Taylor Weston (29) -- brother-in-law -- bank manager (FC Coco Martin)
Brody has a lot of family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins-- all scattered around the west coast, all just a quick plane trip away for reunions on an annual basis. But of course his immediate family is now all almost all immediately located within the Bay Area.
His maternal grandparents, Samuel and Doris Moreau, live in a nearby assisted living facility, where Doris helps the nursing staff care for an dementia-afflicted Sam. The old man is by far the most awesome old person Brody has every met, serving in the Navy in his youth before settling down with his grandmother, who was a nurse. However, the guy has the most spot-on gaydar ever, hinting that Brody may not be the only bisexual in the family. And even as his memory has begun going, he is still madly in love with his wife, constantly flirting with the “hot nurse” that comes by all the time and taking her out on dates to the gardens and cafeteria when they’re both feeling well enough.
His parents, Dale and Kim, live on a six-acre ranch house out in Petaluma, where at any given time you’ll find up to a half-dozen horses and more cats all over the property. Dale is fairly quiet by nature unless you hit on the right subject, but once you get him started he’s quite lively and prone to playing Devil’s Advocate just to keep the conversation interesting. While he never really understood Brody’s passion for dance or “the gay thing”, he’s been nothing but supportive of his son. It was always Kim though, that’s been Brody’s big cheerleader, taking him to lessons and performances and excited for everything in her kids’ lives. Brody feels like all of his good morals and strengths come from his parents.
Brody’s brothers are as distinct in personality as three strangers, but he loves them all like hell:
Mark, the “stick in the mud”: responsible and protective, calm and clear-headed, slow to anger and forward-thinking. Married to Sarah at twenty, Mark joined her family’s dairy ranch business, and they had Stephanie, Connor, and Jim.
Bob, the “fun one”: constantly chasing good times and the next thrill, spontaneous and teasing, but also easily the most likely to help his brothers with whatever antics or dream they’re chasing. He followed his passion and found a job at a Petaluma brewing company.
And Jeffy, the “cinnamon roll”: introverted and meticulous, reserved and sweet, the tag-along of his family and easily able to stir all of his brothers’ guard dog instincts. The Weston boys all looked out for each other, but God help you if you ever messed with Jeffy.
Which is exactly how the rift in the family became so enormous. During his last year at Sonoma State, Brody and Jeffy and Taylor (Jeff’s then-boyfriend) all got concert tickets in the city. However, when Jeff backed out last minute to study for an exam, he sent his brother and boyfriend ahead without him. Drunk and high off of the music, Brody was completely taken off guard when Taylor kissed him. To this day, while he knows he pushed him away the first time, he still takes full responsibility for the fact that the two of them ended up in the cab of his truck and him screwing the guy six ways until Sunday.
The next morning, both were hugely remorseful, with Brody insisting that it was easily the worst mistake of his life. Thought Taylor wanted to confess immediately, Brody was certain that their screw-up would destroy his baby brother, and if either of them loved Jeff half as much as they claimed, the best thing to do would be to just forget the night ever happened and never say a word.
The arrangement lasted one week before Taylor cracked and sobbingly confessed to Jeff. As predicted, the youngest Weston was crushed, breaking up with his boyfriend immediately and exposing Brody for his betrayal. To cement the damage, Mark and Bob both jumped their brother in the parking lot, sending him to the hospital with cracked ribs, a busted lip, split eyebrow, and many other bumps and bruises. To try to lessen the problems he’d created, Brody quickly and quietly finished his schooling before changing states, away from his family. And a few years ago, Jeff and Taylor reconciled and married, reenforcing the boy’s opinion that he did the right thing, as he was not only not invited to the wedding, but also missed the birth and growing up of his youngest nephew Jim. The only tie that still remains between Brody and his family is due to his mother’s stubborn persistence, as Kim for the last eight years has made a weekly-to-bimonthly phone call to keep up with her son, as well as sending holiday cards, in which she makes sure to include Brody. However, the boy is determined not to hurt any of the people he loves again, and so makes sure to keep her at arm’s length, even as he desperately yearns for the contact in the short conversations.
