Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2017 00:25:54 +0000
From: Aj White <lila_is@live.ca>
Subject: Steppin out Book 4 Chapter 14-16

Steppin' Out (Book 4) Perfect Man Copyright 1993-2017
By Lila Mosher

Disclaimer:

This is a series of works of gay erotic fiction. If you are offended by
such material or if you are not allowed access to it under the laws where
you live, please exit now. DO NOT GO PAST HERE! 18+ ONLY!

This work is copyrighted by the author and LBL Services Canada. 1990-2017
and may not be copied or distributed in any form without the written
permission of the author, who may be contacted at: lila_is@live.ca
*I've had my work stolen before and I WILL contact my lawyer who will
contact ANYONE who takes my material!~

Any and all celebrities mentioned in this story have no affiliation to this
piece of writing and I make no claim to their person as my own. They are
used to enhance the writing this is ALL. All mentioned places and people
are factious and any bearing resemblance to anyone person or place is
purley coincidental

To see currently see my stories in full please go to:
https://www.fictionpress.com/u/1001137/

Want to comment? have suggestions? Heck I'm all for Fan feed back :)
drop me a line at lila_is@live.ca or post a review at the FictionPress
link above for ALL my written works.


********************************
OK so it's been a few ywars...
I think a little background recap for this story is REALLY NEEDED.
If you want to refresh yourself you can check the stories ALL
out at the link above.

Sam is the Twin brother of Dante Ericson
Sam out of the two is the more "agressive"
of these two twins yet he's a hair/estetics
master LOL go figure  yes he loves beauty
but he can be a hardass as well, this story
shows more of his soft side. ;)

I hope my fans enjoy this 4th selection to my series, It's taken a LONG time
to get here. Life decided to kick me while I was down and that battle was more
important than writting at the time. BUT I WON! So I'm back.

Hope you enjoyed
Sylvia Alice White/Lila Mosher (Pen name)


Chapter 14 – Overload
****************************

The rest of the week was going fantastic and much to Sam's surprise calls
came into the shop like crazy for about a day straight and he couldn't
quite understand why. Some were coming in as far as Kearney.

Xavier joshed with him saying it was all the star attention they would be
getting from Ellen's visit and he wasn't that far from the truth. That
evening once the shop was closed and everyone was settled, Sam and Xavier
sat with Sam's mom watching Television. Devon was sleeping soundly and it
was a nice quiet night for a change when Sam spotted Ellen on the talk show
they were currently watching.

"Mom! THAT'S Ellen Page!" He said pointing to the TV and she nodded.

"What a pretty gal. She's the one who visited your shop?" Michelle was
pleased to see the lady on the TV and nodded. She was happy to see the work
done to the lady's hair and said as much, "Whoever cut it did an amazing
job."

Sam and Xavier nodded; Darien did do a fantastic job. Sam hauled out his
cell phone and started recording the TV. He wanted to show Darien and
that's when she mentioned the shop!

"Oh yeah. I had it done in Curre at this new salon called Roomoorz when I
was visiting out there for another interview. It is rather lovely isn't
it?" She responded to her interviewer who had mentioned how lovely her hair
looked. The two young shop owners gasped and then squealed in delight
grabbing onto each other's hands.  Sam stopped the video before they made
fools of themselves.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! She mentioned the shop! NO wonder why we've been
getting swamped with calls!" Sam had to slow down and breathe some. He was
over the moon.  Sam's mom was beaming because then Ellen mentioned her
products as well.

"Well I'll be damned!" She was gushing at the notion as well and more
thrilled when Ellen passed a bar of the Mint Mocha Slam natural bar soap to
the man interviewing her as a gift.  Sam's eyes got wide.

"Mom, oh my fuck mom! You need to get your web site updated! I have to find
the link to this interview you can add it!" Sam was dead serious, both
their sites could have this added and it would undoubtedly bring in more
revenue. This was the first thing he'd work on in the weeks to come and
he'd start this weekend.  Michelle nodded and smiled. Her future ventures
would pay off after all. It was then she got a call and she wandered to the
kitchen to answer the phone.

Sam and Xavier were beside themselves.  Xavier's cell rang.

"Hello." He answered and Sam relaxed against the couch only catching part
of his partner's conversation.

"Yeah I know.  Really now? Uhh, can you call me in the morning? I can let
you know then. Yeah, Sure. Thanks." and he hung up.

"What was that all about?"  Sam asked

"Someone wanting to know when Darien would be working so they could get
their hair cut by him."  Xavier wasn't surprised that there'd be requests
but he didn't think people he had known back in University would be calling
him about their shop employees now.  Especially jocky or preppy assholes he
used to know, like the one who'd just called him. He sighed and resigned
himself to be professional. He just prayed they didn't cause issues by
being assholes.

"Ah, well I assume we will be busy the next few days love. We should go get
some sleep it's getting late." Sam got up and reached down and pulled
Xavier to his feet and kissed him once he got to his level.

"I still find this absolutely mind blowing." He said as they headed
upstairs.  He passed his mom who was still on the phone with a look of
contentment on her face and smiling. He kissed her cheek and said good
night.

Xavier checked in on Devon to make sure he was alright and they both
crawled into bed. "I'll have some major overhauling to the sites to do this
week."

"I'm wondering about how swamped we're going to be come Monday with
appointments."  The two young shop owners curled up and fell asleep
contented in knowing that things looked like they were going to take off.

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

For the next two week prior to Halloween Sam and Xavier were inundated with
calls and ended up with bookings right into the beginning of April. Several
of Ellen's past co-stars even dropped by making the shop even more
popular. Allie was topping the Spa package sales at twelve so far in two
weeks and she was thrilled because that meant the commission would be huge
for her.  Never in their lives did Sam and Xavier imagine their shop would
take off so well. Roomoorz ended up being the talk of the town and they
loved it.  Brice balanced the books off every other night while Jean did it
the opposite of him. Darien and Jonie Opened most mornings and April was
queen of clean in their shop.

All of this made life easier and Xavier was glad for this seeing as the
custody he'd been granted in England was now legal in Canada. The paperwork
came through, and when he'd received the paperwork from England along with
her suicide note; which he still couldn't read the stress of his mothers
passing hit him again. Sam assured him it was OK and they'd deal with
things when the time came.

Devon was flourishing in the new school and the counsellors he'd seen when
he first got to Canada confirmed what Michelle had assessed and that was
Devon did have a learning disability and his comprehension skills weren't
that strong for something's but he was getting better with assistance in
school.  Xavier was pleased with those progress reports and asked him if
he'd like to come with him to pick out a Halloween costume for
himself. Devon was over the moon on that concept and Sam was glad to see
that things were getting better between the two siblings.  Being a parent
to a child who wasn't his wasn't easy but Devon made it easy to adore him.

