“It’s one of the drawings I had to turn in with my final dissertation, and I’ll include it with my design portfolio when I go to my interviews.” He retrieved the sketch pad and held it up between them. “It’s Kirchner One. Or will be someday.” He smiled and shrugged. “Probably a few years away yet. I do have to get a job first.”
Neal took the pad again, this time setting it down, and inched closer to Hayden to give him a kiss. “I love it almost as much as I love you.” He swung off the bed. “But now we should think about getting dressed. I sent a van to the airport to meet your family.”
Hayden left Neal rummaging in the walk-in closet to go shower and shave. By the time Hayden was clean and back in the main room, Neal was clad in boxer shorts and was bare-chested. He held two shirts up at arm’s length. “Which one?”
“My family isn’t going to care what you wear. Well, my sister-in-law is slightly insane with matching colors and stuff like her nails and purse, but I think she’s lightened up since she got pregnant.” He raised his eyebrows and smirked. “Apparently she’s gone natural and organic. Or something.”
“It’s not about me impressing them with what I wear. It’s about me fitting in and not looking like I have close to a billion dollars to my name,” Neal explained. “That was something my grandmother instilled in my brother and me. A big part of being prepared for an occasion was dressing correctly. She was strict about us not broadcasting our wealth. Mostly, I want your family to like me and feel that I’m a good match for you.”
“I like that one.” Hayden pointed to the shirt in Neal’s right hand. “You treat people so kindly. I really love that. They’ll love you, trust me. You’re polite, sane, and have a job. My oldest sister seems to find nothing but crazies who sponge off her.”
“She’s Karla, right?”
Hayden nodded. “Sweet as can be and super smart. She’s actually a CPA, but everyone walks all over her.”
“Do I have this right? Your parents are Kerry and Michael. Siblings, in order, Jake, married to Pammy, who is pregnant. Karla, you, Mandy—engaged to Silvia, who is in the Army and they’re moving to Italy soon. Last but certainly not least is Doug, who just got a decent hockey scholarship.”
“Wow, you’re a quick study. I only told you that once.”
Neal glanced sideways at him and smiled. “Your mother emailed some cheats.”
Laughing, Hayden moved closer to Neal and slipped his fingers along the warm, smooth skin of Neal’s thigh. “You’re amazing.”
Hayden enjoyed the slight flush that colored Neal’s cheeks and neck. He arched one eyebrow and winked. “Showing me how much you love me is a date for later tonight?”
“Oh yeah,” Hayden whispered and kissed the corner of Neal’s mouth.
“Could I give you some interview advice?” Neal asked as they dressed.
“Sure.”
“If you’re asked would you be available to travel, say yes. If someone is asking, that’s part of the position,” he said as he hopped into his jeans.
“I was hoping to get something in this area. I’m not sure how well a long-distance romance would work.”
“I know. Don’t forget I travel a lot too. Well, I go to Dubai often, though I don’t get to sightsee much. A fair percentage of my work for my architecture clients I can do via email and video chat. I have a number of clients that don’t live anywhere around here. We’ll make it work.” He pulled his shirt on and buttoned it then sat on the bed. “I promise.”
Hayden rested one bent knee on the bed next to Neal and leaned to the side, giving him a kiss. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it.”
Hayden’s parents and siblings were arriving shortly from Wisconsin. The following day was graduation day. For a week after that, Hayden had interviews set up with several automotive companies. He’d had preliminary meetings for the last couple of months and, as a result, had been given several offers of more in-depth interviews in the weeks after graduation. Right now, however, he concentrated on getting through the next few hours of his entire family meeting Neal. While Neal seemed calm and in control, Hayden was a bundle of nerves. It must’ve showed because twice in the elevator Neal assured him things would go smoothly.
That evening the hotel was hosting a party for all the employees graduating from their respective schools. It was a simple affair and one Hayden was told had become a tradition among the hotel management. Hayden’s family would arrive and be settled in just in time for the buffet to begin.
