They all murmur a response, still recording. Still taking pictures.
“Yes, he’s my boyfriend. We’ve known each other a long time. He’s definitely worth it, and no, I’m not quitting the band. Have a good night, guys.”
More questions are shouted at Merrick as they continue to take their pictures. He sighs when he gets in and starts the engine.
They take a few more, but eventually back away enough for him to maneuver out of the parking space. Once we’re leaving the lot, a few more flashes go off behind us, and then they scurry to their cars to follow.
“Jesus Christ, how the fuck can you be so calm dealing with them?”
He shrugs. “I’m not always calm. I try to be cool, because I get that it’s their job, and I hope if I respect them and give them what they want, they’ll do the same for me. It doesn’t always happen that way.”
“Good lord. It’s gonna take me some time to get used to that. Why people feel like they need to know every detail of someone’s personal life, I’ll never know. Even if you are a celebrity.”
Merrick reaches over and places his hand on my thigh. “It’ll die down eventually.”
I cover his hand with my own and we continue our drive to Elijah’s house. My first time attending Sunday dinner as a significant other and not a friend.
“Sorry we couldn’t bring anything,” Merrick tells Elijah and Nova. “The hotel doesn’t have much, and the paparazzi followed us over.
Elijah makes a face. “We didn’t expect you to bring anything. How’re you two doing?” he asks, looking between us.
“Well, it’s been a crazy day,” I answer. “Never thought I’d see my name and face on gossip sites.”
Nova arranges some dishes on the island while Elijah removes a pan from the oven. “Yeah, I bet.” After removing the oven mitts and placing them in a drawer, he leans against the counter and looks at Merrick. “And you? Your label? How’s everything going?”
“I’ve been on the phone a lot, but to sum up, we’ll be getting a new manager, but staying on at K&T. I’m releasing a statement soon, and then we’re moving on.”
“So, not too bad?”
“Nah.”
Nova smiles. “That’s good. I know it wasn’t the way your label probably wanted it to play out, but I’ll tell ya, I think that was one of the most romantic declarations of love I’ve seen. It was like right out of a book.” She aims her smile at me. “And you! How did that feel? Oh my god, I would’ve burst into tears!”
“She did,” Elijah says with a smirk.
Nova makes her way over to him and playfully smacks him on the arm. “Shush. I’m a romantic.”
“It was definitely a shock,” I say. “I wasn’t expecting it at all.”
“And the song!” She brings her hands to her heart. “My god, I need that song on my playlist, ASAP!”
Merrick chuckles. “I’ll do what I can.”
Within ten minutes, Cillian, Royce, Midge, and London arrive. London and Royce place a couple of pies on the table while Midge and Cill unload two huge bottles of champagne.
“Tonight, we celebrate,” Cill announces.
“We don’t have to celebrate my coming out,” Merrick groans.
“We’re not. We’re celebrating that you’re in love. It’s different.”
Merrick grins as he shakes his head.
“Dinner’s ready,” Elijah announces. “Everybody head to the dining room and we’ll eat.”
The formal dining room holds a rectangular table that seats eight people. Nova and Elijah sit on the ends, me and Merrick sit together on one side, with Cill to his right. Midge sits across from Cillian, and Royce and London take up the other two seats next to her.
The table holds a large bowl of salad, garlic bread, and two large pans of lasagna. As everyone serves themselves, I look to the end of the table and find Elijah watching everyone with a smile on his face. Merrick notices too.
“You look happy, E.”
“I am. The table is full for the first time in a long time. My brothers are happy. I have an amazing wife.” He winks at Nova, making her smile. “This is the life.”
“To family,” Royce says, holding up his drink.
Everyone grabs their glass and raises them up. Nova takes a sip of her water before clearing her throat. “We’re gonna have to get a bigger table soon, because there’s going to be a new member of the family.”
The table is silent minus a couple gasps. Wide eyes and open mouths stare back at Nova before shifting to Elijah.
“What?”
“Oh my God!”
“You’re pregnant?” London asks.
Nova nods, looking across to Elijah who can’t stop smiling. “Seven weeks.”
Everyone gets up from the table to hug and congratulate the parents-to-be.
“A dad. Holy shit,” Cill says.
“Well, you did a really good job with us,” Merrick tells Elijah. “You’ve got this.”
Elijah grins. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I remember what it was like when you were a baby and screamed your head off, but I never had to calm you down, or feed you. So, that’ll be new.”
“And the lack of sleep, and the spit up and the exploding diapers,” Nova adds, making a face.
Everyone laughs. “You guys will be great,” London says.
“We’re excited!” Nova squeals, touching her stomach.
“Another thing worth celebrating,” Cill adds. “Glad I bought the champagne.” He pauses and glances at Nova. “Sorry you can’t have any.”
She playfully rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a smile on her face.
“We got an upcoming wedding, an upcoming baby, a new relationship. . .kinda. What’re y’all bringing to the table?” Royce asks Cill and Midge.
Midge eyes Cill before facing Royce again. “We’re gonna be parents, too.”
“Stop!”
