Accepting His Home

by Ember Davis

  Duncan’s smile is wide, “I’m thankful Zeke didn’t try to kick my ass at Nacho Bar night for looking at Olivia.” I bark out a laugh and Olivia blushes as she squeezes my thigh. My cock twitches in response. Duncan chuckles, “I’m also thankful to be here with all of you, with people who understand and accept those they love as who they are.”

  Sam smiles at Olivia and then at Nate, “I’m thankful for my husband. I’m thankful for how well Olivia is doing and that all of you are in her life as well as mine.”

  Nate kisses Sam softly, “I’m thankful to be here with all of you and how much you love and accept my sister and us. I’m thankful for my husband and that we’ve been approved for an adoption. Now we’re just waiting to find out about the baby we get to open our home to.”

  Oliva squeals and a huge grin spreads across her face, “Oh! I’m so happy for you two!” She gasps, “I’m gonna be an aunt!” I chuckle and wrap my arm around her shoulders and kiss her temple as congratulations are given around the table. Her voice is thick with emotion when she speaks again, “I’m thankful for my family, the one I was born into and the one I’ve been accepted into. I’m thankful that we continue to grow and thrive.” She looks at me and I can see the love in her eyes, “I’m thankful for you; for your trust and your love.”

  I clear my throat and try not to let emotions swamp me. I look around the table, “I’m thankful for this family because it’s given me a safe haven without judgement,” I look at Olivia, “but I’m most thankful for you and that you agreed to move home.”

  There are a few gasps and hollers from around the table from those who hadn’t heard the news yet. I’m surprised it hadn’t spread far and wide already considering how much this group likes to gossip.

  Elliot grins, “I’m thankful that my sister had a healthy pregnancy with my niece, even if I haven’t gotten to meet the little one yet. I’m thankful to be here with good food and likeminded people.”

  Gavin, who is last around the table, grins at Cole who gives him a little nod. “I’m thankful to be here and that we’ve found genuinely good people when we spend so much time surrounded by vapid people who only care about what we can do for them. I’m also thankful that we can give you all something back because we’ll have VIP tickets and backstage passes waiting for you at the arena for our show Saturday night.”

  Walsh is practically shaking with excitement. Olivia’s hand squeezes my thigh and I have to bite back a groan. Amelia’s eyes go wide, “That’s very generous guys, but you don’t have to do that. We’re happy to have you here with us.”

  It looks like Walsh might launch himself across the table to shut Amelia up, “Sweetcheeks, if the nice rock band wants us to come to their concert, it would be rude to not accept their invitation.”

  Amelia rolls her eyes and chuckles, “Oh? Is that so, Snookums?”

  Booker squeezes Walsh’s shoulder, “Walsh is right, it would be rude.” He laughs, “We want you all to come. You can come backstage while the opening band is on and then enjoy the show. We usually go out after or party back at the hotel.”

  Steve grins, “I’d be happy to reserve the VIP lounge at my club for the after party.”

  Beckett kisses Amelia’s temple, “Sounds like we have some exciting plans for the weekend then. Before we get to that, let’s dig in. I’m starving and this looks amazing.”

  Everyone digs into the meal and it’s the best Thanksgiving I’ve ever had and while the food is part of that, it’s more than that. It’s having my family all around me and my girl at my side. All my demons are out in the open and I don’t have to hide from them anymore. I don’t have to deny myself the future I want just because of the past I’ve had.

  Over dinner, we learn that SO is going to be in Vegas at the same time we are for an annual tattoo convention and we make plans to meet up. They promise us tickets to their show. We go to the convention every year; it’s huge and is great for business and exposure.

  This year is going to be different since we’ve never gone with significant others. Considering that Amelia’s pregnant, Beckett won’t party as hard as he has in years past. That’s okay, I’m not complaining. Just feels like the end of an era. I’d rather be buried balls deep in my girl with the neon of the strip as the backdrop than chugging beers at the bar and losing money at the casino.

