by Trina Solet
Raising his hand, Lance volunteered, "I can teach them about sports."
They both looked at him skeptically.
"All I know about sports is what goes on in locker rooms in certain kinds of videos," Diego said discreetly and lowered his voice as well. "And I'm not teaching them that."
"I was always good at sports," Lance said but he only got more skeptical looks. "Don't stereotype. I am athletic like you wouldn't believe. If I had a little more bulk, I would have been tackling guys left and right."
"Are we still talking about sports?" Diego asked him.
"I am," Lance said.
While Trevor and Diego were busy securing the kids in their car seats, Lance stepped back to admire the red convertible. "That Mrs. Dundee is something. An old lady who tools around in a pink convertible and waves at any good-looking guys she sees. Is she my long lost grandma?" Lance asked.
"She might be," Trevor told him with a smile.
Diego drove them back to Mrs. Dundee's, but she wasn't back yet. Moira greeted them and arranged for some of the staff to take the picnic baskets inside. Inspired by Mrs. Keegan's fridge, Diego asked Moira for a big piece of paper.
"While Trevor is transferring the car seats, I want the kids to write Mrs. Dundee a thank you note. Or draw one maybe," Diego told her.
With Lance's help, Trevor moved the seats. Moira had Diego and the kids come in and sit at a table off the kitchen, and brought over paper and colored pencils. They got lemonade served to them, and Jamie and Zane made a crazy drawing to thank Mrs. Dundee. Jamie's drawing was a convertible. That's what he claimed anyway. Zane just did some scribbles with Diego's help. Diego took the paper out to the guys so they could write nice messages in the margins.
Moira looked at the paper with approval when Diego handed it off to her. "Mrs. Dundee is a very giving person. I like to see her being appreciated."
"She's a sweetheart," Diego told her. "And so are you."
"I think I like this car better," Trevor said as they got into Diego's 4Runner.
"You must have good memories of it," Diego teased him.
"What kinds of things did you two get up to in this car?" Lance asked from the back seat while Diego and Trevor shushed him.
Jamie looked confused so Trevor turned to tell him, "I like your dad's car the best because all of us are making good memories every time we go somewhere together in this car."
Jamie smiled at him. Diego had noticed that Jamie and Trevor had a gentle rapport and it warmed his heart. Trevor was too wonderful for words, and Diego couldn't wait to introduce him to his parents as his new boyfriend and the man who opened his heart to love once again.
Chapter 21
Next Saturday, Diego's parents were arriving. Diego had turned his office into the guest room, opened the foldout couch and put on fresh sheets. He was making sure everything was in order when he heard the doorbell ring. He answered the door and found his parents standing there with bags in their hands.
"Grandma and grandpa!" Jamie screamed.
As soon as they heard that sweet little shriek, they dropped their bags and opened their arms taking turns hugging Jamie and Diego.
"Have you been good? Or have you been extra super good?" Diego's dad asked Jamie as he swung him up in his arms.
Jamie knew which one to pick. "Extra, super good!"
"Why didn't you guys call or text to let me know you were here?" Diego asked.
"Because you would rush down to help us with our bags," his mother said.
"Guilty," Diego confirmed. "That's what a good son is supposed to do."
His father shook his head. "We are those young kinds of grandparents. We don't need help with the heavy stuff just yet."
They opened up their bags right there in the living room and started bringing out presents for Jamie. There was also food Diego's mom made and packed carefully, mostly baked goods of every kind, including cookies. Jamie was in heaven.
Leaving his parents and Jamie sitting on the floor among the bags, Diego called up Trevor. He wanted to give him an update and invite him over. "They're here and spoiling Jamie rotten. You want to come and meet them?"
"I don't want to intrude," Trevor said.
"That's considerate of you," Diego said then he gave him an ultimatum. "If you and Zane don't come over here, I'll just bring everyone over there. Do you really think my parents want to pass up a chance to meet my boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend? Is that how you're going to introduce me?" Trevor asked. Just from the sound of his voice, Diego could tell he was a nervous wreck.
