Luther was waiting for hours and at dusk Robbie came walking up, sat down and apologized for being so late, but Willie was wound up tighter than dick's hatband and the sitter was late. Luther leaned over and kissed him. "You could never be late," he replied.
Robbie started to speak. "I think I might have rushed things today when I kissed you. I want you to listen to me and what I have to have to make any relationship work."
"Okay, go ahead. I'm listening," Luther remarked.
"If we decide to go forward and pursue a relationship, I want it to be clear that when we have sex it will be because both of us understand that we are in it for the long haul. There will never be another wham bang and here comes Little Sam and the father has moved on to a new pasture. Both of us will carry each other's children. We will be a family for now and forever—no other partners."
Luther smiled. "I couldn't agree with you more, Robbie. If you are willing to be with an inexperienced person and teach me what love is, the joys of making love, conceiving a child together, birthing that child and raising that child together as a family, then I am ready to do the same with you."
Robbie leaned over and kissed Luther. "I love you. I knew you were special as you relaxed and laid your head on my chest, when I held you tightly against my body and you didn't pull away or flinch—that was more proof. But when you opened up your heart to me today at lunch, I knew that I had waited to meet you for years."
"We can sleep together at anytime, but there will not be any sex between us," Robbie continued. "We must respect each other. We can spoon and lie naked in the bed together so that we can explore one another, and when the time has come I will take you and make love to you and give you my child to carry. I will be there through the weight gain, cramps, gas, and indigestion as our son grows inside you. I will be there from your first labor pain until our son is delivered, then through the sleepless nights of colic and potty training."
Luther took Robbie's hand in his. "This is one adventure that I am so glad to be on. To have a man such as you by my side, I believe anything is possible." Luther kissed Robbie again.
Zach stepped out of the shadows and cleared his throat. "Hello, boys."
Robbie almost jumped out of his skin and started to apologize to him. "Mr. Zach, I'm so very sorry. I know that we shouldn't be here, but the swing is so nice and the stars are coming out—it just felt like it was the place to be. We will go now, sir."
"Just stay where you are, Robbie. I want to speak to you boys about what you were talking about," Zach replied. "First of all, congratulations, and the two of you have my blessings on this relationship together. I know that both of you have had long, rough lives. To find a chance at love and happiness is very rare, and your approach is commendable."
"Robbie, I know Luther's history well, and when you showed up here four years ago, you were a total mess. Then again, almost two years ago your life was devastated when Willie's father left you as soon as he heard that you were expecting. I hold a huge respect for you and how you have raised Willie as a single parent, and that boy hasn't made it easy because he's a handful."
"I know that you are a very hard worker after my talks with Ben, and he feels like you deserve more in life, due to his situation at home and the fact he will deliver again in months. Claude having twins will leave them with five children under one year old. So we discussed it, and if you want the job, you are the new construction supervisor. If you take it, you will need a new foreman and that's your choice, but do everyone a favor—don't pick Harry. He's a total idiot."
Robbie looked at Luther. "Yes sir, I would be honored to work for you and the ranch as construction supervisor."
"I know all too well that it hasn't been a picnic for the Genmen Race since they crash landed on Solaris 10," Zach continued. "Only fifty thousand survived—ninety-eight percent of those were male, and new females are rare. Due to physiology, both the male and females can reproduce for survival. Five million Humans haven't helped with the cross breeding, and the Hybrids haven't always been accepted by both races, but times are changing. My hat's off to you, so why don't you carry this young man home, Robbie, and start your new lives together."
Robbie stood up and shook Zach's hand, who hugged him. Luther walked up to his father, hugging him and whispering, "Thank you, and I love you." Zach sat on the swing as he watched his son and Robbie walk off into the darkness.
* * *
Robbie crawled into bed and snuggled himself up to Luther's naked body, and it felt so good to have a warm person there. He wrapped his arm around him and pulled him tight. Luther felt safe in Robbie's embrace and drifted to sleep as he told him that he loved him.
Robbie was awoken by a noise when he realized it was early morning. He slid free of Luther, put on a pair of runners, and walked to the living room. Willie was sitting on the chair eating a bowl of cereal, watching TV.
"Sorry, Dad. I hope that I didn't disturb you two," Willie spoke.
Busted—he had seen them together. "No, son, you didn't disturb us at all."
"Wow, he must have worn you out last night," Willie remarked in typical fashion. "So when can I expect to see my baby brother he's carrying?"
Robbie was blown away by the nine-year-old's statement. "Just what makes you think that anything happened at all?"
"Those bed sheets don't hide much, and with my imagination, one plus one equals three," Willie replied. "So when is he going to be here so I can mark my calendar?"
"Nothing has happened, so don't mark your calendar," Robbie responded to his son's question. "I raised you as a single dad after your father split, and I would never want that for another child. We are going to take things very slowly and let the relationship develop, and when the time is right we will tell you to mark your calendar for your baby brother's arrival."
Willie was very excited. "I promise that I will be the very best big brother there is in the whole wide world. You just wait and see for yourself."