“You’re such a fantastic kisser,” he said, returning to dig through the bag. “And you do give amazing rim jobs. Amazing everything really.”
I coughed to hide my embarrassment on being praised for something so private. My relationship with Ainsley was already so different than what I was used to. I’d never thought anything was missing in my marriage before. I still didn’t think so. What Luke and I had was perfect at the time. Ainsley was a different kettle of fish.
I backed out of the gas station so we could get on our way. We had twenty minutes left on the way to Gardendale.
“Which one’s your fave?” Ainsley asked, picking out snacks. “I claim the Lays.”
“The Pringles is fine, but you’ll have to feed me.”
I was relieved our antics on the drive distracted Ainsley. He had been nervous since he woke up this morning, and I knew it was because of seeing his family. I had tried not to listen in on his conversation with his sister this morning, but I had caught bits and pieces of their conversation. The one thing that stuck was him muttering that his parents would never change. Whatever that meant, I sensed they weren’t on the best of terms. He had admitted that although he spoke to his sister frequently, he didn’t keep close contact with his parents.
On the drive, my phone rang, and I would have ignored it except I thought it was from Mama. I glanced at the screen, and my heart lurched when I saw who it was. Brody, who had stood me up at the airport. I ended the call and slid the phone between my thighs.
“Nobody important?” Ainsley asked.
“No, not really.”
“Not really? You don’t sound so sure.”
I didn’t want to lie to him, so I went with the truth. “It’s Brody.”
His head snapped in my direction. “You mean internet guy Brody?”
“Yeah.”
"The Brody who was stupid enough to let me snag you instead?"
I couldn't help my smile. Ainsley was good for my almost non-existent ego. "Yes, that Brody."
“What does he want? Doesn’t he know you’re no longer available?”
His possessive tone ran a shiver down my spine. “I guess not. I’ve not spoken to him since those unanswered phone calls at the airport.”
“You ever thought about blocking him?”
“I don’t know how to,” I said with a shrug.
“You’re kidding, right? Hand me the phone, and I'll do it for you.”
He reached for the phone between my thighs, and I allowed him to get it. He groped my dick while reaching for the phone.
"Hey, you asked to take the phone. Not my dick."
"Oh, you're not fun." He removed his hand, taking the phone along with him.
“Your password?” he requested.
I glanced at him. “If you get my password, it’s only fair I get yours too.”
“You already know mine.”
"No, I don't."
"Yeah, I changed it this morning to your birthday. So I won't forget."
His confession stumped me into silence. I didn’t know why I had expected him to balk about me having his password, but Ainsley was usually just…so Ainsley. He didn’t really make things easy.
“Well?” he prompted. “He’s calling back. It’s either block this dude, or I answer the phone.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Maybe your late husband wouldn’t, but you know I would.”
"Damn. Remind me not to get on your bad side." I shrugged, not really caring anyway. Brody had his shot, and he messed it up. Now that I had Ainsley, there was not another man I wanted. “It’s fine. You can block him.” I gave him the code to unlock my phone. “It was all just fantasy online anyway.”
“I’ll have to get into your messages to block him. That’s fine, right?”
“Uh sure. There’s nothing you can’t see in those messages.”
“Then I can read them?” His tone was hopeful in that cutesy way of his when he wanted something he thought I was going to refuse him.
I gave a short laugh. “You want to read my embarrassing messages to a guy I met online?”
“Yes, pull over. I can give you an epic BJ for this privilege.”
“Jesus, Ainsley!” I slowed down at the red light and turned my attention to him. “Nobody says epic and BJ in the same sentence. But, sure you can blow me later tonight.”
He leaned over and kissed me on the mouth. “Sucker. I was gonna do that anyway.”
I shook my head at him and resumed driving as the light changed. Beside me, Ainsley was silent for a while. I tapped a finger against the steering wheel and thought about all the embarrassing things I had sent in messages to Brody. At the time, just talking to someone had felt good. At least I hadn’t declared any undying love over the phone. Nothing would have been more embarrassing to have Ainsley read.
“Have you ever watched The Ugly Truth?” he asked, taking me by surprise.
“What?”
“The Ugly Truth, a movie in which the male lead tries to teach the female lead how to be desirable to men.”
“No, I haven’t. Sounds like some stereotypical bullshit.”
“Hey, don’t knock it if you haven’t watched it. Plus, Katherine Heigl is such a babe.”
I laughed at the ridiculous conversation. “Aren’t you supposed to be gay?”
“Yeah, but I can still appreciate a woman looking fine. It has nothing to do with sexuality.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, we’re digressing. How about Three Hundred? That’s a macho movie so you must have seen that one.”
“Actually, I haven’t.”
“Den of Thieves?”
“No.”
“Olympus Has Fallen?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell. Is there a point to all these questions? Are we playing movie trivia because I’m not good with movies? I don’t watch them that much. Luke was more into live theater.”
He groaned. “Remind me when we get back to your place to sit you before the television so we can play catch up. Gerard Butler is so popular. There’s no way in hell this guy should have been able to catfish you with his pic.”
A sense of unease washed over me. “What are you talking about?”