  I have been looking for a way to casually bring up Olivia’s paintings to SO all night. A few weeks ago when we were staying at her place, I asked her about where she found inspiration for some of her paintings. She told me about a series she did inspired by songs she loved. She explained how she picked some of her most played tracks from her music library and then played them on repeat as she painted, trying to convey how it spoke to her.

  One of the songs was Suburban Outcasts’ first number one hit. When I found out about the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner, I made sure to snap a picture of that one a few nights ago when we stayed at her place.

  We are just finishing up dinner and a few of our group has started collecting their dishes or going back in for seconds. Thirds in the case of Walsh. I see my opening when Gavin mentions that he saw some of Olivia’s art in her station at the shop.

  I smirk at Liv and her eyes round, “Even though they’re fucking brilliant, Liv doesn’t share the realism paintings she does at home. She did a series where she took inspiration from a few of her favorite songs.” Olivia starts shaking her head, but I shoot her a reassuring look and take a drink of my beer before adding, “One was inspired by one of your songs.”

  The newly minted rock star members of our family perk up and Olivia tries to wave it off like it is no big deal, but it is a big deal. Her talents should be celebrated, and she should feel confident in putting her art out into the world. She’s so fucking talented. I may not be able to help her get into a gallery, but I know that if these guys like her stuff that it could open a lot of doors for her. She deserves it.

  Elliot asks, “Oh yeah?” I nod and he looks around at his bandmates, “We’d love to see it sometime.”

  I pull my phone out and show them the picture I took and Olivia gasps. When I hand it over and they pass it around with looks of awe and appreciation on their faces, Olivia hisses at me. “You’re going to pay for this, Zeke.”

  Cole hands me back my phone and then looks at Olivia, “I’d love to buy that painting from you.” Olivia’s eyes widen even farther, and her mouth opens and closes like a fish; I have to stifle my chuckle. “Before we leave here give me a price and you can bring it with you to the concert or we can swing by the shop to pick it up on our way out of town or whatever. I’d like to show it to my record label guys. If they want to use it for anything then I’ll make sure you get a percentage.”

  Gavin adds, “It’s really amazing.” He rubs his fingers along the scruff of his jaw, “We’re going to need cover art and shit for our next album.”

  Booker’s eyes light up, “Yes! That’s a fucking great idea, man.”

  Cole grins at the guys and then at Olivia who still looks shocked, “The uppity ups in charge of the artwork will definitely get in touch with you for that. You’ll get an advanced copy of the album or once we figure out a studio to use here you can come down when we’re recording.”

  Olivia squeaked, “Okay, that sounds…I don’t even know what that sounds like.”

  The guys chuckle and tell us about how they go about writing their music. Cole does most of the lyrics, but all the guys help. They don’t like to be compartmentalized when they write music because they want to work as a unit, a family. Sometimes it starts with the lyrics and sometimes the melody or the beat. Olivia’s enraptured and Walsh looks a little put out that he missed some inside information when he was in the kitchen. He’s never going to live his fangirling down. Ever.

  As everyone starts filtering back around the table, a feeling of contentment washes over me. Livy flashes me a grin and kisses right under my jaw. She whispers, “I guess you’re not in trouble, Babe.”

 
; The conversation around the table flows naturally as we start lighting the joints nestled into the cornucopia. When I see Beckett rib Ellen about smoking with us for the first time and the pride she has in her eyes for her son, it makes something deep inside me ache that I’ve been able to ignore since I left my hometown. I let myself hope that my parents are healthy and happier without me in their lives.

  A little voice in my mind tells me that until I deal with my parents, I’ll never truly be free and clear of my past. It’s a voice I hope to ignore for a little while longer because I’m not ready to do that yet. Having Olivia by my side helps ebb the fear that rises at the thought. I know she’ll stand right next to me and face those demons. When I’m ready.

  CHAPTER 17

  OLIVIA

  It’s been a while since I’ve been to a concert. We used to do things like that more, but as the popularity of the shop grew, so did the number of hours we all work. Then Beckett started to retreat into himself more and more. Not that we needed him to go out, not at all, but it always felt wrong if he wasn’t there.

