The Movie

Chapter 13

While the Ides of March may have been Julius Caesar’s downfall, it was a very different kind of turning point for Reid Oliver.

After the February 14th marriage of Dr. Mark Jenkins to Mr. Noah Mayer, Reid and Luke had taken a two week vacation to London and Paris. The lengthy vacation was just what the couple needed. Reid was surprised to find he was almost as enthusiastic about seeing all the sites in both cities as he was in spending long nights enjoying incredibly indulgent dinners followed by the most amazing sex. He and Luke never seemed at a loss for finding new ways to please each other.

Although he thought by forty he’d be past his prime, it seemed Luke kept him young. Meanwhile, despite his comparative youth, Luke appeared more than satisfied, frequently petering out before Reid, who couldn’t help gloating about his superior energy in the bedroom... the living room... the shower... and anywhere else they could find.

When they returned home, Luke and Reid found a very happy Ethan playing his new acoustic guitar, plugged into a state of the art amplifier. Even though he demonstrated consistently good grades, Ethan was supposed to wait until his report card to get his new instrument, but while Reid and Luke were in Europe, Miriam made an unplanned visit to Oakdale to spend some ‘quality time’ with her grandson and couldn’t possibly come empty handed.

Reid wanted to reprimand his mother for undermining him, but Luke stopped him. “Reid, this is part of being in a family. Grandparents spoil the kids, and the parents have to suck it up.”

“There’s something else I’d much rather be sucking,” Reid had mumbled in reply, but didn’t prolong his disgruntled attitude. It was actually fairly gratifying knowing his family bordered on normal.

Luke had rolled his eyes and chuckled, but his point was made and Reid accepted his mother’s actions as typical -- a word he never thought he’d associate with Miriam Oliver, cold fish of years past.

One of the biggest surprises came in the form of a short letter from Noah to Luke. It had been sent from Hawaii, and had clearly been delivered by Pony Express as it didn’t arrive until after the beginning of March when the movie production had already begun.

After watching Luke stare at the note for several minutes, Reid finally cracked. “Luke, what the hell did he write that’s so captivating? You’ve been eyeing that letter far too long for my comfort.”

“Jealous?” Luke grinned.

“Hardly, especially not of a newlywed who practically drools when Mark walks in the room. It’s disgusting.”

“Uh huh. Have you ever noticed how I look at you when you enter a room?” Luke’s cheeks flushed.

Enjoying the obvious affection in Luke’s expression, Reid joined him on the sofa. Reid gently combed his fingers through Luke’s soft locks. Leaning in, Reid pressed his lips to Luke’s. The kiss deepened. Reid pushed his tongue inside, needing more of Luke -- more of his taste, more of his touch. The two held each other close as Reid heard Luke moan.

Hearing the strumming of a guitar in the background, Reid pulled back. “We’ll pick this up later.”

“Privacy and a bed -- all I’ve ever wanted for us.”

Nodding, Reid remembered for an instant the first time Luke had uttered those words. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

“So, do you want to hear what’s in the letter?”

“I gather Mr. Mayer went a bit overboard in the thank you note department.”

Luke chuckled. “Just listen. Dear Luke, I thought this would be a simple thank you note for being an amazing best man and good friend, but when I sat down to write it I realized there was more that had to be said.

Years ago, when I left for L.A., I told you we couldn’t be friends. I still didn’t understand the difference between how Reid and you loved each other, and why it was so much better than our love had been. I get it now. You were right. You and he are right for each other. There’s a bond of love and respect that’s so much more than unconditional that I’m not even sure there’s a word for it. Watching you both, has shown me what two people can have; and I think I’ve found that with Mark. Thank you for being the role models I needed. Not having a caring family stunted my ability to see true love for what it really is, but I do now.

Luke, you have so much to give, and never cease to share it all with everyone in your life. I hope Reid will continue to appreciate you -- hell, I’m sure he will -- and that you’ll allow yourself to achieve all the dreams you have in your life.

