25
Tristan
Tristan had been avoiding all the question his friends had asked him. He just wanted to get moved in, and he would deal with whatever it was he was feeling. But these guys didn’t understand the concept of privacy. They had been teasing him mercilessly since friggin’ Teo shared the little tidbit from his visit to Shay.
Lain, ever the level-headed one was all about “Are you sure you should move in with all the extra feelings? Won’t that just lead to confusion and muddy the water?” Blah! Blah! Blah!
Teo and Cristian were acting like bloody teenage girls. Making smoochy faces whenever they saw Nathaniel. They may have actually had cartoon character moments when they got a look at him, all jaw drops and drool.
He left the girls with Nathaniel and went back to the room he had been given. It was right opposite Samantha’s and not too far away from Emma’s and Wyatt’s. There was a door a little down the hall from theirs, on the other side of the hallway, that he concluded belonged to Nathaniel. He was surprised. The house had another floor that Nathaniel could have put them on, but instead, they were all together like one big patchwork family.
He walked into his new room and saw Cristian putting things away meticulously. Way better than he would have if he did it himself. That was for sure. The room was spacious. Not quite as big as his room at home, but big enough. It had an equally spacious en-suite. No expenses had been spared on the luxurious furnishings, but it was all chosen for comfort rather than formality or ostentatiousness, which he appreciated.
“Oh my God! Thanks, Cris.”
The man jumped, startled, dropping Tristan’s clothes he’d had in his hands. He twirled around gasping, holding his chest, breathing heavily.
“Hey, hey, calm down. What’s wrong? You look terrified.” Cristian tittered and pulled on the long sleeve of his T-shirt anxiously. “You gave me a fright, that’s all.”
“I gave you a fright. Jesus! Cris, you look like I scared ten years off your life. Why so jumpy, dude? Is everything alright?”
He did that laugh again that sounded way too high to be real, and he was about to dig deeper when Teo called from the other room, “Hey, Tris, I think my parents are here. Can you tell Nathaniel so he can let them in the gate.”
He left Cristian in his room while making the mental note to talk to the guys about it. Cris had been absent a lot, making excuses about why he couldn’t come out. When he was out, he was super jumpy and always texting on his phone or sneaking away to answer calls and then leaving abruptly. He didn’t laugh as much as he used to. Tristan was worried. He knew his friend and all was not right. If his life wasn’t a CBS show waiting to happen, he would have pushed Cristian to find out what was up. He would just have to add it to his postsurgical to-do list and maybe speak to Teo and Lain about it first.
He wasn’t shocked that Teo’s parents showed up. Sonya and Ben had been at all the major moments in his life. Why make this an exception? Before he even made it down the stairs, Nathaniel was waiting there for him.
“I already let them through the gate. They should pull up any second now,” Nathaniel reported.
“Oh. Yeah, thanks. By the way, sorry about Teo yelling. I guess he forgot we weren’t at my house. He didn’t think to lower his volume. I’ll remind him to keep it down,” he said sheepishly and shrugged.
“No!” Nathaniel said vehemently. He lowered his voice and said, “No. Don’t do that. I want you to feel comfortable here, and that means your friends should too, you know.”
He laughed and said, “Now those are words you may not want to tell them. Cos they will start showing up whenever. Eating all your food and just generally lounging around. We are very all up in each other’s business,” he said self-deprecatingly.
“Well, my house is yours. So they should behave the way they would at yours. I really want you guys to feel like this is home. So don’t behave like guests,” Nathaniel insisted while they waited at the front door for Sonya and Ben to get up the drive.
It was still a little weird between him and Nathaniel. Not tense, just not as comfortable as it could be. It was like they were both overthinking their words before saying them. He really hoped that didn’t last. He just couldn’t deal with walking on eggshells for the foreseeable future. He wasn’t about that life.
For as long as he’d paid attention to such things, he’d noticed that Teo’s dad, Ben, always opened the door for his mom, Sonya. Today was no exception. Maybe that could be him and Nathaniel someday, his mind supplied slyly. Before she even made it up the stairs, to the front door, Sonya had her arms out for a hug which he immediately prepared to receive.
