by T. M. Smith
Once the movie marathon ended, Blair and Pete already gone off to bed, Mannie put the news on but muted the sound, sitting on the couch with Zoe sleeping beside him, her head on his shoulder. By this time tomorrow night, Zoe and Pete would be in Arizona. It saddened him, but he knew they were just a phone call or plane ride away. If only there were a way he could have his cake and eat it too, so to speak. Yawning, he pulled the blanket off the back of the couch, covering Zoe with it, drifting off to sleep with his little sister in his arms.
Chapter 25
Blair
Summer 2017
Sun high on the horizon wrapped in a blanket of blue, white clouds slowly rolling by, a cool afternoon breeze lifting the gauze curtains hanging from the canopy and the tranquil sound of the ocean behind them created the perfect canvas for Frank and Taylor’s wedding. There was no band, just an iPod hooked up to a speaker playing “Clair de Lune.” A couple dozen white chairs sat on either side of the bright-yellow cloth laid out leading to an archway decorated with ivy and sunflowers, the Minister waiting underneath for the grooms. Caleb’s wife, Justine, came out of the house first, holding little Charlotte Emily in her arms, mommy and daughter wearing matching yellow sundresses. The baby cooed and drooled, dropping white rose petals that Justine handed her along the way. Frank came out right behind them with his dad, Hubert, by his side.
Looking over the rim of his sunglasses, Blair could see that Taylor’s soon-to-be husband was already misty-eyed. “Oh my God, I think I’m going to cry,” Mannie whispered, squeezing his hand. When Blair looked over at him, his eyes were already swimming with tears. Cupping Mannie’s cheek, Blair leaned in and kissed his temple, wiping away a bit of the moisture with his thumb. Someone tapped his shoulder. He turned and took the tissue Rory offered, ignoring the squinty-eyed glare, giving the tissue to Mannie.
Choppy waters was the best description for their first day at the Vineyard. Blair had never told Rory, Rand, or Shannon that he and Mannie were a couple. Mannie was pissed at first, as was Rory. Rand told Blair he was an idiot and suggested he grovel for forgiveness. Shannon, however, was the most understanding. He and Mannie had both lived the same fucked-up life during their formative years, with the same worthless piece of shit hiding behind a three-hundred-dollar suit and a law degree. The perky blond dancer validated everyone’s emotions—Rory’s anger, Rand’s disdain, Blair’s ignorance, and Mannie’s pain. Several bottles of wine, deep conversation, and heartfelt apologies over a bonfire on the beach appeased everyone’s hurt feelings. Well, mostly everyone. Rory was still a bit jaded.
The song changed and they all stood, turning as Taylor made his way down the makeshift aisle with his adopted parents, Valerie and Charles Stone, on either side. Blinking back tears of his own, Blair watched his friend move closer to the man he loved with each step. Taylor only had eyes for Frank, as if there was no one else on the beach but the two of them. “Who gives this young man for marriage?” It took Charles a minute to answer the minister, his voice quivering. Valerie reached for Frank, placing Taylor’s hand in his before kissing them each on the cheek. Charles led her to a chair right up front, Hubert following them.
“Thank you all for being here on this beautiful day to bear witness as Frank and Taylor join their hearts in matrimony. The sanctity of marriage is not only an eternal bond, it is a promise that you give to one another to be faithful and true for all of your days.” There was not a dry eye on the beach that day as Frank and Taylor spoke their vows, exchanged rings, then shared their first kiss as husbands.
While the newlyweds were in the house spending a few quiet moments alone, Hubert directed the caterer where to set everything up for the reception. There really wasn’t a lot as Frank and Taylor were all about simplicity. Food and drinks were set up in the kitchen and on the covered porch. Tiki torches lined the beach and the backyard of the cottage, Chinese lanterns hung in the trees, and the guests were smiling and mingling.
Slow dancing on the beach with Mannie in his arms was a moment Blair would never forget. “Faithfully” by Journey played in the background as they swayed side to side, Mannie’s head on his chest. The sharp scent of sandalwood soap mixed with the scents of the Vineyard, creating a new memory that was just his, not to be shared with anyone but the man in his arms. “Switch.” Someone tapped Blair on the shoulder, and he turned to see Shannon grinning at him. “Here you go, Ro. Take Mannie for a spin, but don’t do nothing I wouldn’t do.” Rory laughed at his boyfriend, shaking his head as he bowed before taking Mannie’s hand in his, spinning him away from Blair.