“The pictures he sent you are all of the famous actor, Gerard Butler. He catfished you really good.”
“Jesus,” I shuddered. “That’s the first and last time I date someone on the internet.”
“You’d better not. You’re with me now.” He handed me the phone. “Don’t worry. He’s been blocked, so you’ll never hear from him again.”
I took the phone from him. “You’re not going to make fun of me about this, are you?”
“I’m tempted, but I won’t,” he answered. “I would have fallen for him too. Just to be clear, I mean Gerard, not your weird internet boyfriend.”
“You need your mouth stuffed,” I told him.
He slid a hand across my lap to cup my groin again. My cock immediately stirred. “I don’t mind being stuffed in more than just my mouth.”
I made a strangled sound. “Hey, we’re almost at your parents. Why don’t you remove your hand so I don’t have a hardon when I meet your parents?”
That got his attention, and he removed his hand, sitting back in his seat. Just like that, I sensed his nervous energy returning. Why was he so worried about visiting his parents? He had hinted that they didn’t accept him, but if that was the case, why would he bother to visit them?
Ainsley guided me off the main road, and we drove for another ten minutes before he told me to turn and pointed out the cozy-looking house. The house looked like the others we had passed, a modest one-story wooden structure. Knowing Ainsley and how extreme he could be, I didn’t expect this at all. The house didn’t even have Christmas decorations on the outside.
“Why do I have the sudden feeling we’re about to meet the grinch who's going to steal my Christmas?” I asked him as I parked beside a Volkswagen.
“Because you are,” he answered, his tone somber and
a far cry of a difference from when he had teased me about being catfished with a picture of somebody famous I should have recognized. I felt a bit violated for sharing so much of myself with someone who wasn’t even real, but I would have probably felt worse if I hadn’t ended up with the better end of the deal.
“Hey, we’re just spending two days,” I reminded him. “And I know you’re really looking forward to seeing your family.”
“But are they looking forward to seeing me?” he asked.
I caressed his cheek. “They haven’t seen you in three years. Whatever your differences then, you have to believe that time has healed some things.”
He captured my hand and kissed my palm. “I don’t deserve you.”
I frowned at him. “Why not? I could say the same about me?”
He shook his head. “Guys like me are a dime a dozen in the big cities. You’re different, a good guy. Not too many men like you are around. Period. I lucked out.”
Because he was getting all sentimental on me, I tried to lighten the mood. “I thought I was plain.”
“No, there’s nothing plain about your honesty, your capability to love and accept. It’s why I’ve fallen for you so fast. How many guys would have allowed me to read their messages to another man? None of my other partners had ever shared their password with me.”
“I’ve nothing to hide from you,” I answered then frowned at him. “I don’t expect much, Ainsley, but I require honesty and loyalty because I give it in return.”
He nodded. “I understand. Come on. The longer we stay in the car, the more I’m tempted to tell you to drive.”
I wished I could ease some of his worries, but I was still getting to know him so I wasn’t sure yet of how to reach him. At times, I felt like he still held back a part of himself from me, and it had to do with his family. Hopefully, after spending these days with them, he would see that I wasn’t going anywhere. His family didn’t define who he was.
“We can come back for our stuff,” he said when we got out of the car. The unspoken words were clear to me. He didn’t want us to take our bags in the event we weren’t staying. My heart broke for him, and I supported him the only way I knew how. I pulled his jacket snug to his body and kissed him before I took his hand, and we walked together to the front door.
“Thanks for doing this with me,” he whispered, his voice so small. I hated seeing my Ainsley this way, and if I didn’t think he needed this, I would have suggested we drive away. I had a feeling if he didn’t do it though, he would always wonder and regret not seeing his folks.
A woman who appeared to be in her sixties answered the door. Wearing a pair of jeans and a red sweater with reindeers on the front, I instantly saw where Ainsley got his good looks. She was a handsome woman— if she ever smiled. In fact, when she saw us, she looked from Ainsley to me, and her face took on a frown as though she hadn’t been expecting us when I knew she had.
Ainsley’s hand trembled in mine. His whole body went taut. The usual playful smile on his lips was nonexistent. He became a completely different man. I squeezed his hand, but instead of returning the pressure, he dropped my hand. I glanced at him in surprise, but his attention was focused on the woman in front of us.
“Ainsley,” his mother said. “You’re late. We were expecting you sooner.”
“I-uh-umm.”
Seeing how much he was struggling to form words, I intervened to give him time to recover. “That would be my fault,” I said, giving what I thought looked like an apologetic smile. “We had to make a stop at my veterinary practice before we started the journey.”
“And you are?” she asked.
“Sorry,” Ainsley responded and gestured toward me. “Mother, this is my uhm, my partner, Will. Will, this is my mother.”
I held out my hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Adams.”
She shook my hand. “Nice to meet you, too. Hmm, I’m a bit surprised." She kept looking me over. "Come on in.”
I didn’t try to satisfy my curiosity by asking her what she was surprised about. We entered the house ahead of his mother who closed the door and led us inside. Their house was not as large as my parents but seemed warm and well-lived in. Inside was at least decorated conservatively, and the tree in the corner of the living room had the barest necessities. Stockings printed with what looked like names of their family members hung from a hangar on one wall. I didn’t fail to notice Ainsley’s name didn’t appear on any.
