Fic: Coming Home 35/?
Author: PABWECG (aka Patricia)
Title: Coming Home
Genre/Type: Romance
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Luke/Noah, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Bob, assorted little people, possibly others
Warnings: None really, except some Nuke intimacy
Summary: Luke and Noah moved to L.A. in the Summer of 2009 for Noah to do his last year of school with an internship of sorts (no Mason, no blindness, etc. Everything else in their history has happened). Reid arrived, temporarily, at Memorial in August 2010.
It’s now the fall.
Thank you Slayerkitty for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31/ 32/ 33/ 34/
Chapter 35
Luke looked on, amazed at how much life could change in a month.
A month ago, he had been living in L.A. with Noah. He’d been lost, drifting about, feeling totally directionless. He’d felt insecure, not trusting his own instincts about his life - personally or professionally. He’d been waiting for his life to start. He’d smiled because he felt like he should, like he was supposed to be happy.
And now? Now he was here, living in Oakdale again. Now he felt secure and confident; he’s rediscovered his old dreams, and was discovering some new ones. Now he was finding and using his own voice, expressing what he wanted and needed. Now, his life was full of so much energy that it made him dizzy. Now, he didn’t smile out of obligation, but his smiles simply snuck up on him; they were simply a natural consequence of his life.
Today was Thanksgiving Day, and Luke was feeling very thankful. He bent down and picked up Jacob, who’d been tugging on his pant legs, and then he watched Reid expertly toss the Frisbee to Ethan, who jumped up to grab it, almost got it, and then broke out into the giggles. Reid leaned over, with his hands on his knees, smiling at Luke’s little brother.
“C’mon, Eth!” Natalie shouted. “Pass it to me!” Ethan stopped laughing long enough to bend down and pick it up; then he looked very seriously in the direction of his sister, aiming his throw by squinting over the top of the Frisbee before throwing it. It missed her by a long shot and she ran after it. She picked it up, took aim, and threw it back to Reid.
He lifted up onto his toes to grab it out of the air above his head. “Nice throw,” he said to her, and Luke watched them exchange brief smiles.
It turned out that Reid was lousy at shooting hoops, and didn’t even know how to hold a football properly; but he could throw a mean Frisbee, and in one afternoon he’d charmed his sister Natalie. A regular miracle worker, that man. Reid hadn’t tried to charm her. He’d just accepted her for who she was (kind of like he did with me, Luke thought) and he hadn’t pretended either, and as the last couple hours had gone by, they’d slowly become friends of a sort.
The whole day had been really good. The morning had been very gender-segregated, with Luke and Ethan out in the barn, helping their dad finish up some end of season work, and Lily in town with the two girls getting some last-minute produce and nuts and dates for the afternoon. After they’d all returned and had a small lunch, the groups had mixed up, with Faith and Ethan going out riding with Holden, while Natalie and Luke had thrown their hands into some baking with Emma. Lucinda had arrived and she and Lily had settled into some conversation over some tea, observing the goings-on in the kitchen.
By the time Reid had arrived, Luke had been on the floor playing a game of “Snyder-rules” Monopoly with all his siblings, Lily and her mom still deep in conversation, and Holden helping his mother get the last of the dinner into the oven. All-in-all, it had been a really good day, and Luke had felt very content, reveling in the chance to really connect again with his whole family. When he’d seen Reid enter - with Jacob in his arms - beside Katie, it had been like icing on the cake. How could this day get any better? he had thought then. Seeing him now, playing with his two youngest siblings, especially seeing Natalie enjoying his company, Luke smiled - because it had, miraculously, gotten even better.
Holden observed the scene in the field with an amused smile. Who’d have thought that Reid Oliver would willingly be playing games with Luke’s siblings? But there he was, and there they were, and they all seemed to be having a good time. His smile took on an air of deep contentment as his gaze fell upon his older son; Luke was happy, and he was in-love. Holden remembered watching them dancing together at the Ball, and this moment seemed similar. Luke seemed relaxed; like he wasn’t holding on tightly to his happiness - he didn’t seem afraid of losing it.