“He’s already forgiven you, Blair. He just has to pretend he’s still upset.” Shannon pulled him close, all but dragging him to the middle of the dance floor.
Sighing, Blair ducked his head. “I wasn’t keeping Mannie a secret, I swear. I wanted to protect him in case our relationship didn’t develop into something more. He’s been through so much, Shan. You probably know better than anyone.”
Rolling his eyes, Shannon sighed. “I know, Blair, and so does Rory. It’s going to take him a little while to figure it out for himself, though. So be patient, that’s all.”
Relenting, Blair promised to give it a couple of weeks, then take Rory out for beers or something so they could, “play nice and make up,” per Shannon. Mannie’s soft laugh had Blair searching him out. Several inches taller than Rory, his boyfriend smiled down at the agent, the two of them laughing as they danced and talked. Lord, but the man was breathtaking. Tan cargo shorts showed how little sun Mannie actually got, his long legs damn near glowing in the dark. He’d changed after the ceremony since he’d been wearing jeans. Crisp, plain white T, hair pulled into a ponytail and a thin, linen scarf around his neck, Mannie was a vision. Rory said something and Mannie threw his head back, laughing, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and Blair fought the urge to walk over to the man and grab him, lick the long column of his neck until he was breathless and moaning. “Oh, my God. Blair Cummings, you’re in love with him,” Shannon squeaked.
“Guilty.” Grinning, he didn’t try to deny it.
Eventually Rory spun Mannie around, swapping Blair’s boyfriend for Shannon, Rand catching the two men as they waltzed his way. “I still don’t get the threesome thing.” Blair chuckled, ducking his head to capture Mannie’s lips.
“Get a room!” Connie brushed past them cackling, more dragging Claire around than dancing with her.
“Bite me,” Blair retorted.
“Come on, sweetie, dance with me.” Claire pouted.
Connie stopped and stared down at her girlfriend. “Uh…what do you think we’re doing?”
“That’s not dancing. That was you shuffling your feet and grabbing my ass.” Rand’s little sister glared up at her much taller lover, trying to look intimidating, instead resembling something more like an angry pixie. Connie grabbed two handfuls of ass, lifting her off her feet, spinning Claire in a circle while she giggled and her brother huffed off, red-faced.
“Awww…they’re so cute.” Mannie swooned, watching the two women with rapt fascination. Blair was midway through an eye roll when he caught Shannon mimicking Mannie, all misty-eyed, watching the ladies. He met Rory’s green-eyed glare, his partner’s stare softening after a few intense moments. Rory nodded, lifting the beer in his hand before taking a long pull from the bottle. Just that one gesture told Blair that the tension between the two of them would be short-lived. A fork dinging a champagne glass drew everyone’s attention as Frank’s partner, Caleb, walked over to the iPod to turn the music down.
“Hubert, Charles, and I would like to thank you all for being here today to share this joyous occasion with us,” Valerie said as she leaned into her husband, eyes misty. “Frank, Taylor, I thank God every day for bringing both of you into our lives, for giving Charles and me the thing we wanted more than anything else in the world in spades. Not one son, but two. My boys…may you always find comfort, strength, and happiness with each other for all the rest of your days.”
&nb
sp; Holding his shit together, Blair was fine until he looked over at Taylor smiling at his parents, top lip trembling as he blinked back the tears. A server wove her way through the people on the beach, filling everyone’s glasses with delicious, bubbly goodness. “To Frank and Taylor!” Charles called out and everyone in attendance repeated, shouts of congratulations renting the air.
“I wonder who will be next…the lovely ladies or the triplets?” Mannie nudged Blair with his shoulder, head nodding toward the five people in question. Con and Shannon were swaying side to side, bumping hips and laughing. Rand stood behind his sister, arms over her shoulders, the two of them smiling at their lovers, Rory grinning and shaking his head.
