Gabriel (The Marks Brothers Series Book 2)

by Rowe, Nicki

  He found his family in the cafeteria. He immediately went over to August and hugged him. August took a few moments before he wrapped his arms around his younger brother.

  “I can't believe I just walked out,” August said.

  Gabe led August to an empty table. He saw Lorenzo give him a small smile. Fuck, he loved that man. He never met anyone has strong as Lorenzo Diaz. He turned his attention back to August.

  “I've always envied you,” he told his older brother.

  August's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He ran a hand through his black hair. “What?”

  “Yeah.” Gabe nodded, he took the napkin on the table and began ripping it to pieces to calm his nerves. “When you left for college all of the attention turned on me. Everyone—Mom, Father, teachers—they all expected me to follow in your footsteps. They all expected me to get straight A's and be valedictorian. They expected me to one up you and actually go to an ivy league school, but when I failed to meet those expectations they always compared me to you. 'Why can't you be more like August?' 'August never would have gotten drunk and peed off the balconey.' It was a fucking nightmare.” Gabe paused to look up at August. He found that August was still looking at him confused. “I also envied you because you always knew who you were. You knew you wanted to be a journalist from the moment you could read the New Yorker. You never let any of the bullies pick on you in school. You were always so comfortable with your sexuality. You never hid. I wished I could be that brave. I always hid who I was. I hid behind football and booze. The moment I gave all that up and started living for myself was the moment I became happy.”

  August leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “You envied me? I envied you.”

  “I know,” Gabe said, he had known that August's jealousy had always been August's deepest secret. “I never meant to bring you that kind of pain, August. If I had known that Father would have treated me differently just because I reminded him of his glory days in high school I never would have tried out for the football team.”

  “I don't think father would have liked you any less just because you didn't play sports,” August answered honestly. “I think you were just his favorite, and he made no qualms about showing it.”

  “You've always been more of a father to me,” Gabe confessed.

  August smiled.

  “You should go talk to him. Hear him out, you don't have to forgive him,” Gabe advised. “Just hear what he has to say.”

  Chapter Eight

  Lorenzo

  It had been two hours since August had reentered the hospital room to talk to Mr. Marks. Everyone was waiting in the hallway. No one had spoken in almost an hour. Lorenzo had laid his head against Gabe's shoulder. Gabe was drawing circles on the back of Lorenzo's hand with his thumb.

  Finally, August came out. His eyes were swollen and red as if he had cried. He smiled at them.

  Gabe stood and went to his brother. “How do you feel?”

  “Better.”

  “Did you forgive him?”

  August nodded. “It's easier to forgive a dying man, than to hate a dead man for the rest of your life.”

  Elizabeth stood and hugged both of her sons. “I'm proud of you both,” she said.

  Gabe shook his head at his mother affectionately. “Mom, you're ruining my shirt.”

  “Hush, Gabriel,” she replied and pulled him in for a tighter hug.

  When Gabe untangled from his mother. He took Lorenzo's hand and pulled him to his feet. He looked to his family. “I'm starving. Where do you want to eat?”

  August suggested the restaurant their father owned. He turned to Ivy and Kennedy.

  “You are invited if you would like to come.”

  Ivy smiled and hugged August. “Thank you, but I think we're going to stay with Victor a bit longer.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Lorenzo woke up in the hotel room three days later to the sound of Gabe crying. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and holding his head in his hands. Lorenzo scooted across the bed and wrapped his arms around Gabe.

  “What happened?” Lorenzo asked, he kissed Gabe's shoulder lightly.

  “He...he died.”

  Lorenzo froze. He pulled himself up onto to his knees and turned Gabe around so he could look at him. Gabe brought his knees up to his chin. He rubbed a hand over his face. There were bags under his eyes.

  “Ivy said he died last night.”

  Lorenzo pulled Gabe to him. He smoothed a hand up and down Gabe's back. “I'm so sorry.”

  “I have to go talk to August.”

  Lorenzo nodded. “Go. I'll order us some breakfast.”

  Gabe stood and found his shirt. He slipped on a pair of shoes and walked out of the door.

  Lorenzo called room service and ordered Gabe a light breakfast, doubting his man would eat very much that day. He ordered them both coffees, Gabe's was iced, just the way he liked it.

  Gabe returned right after room service had dropped off their breakfast. Gabe grabbed a piece of toast, kissed Lorenzo's temple and locked himself in the bathroom. Lorenzo's heart broke for Gabe, he didn't know what to do, so he resolved to be there for Gabe, but give him his space to grieve.

  ~ ~ ~

  The funeral was a week after Victor's death. There was a large turnout of his friends, business partners, employees and other people that Victor had met throughout his life. Jayson and Billy had flown out to show their support for August. Alejandro had shown up the day before the funeral to be there for Elizabeth. Lorenzo stood at Gabe's side, his fingers intertwined with Gabe's.

