Chapter Twelve

"So, what do you think?" Justin asked into the phone later that night.

"Wow… I'm still stuck on the whole uncle thing. To be honest, I'm not sure about the moving in together idea. I mean, not really about you two living together. I guess it's… oh hell—"

"Rob, just say whatever you"re thinking. It's okay." Justin stripped off his clothes and climbed into bed, fluffing up his pillows.

"I'm selfish, okay? If someone sees me leaving the building there, I can always play it off like I had to see Joe about something, but if I'm seen frequently leaving an apartment where only you and a pregnant women live, it might raise questions."

"Well, I guess we could always play it off like Kelly's baby is your love child," he said, only halfway joking. "But what are people going to think? They will either correctly assume you're hanging out with friends who happen to be a pregnant woman and her brother, or if they really want to be salacious, they'll think Kelly really is your girlfriend, the baby is yours, and I just live with her. Remember, there"s never been supposition about you being gay. Hell, even I thought you were straight. They would have no reason to make that assumption, unless they caught us making out right in front of the window or something."

Justin held his breath, waiting for a response.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just letting paranoia get the best of me. People are allowed to visit friends and not have the public assume they are sleeping with one or more of them."

"It's okay. I understand. You have a lot riding on the next several months, and it is scary always trying to stay one step ahead of the media. Just out of curiosity's sake, do you know of any rules in the PFL prohibiting an openly gay fighter? Or even blatant homophobia amongst the management or other fighters?"

"There are no rules strictly prohibiting it, and I don"t hear as many slurs being casually thrown around as I did when I first went pro. There"s still a handful of assholes, and I seriously doubt that will ever change. But I don't think I want to risk coming out at this point in my career. Maybe if I was young, just starting and had to look forward to the years of hiding again, I would do things differently, but now…."

Justin could hear the resignation and in Rob's voice. He didn't want him to think that he was passing judgement on his choices. "No, no, honey. I wasn't suggesting you test the waters. I was curious from a fan's perspective."

"Oh, well, okay. You know, I"ve been doing a lot of thinking ever since our conversation this morning. I realized that I"ve been taking some things for granted regarding our plans and probably assuming we were on the same page when I shouldn"t."

"You know what happens when you assume things, right?"

"I may have inadvertently made a complete ass out of me, but you are still the beautiful man I love."

Justin snickered. "Charmer. You realize I"m a sure thing?"

"Anyway, I wanted to say you are the most amazing man. All the stress of hiding our relationship hasn"t brought you down. I want to emphasize that the secrecy is only temporary. Once I retire, we can live openly with all the "happily ever after" stuff. And now we"ll have a niece or nephew to spoil. I have said nothing to Vasya or my manager, but after a lot of reflection, I think after the championship it might be the perfect time to hang up my gloves."

Justin sat straight up in bed and gripped the phone so hard he feared the plastic would crack.

"Until now, the PFL is all I"ve had, so I continued to fight, and I"ve been very fortunate to achieve this level of success. Now I have you to love, and a family to look forward to. Thirty-two is coming up fast, and while I don"t think I"m ancient, this sport is hard on a body. I"m fighting hungry rookies in their early twenties, and even the promotors and commentators are putting labels like "veteran" and "well-seasoned" in front of my name."

"Babe… are you sure about this? Are you really ready, or is this some kind of emotional reaction you"ll later regret?"

Rob was quiet for several minutes, and Justin was afraid to breathe too loud.

"I love this sport. I"m not ready to walk away, but I"m ready to change my role. I"ve always mentally played with the idea of becoming a trainer at some point. Maybe buy into Troy"s gym or open my own and work with the next generation of PFL stars. I also like working with the little kids at the gym during the summer. I have a degree in exercise and sport science. Maybe it"s time to share my knowledge and experience with others in a more formal way?"

"Whatever you want to do, I will back you 100 percent. I don"t really have any money to invest in your gym, but I can be your towel boy. Sounds like we both have a lot of changes on the horizon. Let"s not get ahead of ourselves with making cosmic plans. There"s no rush."

Rob hummed. "Well, Kelly is on a bit of a timeline with the whole baby thing."

"Right. Those little suckers only bake for so long." Justin did some quick mental math. "She"s got like six months or something before dirty diapers and feedings take over her life."

"And a month before her lease is up."

"Shit. Right. Okay, so maybe some immediate planning is required. Are you comfortable meeting her and revealing our relationship?"

"I think if the two of you are going to live together, then she"s going to figure it out pretty damn quick. I can keep my hands to myself in public, but not in the privacy of our homes."

"You can trust her. I promise."

"I believe you. So, where are you thinking of moving to?"

Justin explained his idea about finding a nice little house to rent like Rob's. He wanted to see if there was one with a finished lower level they could make into a separate living area for him. That way, both he and Kelly could have their privacy. Plus, that added a bonus of an insulated floor separating him from a crying baby at two o'clock in the morning.

Robert drove the moving van stuffed full of Justin's furniture and other belongings to the new place. It was amazing the amount of stuff the man had collected in that little apartment. They'd found an adorable craftsman cottage with two bedrooms and a bath upstairs and a finished in-laws' suite on the lower level. The family didn't want to sell in the current market but were relocating across the country. Robert thought the lower suite was perfect. Justin had assured him that the street was private and the property was far enough away that there would be no noisy neighbors.