He approached Luke - who was holding Jacob on his hip, and laughing at the goings-on - and stood beside him. “Hi there.”
Luke turned to his father and returned the greeting with a smile. And they both went back to watching the games. They laughed quietly at Ethan’s attempts to imitate Reid’s “cool moves” and smiled seeing how comfortable Natalie was with him. Reid bent over double to try and throw the disk from between his legs, which he was probably a lot more successful at when he was twenty-something, and the kids laughed. Holden watched as Luke did nothing to hide his appreciation of Reid’s form, and the older man laughed quietly.
Luke blushed and looked over at his father. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Holden asked. “I’d be worried if you didn’t enjoy looking at him.” Then he raised his eyebrows in Reid’s direction. “You’re happy,” he stated.
Luke smiled. “Yeah, I am.” He watched Reid and his brother and sister a bit more, and then looked down at the ground, his arms around Jacob and exhaled.
“What is it?” Holden asked.
“Well it’s just…I was happy with Noah at the beginning, too…I think.” His brow furrowed. “Something’s different with Reid. I can’t pinpoint it, but something’s definitely different.”
Holden nodded his head with a quiet sigh, but didn’t say anything.
“What?” Luke asked. “You notice something, too. I know you do. Tell me.”
“Okay. If you want.” Holden said, and Luke nodded. “You don’t seem afraid with him.” Luke furrowed his brow in slight confusion. “Not that you were afraid of Noah, but I think, and I could be wrong…but I think you were afraid of Noah leaving.” Luke nodded his head sadly. “And…” Holden continued. “I think it was like that from the beginning.” Luke’s eyes widened, impressed. “I didn’t see it at first, but…Noah’s love, and I do think he loved you, but his love was always…hesitant; and I think, subconsciously you were always afraid he’d take it away.”
“And he did.” Luke’s expression hardened. “Over and over.” He sighed, and then he looked up and his gaze met Reid’s; and they both smiled, until a Frisbee hit Reid square in the face. “Oh God!” Luke put a hand to his mouth, worried, until Reid started laughing and yelling mock curses at Natalie, who “cursed” right back at him, until they were all laughing.
When the laughing had stopped and the throwing had resumed, Holden spoke again. “See?” Once Luke met Holden’s eyes, his father continued. “When Reid looks at you, you’re the only one he sees.” And he raised an eyebrow knowingly. “So he gets hit in the head with a Frisbee.” Luke smiled. “Noah’s love for you was never…so focused.”
And Luke knew that his dad was right. As good as his intentions had been when Noah had married Ameera, it had been just the first of many instances where something had come between him and his love for Luke. And really, it went back to the very beginning, even that first kiss. Noah immediately pulling away, calling it a joke, and going back to being Maddie’s boyfriend. And while Luke was sure that it hurt Noah to see Luke in pain during that period, it didn’t hurt enough for him to tell the truth to his ‘girlfriend’. His love had never been that focused.
Luke and Holden didn’t say any more, and neither of them acknowledged - aloud, anyway - that Holden believed Reid loved Luke. Luke had felt Reid’s love - in his words and actions. And he loved Reid - logic told him that it was too soon, but somehow he knew he did. But neither he nor Reid had ever spoken those words to each other.
In the kitchen, Luke could feel Reid’s eyes upon him, as he helped his grandma finish getting the meal ready. He was amused at Ethan’s insistence on sitting next to his boyfriend (not that Reid’s ever called me that. It’s only been a month; don’t get ahead of yourself, Luke.) He smiled, enjoying the sounds of the laughter being shared by his siblings and Reid: Ethan asking Natalie if she wanted to sit on Reid’s other side; Natalie, blushing, saying that no, she’d save that spot for Luke; Reid, acting all mock-relieved, saying he was glad because she’d probably try to maim him again.
