“Everything’s fine. I was just telling Caleb how wonderful you two are.” Isaac blushed prettily at that and I gave him a quick kiss because I just couldn’t help myself. He smiled at me, his blue eyes lighting up with happiness. I turned and saw Hudson watching us, a smile on his face as well and so I leaned over and kissed him too. I took their hands in mine and placed them in my lap, linking the three of us together.
The grooms walked into the tent a little bit later and everyone stood and cheered. Morgan and Akio looked deliriously happy and all of us were thrilled to get to celebrate their special day with them. Dinner was delicious and we spent the entire time talking and laughing with our friends. Carter and Ryan took turns telling us about some of their more humorous moments on the road and Giovanni and Caleb told us in hilarious detail what it was like for them becoming parents for the first time. After dinner, Landon stood and tapped his knife against his glass to get everyone’s attention. We all quieted so we could listen as he toasted the happy couple.
“Akio and Morgan are both very special to me. For those of you who may not know, Akio and I have been best friends for many years. We met when I was working for another entertainment agency. Akio was brought in as a temp for our office manager and we hit it off right away. He reminded me a lot of my little brothers, Caleb and Carter. Just like them, he was feisty, opinionated, and liked to be the center of attention,” Landon said, playfully rolling his eyes and drawing a laugh from the crowd, including the men he was referring to.
“But also, like them, he was kind and compassionate and one of the finest individuals I’ve ever known. I asked him to take a leap of faith and move with me as I started my own agency and he came along for the ride without question. That’s how Akio has been with every part of our friendship; standing by my side no matter what and I couldn’t have asked for a better person to have as a friend.” I glanced over at Akio and saw him wiping tears from his eyes. From the looks of things, he wasn’t the only one moved by his best friend’s speech.
“Morgan is one of my favorite people in the world, always has been. He’s easygoing, hard-working, and loyal. He’d give anyone the shirt off his back, in fact, I’ve seen him do so; and he’s always honest, no matter what. Some of my favorite memories from my childhood include Morgan. He was always thinking up some new adventure we could go on, most of which ended up with either us getting hurt, getting in trouble with our moms, or both.” The audience laughed at that, especially when Landon and Morgan’s mothers frowned at them, giving them the mom look.
“Sorry, Mom, but it was all worth it,” Landon said into the microphone then he turned back to face the newlyweds. “Morgan taught me how to have fun, accept challenges, and to not take life so seriously, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Akio and Morgan, you both deserve all the joy life has to offer and as the two of you begin your life together, I wish you much love, happiness, and many amazing adventures.”
We all raised our glasses in a toast and then watched as Morgan and Akio got up to have their first dance as a married couple. They held each other close as they swayed to the music and whispered things that were only meant for the two of them.
When they’d finished their dance, they called all the unmarried men and women to the front where we waited for them to toss their bow ties over their shoulders. Curtis, who worked for Caleb and Giovanni at their restaurant, caught one and then his jaw slackened as Jakob, his boyfriend of over a year, caught the other.
Jakob looked very pleased with the outcome though and he planted a very long, very heated kiss on Curtis’s mouth that had everyone cheering and whistling. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be very long before we were celebrating their wedding and I couldn’t be happier for the young chef. Curtis was a nice guy and I was glad he’d found someone that made him happy as Jakob so clearly did.
We spent the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and visiting with friends. I was exhausted by the time we made it back to Hudson’s place and we quickly undressed and climbed into bed, snuggling up as closely as we could to one another. It had been a beautiful wedding. As I drifted off to sleep, my mind was full of hope for Morgan and Akio, but also for myself and my future with the two men at my side.
“What can I do, Uncle Hudson?” Nicholas asked hopefully.
“Oh, I have a very important job for you. I need your help making the salad. Would you like to do that?” I asked.
“Yes! I help Mommy make salad all the time. I’m a good helper, aren’t I, Mommy?” Nicholas looked to his mother who beamed at him proudly.
