Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Randy had been called into a last-minute faculty meeting at the college, and Weaver was at the law school apparently filling out enough paperwork to buy three houses, so it was up to Austin to pick up Louise at the train station in downtown Harrisburg. Traffic had been a nightmare, and he sat at the light just around the corner, checking the time yet again. The light changed, and he made the turn, went the two blocks, and pulled into the station just as the clanging bells indicated her train pulling in. With a sigh to himself, Austin got out of the car and went inside, meeting Louise as she came down the station toward him.

"How was the ride?" he asked with a smile, refusing to let any of the trepidation that churned inside show. Louise could sense fear, and he was not about to give her anything to jump on.

"It was okay. The seat was lumpy, so I moved, and that seat was lumpier. And what I wanted most was a cup of coffee, but there was no food on the train."

"Well…," Austin said, lifting her bag. "Let's get you in the car, and we can stop and get you coffee or something to eat along with way." He led her out of the station and to his car, then put her bag in the back.

"This is fancy," she said.

Austin grinned. "I needed a car, unlike in the city, so I got to buy my first one." He grinned. "Can you see me in some sedate sedan or SUV? No way. I needed something with style." He held the door for her and then opened his door and slid into the plush seat, waiting for Louise to settle before setting the engine to purring and pulling around the circle and out of the station. "How are things in New York?" he asked, trying to come up with a question to keep the conversation going.

"The usual. Brooklyn is fine. It's home." She looked around. "I don't understand how Randy can choose to live here. It's…."

He kept himself from rolling his eyes. "Wait till you see our town. It's smaller and quite pretty, and you're going to love the house and our street. There's a neighborhood get-together tonight, and everyone is anxious to meet you." He looked over and caught of glance of her expression, like he was completely crazy. "They get together every Friday for wine and nibbles."

She humphed softly under his breath, and Austin ignored it. "He could have had that in New York. People are friendly there, especially if he were to come home. If he wanted a change of scenery, Randy could have returned to Brooklyn. There was a nice house just a few streets away." She seemed determined to make her point. "I blame Weaver and you for this. He had those gyms and a great business, and now…."

Austin tuned her out as he reached the freeway on-ramp, concentrating on driving in afternoon traffic. "Randy got a new job that he's really excited about, and he sold at a good time." He and Weaver had helped him, and Randy had gotten an amazing price for the health clubs. And since he owned most of the buildings, he was now collecting rent each month from the national health club chain, because he hadn't wanted to sell the real estate. It was a great deal that would only ensure that Randy retained the assets that were likely to appreciate in value.

"But it's not home," she said, determined to make the point, at least in her mind.

Austin continued driving, knowing Louise was only trying to pick some sort of argument so she could try to take the high road and seem magnanimous. She had done it before; Austin knew the game and refused to play it with her. "What would you like to eat?" he asked instead.

"Korean?" she asked.

"There's basic food around here. The ethnic restaurants are not like those in New York. It is one of the things I miss, but we're collecting cookbooks and learning how to make various things for ourselves." That was true, at least in part. Austin had bought some books on cooking and was trying out a few new things, so far with mixed results.

He ended up taking her for a burger because he knew they were good, and judging by the way Louise inhaled hers, it was. After they had eaten, he took her to the hotel to check in, messaging Randy where they were and that he should get here as soon as possible. He let her take her luggage to her room and got settled in the lobby, relaxing while she was gone.

Randy strode in, joining him two minutes before the elevator door slid open, and Louise walked out, her bag across her body. "Randy!" she said with a smile. "You should have been here. I had to carry my own bags."

"Do either of us look like bellhops?" he snapped. "If you think you're going to be waited on this weekend, you can forget it. Okay? Austin has a big event tomorrow, and there's the neighborhood get-together tonight. So be on your best behavior."

"Is that any way to talk to your mother?"

Randy crossed his arms over his chest. "As I recall, a certain Mother invited herself this weekend, so that Mother will need to make the best of it. We all have plans, and you can either join in with the three of us or you can stay in your hotel room. The choice is up to you." Damn, he was stunning when he spoke like that. There was no heat in his voice, just firmness.

"Look who thinks he knows more than his mother." Louise tried another tack.

"I'm just speaking the truth." He tilted his head to the side, and Austin knew the moment she realized she was fighting a losing battle.

