Coming of Age

AJ was loading the Tahoe for his drive to Pullman. June and July had flown by it was now o’dark thirty on the 6th of August, he was excited to get back to school but still not ready to address the house there. Here it was easy, there were none of Syd’s things to sort through and deal with every memory that went with them. This was going to be the suckiest few weeks. Syd had been prodding him all summer on his health and love life.

Thank God for therapy – AJ felt better about all things ‘Oliver Jones’, he knew a long time ago it wasn’t his fault, the sketches of the incidents helped AJ put into perspective what happened and given the size difference, he could not have stopped him on his own. He had come to accept that the reason he did not say anything is that he was afraid to admit it to himself or anyone else at the time, he would have done it willingly had Oliver just been a bit kinder and asked. AJ admitted out loud that he was bi-sexual and ok with it.

As a result of his work in therapy, he had ‘come out’ to his family at a big fourth of July celebration. He told his family about the rapes and the reason behind his not saying anything. There were tears, hugs and healing for the entire family. He let his family know that he had talked with the police and they were going to arrest Oliver today in full view of those he was celebrating his 4th with. AJ explained that there would not be a prosecution based on his rape, but Oliver had indeed done this to others. Two boys that they had found this far were within the statute and he would be held to account. AJ’s information was going in the complaint as corroboration only. AJ told his family the biggest regret he had was the knowledge that had he said something he might have prevented this from happening to other boys – his therapist told him to get the hell over it, his exact words – “Get the hell over it, you were the victim, a small vulnerable teenage boy. Do not take on Oliver’s illegal actions, they are not YOURS.”

He also developed with his therapist methods to deal better with his overprotective / over-involved family, which were working. He felt more in control and less like a petulant child when he pushed back and set boundaries. He had not lost his temper again since the memorial service, which was good for his mental health. As he tossed the last bag he was taking to Pullman in the Tahoe, his siblings and their spouses pulled into the driveway, every car was playing the same music and they were all out of control singing – some great, some good and a couple of off-key wannabes.

AJ looked at them as they piled out of their cars – “What are you guys doing here? We said our goodbyes yesterday and I know that I don’t have the mental fortitude to do that again and go back to school.”

Gina hugged her ‘little brother’ – “We are going with you my dearest brother. Ehhehhh, don’t interrupt and there is NO debate we are going. Kevin and I are riding with you and the boys. Cheryl, Max, Steph, Jim, JT, Mo, Eva and Mat are taking two cars and will caravan with us. It is a done deal.”

Steph was next to chime in – “We have all been talking about you, yeah I know nothing new there but I assure you it has been good for us all to do what the ‘rents did and do some role play. We all came to the same conclusion – ‘we love you with all our hearts’. We also recognize we have been shite supporting you in all the crap that has been your life to date and we are here to make sure it is different moving forward, you did not get the big family caravan to school as we all did so you are getting it now.”

Max patted AJ’s ass – “So fine… Shit, I said that out loud, didn’t I?” Max wasn’t embarrassed or concerned about saying that out loud. Everyone knew there was a bromance between AJ and Max and if Cheryl and Max weren’t married Max would likely be trying to bed AJ. Cheryl rolled with it as Max was a great husband and lover. It was their thing and it was part of the family dynamic.

Mo chuckled and kissed AJ on the cheek – “Max, yes you did but it is so true. AJ close your mouth and let’s get this show on the road.”

As the gang headed for the guest house, they each patted or squeezed AJ’s ass and commented – ‘damn that’s firm’, ‘holy crap that’s nice’, ‘that’s not fair’.

Eva was the last one through and she wrapped her arm around AJs waist and squeezed his ass repeatedly as they walked to the house to do a final check and grab the boys from the playpen.

Eva – “AJ, are you eating enough? You look like you have lost more weight and your ass is starting to feel a little bony.” AJ didn’t answer as he had dropped more weight and was losing muscle as that was all that was left to lose. His workouts had fallen off to twice a week, running on a treadmill every day. He was burning way more calories than he was consuming but he would not admit that to his family.

Eva pressed on loudly as they entered the house – “So how much do you weigh? you don’t take your shirt off anymore, I can feel your hip bone next to mine, and while your ass is as Max said ‘fine’, it is not nearly as fine as it was before Syd died. So how much more weight have you lost?”

