by Jerry Cole
“Are you sure?” He asked, and I nodded.
“Absolutely. We can even order from the place we were going to go to for dinner. It’s good.” I knew that I wanted to be a part of Keller’s life, and this was a large chunk of it. “I’ll call it in once they’re home, if they’re hungry.”
“You okay, Mom. Need anything?” Keller asked as he looked down at her. He got her some water and told me that he was going to change into clean clothes.
I sat down with her on the couch, and we chatted until Keller joined us in worn jeans and a t-shirt. He smiled gratefully at me and joined us. The front door opened in another few minutes, and the sound of girls' voices filled the room. Two teenagers came into the room and paused when they saw the three of us on the couch.
“Are you okay, Mom?” The one on the right asked. They were identical apart from the fact that one had teal hair instead of thick, blonde hair. Other than that, they had the same bright blue eyes and tall, lean figures.
“Just tired, Hayley.” She smiled at her daughter. “This is Micah. He came here with Keller.”
“You’re in that band. I’ve seen your picture before.” The other girl said, her eyes wide with surprise.
“I am. I’m guessing you’ve not been to a show. At least, I hope not.”
“Hayley has the bright hair, and Marlin is the blonde. It seems as though they know you.” Evelyn smiled as she looked around at us. “Micah has offered to order dinner in for us. What was your thought?” She looked at me.
Chapter Seven
Keller
When Micah told them about the seafood place he was thinking about ordering, their eyes lit up. “I’ve heard that place is so good!” Hayley explained as I smiled.
“It is. My family loves it.” He pulled up a menu on his phone and offered it around while I took notes on what everyone wanted. When the list was finished, Micah walked into the kitchen to cancel his reservation and place the order.
“He’s gorgeous!” Hayley told me as I grinned. “How did you manage to meet him so soon after moving here?”
“I interviewed him for an article. We haven’t been apart much since.” My father never accepted that I was gay, at least not completely. Evelyn never cared, and the girls ranked the guys that I was interested in for me.
“I can see why. He’s wonderful, Keller. Keep him.” Evelyn said as she smiled at me.
“I plan to.” I grinned. I liked him before this night, but now I knew that I was falling for him. We went together to get dinner, holding hands, and talking on the drive. I thanked him for his kindness to my family, and he looked at me as he parked in front of the building.
“It’s no problem. She wasn’t up to cooking dinner. The girls have to eat.” I laughed as we got out of the car.
“They are going to drool at you the entire time,” I warned him as he shrugged.
“It’s worth it to be with you.” We entered the building and paid for the meal, sitting down to talk while we waited. “So, your dad acted like a father to them?”
“Somewhat. He cared about them, but they always seemed like too much for him. I’m not surprised since my mom and I were as well.” I stared forward at the crowd surrounding the hostess booth. “Their dad died in a car accident when they were four. They hardly remember him.”
“Wow. They’ve been through a lot,” Micah murmured, and I nodded.
“I won’t let that happen again. I’ll take care of them.” I went on to explain that she recently left a job due to her pain and was on disability. Dad left some money behind for her, but I planned to help as long as I needed to.
“You’re a good guy,” Micah told me as he reached for my hand. I smiled at him and squeezed, loving this moment with him. I glanced up when his name was called and found that a few people were staring at us. He stood and pulled me forward, thanking the hostess for the order before we made our way to the car.
We drove back to the house, and I was impressed when I saw that the table was ready. Hayley asked what we wanted to drink and got water out as I assisted Mom to the table. Micah unpacked the bag, and we settled around the small table as Mom smiled at us. “Thank you for this.”
I told them how I had a family dinner with him, and Evelyn looked surprised. Micah laughed as he told them about Mallory and how they lived next door to each other. He told them that he also worked with her in his home though he did explain that it was freelance work.
“I didn’t know that was such a big thing. You all do different work?” Evelyn asked as I nodded. “That’s great that you can work for yourself.”
