Adrian — 16
I wasn’t nervous. I kept telling myself that, but I was lying to myself. I was nervous—so fucking nervous, and most things didn’t bother me.
After Cody had fucked me good last Sunday, we both dozed off for a few hours before I woke up to his lips wrapped around my cock again. We had an intense frotting session after, resulting in us both needing a shower. Somehow, we managed to behave in there, but most likely it was because we were both hungry, and not for sex.
After we made dinner together, we had a very relaxing evening on the porch, and later, on the sectional. When cuddling became petting, which became making out, which in turn led to grinding and even more groping, we gave in and went to bed. But it was hours before we slept, and when Cody had to get up only a few short hours after we finally fell asleep, I felt bad. But he said not to worry, he wouldn’t change the day if he had to.
That made me feel better. That was last weekend though. Six days ago to be exact, and I was on my way to the courthouse in Jackson to meet Cody for Evelyn’s wedding. I’d only gotten to see him once this week because he’d been crazy busy at work with the restaurant at the resort opening. Even then, it was only dinner. Which was fine, but I understood why he didn’t want to drive all the way to the ranch from my place at five in the morning. Not when he could make the drive at five fifty and still be on time if he was at his cabin.
But it was fine, it honestly was. I wanted to be sure Cody knew I wanted to be with him. And not just for sex. Yeah, I liked sex, a lot. But it wasn’t the only reason I wanted to spend time with him. He was smart, funny, sweet, and a damn good person. He loved his friends and family with a passion that was sometimes difficult to find anymore.
He was upset that Heidi would be moving to Maryland tomorrow, but he was happy for his niece and sister. Unlike Emme’s ex-husband, Evelyn’s soon-to-be husband wanted to be in his daughter’s life. He’d just left to make a better life for his young family. I had to give him props for that. A man who was willing to take care of his family was okay in my book. But that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be watching and checking up on the guy. Heidi was important to Cody, not to mention cute as a button, and that meant she was important to me.
I pulled up in front of the courthouse, thankful I got to park in the reserved parking since my SUV was registered as a law enforcement vehicle. Perks of being me at times because the place was packed for a Saturday.
I got out and quickly walked up to the front steps, showing my gun and my badge to the deputy sitting at the metal detector. Once through, I collected my sidearm and badge and walked down the hallway in the direction Cody had told me. I saw him pacing outside the courthouse, Heidi on his hip, and I had to remind myself that I was happy borrowing them and returning them. But damn, Cody looked good with a little one in his arms.
“Sorry, baby. I got a call from Bishop and had to dig through files for him,” I said as I walked up to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and giving him a tight hug and a quick kiss. I then turned my attention to the adorable little one in his arms. She had black curly hair and big brown eyes, and if I didn’t know any different, I’d think she was actually Cody’s daughter and not his niece. “Hey, cutie. How are you doing today?” I asked her.
“You going to say hi? I promise he’s a teddy bear and loves hugs and cuddles,” Cody said, giving Heidi a quick kiss in her curls. It was then that I noticed all other noise had stopped, and when I looked, everyone else was staring at the three of us.
“Holy shit! Cody’s boyfriend is huge!”
My eyes flew to Cody, who was rolling his eyes. “Really, Conrad. That’s the first thing you want to say about him?”
“Okay, so you weren’t lying and you actually have one?” At that comment, Cody flinched and I wanted to growl at who I now knew was his youngest brother. The others in the group still appeared to be in shock.
“Why would he lie about having a boyfriend?” I asked, honestly curious.
“Because he’s never had one before, and I thought he was lying about it to shut Mom and Dad up about finding another girlfriend.”
“Conrad, put a sock in it,” a woman who could only be Evelyn said as she gave his shoulder a gentle shove. “Hi, Adrian. I’m Evie. Thank you for coming today. Cody’s talked a lot about you.”
I glanced at Cody, who had two bright red cheeks, and that told me tons. So, Cody talked to Evelyn more than he did Tristan or Hawke about certain things.
“Hi, Evelyn, or do you prefer Evie? Either way, it’s lovely to meet you,” I told her as I reached out and gave her a gentle handshake.
“Either is fine. Most people have called me Evie most of my life.”
“Evelyn is such a beautiful name.” I smiled at Cody’s sister, who blushed at my compliment. What the hell was wrong with people? Didn’t anyone compliment anyone anymore?
“This is my fiancé, Marco,” Evelyn said as she pulled the dark-haired man with the olive complexion to her side.
“Dada!” Heidi shouted and reached for Marco, who readily took his daughter from Cody’s arms. I could tell he wanted to reach for her and hold her again, so I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him to my front, his back to my chest. I was perfectly comfortable showing affection to Cody in front of his family, and I wanted him to know that. I wasn’t ashamed of him or us, and I had a funny feeling he needed to know that.
“Cody, you didn’t tell us you were seeing…someone.”
I glanced at who I knew was Cody’s mother, but nope, she wasn’t going to do this. I wasn’t going to allow her to ruin what we were starting.
“Mrs. Wells, it’s nice to meet you,” I said but didn’t relinquish my hold on Cody to shake her hand. I could already tell she wouldn’t accept it anyway.
“Holy shit! Is that a gun?”
I chuckled as Cody groaned and threw his head back on my shoulder. “Your new favorite phrase wouldn’t happen to be holy shit, would it, Conrad?”
“Dude, your BF has a gun! Why?”