Nathaniel, however, was taken by surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected a hug from Sonya too. But that was just her way. He knew she wanted Nathaniel to feel included as a part of the family.
“I’m Sonya Wright, and you must be Nathaniel? The other party in all this craziness. You must feel horrible, hun, as we all do. I don’t know about Tristan, but for me, it feels like a blessing. Even though you guys probably can’t see it yet.
“I won’t lie. My emotions were all over the place. Samantha is my grandchild. My first, and the thought of losing her terrified me, but then I realized I wasn’t losing anything. I gained another granddaughter, and I hear a grandson too.”
Tristan could feel Sonya taking Nathaniel’s measure subtly. She must have like what she saw, or she wouldn’t have chatted on so openly and freely.
Nathaniel, on his part, looked equal parts overwhelmed and wary. The poor guy wasn’t used to Sonya’s exuberance, and he was sure the man didn’t have any warm and fuzzy feelings towards maternal figures.
“Where are the kids? I can’t wait to see Sammy and meet Emma and Wyatt,” Sonya said, looking around like they would be hiding behind the door or something.
The woman didn’t understand subtlety, but they loved her for it. After growing up with cold and withholding parents, he would take Sonya’s style of mothering any day.
Nathaniel started to lead her away in a bit of a daze, but he paused suddenly. He must have realized that while Sonya spoke, he hadn’t had a chance to meet Ben. So he turned around and walked back with his hands out for a handshake and said, “Sorry, sir, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Nathaniel Alexander.”
“Oh please. None of that sir nonsense. Call me Ben,” he said while using his chin to point out his wife and added, “You might want to take her to the kids before she lets herself loose in the house looking for them.”
Tristan laughed and looked at Sonya, then Nathaniel and said, “She would. She really would too.”
As Nathaniel guided Sonya towards the kids, Tristan looked at Ben, and invited him in, “Nathaniel’s chef has been cooking all day. So if you just make yourself comfortable, we’ll eat soon. Then maybe Nathaniel can show you and Sonya around. And if Sonya is willing to share, you can have some grandpa time,” he joked.
Ben smiled and nodded, following him to the TV room. He picked up the remote and handed it to him, then left him to his own devices.
Ben was literally the opposite of Sonya. Where she was loud and effusive, he was calm and steady, but he wasn’t cold. Tristan knew cold. Courtesy of his parents. Nope! Ben was just a quiet man. But when it came to letting their kids know how proud he was and how much he loved them, there was never any doubt.
He went in search of Nathaniel and Sonya to see how they were getting along. He needn’t have bothered. When he turned the corner to the kitchen, he saw Sonya completely in her element with Wyatt on her hip while she looked at the puzzle Samantha and Emma had gotten into after getting bored with coloring. She was praising them on a job well done while happily snuggling Wyatt. Tristan knew Nathaniel was about to have a battle when it came to getting his son back. Because Sonya was in baby heaven.
Teo was going to hate him because his mom was about to bombard him even more with her “when will you get married and give me grandbabies” spiel. He was about to get a crapload of shit fr
om his best friend.
He looked over at Nathaniel from his position, and the poor guy looked completely dazed. Not that he could blame him. His house had been invaded, and even though the situation was a common occurrence for Tristan, Nathaniel looked completely out of his element.
He thought about rescuing him but decided against it. This was their family, Samantha’s, and now Emma’s family, and they were definitely not going away anytime soon, so he would have to get used to it. He had just added seven new members to his family of three. Whether he liked it or not.
Tristan went in search of the guys. By the time he got upstairs, his room and Samantha’s were all done. He didn’t even have to worry about rearranging. They were all up in each other’s spaces so much, they knew how he liked things. With Samantha’s room, well, Teo had that under control. He had a replica of her room at their house at his too. So setting up the same there was a piece of cake.
He walked into Samantha’s room to see Teo putting the finishing touches on the mural he was doing on one of the walls.