"You really need to keep up with the latest developments. You coming over or are we invading your place?"
"We'll be right there," Trevor said, but he still sounded petrified.
Once he was off the phone, Diego warned everyone that Trevor and Zane were on the way and to stow their stuff. Diego didn't want to have to worry about what was in his parent's bags that Zane shouldn't get his hands on. Jamie was in charge of taking away the toys that weren't safe for Zane. When Trevor and Zane arrived, he was still busy in his room, distracted by a multitude of new toys.
Diego let them in, but Trevor stood by the door with Zane in his arms and looked kind of hesitant as he faced Diego's parents.
"First thing first. This is the famous Zane that Jamie won't stop talking about," Diego said and his mom and dad each took one of Zane's hands while he peered between them curiously. "And this is my mom, Paloma, and my dad, Fernando, but everyone calls him Nando."
"Such a sweet boy, nice to meet you," his mom said to Zane.
Now it was Trevor's turn to be introduced. "Mom and Dad, this is the guy I'm going to marry," Diego announced and Trevor gaped at him, in shock.
As Diego's mom stepped up to him, Trevor looked back at her with a dazed expression.
"Of course you are. Look at that beautiful face," she said and beamed at Trevor.
Diego's dad was next. He shook Trevor's hand and said, "My son didn't even ask you, did he? Welcome to the family anyway and your little boy too."
Diego's mom jumped at the mention of Zane. "Good point, honey. That means I can take him." She reached for Zane, and he went over to her gladly. That was because he wanted to play with the pendant of her necklace, which was made of two halves of one heart. Zane must be a romantic.
"Remember to give him back, Mom," Diego told her, but she had already stopped listening to anything but Zane's sweet babbling. Diego turned to Trevor and told him the plan for retrieving Zane from her clutches. "If she ever goes to sleep, that will be our chance to snatch Zane back from her. We grab him and then we run for our lives."
"Dad, you didn't tell me Trevor and Zane are here already," Jamie complained as he ran back into the living room.
"He was too busy teasing me," Trevor told him.
"I was teasing no one. I was serious," Diego asserted.
Jamie didn't know what was going on, he got down to business and showed one of his new toys to Trevor. "Is this one OK for Zane to play with?"
Diego had explained to Jamie that Zane's toys couldn't have anything small that could come off. Now Trevor was examining the bear with many hats that Mom got for Jamie. The caps were for different sports teams plus a cowboy hat, a captain's hat, and a firefighter's helmet, but that was made of fabric too. The hats attached to the bear's head with Velcro.
Trevor didn't find anything that might come off and be dangerous. He gave his approval. "Good job, Jamie. Zane can play with this bear if you want him to."
Jamie looked so happy.
"Our Jamie has grown up so much. He's looking out for a little kid like Zane now," Diego's mom said.
"Way to go, just like a big brother," Diego's dad praised him.
"They said it too." Jamie looked up at Trevor and Diego proudly.
"That's because you're going to be a great big brother," Diego told him.
"You want to help me dish out some of this food Mom brought? Lance is on the way over," Diego said to Trevor. Not th
at his parents needed directions, but he told them, "You guys play with the kids and that bear."
Once they got into the kitchen, Trevor glared at him silently.
"What? Meeting your lover's parents is supposed to be mortifying," Diego told him. "That's not my fault. It's the way of the world."
"No. I'm pretty sure it was your fault. You love doing this to me," Trevor said and the poor guy looked like he might collapse, he was so overwhelmed.
"Sorry," Diego said and put his arms around him. "When it came time to introduce you, that's what came to me. It was the truest thing I could say." As he spoke, tears came into Trevor's eyes, but Diego had only spoken the truth. The importance of what he said only hit him fully as he looked into Trevor's eyes. "You are the guy I want to marry," he said and he kissed Trevor.
Lance arrived right in time for lunch. Diego's dad was playing with the kids while his mom opened the door to Lance.