Sam worked on the web sites for both his mothers and his own site when his
phone rang.

"Hey." He answered, knowing his brother was on the other line.

"Hi." Dante said "How's everything there? I saw you guys were mentioned on
TV."  Sam could hear him fiddling with something in the background.

"Yep. Ellen Page stopped by and apparently loved our shop so much she
plugged us on TV. Xav and I almost lost it we were so excited." Sam tapped
out on the keys adjusting the video window to the second video he had made
of the shop. It wasn't fancy but it worked. "All we need now is for Aikrii
to stop by and I'll have it made." Sam chuckled at the notion knowing full
well if he asked Aikrii would pop in and plug their shop too. He heard
Dante Chuckle.

"So what's up on your end?" He asked Dante.

"Well Jump Street is also taking off as you know and Jen is doing a great
job running the first one and we're opening a third here in the Trenton
area.  Selina will be running the second one here in Kearney."

Sam was pleased that his adopted niece was fitting in so well. "Xavier just
got custody of Devon. Paper work came in yesterday. He still hasn't read
the letter his mom left. I'm not too sure how he's going to handle it but I
still worry about how I can help." He heard Dante murmur and told his
brother the only thing he could.

"Remember what mom says. Learn to listen to assist not to respond. You know
you can't fix what's already broken; so just be there for the support he
needs and ask him what he wants you to do. Remember mom did that for us
when dad died." Sam nodded his head even though he knew his brother
couldn't see him. He was right.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to remember that. So are you coming down for
Christmas? Mom's been acting weird and I'm a bit worried. I think she
misses you." Sam wasn't sure just what was up with his mom but he figured
his brother should know.  "No idea what's going on with her but if I find
out I'll let you know. As for Christmas you and Sam and his family along
with mom are invited here for a huge Christmas party Aikrii and Kevin are
having."

"Oh that will be awesome. I don't think mom has even been out of Curre in
years so this will be great for her. I'll let Xavier know. Maybe he can
call Kolten and let him know along with his sis and dad." Sam wrote the
info down and told him he'd call Aikrii to confirm the times and
dates. Their conversation didn't last much longer other than touching up on
community stuff and Sam signed off.

Twenty minutes after his call with his brother and some minor adjustments
on his web site for the shop Xavier and Devon come rolling into the
house. Sam could hear them downstairs. He closed out the site after saving
his work and shut down the computer and wandered downstairs to see what
Devon got for Halloween.

He walked into the kitchen as Xavier put bags on the counter. Sam reached
over and pulled Xavier to his side and kissed him.

"How was your shopping excursion?" He asked him as he let him go.

"Mind boggling. I never in my life realized how many different costumes a
kid could want for Halloween." He said as he watched Devon pull the outfit
he had finally settled on out of the bag and dance around to show Sam.

"Look! Look!" He said as he lifted as high as he could while jumping up and
down. Sam laughed and got to Devon's level and reached for his hand
effectively making him stop jumping.

"Hold still there little man I can't look if you're bouncing around like a
little roo." Devon giggled and turned the outfit around and Sam had to
approve. He had chosen the kids version of Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Well this is very fitting; you have the accent to go with it too!" He
ruffled Devon's hair and chuckled. This was going to be fun to see done and
he know Allie at the shop was a wiz with makeup so he'd ask her to do his
face, he figured he best ask Xavier first though.

"How about Allie does his makeup for the costume?" he asked.

"You know I was thinking the same thing!" he looked at his brother and was
pleased he was so happy.

"I think this is going to be an awesome Halloween. We don't get to go party
but it's still going to be great because we're together this year." Xavier
was reminiscing but that was always a good thing. Sam stands as he watches
Devon mimic the character he planned on being for Halloween.

"This is indeed a new feeling but I'm glad I'm with you hunny." Sam kisses
him again and smiles as he slips his arm around his waist as they both
relax watching Devon act silly.

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

Halloween came and went with a flurry of activity and fun. Devon made a
killing and because he was so hyped about it in a new city he spent more
time out and about that Sam or Xavier had even fathomed and ended up
walking back three blocks to the car with a mighty tired little boy who was
over the moon and still talking a mile a minute. They walked side by side
and smiled. This was the only place either of them wanted to be.

Entering the house after they got back Michelle was beaming with all the
excited children who had visited their home. She watched as Devon dumped
the whole bag of goodies on the floor in the kitchen and show his `Nan'
what he got. She sat with him and looked through everything and warned him
about how some people in the city weren't all nice and did mean things to
little kids candies.  He was surprised to learn this but was diligent to
toss out any package he saw that was opened, even though he was
disappointed. Michelle told him any candy left over from their home she'd
give to him for being a good sport.  This pleased him.

"I ain't never had dis much fun back home." He said giggling and leaning
against Michelle. This made Xavier appreciate everything he now had and
remind him of what he left behind. Those reminders still hurt but he was
still pleased with all the good he found with his boyfriend, his partner's
mother and his little brother.  Smiling he went to the bathroom and then to
their room. He was beat and needed to relax. He slid into the plaid pair of
pajama pants Sam had gotten him a few months ago and looked for a
t-shirt. Sam wandered in and shut the door.

"I saw you smiling and looking so happy.  You made me feel nostalgic just
watching you." He walked to Xavier and wrapped his arms around his bare
midriff and looked him in the eyes. "So what has you in such a visibly good
mood?" He asked him as he kissed his forehead.

"Thankfulness." Xavier said as he rested his head against Sam's shoulder.

"So you're thankful for...?" Sam trailed off. He wasn't too sure what
Xavier was referring to but it was nice to know he was in a great mood.

"Everything. You, my brother, your mom." He leaned back and looked up at
Sam "Our shop. Everything. It's better than I ever expected it to be. If
you'd have asked me five years ago where I thought I'd be I would have said
fighting with my mom to take Devon." He sighed and smiled again as Sam just
hugged him tighter.

"Well I got to admit I'm damn happy to be part of your happiness and
thankfulness." He kissed him soundly after that and made Xavier moan in
contentment. He pulled away.

"Where is Dev?" he asked because he was inclined to play and he needed to
know.

"Mom has him and he's helping her with candy distribution." Sam winked
because he knew where Xavier's mind was wandering.  He grabbed his hand and
pulled him along to the shower. They were going to end their Halloween off
with their own fireworks.

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

The note from his teacher two weeks after Halloween was over is what made
Xavier pull out the letter his mom had left behind. He hadn't wanted to
read it. He didn't think it was fair to have his mother destroy their
happiness over and over again but Devon's teacher had written her concerns
and had stated Devon felt there wasn't any closure because she never said
goodbye. Xavier wasn't sure what the letter had contained but he was hoping
it would give Devon some answers. He just needed to check it over. Problem
is he didn't want Sam to bear the brunt of what would follow so he felt
torn.

