13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Brandon swore him to secrecy that he’d made the cheese spread, and they both stared as they waited for Alan to taste it.

His brows rose, and a hummed, “ Mmmm ,” came from him as he went in for a second cracker smeared with it.

Brandon sighed heavily, and Gabriel laughed a little.

“What?” Alan asked with cheese on his lip.

“Brandon made that.”

“Really? This is freaking amazing. Give me your recipe. My mother would love this.”

Brandon looked up at Gabriel, grinning. “My work is done. I’m going to go play, you know, like a kid .”

After he left the kitchen, Alan laughed and asked, “What was that about?”

“Don’t ask. It’s…Brandon. As sweet as he can be, under the cotton candy are razor blades.”

“Try being his math tutor. I came out of a few of those sessions with my tail between my legs. He’s smart, but man, deadly.”

Gabriel took his thumb and wiped the cheese from Alan’s lip. “Had a little something there.”

“I know what I’d like to have there,” he said before moving in and kissing him so well it made Gabriel’s toes curl.

“Damn, you’re good at that.”

“Bad word!”

They moved away from each other and saw Tristan wagging his finger.

“Sorry, buddy.”

He dropped his hand and started walking into the kitchen again. “’kay. When’s lunch?”

“Almost ready. Go wash up, and I’ll have Alan help me set the table.”

“’kay.”

As they set the table, Alan said, “He’s so cute. I could eat him on a cracker.”

“Yeah, he’s always been like that, even as a baby. He hardly ever cried; just went with the flow. Mom was up twenty times a night just checking on him. He slept through the night at a month old. After Brandon and me, she was worried sick. She’d never had a kid that wasn’t screaming their heads off every two hours.”

“I was a screamer too. My mother has photo albums like yours. In most of the pictures with me, I have my mouth wide open as I scream.”

“We have something in common.”

“I’m sure we’ll find we have a lot in common. Well, we both think I’m amazing, so there’s another one.”

Gabriel smiled at him, his heart skipping a few beats. “So true.”

“Is it done yet? I am starving,” Brandon whined as he came into the kitchen.

“It’s done. Go wash up and come to the table.”

“About time.”

Gabriel laughed and Alan gave him a quick kiss. “Let’s eat this wonderful meal.”

The meal was wonderful, but mostly because of the company, the talk, the smiles, and Tristan’s face so caked with mashed potatoes that he looked like the one playing Santa. The boys handed Gabriel and Alan the gift cards and Gabriel allowed them to pick one card to order something that evening.

Brandon sat with Alan while Tristan sat on Gabriel’s lap, ordering from the bookstore. “Dino books, Gabe.”

“I’m looking,” he said as he scrolled on his laptop. “They have about twenty pages of dino books.”

“Do I have enough?”

“Not for all of them, buddy. Let’s look for books for your age, okay?”

“’kay, yeah.”

Alan helped take the boys to bed once they had worn themselves out playing. Then they sat on the sofa in the quiet of the night, Alan cradling him. “You made a wonderful holiday for them, Gabriel. You should be proud.”

“I will admit, I thought it would be sad for us. You helped, though. They both really like you.”

“I like them too.” He stared into Gabriel’s eyes, and all Gabriel saw was love.

“Alan…this is a lot for you. I get it, we’re just dating, and we haven’t had our first date, even, but…if we start and…”

Alan placed his four fingers over Gabriel’s lips. “Hush. If I feared a man with kids, I wouldn’t be here. I knew you had them before I knew your name. Baby, I fell in love with you partly because of them. The way you looked at them, the worry I saw on you, the love I saw. They aren’t chasing me away from you. Nothing could unless you figured out you didn’t want me. Still, I’d put up a fight.”

“You…you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

“Yeah, I did. I get it. You’re a brother that got thrown into being a single dad. That is a big fucking job. You have the entire world on your shoulders right now, which is why I want to carry you. I need you to know, you’re not in this alone.”

Gabriel had the keen desire to attack him, right there on the couch. He moved closer, kissing him while his eyes slid closed, and warmth overtook him.

Soon, Gabriel was on his back with Alan over him, kissing him with such passion that Gabriel was dizzy from it. He’d been kissed before, fucked before, but no one had made him feel so hot before they were naked.

Alan’s hips moved so his erection pressed into Gabriel’s hip, and when he felt it, he could tell the heaviness of the thing. He moaned into the kiss, and clutched at Alan’s sweater, biting his lip, and all he wanted was to shout for Alan to take him.

Alan, however, was the grownup of the moment, and he pulled away, panting. “Goddamn, baby. I want you, bad. Like…like really bad, but we can’t.”

Gabriel’s eyes moved to the stairs. “Those boys are too nosy.”

“Exactly. Listen…I gotta hold you, but the kissing…oh my god, I…”

Gabriel set his lips to Alan’s and left them still. He laughed a little as he pulled away. “I got it. I more than understand. I’m…when is that date?”

“Tomorrow too soon?”

Gabriel lunged at him again, kissing him heatedly, licking his lips, sucking his tongue, then he pulled away, panting. “Soon? Did you just ask that?”

“I gotta go, baby.”

When he called Gabriel that, it made him crazy, and Gabriel never thought he’d be the type to like being called that. When Alan said it, that rumbling deep voice and those shining eyes…

“Go. Go now. Go now, or you’re not going to.”

Alan got up, but Gabriel pulled him back down again, and Alan was on top of him, kissing him, holding his hips to the cushions as he ground his erection into Gabriel’s. Alan’s face was in his hands, and his felt his jaw moving as he deeply kissed Gabriel, hard body pressing into him…

Then Alan was up, stumbling, panting and pointing at him. “Stay there! Don’t you get off that couch!”

“Yes, Daddy,” Gabriel purred, crawling over the couch, licking his lips.