"Beautiful Lance," his mother exclaimed and opened her arms to him.
"This woman knows how to greet me," Lance said as he gave her a hug.
In the kitchen and safely out of earshot, Diego whispered to Trevor, "Mom knows that Lance's family disowned him so she always gives him extra TLC. As you can see, he loves it." Raising his voice he said. "This is the woman who thinks my dad looks like Antonio Banderas."
"Mostly it's the ears," she said and winked at them.
"Moms shouldn't be allowed to wink like that," Diego grumbled.
While they were cleaning up after lunch, Trevor recruited Lance to help him with the dishes in the kitchen. Diego's mom went in to put away some food and came back to the living room smiling.
"I see Trevor and Lance are good friends too. That's so nice to see," his mom said. She had noticed them with their heads together while they did dishes.
"Who said that was allowed?" Diego said. He went over to them "What's this? Um, Trevor, do you have something to tell me? Like how you stole my best friend, for example."
"Yes, finally! Two guys are fighting over me," Lance pumped his fist into the air then his enthusiasm wilted. "But only as friends so that's kind of a bummer."
"I didn't steal him. I just borrowed him," Trevor said but he looked kind of guilty.
"Yeah. Don't be jealous. There's plenty of Lance to go around," he said and threw his long arms over Trevor's shoulders as well as Diego's.
Diego still kicked him out of the kitchen.
"Did you forget that you hate doing dishes?" Trevor asked him.
"I have to stick with you through thick and thin," Diego said getting close and kissing him on the cheek.
He stayed right up against Trevor's side, with his hand on his hip. Trevor didn't object, just kept working and squirming a little next to him. As Trevor's breathing quickened, he turned and his blue-eyed gaze shifted from Diego's eyes to his lips.
"You want a real kiss when we have a full house?" Diego asked him.
Trevor looked like he was about to deny that was what he was asking for, but Diego didn't let him. He backed Trevor against the sink then looked back toward the living room, where the others were hanging out. None of them would have a clear view of them as long as they stayed where they were. "You're so shameless."
Leaning in, he caressed Trevor's lips with his own. He gave him a light, lingering kiss and felt Trevor shiver and sigh. With a firm grip on his arms Diego held him off and looked at him hard. "Now be good and stop tempting me."
Trevor glared at him then smiled. "You have too many ways of driving me crazy," he said in a hushed voice. "Thank you for everything you do to me and for what you said before."
"Fuck," Diego cursed under his breath. Who knew gratitude could be both touching and so sexy. "I told you not to tempt me," he warned Trevor and kissed him again.
Chapter 22
Trevor knew that Diego's parents' visit would be a trial for him, but he wasn't expecting Diego to tell his mom and dad that he wanted to marry him. Diego had mentioned marriage before in that teasing way he had. Trevor told himself not to believe in it. But when Diego said that to his parents, his words became more real.
When he said it again just to Trevor, Diego was so deadly serious, his words so heartfelt. Trevor had to believe him. Honestly it was the scariest moment of his life, and that wasn't even an actual proposal. Diego hadn't asked him. He only expressed a wish. A wish that echoed inside Trevor so powerfully, he couldn't sleep a wink that night.
The next morning, Trevor took Zane to Diego's early. He and his parents were going to be making plans for the day and Trevor and Zane were included. He arrived just as Diego's father was offering Spanish lessons to Jamie.
"The only Spanish you know is how to cuss and order food," Diego told him.
Diego's father nodded. "Those are both useful skills. So which one do you want me to teach him first?"
When he got down to his Spanish lesson, his dad actually taught him something much better.
"What do you call your grandma?" he asked Jamie.
"Abuelita Paloma," Jamie said.
"And me?" Diego's dad asked.
"Abuelito Nando," Jamie said and he got a round of applause.
Coming to join them after getting ready, Diego's mom went straight for Jamie and Zane. She gave Jamie a big kiss and a hug then picked up Zane.