“The band pays some, but it’s more for fun.” Micah smiled as he reached for his water.
“Are any of you looking for a future with that?” Marlin asked, and he shrugged.
“We’re just a lot of friends that love music. One of the guys is married with a toddler, so I don’t think he wants to tour.”
“Weren’t we supposed to have dinner with them?” I asked, and Micah smiled.
“The baby got sick, so they canceled. I forgot to tell you. I’m sorry.” He smiled apologetically at me, and I melted into my seat. “We’ll probably reschedule for next week.” I nodded and looked at my family as they stared at me. They seemed as amazed as I was feeling, and I felt heat wash over me as I took a long drink of water. This felt like too much, and I was relieved when they began a casual conversation.
We cleared the plates, and Evelyn looked pointedly at the twins as they stood up. “I think it might be nice for you two to do dishes. Your brother and Micah bought us dinner.”
“Sure.” Marlin smiled and helped her sister take the plates to the sink. They chatted as they started washing them, and Evelyn smiled at me.
“Thank you again. That was incredible.” She looked tired, and Micah offered to help her to the couch. I watched in surprise, taken by his compassion. I glanced at the clean table, standing to get a cloth to wipe it down before I joined Micah on the couch. He was telling Evelyn more about his stepdad and his mom, and it made her smile.
Evelyn went to bed within a couple of hours, and the girls were in their rooms. I leaned against Micah’s shoulder and closed my eyes. “You are incredible. Do you want to go back to your place?”
“I’m not working in the morning. We can stay here if that’s not too weird for you.” He slipped an arm around me and pulled me close.
“You would stay here with my family?” I asked in disbelief.
“Sure. We can help out in the morning.” He seemed at ease with the idea, and I pressed my face into his neck. “It’s okay if nothing happens here.”
“It’s not that. I want to, but I just can’t believe that you’re like this.” I kissed him and heard him suck his breath in. “We’ll have to be quiet, but I’ll make that up to you. I do have a King bed here.”
“Good.”
We waited for the house to fall quiet as we watched a movie on the couch. The girls were good, and I didn’t think they would get in trouble, but I was a teen once. I just liked them to hopefully be asleep and have the alarm set before I slept here. Once that was done, I led Micah to my room and stripped him down. I thanked him for everything he did for us in a slow, quiet way that told him everything I was feeling without saying a word. We fell asleep in each other’s arms, and I smiled at the idea of sleeping with my boyfriend in my family’s home.
When we woke up in the morning, Evelyn was already awake. She made coffee, and we cooked some breakfast for the three of us. The girls were already at school. She asked what we were going to do today, and I gazed at Micah.
“We can stay with you until the girls get home.” He smiled at me, and I looked at Mom.
“You don’t have to do that. It’s enough that you moved here, but I don’t expect you to always be home. You have a life, and you must want your time alone.” I felt the heat wash over my face as Micah chuckled.
“I know that your pain ranges from low to high. I know enough about that to see that you need help sometimes. Are you using anyth
ing to take the edge off?”
“Edibles. I only do that when I know I’m staying home since I still occasionally drive the girls around town.” He nodded.
“You can feel free to ask for help anytime you need it. Not just from Keller, but from me as well. I know how busy teen girls can be.” She laughed and shook her head.
“They are. I thought that I had help with them, but I was just too much.” I heard the sadness in her voice, and Keller looked angry.
“He’s an asshole, and it wasn’t you, Mom. I am going to make up for his mistakes. I swear that to you.” His voice was shaking, and I realized that his dad did some real damage to him. I took his hand and squeezed it gently.
“You have support.” I looked at her. “You both do.”
Evelyn insisted that we get out of the house, so I decided to hike for a bit. I changed into clothes for it, and we went to Micah’s place so he could do the same. The trail that we chose was closest to his house, and he parked as I looked at the entrance.
