by T C Heffer
Jeremy catches them just in time and gets a mouthful of long, dark-brown hair for his trouble. He remains confused, and then he sees James, his older sister's husband, come out of hiding on his right.
It's Jess in his arms, then. It's this realisation that makes Jeremy hug her back. His confusion is still there because he wasn't expecting her to visit until around Christmas, but now he's excited too. He hasn't seen his sister in months, possibly even close to a whole year. It's been far too long and he's missed her dearly. They leaned on each other a lot after the rest of their family was killed, and since he was only sixteen at the time, Jess took over the role of primary caregiver for him until he was a proper independent adult. It made them even closer than they were before.
That Jeremy would be so far away from the last remaining member of his family was the only con to his decision to move back to Leraine. It was almost enough to make him stay in New York, but Jess encouraged him to go. She knew that it was what he needed without Jeremy having to spell it out for her. She's always been good at reading and understanding him.
"What're you doing here?" Jeremy asks after the embrace finally ends and Jess steps back to stand beside her husband. He shakes James' hand with a grin.
Jess grins back. "Invite us inside, little brother, and we'll tell you."
With a roll of his eyes, Jeremy steps back inside the house and closes the door behind the other two. He looks his sister over properly, checking that everything seems alright with her. He doesn't spot anything amiss. In fact, Jeremy would say that Jess looks about as happy as he's seen her since he walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. Her hair is slightly wavy and comes down to just below her shoulders. She wears a cream-coloured cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans, and as usual, her face is almost completely free of makeup. She's never been a big wearer of cosmetics.
"You look good," Jeremy tells her.
"You too," Jess says. Her grin then fades into concern. "Although…"
Jeremy's own elation is put on hold. "What? What's wrong?"
The woman reaches up to run her fingers through the short hair at Jeremy's temples. "You're getting greyer. If you're not careful, you'll look like an old fart any day now."
Realising that his sister is teasing him, Jeremy scoffs and bats her hands away. "Knock it off, Jess."
"I'm serious!" she claims, even as her grin reemerges. "We could do something about it. Hey! I could dye it! How 'bout it, Jer-Bear?"
Jeremy crosses his arms over his chest. "Not a chance in hell."
"Aww, c'mon! Brother-sister bonding time!"
"No."
"But it might help you find someone." Jess waggles her eyebrows.
"I don't need to dye my hair to find someone," Jeremy defends, thinking of Pete. He knows that his boy actually likes that he's greying a bit anyway.
"But—"
"Honey," James interjects, putting a hand on Jess's arm. Jeremy is grateful. Since they got married, James has been a calming influence for her whenever she gets playful like this. The other man stares at Jeremy closely. "I think he might have someone already."
Jess's hair flies as she whips her head around to look at her brother again. "What? Why haven't you told me?!"
Jeremy stands there with his eyes wide and his mouth open. Fuck. He hadn't thought about this. How is he going to introduce Pete to Jess and James?
While she doesn't know everything, Jess knows a bit about Jeremy's tastes. That's not to say she didn't want to know more, though, possibly all of it. Right after he discovered himself fully and she found out about it, Jess pestered him nearly non-stop, wanting details and to help him find someone who could make him as happy as James made her. She meant well, but Jeremy had swiftly shut that down. He's proud of who he is and loves the Daddy/boy relationships he's been a part of, but there are some things he doesn't want his sister to know.
So how will she react when she finds out that his newest boy is only eighteen years old? Pete is the youngest person Jeremy has been with since he was around that age himself. And—
Shit! Pete is going to be here soon, so Jeremy had better figure something out.
The longer he goes without saying anything, the more impatient Jess becomes. "C'mon, tell me!" she whines, shaking him lightly.
In a desperate attempt to take the heat off of himself while he thinks of how to tell Jess about Pete—and that it's getting pretty damn serious—Jeremy redirects the conversation. "You still haven't told me why you're back in Leraine," he points out. "I didn't think you were coming until Christmas."
Jess and James share a significant look. "We weren't going to, but there's been a change of plans," she says mysteriously.