Natalie teased him right back, saying that he wouldn’t have gotten that bruise (small as it was) if he’d been paying attention to the game and not staring at her big brother. Both Reid and Natalie tried to get Luke to take their side, but he just held his hands up as if to say, I’m not getting involved.
In a few minutes, Holden was inviting everyone to find their seat, the food was brought over, and they all held hands for a blessing.
Thirty minutes later, everyone was stuffed - well, everyone except Reid. “Aren’t you gonna save room for dessert?’ Luke asked, as Reid reached for more mashed potatoes.
“Oh, trust me. There’s still room.” Reid said, pouring gravy on top of them. “You’re just trying to change the subject.” Luke rolled his eyes at his failed attempt to do just that, and Reid smiled wickedly across the table at Katie and said. “So, what happened next?”
“Well, Luke brought that fish into the house…” she pinched her nose, remembering the smell. “And he proceeded to gut it - rather well for his age, I might add - and he got it all ready and fried it right up and put it on the table.”
Luke was turning several shades of purple, and his little sibling were all laughing, while the grown-ups who could remember the event quite clearly, tried not to join in the laughter. “I do have to admit,” Holden spoke up. “You really did do an impressive job preparing that fish.”
“But it had to be the worst tasting thing I’d ever eaten.” Lucinda drawled, and then seeing the look of surprise on Reid’s face, added, “Oh, yes, we ate it. Fortunately it was a very small fish.”
“I was seven-years-old.” Luke insisted, his head in his hands. “God, am I never going to live this story down?”
Reid put his arm around Luke’s shoulder and pulled him close, saying in mock tenderness, “You poor baby…” and Luke scowled at him.
“No, you’re not.” Katie answered Luke’s question, looking around the table. “But, that was nothing compared to the streaking incident.” She raised her eyebrows at Luke, before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Oh, God…I was only a little kid. Lots of kids like to run around with their clothes off - everyone here has” he gestured around the table. “I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about that.” Katie picked up Jacob. “I’m talking about the time you and Casey ran around the outside of the house; what were you, sixteen?” Luke lowered his face into his hands again. “You thought no-one was home, but then Alison and Maddie showed up, and you guys jumped into the pond and had to stay there, because the girls wouldn’t get your clothes until you made them all sorts of promises.”
Reid was just about dieing of laughter beside him. “Oh, I wish I could’ve seen that.” Luke really scowled at him now. “Sorry.” Reid said, trying to swallow another laugh. “Poor Luke, maybe that’s enough stories.”
“Oh, so now you’re feeling sorry for me?” Luke pursed his lips. “Think I’ve had enough, do you?”
“No.” he answered seriously. “I just think we should save some for the next time I’m here.” And he broke out into more laughter.
Luke narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, and then he leaned in closer to Reid, saying, “Next time, huh?”
“You are gonna invite me over for dinner again…right?”
“Only if you behave.” Luke scolded.
Reid quirked an eyebrow and smiled, saying “I make no promises there, Mr. Snyder.” Luke smiled and blushed in return.
Reid saw Luke tap Jacob’s little nose; he was standing beside his cousin Katie, with the rest of the family, all of them gathered around Faith, who was sitting at the piano. Was this the Walton’s? Reid found himself wondering. They were actually singing around the piano. Who does that? Well, Luke’s family evidently, even Lucinda. And while Reid thought it was far too early to be singing Christmas Carols - Christmas was a month away - who was he to argue with Snyder-family tradition? He stood apart from them, watching; Luke looked over his shoulder and smiled an invitation at him, but he shook his head. Frisbee was one thing, and dinner he could hardly refuse, but this…he felt like an intruder, even just watching.
After several songs, they all made their way into the living room, where the kids inhaled their pie and then fell exhausted to the floor for a fierce game of Sorry. Reid felt like he had stepped into another time; the television wasn’t even on, and people were actually talking to each other. He stood against the door jam and took in the scene; Luke came up to him and leaned his back against Reid’s front, pulling Reid’s arms around his waist. Reid tucked his chin onto Luke’s shoulder and laid a soft kiss on his neck.
