Date: Sun, 5 Dec 2004 20:29:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Mickey S <njmcmick@yahoo.com>
Subject: Billy and Danny II, Ch. 36

This is a story of love between two young men. If you are under age, or
live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is
illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The story
began in 1969. While the characters and their story are completely
fictional, it is set at places that are real and is told against a backdrop
of some real events. This was a time when all sex was safe. It isn't now,
so please respect yourself and others enough to always play safe.

I would like to thank all of those who have written to me with comments,
suggestions and encouragement, especially my fellow writers in the Nifty
Six. The author retains all rights.  No reproductions are allowed without
the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.

Mark

Things started off slow with Joe and me. Yeah, I know, him coming home with
me the first night might not be thought of as slow to most people, but it
wasn't like we were really just starting. A few years had passed but that
had been a pretty intense romantic and sexual relationship between us that
summer. It was easy to slip right back into it.

What wasn't so easy was working around our schedules. I was going to school
during the day five days a week and working three nights a week at The
Restaurant. Joe was working full-time at St. Vincent's with different days
off each week. So the slow part was that we only saw each other twice a
week. One evening when I wasn't working we'd go out to eat in the Village
and maybe see a movie or go back to his place to make love if his roommates
were out. And Saturday nights he'd meet me after work and come home to
Morristown with me. He rarely had to work Sundays so that gave us almost
twenty-four hours together, plenty of alone time but also lots of time with
the guys and Lucy.

After a month or so of this routine we had a long talk about our new
relationship one night when he'd come home with me. I'd made love to him
and we were cuddling afterwards.

"So, how do you think it's going, Joe?"

"Damn good, Mark. Sometimes your memory can play tricks on you and you
think things were better than they really were, so when you try to
recapture those old times it's disappointing. But this has been better than
ever. I'm not just talking about the sex, either, the wild things that big
schlong of yours does inside me. I'm talking about the rest of you,
too. You were a sweet and loving guy back when we first met. In spite of
what you've been through since then, deep down you haven't changed. You're
beautiful."

"Thanks, babe, you've always been so good for me. They always say that you
can't go home again, so I was worried that it wouldn't be the same for us a
second time around, but I think that so far it's even better. Maybe it's
because we've both grown up a bit."

"Back in that first summer, there was no pressure on us because we both
accepted right from the start that it was a short term thing. I was worried
that we might be feeling some pressure this time because we're both looking
for more but I always feel at ease with you."

"Same here, Joe. I think that, as inconvenient as our schedules are, maybe
it helps that we can only see each other a couple of times a week. That
forces us to take it slow and easy."

"In a few months you'll be graduating from law school. Once you get a
full-time job with a regular schedule we'll be able to see more of each
other. By then, we should be well on our way."

"Yeah. I don't know if I've told you lately, but I love you, Joe."

"It's probably only been a few hours but I love hearing it, Mark. I love
you, too."

A few days later Brad came by to make one of his regular checkups on me. I
knew he came to visit because he genuinely wanted to be around me but I
also knew he was concerned that I was doing okay.

"Are things still going good with you and Joe?"

"Yeah, Brad, very good. I can't believe how lucky I am. For the longest
time I just looked at that summer with Joe as a wonderful memory, but
something that was over. And now he's back in my life and it's better than
ever. It's not often life gives you a second chance and I'm not wasting
it."

"You don't have to tell me about second chances, Mark. I appreciate every
day and every chance I get."

"You keep asking me how I'm doing, Brad, but what about you? You seem
pretty good but are you really doing okay? How's the therapy going?"

"I'm good, cuz, really. Better than I thought I'd be. I still space out now
and then, kinda get lost in the jungle, so to speak. And then there are the
questions that keep running though my head, like why Craig and I lived when
all of the others were killed. The shrink I'm seeing at the VA hospital is
really good, though. I'm glad Mom insisted I go."

"I probably could have used a good shrink a while back but I was fortunate
to have good friends who came to my rescue. It still takes time, though."

"Yeah, it does but every day I feel more like the old me. Lucy and I have
been talking and we've decided it's time to take the next step, to get
started on our life together."

"You mean you've set a date?"

"Yeah, in late July. We've decided to have the ceremony at Church of the
Redeemer here in town and then the reception at the house in Mendham."

"Fantastic! You two belong together. I'm so glad you're getting settled in,
getting used to being back."

