Well, gang, it's finally here. Now, before you read on, please know that these past few months have been very difficult for me, trying to deal with not smoking, weight gain, and a few other things which caused me considerable concern.
I've done my best with this chapter, trying desperately to tell you everything I wanted to tell you while, at the same time, not really telling you anything at all.
I will admit that I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, and I could spend weeks working on it until I am happy with it, but I am 'satisfied' with it and it does everything I wanted it to do.
So, with my most heart-felt apologies, I finally offer you the next chapter in the continuing saga of Watching Brad.
Love each and every one of you and, as always, take care.
Neil
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
WATCHING BRAD
Part 155
On one hand, those final five days before the wedding seemed to take an eternity to pass. Seconds passed by like minutes and minutes passed by like hours. On the other hand, there didn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything that needed to be done.
I don't know where we would have been if it hadn't been for Nathan. I still don't know how he managed to keep everything together the way he did. The man is a born organizer. Of course, with Warren being incapacitated, Nathan had jumped right in and had done everything that my best friend was unable to do as Best Man. We all owed Nathan big time for this. He kept everything together and handled problems before we were even aware that there
were problems. I've said it before and I shall say it again. His talents were wasted in an accounting office where he pushed pencils and punched calculator keypads all day long..
Slowly, the days passed, and when the alarm sounded that Thursday morning in July to awaken us, it marked the last time that Brad and I would wake up in the same bed, at least as a single couple. The next time we woke up together, we would be married.
As soon as the alarm sounded, Brad rolled over on top of me, the single bed sheet which covered us falling to his waist. His new anniversary pendent dangled from his neck and bounced against my own neck.
He put his hands under my arms and held my shoulders from beneath as I wrapped my arms around his back. Our hard cocks lay side-by-side, pressed between our stomachs. Brad didn't even kiss me. At least not yet. He just looked down at me, staring into my eyes, and grinning from ear to ear.
I grinned back at him and said, "What?"
"Feel that, Pops?"
Guessing that he meant the log stuck between our bodies, I answered, "It's difficult
not to feel that, Tiger."
"I'm saving it," he told me with an impish grin. "For Saturday night. I'm saving it for my new husband."
"Oh, really?" I smirked. "Anyone I know?"
"Oh, you've probably seen him around. He's that hot, handsome, sexy guy with the curly, black hair and the moustache that drives me wild." Brad wriggled his hips back and forth, rubbing his cock against my skin. "I get all these warm, fuzzy feelings in my pants every time I think of him."
"You're not wearing any pants," I observed. "What would your future husband with the curly hair and moustache think of you lying on top of me without your pants on?"
Brad wriggled his hips again and then he stopped. His smile disappeared and his face turned so very serious. "I love you so much, Ted." He leaned down and kissed me then, his pendent pressing warm against my skin. Heated by his body, it now warmed me.
"Stay here with me," I said when the kiss finally ended.
Brad looked down at me, shaking his head sadly back and forth. "I want to be here so much, Ted, but we agreed, remember? I want this to be as real as possible. This is the only time I'm ever going to get married and I want it to be perfect. I can't see the groom after the rehearsal until I see him in the church on Saturday."
I stared up into his eyes for a long time before speaking again. "I'm going to miss you."
"I'm missing
you already."
In response, I pulled him back to me and we held each other for as long as we could.
* * * * *
I suppose you must be a bit confused here, especially after what Brad said to me that morning, so I shall take a moment to try to catch you up to speed. You see, Brad had told me some time ago that he wanted a traditional wedding. Not that one of us was going to wear a wedding dress and carry a bridal bouquet or anything, but he wanted everything that a groom would normally have at his wedding except that there would be two of us. He didn't want to disappoint his family and friends, either - especially his Mom and Dad. This was the only wedding they would attend for their son and, despite the fact that their son was marrying another man, he wanted it to be memorable for them. He wanted a genuine, fully-fledged, traditional wedding. We planned everything around this, including the fact that we would not see each other after the rehearsal until we saw each other in the church on Saturday afternoon. To make it all happen, though, we had to divide the family for an entire day plus a little bit more.
Brad was already completely packed and his suitcases were already in his parents' home. He would be going home to stay with his parents following the rehearsal dinner and he would stay there until the wedding. It would be a bit of a challenge, trying to avoid seeing each other, especially since we would be living right next door to each other, but we felt we would all be busy enough that keeping us apart wouldn't be as difficult as it sounded.
