The Fishermen:Exclusive Bonus Scene

After getting back together, and then spending the last year growing our businesses, Franky and I needed some time away. We wanted someplace secluded, someplace special that held good and bad memories of us. We wanted the nostalgia of all the good, and we wanted to make right whatever had gone wrong. What better place than our home on the Seattle waterfront. We’d even timed our visit with the yearly carnival down at the pier, because what could be more romantic than revisiting the Ferris Wheel that helped start it all? 

 

“Last one inside gets a pinky in the ass and a blow job!” I shouted, taking off for the house. We’d just docked after spending the afternoon sailing under the sun. Franky laughed, but didn’t chase after me. I knew he wouldn’t, which was why I’d set the rules to ensure he’d win. After having him plow into me for the last hour, and shoving my cock down his throat the hour before that, I was dying to return the favor. 

 

I slowed to a backwards walk before stopping completely, smiling as he took his time swaggering my way. 

 

“My knees aren’t built the way they used to be, Leland.” 

 

“Bullshit, old man. I think you just want a pinky.” I wiggled both digits in his direction. Franky caught up, sliding his sunglasses to the top of his head. “Fuck, you’re hot,” I breathed, taking in his dark eyes and his salt and pepper scruff. He laughed again, the sound deep and sinfully delicious, making my insides warm.

 

I swallowed. “Okay, maybe I’m the one who wants the pinky after all.”

 

Franky’s eyes danced with humor as he cupped my cheeks and just gazed at me. The sun shone behind me, and I wanted nothing more than to paint him like this. Why hadn’t we disappeared a whole lot sooner? 

 

He leaned in to press a simple kiss against my lips. It didn’t feel so simple after about the fifth one. 

 

“I’ll take two pinkies, please,” I whispered, closing my eyes and puckering my lips for more of his sweet kisses.  

 

“How about we share a beer and watch the sunset from the patio first, hmm?” 

 

I opened my eyes, blinking to clear the sex haze he’d put me in. “I’m a little horn dog, aren’t I?” 

 

“Yes, and I’m the man who likes to make you wait.” He took a deep breath, then in a more serious tone he added, “Let’s never leave.” 

 

“Never ever,” I agreed. We had to, though. We had people we loved and couldn’t live without back in New York. And we had The Daisy and Kincaid Wood.

 

“How about we promise to come back every chance we get? And we drag everyone with us whenever we can?” 

 

“Deal.” I took his hand and led him up the steps leading to the back of the house. “I’ll grab the beers,” I said once we reached the patio.

 

Franky nodded, settling into one of the chairs as I headed inside. 

 

The walls of the house were covered with my paintings. The one I’d spent the summer creating for Franky when we first met, and the ones he’d secretly purchased during the time we’d spent apart.

 

I stopped in front of the one hanging in the living room. A depiction of the waterfront view outside. Memories of our time here came tumbling into my head, playing out like scenes from a movie. The first time we made love, then the time we made love in this very room after I’d sketched the scene beforehand. Franky naked and slouched on the couch, me straddling him, riding his cock as his cum leaked from my hole to spill down his shaft. 

 

I glanced over my shoulder in the direction of the staircase, recalling the last time we made love at the top of it. While so much was the same between us—our need for each other, our obsession with one another—so much was also different. Our love was now hopeful instead of hopeless, our passion came from knowing nothing could break us apart, instead of feeling like we were on borrowed time. I loved him, and being away from him for just these few minutes was killing me. 

 

My phone vibrated from my back pocket as I made my way into the kitchen. It was Cole’s assistant. “Hey, Noel.” 

 

“Uh, h-hi, Mr. Meadows, it’s Noel.” 

 

I’d never met anyone more nervous than Noel. I used to wonder how the heck he landed the job as my replacement, but then I remembered how jealous Jasper was of the other contender, and it made total sense. I grinned, holding the phone between my ear and shoulder to grab two Stellas from the fridge. “Hey, Noel,” I repeated, meaningfully. 

 

“Oh, right. You said my name when you answered. Sorry.” 

 

“No worries. It’s kind of adorable.” I peeked outside to make sure Franky hadn’t heard me. Possessiveness kind of ran in the Kincaid bloodline—and in the bloodline of anyone lucky enough to love them. Maybe it was contagious, infecting the men they came in horizontal contact with. 

 

“Yes. I mean, thank you, Mr. Meadows. Sir.” 

