up since I met him over four years ago. That sweet kid who felt sorry for me at Christmas was now a man. He was just weeks from graduating. By the time he headed off to college this fall, he could potentially be taller than me.

"I only tell him how wonderful you are," I said in our embrace.

He squeezed me tight. "I'm not wonderful. I'm just average."

"Don't you have like the best grades in school?"

"That's just grades."

"Smart. Good looking. Nice ... well, sometimes. Compassionate. You're far from just average, kiddo."

He squeezed me again. "Want to come to college with me and give me a pep talk every day?"

I pulled back. "Anything wrong?"

"Nah. Just ... me."

"You know I'm here for you. As is your father."

"I know. I'm fine."

I was unconvinced. Somehow the way he poured his Frosted Flakes reassured me that nothing serious was wrong. Corey could be moody. With graduation approaching, I'm sure emotions were building inside him. What conflicts was he dealing with?

He poured himself a cup of coffee to accompany his sugar-coated flakes. Corey's hair was a total mess. He had really let it grow long his senior year.

"One request," I said.

"Mm?"

"Can you shower before they arrive? I'd like us to be presentable."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeeees, Mooooommmm," he said sarcastically.

"Hey! Your mother gives you grief about your hair. I'm cool with it."

"Yeah. Fine. I was going to shower after breakfast anyway. You didn't have to ask."

I sighed and carried my coffee to the bedroom. I heard Cooper in the shower. I walked in sipping my coffee as I stared at him through the glass.

He noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just wish I was in there with you. With family coming in, I don't see us having much chance for sex for a couple of days."

"I'll wait. Come on in."

I smiled at him and was out of my boxers in seconds. I snagged my towel and hung it on the hook. Stepping in, Cooper's arms were open, and I stepped into them. The dryness of my skin pressed against his wet body. We kissed. I placed my hands on his butt. We kissed some more.

"Thanks for joining me," my partner said.

We maneuvered to let the warm water cascade over me and between us. I loved our wet, naked bodies pressed together. Oddly, Cooper got hard right away; I just enjoyed being held but didn't get erect. I groped his cock in appreciation.

Cooper

Laramie gently pulled on my dick. I kissed him some more. He was right; we probably wouldn't have sex for a while. In our years together, we had dwindled down to about twice a week. Was dwindled the right word? Our nights of sex were great. It just wasn't as frequent.

I reached for his genitals. He wasn't hard. Yet. I fondled his balls. His glorious, masculine balls. Laramie's tongue entered my mouth. His hand pulled my face tighter to his.

My shower became inconsequential. I dropped down and took his penis in my mouth. It was beginning to firm up. I enjoyed feeling it elongate in my throat.

"Cooooop," he purred.

I backed up to the shower wall. He towered over me with his arms stretched above me and palms on the tiles. His legs were spread apart. I sucked his hard-on; he fucked my face. I let a finger roam to his cheeks. It worked its way into the crevice and stimulated his pucker. Laramie grunted in approval. I felt his fingers reach down and run through my wet hair.

I assumed my service on his organ was effective. It was wet and steamy and hot. He softly groaned. We weren't sure how close Corey was, but he still was audible enough.

My finger had worked inside his hole. I probed. He rode it.

"Fuuuckkk," he whispered into the shower's spray.

My other hand pounded the base of his shaft. His entire body began to quake. It was like it was rejecting having to stand. I moved a second finger in his ass.

"Ungh!"

My tongue flicked the underside of his stiff rod.

He emitted what could have been termed a soft wail. His legs shuddered as I felt his cum enter my mouth. My fingers rubbed his insides, pulsing in and out.

"Coop. Oh, Coop."

I felt him lose his strength and my hands quickly held his hips but my mouth still consumed his leaking manhood. He loudly panted as he caught his breath. Once he regained his stability, he slid his hands under my armpits and lifted me up. He forced his mouth on mine again.

"Will that hold you a couple of days?" I asked.

"God, I love you."

"Okay. I'll step out and let you finish."

"What about you?" Laramie sincerely whined.

"I'll live. We have work to do before they arrive."

He held my dick — still hard as ever — for a moment.

"I owe you," he said with a kiss. "And I want you."

My penis hated leaving his grip. As much as I wanted him to bring me off, I had to get some work done on my computer before our guests arrived.

—

Corey came downstairs freshly showered. Despite the shaggy blond hair, he presented himself well. Knowing he was meeting someone for the first time, I took an analytical look at my son. How had he grown so tall? I wondered if he would surpass my height once he went off to college. He wore a school shirt, sporting the colors of burgundy and gold. Long as his hair was, it was brushed and looked tended to.

"I know you won't want to spend the whole day with Laramie's brother and sister-in-law, but I do expect you to greet them and welcome them into our home. I'm excited for them to have a chance to finally meet you."

"I know how to be nice."

I smiled at him. I could have taken that as a defensive response to my comment, but for someone 18, it wasn't that bad.

"I'm proud of you."

"Whatever. Just don't embarrass me."

"What fun is that??" I chuckled and stood to give him a hug. He didn't resist it, but his arms were to his side. "Love you, buddy." He relinquished and wrapped his arms around me.

"Me too," he mumbled into my shoulder.

Laramie came downstairs with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Clorox spray cleanser.

"I think the guest room is spotless now."

"We hardly ever use it. How dirty could it be?" asked Corey.

"Dust, my friend. Dust."

Laramie

The doorbell rang at 12:10. I ran to the door. My eyes lit up to see Grayson standing there. His did the same. I opened the glass door and welcomed the four of them in.

Grayson squeezed the living daylights out of me. It felt magnificent. I switched to Miranda. She held the hand of Amy but was still able to manage a hug of sorts.

Cooper walked up behind me. "Hi. Welcome!" More hugs followed. "Come in, come in."

"We're sorry we are later than expected. It took us a bit longer to get away from my folks," Miranda said.

"No worries. We do have lunch ready though. Are you hungry?" I asked.

"Totally," my brother replied.

"Grayson, Miranda, I'd like you to meet my son, Corey," Cooper introduced.

"Hi," Corey replied. It wasn't an outpouring of emotion, but it was at least said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you, Corey," Gray said, extending his hand. "Lar' talks about you all the time."

"Don't believe any of it," Corey joked.

"It's only good stuff."

"This is Amy," Miranda said, making her daughter hide behind her leg.

"And this is Cruz," Grayson said, holding a baby carrier.

Everyone gushed over the baby.

"Wooowww, so much bigger," Cooper said.

"I know. We have enough trouble chasing after Amy. I have no idea what we will do when Cruz starts crawling. I'm sure to be exhausted," Miranda said, exasperated.

"I should get some things out of the car," Grayson said.

"I can help," Corey offered.

The young parents had expected luggage, but the items brought in for an infant and toddler rivaled a department store. Things for diapers, strollers, formula, bedding ... it seemed overwhelming.

"Do you have to transport all this any time you travel?" I asked in astonishment.

"Oh. Yeah." My brother answered with grim tones in his voice. "It's a lot."

Corey carried the luggage up to the guest room. Everyone was afraid to touch anything else. Destiny started sniffing and rubbing against all sorts of baby items. All the commotion made it too soon for her to interact with people, but she was bound to be in someone's lap eventually.

We attempted to gather everyone for lunch, but that prompted even more efforts to take care of Amy at the table. Cruz was placed in a simple swing that was set up. He seemed to be sleeping for the moment. My energy level was completely spent by simply watching the two deal with their children. I had never in my life had a parental gene or instinct instilled in me. This confirmed it. At least Amy was content to be in her makeshift highchair.

Cooper prepared the table with plates, napkins and silverware. Corey and I began fiddling with the meal items. We had a Caesar salad in a big bowl and a big pot of pasta.

Once everyone was seated and Amy had a bib tied around her, we warmed the sauces while everyone dished themselves a serving of salad. Grayson and Miranda took a few minutes to speak on their visit with her parents the night before. Corey checked on the bread.

After clearing the salad bowls, Corey announced, "It's a ziti pasta. We have two sauces, one with meat and one without. I have some sauteed shitake mushrooms that could be added to either."

"Corey prepared lunch, by the way," I noted.

"Impressive," Gray said.

"It's just pasta," Corey said.

Once everyone dished their entrée and spooned the sauce of choice, Corey appeared with a block of fresh parmesan and cheese grater and offered to top of their selection with shredded cheese. My brother and sister-in-law were noticeably impressed. I enjoyed watching Cooper smile at his son making a good impression. When everyone complimented Corey on lunch, he blushed a bit, but I knew he lived for this sort of thing. He enjoyed preparing food for others.

"So, Gray, parenthood has really changed your life. Would you ever have pictured this years ago?"

"Hardly. I could never have pictured how something so tiny could become your entire world. It's really amazing. I love being a father. Sure, I'm tired as hell, but I wouldn't change anything." Grayson took a drink of iced tea. "So, what about you, Lar'? Do you like being a father?"

I stiffened in my seat. I was thrown.

"Uh. I'm – uh ... I'm not a father. I don't have what it takes for that. I'm certainly not father material. That's strictly Cooper's role."

Corey gave me a curious look. I couldn't determine what it meant.

"Don't believe a word of that. Laramie and Corey are great together," my partner said.

Cruz made a soft gurgling sound from the swing. We all turned to look, but he was still sound asleep.

Talk among everyone seemed to go as expected. Grayson brought Corey into the conversation with a little bit of talk about college. Corey expressed more excitement than nervousness, but he still said it was a bit scary to think about. My brother and I talked about how our father was doing. We were pleased he was holding up well since Mom had passed. We planned to show our guests my store that afternoon. Cooper explained our plans for the garden this year. Corey offered up the last two pieces of garlic bread.

Our visitors spent a moment fiddling with Cruz. Miranda predicted that he wouldn't awaken shortly. The men of the house cleared the dishes. Cooper carried their drinks out to the living room.

Corey put his arms around me from behind. I wasn't expecting it. "Don't sell yourself short," he softly said to me. Then he whispered into my ear, "Dad." He gave me a wink and carried a Dr Pepper into the living room. I wasn't 100 percent sure how to decipher that, but it made me feel good.

Amy seemed to enjoy lying on the floor with Destiny. When our feline got playful, it made her giggle. Soon Cruz was awake.

"Would you like to hold her?" Miranda asked me.

"Me? Uh. Sure. I guess. I haven't held babies that often."

Before I knew it, I had an infant in my arms. Babies made me nervous. I didn't say that out loud. They just seemed so fragile. Does everyone worry about dropping a baby? Cruz and I made eye contact. When he smiled at me, I just melted. My smile back was ten times the size. I never wanted to be a father; I never dreamed of being a father. But this moment was nice. The feel of the baby in my arms had a warmth I couldn't place.