“What you did today was incredible. Last night. All of it.” I smiled at him. “I think I’m falling in love with you already.”
“I don’t mind that.” We both smiled, and he leaned in for a kiss. I knew that this was all happening too fast, and I should be worried, but I was hell-bent on enjoying this feeling.
We got out of the car and selected the path that led us by the wide creek that ran through the entire area; it was a wide path and worked well for the number of people that were out there. We passed several groups along the way, with everyone greeting us cheerfully as they passed. Micah was wearing a ball cap pulled low over his face with sunglasses, so nobody seemed to recognize him. I wasn’t sure how far the recognition spread and smiled as I gazed at a particular part of the creek that flowed over a series of rocks.
“How well known is your band? Do they know you outside of the Denver area?” I asked and watched as he shrugged a shoulder.
“We play around the state, so people know us. I don’t get recognized as easily in other places, and you have to remember that people spread more lies than truth.” He’d been burned by gossip. It had to be a hard position to be in.
“I know.” I smiled as he glanced at me. “I can see the man that you are underneath it all.”
“Many people don’t care about that part of me. I never introduce people to my family, and I’m not into getting so close to others that I want to meet theirs.” I frowned as I played back the last few days with him.
“You’re so compassionate toward others.” My voice was low, and he smiled.
“Those that deserve it. I learned to be careful of who I helped along the way. People take advantage.” He squeezed my hand tight, and I paused on the path. I glanced around to find that we were alone and watched as he stared down at me. “Don’t do that, Keller. I’m giving you more of myself than I did for even my ex. I have a good feeling about you, but I don’t want to regret that.” His expression was serious as he stroked my jaw with a light touch. “Don’t fuck me up.”
“Never.” I stared at his eyes through the sunglasses and hoped that he could see my sincerity.
“Good.” He leaned in for a soft kiss and walked down the path with a hold on my hand. I sensed that something changed in those moments but didn’t know what. I could only see what happened from here.
We finished the path and headed back to the car. I gave in to one of my favorite hobbies and shot some pictures along the way, showing them to Micah over iced coffees in town. “Those are great. Have you considered selling prints in addition to writing?”
“Not yet. It’s just something that I do for fun. I haven’t traveled too much to get the shots I want. That’s a goal.” I smiled at him. “Do you travel?”
“We try just to clear our heads. We love to do it as a family, but Mom’s a caretaker now. I think she’ll be doing that until something happens where it’s too much for her. Mallory and I like to take weekend trips when life calls for it. We want to go across the pond at some point but prefer to do it as a family. Even better than that, I’d like to do it for work. You never know, right?”
“Of course.” I sipped my drink and glanced at my watch to see that a few hours passed. “What do you want to do for the rest of the day?”
“I’m not sure. Will your mom need help?” He asked as I tilted my head.
“You don’t have to spend all your time there. I’ve been staying at your house, and she’s okay,” I protested, and he shrugged.
“I know that, but she needs help.” He was stubborn, and it made me smile. I pulled out my phone and looked at the calendar.
“The girls are home right after school today. They’ll handle it and know to call me if something happens. That frees us up. Can I take you to dinner?” I smiled, and he raised a brow. “After which, I’ll take you to your place and make up for last night.”
“How can I turn that down?” He smiled and reached across to touch my hand. “We can alternate beds.”
“Are you suggesting that you want to sleep with me every night?” I asked as he chuckled.
“I wouldn’t mind.” We finished the coffee and decided to head back to my place before dinner. I agreed to pack some clothes for Micah’s house and bring my laptop back and forth. Mom would agree with that since she hadn’t want me to move here and give my life up for her. I thought about my mom back in California and how much she would love Micah. I needed to get her to visit me and maybe talk her into moving here. There was no bad blood between her and Evelyn at all. They shared hatred for my dad.
We walked into the house, and I headed into the living room to look around. Mom was resting in her recliner, reading a book, and smiled at me as she glanced up. “Hi, honey. Did you have fun?”
