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Hey, sweet tarts! This story's coming to an end! Thank you for reading, and please, please comment. To be honest, I don't really care about votes, I rather have some feedback and interact with my readers than have loads of votes.

*****

I blew out a long sigh and glanced behind me at Nolan and my son. Nolan gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'm here for you, remember? I skipped school for this." He chuckled.

I slowly nodded, my expression worried and nervous.

"I haven't seen my family in six years."

He came closer and kissed me for a second. "I love you. If something happens, and you get too uncomfortable, just hold my hand. You're not alone here."

I nodded. "Okay." I turned back and stared at the door for a little bit. "It just brings back a lot of memories." With a sigh, I rang the doorbell. It felt slightly wrong doing that. Six years ago, I would just stick a key in and walk inside, throwing my book bag down and dropping onto the couch lazily, flipping through the TV as Mom brought me lemonade. Dad would probably come into the living room and spit out that I needed to do something with my useless life

.. and something homophobic.

I knew that Aria would come flying to the door because I could already hear the determined footsteps. I was right. When the door came crashing open, there stood my lady of a sister. She

was taller with vibrant brown curls falling down her back and huge green eyes. Her lips were fuller and pink, and she was full of excitement.

"Oh..!" She cupped her mouth, eyes glistening with tears.

"Aria!" I swept her into my arms and she sobbed in my arms.

"I missed you, Asher!" She cried, holding me tight.

"I missed you, too. I was a fool for not coming back to see you."

She pulled away and fanned her eyes in an attempt to clear her view of tears. With a happy laugh, she squealed. "You look like a model, my god!"

"I'm not the only one who thinks so!" Nolan cheered, catching my sister's attention. Aria tilted her head to look past me at my boyfriend.

"Oh, hi! And- whoa, a baby!"

We entered the house and she shut the door, keeping her eyes locked on the child.

"Not a baby..." She gasped as Zion just stared at her. Overcome with shyness, he buried his head in Nolan's neck since he was carrying him. That wasn't anything new. "Asher, I will die

where I stand if this is your son. He looks exactly like you!"

"He was my surprise."

Aria gushed. "Oh, I wanna hold him! How old is he? Oh, my god, Mom has to know!"

I felt a pang in my chest. "Right. Where is everyone?"

"Out back. Ma, come quick! Guess who's here?!" Aria turned to me. "Don't worry, I didn't tell them."

"You were always good at keeping secrets." I winked at her and she nodded before looking at Nolan again.

"I'm so sorry. Nolan, my sister, Aria. Aria, this is my boyfriend," Asher introduced.

"It's nice to meet you. You have amazing eyes," she complimented.

"Thanks. You're very bubbly. We're gonna get along quite well."

She laughed. "I'm gonna go get my apparently deaf family. Wait until they see you!" She rushed away.

I turned to look at a beaming Nolan. "She's a sweetheart. I thought you said she didn't agree with your choice of dating a boy," he said.

"She didn't," I affirmed. "But she was young then. Come on, let's go see my old room."

"But your parents-"

"I'm stalling." I headed for the stairs and Nolan quickly followed.

"So you're still not ready to see them?"

"No, I'm ready to see them," I responded, heading down the hall. "I'm just not ready to face the things that were said."

I stopped in front of the door of my old room and gently twisted the knob, letting the door open. I stepped inside, sweeping the room with my eyes.

Everything was so familiar. It was like travelling back in time. Everything had been kept clean, yet still in place. "Oh my god," I murmured.

Nolan glanced around, letting Zion down.

"Baby, this is where I used to live," I told the small boy, stroking his hair.

"Hm. You were a hot kid. Not surprised a guy fell for you," Nolan commented on one of my pictures. There was an array of them on my wall.

"Skinnier, but still hot." I heard him laugh at another one. "You used to wear glasses? You looked like a nerd. Which is okay, nerds are the ones who look the best."

"Yeah, I have contacts now. I hardly wear them though."

"I remember you wore them when we first met, so I thought you had these grayish blue eyes. I'm so glad those weren't real."

I ran my fingers along my bed and walked to my closet, opening it effortlessly. The closet door alone made me want to cry.

"You know something? The door to my closet used to be a pain in the ass. I would always have to force it open so I kept complaining to my parents about it. They never did a thing about it. But... they changed it. After I left. Why?" I asked myself.

"Maybe they didn't realize what they had till it was gone. It happens. It helps people cope with the struggles of this life. It was almost like they believed you were dead, Ash," Nolan answered.

We heard a mixture of voices from downstairs and I strained to listen.

"This better not be some twisted joke, Ariana! Where is he? I want to see my son!"

It was Mom.

"He was here, I swear! He has a baby, Ma! His own... sweet child that looks just like him!"

"A child? My Ash has a child?" That was Dad. I could hear the weakness in his voice. He really was ill like Aria had said.

