{Malibu Hearts is partly fictional. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere.

This is a love story. Seeing, as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it is in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

 

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws, a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

 

This story cannot be distributed in any way; shape or form without the author's expressed written consent.}

 

Written by Romeo

 

Edited by Trish

 

 

Chapter 11

 

Timothy woke up Friday morning happy and contented with the sun shining brightly through his window. He got up and performed his morning ablution before going downstairs to make breakfast for him and his son. He was just putting the last platter on the table when Anrícé walked in and gave his dad a good morning hug. Timothy returned it with fatherly love thinking that he could get use to this morning ritual. Anrícé took comfort in the warmth of the embrace soaking up the affection being stowed upon him. When he let go, Timothy gestured for him to have a seat at the table then took his own and they began filling their plates.

 

While they were eating Timothy advised Anrícé to eat his fill because they had to get on the road soon. "I need to drive out to Beverly Hills to meet with a realtor to survey a pool hall I'm thinking of buying. If you like, you can come with me and we'll have lunch at the Hard Rock Café afterwards."

 

Anrícé's eyes widened at the prospect. "Oh wow! You really mean that? We can have lunch there? I heard the food is really good there but expensive. You don't have to spend a lot of money on me if you don't want to. I'll be happy with going somewhere cheaper like Wendy's or McDonald's if that's better for you. I just like spending time with you doing father and son things. I never really got the chance to do that with my own father."

 

"Don't worry about the prices okay?" Timothy assured him. "I like to eat there whenever I'm in Beverly Hills so it's no big deal. I'm sorry you never really had a good father figure but I promise to do my best to make up for that. We have more than enough time to do all the father and son things you want and even more. I'm proud that you're trying to be responsible but leave that and the finances to me and just be the teenager you are."

 

Anrícé nodded in acceptance and finished his breakfast. After clearing away the table and loading the dishwasher, Anrícé went to get his game boy and they left on their trip. They stopped at an electronic store on their way out of town to buy Anrícé a cell phone arriving at their destination with five minutes to spare.

 

While Timothy was away taking care of business Justin was taking care of his at home. There was no reason for him to go into the office when he can work in his home office and it would give the boys a day to relax. Most of the morning was taken up by conference calls with several clienteles and his company lawyer discussing future modeling assignment opportunities. Now he was looking over some audition portfolios of potential models when his cell rang.

 

It was the fire captain calling with an update on the investigation. As expected, the fire started in the condo below Danny's and spread. The investigation is still ongoing but they did recover some evidence leading them towards discovering the cause. "Thanks for the call captain. Let me know when the investigation had been concluded so I can have the report sent to my insurance agency."

 

"Actually, you can file the claim at any time. Once we have completed the investigation and the chief had signed off on it, we'll send a copy of the report to all agencies that holds policies of every condo involved. We already have the information we need from the other residents and just waiting on yours."

 

"If you'll give me the number, then I can fax it to you within the next five minutes." The captain did just that and Justin quickly sent the information off. "I'll give my insurance agency a call and get started on filing the claim. Hopefully the process won't take long and we can put this all behind us and get on with our lives."

 

"I agree. I'm sure that this hasn't been easy for anyone involved. I'm guessing there may had been some items that were of great value to some people; and maybe some even priceless, but hopefully everyone can replace most of the things that were lost."

 

"We can only hope so." Justin sympathized. "Well, I better get moving and call my insurance agency to start the ball rolling. Give me a call if you need anything else to help close the investigation."

 

The captain said he would and they said goodbye. Justin then made his call and went back to his work. A couple of hours later he was finished and treated the boys to an early lunch at Flo's. Everyone enjoyed their meal but the company much more. Not wanting their fun to end quite yet, Justin suggested spending some time at the arcade. The boys thought that was a good idea especially Danny because he could stop in at the shop and see how thing's was going.

 

As they drove back from Beverly Hills, Timothy asked Anrícé what he thought of the buildings they'd seen that morning. He wanted to see if Anrícé has the same opinions that he did before making a final decision on the location of his new hall.

 

"I thought the third one was the best. It's in good shape and the right size. The first one was too small and no room for any expansion. The second one was just too big. It looked like the right size for a nightclub rather than a pool hall. The other two just needed too much work done to even bother with trying to repair them."

 

Timothy was amazed at his son's observation. "You're right son. The third site will be perfect. But, I do have something in mind for the second site if it works out. I'll have to make some calls to see if I can get it arranged, but if I do, then that will be a huge access to everyone involved."

 

Anrícé asked his father what his idea was but Timothy told him that he'll tell him when he has it all arranged. "Ah man dad, that's not fair! You can't give me a hotdog then say no chili and cheese!"

 

The pout on Anrícé's face sent Timothy into a fit of laughter. "Sorry kiddo. But that cliché; and the look on your face was just too funny." He smiled and ruffled Anrícé's hair. "I'm not telling you because I don't want to, there's just nothing to tell yet. I need to make some calls and get some things situated before I can tell you or anyone else anything."

 

Anrícé accepted that explanation and said no more about it. For the rest of the drive they just listened to music occasionally talking about mundane things to pass the time.

 

Back in Malibu Charlene Hill was leaving work early to pay a visit to Anrícé's former home. She needed to get his mother's signature on some forms signing over her parental rights to complete her file on him. In addition to that, she also wanted to check out the home environment just in case further actions needed to be taken to remove the other children from the home as well.

 

She pulled up in front of a light green two storied house with a white picket fence. The grass was masculantly groomed with a small beautifully kept garden of different types and colors of flowers. The imaged practically screamed `Brady Bunch' but Charlene wasn't fooled by the façade. After ringing the doorbell, she surveyed the neighborhood while waiting. It didn't look any different from the usual type of middleclass neighborhood so she assumed that it was a friendly area.

