by Riley Hart
Oliver and Austin both watched him, making Quinn realize he’d taken over the conversation and rambled, hardly taking a breath between. Hell, he didn’t even know what these men had planned. They were obviously more experienced with this than he was. “Sorry. I tend to get a little carried away when I’m excited about something. Just ask Miles.” He winked and felt Oliver squeeze his shoulder as Austin chuckled.
“Excitement is good. I’m just a little blown away but in the best way. Some of the youth here mostly come for the social aspect and have loving families, but most are here because no one wanted them. Because they were disowned or knew they would be. So when people do want them, when they’re passionate about helping? Well, it means everything to them, and to me.” Austin nodded and a swell of pride filled Quinn’s chest.
“I know what it’s like not to be wanted,” Quinn admitted and Austin frowned.
“I’m sorry. As you know, Dare does too.”
It wasn’t something anyone should have to deal with—especially not because of who they loved.
They were silent for a moment as though they all needed to compose themselves before they jumped back into planning.
They spent the next couple hours hammering out specifics. They decided on two events—the trip to Quinn’s office and also a party at the center. Quinn would take care of getting televisions and games here, and Oliver was taking on the promotional aspect of the event and donations to help make it happen.
When he walked out of the center with Oliver—Miles’s Oliver—at his side, he felt a sense of satisfaction he wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced. It had been years since he’d felt like he lacked anything in his life. He’d made his own way, had a career he loved, friends, happiness, but now? Helping here and having Miles, he realized that maybe he hadn’t been as together as he’d thought. Maybe he hadn’t always been as happy as he’d thought either.
As though Oliver read his mind, he said, “You make him happy. I’ve never seen him like this.”
Quinn shrugged. “He does the same for me. He’s…special.”
“He is, though I don’t really think he ever realized it.”
No, he hadn’t. He played it off well but Miles had always struggled inside. “I know,” Quinn replied. “I don’t think he feels like he has a right to mourn people he never knew, and I think he also might feel like it’s a betrayal to his parents. He’s more honorable than he wants people to know.”
Oliver stilled. His brows pulled together. “He told you about being abandoned?” There was an incredible sense of shock in Oliver’s voice.
“Yeah.”
“Wow… Miles doesn’t do that.”
“He did it for me,” Quinn admitted. He didn’t want to come off as an asshole but he was proud of being important to Miles, because Miles sure as fuck was important to him.
Oliver sighed and leaned against Quinn’s car. “It’s always been hard on him. He doesn’t get close to anyone because he doesn’t trust. He’s afraid of being left behind or somehow being betrayed, so if he keeps the people who matter to him to a minimum, he lessens the chance of that happening. There’s always a push and pull with Miles. He holds on to me and Chance so damn tightly, that it could feel stifling at times. Not that we don’t love him, because we do.”
There wasn’t a part of Quinn that doubted that. He could see where Oliver was coming from. Could see how Miles would do that.
“It was just hard at times. It felt like bringing anyone else in was a betrayal to Miles, when we would never walk away from him. We’ve always loved him and as much as he knows that, fear is a powerful emotion. He struggled with Matt a lot in the beginning.”
“Yeah, he told me that too,” Quinn admitted. And Oliver was right. People often underestimated the power of fear. If they didn’t experience it themselves, they couldn’t understand it. It wasn’t logical, or why couldn’t you get over it? Unfortunately, life wasn’t always that easy. It wasn’t always black and white.
Oliver added, “He’s always played a sort of tug-o-war with himself. He loves his parents. He’s damn proud to be a Sorenson, but I think the not knowing is a constant struggle for him. The not knowing why, or who they are. Loyalty and honesty are two of the most important things to Miles.”
“It’s hard to close the door on something if you don’t know what it is. Curiosity is a motherfucker,” Quinn said. “I asked him if he’d ever looked for his parents—just to see what he could find, but he shot me down.”
“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Oliver replied. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you understood him a bit and also that you know how good you are for him. I never expected this for Miles. Matt, Chance, and I love him and we’re grateful he found you.”
Goddamn, Quinn’s pulse sped up. This conversation meant more to him than he could put into words. “Thank you. I’m glad I found him too.” And then because he really thought he needed to lighten the mood, he added, “It’s this ass. Brings down the strongest of men.”
Oliver laughed, and they said their goodbyes not long afterward. As he sat in his car, his phone vibrated telling him he had a text message.
Counselor: How’d it go? Miles asked him. He’d changed the name in his phone a week before.
Perfect, Quinn replied. Everything was perfect.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“Honey! I’m home!” Quinn called out as he entered Miles’s apartment.
Fuck. He closed his eyes just as his mom asked, “Who was that?” She’d called him a little while ago, and he’d hoped to be able to finish up the call before Quinn arrived. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
“Was that Chance? Or Oliver?” she asked again. “Those boys are so silly.”
He could end this right now. He could pretend it was one of his friends, and she would never know the difference, but when he opened his mouth, that’s not what came out. “No, it’s not Chance or Oliver, Mom.”
“Matt then? How’s his music coming along?”