"Well, I'll have to admit that as fantastic as it was to be home and see
everyone it was a little awkward at first. Lucy was living with the guys
and the babies. They were all so comfortable and I just didn't seem to
fit. But aside from the slight change in living situation, it was almost
immediately like old times. We're all family, that hasn't changed."

"And you're okay with the kids?"

"That was the most awkward part, the part I thought I'd have the most
trouble with, but those boys are so beautiful and loveable. The first time
I held them I was hooked."

"So it's all good, then. Even so, I thought you and Lucy were going to wait
until the fall."

"We were but we don't want to take Tyler and Jason on our honeymoon so we
have to get married during summer vacation when everybody is home from
school. I want to start working full-time for the firm in the fall so
summer works for that, too."

"I can't wait, Brad. This wedding is something the whole gang of us wants,
something we were all afraid would never happen. It's gonna be great."

March 1975

Billy

As awkward as that first dinner with Mama was, it was still a good start. I
knew it wasn't going to be easy getting back to a mother-son relationship
with her, that it would never be anywhere near the same as it once was, but
with a little work, we could build a new relationship. Danny and I pretty
much decided to spend as much time with Mama and Gram as possible to focus
on it. For our next meeting, Mama invited us to dinner at her
place. Fortunately, she and Pop had moved to an apartment in Vailsburg, a
little part of Newark stuck in between East Orange and Irvington. I don't
think either Danny or I would have wanted to go back to the old apartment
in Central Ward. That place had nothing but bad memories for us.

After dinner, Gram started clearing the table and Mama was still going on
about how sorry she was for handling my coming out so badly and how she was
working on it.

"You have to understand my religious background, boys. I believe every word
of the Bible and the Bible says it's wrong. I'm trying to get past that but
it's hard."

"I understand that, Mama, but I'm sure you don't really believe every word
of the Bible. No one could possible live according to every rule laid out
in the Old Testament. Over the years, organized religion has dropped a lot
of the old laws as times have changed."

"I realize that, William, but change doesn't come easy to me. You must
think I'm a silly woman, Danny. I'm sure your parents handled all of this
better than I."

I heard Danny take a sharp intake of breath. He looked down at the table
and was silent for a few seconds.

"I don't think you're silly at all, Mrs. Matthews. And no, my parents
didn't react any better than you. Excuse me, I think I should help Gram
with the dishes."

Danny got up, grabbed a few glasses and went into the kitchen. Mama looked
at me.

"Oh dear, did I say something wrong?"

"You could say that, Mama. Danny's parents haven't spoken to him since that
day you called them and told them about us."

"Oh, I'm sorry, William. I was so angry and agitated that day I didn't know
what I was doing. And of course I blamed it all on Danny."

"Danny's the one you owe an apology to but leave it for another time. Let's
just drop it for now, okay?"

Danny stayed in the kitchen and cleaned up while Gram cleared the rest of
the dishes from the table. Afterward we had coffee in the living room and
talked about less tense subjects. Things were getting better but it was
going to take a while.

That night Danny was in a quiet mood. I made love to him, very low-keyed,
sweet and tender. Afterward I just held him in my arms. This was always my
favorite part of making love, the cuddling and closeness after. Well, one
of my favorite parts. It was as if in the course of our physical coupling
our souls were also united, and that lasted a lot longer than the physical
pleasure.

"How are you handling all of this with Mama, Danny? I know it must be tough
on you, seeing me getting closer to her, with the way things are with your
parents."

"I'm happy for you, Billy, I really am, but you're right, it is hard. I
guess I'm a little jealous."

"You mean you wish it was you, not me?"

"No! No, I didn't mean that at all. I wish it was both of us. I'd never
wish for something good to be taken away from you so I could have it."

"I know, Dan. I wish it was both of us, too. I feel kind of guilty about
the way things have worked out."

"Don't, Billy. If it was only going to be one of us, I'm glad it's
you. What you went through with your parents was so much worse, you should
find some happiness there."

"Yours will come some day, baby. You'll see."

"You give me all the happiness I need, Billy. The rest would be nice, but
as long as I have you, I have everything I need."

Danny fell asleep in my arms a few minutes later. I just held him for a
while before I drifted off, tears running down my cheeks.

Charles

Billy and Danny were pretty preoccupied with Billy's family for a while. I
got to meet them the second time they came over for dinner. I liked his
grandmother a lot but his mother seemed kind of stuffy. She wasn't rude or
anything, she just wasn't very warm or friendly.

