by CJ Bishop
“No,” Devlin assured. “Just nervous.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be nervous?”
“Yeah. Pretty sure that’s a natural part of the experience.” He eyed Clint with amusement. “So…any wedding bells in your near future?”
Clint chuffed. “I already told Axel, if we tie the knot—we’re eloping.”
“No way,” Devlin laughed. “You can’t do that. If I had to get up on that stage—so do you.”
His face twitching, Clint grumbled, “Not gonna happen.”
“Tell that to all the boys,” Devlin grinned. “There may even be enough of them to strong-arm you onto the stage.”
“They’ll get hurt,” Clint muttered.
“I don’t doubt that.” Devlin looked at the boys, shifting back to the previous subject. “Would you two like to go out to Clint’s place tomorrow? He has a puppy.”
“A bratty pup,” Clint scowled with a veiled smirk.
Devlin chuckled. “He is tenacious, I’ll give you that.” He looked at Noel. “Do you think you’d feel up to it? If not, it’s okay. We can have it another time.”
Uncertainty masked Noel’s face, and he leaned closer. Noah knew what he was afraid of, even though Noah had assured him he had nothing to worry about.
“You don’t want to go?” Devlin asked Noel.
“He’s…” Noah shifted beside his brother. “He’s afraid the others will think he’s…not normal.”
“Son…” Devlin leaned forward. “I promise you, no one will mistreat you or make you feel bad about yourself. The people you’ll meet, they’re good people. They’ll like you a lot…just the way you are.”
Clint reached out and cupped Noel’s head gently. “Don’t you worry, kid. I got your back. Anyone who messes with you will have to deal with me.”
Just ask Jim, Noah thought with a forming smile. He didn’t know exactly what Clint and Cochise did to Jim—just that Jim was never coming back to hurt them again.
♦
Clint was coming out the front door of the house when Abel, Maddy, and Savannah arrived home. The cowboy chuckled when they gathered scores of bags from the car. “You leave anything in the stores?”
“Not much,” Abel laughed.
Cocking an eyebrow at the merchandise, Clint asked, “All that for the boys?”
“Yes,” Savannah smiled.
“Blame her,” Maddy teased. “She’s the shopaholic.”
“Yeah,” Savannah rolled her eyes. “How many hours did you spend in the video store? I practically had to pry you both out of there.”
Clint chuckled. “Well, I’m sure the boys will appreciate it.” He tipped his hat at them. “See you kids tomorrow.”
Tomorrow? Abel started to ask, but the cowboy was already halfway across the lawn. He shrugged at the other two and entered the house.
“Santa and his elves have arrived,” Abel announced upon entering the living room, holding up the shopping bags.
“Wow,” Devlin laughed. “Is the bank account tapped out?”
Abel smiled, amused, considering the ‘bank account’ Devlin was referring to rang in at about half a million dollars—courtesy of the Horatio Kaplan foundation. “Yeah, babe,” Abel leaned down and kissed Devlin. “We’re all tapped out.”
“Figured.” Devlin poked at the bag. “Okay, show us what you got. I want to see.”
The two boys scooted up straighter, eyes brightening at the sight of all the stuff.
Savannah knelt before the sofa and reached inside one bag. “Check these out.” She withdrew a pair of expensive sunglasses and slid them over Noel’s eyes. “Cool dude.”
Noel smiled and raised his hands, touching the glasses.
Maddy flipped up his thumbs. “So cool.” Abel and the others laughed.
“I got you some, too,” Savannah told Noah and plucked another pair of sunglasses from the bag, putting them on Noah. “Now we have us two cool dudes.”
“But to be super awesomely cool…” Maddy lifted an oversized shoebox from one of the larger bags and set it on the floor. “You need these.” He removed the lid, revealing a pair of black leather cowboy boots. “Ain’t nothin’ cooler than cowboy cool, huh?”
“Isn’t anything cooler,” Savannah corrected.
Maddy sneered. “I like ain’t nothin’.”
“That’s poor grammar.”
“Ain’t either,” Maddy smirked.
“Ugh.” Savannah rolled her eyes and smiled at the two younger boys. “Don’t ever let him help you with your English assignments.”
