Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:32:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: justinr_88@yahoo.com
Subject: Love is All that Matters chapter 12

Do not read further if you are not of legal age to do so.
All the usual disclaimers and copyright laws apply. "Love is
All that Matters" is the second volume in the "Doing Hard
Time" saga.

LOVE IS ALL THAT MATTERS

~ Chapter 12 ~

From the Narrative of Joshua Spencer:

Mrs. Ridgeway - I must remember to call her Aunt Marcia -
was waiting in the living room when Harry and I came out.

"I hope you two have sorted everything out," she said.

I smiled at Harry. "I think we have." He squeezed my hand.

"I'm glad to hear that." Although Marcia was smiling, I
noticed her smile didn't quite reach her eyes. I wondered
what was worrying her. She had seemed comfortable with the
idea that her son was gay, but maybe she was having second
thoughts? I hoped not.

Marcia told Harry, "You'd better call your sister and tell
her that we're here. She'll be worried otherwise."

Harry dug his hands into his pockets looking for his phone
before realizing he didn't have it on him. "I must have left
it in the car. Hold on, I'll go and get it."

He went out through the front door, leaving me alone with
Marcia in the living room.

She was quiet for a while, and then she said, "Joshua?"

"Yes, Aunt Marcia?"

She fixed her bright blue eyes on me. "Take good care of my
son."

"Of course I will," I assured her.

She looked away from me. "I can't bear to part with him.
Harrison was the most amazing gift I received in my life.
For what Alistair did to him, and how he suffered in silence
all these years -"

"Don't worry, Aunt Marcia. He'll be okay, I promise. I'll
look after him."

She looked at me and nodded. "I believe you." There was a
pause. "When I first found out, I was shocked. But then I
remembered what your late mother told me when she found you
were gay."

I felt a lump in my throat. Marcia patted my hand. "I'm
sorry they aren't here today to see what a wonderful young
man you've become. To offer your home as shelter to your
boyfriend may not be a great thing, but to his mother as
well . . . that's truly remarkable."

"I couldn't make you stay somewhere else, not when you were
so devoted to standing by your son. It's not hard to see
why. Harry is so easy to love, you know; his charming
innocence and -" I blushed when I realized I'd said that out
loud.

She smiled. "You love him. It isn't something to be
embarrassed about. I hope the two of you will be happy
together." Then her features clouded. "So long as my husband
doesn't try to make life difficult."

"You think he will?"

She shook her head sadly. "I don't think, Joshua; I know.
Alistair can be very . . . vindictive. I think it would be
best if he didn't know we were staying here. I know he'll
find out soon enough, but at least not for a little while."

I nodded. I had to admit, I had always been a little in awe
of Congressman Ridgeway, but if I saw him anytime soon, I
would probably punch his lights out. I hated him for what
he'd done to poor Harry.

Just then Harry came back into the house, smiling widely
with the phone to his ear.

"Phoebe's on the line," he told us. "She wants to talk to
you, Mom." He passed the phone to Marcia and turned to me.

"Look what I found in the car," he said, waving a folder at
me. "I completely forgot I'd put this in the car. It's all
my certificates and stuff. I actually have an appointment at
the employment centre; I think I can still make it."

I was a bit taken aback. "You're sure you want to get a job
so soon?"

"Yeah, well, I do need the money, now more than ever.
Besides, it'll help take my mind off - things." His smile
faltered and I knew he was thinking about his father.

"Okay then," I told him. "I'd have offered you a job at the
caf‚, but I guess that wouldn't really appeal to a Harvard
grad."

"Come on, Josh, don't put yourself down. I mean, it was
unavoidable circumstances that made you drop out of
college."

"Well, I wasn't very good at academics anyway. I prefer
running the caf‚. I'd have loved it if you worked there too,
but we are kind of over-staffed at the moment already. I
couldn't really offer you a decent salary."

"If I worked there, it wouldn't have been for the pay, Josh.
Anyway, you'll be getting my first month's salary."

"What? No, I couldn't possibly take it."

"Josh, come on. You're letting me and my Mom stay here for
free."

I felt slightly annoyed. "Harry, you're my boyfriend, not my
tenant. It's not a financial relationship we're having
here!"

"Okay, don't get worked up. I'm getting ahead of myself
anyway. We'll see when I actually receive my first
paycheck."

In the background, Marcia said, "Alright then, Phoebe. We'll
see you soon." She turned to us.

"Well at least that's settled. Phoebe got her sister-in-law
to baby-sit Alan. And Joshua, I did hear what you and
Harrison were discussing while I was on the phone and I must
insist that we find some way to pay you back. Maybe not for
Harrison, but I certainly must."

I started to protest, but she cut me off. "Did you say you
ran a caf‚?" I nodded.

"What exactly do you sell?"

"Mostly beverages and the occasional sandwich."

"No baked goods?"

"Well, that would've been popular with the guys who come in
but none of our staff can bake."

"You don't have to look any further," announced Marcia.

I stared at her. "But you can't do that!"

