Chapter Twenty-Four

Denton

Mind blown, Nese's visit to see Victor when I'd called him, after I'd finally gotten home later than planned because of a three-hour delay, had been so unexpected. It had derailed my first reason for calling him. It had everything to do with how spending all that time with him, I'd missed him to the point I considered it would be comparative to losing a limb. Two weeks with him and now I couldn't imagine him not being there when I wake up in the morning or go to sleep at night.

My time in the airport, I used to re-evaluate what was going to happen when I got home. I'd not had the chance to see him yesterday and that along with the trip home made my shift this morning, which I now regretted agreeing to, the longest of my life despite how busy I'd been.

"Whatsup? I thought after your vacay you'd be chill."

I glanced at Alex and blinked several times in confusion when it struck we were stationary. "Do you think it's too soon to ask Vic to move in with me?" I asked, giving Alex an expectant look that suggested the only answer he should give me was a ‘yes'.

"I'd say you don't need my answer dude, as you've already made your mind up," he said through his laughter as he unhooked his seatbelt and opened the door to exit the wagon.

I followed suit, grabbing my gear as we headed to clock off. "Not helpful!"

He stopped and his expression grew serious. "Listen, you already wasted all that time trying to give Vic time to heal." He slapped me on the shoulder in a brotherly fashion. "You leapt over the boundary you created on the cruise, now you have to decide if it's too fast, ‘cause dude I know that's where your head"s at. Ask him to move in with you and see what he says. No harm, no foul."

Two hours later, those words ran through my head as Victor got in the car for the quick trip to my parent's home for Sunday dinner.

The second he shut the door and placed a bag at his feet, I moved, puckering up my lips in an exaggerated move. "Kissy."

He shook his head, giggling. "Kissy? How old are you?"

"Old enough to know my boyfriend should kiss me right now."

He blew out an exaggerated breath, which was hard to do when he was trying to hold on to his laughter even as he came forward to kiss me.

His scent, the one he'd worn at Leeson's wedding clouded my senses and the moment our mouths met, what was going to be a quick kiss, was anything but that. Hungry for him, I fought against my seatbelt, wanting to get closer to him. To feel his body crushing mine. Feel him in my arms as his lips parted, and the kiss turned hungry… needy.

Breathless, he pulled back, his hand in his lap, pushing on his cock. "We gotta stop—"

"Or we could go inside…" I supplied, looking hopeful.

My parents would understand… possibly.

His hands fluttered about as if he couldn't decide what to do with them. "No… yes… no, definitely not," he finished with no conviction, causing me to grin at him.

"You sure?" I prompted, loving how flustered he was when it eased some of my worry he hadn't missed me the same as I'd missed him.

His answer was to fasten his seatbelt, and I sighed for dramatic effect when he pushed me back when I didn't initially move away.

"Parents, we're going…" Again, there was a lack of any actual force behind the words, only this time he sounded nervous rather than conflicted.

"They won't bite. They're good people. My Mom and me we're tight so she'll be a little over the top, but she'll be cool once she gets over her excitement at officially meeting you."

He gave a strained smile that showed in the tight lines bracketing his mouth. "I know… but what if they don't like the fact you're dating a guy?"

Oh!

Not something I had factored in at all. My parents had been accepting from the beginning when I'd discovered my sexuality was more fluid than most. Now they didn't bat an eyelid if I brought a guy or girl home. Not that I'd brought many home to meet them, Nese had met them, but it had taken me a year to decide to bring her to Sunday dinner. Something I wasn't about to share with Victor when we'd been officially dating for about ten days. He was nervous enough and with what I wanted to ask him after dinner, I needed him to relax.

I released my seatbelt and twisted to face him, cupping his smooth cheeks, uncaring we would be late. "My parents and Nana know that I've dated both men and women. You don't have to worry that they won't be accepting of you. They will and they're gonna love you, too."

