Eric
She was going to say something…I just knew it.
I hadn’t exactly been avoiding introducing Marcus to Aunt Sylvia, but I hadn’t gone out of my way to make it happen, either. Finally, she’d put her foot down. She’d announced she couldn’t go on her trip until she knew I was going to be “taken care of” and I’d better bring him to dinner or else.
I didn’t want to know what she thought being taken care of meant.
“Baby, I want you to pull over at the rest stop that’s coming up.” Marcus’s voice jerked me out of my thoughts.
“Sure.” I assumed he needed to use the restroom or just stretch his legs for a minute, but after I pulled in and parked, he got out and went around to the driver’s side door.
“Come here, out of the car for a minute.” His voice was tender but there was just enough Daddy in his voice to have me taking a deep breath.
Evidently, I hadn’t hidden my stress as well as I thought. I couldn’t exactly tell him I was fine because I wasn’t going to lie, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Climbing out, I stepped into his arms. “Yes?”
He just chuckled and held me tight, letting me lean against him for a moment. Late afternoon on a Friday meant there wasn’t much traffic at the rest stop. In a few hours, I knew it would be a different story, but for the time being, I just enjoyed the quiet. “You are worrying too much.”
“Maybe a little.”
I sighed, trying to figure out how to organize the thoughts running through my head. Daddy held me and let me work through it until I was ready. “I just want it to go perfect and she’s going to say something—but I don’t know what. I’m not worried that she’ll be mean…I know she loves me, but we don’t see things the same way. She won’t mean it negatively, but what if it’s…too much…too personal?” I wasn’t sure how to explain everything.
Having an abstract knowledge that someone was weird was one thing, but when it was right there in her face, it might be different. We could behave like any other couple, so it wasn’t that, but I knew she’d be able to tell just by looking at us. All those comments about Marcus taking charge…she knew.
“Eric.” Daddy’s voice, firm and serious, had my focus snapping back to him.
“Yes?” The look on his face made it clear he’d been trying to get my attention for a while. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
He gave me a long look and then leaned down to kiss my forehead. He was moving right into Daddy mode. Hands came up to start caressing my hair, and he kissed me again. “She loves you and isn’t going to do anything to make you uncomfortable on purpose. She seems like the kind of family who might tease a little but she’s not going to do it in a mean way. Right?”
I had to nod. “I just don’t think she understands how hard it is.”
“There’s no way she can. She didn’t get a basket case showing up on her doorstep; she got a put-together young man who was very good at hiding just how hurt he was. She’s never been there. She’s never seen that look on someone’s face when they can’t understand what you want. But just remember she loves you. And I’m going to be with you the whole time.” Daddy’s hands were warm and strong, wrapping me up and soothing nerves I hadn’t realized were so exposed.
“The entire time?” I sounded like a wuss. I felt a little like one too.
“Yes—and I saw that look.” He stared me right in the eyes, giving me a serious look, like I was going to earn a punishment if I wasn’t careful. “There is nothing wrong with being nervous or even afraid. I understand exactly why this is so hard, and I’m proud of you. You need to remember that.”
Leaning my head against his shoulder and tucking my face against his neck, I sighed. “I remember. It’s just…too much.”
The soothing feel of his fingers combing through my hair had me humming in pleasure. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Baby.” He pulled back just enough to see into my eyes. “That’s why you’re going to head into the bathroom and change clothes for me.”
“Huh?” I was missing something.
His lips turned up at the corners and he gave me another kiss. “I have some of your other clothes in the trunk. You’re going to take the duffel bag into the restroom,” he pointed to the small square building surrounded by bushes, “and put on your briefs. There’s also a T-shirt you can wear under your regular shirt. With that dark blue color, she won’t be able to see. It’ll look like an undershirt, perfectly ordinary.”
I was going to what?
The look on his face made it clear he wasn’t teasing, so I just stepped back and reached down to hit the button which would pop the trunk. He nodded and moved to lean back against the car. “We’ll make sure your binkie is in your pocket before we get there. Now hurry up.” His face softened, and he grinned. “You don’t want me in there helping.”
No, probably not a smart idea…it was kind of sexy, though.