There would be a few other changes as well, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for you so I'll let you discover them on your own as they happened.
I went through the motions of my usual workday that Thursday, but it was difficult keeping my mind on the job. The kids were at soccer camp and Brad was out at Mom's with Mark. Terry would pick up the twins from camp at noon but I would pick up Lindsay at four o'clock.
I was given a grand send-off by my co-workers when it came time for me to leave. Many of them I would see again on Saturday as all had received invitations to the wedding and many would attend. Only a select few had received invitations to the reception as well, though.
Lindsay was waiting for me when I arrived at the field. I leaned across the seat to push the door open for her and she handed me her drinks cooler before climbing into the car. I greeted her with a kiss and waited for her to buckle in. During our drive home, she told me how much she was enjoying the camp and that soccer was more fun than she had expected. She was, in fact, going to try out for the soccer team at school in September.
"I'll make the team, too, Daddy," she proclaimed firmly. "You'll see. I'll make it."
I glanced at her, smiling. She reminded me so much of her mother at times, and that was one of those times. And it was at that very moment that I remembered that Connie had been released from prison that morning and I had completely forgot about it.
* * * * *
I decided to keep Connie's release to myself. If anyone else mentioned it, I would deal with it then, but, otherwise, I would keep quiet about it. We continued on home and I sent Lindsay in for a quick shower while I went into the twins' room to check on them. According to Terry, they had reluctantly gone in for a nap and were still asleep. I left them to sleep - not even daring to kiss them lest I awaken them - knowing that it would be a long and busy night for them.
Lindsay was still in the shower when Brad came home with Mom. She and Dad would be staying there for the next few weeks whilst Brad and I were on honeymoon, so it made sense for them to be during the final few days to help with the last-minute preparations. Mom carried her purse and a small shoulder bag. Brad, somehow, managed to load all the other suitcases and bags under his arms and in his hands and to carry them all in at one time. I wasn't surprised, of course. He could do it easily and effortlessly. He wasn't showing off or anything. That wasn't in Brad's nature. He did it only because he could and because it saved him a second trip.
I knew better than to try to take some of the cases from him. Instead, I held open the doors for him and let him pass through and into the house. Of course, he paused long enough to give me a quick kiss and a smile as he passed before continuing inside and down the stairs to the basement guestroom. I met him at the top of the stairs a few moments later when he came bounding back up the steps, taking them two at a time, his green eyes and chipped-tooth grin sparkling at me. I pulled him into my arms. There was a need inside me to hold him, to feel his body against mine, and to smell and to taste him.
I held onto him, pulling him close and burying my face in his neck. Brad's crotch pushed against my own and I could feel it stirring with a magnificent warmth which flowed right into me. My fingers dug into his solid back. Brad let me kiss him, but not for very long. He twisted his mouth away from mine and breathed into my face as he whispered, "I'm sweaty and stinky, Ted. Let me go grab a shower."
"You smell wonderful, Tiger," I told him, "but if you really want a shower, I'll go with you."
"Do you think that's wise?" he asked quietly as his sparkling green eyes looked deeply into mine.
"Probably not,"I replied, "but I think I'll regret it if I don't." I hugged him then, pulling him as close to me as possible and whispering softly into his ear. My words were only for him. "I need to be naked with you again before you go."
There was a momentary pause and then I felt Brad's nodding head brushing against my cheek. We separated and walked to our bedroom to undress and to wait until Lindsay was finished in the bathroom. We sat naked on the side of the bed, my right arm around Brad's back and his left arm around my back. His body pressed against my side and his head rested on my shoulder as my cheek nestled against his hair which was still moist from the afternoon's perspiration. Our free hands held each other in our laps.
We sat in silence until I noticed it. "Brad?" I asked softly. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"
Brad breathed in deeply and held the breath before letting it escape in short, jagged puffs. I could hear him swallow before he spoke. "I'm just excited and nervous." And then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "And just a little bit scared."
I moved away from him so I could look at him. He was looking away from me, staring down at the floor. I released his hand and raised mine to his chin, my fingers lifting his head from my shoulder and turning it to face me. I had thought that he might be joking, but when I looked into his eyes, I could see that he wasn't. "What are you afraid of?"
