by L. Michael
While I told Des and Jakob how Josh and I had met and had fallen in love, they awed and ohed like little girls. It was hilarious to see those two Daddies emerge into our story, but we spent a good time together.
“That’s it. Here we are today.” As I finished up my story, the door to the bar opened, and light poured in. The voices of the people entering the bar reached my ears. Surprised, I turned around and stared at two women and the man who came in.
“Mom? Sandra? Mitch? What are you all doing here?” My mom and Josh’s parents, Sandra, and Mitch made their way towards us. All of them wearing similar huge smiles. None of them lived in New York, and Josh nor I had any idea that they would fly over today.
“Darrell. Sweetie, how are you?” My mom squealed and ran towards me. She gave killer hugs for a woman of her small size, and right now, I was at the receiving end. “We landed this morning. Oh, I couldn’t wait to get here!”
I was dumbstruck, and my voice caught in my throat.
“Vickie, you left him speechless,” Des laughed at me.
Shaking my head in his direction and returning to my senses, I returned the hug and greeted my Mom properly.
“Oh, sweetie. It’s so good to see you.” My mom patted my cheek when she finally let go of me.
“Mom, it’s great to see you, too. But what are you doing here?”
“Well, a little bird, let me know you were planning a huge surprise for Josh. So, when Sandra and Mitch called me, we planned on flying in to help you surprise him.”
My mouth dropped open, and out of the corner of my eye, I caught a blush rise on Jakob’s face. Turning towards him, I raised my eyebrows. “Jakob, what did you do?”
“It wasn’t me.” Jakob raised his hand. If in defeat or to defend himself, I had no idea. But then he shrugged and smiled. “It was Sam. He wanted to surprise you both. Surprise?”
“Yeah. Surprise.” Of course, it had been Sam. He probably called my Mom as soon as he learned about me proposing to Josh. And that explained why my Mom had told me that she had no time to come over when I invited her to join us tonight. “But thank you, guys. This is great.”
Sandra and Mitch approached me and engulfed me in another hug. Sandra was one of the kindest people I’d ever met, and since the first time Josh had me introduced me to his parents, she had welcomed me to her family. Sandra pulled back and had tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Darrell, we are so happy for you both.” Mitch, Josh’s dad, was a man of few words and just nodded his head.
“Wait. Did this little bird tell you all about the whole surprise?” That was the only explanation why Sandra was almost crying. Looking at them, they all looked equally guilty. Of course, Sam had spilled the beans.
“Maybe?” Sandra admitted, then she clapped her hands together like Josh always did when he was about to get a surprise. “Can I see it?”
I pulled the ring out of the pocket and showed it to her. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she gazed lovingly at it. My Mom wore the same expression of admiration on her face when she looked at the ring, too.
“Oh, Darrell. It’s beautiful.” Sandra smiled at me.
“So, do you think he’ll say yes?”
A giggle bubbled out of her. “Oh, sweetie. Of course, he will say yes. You two are made for each other. I’m just so glad we got here to share this moment with you. This means the world to us, Darrell.”
“Thank you, Sandra. And you being here means the world to us. Thanks again for coming.”
With the help of my mom and Josh’s parents, we finished decorating in no time. Looking around, when we were done, I smiled. The place looked fantastic. With a lot of decoration, we had turned the Rainbow Room into a tropical forest with a fishing pool in one corner and fairy lights strung all around that looked like fireflies. It was perfect.
“Darrell, this looks so great. Josh will love it.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Shrugging, I looked at her. “I just hope that he’ll love his other surprise as well.”
“Oh, Darrell.” My mom reached out and stroked my cheek. “He loves you as much as you love him. Don’t let your fears get to you, know. You know, deep down in your heart, that he will say yes. He’s going to be your husband, Darrell.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I fought the tears that gathered in my eyes and pulled my mom in for another hug. When I stepped back, I saw Des wandering around the bar, doing some last-minute checks on our decorations. Then he turned to me.