 

“What can I do for you, Noel?” I set the bottles on the counter as I waited for him to remember why he’d called. 

 

“Oh, yes. Mr. Kincaid received an email today. I was wondering if I could forward it along to you.”

 

“Er, why not just send it directly to Cole?” 

 

“Sorry, I should’ve specified that the correspondence is for your Mr. Kincaid. Not mine. I mean, not my boss, sir. I tried forwarding it to senior Kincaid directly, but it bounced back. His mailbox is apparently full.” 

 

“Okay, yeah, send it my way. And Noel?” 

 

“Yes, sir?”

 

“Don’t ever let Franky hear you call him a senior,” I said wryly. I’d be the one to pay for it. He’d spend all night proving just how un-seniorly he was. “Then again… I think he’d like it if you did.” I laughed as Noel grew flustered, then said bye before hanging up. 

 

I checked my email, seeing Noel’s name pop up. I read the message he’d sent and frowned. I must have been staring at it for a while because Franky came in, placing a hand on my shoulder, making me jump. “Shit, you scared me to death.” 

 

“I called your name twice,” he said, looking between me and the phone. “Is everything alright?” 

 

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. Would this news be good for him? Good for us? Or would it set him back, make him think about parts of his painful past? Would it make him think about the one thing he’d wished he could’ve had? The one person who’d gotten away… 

 

“Someone sent an email to Cole’s office after trying to get in touch with you directly.”

 

“Okay,” he said, looking confused. “Who?” 

 

I handed him the phone, deciding nothing good would come from me keeping this from him. I also knew this was the one part of his life he felt was unsettled. I loved him, and so I wanted what was best for him. He needed to come full circle on this.

 

Franky took it hesitantly, still staring at me as I whispered, “Theo.” 

 

***

Franky

 

My hand trembled as I took the phone from Leland. He’d already seen the email, but I read it out loud anyway. 

 

 “‘Dear, Mr. Kincaid. My name is Theodore Palmero. I’m an old friend of your father’s. I managed to find an email for him, but haven’t had any luck getting it through. If you would be so kind, please pass my contact details on to him. It’s important that I speak with him. Thank you.’” His signature contained his contact details. I reread it in silence this time, trying to organize all the thoughts crowding my head. Why now? Had something happened to Gloria? His father? Had something happened to him? 

 

I looked up to find Leland watching me intently. I couldn’t read his expression. He glanced over to the living room. To the framed photos of Cole and Jasper from their wedding on the coffee table, and a candid cell phone shot of himself, laughing with a paint smear over his nose. He’d gotten that one while teaching a room full of five-year-olds how to paint daisies. 

 

We’d brought those, along with several others, with us. We wanted this place to feel homey and like it was a part of our family. 

 

Leland stared at the photos as if trying to remind himself of all we had, of all the things neither of us wanted to lose. 

 

“What should I do?” Theo’s email reminded me that there was still one part of my past I hadn’t gotten closure on. One area that my thoughts drifted back to every now and again. It wasn’t because I still had feelings for Theo, but because the way things happened left me feeling like the rug had been pulled right from under me. I never got to say goodbye, never got to explore all the confusing feelings overwhelming me at the time. I’d lost myself after he and his family left, and the rest of my life had been impacted by it. 

 

It wasn’t something I could easily let go of, even though I’d convinced myself to do exactly that. I wouldn’t make the call without Leland’s blessing though, because nothing was worth hurting him over. 

 

Leland met my gaze across the island, his expression now open as if the photos had given him what he needed. “Call him.” His voice exuded warmth and understanding, his eyes full of love. “We need this.”

 

We, because what affected me affected him, and it went both ways. When he needed to find his mother, we needed to find her. 

 

“I’ll wait on the patio for you.” 

 

“No,” I said, before he could walk away. “Stay. I need you.” 

 

Leland’s smile held a mix of relief and shyness. He loved hearing that he was needed, but he loved feeling it even more. 

 

I circled the island, sliding my palms along his neck and kissing him with all the fire I could muster. “I’ll always need you, Leland.” I held my hand out for his, because everything was better when holding hands, and led him over to the couch before calling Theo. He answered on the third ring. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

A rush of familiarity hit me from hearing his voice. Older and deeper, but still familiar. “Hi. It’s….” I was suddenly unsure of what name to give. His family had given me the name Franky, but it didn’t belong to them anymore. It only meant something to me now when Leland called me it. “It’s Franklin.” There was a pause after that, and I began to worry we’d gotten disconnected. 