"Well, don't leave me guessing for too long."
Jess points her index finger at him. "Fine, but if we tell you our news, you're telling us yours," she compromises.
Jeremy agrees with a tense nod. "Fine. Let's move this into the kitchen, though. I've still got to cook dinner."
Once James has hung up his coat, Jeremy leads the way. He offers both of them beverages like the good host he is and then directs them to sit at the kitchen island while he finishes putting together the stew. Of course, Jess doesn't listen to him. With her glass of water in hand, she positions herself shoulder-to-shoulder with him and badgers him some more.
"Looks like a lot of stuff for just one person to eat," she observes. "Even someone with a black hole for a stomach like you."
Jeremy glares at her. "That's because I planned on having a guest tonight. Just didn't think it'd be you and James."
"Who?"
"Nope. You first."
Jess tuts at him as she watches him dump the diced vegetables into a large saucepan. "Okay, here's the deal."
Before she can speak any more, the sound of the front door opening and closing reaches all of their ears and they turn to face the kitchen doorway. After checking the time again, Jeremy's face goes pale because Pete's school day would have ended about fifteen minutes ago, which means…
"Daddy, I'm back!" Pete calls from the foyer.
Jeremy can see him stopping to take off his shoes in his mind's eye, and the timing couldn't be worse. He didn't have a chance to ease Jess—and especially James—into the news first.
James shares another look with his wife, his countenance baffled. "Daddy?" he mouths.
Jeremy hangs his head. He's so fucked.
— CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE —
- Wednesday, December 4th, 2013 -
Pete enters Jeremy's house almost whistling a jaunty tune, he's so cheerful. Overall, he had a good time at school, which he thinks was the result of how he'd spent the early morning sexting with Jeremy. An explosive orgasm put him instantly in a relaxed mood, and his ass cheeks were just sore enough from his spanking the previous day to twinge every time he moved when he was sitting down. It ensured that he behaved himself, even when he was tempted to slack off or stop paying attention. Now, as he shrugs off his leather jacket and hangs it up on the row of coat hooks to the right of the front door, he looks forward to spending the evening and night with Jeremy.
"Daddy, I'm back!" he shouts, getting the man's attention wherever he is in the house.
Not getting an immediate response, he heads into the kitchen, his throat slightly dry. All thought of getting a drink is forgotten when he passes through the doorway and spots the two strangers in there with Jeremy. The two strangers who just heard him yell to his Daddy.
Fuck.
All three of the others stare at him. The woman is speculative, whereas the unknown man wears a frown that can't mean anything good. It's Jeremy's countenance that really makes Pete uneasy, though. Usually, Pete would be distracted by the sight of Jeremy's bare arms and send a mental thank you to whoever invented tank tops, but that's not the case today. Jeremy's eyes are about as wide as Pete has ever seen them, and his face has an almost sickly pallor to it, like all blood is gone from it. Jeremy must have thought Pete wouldn't arrive for a while yet, or maybe he forgot, which doesn't
make much sense. But perhaps whoever the two strangers are caused Pete's arrival to slip his mind.
"Uhh…what's going on?" Pete asks warily.
"Yes, that's what I'd like to know too," the woman adds, turning to peer judgmentally at Jeremy.
Pete tenses up at that expression, having got enough judgment recently.
Jeremy swallows and visibly collects himself. He steps away from the stove, approaches Pete and wraps an arm around his back, his hand curling around Pete's hip. "This isn't exactly how I planned on this happening, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now," he says with a nervous laugh. "Pete, this is my sister Jess, and her husband James. Jess and James…meet Pete."
No one reacts for a few moments, and then Jess says, "And Pete is?"
"Uh…" Jeremy searches for the right words and shares a glance with the boy in question. "He's my…boyfriend?"
Pete shrugs. If that's the way Jeremy wants to put it, that's fine with him.
Jess runs appraising eyes up and down his body, coming to some sort of conclusion. "And by 'boyfriend', what you really mean is boy."