Luke sighed and leaned more fully back against him. “Whatcha got there?” Reid asked, peering at Luke’s plate.
Luke smirked.
“You can’t possibly eat all that.” Reid said, his eyes narrowed in on the various pieces of pie.
“But you could, right?” Luke said. Reid quickly nodded his head, and Luke could feel him smiling. “That’s why I got them.”
Luke could sense him brighten. “For me?”
“No, to share.” Luke said, turning slightly to watch Reid’s face, which at first showed disappointment, then seemed to decide that there was indeed enough pie to share.
“Well, that should work.” Reid deduced. “As long as I get the bigger half of each piece.”
“You know there’s no such thing as a bigger half, right?”
“Hmmm?” Reid said, stealing the fork out of Luke’s hand. “How come there are two pieces of apple?”
“My grandmother and I each made one, so I figured we should try both.”
Reid nodded his head at that logic and then proceeded to give Luke one bite for every two he took for himself.
Luke looked around the room as they ate. His family seemed really happy, settled. His parents sat beside each other, with an easy comfortable silence surrounding them, and Luke watched his mother run a hand gently through his father’s hair, and saw him smile at her. His siblings seemed happy and more content than Luke remembered them being in a long time.
He had something he needed to say, and it took some willpower to make himself speak up. It’s not my job to be the glue in this family. Besides which, they seem to be holding themselves together just fine. But even if they weren’t, that’s Mom and Dad’s job, not mine. And once more, he looked at his parents and saw how much they had changed since a year and a half ago when he’d left with Noah, and he knew that his younger siblings could count on them to have the maturity that parenting required.
He cleared his throat and spoke. “So, I’ve decided to find an apartment.” Reid’s hand ran up and down his arm lightly. “It’s time. I’ve never had a place of my own…and I’d like to.”
He saw his mother look at his father and then back to him and smile. “Good.” She said. “If that’s what you need, I’m glad you’re doing it.” And her expression clearly said, you were our rock for more years than you should have been Luke, because we weren’t doing our job, but I’m so glad you’re taking care of yourself now.
“Thanks, Mom.” Luke smiled back at her. “So, you know the old Windsor place?” Heads around the room nodded. “Well, the Frazier’s had the cottage winterized a while back.”
“Yeah, the Bailey couple have been renting it for a few years now.” Holden added.
Luke nodded his head at his father. “Well, they’re going to spend a year in Germany, and then they aren’t sure what they’re going to do after that, so the Frazier’s are looking to rent it to someone else, so…” and he bobbed his head back and forth excitedly, turning to smile at Reid behind him. “Well, it looks like that someone else is going to be me.”
“It’s a gorgeous spot, and it’s got that little room that looks out on the hill.” Lucinda said, nodding proudly at her grandson. “It seems perfect.” Luke simply smiled and nodded back at her, feeling Reid’s arm around his waist still. “When will you move in, Darling?”
“Right after the new year.” He answered her, at the same time noticing that his siblings seemed awfully quiet. Luke knew that they were going to miss him again, even though he’d only be about ten minutes away. He also knew that he needed to do this, he needed clear boundaries in his life, for the first time. He was their brother, not their father, and he needed a place that was his and no one else’s.
He wasn’t the only one that noticed, and Holden spoke. “Your brother’s gonna need our help getting moved out there, and then we’ll have to throw him a little house-warming party, won’t we?” Ethan eagerly agreed, and Natalie and Faith smiled, slowly understanding. “And isn’t it great,” Holden went on, “that we have him back in Oakdale? We all missed him so much when was on the west coast, didn’t we?” And they nodded and Reid gave his waist a two-armed squeeze and simply breathed him in, letting him know, silently, that he was here and that he knew how hard that was for Luke.
next part/
Title: Coming Home
Genre/Type: Romance
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Luke/Noah, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Bob, assorted little people, possibly others
Warnings: None really, except some Nuke intimacy
Summary: Luke and Noah moved to L.A. in the Summer of 2009 for Noah to do his last year of school with an internship of sorts (no Mason, no blindness, etc. Everything else in their history has happened). Reid arrived, temporarily, at Memorial in August 2010.