 

She turned around to introduce herself when she heard footsteps approaching. The door was opened by a trim brunette woman who looks to be in her mid to late thirties. "May I help you?"

 

"Mrs. Carlotta Jameson?" The lady confirmed that was her and asked who she was. " I'm Mrs. Charlene Hill from the Los Angeles County Department of Social Services. May I come in to speak with you?"

 

"Yes, please do come in." She stepped aside to allow her entrance while attempting to portray wariness in her voice. "Does this have anything to do with Anrícé? I've been going out of my mind with worry ever since he ran away yesterday. Is he alright? He hasn't been hurt has he?"

 

After closing the door, they went into the living room where she gestured for Charlene to have a seat on the sofa as she took a seat in the chair next to it. Charlene kept her waiting until she had the forms she needed in front of her and was staring directly into her eyes which had Mrs. Jameson starting to feel a little uncomfortable.

 

"Actually yes, this does concern him." She fixated her with a hard look as her voice grew stern. "Tell me Mrs. Jameson, how is it that I was able to get your son's story in person a couple of days ago if he ran away yesterday? Why haven't you filed a report with the LAPD if you're so worried?"

 

Mrs. Jameson gave out an exhausted sighed. "Listen Mrs. Hill. I don't know what Anrícé had told you, but I assure you it isn't what you think. Ever since his father had died, Anrícé's been a difficult child to live with. He thinks that the whole world is against him and no one cares. We've done everything that we can to show him that we love him but he's still behaving rambunctiously.

 

I understand how he feels but I can't spend all of my time with him alone. I have three other children to take care of and they need me as well. My husband Roy works hard to support us all and is very tired when he gets home but he always tries to give equal amount of attention to everyone. Anrícé doesn't want to accept that the world doesn't revolve around him and intends on trying to make everyone else as miserable as he is. I'm not going to neglect the rest of the family just to make him happy."

 

"I see." Charlene sighed condescendingly. "Well then, if all of that is true, then can you explain how Anrícé got the bruises on his face and body? Believe me when I say they're not from kids just being kids that I'm sure of. Someone gave them to him. And by the look of it, it's been going on for quite a while."

 

To say Mrs. Jameson was stunned was an understatement. She never considered that Anrícé's bruises will still be visible. She figured that they would have healed by now leaving no suspicious mark to indicate any sign of abuse. Hearing they were still noticeable threw her off guard and she couldn't think of an excuse. Charlene was aware of her lack of response so quickly made her move.

 

"I believe I have my answer." She informed her. "I have with me some forms for you to sign giving up your parental right to Anrícé. I have already removed him from your custody and placed him with someone who will love and protect him. Once you sign these forms we can move forward with giving a terrific little boy the family he should have had all along but didn't. Of course there are some stipulations to this agreement. After all, I'm not letting you off the hook scot free."

 

She handed her the forms to sign which Mrs. Jameson took and carefully read. Half way through the front door opened and her husband walked in calling out for her. She answered that she was in the living room. After sending the children to their rooms to change, he joined his wife but stopped when he saw Charlene sitting with her. "Ah, honey, who do we have here?"

 

Mrs. Jameson stood and walked over to her husband. She introduced him to Charlene and vice versa then handed him the forms. "She's here to have me sign over my parental rights to Anrícé."

 

Mr. Jameson looked a little nervous as he read the documents. "I don't understand. Why would Anrícé..." Before he could say anything that would dig his hole any deeper, Charlene interrupted him.

 

"Don't try to lie your way out of this Mr. Jameson. I've spoken with Anrícé and your wife had already more or less confirmed what he told me. If you want to do this the hard way, then I can and will have your other children remove from your custody while we conduct our investigation. Or we can do it the easy way, and you sign those forms and give Anrícé the happy childhood he deserves. Even then I'm not making any guarantees that I wouldn't remove the other children from your custody. Either way, Anrícé will not be returning to this house."

 

Realizing that they had no choice, both Mr. and Mrs. Jameson signed the papers and with anger in his eyes, Mr. Jameson handed them back to her. Charlene paid him no attention as she took the forms and put them into her folder. "One more thing, I'm going to call some people who will bring Anrícé here to get his things. I will stay here to make sure he gets everything that belongs to him so he doesn't have to go through this again. I don't want him to endure anymore unnecessary bad memories that may push its way to the forefront of his mind during this visit."

 

Hissing through clinch teeth, Mr. Jameson nodded in consent. Charlene pulled out her cell phone and called Timothy with the number that she had gotten from him on the day Anrícé became her charged. She explained everything to him and suggested that he'd get a few others to help with the moving process. Timothy understood what she was saying and told her that he'll be there soon with Justin and the boys. Charlene agreed and ended the call putting her phone back into her purse then sat back to wait. In the meantime, Mrs. Jameson went to start dinner while Mr. Jameson sat down in his chair to watch television and brute.

 

An hour later there was a knock at the door. When Mrs. Jameson answered it, she found Anrícé standing there with some people she didn't know. Seeing how she ignored her son infuriated Timothy to no ends. "Don't bother with the fake hospitality lady! Just let us in so we can get his things so we can get the hell out of here."

 

Mrs. Jameson was taken aback at Timothy's blunt hostility and penetrating eyes. Without saying a word, she stepped aside allowing them to enter. She showed them to the living room where Charlene and Mr. Jameson were waiting before returning to the kitchen to continue making dinner. "Ah, you guys are here. Why don't you boys help Anrícé with packing his things while the others load them into the cars?"

 

Feeling angry eyes boring into him, Anrícé smiled up at Timothy taunting his stepfather. "Is that okay with you dad? It shouldn't take long with my three brothers helping me pack and the security guys carrying them out to the cars."

 

When Mr. Jameson turned towards whom Anrícé was talking to, he found himself looking into blazing eyes. "That's fine with me son. Make sure there's at least one of the guards with you at all times if it's okay with Jay."