“Hush,” Maddy snickered. “We’re opening gifts here.” He took the boots from the box and motioned to Noah. “Hop up and try these on.”
Awed excitement glowed on Noah’s face as he crawled off the sofa. “They’re so cool.” He stepped into the boots.
“Yeah!” Maddy nodded emphatically. “Cowboy cool, baby.”
Abel glanced at Devlin and laughed softly.
Retrieving another matching box, Maddy said, “And some cool boots for you, too, Noel.”
“You did get them some clothes, as well, right?” Devlin chuckled.
“Oh yeah,” Abel assured. “Mostly jeans and t-shirts, and underwear and socks. Also got them each a pair of sneakers along with the boots.”
“And these.” Savannah dug into another bag and withdrew two wrist watches with leather bands. She strapped one on Noel's wrist. “One day, a cute girl or boy is going to ask you for the time. You got to be prepared.” Noel gazed at her and smiled. She smiled back. “Dress-up is fun, huh?” She rose from the floor and sat on the sofa next to Noel. Leaning close, she murmured with a teasing smirk, “Until you and Noah arrived, I didn’t know boys could be so much fun.”
“Hey!” Maddy, Abel, and Devlin exclaimed in unison.
Savannah draped her arm around Noel’s shoulders. “They’re so easy,” she laughed, bringing a big smile to Noel’s face.
“Just for that…” Maddy dumped out a smaller bag, and a stack of video games slid onto the carpet. He snatched up one of the games and thrust it at her. “I’m gonna kick your butt first on this one.”
Savannah huffed. “You couldn’t kick your way out of a wet paper bag.” Noah and Noel were amused. Abel, too, considering Maddy’s training with Cory and Axel; the boy could kick ass.
“We’ll see,” Maddy eyed her with a challenging smile. Behind his eyes, his love for the girl glowed strongly.
“And what did you mean first?” Savannah questioned. “Are you implying you can kick their butts, too?” She nodded at the boys. “I bet they’ll kick your butt all over the place.”
They continued to banter back and forth, inciting soft laughter from Noah and Noel.
Abel moved over to Devlin’s chair and sat on his lap. “They’re all good for each other,” he murmured in Devlin’s ear. Especially Savannah, he thought. She was a natural “nurturer”, and these boys gave her someone to ‘care for’ on that emotional level. She needed that.
“They are.” Devlin hugged him and kissed his lips. “We are a blessed family.”
Chapter 6
Since that morning at Nolan’s apartment, Grid had been trying to convince himself to let it go. Chalk it up to a fantastic ‘first time’ with a man and leave it at that. Neither his body nor his heart were cooperating. He wanted to talk to Nolan, ask him why he was going through with this marriage, get some concrete answers. Maybe if he had believed the sincerity of Nolan’s insistence that he not come back, then it might be different. But there had been little conviction behind Nolan’s words, and even less in his eyes…and his kiss.
It's none of your business. He obviously has his reasons for doing this and is determined to do so. Whether his reasons were the right reasons, it wasn’t Grid’s call to make. He needed to exhibit the proper integrity and step back and allow Nolan to make his own choices without Grid interfering.
Grid was met by Seth when he finally emerged from his bedroom. The guy was stuffing his cell in his pocket
as Grid walked out into the living room. “Morning, sleepy head,” Seth smiled. “Thought you were going to stay in bed all day.”
“It’s barely ten,” Grid pointed out and yawned then rubbed his eyes. “I thought the point of a vacation was sleeping as long as you want.”
“Typically, it is,” Seth agreed. “But we have things to do today.”
“What things?” Grid hoped it involved the club, or at least the club boys. They were a suitable distraction from thoughts of Nolan. He thought about the porno party the four-pack had invited them to and considered that that might just be exactly what he needed right now to purge his mind and heart.
“Horatio and Max invited us to a get-together out at Clint’s place,” Seth said. “They want to introduce Abel’s two step-brothers to some of the family who hasn’t met them yet. They said we should join them and meet the boys as well. I know you’ve already met them, but Jamie and I haven’t.”
Grid nodded. “Yeah, okay. Could be fun.” He looked at Seth and cocked an eyebrow. “Will Ricky and the boys be there? It’ll definitely be fun if they’re there.”