“Ok, it looks like we have everything done. Darrell, you need to go upstairs and get ready. Just call downstairs when you need something.”
I gave him a mock salute. “Aye, aye captain. You heard him, Mom. I need to go get ready.”
“I’ll come with you and help.”
“You’re the best, Mom.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and guided her up to Des’s apartment above the bar. His generosity blew me away. He not only closed the bar for our celebration, but he let me use his apartment to get ready, too. My clothes were already set out in the living room, just waiting for me.
“Darrell.”
“Yeah, Mom.”
“What took you so long to take this step?”
A huge sigh left my lungs. “To be honest. We got so comfortable with life…No, that’s not true. I got comfortable with how we were. I mean, why change if everything is going good. So, I didn’t think we needed this. But the more time we spent with Sam and Jakob and after what happened to Sam, the more I yearned for something permanent. I know we are exclusive, but I wanted this for both Josh and me. To prove to him, I am his, and he is mine forever.”
As I looked up, my mom had tears in her eyes. “I am so proud of you. Marriage is a big step, but I’m glad you are taking it.” She reached out and gave me a huge hug, and I hugged her back.
“Thanks, mom. It means a lot that you came.”
She reached up and patted my cheek. “Nothing would have stopped me, and now let’s get you ready. Oh, and Darrell? I love you.”
“Love you, too, mom.”
As I got changed and ready to go back down, butterflies settled in my stomach. I knew that it was the right thing to do, but I was still nervous about Josh's reaction.
Josh
Sam all but swooned when I told him our story. He listened, absently feeding Tate the turtle with salad. When I finished, Sam’s phone pinged.
“Oh, sorry, that’s Daddy.”
It was comical to watch the expressions flash across his face. Happiness. Worry. Excitement. It was like watching a movie. Something Jakob texted him made him happy. Or maybe it was just the message from Jakob that made him smile? That made sense. He and Jakob were such a good couple. Watching them going through almost losing each other to being in love had me thinking about my relationship. It was the reason why I went out in the end and got a ring for Darrell. Watching Jakob almost losing Sam made me want to tie the knot with Darrell. I wanted to show him that I loved him and that we would be together forever. It was clear to me that we were meant to be together.
When Sam finished looking at his phone, I pulled the ring out of my pocket and held it up.
“Sam, I need your help.”
“Help with wh—” His eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. “Is that? When did? Wow!”
It was funny to see him all flustered, and it made me laugh.
“I bought the ring a few weeks ago. I was just waiting for the perfect time, and I think tonight would be good. Don’t you think?”
Sam’s eyes filled with tears. “That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. You two are so perfect together. I can’t believe that you both—” His eyes got even bigger as he slapped his hands over his mouth.
“We both what, Sam? What do you mean?”
He frantically shook his head and still held his mouth. He even put his other hand over the other, too. Okay, that was weird, even for Sam, the little Tech Nerd.
“Sam. Spill it. What do you know?”
Sam blushed, the
n turned red in an instant. He looked down at his phone, and his hands dropped from his mouth. “Oh, my God! Josh, look at the time we need to get ready. Like now. I’ll put Tate back. Can you clean up our cars?”
He didn’t wait for me to answer as he dashed out of the room. Shaking my head, I picked up Sam’s cars and put them away. I knew Sam well enough to know that something was up. Whatever Darrell had planned, Sam knew about it, and since he was an open book, he just tried to get out of my reach and avoid an interrogation that wouldn’t last even a minute. After a while, Sam scampered back into the room and started to pull me off the floor.
“Come on. We need to get dressed and get going. Come on. Come on. Come on.”
“Ok, Sam. Geez. I swear you’re more excited about this dinner...” Then it clicked. Something was going to happen tonight. Daddy was using Sam as a diversion. As I stood, I put my hands on my hips and glared at Sam. “Who is going to be at dinner tonight, Sam?”
“What? Who? What do you mean? My Daddy and your Daddy are meeting us.”
