by Heather Long
Graduation and Gifts
Untouchable Book Eight
Heather Long
Copyright © 2021 by Heather Long
Cover by Crimson Phoenix Designs
Editing by Kira of Leavens Editing
Proofing by Bookish Dreams Editing
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
For my heathens.
You are the absolute best.
Series so Far
Rules and Roses
Changes and Chocolate
Keys and Kisses
Whispers and Wishes
Hangovers and Holidays
Brazen and Breathless
Trials and Tiaras
Contents
Graduation and Gifts
Foreword
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Subject: CONGRATS!! Freedom!
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Subject: SUMMER PLANS
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Subject: COVER OPPORTUNITY READ ASAP
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Subject: ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Chapter Nineteen
Subject: HELL YES WE'RE SERIOUS
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Subject: BOUND HEARTS IS TRENDING
Chapter Twenty-Five
Defiance and Dedication
Afterword
About Heather Long
Also by Heather Long
Graduation and Gifts
Life doesn’t come with a script but some moments don’t need one.
Senior year pushed us all. It dared us to embrace wonder and chase love. It challenged us to find out who we were as people, as partners, as a family. We’re so much better together.
Graduation isn’t the end of our story by any stretch. It’s the next chapter.
*Please note this is a reverse harem and the author suggests you always read the forward in her books. Contains some bullying elements, mature situations, and is recommended for 17+. This is the eighth in a series and the story will continue through future books.
Foreword
Dear Reader,
Thank you for picking up Graduation and Gifts. If you haven’t read the first seven in the Untouchable series, I caution you to go and grab those right now and read them first.
When I first started this series—I wrote the first chapter of the first book in September of 2019—I envisioned a trilogy. That, of course, quickly changed as I got to know Frankie, Jake, Coop, Ian, and Archie. I fell in love with each guy for different reasons. There were things I saw on my side of things that the reader didn’t get to see yet.
Since that first chapter, I’ve written eight books, expanded the series from a trilogy to ten books then ten books to twelve. We’ve begun releasing the series on audio and I can’t even begin to tell you how fantastic it sounds with Maryne Young and Grayson Owens doing the narration. They truly bring these guys to life.
We’ve covered 181 days of their school year, not counting their vacations (hello Colorado, Padre Island, and Massachusetts), celebrated birthdays, watched each relationship she has with the guys flourish and grow. More, we’ve seen the guys grow their own brotherhood (brother boyfriends isn’t going anywhere) and extend their family.
They’ve faced the rumors, the trials, and the neglect. Finally, they’ve faced truths about themselves and their families and through it all, they’ve managed to not only stick together, they’ve kept it together and become so much more than who they were at the beginning of the year.
Frankie, herself, has grown and I couldn’t be more proud of her if I tried.
On the home front, we’ve gone through a pandemic, been crowded together at home, worked on the idea of planning for “after” it was over and, of course, rooting for vaccinations and more. The last thing I expected was to have a herniated disc in my spine hit in February just as so many other challenges hit at once including a winter storm that crippled the whole state and it took me two extra weeks to even see a doctor, having a dear friend face a health crisis while I was too far away to do anything about it, while another faced the rising flood waters around her home.
The pandemic may have isolated us, but I have never felt so far away than I did in those weeks. Writing Graduation and Gifts through all of this turmoil was both a relief and a challenge. I shared their joy and their triumphs while I was worried about so much more.
I talked about letting this story breathe and even when I couldn’t catch my own breath, Frankie and the guys were doing it for me. Their investment in each other reminds me constantly that we build the families and the communities we need. From found families to girl gangs, I am surrounded by a community of amazing individuals and I treasure each and every single one of them.
This series wouldn’t be the same without them, or my family or the readers themselves. Thank you to everyone who gives this series a shot. To those who left reviews. To those who recommend it to their friends. To the narrators who love the characters as much as we do. To the fans who make those amazing TikToks. To my friends who cheer Frankie and the guys on, who tell me it’s okay to take a break, who listen to me complain, who celebrate the highs and catch on the lows.
Thank you will never seem like enough, but right now, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of you.
And now, as always, the housekeeping notes:
For those of you who have never read a reverse harem before, first let me thank you for picking this up and giving it a shot. Second, a reverse harem means the heroine will not make a choice in this book or any other between the guys in her life. It may take her a while to reach that conclusion, but it’s the journey that drives it. There are many ways to frame this kind of relationship, currently reverse harem fits it very well.
Also, this is the eighth book in a series. If you haven’t read the first seven, I encourage you to pause here and go grab them. While there may be no specific happy endings at the end of each of these books, there will be one to the whole series, that I promise you. Some of these books will have cliffhangers, largely due to the size of the story, but the happy ending has to be earned as part of the journey.