His lips trembled, and I couldn't resist kissing him again when the past two days of not seeing him whelmed up. I kissed him hard and fast, relaying how much I'd missed. How much I wanted him. Loved him.

The past two weeks of being with him twenty-four-seven were what I wanted. I was greedy, and I hoped like hell he felt the same. The second time he pulled back, a deep pink hue and dilated pupils made it difficult not to kiss him again to keep that dazed look in place. "It's gonna be fine," our foreheads touched as I stared at him, conveying everything I felt for him, "but we need to leave, so we can eat and get out as quickly as possible… I missed you."

The color over the bridge of his nose darkened. "I missed you too."

The hardest thing right then was letting go when he looked at me with devotion and love. I'd wanted that and now I had it, I couldn"t get enough of it. It brought me right back to the dilemma of rushing to the next step. My hands trembled as I did the last thing I wanted and fastened myself back in and went into automatic mode while my brain was racing with craziness.

Was it crazy to want to not let a moment pass me by when I loved him?

What we discussed on the drive could have been anything from who landed on the moon first to what was the best place to buy salami. It was a blur as I parked up and got out and came around the hood to help Victor out of the car.

"Someone is watching us from the window," Victor whispered, bringing me from my thoughts as he clutched the bag he'd brought to his chest in what seemed as a defense move.

I glanced at the house that had been my childhood home, clicking the fob to lock the car. The house was two storeys, and I supposed a traditional home. Four bedrooms, an enormous kitchen for family and a wrap-around porch that held an old swing that I'd insisted my parents buy when I was four so my friends could come and sit with me. I waved at Nana who watched us and pulled a face she'd recognize as ‘behave', not that she'd care.

A second later the door opened, and Mom appeared wearing cropped jeans and a white T-shirt with the words, ‘Mom's slay the food dragon'.

The tension in my shoulders increased when she smiled, and a twinkle of mischief appeared in her pretty eyes. "I considered sending out a search party. It's not like you to be late when it's your favorite, but now I see how pretty Victor is, I get why."

"Ohh…" Victor said under his breath.

She held out a hand, encouraging us up the steps as I placed a hand on Victor's lower back and whispered in his ear. "I come from a family with good taste," while I ushered him up to the house.

On the top step Nana appeared, giving Victor a look from head to toe. "Do you get a discount at the chocolate shop?"

Victor glanced at me, his eyes widening, then back to Nana and nodded, offering her the bag he held. "Some. I noticed what you liked to buy, so I raided my supply."

Nana and Mom both got a soppy expression that made me forcibly swallow the sigh at what was coming.

"What a thoughtful boy," Nana said.

Whereas Mom slipped her arm through Victor's and tugged him towards the open door. "I hope you like roast beef with all the trimmings. And you have a sweet tooth, too, with a big appetite…" Mom winked at me, and I blushed as hard as Victor was.

She wasn't referring too…

"I know my boy does," she finished, causing Victor to make a choking sound and Nana to laugh.

I opened my mouth and shut it before I could find my tongue. "Behave, the pair of you, or you'll frighten Vic off," I scolded, mortified, and somewhat proud of them for being so friendly with Victor. Although he wouldn't know, it usually took time for my family to act so naturally around one of my partners.

Victor gave them both the shy smile I'd fallen in love with, and my heart clutched in my chest. "I do," he said, then he flashed me a cheeky grin, and I braced, feeling my family were about to see firsthand Victor's cheeky side. "Big… though that doesn't quite describe it."

There was a pause before Nana and Mom burst out laughing hard enough Dad appeared in the doorway. "What am I missing out on?" As tall as me, he met my gaze. "It's so like your mom to start the fun without me," he complained gruffly.

"It wasn't me… it was Victor…" she snorted through her laughter.

"You started it," he fired back, causing more laughter.

"Looks like the boy has already got a measure of you, my love," Dad said, his bearded cheeks lifting as he grinned widely. "Seems like your Victor will fit in well here."

"He does, Dad," I replied, staring at Victor. "He fits me perfectly."