Then Cruz spit up, and the moment was over.

"Oh gosh. I'm sorry." Miranda reached for a cloth.

"Can I hold him?" Corey asked.

Cooper and I were both surprised.

"Sure," Miranda said.

"What do I do?"

"Just cradle him. Support his head a little."

As I was wiping the last bit of baby urp from my shirt, I observed Corey having his own personal moment with a baby. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of him. Once he was aware, I took a second one with him smiling at the camera.

"I'll text that to your mother. She'll love it."

"Yeah," Corey said, looking down at Cruz. "She will. Won't she, Cruz?"

"We have news," Grayson said. "So far, we've only told Miranda's parents. We haven't even told Dad yet, but ... we're expecting again."

"What!? Already?" I exclaimed.

"It's a bit sooner than we had planned," Miranda said. "But we're still excited."

"We're a little over three months now."

"Congratulations!" both Cooper and I said.

"Lar', we were ... uh ... we were wondering what you would think if we ... if we named him Phillip."

I was thrown. Obviously, they didn't need my permission. Were they concerned at how I might feel about it?

"What do you think?" my brother asked.

"It's perfect," Corey said, before I could even formulate an answer.

Everyone in the room was surprised by his comment. "Why do you say that?" asked Grayson.

Corey continued to look at Cruz as he spoke. "Phillip was a connection between the two of you. By naming the baby Phillip you create a new connection, bringing the past and the future together with a small tie that serves as both a remembrance and a sign of healing ... and hope."

The adults stared at him dumbfounded. "That's – that's almost poetic," said Miranda.

"Corey's pretty brilliant," I said.

"I'm average," he argued.

"Your grades say otherwise, buddy," his father defended.

"Well, if you are okay with it," Grayson said to me, "I guess we can bring it up to Dad. We haven't even told him we are expecting again."

"I think ... he should be fine with it. Unless he carries some weight about Phillip, I think he'll like it," I said.

"In the bible, Phillip means Lover of Horses. Did your brother like horses?" Corey asked.

Again, we were astonished at Corey's depth of knowledge.

"Well, they named him when he was born. Hmmm." I looked at Grayson. "Phillip never really was into the animals. We didn't own horses, but ... I think he went riding with a friend in one of the farms nearby. Interesting."

Miranda took Cruz from Corey's arms. Grayson paid attention to Amy and got down on the floor to play with her and Destiny.

I momentarily left the room to put on a different shirt. When I returned, Corey was almost to the top of the stairs to spend a little time in his room. I texted the photos to Natalie. We heard Corey put on some music, but with the closed door, it wasn't loud.

"Enjoy these years," Cooper said to my brother. "The teenage years are a completely different ballgame."

"He seems really great," my brother said.

"He is. He's an awesome kid. I'm really proud of him. Super proud. But ... he'll be all warm and loving one day and snarly-gripey the next day to where you can't do anything right. I wouldn't change a thing about him though. His mother ... well, she'd love to give him a serious haircut, but ... I can deal with it."

"We're going to have a full house," Gray said.

"Just fill it with love," I replied.

I wasn't sure if our house growing up was filled with love. It was just ... a house. We lived in it. We ate in it. We grew up in it. I didn't really learn to love who Grayson was until he was an adult. He had grown into a respectable, kind man. I was impressed with him. Mom and Dad were a different story. They simply filled the roles of who they were expected to be. Maybe their parents weren't super affectionate either. Much like Aiden's. I momentarily pitied my parents. I wondered if they ever felt love as kids.

Thank heavens Cooper taught me how to open up. I wasn't a father, but I knew how to treat Corey.

March 24, 2027

Cooper Snow (43)
Laramie Jenkins (38)

Laramie

We always had Corey the second half of the month. Spring Break fell this week with it ending on Easter Sunday. With both of us working, Cooper and I tried to plan some things with Corey to where we were willing for him to stay up later since he could sleep in. We didn't have anything concrete settled for tonight, but once Cooper came home from AA, we'd decide on a movie most likely.

I felt sweaty and dusty after work today. I felt like a quick rinse. As I lathered my chest with my favorite shower gel, I inhaled the scent of "Ocean," whatever that meant. I liked lather. It was fun to rub all my body in it. Crevices, parts that stuck out, chest hair. It's funny how such a simple item that I used to consider a needless luxury a decade ago was now something I enjoyed as being essential. As I fingered my ass, it made me realize that it had been almost a week since Cooper and I had fucked. We needed to soon.

I came out into the living room, pulling a T-shirt over my chest. I had opted for my most comfortable jeans. Corey was sitting on the couch. I glanced at the kitchen. I saw nothing in terms of ingredients or dishes or anything that indicated had plans to fix anything. That was fine. I never had expectations for that. He just had his bursts of brilliance at times.

"What would you think of burgers and onion rings for dinner?"

"Fine," said Corey, tapping his phone.

"Is Sonic okay?"

"They have the best onion rings," he said, still transfixed to a screen as his fingers tapped in a blur.

"Your dad has his meeting tonight, but he should be home by 8:30."

Corey didn't say anything.

—

We had thrown the fast-food bags in the trash shortly after 7. Corey had gone up to his room after that. Just before 8, he came down.

"I'm heading out with Aiden."

"You are? I figured we would all watch a movie tonight."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"What are you guys doing tonight?"

"Just meeting friends."

"Ah. Where?"

"I don't know." Suddenly Corey's body language shifted.

"Then how will you meet them?"

"We'll go to Nick's house first."

I wasn't a parent, but I firmly got the sense of Corey hiding something.

"Have you asked your dad?"

"He won't care."

"Corey..."

"It's spring break, and I'm 18."

"Exactly how many friends will be there?"

"I don't know." He looked away from me, refusing to make eye contact.

"Is this a party?"

"I'm just meeting friends, okay!?"

"Are Nick's parents there??"

"What's with all the questions? Aiden and I are just meeting friends. It's no big deal."

"All right then, if that's the case, wait until your father gets home and ask him."

"Aiden's on his way. He's almost here."

"What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm just meeting friends. Leave me alone!"

"Will there be drinking?"

"I don't know. I mean ... no. We're just hanging out."

"I ... don't feel right about this. I want you to wait until Cooper gets home."

Aiden honked outside the house.

"Can't. Aiden's here."

"I'm telling you to wait. It won't be that long until your dad gets home."

"Aiden's here. I'm going."

"I'm telling you to wait."

"No! You're not my father! You can't tell me what to do. I'm outta here."

"Corey ... !"

The door slammed.

Cooper

I heard a car door slam. I looked at the clock. It was 11:20. The doorknob turned slowly, and I could tell Corey was closing it as softly as he could. He carefully walked toward the stairs, but once he saw me on the couch, he knew that wasn't an option.

"Hi," he barely offered.

"Sit down."

He sighed. He knew he was about to be interrogated.

"Where were you?"

"Nick's house."

"I'm angry. Do you know why I'm angry?"

"Probably."

"I'm angry because I expect more from you. You can't just sneak out of the house and think that's okay."

"I didn't sneak out. I told Laramie I was going out with Aiden."

"You left out a lot of details. You didn't want me to know, so ... so I probably wouldn't have approved."

"Dad, I'm 18. I'm not a kid."

"Oh, really??! So, I expect that you'll be paying us rent now? You are now going to start covering your part of the car insurance? Is there some CEO position you've filled in that I'm not aware of that will pay for your college?"

Corey turned his face and scowled.

"Were you at a party?"

There was a long silence. "Yeah," he said with soft brevity.

"Was there alcohol?"

The next silence stretched further. "Yeah."

"Did you have any?"

Corey stared down at his legs. "Just one." He paused. "I hated it."

Part of me was relieved it was just one. Kids his age were longing to partake in adult things. Commercials glamorized beer. I couldn't fault him for being a human being — a teenage human being. I still couldn't condone his actions though. Typical or not, his lack of respect for parental authority had to have its consequences.

"Let me see your phone."

"Why?" he snapped, looking up to stare at me.

"Let me see your phone."

"That's private."

I reached out my hand. His body slumped as he stood to pull it from his pocket. "Whatever," he mumbled.

"I'm not going to read anything. You're just grounded for the rest of spring break. I'll give you your phone back Monday morning when classes resume."

"That's not fair!"

"Fair? We had no idea where you were. I was worried and scared and ... and angry. Was that fair? What if something had happened to you. At what point in the night should I call the police when I didn't even know where you were?"

"It's not even midnight. It's not that late."

"I'll give you that much. After midnight, I – I – I probably would have come looking for you. Or called your mother."

"No, please don't do that."

"Worst of all, I am disappointed in how you treated Laramie."

"Was he mad? Where is he now?"

"I'm not sure if he's asleep or not. He let me handle this." I got Corey to look at me. "He loves you. HE LOVES YOU. Why would you treat him like that?!"

"It wasn't anything against him. I just ... just wanted to go. I didn't want anyone to say no."

"I realize technically he isn't your father, but he is a figure of authority in this house. How could you treat him that way? He loves you."

"I know he does. I – I – I didn't intend to be mean ... or disrespectful. I just wanted to go. I wanted to be ... one of the cool kids."

"So, was it fun?"

"It was okay."

We sat for a moment with neither of us talking to each other. I wasn't sure how to sort out the cyclone of emotions I was feeling. I was relieved he was okay. I was disappointed he would do this. I accepted that he was 18 and needed to find his place. I was ashamed that he treated my partner this way. I hated that he had his first taste of alcohol. I despised being the punitive parent but knew some sort of consequence was in order. I wondered if I had made any mistakes along the way.

"It's late. It's time for bed. I do ask that you apologize to Laramie tomorrow."

"'K."

My son slowly walked up the stairs as if taking steps to the electric chair. I knew once he realized I had removed his laptop from his room he would get angry again. It was a part of being grounded.

The Next Day

Laramie

Dinner was unusually quiet. Although somewhat against inner protest, Corey had started dinner by the time Cooper and I got home from work. It was baked ziti with sausage, along with a tossed salad. As far as his creative efforts go, this was phoned in, but there were still enough subtle ingredients to make it a very nice dinner.

Corey had apologized to me before I had left for work. It was brief: "Sorry about last night. I shouldn't have treated you that way." It wasn't dripping with emotion, but I accepted his apology. The two of us said virtually nothing to each other at dinner. Cooper did most of the talking, which still was much less than usual. Corey explained that he watched television most of the day. The plan for the evening was for him to select something to stream that the three of us could watch together as a family.

Cooper explained he had a few things to work on in the study, but we set a family time of 8 o'clock. Corey trudged to his room. His room of no phone and no laptop. His room of self-imposed isolation.