Changing didn’t take much time. Within minutes, I had on a white T-shirt with a zebra on the front under my navy one. Daddy was right. What little you could see of the bottom one looked like an undershirt. I’d also switched out my boxers for the briefs Daddy liked me to wear when I was little.
Well, the briefs we both liked me to wear.
Maybe it was just in my head, but by the time I got back to the car I was feeling…more like myself. The insane fears in the back of my head were quieting, and it was easier to see why Daddy was proud of me. As I walked through the still-deserted parking lot and put the gym bag in the car, he smiled. “Feeling better, Baby?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Stepping into his arms, I leaned into him. “I put my binkie in my pocket already.”
“Are you going to remember I love you? And that you can do this?” There was a smile in his voice, but I knew my stern daddy was right there if I needed him.
“I’ll remember.” Straightening up, I gave him a kiss. “Come on, I need to introduce you to my aunt Sylvia.”
He laughed, reaching up to caress my face. “Before she shows up on our front porch unexpectedly.”
That thought made me shiver. “That would be bad.”
Barely able to hold in his laughter, he stepped away from the car. “Do you still want to drive? You were distracted before.”
“I’m fine now.” My body felt looser, and my brain wasn’t going in circles anymore. He’d been right to have me pull over. “Thank you for helping me, Daddy.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Baby.” His smile took a wicked turn. “And to give my good boy a reward if he behaves and remembers how strong he is.”
Hmm, that sounded promising. “What kind?”
Chuckling, he shook his head. “You’ll have to wait to find out.”
“Meanie.” Climbing in the car, I watched while he walked around. His strong body, dressed in jeans that made me want to grab his ass and a tight button-down shirt that Aunt Sylvia would love, was beautiful to watch. I already knew what kinds of comments she’d make about Marcus. Sexy, strong, and a cop to boot—she was going to love him.
The rest of the drive flew by. Daddy told me about the progress the carpenter was making on the crib and about the endless paperwork he’d been doing for his last days on the force. I had him rolling with stories of people who’d called that week. It was what a car trip was supposed to be, fun and relaxing.
By the time we pulled up in Aunt Sylvia’s driveway, the butterflies were back but nowhere near as rabid as they’d been at the start of the drive. As we got out of the car and started walking toward the door, Daddy took my hand. “Is this okay, Baby?”
Giving it a squeeze, I nodded. “Yes, she knew right away when I got here that I was gay. There was never any hiding it from her.”
“Let me know if you want me to make up an excuse to leave early or if I need to step in and tell her politely to back off. Meeting your family is nice, but I’m here for you, not her.” His tender voice soothed the butterflies but even Daddy couldn’t make them disappear completely.
“It will be fine. I’m just a worrier.” I could handle anything that came up. I just had to keep telling myself that.
“You’re my worrier, so that makes your concerns mine as well.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead as we climbed up the steps.
Before I could say anything, the door opened, and Aunt Sylvia stepped onto the porch. “Aren’t you two so cute? I swear, all the good ones are gay or taken.”
She sighed dramatically at Marcus’s grin. He was clearly trying to figure out what to make of her. “Thank you, I think.”
Aunt Sylvia glanced at me, shaking her head. “Oh, if I could find someone like him, I might not be single.”
As far as the crazy comments went, it wasn’t bad so far. My guard started coming down as she let us in the house. Unfortunately, I had spoken too soon…thought too soon, maybe…
“Not even Viagra and my bad eyesight can help some of the old geezers on the market right now. I’m not that old, but once you’re a woman over a certain age, the men you’re supposed to date age by twenty years overnight. I’m hoping my cruise will have some better prospects.” She grinned at the look on my face as she closed the door.
“You always said a man would just get in the way. You’re just trying to make me crazy.” Shaking my head, I tried to stop giving her the reactions she was going for.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If I could find a hunk like this, I’d grab him up in a heartbeat.” Her eyes danced, and she gave Marcus a long look.
The woman made me nuts.
“He’s mine.”
That had them both laughing, and Marcus tugged me closer to his side. “Yes, all yours.”
“So cute.” She sighed, then mumbled something that I did my best to ignore. “Dinner’s almost ready, come on back to the kitchen.”
I’d been worried how it would be to have Daddy there, but it felt right. He made it seem more like home. It was like he brought the safety and warmth of our house with him. We were quickly relegated to the table as she finished dinner, but I was used to that. It was easy to see that Daddy would’ve rather been helping, not just watching.