It’s now the fall.
Thank you Slayerkitty for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31/ 32/ 33/ 34/
Chapter 35
Luke looked on, amazed at how much life could change in a month.
A month ago, he had been living in L.A. with Noah. He’d been lost, drifting about, feeling totally directionless. He’d felt insecure, not trusting his own instincts about his life - personally or professionally. He’d been waiting for his life to start. He’d smiled because he felt like he should, like he was supposed to be happy.
And now? Now he was here, living in Oakdale again. Now he felt secure and confident; he’s rediscovered his old dreams, and was discovering some new ones. Now he was finding and using his own voice, expressing what he wanted and needed. Now, his life was full of so much energy that it made him dizzy. Now, he didn’t smile out of obligation, but his smiles simply snuck up on him; they were simply a natural consequence of his life.
Today was Thanksgiving Day, and Luke was feeling very thankful. He bent down and picked up Jacob, who’d been tugging on his pant legs, and then he watched Reid expertly toss the Frisbee to Ethan, who jumped up to grab it, almost got it, and then broke out into the giggles. Reid leaned over, with his hands on his knees, smiling at Luke’s little brother.
“C’mon, Eth!” Natalie shouted. “Pass it to me!” Ethan stopped laughing long enough to bend down and pick it up; then he looked very seriously in the direction of his sister, aiming his throw by squinting over the top of the Frisbee before throwing it. It missed her by a long shot and she ran after it. She picked it up, took aim, and threw it back to Reid.
He lifted up onto his toes to grab it out of the air above his head. “Nice throw,” he said to her, and Luke watched them exchange brief smiles.
It turned out that Reid was lousy at shooting hoops, and didn’t even know how to hold a football properly; but he could throw a mean Frisbee, and in one afternoon he’d charmed his sister Natalie. A regular miracle worker, that man. Reid hadn’t tried to charm her. He’d just accepted her for who she was (kind of like he did with me, Luke thought) and he hadn’t pretended either, and as the last couple hours had gone by, they’d slowly become friends of a sort.
The whole day had been really good. The morning had been very gender-segregated, with Luke and Ethan out in the barn, helping their dad finish up some end of season work, and Lily in town with the two girls getting some last-minute produce and nuts and dates for the afternoon. After they’d all returned and had a small lunch, the groups had mixed up, with Faith and Ethan going out riding with Holden, while Natalie and Luke had thrown their hands into some baking with Emma. Lucinda had arrived and she and Lily had settled into some conversation over some tea, observing the goings-on in the kitchen.
By the time Reid had arrived, Luke had been on the floor playing a game of “Snyder-rules” Monopoly with all his siblings, Lily and her mom still deep in conversation, and Holden helping his mother get the last of the dinner into the oven. All-in-all, it had been a really good day, and Luke had felt very content, reveling in the chance to really connect again with his whole family. When he’d seen Reid enter - with Jacob in his arms - beside Katie, it had been like icing on the cake. How could this day get any better? he had thought then. Seeing him now, playing with his two youngest siblings, especially seeing Natalie enjoying his company, Luke smiled - because it had, miraculously, gotten even better.
Holden observed the scene in the field with an amused smile. Who’d have thought that Reid Oliver would willingly be playing games with Luke’s siblings? But there he was, and there they were, and they all seemed to be having a good time. His smile took on an air of deep contentment as his gaze fell upon his older son; Luke was happy, and he was in-love. Holden remembered watching them dancing together at the Ball, and this moment seemed similar. Luke seemed relaxed; like he wasn’t holding on tightly to his happiness - he didn’t seem afraid of losing it.