I didn't like seeing the three of us like this. I reflected on what parents most go through on a daily basis. The three of us were great, but what about those families that were truly dysfunctional and in constant turmoil? What was that like? I loved Corey with all my heart, but being a parent suddenly scared me. I wanted everything to be great for Grayson and Miranda, but what if their kids were unruly or psychopaths? It was all scary.

I stared out the back patio door sipping on my iced tea. I became lost in the fact that I knew so little about things that commonly existed in all the houses I could see before me. Families were in almost everyone one of them. I was momentarily startled to feel two arms wrap around me from behind.

"I'm sorry," I heard a voice whimper in my ear.

I turned around to put my arms around Corey.

"I'm sorry I was that way last night."

"I accepted your apology this morning," I said.

Corey tried his hardest to inhale, but it was if his body refused to let him breath in oxygen. He buried his face in my chest. He was tall as me now, so he had to lean down a bit to do that. I placed my hand on the back of his head and held him close to me.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey. We're good."

"You were right," he sobbed into my shirt.

I pulled him away. He sniffed a tear and a short trickle of snot. Corey looked back to make sure Cooper was nowhere near us.

"Promise not to tell Dad?"

I gave him a concerned look but didn't commit to an answer.

"I wanted to be one of the cool kids and go to that party and..."

"How are you not a cool kid? You have the best grades in school, you're good looking and you're nice."

"Duh. The smartest kids aren't always the ones other kids want to be with. I just wanted to fit in. You know, just one night. I got handed a beer shortly after we got there. I couldn't stand it, but I forced myself to drink it so that I would look cool."

"That's fairly normal, champ."

"Some other guys started smoking pot."

"Really?!"

"I didn't. I didn't want to do that. I couldn't stand the smell of it. I went to another room. I wanted to laugh and talk and ... fit in. But I just kept feeling I didn't fit in with this group either. I tried. I faked it. But then I wondered if I was having fun. I kept telling people offering me another beer, `Not yet; I'm good for now.' It took me two hours to finish that one. I just wanted a Dr Pepper."

"Did they have that?"

"I think so, but no one else was drinking pop, so I just stuck with my beer. Aiden had like three."

"And he drove??"

"Yeah. That kind of worried me. But ... but then I saw Nick pull out a gun and-

"A gun!!!?" I scream-whispered.

"Yeah. I don't think it was loaded or anything. They were just taking stupid photos posing with it."

I clutched Corey to me and held him tight against me. "Oh my God," I inaudibly said. For a moment, I couldn't let him go. I was never letting him go.

"I just wanted to leave. I just wanted to be in my room," he muttered into my shoulder.

"Dear lord, I love you, Corey." I squeezed him tight. He squeezed me back.

"I'm so sorry. I love you too. Please don't tell Dad any of this."

We held each other in silence for more than three minutes. Our arms did all the talking. They said, "I fucked up." They said, "You mean everything to me." They said, "I know how hard it is to be a teenager, and I know it sucks to try to fit in." They said, "You can always come to me." They said, "You're okay." They said, "Thank you for loving me." But none of those words were spoken. Our arms conveyed them.

The Next Night

Cooper

We had opted for a board game tonight. I had brought home Mexican for dinner, and the three of us rejoiced that they gave us an abundance of chips and salsa.

After we had cleared away the plates, we let Corey choose the game.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" my son asked. "It seems a bit silly for adults."

"You loved it when you were growing up."

"I was 10. Of course, I did."

"Hey, Corey. In a few months, you'll be heading off to college. I will remember these nights and treasure them," Laramie said.

My son leered at my partner. "Dad has corrupted you. You're as mushy as him." He then smiled at my partner, who winked back at him.

"Before we play," I started. "Aiden called while I was at work today. I answered your phone and told him the situation, so he knew you weren't blowing him off. I realized that it is impolite to leave people hanging. I'm going to give you ten minutes to get on email and answer texts. I noticed you have several piled up. I didn't read any of them. But you have a few minutes to reply. Ten."

"Thank you," he beamed.

"And I want you to know that I haven't told your mother about the party."

"Oh, thank you," he breathed out with his eyes closed. You'd thought I had granted him an inheritance of a million dollars.

May 1, 2027

Laramie Jenkins
Cooper Snow

Laramie

I took in a deep breath. There were more people here than I thought there would be. I wasn't really scared. People were here because they liked our work.

"Are you okay?" Cooper asked me.

"Yeah. Yeah. It's just a bit overwhelming. When Jakob suggested we start this art thing two years ago, I had no idea it could ever develop into this."

This was an exhibit at an art gallery in Von. Since Jakob and I had started creating the wall sculptures, they had sold well. Incredibly well. I wouldn't be conceited enough to say they were sought-after, but each piece sold quickly. In less than two years, we had sold 19 pieces. Fifteen of those had been brought in on loan to be at the exhibit. Our four new pieces were to be revealed later.

"I hope I don't have to say much during the proceedings. I'm not nervous or anything, but public speaking isn't a thing I love, that's for sure. I'm not nervous, but thankfully Jakob will do most of the talking. Okay, maybe I'm slightly nervous."

"I'm so proud of him," Lance said, but there was something below the surface that didn't sound sincere. "He used to not like being in the spotlight."

"But this is his element," Trent threw in. "He's comfortable in this environment."

I looked around. I estimated about 70 people in the gallery. Most of them were moving from piece to piece. A few were reaching for a glass of sparkling punch as refreshments came out. I didn't think it was alcoholic, so I was willing to have one, knowing Cooper could join me. It was a refreshing "mocktail." I probably knew about 20 percent of the people in attendance. Emory and Don from our coffee group were here. Mike, Trent and Lance were here. Julio and Maria drove up from our store. I thought it incredibly sweet that Natalie and Daryl had driven up to Von, thanks to Corey asking. Aiden came with him. I had met two of the customers that had purchased work. They had agreed to return their pieces on loan for the exhibit. It was all of only two weeks. Four pieces were debuting. Three were for sale tonight, two new ones and Jakob's personal piece. Mine was not. I noticed the price of our work had continued to rise over the past year. People seemed willing to buy.

And then there was my father.

I watched Dad look carefully at each piece. This was the first time he had come up from Kansas. There was enough modern-art vibe to the sculptures that I wasn't sure if he liked them at all. I figured he felt art on a wall should be a painting. Whether he liked them or not, the fact that he came to see my exhibit deeply meant something to me. The gallery owner gave my father a little attention. I saw the two pointing out things in one of the pieces.

Cooper

"It's going well, babe," I said to Laramie.

"Yeah. Jakob seems to have things under his control."

"All the years at his stores have made him skilled at what he's doing," said Lance.

"Excuse me, but can I speak with you for a few minutes," a reporter asked Laramie. I saw my partner being whisked away to answer whatever artsy questions that might be thrown at him. I wasn't sure if Laramie would like that, but I noticed the smile stayed on his face.

However, it didn't on Lance's.

Lance looked uncomfortable.

Lance looked in pain.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Mike heard me and came over to check.

"I'm fine."

"That didn't sound convincing," I said.

"What is it?" Mike said, putting his hand on Lance's shoulder.

For a moment, Lance acted like he couldn't breathe; he didn't have the oxygen to answer. Mike looked panicked.

"I – I – I don't do well with these things," Lance uttered. He looked down, embarrassed. "They scare me."

"Scare you?" I inquired, completely confused.

"I'm so proud of him. Jakob's amazing." He chewed on a fingernail, staring at his husband across the room. "What if ... what if he wakes up one day and figures out that he can do better."

"Better?" Mike said. "Than what?"

"Than me."

"You??" I blurted. "He loves you."

"When we met, I was there for him. Since then, he has worked his way up to managing a store, own his own store, have a play written about him and he's been on a magazine cover. Now, this! He can do so much better than me."

"Stop that!" I insisted. "Jakob LOVES you! Completely."

"I know, but..."

"No buts." My hands were on Lance's shoulders. "Look at me. Jakob loves you. And who wouldn't? You both are successful in your careers, you are very handsome, and most importantly, you have an incredibly loving heart. You two are great together."

"I know. I just sometimes feel like I can't live up to him."

"There's nothing to live up to," Mike added. "You love him, and he loves you. Your marriage isn't a competition."

I had known Lance for six years. Our first months in AA let me see him at his most vulnerable. He was correct in that when the two of them first met, Jakob didn't even own a bed. He was homeless. My friend really was an amazing success story of resilience. But I had never seen two people so perfect for each other. Lance needed to see that. He needed to believe that.

Lance took in a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm okay." He said that like he was lying in a hospitable bed, trying to put on a brave face.

"Besides," said Michael under his breath. "You have the best body of anyone in the room."

Laramie

The interview with the reporter wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I wasn't going to be pretentious; I was no art expert.

The gallery owner said we would get started in a few minutes.

I heard Jakob gasp. He saw his family walking in the door. I had never met them other than his mother at a Friendsgiving. He mentioned them in conversation when we artistically collaborated. Our strained relationships with our families were something in common we could both share. I had come to know so much more about him since our trip to Las Vegas. The friendships I had with these people in the room somehow struck me deeper as I saw them come to support me. Other than Jakob and Lance, no one else lived in Von. They all made the effort to travel here.

Mr. DeYoung waved to Jakob to get started. He motioned me to the front. I noticed Lance went over to Jakob's family to visit with them.

"Good evening," said Mr. DeYoung. "If I could ask everyone to move this way."

The room wasn't enormous, by any means. There was a small platform that raised Jakob, Mr. DeYoung and me about eight inches higher than the floor. That allowed most everyone in the room to see, but I wasn't sure those in the back had a really great view. I was impressed with the turnout.

"Thank you all for coming out. It's a pleasure to see so many people here. I'm Gale DeYoung, the owner of DeYoung Gallery. For those of you here for the first time, we have been pleased to showcase artists from across the state for six years now. I see our mayor here this evening, and I know we have many visitors from Jackson Bend, so we appreciate all of you who have traveled to be here. The DeYoung Gallery's mission statement was to shine a light on the talent in our region. Tonight is somewhat special as one of our featured artists is one of Von's own. And with that, I will turn it over to Jakob Morgan, owner of Ascension."

There was a mild round of applause. I heard Jakob exhale and noticed his hand had been twitching for the last minute. As confident as he was, he was still a bit nervous addressing a crowd. I couldn't blame him. I had a bit of butterflies myself.

"Good evening," Jakob started. "Tonight is one full of emotion for me. Obviously, seeing my name in large letters on the wall is rather humbling, but more importantly, I feel a kinship with my collaborating partner, whose name is listed right there with mine."

Interestingly, one of our names was higher up, the other further left. I guessed this was supposed to make each of feel somehow equal.

I glanced at the crowd. I had friends scattered. They weren't all together. I saw Lance, and his face almost looked pained. He would occasionally look down. If he noticed Jakob looking, he would smile back. Mike put his arm around him. This all struck me as odd.