Brad swallowed once more and sucked in another deep breath. "You. . ." he responded. "Me. . . Us."
I tried to make some sense of his words and couldn't. I could understand him being nervous and excited - I was, too - but I couldn't understand why he would be frightened. "I'm sorry, Brad," I told him. "I'm not sure what you mean."
It seemed a lifetime before Brad spoke again. "You've been married before, Ted. This is a rerun for you. This is a first-run episode for me, and I'm scared to death that I'm going to screw it up."
I finally understood his fears and pulled him closer to me, smiling and chuckling lightly. "Relax, Brad. I've never been to a wedding where someone didn't screw up," I assured him. "Don't worry about it."
Brad pulled away from me and my smile and chuckle disappeared when I saw seriousness in his face. He stared into my eyes as he spoke. "I'm not talking about the wedding, Ted. I'm talking about afterwards. You already know how to be married. I don't. In less than forty-eight hours, I'm going to become your husband and I'm going to become a stepfather to the kids all at the same time. This family and this house will be as much my responsibility as it is yours, and it's suddenly beginning to scare the shit out of me."
I remained silent for a few moments waiting to see if Brad had more to add. His eyes told me that he didn't. It was my turn to speak.
"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" I asked stupidly.
Brad bolted upright and grabbed my hand in his. "No, Ted!" he said earnestly. "Gee-sus Murphy, no! Nothing could keep me from marrying you. I'm just not sure how to be married."
I relaxed and placed my free hand over Brad's and squeezed it assuringly as I smiled at him. "You've been doing it since you moved in here, Tiger. Just keep on doing what you've been doing and you'll be fine."
Brad stared at me, his lovely green eyes flitting back and forth as he looked into mine. "I want so much for everything to be perfect, Ted," he said. "I want so much for this to work."
"It will, Brad. It has to, because I want it just as much as you do."
We hugged each other then, our arms holding the other tightly. I could have stayed like that forever, but ‘forever' lasted only about twelve and one-half seconds.
"Daddy!" Two excited, wide awake little boy voices rang out as four thumping feet pounded their way down the hall toward our bedroom. Brad was just reaching for our bathrobes when the door flew open and the twins came running inside and headed right for us.
Brad snapped up our robes, tossing one into my lap and the other over himself as I stopped the boys in their tracks.
"Hey!" I yelled. "You know the rule!"
I thought Jeremy was going to start crying as his brother replied, "Sorry, Daddy. We forgot."
"We don't want to miss the ‘hearsal, Daddy," Jeremy added, his voice quivering with anxiety and a hint of apprehension.
I held my hands over the bathrobe lying in my lap as I said, "I promise you won't miss the rehearsal. Now, go back out into the hall, close the door behind you, and try it again the right way, okay?"
Without another word, they turned and walked back out the door, pulling it closed behind them as Brad and I put on our bathrobes. A moment later, a soft knock sounded on the door.
"Just a minute!" Brad called out as we tied the belts around our waists and sat back down on the bed. When we were ready, he added, "Okay, you can come in now!"
The doorknob turned and the door opened slowly and only far enough to allow Justin to peek around it. "Can we come in, Daddy?" he asked meekly.
"Yes, you may come in now."
The door opened and the boys entered. They approached slowly, walking hand-in-hand, and stopped before us. "Are you mad at us?" Justin asked me. Jeremy was looking up into Brad's face.
"No, my Sonskyns," I replied with a smile. "We're not mad."
Both Brad and I held out my hands and Justin scrambled eagerly into my lap as Jeremy joined Brad. I hugged Justin to me and said softly, "Just try to remember the rule, okay?"
"We will," they said.
In the end, Brad and I shared our shower with the boys. I had tried to get them into their own bathtub, but they wanted nothing of it, especially since Brad was going to be away for a few days. I would have preferred otherwise, of course, but sometimes sacrifices must be made when it comes to children. I was extremely disappointed that Brad and I would not be alone but, as it turned out, Jeremy made me feel glad that they had joined us.
We had washed the boys first, scrubbing them down and giving them a good shampooing, before giving ourselves a quick scrub-down. We were each holding a twin in one arm as we washed our hair with our free hand. The boys helped us. As Justin scrubbed his fingers through my hair, Jeremy was doing the same for Brad. And then Jeremy stopped, smiled at Brad, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
That was nice to see, but it is what Jeremy said afterward that was so memorable: "When you marry Daddy, will you be our Daddy, too?"