“No, I can tell there is more to it than that.” It was probably unfair to get him into this position, but I wanted to know what was going on. I only needed to stare at him for a second before his shoulders dropped.
“Yes, there is a surprise, but I am not telling you any more than that. No corner time is worth it, and I’m going to be in soooo much trouble if I spill the beans. Sorry. Not sorry. You have to trust your Daddy.”
I took a deep breath. Trust my Daddy. In all the years we have been together, Darrell has never hurt me or did anything to harm me. If he wanted to surprise me, I would be surprised, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t push on Sam a bit more.
“So, is it a good surprise or a bad surprise?”
It was comical to see Sam’s mouth drop open. It took a moment before he shook his head. “How can surprises be bad? That’s terrible. Don’t you remember my housewarming party that my Daddy surprised me with? That was fun, and the surprise I got the same night when I got Tate. Come on. There is no such thing as a bad surprise. That’s just...” He shuddered as he finished his tirade. The way Sam shook and was so adamant about surprises made me laugh.
“Ok. Ok. You made your point. One good surprise coming.”
“Yeah, and just for that, I am going to tell Daddy to come out and blindfold you so you can be extra surprised. Ha.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
Sam pulled out his phone and started to type away, so I made a move forward and tried to grab the phone, but he was too quick.
“Ha! Done!” The little shit even stuck his tongue out at me. “Now come on. We need to change. No shorts and t-shirts tonight. Come on! I don’t want to be late.” Then he slapped his hand over his mouth again. As I was about to say something, Sam already motioned with his free hand to my clothes and ran out of his playroom.
Shaking my head, I changed into my favorite suit. Daddy bought it for me for our second anniversary. It was a custom-tailored suit that fit me like a glove. It was a soft cashmere-like fabric, and the best thing it had little X’s all over. It was a nod to Daddy looking like Vin Diesel and my love of the movie XXX. You had to look close to see the X’s, but they were there. It was my favorite outfit, outside my Little clothes, that Daddy had bought me. Running my fingers down the front to smooth out any wrinkles, I suddenly remembered Daddy’s ring in the pockets of my shorts and put it into my pocket. Tonight, I was going to propose to Daddy. No matter what he had planned.
Sam and I made our way through town to the Rainbow Room. As our regular bar and Des had excellent ice cream, it had been the perfect choice for my birthday dinner. Maybe Des even had made me a cake. I was so focused on my thoughts that I was shocked when we had arrived. When I went to get out of the cab, Jakob was standing right next to my door.
“So, I hear that someone needs to have this,” he shook the blindfold in front of me and winked over at Sam.
“No. I don’t need that.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stuck my tongue out at Sam.
“Listen, brat. I know I am not your Daddy, but I will spank you if you ruin Darrell's surprise because you act out.”
"Sorry.”
Jakob reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Josh, your Daddy went to a lot of trouble for this to be special for you. So, play along. Ok?”
Jakob’s word went straight to my heart, and a guilty ball formed in my belly. Daddy was doing something special for me, and I acted up because I was about to be blindfolded. The first time I was blindfolded to get a surprise, Darrell had taken me to Coney Island, and I had loved it.
“I’m sorry.”
Sam startled me when he wrapped his arm around me and hugged. “It’s going to be sooo awesome, you’ll see!”
“Ok, Sam. Let Josh go so we can get him inside. Come on, Josh. You are going to love this.” He raised the blindfold to my eyes and gently tied it in place. “Ok. Sam, you take that arm, and I’ll take this one. Careful now.”
With Jakob on my right and Sam on my left, we made our way across the parking lot. I strained to hear the noise from the bar but couldn’t hear anything.
“Ok, Josh, the door is here. A little step up.” Sam guided me over the threshold into the bar. It was still quiet. Too quiet. There were sounds of people moving but no music and no voices. Sam squeezed my arm, and Jakob suddenly whisked the blindfold off my eyes. I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the light, and when the room came into focus...
“Surprise!”
