“Yeah, but you have to say that. You’re contractually obliged as my husband.” Jerry pouted but only because he knew it would get him a cuddle and a kiss.
“Poor baby,” David said after kissing Jerry’s pout away. “Should I get you a pacifier?”
“If I’m not mistaken,” Jerry said, his voice husky, as his hand moved to between David’s legs, “I do remember someone promising me a night of… what were the words?” Jerry’s other hand came up to rest behind David’s neck, their lips touching lightly. “Whatever I wanted.” Jerry pushed his lips to David’s, his tongue coming out to find its partner. He deepened the kiss as he squeezed gently with his other hand, delighted when David’s hands came around his neck and began caressing his head. He’d never thought of his scalp as an erogenous zone, but David had a way of touching him—everywhere and anywhere—that made him lose all focus.
He felt the writhing stop, heard David’s moans stop, and then his lap was empty. Confusion battled with the lust he’d felt mere moments before. He looked at David and saw him straightening his clothes just before he heard the footsteps coming toward the kitchen.
“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Cory said as his eyes flitted around the room, not sure where to look. Jerry crossed his legs and pretended that he wasn’t flushed and excited. “I just wanted to mention that, uh, well, since my father was… since I, you know, ran away, I, uh, haven’t been to school, so….” Cory fidgeted with the hem of his T-shirt and looked at Jerry then at David. “I’ve been in some trouble there before, so I, uh….”
“Cory?” David said as he came back to the table with two mugs of tea, placing one in front of Jerry. “Would you like to stay home until we can meet with the principal?”
“I’m not sure that will do any good.” Cory’s fidgeting grew more intense, and Jerry pushed out a chair for him and motioned for him to sit. “Thanks, uh, Mr. Husack doesn’t really like me and Ms. Rogers, the, uh, vice-principal, and he already thinks that I—”
“Cory, were you involved—in any way—in what your father was doing?” Jerry offered his mug to Cory, taking it back when Cory shook his head.
“No, but they don’t believe me.” Cory looked up, and Jerry began—probably for the first time—to understand the complexities of what had been Cory’s life. “Some of the other kids thought that since my dad was a dealer that I must be just like him, and no matter what I did… I mean, I tried to ignore them, but then they’d be saying stuff about—”
“If you didn’t have anything to do with it, then you just go to school, ignore them, and let me handle the rest.” Jerry put his hand slowly on Cory’s shoulder. “Okay?”
“O… okay, okay,” Cory stammered and then looked up at Jerry and offered a small smile. “Thanks, Jerry.”
“I’ll tell you what, Cory,” David said after a few seconds. “Why doesn’t Jerry go with you tomorrow? You two can meet with the principal and get things going on the right path again?”
Cory nodded, thanked them each by name, and headed for the stairs but stopped short. “Maybe I should just go by myself.” Cory had returned to the kitchen, and the look on his face had Jerry wondering just how he should handle all of this.
“I don’t mind coming with you,” Jerry said, his eyes shifting quickly between Cory and David.
“I know, and I appreciate it and all, but….”
“You want to see if you can handle things yourself first.” Jerry understood; he’d been the same way when he was Cory’s age, so desperate to prove that he could handle anything, that he was a man already at sixteen.
“Kinda, yeah,” Cory said as he began backing up towards the stairs. “Can I call if I need your help?”
“I’ll be waiting by the phone.” Jerry wished Cory a good night’s sleep, and Cory disappeared up the stairs. Jerry turned to find David smiling, the big grin eliciting a smile from Jerry himself. “What?”
“Told you,” David said as he brought his mug to his lips. “Best dad in the world.”
Jerry wasn’t sure he believed it yet, but as he reached for his husband’s hand, he thought—probably for the first time in a year—that he wasn’t the worst.
Chapter 15
JERRY was contemplating a nice large helping of leftover lasagna and maybe even a beer for lunch when he felt the vibration on his hip. He stabbed the bale of hay with the pitchfork, took off his gloves, and grabbed for his cell phone. “McKenzie.”
“Yes, Mr. McKenzie, this is Mr. Husack.” Jerry thought he’d heard the name before, but decided to wait for the man to finish. “I am the principal at Shaftesbury Collegiate.”
“Mr. Husack, what can I do for you?”
“I have Cory Flett sitting here in my office, and he tells me that you are his guardian now.”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“Well, I’m afraid there’s been some trouble here at the school this morning. Are you available to come and pick him up?”
“Pick him up?” Jerry checked his watch. “It’s not even eleven. What’s he done?”
“Please, Mr. McKenzie. It will be easier to explain to you in person.”
“Be there in about fifteen minutes, then.” Jerry didn’t bother waiting for the pleasantries to end. He snapped his phone shut and wondered if he should call David. After all, this was his territory; he probably even knew this Mr. Husack. He flipped his phone open, ready to call, but then decided against it. He stuffed his gloves into his back pocket, grabbed the keys off the hook just inside the barn door, and headed for his truck.
He’d only ever been to the high school once, to give a talk to one of the art classes, and was pretty sure he remembered how to get there. And after a couple of wrong turns and some cursing when he found the city had changed even more than he’d thought since he moved away almost twenty years ago, he found the visitor parking, pushed his hat back on his head, and took a few long strides to the front doors.