It had taken a few weeks to get things sorted out, but now they were on their way. Robert was pretty proud of the fact that they had been so efficient in packing that it would only take one trip.

Kelly was meeting them at the house with one of her coworkers. They pulled into the driveway and climbed out. Justin jumped out of the front seat before Robert could say anything.

"Hey, Rob, let me show you the garage first." He walked away toward the detached structure at the back of the property.

When Rob entered the dark garage, he looked around for Justin. "Why would I want to see the gara—"

Justin pushed Robert up against the wall and sealed their lips together.

Hmm… okay, garages are nice. In fact, garages are my new favorite place.

His hands found their way to their customary place on Justin's butt, and he lifted him higher so their crotches could rub together.

"God, I love it when you do that," Justin panted. "I've never been with someone who could lift me before."

Robert growled. "And you'll never be with anyone else ever again, right?" He started tickling Justin in the ribs. "Right?"

Justin was laughing so hard he could only answer in gasps. "Stop… stop… you're right… right… I swear it."

Robert caught Justin as he launched himself back into his arms. Justin groaned as Robert cupped his ass again and turned to push him against the wall, pinning him between the drywall and his pelvis. Their groins pressed against each other as Justin"s smaller body arched up. Justin fisted his T-shirt and yanked up. A second later, fingers flicked across Robert's hard nipples in sync with each thrust. Rob broke their soul-searing kiss and groaned. He licked at the base of Justin's throat, then made tiny little nips over his Adam's apple.

When they heard the laughing voices of Kelly and her friend outside, it felt like someone threw a bucket of cold water on them. Jumping apart, they separated to opposite sides of the small building to straighten their clothes and try to calm the raging hard-ons in their jeans. Rob thought of all the disgusting, crawly bugs he could think of.

Yep, problem solved.

"You okay?" Justin asked.

"Yeah." He walked back over and straightened a lock of hair, falling across Justin's forehead. "Let's get you moved into your new home."

Justin preceded him into the back door to find Kelly already getting things organized in the kitchen.

"There you are. I was wondering if you'd skipped out on us," Kelly"s friend said.

"I was just showing my buddy Rob here the backyard." Justin jerked his finger behind him to where Rob stood. "Sorry I didn"t introduce you guys at Kelly"s apartment. This is my friend Rob Lansing. He's been voluntold to move the furniture and other heavy stuff. How is Wiggles doing today?"

"Wiggles?" Kelly"s friend asked.

Justin nodded. "Yeah." He pointed to Kelly"s stomach that was only just starting to protrude. "Cause her tummy wiggles when my niece or nephew gets the hiccups or has a dance party," he said, laughing at his own joke.

Rob rolled his eyes. "Lord help you, Kelly, for taking on Bob Hope here." He held out his hand to Kelly"s friends. "It's nice to meet you."

She accepted the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Rob."

Kelly turned around and looked at the boxes they had already brought inside. "Well, if you two strapping men want to get the big stuff carried in, we'll unpack the boxes."

When her friend turned her back, Kelly stared him and Justin down for a few seconds. Her eyes darted back and forth from the garage door and back to Justin several times. She then made kissy faces, and Justin stuck out his tongue at his sister. Rob watched the silent sibling teasing with a roll of his eyes and a smile. He was so happy for the two of them. Justin talked about Kelly all the time, and the couple of times the three of them had been together, it was obvious that Kelly was just as enamored with her big brother.

Several hours later, they had everything in its rightful place and Kelly's friend had taken off. Justin left to pick up some dinner for the three of them, and Robert found himself cornered in the kitchen, drinking a large glass of water when Kelly walked in.

"So Rob, I don"t think Justin has ever said just how long the two of you have been together."

He shifted his weight and looked around the room before letting out a slow breath. "A few months. He used to moonlight in my stepdad's garage. I met him when he helped me put a new top on my car. I have a vintage Mustang."

"And the cage match stuff. That"s like your day job, or is it more of a hobby?"

"It"s my full-time job. And while competitions take place in a cage, the sport is based on a mix of martial arts disciplines." He refilled his glass and took another long drink.

"And just when are you planning on making an honest man out of my brother?"

Robert struggled to breathe as the water went down the wrong way, resulting in a severe coughing fit. When he could breathe again, he looked over at the very self-satisfied female version of Justin's chocolate eyes. "What makes you ask that?"

She rolled her eyes, walked up the large man and placed her hand on his arm. "The moment Justin mentioned having a partner, my curiosity went into overdrive. Then I met you and I thought, "okay, they"re casual," but I can tell there"s a lot more between you."

Robert thought about all the hours they"d spent with Kelly"s coworker, who"d admitted that her boyfriend was a huge fan and had asked him for an autograph. Had he said anything or made some kind of gesture to give his and Justin"s secret away?