“I don’t know,” Seth grinned. “I guess we’ll find out.” He glanced at his watch. “Horatio and Max will be by in about forty minutes to pick us up. So, if you’re going to shower, you better hop to it. Jamie will be out in a few minutes.”
Taking a seat at the mini-bar, Grid asked, “So, when is this elusive porno party going to take place?”
Seth shrugged. “Don’t know. I don’t think they have a specific date.”
“You and Jamie going?” Grid smiled.
Seth chucked. “Not sure I could stop Jamie from dragging me to it.”
“You cool with that?” Grid asked. “I mean, that Jamie has taken such a liking to those boys? Not that I think he’d ever throw you over for anyone.”
“I’m good with it,” Seth assured with a grin. “I mean, shit, I like them, too. They’re like literal boy toys.” He laughed. “Oddly, it don’t make me jealous when they get all touchy feely with Jamie. Kind of turns me on. I think it turns him on, too, when they get that way with me.”
Grid laughed low. “Who would’ve thought shy little Jamie would be out here getting all hot and wild with the stripper boys? I always thought there might be a tiger lurking behind those kitten eyes of his.”
“Yeah, I figured that out real fast,” Seth nodded. “So, you coming to the party, too?”
Hesitating only a moment, Grid smiled and nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it. After that day in the VIP room…” he shook his head. “Fuck. No way I’m going to turn down a chance to porno party with them.”
Seth smiled but just looked at him.
“What?”
“So, you really are just going to walk away from Nolan?”
Grid sighed heavily. “I don’t see how I have any other choice. He’s got an agenda and he’s sticking to it. What happened between us was…” he shrugged and looked away. “…nothing. Just a one last fling for him, I guess. And a first-time fling for me. It wasn’t meant to be more.”
“But you wanted more, didn’t you?”
“Doesn’t matter what I wanted,” Grid said. “I’m not getting it.” He sighed again and smiled. “But I’ve got Ricky and his sexy bunch to keep me distracted and entertained. I’ll forget about Nolan. It’s not like it was ‘true love’ or any of that shit. We had a good time and it’s over. No big deal.”
Grid wished he felt as confident as he sounded. Maybe he couldn’t say yet that he was in love with Nolan, but he sure as hell had wanted to find out if that’s where they were headed. It felt like it. But he would never know for sure, and maybe that uncertainty would haunt him when he returned to life at college. Maybe it wouldn’t. When he left New York…he needed to leave it behind. He was fast learning, though, that most things were easier said than done.
Max and Horatio were punctual and arrived on time. The limo took them out of the city and into the suburbs, parking before a modest single-family home with a fenced front yard. Axel met them at the door and led them through the house to the large backyard that merged with their neighbor’s yard. The other guests were over there, lounging on the big back porch. Max had explained that Clint’s Egyptian friend, Cochise, lived next door with his boyfriend, Kane, and their family.
Grid had seen the Egyptian at the bachelor party but hadn’t met him. The man had a look about him that screamed “gangster”. Grid knew nothing of the man, but he could definitely imagine him as a mobster.
Meeting him up close, Grid decided real quick that he wasn’t someone to fuck with. The softening of his rigid exterior was amazing to see, though, when Cory and his brood arrived, bringing with them a small blond-haired, blue-eyed boy who immediately bounded into the Egyptian’s arms, hugged his neck, and kissed his face. The little boy brought a light to Cochise’s eyes that gave evidence of the tender heart tucked deep within.
When the boy spotted Grid, Seth, and Jamie, he asked blunted, “Who’s that?”
Axel laughed and plucked him from the Egyptian’s lap. The boy looked like a mini-Clint with his cowboy hat, boots, and six-shooters strapped around his waist. “These are Horatio’s friends from out of town,” Axel told the boy then introduced each one of them. “Guys, this is Jules. Fair warning, he will run you ragged and talk your ear off.”
“Huh-uh,” Jules’ face pinched with a smile.
“Yeah, right,” Angel smirked, joining them, along with Caleb. “Don’t let him fool you.” He tickled Jules and the boy giggled and squirmed in Axel’s arms. “He’s like the energizer bunny. He keeps going and going long after the rest of us are pooped out.”