Hayden paced back and forth by the hotel’s front door, waiting on the van transporting his family from the airport. Neal had taken up a position in one of the deep well-cushioned chairs in the lobby and was reading on his phone. Hayden had long since learned Neal would read the news on his phone any chance he got. Neal looked cool as a cucumber in the face of meeting the mob that was Hayden’s family. Hayden, in the meantime, felt as if he were the one meeting his boyfriend’s family for the first time. Then he was reminded how well his first encounter with Neal’s parents had gone, and his nerves skittered even higher.
At long last a van with the logo of a luxury rental-car company on the side appeared. Leave it to Neal to use that company and not the regular cab company. At first Hayden had balked at Neal making all these arrangements and paying for it as well, but he’d soon become overwhelmed. There were the arrangements for his family, preparations for graduation, and his PhD dissertation defense. Now he was relieved and grateful for Neal’s support and care.
Hayden ran from the cool air-conditioning of the hotel lobby into the rising heat and humidity of the late spring day. The scent of blooming flowers wafted through the air on a soft breeze. He held his hands out at his sides and waved them in the direction of the van, trying to hurry it into place. Finally the van eased into one of the spaces in the unloading lane and coasted to a halt.
The door glided open, and within seconds Hayden was smothered in hugs and backslapping. Everyone was talking at once as their bags were being loaded onto a luggage rack by one of the hotel porters. Looking to where he’d last seen Neal, Hayden had a moment of sheer panic. His boyfriend was gone. Had he seen this horde coming at him and decided it was too much? Turning slowly to search the lobby, Hayden chuckled when he finally spotted Neal. He was on the opposite side of the luggage rack helping to load the bags with one of Hayden’s brothers. They were chatting away as if they’d been friends forever.
By the time they had everyone checked in and piled into an elevator, Neal had greeted them all and introduced himself. The more flustered Hayden got, the more in control and cool Neal seemed. He winked at Hayden while he was deep in conversation with Hayden’s parents.
The family had been booked into a group of rooms a few floors below the suite Neal and Hayden shared. Kerry had a handful of keycards and was pointing out room numbers, directing traffic. “What time does the buffet start?” she asked.
“Um….” Hayden glanced at his watch.
“Twenty minutes,” Neal said. “But it will be open for a few hours. I’ve never stopped in before, but I’ve seen what the managers do, and they don’t run out of food.”
“Today might be a first when this crew digs in,” Hayden’s father said.
“It was so wonderful of you to arrange all this for Hayden,” Kerry said to Neal.
“Oh, the hotel has done this graduation party for their employees for years, I had nothing to do with it,” Neal said smoothly.
Kerry poked at Neal’s chest and cocked her head. Hayden sidestepped so he was beside Neal and slid his arm through Neal’s. “Give it up. That’s her ‘you’re busted’ look.”
“Yeah, you’d know.” Doug elbowed Hayden’s side and snickered.
“Whatever,” Hayden grumbled. Neal simply laughed and put one arm around Hayden’s shoulders.
When they dined in the hotel’s restaurants, suits were the normal attire. Today Hayden was outrageously grateful for Neal’s near obsession with dr
essing for an occasion. He wore a simple cotton button-down shirt, jeans, and loafers. Other than his watch, he wore no jewelry. He looked nice and put together, but nothing he wore screamed money. There were some people dressed more formally at the buffet, but since a number of the guests had arrived just that day and it was meant to be casual, Hayden, his family, and Neal fit right in. By the end of the evening when Hayden crawled into bed and curled around Neal, he was exhausted and happy.
The next day they arrived at the university several hours before the commencement ceremony was to begin.
“Just my luck,” Hayden grumbled as he pulled on his suit jacket. “The last two weeks it was overcast, cool, breezy, and pleasant. Today when I have to wear a suit and a cap and gown, it’s hot and sunny, with not even the tiniest movement of air.”
“It won’t be that bad,” Neal said and held the suite door open for Hayden as they headed toward the elevator.
