Wrapping Up: A Rainier Family Novel

by Ashton Cade

  “Fuck,” I sigh, hands slipping under his ass, gripping tight.

  “You mean that? Really?” Eli asks, his eyes locked on mine, searching.

  “Yes,” I growl, squeezing him tight. “For fuck’s sake, yes. I love you, you crazy man. I love you, and no stupid election’s going to get in the way of that or stop me from giving you everything I’ve got.”

  Eli looks like he’s frozen for a minute, then he’s just staring at me, his lips slightly parted, trying to parse everything I just said.

  “You…?” He breaks into a grin and kisses me, fingers thrusting into my hair, wild and passionate. “I love you too,” he pants, pushing me down to the mattress. “So goddamn much.”

  My heart swells, my pulse racing, and every cell in my body is screaming at me to be closer to him. To be with him.

  “So does that mean you’re moving in?” I ask, grinning as I rip my pants off. Eli’s already dropped his sweatpants, his cock thick and proud, beautiful as always.

  “I’d like to see you try to stop me,” he teases, climbing over me on the bed, a playful challenge in his eyes. “What if I wanna give you all that I’ve got?” he murmurs, trailing his lips down the side of my neck, sucking at the spot where it meets my shoulder, one hand between us, sliding over my erection, gripping firm, making my toes curl.

  “Yes please,” I whisper, back arching up toward him, hips lurching into his hand.

  Every touch from him is like lightning. Like magic and drugs, something I can’t get my head wrapped around, but I don’t need to. You don’t have to get all the nuances of the White Album to know it’s something beyond what anyone else could ever do. You don’t have to be able to explain the life-changing experience for your life to be changed.

  That’s what being with Eli is like, and as he moves farther down my body, his mouth painting a river of lava down over my chest, my abs, his tongue sliding around the perimeter of my belly button before going lower. He kisses along the insides of my thighs, one, then the other, a maddening back and forth where each kiss is closer to my cock than the one before.

  And just when I’m certain I’m finally going to feel the heaven of his mouth on me with his lips encircling my cock, his tongue flattens against my balls and I nearly jerk off the bed. He sucks on one, then the other, the sensation so unlike anything else all I can do is lie back and groan, no real words coming from my mouth as I clutch at the mattress and my eyes roll back in my head.

  Then his tongue’s moving farther, lower. I gasp a second before I realize what he’s about to do, then Eli’s tongue swirls over my asshole. Lightning zaps through me, making all my limbs jerk in response. He chuckles, probing my sensitive bud with his hot, wet tongue again.

  “Holy fuck, Eli. That feels fucking amazing, babe…” I pant as his tongue works in and out of me, his hand stroking my cock while he tongue-fucks my ass.

  It’s so dirty, so hot, so right with this man I love so freaking much.

  He slides a finger into me, and the sound that comes from my throat is almost a squeak. It takes me a second to relax, but damn does it feel good. And Eli knows what he’s doing. He moves his finger just right, curling it just enough to stroke my insides, to make it feel like he’s somehow stroking my cock from the inside.

  It’s a crazy feeling, but God I love it.

  With his finger buried inside me, stoking the flames from within, Eli moves up and wraps his lips around my cock, sucking and slurping wildly, dragging my orgasm up through me like he’s drilling for oil.

  “Oh… Babe, I’m gonna…” I squeeze my eyes shut tight, the feeling too good, too strong to fight. It rushes up hot and fast, a tidal wave ready to wreak havoc on me. But then Eli’s moving away, going to the nightstand. He’s grabbing a condom, the lube, making me tremble with anticipation while I watch him take his time. It leaves me panting and waiting, teetering on the knife’s edge where he left me.

  “Not without me inside you, you aren’t,” he says, pressing his lubed-up cock to my entrance, to the place he was just fingering me, despite me feeling like I’ve never been emptier.

  “Don’t make me wait,” I groan, reaching for his hips, my blood pounding with this insistent need, the persistent drive to be with him completely.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, pushing his hips forward, the tip of him sliding into me without resistance.

