by T. M. Smith
“Why don’t you get everybody summtin to drink while I get da food, Cher?” Beau asked William before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later pushing a rolling cart that held several large steel bowls, the various fragrances making Dean’s mouth water. Setting the bowls in the middle of the table, Beau explained what was in each heavenly scented dish. “All right, here we got some crawfish etouffee, dis one here be shrimp and grits, and dis last one is my specialty, red beans and rice with andouille sausage dat I buy directly from a distributor in Naw’lins.”
“Oh my God, Beau, this all looks so delicious; I don’t think I can choose.” Maggie laughed.
Beau reached for her plate, filling it with a small helping from each dish. “Den don’t, you can have anyting you want, pretty lady.” Setting the plate down in front of her, Beau winked.
William walked past him, carrying a tray of beers, smacking his lover on the ass with his free hand. “Stop flirting, Casanova,” he joked.
Unlike the cookout in Mamaroneck, this lunch was drastically subdued noise-wise. “That’s because Chris, Linc, and Kory aren’t here; they’re the loudest,” Dusty said with a laugh.
“Ain’t dat de truth,” Beau commented. “Dose damn boys can put away some food, shoo wee.” He took the empty seat across from Maggie and Isaac.
His phone dinged and Dean pulled it from his pocket, smiling at the text from Adam. On my way with the Dimir family in tow.
The appointment for Astrid’s checkup had already been scheduled when Beau and William had invited them to lunch, so Adam told Dean he’d meet him at BB’s. Since the Dimir family would all be in the city, which was a rare occurrence since they’d became fathers, Beau invited them as well. Dean was finishing his first beer when Adam strolled in, taking the empty chair beside him and leaning in for a kiss.
“Is that crawfish etouffee I smell?” Adam inhaled deeply, grinning and reaching for the large bowl.
William was at the bar pouring Adam a beer from the tap when Mattie walked in, baby Astrid in his arms and Andrew right behind him carrying the diaper bag. “Afternoon, everyone,” Mattie greeted them.
Beau stood and pulled out the two chairs beside him for Mattie and Andrew, asking where Victor was. “I am being here, having to park first.” The man in question called out as he walked through the door.
“What would you like to drink?” William asked as he handed Adam his cold beer.
“I’ll just have water; I’m driving,” Andrew responded.
“Hmmmm…” Victor leaned back in his chair, looking toward the bar, probably seeing what beers were on tap, Dean thought. “Something dark and delicious, is that okay, Matthew?”
Mattie nodded, waving his hand in the air, already deep in conversation with Maggie, the two of them gushing over the babies. When Mattie took a sip of the beer William placed in front of him, spitting it out and sputtering, “What the hell is that, diesel?” Beau laughed, slapping him on the back hard while William went and poured the cute blond a glass of something lighter.
Conversation carried on around the table, some intertwining, and Dean smiled. His biggest regret over his marriage with Maggie falling apart was that he would miss the family aspect of things. Sitting at the table surrounded by so many people he now thought of as family, he couldn’t be happier. Mattie handed Astrid to Andrew, taking Xander from Maggie, but what really drew Dean’s attention was the manila envelope Maggie pulled from her purse and handed to Beau. Before Dean could think too hard on it though, Adam leaned into him, his warm breath on Dean’s ear pulling an involuntary shudder from him. “What are you thinking so hard on?” Adam asked, his voice low and sultry.
“Nothing, just enjoying the food.” He turned to accept the quick press of lips to his. “And the company.” Dean could feel the heat from his lover’s gaze and briefly considered a trip to the bathroom for something quick…a blowjob, hand job maybe, before the door to the bar opened and pulled his attention away from the man beside him.
Chris came through the door first, with Linc right behind him. “I got a text telling me there was a plate of red beans and rice and an ice cold beer waiting for me.” Chris grinned, walking straight over to Dean and Adam. “Hey Dean, Adam, how are things?”
Dean took the offered hand. “Good, and you?” He slid his chair over, as did Adam so that Linc could slide two empty chairs up to the table beside them.
“Great, better now that I’m being fed if I’m being honest.” Chris chuckled.
“Who the hell sent you a text?” William asked, one eyebrow raised.
Mattie lifted his hand in the air, taking a moment to chew and swallow the food in his mouth. “I did, sorry.” He didn’t look sorry at all. Quite the contrary, if the broad smile on his face was any indication.
William and Beau shared a look, both laughing. Beau pushed the bowl of red beans and rice toward Chris, the man simultaneously accepting and emptying it onto his and Linc’s plates. Fresh drinks were brought over for Chris and Linc, the empty glasses refilled, and the conversation continued to flow as the last of the food was eaten. Dean sat back and simply listened, watched as the rowdy group of guys he’d come to think of as family in such a short time laughed and joked with each other. Though his life now was radically different than it was prior to his decision to stay with his son, he couldn’t be happier. He and Maggie both had been offered a second chance at love, and life was too short to let anything pass them by. It was something Dean would be reminded of in the darkness that loomed just around the corner.