“James, Ainsley’s here,” Mrs. Adams announced our arrival. “And he’s brought a friend.”
I barely got a good look at his father before an older female version of Ainsley flew off the couch. With a squeal, she ran toward him and lifted, yes, lifted Ainsley clear off his feet. “Ainsley!” she cried. “Oh my God. I couldn’t wait for you to get here. You look awesome. Even better than the last time we spoke.”
For the first time since the door opened to us, Ainsley laughed. I relaxed a bit, thankful he had at least one person rooting for him in his family.
“Well, some things have changed since you last saw me,” he replied, and when his sister released him, he grasped my arm and pulled me forward. “You remember me talking about Will? Here he is.”
She turned a dimpled smile in my direction and hugged me. “Hi, I’m Nicky. How are you? I hope the drive wasn’t too long for you. I know you had to drive all the way because Ainsley just refuses to learn.”
I warmed to his sister immediately. “Hi, Ainsley’s told me much about you.”
Before she could reply, a man almost as tall as me got to his feet. He had the same expression on his face as when his wife had opened the front door to us. For parents who had not seen their son for a while, I was disappointed for Ainsley.
“Come here boy, and let me get a good look at you.”
Ainsley moved closer to his father. “Hi, Dad. You look well.”
The man didn’t immediately answer but stared at Ainsley from his head to his feet before nodding. “Good. You’ve come dressed as the boy you were born as.” With that said, he dismissed Ainsley and turned his focus on me. I didn’t miss the look of hurt on Ainsley’s face just before he tried to mask it. I didn't care what his parents thought. I reached for him, placing a supportive hand on the small of his back.
“Dad, Ainsley looks wonderful regardless of what he wears,” Nicky announced, defending him.
“It ain’t natural for a boy to prance around in female clothes,” he answered his daughter before stretching a hand toward me. “I’m James Adams, Ainsley’s father. Who are you to my son?”
I wished I didn’t have to shake his hand, but for the sake of Ainsley, I would try to keep the peace as much as possible. Still, I didn’t like the way he was being treated here.
“I’m Will,” I answered, then gave Ainsley a smile as I continued, “Your son’s partner.”
I thought his father would have frowned at that, but he sized me up as he released my hand. “I can’t picture you wearing a dress prancing down the runway. You’re not a model too, are you?”
“No, I’m a co-founder of a veterinary practice,” I answered. “So boring in comparison to what Ainsley does. Unfortunately, I neither have the face nor the grace to compete with someone as talented as him.”
“There’s nothing talented in making a damn fool of yourself,” James remarked, spitting the words.
When I would have responded, Ainsley shook his head. “We left our bags in the car,” he announced. “We’ll get them then settle down. Is there anything we can help with?”
“We’ve put your friend in your old bedroom,” Mrs. Adams announced. “You’ll have to sleep on the pullout couch, Ainsley.”
“Actually, Ainsley and I don’t mind sharing the same room,” I stated. “We’re in a relationship so there’s no hardship in it at all.”
I could see the idea made his mother uncomfortable although she tried not to show it. “Very well, then. Ainsley can show you the room.”
“Then come on
back downstairs, Will, and you and I can have a beer or two and talk about your intentions with Ainsley.”
Ainsley’s eyes flew open. “Dad, Will and I just started dating. You don’t need to ask him anything.”
“Let the grown men discuss matters, son,” James returned. “You can help your mother and sister in the kitchen.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ainsley
“Ainsley, wait!”
Despite Willy’s call, I still hurried down the steps and toward his truck. I should have known better than to have hoped my parents had changed. It wasn’t that they didn’t love me. They just didn’t understand me, and they went about dealing with who I was all wrong. My dad constantly poked fun at me, always sending me off into what he considered to be a woman’s domain. I understood it was his way of trying to cope with me changing up my looks when I wanted, but it was getting old. It had begun to hurt more as well over the years.
I was so preoccupied with how much I should have never come here that I forgot to watch for icy patches on the ground. Before I knew what was happening, my legs flew out from beneath me, and I crashed to the ground, hitting my head. I stared up at the bright blue sky and blinked as I tried to make sense of what just happened. Damn ice!
“Goddammit Ainsley, are you alright?” Willy dropped to his knees beside me, his fingers plunging in my hair. “You know you don’t have to go falling at my feet every time. I get it. You really like me.”
Despite the disappointment I felt in how my parents had greeted me, I couldn’t help giggling at Willy’s words. “Stop being silly and help me up. I think I’m going to be bruised all over in a bit.”
“Oh, love.” Willy held my arms and helped me to my feet. Instead of letting me go, he pulled me into his arms, the warmth of his body calling to me. I cuddled closer to him and placed my cheek on his chest. Thank God for him, or this would have all been a disaster. He made it at least bearable.
“I’m so fucking grateful you came with me,” I told him. “Could you imagine me dealing with this alone?”
“Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on. Don’t you get along with your parents?”
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