Brad looked at me. I could see the desperation in his green eyes. He wanted me to answer the question for him, but I just nodded slightly at him, my own eyes telling him that the ball was in his court. He looked back at Jeremy, who sat there in his arm, waiting patiently for Brad's response, his index finger hooked over his bottom teeth.
Brad sucked in a deep breath. "Not really, Jeremy," he said with a smile. "I'll be your stepfather."
"What's that?" Jeremy asked.
"Sort of a pretend father."
Jeremy thought about that as he rubbed his hooked finger over his bottom teeth, then extracted his finger and said, "When Daddy ‘dopted us, he was our real Daddy. Can I ‘dopt you?"
Brad stared at Jeremy. His mouth opened as if he were going to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he swallowed deeply and tried again. He found his voice this time. "Jeremy," he said, "do you want me to be your real Daddy, too?"
Jeremy hooked his finger over his teeth once more as he looked at Brad. His head bobbed up and down in response.
"Me, too," Justin added.
A large, proud, happy, chipped-tooth smile spread across Brad's face as he hugged Jeremy close to him. He lost his voice again, but his hugs and kisses to both the boys told them everything they wanted to know.
* * * * *
The wedding rehearsal went surprisingly well. Nathan was there, taking notes and helping to coordinate everything. He had promised to make sure everything would run smoothly on Saturday afternoon. As I said earlier, we owed Nathan big time for this.
I insisted that Warren remain seated throughout, at least for the rehearsal. He acquiesced rather reluctantly, but he was certain to make it very clear to me at which point in the ceremony he would be rising to his feet to stand beside me. He had been working up to this since his operation and he would not be denied.
Everyone else involved settled into the rehearsal and took to their roles with whole-hearted enthusiasm. The twins, however, were a bit disappointed that Brad and I weren't married at the end of the evening and they couldn't ‘dopt Brad. They still hadn't quite figured out what a rehearsal was.
Dad took everyone involved to his favourite British pub in Ajax which, he claimed, "serves the best and most authentic British food in the Golden Horseshoe. Even Warren and Bill came with us. It had already been decided that they would be staying at my place until the wedding. Besides, it was easier for them to drive to my place than it was for them to drive across the city to Mississauga. They would sleep in our bedroom and I would sleep with the twins. Brad, of course, would not be sleeping in the house with us.
I'm guessing it was the excitement and curiosity and anticipation of the rehearsal which kept the twins awake but, when it was all finished and we were enjoying our ‘authentic' fish and chips, the boys began to flag. Before long, Justin abandoned his dinner, crawled into my lap, and made himself comfortable against my chest. Moments later, Jeremy was similarly ensconced on Brad's lap. Moments after that, they were both sound asleep. I can't blame them. It was after nine o'clock.
It was an unusually quiet ride home. Lindsay rode home with her grandparents who had all gone to Toronto together in one car, leaving Brad and I to ride home with the sleeping twins. Brad held my hand all the way home, squeezing it to display his thoughts and emotions instead of using words.
His original intention was to go directly to his parents' home when we got back to my place, but his plans changed slightly when he came in to help me put the boys to bed. We worked in silence - side-by-side - undressing them and getting them into their pyjamas and taking them to the bathroom for their final pee of the day.
By the time Justin and Jeremy were suitably loved and tucked into their bed, Mom had tea and cakes waiting for us, so Brad stayed for an evening snack. Mom and Dad and John and Bernice had their tea in the kitchen with Lindsay, leaving me and Brad to keep Bill and Warren company.
"It's going to be so perfect, Teddy," Warren said excitedly. "I'm looking forward to your wedding more than I looked forward to my own."
"Hey!" Bill objected lightheartedly.
Warren was quick to comfort his husband: "Only because I was like a zombie for the final two weeks, Hun. With Teddy, I can sit back and watch and see what a real wedding looks like." He gave Bill a quick kiss on the lips, then sat there smiling coquettishly and batting his eyelids.
I had seen Warren vamp it up before and I grinned to myself, but Brad burst out laughing until his eyes glistened with tears. It wasn't long before the rest of us had joined him. With all of the seriousness and excitement of the day, as well as the loneliness I was already feeling from being away from Brad, it felt good to just let loose and laugh for a few minutes.
