fic: Down the Road
Hayden gripped his fiance's hand tightly as they made their way off of the plane and into the terminal. "Relax. Why are you so nervous?"
"I don't know. What if they don't like me?" Rachel replied, squeezing Hayden's hand harder.
"They're going to love you. I know it. And you're going to love them too. My parents are great."
"But I feel like we're kind of crashing your dad's retirement dinner by showing up engaged. I don't want us to steal his fire."
"Are you kidding? He is going to be thrilled. Relax, love."
Hayden and Rachel stepped into the terminal, and Hayden scanned the crowd. From his left he heard, "Hay!"
"Dad!" Hayden dropped Rachel's hand and bound through the crowd toward his father. It had been 18 months since they had seen each other. They met in a solid hug, Hayden picking up the older man.
"Put me down, beast," his father laughed.
"Dad, dad. I have someone for you to meet," Hayden said excitedly, reaching back for Rachel's hand.
Rachel came up beside Hayden and met the eyes of her future father in law. "Dad, I'd like you to meet my fiance, Rachel LaPorte. Rachel, this is my father, Dr. Reid Oliver-Snyder."
"Fiance?!" Rachel was surprised when Reid moved forward with purpose and wrapped his arms around her because Hayden had described him as a "not-always-warm-and-fuzzy" person.
"It is so nice to finally meet you," he said, after a brief hug, "Your pictures don't do you justice." And turning to his son, "She's beautiful, Hay. And engaged? Pop is going to be...well, you know how he'll be." Reid laughed and ruffled Hayden's already messy hair, kissing him on the cheek. "Let's go," and he put his arm around his son, who had a reassuring grip on Rachel's hand, as the three of them walked toward baggage claim.
********************
"I can't wait to see Pop. Why didn't he come to the airport?" Hayden asked in the truck, as they drove home.
"Well, because...as is your father's way, he invited half the town of Oakhell to the farm for a BBQ this afternoon in honor of your return."
"OakHELL?" Rachel giggled.
"Yeah, my father likes to think Oakdale is an ass-backwards hick town, but he's been living here for what...30 years now?...and has had a pretty damn good life and career here in Hell, so whatever....right, dad?"
"31 years, and I'm getting out of here one day," Reid grimmaced, "Though probably not alive."
"Hayden always tells great stories about Oakdale," Rachel said, smiling.
"I'm sure he does," Reid replied. "If there's one thing we have in Oakdale, it's an entertaining cast of characters."
As Reid pulled the truck onto the tree-lined road that led up to the farm, Rachel gasped. "It's like a storybook picture, Hayden! What a great place to grow up."
"Yeah, it was," Hayden said, and he reached over and squeezed Reid's arm with a smile."
********************
As soon as they pulled up in front of the farm house, Hayden was out of the truck and running toward the front door.
"Don't worry, Hay," Reid called out sarcastically, "Your lovely fiance and I will take in the luggage!" He smiled at Rachel.
"Okay, dad!" Hayden bound up the steps and in the front door. "Pop? Pop? You in here, Pop?" Hayden searched the downstairs and then went out the back door to find his father splitting logs on a stump in the side yard.
"Hey, Pop," Hayden said from a distance, not wanting to approach Luke from behind while he had an axe in his hands.
Luke dropped the axe and spun around, "Hayden!" And he crashed into his son in a giant bear hug.
"You look great. Boy, I've missed you." Luke said, smoothing his son's shirt.
"Me too, Pop," Hayden said, "What are you doing out here?"
"Getting ready for the big bonfire tonight. Grandpa will be here. Aunt Faith; Nat. Ethan. Ethan has a new girlfriend. Wait until you meet her. She is nothing like you would expect. Great grandma. Aunt Katie and Uncle Chris...all the kids...Uncle Noah and Rob...lots of people will be here. Everyone is looking forward to seeing you and meeting Rachel. Where is she, by the way?"
"She and dad are bringing in the luggage."
"Nice," Luke rolled his eyes. "Such a gentleman, you are...making your ancient father and your girlfriend carry in the luggage."
Hayden laughed. "Fiance."
"What?" Luke asked, not sure what he heard.
"Fiance. Rachel is my fiance. We got engaged last month, but I wanted to tell you in person. C'mon; you're going to love her."
They entered the house, and Hayden breathed in deeply, the familiar scents reminding him of everything good in his life. "Rach," he said, taking Rachel by the hand. "This is my pop, Luke Oliver Snyder. Pop, this is Rachel."