Quinn covered his mouth, his eyes apologizing for bursting in the way he did. It was that action that made Miles need to be honest with her even more. Quinn shouldn’t feel bad about this. They were in a relationship. He had nothing to hide.
“No, it’s not Matty either… It’s the man I’m seeing. His name is Quinn.”
Quinn stopped dead in his tracks.
His mom gasped, and damn it. Now Quinn was making a heart out of his hands. He pointed to Miles, then made another heart, and pointed to himself. You love me. Fucker. He couldn’t even say I love you it had to be you love me.
Miles flipped him off.
“Who are you and what did you do with my son?” his mom finally asked.
“What’s with people and saying that? Chance thought I’d been abducted by aliens. He even searched the pantry for me, though I’m not sure why that’s where he thought I’d be.”
“Well, you have to admit…it’s different. But good, too. Oh! Are you bringing him to dinner tomorrow night?”
Well, shit. He hadn’t even thought about that. He hadn’t planned on telling his parents about Quinn just yet, but then opportunity knocked. “I don’t know. We’ll see. He might have other plans tomorrow night.” He went from admitting he was dating someone, to his parents wanting to meet them. This was like the Wild Side meeting on crack.
“I really hope he can make it. Your father will be home. I can’t wait to tell him.”
Miles rolled his eyes. He was so fucked. “Okay, Mom. I’m going to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
He could practically hear her smile through the phone. “I love you. Oh my God, I’m so happy! I can’t believe you finally have a boyfriend! I was jealous of Viv ever since Ollie settled down.”
Only his mother would be so excited about this. “I love you too,” he told her and hung up before she had the chance to say anything else.
“I don’t,” Quinn said the second Miles was off the phone.
“You don’t what?”
<
br /> “Have plans tomorrow night. I also love dinner. I’ve never had dinner with parents but I think I would love that too.”
Miles’s stomach flipped and a smile tugged at his lips. Goddamn, he was wrapped up in this man. He walked over to Quinn and fingered a strand of his hair. “Do you want to go to dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow night?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Quinn replied, and Miles grabbed his chin.
“So fucking naughty. Am I going to have to teach you a lesson?”
“I hope so.”
“Be careful what you wish for.” Miles cocked a brow at him. “If you’re not good, I’ll tie you up and throw you over my shoulder and drag you there.” He wanted Quinn to go, he realized it then. He really fucking wanted it.
“The way to a man’s dick is through ropes. At least mine.” Quinn winked and Miles kissed him. He pushed his tongue past Quinn’s lips and pulled his hair, then thought about shoving him to his knees before realizing he wanted Quinn’s dick in his mouth instead.
He dropped down and blew him and after swallowing his load, Miles stood and kissed him again. “Go to dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow night.” This time, it wasn’t a question.
Quinn winked. “Yes, sir,” he said as he tucked his dick back into his pants. He didn’t bother buttoning or zipping them. “Oh, and today. It was fucking incredible, Miles. I wish you could have been there. Austin is really excited about all the ideas I pitched to him. Ollie is on board to help—I fucking love him, by the way. We talked about you and how I won you over with my sparkling personality.”
“Personality? Oh no, baby boy. It was your ass that won me over.”
“Okay, well that’s actually what I told him.”
Miles sat at the bar while Quinn grabbed a package of microwave popcorn from the pantry. It was strange seeing someone so at home in his place. It was as though Quinn had been walking around his kitchen forever. As though it belonged to him as well. Somehow, it was…comforting.
“So you guys got it all worked out?” he asked.
“Yeah. I like Austin. And like I said, Oliver, of course. He loves you a great deal.”
Yeah, Miles knew he did. He knew Chance and Matt did as well. He was so fucking lucky. Why couldn’t he always concentrate on that instead of worry about other shit?
“It’s interesting…hearing you talk about my friends this way. I like having you in that part of my life.”
“I like being there.” Quinn put the bag in the microwave and turned it on. When it was done, they moved to the couch and Quinn finished telling him about his meeting with Austin and Oliver.
“He said Matt was at school,” Quinn told him before tossing a piece of popcorn into his mouth. “I was thinking about something but I wanted to run it by you first.”
Miles nodded, feeling a twinge of unexplained nerves in his gut. “Yeah?”
“I can’t make any promises. I want to say that up front, but I remember Matt talking about his music last week and…Jesus, it means a lot to him. I know that feeling and I just…I was thinking, I wonder if he’s ever considered trying to write music for video games? It might not be his end game, but hell, maybe it’s something that could help him along the way. It would give him a chance to do what he loves, and in case you didn’t know, I have a bit of an in where video games are concerned.”
Quinn shrugged. “Again, I can’t make promises but I’d help out as much as I could. I didn’t want to bring it up to Matt or Oliver before talking to you first—to see if you thought it was a good idea, or hell, because I already feel like I’m encroaching on your life as it is but—”
“Stop.” Miles reached out and put a finger to Quinn’s lips. Quinn wanting to help his friend like that? It meant the world to Miles. “You got me turned inside out, Quinn. Like I don’t know up from down. Like I don’t know myself.”