I was spending a lot of time with Keith, Lauren and their friends. It was
just so nice to be accepted by a bunch of great kids. They were mostly
paired up in couples but there were a couple of other singles like me so I
didn't feel like the odd man out. Yeah, I was the only gay one and that
made me a little odd, but none of them seemed to care. That in itself was
nice. I was also getting resigned to being single. I began to realize that
it wasn't so much the sex I wanted though; it was the whole teenage dating
thing.

After all, I knew Keith wasn't getting any from Lauren. He didn't say he
was but everyone assumed and he let them think that. But Lauren and her
friends trusted me and confided in me. I guess they thought of me as one of
the girls. So I knew that in spite of what the guys wanted everyone to
think about them getting laid, they were just as frustrated as me. I just
wished I had what they did, someone special in my life, someone I could
spend time with, hold hands with, maybe make out a little with. I wanted
closeness and affection as much as I wanted sex.

I thought at first that being out would help me find someone, that other
gay guys would gravitate toward me. It was just the opposite, though. If
there were any other gay guys in my class, they were all totally in the
closet, which meant that they wouldn't be caught dead talking to me. Guilt
by association, you know.

One Saturday night the guys had their old friends, Tim and Evan, over for
dinner. I'd met them a couple of times and they seemed nice but they were
so much older than all of us I just didn't have much to say to them. I just
ate my food while they talked, mostly about mutual friends and
teaching. After a while, Danny tried to bring me into the conversation by
bringing up my social situation at school. I wasn't thrilled to be talking
about it with other people but I did talk a little.

"I'm beginning to think that I'd probably have a better chance at finding a
boyfriend if I was in the closet. At least then guys wouldn't be afraid to
be seen with me. Being the only one out in the school means I'm the only
one I can date. It's a pretty lonely way to date but at least I can have
sex whenever I want it."

The others laughed but Evan was pretty understanding.

"I'm sure over time more and more kids will be coming out, but that doesn't
help you any now. There's a student in my school who's in a similar
predicament."

"You mean there's a kid who came out in Somerville High, too?"

"He didn't exactly come out, Charles. He's very effeminate and kids have
always put him down for it and assumed he was gay."

"That doesn't mean he is, though."

"You're right, Charles, but I've talked to him. He is gay. He handles the
put-downs from the other kids pretty well. I suppose he's had to deal with
that all his life so he's used to it. He's still a lonely kid, though. I
wish there was more I could do for him than just listen but unfortunately I
can't come out and risk my job."

"Maybe you could introduce him to Charles, Evan. You know you like to play
matchmaker."

"I do not, Tim. You're the one in this family who likes to meddle in
people's lives."

"Okay, I'll butt in then. How about it, Charles? Would you like to meet
him?"

"Well, Tim, I don't know if we'll hit it off that way. I've never really
known anyone effeminate and I'm pretty turned on by butch guys but I'd
really like to talk to another kid who's in the same situation as me. Maybe
we could at least be friends."

"Then I'll talk to him and see what we can arrange. You'll have to be
careful not to let on to him that I'm gay though."

"Don't worry about that, Evan. I'm real good at keeping quiet about Danny
and we're both in the same school. It's becoming second nature to me."


April 1975

Lucy

I was doing my best to get in as much work as I could but I'd pretty much
written off the busy spring season before it began. With two babies to take
care of and a wedding to plan and wanting to spend as much time with Brad
as I could there just wasn't much time for work. Billy and Danny were
great. On the weekends they took charge of the house and the kids from the
minute Danny got home from school on Friday until they left for work Monday
morning. During the week they were pretty good, too. The kids and I usually
took a nap early in the afternoon and then went over to Aunt Connie's when
she got home from school just after four. Danny usually walked to school so
he got home a while after Aunt Connie. He took charge of the babies so Aunt
Connie and I could have some time to ourselves. Billy didn't get in until
nearly five thirty. Usually Charles hung out with his friends after school
until suppertime. Some nights Billy and Danny fixed dinner for us all, some
nights we ate with Aunt Connie. We were really just one big family in two
houses. Brad and I went out to eat a couple of nights a week and he came
over to eat with us a couple times a week as well.

One afternoon I took the boys over to Aunt Connie's as soon as she got in
from school.  Ty was playing with a toy car on the floor and Jason was
being a bit cranky so I was trying to soothe him. The front doorbell rang
and Aunt Connie got up to answer it. I could hear a woman's voice I didn't
recognize.