"Most of the pieces in this gallery have both our names on them," Jakob continued. "This piece to my right does not. Quite honestly, it just might be my favorite. Not because my name is not on it, but what it represents."

Jakob spoke briefly on "Stargazers." He spoke on its symbolism and how it started the two of us on our collaborative journey together. I was content to let him do the talking. I ran the mental notes of what I would say over and over in my mind, trying hard not to forget anything.

"Now, I am thrilled to introduce my artistic partner, Laramie Jenkins."

Shit. Now, I had to talk.

Suddenly all my notes went out of my head. For a brief second, I couldn't remember my own name. Then I saw Emory and Don smiling at me. Don nodded his head ever so slightly. Near him was Corey. Our Corey. My Corey. His smile was enormous. I knew he was proud of me. I smiled back at him.

"Good evening. Speaking probably isn't my greatest strength, so I'm not going to make you all suffer for long. Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge Jakob's vision and his foresight of what the two of us could accomplish together. Skills alone aren't always enough. To have a creative hold on the artistic process, as well as materials, takes drive and inspiration, and there's something really special about my friend."

Lance smiled. A tear ran down his face, but for some reason, I didn't think he looked happy. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking directly at Jakob. If his eyes said anything, it was, "I love you more than anything."

"Both Jakob and I are very appreciative of the early supporters of our work who allowed their acquisitions to be loaned for this exhibit. It is their appreciation of our efforts that allowed the two of us to continue our art."

God. I sounded so pretentious. Art. We made wall hangings. IKEA sells wall hangings. But fuck that. Each of our pieces was unique. Each was one of a kind. All these people came to see us, our art. We were in a gallery. And that surreal buzz suddenly going through me snapped me back into continuing my portion of the program.

"We have four new pieces with us tonight. Three of those will be for sale, but one is not. Two of those are the large pieces on the north wall there. They are called `Destiny' and `Fatherhood.' My brother, who came to visit recently, is the father of two young children. My goal was to show how interconnected the family is by having the two larger figures, the parents, showing equal interaction with the two smaller objects. Jakob's use of the tapestries shows equal parts boy and girl. I think his selection of hues of the traditional boy/girl colors elevate the palette from being stereotypical."

Ugh. I sounded so pompous. But for the most part, that was the truth. It was what we discussed while we collaborated. I looked at Dad. I could see his face twisted in concentration trying to make sense of what I had just said. Somehow, I saw the realization of my abstract thoughts eventually took hold. His head slightly cocked, and he smiled. That pleased me.

I tried to make the other one sound so deep and reflective and avoided saying it was named after our cat. I knew some of the swirling wires, beautiful as they are, were actually symbolic of whiskers. I'd leave the interpretation of the elements to each onlooker.

Then I noticed the man next to my father. It was Roman. I hadn't seen him since the night we all went to see Trent's play, "Signposts." I was shocked that he drove all this way.

"There are two pieces we have covered. Each of us will tell the background of one of them. Before I speak on mine, I will tell you that it is currently unfinished. Neither of us has signed it yet. But there will be a third signature."

Jakob helped me remove the drape. "It is called `Eureka.' The carved elements of a farmhouse, barn and silo are from my childhood."

I glanced at Dad. His mouth opened. He examined the three structures that had been simplified to contour lines and shapes, but he could easily recognize them as our farm.

"I actually wish to complete the piece before you all tonight. I have someone special in the audience. My father has come to Jackson Bend — and, well, Von tonight — for the first time."

Some of the people in the crowd clapped. My father looked slightly embarrassed and gave a slight wave.

"Dad, come up here. You are going to help us complete this piece tonight."

"What?"

"Go ahead. Come on up."

"But I ... I – I – I'm not..." he stammered.

"I have five carvings representing animals on our farm. I'm going to ask you to select three. I'm asking you to choose the three that mean something to you."

My father looked terrified. I handed him a box that had five of my carvings in them. At first, his hand shook. But when he saw each figure and began to reflect on when we used to whittle and carve growing up, he relaxed.

"This is my first choice."

Dad had chosen a cow.

"My morning routine of milking the cows gave me a sense of a daily schedule. I enjoyed doing it," he explained. The audience nodded at his words.

"I choose a pig because I enjoyed watching my three boys sit on the railing, amused by the pigs in the pen. They probably never knew I watched them, but the three of them got along so well as they would just stare at the pigs."

Some of the audience members chuckled. A few went "aww."

My father stared at the final choices. Finally, he chose a sheep. "I want this to be a part of it," he said. "Because a sheep was the first thing you and I carved together."

I had planned how the choices would be attached, no matter what he picked. As I secured them to the art, Jakob explained how the colors of the billowing fabric represented the green and yellow of the sunflowers of Kansas and the blues represented the wide-open skies along the flat plains. When it was completed, everyone applauded. Jakob signed first, then me. I then handed the pen to my father and asked him to sign it. He tried to back away, but I reached for his wrist and handed him the pen. After he placed a nervous signature, he handed me the pen. It was the first time I saw my father cry. He had been stoic at both Phillip's and Mom's funerals. I was sure he was trying to look strong. The fact that I had made him cry was a tidal wave of emotion for me. I wiped a tear from my own eye. My father reached out and we embraced for a long moment.

When our hug was finished, I said, "This one isn't for sale as it will be shipped to Eureka once my father returns home. If you want it, that is. Dad?"

"Oh, absolutely." The crowd applauded again.

"Wow. That was moving," said Gale. "Okay, Jakob. You're up."

Jakob's family nudged a little more forward.

"Goodness. It's hard to follow that, but this piece too holds a special place in my heart. When we heard weeks ago that we were being offered the gallery space, I was so taken aback. I had come to know Mr. DeYoung over the past two years and have always admired his incredible support of the arts. In fact, he bought our third piece two years ago."

Cooper

Lance looked firmly at his husband as he addressed the audience. He reached for my hand and gripped it. I felt him tremble. It wasn't the Lance I was used to. Trent came up and wrapped his arms around Lance from behind. Lance forced a smile on his face. He was needlessly worried, but through it we saw an expression of pride and love and devotion.

"I truly love `Stargazers.' However, if there is a piece to rival it as my favorite, it might be this one. I have to really thank Laramie for bringing his best work to this newest one. For art to truly feel inspired, it has to start in your heart. Through this artistic journey I've taken with Laramie, and ... well, for my adult life ... I wouldn't be here without the most important person in the world to me."

Laramie and Jakob took off the drape.

"This piece is called `Angel.' I've always believed I have had one watching over me. I eventually married him."

"Holy fuck," Lance whispered. Then he let out a gasp. I heard a sob come from him like I never had before. Trent squeezed him tighter, and Lance still struggled to breathe.

"I have been so blessed to have an angel watch over me and be a part of my life. My wish is for everyone here tonight to be so blessed."

The crowd applauded the second piece. It was stunning. Laramie had kept this one a secret from me.

So often, angels were depicted as women. Long flowing hair with delicate wings. The carved figure was incredibly masculine. It looked strong. It had Lance's body in all its muscled bulk. While draped with carved folds of heavenly apparel, the bulge of Lance's big dick was perceptible for those who took a moment to look.

"It's spectacular," I said. "The colors couldn't be more breathtaking."

Lance continued to cry. "It's me," he whimpered.

"To toast our artists, we have champagne coming around," Mr. DeYoung said.

Jakob immediately snapped his fingers at someone from the gallery. He pointed to a few places. Within minutes, the three AA members, Corey, Aiden, Trent, Laramie and Jakob's parents had a Sprite. Trent wouldn't drink in front of the boys and Laramie wouldn't drink in front of me. It took less than two minutes for each attendee to have a glass in their hand.

"To our two artists, Jakob Morgan and Laramie Jenkins. May they continue to bring beauty to the world," Mr. DeYoung said.

"To Jakob and Laramie," the crowd said, raising their glasses.

Then something surprised me. I saw my ex-wife drink her champagne. I had never seen her take a drink.

I turned to walk over to her. As I did so, I saw Lance rush to wrap his arms around Jakob. He squeezed his husband incredibly hard. I could tell. He took one hand to wipe his eyes. I paused to watch them. They held each other for a long time. Eventually, a reporter asked if he could speak with both of them. Lance nodded and tried to pull himself together. Someone from the gallery quickly handed him a tissue.

I gave Ophelia a call and gave her a summary. She felt doubly disappointed that she couldn't make it.

Laramie

I noticed Roman sheepishly walk up to me.

"Roman Berringer. How are you?"

"I'll sidestep that question for the moment," he said. "For now, we'll just say I'm impressed. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"So, what brought you to Von?" I inquired.

"Well, the circles I'm in have their finger on the pulse of the culture scene, so to speak. When the art world mentioned your name, I took a keen interest, obviously."

"In me?"

Roman exhaled. "Yes. You. The person I pretty much shortchanged years ago. I – I've never regretted anything more in my life."

"Seriously?"

His voice dropped. "I never even gave us a chance. We hit it off, and then I worried I would make you miserable. Sadly, I never envisioned the flip side."

"Flip side?" I asked, needing clarification.

"I never pictured you making me incredibly happy. What a fool I was."

"You were being honest."

"I was being an ass. And karma has dealt its full punishment. No one I've dated — not that I've done a considerable amount — since you has ... no one has measured up to you."

"You're too kind." I had to admit that his flattering words meant something to me.

"I just hope you won't think horribly of me. I do apologize for being shortsighted. You've impressed me completely. Hobnobbing with playwrights and artists and radio personalities."

I laughed. "Hobnob. I don't hobnob. I'm just me."

"And clearly, that's enough. You're a wonderful man."

"I didn't hear the beginning of that conversation, but I have to agree," Cooper said, walking up.

My partner planted a firm kiss on my lips. "I'm so proud of you, babe."

Roman's entire skeletal system collapsed watching us kiss. He caught himself and stood tall again.

"Roman, I'm not sure if you've met Cooper officially or not. This is my partner, Cooper Snow. Cooper, this is Roman Berringer."

"Nice to meet you."

"Your partner's work is extraordinary," Roman said to Cooper.

"I tend to agree."

"The sculpted piece of the angel is so beautifully masculine but fits so perfectly. And the colors. People think of heaven of blue sky and white clouds. But the deep indigo and shades of violet woven behind it is just spectacular. Vivid. Bold."

"I appreciate that, especially coming from someone as sophisticated in the arts as you," I said.

Cooper got snagged by a reporter, which completely surprised him. They were looking for a view of our home life together.

"I won't tie you up," Roman said, leaning in. "You'll always be the one I let get away. Please forgive me for my imperfections."

"Roman, please. Yeah, it hurt back then, not even being given a chance. But truth told, it was destiny at work bringing Cooper and me together."