  We both sigh, heads dropping back, eyes closed at the pure bliss of us being joined together as one again. It’s been a while. Too long. I’ve missed this. Missed being this close to him.

  Having him inside me is just so good. It’s not the same as being inside him, but it’s equally as pleasurable, as absolutely incomprehensibly fucking perfect.

  Eli slides in, further and further, every inch forcing me to relax again, to focus on opening myself up for him even as he’s stroking my cock and making everything tense up in preparation of coming. It’s hard to force your muscles to relax when they’re all trying to tense up from how good everything feels.

  “I love you so much, Garrett,” Eli says, eyes locked on mine, shaking his head. “So fucking much. I can’t wait to build this life with you.”

  “Me too, babe. But with you,” I say, grinning, lacing my fingers with his where he’s supporting himself over me on the bed. I lift my hips, angling to take the last bit of him, and then we’re fully and completely joined, both of us groaning.

  Eli leans forward and kisses me, our foreheads pressed together as he starts to move his hips, thrusting in time with his kisses. The combination of the two drives me wild, over the top, sending me into a haze of bliss where nothing makes sense except the two of us.

  But shit, that’s fine with me.

  If there’s nothing else in the world but the two of us? I think I’d be all right with that. Especially when we can do this. When Eli can make me feel so good I forget which way’s up. My skin is prickling, sparks dancing in my veins, rapids coursing through me, carrying me away on a current I can’t break free of.

  “Now,” Eli groans, thrusting into me harder, deeper. “Now you come for me,” he growls, his kiss turning fierce as his whole body goes rigid. He bites my bottom lip and I growl back, my own orgasm overtaking me, rushing through, sweeping away everything and leaving a clean slate in its wake.

  Yep. If it came down to just me and Eli, I think I’d be pretty okay with that. But truth be told, I’m pretty damn excited to know we’re going to be building our own family together, no matter how unconventional it might seem.

  Epilogue

  A Few Months Later

  Garrett

  “Stop squirming if you want me to do this right,” Eli grumbles, yanking on my tie as he finishes knotting it.

  It’s my first day as a councilperson, and I wanna look the part.

  “Dunno how I’d do this without you,” I say, grinning as I pull him into a kiss.

  Eli giggles, rolling his eyes. “I’m honestly not sure how you did it with me,” he says. He’s still having trouble believing that the people of Umberland voted for me, even a week after we got the results.

  “I told you this town’s more progressive than you give it credit for,” I say. “You and Clary both can’t accept it.”

  Eli shrugs. “It’s hard when you’ve seen the ugly side of things.”

  I frown, and slide my hand up to cup his jaw, stroking my thumb over his cheekbone. “I know, babe. And I’m sorry you had to go through that. But that was a very loud minority. The votes speak for themselves.”

  Even after all the scandal, after Eli’s past coming out, our relationship being made public, and Maroney actually campaigning in earnest, they still voted me in.

  Handily.

  I can’t take all the credit for it though.

  “Don’t forget your homework, Lib,” Eli says, pointing to the table as she’s grabbing her backpack. Her belly’s starting to swell now, hard to miss as she’s creeping into her third trimester.

  “Thanks,” she says with a little
smile, tucking it away.

  “And your lunch is in the fridge,” he adds, tugging on my tie once more for good measure.

  He’s a great parental figure—I think we both are, if I’m being honest, but he’s really stepped up—and Libby’s part of the family now. Our house is full of cozy domesticity like that’s how it’s always been.

  Apparently, me stepping up to take in an unwed teenage mother when the state was going to take her baby was enough to sway some of those Evangelical voters that I’d pissed off before. Folks in Umberland aren’t mean and spiteful; some of them are just ignorant. They heard from someone that heard from someone that homosexuals are sexual deviants and perverts, and that’s what they think they know.

  But now they know something different. They know me. They know Eli, and they know we’re doing our best to do right by Libby. Seems that was enough to convince some folks. Others didn’t need convincing.