AJ went to pull away from Eva but she was tall and strong like Syd and it wasn’t that easy given his recent losses. AJ blew out his breath – “I’m down to 165.”

Gina spun on him – “Take your shirt off NOW.” She was livid and it showed. She may only be 5’ 4” tall but she had absolutely no problem taking on anyone in this family. AJ stared at her defiantly and crossed his arms over his chest.

Gina continued – “Aaron Jonathan O’Brien, there are 10 of us and 1 of you. You are outmanned and outgunned. I know you have mad skills but I can guarantee you, I will see you without your shirt on – do it the easy way or so help me…”

AJ pulled his shirt off. There was a collective gasp. He still had a nice body but at 165 lbs he was a shell of his former self and it was indicative of the bigger problem – he was not taking care of himself. The boys were happy, healthy and growing like weeds. Everyone was talking at once.

Steph whistled loudly (it rivaled AJ) – “Ok so we all can see that AJ is not taking care of himself. Eva, thank you for asking us to prepare him a week’s worth of meals each. You have 5 weeks of food and thus time to get your shit together as far as eating.

Don’t interrupt me – you are doing a fantastic job with the boys and with therapy but my dear you are doing shit for taking care of yourself. You are probably working out and doing protein shakes only. That doesn’t work and you FUCKING know it. I said don’t interrupt me. I will be coming over every Saturday for the next 8 weeks or until I see improvement in your physical well-being. Everyone out. I’m going to do a baseline of AJ’s vitals before we leave.”

AJ started to protest but Steph fixed him with a stare that would stop anyone from talking. He stood there awaiting his fate. Steph and Eva had talked about what was going on and were prepared for this, she pulled her medical bag open and grabbed AJ’s scale. “Everything off.”

AJ complied without a word. He stepped on the scale, 164 on the dot. Blood pressure, temperature, pulse, oxygenation are all fine. She took measurements of his chest, his waist, hips, thighs and biceps. His body fat had dropped to under 3%. When she looked at his eyes to test his pupils, she found he had concealer under his eyes. That’s when a tear slid down her cheek.

Steph spoke – “AJ, I need you to hear me – what you are doing is not sustainable. If you don’t start taking care of yourself, we will be saying goodbye to you too. Those boys out there need you to be strong and healthy both mentally and physically. What I see here is someone that is taking shortcuts and has lost sight of the fact he is the only parent those boys have.”

AJ had tears running down his face. He had gotten so used to concealing his weight loss that he had not looked in the mirror since Chelan. He walked upstairs to the main bedroom and stood naked in front of the mirror. He squared his shoulders and resolved to take care of himself physically now that he had his shit mostly in one sock.

He came back downstairs with a different look on his face than when he went up. He dressed and hugged his sister. “Steph, I’m sorry. I have been so focused on Conor, Caleb and dealing with the mental shit I took shortcuts and they aren’t working, I get it. So will I be picking you up at the airport or are you going to drive in when you come and kick my ass every Saturday?”

Steph hugged AJ, smacked his ass and wrapped her arm around him – “Do you have everything? Let’s get this show on the road and you will pick me up at the airport.”

AJ locked the door with Steph not letting go of him. Nothing more was said to AJ about his weight, the food, or what Steph said/did to him, they all recognized he had a look of determination on his face. With the two of them walking out with their arms around each other, no visible blood or bruising were the only signs they needed to see that she had gotten through to him.

They piled into the vehicles – AJ had thrown Kevin the keys to his Tahoe and climbed in the back between the boys. He wasn’t going to say this out loud but he was glad his family had decided to take him to school, this had not happened his freshman year, he did it all on his own. This was like he had imagined it was with all his siblings – he remembered taking JT and Gina to school with his mom and dad.

The playlists had been synched and the music was coming through the speakers in each car and they were off. They pulled up to AJ’s house 5 hours later, it was now early in the afternoon.

Mo and JT were busy fixing lunch for everyone when AJ came downstairs with the boys. He asked Gina to spread the blanket out and put the boys on the floor. Gina got that taken care of and as AJ put the boys down, she jumped in – “AJ, we are also here to help you get the house ready for you and the boys. I know from our conversations this is something you are dreading so we are here to help. Hey, we are not going to push you to get rid of anything you don’t want to but we all want to be here supporting you. If you are ok with that, we will eat lunch and then pick one room to start in, say the office.” AJ nodded his agreement.