"Don't freak out. You two do an excellent job of playing it casual. There were a few quick glances when you were working together, but close friends can communicate without words. You both had some bee-stung lips and mussed hair when you walked in the back door earlier." She put her hand on Robert"s arm. "Ashleigh doesn"t have a clue, though. I swear to you I will protect your relationship with my brother. Reconnecting with him means more to me than you can understand. I would never jeopardize that with something so petty as spreading gossip. However, as his only reasonably intelligent blood relative, it"s my job to grill his boyfriend and embarrass him with childhood stories."

Robert started breathing a little better when Kelly was done. "I know hiding our relationship is hard for him. I hate having to complicate his life this way. At this moment, it's our only choice. I love him more than even he understands. Your brother is the center of my world. We"ve talked about the future and as soon as I retire, I will make it up to him. Was this not-so-subtle interrogation your way of saying I should look at some rings while in Vegas?"

Kelly giggled. "I"m certainly not in any position on whether to judge two people on whether they choose to walk down the aisle. I just wanted to yank your chain a little. In all seriousness, I promise to do everything that's within my power to give the two of you the space and privacy in this home to be together. I don't want the presence of a pregnant woman to cramp your style. How much are you in the media's eye?"

"Fortunately, not that much. Our sport has significantly grown in popularity, but we still haven't reached NFL or MLB levels. I get hounded around the time of a fight, usually at the gym, but my day-to-day life is pretty uneventful. It would probably be worse if I trained in one of the big camps, but I like the quiet lifestyle I have here."

Since they didn't have a kitchen table, she walked into the living room and sat on the sofa they'd brought from Justin's apartment. "Do you have any fights between now an this big championship? Are you like grandfathered in or do you have to win a spot?"

Robert smiled as memories of what had gone down on that sofa floated through his brain. Good thing leather cleans up really well.

"I have a fight in Vegas in a couple of weeks. When I win, it'll guarantee me a spot in the championship in October."

"You seem awfully sure that you'll win." She smiled.

Robert shrugged his shoulders. He was about to answer when he heard Justin's voice behind him.

"Of course, he's going to win. Don't let his casual demeanor fool you. When he steps in the ring, he's a completely different person. I swear he grows another two feet. He's totally committed to each move, always thinking two steps ahead of his opponent. The fire and determination just radiates from each pore. Rob can be quite merciless when he wants to be."

"You're not a fan or anything, are you, JJ?" she said, laughing.

The most adorable blush crept up Justin"s face. It was a good thing Kelly knew about them. Justin"s mouth opened and closed several times, and he spun, acting very invested in the bags of takeout he"d carried in from the garage. Robert didn"t want Justin mentally whipping himself. He pulled Justin around and placed his lips against his boyfriend"s in a chaste but lingering kiss. They"d never kissed in front of Kelly before, and Justin stood frozen, not kissing him back, trying not to react. As with every kiss they shared, the intensity scrambled Robert"s brain, even for all its briefness.

"What the fuck?" Justin yelled.

"It's okay, baby. While you were out, Kelly pulled a Bad Boys move and asked me what my intentions were towards you."

"Kelly! You promised you wouldn"t hassle him. Oh God… I'm so sorry, Rob. It's my fault. I didn't mean to go on like that…" He stepped away and raked his hand through his hair. "I…" Tears gathered in his eyes when he looked at Robert. "If you want to go, I'll understand. I swear… I'll leave you alone."

Robert"s chest hurt so badly at the agony evident on Justin"s face. This panic attack was his fault. He rushed toward Justin and pulled him into his arms, holding tight. Putting his mouth to his ear, he spoke firmly but softly, "Shh… none of that now. I never want to hear such words from your mouth again, you hear?"

"But… I promised I'd keep you safe, and the first time—"

"You did nothing wrong." He looked over at Kelly, whose expression nearly matched her brother"s. "Neither of you did. This is your home. Your sanctuary. The rules we self-enforce out in the world don"t apply here. Now kiss me and let's eat dinner as a family."

Justin pulled back, no doubt examining every nuance of his expression. The panic slowly disappeared from the brown orbs and he saw only love radiating back at him. Justin stood on his tiptoes, wrapped his arms around Robert's neck and brought his head down so their lips met. It was a full-out, open-mouth, tongue-twisting kiss. Slow, sensual, tender, but most of all full of love. When they pulled back, Robert give him a little wink, and his heart melted all over again.

"God, that was so beautiful," Kelly sighed from the sofa. "I"ve never really seen two guys kiss like that. I guess I figured it would be more…" She flipped her hands in the air. "I don't know…raunchier."

Justin snickered. "Oh believe me, it can be a hell of a lot raunchier." A little devil sat on his shoulder when he said, "And has been. On that very couch, in fact." He pointed, laughing.

"Oh, ew!" Jumping up from the couch, she looked down at it in mock horror. "TMI, JJ!"

Robert knocked Justin upside the head. "Okay, you hyena. Bring the food in here, and let's eat." Walking into the living room, Robert pushed Kelly back down onto the cushions. "Don't worry, Kelly. We're very hygienic. Besides you can't tell me you've never sucked face or gotten it on while watching a movie." He laughed as a blush, identical to the one that he often saw on her brother, crept up her face. These blonds are so much fun to tease.