I heard Dorian's laugh before his deep voice. "I have to see that for myself. Nice one, Ari. He probably left again. That's all he's good for, right?"

Nolan sighed and tugged my arm.

"I knew someone would be mad. Who else but Dorian?" I grumbled.

"Hey. Stop. Like I said, I'm with you through it all. Things like this aren't easy and when he sees you, he'll realize that all that pent-up anger is unnecessary. Besides, you leaving wasn't your fault."

"Me leaving was a weak thing to do, though."

"But you came back. That is the strongest thing you could do. Remember, just hold my hand."

"Man up, Ash," I told myself, smiling at Nolan. "Okay. As long as I have you, I have everything. I'm ready."

We shared a kiss and Nolan carried Zion up again. I led the way, mustering up as much courage as I could to face my family. To face my past and move forward.

I walked downstairs and the first person to see me was Dorian. He froze where he stood.

"My god, you weren't kidding, Ari." He stared at me like I was a ghost, and his words made everyone else turn their heads.

With Dad and Dorian - and even me, it was just a 'freeze-this-isn't-real' moment, but with Mom... well, she was a bit more on the dramatic side. She let out a crying gasp, if that's possible, practically dropping to the ground on her knees and shaking her head, not believing it.

"You came back to us!" Dad moved towards me. Seeing tears in his eyes was a rare but heartbreaking sight, especially with him so ill. "Oh, my son, my son!"

Aria helped Mom stand up, and she came to embrace me as well. "It's been so long, I almost can't recognize you. You're such a beautiful, grown man."

"The lips are the same. Quite kissable according to all the girls," Aria commented. I rolled my eyes with a light chuckle as my dad pulled away, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

"You're going to give your old man a heart attack. What's this I heard about you having a child?"

I gestured behind me and stepped out the way so that they could see Nolan and Zion. "His name's Zion. He's um... four." I looked at my boy. "That's grandma and grandpa, baby."

He loosened his tight grip on Nolan and turned to stare.

"Tell them hi, love."

He stuck a finger in his mouth. "Hi," he managed to get out.

"Can I hold him?" Mom asked, desperate to touch her grandchild. "Oh, he has your eyes." She reached out to Zion, and surprisingly, he willingly moved into her arms. "Ooh, you're heavy!" She laughed happily. "My god, I have a grandson!"

Aria and Dad crowded around Zion when someone pulled me a bit further away. I already knew it was my older brother.

"So you came back," he observed as I looked at him.

"I did. Thanks to Nolan, or I wouldn't have had the courage. Do you not... want me back?"

"Well, it's not fair that you completely disappear, come here, and think everything's back to normal. I went through bricks trying to finish school, Aria hasn't even gotten into school, Dad's been sick, Mom doesn't sleep trying to work all these shifts... it's been tough and you probably didn't care!"

"Don't give me that, Dorian. College wasn't a piece of cake for me either. I had to take care of myself and my son."

"Then you shouldn't have had a baby while you were in school!" he yelled, causing the laughter behind us to drown in silence.

"Dorian!" Mom scolded. Nolan walked over to me, immediately taking my hand in his.

"You take that back," he said to my brother in a quiet whisper. Dorian looked like he regretted what he'd said, but he didn't apologize for it.

"I'll have you know that my son was my only motivation. You think I didn't work my ass off, too, Dorian? I was going to school, to work, and fighting for custody at the same time. My work paid off, and I'm so sorry yours didn't."

"This isn't his fault, Dorian," Dad intervened, stepping closer to us. "I told him to never come back. I said that once he was gone, he should stay gone. You weren't there when I told him those things." Then he turned to me. "I can't apologize to you enough, but I'm glad you're back. I love you so much; seeing you makes me so proud.

Aria cleared her throat. "I'm gonna make breakfast. Asher has to work at noon."

"You'll stay for breakfast?" Mom asked with a happy smile.

"If you don't mind," I responded.

"Can I help with breakfast?" Nolan offered, as I knew he would.

"You're sure?" Aria raised her eyebrows.

"Are you kidding? I was made for food," he answered, letting me go and following her.

"Who is he?" Mom questioned.

"He's my boyfriend. I'm sorry if you have a problem with that." That was mainly directed towards Dad, knowing the things he spewed about my boyfriend when I was 15.

"Not at all. I can see the way he looks at you," Mom replied.

Dorian sighed and went upstairs, and I watched him go. "Excuse me," I said, following him to his old room.

"What is it, Asher?" he asked.

"Where do you live?"

"Not far at all. Just in the next neighborhood. Why?"

"I live twenty minutes from here."

He nodded, staring down at his hands. I bit my lip.

"I didn't realize I'd offended you by not being here. It's just that no one but Aria even talked to me, or liked me. You basically hated me. Plus, Dad told me not to come back, and what I said to Mom..."