After lunch, they started in on the office. It was easy as the things that were Syd’s were textbooks and family ‘office’ stuff that needed to be organized. There were a few clothing items – shoes, a jacket and some hair ties that were not needed. They moved through the main floor and boxed things up. When they had completed the main floor, they had 2 boxes of donations and a small box of things to put away for the boys when they got older.

They went through every room upstairs before dinner. All in all, there were now 4 donation boxes, a few more things for the boys and a few things for the ladies in the family. AJ had shied from a few things in the main bedroom, and he would take care of those in the weeks to come. It was down to the final few things and they would be boxed for the boys but AJ could not bring himself to pack them away just yet.

They sat down for dinner and were talking about the summer when there was a knock on the door. Steph answered it, not recognizing Scott she did not immediately let him in. Eva heard his voice and bounded for the door. She hugged him and kissed his cheek. Sorry, Steph, this is Officer Scott Reed, Mat and I have gotten acquainted over the summer. Mat hugged him and kissed his cheek as well. Scott was ushered into the house.

Scott had rehearsed this moment over and over with his dad but now that it was here, he was unsure of himself. He looked at Eva and she squeezed his arm and nodded. Ok, so he plucked up his courage.

“AJ, I know you just lost Syd but I also know that she has a plan for us. She has been at me since the night of the accident and I know she has been pushing you to open your heart as well. So here it is – I am in love with you. I have been since I looked into your eyes the night of the accident. I have spent the summer getting my shit together, giving you time but I’m here letting you know how I feel.

I want to go on dates, I want to get to know you and I want to see if we can build a life together. Syd certainly is convinced…”

Gina jumped in at this point – “How dare you keep referring to Syd being involved in this. I don’t give a shit if you and my brother get together but I won’t listen to any more of your references to my deceased sister-in-law.”

AJ laughed out loud – “I’m sorry everyone and especially you Scott. The laugh was not at anyone physically here. Everyone please pipe down and let Scott finish.”

Scott took a deep breath and started in again – “So here are my physical test results that I had done last week. You will see that I am completely healthy, including no STDs. Yes, I fully expect that we will get naked and have some fun one day. With all of that said, I’m truly hoping you will consider taking this journey with me.”

AJ got up, crossed the room to where Scott stood. He looked into his azure blue eyes and just stared at him for the longest moment. “Ok, for fucks sake Syd let it go.” He leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. AJ stepped back and stated – “I would love to date you.” Eva and Mat quickly hugged both of them.

His siblings were confused and they all started talking at once. It was chaos. Scott and AJ were staring into each other’s eyes until AJ heard Caleb scream. He was pushing people out of the way to get to his son. When AJ had Caleb in his arms, everyone realized that Scott had followed AJ and scooped up Conor and was standing right next to AJ as he consoled Caleb.

Gina with her hands on her hips demanded – “AJ what the hell is going on. Scott no offense but what I just saw there was two mostly straight men agreeing to date because Syd told them to. I don’t understand and am unsure what the hell to think.”

AJ asked everyone to sit down so he could talk through the situation and the events of the summer. AJ started – “Everyone knows how I met Scott. If you all remember I have always told you I talk to dead family members.”

Cheryl shook her head – “AJ, some of us chalked that up to you wanting attention from us. Who have you conversed with; fuck that sounds insane!”

Eva jumped in at this point – “Cheryl, it does unless you open up your mind to the possibility. Syd has been pushing me to stay close to AJ and make sure he doesn’t close his heart. At first, she wouldn’t tell me who AJ would fall in love with but eventually, she told me it was Scott.”

AJ jumped in – “Ok Eva that was a bit of an overshare and a bit premature.”

Scott still holding and playing with Conor took offense – “AJ I don’t agree. I know you fell for Syd the first night you met her. You told her you were going to marry her and have babies with her in less than a week. I fell for you the night I met you. Granted it took 3 months for me to tell you. Oh, I did forget to say – I want to have babies with you. Close your mouth, it’s not a good look on you.”

AJ blushed which was completely out of character. The only other person that could make that happen was Syd. Everyone was now staring at AJ.

AJ blurted out – “I am not.” AJ was now going to have to explain further than he wanted. “Sorry, I was addressing my annoying wife. Yes, you are. Ok, ok, ok.”

Gina blurted out – “Does he need to be committed?”