“You’re the best helper I’ve ever had. Now, go wash your hands and bring the step stool from your room so you can reach the counter,” Aysha told him.
Nicholas stopped long enough to give us each a quick hug and then he ran out of the room to do what he’d been told. My sister and I exchanged grins and then she went back to stirring the potato salad while I finished pressing the hamburger into patties.
“Are you nervous?” she asked.
“Maybe a little. I think I’m more excited than anything else,” I answered honestly.
I’d been wanting to introduce Aysha and Nicholas to the two men in my life for quite a while, but between all our work schedules, it had been difficult to find a time when everyone was available. Finally, we’d been able to agree on a date and Aysha offered to have a cookout at her house. I checked my watch for the thousandth time and grinned when I saw that they’d be there in less than a half hour.
Things had been going amazingly well between the three of us. There were a few bumps along the way, as most relationships experience while you learn to adjust to sharing your time and space with someone else. For us, it took a bit more compromise on all our parts because there were three people instead of just two to get used to. We dealt with each issue as it came up though, communicating with each other and being respectful of one another.
We were all pretty good at communicating our needs or concerns. The only exception to that was Isaac’s refusal to talk about his past. Matt and I were trying to be patient with him, but we wished he’d open up about whatever had happened so that maybe he could start letting go of it. Isaac claimed that he’d let it go a long time ago and so there was no point in bringing it up, but Matt and I knew better.
There’d been a couple of times when we’d heard his quiet sobs in the middle of the night when he thought we were both asleep. We’d pulled him in between us, shielding him with our own bodies, but he’d said that he’d been having a dream and didn’t remember it. Those were the only times Isaac ever lied to us. It hurt, but we had to trust that he would tell us when he was ready. At least I hoped he would. Every day I fell more in love with the two of them and it killed me to think that one of them was hurting and wouldn’t tell me about it so I could help.
“Man, you have it bad!” Aysha’s teasing voice pulled me from my thoughts and my eyes darted to hers.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I’m talking about the look on your face as soon as you started talking about your boyfriends and the fact that I’ve been standing here for the last few minutes apparently having a conversation with myself.” Aysha stared at me and I felt my face heat.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. I guess I got lost in my own thoughts,” I said.
“Because you have it bad. Am I right?” She gave me a look that dared me to deny it, but I didn’t want to, not with her.
“Yes, you’re right, I’m crazy about them,” I admitted and her eyes widened, obviously surprised by the fact that she hadn’t had to drag the truth out of me.
“Is it serious?” Aysha asked. Her playfulness from before, replaced with a look of concern.
“I can’t answer for them, but for me it is. I want to be with them all the time. I think about them when we’re apart and wonder what they’re doing, I worry about them if I know they’re having a difficult day at the center and I want to know every single thing there is to know about them. I also
want them to know everything about me, which is why we’re having this dinner. You and Nicholas are a huge part of my life and so are Matt and Isaac. It’s time the two parts merged.” I shrugged my shoulders, not sure how else to explain how much my guys meant to me. I could see the understanding in Aysha’s eyes though, and they softened as she looked at me.
“I’m very happy for you. Just be careful, okay? It can be difficult enough to get used to being in a relationship with one person, much less two,” she cautioned, but she was grinning at me when she said it.
“Yeah, I know. I’ll be careful.” I grinned back at her, not all that surprised that we’d been thinking along the same lines since we’d always seemed to do that. A thought occurred to me then and I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Hey! Why aren’t you giving me a harder time about all of this?” I asked.
“Did you want me to give you a hard time?” she said with a chuckle.
“Well, no. Of course, not. I just thought you’d be more worried about seeing me in a relationship after…you know,” I said, hating the fact that I was bringing up her ex and hoping it wouldn’t ruin the mood. Aysha rolled her eyes playfully though which further heightened my curiosity.