"Is that how the art piece got its name?"

"Each individual can interpret as they see fit."

"Spoken like a true artist." Roman kissed me on the cheek. He looked at me to see my reaction. "Allow me that, please."

I smiled and shook his hand. Roman was a brief chapter of my life, but perhaps our simple moment taught me things about myself.

Corey came running up. I had never seen him smile so wildly at me. Aiden was off looking at each piece.

"You. Were. Awesome."

I hugged him. I noticed Natalie and Daryl coming up behind him.

"Thank you for driving here tonight. I think of you all as family. I appreciate you being here."

"Your work is beautiful," Daryl said.

"It comes from the collaboration with Jakob," I said.

"I love each piece," said Natalie. "Corey loves being represented in the original. He speaks of it often."

"I've taken pictures of each piece of art," Corey said.

"I hate that it takes time away from Cooper and you when I have to devote extra hours to a work."

"Can you teach me to carve?" Corey asked.

"Really? That would interest you?"

"Sure. I'd love to learn."

"Well, we only have three months before you head off to college. But I'll try to make time for us to do that."

"Cool."

Cooper returned. "I saw you with a glass of champagne," he said to his ex-wife.

"I felt it appropriate. I don't think the world will cave in."

Daryl winked at Cooper.

Having waited for a long time, I eventually admitted I needed to pee. I walked into the men's room. It wasn't big, two urinals, a stall and a single sink. I didn't think I had drank that much, but I had just been holding it in for so long. I couldn't get my belt loose fast enough.

Lance walked in and went to the urinal beside me.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, as urine began to shoot from me like a firehose.

"I am now. Yes. Thanks. Why?"

"You looked troubled earlier."

"I'm fine. I'm good. Your piece of art ... both of you made me feel sooooo much better."

"Oh. I'm glad." I wasn't sure what we had done, but I was glad it was something positive.

Lance pulled his penis out and ... there it was. I had often been curious.

"Damn, man. That's a lethal weapon. Fuck."

He sighed. "It's just a dick."

"Jesus, can Jakob handle that?"

"He's the only man who could. Well, that's not fair. After the first time I tried with a guy — which went horribly — I never thought I would fuck anybody. Jakob's just ... God, I love him."

"You two are so great together."

"Thanks again for making that artwork. I'd give you a hug, but my cock is kind of hanging out here."

"Hmm. You make that sound tempting."

He chuckled. I zipped up and patted him on the back as I went over to the sink.

For an hour I spent time visiting with people, meeting people and thanking people. It was odd for me to see myself in this light. To exist in this light. I knew it was only for tonight, but I allowed myself my simple moment to feel famous. I knew I wasn't, but it was a warm feeling. For one night. I did wonder if it would bring more business to Jenkins Mantle.

Julio and Maria were very impressed and had texted the rest of the staff.

Emory and Don came to offer their goodbyes and congratulations.

"The `Angel' was magnificent. Truly an outstanding masterpiece," Don said.

"And here he is in the flesh," I said, motioning to Lance as he and Jakob walked up.

"So, you're him, eh?"

Don had met Jakob and Lance at a Friendsgiving before, but not to the extent to know that Jakob had called Lance "angel," for as long as they had been in their relationship.

"It was easily my favorite piece," Don said.

"Weeeeeell, it is for sale," Jakob said.

"No, it's not," Lance said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, it sold. I bought it before I came up and hugged you on stage."

"Lance!?" Jakob lowered his voice. "That was $2,000. Laramie and I could have made you one."

"It wouldn't have been that one. That spoke to me. It swarmed over me. I wanted it in our house. It's ... it's.."

"It's us," Jakob agreed.

"Exactly," Lance admitted.

Several of us put our hands on our hearts watching the young lovers.

—

Cooper

We were breathing more than we were actually using words. We were panting instead of moaning. Although Corey had gone back over to Natalie's for the first half of the month, Laramie's father was still upstairs. He was reportedly a sound sleeper, and we did have doors closed, but we attempted not to freak him out. However, Laramie's erection inside of me made it difficult to remain quiet.

I panted more. My arms were on his back as his body hovered over mine. My legs were spread wide so his crotch could continue to thrust deep into me.

"You feel so good inside me," I breathed.

"Ohhhh, Cooop."

"Fuck me."

"Thank you for letting me fuck you."

"Fuck me."

Pushing and breathing. Grinding and panting. Thrusting and gasping.

Laramie leaned down to kiss me deeply. Our lips were sealed. His tongue reached in to meet mine.

"I'm so proud of you," I softly said, after I came up for air. "You're amazing."

"I love you," he whispered back.

"Unngh!" I groaned as he hit a nice spot within my depths. I felt his father couldn't hear.

"God, Coop, my cock is on fire inside you."

"I feel you in me. I love you in me. Fuck me. Fuck me harder."

Laramie lowered his body to where his torso occasionally pressed to mine. I felt his hairy body undulate on my own erection. It stimulated me. I was hard. He was hard. We were hard. We were a stiff, panting mass of flesh. Hot flesh. Sweaty flesh.

My hands roamed Laramie's back side. His naked body never failed to enflame me with lust. I pulled him closer to kiss me some more. He managed to keep thrusting his hard-on inside me as we merged our mouths in passion.

"I love you so much," I panted.

"Fuck yeah," he panted back.

It felt like he had been inside me for hours, days, but I still loved every minute of it. His lasting power was in full force following his night of fame. The hair of his abdomen kept stimulating the underside of my raging erection.

"I'm on fire, babe. Keep fucking me."

"Oh. Oh. Oh. Coooop."

Laramie was close. Surprisingly, I was too.

"Coop, Coop, Coooop," he whispered.

"Come for me," I whispered back.

"OH. OH. OHHHHHHHH!"

"Come inside meeeeeee," I panted.

"UNGH!" he grunted loudly.

I had memorized every iota of Laramie's body language over the years. He put his forehead on my chin as he unloaded his male liquid deep within me. Thrusting, still thrusting.

I was at the brink. "Keep fucking me."

I pulled his body closer to mine as he kept thrusting. His body pressed into my stiff rod took me to the edge. I pushed my cock into his body. My arms wrapped up behind his shoulders. I continued to gasp as my semen poured between our two bodies. He felt the warmth; I felt the warmth.

"Yeeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhh," he moaned, knowing I came right behind him.

He collapsed fully on my frame, his penis escaping my enclosure. Everything about us was sticky and messy — and we loved it. We should have cleaned up, but we took a few minutes to maul each other's faces. Our mouths consumed the other's.

"We probably should clean up," he said.

"I love my big artist's body making the two of us into tonight's art," I said back, wondering if that sounded ridiculous. I continued to hold us tightly.

"Cooper, you have no idea how much I love you," he said to me.

"Yes, I do. You show me every day. I'm so proud of you, babe."

My arms maintained their firm hold around my partner. The stickiness of sweat and cum matched the smell of sweat and lube.

We could have washed our own bodies with the cloth, but we took our time, wiping each other off.

When we returned to the bed, I found my way into his arms in the black darkness. I rested my head on his chest, which now had the slightest scent of hand soap.

"So. How do you feel?" I asked.

"About tonight or about sex?"

"The gallery, you nut."

"Does it sound arrogant to say it was one of the greatest nights of my life?"

"Of course not. You deserved it."

"I know it is just tonight, but it was really something. Having Dad there also made it more special. I never thought he was proud of me. Ever. I felt it tonight."

"He was definitely proud."

His arm pulled me closer.

"Corey asked me to teach him how to carve."

"Aww. That's sweet. He was quite impressed with you tonight. He looks up to you."

"Well, that's misdirected. But it would be enjoyable to spend dedicated time with him before he leaves."

"Yeah. Let's try to make that happen."

Laramie ran his fingers through my hair. I nuzzled into his shoulder.

"I saw Lance's dick tonight."

"Whaaaat!!? When? Where? How?"

I felt his body vibrate in laughter.

"We both took a piss at the same time. Hoo boy. It's impressive."

"I'm sorry mine's not," I weakly said.

"Oh, babe. I love your dick. No worries in that regard. I just don't envy Jakob. Ow."

We were silent for a moment.

"I should have carved it bigger."

I laughed.

June 6, 2027

Cooper Snow
Laramie Jenkins

Cooper

"Hi, I'm Cooper. I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi, Cooper," the group replied.

I had asked Laramie to join me for this meeting. Ophelia, Rex and Janine from our regular group were willing to move to the open meeting. As I looked out at the small group in front of me, I recognized maybe half of them.

"My son graduates this Saturday. I'm so proud of him. He's done so well in the past years at school. He's graduating valedictorian, so I'm obviously filled with pride. Huge. He's a great kid. It's been seven years since I shoved him to the floor in a drunken outburst. He barely remembers that. And yet, it is branded on my brain. Even drunk, I vividly remember his look of confusion as he stared up at me from the floor. His eyes. I remember them. I stared into them and then gazed at my hands that had just shoved him. It still gives me chills. I was at my first AA meeting a few days later."

Ophelia nodded and placed her hand on her heart.

"I've only had one drink in the seven years since. For the most part, I haven't wanted one. I felt so much better sober. And 99 percent of the time, I am fully capable of easily resisting. But ... 99 percent of the time still leaves a few days a year when ... when ... when I want one. It's not even necessarily when I have a bad day. Or a hard day. It sneaks up on me. I'll have a craving."

Laramie looked at me. His face was concerned.

"Recently my partner had an exhibit of his artwork. It was a wonderful reception. It was a great evening. When a toast was made to the artists, I saw all the champagne glasses. I was served a Sprite so I could be in the moment, but ... I stared at the champagne. I got lost in the golden color. My senses detected the slightest waft of its smell. And it is those brief seconds when your mind tells you, `One drink would be okay.' I've often wondered if that was possible. I try to shut it down quickly. I think of Corey. He grounds me. He reminds me that I'm a better man when I don't drink."

I glanced at Laramie again. His eyes had welled. I saw his chest heave as he took in a big breath.

"But ... I got to thinking about him the other day, my son. In all my excitement for him to graduate and how proud I was, it hit me that he will be moving away soon. He'll be off to college before I know it. And I actually shivered. Shivered! I was trembling. I got scared that when my rock was gone, would there still be a constant to resist, to resist the urge? Can I do it without my son being at home or being nearby? I know I'll have pictures of him close at hand, but I'll go weeks if not a few months without seeing him. And that scares me. I didn't realize how dependent I was just on his proximity."

Laramie's hand was over his mouth. His eyes were locked on me. I realized I had scared him. I hadn't done that before.

"I don't really attend services much anymore. I still like to think of myself as a man of faith. I don't pray much, but when I do, I always thank God for sending me the perfect person to make me whole. It's not fair for him to have a burden thrown on him, but at least I know I can lean on him when I need to feel the strength I need. I'm not alone. I'm grateful."