  Poor Maroney only got twenty percent of the vote.

  I’d feel worse if he hadn’t been such a colossal ass when I tried to be reasonable with him. As it is, I feel pretty damn good about my win, and I’m ready to take on the council, ready to make this town the best version of itself.

  “Ready to go?” Eli asks, taking my hand and squeezing it.

  “I’m gonna be late,” Libby says impatiently from the front door. She’s not, and we all know it. Not for class anyway--she just wants to get to school early to spend time with Craig.

  After everything was settled from their ill-planned escape, the judge saddled Craig with enough community service to keep him busy for a few months. I let him off the hook at the greenhouse to get those hours, and he’s been grabbing them every moment he can, trying to rush through the hours so he’ll be free when the baby arrives.

  He’s determined to be in the delivery room with her, determined not to be stuck somewhere else when his kid makes its way into this world.

  He’s got a surprisingly level head on his shoulders all things considered. I wonder how much of that is Eli’s influence.

  Then again, I don’t know how the hell Eli turned out as well as he did with everything he’s been through in life. It’s a miracle that he’s not a bitter husk of a person. How he manages to be warm and loving, accepting and generous… It baffles me. He’s practically a saint.

  Luckily for me, he’s mine.

  That’s all that matters.

  “Come on then, let’s go,” I say, heading out with the rest of my little family.

  It’s only been a few months, but already we’ve all transformed my little shack into a home for all of us. Eli and Libby are going over plans to turn the front reception area into a bigger living room with a nursery. Not sure where I’m going to schedule tours and meet clients, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Keeping them happy is most important right now, and part of keeping them happy means new flowers planted outside, and a wind chime hanging from the porch that fills the air with tinkling music with every breath of wind.

  Could be worse. So far I’ve successfully managed to keep the decorative pillows in the house to a minimum.

  Eli drives—his car’s better for getting us all around than my truck—and drops Libby off at school first.

  “Have a good day!” I call after her, waving. She grins back at us and waves before Craig’s at her side, slipping his arms around her in a big hug.

  Or as much of a hug as they can manage with her belly bulging in between them.

  “He’s only got another week of community service, he told me,” Eli says, watching the pair with a little smile.

  I know he’s still conflicted over the whole thing. I know he’d rather if Craig and Libby had never started dating, if she hadn’t gotten pregnant, if Craig had left this town behind and gone on to a better life.

  But that’s not what life had planned. For any of us.

  It might not be the ideal situation—I don’t think anyone would argue that a couple of fifteen-year-olds having a baby is good—but somehow it’s worked out for us. I think we might come out of this better than we were before. We’ll definitely be stronger. Now we’ve got each other.

  “That’s good. Can’t believe how fast he got through those hours. Goes to show you what motivation will do, huh?”

  Eli snorts. “No kidding. He’s determined to be there at the birth. Says his dad wasn’t at his, and he thinks that’s why he never cared about him.”

  I frown, my hand finding Eli’s and squeezing gently. We both know that it’s not always that simple. Parents can have a million reasons for what they do—or what they don’t. Even if they seem like perfectly fine parents for most of your life until they kick you out for something you have no control over.

  “You think they’ll make it?” I ask, looking over to Craig and Libby, so young and fresh-faced, no idea how much of life is still ahead of them. I remember being fifteen. It wasn’t that long ago. And I felt like I had it all figured out. When adults told me I didn’t have a clue, I thought they were underestimating me. Maybe they were. I’m sure some of them were. But not all. I underestimated life, the twists and turns, the heartaches and triumphs that can come out of nowhere when you’re least expecting it.

  Even now, in my thirties, I know that there’s so much ahead of me. So much still in store.

  “As a couple?” Eli asks, making a face. “I don’t know. But I do think Craig’s going to make a good dad. And they have us if they need help, obviously.”

  “You mean when they need help,” I joke.

  Eli grins, chuckles. “Yeah, that’s probably more like it.”