“Tee, thanks for doing this. I know we are only here temporarily, but Sammy really wanted her Uncle Teo’s drawings with her.”
Teo looked up from what he was doing and replied, “It’s no biggie. I got a lot of it stenciled so that even these no talent humans can help,” he added, pointing at Lain and Cris. “So I’ll have it finished quickly.”
Lain and Cris shot him the middle fingers from their positions where they were painting. Teo ignored them, adding, “I’ll put all the finishing touches, and it’ll be done for Miss Samantha.”
Teo was an incredibly talented artist, children’s book writer, and illustrator. Unbeknownst to most, he was the best-selling author of a children’s fantasy series that had made him über successful. With his creativity and Lain’s business savvy, they’d created something magical. He was even about to sell the rights for his books getting them made into animated movies. Not that it affected Teo. The guy was as humble as it got.
26
Nathaniel
Nathaniel had been completely apprehensive about meeting Tristan’s family. And that’s what they were. His and Samantha’s family. But he shouldn’t have bothered. Lain, Teo, and Cristian were very nice to him. They weren’t overly friendly, but they didn’t make him feel uncomfortable either.
They seemed like cool guys, and he was sure he would be seeing more of them. The quad seemed to be a package deal. He found that he was jealous of the ease they had with their banter. He never figured out small talk or mundane conversation. Probably explained why he had no friends to speak of. He was an awkward kid that grew up and became an awkward man.
The most surprising though was Sonya, as she insisted he call her. She hugged him effusively, which was definitely a new feeling. It wasn’t that he was against hugs; he just hadn’t had anyone grown up do it. He tried to recall a time his mother had hugged him before she up and disappeared. He honestly couldn't remember. Maybe she had, but his memory banks were drawing blanks.
His foster mothers, well, there wasn’t a lot of hugging going on. He thought Sonya would be all about Emma. But she’d proved him wrong on that point real quick. In fact, she wouldn’t relinquish his son, and he could tell she would never treat Samantha any differently from before. The little girl adored her, and Emma warmed up to her quickly. Not that he was surprised. His baby wasn’t prone to shyness.
By the time he got a look at the time again, it was almost six thirty in the evening. If he wanted the girls to keep their bedtime, then he had to get everyone settled down for dinner. That thought made him want to crawl into a hole. There was no way he was comfortable enough to yell for everyone to come down for dinner. Jeez! That would draw way too much attention to him. So he took the cowards way out and texted Tristan.
Before he knew it, he heard a thundering of footsteps coming down the stairs. Tristan, his friends, and Mr. Wright came into the kitchen together. He heard Teo, who must just be seeing his dad since he got here, say, “Hi, Dad.” Mr. Wright replied, “Good to see you, son,” clapping Teo on the back.
Nathaniel was completely out of his element. There was laughing and teasing and joking while everyone came in for dinner. He felt like he was in the middle of one of the TV shows he used to watch as a kid. Still, he didn’t quite know how to jump in and socialize, or even where he really fit in. He kinda wished someone would hand him a script with his lines written for him.
“It’s a gorgeous evening out,” he said to Tristan. “Not too hot. The wind is blowing a nice breeze, so I thought we could eat outside.” He pointed at the long outdoor table that had never really been used.
“Wonderful,” Tristan replied, then turned around to his family. “Guys, we’re eating out there.”
Lain rolled his eyes, smirking. “No shit, Sherlock. Like we hadn’t figured that out, what with all the food being laid out there and shit.”
Tristan walked over about to give Lain a slap on the back of the head, but he ducked before he reached him, clearly anticipating the move.
Nathaniel laughed at the juvenile interplay between them while taking his seat. As everyone took their seats at the outdoor dining table, he couldn’t help but note that until today, it had never sat more than him, Emma, and Wyatt.
He tried to let his brain get accustomed to the fact that this was their new normal. There was a lot of talking over each other and loud banter while the food his chef made was passed around. It was nothing fancy, just a lot of sides, served with grilled chicken, steak, and seafood. It occurred to him that he should have asked Tristan about food choices before settling on the menu for tonight.