Wrapping an arm around Mannie’s waist, Blair pulled him close, inhaling the sweet aroma of the man’s shampoo. “Who the hell knows with that lot—maybe a large group ceremony? Perhaps we should suggest a destination wedding. I’ve always wanted to vacation in Belize.” Chuckling, Mannie rolled his eyes and Blair couldn’t remember a time in his life when he’d been happier or more in love.
Chapter 26
Mannie
Fall 2017
“All right, Shannon. I’ll email you the files as soon as I’m done so you can look them over. Just let me know what changes you need and I’ll clean it up. Talk to you soon.” Ending the call, he tossed his cell onto the desk. He and Shannon had become good friends over the summer after meeting at Frank and Taylor’s wedding. As soon as Shannon found out he was a graphic artist, he’d secured a promise from Mannie to work on some new branding for Shaylor Dance and Yoga, the business he co-owned with Taylor.
Learning that Blair hadn’t told the triplets he and Mannie were a couple had stung at first. Betrayal became anger that morphed into sadness. It pained him to think the man he loved might be embarrassed by him. The five of them had sat down and talked for a long time after the initial shock of Rand walking in on them—about five seconds away from fucking like bunnies on Hubert’s neighbor’s kitchen counter—wore off. It had taken a lot for him to truly let his guard down, to fully open up to Blair in the first place. After Mannie was able to push past the hurt and look at the entire situation from his boyfriend’s perspective, he better understood Blair’s reasoning. Lord, but the way Blair had made love to him the night of the wedding had been something pretty fucking close to a religious experience. Walking on the beach hand in hand under the moon and the stars was so romantic, when Blair undressed him, pushing Mannie down on the sand, he almost came.
Just thinking about Blair inside him had his cock stiffening in his pants. Yawning, Mannie grabbed his phone when it vibrated, smiling.
Blair: Hey babe, stuck in traffic, be there soon.
“Well then, I better get dinner started.” Shuffling into the kitchen, he pulled the pork chops out of the fridge, gathered all the spices and vegetable stock he needed, added everything to the instant pot with a cup of jasmine rice, and set the timer. He took a quick shower while dinner cooked, throwing on a pair of sleep pants and a T-shirt before making his way through the apartment, grabbing any trash or dishes he spotted on his way to the kitchen to check on the food.
“Coming!” he called out when there was a knock at the door, steps faltering when whoever was on the other side of the door banged louder. “What the fuck?” Looking through the peephole showed only a man’s back, a crisp white collar and a black suit coat. Hand on the knob he hesitated, reminding himself that the ghosts of the past were just that. “Jesus Christ, Mannie, get a grip.”
Pushing out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, he swung the door open. “How can I help…you?” His stomach dropped, heart hammering in his chest. Standing on the welcome mat was the horrible man he’d been named after. The man he’d run away from so fast, he walked right into the arms of the devil. “Wh…wha…what are you doing here?”
Sneering, Grandpa Howard spit on the doormat. “I’ve come to bring you home, Junior, where you belong.”
“I…what? No…how…” Eyes the same color as his glared at him, full of contempt and hatred. The only thing keeping him on his feet was his grip on the door. “No…no…no.” Stuttering, Mannie fought to control his breathing; the world was starting to spin.
“You don’t tell me no, boy!” Grandpa Howard moved closer to him. With one foot in the apartment, his hand snaked out and he slapped Mannie across the face hard enough that he saw stars and tasted blood. “Your father and I were elated when we discovered you were still alive, only to learn that you were keeping house with another man. You know our opinion on such deviant behavior, Junior. There will be repercussions, of course. But for now I would rather get the hell out of this godforsaken state and take my grandson home to his father.”
“In, out, in out.” Mannie repeated the mantra, eyes shut, fists clenched. It had been nearly a year since he’d had to remind himself to breathe. Decades of neglect and abuse ran through his head like a DVD on fast-forward, so many emotions at war, his skin was on fire. His father beating him with the buckle end of his belt, cursing him for being gay. Grandpa Howard backhanding him when a defiant, teenage Mannie refused to obey his demands. His mother, unshed tears in her eyes as she turned a blind eye to the abuse and disappeared into a bottle of Xanax, choosing to protect her infant children, throwing her firstborn son to the wolves. Bruce, lip curled, fire and pain glowing in his insane eyes while he choked Mannie until he passed out. It was all too much at once, and Mannie was dangerously close to blacking out.