 

“Hi,” he finally said, surprise softening his voice. “You got my message.” 

 

“I did.” I squeezed Leland’s hand. “Fair warning, you’re on speaker. My partner, Leland, is here with me.” 

 

“Oh, hello to you as well, Leland.” His voice brightened. “Nice to meet you.” 

 

“Same here,” Leland replied, and the look in his eyes said he meant it. I didn’t need the reminder that this was equally as important to him, but it felt good having it anyway. 

 

“Is that… Is that a baby I hear in the background?” I asked. 

 

“That would be two babies you hear,” Theo replied before Facetiming me.

 

I blinked for a second, then glanced up at Leland. He nodded encouragingly at me. Theo’s face lit up the screen when I accepted.

 

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly as he moved about, “I should’ve asked first, but I’m a shamelessly proud Dad who looks for any opportunity to show off my boys. He kept the phone turned on himself, though, as if only now realizing we were seeing each other for the first time in years. He’d grayed around the edges, like I had, but he maintained his youthful appearance otherwise. 

 

“Wow,” he said, and I couldn’t help but return his broad smile. “Looks like the years have been okay to the both of us.”

 

There was nothing romantic about his tone or our shared happiness. I felt this nostalgic relief. A joy in knowing we’d survived life, in knowing I’d finally gotten the answer to a question that had haunted me throughout the years. Was he okay? He seemed to be, and it was clear we were both thinking and feeling the same thing. Leland was grinning at me too. 

 

“Papa’s here,” Theo cooed, entering a room. He flipped the screen to two beautiful baby boys sitting up in a crib, rubbing their eyes with their tiny fists. They wore matching blue onesies, and both whined, pulling themselves up using the cribs bars after spotting Theo. They were twins, and couldn’t have been more than seven or eight months old.  

 

“Guess I didn’t think this through,” Theo said, likely wondering how he’d pick them both up while carrying on a conversation with me. 

 

“I’ve got them,” a softer male voice said. Theo stepped back to allow a dark-skinned man with shoulder length dreadlocks to step in. He scooped both babies into his arms like a professional, whispering calming words to them before turning in Theo’s direction. Theo shifted so that all four of them filled the screen. 

 

“This is my husband, Reginald,” he said affectionately, then to Reginald he said, “That’s Franklin, and his partner Leland.” 

 

“Nice to meet you both. And please, call me Reggie.” Reggie was handsome with kind brown eyes, and was at least ten years younger than Theo, if not more. He didn’t seem surprised or confused by seeing two strangers on his husband’s phone screen. Theo must have told him about our shared history. Leland and I said hello before Reggie excused himself to feed the boys. 

 

“I’m happy for you, Theo.” My voice sounded awed, but I still couldn’t believe I was on the phone with him. I worked to process the joy of speaking to him, the joy of seeing my long lost friend happy, healthy, safe, and in love. 

 

“Thanks. I know I got a late start on the whole kid thing,” he admitted. “But it took me way longer than it should have to accept certain things about myself.” He paused, looking away from the phone to let out a breath. It was like he was releasing a burden. It had taken a lot for him to reach out and hope someone he once cared about, someone who used to be a huge part of his life, was willing to contact him back. I waited patiently for him to continue, knowing this was just as hard for him as it was for me. He finally glanced up again, smiling before continuing. 

 

“Meeting Reggie a few years ago kind of forced my hands, and now I want to experience all the things I denied myself for so long.” 

 

“I can relate,” I said, looking over at Leland again. 

 

“I’d thought about calling you over the years, but I didn’t know if you’d want to speak to me,” Theo said somberly. “Plus, under the severance terms my father received, we were to never have contact with you again. I was afraid to cost my family anything else.”  

 

“Wait, did you say severance terms? And what do you mean by costing your family anything else?” My head began to spin. 

 

“Yeah.” Theo frowned. “Did your father not tell you? He came to me one day accusing me of…” He stopped, his gaze flicking over to Leland. 

 

“You can speak freely. Leland and I have no secrets.” 

 

Theo sighed, his joy from a few seconds ago deflating. “He accused me of having inappropriate feelings for you. He said… you weren’t comfortable around me anymore.” 