Pete blanches because she's right on the money. He hadn't thought she would know the nature of his relationship with her brother, but after a bit more thought, he realises that of course she would.
One: she heard him call Jeremy 'Daddy'.
Two: Jess and Jeremy are siblings, and from the way Jeremy talked about her when they went on their date to the diner in the next town over, they're close and lived in the same town or city as each other for decades. Of course Jess would know her brother's tastes, and of course she'd easily be able to guess that he's Jeremy's boy.
James pipes up then, still peering between the other three with confusion. "What d'you mean by his 'boy'?"
Pete leans in close to Jeremy and whispers in his ear. "He doesn't know?"
"It's never come up while he was around," Jeremy replies. "And I guess Jess respected my boundaries for once and didn't tell him."
"Yes, I did, and I think I deserve a medal or something for my efforts because it's been damn tempting," Jess says, nose in the air. Her lips curl slightly at the corners, showing that she's not really upset. "Am I allowed to tell him now?"
Jeremy nods and leads Pete back out into the living room while the married couple converses. He sits them both down on the sofa and lets out a long breath.
Pete places a hand on Jeremy's thigh. "You okay?"
"Yeah. They just showed up out of the blue not too long before you got here." Jeremy puts his hand over Pete's and links their fingers together. "Just not how I wanted things to go, y'know?"
"I get that."
There's a tiny voice in the back of Pete's head that insists Jeremy is acting like he is because he's ashamed of him and was never going to introduce him to his family. He shuts it down quickly, knowing with all his heart that that isn't the case and it's just his dumb insecurities talking. The thought must have shown on his face for a second anyway, because Jeremy addresses the issue.
"It had nothing to do with you, baby," he says. He unlinks their hands and places his arm over Pete's shoulders instead, pulling their sides flush together. "I just hoped it would all go smoothly, and I'd have everything planned out meticulously so that Jess and James would have no reason to disapprove. I didn't think they really would—not rationally—but…this isn't smooth, and I guess—"
"You have insecurities too," Pete finishes, understanding. The voice in his head is silenced.
"Even at my age, yeah."
Pete hums. "You saying that is kinda nice, in a way."
"Me being insecure is nice?" Jeremy questions. His eyebrows climb his forehead, causing deep wrinkles that are somehow incredibly sexy.
Pete smacks Jeremy's chest lightly. "Oh, shut up, you know what I mean. It's just nice to know that you're not this perfect guy who has everything figured out. It helps."
"I suppose I can see where you're coming from. I've never been perfect, Pete. I've told you before."
"I thought you were just being perfectly modest," Pete teases. His humour is quick to recede when Jess and James join them in the living room, done with whatever talk they'd had. James eyes him a bit weirdly at first, but after Jess elbows him in the side, he lightens up and gives Pete a smile that appears genuine. It sets Pete at ease.
"So, Pete," Jess starts, sitting down next to him without invitation. "Let's figure out what kind of guy you are."
Pete returns her stare. "That sounds ominous."
"Jess, don't," Jeremy pleads, but the weariness in his voice makes Pete suspect that he knows getting his sister to back off is a lost cause. If anyone would know, it's him.
Jess rolls her eyes at Jeremy. "Don't worry, little brother. I'm simply gonna find out what makes him tick. You can go get dinner sorted, though, if you're so desperate for something to do. In fact, I insist." She waves her brother off like she's shooing away a servant, which Pete finds equal parts disrespectful and hilarious. "The food on the flight was awful and I'm hungry. James?"
"Yeah?" the man responds, standing there awkwardly.
"You hungry?"
"I guess."
"Then there you have it." Jess smirks at her brother. "Go on. You have guests to feed!"
When Jeremy gets up, Pete has half a mind to tug him right back down so that he's not alone for Jess's interrogation. From the gleam in her eye that he'd call nefarious, he has a feeling it isn't going to be the most pleasant thing, but even so, he finds a well of inner strength and allows Jeremy to exit the living room. He's ready to face the music alone.