"Oh hello, we were looking for a Daniel Stephens at the house next door but
no one appears to be home. Do you know if he lives there?"

"Yes, he does. He should be home in a while. If you come back in an hour
I'm sure you'll catch him."

"Actually, we're not even sure he's the one we're looking for. The Daniel
Stephens we want would be 23, average height, slim build and blonde with
green eyes."

"That's sounds like our Danny."

There was a long pause then a man's voice.

"So you think he'll be back soon? We could wait in the car if it's not too
long."

"Just a moment." Aunt Connie closed the door and came back toward me.

"I don't know who they are but since they seem to know what Danny looks
like I suppose they're not Jehovah's Witnesses. Maybe they're the parents
of one of his students. Do you mind if I invite them in to wait?"

"No, go ahead, Aunt Connie. They do seem to know him." She turned back to
the door.

"Why don't you come in and wait? He shouldn't be long."

"Oh, we don't want to impose. Besides, we might miss him if we're over
here."

"Don't worry, you won't miss him. Come on in."

Aunt Connie came back into the living room followed by a well-dressed
middle-aged white couple. The man was about fifty, average build and had
short light brown hair. The woman was petite and had well-coifed blonde
hair. There was something very familiar about them but I couldn't place
them.

Aunt Connie motioned them toward the couch and they sat down. I was about
to introduce myself when Tyler charged across the room and pulled himself
up onto the couch next to the woman. Aunt Connie sat next to me on the love
seat.

"I'm Connie Harris and this is my niece, Lucinda Santos. This is her son,
Jason, and the one climbing all over you is Tyler. Please excuse him."

"He's adorable. Such unusual coloring. His eyes give him an exotic look and
yet he looks familiar in some way." Tyler seemed to take to the woman, but
then he loved most people.

"Yes, he pretty much takes after me but gets his eyes from his father. So
do you know Danny well?"

"We're Phil and Marie Stephens, Danny's parents."

I nearly dropped Jason and was speechless. Of course! It had been years and
I'd only met them once but I should have recognized them. Aunt Connie was a
little more composed than I was but I could hear the tension in her voice.

"What do you want with Danny after all this time?"

They both looked very defensive. Mrs. Stephens finally spoke.

"We're his parents. We don't need a reason to visit our son. I'm sorry but
I don't see what my husband and I want to see Danny about is any of your
business."

I really thought Aunt Connie was going to lose it. She 's one of the most
even-tempered people I've ever known but she's not someone you want to
cross about someone she loves.

"Any of MY business? Do you have any idea how much you hurt Danny? Since
you two turned your back on him over five years ago I have been your son's
mother. I couldn't love Danny and Billy any more if they were my sons. They
are definitely my business."

"Billy?"

"Yes, Billy, Mr. Stephens. You're surprised they're still together? You
wouldn't be if you and your wife had ever really looked at the two of them
and paid attention. Now what do you want with Danny? You're not going to
hurt that boy again, are you? Because if you are I think you should leave
right now."

The couple looked annoyed and on edge.

"Maybe Marie and I had better wait in the car."

I was sitting closest to the kitchen and heard the back door open and
hurriedly tried to cut the tension.

"Why don't we all just calm down for a minute, folks?"

I heard a footstep behind me and turned and saw Danny appear in the
doorway. He froze when he saw who was on the couch. We all froze. It seemed
like forever but it was probably only ten seconds. I got up and started
toward him but he recovered and met me halfway, kissed Jason on the
forehead and me on the cheek, then went over to the couch and took Tyler
away from his mother.

"Hey, Ty, did ya miss me today?" He kissed him and held him against his
chest, rubbing his back lightly. Tyler laid his head on Danny's shoulder
and nuzzled against his neck.

"Hey, Aunt Connie, how's it going?"

He turned and glanced at his parents who were sitting like statues on the
couch.

"Something I can do for you two?"

I couldn't believe how cool Danny was acting. I had half expected him to
fall apart.

"Can we talk to you privately, son?"

"Anything you want to say to me you can say here, Dad. We're all family
here."

The Stephens' looked so uncomfortable. Danny shrugged.

"All right, I guess we can go next door if you want. No need to bother Lucy
and Aunt Connie with this."

I reached for Tyler but Danny waived me away.

"I'll take him, Lucy. You've had him all day. I can hold him and talk at
the same time."

