Ch 6.

Gareth made himself and Phillip a cup of coffee while the kids finished up. Each one took their empty dishes to the sink, rinsed them, and placed them in the dishwasher.

"Okay, kids. Time for you to get dressed and do your teeth, please. Then you can play quietly for awhile. Thank you for being so good at breakfast."

Each one gave him a hug, then ran off. Gareth put the steaming mugs on the table and sat across from Phillip who looked to be engrossed in his paper.

"I suppose we didn't get to discuss any sort of particulars last night, so perhaps we should make some sort of agreement about price and boundaries and such?" Gareth suggested after he'd had a few sips.

"I hadn't thought that far ahead. You're my first tenants," Phillip admitted, feeling foolish, realizing a contract was probably a good idea. He wasn't even sure if he'd decided they could stay, but he didn't know how to broach the subject. He should just spit it out, but conversation really wasn't his forte.

"Oh." Gareth could sense Phillip's hesitancy and tried to alleviate any nervousness. "I don't want you to think we're taking advantage, and I really don't want you to be uncomfortable in your own home. I can't thank you enough for letting us stay last night." Gareth really wanted Phillip to be okay with everything, for at least a little while. "If you'd like, could we do a trial for one week and see if you still want to do this?"

When Gareth caught his eye, Phillip had a really hard time remembering what he was going to say. "Yes, that would be good," Phillip agreed, forgetting that he was thinking they'd move on today, besides it was just for one week. "What should we discuss?"

"Well, we can download a basic rental agreement from the internet as a starting point, then go from there. Also maybe a plan for the laundry, tv, and kitchen, so we can work around your schedule?" Gareth was trying to be as accommodating as possible. He really didn't want to leave, after all, he'd seen what little there was available out there. Besides Phillip seemed nice, if not a little lonely.

Phillip stood and cleared his throat awkwardly. "No wifi for your laptop. We can use my computer."

"Sure, lead the way." Gareth smiled and pointed for Phillip to lead him.

Phillip took Gareth downstairs to the Rec Room. It wasn't on the tour the previous night, but was decorated much like the rest of the house, heavy on the 70s and 80s decor. The basement was divided in half. The area with a walkout to the backyard consisted of wood panelled walls, an old fireplace, a few older plaid couches, a workspace with the desk and computer, and in one corner a bulky, older style television. There were also a few bookshelves filled with novels, mostly sci-fi and fantasy. Gareth was sure Daisy would be enraptured if she saw them.

"The laundry room, mechanical room, storage and additional bathroom are through there," Phillip gestured to the door next to the stairs. "This is a good play room for the kids."

"Maybe. They don't really have many toys. We had to leave in a hurry yesterday. I'm hoping once Leeann settles down a bit I might be able to get more of our stuff. Not that we have much," Gareth said with a sigh, pulling up a folding chair next to Phillip as he started the computer. He didn't want Phillip to think they were going to fill his house with stuff.

"Where are rental contracts?" Phillip asked after the computer started. He really hoped he'd remembered to clear his browser history recently.

"Here, let me show you." Gareth leaned over in front of Phillip, taking control of the mouse and keyboard. Phillip couldn't help but feel the heat of Gareth where their bodies made contact, and he couldn't help but breathe in the subtle scent of Gareth—a slightly musky, light piney-citrus smell with some sort of sweetness that Phillip couldn't place but one that he definitely liked.

Gareth felt Phillip's warm breath on the back of his neck as he leaned forward to use the computer. It tickled down his spine, giving him goosebumps and a tightening somewhere below that had been dormant from human contact for some time. Both men were still in just pajama pants and t-shirts, so Gareth really focused to make sure this didn't get embarrassing. Especially since Phillip looked cute when slightly rumpled. Gareth knew he shouldn't let the proximity of his new landlord have any affect on him. It just wasn't right. But he also couldn't ignore that he definitely felt some attraction.

"This looks like it would be suitable. Should we just fill in everything we can and print out two copies to sign?" Gareth moved away from the screen, but stayed closer to Phillip than before, presumably to read the screen as Phillip filled in the boxes.

They got through the preliminaries easily, with names and addresses, but came to an impasse when they discussed rent. Phillip felt guilty taking money from the father of three, thinking perhaps Gareth needed it more than he did.

"The ad said no less than $120 per week. I think that since there are four of us, it's only fair that I pay more. Plus the utilities will go up with more use," Gareth reasoned. Phillip thought it was oddly frustrating, yet slightly endearing that Gareth was trying to pay more than Phillip was asking.

"I hadn't thought about that." Phillip chewed on the inside of his cheek, contemplating. Gareth thought the action was adorable and tried not to stare at Phillip's square jaw.

"Look, why did you put the ad up?"