"You shouldn't apologize. You're right. Our relationship died when you told me about your boyfriend. It was my fault for ruining it, and I don't blame you for not wanting to see me again. I didn't mean what I said about your son. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine."

"You changed. I was seriously expecting you to clock me in the jaw after I said that."

"Oh, is that why you looked so scared?" I teased.

"I wasn't!" he denied.

I laughed. "No, but seriously, say smack about my kid again, and I just might."

He huffed. "So. Boyfriend. I take it he didn't give birth to Zion, did he?"

I rolled my eyes. "It was a girl named Maya. She does drugs and drinks, and I'm perfectly sure she's not sober even as we speak."

Dorian grimaced. "Damn."

"And Nolan... he's 18 tomorrow. Best person I've ever met."

"I can tell. You just aren't the same."

"How?" I sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Well, for one, you didn't smack me in the face earlier. Two, you'd go on a rage about all the shit Dad's ever done and said to you, and how Mom never stuck up for us."

"I don't know; I think everyone's different. For Dad to see me hold a boy's hand and not say anything is a miracle."

Dorian chuckled. "I'm not homophobic. At least not anymore."

I raised my eyebrows. "Alright, spill. Who is he?"

"What - no, there's no guy!" He grabbed a pillow, clutching it to his chest, and trying to hide his reddened cheeks. "Not one," he continued.

"Oh, you're in denial. Sucks for whoever he is."

Dorian grunted. "I feel like this runs in the family!" He buried his face in the pillow, groaning. "You wanna know why Dad was homophobic? He got his heart broken by a guy! Yeah, I swear. I was like, what?"

I gaped at Dorian as he looked up at me. "Dad?" I repeated for confirmation.

"Yes, the old man downstairs. Uh-huh. He met some man like thirty years ago who was stinking rich, right? They were together for some... eight months before the guy found a rather unpleasant woman, dumped Dad, and eventually married her. They didn't have kids till like... almost 10 years later. Probably because she was busy enjoying his wealth and traveling all around the damned world. By then, Dad found Mom and all of us were already born." Dorian rolled his

eyes. "I couldn't believe it when Dad said it. That triggered his hate for other men. I guess he's over it now. The man's name is Elyan Makreno."

"Good god, that's hard to believe. I see what you mean."

"I know. Everyone has a little gay in them, I guess. It's the tough ones that don't let it get out." He sighed. "I wish I was one of the tough ones. But... he has these amazing eyes and..."

"I know how that feels," I assured, thinking of the ones I fell for through a single picture.

"I just..." he shook his head, holding the pillow under his chin. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one, then I see him with other people. Girls, too."

"Have you told him how you feel?"

Dorian sighed. "No, but it's obvious!"

"Then tell him. Maybe he's just not sure how you feel, so he's using people to make you jealous just to get some kind of reaction out of you. Thought of that?"

My brother slowly lifted his head off the pillow, as if I'd just opened the gates of heaven for him to witness. "Now I'm really glad you came back! You're good at this." He shook his head with a laugh. "That's it! All I have to do is tell him!" He threw his pillow down. "I'll call him. Go! Shoo!"

He pushed me off his bed.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving!" I got up and gave him the privacy he wanted, heading down stairs.

Mom wasn't in sight, and neither was Zion, which caused a panic to rise in me. Dad, who was there, reached out to calm me down. "It's okay. They're all in the kitchen, I promise. I just

wanted to talk to you. I had to ask your forgiveness, Asher. Please, come."

He led me to the living room and I was the first to speak. "I forgive you, Dad. I don't care about what you said."

His eyes widened. "I have to apologize."

"Don't. I'm not reliving any memories. You're sick, you're tired. You've been heartbroken. God knows what you've been through when you were young and before we were born. Nolan taught me to forgive myself for things I've done. So you should do the same. That's all I ask."

He nodded, his eyes shining with tears. "Okay. Okay, I will. I want you to have something. I went to go get it from my room just now, but..." He placed a ring in my palm. "It belonged to my Dad. He gave it to me to give to my first son before he passed away. But I want you to have it."

"It's... wow, it looks... wait, no, Dad. This is Dorian's."

"No. I want you to have it. Listen, your mother was right. There's no mistaking the love you have for the young man you brought with you. He also adores your child. I just... I approve. In other words..." he leaned slightly closer. "I want you to propose to him."

"Dad!" I gaped at him.

"Give him that ring. He's bound to say yes."

I wanted to protest but I considered it. Before I met Nolan, I'd been thinking about what marriage would be like. Now that we were in a strong relationship, I'd been thinking about what marriage would be like with Nolan. He was my heart's sole desire. I wanted his name and my love for him

to be on my lips at my last breath. I curled my fingers around the ring. It was beautiful. Just like he was.

"Okay," I agreed.

******

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