He knew Sam would be at the shop for at least two more hours and Devon was
at a friend's house playing right now so he had to bite the bullet so to
speak. He called his father.

"Hey pops." He said sighing. "Sorry for calling so late."

"It's all right me boy. What's the gossip in yer neck of the woods?" His
father was always a great man and did so much for his kids.

"The police sent back the letter from mom when she passed back in
September. I've had it for a bit. I didn't want to read it but Devon's
having some issues in school and his teachers are concerned. I don't know
what to do and I don't want to dump this all on Sam even though I know he'd
be supportive. I thought I'd call you and pick your brain first." He sighed
and waited to see what his dad said.

"What's the deal with the wee one?" His father was a bit concerned.

"Devon hasn't closure." Xavier said. "He's still mighty pissed mom didn't
at least say goodbye. I'm not sure if the letter has anything like that in
it, but knowing mom it won't." He heard his dad shift in his favorite arm
chair and sigh deeply.

"Xavier I have to tell you, your mum wasn't always sixes and sevens.  She
did hae a wonderful side before that damn cack with her brain started with
all the gobshite."  Xavier did remember the wonderful times.  Times before
his parents split and how happy she'd been.  He never understood what
happened to her to make her change.

"Read the letter boy. Ya never know what she had rattlin in her brain if ya
don't. If it's bein' closure ya need dat is da only way ye be gettin' it."
His father seemed to know and remember his mom better than he did. "I'll
stay on the phone if ya want me to."

"Ok." Xavier was glad he was at least on the other end of the line.  He
opened the envelope and saw the lilac colored paper his mom used
frequently. He could smell her perfume she loved. He took a deep breath,
assaulted not by just the scent but by memories of so much hurt. "I don't
know if I can do this pop." He said into the phone as he hesitated.

"Boy, you got another youngin' to be tendin to. It's not all just about you
ya know." Again his dad was correct and he ploughed forward. He opened the
letter and saw it was several pages. He never assumed she even thought
about enough things to even bother writing so much.  The first page of the
letter was written to him directly. He thumbed through the pages and
noticed there was one page for each of them.  "Oh." He said out loud.

"What boy?" His dad asked.

"She wrote to all of us. Do you want me to read them all or just the ones
she sent us and send Catherine's to her?" He didn't want to invade on
Catherine's stuff. It didn't feel proper to him.

"Son. Read them all." His father seemed determined to get this over with
and encouraged him to move forward.

Xavier,

     this is the first day of clarity I've had in about nine or ten years.
The first words I wanted to say to you when I realized who I had turned
into was sorry. I know you won't believe it but I truly am.

I think it's necessary to explain how it has been on my end, not that it
excuses anything but my brain rattles like a million bees trying to push
their way out. Stinging and I get no satisfaction in learning to think for
myself. I only react to the stuff around me. Lashing out was the only way
to slow the progress and the pain. If you've ever taken a misstep trying to
come down the stair and you know you're going to fall... That feeling you
get when you realize you will stumble, the gasping breath and the sinking
feeling. The shiver you get up your spine... That's my day every damn day
but I never manage to fall. Well not till today.

Clarity is a ruinous thing once you envisage all that you've done in your
past. There's no way to expunge what I've inflicted on you and your
siblings or even your father. None of you deserved the anguish I have put
you all through.  Devon is best off in your care since I know you have
someone in your life to help you. This is in my will and clarified to the
best of my abilities. The house is to be divided among all of you as well
as my belongings. Tell Kolten I'm sorry as well, I destroyed him and his
father too and I feel so damn responsible for it all and there's no way to
fix what I destroyed. I feel that the only way to balance the scales is if
I'm not here to burden you all with my infliction. Even though I haven't
said it in a long time, I really am proud of you and I love you.  I pray
life and love give you enough.

Mum.

Xavier sobbed on the phone. This is actually how Sam found him. He'd left
work early worried about Xavier's concerns about Devon's behavior at school
and he went right to him and held him. He let Xavier cry and realized he
had someone on the phone.

"Who's on the phone with you?" He asked him wiping the tears from his eyes.

"Pa is." He said. "Hold on. Pa, I'll call you back ok? Sorry for this." He
sighed and listened. "I love you too. Thanks." He hung up and looked at
Sam.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was going to do. I just didn't want to
burden you with all of this." Sam just pulled him forward and hugged
him. The letter was forgotten in his hand.

"Oh hunny. You're not a burden. Never. I'm here to do what I can." He
pulled Xavier back. "Look just because you're older than I am doesn't mean
you don't need the same kind of support anyone else might need. I'm here to
listen. Trust me I know what you're going through. My brother and I faced
it when our dad died. Just tell me what you need and if I can, I'll help.

Xavier nodded and looked back at the letter. "I need to read this. I have
to get Devon some closure. He needs to know, and from the looks of things
mum actually had her scruples about her before she left us behind. She said
it was justified to make us not have to bear the brunt of her affliction. I
hated what her condition turned her in to. I didn't like the monster she'd
share with us. I still loved my mum, but I feel guilty for not trying to
make her better." He sobbed again as he put his head down. "Her mental
health deteriorated faster than any of them could keep up with. It made for
a tough life for everyone." Sam's hands ran up his shoulders to his chin.

"Sav...Love. There's nothing you could have done to make it any better. I
know you feel bad about not accepting the behavior because of the condition
but you didn't have to. You did your part as best as you could because you
didn't have the tools to do more. You're not a doctor. You were her
son. That's all you needed to be." His hands were cradling his face now and
his dark eyes searched the green ones swimming with tears.  "I'm here to
help. Let me."

Xavier nodded and they sat together and read through all the
letters. Xavier cried, and forgave his mom for all that she'd done. He'd
gotten the closure that Devon had been seeking long before he had even
realized it was there in writing. He knew he owed it to Devon to apologise
to him as well.

"Life could have been easier for him if I hadn't been such a coward."
Xavier said slowly.

"Oh wait now!" Sam wasn't going to let him disparage his own person. "You
are one of the strongest people I know! You are FAR from a coward."

"Some days I sure the hell don't feel very strong." He ran his hand through
his hair and sighed. The letters now folded and back in their envelope.

"You don't have to be strong ALL the time. No one expects that." Sam wanted
to make sure he understood that no one was invincible.

"I expected it of my mum." That guilt was still there and it would take a
long time before it went away. He needed to explain to Devon about the
letters and he only had an inkling on how to do that.

"I need to call Devon's counsellor. I think She can help me with this
better than I can do it on my own." He looked at Sam hoping to get
acceptance on his choice.

"Do what you think is best for both of you." Sam said "I'll be here to help
in any way I can." Sam needed to make him understand he would be there and
accept what choices he made.