"My hours at work have been cut."

"Exactly. You need the money. I don't get paid until Thursday, but I can give you $160 now."

"No."

"But..." Gareth tried protesting again.

"No," Phillip was firm and unmoving. "You need to care for your children. Will you get support payments?"

"I doubt it. If anything, she'll sue me for support," Gareth sighed. Leeann worked, when she felt like it, but Gareth had certainly been the one paying for everything—in more than one way.

Phillip didn't doubt the sincerity of his statement. That woman sounded like a piece of work. "Pay me at the end of the week."

"You're supposed to take money up front. I don't want your friends to think I'm taking advantage of you." Oh, but I wish I could, Gareth thought as his cheeks reddened, embarrassed to be having lustful thoughts about someone he'd just met.

Phillip didn't notice the blush, he was too busy looking down, anxiously, mortified by the admission he was making. "Uh...friends, yeah...don't really..." He didn't want Gareth to see him as the anti-social freak he knew he was.

Gareth sensed Phillip's unease and reached out to put his hand on Phillip's arm. It was meant to be comforting, but Phillip tensed even more. Gareth could feel the man's muscles strain under his touch. "Pay me at the end of the week," Phillip reiterated tersely, then pressed print and almost fled the room.

"Well, shit," Gareth muttered to himself as he watched Phillip retreat up the stairs, pants hugging his muscular buttocks just so, the printer whirring to life in the background.

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For the rest of the weekend, Gareth made sure they gave Phillip his space. Phillip was obviously uncomfortable being around people, and Gareth didn't want to make a mistake that would result in his family having to make another hasty move. He hadn't meant to invade Phillip's personal space, all he wanted to do was commiserate, offer some support. It's not like he had a bevy of friends beating down the door, either. Most of his friends had been stripped away by Leeann shortly after she moved in with him, and then being a father of three young children had made relationships almost impossible. There were the occasional conversations with other parents at the park, but If it wasn't for Abby at work, Gareth wouldn't really have anyone. Leeann had very definitely made sure his parents weren't welcome anywhere near the children.

Gareth left the signed rental contract on the kitchen counter along with a tentative schedule showing the times he and the children would need the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry machines. Gareth hoped that Phillip would appreciate this gesture rather than take offence, but Gareth was pretty sure that Phillip would actually like the structure. It was kind of similar his classroom, where some of the kids needed a daily agenda of events just to help them feel comfortable and safe. Not that Gareth wanted to treat Phillip like a child, far from it, but he knew baby steps were required if he wanted any sort of positive interactions with the taciturn man.

Later, he gathered the kids and took them grocery shopping for the necessities needed to make school lunches, basic breakfasts, and some simple dinners. He didn't want to clutter up Phillip's kitchen, but they really needed food because going out for meals wasn't in the budget. He did get the kids a box of Smarties to share at the checkout, but really, nothing else could fit in the budget. As much as he really wanted to pay Phillip rent, he was relieved when the man refused to accept until after payday. It made Gareth's life infinitely easier. Sure, he could have put it on his credit card, but that was a slippery slope he didn't want to traverse.

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Phillip sat in his little blue room on his little blue bed unsure of what to do. Gareth scared him. Change scared him. And now he was scared of the rest of his house. His home. There were people, little people, everywhere. To be fair, they weren't particularly noisy, nor were they very messy, but there were four toothbrushes in a cup in the bathroom where there hadn't been any before, and there were cooking smells coming from the kitchen, his kitchen, when he wasn't responsible for making them.

Whenever he came out of his room to use the bathroom or the kitchen, they were always there, somewhere. Watching the tv, or sitting in the bedrooms with the doors open, playing. Rooms that had been closed and silent for years. Just seeing those doors open changed the feeling in the house, the dimensions of the hallway. It was jarring.

On Sunday morning, when he got up, his paper was on the table and the coffee was made. Franny took his hand again and led him to his seat. They made him two pieces of buttered toast. It was almost surreal and Phillip was terrified. After spending the rest of Saturday in his room, except for when the Lewis family went out grocery shopping, he knew he couldn't pass today in the same way. But interacting was incredibly difficult for him. The house even smelled different now. It was subtle and not unpleasant, but it was not what he was used to.

His parents were elderly, not having him until they were in their late forties. Where other kids' houses had been noisy and riotous, his had always been staid and silent. His father taught him chess and a love of reading and his mother had bestowed him with her love of gardening. Both taught him that children were best if quiet, and he was a very good boy.

When his father died of a heart attack when Phillip was thirteen, their reserved family of three became two. A life insurance policy paid enough for them to live comfortably, but by then Phillip's mother was sixty and started having health issues of her own. Knees and hips were problems, and so was blood pressure. He finished high school and was part way through his university degree when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And that's how Phillip spent his early twenties—in and out of the hospital, and finally at the palliative care facility after the false hope year of remission. There wasn't an opportunity to make friends, even if Phillip had the interpersonal skills, which he very definitely did not.