  “It won’t be so bad though, having a baby around. Don’t you think?” I ask, looking out the window wistfully imagining it. Family’s always been a big part of my life, and I’ve always known that I want one of my own. I kinda got a head start on it here with Libby and Eli and the baby, but it’s still not quite the same.

  “It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure,” he laughs, driving away from the school.

  But I think about having that tiny baby in my arms, the little gurgles, the happy coos, bubbling laughter. I think about how babies grab your finger with that unbelievable strength, how their big eyes seem to look deep into your soul. Their soft skin, their snuggly little bodies, the wonder they have with learning every new thing—being one of the oldest in the clan, I had plenty of opportunities to babysit younger siblings and cousins. I’ve got lots of experience.

  “I think it’ll be great,” I say. “And it’ll be a good test run,” I add, sliding my gaze over to Eli, watching his brows go up in a question.

  “A test run?” he asks, his hand shifting on the wheel.

  “Yeah,” I say casually, shrugging. “What do you think about adopting in the future?”

  “Us? A baby?”

  “Yeah, us. A baby,” I tease. “Is that so alarming?”

  “It’s not,” he says, quickly backpedaling. “I just never gave much thought to having a family, I guess…”

  “Says the guy more than willing to help out kids in need.”

  He laughs, shaking his head. “Well, yeah, but that’s different…”

  “Is it?”

  Eli thinks it over for a minute, working on his bottom lip before he finally turns to me with a more serious look. “You wanna adopt some day? With me?”

  “I do,” I say, smiling at him. “But to be honest, I think I’m probably gonna end up marrying you first.”

  His eyes go wide, and I see him trying to suppress a grin, but he’s doing a shit job at it.

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You know you haven’t actually proposed,” he says, obviously teasing me with the way he’s grinning from ear to ear, squirming in his seat, hardly able to pay attention to the road. Good thing he knows the way by heart.

  “I know. I’ll fix that soon enough, don’t worry,” I say, watching that promise suffuse its way through him and slowly make him a little crazy.

  “In case y
ou’re worried about it, I’m gonna say yes,” he says, smirking as he turns in at the town hall.

  “I wasn’t worried, but that’s definitely reassuring,” I say, leaning across the cab to kiss him.

  “I love you, Garrett,” he whispers, fingers clutching at my hair, holding me close, our foreheads pressed together.

  “I love you, Eli,” I growl back, holding him just as tight, my whole body light, filled with life and love and happiness thanks to this man.

  “Go knock ‘em dead,” he says, kissing me fiercely again.

  “You got it, babe.” I kiss him once more, feeling like I can take on the world with his support behind me. With him at my side. Then he’s off to work, off to open the clinic, to be a superhero saint in his own right.

  I don’t know how I got lucky enough to end up with a partner like Eli, but I’m going to spend every day of the rest of my life working to be good enough for him. Working to be just as much a force for good in the world as he is. The two of us together? Well I think we might just be able to change the damn world.

  Excerpt from Running Off

  Parris

  There’s static on the radio. Only one freaking station in the whole town, and even it’s staticky.

  Welcome home, I think ruefully. That’s Umberland for you.

  It’s been three years since I’ve been back to this little town. By all accounts, I’ve missed quite a bit in that time, but in reality? Well, I doubt I’ve missed much of anything. Nothing ever happens here, so what’s there to miss?

  Well, other than all my cousins and my brother finding love and settling down and doing all that boring, mundane, suburban crap I’ve sworn I’ll never fall victim to. I wouldn’t even be back this time if it weren’t for Trevor getting married. I’ve gotten enough crap from the family about missing all these other so-called big events that I’m pretty sure I’d be a pariah forever if I missed this one.

  A loner, I can be. Sure. But a pariah? I’d rather avoid the headache. Especially with a family like mine. The Rainier influence might not go very far outside of Umberland, but I know better than to invite their wrath. We’re getting more and more spread out, it seems. Never know who I’ll run into, and where.