 

Timothy's eyes never left Mr. Jameson's making him squirm a little. Mr. Jameson tried to cover it up by glaring back but Timothy wasn't fazed by it. He frown at hearing Anrícé deferring to a perfect stranger as dad because it made him jealous that he could never get Anrícé to defer to him as a parental figure. Happy at the reaction he got, Anrícé smiled grew wider as he gave Timothy a hug then headed for his former room snickering with the others trailing behind him doing the same. By then the tention in the room was getting so palpable with neither Timothy nor Mr. Jameson giving an inch. Slowly a grin started forming on Timothy's face until it had grown into a full out smirk.

 

That did the trick and Mr. Jameson broke the stare-down. Timothy smirked changed from sardonic to a victorious one. Justin was happy to see it end because he really didn't want to have to hold Timothy back from hitting the man. He could see in Timothy's eyes that he was just waiting for Mr. Jameson to give him an excuse to do that then all hell will break loose.

 

Upstairs, the boys were packing when they heard a voice coming from the doorway. "What are you doing here faggot?" They turned to see a boy in his early teen standing there trying to look intimidating. "You don't belong here cocksucker. No one wants your kind here."

 

"What does it look like?" Anrícé rolled his eyes in tired annoyance. "Listen George, I don't have time for your tough guy bullshit; so just run along like a good little boy so we can finish what we're doing. Besides, I'm not in the mood to deal with you right now."

 

"Oh, I think you are." George smirked. He didn't like being brushed off like that. "Don't make me have to tell mom and dad that you're being mien again. You know what dad will do."

 

Anrícé smile devilishly at him. "I don't care what you tell your dad. My new dad will kick his ass if he tries anything so I'm not worried. You on the other hand should be; because there's nothing stopping me from whipping your ass this time."

 

The smirk immediately disappeared from George's face to be replaced with a little fright. "I'm telling dad that you're threatening me."

 

He ran downstairs calling for his father hearing the boys laughing at him. "Well, I guess we should follow so we can see the show. I'm sure it's going to be good."

 

Everyone agreed and they followed Anrícé back downstairs. They reached the living room in time to hear George lying about what actually happened. When he fabricated the threat from Anrícé about breaking his arm, Anrícé decided to put an end to the lies once and for all. He explained what really happened with the others confirming that it was the truth. George wined that they were lying but only Mr. Jameson believed him. He demanded that Anrícé apologize to George but Anrícé just ignored him and turned towards his dad.

 

"I want you to apologize son." Anrícé was about to protest but Timothy held up his hand. "No buts. I want you to apologize just as soon as George apologizes to you. It's only fare that he gives the first apology since he started the whole thing."

 

"Are you nuts?" Mr. Jameson exclaimed. "My son has nothing to apologize for. Ricky, on the other hand needs a belt to his ass." He then told how Anrícé been threatening everyone in the house including his mother, that he doesn't listen to any parental authority. And the many fights he's been in lately due to his foul attitude. "He needs strict parental guidance, not coddling!"

 

"Maybe if you had shown him some love and respect, then he would have shown you some as well!" Timothy snarled. "I would never punish my son for defending himself no matter what. If George can dish it out; then he better damn well learn how to take it! If he wants an apology from Anrícé, then he needs to apologize first. Otherwise, he won't be getting that apology."

 

"How dare you..." Mr. Jameson started but was cut off. "I'd watch what I'd say if I was you Jameson. After all, we both know that I can kick your sorry ass without breaking a sweat. And from what I been hearing from Anrícé, I wouldn't even think of holding back one bit."

 

Justin started to grab for Timothy but Anrícé beat him to it as he wrapped his arms around his father. "Don't do anything you might regret later dad. I don't want to lose you because of him. He's not worth you going to jail over."

 

Mr. Jameson glared furiously at Timothy which he returned but with more intensity as he drew Anrícé close to him. It only took a second for him to realize that he was no match for the fearless man so he told his son to go to his room. George began to wine when he saw his father's stern look. "Let it go son. You can't beat him; and we can't take the risk of you getting hurt with your modeling audition in a couple of days."

 

George grumbled but Anrícé and the others snickered. Mr. Jameson and George glared at them but it was George who asked what they were laughing at. "Do you mind telling me what agency you are auditioning for?" Timothy grinned mischievously.

 

Mr. Jameson was getting heaved at all of the laughing but he answered anyway. "Jackson and Cramer Agency is combining their two agencies to start a new children's department. Not that it's any of your business, but George has an audition with them on Monday. Why do you ask?"

 

Timothy winked at Anrícé and suggested that he explain it to them as their grins got bigger. Anrícé gave his dad an appreciative smile for the opportunity for a little payback before turning to Justin for his approval. Justin gave it with a wink and slight nod then Anrícé turned back to the two grinning devilishly. "Well, we should have done this when we first arrived, but let me introduced everyone here." Just then Mrs. Jameson and Mr. Jameson's second eldest son entered the room so he began with introducing them to everyone first with extreme distaste. Then his face relaxed as he introduced the security guys.

 

At this point his smile was back as he gestured towards Timothy. "Now let me introduce my family. As you may have already figured out, this is my new dad Timothy Matthews." Next he introduced Danny and Davy then pulled JR front and centered. "I'm pretty sure you can guess who this is."

 

Every Jameson's mouth dropped open in surprise. Anrícé just stood there with a devilish smile on his face. He was enjoying this! It was George who finally said what they all were thinking. "You're... you're... you're JR Cramer, the fashion model."

 

JR just smiled as he put his arm around Anrícé's shoulders. He didn't need to say anything to answer that question. Anrícé then reached out for Justin who took his hand stepping up next to them. "And this is JR's father Justin who just happens to be the owner of Cramer Agency, and coincidently my dad's boyfriend."