Xavier was thankful yet again for having him in his life.


Chapter 15 – Smiling spirits

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

Counsellors, meetings, work, the crazy things we all call life marched
along like time does. Each day leaving a telltale mark somewhere along the
way. Devon strived and grew. Closure was huge deal for them all and it
worked in the long run. His abilities improved with his schooling, he
wasn't the same child he was when he first came home with Xavier. Michelle
could see it as plain as day as she wrapped Christmas gifts she had for her
friends and family.

They had plans to go to Kearney in a few days and they were all looking
forward to it. Sam and Xavier were settling times for the shop to be closed
over the holidays. Michelle was watching Devon play video games on the TV
in the living room since he was off on Christmas break from school and
smiled. She was looking forward to having Selina and Devon meet. Even
though He wasn't really her grandson, he was the closest to one she'd get
for now. Josh and Dante had adopted Selina and in her heart things were
pretty good except for the mess she had to deal with regarding Francis whom
she missed dearly.

He'd gone to Kearney to help his bother at his restaurant and hadn't called
Michelle since he left six weeks ago. She'd resigned to not opening her own
restaurant due to the costs and the red tape she just couldn't hurdle over
at her age. Dreams were grand but sometimes those things changed and she
found something new to occupy her time.

Francis just didn't seem to understand that sometimes things changed and
all he did was battle with her about sticking to the dream she had start
off with. Unfortunate events that had followed through over the past couple
of months just wouldn't allow that to happen. When she stuck to her guns he
walked away that really broke her heart. Sam and Xavier shop had taken off
and her natural products that she created over the last months were
extremely popular. She was making thousands of dollars every month. She
didn't even have to buy a shop. They only cost she had was overhead for her
products to make them. Sometimes a sacrifice came when you least expect it
and end up being a blessing.

"Woo-hoo!" Devon shouted at his game. He was having a blast and Michelle
just chuckled. She finished wrapping up the last gift that she had for
Selina she hoped it was something that she did enjoy. She stopped for a
moment and felt that wonderful presence she always felt in her house this
time the year. She was certain her boy's father was there in spirit. Boy
did she miss him.

"Ring, ring!" The house phone shattered her thoughts. She walked over to
her to answer

"Hello."

"Hello. Is this Michelle?" The very heavy accented male voice asked.

"I am Michelle. May I ask whose calling?" She was a tad bit confused.

"Ay. I'm Heathcliff, Xavier's pa. I was wondering if I can beg a moment of
yer time." He was hesitant to ask but he had info on Devon's extended
family on John's side and he needed to let Xavier know.

"Sure. What can I do for you?" She was smiling as she watched Devon dance
around while playing his game.

"Well Xavier was granted custody of his brub, but he still has kin folk
here who want to see him. I got news today they won't take him away. I
wanted to be sure, but his nanna in Cambridge wants to see him.  Xavier
knows them and I needed to let him know he should allow the visit for the
holidays so as not to stir up a fuss with the kin here. Can you let him
know? Ask him to give me a ring." Michelle was a tad concerned but figured
it was best to agree.

"I can let him know that's not a problem, but shouldn't we ask Devon if
he'd want to go?" She felt he should have a say in these matters. "Would
you like to speak with him?"

"Ay. I would." Heathcliff was happy to have that offered. He loved that kid
like he was his own.

"Devon. Xavier's papa is on the phone and would like to have a word with
you." She reached out the phone to him as he approached.

"Hey." He said into the phone She listened to the one side of the convo she
could hear.

"Really? When?" He was smiling so it looked like the boy was all for the
visit. "Yes. I miss them. Will uncle Peter be there? Oh. Ok. I'll ask
Xavier to ask. Yes I will. Thank you." He was red in the face and dancing
in spot when he got off the phone and passed it back to Michelle. She put
it back to her ear.

"He seems over joyed at the offer. I shall let Xavier know and get him to
get back to you." She was certain Xavier would be glad to know his father
was still keeping tabs back home.

"My sterling thanks to ye." Heathcliff said. "Cheerio" and he rung off.
Michelle hung up the phone.

"I get to go see nanna! I haven't seen her in a few years. It's been ages!"
He was dancing around when Sam walked into the house and smiled. He ruffled
his hair and smiled.

"What's got you so wound up?" He asked him as he took off his snow covered
boots.

"Pappa called Sav. He is askin fer me to visit nanna in Cambridge." He was
excited to share the news with his brother but Xavier's face fell. He
looked at Michelle.

"He called?" Xavier was worried. He didn't want to send him back home
without confirmation he'd get him back.

"Your pa called and asked if he could go visit family. He said they only
want a visit they aren't vying for custody. He thinks it's a wise idea to
allow it. You might want to call to get details." She said. She looked at
Devon who stopped dancing and looked at his brother confusion on his face.

"Can't I go?" He asked. Michelle raised her hand before anyone could
answer.

"I think your brother needs to talk to his pa first, but ultimately I think
it should be your choice." She looked at Xavier giving him that `mom knows
best' look all moms knew how to do.

"Ay, ya wee might. Let me call pa. I'll let you know in a bit." Xavier
pulled off his wet socks and then padded across the kitchen to the steps to
head upstairs. "I'll be back down in a moment."

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

It was about 45 minutes before Xavier returns downstairs to the rest of his
family. He seemed to be in good spirits when he saw Devon, he smiled given
the thumbs up and Devon started to dance all over again. Xavier and spoken
to his father Heathcliff and had gotten confirmation that Devon's
grandmother on his father's side did not want custody at all she just
wanted to visit with her grandson as she hadn't seen for two years.

She was willing to cover the costs for his flight and she was willing to
even sign an agreement to ensure that Xavier felt comfortable enough
sending him as a minor. Xavier agreed. Devon would leave in two days. He
told him as much and told him to go pack his bag. He had to find someone
who would go with him or monitor him at least as he switched flights in
Toronto and this was a huge concern for Xavier.

Sam offered to go with him to Toronto and just fly back home; it would only
be a four hour trip.

"I'll consider it Sam but the problem is I don't want you travelling so
much the day before we leave our own trip." Xavier didn't want to leave the
burden of responsibility on his partner.

"Babe, I offered because I don't mind going if it helps you this is what I
can do."

"We'll see." Xavier left that option open.

"Come on. Let's go see if he needs any help packing a bet you he's pretty
excited." Sam said as he grabbed Xavier's hand and pulled him to the
stairs.

This was going to be a hell of an adventure for Devon and Xavier for one
did not want to ruin it for him with worry. "Okay."