  I guess, if I’m being honest, I also started retreating into myself too. It was hard for me to spend time around Zeke and not be with him. I can see now how much the whole thing was stressing me out and how much it touched my entire life. I’m so glad Amelia pointed out how my feelings were conditions on my friendship with Zeke. I needed that realization and it has helped me put the last year or so into a different perspective.

  I don’t have to do that shit anymore, Zeke and I get the opportunity to live our lives free and whole. It’s fucking amazing. I feel like I can finally get back to being me as we forge a life, together. It’s a rush.

  Even better than the fact that we’re going to SO’s concert, we’re getting the full VIP treatment. I’ve never had that before. It’s kind of intimidating. I don’t think I’ve ever worn anything fancy to a concert. Dressing up is a must tonight considering we’re going out to one of the hottest clubs in Denver afterward and are personal guests of the owner. That’s a look damn good situation if I’ve ever heard one.

  I’ve been staring at my closet for a solid half hour and I have no idea what to wear. If it weren’t a special thing, I’d have already chosen jeans and a t-shirt. Not a SO band t-shirt, though, that’s just fucking wrong. I really don’t have adult woman dress up clothes and that realization has never been so in focus as it is right now, looking into the cavern of horrible options that is my closet.

  Zeke is taking a shower and I must admit that the sound of the water going and the knowledge that he’s in there naked is distracting me. Big time. I’ve spent enough time with his naked body that I’ve memorized every single one of his tattoos and the way they wrap around his arms and torso. I’ve run my tongue along every single one of them.

  I have no idea how he tastes so fucking good, but he does. Not that any of that helps me decide what I’m going to wear to this fucking concert. I roll my eyes, Zeke is probably going to wear a black t-shirt, jeans and his leather jacket. He’ll pull his hair back in a man bun and pull his boots on. Why do men have it so fucking easy?

  I huff and pick my phone up to text the girls. I don’t know if the guys know it or not, but we have our own girl chat on the side. I can imagine that Walsh and Troy would get all pouty if they knew about it, but they should be fucking thankful we keep the girly shit out of the family chat. Sometimes you just need to send your girls sexy man gifs and shit.

  Olivia: What are you ladies wearing tonight? I’m seriously staring at my closet and wishing it would open and take me into Narnia because that’s the only place I could find a decent outfit for a VIP thing and a rock concert.

  I continue to stare into the cavern of disappointment while I wait. I should have made some time to go shopping today. I didn’t even think about it until right this moment when I need to be getting dressed, not figuring out what I should be getting dressed in. Fuck. I don’t have to wait long for a reply, I knew my girls would have my back.

  Amelia: Come on, Liv, I bet you have something in your closet that you’d wear to a club? Your legs are fucking amazing. Short skirt? Leather? Bustier? I know you have something in there, maybe it’s just hiding in the back?

  Andrea: Yes! You have something! Think about what you’ve worn for Halloween before, maybe you an repurpose something? A skirt with a shirt you’ve ripped up would be perfect. Maybe a colorful bra underneath so you can see the strap.

  I roll my eyes at their responses, it’s like they forget for a moment that I have a caveman who will veto any outfit that involves a bustier and leather. Well, he probably would. I can’t imagine he’d be happy with me showing off my legs.

  I bite my lip and look through my closet again. Maybe he wouldn’t veto my outfit. Maybe it doesn’t matter if he thinks I should change or not. It’s not like he’s the boss of me. I’m the boss of me and I can wear whatever I want. Maybe he’ll want to show me off.

  I chuckle because who the fuck am I kidding right now? He doesn’t want other men to look at me. Not even a little bit. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t wear whatever the fuck I want though. I find my black leather booties in the back of my closet. I haven’t worn them since I went on that horrible date at the art gallery. Which reminds me, I should still have the dress I wore on that date too.

  I continue to root around in my closet and finally come up with the black, backless dress I wore that night. I fell in love with the silver sequins around the neckline and hemline when I was shopping for the date. The hemline is right above the knee, so it’s not too short and the wide neckline drapes right under my collar bones.