  Gabe said that Lorenzo had been his rock throughout the week, but Lorenzo didn't know how. All he did was hold Gabe when he cried and made sure Gabe ate. Lorenzo loved Gabe more than anything, he wished he could take away his pain.

  Being at Victor's funeral had brought up memories of his mom's funeral. The service had been smaller, only his abuela and a few of Lorenzo's mother's friends from work had shown up. Lorenzo didn't remember much from that day, but he remembered that he had cried everday for a month after his mother had died.

  They lowered Victor down into the grave and everyone dispersed. There was going to be a wake at Ivy's house. Lorenzo drove Gabe, August, Jayson, Billy and Elizabeth toward the mansion that Ivy and Victor had lived in.

  “That was a lovely service,” their mother said.

  Both of her sons grunted in agreement. Neither of them had cried during the service.

  Gabe

  Gabe felt numb. He had cried more in the passed week than he had cried in his entire life, but he hadn't cried at the cemetary. Lorenzo was so supportive and amazing, Gabe found himself falling more in love with him. Lorenzo offered his strength and comfort when ever Gabe needed it. Too many people had tried to talk to him over the course of the week, and Gabe felt like the walls had been closing in. As if reading his mind Lorenzo would reach out for him, and just the gentle squeeze of Lorenzo's fingers in his grounded Gabe enough to feel like he wasn't going to break into a hundred little pieces in front of everyone.

  There were so many people that Gabe didn't know, but they all seemed to know him. They said that his father had been a brilliant man, had donated to charaties and had taken Kennedy to her dance practices. That wasn't the man that Gabe knew. Everyone's kind words of his father was confusing him. It seemed Victor had been a whole different person after he had left his sons and ex wife. He had changed for these people, but he had never changed for August and Gabe. That angered Gabe, he felt like his father never really gave a shit about him or his brother. Then Gabe felt guilty for thinking ill of a dead man. Gabe felt like a rubberband waiting to snap.

  “Here, baby,” Gabe heard Jayson tell August. He handed him a drink.

  God, fuck, Gabe could use a drink. He made his way to the table where there was wine and beer. He began to pour himself a bottle of beer into a cup when he looked up and saw Lorenzo watching him. He wasn't judging Gabe's choice to drink, but he looked worried. Lorenzo knew Gabe only drank wh
en he felt out of control. Gabe shook with some negative emotion. He needed to force himself to be in control. Gabe slammed the bottle back down on the table and walked away empty handed.

  He wrapped his arms around Lorenzo's neck and buried his face in his hair, already feeling better just by being close to Lorenzo.

  “I want to go home,” Gabe said against Lorenzo's head.

  Lorenzo's arms wrapped around him and he pulled back to look at Gabe. “Is that what you really want?”

  “Maybe,” Gabe said. He didn't know what he wanted.

  “How about another twenty minutes,” Lorenzo suggested. “If you want to go home then we will go home.”

  Gabe nodded. He pulled Lorenzo back to him and held on like his life depended on it.

  Three Months Later

  Chapter Nine

  Lorenzo

  Fourth of July weekend was always Lorenzo's favorite weekend, but this year it was going to be even better. He had a huge surprise waiting for Gabe, and he was excited to see Gabe's face. Gabe was usually good at guessing when someone was planning something for him, but Lorenzo had been extra careful not to give anything away; Gabe didn't suspect anything.

  They had skipped the community pancake breakfast and had spent the morning in bed. Now, they were at the animal shelter with Billy. Both of Billy's dads had to work, and babysitting duty had fallen to Lorenzo and Gabe since Viola was out of town with Gigi.

  Billy was running from cage to cage and saying 'wow!' to every dog he saw.

  “What about this one, Uncle Gabe?” Billy said pointing to a small dog with brown and gray fur. “He's cute!”

  “Ask Lorenzo,” Gabe said, looking at a doberman. “It'll be his dog.”

  Lorenzo rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. “I want you to like him too.” He wanted to think of this dog as their dog.

  “Are you sure you want a dog, Zo?” Gabe straightened and walked over to where Billy had pointed out another dog.

  “I'm sure. Rex needs someone to play with.”

  “He has Shelby.”

  “Shelby is a mean, stuck-up cat,” Lorenzo replied flatly.

  Gabe gasped in jest, and put his hand over his heart. “Shelby is a beautiful soul!”

  Lorenzo lightly shoved Gabe, and Gabe pulled Lorenzo to him and kissed his cheek.

  The employee of the shelter came back in from feeding the cats. “Did you find someone you liked?”