“You little shit,” he said before he pushed him down and got on top of him again, holding his wrists to the arms of the sofa, pressing them there as he took complete control of the kiss.

Gabriel wanted him, wanted to feel Alan inside of him so badly he ached. “Alan,” he whispered harshly between kisses. “Alan, you gotta go. I’m almost past the point I can stop.”

“God, you’re…perfect. Perfect,” he said as he kissed Gabriel’s face. “Gotta go. I’m picking you up tomorrow. I’ll tell Cece you’re dropping off the kids. Early. Gotta be early.”

He was up and out the door, leaving Gabriel to lay on the couch, laughing.

The door opened as Alan said, “Come lock the door. Now.”

Gabriel scrambled to get up and rushed over, getting one more kiss from Alan. “Never go to bed without locking up. I worry about you.”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Fuck, you’re so sexy.”

“Language, Daddy.”

Alan turned and started down the porch steps. “I really need to spank you.”

“Kinky.”

He went up to his room after the house was secured and fell face-first on the bed, laughing. In years, he hadn’t been so happy, but especially in the last few months. The world had opened and all he saw was rainbows and sunshine.

He cuddled with his teddy and felt like a kid again, butterflies in his gut every time he thought of Alan. “Teddy, I am so in love. And it feels good. All my life, only having a mom, then I’m suddenly without one. This Christmas, Teddy. I got a Daddy for Christmas.”

Of course, the bear didn’t talk back, but he held it tightly. He needed that love that Alan had placed into the bear close to him. Smiling, he fell asleep smiling, and everything felt good.

The next day, Brandon gave the boys a talk about going to Cece’s. “You two behave, best, best behavior.”

“’kay,” Tristan said.

“Are you going on a date?”

“Yeah, Bran. Our first real date.”

“You gonna kiss him?” he asked with a sheepish grin.

“I’m not telling you that!”

“In other words, yeah, you are. Well, at least you can’t get pregnant. Like we need another one of these around,” he said as he playfully pushed Tristan.

As Tristan giggled, Gabriel mumbled, “That’s it. Tiktok is over.”

Cece met the boys at the door and pointed to the back of the house, where the kids were already playing and ready for them. She invited Gabriel inside for a cup of coffee and added, “Not that you need it. You look like you’re jumping out of your skin.”

“I am, a little. I haven’t been on a date in like, damn, a year and a half.”

“It’s like riding a bike.” She set a cup of coffee in front of him and sat across the table. “I have to tell you, I’ve known Alan since we were in school together, here. I was a junior, he was a geeky little freshman.”

“Alan? A geek?”

“Sure. So skinny! Man. But, he was sweet. He’s always been sweet. When I needed a job, he brought me on only after Deidre. I spend more time with my kids now and still can afford the food in the fridge. He would love to hire the whole town if he could.”

“Okay, Cece, if you’re trying to sell him, I already made the purchase and I’m very happy.”

She laughed, and added a spoon of sugar to her coffee, then pushed the bowl, and spoon over to him. “I saw it in his eyes the minute he came into work the day after he first saw you. He was hooked. I’m happy for you guys. He needed this.”

Gabriel sighed, “I did too. I didn’t think I’d ever really smile again. It felt so…heavy. And Alan comes along, and he wants to…I don’t know, help me carry it. In fact, I think he’d carry all of it if I let him.”

“He would. He’s like that. Gives too much of himself, but you? I see you, honey, and believe me, you have the nads to carry your own shit.”

“Speaking of which, are you sure you’re okay with two more kids running around?”

“Oh, please. There are so many now that I forget their names. They’ll be fine, Gabriel. I have the basement as a big playroom, there’s a TV down there. Any allergies or anything I should know?”

“No, they’re good. Try to keep Brandon off his phone.”

“Oh, no, phones aren’t allowed while they’re visiting, so I’ll get it from him. Probably bribe him with a cookie. Chocolate chip or oatmeal?”

“I have no idea,” Gabriel said. “I’ve never heard a preference for cookies.”

“One of each. You go have fun. If you’d like the boys to stay over, we have spare beds downstairs too. They can just have one big sleepover.” Gabriel felt himself blushing, and he started to sweat. “Um, yeah, I’ll get out the linens. You don’t worry a bit about them.”

When he drove back home, Alan was waiting on the porch, leaning against the wall. Gabriel waved, then hurried to get up the stairs. “You’re early.”

Alan kissed him and said, “I couldn’t wait.”

“Good. Where are we going?”

“On an adventure.”

“Cryptic, but I’m in. Am I dressed fine?”

He’d worn a sweater and jeans, and Alan looked him over as his tongue licked over his lips. “Damn fine.”

“Alan.”

“You have any hiking boots?”

“Sure. Are we going hiking?”

“Yeah. Not far, just up to this lake I know.”

“Lake Dorothey?”

Alan’s jaw dropped. “You know it?”

“I’m from here, Alan, remember?”

“Right. Still, I don’t know many people that have gone there, surprisingly.”

Gabriel opened the door and told Alan to take a seat as he ran upstairs to get his boots. He thought of something, and after getting his boots on, he went down the stairs and asked, “Isn’t it closed for the season?”

“I know a guy.”

Gabriel felt a twinge of jealousy. “Oh?”

“A straight friend, baby.”

He got up and stepped to Gabriel, taking his face in both hands. “You listen to me, Gabriel. I’m a one-man kind of man. I won’t ever cheat. I won’t be okay with you doing it. That is my one caveat to this entire thing.”

“So, we’re exclusive?”

“Very,” he growled and stared hard at Gabriel, who just melted and swooned like some actress in an old movie.

“I’m good with that. Yeah, good.”

The hard stare was over, and Alan kissed him. “Good. Let’s go! We have some nature to explore.”