Now, Warren would never admit it, but I could see that he was working his ass off for me. I was concerned that he was overdoing it for himself, but he was equally concerned about me and did everything he could to keep my mind grounded in the present and not allowing me to dwell upon the days to come. He was a talker, to be sure, and that night he took the bit and we had no choice but to drop the reins and give him his head. Even when I took a few minutes to tuck Lindsay into bed, Warren kept Brad entertained.
Lindsay was still bouncing with excitement and I did my best to try to calm her down, sitting on her bed with her sitting in my lap as I wrapped my arms around her and rocked her gently and tried to sooth her by speaking softly and gently. "You really did well tonight, Sweetheart."
"Thank you, Daddy," she replied as she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me as far as she could reach.
"I can't wait to see you on Saturday," I added. "You're going to be the prettiest girl in the whole world."
"Aw, Daddy," she said shyly as she hugged me.
"It's true, Sweetheart. You're becoming quite the young lady." I hugged her gently and nuzzled my cheek against her hair.
She was silent for a few very long moments, and then she said softly, "I wish I was like Peter Pan. I wouldn't grow up and you could hold me like this forever."
"You'll never get too big for me to hold, Sweetheart." I hugged her again and kissed her hair. I cuddled her in silence for a short while before asking, "Lindsay, are you still happy living here?"
She looked up at me, obviously confused at my question. "Sure I am, Daddy. Why shouldn't I be happy?"
"Well, when I bought this house, it was for you and me, so you could have your own bedroom and a back yard and we wouldn't be stumbling all over each other like we did in my old apartment. Then I met Brad and he moved in with me, and then I adopted Justin and Jeremy, and now Brad and I are getting married in two days. I thought you might be unhappy that you had to share me with so many other people."
Lindsay fell silent as she thought about what I'd said. This was one of those moments when she should have tapped her lip with her finger, but she didn't. Instead, she simply remained silent as she contemplated her response. "They have to share you with me, too, Daddy. It all works out." And with that she settled against my shoulder once more bringing the conversation to an abrupt and final end.
I remained with Lindsay until she fell asleep in my arms, then I gently placed her in her bed, tucked her in, and kissed her goodnight.
* * * * *
"I thought you fell asleep in there, Teddy," Warren exclaimed when I returned to the livingroom.
I took my place on the sofa beside Brad. Warren and Bill still shared the loveseat and the parents were still out in the kitchen. "No. Just sitting with Lindsay. She's growing up, Warren. There's not going to be too many more nights when she'll want her old dad to sit with her until she falls asleep."
Brad grabbed my hand and squeezed it in compassionate understanding.
"She still has a few more nights in her for that, my friend," Bill said encouragingly. "Just don't waste them."
Not long after that, Bill and Warren excused themselves and prepared for bed. Bill had to drive to Toronto in the morning for work and Warren was feeling a little tired after the excitement of the rehearsal and he had a few more exciting days ahead of him.
"Don't worry about me, mon chèr," Warren said as he hugged me ‘goodnight'. "I know my limits. I won't go over them."
"See that you don't," I warned him in a whisper. "You're too important to me, Warren."
Warren hugged me just a little bit harder and whispered back, "As you are to me, Teddy."
* * * * *
"Gee-sus, Murphy, Ted," Brad said quietly. "Can you believe this heat?"
John and Bernice had returned home and my parents were preparing themselves for retiring and Brad and I were standing outside on our front step trying to say ‘goodnight' to each other. We were both very reluctant to say it and to go to sleep in separate beds.
Brad was right about the heat wave, though. It was becoming extremely oppressive and uncomfortable, and there seemed to be no end for it in sight. There wasn't even a lake breeze to at least get the air moving.
I grabbed him by the hand and said, "Come with me."
Brad followed me across the lawn toward his parents' home, then between our two houses and into the back yard. I led him to the stone wall dividing our properties and sat down beside each other. I put my left arm around Brad's back and pulled him to me. His right arm slipped around my own back as he settled against me, resting his head against my shoulder. I tilted my head slightly, pressing my cheek against Brad's hair.
We sat there in silence, each with our own thoughts. Mine were of an evening just over a year ago when I sat in this very spot and watched a scene through a bedroom window which would change my life forever.