He approached Luke - who was holding Jacob on his hip, and laughing at the goings-on - and stood beside him. “Hi there.”
Luke turned to his father and returned the greeting with a smile. And they both went back to watching the games. They laughed quietly at Ethan’s attempts to imitate Reid’s “cool moves” and smiled seeing how comfortable Natalie was with him. Reid bent over double to try and throw the disk from between his legs, which he was probably a lot more successful at when he was twenty-something, and the kids laughed. Holden watched as Luke did nothing to hide his appreciation of Reid’s form, and the older man laughed quietly.
Luke blushed and looked over at his father. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.” Holden asked. “I’d be worried if you didn’t enjoy looking at him.” Then he raised his eyebrows in Reid’s direction. “You’re happy,” he stated.
Luke smiled. “Yeah, I am.” He watched Reid and his brother and sister a bit more, and then looked down at the ground, his arms around Jacob and exhaled.
“What is it?” Holden asked.
“Well it’s just…I was happy with Noah at the beginning, too…I think.” His brow furrowed. “Something’s different with Reid. I can’t pinpoint it, but something’s definitely different.”
Holden nodded his head with a quiet sigh, but didn’t say anything.
“What?” Luke asked. “You notice something, too. I know you do. Tell me.”
“Okay. If you want.” Holden said, and Luke nodded. “You don’t seem afraid with him.” Luke furrowed his brow in slight confusion. “Not that you were afraid of Noah, but I think, and I could be wrong…but I think you were afraid of Noah leaving.” Luke nodded his head sadly. “And…” Holden continued. “I think it was like that from the beginning.” Luke’s eyes widened, impressed. “I didn’t see it at first, but…Noah’s love, and I do think he loved you, but his love was always…hesitant; and I think, subconsciously you were always afraid he’d take it away.”
“And he did.” Luke’s expression hardened. “Over and over.” He sighed, and then he looked up and his gaze met Reid’s; and they both smiled, until a Frisbee hit Reid square in the face. “Oh God!” Luke put a hand to his mouth, worried, until Reid started laughing and yelling mock curses at Natalie, who “cursed” right back at him, until they were all laughing.
When the laughing had stopped and the throwing had resumed, Holden spoke again. “See?” Once Luke met Holden’s eyes, his father continued. “When Reid looks at you, you’re the only one he sees.” And he raised an eyebrow knowingly. “So he gets hit in the head with a Frisbee.” Luke smiled. “Noah’s love for you was never…so focused.”
And Luke knew that his dad was right. As good as his intentions had been when Noah had married Ameera, it had been just the first of many instances where something had come between him and his love for Luke. And really, it went back to the very beginning, even that first kiss. Noah immediately pulling away, calling it a joke, and going back to being Maddie’s boyfriend. And while Luke was sure that it hurt Noah to see Luke in pain during that period, it didn’t hurt enough for him to tell the truth to his ‘girlfriend’. His love had never been that focused.
Luke and Holden didn’t say any more, and neither of them acknowledged - aloud, anyway - that Holden believed Reid loved Luke. Luke had felt Reid’s love - in his words and actions. And he loved Reid - logic told him that it was too soon, but somehow he knew he did. But neither he nor Reid had ever spoken those words to each other.
In the kitchen, Luke could feel Reid’s eyes upon him, as he helped his grandma finish getting the meal ready. He was amused at Ethan’s insistence on sitting next to his boyfriend (not that Reid’s ever called me that. It’s only been a month; don’t get ahead of yourself, Luke.) He smiled, enjoying the sounds of the laughter being shared by his siblings and Reid: Ethan asking Natalie if she wanted to sit on Reid’s other side; Natalie, blushing, saying that no, she’d save that spot for Luke; Reid, acting all mock-relieved, saying he was glad because she’d probably try to maim him again.