~ Chapter 14 | A New Home for New Horizons ~
“Mom, Dad, you guys finally made it.” Dusty waved them over to an area in the back lot of the new building that would house Beau’s center, New Horizons, where he was setting up horseshoes and corn-hole. He shook the hand Isaac offered, leaning closer to kiss Xander on the forehead. Dean smiled, he and Maggie bumping shoulders, watching the brothers interact. “Mattie’s inside with Astrid, and I think one of the detectives Jon works with and his wife and baby are in there as well if you want to join them, Isaac.” Stealing a quick kiss from Maggie, Isaac slung the diaper bag over his shoulder and headed into the building to find Mattie.
Between fundraisers, donations and volunteer work from everyone at All Cocks and their families, they’d raised enough money to purchase a building much larger than the home Beau had started New Horizons in. Andrew and Gabe had put together a calendar campaign featuring the most requested All Cocks models and raised over fifty thousand dollars for the center. Mattie and Colton still did weekly cooking classes, but they also employed several of the teens at the center when they catered as servers or hosts.
Chris walked their way with a box, handing it off to Dusty. “What you got there?” Dean asked.
“Some water bottles, Frisbees, and foldable hand fans Andrew ordered with the New Horizons logo for us to give away when people play games,” Chris said. “Good to see you again Dean, Maggie.” They shook hands before Chris went back over to where Linc was busy setting up soccer nets on the other side of the yard.
A pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped around his waist and Dean melted into them, laughing when Adam nudged his face around with his chin for a kiss. “Hey sexy, miss me?” Adam could get Dean’s gears turning with his accent alone. The deep baritone of his voice when spoken soft and seductively, well, that had Dean half-hard already and he did a mental high five that he’d decided to wear loose-fitting basketball shorts and a T-shirt that was long enough to cover his arousal. He wondered if he had the same sort of effect on his lover.…If the bulge he could feel tapping his lower back was any indication then the answer was yes.
“Later.” Adam growled into his ear. “Maggie, want to help me start setting up the tables?”
She happily obliged, so Dean decided to stay and man the corn-hole game as they were bombarded with a large group of teens that lived at the shelter full-time. From there, the day flew by in a blur. Victor cooked hot dogs, burgers, and chicken
legs on an industrial-sized grill while Beau, William, and several other models assisted Maggie and Adam with setting up tables and chairs as well as a large main table for the food. It was organized chaos—something going on in every corner of the yard and damn near every room inside.
He and Adam had just sat down to eat when David approached them, a young woman with blue hair holding hands with a uniquely beautiful young man right behind him. “Dean, I wanted to introduce you to Chloe and Jay.” David made introductions. “Guys, this is Dusty’s dad, Dean.”
“It’s nice to meet you both; will you join us?” Dean offered.
“Chloe’s dad works with Jon, and Jay is one of Beau’s wards here at the center,” Adam told Dean, standing to pull out a chair for Chloe.
Chloe sat and talked with them while Jay went to make them a plate and David went to find Dusty, promising to come right back to eat, asking Dean to save the two empty seats for them. There was something about Jay that Dean couldn’t quite put his finger on. He was the doting boyfriend but he seemed extremely effeminate. “Jay is trans and HIV positive. He’ll be starting a new clinical trial next month that I’m overseeing for a European drug manufacturer.” Adam spoke softly so as not to be heard by everyone.
“Is that the same manufacturer that supplies the center?” Dean asked. Adam nodded, unable to answer around the hot dog he’d just shoved into his mouth. The center spent thousands and thousands of dollars annually on medication regimens for any of the teens that were HIV positive. And that didn’t include basic medical costs, which Adam and Jordan recently decided to provide free of charge. Beau, Terry, and Tommy had weighed every aspect of signing on with the drug manufacturer for weeks before deciding it was in the best interest of their wards.
A football landed in the middle of the table, knocking over drinks and a bottle of ketchup. “Sorry!” Kory shouted. Dean and Adam both turned in time to see Jon run up on his boyfriend, bend and toss Kory over his shoulder and smack him on the ass, hard. Everyone laughed, well, everyone except Kory, who was cussing up a storm.
From the four corners of the yard, in stereo, Victor, Beau, Chris and Tristan all shouted, “Language!” And that was pretty much how the rest of the afternoon went.
A steady stream of people Dean recognized came and went, as well as many he didn’t know. They helped with games and even played a couple of rounds of flag football before the last guest left. Once the sun went down and the temperature dropped, Beau lit the large chiminea and finally allowed Chris and Linc to bust out the cooler full of beer that had been chilling in the bed of Chris’s truck all day.
