|
For twenty-two years, Matt kept the pain of Jim's betrayal completely compartmentalized. To compensate for his loss, Matt built a life that would make any man proud-a commission in the Marine Corps, a sexy and smart wife who was a Navy officer and a dentist, topped off with a beautiful son. He had everything he had always wanted…almost. There was only one problem. Despite all his accomplishments and the friends he made along the way, first in college, then in the Corps, and more recently as a married family man, something was always missing. He knew what it was, but he refused to acknowledge it. His one true friend was no longer a part of his life. And now, in an amazing twist of fate, that friend had returned and it was time to renew their friendship. "Listen, before Dad left, he mentioned something about this friend he's staying with is a divorce attorney. He said he wanted to talk to you tonight. So let's eat here and wait for him to get back," Matt said. "That's fine. I need to nip this in the bud, PDQ. Truthfully, buddy, I'm glad she wants to go. Can you believe how she told me about our baby? I mean, she thinks so little of me that she doesn't even call to tell me my child has died! Truth be told, I don't know why I ever married her. But, I know I'm not letting her take my boy back to Jersey," Jim said. "Well, I have steaks, baked potatoes, salad, and beer. How's that sound?" Matt said heading to the fridge. "Sounds like dinner to me, buddy," Jim laughed. Jim went out to light the grill. The air was warm and muggy but still pleasant enough to be outside. As he stood looking out over the pool and the patio, he realized that even with all the drama of the day, he was actually feeling quite content. And Jim knew why, and that concerned him just a bit. He walked back into the kitchen where Matt working on the salad. He asked Jim to put the potatoes into the microwave. As they were working together and drinking their beer, Matt had to ask, "Jim, I know we're just getting to know each other again. So if I'm out of line, let me know. But, why did you ever marry her?" "No, it's all right, Matt," he answered, and then continued. "Well, she was always just there. I tried to break up with her. Somehow, she always managed to reel me back in, usually with sex. And that's why I joined the Corps, to get away. Then, just two weeks before I was supposed to leave for boot, she turns up pregnant. So we got married and I left for Parris Island. Two months later, I find out that she lost the baby and she was devastated. Hell, I was, too. After that, things got even worse. I was ready to call it quits. And, believe it or not, she got pregnant again! So, I stayed; but I resented it and felt trapped. And guess what? She lost that baby, too!" Jim paused as if to collect his thoughts, and then continued. "Things went from bad to even worse over the next six months. So, I told her I wanted out. Enter her brother, who convinced me to stay." Jim went for another round of beers, and then continued his story. "You know, I really don't know why I ever bothered with him back then, her brother, I mean. He was a self-centered ass. But, I thought he was hot shit when we were in high school. Turns out, he was just shit." Both Matt and Jim got a laugh out of that. "Then Matty was born, and that was it. I continued to put up with her shit, and I did it because Matty is the light of my life. She had taken away…," Jim began, but then stopped in mid-sentence. "Well, anyway, I wasn't leaving my son, no matter how bad it got." Matt caught the "taken away" line. He decided to let it pass, figuring they had plenty of time to fill in the last twenty plus years. The conversation during dinner flowed as if they had only been apart for a week. The two fell right back into their familiar rhythm. And before they knew it, Frank was back with the boys, who were still bouncing off the walls and that, of course, got the puppies going, too. They set the boys up with the movie and the three men moved out to the patio with fresh beers and a round of Jack shots. The guys knocked back their shots and Frank started the conversation. "Jim, I hope you don't mind my bringing this up. I have a buddy who is a great divorce attorney. He was a trooper in my barracks. When his wife left him and cleaned him out, with the help of a shark lawyer, he decided to go back to school and became a lawyer, himself. His practice is geared entirely to men and making sure they don't fall for the tricks of these shysters." "No, I don't mind at all, Uncle Frank. You're a godsend." "Well, his name is Finbar and he's a good guy. He has a house down on North Topsail Beach and just happens to be here for a visit. I'll get him up here tomorrow." "Thanks, Uncle Frank." "Okay, boys, I have some more news. I figure, since we're back to being a family again, I'll tell you both at the same time." Matt and Jim both smiled at the "being a family" line. In just the few short hours since they had reconciled their differences, Matt was surprised at how quickly the secret heartbreak both men had pushed deep inside, was easing. It was almost as if painful years of separation had been erased in the blink of an eye. "Jimmy, you didn't know my second wife, Peggy. She was a lovely woman who left us much too soon. Well, now I'm left with being alone in Jersey. Matt lives here and, since her son