AJ laughed loudly – “Bear, that may be a possibility. The only reason I don’t think so is that Syd is not just talking with me, she is talking to Scott, Eva, Trav, Jules and Cyn. .

Ok back to the first time this happened to me – it was right after Amanda was born. It was just before my 4th birthday; I was sitting in my room feeling sorry for myself and this lady sat next to me and told me everything was alright and that it was to be my job to protect Amanda “Doodle” and a new baby for Steph and Jim, Chandler “Bug”. She looked kinda like mom but a little taller and wrinklier. I later figured out it was Gams from a picture of her and Gramps on the family portrait wall.”

Jim jumped in – “AJ, did you just say that she talked to you about being Chandler’s protector before your 4th birthday? We weren’t pregnant and we didn’t pick her name until the week before she was born. Holy crap, so not only did you know her name before we did, but Gams also nicked named both girls, we thought that was you.”

AJ continued – “That’s about right.”

Cheryl still being the skeptic – “I call BS, you don’t remember something from when you were 4 years old. I certainly don’t.”

AJ smiled and nodded – “You know Cheryl, I love you but I am getting tired of others telling me what to think, what I should do and what I do and don’t remember from when I was 4, remember I’m way YOUNGER than you .

So, let’s try this on for size and then you can lecture me on what my brain is capable of – I remember you being in your old room from the time Doodle was born until just after my birthday. You barely left the room and Maxie was beside himself. I remember him rocking Doodle and crying night after night because he was so concerned about you. Ring any bells?”

Cheryl was white – no one knew what was going on at that time. AJ’s room was right next to Cheryl’s down a separate hallway from Gina ad JT, he was only 4 so no one thought it would ever be an issue. Max piped up – “Skeeter that’s about it. Cheryl had post-partum with Amanda. We had no idea that you heard all that. Please continue.”

AJ crossed the room hugged his sister and handed Caleb off to her. “Gams has been around since then to boost my ego or help me deal with things. When Gramps died, I hoped and prayed he would show up but he didn’t for the longest time. Gams told me he was embarrassed by his decision to not tell us about his cancer but eventually, he did talk to me and apologize. Now to the most recent, pain in the ass ‘ghost’ Sydney Marie O’Brien. She has been a persistent thorn in my ass since the day she passed. I love you to the moon and back my dear, but for fuck’s sake will you cool it with all the pushing, prodding and meddling?”

Cheryl touched the side of her face and AJ shook his head – “Syd she can’t see or hear you, what makes you think she can feel you?”

Syd said to AJ – ‘Babe, I’m getting better at this and she will feel me soon.’ Caleb turned to where Syd was and lifted his arms. AJ’s tears started flowing and Syd’s face beamed.

Cheryl looked at AJ – “She just touched me, didn’t she? She is close, I can feel her.” AJ nodded and wiped away his tears.

Eva screeched – “I’ll admit I can’t see her; I only hear her. AJ is that why Caleb has his hands up?” AJ had crossed the room and held Caleb near where Syd was standing. She touched his cheek and his hand went directly there. AJ’s tears were flowing now, he was trying so hard to hold them back.

AJ hugged Caleb to his chest and moaned out “Baby, it should have been me, the boys need you so much. What the fuck am I going to do?” AJ slid down the wall holding Caleb and Syd wrapped her arms around him, she whispered to him – ‘They need their daddy and their daddy needs his Sam, the sheepdog.’ She was gone for the moment.

AJ was a mess but managed to compose himself – “This is the shit I have been going through for months. Most of it is good but when she tells me things like ‘the boys need their daddy and their daddy needs his Sam, the sheep dog’ I get so fucking confused; before it was Scott now it’s Sam what the fuck?”

Scott was wiping the tears from his eyes as he stood up, still with Conor in his arms – “AJ, she is still telling you that it is me.” Scott pulled his shirt up and his shorts down revealing his left hip – there was a tattoo of the cartoon character Sam, the sheepdog.”

Steph was baffled at this point but was also pissed at her brother – “Skeeter, how dare you say that the boys need Syd more than you. Who the hell do you think you are, God? Syd dying was an absolute fucking tragedy but things happen for a reason, wishing for it to be different is childish. You need to get off your ass, pull yourself up by the bootstraps, get your head out of your ass and take care of yourself. Neglecting your health is not going to bring Syd back. Listen to her and get it together man.”