Gabe and Mattie made their way toward them from the house where they’d been on baby duty; Maggie and Isaac had taken over and sent them down to enjoy the fire with their partners. Gabe fell into Tristan’s lap, kicking off his flip-flops and stretching his legs across Micah’s. The three of them fit so well together and had been through so much, from what Dean had been told. Micah had served in the military, gone to war in Iraq, and returned broken and scarred, minus one leg and suffering from PTSD. Gabe had lost his former partner in a shooting at a local gay nightclub that had affected the lives of damn near everyone that sat around the fire drinking beer. What truly amazed Dean though, was the fact that all the tragedy and sob stories that could be shared among the men didn’t define any of them. No, it made them stronger and brought everyone together, held them together as a family.
“So, did you tell everyone the big news yet, Micah?” Mattie asked, bending to grab a beer from the cooler, unscrewing the cap and taking a few long gulps. He shrieked when Victor grabbed him and pulled him down into his lap.
“I have been missing you all this day long,” the leader of their odd nuclear family told his youngest husband before stealing a kiss that was anything but chaste.
“Tell us what?” Dusty asked Micah.
The Army vet grinned sheepishly, looking to his partners before speaking. Both men simply smiled at him and nodded. “The company that makes the blade leg and other prosthetics I use has asked me to be the face of the company. And I said yes.”
A chorus of whoops, hollers, and congratulations broke out and for the first time, Dean truly took notice of how close they all were. Of the dozen or so sitting around the fire drinking beer and laughing, he and Dusty were the only two that shared blood, but that didn’t make them any less of a family. This large, loud, and rowdy group of men his son became a part of when he went to work for Victor, Andrew, and Mattie—the patriarchs so to speak—were more family than most, and he was damn proud to be included.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Adam leaned into him.
Dean smiled, eyes falling shut when Adam’s lips met his, softly, chastely. He pulled back but stayed close, their faces only a few inches apart. Adam’s profile was stunning—half in shadow, half lit by the flicker of the flames. Even in the darkness surrounding them, Dean could see the spark in his lover’s eyes. It was the same spark he took note of all those months ago, the first time Doctor Adam Chase had stepped into his son’s apartment. From that spark, a flame that burned hotter and brighter than the fire keeping them warm had started, and Dean was exhilarated with the prospect of sharing his life with the man.
~ Chapter 15 | A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words ~
Sunshine and chirping birds roused Dean far too early the next morning. Stretching, he winced at the sharp sting of pain in his ass. Smiling when he thought back to the night before and exactly what Adam had done to him to cause that sting. He and Adam had spent the previous day with Isaac and Maggie, playing tour guide before leaving the happy couple at the Carousel in Central Park to head back to Adam’s house. Maggie wanted to walk the park at dusk but Dean and Adam were worn out from the day of walking around the city. So they left with a promise to be at the apartment the next day—today now, for dinner.
Turning over onto his side, he watched Adam still soundly sleeping. The man was the very definition of masculine beauty—high cheekbones and a strong jawline that was covered with a smattering of hair the same dark blond as the hair on his head and chest. Dean scooted a little closer and lifted his hand to run a finger down the bridge of Adam’s nose. He stifled a laugh when Adam twitched, his hand coming up and swatting at the air between them. Rooting into the pillow, Adam stilled again, breathing evening out. Unable to resist, Dean scooted a smidge closer and reached up to run his finger along the length of Adam’s nose again. This time, Adam caught his hand, one eye opening to glare at Dean. “Time’s it?” Adam asked; his words almost undecipherable.
“Too damn early.” Dean chuckled.
Adam reached for him, pulling Dean close enough for their breaths to mingle. He muttered something but the only words Dean could make out were why and early. “Go back to sleep, babe; I’m gonna go brush my teeth and start some coffee.” Dean kissed the tip of his nose, working hard to extricate himself from Adam’s iron grip so he could climb out of the bed. Stopping in the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth, Dean washed his hands before heading downstairs to start a pot of coffee.
He’d been up and down these stairs dozens of times now, but this morning, he actually took the time to stop and look at each and every image that adorned the walls. He could see why Adam had fallen for Patrick; the man was stunning. A head full of dark curls adorned a heart-shaped face with expressive hazel eyes. A slow pan of the walls in the house he could see from where he stood on the stairs showed a lifetime of memories between Adam and Patrick, and Dean couldn’t help but wonder if there would always be a shadow of Adam’s former partner hovering over them.
Two steps further down, Dean was drawn to an image of both men that was probably taken unbeknownst to them at the time. Adam sat on a rock wall, the landscape around them, hills and land, all covered in various shades of green. Patrick stood in front of him, smiling down at Adam who was in turn, smiling up at him. If a picture were worth a thousand words, all thousand screamed love and devotion. Another life, one full of adoration and images to
keep the person lost as vibrant and exuberant as possible was understandable. Hell, Dean would forever have the years spent with Mags and their son imbedded in his mind. A shrine to them, for lack of a better word to describe the walls of Adam’s home, was a horse of a different color.