He nodded, a tear running down his cheek.

"And I have friends here. We hold each other up when we need to. And I thank you for that. I'm trying to feel optimistic that when the day comes that my son moves away, I can still make it. I'm not alone. I have support. I have a soulmate.

"Thank you."

The group clapped.

Laramie

Damn.

I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't sure why Cooper had wanted me to come with him to this meeting. Now it made sense. How brave these people are to confess their fears and shame and shortcomings. It's hard to open up. I knew it was for me following my upbringing. Somehow Cooper made me feel at ease to say what I felt all those years ago when we met. I became a better person for it.

I loved being his soulmate.

He returned to the seat next to me. I put my arm around him. I wanted to hold him, to squeeze him, to smother him in kisses, but that wouldn't have been right for the setting. I'd make passionate love to him later when we went to bed. I'd surround him with my support, my love, my devotion.

I would always be there for him. Always.

"Hi, I'm Rex. I'm an alcoholic."

"Hi, Rex," the group replied.

I barely knew Rex. We had been at a few occasions together, but I didn't really know him like Cooper's group did. I remember his low self-esteem had driven him to his drinking problem. Which is surprising. His body rivaled Lance's in terms of masculine bulk. He just never felt he had a handsome face. And it wasn't that great, but it wasn't necessarily hideous. His haircut helped. It was nice.

"Most of you know that Valerie and I got married last year..."

I didn't. Good for him. It was very nice that he found someone.

"Well, my news tonight is that we are expecting."

The group gasped in the good news. A couple of the ladies soft-clapped.

"I'm vowing to never take a drink again. With a child, I won't even entertain the thought of having something to drink that would endanger him ... or her. I've been sober for over four years, but this cinches it for me. I've never wanted anything more."

Corey was always a motivation for Cooper. I hoped the same for Rex.

"So. Wish us luck. Thank you."

The group enthusiastically clapped.

Following the meeting, we went out for coffee. Cooper's circle of friends welcomed me. Janine said things were getting more serious with her boyfriend. She had kept a job for four years, and this relationship was going on 18 months. Ophelia was glad to have Lydia home from college. She had advice for Cooper.

I had always been supportive of Cooper's meetings. Even though I rarely attended, I inquired about them from time to time. He appreciated me taking interest. It was nice to see this support system and how it worked.

We arrived at the house about ten minutes before Corey returned. He and Aiden had gone out to eat and talk about college in the fall.

"How was your night?" I asked.

"Good. Nice. We don't really do much with Aiden's parents, but tonight we sat down with them and talked about Notre Dame. His dad graduated from there. It was kind of nice to get a sense of it. I guess."

I wondered how those words affected Cooper. His son leaving us soon weighed on him. We turned in immediately after the news.

Cooper and I usually found ourselves in each other's arms in bed. Whose arms varied from night to night. As I crawled into the sheets, I faced him. My eyes looked into his eyes.

"I want you to know I am always here for you," I said.

"Hmm?"

"Tonight. Your share. Your love for Corey will always ground you, but ... I hope you'll let me be your rock too."

"You've been there for me for almost five years. You've shown me that." He leaned forward to kiss me.

"I love you, Cooper Snow. More than anything on this planet. You are my world."

Our hands were all over each other as we gripped each other tighter. We kissed passionately. For minutes. Several long minutes. Even though I was grinding my erection into his hip as our mouths conveyed thousands of unspoken words in our kisses, we eventually fell asleep in each other's arms. Neither of us came. We just held. Held tightly. Soulmates.

June 12, 2027

Laramie Jenkins (38)
Corey Snow (18)

Corey

This was it. My last day of high school. Actually, that was yesterday. As I lay in bed contemplating graduation just hours away, I knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep. For having to give a speech, I didn't seem that nervous. I had practiced it a million times, plus I could have my notes with me. It was limited to five minutes. Not that it needed to be. I didn't have any insane desire to stand on stage longer than that.

My dick was always hard in the morning. I wondered why that was. Sometimes I wanted to jerk off even before I got up. Sometimes I waited until night. And ... sometimes I did both. Suddenly I thought of having a roommate in college. When would I jack off then?

That sense of uncertainty prompted me to take matters in hand immediately.

I liked how my cock looked when it was hard. It wasn't so small. I stared at it in the morning sunlight filtering through the blinds. I grabbed it firmly and started yanking on it like I was on a tight schedule. I looked at it in appreciation and how it made me feel. Long. Hairy. It looked like it belonged on a man. Which I was, technically. I didn't want Mom and Daryl to hear so I just kept my sound to heavy breathing. I remembered being kind of loud once with Aiden when we jacked off together. Would we in college?

I came quickly. I loved every climax I had ever had. They felt incredible at that moment. Even when I was depressed, it felt good. Watching my cum shoot from me seemed to make the orgasm even better. I hated cleaning up afterward. I always worried Mom would see sticky tissues and know what they were.

I let my body weight be heavy in the bed. Lying there was just fine. Cum on my abdomen was just fine. Not getting up was just fine.

I heard Daryl say something in the hall which caused my body to quickly wrench as it reached for a tissue.

I pulled up my underwear and lumbered to the bathroom. I dropped the tell-tale tissue in the trash can.

As hot water ran all over me, I practiced my speech twice. It made the shower longer than it needed to be, but I felt ready.

Laramie

As hot water ran over me, I smiled as Cooper opened the shower door to join me. He gave me a kiss as he entered my embrace. The water cascaded between our two chests.

"How do you feel?" I asked my partner.

"What do you mean?"

"Your son is graduating today."

"Oh. Well. Proud, of course. Really proud. I keep thinking of when Natalie and I brought him home from the hospital. Where did the last 18 years go, Laramie? It – it's just flown by."

"I'm glad I've been part of it."

Cooper kissed me hard. "Absolutely."

"I'm a much better father with you in my world. I'm so glad I've had you with me these past years."

"Mitch would have been good for Corey too."

Cooper stiffened at my comment. His eyes got lost in the furthest reaches of space. "Yeah, maybe. The two of them were always great together. But that was so long ago. Who knows?" His eyes returned to mine. I got lost in the beautiful deep blue of them. "I'm not sure he would be the father you are, though. You and Corey have an amazing rapport."

I still didn't think I was father material. But he was right. Corey and I bonded well. As Cooper lathered up my back, I smiled thinking of my first lessons with him. Corey seemed to enjoy carving. I thought he might find it boring once he tried it, but he seemed to take to it. I had always found it therapeutic, so maybe it was the same for him.

Cooper's sudsy fingers wriggled in my ass crack. I grinned. "Mmm." I could feel my cock begin to stiffen.

"Think he's nervous?" Cooper asked.

"Corey? He has to speak in front of a thousand people. It would be natural if he was."

Cooper turned me around and saw my erection getting longer. Shower gel soon made my crotch a mass of lathered eroticism. I noticed his dick was hard too, and I squeezed our genitals together. He kissed me, and I continued to stroke our organs between us. He slightly grunted. We kissed again.

"Are you disappointed his graduation party is at Natalie's place instead of here," I asked, as he washed my chest.

"Not really, but it would have been nice to have everyone over here. We have a little more space. But ... I think it's really good for Natalie. I think she sometimes feels Corey prefers it here."

"Perhaps. I think younger kids lean on their mothers when they are young, but as they get older, they bond with their fathers more." I then reflected on my words as my arms raised for Cooper to wash my armpits. "But who am I to say? Neither of my parents were that loving."

"I'm glad you are in a better place with your father," Cooper said.

"I owe that to you."

I massaged shampoo into Cooper's scalp. I momentarily thought of Corey's long hair. Natalie despised it. What was it like to have to wash so much hair? Mine had been short my whole life. My fingers massaged Cooper's scalp. He hummed as I did so.

After I washed the shampoo from his head and began to work on his back, I felt Cooper had become notably quiet.

"What are you thinking?"

"I was just wondering. When Corey comes home from college, will he want to stay here or go stay with Natalie? Man! The hardships we have thrust upon him to have to keep making such crappy decisions. That's all my fault."

"Hey. Don't. That's fairly typical in today's world. You both live in the same town, so it is still easy for us all to get together when he comes home."

"I guess."

Soapy fingers went up Cooper's ass crack. "Ohhh." I lingered; my hands slid bubbles around his cheeks and hips and hole. I like how my grip was able to slide easily. I didn't want to wash the suds away.

I leaned down to wash his beautiful legs.

"How often do you think he'll come home?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Some kids get homesick. Some feel the independence. I suppose some do it out of obligation."

"He loves us. The drive isn't horribly long."

Corey did love me. I loved him. My sense of family had been firmly implanted for years now. I didn't feel it to the extent that Cooper did, but I was going to really miss him.

I turned Cooper around. My hands washed the front of his legs and moved up to his groin. His cock was jutting skyward. I got shower gel and gripped our two erections together again. I moved us away from the spray. I wanted the "Ocean" lather to stay as long as it could.

"Ohhh. That feels good." Cooper placed his wet arm around my back and held us as I jerked our flesh.

We kissed, listening to the shower strike the ceramic tile. Arms kept us tight in the steamy warmth. My rhythm kept pounding our male anatomy.

"Don't stop," he breathed. Cooper began panting near my ear.

We kissed more. I jerked more.

Panting continued but transitioned to minor groaning.

"Don't stop. Keep going," Cooper whispered.

My mouth mauled his again. My arm was a piston. Flesh against flesh. Rubbing. Sliding. Gliding. Grinding.

"I love you, Laramie."

I kissed again before replying the same. The sound of the water was a symphony.

"Laramie. Don't stop."

"Cooper. Oh. Yeah. Cooper."

Jerking and grinding and stroking and panting and gasping and rubbing.

"Harder, babe. You've got me there. Don't stop. DON'T STOP!"

I kissed his neck as Cooper groaned in his orgasm. I couldn't discern between suds and cum, but the slickness remained.

"Come for me," he pleaded.

I was close but not quite there. I didn't release his cock from our pairing. I rubbed harder.

"Don't stop," he continued to say. "Come for me."

I began to groan. And growl. And beg.

My hot manhood felt euphoric sliding up against his. Cooper still felt rigid, which was good. His arms held us together.

"Make that fucking cock come for us," he said.

That was it. My climax built. I screamed in pleasure as my cock exploded. I yanked our cocks into the next day. I refused to stop. Eventually I knew I had stopped coming long before and stopped my stroking.

"I love you," he said, pulling me in for one more long kiss.

"I'm glad you can still say all those dirty things when we make love," I said into his lips. He smiled.

"Let's go watch our son graduate," Cooper said with one last wet embrace.