is down in Savannah, I thought it would be good to move south," Frank said, carefully watching the faces of the two men before him as he revealed this. "Dad, that is the best news I've heard since, well, since Jim and I started speaking again," Matt laughed. "When are you gonna start looking, and where?" Frank sighed with relief and, with a smile, said "Already a done deal, sport. Yesterday, I bought a house down on North Topsail Beach, next door to Finn." "Whoa, wait till Jimmy hears his papa is going to be only twenty minutes south of here! Shit, he'll never want to come home," Matt said. "He's welcome anytime. There's plenty of room. It has six bedrooms and seven baths, along with a pool, five decks, two completely screened, and a hot tub. It's on the Intracoastal side of the island and has its own beach access. Not bad, since the island is barely three blocks wide." "Shit, Dad, are you holding out on me? Did you win the lottery or something?" Matt enthused. "Well no, but here's the quick answer. The house was a foreclosure. So I got a great price and, before I left New Jersey to come down and visit you, I was talking to Jack Lefferts. You remember him? He lived next door. I spoke to him about keeping an eye on the place while I was gone. When I mentioned that I had decided to look for something down here, he made me a very, very generous cash offer on the house. Seems his daughter had recently divorced. He wanted her and her kids nearby, so he and his wife could help her without them having to live in the same house, perfect fit." "This is amazing," Matt said. "Denise will be thrilled. When will you be moving down?" he asked. "We'll settle on the Topsail property in three weeks. I bought it 'as is'. It's a quick deal because it's bank-owned. So I've already contacted a few contractors for some renovation and repair. The Jersey settlement is in two weeks, and since it's a cash deal, everything will move fast. My lawyer is handling it all." "That's great, Dad. But what about your stuff?" Matt asked. "Except for a few personal things, I sold it furnished. Peggy had just redone the place, not even a year ago, and Jack's daughter loved it. When you get down to it, it's cheaper to buy new furniture that matches a beach house than it is to pay movers." "This is great, Dad. I can't wait to see the place," Matt said. "Well, how about we all go down tomorrow? That way, Jim can meet Finn, and Jimmy can pick out his room." The guys talked and drank for another hour before Jim said it was time for him to head back to his place. They went inside and found the boys sound asleep, together on the couch in the family room. Jimmy was lying against the arm, and Matty had his head on Jimmy's hip. The puppies were snuggled together at the other end. Ian, who had been out with the men, immediately jumped up on the couch and started to lick the boys faces. As everyone was saying goodnight, Matt spoke up. "Hey, Jim, since Dad is here, I can get back to running in the morning. I'm leaving at 630, since its Saturday, if you're up to it." "Sure thing that works for me" Jim replied as he kissed his son goodnight and headed for the door. Jim stopped at the door and pulled Matt into a hug and whispered in his ear, "Matty, you don't know how glad I am that we're friends again. It really has filled a hole in my heart." Then he looked Matt in the eye with a look of total love and sincerity, and said, "Thanks, buddy," and was out the door. Matt closed the door and took a minute to compose himself. When he turned, he saw his father watching with an all-knowing smile on his face. Nothing needed to be said. With the boys in bed and the puppies in their crates, Matt asked his dad if he was up for a quick swim before bed. Frank said yes, and the two stripped off and dove in. After a quick lap around the pool, father and son sat on the steps of the pool and sipped their beers. "Matt, there's a bit more I needed to tell you about Peggy. I thought it best to save it for when we were alone," Frank said, with just a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Sure, Dad," Matt said, picking up on his father's discomfort. "Well, first off, you know that when we married, Peggy was working for the government. She was at the time a GS-15, Step 10, and later was taken into what is called SES, Senior Executive Service. When she retired, she was making about 180K a year. Anyway, until 1983, federal employees did not participate in Social Security; they had their own federal retirement program and thrift fund." "When Peggy passed, she left me her thrift fund and survivor benefits. The income I get from her yearly pension alone is more than double my own pension. So I'm pretty well set, even without touching the thrift fund. Her husband had also left her and her son, Tom, pretty well fixed when he passed. The bulk of the estate, of course, went to Tom. You'll be happy to know that she had set up a trust fund for Jimmy's college, with you as executor. It's worth about 300K right now, and growing." Matt just looked at his father in stunned surprise. "And, by the way- she also paid for your entire college education, but she wouldn't let me tell you about that," Frank continued. Matt was completely unaware of his parents' finances, although he always wondered how his father was able to support him and pay for his college. ROTC paid only a small