He found the office, took off his hat, pulled open the door, and waited for the secretary to acknowledge him. She didn’t really seem to notice him, so he cleared his throat. He was just beginning to wonder if the job description of a school secretary had changed since his days when a door to his right opened, and a small, haggard man strode out and offered his hand.
“Mr. McKenzie?”
“Jerry, please.”
“Right. Jerry, then.” They shook hands, and then the man stepped aside and motioned toward the office he’d just left. Jerry could see Cory sitting inside the office that looked about the same size as one of the bathrooms at home. Cory didn’t look too happy to be there, and Jerry could hear David’s voice in his head. Listen to everyone before you start calling them dipshits. Jerry found a smile for Cory, who only looked up briefly, and took the seat beside him.
“I’m afraid to tell you that Cory is being suspended for fighting.”
“I defended myself!”
Jerry looked over at the look of utter disgust on Cory’s face and put a hand on his knee for a few seconds, hoping he’d be able to avert any kind of yelling match. “That’s fine if he was fighting. He should be punished.”
“This is Cory’s third suspension this year, and I will be recommending to the school board that an expulsion should be seriously considered.”
Jerry’s hand went again to Cory’s knee when he saw Cory’s body bristle and flinch. “Suppose you bring me up to speed on the other suspensions. They for fighting too?”
“Yes, I’m afraid they were.” Mr. Husack sat back in his chair, and Jerry couldn’t help but wonder where the smug expression had come from.
Jerry turned to Cory. “Can you tell me your side without yelling?”
“Why bother? He’s already made up his mind.”
Jerry studied Cory’s expression of disgust as well as his bouncing knee. “Why bother? Because I’m asking. You don’t wanna say anything? That’s fine, then I guess I’ll have to take his word for everything.” Jerry leaned back in his chair and waited, not really car
ing that he hadn’t called the man by his name. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something he didn’t like about this Mr. Husack.
“Wasn’t even in the school for ten minutes this morning, and some of the other kids were bad-mouthing my dad, calling him names, calling me names.” Cory sat up a little straighter in his chair and looked over at Mr. Husack before continuing. “I ignore them like you and David told me last night, and Brad Martens comes up behind me and pushes me into Ms. Barker. Next thing I know, I’m here, and he’s calling you.”
“That what he told you?” Jerry looked over at Mr. Husack, who was leaning against his desk again.
“Almost verbatim.”
“And what’s this Brad fellow have to say about what happened?”
“We don’t discuss other students in these kinds of situations, Mr. McKenzie. We are concerned only with Cory right now.”
“As am I, Mr. Husack.” Jerry leaned forward in his chair, straightening his back so that he looked down on the principal. “But I’m not about to take everyone else’s word when there’s an obvious discrepancy here.”
“I can assure you, Mr. McKenzie, that with Cory’s history—”
“And I can assure you, Mr. Husack, that I can go find a bunch of people who will tell me that Cory’s one of the nicest guys in Calgary.” Jerry leaned over, grabbed Cory’s backpack, and stood to his full height. “Now if you’re telling me that you’ve already looked into this, talked to this teacher and the other students that were in the hallway, and Cory’s version is a lie, then I guess I don’t have any choice but to trust you.”
“There was no need for me to investigate any of—”
“That’s all I needed to know.” Jerry turned toward Cory, put a hand on his shoulder, and moved him to the door. “I’ll do some investigating of my own on other options for Cory’s schooling and be in touch.” Jerry nodded and put his hat back on his head. “Appreciate your taking your job so seriously, Principal Husack.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Jerry heard the smug tone and turned back to the principal. “Your wife is a teacher.”
“You have a good day, Mr. Husack.” A thought occurred to Jerry, from deep down inside his brain. It was something he thought he remembered from all of the frenzy of dealing with the Bennet Brigade last year. “One more thing, Mr. Husack? Am I correct in assuming that Mr. Loewenberger doesn’t need to be present to hear that remark in order to file a complaint of unprofessional conduct against you?” Jerry pushed his hat back on his head again. “It would appear I’ve said something to upset you, Mr. Husack, and if I did, your problem is with me. Best to leave my wife out of this. Something tells me you couldn’t best him on his worst day.”
Jerry didn’t wait for any kind of reaction at all before pulling his hat back down and exiting the tiny office to find Cory already outside the main office in the hallway.
“I’m sorry, Jerry, but he is such a prick.” Cory picked up his pace to keep up with Jerry’s long strides. “I heard what he said about David.”
Jerry stopped dead in his tracks, half of his brain telling him to go back into Mr. Husack’s office and beat the smile off the smarmy little shit’s face and the other half telling him to be a better man than that. “Listen, Cory,” Jerry finally said when he got the two of them walking again. “Don’t matter what he is, ’cause I ain’t angry with you, okay?”
“Really?”
Jerry couldn’t help the muted snort of laugher. “Really,” he said as he pressed the key fob and opened his door, throwing Cory’s backpack in between them. Once he was settled, he turned to Cory. “I just hope David doesn’t rip my head off.”