 

Justin wrapped his arm around Timothy's waist and pulled him into a kiss. After a few minutes of showing off, they broke it and gave the Jameson family a wicked smile. "By the way, Tyler Jackson of Jackson Agency is my best friend and my son's godfather, so it's with my pleasure to tell you that there's no need for you to make that audition."

 

Mr. and Mrs. Jameson started complaining how unfair he was being in not giving George a chance to audition. Justin just ignored them and asked Anrícé if they were finished upstairs. He wasn't going to help George with a modeling career after how they treated Anrícé. Anrícé told him that they were but they needed to bring down the last of the boxes. Russell said that had already been taken care of and they were ready to go at any time. Without a goodbye to his former family, Anrícé walked out of the house surrounded by the protection of his new one with his head held high.

 

Charlene followed behind them and they stood by their vehicles as she told Timothy that she'll stop by his place after work on Tuesday with his copies of the forms. Timothy thanked her for all of her help and extended an invitation for her to stay and have dinner with him and Anrícé. She accepted the invitation with delight and bid them goodbye as she headed for her car. They echoed the farewell as they too started to get into their own vehicles.

 

Before Justin could get into his though; Mrs. Jameson came storming out demanding that he reconsider his refusal of George's audition. Timothy heard them and went over to find out what they were arguing about reaching them just in time to hear Mrs. Jameson threatening Justin. First she threatened to sue him for wrongful dismissal resulting in him telling her that she'll be wasting her time not to mention her money since George doesn't work for him. Next she tried with discrimination which Justin countered with by saying that those suits involves race, age, orientation, and gender which none applies to why George wasn't getting his audition. When all else failed, she threatened him with a public outing in the media.

 

That threat and the smirk in which she gave it really got under Justin's skin. How dare she threaten him like that after how she treated her own son. "Frankly lady I don't give a damn what you do. But before you try playing hardball, take in consideration that I have the money and resources to make yours and your husband lives a living hell and wouldn't hesitate to use them! You're lucky all I did was denied your stepchild an audition after the way you treated your own flesh and blood son. Now I have more important things to do than listen to you bitch about being treated unfairly."

 

With that, he turned around and got into his car as Timothy laughed all the way to his. "Well I never." He heard Mrs. Jameson gasped in disbelief that someone would talk to her that way. "Well that's something you need to take up with your husband, don't you think?" He then backed out of the driveway with his boys laughing behind him leaving her standing there.

 

Timothy got into his car still laughing prompting Anrícé to ask him what was so funny. After catching his breath, Timothy told him about the argument that Justin had with Mrs. Jameson and how it turned out. By the time he was finished both guys were having a good laugh over it. "I wish I was there to see that!" Anrícé got out between bouts of laughter.

 

They reached Timothy's house and started unloading the vehicles. With help from everyone, it only took them one trip to get everything inside. Justin left the boys to help Anrícé with the unpacking while he and Timothy went to find something quick and easy to make for them all to eat. Finding everything they needed, they decided to barbecue some burgers and hotdogs. Just as the last of them were coming off the grill, the boys was coming down the stairs so everyone made a plate of food and they all sat on the patio to eat.

 

After consuming everything in sight and throwing away the trash, they relaxed in the living room for a while watching a movie. When it was over Justin announced that he and the boys needed to get home because he was getting tired. Timothy and Anrícé walked them to the door where Justin kissed Timothy good night and said that he'll see him soon. Timothy and Anrícé was tired as well, so after locking up and turning off all of the lights, father and son headed up to bed.

 

The next morning Justin woke feeling grumpy. Not only was he up way earlier than he wanted to be, but he had tossed and turned all night long. He had gotten so quickly used to sharing his bed with another person that sleeping alone no longer gives him the solitude of a restful night sleep. After performing his morning ritual, he headed downstairs for some coffee. An hour and two cups of coffee later he got up to start on making breakfast.

 

Just as he was putting the last platter on the table, the others entered the kitchen in different stages of sleep and awake. He greeted everyone good morning in which they returned grumpily putting an amused smile on his face that they can be grumpy this morning when they were the one who had someone to sleep with last night while he slept alone.

 

Throughout breakfast everyone was still trying to wake up resulting in a semi quiet atmosphere. Towards the end it became livelier and the chatter picked up brightening the room. As they were clearing the table, the phone rang sending everyone back into silence wondering who it could be. Being closest to it, Justin went to answer it while the rest continued with the clean up. Five minutes later he came back telling them of the invite from Tyler to spend the day at the beach. He then told them that Timothy and Anrícé will be joining them as well. Everyone perked up at the news and was soon rushing off to get ready.

 

They all arrived there at almost the same time. They made their greetings and unloaded their vehicles before searching for a spot. Once they were set up, the adults including Justin and Timothy went to an area of the beach arranged for workouts while the boys went to play volleyball. They then joined the adults to frolic in the ocean but that was cut short when someone recognized Tyler which led to a mod of fans stampeding them. Everyone but Christian thought it was funny but JR's laughter was brought to an abrupt stop when he was swarmed by the teens. Now he was joining his uncle in being teased as he got the same sympathy from his own boyfriend as his uncle was getting from his.

 

After an appropriate amount of time of goggling, Carlos and Mark signaled his guys to form a barrier between their charges and the crowd declaring the celebrity status hour over. That spurred Russell and Simon into action and they copied their move with their own charges leading them out of the water. The boys' stomach started to growl so they decided to get something to eat since it was close to lunchtime. As they packed up, they debated on where to go and selected a place then headed off to fill some very hungry bellies. Afterwards, they returned to the beach for more fun.

 

When it got close to dinnertime, they left for home with Timothy trailing behind them. Along the way they stopped at the store to pick up some things for a barbecue at Justin's place since no one was in the mood to do any heavy cooking. They all wanted to keep the relax and fun filled day going with no major chores to attend to. With everyone pitching in to help, they were soon sitting down eating a delicious but simple barbecue meal. Afterwards, they enjoyed a great movie before heading off to bed.