Danny

My legs nearly gave out when I saw my parents sitting there in Aunt
Connie's living room. So many emotions ran through me all at once. First
shock, then joy. I was surprised though that almost immediately the initial
joy was replaced by anger. I thought that the years had drained every bit
of emotion out of me as far as my parents were concerned but all of the
hurt came to the surface. It was all I could do to get myself under
control. I didn't want to explode, especially in front of the boys. I took
a couple of deep breaths and forced myself to act casual.

I know I surprised Lucy and Aunt Connie with my attitude. They probably
both expected me to fall apart. A couple of years ago they wouldn't have
been wrong. It was kind of nice to see that my parents were the most
uncomfortable people in the room. They should have been. I decided to take
Tyler home with me to talk to them.  I had no intention of telling them
that he was my son until after I'd heard what they had to say but I always
felt so grounded when I was holding him or Jason. I figured the
conversation would probably get a little emotional and Tyler would keep me
calm.

I'd come over across the back yard so I took them back the same way. The
front door was locked and I'd left my keys at home so I had no choice. We
walked in silence and I led them through the kitchen. Billy and I usually
hung out with our friends in the sunroom but I thought this called for a
more formal setting so I headed for the living room.

"Why don't you guys have a seat? Can I get you something to drink? Coffee,
tea, maybe something stronger? Scotch on the rocks, isn't it, Dad?"

"That would be good, Dan. Maybe a little sherry for your mother if you have
any."

"No problem. Make yourselves comfortable."

I put Tyler in the playpen and went into the dining room and poured the
drinks, then stopped in the kitchen for some ice for Dad's drink and a Coke
for me. I could probably use something stronger but I wanted to stay in
control of myself. I took a deep breath and went back to face them. After
handing them their drinks I picked up Tyler again and sat in the chair
opposite them and got Tyler comfortable in my lap.

"So what brings you here now after all these years?"

"Oh, Danny, don't be like that. We've missed you so much."

"Really, Mom? Then what were you waiting for? Did you ever think that maybe
I missed you guys too?"

Dad cleared his throat. "Well, Dan, we were pretty upset when you left
home. Finding out about you and Billy that way was quite a shock to us. And
the way you defied us. You'd never spoken to us like that before."

"We were sure you weren't in your right mind, that Billy had some kind of
control over you. We thought maybe he'd gotten you involved in drugs. You
just weren't yourself."

"You never gave Billy a chance, did you? You were always ready to think the
worst of him. I'll admit I didn't handle the situation very well that
day. I wasn't expecting that confrontation and I'd had a traumatic day
already, but I thought I explained myself quite rationally. You just didn't
want to hear it."

"You're right about that. We didn't want to believe that you were really
that way."

"The word is gay, Mom. After all this time you still can't say it?" The
conversation was beginning to depress me already. I just didn't feel up for
this.

"Of course I can, Danny. Please try to understand what we were thinking. At
first we were afraid that Billy was taking advantage of you. Then when
Rutgers notified us that you had cut yourself off from us we started
getting mad at you."

"I didn't cut myself off from you. You pushed me away. But I don't want to
argue about that. It's ancient history. I knew you'd be mad but it was the
only was I could take control of my life and at the same time make you
realize that I was serious, that I loved Billy. You were doing everything
you could to control me, to split Billy and me apart."

"Well, we were angry and we couldn't believe there were any genuine
feelings between you and Billy. We were sure that you'd come to your senses
when you ran out of money. That's why your mother wouldn't turn over your
bank account to you."

"Then you didn't come home when the next semester ended and we were frantic
with worry. As time went on, though, we got angry with you again, this time
not so much for disobeying us. By then we were finally beginning to believe
that you really were gay and we were mad at you for being gay. I know, it
doesn't make sense but that's the way we felt."

"I guess I can understand that a little, Mom, but you couldn't have stayed
mad all these years."

"No, that didn't last long but we kept expecting you to come home. Even if
you were gay we thought your infatuation with Billy couldn't last long. You
two were just so different. We thought you'd realize that you'd be happier
with someone more like yourself. And you had no place to stay and no money
for school so we thought you'd come back to us."

"And you would have welcomed me with open arms and accepted me as gay, with
or without Billy?"

"No, probably not, especially if you were still with Billy. Not at first,
anyway. We weren't ready for that. Your father and I still aren't
completely comfortable with that but we wanted you home. After a year or so
went by we began to realize that we'd lost you."

"Yes, we thought that our strategy had backfired, that you had probably
been forced to drop out of school and had run off somewhere to be around
other gay people, maybe New York or San Francisco."