“It’s outside!” Hayden attempted an annoyed voice, but it really came out more like a whine, which made Neal bite his lip and shake his head.
Nathan was waiting near the intersecting hall with a big smile on his face. “Congratulations, Mr. Hayden. An exciting day.” He pressed the call button for the elevator.
“Thank you. Honestly I thought it’d never happen,” Hayden said. The bell dinged and the elevator doors opened. As they stepped into the car, Hayden caught how Nathan nodded in the slightest way to Neal as the door slid shut. “What was all that about?”
“What was what about?” Neal folded his hands in front of him and gave Hayden such an innocent look Hayden almost believed nothing had transpired between the two men.
“You know what looking at me with those big dark eyes does.”
“Yes,” Neal admitted. “I do. It’s something I count on.”
Hayden had to admit that having his parents and himself driven to the university in an Aston Martin was fitting, fun, and sexy. Not to mention riding in the car was a treat Hayden thought would never get old.
The graduation ceremony was typical: the speakers, no matter how entertaining, took too long, and the awarding of degrees and doctorates dragged out to the point Hayden was sure he’d be too old to enjoy his achievement before they finished.
Afterward they met up with Rick, Steffie, and their families for a tour of their various departments. The project Hayden had been working on for the past two years was on display, and he was only too happy to show it off. When they left the college, Neal didn’t get on the highway leading back to the city but headed in the direction of his house.
“I thought it would be nicer at my house. The hotel is lovely, but some things should be done in a more casual setting,” Neal explained before Hayden could ask. His parents didn’t seem surprised, and neither did his siblings when they piled in the two rental cars with the promise to follow Neal.
Surprisingly, they were greeted by Nathan, who discreetly handed Hayden an envelope, explaining, “A little graduation gift from me.”
Hayden opened the envelope and pulled out a card. Inside was a gift card from his favorite auto-parts supplier, where he purchased many of the parts for the car he was still working to restore.
“You didn’t have to do this,” Hayden said. “But I’m glad you did, and this will come in very handy. Thank you!”
“My pleasure.” Nathan gave him a warm handshake. “You have become a favorite of mine.”
“What’s all this?” Hayden asked. He leaned around Neal and took in the sight of the decorated house.
“Nathan was very kind and helped Neal and me make arrangements for a little party,” Kerry said.
“You two are getting a little too chummy,” Hayden teased and gave his mother a hug.
“It was the tea,” Neal confessed. Hayden rolled his eyes and laughed.
Royce and Marty were delighted to have a house full of people who were all giving them an abundance of attention. Hayden thought it almost looked like a conspiracy between the two dogs. They took different paths, wandering from person to person with their tails wagging gently side to side.
“How’d you get Nathan to oversee all this?” Hayden whispered to Neal.
“I’ve been able to hire him a few times to help me out when I have a smaller event here. This time he refused my money. He referred me to the catering company years ago. I think they do a very nice job.”
Hayden made a mental note to get something for Nathan and thank him for helping organize this party when he probably had much more interesting things to do during his day off. The small catering staff was moving about the kitchen and deck outside, setting things up, all under Nathan’s watchful eye. The large deck on the back of Neal’s home, as well as the great room, were decorated with streamers, banners, and toy cars hung on strings from the ceiling and deck railings. Japanese lanterns, also in an automotive theme, were strung along the sides of the deck and out into the yard.
The outdoor grill was loaded with steaks, shrimp, chicken, and roasting vegetables in various stages of preparation, and more delicious aromas billowed out of the kitchen. Hayden spotted two varieties of salads, and a few platters of appetizers were being carried outside. A bar was set up in one section of the deck with a selection of iced and hot teas, wine, beer, sodas, and coffee. Two long, wooden tables were arranged on the grass in the yard under a canopy tent, and there were plenty of chairs scattered about. A cake in the shape of a race car had center place on one of the tables.