portion. The news about Jimmy's trust fund blew him away. "Fuck, this is incredible, Dad. How does Tom feel about the college fund? He has four kids of his own." "He's fine. His kids all got the same thing, plus his inheritance was close to six million." "This is some story! For all the years I knew Peggy, she never acted like she had that kind of money." "Well, as I said, I knew her husband left her money for Tom. She never said how much, and I never asked, since Tom's money was all tied up in blind trusts. Anyway, I knew she set up Jimmy's trust; but, she asked me at the time not to mention it." "But, there is more to the story than the money," Frank said with the uncertainty returning to his voice. He moved closer to his son and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "I hope you won't be angry with me for keeping this information from you. But back then, I thought I was doing the right thing." Frank opened with, "You see, when I started seeing Peggy, you were having a bit of a hard time… your mother abandoned us, and then there was the misunderstanding with Jim before the prom, and of course you were getting ready to leave for college." "This is sounding a bit ominous," Matt said, looking into his father's eyes and truly worried about what was coming. "No, just kind of like a soap opera," Frank chuckled. "See, I had dated Peggy before high school. But, she was going off to college, and I knew I was going to be drafted, so, I enlisted. We decided to break it off, for practical reasons, and that was the end. She married an engineering student, had Tom, and you know what happened to me," Frank paused, and then continued. "Then, her husband died young. We ran into each other after his death, and that was all she wrote. Well, anyway, when Tom and I met with the lawyer for the reading of the will, he handed us both letters and we got the shock of our lives. It seems Tom is really my son," Frank said nervously, as he searched Matt's face to gauge his reaction. "Holy shit!!! Why didn't she ever tell you in all those years?" Matt asked. "Both letters began the same way: 'If you're reading this, then I never had the courage to tell you both the truth and the whole story.' The long and the short of it is that she discovered she was pregnant not long after I left for boot camp, and she didn't want to saddle me with a child while I was preparing to go to war. She had been dating this guy and had fallen in love. He noticed that she had been out of sorts, then she started to show, and he dragged the reason for her distress out of her. Now here's where it gets even more like a soap opera." "He had contracted the mumps in high school, and even though it's rare, he was left sterile. He wanted a child; so, they decided to marry and raise the baby as his own," Frank continued. "She explained in her letter that she was sorry for taking so long to tell us. She just never got the nerve and since Tom looked so much like her, it wasn't necessary. Also, she was scared of how Tom would react and she didn't want to tarnish his memory of the father, who had raised him. So, she left the letters with the attorney, just in case something unexpected happened." Matt and Tom had always got along together. Tom treated Matt like the little brother he never had, and even asked Matt to be his best man when he married. Tom was, likewise, Matt's best man. Now, to find out they are actually half-brothers was blowing Matt away, but, in a good way. "How did Tom take the news?" Matt asked. "After the initial shock, and a few tears from both of us, he asked, with no disrespect to the father who raised him, if he could call me Dad," Frank said with wet eyes. "I said 'of course', and we hugged. I asked him not to mention it to you until I had time to explain it in person." "That shithead," Matt laughed, "I have spoken to him every week since Peggy's funeral and he never even acted different." "That's because, like he told me, he always looked at you like a brother and was thrilled that it was true. I guess he didn't seem any different to you because he was treating you the way he'd always thought of you, like a brother. By the way, he's coming up when I go back to Jersey I'd like both of you boys to come, select whatever remembrances you'd like from the house." "Sure, Dad! But, man, wait 'till Denise gets my latest email. Between Jim, your new house, Jimmy's trust fund, and now Tom here, heads will be spinning." Then he laughed. "Luckily, the news of getting two dogs will hardly register." Matt and Frank had been sitting on the top step of the pool with the water just barely covering their legs. During a lull in the conversation, Frank went to get another round of beers and Matt's thoughts turned back to the time when his dad and Peggy had gone on a two-week honeymoon. Even though it was so many years ago, it felt like it was yesterday. Tom was staying with them for his summer vacation, so it was just the two boys. The morning after Frank and Peggy's wedding, Matt was in the kitchen making coffee and toast when Tom walked in. Matt looked up, said "Hi," and was immediately puzzled by the look on Tom's face. "Didn't know this was a 'clothing-optional house'," Tom said with a smile. "Shit, I forgot you were here. Since my mother left, Dad and I have been kind of casual about nudity. Sorry, I'll go get some shorts," Matt said. "No