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

Xavier had been hesitant sending Devon off to his family in England but Sam
had taken him as far as Toronto before heading back after the youngster got
on the plane to his destination. Heathcliff said he'd be sure to meet him
once he landed and get him to his nanna's in Cambridge before heading to
meet them in Kearney. Devon was stoked to go and gave Xavier a huge hug and
told him to have fun. He promised his kid brother they'd have a special
Christmas together when he got back.

Gate eight was where Michelle, Sam and Xavier would be showing. Xavier
spotted the tall fella with Kevin, but Xavier noticed that he recognized
Sam first, seeing that his brother Dante lived out here it wasn't a
surprise, they were identical after all. Kevin called out to him and they
waved back. Michelle smiled as she moseyed towards them. Kevin greeted Sam
like he was family.

"Hey, Sam! We're taking everyone over to my place since there's room I hope
you don't mind but Aikrii doesn't have his guest house done yet and he
couldn't rent a mini home in time for the over flow there's going to be
nearly sixty people coming between them and Josh and if you include my
friends and family it's well over one hundred and twenty people. Michelle
was the first to show her shock and amazement. "Wow, such a big deal for
the holidays!"

"We have a lot of friends and with my mom's ties to the hotel industry we
tend to be the toast of the town, the great thing is we have a huge home."
Kevin smiled as Michelle thanked him for his hospitality.

"Well I suppose I should help you grab your bags. We brought the small limo
seeing as there wasn't a ton of people to pick up so I hope you're all
comfortable"

"Oh, Kevin we can get our luggage." Xavier said "No need to strain
yourself."

"Oh it's no problem, I don't mind." Kevin smiled. He scooped up Michelle's
bag and then grabbed Xavier's rolling bag. Sam took his own carry on and
Marco offered to take the other two bags. They were on their way to the
limo.

"Who's your friend Kev?" Xavier asked.

"Oh I'm sorry, how rude of me." Kevin smiled as he looked over at
Marco. "This tall brute with the beautiful accent." he said winking, "is my
boyfriend Marco. Marco, this is Sam Ericson, Xavier York and Michelle;
she's Dante and Sam's mom." He smiled as everyone nodded and grinned.

"A pleasure", he said to Michelle as he took her hand next and laid a kiss
upon her fingers." She giggled like a school girl at his accent. "Oh how
dashing Kevin! He's a keeper!" She chuckled more when he winked at her.

"Don't I know it!" He answered as they finished putting the rest of the
bags in the trunk.

"Ok off to our place. Then I'll take you after you get refreshed to see
Josh and Dante, they should be at Aikrii's by then."

The drive was swift and Michelle, Xavier and Sam chatted in the back while
Kevin sat up front.

"Oh my! This house is absolutely beautiful!" Michelle exclaimed as she
walked through the doors of Kevin Trask's home.

"Thanks, I think Marco and I take pride in how well we manage to keep
things going so smoothly." Marco chuckled as Anita showed to assist
everyone. Her eyes wide.

"Ma'am, take you jacket?" Anita asked Michelle as she held out her hands to
receive the garment which she promptly hung up.

"Where are Sarah and Sophia?" Kevin asked Anita

"I do believe they are readying the last of the rooms sir shall I ring
them?" She bowed and then stood again hands behind her back.

"Oh no that's quite alright. You do what you must, but please make sure
Francis has what he needs for the upcoming meals and he's to come to me
direct if he needs more help I'll gladly pitch in myself if I am needed."
Michelle perked up at the name. She didn't realize he was here and had to
keep her wits about herself.

"I'm sure Francis would be thrilled if you did that sir." Anita said as she
went off to tend to her duties.

"So you cook like your cousin then I take it." Michelle asked Kevin as she
remembered how well Josh could cook when he was living with them

"I can hold my own though I'm sure Francis would kick me out for putting
pepper on macaroni." Kevin was being a wise ass and Marco chuckled at the
comment.

"Gee Kevin. You make the poor bloke sound like he's got a stick up his
ass." Marco made the offhand comment and everyone else giggled.

"Not quite but he's very edgy about who's in his kitchen. I'm sure I
wouldn't last five minutes in there with him, he's a damn good chef
though."

Michelle knew this and was looking forward to seeing him again. She'd love
to see what she could learn from him this time around now that he couldn't
run from her. Kevin showed them their rooms as he knew the rest of his
staff was getting ready to attend to other matters for the three day
festivities.

"We'll be back by in about an hour or so to let you know we're heading over
to Aikrii's." He looked at his watch it was nearing two in the afternoon,
Supper was in three hours, he was already ravenous but food could wait he
had other things to attend to. Kevin got confirmation from Xavier that he
and Sam would be ready and Michelle also said she'd be ready as well. Kevin
headed off.

An hour after all the initial excitement Michelle and her son along with
Xavier were whisked off to Aikrii and Mani's place for the party. She got
to speak with Selina for a bit as well and learned a great deal about her.

Heathcliff and Catherine were overwhelmed with all the people in the home
they had entered. When they had arrived from the airport they had gone to a
home which was called the Trask residence and then they were ushered to
Aikrii's and Mani's after being shown their room at the Trask residence
which was apparently next to Xavier's and Sam's so they were told. The
transition between the two places was fast paced but entertaining.

He was very happy to see his son in good spirits and confirmed that Devon
got off well and Catherine commented on the handsome man her brother was
dating as this was the first time meeting the man he spoke so much about.

 As much as many would look at Heathcliff and assume that his British
background would make him out to be an arrogant ass he was actually one of
the open ones and enjoyed the shocked looks he'd get when he'd mention that
his son was gay, he rather found it amusing really.

"I do say my boy; your extended family is quite large." He said to Xavier
who only laughed and hugged his dad.

"Father they aren't fully fledged family till I marry Sam, but yes I agree
on the massive amounts there seems to be and I hear more and more are being
found daily." He chuckled on that note remembering on the details Josh had
given him on how Selina and he were actually related and the family ties
there was coming about. Sam loved it and Xavier still relished at the
warmth his newly acquired family lavished out to those around them. He was
listening to his sister absently when the words filtered through.

"Well I suggest you hurry up and marry the bloke before someone steals him"
Catherine said to her brother as she hugged him and pecked his cheeks. "You
look dashing as well I might add."

Xavier blushed "Thanks I blame Sam and his brother in law. Jump Street
clothing is the only place I'm permitted to shop at now day. They
apparently have two here in Kearney now or well at least one is in
operation and a new one to open in April in Trenton."

He was still amazed at the vastness of Josh's business and he learned
firsthand how wonderful it was to operate his own business and with him and
Sam running Roomoorz together it was a great experience.

"So how goes business?" His father asked him Xavier knew it would come up
and he answered "Smashing, we can't keep people from booking appointments I
think we're booked till April right now." He grinned as his dad's eyes
widened. "Ellen Page, a local celebrity popped by on our first day opened
and it's been crazy ever since."