“I just decided that you were right, not all men are cheating assholes,” she said turning her back to me so she could slide the potato salad in the fridge. My jaw nearly hit the floor. I was shocked, but so happy to finally hear her say that.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Drew, would it?” I asked carefully. We were entering new territory and I felt like I was dealing with a wild horse, one wrong move and I could spook her. Aysha whipped around to face me, slamming the fridge door shut as she turned.
“What? How do you know anything about Drew?” she demanded, looking flustered.
“His name popped up when he called earlier. I wasn’t snooping, you left your phone lying right on the counter where I was working,” I said defensively. Aysha looked like she was struggling for a second and then her shoulders slumped.
“Fine, you were honest with me, I guess you deserve the same.” I’m sure my eyebrows were up to my hairline. I had fully expected her to brush the call off as something work related or something similar, but apparently, my sister had been keeping secrets.
“Drew is a man I met at the library when I took Nicholas for story hour. We got to talking and found out we had a lot in common. He’s a single dad with a girl a year older than Nicholas. He got divorced about three years ago when his wife abandoned him and their young daughter because she decided she’d rather go to California and try her luck at becoming an actress. He’s handsome and funny and he owns a chain of grocery stores, so he’s hard-working,” Aysha said, shrugging her shoulders like she was embarrassed.
“I think it’s wonderful that you’ve met someone,” I told her, smiling. She held her hand up before I could go any further.
“Don’t get too excited. We’ve talked on the phone a lot and at the library, but we haven’t gone out yet. He’s asked several times and I finally agreed to go out to dinner, but it may all fall apart once that happens,” she warned.
“Or, it may be amazing,” I reminded her. “Just go and see what happens. You might end up having a great time.”
“That’s the plan,” she said, pursing her lips and blowing a breath out through them. I leaned over and kissed her cheek.
“I’m proud of you. It’s about time you start thinking about yourself for a change. Let me know whenever you need me to watch Nicholas so you can go out. I could even keep him at my place for the night,” I offered. I couldn’t hold back my laughter at the shocked look on her face. Aysha picked up the dish towel off the counter and flung it at me.
“I don’t even know how to respond to that so I’m going to just go and see what’s taking Nicholas so long,” she said, shaking her head at me as she turned to walk out. I was still laughing as she left the kitchen, but I realized she hadn’t said no.
The doorbell rang a little while later and I nearly knocked over Nicholas’s tower of blocks he was building in my rush to answer it. I ignored Aysha’s snicker from behind me as I opened the door. Isaac and Matt stood on the porch, looking nervous, but I saw them visibly relax when they saw me and I loved that. I loved that I made them feel safe and protected because that’s how I felt when I was with them too.
“Hey! Come on in,” I said, holding the door so they could come in and then shutting it behind them. Nicholas came up to me then and wrapped his arms around my leg, eyeing Matt and Isaac warily. I reached down and scooped him up into my arms and he laid his head on my shoulder.
“Nicholas, this is Isaac and Matt. Remember, I told you that they were coming over to have dinner with us and to meet you and your mommy?” I asked him. Nicholas nodded his head and Isaac and Matt said hello, smiling so he’d know they were friendly.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nicholas. Your uncle, Hudson, has told us a lot about you,” Isaac told him.
“He has?” Nicholas asked.
“Yep. He told us that you like Batman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Is that true?” Matt asked as if he wasn’t sure. Nicholas poked his head up off my shoulder and nodded vigorously.
“He told us you like to draw pictures too,” Isaac chimed in. I’d only mentioned those things one time, several weeks before and I felt a surge of love as I realized how much they’d paid attention to what I’d said.
“You want to see what I drawed today?” Nicholas asked, scrambling out of my arms and running off to his room before I could correct his grammar. “I’ll show you my Batman too,” he called over his shoulder. Isaac and Matt stared after him with wide grins.
“He’s adorable,” Matt said.