“I’m a US Marshal. For the most part, it’s just a habit to carry it as I’m rarely actually off duty,” I told who I assumed was Wyatt. He simply said “huh, okay” and then walked back over to the bench.
“Mom, Dad, this is Adrian. Adrian, these are my parents, Joe and Angie.”
“Nice to meet you two.” I couldn’t really say much else because Cody hadn’t talked about his parents much. I knew they were okay, but they were just that, okay, when it came to their parenting skills.
“I wish we could say the same. We know nothing about you, or that you were even in Cody’s life.”
I started to defend Cody, but he cut me off before I could. “The phone works both ways, you know. I’m not going to let you try harder to ruin Evelyn’s day. You’re already attempting to guilt her and Marco about him being stationed in Maryland, but it’s not like you really took a lot of time to spend with Heidi or he could choose his duty location.” I gave Cody’s shoulders a tight squeeze since he was so tense. He needed to calm down, and hopefully I’d be able to help with that.
“Mom, Dad, it’s time. If you’re ready to behave, you’re welcome to come in. If not, you can stay out here.”
I watched as Evelyn and Marco took Heidi into the courtroom. Cody’s brothers both followed. When I looked at Cody, he reached over and laced his fingers with mine, then pulled me into the courtroom as well. Joe and Angie followed behind but stood on the other side of the boys. When I looked at Cody, he mouthed later before he turned back to his sister, who had a huge smile on her face and tears in her eyes.
Even though the wedding was at the courthouse and it was incredibly small, just their family and me, it was beautiful and I could see the love Evelyn and Marco had for each other. He definitely loved his wife and their daughter a great deal, which was a good thing. They were going to have some tough times ahead of them, but I hoped they made it.
Because Marco’s training schedule was changed, they were actually leaving shortly after the ceremony, which was the entire guilt thing. Joe and Angie were upset Evelyn was moving and taking Heidi with her so soon. I wasn’t quite sure what they expected to happen if they fussed enough, but it was obvious that there was no way the young parents wanted to continue living apart.
We saw them off, and Wyatt and Conrad both took off to go see friends, and Cody pushed me toward my SUV.
“Let’s go. I’m going to say something I’ll really regret if we don’t leave immediately.”
“All right. Want to talk about it later?”
“Sure. I’ll follow you?”
“Sounds like a plan. Oh, here,” I said as I reached into my SUV and pulled out the garage door opener for the second stall. “Don’t freak, okay? But since you’re staying with me this weekend, I figured you should park in the garage. We’re supposed to get some storms later, so I’d feel better with your truck inside.”
“All right,” Cody said as he took the clicker and pulled me in for a kiss. His parents were right behind us when we broke apart; his dad had a smile on his face, and his mom looked worried.
I gave them a curt nod before I climbed in and started the SUV after closing the door. I watched as Cody’s parents tracked his departure to his own truck where he quickly slid in behind the wheel and drove out of the parking lot. I backed out of my spot and pulled away from the courthouse, Cody following behind me.
When we pulled into my driveway, I hit the button on my visor to open my garage door and the one beside me opened shortly after. That was something I could certainly get used to, but baby steps. I needed to keep telling myself that.
I turned off my SUV and climbed out as soon as Cody stopped moving forward. I walked to the front and gave him the thumbs-up, letting him know he was good with where he was at. I was fortunate enough to have an oversized garage, and two full-sized trucks could easily fit in here, so Cody’s half ton was a piece of cake.
“Your garage is huge!”
I outright laughed, and when I got a what the fuck look in return, I laughed even harder.
“What?”
“I was just thinking that. But yes, it is. Maybe we should get one of those tennis balls that hang from the ceiling for you. That way you’ll know when you’re far enough in.”
“You don’t need to do anything like that. It’s not that hard to park in here,” Cody replied as he walked up to me, his bag in one hand, the clicker in the other. I took it when he handed it to me, but really, did he not want it? Did he not realize I could have just as easily pushed the button and let him in? I knew we were a very new couple, but still.
I walked into the house and tossed the garage door opener on the counter along with my keys and phone. I walked to the bedroom and placed my badge on top of my nightstand along with my sidearm. Since Emme and the kids weren’t planning on coming over anytime soon, I wasn’t worried about it.
“You okay?” Cody asked as he came into the bedroom, his bag in his hand.
“Fine, why? I’m sorry your sister had to leave so suddenly.”
“I’ve known for a few days, so I’ve been able to get plenty of time with her and Heidi. You sure you’re okay? You threw your keys down and then disappeared.”
“It’s only a two-bedroom cabin. I can’t go far. But I’m fine. Just thinking. What do you want to do this weekend? Did you want to stay in or go out and do something?”
“Can we stay in? I’m tired. Exhausted really. A quiet weekend in with you sounds like the perfect thing.”
“Yeah, we can be homebodies. Did you want to change?” I asked as I stripped off my slacks and button-down. I’d only worn it because of the wedding, but shorts would be a much better choice. Especially since it was in the eighties outside. I couldn’t help but feel good about myself with the way Cody’s heated gaze traced my every movement as I walked over to the dresser in nothing but my briefs.
When I pulled out the bottom drawer, I heard a muffled fuck behind me, and it was difficult to not laugh at him. Good to know he liked my ass. Although, I already knew that, didn’t I?
I pulled up my shorts and turned around, spying the noticeable bulge in Cody’s own slacks. “When you get changed, come join me in the living room. We should discuss some things.”
“All right,” Cody rasped out as I left. Yep, we definitely needed to talk again.