Again, thank you for reading and being on this journey with Frankie and the boys. You haven’t seen anything yet.
xoxo
Heather
Chapter One
Guess Who’s Coming to…what?
Frankie
“I was looking for Frankie Curtis,” the man at the door said. “I’m Henry Jackson.”
Jake's shoulders went stiff, Ian sat forward, and Archie emerged from the kitchen, but Coop and I were on the sofa and closer than the others. The man's voice sounded warm, if a bit wary. I glanced down at the near see-through pale blue tank-top and sleep shorts I had on and jerked to my feet. Ian stripped off his sweatshirt and tugged it over my head. It hit me about mid-thigh and I still had to roll up the sleeves.
For his part, Jake hadn't moved.
"I did get the right apartment?" Hesitance entered the man's voice. "Sorry, if I'm coming by late. I drove here straight from the airport and I got lost once."
My heart fisted at his words.
"No," Jake said slowly. "You're at the right place." He spared a glance back at me but didn't move the door. I couldn't see past him and Henry Jackson couldn't see in. Brows raised, he looked at me for an answer and I hesitated.
"Breathe," Coop said as he tugged my hair free from the sweatshirt and smoothed it down. "We'll put on the coffee and clean this up." He was already reaching for the popcorn. Ian was emerging from the other bedroom with a new shirt on and I hadn't even noticed him leaving.
"Breathe," he said, repeating Coop's earlier suggestion and I blew out another breath. It came out far shakier and I folded my arms as a shiver assaulted me.
"I got the coffee," Archie said quietly, but Jake still hadn't moved to open the door fully.
Toes curling in my socks, I tried to quiet the shakes before walking over toward the door. Jake nodded once then backed up a step, even as he held a hand out loose for me to take if I wanted.
Oh, I definitely did. Unhooking my arms, I reached for him. He locked his fingers around mine and I shifted my gaze from Jake's to the door and the man standing there illuminated by the yellow outdoor lamps attached to the walls at various intervals.
He was a bit shorter than Jake, but still taller than me. Dark hair and…green eyes. The green eyes stopped me because I always thought I had Maddy's eyes, but the color wasn't exact. Mr. Jackson's...
"I'm Frankie," I told him despite how dry my mouth had gone. This was ridiculous. I wanted to roll my eyes and laugh at myself, but I settled for a half-smile and started to extend my hand. "I mean, yes, I'm Frankie. Would you like to come in Mister—or is it Professor..."
Crap, what was I supposed to call him?
He took my offered hand and his grip was a little sweaty, kind of like mine. When I dug my nails into Jake's hand, he just tightened his hold.
"Hank," the man said slowly, more than a bit of wonder in his voice. "Call me Hank." He stared at me for a moment, then said, "And I can come in or we can go somewhere. I don't want you to feel cornered or ambushed, just… You called and you mentioned graduation and I thought if you were reaching out that maybe you wanted to meet me and I've wanted to meet you."
The words came out of him in a rush and I had to bite my lower lip to keep from laughing a little. He sounded almost as nervous as I felt.
"I did want to—Yeah, it's fine, come in." I gestured him in and he let go of my hand as I started to back up.
"You have company," he said as he stepped in and the lights from the living room revealed a youthful face despite the hint of stubble on his cheeks. He glanced from me to Jake, then behind me. "I'm interrupting."
"It's fine, these are my boyfriends, you'd have to meet them anyway."
Hank paused a beat and raised his eyebrows, but he wasn't alone, Jake wore nearly the same expression as he stared at me over Hank's shoulder while closing the door. "Boyfriends?"
Well, love me, love my guys and all that so… I nodded. "Yeah, that's Jake and..."
"Ian Rhys, sir," Ian offered as he extended his hand. Hank shook it easily and then Coop's when he offered his.
"Coop Brennen," he said, grinning. "Boy next door and resident best friend as well as boyfriend."
I laughed. "Smart ass."
"Benton," Jake said as he took his turn for a handshake.
"And I'm Archie," Archie said as he came to stand next to me, he looped an arm around my waist before he offered his hand. "Standish."
Hank paused, then accepted the handshake. "Eddie Standish's kid."
It wasn't a question.
"Unfortunately," Archie told him with a half-smile. "Hopefully you won't hold that against me."
"Not at all," Hank said with an ease that had me letting out a breath as I leaned into Arch. That hadn't even occurred to me there might be a problem, considering the history. Then again, I didn't expect him to just show up when the guys and I had settled in for the night. "Just surprised," he admitted and then glanced at me where he paused with a small smile. "I'm going to make this weird and keep staring, just ignore me for a bit. I promise I'll get over it."