"Wow, maybe I should think of investing in you then?" He chuckled as his
son laughed at the concept, but he also knew if his dad made a comment like
this it was bound to happen since his father was after all a
businessman. Sam joined Xavier and hugged his dad and squished his sister
and they all got a good chuckle out of how tall Sam was compared to Xavier.

"Xavier may be tiny but his fiery hair matches his personality when you
poke the right buttons." Sam said and then proceeded to poke Xavier in the
side teasing him lovingly, which got a mocked dirty look. Heathcliff
chuckled at his son's antics with his partner. He was pleased to see the
look of admiration on his son's face towards Sam and knew these two were
going to be OK. The trip out here would prove to be a wise one for
Catherine as well since her eye was caught by something that intrigued her.

She walked over to the wall and looked at the painting. It was a water
color, two young men hand in hand at a lake facing a sunset. It was very
well done too. She'd have to ask the home owner where he got such a
beautiful piece and if he knew the artist. She turned to a young girl who
was close by, smiling.

"Like it?" She said gesturing with her head towards the painting.

"Very much so" She replied to the young girl, who had a young man Catherine
recalled as being named Nye slip up behind her and put his arms around her
waist.

"It's a nice piece; I'd love to meet the artist. They did a bang up job,
and the colors are so vivid." She smiled and Nye chuckled.

"You're talking to the artist now Miss York. Selina here did that painting
last year for Aikrii and Mani for Christmas." Nye was proud to say that and
he beamed as he did.

"You?" She asked the girl amazed that one so young had such an amazing
talent.

"Yes, I did that and a few others. My dad's have one I did for their
wedding called 'Spiritual blessing' and I just did one recently for Nye for
his birthday called 'Wish upon a star and smile' I do them off and on but I
don't paint regularly.

"You should paint a lot. You're obviously very talented." Catherine was
still in awe.

"Mani says the same thing but I have to have a feeling before I can paint
and if there's no feeling it shows in my work so I only paint when the mood
strikes me. I've shown him how to use water colors as he's more use to
acrylics and oils and drawing."

"Are any of his pieces here?" She asked.

"Actually I think Aikrii brought home 'The Sleeping Prince' since he didn't
want it in the studio all Christmas season. He's quite fond of his partners
work" Selina took her to the top of the stairs landing and pointed up to
the wall and sure enough there was 'The Sleeping Prince' painting on its
special nail for when it came home.

Catherine gasped, "Oh my god! That's exquisite!" she walked up the stairs
further seeing if she couldn't get a better look "How much is he looking
for this one?" She asked

"Oh he won't sell it, last I heard someone who had visited his shop when it
was there, offered him well over two hundred and fifty thousand for it and
he turned it down." Selina was happy to know he'd never sell something as
beautiful as that particular painting, it had love in its strokes and well
it would be a shame to let it leave the family. Catherine looked at the
picture and studied it.

"That's Aikrii isn't it?" She asked, she wasn't sure if it was or not but
it did look like him just younger and with longer hair.

"Yes before he got his hair cut. I think Mani started sketching the image
for that picture about a month after they met. I'm not sure how long it
took for him to paint it though. I never asked."

"Well as you can tell I'm one to fall for a beautiful piece of art work. I
think I will be looking into more of yours and Mani's stuff if you're
willing to show me some." She smiled she knew she could make Selina a very
famous young lady in England here's hoping Selina would be willing to
display her work.

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

Michelle watched as everyone gathered around the table in Aikrii's home
with his partner Mani at his side. There was a toast and announcements and
surprises all around.  She felt very blessed. She did notice the shocked
look on Xavier's face when his step brother announced his pairing with an
older gentleman who she was told runs a construction company.  They seemed
very happy together. She wished them well.  All in all the festivities were
amazing. The next evening was a hubbub over her granddaughter purposing to
her boyfriend who said yes. It felt oddly satisfying to see so much love in
these homes. She had it in her own but still felt sort of lonely.

That evening though after the meal at Kevin and Marco's Francis walked by
and passed her a letter. She realized he was making amends for all that had
happened. She read it and realized he understood that sometimes dreams
start but change and no one should push another to stick to one path. She
went to see him before they headed home and spent a lovely evening
together. That night she felt that she'd been blessed even more so and that
the spirits were smiling upon her and her whole family.


Chapter 16. – Plans

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

The return to Curre was as exciting as the visit to Kearney although it was
short lived. Sam and Xavier had some disappointing news with walk door
after the trip. The answering service their mom had on the phone had a
message from the local police department. The night before someone had
vandalized their store and smash the front window. Sam was devastated.

"I guess we should call and find out what to the damages are." Sam said
sighing as he listened to the message for the second time. Xavier felt
deflated. All that work and someone had to go and destroy it.

Sam made the phone call to the local police department and agreed to meet
him at the shop. Jeanie and Brice were already there and had been for the
last few hours.

"Thanks guys, we really appreciate this." Said Sam as he looked around and
surveyed the damage. One of the officers walked over to Sam and passed and
some paper work.

"We already found the young fella who did the damage he's been charged. You
need to fill it all this paperwork and tell us what has been taken or what
is missing. What the damages are. My advice is to take pictures." The
officer just shook his head at the mess of the store front he couldn't
understand why people had to be this way.

Xavier stood there with his hearing sigh was really weird considering how
often he cried in the last five months. They are scrawled across the front
of the store upon the glass that had not been shattered was `Faggy brub.'
Xavier knew immediately who had done all this. It broke his heart. He was
standing in quite souls looking at all the damage when Sam reached over and
wrapped his arms around her shoulder kissed the side of his head and told
him.

"None of this matters. We are loved by others. We will not allow someone to
destroy us with vile words. This person does not understand how it is to be
loved. If he did he would never done this."

Xavier looked at Sam and gave him a half ass smile. "I know baby. It's just
a shame he had to try and drag us down to make himself feel better. I just
pray one of these days he looks back and realize his mistake he made."

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

The vandalism of the shop was announced on the evening news that night. It
was considered a hate crime in the community and the young man done it
would be going to court the next day. Sam and Xavier felt that the only way
to teach this child compassion, tolerance and possibly that a person can be
loved regardless of who they are and that they will go to court and
actually speak on behalf of this young man. When they were questioned about
this on national television they told the news anchor,

"Intolerance is inherently learned. Something a child is taught at a very
young age. Homophobia isn't the fear of gay people at all; I don't believe
that for one minute." Sam said to the camera.  "People fear spiders and
snakes and lightning. This was a taught thoughtless conditioning brought on
by the teachings of this child's peers. A person should be loved regardless
of who they are, even somebody who can maliciously destroy another person's
livelihood just because they feel vindicated to teach someone a lesson for
not being liked them." Xavier commented.