At Jess's insistence, he scoots sideways so that James can sit down on the opposite side of her.
"Alright then." Jess puts both of her hands on Pete's and James' knees. "Let's all get to know each other, shall we?"
* * *
Jeremy is glacial as he finishes preparing the stew, his stomach churning and his mind occupied by what's going on in the living room. He can hear the voices but not the words, and every few seconds he fights off the urge to storm back in there and rescue his boy from his sister's nosy ways. He doesn't, though, both because it would give his sister more ammunition to use against him and because, in spite of generally being the caretaker in their relationship, he has complete confidence that Pete will be capable of handling himself around Jess.
When he finally has all the ingredients cooking slowly over a low heat, Jeremy turns around and ventures back into the living room. He's just in time to witness Jess and Pete cracking up with laughter. Even James is smiling and lounges comfortably across his end of the sofa, which is unusual for him.
"Oh no…"
This is even worse that Jeremy feared. He'd wanted Pete and Jess to get along, but not this well.
"What's wrong, Jer-Bear?" Jess enquires cheekily, even though she's smart enough to know the answer already.
"Nothing," Jeremy denies. "Things are going well, I see."
"Yup," Jess confirms, bumping shoulders with Pete. "Seems I have a new best friend. He's so cute that I might just steal him for myself."
For his part, Pete looks down, his cheeks heating up.
As there isn't room for four people on his sofa, Jeremy walks over to Pete, has him stand up so that he can take his place, and then pulls him down to sit on his lap. It may be petty and make Pete's blush even more intense, and he may be aware that Jess isn't serious at all, but Jeremy can't help but stake his claim a bit. Just in case.
Pete is his, damnit.
"Relax, you don't have to go all caveman on us," Jess scoffs. "I've already got James, and it's not like I can give Pete what he wants. No, I'll leave that to you, while we gossip at your expense."
This sets Jeremy's on edge and has him tightening his arms around Pete's waist. Pete doesn't complain. "What's that supposed to mean? Was that what you two were laughing about when I came in?"
Pete nods. "Yeah, Jess was just telling me a few stories from when you were kids," he reveals, lifting his head up properly in spite of its
redness. Now that he's spent a bit of time with Jess and James and she's done complimenting him, he must not feel as if he has to hide anymore. "She just got done telling me the story of how you used to have a major crush on one of your teachers in middle school and would go on and on about him during family dinners and stuff."
Jeremy glares at Jess. "You didn't."
Jess is entirely unrepentant. "Oh, I did."
"Don't worry." Pete gives Jeremy's cheek a chaste kiss. "I thought it was cute."
"And funny, seeing as you were laughing…" Jeremy grumbles.
"Cutely funny. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, I'm sure everyone's had a crush on a teacher at some point."
Jess makes a noise of agreement. "True. I used to like my art teacher a lot. He was very handsome. Still, I never took it quite as far as our little Jeremy."
Jeremy groans and is the one hiding now, resting his forehead against Pete's shoulder. "Jess…"
"No, no, it's great!" she insists. "Not every kid with a crush buys a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store with their allowance and tries to give it to their teacher."
Jeremy groans again, louder this time, and only reemerges from his hiding place when he feels Pete run his long fingers through his hair. His only consolation for this humiliation is that it has Pete looking down at him as if he's the most adorable thing Pete has ever seen. It's a bit weird and it's usually the other way around, but Jeremy has to admit—even if just to himself—that being the recipient of such a look makes his chest feel all warm. As is her wont, though, it just causes Jess to make fun of him again, practically cackling at the sappiness on his face. Jeremy can't help it.
"Alright, alright, that's enough," James says, saving Jeremy from further torment.
"Ugh, fine, I'll stop," Jess relents with a sigh. "For now."
After giving James a grateful smile, Jeremy swiftly moves the conversation on before Jess can change her mind. "You still haven't told me whatever news you have that brought you here nearly a month early," he says.
"Oh, right!" Jess takes her husband's hand and both seem proud of themselves. "We're going to be spending Christmas with James' parents this year."