“We went on a hike by Pebble Creek.” She was big into being outdoors before the diagnosis, and she smiled as she nodded.
“It’s so beautiful there.” She peered around me. “Is Micah here?”
“Yeah.” I glanced back to see him entering the room. He took a minute, and I frowned at him.
“Hi. How are you feeling?” He asked her as she smiled.
“I’m good. Trying to catch up on some reading before the chaos begins.” She smiled, and I shook my head. “Do you have plans tonight?”
“I was thinking about taking him to dinner. You guys will be okay tonight?” I asked her as she rolled her eyes.
“Let me remind you that you’re not here to hover over me. Help is fine but live your life. You’re young and deserve to have fun.” She pleaded with me as she dropped her head back. “The girls are old enough to help me out, and they want to. You don’t have to feel like you’re making up for his mistakes.”
“I always will. I wanted Dad to change for you.” I sighed and leaned down to hug her. “You know to call me if you need to. I have a show to attend tomorrow night, and I might work with Micah and his sister. That’s close by, though. Don’t hold back from calling me.”
“I have friends that help me, Keller. They did that long before you moved back here.” I kissed her cheek.
“I know.”
Micah kept her company while I threw some clothes into a duffel bag and my laptop in a separate one. It was enough to get us by while I traveled back and forth between homes. I wondered how we were going to do that and then considered if Micah would ever want to move in together.
Shit. Slow down—one day at a time.
I walked back into the living room to see that the twins were home. They were talking to Mom about some boys, and I felt my protective nature rise to the surface. The girls were beautiful and would have a lot of horrible teenage boys chasing after them. I hated all of them at the very thought. Micah had a phone in his hand and gave it to Mom with a smile.
“I put a car ride app on there as well as a food delivery one. They’re at the end of the apps. I have a card of mine attached to both so you can get anything you need. The food one works for grocery stores and restaurants.” He looked at the twins.
“Help your mom out with cooking and the house. We’ll be here a lot but not all the time. I want you girls to be high school students, but we all need to pull together for your mom.”
My mouth fell open as they meekly nodded at him. Micah had power over my sisters; that was something I desired. They loved me as a big brother and respected me, but Micah was like a god in this house. Even Mom looked impressed, and she gave me a wide-eyed stare. I shrugged, and we smiled.
The girls decided to make tacos for dinner and were in the kitchen, getting supplies together. They were capable when they put the effort in, and I smiled as we prepared to leave for the night. I hugged Mom and the girls first as Micah followed, grinning as he spoke longer to everyone.
“What magic did you perform in there?” I asked as we got into his car.
“They’re good girls. They just need to be guided sometimes.” He shrugged, and I chuckled.
“That’s much more effective for a guy like you. It never quite worked for me.” He smiled, and I knew he used it on the twins at some point. He could get anything with that crooked grin, and I started considering restaurants for dinner. I’d take him anywhere.
We dropped my stuff at his house and checked to see if Mallory was hungry. She wasn’t home, and he shrugged as he spun the keys in his hand. “Her loss.”
We decided on a small bistro on the creek past the park we were at earlier in the day. It was a five-star place, and I appreciated the view from the wall of windows that faced the water. “Wow. That’s gorgeous. The sun sets here, doesn’t it?” I asked the waiter as he nodded with a flushed face. He was staring at Micah before glancing my way, and I forced a smile.
Micah gazed at me across the table once we were seated, and I forced the jealousy down. “Just a fan.” His words were low, and I nodded as I sipped my water. We ordered a beer while we looked at the menu, and I scanned the entrees slowly. It wasn’t a large menu, but everything sounded good in theory. I willed my jealousy to transform back into hunger as I decided on some lettuce wraps with a Thai flair, ordering when the waiter returned with our drinks. Micah ordered a club sandwich, and I leaned back as I took in the view. It was still light out, but the sun would be going down within the hour.