"It's okay," I said with a laugh. "It is weird. I mean… Are you looking to see how I'm like you or how I'm like her?" Cause, I really had no idea how they left things.
He gritted his teeth and wrinkled his nose like he was bracing for something. "More me than her, I mean, you've got her coloring. But those are my mom's eyes and that little—crinkle right there at the corner of your right eye? That's us too. Jackson family trait. We all do it."
A family trait, it was the stupidest thing to grin about, but I was still pleased. And we were all still standing.
"Yeah, see," Hank said glancing around at the guys like he was apologizing to them too. "I'm making it weird. Kelly told me I do that because I talk, talking is my thing and I get chatty and then—well, everything kind of comes out jumbled. Great when you're lecturing, can keep the room engaged, not so great when you're meeting your adult daughter for the first time and she has no idea who you are."
His self-deprecating smile and hand gestures made me laugh. That, and he actually looked genuinely worried.
"He is so Frankie's dad," Coop murmured and I elbowed him, but he laughed and pressed a kiss to my temple. "If it's all right to call you, Hank, sir, why don't we all sit and I'll grab some coffee. We could order in food if you're hungry. We pretty much decimated the leftovers already."
"Hank is fine, boys," he said. "Boyfriends," he muttered, then shook his head. "That'll take a little getting used to. Chloe's all of seven and she's not allowed to date until she's thirty." Another flash of a smile, then he focused on me again as we all sorted ourselves out, Archie sat next to me on the sofa while Ian settled on a chair and Jake came to sit on my other side. That left the love seat open and a second chair, but Hank chose the love seat, it was closer to me.
It gave me a minute to kind of assess him as he rubbed his hands on his jeans. He was dressed comfortably, like someone who'd just arrived on a flight. He didn't have on dress shoes, but rather a pair of running shoes that looked well worn. His shirt was Star Wars and he wore a jacket over it. I leaned forward.
"Chloe is your daughter?"
I'd kind of latched onto that. Wittaker had told me he had a family.
"See, there I go... yes." He pulled out his phone and flipped it around to show me a photo. There was Hank with a dark-haired woman, both smiling into the camera with two boys standing between them and a girl peeking out from behind him. They all had dark hair like the woman, but the older boy looked a lot more like Hank. "This is Kelly, she's my wife—she's also looking forward to meeting you. I thought about bringing everyone, but Kelly insisted that it should just be us at first, then when you're ready you can come meet your siblings."
My stomach bottomed out and Hank flashed me a quick smile.
"If you want. No pressure. I mean, yes, this is pressure me showing up, but really no—I... I wanted to meet you." He admitted and lowered the phone. "I'm very sorry I didn't know about you. She never told me. Not until she asked for a DNA sample because you were sick."
Wait...
"I know you're not," he continued as Archie slid his hand over my knee and gripped mine when I held on. "Mr. Wittaker explained. Of course…” He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about that either way. And I'm very glad you're not sick."
Just when I thought Maddy couldn't get worse, she surprised me. "No," I told him. "I'm not. And I'm sorry she made you think I was."
"Yeah well, that was then and this is now and when your attorney called, I was… I was surprised but I told him I'd already done a sample and I didn't mind doing it again. Apparently, once I agreed to it, the lab released the results. I told him, I wanted to speak to you and that I would welcome any contact."
"He told me," I admit
ted. "I wasn't... Okay confession time, I wasn't sure about meeting you." I met his gaze as directly as I could. He'd been really honest with me. "I had no idea...and Maddy and I aren’t… Well we're not close. She didn't tell me anything about you either." Maybe we'd skip the part where she named Archie's dad as mine. He'd been used enough in this particular scenario. "And maybe I was a little afraid."
Jake stood and went to help Coop who was carrying out mugs of coffee.
"That's fair," Hank told me as he twisted to take the mug from Coop. "Thanks."
"I didn't put any sugar or cream in it," Coop told him. "But we've got some."
"Black is fine." Hank nodded then took a big gulp as if he were knocking back a whiskey, and my heart kind of clenched for him.
"You were scared too," I said quietly and he gave me a half-shrug as Jake brought me a cup and then handed another to Archie. It wasn't long before Ian had one and then the guys were all there with us.
"We could give you some time," Ian offered. "If you want."
"I'm fine with you boys being here, you know until I knocked, it didn't even occur to me she might be here by herself and that would have been more uncomfortable. We've just met, but I want to earn the trust and that takes time." Then he set the coffee down and returned to the phone. "Anyway, yes, these are your brothers, Alec, he's ten, very serious kid. Don't know where he gets that from. Always has to try and be the best at everything he does. Studies twice as hard before he plays. It's a little intimidating."