Natalie teased him right back, saying that he wouldn’t have gotten that bruise (small as it was) if he’d been paying attention to the game and not staring at her big brother. Both Reid and Natalie tried to get Luke to take their side, but he just held his hands up as if to say, I’m not getting involved.
In a few minutes, Holden was inviting everyone to find their seat, the food was brought over, and they all held hands for a blessing.
Thirty minutes later, everyone was stuffed - well, everyone except Reid. “Aren’t you gonna save room for dessert?’ Luke asked, as Reid reached for more mashed potatoes.
“Oh, trust me. There’s still room.” Reid said, pouring gravy on top of them. “You’re just trying to change the subject.” Luke rolled his eyes at his failed attempt to do just that, and Reid smiled wickedly across the table at Katie and said. “So, what happened next?”
“Well, Luke brought that fish into the house…” she pinched her nose, remembering the smell. “And he proceeded to gut it - rather well for his age, I might add - and he got it all ready and fried it right up and put it on the table.”
Luke was turning several shades of purple, and his little sibling were all laughing, while the grown-ups who could remember the event quite clearly, tried not to join in the laughter. “I do have to admit,” Holden spoke up. “You really did do an impressive job preparing that fish.”
“But it had to be the worst tasting thing I’d ever eaten.” Lucinda drawled, and then seeing the look of surprise on Reid’s face, added, “Oh, yes, we ate it. Fortunately it was a very small fish.”
“I was seven-years-old.” Luke insisted, his head in his hands. “God, am I never going to live this story down?”
Reid put his arm around Luke’s shoulder and pulled him close, saying in mock tenderness, “You poor baby…” and Luke scowled at him.
“No, you’re not.” Katie answered Luke’s question, looking around the table. “But, that was nothing compared to the streaking incident.” She raised her eyebrows at Luke, before taking a sip of her coffee.
“Oh, God…I was only a little kid. Lots of kids like to run around with their clothes off - everyone here has” he gestured around the table. “I’m sure of it.”
“Oh, I’m not talking about that.” Katie picked up Jacob. “I’m talking about the time you and Casey ran around the outside of the house; what were you, sixteen?” Luke lowered his face into his hands again. “You thought no-one was home, but then Alison and Maddie showed up, and you guys jumped into the pond and had to stay there, because the girls wouldn’t get your clothes until you made them all sorts of promises.”
Reid was just about dieing of laughter beside him. “Oh, I wish I could’ve seen that.” Luke really scowled at him now. “Sorry.” Reid said, trying to swallow another laugh. “Poor Luke, maybe that’s enough stories.”
“Oh, so now you’re feeling sorry for me?” Luke pursed his lips. “Think I’ve had enough, do you?”
“No.” he answered seriously. “I just think we should save some for the next time I’m here.” And he broke out into more laughter.
Luke narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, and then he leaned in closer to Reid, saying, “Next time, huh?”
“You are gonna invite me over for dinner again…right?”
“Only if you behave.” Luke scolded.
Reid quirked an eyebrow and smiled, saying “I make no promises there, Mr. Snyder.” Luke smiled and blushed in return.
Reid saw Luke tap Jacob’s little nose; he was standing beside his cousin Katie, with the rest of the family, all of them gathered around Faith, who was sitting at the piano. Was this the Walton’s? Reid found himself wondering. They were actually singing around the piano. Who does that? Well, Luke’s family evidently, even Lucinda. And while Reid thought it was far too early to be singing Christmas Carols - Christmas was a month away - who was he to argue with Snyder-family tradition? He stood apart from them, watching; Luke looked over his shoulder and smiled an invitation at him, but he shook his head. Frisbee was one thing, and dinner he could hardly refuse, but this…he felt like an intruder, even just watching.
After several songs, they all made their way into the living room, where the kids inhaled their pie and then fell exhausted to the floor for a fierce game of Sorry. Reid felt like he had stepped into another time; the television wasn’t even on, and people were actually talking to each other. He stood against the door jam and took in the scene; Luke came up to him and leaned his back against Reid’s front, pulling Reid’s arms around his waist. Reid tucked his chin onto Luke’s shoulder and laid a soft kiss on his neck.