Those in the community who had seen the news that evening and were
supportive of the LGBTQ community rallied around Sam and Xavier's business.
They started a fundraiser to cover the costs that weren't covered by the
insurance to replace the windows. Sam and Xavier had learned that since the
shop was fairly new they would have to pay a $1000 deductible and the
insurance would cover the rest of the costs. They found someone to come in
and replace the windows pretty quickly but it left them scrambling for
funds. Two days of missed work cause them to go into the red something they
did not expect to do two months into the business opening up. This low
point only made Sam and Xavier stronger though because they clung to each
other for the support that they really needed and the encouragement to keep
going. A week after the vandalism Sam faced the young man who destroyed
their store.

"Have no idea what's going on in your life I really don't want to fathom
how much hate you face that would make you go about doing what you did to
my store." Sam looked at the young man. He found out that his name was
Cameron. "From the looks of things here you're almost 19 years old. You
have a bright future ahead you and you decided to throw it away because you
were taught something, you were taught to hate. And I still sit here before
you not hating you my here to help you to keep you out of jail. That choice
now is left up to you."

Cameron looked at the man before him, confused and why anybody would give
two shits about him anyway. Sure he had a bright future until he got kicked
out. His dad wanted nothing to do with him. All because he got a girl
pregnant and he had no way to support her. The man in front of him didn't
need to know that though. If he could just get out of the city he'd start
over somewhere else.

"I ain't got no idea what you want me to do for you." He looked at Sam
mystified.

"Well first thing is you can come and help us clean up the store. Maybe
make amends. Maybe even get to know Xavier and me." Sam knew he was
reaching but hey he had to give it a shot.

"And going to matter what I do. Not like anyone gives a shit anyway. Do it
you want I'm bouncing." Cameron stood up and Xavier reached for him grabbed
him by the wrist. Through clenched teeth he spoke

"Sit down!"

Cameron yanked his hand away from Sam he wanted nothing to do with any of
them.

"Why so you can preach to me more? So you can pretend to be my friend? I
ain't got time for you. Sell your fairytales to somebody else, cause I
ain't buying." Cameron was pretty adamant and pushing away anybody that
could help him. Sam refused to see this happen he knew there were something
up with this kid and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm not pretend. If you think is preaching
it's because you needed. I'm not going to go anywhere anytime soon, take it
or leave it. I'm going to be on your ass. I'm going to be the one that will
see your life improve even if you don't want to. I don't sell fairytales!
This FAIRY supports dreams ." Sam slapped the table making the boy jump. He
glared at Cameron he wasn't going to let him get away with this. Teaching
him to be accountable for his actions was one thing. Teaching him that
people cared about his actions was another.

"I'll be back to see you tomorrow hopefully you have a better attitude
adjustment." Sam got up and walked away the security guard let him out of
the compound.

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

"I just don't get it Xavier. I really don't get it." Sam said his
frustration was showing in the mess of his hair he kept running his hand
through it over and over again making it stand up.

"He doesn't want our help. You can't force him to take it." Xavier said as
he filled in the ledger for the store.

"So what we do?" Sam did not want to see this kid screw his life up.

"We wait. If he wants our help he'll ask for. If not he won't. There's
nothing else we can do." Xavier looked at Sam "remember we can't all play
the super hero." Xavier had a valid point.

It was in those moments that Cameron was sitting in a prison cell seven
blocks away from the shop he had destroyed that he realized he didn't care
anymore. Another soul gave up and there wasn't anything anyone could do
about it.

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

Francis sat back in the bed of his truck; pillows and sheets surrounded
him. He looked up at the stars above him. It was cold but he was
comfortable because beside him was the love of his life. He had been too
stupid in the past to realize it before though. Michelle lay staring at the
stars with him. They had reconciled over the holidays after his foolish
attempts to push her into something that didn't fit her needs anymore. He
realized he had no right to pressure her. Sometimes dreams just didn't come
to fruition; things tend to change for a reason. He learned that the hard
way when Michelle stood fast while he walked away. It really hurt him when
he stupidly refused to understand and hadn't seen her for weeks on
end. Working himself to the bone didn't help the agony or the loneliness
either. He had another chance and he wasn't going to let it go. He looked
over at her and smiled.

"I'm freezing my ass off. Can we head back now?"

"Sure. You want to go get coffee?" Michelle asked. She was chilled as well
and warmth would be nice.

"Sounds like a grand idea." He got up and reached his hand out to her and
pulled Michelle forward along the bed of the truck. They both slid off the
tailgate. They both reached in and pulled all the blankets out of the back;
balling them up. They tossed them into the back seat of the truck and
headed into town. Michelle was content.  It had been a long time since
she'd seen him and she got the stubborn old fart to realize life isn't
always what you make it, sometimes it threw curveballs and all you could do
was swing and hope you connected.

That evening they returned to her place and watched television and
talked. It was the most she'd gotten out of him in weeks. It made her happy
knowing they could get past the bumps and move forward. She showed him all
of the new things she'd created and even the clip from the TV show where
Ellen page had some of her product. He was impressed.

"I guess you can cook up new things this way." He smiled and kissed her
forehead.  "Sometimes this stubborn old goat can't see the forest for the
trees. Thanks for being tenacious my love.  Sometimes I need someone who's
willing to not give up on then even when they can't keep going."  She
chuckled and nodded. They had some quality time to spend together and she
was going to make the best of it.

She checked the clock and noted the time.  Sam and Xavier would be
returning around midnight with Devon who was coming back from England. They
had both flown to Toronto to meet his plane and would come back with him.
They had several hours yet before their return. She smiled reached for his
hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Come on, Dance with me." She turned on the radio and he graciously
accepted.

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

The months flowed on ebbing like a river into years. Some days gouged out
more from a person than one would like but it was how it was. You either
fought it or went with the flow.  Roomoorz was thriving even after the
rocky start. Aikrii had come from Kearney to visit and when he was on TV he
too plugged the shop and even more people crammed in to get what they
wanted from the small salon.  Several local celebrities stopped by, many
becoming regular customers.

That spring, two years after Michelle started making natural products. she
opened her own shop. Two years after Francis and Michelle's reconciliation,
he proposed to her and Michelle said yes. Two years after the shop was
vandalized, Cameron the young man who had done it got out of jail. And the
best part of it all two years after his brother had moved away to Kearney,
Sam learned he was going to be an uncle again.

The announcement came in the mail. A little pink card with the sonogram
attached saying congratulations. When Sam first opened it with Xavier by
his side he was a little confused.

"What the hell is this?" Sam asked as he opened up the card.

"I don't know. Looks like an ultrasound pic." Xavier was just as confused
who would be sending them a birth announcement?

Sam turned over the card; there on the back was the answer in his baby twin
brother's large scrawled writing.