Stop and breathe, Mannie, just breathe. That’s not who you are anymore. A more welcome picture bloomed to life in his mind. Blair’s beautiful blue eyes looking down at him full of nothing but adoration before kissing him, then making love to him while whispering in Mannie’s ear, telling him how much he was loved—Tony, Sharon, Zoe, and Petey, his chosen family, singing happy birthday to him with smiles on their faces.
Sucking in a shaky breath and standing up straight, his full height making him taller than Grandpa Dickhead, Mannie growled. “No!” One word encapsulated a lifetime of pain and misery, punctuated with finality.
Face contorted, Grandpa Dickhead snarled, spittle flying from his mouth when he spoke. “You will get your things and return to Seattle with me, or else!”
“Or else, what?”
Whirling around, Grandpa Dickhead growled. “Agent Cummings, I presume.”
“Yeah, what do you want, asshat?” Blair brushed past Grandpa, shoving him aside, his eyes trained on Mannie. Christ almighty, the man was livid. Jaw rigid, eyes blazing with anger, Blair pulled Mannie into his arms seconds before Mannie’s legs gave out. He whimpered, holding on to Blair for dear life as the storm of emotions broke through the clouds, rendering him defenseless. But he was in the arms of the man he loved, the one that promised he would never let anyone hurt him again. He was safe, loved and protected.
Face buried in Blair’s chest he let it all out, everything, crying for the childhood he lost and the family that had abandoned him. “Let it go, babe, just let it all go. I’ve got you, I’m here.”
Raised voices behind them caught Mannie’s attention. Looking over Blair’s shoulder he saw Rand and Rory corner Grandpa, Shannon rushing over, kneeling beside Blair. “Mannie, hun, you okay? Oh my God, what happened to your face?”
“What?” Up to that point his emotional breakdown had been all-consuming. Lifting his hand to his face, he winced. Tender to the touch, his cheek was on fire and his bottom lip felt raw. The bitter, coppery taste of blood was a sharp sting, and when he ran his tongue over the torn skin it made him nauseous.
Nostrils flaring, Blair growled. Well, it sounded like a growl. Whatever the noise was, it was full of hatred and fury. He stood so fast Mannie almost fell, but thankfully Shannon caught him. “You hit him?”
“Blair, please don’t.” Climbing to his feet, Mannie reached for Blair’s hand. This would not end well.
Rand stepped in front of Blair. “Stand down, Agent.”
“I will fucking ki—
” Rory rushed over and slapped his hand over Blair’s mouth. Yeah, threatening to kill a judge would definitely land Blair in jail, and God only knew what else his grandfather would do to keep them apart.
With his free hand, five foot ten, wiry little Rory Landers grabbed Blair by the nape of the neck and jerked his face down so that Blair was looking at him. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” Mannie watched Blair’s fists clenching at his side, his shoulders tense. “Don’t test me.” Rory didn’t back down. He kept his hand over Blair’s mouth until he finally relented. “Good. Now turn your ass around and walk into the apartment with Mannie and Shan. Rand and I will deal with this.”
Not giving Blair time to reconsider, Mannie grabbed his hand and led Blair into their apartment, Shannon closing the door and following them into the kitchen. Pushing his boyfriend into one of the chairs at the table, Mannie sat as well, turning his to face Blair. “How did you guys get here so fast?” Mannie asked Shannon. Seriously, it was as if they’d been standing on the roof waiting for a confrontation.
“You really do need to take me up on my multiple offers for dinner, Mannie. Our place is right across the highway, above my studio. Blair texted Rory as soon as he saw that horrible man was here, so the boys and I ran right over.” Shannon maneuvered his way around the kitchen as if it were his own, grabbing a Ziploc bag, filling it with ice, and sliding into the chair across from him and Blair, placing the bag on Mannie’s cheek. “Here, hold this.” Shannon grabbed his hand and placed it on the bag. Good lord, he was so out of it.
“Thanks.” Damn, his face was really starting to hurt—even his teeth ached. Grandpa’s bite was as fierce as ever, it would seem. “Wait, you ran? Like, literally ran?”