Luke sighed and leaned more fully back against him. “Whatcha got there?” Reid asked, peering at Luke’s plate.
Luke smirked.
“You can’t possibly eat all that.” Reid said, his eyes narrowed in on the various pieces of pie.
“But you could, right?” Luke said. Reid quickly nodded his head, and Luke could feel him smiling. “That’s why I got them.”
Luke could sense him brighten. “For me?”
“No, to share.” Luke said, turning slightly to watch Reid’s face, which at first showed disappointment, then seemed to decide that there was indeed enough pie to share.
“Well, that should work.” Reid deduced. “As long as I get the bigger half of each piece.”
“You know there’s no such thing as a bigger half, right?”
“Hmmm?” Reid said, stealing the fork out of Luke’s hand. “How come there are two pieces of apple?”
“My grandmother and I each made one, so I figured we should try both.”
Reid nodded his head at that logic and then proceeded to give Luke one bite for every two he took for himself.
Luke looked around the room as they ate. His family seemed really happy, settled. His parents sat beside each other, with an easy comfortable silence surrounding them, and Luke watched his mother run a hand gently through his father’s hair, and saw him smile at her. His siblings seemed happy and more content than Luke remembered them being in a long time.
He had something he needed to say, and it took some willpower to make himself speak up. It’s not my job to be the glue in this family. Besides which, they seem to be holding themselves together just fine. But even if they weren’t, that’s Mom and Dad’s job, not mine. And once more, he looked at his parents and saw how much they had changed since a year and a half ago when he’d left with Noah, and he knew that his younger siblings could count on them to have the maturity that parenting required.
He cleared his throat and spoke. “So, I’ve decided to find an apartment.” Reid’s hand ran up and down his arm lightly. “It’s time. I’ve never had a place of my own…and I’d like to.”
He saw his mother look at his father and then back to him and smile. “Good.” She said. “If that’s what you need, I’m glad you’re doing it.” And her expression clearly said, you were our rock for more years than you should have been Luke, because we weren’t doing our job, but I’m so glad you’re taking care of yourself now.
“Thanks, Mom.” Luke smiled back at her. “So, you know the old Windsor place?” Heads around the room nodded. “Well, the Frazier’s had the cottage winterized a while back.”
“Yeah, the Bailey couple have been renting it for a few years now.” Holden added.
Luke nodded his head at his father. “Well, they’re going to spend a year in Germany, and then they aren’t sure what they’re going to do after that, so the Frazier’s are looking to rent it to someone else, so…” and he bobbed his head back and forth excitedly, turning to smile at Reid behind him. “Well, it looks like that someone else is going to be me.”
“It’s a gorgeous spot, and it’s got that little room that looks out on the hill.” Lucinda said, nodding proudly at her grandson. “It seems perfect.” Luke simply smiled and nodded back at her, feeling Reid’s arm around his waist still. “When will you move in, Darling?”
“Right after the new year.” He answered her, at the same time noticing that his siblings seemed awfully quiet. Luke knew that they were going to miss him again, even though he’d only be about ten minutes away. He also knew that he needed to do this, he needed clear boundaries in his life, for the first time. He was their brother, not their father, and he needed a place that was his and no one else’s.
He wasn’t the only one that noticed, and Holden spoke. “Your brother’s gonna need our help getting moved out there, and then we’ll have to throw him a little house-warming party, won’t we?” Ethan eagerly agreed, and Natalie and Faith smiled, slowly understanding. “And isn’t it great,” Holden went on, “that we have him back in Oakdale? We all missed him so much when was on the west coast, didn’t we?” And they nodded and Reid gave his waist a two-armed squeeze and simply breathed him in, letting him know, silently, that he was here and that he knew how hard that was for Luke.
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