Gina laughed out loud – “Damn girl, you are all fired up. Skeet she is right, wishing and hoping for a do-over is a waste of time and energy. Before today I would have said you have lost your damn mind but I’ve seen and heard things today that I can’t explain. The fact that you, Scott and Eva have heard Syd and she is telling all of you that she wants you and Scott together and then he has a Sam, the sheepdog tattoo. At least get to know each other and see where this could go.”

Scott was standing in front of AJ with his hand held out to help AJ off the floor, which he took. Scott pulled him up and hugged him – “I’m not going to push but I’m also not going to go away very easily.” Scott went to kiss his cheek and AJ turned his head so they kissed each other on the lips. It was timid at first but it got more intense as they continued.

AJ’s family members were all reacting differently; shock, delight, disbelief, happiness and every emotion in between was evident on their faces. There was a knock on the door and Eva broke away to answer it. Eva let Jonathan Reed into the house and led him from the entry to the family room where AJ and Scott were still kissing, one hand on the back of the other's neck the other holding a twin. Jonathan cleared his throat and said – “Scott, son I take it things are going well?”

Everyone erupted in laughter but Scott and AJ stood and stared at each other while the boys played with their faces. They leaned back in and kissed again another passionate, hungry kiss. JT spoke up – “Damn kid, I need a cold shower now.” He went to take Caleb from AJ but AJ would not let him go and Caleb wrapped his arms around his daddy. While this was going on, Gina was trying to grab Conor who was also clinging to AJ and burying his face into his daddy and Scott’s necks.

The family started introducing themselves to Jonathan while Scott and AJ continued to explore the inside of the other’s mouth. As the introductions were winding down, the group glanced over at Scott and AJ – they were now resting their foreheads together and the twins had their heads leaned against the sides of the larger men’s heads.

AJ whispered to Scott – “I’m not sure what to do next. If we move everyone will see my rock-hard cock sticking out.” Scott chuckled – “Honestly, I’m dying to see it but like you I’m hard as a rock and I’m not sure they are ready to see something this big. So, what do you think we should do?”

Gina overheard part of it – “Let’s be clear Scott, we have a family of sizeable cocks and by the looks around the group more than one is chubbed up based on that performance and we are all adults.”

The two men stepped apart, never taking their eyes off the others. As enough distance came between the two, AJ was the first to comment – “Nice.” Scotts was a little more panicked – “That is huge. Can I re-think this gay relationship thing?”

Everyone in the room erupted in laughter. Scott’s dad was the first to comment – “You have been daydreaming, lusting after, talking about and in general annoying the shit out of me for the last three months about this man, you will not rethink anything other than maybe more lube.”

Scott’s ears turned pink, which AJ noticed immediately. AJ took the spotlight – “So do I call you Mr. Reed, Chief or Dad?”

Jonathan chuckled; he liked this kid – “You are a lippy one. The two of you have not been on a date, you haven’t spoken in 3 months I think Chief or JR will do.”

AJ walked over to Jonathan and hugged him – “Ok Chief, Dad it is… by the way your son is the most amazing kisser, has a rockin body and is a great man. You and your wife did an awesome job raising him. For now, I’ll call you JR.” Scott’s ears were darker red, which both JR and AJ noticed. AJ asked quietly – “When he gets nervous or embarrassed his ears get pink to red – I take it the worse the situation the redder they get.”

JR winked – “Did you ever think about being a cop? You are very observant.”

Eva and Matt got everyone’s attention – “Ok settle down. AJ / Scott please come over here. Thank you. Everyone else find a place to sit. Today has been an interesting day – medical evaluation, long drive, packing, ghosts, gay kisses from my formerly straight brother and general pandemonium. We think it is time for you two to bring the rest of the family up to speed on your thoughts, feelings, intentions and what the future looks like. To that end – you each get 2 minutes to state where your head is today and then we each get two questions – 1 for Scott and 1 for AJ.

So, AJ, I’m going to put you on the spot – you are the first 2 minutes.”

AJ had no idea where to start but he knew that Syd would be pissed at him if he screwed this up – “Well the morning Syd died, Scott was the officer that came to the house to escort me to the hospital. When I opened the door, I knew something bad had happened but when I looked into Scott’s eyes, I felt safe. We did banter when the fool, sorry but you were a bit over the top, tried to open my door for me – I was only allowed to do that for Syd when we were going somewhere formal, anyway I digress. All night Scott was there when I needed him. I was drawn to him but didn’t understand it at the time.