She put her hands on her hips. "Are you saying my baking
skills aren't sufficient?"

"No, it's not that. I just -"


Harry was struggling to hide a grin. "Give it up, Josh. You
know my Mom won't back down."

"It'll be good, I promise," said Marcia.

"I know that, Aunt Marcia. Your chocolate chip cookies were
to die for. But it's just that I don't want to force you
into -"

"You're not forcing me to do anything. What else would I do
here anyway? I don't even have my grandson to look after.
Besides, it would be a good way of repaying you for your
kindness."

"Well," I said doubtfully. "The caf‚ does have an oven
that's never used. I guess you could utilize that. But
you'll need baking ingredients, won't you?"

"Yes, but Harrison can get them for me when he goes out.
I'll make him a list."

"Okay, I'll get you a pen and paper." As I handed over the
notepad and pen to Marcia, I noticed the time on my watch.

"I should be going to the caf‚. I did ask Liz to hold down
the fort for me, but I didn't think I'd be this late." Then
I remembered Reid. I was supposed to look after him.

Harry was looking at me. "Will Reid be going with you?"

"I don't think he's in any state to work today."

Marcia looked at me. "What's wrong with him?"

I couldn't tell her the whole story. "He, um, had a late
night out and is kind of hung over. I was supposed to keep
an eye on him . . ."

"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm sure he'll be fine with me.
I'm used to nursing boys with hangovers. Harrison here gets
them after just a couple of glasses of wine."

"Mom!" Harry protested. "I don't get hung over that easily."

I wasn't sure if I should take her up on her offer. I didn't
want to leave Reid alone, and at the same time I had to get
down to the caf‚. "Uh, that's nice of you, Aunt Marcia. If
you're sure, I'll just check with him."

Marcia nodded and I went into Reid's room. He was fast
asleep, the lower half of his naked body covered by the
comforter.

"Reid, wake up." I shook his shoulder.


"Mmmhh." he mumbled and opened his eyes, fixing their pale-
blue gaze on me.

"Look, I have to go down to the caf‚, but Harry's Mom is
here and she said she'll keep n eye on you."

"What?" he muttered sleepily. "I don't need a nurse."

"She's not going to be your nurse. She'll be here if you
need anything, okay? Can you please put some clothes on?"

He started to go back to sleep. I sighed and went to his
wardrobe to pick out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. I
struggled to get him into the clean clothes. When I was
done, he immediately covered his face with a pillow.

"Be nice to her," I warned. "It was very good of her to
offer to look after you."

"Okay," he mumbled from underneath the pillow. I ruffled his
blond hair and went out to get Marcia. Harry followed us
into Reid's room.

"Aunt Marcia, this is Reid Scott. Reid, Marcia Ridgeway."

Reid made an effort to sit up in bed and extended his hand
to her.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mrs. Ridgeway. I'm sorry it wasn't
at a better time." I knew that however gruff Reid was around
other guys, he was always polite and well-mannered when
women were present.

"Bad hangover?" asked Marcia sympathetically. Reid nodded
miserably. Marcia turned to me. "I don't suppose you have
any tomatoes?"

"There are some in the kitchen. Why?"

"Tomato juice is quite effective as a hangover cure," she
told me. "I'll go and make some for Reid."

"Be warned, it tastes disgusting," said Harry from behind
me.

Reid looked at him briefly, and then back at Marcia. "I
don't mind if it makes my head feel like it isn't splitting
in two. Thanks."

Marcia smiled. "You're welcome. Joshua, can you show me the
kitchen?"

"Yeah, sure." I led her out of the room.

                            * * *

"Well, your Mom and Reid seem to be getting along just
fine," I said to Harry. I watched him closely for his
reaction. Marcia was in the kitchen.

Harry smiled. "You're worried how I feel about that? I don't
mind sharing my Mom. I mean, it's not as if I'm her only
child; there's Phoebe too. But Reid really needs someone to
look after him right now. And he was really nice to let us
both be together, at the expense of his own happiness."

"I'm glad you feel so forgiving. I love Reid." Harry glanced
at me with eyebrows raised. "Not in that way," I hastily
rushed to assure him.

Harry grinned. "I wasn't doubting it."

"But I really can't forget how he threatened and hurt you,"
I added.

"He didn't hurt me!" Harry protested. "Okay, maybe a little.
But he wasn't doing it out of spite. I still like Reid. I
like the part of him that's so vulnerable, you know - the
part he doesn't usually show."

"Because it reminds you of yourself?" I asked softly.

Harry looked sad. "Yeah, I suppose. But I'm lucky I have
you, and Mom, and Phoebe. Reid doesn't have anyone. So I
don't mind letting him share my Mom if it makes him feel
better."

"I love my little angel," I told him. I kissed his hair and
looked at him. "You don't only look like one, you know."

"I don't know - I've always pictured angels as being
cherubic and blonde."

"What, you aren't cherubic enough?"

He grinned. "Well, I'm not blond. Maybe I need to dye my
hair."