"Oh my God!" Sam jumped up. "I'm going to be an uncle! We are going to be
uncles!" He grabbed a hold of Xavier's shoulders and started dancing around
giddy as hell. He took off down stairs to show his mother

"Mom!" He flew around the corner and slammed into poor Francis, "My boy
what's going on?" Xavier was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt Sam shoved the
card into Francis's hands.

"Dante's going to be a dad! Again!" Sam was thrilled.

"What?!" Michelle said as she came out of the lower bathroom totally
baffled. She looked at the card that Sam had in his hands.

"Well I'll be damned." She was grinning in a tear was falling down her
cheek. "I get to be a grandma."

"Oh for God sakes let's call him and find out about this." Sam scrambled
for the phone in the kitchen.

He rang his brother's place and waited for someone to pick up. Josh managed
to get to the phone before Dante did. They had been racing for it every
time someone called. They had been waiting for Sam and his mom to call.

"Hello" Josh said sticking his tongue out at Dante because he had made it
to the phone first.

"We got your announcement. Care to elaborate?" Michelle asked Josh as she
listened to him laugh on the other end of the phone.

"Well for the last year Dante and I have been talking about expanding our
family. Selina is old enough to be on her own now and we always wanted a
kid of our own. So we started searching for surrogate." Josh wanted to make
sure he didn't forget to tell Dante's mom anything.  He continued.

"Lucky for us the owners of the building we live in are also a gay couple
who happen to be lovely ladies we got really close to. They have two boys
themselves. We had told them about our plans and Joane; Claire's wife;
offered to help." Michelle was excited to hear that bit of news. She
listened to Dante tell part of the fantastic news.

"There was just one restriction she put on us. She didn't want twins. So we
did artificial insemination so that there would be only one single
child. We're not sure who's the daddy since we both donated to the
cause. But we also don't care." He took a breath obviously excited to
finally tell people. Josh ploughed through the rest of the news.

"Our little girl is due in sixteen more weeks. Yes we've already picked a
name. I'm sorry didn't tell you sooner mom but we had to make sure
everything was going well." Josh's voice held the excitement and everyone
on the other end of the phone at Michelle's house could hear it in his
voice as if he'd screamed hallelujah on top of his lungs.

"Oh my god!" Michelle was now over joyed for sure. "So it's true. I get to
be a nanna again?"

"Yes mom!" She could hear Dante; Josh chuckled as well.

Sam whooped and yelled "Way to go man! Congratulations!"

"Will we get to meet the selfless lady who is helping you two become
parents?" Xavier wanted to meet these people since they obviously were the
pot of gold at the end of any rainbow.  In this case; Rainbow Rd.

"Yes you will all get to meet them during the baby shower after she's
born." Dante said. He was over joyed as well. He remembered when he got to
tell Selina who screamed and jumped a mile a minute and wanted to call her
grand mom and tell her right away.  It took a lot of will power not to do
just that; for all of them.

"I cannot wait to tell the crew at work!" Sam was busting a gut over the
news.

"I don't think I've seen you gush so much." Xavier said to him as they sat
back down on the sofa in the living room. Sam watched his mom in the
kitchen talking to Dante. He was happy to see his mom just as over
joyed. Things have started looking up for her, and Francis was a huge help
with all of it.

"One of the biggest things that Dante and I always talked about was having
families. I mean you got to know that feeling of...Hey I'm not likely to
have any kids of my own...We sure did and this was years ago." He sighed at
the frustrations of remembering it all. "I know my mom was cool with us
coming out and all, even dad took it damn well considering it was both of
us and we're their only boys. But I mean to really grasp that; I'm the end
of my blood line... it kinda sucked. So we both said we'd make sure we'd
have kids." He looked at Xavier with hesitation wasn't sure he wanted to
tell him the rest of this.

"We made a pact together said we would go and try and find somebody to help
us. Before I met you had a friend from high school who said she would help
me if I ever wanted children. Now the laws here in Canada state a surrogate
can't accept compensation to carry a child for somebody. She knew this and
I knew this but I told her that if she did go through with it I would make
sure she was well taken care of and didn't want to forgo the chance of
having kids so a simple promise was made. I haven't seen her in four years
though so I don't even know where she's at."

Xavier nodded. He understood very well that feeling of not knowing if he
would carry on his genetics; even his father had asked him if he had
planned on having kids in future. He told him he wasn't sure but adoption
was always an option.

"Do you ever want to track her down?" He asked curious if Sam ever still
had the notion to be a parent to his own munchkin one day.

"I didn't even think about it till now. I mean; we have Devon now.  I know
he's not our kid and all but he takes up a lot of our time. It's the
closest we have to our own. I know we never talked marriage or anything and
it's not necessary but I think I'd like that before I have a family if it's
possible. " Sam didn't think it was the end all to be all but he felt it
was something he wanted.

"I hear ya and I think you're right. I'm glad we spoke about this." He
smiled and asked "If you could find someone though to have one of your own,
what names would you pick? Xavier was honestly curious.

"I never thought about it." Sam said. "If it was a boy; probably after my
dad. If it was a girl; then likely after mom."  He watched Sam just stare
off into the not so distant future and a smile spread across his face. God
he loved him.

Michelle poked her head into the living room. "Come on guy's lunch is
ready." They sat and ate their lunch with Michelle and Francis and spoke
about Sam's mom's wedding plans. She decided to go with a small ceremony.
Nothing extravagant or fancy. It didn't need to be. She just loved the idea
of being able to spend the rest of her days with someone who would love her
as much as she loved him. Not too often old folk like her get a second
chance at finding love.

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

Xavier had been sitting on this proposal now for over a week. He had no
idea how to get it off the ground and it was driving him nuts. Sam and he
had been at their shop for just over two years, life was grand and it was
time to expand. He wanted to present it to Sam but how was the huge
question. Simple and clean was...well too simple. He needed something with
more pizzazz.

Out of all the employees they had when the shop started only one ever left
but came back and that was because they wanted to expand their schooling.
He wracked his brain and realized he needed some assistance and decided he
needed to make a call. He just needed a clear head before he did so. He
walked over to Sam and kissed his cheek.

"I'll be back in a bit. Going for a coffee, I'll bring you back one if
you'd like." Sam nodded and continued writing in the accounts ledgers and
copying things to the server where they kept hard copies of their sales.
"Later babe" Sam said absently as he continued being absorbed in his
work. Xavier just shook his head and smiled. He was definitely a hard
worker.

Xavier walked to the car and made his call as he pulled out. The cell was
on hands free when the line was picked up.

"JumpStreet clothing. How may I help you?" The man in question answered the
phone.

"Hey Dante. It's Xavier. I need some advice."  Xavier smiled. With his
business sense and smarts he was sure he could get what he was trying to
accomplish done.