Before he even knew it, he was speaking, “I’m sorry about dinner. I hope that everyone finds something they like. I didn’t even think to ask what to serve….”
The words died in his throat as six pairs of grown-up eyes focused on him. Never had he wished for an invisibility cloak more in his life.
Before he could even think of what to say, Sonya interrupted, “Oh, honey, everything looks lovely. We’re not fussy. You could have gotten a bunch of pizzas, and these Neanderthals would have been just fine,” she laughed while pointing at her husband and the rest of the guys.
“If Teo, Tris, or Cris don’t feed me, it’s takeout for me. So I love any sort of home cooked meal,” Lain chimed in, before taking a bite out of the chicken he had on his plate.
“Expect that one here for dinner at least once a week. We take turns feeding the beast.” Tristan jokingly mocked Lain.
Lain almost cursed at Tristan before remembering little ears were at the table. Instead, he glanced at Samantha affectionately. Probably the first time Nathaniel had seen a crack in the sardonic armor Lain wore like a shield. “Your daddy is annoying. Isn’t he, sweetheart?”
Samantha giggled happily from her spot between Sonya and Teo, nodding in agreement. He wasn’t sure the little mite knew what her uncle said, but she lit up with happiness around these guys. It struck him for the first time that he was eating without his son in his arms or trying to make sure Emma actually managed more than a bite or two of something because she was on the other side of Sonya and next to Cristian.
His kids were happily snuggled up to other people. It wasn’t that they were shy per se. Emma certainly wasn’t. But it was usually just the three of them. Nevertheless, they seemed to be soaking up the attention of the new people in their lives. His son was happily snuggled up on Sonya’s chest in what looked like a milk coma.
There was a gnawing feeling in his gut that had nothing to do with hunger. Had he deprived his kids of a family? Was he enough, just them?
Even though those weren’t new thoughts, they were never more apparent than at this moment. He would never regret having his children. He knew love and support were some of the most important ingredients in raising kids. And they most certainly had that from him. But wasn’t family just as important?
The logical part of him argued that there were single parents the world o
ver that raised well-rounded children. He decided to table that internal battle for another day as it was bound to kill his appetite.
When he tuned back into the conversation, it was to Sonya grilling Teo about giving her grandkids.
“Teo, honestly when are you going to find a nice man, settle down, and give me grandkids?” she asked
Teo groaned replying, “Oh my God, please be a little more embarrassing, why don’t you?”
Sonya laughed without remorse and responded, “Tristan and Nathaniel have given me three, you need to catch up.”
Nathaniel shouldn’t have been surprised at her automatic addition of his kids as her grandkids. But his jaded self still took a moment to get accustomed to it. Sonya was turning out to be everything he hoped for in a mother during those terrifying nights locked in that closet of foster home number six. But he supposed since those prayers never got answered for him, he would take it for Emma and Wyatt.
Teo replied his mother, “Can you go hassle your married child and leave me alone? Dad, please wrangle your wife.”
Mr. Wright or Ben as he should get used to calling the man said, “Yeah. Son, I’m staying out of this one. You should know your mother by now. Plus, I have no plans of sleeping in the guest room tonight.”
Everyone laughed at that. Poor Teo looked like he’d rather be under a rock than having this conversation. But there was also a flash of sadness and longing when he looked at the kids. Although he masked it to quickly for anyone to notice.
Nathaniel scanned the table, and his eyes landed on Tristan, having what looked like an animated conversation with Lain and Mr. Wright. Nathaniel couldn’t help but notice how his face lit up from within, and it hit him right in the feels. He looked so sincere, so free and happy. He wanted to be the one putting that look on Tristan’s face.
With them safely moved into his house, Nathaniel realized he hadn’t really thought the whole situation through. Tristan Callahan was a threat to his sanity. The man was sex on a stick. Nathaniel saw his future, and it included a lot of hard-ons, courtesy of Tristan.
A Family For Keeps Page 13