  Next to him Gabe chuckled, he could only imagine what comments were floating around in Gabe's mind. Lorenzo smiled at the woman. He had seen her around town, but she was new, so he didn't know what her name was. He went over to the small dog with brown and gray fur that Billy had pointed out earlier.

  “He's perfect.”

  ~ ~ ~

  They had just eaten their fill in pie and cookies after eating hamburgers and potato salad when Jayson and August showed up to Dot's party. They looked guilty and Lorenzo could only guess what they had been up to.

  “You're late,” Gabe said, with a tilt of his head and a smirk. “Traffic?”

  Next to him Dustin laughed into his beer. Billy was looking at all of them confused.

  “Yeah, sorry 'bout that,” Jayson said. “Time just got a way.”

  “I bet it did,” Gabe replied, high fiving Dustin.

  August turned red. He strolled forward and smacked both Gabe and Dustin on the back of the head. Lorenzo chuckled.

  Jayson sat next to his son and took a cookie from his plate. “What did you do today, Billy-goat?”

  “Lorenzo got a puppy!” Billy said, happily. “Then we went to Uncle Gabe's. We watched a movie about monkeys in space. Then we went to Clip and Save. Then we picked up Uncle Dusty from work. Then we came here.”

  “Sounds like you had fun,” August said, sitting on Billy's other side.

  “I did. Lorenzo said I get to name his puppy.”

  August and Jayson looked over at him and smiled. They were happy that Lorenzo was so smitten with Billy, it was hard not to love that kid.

  “What are you going to name it, squirt?” Dustin asked.

  “I dunno. George?” Billy looked up to Lorenzo to see if George was an okay name for a dog.

  “George it is,” Lorenzo said, reaching over and ruffling Billy's hair.

  “Lorenzo,” Billy asked, taking another bite of cookie, “how do you say dog in Spanish?”

  “Perro.”

  Billy tried to say it, but he couldn't get his R's to roll like Lorenzo. Lorenzo had been teaching Billy simple Spanish words for a few weeks. Billy was a fast learner, pretty soon he was going to be speaking Spanish better than Lorenzo could. Lorenzo didn't know much, just the few phrases he had picked up from his abuela.

  Gabe

  Gabe had been so enthralled with the fireworks he almost didn't see Lorenzo on his knees in front of him. He looked down and almost jumped back. Lorenzo was looking up at him with an expression so full of love, it made Gabe's heart clench. He was holding a small box with a silver band resting in the center.

  “What is this?”

  Gabe looked around at his brothers and Jayson as if they could offer him some kind of clue. They were just smiling at him.

  “Gabe,” Lorenzo said. “I love you. I think I loved you from the day I met you in the hospital. You have the world's worst mouth, but you also have the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. I want to spend the rest of my life listening to you ramble on and curse about nothing. In such a little amount of time you have come to mean so much to me. I can't picture my life without you. Will you marry me?”

  Gabe's heart melted. Fuck, he never thought he would meet someone who could love him. He never, ever dreamed someone would love him enough to want to put up with his shit for the rest of their lives.

  Gabe reached down and took Lorenzo's hands. Gabe pulled him to his feet.

  “Come with me.”

  He didn't look at anyone as he led Lorenzo away from the party and through the trees. Gabe heard his brother say something to Jayson, but couldn't make out what he said; their laughter followed him through the trees.

  “Where are we going?” Lorenzo asked. His voice was laced with worry and concern.

  Gabe walked fifty more yards before he turned and looked at Lorenzo. He pinned Lorenzo up against a tree.

  “I needed to get you away from everyone,” Gabe growled.

  “Why?”

  Gabe framed Lorenzo's face with his hands. He dragged Lorenzo forward into a bruising kiss. Gabe nipped Lorenzo's bottom lip. He pulled Lorenzo's shirt up and kissed the area over his heart. His own heart swelled with emotion. He loved Lorenzo more than he would ever be able to put into words.

  “Take off your pants,” Gabe demanded.

  “What if someone catches us?”

  “No one will,” Gabe said. He licked the cord at Lorenzo's neck. “Take off your pants.”

  Lorenzo undid his belt and shoved his pants to his ankles along with his underwear. Gabe spun him so Lorenzo was facing the tree. Lorenzo braced himself by digging his nails into the bark. Gabe undid his pants and lined the head of his cock with Lorenzo's entrance.

  “Wait,” Lorenzo gasped as Gabe teased him by sliding the head up and down Lorenzo's crack. “You never answered my question.”

  Gabe leaned close to his ear. He flicked his tongue across the lobe, earning a shiver from Lorenzo. “This is my answer.”

  “I want to hear you say it.”

  “Yes,” Gabe whispered. “Fuck yes, I'll marry you.”

  Then he entered Lorenzo until he hit home.

  The End

  Check out Dustin's story in

  The Marks Brothers No. 3

 

 

 
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