 

Sunday was devoted to household chores and the children getting ready for school the next day. When they went to bed that night, JR and Danny discussed what to do about their friends in regarding to announcing their relationship. After thirty minutes of debating that topic they decided to keep it a secret while working on building a stronger bond before making that decision, Plus they wanted to observe their friends closely for any signs of mistrust and/ or deception. With JR and Josh's friendship being on shaky grounds due to Josh constantly pushing JR to confess about his relationship with Danny; neither boy was sure on who they could and/or should trust at the moment leaving them to semi-isolate themselves from others. Both boys were happy to have each other and JR's family to help them through the rough times that they were sure will come once their relationship was revealed. That emotional discussion left them somewhat drain and they were soon drifting off to sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

 

On Monday morning collective groans could be heard all over the city as every boy and girl was being woken by their parents or alarm clocks for the first day of school. Although the children were less than enthusiastic; the parents was ecstatic. For many it meant that they can finally enjoy some peace and quiet while putting their house back in order from the fiasco of having their children home all summer long. Justin, however, was feeling nostalgic. Not only did he enjoy the summer with his son but his family had grown tremendously as well.

 

He got out of bed and started knocking on his boys' door. Once he was sure they were awake he headed down to the kitchen to start making breakfast. He had just put the last platter on the table when three grumpy boys entered followed by some very amused men. They all sat down and began filling their plates. After a few bites, Justin turned to his two oldest boys. "Do you guys know what you're going to say to your friends when they see you together at school?"

 

The two boys looked at each other for a second then focused on Justin. "Actually dad, we decided not to be seen together at school. We want to observe our friends while we're deciding on when and/or what to tell them. We're not sure on who we can and can't trust now. After all, Josh has been pushing me to tell him while at the same time keeping the same secret about himself from me.

 

I know he's my best friend but if he can't or won't confide in me then he has no right in pushing me to confide in him. That's why I haven't been hanging around him much these past few days. Since Danny hasn't been driving lately, we're hoping that Chief Carson won't be looking for his car in the parking lot. He can drive himself and Davy to school while you drive me. He'll have his friends to hang with; and I'll have mine if I can still call them that, or I can hang with Jeff and Anrícé and show them a little around school. That way we won't draw attention to ourselves.

 

We know that sooner or later we'll have to come out but we want to do it on our terms and not anyone else's. Right now we're still getting to know one another better and building our relationship into a strong and long lasting one. We have enough on our plates at the moment and don't need more. We'll just deal with that predicament whenever it occurs."

 

"Then I want you boys to keep your cell phones and panic buttons on you at all times. Not many of the LAPD can be trustworthy and I'm not taking any chances with any of your safety. We don't know what lies, if any, Chief Carson had told about why Danny and Davy are not living at home anymore and that can work against us. We don't know if he had gotten to any of your friends, classmate, or teachers so stay on your toes."

 

All three boys promised that they would. Justin accepted that knowing that they will keep their word and come to him if things get beyond then what they could handle. He can sympathize with their feelings because he too had seen how Josh had been pressuring his son lately about his relationship with Danny. When they had finished eating and the kitchen had been tidied up, they all left for school. Justin and JR arrived just behind Christian and Tyler who was dropping off Jeff and right behind them was Timothy with Anrícé.

 

They stood out front chatting and waiting for the bell to ring when Christian noticed a few people missing. He gave Justin a questioning eyebrow but Justin just shook his head mouthing the words `I'll tell you later. What they didn't see but JR did was Danny and Davy walking by them heading into school. Danny gave his boyfriend a small smile and wink which JR returned. Nothing needed to be said between them because they both were on the same page. Neither boy noticed a pair of eyes not far off seeing their exchange prompting them to find out more about it.

 

Soon the bell rang and all four fathers gave their boy a hug before sending them inside. JR escorted his two little friends to their homeroom classes before heading for his own. He arrived just as the final bell was ringing to start the day. Although there were still a few empty seats left in the room, he chose to sit near, but not next to his boyfriend. Those same pair of eyes from earlier took noticed of that but couldn't make heads or tails of it. Five minutes later the long beep indicating the morning announcement followed by a voice could be heard over the public address system.

 

"Welcome back students and faculties of Malibu High." The principle began. "I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and are now ready to start a fabulous new year of learning. For those who are new to our school, I hope your time with us will be a pleasant one."

 

When the announcement was over, the teacher handed out the locker assignment then dismissed her class so the students can find their locker and put away their books. A short time later the bell rang for them to head to their first period class. For JR that class was English which he also has with Danny. Since he didn't know where the two boy's locker was he couldn't show them to their next class which gave him enough time to arrive before the final bell

 

He walked in and found a seat close to the back with many more around him giving Danny several to choose from. Just as he sat down and started pulling out his notebook, Danny walked in giving him another small smile and wink as he sat at a desk two seat from him on his right. He looked over to see JR return the gesture before looking away. Just as the final bell went off, they both looked towards the door and sighed with frustration when they saw Josh and Eric entering the room. This is so not what they needed this early in the morning!

 

It took almost every strength of willpower for JR not to roll his eyes when both boys sat on either side of him. "Hey JR, how's it going man?"

 

"Okay man, how's everything going with you?" Since it was Eric who asked the question, it was easy for him to sound friendly.

 

Eric looked at him intensely as he nodded that things were fine with him. "Are you sure man? You look like you have the weight of the world sitting on your shoulders. Is there anything we can do to help?"

 

JR saw that Eric's concern was genuine so he didn't take offence to the question. "There's nothing that neither you nor anyone else can do but I appreciate the concern. It's all up to my nanna on what will happen."