Corey

The school auditorium seated slightly less than 1,000. With the graduating class just above 300, each student received two tickets for parents or other family members. Since I was giving a speech, I was allowed extra tickets. Grandma and Grandpa DeVry were coming, as was Mom and Dad and Laramie and Daryl. I managed to get one more ticket. Most of the relatives were going to wait for the party following the ceremony. They just felt it easier. People could watch at home on the school's website. It was also being simulcast in the gym. Mitchell asked to come, so I gave him the extra ticket. My grandparents never liked him that much, so they all sat in different places. My sets of parents had reserved seats right behind the graduating class.

Following the ceremony, there was a reception in the gym so that many more people could celebrate. So many students had parties to go to following, but for those who didn't have one being put together by families, it was a way for them to make the occasion special. For most of the seniors, it was one last time we could talk and be together. Mom had said we wouldn't stay long since we had a houseful of people, but I did want to say goodbye to my classmates.

"You're going to do great," Dad said.

We were in the hall outside the stage. There were small clusters of families and faculty by the side door, but most people were entering through the back.

"I feel ready," I said.

"I'm so proud of you," Mom said. She touched my hair. There was an unspoken air of disapproval.

"Hey, at least I got it cut some. "

"I know," she sighed. Whether it was feathered to the side and well groomed probably didn't matter. She wanted it short.

"You look fantastic," Laramie said.

"Thanks. You all ought to get your seats. Who knows if they actually counted right."

My family chuckled. Each of them hugged me and told me they were proud and loved me and other mushy stuff that wasn't really sinking in. I stepped back to the wall and ran my notes through my head again. I was trying not to depend on the written ones. I wanted to "deliver" my speech, not read it.

I could hear a family nearby. They weren't paying too much attention to who was around them, and I wasn't really either. I was lost in my notes. The father stared at the program and asked his daughter, "Who's the valedictorian again?"

"Corey Snow," she answered.

I didn't really know her well. She had been in my Geometry class my sophomore year. I thought her name was Rebecca. They didn't see me behind them.

"Isn't he the one from a broken home? The dad went gay or something?"

She nodded but didn't say anything.

He was silent for a moment. "Well ... good for him," the man said casually.

The wall supported me more than my skeleton. My mental notes dissolved. Why did that causal comment affect me?

Laramie

Mitchell saw us. We waved to him. He was a few rows from the back. It was nice for him to want to be here. He loved Corey all those years back. The fact that Cooper and I were together could have severed that relationship forever, but I was completely glad that Mitchell and Corey could still be in each other's lives. Natalie waved to her parents on the other side of the auditorium.

The graduates entered a side door and orderly filled in their assigned seats row by row, alphabetically. A hush came over the crowd as they entered. "Pomp and Circumstance" played over the speakers. Corey had told us his seat would be saved. We didn't know Harold Snodgrass, but Corey would cross the stage right after him. We noticed an empty seat. It was about four rows ahead of us.

School officials walked on stage as well as Corey and the keynote speaker. We were soon welcomed by the principal.

"Corey looks great," I whispered to Cooper.

"I hope he doesn't get nervous."

"I wish he'd gotten a real haircut," Natalie whispered. Cooper slapped her wrist, making me giggle.

The vice principal took a moment to thank the sponsors of the reception to follow. A round of applause acknowledged their contribution. She encouraged everyone to linger after the ceremony to enjoy the festivities.

Before anyone spoke, the vice principal had graduates stand for various accomplishments: perfect attendance, A honor roll and the students with the five highest SAT scores were noted. Corey was one.

His Trigonometry teacher took the podium to introduce Corey as the valedictorian. His words gushed over our son making us — somehow — even prouder. Corey never felt he was one of the "cool kids." I wondered what kind of reception he would receive from his fellow classmates. He was such a nice kid, surely everyone had to like him, right?

"Please welcome to the podium ... Corey Snow."

Cooper clutched both my hand and Natalie's. We all took a deep breath. I was relieved to hear great applause and a few whoops. I knew Aiden's voice in the cheers.

Corey stepped up looking confident. I exhaled. I believed Cooper had stopped breathing entirely.

"My fellow graduating classmates, families and guests, I welcome you to our day of graduation. The class of 2027 has worked very hard to get here."

A few cheers came from the students. I noticed Corey had not looked at his notes at all. He was rocking it.

"When the faculty asked me what my topic would be for this speech, I said, `goals.' They felt it was an appropriate subject. This has not been a year without challenges, but it made me wonder if there has ever been a graduating class that said, `We had it easy. Everything went perfectly.' Does that ever really happen in the world? No matter what year it is, there are obstacles to overcome. And how we... we ...

"... how we ..."

Corey looked at his notes. My heart stopped beating.

"No," Cooper whispered. "No, no, no. You've got this, buddy."

Corey was silent for a few seconds. It was probably only about ten seconds, but to us, it was an eternity. I was dying; Cooper was dying. What was wrong? The silence was an alarming roar.

He stared down at his notes. His classmates started looking at each other. There was a slight murmur among the crowd. The faculty on stage shifted in their seats beginning to look uncomfortable.

"Noooooo," I breathed. "C'mon kiddo."

Corey turned his notes over.

"Forgive me," he said. "I needed a moment. I've changed my speech."

There was an inaudible gasp from the upper faculty. The four of us were dumbfounded.

"It will still be about goals. I just have different words to say."

Natalie about ripped Cooper's hand from his wrist.

"Before I stepped up on stage, I overheard someone say something. When he was told who the valedictorian was, he said, "Isn't he the one from a broken home?' And ... I had to admit it caught me off-guard."

What??! Who would say such a thing? A slight buzz went over the crowd.

"I knew when my parents divorced it was an obstacle in my path, but they taught me how to get around it, to overcome it. I won't lie and say it was easy. It was a big change. But it isn't that uncommon. I had never heard of broken home. As I stood against the wall thinking about his words, I asked myself if I felt broken. Was I? I sometimes feel l am ... well, not necessarily cool, but I've never felt broken. I've felt lucky. I've had parents who show me their best selves. As much as they can be annoying, they supported me in being the best version of me. I'm lucky because they make me believe I could — and can — reach my goals. I'm lucky." Corey's eyes found us. "I'm not broken."

Cooper sniffed.

A few people applauded his statement. I heard a "That's right" from a parent.

"My father showed me how to be the person you truly are — honest and caring and loving. I appreciated that. I watched him overcome so many struggles — with honesty — and I thought he was amazing. I still do, but don't tell him that."

Several people chuckled.

"I'm not broken, I'm lucky. I get to have three fathers. If you don't understand that, ask your sons and daughters; they do. Each of these fathers teaches me something in their own way. I don't know how I got to be so lucky, but ... I am. I'm not broken."

I saw Natalie put her hand to her heart. Daryl, Cooper and I were bawling. Tears. Flowing. Sobs restrained. Bawling.

"So, to my fellow graduating class, we have goals ahead of us. Be our best selves. Our true selves. And furthermore, ask yourself what you can do to make those around you their best selves. Make them feel like they are lucky to have you in their life. It should not just be a goal but our responsibility. Be who you are but be the best person you can be. We are NOT broken. We are the future.

"Thank you."

The graduating class leapt to their feet. The audience slowly followed. Natalie was all smiles. The men were all tears.

I didn't remember a single word said for the next thirty minutes. Corey left the stage to take his place in the rows of students. The principal said kind words about Corey's remarks, but I didn't absorb them. The keynote speaker spoke for twenty minutes but I couldn't tell you what he said. My skin felt like it had touched an electric fence. I held Cooper's hand. I didn't know fatherly pride could be so overwhelming.

—

Corey

The house seemed full. It was slightly disappointing that all my classmates had their own parties to attend. At least I got to say goodbye to almost everyone I wanted to at the reception. Many of them told me they loved my speech. I was just glad it came off okay.

Every year, seniors brag that they are going to bring alcohol to spike the lemonade or punch, but no one ever does. Faculty are there dishing it into cups.

I probably took more pictures of classmates during the reception than I had in all my years of high school. For the majority of them, it would be the last time I would see them. Maybe that wouldn't be true, but deep down, I figured out it probably would be.

Even without classmates, our house was jammed. Both sets of grandparents, Aunt Judy and Uncle Wayne, my cousin Thomas, Uncle Curtis and Dad's Uncle Randy were the relatives. Trent, Mike, Lance and Jakob from the Men's Trip were there. Emory, Don and Mitchell from the coffee group were there. Brad walked in, and I rushed to hug him. Behind him, I noticed Aiden walk in. Dad and I walked over to him.

"Hi. Aren't you guys celebrating at your house?" I asked.

"My grandparents are coming for dinner. We're going out in a couple of hours."

"Ah," Dad said.

"Can I join you?"

"Absolutely," Dad said. I nodded.

Jakob was fiddling with the dining room table. I could tell it was his handiwork. It was elaborately decorated, and the food items looked totally awesome.

His husband, Lance, saw me looking. He wrapped his arm around me. It was so big and strong. "We are so proud of you. I heard your speech was outstanding."

"Well, I kind of threw it together on stage. But to be honest, I liked it better than what I had written before."

Jakob came over to hug me. "I watched you on the school website. Man, you rocked it."

"I was getting ice, or I would have seen it," Lance said defensively, which made me smile.

"Wow. Look at this spread!" Aiden said, walking into the dining room. "Did you hire a chef?"

Jakob blushed. "Dig in."

Before I did, I took a picture of the entire table. I wanted to remember it.

Laramie

We noticed many of the relatives were a bit standoffish with Mitchell. Cooper and I made a point to make sure he didn't feel isolated. Emory and Don felt it a bit too and stayed fairly close to him. Of all the guests, the family knew those two the least.

After people had found the food and enjoyed a bite to eat, both sets of grandparents fawned over Corey. He always complained about adults being mushy, but he seemed to accept the adoration today.

"I heard your art show was a real success," Judith said to me.

"Thanks. Yeah. It turned out nice. Most of that credit goes to Jakob."

"I don't know. Cooper showed me pictures of your artwork. I think your contribution is substantial. I'm really taken with it."

"Well, thanks. I've really enjoyed doing it. Corey even asked me to teach him to carve. We've done it together a few times already."

"And who knew when Corey brought you to Christmas all those years ago that you'd be this big artist."

"Thanks, Judith. I'm not sure how big I am, but ... thank you."

"You can call me Judy if you like."

"Thanks."

"When I looked at pictures, I noticed at the gallery that your name on the wall was Laramie and not Larry. I thought you didn't like Laramie."

"Curse your brother for making me not hate it."

She laughed. "I heard most of your friends call you Laramie now. May I? I like it too."

"If you insist."

"Your father came to see you, is that right?"

"Yes. His first time to Jackson Bend. It was ... wow. I've lived here so long, so that was really special to me."

"He must be so proud of you."