 

“That was a lie,” I breathed, my hand holding the phone gripped tighter. Leland covered the hand he held with both of his hands now, centering me. I was under the impression my father got rid of them because he thought they were a distraction to me—even though he’d lied and made it seem like I’d outgrown needing Gloria as a nanny. 

 

“I eventually thought it might have been, but I was too ashamed of how I felt to even consider it then.” 

 

“So I hadn’t been imagining things?” I asked. “The feelings I had… And you… I hadn’t been imagining them?”

 

“No,” Theo said. “Had I?”

 

“No,” I whispered. 

 

Theo nodded, growing misty-eyed. “God, we were idiots.” I knew he wasn’t referring to us not telling one another how we felt back then. He was speaking to the wasted time, the years he and I spent being something we weren’t, denying who we were, and who we truly wanted to be. I didn’t know his story, but something told me it was heartbreaking.  

 

It was hard to now regret how many years I’d spent denying who I really was when doing so earned me Cole and Jasper, when doing so led me to Leland. Hopefully some good came out of the years Theo spent without Reggie. 

 

“Things worked out how they were supposed to,” I said. “Who knows if you would have Reggie and…” 

 

“Jax and Jason,” he said with a fond smile, glancing over his shoulder in the direction his husband went with their boys. 

 

“You have them because of the journey you chose to take, however painful.” 

 

“Yeah. I’m reminded of that every time I look at them. Anyway, my father opened his own carpentry business with that money, and was able to send Clark and I to college.” Clark was his younger brother.

 

“Clark started running it when my dad retired a few years ago. Building things was never in my nature. You were more suited to be my father’s son than I was in that way.” His smile was wry but warm. “I’m an English professor. It’s how I met Reggie,” he whispered. I’m sure there was a story there, but I didn’t ask. 

 

“That’s great, Theo. How’s Paul loving retirement?” I was afraid to ask about Gloria. He hadn’t mentioned her yet, and I was terrified of possibly hearing that the woman who’d helped raise me was no longer with us. 

 

“Well, he and my mother spent a few years traveling,” he said, and I sighed in audible relief. “And now it’s all about their two grandkids. I know they’d love to speak with you. We kept tabs on Nexcom Global for a while after you took over. It was kind of hard turning on a television, or opening a newspaper, and not seeing something about it. What’s life been like since Cole took over the helm?” 

 

“Nothing short of a miracle,” I said, bringing Leland’s hand to my lips for a kiss. Of all the things I’d gained, he was the most important. I turned back to Theo. “I have my own carpentry business too.” 

 

“You did it,” he said with a bright smile. “You rewrote your legacy.” 

 

“Yeah, I did.”  

 

Additional voices could now be heard in the background. Someone talking animatedly in Spanish. 

 

“Is that..” My heart rate skyrocketed, and my palms grew sweaty. 

 

“It is,” Theo said, face lighting up as he left the nursery and turned corner after corner until the voices grew louder. “Madre.” He said something else in rapid Spanish before Gloria and Paul’s shocked faces filled the screen. 

 

Gloria sucked in a breath, her eyes welling with tears as her wrinkled hands covered her mouth. “Dios mío, hijo mío!” 

 

“Ha pasado tanto tiempo,” Paul breathed from beside her. They were so surprised, they likely didn’t even realize they weren’t speaking English. 

 

I became emotional at hearing Gloria call me her son. She still looked and sounded like the mother-figure I remembered, just a little more grayed and delicately weathered from age. I was able to translate enough of what Paul had said to respond. “Yes,” I choked out, “it’s been way too long.” 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Gloria said shakily. Even Theo had a hard time keeping it together. He stood between them holding the phone. 

 

“It’s okay,” I assured her, staring at Leland when he began rubbing soothing circles on my back. His eyes were watery too. “It’s okay.” 

 

We caught up a little while longer, until Reggie needed help with the boys. Gloria blew kisses to Leland and me both, making us promise to visit before she and Paul ran off to assist with their crying grandbabies. 

 

“Well,” Theo said, taking over the call. “You promised. You know she’ll hold you to it.” 

 

“Never break a promise!” Gloria shouted in the background. Theo and I laughed. She’d been drilling that into our heads since we were kids. 

 

My laughter faded away as I wondered if she would be disappointed to know I hadn’t always lived by that principal. Leland dropped a soft kiss to my jaw, as if sensing I needed the reminder that she’d be damn proud of the man I was today. I kept all my promises now. 