Quinn frowned. “This is a good thing, right?”
Yes. It was a very good thing. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you want to help Matt. You don’t have to ask my permission for stuff like this either. They…they’re your friends now, too.”
And that didn’t hurt nearly as much as he thought it would. He wasn’t going to lose them. Because they loved him and Quinn did too.
*
“I feel like I’m getting sent to the principal’s office.”
Miles glanced over at Quinn in the passenger seat. “What? How does that make sense? Because you’re going to meet my parents?”
It made sense inside his head. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s not a good comparison but…I don’t know. I feel like they’re going to be leery of me. You just told them about me, and now I’m going home with you? And what if they don’t like me?” He’d never worried about someone liking him in his life. Quinn was who he was, and that wouldn’t change, but then he’d never met the parents of someone he was in love with before, either.
“Wow…you’re really worried about this. How cute.”
Quinn turned to him. “How cute? You’re a dickhead. Here I’m worried as hell about what your parents will think of me and you say it’s cute.”
“That’s because you’re cute.”
“I hate you.”
“They’ll love you.”
Quinn perked up at that. “They will love me, won’t they?”
Miles laughed and some of the tension in the car melted away with it. This was new territory for both of them. Quinn knew Miles was nervous, as well. He’d never taken someone home, and Quinn had never gone home with someone.
Hell, he’d forgotten what home and family were even like.
They were quiet the rest of the drive to Beverly Hills. When they pulled up in front of a large, white home with a circular driveway and pillars, Quinn asked, “Do we still have time to change our minds?”
“If we make a break for it now, they’ll never know. I can fake sick again and spend the evening fucking you instead.”
That sounded like a good idea to Quinn.
When the door opened, and a woman with long, blond hair stepped out, he knew they were fucked.
“Damn it. A few seconds too late,” Miles said before reaching over and squeezing Quinn’s leg. “It’ll be okay.”
Then, as though he just realized what he said, he added, “Holy shit. Maybe Chance was right. Maybe I was kidnapped by aliens….”
They laughed together, and goddamn it felt good to laugh with Miles.
“I’m going to have to be real nasty to you tonight to make up for being all soft now.”
Quinn cocked a brow at him. “I’m looking forward do it.”
“Let’s go before she comes after us.”
They got out of the car, and Quinn waited for Miles to walk around the vehicle before they made their way to the porch. His mom went straight for Quinn first. He held out his hand, but she ignored it and pulled him into a hug. “I’m Veronica. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Quinn immediately hugged her back. He liked her already because this one action showed how much she loved her son. “I’m Quinn. It’s great to meet you as well.”
“I see where I rank,” Miles said playfully as his mother pulled away.
“Oh stop.” She swatted his arm. “You know I love you.”
They hugged, and then Veronica led them in the house. The second the door closed, Quinn heard another one open. “Damn it! I’m late but only by a couple minutes!” a man’s voice said.
He came down the hallway, with salt and pepper hair and a kind smile and wearing a suit.
“I made him promise to be out of his office before you both arrived,” Veronica told them.
“Two minutes! I was only two minutes late!” he replied.
“That’s not late, Mom. That’s early,” Miles added and his father’s eyes glowed.
“See? Miles always understands me.”
“Oh, so he got workaholic from you?” Quinn asked.
Miles growled and Veronica laughed.
“I have no idea what you�
�re talking about,” Miles’s father said before holding out his hand. “Tyson Sorenson, nice to meet you.”
Well, that was proper as fuck. “Quinn, and right back at ya.”
“Do you guys want a drink?” Veronica asked.
They all nodded and then made their way into the large kitchen. It looked like a spot where they congregated often. There was a window seat and a bar; some paperwork was on the counter that told Quinn Tyson had done some work there as well.
“What would you like to drink, Quinn?” Veronica asked.
Before Quinn could reply, Miles answered, “I got it, Mom.”
“You didn’t ask the man what he wants?”
Miles winked at her. “I know what the man wants.”
Oh, Jesus Christ. Who the fuck was this guy and what did he do with Miles? He went to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of beer. Miles opened the first and handed it to Quinn.
“Thanks.”
Before opening his own, he plucked a bottle of wine from the rack and opened that as well. He filled two glasses and handed those to his parents.
“Oh, Miles. I wanted to ask you about the Johnson case. He—”
“Lied to me, the little shit,” Miles replied. “I had to rework his—”
“There’s no work at family dinner!” Veronica interrupted them. “Not while Quinn is here.” She glanced at him and mouthed, “Thank you,” making Quinn laugh.
“But Vero…just one thing?” Tyson asked.
It was incredible watching them. Their personalities were so different from Miles. He could see the love between the three of them. Could see that Miles knew he could let his guard down there and that he did.
“Fine. We’ll just cook dinner then.” Tyson winked at Veronica, who smiled. It made Quinn lock eyes with Miles, who gave him a quick nod.
He knew it meant the world for Quinn to be here. To be around Miles’s family.
“Wash your hands, Quinn. We all help around here.”
Quinn’s heart sped up and damned if it didn’t feel like the damn thing was growing. “I’m on it, Counselor.”