"We thought that if you did that then even when Billy tired of you or you
realized your mistake that you still wouldn't some back. We thought we'd
lost you forever."

"Billy and I didn't go anywhere. We've been here in Morristown all along,
first over Aunt Connie's garage for a couple of years, then here. You had
my address at Rutgers. You could have tried writing."

"We just assumed there was no way you could have stayed in school. Maybe
you could have supported yourself working full time but then you wouldn't
have been able to stay in school."

"We managed, Mom. It wasn't easy but we did it."

"Obviously, and you've apparently done well. Whose house is this?"

"Well, Lucy, Ty and Jason live here for now, but Billy and I own it. We've
put together a pretty nice family. So how did you find me after all this
time if you thought I'd left the area?"

"We're really not quite sure. We got this letter in the mail yesterday."
Mom handed me an envelope. There was no return address or indication as to
who it came from. Inside on a slip of paper was written my name and
address. That was it. "It seemed very strange but we just had to give it a
try."

"And you have no idea where this came from?"

"No, actually, we thought that maybe you'd sent it, hoping we'd look you
up."

"I don't even know where you live any more, Dad. I'd given up on you when I
found out you'd moved.

"You knew we'd moved? How did you find out?"

"I decided to try to break the ice a couple of years ago and went back,
only to find you gone. I took that to mean you didn't ever want to get back
together."

Mom and Dad looked at each other.

"We didn't mean it that way, Dan. We'd given up on you coming home. Your
grandfather reached a point where he couldn't live on his own so we got a
place where he could live with us. We stayed in the area and kept the same
phone number though, just in case you looked for us."

"So now what?"

"What do you mean, son?"

"I mean, here we are again. I'm still gay and I'm more in love with Billy
than ever. How do you and Mom feel about that now?"

"Like your mother said, we're still not totally comfortable with it but
we're willing to try. We want you back in our lives. We're willing to try
to get to know Billy better if that's what you want."

"Well, if you're going to be a part of my life you don't have much choice
there. Billy is my life. Not my whole life, but he's the center, the heart
of it."

"We'll try, Danny. Your father and I have missed you so much. Now that
we've found you we don't want to lose you again."

Tyler had been content to just quietly cuddle on my lap up until that point
but he started squirming. I pulled him up and kissed him and he giggled.

"Daddy!"

Both of my parents gasped and looked at Tyler.

"What did he just call you, son?"

"You heard him, Dad. It's going to take a long time to catch you up on my
life the past five years but I guess this is as good a place to start as
any."

For the next five minutes I gave them a brief review of our relationship
with Lucy. I tried to explain the closeness Billy and I had always felt
toward her and how that resulted in our becoming parents together. I didn't
go into detail but made it clear the boys were the result of artificial
insemination. They were quiet a couple of minutes after I finished and just
stared at Ty. Finally, Mom spoke up.

"So this one is yours? He's our grandson?"

"Biologically, yes, but I have to make one thing clear. Tyler and Jason are
both mine and they are both Billy's. As far as Billy and I are concerned we
each have two sons and love them both equally. I know you don't care for
Billy and accepting his son as your grandchild might not be easy but that's
the way it is. If you really want to be in my life you're going to have to
work on that because Billy and Jason are a huge part of my life."

"I don't know what to say. I mean, this is all such a surprise. We didn't
expect anything like this but your father and I will try to understand and
accept this, Danny. It may take a while. This is a pretty unusual
situation, after all."

"Yeah, Mom, believe me, I realize that. We know how unusual our family
is. This is a lot for you to absorb all at once but give it time and try to
keep an open mind. I think you'll see what a great life we've got here."

Just then the front door opened and Billy walked in. He stopped in his
tracks in the doorway when he saw who was with me in the living room. He
looked at me with a kind of puzzled expression.

"Papa!" Tyler started struggling to get out of my lap. I set him down on
the floor and he scurried across the room to Billy, who scooped him up in
his arms and hugged and kissed him.

"Billy, you remember my parents, don't you?"

"Yeah, sure. Nice to see you, Mr. Stephens, Mrs. Stephens." He seemed a bit
hesitant.

Billy looked back and forth between me and them a couple of times, then put
Tyler down and walked over to me and started to kiss me on the cheek. I
turned my head and kissed him on the lips, the same way we always did when
he got home from work. He whispered in my ear.

"Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Billy. A little shaken up, but I think it's gonna be all
right."