JERRY had spent a frustrating afternoon between finishing his chores in the barn and going back to the house to check that Cory was doing his schoolwork, all the while trying to get the thought out of his head that David was going to tan his hide when he heard about the meeting. He’d debated with himself for the better part of three hours before he finally decided not to phone David and tell him everything. He would wait until David had been home for a while, giving Jerry a chance to snuggle and kiss him senseless before dropping the bombshell.
David and William arrived home just after he’d finished fixing the two loose posts on the corral fence. He delayed the inevitable by jumping in the shower after a quick greeting to William and offering a quick kiss to David. He left the three of them in the kitchen, debating which restaurant they would eat at tonight. Neither he nor David had mentioned anything to Cory about clothes shopping, and as he stood under the hot water and smelled the soap and shampoo he’d come to associate with David, he hoped that the whole evening wouldn’t be ruined because he still couldn’t couch his remarks to the idiots of this world.
DAVID waited for Jerry to exit the shower. He’d left the decision about the restaurant to the boys and waited, towel in hand, for his waterlogged husband to reappear from behind the frosted shower door. When the water stopped, he saw Jerry’s hand come out, his eyes closed as usual, and reach for the towel. David handed it to him and waited for Jerry to dry his eyes.
“Hey,” Jerry said nervously, jumping when he noticed David standing there in the steam.
“Hey yourself,” David said as he took the towel from Jerry and started drying Jerry’s muscular chest. “Anything you want to tell me?”
“How…?”
“Cory told me the highlights.” David looked up into the bewildered expression. “And… you’ve been in that shower for almost twenty minutes.” He moved the towel lower and kneeled down as he dried Jerry’s legs. “I would have known something was up just from that alone.”
“Okay,” Jerry said as he turned to let David dry his back and ass. “Let me have it. I know I fucked up.”
“Oh, you’re going to get it, that’s for sure.” David schooled the smile that threatened and stood up as Jerry turned around. He draped the towel around Jerry’s neck and pulled gently. It wasn’t resistance that he felt when he brought his lips to Jerry’s but rather uncertainty. He let go of the towel and placed his hands on the beard, his fingers combing and teasing. He finally felt Jerry relax and accept his tongue, felt his own growing erection aligning itself with Jerry’s. After a few moments, he pulled away. “Have you learned your lesson?”
“I don’t… what did Cory tell you?”
“He told me that you stood up for him. He told me that he was pushed and the principal didn’t believe him.” He pulled the towel from around Jerry’s neck and fastened it around his waist. “And he told me that you weren’t willing to punish him without knowing all the facts.”
“So….” Jerry fixed the knot in the towel and looked down at David, who was combing through Jerry’s wet hair with his fingers. “You’re not angry with how I handled it?”
“Now what kind of wife would I be if I didn’t support my husband?”
“He told you that too?”
“Do you honestly believe I’ve never heard that kind of garbage before?” David pressed himself to Jerry’s chest. “But thank you for wanting to protect me. Besides, Ed Husack is a miserable shell of what he used to be. He was the third person to sign Bennet’s petition last year and has applied to be the superintendent five different times and was never even granted an interview. He’s a bitter, disillusioned alcoholic.”
“You have no idea how much I wanted to wipe that smarmy expression off his face.”
“You wouldn’t be alone, baby.” David kissed his husband and then backed up slowly to the door. “Now, get dressed. It’s time for us to forget about Ed Husack and spend an evening out as a family.”
DAVID was relieved that that was exactly what they managed to do: spend the evening out as a family. They had dinner at one of William’s favorite restaurants, one of the many in Calgary that offered an all-you-can-eat buffet, and David actually felt guilty about the check at the end of the night. Between William’s fascination with croutons and bacon bits and Cory’s inability to get enough pizza, David wondered if the restaura
nt could possibly make any profit after their visit.
William managed to pick up on some of the scattered conversations between his fathers and figured out that Cory had been suspended due to fighting at school, chiming in just after dessert that it wasn’t right to fight. Jerry and David tried not to look at each other as they heard their own words coming back to them through the sage wisdom of their son. “I know,” William was saying around a mouthful of ice cream. “I was in a fight last year and got suspended. I couldn’t go to the zoo because of that.” William took another mouthful of ice cream. “Dad wasn’t mad at me either because I was defending my friend. But it’s still wrong to fight.”
Cory looked at David and smiled. “I know. I won’t do it again.”
“You’re both very wise.” Jerry pulled out his wallet as the check was placed on the table. “And if you do it again, you’ll be mucking stalls for a year.” Jerry smiled at the waitress as she took the credit card and the bill back to the cash register. He stood, stretched his back for a moment, and then followed her.
“Does that mean what I think it means?” Cory looked to David for an explanation, whispering his question quietly, but not quietly enough.
“Cleaning up the horses’ stalls,” William said just as quietly.
“Don’t worry,” David said with a smile, trying to assuage the look on Cory’s face. “It’s not as bad as you think. And besides, he’s mostly full of hot air.”
“I’m what now?” David knew that Jerry was behind him. He could tell by the look of concern on Cory’s face and the look of amusement on William’s.
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