Phillip realized he needed some space and time to think, so went out to his potting shed that his father built when Phillip was little. A few hours with the soil and his plants helped him considerably. He realized that he was being ridiculous and that Gareth seemed quite intuitive and probably didn't think he was a freak. After all, weren't elementary school teachers supposed to be caring and giving? Or something like that, anyway. The quiet solitude also allowed him to recharge enough that he was willing to try interacting again, if only for a short time, this evening.

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The weather in the afternoon was nice, so Gareth took the kids to the park around the corner. Although it was still quite cool, it was sunny with a promise of spring, and Gareth was happy that the children got the opportunity to run around and work off some energy. They needed the opportunity to be kids, because it had been a trying few days. Okay, their whole lives had been trying, but Gareth hoped that things would get better from here on out. A few days away from Leeann already had Gareth feeling a bit more free so he was sure the kids were feeling it, too. He didn't realize how much everything had been weighing on him. Stepping away had allowed him to gain a little perspective. As much as there were still a bunch of uncertainties, one thing was certain, he was never going back to the situation he'd been in.

Before Leeann, Gareth actually had friends, been personable, and wasn't completely anxious. Maybe now that she was gone, he could regain some of that personality. Maybe he could feel good about himself again. Maybe. It was wrong that he always dreaded coming home from work, not because of the children, but because of the complete uncertainty of what he would face when he stepped in the door--what Leeann would be like.

Gareth watched Franny and Gabe on the climbers and slide with a few other children while Daisy took a long turn on the swings. He went and took a seat on the vacant swing next to her when she slowed and he was surprised when she turned to face him.

Daisy was shivering and tears streamed down her face, "Please don't make me go back to her. I know I'm not really your kid, but I can't go back."

Gareth's heart felt like it was fractured, "Oh Daisy, you are mine. You might not be biologically mine, but legally you are and I love you as much as your brother and sister. I would never make you go live with your mother if you don't want to unless I was forced, I don't want to lose you, ever." Hopefully if it went to court, the legal system would see it his way, too. That was assuming Leeann ever decided to take any responsibility for her children at all.

"She threw Gabe into the table, you know. That's how it got broken. He left his school bag on the floor and she tripped on it. When she called him in to pick it up, she shoved him really hard," Daisy informed him, sniffling. Gareth would have to check Gabe for bruises as soon as they returned to Phillip's. "I don't think she meant to do it, but she gets so angry. She's not a good person, Daddy. I know she's my mom, but she's bad. She makes Franny sick on purpose and calls Gabe stupid. And she says terrible things about you, Daddy, about how you..."

Gareth cut her off before she could repeat the nasty comments and pulled her into a hug. "I don't need to know what she said about me, Daisy. I'm sure I can imagine. I'm just so sorry that I didn't have the courage to get you all away from her earlier. I feel like I've failed you." He knew about the eggs (an ongoing battle), but calling Gabe stupid when Gareth was pretty sure he was dyslexic was a whole other kettle of fish.

Two more sets of arms embraced Gareth. "We love you, Daddy," Gabe's voice was muffled by Gareth's coat.

"Group hug!" called Franny enthusiastically, and they all squeezed together for a little longer.

"Come on, you mangy lot, you, it's time to make dinner," he said happily, so Gareth and his children started on their way back to the house.

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Leaving his potting shed in a much more relaxed state, Phillip could hear happy chatter. He quickly double checked that everything was nice and orderly before firmly shutting the door and affixing the padlock. Looking down the driveway, he saw the Lewis clan returning from the park, the children smiling and rosy cheeked, if not a little muddy.

"Hi Phillip!" Franny called, skipping up to him. "We're going to make dinner and I want you to sit next to me."

"Uh..." Phillip faltered. He tried not to panic.

"Franny," Gareth stepped up beside her, looking at Phillip apologetically. "Now we talked about this. You were only supposed to..."

"No," Phillip said and the little girl's face crumpled. Realizing he hadn't been clear, Phillip shook his head and struggled to correct himself, "No, I mean it's fine, Gareth. I'll sit next to you, Franny." Instantly her dimples were on full view and she took Phillip's hand in her own damp mittened one. He looked up to see Gareth smiling at him, so Phillip gave the man a small shy smile of his own, his heart flip-flopping in his chest.

A/N: Happy Labour Day! Of course that means it's the death knell for summer and back to school.  :P   I hope you all like the early update I promised and the next one will back to the regularly scheduled programming on Wednesday. :) Thanks to you all for the support!

<3 JJ