I hoped so. Dad and I will always be in an odd place, but we were good with each other. We talked now. The night of the exhibit reception I felt he was proud of me. I thought I could see it on his face.

"With my father, one really knows. He isn't much of a talker."

"I'm glad you're part of the family, Laramie," Judith said.

"Thank you ... Judy," I said, patting her arm. She moved on to freshen her drink.

Corey's speech talked on how he felt lucky. I looked over at Mitchell. He didn't get this reception that I did. I was lucky too.

Corey

"It kills me that you are going off to college in a few months. Sundays will never be the same," Brad said.

"I know. It's slightly scary. At least Aiden and I know each other, so having a roommate already decided helps."

"How did you get so big so fast?" Emory asked.

I rolled my eyes. How is a person to reply to such weird questions?

"We saw your speech here. I was impressed," Don said.

"Thank you," I said, feeling slightly shy.

"I can't believe you just delivered that right out of thin air," he said.

"I just felt it. When I heard the term broken home, it kind of pissed me off. That guy didn't know anything. I'm sure he didn't mean it in a bad way. In fact, he even said, `Good for him,' afterward. For just a second, I kind of felt put down. If that guy had known what Dad had gone through ..."

"Your dad is an awesome man," Emory said.

"Several years ago, I was scared for him. When you're 11 or 12, you don't understand the whole ... alcohol ... thing. Our family wasn't broken, but I felt Dad was. I could tell he was ... I don't know, in pain. The first time I saw him with Mitchell, he was so nervous about me meeting him. I figured he thought the gay thing would freak me out, but I immediately could tell that Dad was ... Dad. He was really who he was. I could see it. I thought he was brave."

"You're a very mature kid," Don said.

"Maybe. I just watched Dad get better. He was fun and happy and honest and ... himself. Once he and Mom got along again, I was good. I mean, going back and forth kind of bites, but knowing your parents are in a good place is a calming feeling."

"You've got their good looks too," Brad said.

"Whatever," I replied.

"Uh oh. This group can't be up to anything good," Dad said, walking up to the coffee group. Mitchell joined us.

"Thanks for getting me in today," Mitchell said. "I am so thrilled I got to hear your speech. You were better than the keynote speaker."

I laughed. "I have no idea how long I even went on. Did I go over?"

"I don't think so. It didn't seem long. People could tell you were just speaking from the heart," Mitchell said.

Dad put his arm around him. When I said I felt lucky, this was a bonus for me. I never expected those two to be friends again. I'm glad they worked it out.

I watched Aiden across the room talk about our college plans to my grandparents. It was kind of sad that he didn't get a party of his own, but hopefully the dinner would be nice. He appreciated the attention my relatives gave him.

Laramie

No one seemed concerned with the time. Everyone seemed to get along. Even Mitch eventually felt included. Judith wasn't overly frosty to him. Cooper's relatives at least were cordial.

Things quieted a bit when everyone had a slice of chocolate graduation cake.

"Are you even going to want dinner?" I asked Aiden.

"I can always eat," he said with frosting embedded into the beginnings of a moustache.

"Well, enjoy that while you can. Your metabolism will change later in life and suddenly everything makes you fat," I said.

"Unless you are Lance. That dude is so hot," Aiden said.

"He's married," Corey said. "Down, boy."

We chuckled.

Aiden took our plates, and we thanked him.

"Can I borrow you?" I asked Corey.

"Hm?"

"Can we step out back?

"Sure."

Once on the back porch, I reached into my jacket and pulled out a small box. I had wrapped it for the occasion.

"I wanted to give you this."

"But ... but you and Dad already gave me a gift."

"This one is just from me."

He looked confused but reached for the package. It wasn't large. Corey ripped the paper and was able to pull a box out of it as if slipping it out of a Venus Fly Trap. He looked at my gift.

"A set of carving tools!"

"You'll be leaving in two months, so ... I wanted you to have your own."

"Awww. I love this. Thank you, Laramie."

"You might decide to do a little while at college."

"I hope I have time." He paused, then looked at me. "How do you know what to carve?"

"Something inspires me usually. When I have a feeling of sorts. Remember `Stargazers'?"

"I love it."

"That night ... all of us staring at the sky, bellies overlapped — it just spoke to me. I have such fond memories of it. Loving all the friends and family with us. Magic moments like that inspire me."

"Oh."

"I have one in my desk at work. Cooper's never even seen it."

"Why?"

"I think it makes me look weak, but it was powerful."

"What is it?"

"It's a Christmas tree with a small figure in front of it. Remember when you insisted that I go to your grandparents at Christmastime several years ago."

"I was such a kid," he said in a self-deprecating tone.

"No. I was the kid. You brought back the specialness of Christmas to me. You made me feel like Christmas was ... something. It was just like I was a kid again. I carved it in the days when Cooper was choosing between Mitchell and me. It's very rough. I didn't sand it. The tree has jagged edges, but I smoothed out the coat on the child using ... this tool," I said, pointing to one shown on the box. "I named it `First Christmas,' put it in a velvet bag and placed it in my drawer. If something ever gets me down, I can take it out and be reminded that I mattered to someone." I looked at Corey. "You made me feel like I mattered."

"You do matter," he softly said. "You've always mattered."

I reached out my arms. He stepped into them.

"In your speech today, you said you had three fathers. These past years — my whole life, actually — I've never thought I was very ... equipped to be a father. I'm not really father material. But ... when I fell in love with Cooper, you came with it. You're a package deal. I can't imagine a better bonus."

He squeezed me tighter.

"Here," I said, pulling a card out of the inner pocket of my suit jacket.

Corey looked at me and then opened it.

Corey,

I can't begin to express how proud of
you I am.

In the five years you've been in my life,
you have shown me something I never
knew I'd find within me. While I am not
your father, you have showed me how
much love a person can have for a child.

You have blessed me in so many ways. I
am so grateful you are in my life. Please
know I will always be here for you and
will love you unconditionally.

I signed it Laramie.

He reached for me. We held each other.

"Sorry for the mush," I said.

He chuckled and gave a firmer squeeze.

We sat on the swing chair on the back porch.

"Right now, I wish we were sharing a beer together," Corey said.

"Yeah, right. At Natalie's house? But why? You didn't like your taste of beer."

"It's just something I wish we could do."

I held up my Coke. He held up his Dr Pepper. "Cheers," I said, touching his cup.

We gently swung in silence for a moment.

"You know, when Mom married Daryl, I made sure to only call Dad Dad. I never wanted him to feel ... I don't know ... replaced. But today when I said I was lucky that I had three fathers, I meant it. You don't think so, but you're a great father. I've felt that way for a long time. Even when I was a total prick, and... I guess I should apologize for all that."

I chuckled and put my arm around him as we continued to swing.

"There are times that I can tell you things that I never could say to Dad."

"Or your mom?"

"Uckk. Please. No."

"All of us are here for you. I hope you never feel alone. Life sometimes can throw shit ... erk, garbage at you. I can tell you for thirty years I kind of felt I was dealt a raw deal. I went through life a day at a time and when life seemed to suck, I just got up the next day and moved on. But ... once I met Cooper, it was like everything was worth the wait. Don't ever let life get you too down."

"Do you mean ... like Phillip?"

"Well, I actually wasn't thinking about that, but..."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I just want you to know that even when life isn't fair, you have people behind you. Don't feel alone. You're such an awesome kid. You're going to do great in life, but there isn't escaping the unlucky stuff. None of that is ever forever. You'll find the good in life. Your father and I love you very much. You can always come to us."

"Why aren't you two married? It's legal and everything."

I was silent. I wasn't sure what to say.

Corey wasn't accepting my silence. "When I said my parents showed me their best selves ... you helped in that. Dad loves you more than anything in the world."

"And I feel the same way. Huge. When we started seeing each other, marriage just wasn't on our radar. I didn't think I was the marrying type. Cooper was still new enough to accepting being out that a same-sex marriage probably seemed foreign to him."

"But...?"

"When Emory had his stroke, we started having conversations. Making medical decisions for someone can involve legal documentation. I guess we've ... talked. Not a lot. But ... who knows. I can tell you at the time, he didn't want you teased at school."

"Huh?"

"He didn't want you to have to face the taunts from other kids at school. `Ew, your dad married a dude. What a freak.' He was always conscientious that he made your school life difficult enough."

"Seriously? Man, I wish he wouldn't have worried about that."

"That's what parents do. Worry."

We swung in silence as we drank our sodas.

"There you are! I've been looking for you two," Cooper said, ducking his head out. "Aiden has to run. You should be inside to say goodbye — and thank you — to anyone who leaves."

"Okay," Corey said. He turned back to me, "Thanks." Then he lightly kissed me on the cheek and whispered, "Dad." There was no stopping a smile.

He slipped inside. I grabbed his card and gift off the table next to me. Once we all went into the house, I carried it down to his bedroom.

When I came back to the living room, I wrapped my arms around Cooper from behind. I kissed the back of his neck.

"You two okay?" he asked.

"Totally."

I looked at Corey. He gave a hug to Aiden who was heading off to his own celebration. Our son nuzzled up next to Mitchell, and Mitch put his arm around him. I scanned the room. It was filled with my various families. While Grayson and my father weren't here, I had other family. Daryl and Natalie included me. The Snows had always made me feel welcome. Our coffee group was a family. Trent, Mike, Jakob and Lance — our group of friends — I had so much family. I was suddenly overwhelmed. Warmth and love swarmed me unexpectedly. My eyes welled for a moment, but I blinked the tears away. I rubbed them on Cooper's shoulder.

So many things felt surreal for a moment. I couldn't fathom how happy a person could feel. I'd been happy for so long in Cooper's life, but somehow it just kept getting better. How did I get here? How did the unlucky kid from nowhere Eureka, Kansas, become the person I was today? I was almost a different person.

Partner. Storeowner. Artist. Teacher. Father. Soulmate.

Laramie.

* * * *

It is with sadness that I post this final chapter to the story, but I am also heartened by the feedback I have received. I hope you have found Laramie's story enriching and entertaining and hopeful. If it has meant anything to you, I hope you will let me know.

We'll still see more of Laramie and these men. Books Seven and Eight are in the works, but I'm not sure when they will begin posting. Work is underway, but they are not finished. Book Seven is called Say Goodbye to Sparkleland and Book Eight is A Bed, A Desk and My Unfortunate Soulmate. Unique titles, to be sure. Mitchell is the protagonist of Seven, and Aiden and Corey will begin college (my first "College" book) in Eight. Look for more information in the blog post: "Laramie, the Conclusion." timothylane414stories.blogspot.com

If you'd like to be notified when new stories begin, drop me an email. And in the meantime, don't be a stranger. I'll be happy to hear from you. Timothylane414@gmail.com