 

“You two hold on to each other,” Theo whispered, as Leland and I stared lovingly at each other. 

 

“We will,” we said in unison, drawing a chuckle from each other. 

 

“You know, it was Jax and Jason that finally pushed me to make the call. They make me want to find closure in all aspects of my life. I don’t want anything unhealed, anything broken in me. I want to be as whole as possible for them.” He swiped at the moisture flooding the corners of his eyes, looking a little embarrassed. “Anyway, I’ve gotta go. I’m missing all the fun.” 

 

The boys were giggling and squealing now as Gloria sang the I Love You song to them. She used to sing the same song to me. I imagined her hands moving animatedly around her face as she did so, and my heart expanded, letting in the warmth of the past. I’d almost forgotten that something other than pain lived there.  

 

We said our goodbyes, wrapping up the call. I hung up and stared down at the blank phone screen for a while, and Leland let me. 

 

“How do you feel?” he eventually asked, combing his fingers through my hair. 

 

I gave it some thought before resting the phone down and looking up at him. “Whole. Lighter,” I said. And not that I wasn’t whole before the call, not that Leland and the rest of my family didn’t complete me. But an unsolved puzzle now had its missing piece. The weight of not knowing had taken a toll on my heart, a toll I hadn’t fully realized I was paying until then. 

 

One can have everything they need in their life, love, career, family… But sometimes it was the invisible weight that we carry for things we wished we knew or had closure on that could unconsciously add years to our soul. Now, I could finally close the chapter on the restless, young boy in me. 

 

“Good,” Leland said with understanding. “ And now, aren’t you proud of me?”

 

“Always, but what specifically should I be proud of this time?” I sat back, urging him to straddle me. 

 

“That I didn’t get all cave man and claim you in some barbaric ritual over Facetime.” 

 

My laugh was loud, startling even myself as I still reeled from the call. Leave it to Leland to know the perfect thing to say to capture my full attention, to bring forth unrestrained joy. “Yes, you’ve definitely grown so much in the past, what, twenty-four hours?” I’d had to apologize to our waiter after Leland had accused him of undressing me with his eyes. “Something tells me that now you’re going to make up for being a good boy, though.” 

 

“God you’re so fucking smart. Turns me the fuck on, Franky.” He curled his fingers into my hair as I gripped his hips and smiled up at him indulgently. 

 

“What happened to watching the sunset over beers, huh?” 

 

“We can do both if you fuck me hard and fast, Franky baby,” he whispered, undulating onto my lap. 

 

“Mmm,” I hummed. “We left the lube on the boat.” 

 

Leland scoffed, brandishing a fresh bottle from between the couch cushions. “Really? It’s like you don’t even know me.” He tsked, and my shoulders shook with my laughter again. 

 

“How about we make love on the patio table, as the sun sets over the horizon,” I suggested. “Then we can head to the carnival and hold hands while riding the Ferris Wheel.” 

 

“And then we’ll sit by the pier and chat like we did the day you made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he added on, speaking of the day I hired him to spend the summer painting me a mural. “And then, we eat dinner on the patio table you’re about to fuck me hard on, and then we cuddle in bed until we fall asleep. It’ll be a hundred times better than a pinky and a blow job.” 

 

My emotions threatened to get the best of me as a lump formed in my throat. I gazed up at him, appreciating and loving him in silence before whispering, “Only if you promise we can do it all again tomorrow, Leelee Bear.” 

 

“I fucking swear it, Franky,” he whispered back, staring deep into my eyes. He stood, stripping as he headed for the patio. I watched him go, then reached into my pocket for the fish charm I kept in there. My little reminder to catch and release. I stared down at it, a smile tugging at my lips. 

 

Opening the coffee table drawer, I removed the old photo I kept in there of Theo and his family, giving it a place next to the other framed photographs. I set the charm in front of it, a symbol of all I’d let go of during that call—the guilt, the uncertainty, the unknown… I let it all go to make room for all the good that was to come. I’d come full circle. I’d faced the to-be-determined part of my past. I’d completed my final release. 

 

The End

What should Franky and LeeLee Bear do next? I think I’ll let you decide. Next stop on this bonus scene train will be Haley Cove. Has Noon gotten all his memories back? You’ll have to stick around to find out :)