 

"Are you talking about Ms. Maria?" This time it was Josh who asked with concern. "What could possibly happen to her? That woman is the strongest person I'd ever met."

 

"Yeah, but there's a lot of things that had been going on in my life that you both don't know about." JR then told them about the new combined department that his dad and uncle had started for their agencies, how a friend of his family had become a new foster parent, and finally, the heart attack which left Mrs. Maria partially brain-dead and fighting for her life. He didn't say anything about his dad's relationship with the friend or his relationship with Danny. "That's why you guys haven't seen or heard from me lately."

 

Both Josh and Eric was shocked at what they just heard but that didn't stop Josh from trying to get what he's been wondering about for the past week or so. "I'm sorry to hear about Mrs. Maria but glad to hear about the other things. Is there anything else you want to tell us?"

 

JR looked at Josh with anger catching Danny giving him the same look out of the corner of his eyes so he missed Eric emulating the two boy's impression. "No there isn't Josh. If there was then I would have told you by now." He then struck back by turning the tables on him. "Is there anything that you perhaps like to tell me!?"

 

He gave Josh a knowing look which caught him off guard. He never expected that JR would turn things around and put the spotlight on him. He started sputtering which pretty much confirmed JR's suspicions about him and Eric. But unlike Josh, JR didn't push for a confession. "Let's just pay attention to class and leave everything else for when people are ready to talk about it."

 

Josh quickly agreed and focused on the teacher. Two seats over fire was burning in Danny's eyes as he witnessed what just happened but when he saw JR giving him that look which was becoming their signal look he calmed down. Josh was starting to annoy Danny which was making him want to punch Josh for his blatant disregard of JR's privacy. Little did Josh and Eric know that it's JR that's keeping Danny from doing just that!

 

While the boys were enduring their first day of school, Justin was filing the claim with his insurance agency containing the condo. He wanted to get that started since the investigation was near completion. Just as he'd finished that call, his secretary buzzed him concerning another matter. "Sir you have a call from Robert Scanner."

 

"Please put him through Britney." Britney acknowledged the request and seconds later Scanner could be heard over the line. "Hi Justin, I have some information that you may want to hear." That instantly peaked Justin's curiosity having a good feeling as to what it was about. "You don't say, please do tell."

 

"I'd just received a call from the attorney of a Mrs. Jameson. It seems that she's threatening to sue for unfair dismissal of her stepson George Jameson. She claims that you dismissed him from auditioning for Jackson/Cramer Agency with no provocation. Mind telling me what's this is all about?"

 

Justin explained to him about Anrícé's home life resulting in him running away, being found and taken in by Timothy, then being claimed as a ward of the states with Timothy as his foster parent. Scanner thought he heard everything until Justin continued after a slight pause. "Inform the attorney that if his client continues down that road, then Tim and I'll have no other choice but to countersue for negligence and abandonment, and that's something that they don't want."

 

"Oh shit!" Scanner exclaimed. "I'll be sure to let them know but I don't think they'll withdraw the suit. Mrs. Jameson believes that she has a solid case and that she'll win in court. She's claiming that you have no reason to dismiss George from auditioning and trying to prevent him from making his dreams come true."

 

"We'll see about that!" Justin declared hotly. "After how they treated Anrícé, their lucky I don't shred them from skin to skin! And believe me that is something that I'll take pleasure in doing."

 

"I'll make sure to get the point across to them because I'm really not in the mood to take them to the cleaners just to get it across. However, I think we need to be ready for a battle but if you can provide proof as to their abandonment and neglect then I suspect this won't even make it to court."

 

"I'll let Tim know about it." Justin assured him. "In the meantime, make sure that the countersuit is ready to be filed just in case they continue to try to play hardball. Let's see how much they can take before they throw in the towel." Scanner agreed then asked him what he should tell Tyler. "I'll tell him about it myself. I don't think he needs to get involved but I'll give him the heads up just in case Mr. and Mrs. Jameson are not smart enough to realize that they're fighting a losing battle."

 

Scanner agreed and said that he'll have the paper work drawn up. "I'll also have a contract drawn up for them to sign so we can have this matter permanently close. I don't want them thinking that they can wait it out and file another suit in the future when we least expect it. It sounds like these people are sneaky enough to do just that and I wouldn't put it pass them either."

 

That was fine with Justin because he was thinking the same thing. They talked about it a little longer before hanging up. He then called to tell Timothy all about it and to make sure that he had the evidence that they needed just in case it goes to court. Timothy told him that not only does he have them but he will also make several backup copies for insurance purposes. Justin understood the meaning behind that statement and agreed that it would be a good idea. They ended the call with `I love you and hung up with both men going back to work with smiles on their faces.

 

At the high school, some students were heading off to lunch while others were heading to their next period class. JR met up with Anrícé and Jeff in the cafeteria and went to buy their lunch then found a table to sit at. They had just started to eat when JR asked them how their first day was going so far. Anrícé said his day was going fine but Jeff said his was different. He then explained what happened in his counselor's office involving him, his counselor, and his social worker.

 

Across the cafeteria, Danny's attention was split between socializing with his friends and keeping an eye on his boyfriend and brother. None of them noticed anything about it except maybe one or two. They wondered who could monopolize his attention that he would ignore his friends but couldn't think of anyone. They looked across the room searching for him or her but couldn't pinpoint anyone it could be so they decided to keep an eye on their friend in case of trouble.

 

When JR left the cafeteria Danny focused back on his friends satisfied that his boyfriend and brother were okay but still wasn't interested in any of the conversation that was going on. He didn't feel any closeness with any of them which was beginning to make him feel like the outsider of the group. He wanted, no, he needed to feel the connection that he felt with JR, Davy, and the others that he was now calling his family. He wasn't feeling that connection with his friends and was now wondering if he had ever really felt it with them before.