“No way!”
“What?”
“Babe,” Cill says with a laugh. “Stop.”
“What?” she says innocently, looking around the table. “We’re getting a puppy. Jeez!”
“Midge! I’m gonna kill you!” London says, tearing off a piece of bread and throwing it at her.
Merrick looks at me and reaches under the table to touch my thigh. “What about you, huh? You wanna be parents?”
My eyes bulge. “Wh—what?” I stutter.
He chuckles. “Puppy parents.”
I smack him in the arm which only makes him laugh harder.
Our night at Elijah’s is one of the best nights I’ve had. Everyone gets along, there’s so much to celebrate and be happy about. Conversation ebbs and flows with ease, there’s no awkwardness about our new relationship. Everything feels normal and right. I was blessed with a wonderful mom, sister, and now niece. But now I have an even bigger family. I have what will eventually be brothers and sisters-in-law, and I can’t wait to blend the two.
52
Merrick
Present Day
It’s been three days since the news broke, and while there’s still paparazzi hanging around, it’s not too bad. Ali’s gotten better at putting his head down and tuning them out, but we’ve still been pretty prominent in the news.
Guitar player, Merrick Kingston, from the rock band The Unwanted, and his boyfriend, Alejandro Barerra, step out for a bite to eat, holding hands.
Merrick and Alejandro leave the hotel hand-in-hand and spend time with family. Do we hear wedding bells for these two?
Finally, a kiss! Since Merrick came out in the middle of a show in his brother’s bar, we have yet to see these two lock lips, but today they gifted us this adorable picture. Merrick and Alejandro kiss good-bye before they go separate ways.
Today, we’re finally having lunch with Ali’s mom and sister. I’ve yet to see them since everything came out, but I’m not too worried about how things will go. We’ve always gotten along.
“Babe, you ready?” I ask.
Ali comes out of
his room, looking too damn good. “Yep.”
I push up from the couch and saunter over. “Why do you have to look so good?”
He wraps his arms around my back, grinning at me. “You’re just trying to get in my pants.”
“Mm.” I let my fingers dip into the waistband of his dark blue jeans. “Is that so bad?”
“When we have to be at my mom’s in forty minutes, and I live forty-five minutes away? Yes.”
I groan into his neck. “Just keep clothes at the hotel and stay with me. You don’t even need to live here anymore.”
“We’re building a house from scratch. It won’t be ready for a year, and school starts up in a couple months, so maybe you should live with me here until we can move into our house.”
I pull back and smile at him. “Our house. I love how that sounds.”
“Me too.” He kisses me softly, but it quickly turns passionate. “Mm. You’re too tempting. We have to go. Mom and Lil are gonna kill us both.”
“All right, all right.”
“You’re ten minutes late,” Lili says as soon as she opens the door. “Hey, Merrick.”
“Oh, he gets a hey, but I get scolded,” Ali complains.
“It was probably your fault,” she says, “Come on in, Mami’s waiting.”
I give Lili a peck on the cheek before I enter. “It was all his fault.”
Ali spins around and pins me with a look and Liliana giggles.
“Ma? We’re here,” Ali calls out, heading to the kitchen while I stay put with my hands in my pockets.
“Don’t look so nervous,” Lili chides, hitting my elbow. “You’ve been here a million times.”
“Do I look nervous?” I ask with a lopsided grin. “I thought I was confident coming in here, but now I’m worried your mom’s gonna smack me on the head and get onto me for lying.”
She laughs. “She might.”
I glance to my left as Ali trails behind his mom, coming toward me.
“Come here,” she says, holding her arms out for a hug.
I sneak a peek at Lili who just raises her eyebrows, and remove my hands from my pockets to embrace Luisa.
“Thanks for having me,” I say.
She pats my back a few times, and when she’s easing away she smacks my hand lightly. “Why didn’t you tell me you loved my boy? I’m over here thinking he’s doomed to never find love, and yet he had it his whole life.”
“Mom!” Ali exclaims, throwing his arms up. “Doomed? I’m only twenty-seven.”
“Ah!” she says, waving her hand at him. “You two didn’t do anything in my house did you? You know, behind my back?” she stares at me with an intensity that makes me start to sweat.
“Uh.”
“No, Mom,” Ali says.
He’s not lying. We did everything at Elijah’s house. We may have snuck in a quick kiss over here, but Lili followed us everywhere, so we were always afraid to get caught.
“Mmhmm,” she murmurs, grabbing my hand and taking me to the kitchen. “Let’s talk.”
Ali and Lili try to follow us, but she looks over her shoulder and stops them. “Just me and Merrick. Go watch TV.”
My eyes connect with Ali’s, but he just mouths good luck before turning and making his way to the living room.
“I understand why you kept this a secret,” Luisa says. “The world can still be so ugly and cruel. Add fame on top of that, and I wouldn’t want to deal with that either.” She stops at the stove to stir something in a pot. “Alejandro came out to me when he was twenty, but you know what? I already knew. Call it motherly instinct or something, but I knew. It wasn’t right away, though. It was right around the time he graduated high school, but I just waited for him to feel comfortable enough to come to me.”