The sound was deafening. All around me, people crowded around. My eyes immediately found my Daddy, standing proudly in front of the others. Tears gathered in my eyes. He was so handsome in his matching suit. Darrell opened his arms, and I ran into them and was surrounded by his powerful arms in a warm embrace.
“Surprise, Baby. And Happy Birthday,” He whispered in my ear. “Come on, turn around and enjoy your surprise.”
I tilted my head back to look at him. “There’s more?”
“So much more, sport. Come on.” He spun me around to face the room. The room was so colorful and tropical, and it looked like a real tropical forest! There were even fairy lights, which looked like fireflies. Then I noticed how many people were in the bar. There was not only Darrell and Jakob but Des and Raymond, Angela with her girlfriend, and...my mouth dropped open.
“Mom? Dad?” My mom rushed forward and wrapped her arms around me.
“My sweet Joshua. Happy Birthday!” Before I could even answer, my Mom stepped aside, and my Dad took over. He squeezed my shoulder instead of hugging me, but that was okay. My Mom was the affectionate part of my parents.
“Happy Birthday, son.”
“What are you doing here? How did—”
My mom leaned back and winked at me, “Your friend, Sam, called us and told us about the party. So, we flew in to see you and Darrell.”
“Wow.” I had to give Sam a monster hug later to thank him. This was a fantastic surprise.
“Come on, honey. Let him go. Other people want to see Josh, too.” My Dad spoke up, and I smiled at him.
“Thanks, dad.”
Darrell’s mom came up and hugged me next, “Happy birthday, Josh.”
“Thanks, Vickie.”
The amount of love in the room overwhelmed me. After Vickie, I got hugged by everyone in the room. Angela even grabbed my face and kissed me loudly on my cheek. It was overwhelming but so, so perfect!
Chapter 9
Darrell
It filled my heart with joy to see all the love for Josh and me. It took about half an hour for everyone to come up and congratulate Josh and wish him a happy birthday. After the initial wave passed, Des stepped up by the bar and got everyone’s attention.
“Can I have your attention? It is with great joy that we gather here to celebrate Josh’s birthday. Food has been provided over on the buffet tables along the back wall, and drinks are also available. So please. Eat. Drink. Have a good time, and celebrate an exceptional evening!”
Everyone clapped and dispersed to eat and get drinks. Josh was still at my side, so I leaned down to whisper in his ear.
“Was that a good surprise, Baby?”
Josh leaned his head against my shoulder and smiled up at me, almost drunk from happiness. “The best surprise, Daddy.”
“Great. Let’s eat.” The best surprise was coming later, but there was no reason to point that out. He would out after his cake and presents.
The night progressed perfectly. There was laughing and dancing, and everyone was having a good time. It was great, and it warmed my heart to see Josh so carefree and happy. On my signal, Des went into the kitchen and wheeled out a colossal clown fish-themed cake. It was three tiers of filled cake and clownfish decorations. Josh's parents saw it first and immediately started to sing, with everyone else falling in.
“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Josh. Happy birthday to you!”
Josh’s eyes filled with tears as he stood beside me, listening to all the voices ring out, wishing him a happy birthday. Placing my arm around his shoulder, I hugged him and kissed his head. When the song finished, Josh took a breath.
“Thank you all so much for coming and making this a genuinely surprising birthday. Now let's have some cake!”
Josh spun towards me, “Daddy, that is the best cake ever. Where did you get it?”
“Des has a friend that makes cakes remember? Just like the one for Sam’s party. I wanted it to be special, and I remembered how much you liked Sams cake.”
“It’s the bestest cake ever. Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, Baby Boy.” I kissed the top of his head, “Come on. Let’s have some cake. But just one piece.”
“A big piece?”
Laughter bubbled out of me. My Boy was always there to push me and keep me on my toes, and I loved it. “A medium piece, sport.”
He pouted a bit then took off to get his cake. Sam was already standing there, waiting for Josh to accompany him. They almost jumped Des when he approached them with a knife. Shaking my head, I watched when Des gave them both a piece that was all but neither small nor medium.