 

He got up from the table checking on his brother one more time before dumping his trash and leaving the cafeteria. His friends followed behind still attempting to get him involved in their discussion to no avail. He just felt out of place of the whole group.

 

The afternoon seemed to pass by slowly for the boys especially for JR and Danny. Part of that was due to them only having one class together unlike the morning where they had two plus their homeroom. When the bell had rung ending school for the day, JR waited for Anrícé and Jeff by the front door as he and his boyfriend once again gave each other their secret look as Danny along with Davy passed by him heading out of the building. They continued walking to Danny's car in perceptively nodding at their family and receiving nods in return. After getting into the car, Danny waited to see if they could find out what was going on. The looks on Tyler and Christian's face told him that something was amiss which meant that it has something to do with their son Jeff. Davy had no idea that something was going on so he asked his brother about it but Danny said nothing as he continued to watch.

 

A few minutes later the three boys came out welcoming their dads with a hug. A short conversation then commenced between Jeff and his two fathers with both men getting angrier by the second. Both boys eyes popped opened as they observed Justin struggling to hold Tyler back as Christian marched into the school with Timothy following him. Seconds later the others headed inside as well with Justin still struggling to hold Tyler back. Both boys wanted to be with them right now but knew it wasn't possible. No one knew about JR and Danny's relationship which prevented both boys from being with their family in their time of need. Instead Danny shook his head, started the car, and left to take care of his errands.

 

While all of that was going on, a teenager walked into the Lucky Shop on a mission. With the kids being back in school now the store was less busy than usual so it was no problem with getting the attention of an employee. "Can you tell me if Danny Carson is here by any chance?"

 

"I'm sorry but he isn't." The employee answered kindly. "He had taken a leave of absent to take care of some personal situations. We don't know how long he'll be out but he sometimes stops in to check on how things are going. May I ask who is looking for him?"

 

The teen thought it over but shook their head deciding against it. "That's alright. I'll hook up with him in school tomorrow. It's nothing that's important. I just wanted to talk with him about something is all."

 

The employee nodded accepting the explanation then asked if there was anything else that he could help the teen with. The teen said no and thanked him for his help before leaving the shop disappointed that Danny wasn't there. There wasn't anything left to do but to go home and wait until tomorrow to talk with Danny so that's what the teen did not worry too much about it. The two of them were good friends so it'll be no problem in getting Danny to spill his guts.

 

At the Brady's, Josh and Eric had just finished another painting session of his portrait of Eric. It was now nearly done with the final touches needed to be added for it to be completed. That he can do in his spare time on his own so he called it a day since it was close to dinner time. They had just finished cleaning up when the intercom buzzed with his mother calling him downstairs. As they headed down, Josh invited Eric to stay for dinner but Eric politely declined stating that his dad was expecting him home for dinner. Josh nodded in understanding and walked him to the door where they shared a brief but sensuous kiss. They wished each other a good night and said that they will see the other in school tomorrow before sharing another quick kiss then Eric departed for home. Josh joined his family at the table for dinner with a big smile on his face.

 

It didn't take Danny long to complete his errands so he and Davy got home before the others did. He didn't know when they will be home so with help from Davy he decided to make dinner. He made sure to make enough for everyone since he didn't know if Timothy and Anrícé will be joining them or not. Just as he was taking the meatloaf out of the oven and Davy was mashing the potatoes, they all came home with Timothy and Anrícé among them. That made him glad that he predicted this occurrence and had prepared enough food to satisfy everyone's appetite.

 

He laid the pan down on the counter and turned around to have JR plant a deep kiss upon his lips that took his breath away. The others gave them their moment as they help with setting the table or whatever else needed to be done. When they separated, Danny whispered in JR's ear that he needed to talk to everyone over dinner. Having a good idea as to what it would be about, JR agreed then helped Danny with transferring the meatloaf onto a platter. Once everyone was seated with their plates full, Danny cleared his throat.

 

"I'd like to get everyone's opinion on something." He looked around making sure he had everyone's attention before continuing. "I don't know about Davy but if his day was anything like mine then it wasn't a good one for him. All day long I've been feeling like an outsider because I couldn't be with the people who I really wanted to be with. I couldn't even sit with them at lunch and it just didn't feel right to me.

 

I know it will cause some problems but I want to be with JR even when we're in school. I'm not saying that we should come out but I think we should at least show people that we're friends and work our way up to going public with our relationship. I also felt bad when whatever it was that got everyone upset and we couldn't be there to support you all through it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to hide my relationship with JR but I can't make that decision alone." He then looked into JR's eyes with compassion. "I'll do whatever you want me to but I think we should at least show everyone that we're friends then take it from there on what we do next and see what happens."

 

The table fell silent until Davy added his thoughts to the conversation. "My day went well but I too felt like something was missing. I don't think I'll be sitting with them every day because I have my own friends but I want the opportunity to have that choice available if I choose to take it."

 

Everyone nodded their heads in understanding but said nothing. Instead they all looked at JR waiting to hear what he has to say about it. "You know if we do that then people are going to start to speculate about us then the rumors will start to fly right?" He asked his boyfriend who just nodded. "You know I'll be happy to be seen with you in school and eat lunch with you. I just want you to be sure that it's what you want before we go down that road because it'll be no turning back once we do."

 

Danny assured him that it's what he wanted and wouldn't have any regrets about it. JR then turned to his father for his take on it. "It's up to you boys. All I can tell you at the moment is to watch each other's backs and be prepared for anything. You both know that it'll probably be difficult and most likely hostile and maybe even violent once everyone knows. After all, some of your friends are already suspicious and are looking for answers. Are you ready to take on the questions and accusations that will be thrown at you?"

 

The boys looked at each other and instantly knew the answer to the question. Everyone else could see the concerns but readiness in their eyes and committed to be there for them in whatever capacity they needed. The boys thanked them for their support and vowed to keep everyone else from being dragged in whatever may happen with them.