“He might’ve come to you sooner, but that was my fault.”
“What do you mean?”
“We planned on coming out together when we were eighteen. We had made plans, but they never came to fruition because I was busy with the band, and I was afraid. Ali’s always been braver than me, and he held out for me until he just couldn’t any longer.”
She frowns and places a lid over the pot before stepping back. “I see.” Luisa gazes up at me with the same whiskey-colored eyes Ali has. “You loved him, though.”
“I still do. I’ve never stopped.”
She smiles. “Not everyone moves at the same pace. You did what you felt you had to do. You chose yourself over a relationship.” Luisa holds up her hand when my face falls. “I don’t mean that in a negative way. Over and over again people put lovers before themselves. I was one of those people. My ex-husband wasn’t a good man, but I constantly did what he wanted me to do. I didn’t take time for myself. I didn’t finish college. I didn’t better myself, because I was too busy bettering him. You two were teenagers. Nobody ever thinks those relationships are gonna last. You made the best decision for you, and look!” she says, gesturing to me with a wide grin. “You’re known world-wide. You’ve secured your legacy, and I’m sure you’ve made enough money to last you the rest of your life.”
“I still wish I would’ve done things differently. I could’ve handled things better.”
“We all make mistakes, honey. You were a kid. Alejandro forgives you. You two love each other, and you have so much history and such a strong foundation. You were friends for years. You’ve both experienced life without each other. He did what he wanted to do, too. If you had stayed here, who knows that he would’ve gone to college. You may have struggled financially, and that brings stress to a lot of young couples. You don’t know that things would’ve been better, that’s all I’m saying.
“You’ve lived your lives a little bit, and you’ve come together again. I think that’s the best kind of love story. You know that old saying? If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours; if they don't they never were. You came back.”
“It was always the plan,” I tell her. “It just took me a little longer than I wanted.”
She steps forward and holds my hands in hers. “You two will be just fine. Take care of each other and love each other.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She squeezes my fingers with a warm smile on her face. “Okay. Let’s eat.”
53
Alejandro
Present Day
“I’m not sure why I didn’t see it before,” Lili says, watching me and Merrick sitting side-by-side on the couch a couple hours after we’re done eating.
“You were too busy trying to annoy me.”
“Oh right. Sorry for loving you so much,” she quips with a roll of her eyes.
“I’m kidding,” I say.
“Whatever. So, what’s the plan now?” she asks, holding Mari in her arms. “You’ve obviously kissed and made up,” she says, waggling her brows. “What’s next? Are you taking my brother away?” she asks, aiming her question at Merrick.
“Not really. We’re gonna have a house between Gaspar and Chaparral, so it’s close to family here, and to Ali’s work.”
“You’re still gonna work at the school?” she questions, brows furrowed with confusion. “You just hit the jackpot, big brother!”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m still planning on working. Merrick’s money is his.”
She glances at Merrick who’s shaking his head. “We’re getting married. What’s mine is yours and all that. Come on, man.”
Lili lets out a squeak. “Aww.”
“I haven’t heard a proposal yet,” I tease, looking at Merrick.
His perfect lips curl up on one side like he already has a plan, and butterflies take flight in my stomach.
“So, you’re staying close?” Lili says, getting us back on track. “What about everything else?”
“Well, I’ll be in New York soon to finish an album. Ali’s invited to come. As far as tours go, I’m hoping I can manage to have them during the summers so Ali can join us.”
“Or he could just quit and go with you whenever,
but he’s trying to be all righteous,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“He is right here, so shut up,” I tell her.
“Oh hey,” she says, acting like she forgot I was right next to her.
“I thought you wanted me nearby anyway.”
“Sometimes,” she says with a shrug before giving me a small grin.
“We’re gonna figure it out no matter what,” Merrick says, squeezing my knee once.
“When’s your statement going out?”
“I’m waiting for it to be cleared by my publicist. Should be soon, though.”
“Well, we should head out,” I say, standing up. “We need to meet up with Jordy.”
I lean over and kiss Mari on the forehead and do the same to Lili.
“Mami’s in her room,” she says.
I walk through the hall and find my mom sitting on her bed with a photo album laid out in front of her.
“We’re heading out, Ma.”
“Okay, baby. Come here real quick.”
I make my way to the side of the bed and look at the photos she’s putting in the album. “Aww, Mari’s so cute.”
“I know. She looks just like Liliana when she was a baby.” She points to one of me when I was six or seven. “You look just like my dad.”
I smile and rest my hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”
“I’m good, Mijo,” she replies, grabbing my hand. “I’m happy that you’re happy. I know things are different for you because you’re in a relationship with a man, but please give me more grandbabies.”
“Ma,” I say, choking on a laugh. “How many more?”
“At least two. Hopefully Lili will find a good man and give me another one.”
I shake my head. “I love you. I’ll see what I can do.”
She smiles. “See you soon?”
Risking it All: An M/M, rockstar, second chance romance (Kingston Brothers Book 4) Page 21