“Sean said it’s the second-trimester nesting gene kicking in. Did you hear she wants the whole of the outside of the house painted?”

Jack crossed to the window and opened it. “I’ll climb out, you pass Connor down, and we’ll make a run for it.”

At first Riley wasn’t sure if Jack was joking or not. The idea of escaping the organizational demon that was Eden was one he’d be fully behind. When Jack turned and leaned against the sill, Riley couldn’t work out if he was relieved or gutted that they weren’t escaping by climbing out a window.

“I like blue,” Jack said firmly.

“So do I.”

“Then we go out there and tell her we want blue.”

Riley sat on their bed and lay back with Connor on his chest. “You can go out if you want, but think on this, Jackson Campbell-Hayes. Do you want sapphire blue? Midnight blue? Moonlight blue, which to me looks no different to azure blue. Or do you want ocean with a tint of mauve, or a pinky blue with—”

“I get the point. We should go out as a unified front. I vote for any blue you want, and I’ll back your play.”

Riley chuckled, and Connor joined in and bounced on Riley’s belly.

“Dadda’s funny,” Connor said.

He’d always been the quieter twin, but recently it had been Connor’s talking that had come on in leaps and bounds, whereas Lexie was more intent on physical domination of her world. Jack had caught her climbing the main bookcase yesterday, and when Riley had found them, Jack was sitting on the floor clutching his chest dramatically. Apparently she’d jumped—jumped—into his arms from a six-foot height.

“Boys!” Eden’s voice was sharp, the knock on the door loud. “I’m coming in, so you’d better have clothes on.”

Riley groaned and hid as much as he could behind Connor, which left Jack the one to answer Eden’s demands for them to get back out there now.

“We’ll be out in one,” he said.

As soon as the door shut, Riley started to laugh. He couldn’t help it. Jack’s face was a picture of dismay.

“Lame, cowboy, really lame.”

He didn’t stop laughing as Jack lifted Connor from him, then poked Riley hard, right in the soft part of his belly. “Whatever. She’s your sister—you deal with her.”

Riley stood, “Says the man whose own sister was the one talking about which music we wanted.”

They looked at each and shrugged, while Connor wove in and out of their legs.

“Come on,” Jack said resigned. “Let’s do this.” He reached for the door handle. “Sapphire blue then? We’re agreed?”

Riley stopped him and traced a finger from his cheekbone to the tip of his nose. “I’m going to tell them I want the exact shade of blue that is your eyes.”

Jack smiled, a soft, goofy smile, and they kissed quickly.

“Pappa, up!” Connor demanded in a loud voice.

Jack lifted him, and Connor gripped him like a monkey.

“Let’s go, boys,” Riley said. “We’ve got work to do.”

As it was, the blue was the least of their choices. The news came back from Jim that the joint adoption work was going to be a long-drawn-out thing. This wasn’t something they didn’t already know in their hearts, but to hear it so simply from Jim was a black cloud on an otherwise happy day. Jim told them when he came to pick up Sandra, who had been one of the contingent discussing flowers.

“We knew that, really,” Riley said.

His dad placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, son. I wish this was easier.”

“What do we do next?” Jack asked. He didn’t look as upset as Riley felt. In fact, he had his Jack face on. The one he showed the world when he didn’t want anyone to know how he felt. Riley could see right through his husband, but he was the one who saw the real Jack behind closed doors.

He had his own questions. “Do we need to file something? Contact anyone?”

“Until someone takes out a lawsuit or until State Representative Anchia files the bill to remove the gender-specific language when the legislature reconvenes in January, we are screwed.”

“So our decision is what?” Riley wanted an idea of what action he could take. He didn’t want to be here not doing anything. His heart hurt with the pain of it.

“There is already a lawsuit being prepared. You throw your weight behind that, you make the noise you need to make, and we keep on going.” Jim looked at Riley steadily. “Are we okay here?” he asked.

Riley was far from okay, but he nodded and smiled. “We’ll play the waiting game,” he said. That wasn’t what his head was telling him, but he was a grown-up, and railing at laws and government wasn’t going to help the situation.

“The waiting game?” Jack didn’t sound like he agreed. “Riley, we can’t afford to wait.”

Riley pursed his lips. “What else do we do? We’re not alone in this, and one day everything will be equal and no one will give a shit.”

“So you’re okay waiting.”

Riley was confused. “What do you want to do, Jack? Expose our family to the press by fighting this thing? Why should it be us who starts a lawsuit?”

“Because we can,” Jack snapped. “Jesus Riley, we can’t sit back.”

Riley shrugged and sat back. What did Jack want him to say?

Jack pushed back his chair and gripped Riley’s arm, pulling him to his feet. He looked pissed, and Riley suddenly felt out of his depth. Somehow he had fucked up.

“We’ll be back,” Jack said to Jim, then guided—more like dragged—Riley out of the house, through the yard, past Donna, Sandra, Beth and Eden, past the kids, and the horses, and shoved Riley into their barn.

Riley reacted instantly. “It’s the middle of the fucking day, I’m not having sex—”

Jack stopped him with a hand over his mouth. Carefully he shut and locked the door. “No one can hear us,” he said. “I want you to be fucking honest with me.”

“What? I am. I mean I was. What the fuck, Jack?”

“All that anger inside you at the moment, all that emotion you’re keeping in, and when you let it out, I’ll do it too. You can’t tell me you’re happy to sit and take all of this.”

Riley shook his head and made to pass Jack, but Jack stopped him. Riley shook off the hold. “This is stupid. I’m not arguing with you, Jack, so if you’re looking for a fight—”

“I’ll start, then,” Jack interrupted.

“I don’t want to do this—”

“Tough shit,” Jack snapped. He gripped Riley’s upper arms tight. Riley might be the taller man, but Jack was stronger. “We’re getting this all out of our heads and into the open where we can deal with it.”

Riley attempted to shrug free, then gave up, and slumped in Jack’s hold. He didn’t want to empty his thoughts out for anyone to see. They were his worries, his concerns, and he was dealing with it in his own way.

“I hate it,” Jack snapped. “I hate the fact the law makes me and you being in love something that is wrong.”

Riley heard the words, the anger in them, and he focused on Jack’s bright blue gaze. This didn’t sound like a fight. It seemed all Jack wanted was to see inside Riley’s head.

“I know—”

Jack didn’t let him talk. “And I want to change that law, but I can’t. I hate that some people think we are so different to them. The ones who won’t issue licenses, the ones who shout insults at two men in love, or write shit on marriage equality forums. I look at the idiots who say they’re moving to Canada to get away from gay marriage, and I realize how stupid these people are. I should feel pity for their ignorance, but I don’t. I can’t understand why it’s a thing, and it isn’t fair.” Jack paused as if he was waiting for Riley to zip open his brain and let all his own resentment out so that they could be pissed together.

What good would that do? Riley knew people were stupid, laws were wrong, life wasn’t fair. Why was Jack making him vocalize this shit? Something in Jack’s expression pleaded with Riley for words. Any words.

“I’m different to you. I don’t hate what people think. Of me, or us.” Riley admitted. He wasn’t lying, he really didn’t care one shit what anyone else thought about them.