"Can we take the boys to breakfast and then I want to do a little shopping with them," Diego's mom said while Zane played with her necklace. "You boys can come along too."
"Did you notice the way she said that?" Diego asked Trevor. Her invitation to them did seem a little halfhearted. Diego turned to his mom again. "You want the kids all to yourself. You're so transparent," he accused her.
In response, his mom walked away with Zane in her arms. That wasn't exactly a denial.
"So should we go?" Trevor asked him.
"Let them have their fun. They don't need us tagging along. We can join them later. What do you say?" Diego asked.
"OK," Trevor agreed. He made sure the bag with Zane's stuff had everything he needed. Everyone else went to get ready while Zane hung out in his playpen and Diego had some of that awful coffee he liked.
"Why do you have all these real estate ads lying around?" Trevor wondered.
"Dad went out to get a paper and he grabbed a bunch of those too. He wants me to buy a house. His argument goes like this, 'Son, think of all the meats you could be grilling and smoking in your own back yard.' Then he proceeds to name every kind of meat in existence like he's Forest Gump or something."
"You don't want a house?" Trevor said.
"I do for when it's the four of us – you and me, Jamie and Zane – and some pets. The best we could do here is a goldfish or a parakeet," Diego told him.
Trevor groaned and rubbed his temples. "You keep jumping ahead."
"I'm planning for the future. Daydreaming the life I want," Diego said. He put his coffee cup down and put his hands on Trevor's waist. "I haven't done that in such a long time. But since I met you, I feel inspired and happy."
That sounded so good, but Trevor still frowned. "You see such a bright future, but it's not as easy for me. I'm still worried about custody."
"That's why I didn't want us to go with my parents and the kids. I was thinking that we might go to your old neighborhood and try to dig up something you can use against your dad and at the same time jog your memory maybe," Diego said. Trevor never imagined he was planning something like that.
"I guess I have to find a way to force myself to remember all the stuff I tried to forget. Back to Wellford. OK," Trevor said showing more courage than he had inside him. But as long as Diego was by his side, he knew he could do whatever he had to. "But is this the right time?"
"It's the perfect time. The trip to Wellford and back should take a few hours. My parents have pretty much kidnapped our kids. We're free to go," Diego told him.
"Really? They won't mind?" Trevor was a little skeptical.
"You saw them. My mom was all over Zane. She keeps sayin
g she's going to eat him up. There'll be nothing left of that baby by the time we get back."
"It's still a lot to ask."
"What's up?" Diego's father wanted to know when he came back into the living room and saw them looking serious.
Diego filled him in right away. "Trevor and I need to do a little investigating. Can you and Mom handle the kids for a few hours?"
"Investigating. Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Diego's father said and looked between them knowingly.
Trevor hung his head and blushed, and Diego's dad took that as an admission of guilt.
"I knew it. Sure thing. You boys go have fun," he said.
"See? It's no problem," Diego said and clapped Trevor on the back.
Trevor went to kiss Zane goodbye then Diego's mom came in and picked him up from the playpen. As they saw them off, Diego told Jamie that he and Trevor were going to do something important.
Once they were gone and he was left alone with Diego, Trevor slumped against the door. "I can't get over what your father thinks we're doing right now."
"Parents love to embarrass us. That's just the way it is," Diego said then he noticed that Trevor grew serious. "Thinking about your dad?"
"I got so used to not thinking about him, trying to forget everything he put me through when I was little. It was a door I wanted to shut forever, now I have to break it open."
"Don't push yourself. We'll just see what comes back to you," Diego said and took him in his arms.
The drive to his old neighborhood in Wellford didn't take too long. Not much Sunday traffic was coming this way. In no time they ended up in front of a gray building with square windows and the number 9337 above the rusty front door.
That was their apartment building. It looked smaller than Trevor remembered, like someone had lopped off a few floors. But he knew it was only because he was so little when he lived there, barely five.
They noticed a sign in front that said JDK Construction. As they went into the murky lobby, they came across signs of work being done, piles of debris mostly and plenty of gray dust.