“He looks just like Hudson did at that age,” Aysha said, coming to stand next to me. “Hello, I’m Aysha. It’s so nice to finally meet both of you.”
She stretched her hand out towards them and shook each of their hands. They introduced themselves and thanked her for having them over. I knew I had to be wearing the goofiest grin, but I couldn’t help it, I finally had all my favorite people in one place and it made me so happy. Nicholas ran back into the room, carting his coloring book, crayons, and three Batman figures with him.
“Oh boy! You’ve done it now,” I joked.
Isaac and Matt squatted down so they’d be eye level with Nicholas and listened intently as he showed them his toys. When he started to get out his crayons and told Matt to sit on the floor with him so they could color, Aysha stepped in and suggested that they go out on the back deck so we could start cooking. I gave her a grateful smile as she helped Nicholas pick up his things and carry them out the back door, giving me a few moments alone with my men.
“Thank you, guys, for showing up and for not running away yet,” I joked.
“I think Nicholas is great,” Matt said.
“And your sister seems very nice,” Isaac added.
I smiled at them appreciatively and then took turns kissing each of them until we were all a bit breathless. They followed me into the kitchen where I handed them a case of beer for the adults and a juice box for Nicholas. I grabbed the plate stacked with hamburgers out of the fridge then headed out to the deck.
Nicholas was in the yard playing with his ball, apparently having gotten sidetracked from coloring. Aysha was sitting at the table and she motioned for Isaac and Matt to join her. I set the hamburgers down and started the grill, keeping my ears open to the conversation going on behind me. Aysha asked them about their work at the center and both men became impassioned as they described what they were doing and how far the center had come in such a short amount of time.
When the burgers were done cooking, we brought the rest of the food out and began digging in. The conversation never stopped and, eventually, Aysha began to tell embarrassing stories about me when I was a kid. Matt and Isaac protested when I covered her mouth with my hand before she could tell them about the skits I used to put on for her and Nonna.
&n
bsp; “Oh, come on, we want to hear more,” Isaac said, sticking his tongue out at me when I called him a traitor. Aysha slapped my hand away playfully.
“Hudson made the very best Sandy from Grease, that’s all I’ll say,” she said, laughing wildly as Matt and Isaac both started cackling.
“Man, I wish you had recorded that,” Matt said around his laughter.
“Wait, did they even have ways of recording back then?” Isaac teased.
“Oooohhh, burn,” Aysha said, pointing at me.
“Excuse me, but you’re my older sister. That joke was a burn to you too,” I reminded her smugly.
“Yeah, but that grenade was lobbed at you, so it’s still funny,” she said with a laugh.
I shook my head and held my hands up in surrender and Matt winked at me from across the table. I smiled back at him, happy that everyone seemed to be having fun, even if some of it was at my expense.
Aysha stood up and patted my head lovingly then she started to clear our dirty dishes. Matt immediately jumped up to help and the two of them carried a stack of dishes into the kitchen with Nicholas trailing behind, asking Matt if he wanted to see his room. Isaac leaned over and kissed me.
“I’m sorry I picked on you. I promise to make it up to you later,” he said and my cock began to plump from the look in his eyes.
“Yes, you will. Repeatedly,” I growled back. Isaac whimpered, his whole body shuddering and I stood, feeling pleased with myself.
We finished clearing the table and loaded the dishwasher then went back outside to enjoy the cool, evening air. The sun had set and I turned on some quiet music and the decorative patio lights which put off a soft glow. Aysha had stayed inside to give Nicholas a bath and get him ready for bed so it was just me and my guys.
We sat down next to each other on the long bench seat and I leaned back, putting an arm around each of them and pulling them in closer to my side. It was peaceful and I took a deep breath, enjoying the moment.
“It was good to hear Aysha laugh so much. I can tell she really likes you guys,” I told them. Matt tilted his head up and kissed the side of my neck which made goose bumps break out all up and down my body.
Uniting the Souls Page 18