 

"Don't make promises that you can't keep boys." Timothy gently scolded them. "If attacking your love ones is a way to get under your skin then you better believe that your peers will take that chance to do so. That's just the way some kids are because they see it as an easy target." He then addressed Justin. "I know that JR have had some martial art training but I think you should get him more. And why you're at it, include the other three in on it as well."

 

"I had already taken care of that." Justin announced. "I'd spoken to Mark and he had agreed to teach them and they start on Wednesday. I need to add Anrícé to the class but I'm sure it won't be a problem for him to join the others. Mark is a great teacher and will have them skilled in fighting in quick order."

 

JR agreed with his father's assessment. "He also knows several different classes so we can choose which one we like to learn. I'm already a black belt in karate, aikido, and taekwondo so I probably choose kung fu, kick boxing, escrima, jujitsu, or maybe even judo this time."

 

He then told them about the other classes such as sambo, crav maga, escrima, arnis, hapkido, and many others. Hearing that, Danny decided to take a class or two with his boyfriend while also learning taekwondo. The two younger boys wanted to learn Karate before moving on to another class once they had mastered that style of discipline. That got Timothy thinking about learning some self-defense himself but he didn't voice it because he wanted to think on it some more before making a commitment. With the heavy talk out of the way, the rest of dinner was spent in a relaxing fest filled atmosphere.

 

Once they were finished with the cleanup they went to the theater room to watch television while letting their food digest before having dessert. Afterwards, they enjoyed some time together watching a short movie with all of the couples cuddling up wherever they found a spot. An hour and a half later they all wished Timothy and Anrícé a good night as they left for home. Timothy wanted to get home at a reasonable hour since it was a school night and Anrícé needed his rest. Justin walked them to the door where he pulled his boyfriend into a passionate good night kiss wrapping him up in his arms getting some giggles from Anrícé.

 

That caused the two men to break the kiss and looked at the fourteen year old in embarrassment. "I wouldn't laugh if I was you young man." Justin said in a stern voice which turned to one of gleam. "After all, sooner or later you'll find that special person of your life and will be acting just as mushy and having others laughing at you as well."

 

Anrícé turned tomato red at that thought! Now it was the two men turn to laugh at his embarrassment making him blush even more. Timothy tousled his son's hair affectionately while grinning mischievously. "Don't worry about it too much kiddo; I'm sure you'll take it all in strive and see the humor in it."

 

This time he groaned and rolled his eyes in annoyance resulting in more laughter coming from the men prompting the others to come running. Once they heard the explanation, they all burst into a fit of giggles themselves causing Anrícé to turn a darker shade of red. He tried saving some of his dignity by throwing a jab at his foster father and his father's lover that he will never be that mushy which only got him more laughter bringing another groan from him. He left the house muttering to himself as his dad stayed behind to give his boyfriend one more kiss then followed him still laughing.

 

Justin watched until the car had gone through the gates before closing and locking the door then setting the alarm before turning around and sending his own boys to bed. Each boy gave him a hug as they told him good night and they'll see him in the morning then made their way upstairs. He then went around making sure all of the lights were off before going up to bed himself.

 

To Be Continued...

 

Writer's Corner:

 

Welcome back one and all to another chapter of Malibu Hearts.  I hope you had enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it.  Now let's get to the summary of this chapter, shall we?

 

Timothy and Anrícé went to Beverly Hills to check out a potential location for Timothy's pool hall and saw more than they expected. What idea does Timothy have in mind for the big building?

 

We got a little more detail on Anrícé's life and why he was on the streets. More will be given from time to time but not all at once. I got to keep your interest up now, don't I?

 

It looks like the investigation into the fire is coming to a close. What do you think should be done with the insurance settlement? Will Justin buy another condo for Danny and Davy or will he continue to have them live with him and JR?

 

As like with all bullies, Mr. Jameson coward when faced with someone of his own size. Timothy knew that and showed him that he wasn't afraid of him. What do you guys think about that scene? Did I do good there or should have I put in an altercation between the two men?

 

Mr. and Mrs. Jameson wants retribution for George's modeling audition being thwarted. Justin predicated that may happen and already had a plan in place to counteract it. I can't wait to see how that plot plays out.

 

It looks like Josh haven't given up on trying to get JR to confide in him about his relationship with Danny. Not even hearing about Mrs. Maria condition kept him from prying. Will Josh give up his sneakiness before he destroys his friendship with JR?

 

A friend of Danny is out to find out whom and/or what is occupying his mind that he's beginning to ignore his friends. I put that in because I've had several thoughts going through my mind about Danny's friends and it relates to the discussion that occurred at dinner later.

 

How will Josh react when he sees JR and Danny interacting in school? I hope he's mature enough not to cause a seen but I not too sure about it. He's already starting to anger Danny while destroying his friendship with the only one who's keeping Danny from coming after him.

 

Don't forget to read my other stories. Best Friends located in the Gay/Beginnings section, A Wishful Miracle located in the Gay/High School section, and Where My Heart Belongs located in the gay/relationship section of Nifty.

 

If I had missed anything in my corner, I hope my editor will catch it in her corner.  I need to get started on writing the next chapter for you guys to enjoy reading.

 

So much is going on and not enough time to write it all out!  New plots are going to open and some will close.  Keep reading the future chapters and enjoy!  Please let me know how I'm doing.  I look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions at {romeo1.jacobmillertex@gmail.com} thanks.

 

Editor's Corner:

 

Hello All,

 

This is a great chapter with a lot going on. Romeo seemed to cover everything.

 

What will come of the Jameson and will George get the shoot? I say give George the opportunity then shoot him down. Let him see what it's like having something he wants being taken away.

 

Who was looking for Danny at the store??

 

Don't forget to drop Romeo a line to let him know how he's doing.

 

Take care

Trish