When I was seven years old, Mom and Dad took me to South Africa to meet my Ouma and Oupa de Villiers for the very first time. I had seen photos and home movies of them, and had spoken to them on the phone, but I had never met them. They had come to Canada not long after I was born, but I don't think that counts for much. I wasn't even a year old. It didn't seem to make sense that we travel all the way to South Africa until I'd be able to understand what was going on and, perchance, to remember part of it.. Not only was it the first time I met them, it was also my first on an airplane and my first time out of Canada. Ouma and Oupa understood English but couldn't speak it very well. I could understand Afrikaans, but I couldn't speak it. With Dad helping out in emergencies, it worked out quite well, actually. That had happened over twenty years ago, but I still remember the entire episode as if it had happened yesterday.
Another thing I remember clearly is Lindsay's birth. I was there for every moment of it. I can remember being shocked at how ugly she was. Believe me, when they first come out, babies are not so nice to look at. But then the nurse began to clean her up and it was like leaning away centuries of dirt and grime from a piece of art and discovering a da Vinci beneath all the crap. I watched closely as the most beautiful little princess in the entire world was slowly revealed. I hope I never, ever forget that day.
Watching Brad that night just over a year ago is something else I hope I never, ever forget. I can play that scene in my mind's eye simply by thinking about it. Every moment appears as vivid and realistic as if I were watching it again in real life - just as it was doing as I sat there on the wall holding Brad in my arms.
I lost myself in that memory and everything else faded away. I no longer felt the heat of the night, nor did I see anything other than that image in my mind. In the entire world, there was only Brad on the other side of that bedroom window making love to himself.
Brad said so quietly that I couldn't understand him, but his voice intruded into my dream and returned me to reality. I lifted my cheek from his hair and turned my head to look at him. "I'm sorry, Brad," I said softly, "I didn't hear what you said."
Brad lifted his head from my shoulder and looked at me. "I said ‘full circle'. We've come full circle, haven't we, Pops? I mean, we're right back here where it all began, aren't we?"
I smiled at him, hoping he could see it in the darkness. "I was just thinking the same thing, Tiger."
Brad settled his cheek against my shoulder once more. "A thunderstorm and a cigarette, and here we are."
My cheek returned to Brad's hair again and I hugged him a little closer. My right hand reached out for Brad's left hand. I grasped it and our hands came to rest in his lap. Brad sighed and nuzzled into me. I kissed his hair and then we simply sat there for a long time doing nothing except enjoying each other.
The sounds of the city were deadened by the fierce humidity and the hazy smog shaded the city lights. Brad and I were alone in our own little universe in our back yard. Out there somewhere was the rest of the world, but, at that moment, there was only me and Brad.
After a time, Brad sighed once again and said gently, "If this is all we do for the rest of our lives, I'll be happy."
I have to admit that I, too, would be happy if that was all we did for the rest of our lives.
* * * * *
Brad stopped kissing me long enough to look into my eyes and to say, "I'm going to miss you so much, Ted."
"It's only for a day," I reminded him.
"That's one day too many." His hands moved to my upper arms as he kissed me again. Finally, he drew away from me entirely and said, "I love you, Ted de Villiers."
"And I love you, too, Bradley Hayes."
"I'll be dreaming of you tonight."
"I'm sure I'll be dreaming of you, too."
We fell silent then, standing there on the front step of our house, just staring into each other's eyes and reluctant to stop. But we had to. We could easily spend the next day and a half just saying goodbye to each other.
"I'd better go," Brad said finally.
I managed a saddened smile. "Okay."
Brad managed a smile of his own, but it was forced and his chipped tooth remained hidden behind tight lips. "See you Saturday?"
"You bet," I replied.
Brad's lips closed and the smile disappeared. Even in the darkness, I could see the moisture in his eyes and I was certain he could see the moisture in mine. Still, he didn't move, and neither did I. Finally, he opened his mouth once more to speak. "I. . . um. . ." He paused for a very long moment. "Goodnight, Pops," he said, his voice filled with hesitation.
"Goodnight, Tiger," I replied, trying to keep my own voice as cheerful as possible, but I failed miserably.
With one quick and final kiss, Brad turned and hurried across the yards and to the front door of his parents' house. His hands rose to his face to wipe at his eyes. Without a look behind him, he reached the door, turned the knob and pushed, then stepped inside, leaving me standing outside all by myself.
To Be Continued
). ^^ 
, Neil!