Once we were settled, she turned to Daddy. “Eric said you were retiring from the police force soon.”
It was a tell-me-about-your-plans kind of question that Daddy handled well. As she finished getting the baked ziti and salad ready, he talked about wanting something safer and to make sure he had time to focus on our relationship. He then went on to explain that he was going to take his time finding the right opportunity.
She loved it.
Instead of my vague responses about the future and my goals, she had someone who had thought everything through and was looking at it in an organized and logical fashion. By the end of the conversation, as we were sitting around eating the delicious pasta, it was easy to see she was impressed.
I had a feeling she was confident he could take care of me because she kept giving me knowing looks and nodding like I’d found a keeper. I knew that, but it was nice she could see it too. Aside from a few teasing stories about how awkward I was in high school, she didn’t make things too weird.
“He was a little lost in college, but I have a feeling you’ll keep an eye on him.” She was smiling as she passed me a basket of garlic bread, but there seemed to be something behind the happy expression as she watched Daddy. “He needs someone a bit more take-charge.”
There she went.
Daddy just nodded and gave her a pointed look I couldn’t quite decipher. “We fit well together.”
She seemed content to leave it at that, but then went back to stories of the bookworm who didn’t want to socialize. I think in her mind she found me cute, but to me, it just pointed out how weird I was. No, not weird. Daddy would have a field day with that. It pointed out how alone I’d been.
I wished I’d had the courage to find other people like me sooner.
Daddy seemed to understand both of us pretty well because he laughed at her stories but held my hand tightly and steered the conversation back toward himself and her travels. She enjoyed telling us about her cruise and the other ideas she had for trips. I was a homebody, but the Antarctic cruise she was talking about sounded interesting even to me.
By the time dinner was over and we were stuffed with ziti and chocolate silk pie, she seemed content I’d found a keeper and was ready to head off on her travels. She might not always know what to do with me, but seeing that she was trying to take care of me in her own way was sweet.
It didn’t mean I wanted to hang out there forever.
I was more than ready to escape by the time we were heading out to the car. I wanted to curl up on Daddy’s lap and relax, not watch what I said and listen to more stories from the awkward tales of a closeted little.
Daddy pulled me into his arms and I got a kiss as we made it to the car. Aunt Sylvia had called out her final goodbyes and had shut the front door, giving me a feeling of freedom. She was the only family I really had, but she was still just as overwhelming as she’d been when she’d picked me up from the airport.
“How about I drive home, give you a chance to relax?” His voice was warm and tender, and I knew he wanted to pull me even closer.
“Don’t want me driving in the dark?” I tried to tease, but I was still a bit raw.
His hands came up to cup my face. “I’m starting to see why you were so tired after you came back from visiting her.”
“Between the wonderful food and the stress, I guess, it’s hard.” I looked up at him, hoping he understood. “I love her and I’m glad she took me in, but…”
He nodded and ran his fingers through my hair, soothing both of us. “You’re both so different, she really doesn’t understand.” He let me lean into his touch and waited while the stress fell away. “It’s easy to see that she loves you, though.”
“Yes, I know.” Stretching up, I gave him a kiss. “I’m ready to go home, Daddy.”
“I am too. I’m glad I got to meet her.”
“Me too.” I tried to fight off a yawn, but it didn’t work. It was nice not having to worry about the long drive home by myself. Handing him the keys, I settled into the passenger seat and leaned back.
Daddy’s hand settled on my leg, squeezing it just firmly enough to make sure I knew he was there for me. Not wanting to focus on anything stressful, I closed my eyes and let my fingers lace through his. “I think that was enough food for three meals.”
“I’m hitting the gym hard this week. That pie…I’m not even going to ask her for the recipe, but it was wonderful.”
I grinned. “If you got the recipe, we’d both be as wide as we are tall fairly soon.”
“We’re eating better tomorrow.” I could feel him shaking his head. “The bread was delicious, but if we keep eating like that, I won’t have abs, I’ll have a keg.”
I listened as he talked, rambling about salads tomorrow and our plans with Marshall and Robbie, as I sank back into the seat. I don’t even remember falling asleep. One minute I was holding Daddy tight, listening to him talk, and the next I was done.