need," Tom said, as he stripped off his boxers. "I love being naked. My mother would have a stroke if she knew I even slept naked, let alone ate breakfast that way." "Well, enjoy it," replied Matt. "Whenever it's just us guys, feel free. Dad and I have always laughed about how much laundry we're saving by doing it." The new stepbrothers spent the day just swimming and hanging out, butt-naked. At some point during the afternoon, they both fell asleep in the sun, lying in the lounge chairs. They woke up at the same time and Tom looked over to see Matt's cock, hard as a rock, lying on his tight muscled stomach. "Somebody's begging for attention," Tom said with a smile, pointing at Matt's erection. Matt looked over and noticed Tom was in the same condition. "Looks like that makes two of us," Matt said, pointing at Tom's cock. "Well, do I have to go hide in my room, or can I beat off right here?" Tom asked, surprising Matt with his bold question. "Hell, I don't care!" exclaimed Matt. "Jimmy and I used to beat off together all the time. That tanning oil makes a great lube" Matt said, pointing to the bottle of suntan oil on the table next to Tom. Tom took the bottle and squirted some in his hand and threw it over to Matt. He slicked up his cock and started to stroke as he watched Matt do the same. The boys got into a good rhythm. Then Tom looked up into Matt's eyes and asked, "What else did you and Jim do?" Matt was hesitant to answer but, Tom jumped back in. "It's okay, man. My roommate at school and I have been taking care of each other since freshman year. No need to be embarrassed." "Well, we started out jerking each other off, and then moved to trading blow jobs," Matt said. "Cool! I'm game if you are," Tom said. "Hell yeah! Let's get out of the sun, go grab a shower and wash off this oil," Matt replied. Ten minutes later, the boys were on Matt's bed, each with a cock stuck in his mouth, both moaning in pleasure and enjoying themselves. Then Matt felt a wet finger moving around his asshole, "What are you doing back there? I've never been fucked," he said with alarm. "No, just going to show you how good a finger feels tickling your prostate," Tom said. "Looks like somebody is horny?" Frank's comment brought Matt back from his thoughts as his dad handed him a beer and sat back down on the step. "Yeah, some things never change," Matt said, grabbing his cock and giving it a stroke. He looked to his side at his father, whose cock was also quickly rising to the occasion. "Looks like jerking off will be all I'll have for the next six months," Matt said. "Well you could always go back to playing with Jim," Frank said with a smile. Matt had to laugh at that, to think he and Jim had thought that they were keeping it such a big secret and that his dad had known all along, "You know, Dad, I haven't jerked off or done anything with a guy since..." "The night before your wedding, with Tom," Frank finished Matt's sentence with a smirk. "You knew!?! I mean, you never said. But, I mean, how...?" Matt stammered. "The same way things like this always happen. I had too much to eat at the rehearsal dinner and got up in the middle of the night to go downstairs for a bi-carb and heard you two moaning, when I passed the door. Of course being the perv that I am, my cock got rock hard listening to you tell Tom that if he kept doing that with his finger, you were going to cum. Then, I did, in my hand," Frank said, then laughed. "Yeah," replied Matt. "Tom taught me how much pleasure that little 'love nut' gives. That made me blow a huge load, speaking of which, we better go take care of these cannons before they go off by themselves." Just minutes later Matt lay on his bed stroking his cock with long slow strokes, enjoying the sensation of teasing his sensitive head. What made it even more exciting was that he knew his dad was in the next room doing the same thing. He could just picture his big muscular dad laying back, stroking his fat uncut cock while playing with his balls, just as he was doing at the moment, and with that thought he blew a huge load up to his chest. When the alarm went off the next morning, Matt found himself hard again, pushing erection into the mattress while clutching a pillow, he was enjoying the feeling when another memory surfaced. It was waking up holding Jim the same way, causing his morning hard-on to throb. He got out of bed quietly and went into the shower. He needed to push that memory back in its place, and quickly. When the alarm went off the next morning, Matt found himself hard again, pushing his erection into the mattress while clutching a pillow, he was enjoying the feeling when another memory surfaced. It was waking up holding Jim the same way, causing his morning hard-on to throb. He got out of bed quietly and went into the shower. He needed to push that memory back in its place, and quickly. Showered and dressed for his run, he came through the back gate to find Jim in only running shorts, doing stretches in the driveway. Jim looked up, saw Matt's huge smile, and said "About time. I see you're still late, as always. Just can't stop beating off in the shower, can you?" Jim said, and broke up laughing. Starting his stretches by himself, Matt just looked at Jim and said, "And I see you're still an asshole in the morning." They both laughed and headed off on their run, just like old times.
|