"Let's go see this house of yours." Louise headed for the door, and Austin followed Randy, enjoying the view.

Weaver pulled up to the house. Louise, Randy, and Austin sat in chairs on the porch with what looked like glasses of iced tea, but judging by Randy and Austin's relaxed state, he figured theirs had been spiked. "Afternoon, Louise," he said, greeting her. "How was the trip?"

"It was a train," she answered. "How have things been here for you? It's a lot of change." And there was another of her digs.

"I'm well. Got a teaching job at the law school. I'm still getting my bearings, but I think I'm going to like it. They seem to be treating me well. The three of us are settling in, and the house is really coming together." He took the last empty seat, putting his feet up and closing his eyes. "We have great neighbors, and they appear to like us, so it's about as good as we could have hoped for."

"What sort of job have you found?" Louise asked Austin, making Weaver want to jump to his defense.

"I'm doing volunteer work at the moment while I look for something permanent." He sipped some more, and Weaver then took a gulp from his glass. As he expected, there was plenty of whiskey to brace it.

"Then how will you pay your share?" Louise asked. Randy tensed, and Weaver handed the glass back to Austin, about to explain how things worked with the three of them.

"I don't need to. Weaver and Randy have decided to keep me as their sex slave. All I need to do is make myself available any time they want me, and I'm good to go." Austin took another sip, his eyes filled with mirth while Louise about did a spit take. Then she turned to Randy for some sort of confirmation. Weaver loved her confusion.

"Mother, Austin is my partner, along with Weaver. We are equal. And when it comes to money, I don't think that's any of your business." He smirked. "And in the future, I suggest you don't ask questions you really don't want the answer to."

"I was just curious," Louise said as Weaver slipped an arm around Austin.

"If you must know, I have plenty of money. My modeling days may be behind me, but I saved a lot of what I made, thanks to a great money manager. So right now, I'm doing some volunteer work until I figure out what I want to do going forward." Weaver loved the way he met Louise's gaze. There was no back-down in him, and that was pretty amazing.

"Mother, that's enough of the questions," Randy said softly. "You've known both Weaver and Austin for years. This isn't the first time you've met them. So what's the deal? I know you don't understand my life and the way I live…."

Louise set down her glass. "I keep wondering when you're going to settle down."

All three of them chuckled. "We are settled," Randy said. "This is us. We have a home together, and we're building careers and building a life. With you and dad, it was the two of you against the world. Well, it's the three of us."

She nodded, and Weaver wondered if she was finally starting to understand. "But you won't be able to get married. I mean, you fought for the right to marry legally, and you won't be able to do that."

Weaver cleared his throat. "We understand that. But you have to know that I'm an excellent lawyer and that the three of us are as protected as we can be from a legal perspective. So that isn't something you have to worry about. The three of us aren't going to be getting married… at least not legally, but for us, that isn't what this relationship is about. It's about what we mean to each other." He sat back and closed his eyes, letting Randy deal with his mother. He had said everything he needed to, and whether she understood or not really didn't matter to him. But it did to Randy, and he hoped that he had been able to provide some help to them.

"What time is this neighborhood thing?"

"About seven," Randy answered. "It's at the place just to the left across the street."

"I got the wine to take, and I picked up a veggie tray when I was at the store," Austin said.

Louise got out of her seat. "I think we can do better than that." She headed inside, and Randy groaned before following her.

"It's fine, Mom. It doesn't have to be fussy."

The door closed, and Weaver sat back, enjoying the quiet.

"I give Randy five minutes before he's back and Louise is tearing her way through the kitchen."

Austin groaned but stayed seated. "I'm not going to fight her. If she wants to cook something to take, I'm going to let her." He put his hands up as Randy joined them.

"Mom is making rumaki. I guess we had some water chestnuts in the pantry and some bacon, so she's going to it."

Weaver patted Randy's hand. "Your mother loves you. She may not understand everything about your life, but she does care about you, and to some extent, about us."

Austin took Randy's other hand. "It could be much worse."

The three of them sat together until Louise joined them again, setting a timer on the table.

Randy carried the plate his mother had made, and Weaver carried the veggie tray as they crossed the street to where a number of neighbors were already gathered and talking.

Dominic hurried over to open the gate so they could enter the yard.

"There's so many people," Randy's mother said softly from behind him as Veronica, the hostess, welcomed them before being called away.