Jules grinned. “Cowboy and Jonah don’t get pooped out.”
Axel snorted. “They poop out all over the place.” He laughed when Grid looked at him inquisitively. “They’re puppies.”
“Ah,” Grid nodded. “Yeah, puppies will do that.”
Jules wriggled free of Axel’s arms, on a mission to round up the pups and bring them back for Grid, Seth, and Jamie to meet.
“Where’s Samuel?” Grid asked, seeing no sign of the other man.
“He said he had to take care of something before he headed out this way,” Caleb told him. “He should be along any minute, though.”
“Abel isn’t here yet?” Seth asked, looking around.
“No,” Angel answered. “They should be on their way.”
“Have you guys met his stepbrothers?” Seth looked at Angel, Axel, and Caleb.
“I haven’t,” Caleb said. “They have.”
“Poor kids have been through hell,” Axel murmured, soft anguish in his eyes. He glanced toward the porch at Clint, and smiled. “Clint instantly bonded with Noah, and now Noel, too.”
Angel chuckled. “I think it’s cute how these gruff, badass guys get so totally wrapped around these sweet boys’ little fingers. I mean, Jules totally owns Clint and Cochise. And now, Noah and Noel have completely captured Clint.” He grinned. “It’s adorable.”
“Just don’t tell them they’re adorable,” Axel laughed. “They may not be flattered.”
Jules returned with the two pups wiggling around his feet. Jamie squatted down and laughed when the puppies immediately mauled him, licking at his face. Jules giggled.
With the others distracted by the puppies, Caleb touched Grid’s arm and motioned him off to the side. “Samuel told me about Nolan’s fiancée,” he said quietly. “Totally shocked me. We had no idea he was even involved with anyone. Samuel and I were convinced he was gay, until that bomb dropped.”
“Yeah, well,” Grid mumbled. “It is what it is.”
Caleb stared at him. “I know. But still, I was rooting for you and him.”
Grid shrugged and tried not to let it show how affected he actually was by it all. “Maybe it’s better this way. He seems like a guy who prefers a structured, scheduled life. Everything in its place, kind of person. That’s not me. I would’ve driven him nuts.” He sighed and absently nudged the grass
with the toe of his shoe. “I’m not very organized.”
“Maybe that’s exactly what he needs,” Caleb suggested. “His life is a little too structured and scheduled. He needs someone who will shake it up, keep things interesting.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Grid murmured. “But apparently he doesn’t think so.”
“I just wish he’d gotten the chance to get to know you.” He smiled at Grid. “Maybe if there was any gayness in him, you could’ve brought it out.”
Oh, it came out, all right. Grid shivered; Caleb had no idea how well they’d gotten to know each other.
“Oh, hey,” Caleb nodded toward the porch. “There’s Samuel now…” he went quiet, his brow pinching.
Grid turned around and followed his stare. His pulse spiked when Nolan stepped out on the porch behind Samuel—carrying a small child in his arms. Grid froze in place, his eyes glued to the little boy for a moment before he was locked firmly in Nolan’s stare. The man seemed as startled to see Grid as Grid was to see him. Though surely Grid’s shock surpassed Nolan’s by leaps and bounds as his focus was drawn back to the child. Nolan held the boy a little closer—protectively—as Max stood up and smiled.
“And who is this handsome stranger?” he asked, looking at child.
Nolan hesitated, cast another quick glance at Grid, then answered quietly, “Rueben. My…son.”
Numbness spread through Grid as Nolan’s words from the other morning echoed in the back of his mind; There’s a part of her that I’m deeply in love with.
♦
Had Samuel known Grid would be here? What do you think? Nolan adjusted his son in his arms, feeling the weight of Grid’s stare.
“Son?” Horatio stood from his chair. “I didn’t know you had a son.”
Nolan shifted anxiously; he shouldn’t be here. If Patrice found out…
“Actually,” Nolan said. “I only found out myself, a few days ago.”
“Wow,” Max smiled. “What an incredible surprise. If I may ask, how are things between you and his mother?”
Becoming increasingly aware of Grid’s focused attention, Nolan answered, “We’re…good. In fact…” he held Rueben closer. “We’ve decided to get married.”