He was beaming. Luke was freaking beaming. Reid rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but smile at his husband.
"I've heard so much about you, Mr. Snyder, I feel like I already know you," Rachel said as she hugged Luke.
"I feel the same way," Luke said, hugging her back. "But, please, call me Luke. And you can call my husband Reid. Or you can call us dad and pop. None of the formal stuff though. Plus, outside of business, there's only one person who I allow to call me Mr. Snyder," Luke winked at Reid, who just gave him "that" look.
"Okay, Luke," Rachel blushed.
********************
Later that evening, after everyone had left, Hayden and Rachel settled down in the guest bedroom, Rachel resting her head on Hayden's chest in bed. "Are you sure it's cool with your parents that we're sharing a room?"
"My great grandma is probably rolling over in her grave right now," Hayden laughed, "But my dads are cool with it. I mean, c'mon, we're not exactly a traditional, conservative family."
"You're a lot more traditional than my dysfunctional, broken up family. I mean, your parents are still together and clearly love each other. You can hear it in the way they talk to each other, and God, the way they look at each other. I hope you always look at me like that."
Hayden leaned toward Rachel and let a kiss linger on her lips. "Yeah, they are the definition of 'into each other.' It embarrassed the hell out of me when I was a kid, but as I've grown, I realize that it was their strength as a couple that protected me and allowed me to thrive."
"So, you've never told me, which one is your real dad?"
"They're both my real dads," Hayden pulled back, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, miss thang?" He laughed.
"You know what I mean, Hayden. Which one is your bio dad?"
"I don't really know, and I don't want to know," Hayden answered, closing his eyes.
"You look like Luke," Rachel said, running her hand through Hayden's always messy blonde hair.
"Yeah, I know, but I have dad's blue eyes and his love of medicine. Can we change the subject?"
"Does it make you uncomfortable?"
"No, but it's not something I ever really think about. It doesn't matter to me at all."
"Aren't you curious?"
"Not really. They would tell me if I asked, but I don't want to know. I was basically conceived in a petri dish as a donor egg and some of both of their DNA. They did a DNA test when I was five to see who had the most ambitious swimmer." Hayden laughed.
"Dad, being a doctor, got very concerned about family medical history after my grandfather had a heart attack. So, they decided to do the DNA test. They both know which one of them is biologically my father, and they've always told me that they would tell me if I wanted to know, or if it came to a point where I HAD to know, but really, I have no desire for that information. It wouldn't change how I feel about either one of them."
"Maybe it would, and maybe that's what you're scared of?"
"I'm not scared of anything! They're my parents. I can't even tell you which one I would prefer to be my bio dad because I could never choose, and if I found out, I think my heart would mostly break at finding out that one of them is not my biological father. Logically, I know it's true that one of them has no blood ties to me at all, but emotionally I just can't even go there. Plus, my family is so screwed up as far as our family tree, having two fathers is actually the least of the weird mutated branches." Hayden chuckled, but he could feel tears burning his eyes. "Rachel, are you weireded out by the situation? Does the whole two dad thing make you uncomfortable?"
"Oh my God, Hayden. No! I think they're great. Your pop has got to be like the friendliest, sweetest person ever, and your dad...he's funny. He doesn't talk a lot, but when he does, he's hysterical."
"Most people just find him obnoxious,' Hayden laughed, shaking his head.
"Well, yeah...he kind of is, but you had warned me, so I knew not to take him too seriously. God, and your great grandmother has a gigantic crush on him. They're so rude to each other."
"Oh, he has a huge crush on her too. It's always been a joke in our family that great grandmother was going to steal dad away from pop."
*******************
"So, what do you think of her?" Luke asked, running his fingers through Reid's now mostly gray hair.
Reid removed his glasses and placed them on the book in his lap, turning to Luke.
"I like her. She's no wallflower, and I didn't seem to unnerve her like I do most people. I'll have to try harder tomorrow." Reid laughed. "Hay seems really happy."
"Yes, he does."
"I love that he's happy," Reid sighed.
"I know you do. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I just have a lot of different emotions running through me right now, with retirement and everything."
"I know," Luke said and pulled Reid close to him, "But you're just leaving the hospital. You'll still have your professorship at the university, and it will give us more free time to spend together, travel."
"Yeah, I know. It's still kind of hard to let it go though."
"That's understandable. We'll figure it out. Right?"
"Yup. Like always. Goodnight, Luke," Reid said as he turned off the light and slung his arm across Luke.
"I love you, Reid."
"I love you too, Mr. Snyder."