"Yeah, and get a pair of wings too. Don't be silly, I love
you the way you are. Besides, if I need a blond, I always
have Reid."

It was a testament to his confidence in me that he didn't
protest that comment. I rewarded him with a kiss.

Over his shoulder, I saw Marcia come out of the kitchen and
look at us. I panicked for a moment, wanting to break off
our kiss. Then I saw her smile encouragingly at us and
disappear into Reid's room.

I let out a sigh of relief, which Harry noticed.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking what a beautiful day it was,"
I told him, before resuming our kiss.


From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

I returned to Josh's house around six o'clock. I noted his
car wasn't in the driveway, which meant he was probably
still at the caf‚.

"Mom?" I called as I came through the front door. "Where are
you?"

Mom came out of Reid's room. "Shh . . . he's sleeping," she
whispered, nodding in Reid's direction.

"Oh, okay." I led her away from Reid's room.

"How was your day? How did the job-hunting go?"

"Well, it was rather short notice, but Jessica at the
employment centre found two vacancies that were suitable for
me. She managed to arrange an interview with one of the
firms for tomorrow morning. If I get it I'll be able to pop
down to see Josh whenever I feel like it; the office is
pretty near the caf‚."

"That's nice. I hope it works out well. Now, did you get all
the things on the list I gave you?"

"Yes, here they are." I put the shopping bags down on the
kitchen counter. As I did, I heard Josh's car pull up in the
garage. A few moments later, he emerged from the door that
led directly from the garage into the kitchen.

"Oh, you're back. So how'd things go?"

I told him. "Reid's asleep," I concluded. "It must be one
hell of a hangover."

"The poor boy didn't sleep the whole day, if that's what you
mean," Mom interjected. "He even helped me to find the
things to cook dinner. But he was looking really tired, so I
sent him to have a short nap before dinner."

"When will dinner be ready?" I asked.

"You'll have to wait. Joshua, I really don't know what you
and Reid have been eating all this while. Your fridge seems
empty except for frozen pizza."

"No, Reid's a good cook, except that he has been a bit -
moody lately." I knew what he meant.

"You know, he seems vaguely familiar," Mom told Josh. "Did
you say his surname was Scott? Not related by any chance to
the Scotts who own Scottmart?"

Josh looked a bit upset. "The principal shareholder is his
father."

"I knew he looked familiar! He does look a lot like Walter
Scott when he was younger. A bit more tanned, that's all.
But why does he work in a caf‚ when his father has a whole
range of supermarkets?"

Josh sighed. "Aunt Marcia, Reid hasn't seen his family in
years. His father was furious when he told him he was gay.
Not to mention his ambition of being a professional surfer."

If I'd felt badly for Reid earlier, I felt a lot worse now.
We really did have a lot more in common than I'd thought.
Mom also looked distressed.

"What about his Mom?" I asked softly.

Josh shook his head. "She died of cancer when he was still
in high school."

"Doesn't he have any other family?" Mom asked.

"He's mentioned a younger brother, Carl. But I don't think
he's seen him in a while because their dad is grooming Carl
to be his successor and he claims Reid is a `bad influence'
on Carl."

"That's so sad," I said. I couldn't imagine what I would do
if I didn't have my Mom and sister.

Mom nodded. "The poor boy, no wonder he seems so eager to
please."

Josh said, "I'm glad you brought this up while Reid's
asleep, Aunt Marcia. It would be better if you didn't
discuss it in front of him. He's already depressed as it
is."

"I understand," Mom said. I nodded in agreement as well.

                            * * *

For the first time I enjoyed myself at dinner. For one
thing, there was no Dad glaring at me from the head of the
table. Second, we all seemed to fit in so well, even Reid. I
looked at him without letting him see me. I felt sorry for
him. So far I'd seen him in casual wear (or naked!) but for
dinner he wore a shirt and trousers, and had slicked his
hair back neatly. For once he actually looked like someone
who'd been destined to run a chain of supermarkets. I
couldn't believe there was such a sad story behind him. He
did keep it hidden very well - another thing we had in
common.

After dinner, Mom and Reid both went into their own rooms.
Josh led me to his. I hesitated.

Josh asked, "Are you nervous? Look, you can sleep here and
I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, don't be ridiculous. If anyone should sleep on the
couch, it should be me. This is your home."

Josh looked disappointed. "Oh . . . so you don't want to
sleep with me?"

I punched his arm playfully. "You idiot! Of course I do." He
relaxed.

"You are so beautiful. I couldn't sit still at dinner, you
know, just thinking about you," he whispered before kissing
me.

I felt my knees buckle. Every time he kissed me . . . it was
indescribable. I could feel the longing and love he had for
me. I wanted to give myself to this wonderful man.

I gently broke off the kiss and told him softly, "I want you
to fuck me."

                    To be continued . . .


As promised, more backstory to Reid. Let me know what you
think of the story by emailing me at justinr_88@yahoo.com.
Your feedback is much appreciated! The next chapter will
follow soon.