You’ve become a writer, you’re an amazing businessman, and now you’re slowly taking one course at a time to finish your degree, side-tracked by my stupidity. If you have any other dreams, I’m sure Reid will support you as you pursue them.

I’m glad I wised up and realized how important it was to have you in my life. I’d have missed out on so much without you. Thank you for EVERYTHING!

Your BFF,

Noah

Luke put the letter on the coffee table and held Reid’s hand. Looking at one another, Reid tilted his head. “It’s obvious he writes for TV and film, his grammar is too conversational for a proper letter.”

“I think that was the point. It’s as if he was talking to me directly.”

“I know.” Reid cupped Luke’s cheek.

“He finally gets it.” Luke paused, taking a deep breath. “I’ve watched the beginning of filming and he really does get it all.”

“I think I get it too, Luke. Don’t postpone your dreams or desires. We’ll always find a way to make them all work together.”

“Am I crazy to want this?” Luke rested his head on Reid’s shoulder. Reid automatically wrapped his arm around his young husband knowing how their lives were about to change and not as afraid as he thought he’d be. He had to start using the term husband all the time -- it would actually mean even more now.

“You’re not crazy. The Ob-Gyn department at Memorial has a great surrogacy program.”

“I’ve read about it online. I’ve also learned that we can each fertilize a donor egg and attempt to have both implanted in the surrogate. That way we would never know who the genetic father is unless we chose to find out.”

“You have been doing your homework.” Reid squeezed Luke’s shoulder.

“Am I forcing you into this?”

“I was the one who brought it up a couple of months ago, not you. If you want to be a father, I plan to be the other dad in this pairing.”

“Do you think it’ll work for us? Are we really family material?”

“Luke Snyder, I think you can do anything you set your mind to. I used to think I was the be-all and end-all until I met you. I trust you, Luke. And I trust our family -- I can’t believe I’m saying this -- and its stability.”

“We’ve done pretty well with Ethan. Do you think we’ll be okay starting from scratch?”

“Let’s just say, with an extended family as big as ours, we’ll certainly have plenty of back-up if we need help; but knowing you, you’ll be the master.”

“Kind of like my dad was.”

“Holden was a great father. You were lucky to have him. Not only did he have six terrific kids, but his parenting was a good role model for several others, including Mr. Mayer and...” Reid didn’t know if he could finish his thought. It surprised him to have it come to mind.

“You mean you, right?”

Reid nodded. “Holden taught me a lot about the unconditional love, and the bond, of a father for his son. He made mistakes. Hell, all parents make mistakes, but his were far outweighed by his love and respect for you and your gang of siblings.”

“So, we’re going to do this?” Luke turned toward Reid, his eyes wide and loving.

“Yeah, we are.” Reid stood up and offered Luke his hand.

“Where are we going?” Luke’s brow furrowed.

“The guitar music’s stopped. It’s time for us to find our way to some privacy and our bed.”

“No matter how hard we try, I’m pretty sure we won’t get pregnant that way.” Luke grinned.

“If my med school books were correct, I’m pretty sure you’re right, but it’ll be great fun trying.”

Luke laughed out loud.

“Tomorrow, meet me at my office on your lunch break. I’ll set up a meeting with the Surrogacy Department Director.”

“I love you, Dr. Oliver.”

“Right back at you, Mr. Snyder.”

Luke brushed his lips against Reid’s. “I’d like to fix our names if we do this.”

Reid’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“If this works, I think it’ll be time to add the dreaded hyphen, for the sake of our family.”

“Dr. Reid Snyder-Oliver, brain surgeon extraordinaire and Chief of Staff at Memorial Hospital.” Reid gazed into Luke’s eyes. “It has a nice ring to it.”

“It does.”

Their fingers laced together, the two walked toward their bedroom. The fifteenth of March definitely signified the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. While Reid had never liked change, Luke inspired him to grow and become more than anyone he ever thought he’d be.

[The End - for now - more after I continue work on my next novel. For those of you interested in my original work, please visit my website: http://www.carolynlevinetopol.com/CarolynLeVineTopol.com/About_the_Author.html
 

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