Then over the next week, while I was still in Pullman, he came by the house to check up on me. He brought me and the boys the Triskelion over there, tried to play it off like it was Maureen’s idea – he’s not a very good liar.

He was at the memorial service but disappeared after I sang – I didn’t think I sucked that bad. Suffice it to say every time I am around him, my heart beats faster, I feel like I am home and most of the time I get a hard-on.

I have been talking to my therapist about him and we have concluded that I have known I was bi since I was 12 years old even though I could not say those words out loud until very recently.

Syd has been pushing me toward Scott since the morning I got home from the hospital. Finally – I know everyone but JR and Scott know this – I fall fast and I fall forever and I believe I have fallen for Scott.”

Mat – “That was more like 3 minutes, so Scott because AJ is long-winded you can take 3 minutes too.”

Scott snickered; his ears turned pink – “I wasn’t over the top, I wanted to protect you. Anyway, I knew the moment I locked eyes with this beautiful man. His time with Syd in the hospital cemented it for me. I struggled with perving on his fine ass because he just lost his wife so I tamped it down. Syd sought me out before I met AJ and has been hounding my ass ever since – ‘you need to run, stop with the junk food, less beer, what are you waiting for, you love him, I’m going to haunt your ass if you screw this up. Well, I’m here and I’m head over heels for him. AJ, I’m sorry I disappeared from the memorial service. Eva and Syd both kicked my ass for that one.”

Mat – “AJ, that’s how it’s done. To the point and in under 2 minutes.” AJ flipped her the bird. Mat swept her hand toward her Skeeter like she was capturing the bird and held it to her heart – “I know baby boy, #1 in your heart. Ok JR you are up – Question for AJ, then Scott.”

JR rubbed his hands together and stared hard at AJ – “Are you going to hurt my son?”

The others all did the oohhhh and ahhhh thing.

AJ just smiled at JR – “Yes.” He winked at Scott.

JR sat there with his mouth open and then asked – “Care to elaborate?”

AJ just smiled – “That would be a second question for me you are allowed one – asked and answered Chief.”

More oohs and ahhs.

JR shook his head and looked at Scott – “Son why would you want to hang out with this Ass?”

Scott – “Because.” Scott winked at AJ. They were developing a quick connection on how to handle this crap.

The rest of the family started asking questions from Mat down to Gina. Oldest to youngest. Every question was asked and then subsequently answered with a one-word answer – generally ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘maybe’ or ‘because’. The family was annoyed by the end of the Q & A, the ‘guys’ were high-fiving each other and kissing quite frequently.

It was now Gina’s turn – “Scott, I know I’m supposed to ask my baby brother first, but frankly this Q & A, was doomed from the beginning. I tried to tell Mat and Eva that AJ would not play along – but they were convinced that they knew better. So, my question is simply this – Are you truly in love with my brother or is it your attempt to be a hip gay dude for a while?”

Scott liked Gina, she knew her brother and seemed to be someone he could not bullshit or half-ass answer – “Gina, I believe in my heart it is true love. Like AJ, when I think of him, I know I am home, like Christmas Eve – the anticipation of something bigger and better than just me and when I see him that feeling is ten-fold better. Tonight, when he kissed me, I was turned inside out. Then to have these two little guys hug and kiss us both blew me away.”

There were complaints from everyone that Scott had only given one-word answers to them, why a speech to Gina. Scott shrugged his shoulders – “Because I liked her question.”

Gina smirked to herself or so she thought – “AJ, with everything from your past are you truly ready for a gay relationship?”

AJ jumped in with both feet – “Bear, first of all, don’t be thinking you’re miss high and mighty, that smirk was not called for. To answer your question – I don’t know if I’m ready for a gay relationship. Let me finish, all I know is I am ready to love this person and am all in to make this work. The gay sex thing, well Scott and I will need to work that out as we go but the more, I sit next to him the more I feel at home. We are DONE with this third-degree…”

There was a knock at the door and in walked 4 people AJ did not know but Scott did – Melissa his sister, Grant her husband, Teddy his brother and Becca his wife.

Scott went to greet them with Conor asleep on his shoulder.