This is a completed story. Although there is sex, it is not the main focus and it does not happen in every chapter.
It was always busy in the mornings at Coffee|Bar but Matt felt more pressure than usual as he busied himself between taking orders and making orders. He'd only worked there for a few months and was feeling bad about requesting the weekend off to go home. The least he could do was prove to Denise that she hadn't made a mistake hiring him.
Hilary elbowed him after he fumbled and then saved a stack of cups. "Dude, calm down. What's got you wound so tight? This isn't like you."
"I think Denise is irritated that I asked for the weekend off. What if she fires me?" He paused and blew out a deep breath. "Maybe Mom could find someone to babysit."
"You think Denise really gives a fuck?" she asked. "The deal with having a business that relies on college students to stay afloat is having a million time off requests at any given moment. Weekend requests are the easiest to fill because no one has classes. There's a dozen people wanting those hours, Matt. You're fine."
"I know," he groaned. "I just don't want to lose my shifts. I have good shifts, great shifts even." He had managed to have a great schedule that gave him premium hours, a little time off, and no conflict with his classes. It was a college wet dream.
"You have great shifts because you slay the job. Now finish your damn shift without wrecking the place and go watch your cute-as-a-button late-in-life...I mean,
lil
brother," she winked.
Matt rolled his eyes but laughed anyway. The acronym was damn funny because it was true. Where Matt had been the product of high school lust on steroids, his
lil
brother couldn't say the same. Matt couldn't say what Aidan was the product of. His mom was nearing forty and dating a guy ten years her junior. Matt had done the math and they'd only been "dating" a week before she got pregnant. That was a generous calculation by the way. He wasn't entirely convinced they'd done anything that was classified as a
date
unless they'd bypassed the classic dating rules and jumped straight to the post third date activities.
He guessed that meant Aidan was a product of post third date activities. Poor kid.
Hilary's assurance helped Matt finish his shift without the nagging guilt on his shoulders. Still, he handed Denise a thank you card with a gift card to the movie theatre. Yeah, it was lame but he was still a broke college student and she'd mentioned how annoyed she was with the price of movie tickets these days. He really thought she'd appreciate the gesture.
He walked home, showered, and grabbed the backpack he'd packed the previous night. The bus ride was just under four hours. Going home was always bittersweet. He felt bad because there was no reason he should dread it. He didn't have a terrible childhood by any means.
His parents hadn't made their lusty high school affair work in the long term. Shocking. They'd split custody the best way they knew how, which wasn't easy since his dad lived an hour west.
If he'd been going home to his dad's, things might've been different. Having a kid so young had calmed him down and made him mature real quick. His dad was a rock and they got along great. But it was his mom who'd been a majority shareholder when it came to parenting time and being a teen mom hadn't induced the same growth rate in her as it has in his dad. No doubt a contributing factor as to why he had a kid brother twenty years his junior whose father was only nine years Matt's senior.
When the bus arrived, his mom was waiting. She smiled and waved when he stepped off the bus, clearly happy to see her firstborn. Matt smiled, then saw Aidan and really smiled. At three months old Aidan was too small to give a fuck about his older brother but that didn't stop Matt from raising his voice and saying stupid things that no respectable man would say to another man but were socially acceptable when it involved the cutest sack of potatoes you ever saw.
He carefully plucked Aidan from his mother's arms and cooed into the most uninterested blue eyes. The fact he hung lifelessly in Matt's hands didn't stop him from making a fool of himself. Just when it looked like Aidan was having enough of the assault, Matt cradled him on his shoulder and swayed him back and forth.
"Hi Mom," he said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek while giving the kind of awkward half-hug that can only be achieved when you're holding an infant.
"Hey you," she squeezed him then quickly let go. "Thank you for coming. Todd and I needed a night out and Aidan missed his brother."
Matt looked down and smiled. "I'm sure he did. I bet he's been begging for days to see me. I'm the only friend he's got in this world."
"Yeah, he doesn't get out much. Kinda keeps to himself."
"The introvert to my extrovert," Matt joked as he laid his brother in the car seat and buckled him in. When he got in the front seat he turned to his mom, "Where are you guys going tonight? Any place nice?"
"Digly's."
Matt whistled. "Wow, what's the occasion?"
His mom sat up straighter and got a proud look on her face. "Well, I got promoted to head nurse."
"H-B-I-C," Matt said, impressed. His mom might make questionable decisions in her personal life but she was a great nurse.
"H-B-what?"
"H-B-I-C. Head bitch in charge."
His mom started laughing but was clearly pleased with the reference. "Can I get that on a plaque? It's perfect. H-B-I-C," she chuckled to herself. "That's awesome."
"Seriously, Mom, congratulations. You deserve it."
"I do don't I? I've worked hard for this. I'm excited. And Todd is getting a promotion, too."
"Look at you two getting shit done. Good thing I already filled out my FAFSA or your ballin' status would really screw me over."
His mom swatted his knee but preened at the compliment.
She'd always had a good job but she'd never been great at managing her means. Matt had a feeling she and Todd were already experiencing the lifestyle creep even though they hadn't gotten paid yet. Matt knew the reality wouldn't be as much as they were expecting but that was their bed, not his.
They got to the house and Matt went to his childhood room and settled in. It was already late and his mom and Todd were quick to get going. He stood at the door and waved as they left to celebrate their big money status.
When they pulled away Matt picked Aidan up from the vibrating saucer bed and took him to the couch. They watched a movie, ate, burped, and settled into PJ's. Matt loved his brother. It made him excited to have a kid of his own some day. He'd always been good with kids and Aidan confirmed what a kick ass dad he'd be. Even at twenty, it was quite easy to spend time with the little nugget.
He fell asleep on the couch with Aidan on his chest. Matt didn't see a reason to put him down since they'd be up in a few hours to eat again.
When he woke again it wasn't because of Aidan, it was a knock on the door. He slowly got up, assuming it was just his mom and Todd wanting in. Probably too drunk to worry about their house keys.