"This is Randy's mother, Louise," Austin, ever the social butterfly, said to a few people, and soon, word got around the entire gathering and people came up to introduce themselves and talk to her. He and Weaver set down the food while Austin took charge of his mother.

"A glass of wine?" Eileen asked, and Randy nodded hard. "That bad?" she asked, looking at his mother.

"She doesn't understand the three of us and keeps wondering when Randy is going to pick one of us." Weaver snickered and leaned close enough to keep his voice from carrying. "I know it hurts Austin when she does that, even though he puts a brave face on it."

"Sometimes, it's hard enough being married to one person, let alone two," she said. "Family needs to be supportive… or at least not trying to pull things apart."

"It's only for a few days," Randy said, gulping the wine and refilling his glass. He liked an orderly, quiet life. That was a big part of the reason he'd wanted this job so badly. Randy had had years in the city, where everything went a million miles an hour, and everyone felt like they were trying to play catch-up. His hope had been that all of them could enjoy a better quality of life with more space to live their lives and maybe the chance to do something other than work.

His mother's laugh drifted over, and part of the knot in Randy's stomach eased, at least a little.

"It's going to be okay. Your mother really isn't that bad. She's a little demanding, but if you think about it, she doesn't have to understand who we are or how we live." Weaver slipped his hand into Randy's. "The three of us do, and that's all that's required."

"I know." Randy managed a smile because Weaver was right.

Austin hurried over, took Randy's other hand, and practically dragged them to where Louise was surrounded by four other people. She seemed to have them enthralled, and that was great—until Randy realized she was telling stories about him as a little one.

"Mom," he warned.

"Oh, please. You will always be my baby. And he was so cute… and really small when he was born. I must have fed him right."

Randy turned away, finding Andrew and Dominic speaking with Veronica.

"She seems to be having a good time," Andrew said, looking as more laughter rose into the evening air.

"Mom is always the life of the party."

"Usually at Randy's expense. I expect she'll be sharing potty-training stories soon." Weaver smiled. "She's done it before."

Andrew snickered. "My father always thought he had this great sense of humor. I have a sister and brother, and his jokes usually involved some trick at our expense. I endured his stories and jokes for years. And if we said anything, then we didn't have a sense of humor. Of course, he was our father, and we had no real way to retaliate, because any trick we tried to play on him, he didn't think was funny." Andrew's voice held a harsh edge. Clearly there was some old hurt there.

Dominic lightly patted his shoulder. "Tell us how you really feel," he said softly.

Andrew rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that parents are parents, I guess. They're proud of their kids, though they show it in different ways." More laughter drifted their way. "At least she's having a good time."

Randy knew he should probably be grateful for that and for the smile Austin shot him when their eyes met, sending a jolt of heat through him. Austin wandered over, slipping an arm around his waist, the two of them and Veronica speaking to Andrew and Dominic for a while as his mother held court.

"There you are," she said half an hour later, her face flushed. "You have the nicest neighbors." She might have been a little tipsy—it was hard for him to tell—but her glass had been kept full. Most of the food was gone.

"They are fun. And they do this almost every Friday through the summer, apparently," Weaver told her, resting his head on Randy's shoulder. "It's been a long day, I guess."

"We can go," Randy said softly. "Mom, do you need more to eat?"

"Gosh, no. They plied me with everything from veggies to empanadas."

"Then I'll take you back to the hotel," Randy said as he grabbed the empty dish from his mother's contribution. He also arranged for one of the neighbors to take what was left of the veggie tray. Then they headed home, and Randy got his mother into his truck.

"Your friends are really nice. This is a good place to live, especially surrounded by people like that." She patted his cheek. "Maybe I should think about giving up my place in the city and moving here."

Randy said nothing, but his belly went cold. That was so not a good idea. "All your friends are in Brooklyn."

"But you left…," she complained.

"Yeah. Because it was time for a change. Austin's career was coming to an end, and Weaver wasn't happy. So when I got the opportunity, the three of us discussed it and decided to make a change to our lives."

She narrowed her gaze at him as Randy pulled to a stop at the light. "But I thought…."

"What? That I got a job here and Weaver and Austin just followed me? It was a decision we all made together. That's how we live. It's the three of us, and we're a family. That's the one thing all those people you met tonight get that you don't."