Apparently there had been a lot more planning than Hayden was ever aware of. All the members of his family had more comfortable, casual clothes and shoes befitting an outdoor barbeque stashed in Neal’s spare bedroom. Weeks ago, Hayden had begun leaving clothes at the house, and he was terribly happy to shed his suit for knee-length khaki shorts, a light blue shirt, and sandals. Neal dressed similarly except his shorts were black, his shirt dark gray, and his sandals were much nicer.
It didn’t take long for his family to organize a pickup flag football game. Even though Neal claimed to have no knowledge of the game, he joined in. He was athletic enough he kept up even without an in-depth familiarity with the rules and nuances of the game. Twice Neal not only snagged the flag from Hayden’s pocket but got one arm around his waist in the process.
When Hayden stepped out of the game for something to drink Neal trailed along with him. He grabbed two bottles of beer, handed one off to Hayden, and dropped into one of the long chaise lounges. Grabbing Hayden’s hand, Neal tugged him onto the chair and rubbed one hand up and down Hayden’s spine.
“Thank you for all this and for making my family so welcome. They like you,” Hayden said, quietly enough only Neal would hear him.
“I like them very much. These people are so warm and nice. My family life was never like this.”
“I believe it. I met your parents, remember?” Hayden took a long swig of beer.
“Remember? I’ll never forget. I thought for sure you’d never want to speak to me again after meeting them. The worst part? They were on their best warm and fuzzy behavior, and that was only because I threatened to sell my shares of the company and never speak to them again.”
“Wow. The saddest bit of that statement is I know you’re not making that up or exaggerating.” Hayden paused and scratched at his knee for a few seconds. “You’d really do that for me?”
“Hell yes. Though I’ll be honest and say that the trip to Dubai would probably be off if I were living off what I earn as an architect.”
“We could go halves,” Hayden pointed out. “After I get a job, of course.”
“True. However, fortunately for us my parents didn’t make me follow through with that threat.” Neal moved his hand up to Hayden’s head and ruffled his fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. “I now have to admit I’m pretty relieved to see your sister engaged to a woman.”
“Oh, sorry, I should have told you, but I guess since it’s nothing new in my family, I didn’t think of it. My mom has an aunt who’s a lesbian.
She’s out and proud and has been since her midtwenties or something like that.” He shrugged a bit. “Ever since I can remember, anyway. They’re pretty open about that stuff. My mom says she grew up in a commune. She didn’t really, but her parents were really open about things like that, and I told them I was gay when I was thirteen.” Hayden hoped his words didn’t sound rushed. “That probably sounds hokey.”
“Not at all. People your age aren’t as stupid when it comes to things like being gay. People my age and older, not so much.” Neal pulled Hayden back so he was resting against Neal’s chest. “When is their wedding?”
“In a couple weeks, before they move to Italy. Will you go? To the wedding, not Italy. My mom asked me earlier if she should include you in the head count.” Hayden pushed his glasses up his nose and chewed on his lip.
“I wouldn’t miss it. Give me some ideas for wedding gifts later, will you?”
Hayden nodded and shifted so he was even closer to Neal. “Of course.”
The warmth of Neal’s body and the mellow feeling from the beer combined with the excitement of the day and his recent exercise from their football game to help Hayden relax even more. He twisted his head far enough to give Neal a quick, chaste kiss, then sighed contentedly. “Are you really fine with the prospect of me getting a job that involves a move? I don’t want you to say you are then start to resent me later.”
“I’m not letting you get away, so stop worrying. I do have one thing I think you should consider,” Neal said. His voice was soft, almost teasing, but to Hayden Neal’s words seemed serious.
“What’s that?” Hayden asked, not sure if he was afraid to hear what Neal was about to say.
“I like your family, and they like me.” Neal took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I am sort of hoping maybe there’s room for one more.”
“What are you saying?” Hayden sat straighter and turned to face Neal.
“I’m saying—asking—will you be my husband?”
Hayden blinked.
“You don’t have to decide—”
High Test Page 16