  From the front, it’s almost conservative, but from the back it’s a whole other story. It plunges to right above my ass, but not so much that I can’t wear g-string with it. Not my preferred panty, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Silver chains crisscross in the back and make sure that the dress stays on.

  I bite my lip because I already know that he’s going to say something about me not wearing a bra, but it’s kind of impossible in this dress. I guess he’ll have to get over it. I go ahead and text my girls; fair warning and all that.

  Olivia: I found something; you should know that it’ll bring out the caveman in Zeke.

  Andrea: Why? You can’t wear panties with it, huh?

  Olivia: Well, I can wear a g-string with it, but no bra.

  Amelia: Ha! He’ll hate that, but all the more reason to wear it. Working your caveman up a little bit is good for them and great for you, trust me on that.

  Andrea: Mom! No one wants to hear about your sex life!

  Olivia: Yeah, Mom! Jeez!

  Amelia: Whatever. See you soon!

  I hear the water cut off in the shower and I lay my dress on my bed so that Zeke won’t see the back until it’s already on and hopefully under my leather jacket. If he sees it too early, it’ll be like waving red in front of a bull. Better for him to just see the front.

  Zeke comes out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips, yummy. His eyes immediately find me; I force myself not to fidget nervously. He narrows his eyes, but before he can start to delve too deep, I let my eyes roam over his tattooed chest and bite my lip. Maybe I can distract him.

  He chuckles and nods his head toward my dress, “Find something to wear finally?”

  I roll my eyes, “Yeah, if we weren’t going to The Den after it would have been much easier, but I know Steve’s club has a dress code and shit.”

  Zeke shrugs, “You know that he would have relaxed it for us. Especially considering all the social media hype he’ll be getting with having SO there tonight.”

  I bounce on my toes and can’t contain my excitement, “I haven’t been to a concert in a while. I didn’t even realize it until today.”

  Zeke’s eyes soften and he snags my wrist and pulls me against his body. “We’ve been missing out on some things for a while now, huh, little fairy?”

  I give him a small smile and a little shrug, “I didn
’t mean it like that, Babe.”

  He cups my cheek in his palm, and I lean into it, “I know, but still. We’ll make sure that we start doing more fun things together instead of avoiding it like we avoided our feelings.”

  I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss his lips softly, “I like the sound of that. I love you, Zeke.”

  His eyes light up as he grins and it makes my heart beat faster, “Love you, little fairy.”

  Zeke’s hand’s travel down and grab my ass, pulling me flush against him and I feel his hard cock against my stomach. I give him a cheeky smile and he smirks down at me. He kisses along my shoulder and then runs his nose up the side of my neck before nipping at my earlobe. I shudder in his arms.

  I groan, “I need to take a shower and then get ready. We’re meeting everyone in,” I glance at the clock and gasp, “only 45 minutes!”

  Zeke chuckles against my neck, “I bet we have time for both, Livy.”

  The husky tone of his voice almost does me in, but instead I resist and push against his chest. He scowls down at me, but it just makes me giggle. “Shower, hair, make-up and getting dressed.” I sweep my hand down my body, “This doesn’t just happen magically, you know.”

  Zeke’s eyes heat as he looks me up and down, “You always look gorgeous, Olivia, no matter how much time you take getting ready.”

  I grin up at him, “That’s sweet, but I think you’re biased.” He quirks an eyebrow at me. “It’s not a bad thing, but this is special. We’re doing the whole VIP thing and I don’t want to look like a slouch, ya know?”

  Zeke kisses my forehead and murmurs, “You could never look like a slouch.”

  Before I can argue with him further, he pulls my t-shirt up and over my head and then unsnaps my bra, letting both fall to the floor. He runs his hands down my body and unsnaps my jeans and pushes them and my panties down over my hips. He pulls them down my body, and follows them down, kissing down one thigh. When I step out of them, he kisses up my other thigh and up my torso, right between my breasts.