by Anya Byrne
Everyone was silent as they entered the car once more. Jack and Kyle were buckled safely in the backseat, while Parker took shotgun. He'd briefly considered driving his own car before deciding against it. The kids needed to get accustomed to Finn with Parker still around, and Parker could just return home using public means of transportation.
Sadly, this also meant that, for the next hours, he had to endure sitting by Finn's side, so close to him, itching to touch him, but unable to. In the back, the children spoke in quiet voices. On occasion, they'd ask Finn questions about Gavin and his family, which Finn promptly answered. Personally, Parker couldn't really focus on the replies, and if he himself said something, he couldn't remember it. He tried his best to put up a facade of normalcy, but judging by the occasion glances Finn threw his way and the rigidness in the other man's shoulders, he wasn't doing a very good job.
He only regained a measure of his composure when Finn cleared his throat and said, "We're very close to Gavin's place now. Ready?"
In the back seat, the children nodded. For Parker's part, he was reminded by what had triggered this in the first place, and he experienced a pang of remorse at the fact that he could dwell on the demands on his body when recent events had been so difficult for Kyle, Jack, and likely, Gavin. Parker's role would soon end, at which point he would return to his home, where he'd take over another case, other kids in need of him.
Before he could dwell more on his musings, a large cabin-style house came into view. As they approached, several men exited the structure, waiting in front of it. In the back seat, Jack released a small gasp, like he couldn't quite believe they were here.
When they parked, Finn left the car first and was promptly followed by Parker. Both of them helped the children out of the vehicle, and together, headed toward the gathered group.
Gavin Price looked a lot like his brothers, or rather, like their mother. Parker noticed a slight pallor still tinging his cheeks, which he surmised must be an aftereffect of his injury. By his side stood a dark-haired man with a significant resemblance to Finn—obviously, his brother Saul. There were other people there too, two men whose identities Parker couldn't begin to guess. Thankfully, Finn solved the problem by making the introductions.
"I'd like you to meet my younger brother Saul, and his partner Gavin." Turning toward the other men, he explained, "And this is my older brother, Jessie and his partner, Andreas. Everyone, this is Parker Knight. And of course, these little bundles of joy are Kyle and Jack."
"It's very nice to meet you all," Parker said.
Meanwhile, Gavin directed his attention to his brothers who shyly went to him. He crouched so that he could be at eye level with them and extended his arms. Almost instantly, both Jack and Kyle launched themselves at their brother.
Parker couldn't help a fond smile at the scene. It was obvious that Alicia had pegged her oldest son correctly. Parker had barely arrived here, and he knew they'd have a wonderful, warm—albeit temporary—home with Gavin.
Jessie and Andreas gestured for Finn and Parker to enter the house, probably wanting to grant Gavin a few moments alone with his brothers and his partner. Parker followed them without protest and looked around the living room and commented, "You have a lovely home."
"Thank you," he said. "It's actually Saul's to begin with, but Andreas and I also live here now. A room has already been prepared for Kyle and Jack. It's this way, if you'd like to see it."
Parker appreciated the tour, since he did have to check whether the living environment was suitable for the kids. He wasn't actually here in an official capacity, more like a friend of the family, but Alicia would probably grill him later with regard to where her two boys lived.
As they walked through the house, Parker caught sight of a male silhouette behind a cracked open door. Jessie briefly interrupted the tour, and slid into the room in question. Parker followed, and from the very first moment he stepped inside, he identified it as a nursery.
A crib sat in the center of the room, and a man watched the child inside it with a small smile. He looked up when Parker and his companions came in. "And this is our inestimable Doctor William Orwell, Jessie's dad and Gavin's physician," Finn said.
Parker was having some trouble recreating the family tree in his mind, but he didn't let it show. He could see the resemblance between William and Jessie, and he gathered Jessie must be a half-brother, even if Finn hadn't made the distinction. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Parker Knight."
"The pleasure is all mine," William said, "although I'm sure we'd have all preferred to make each other's acquaintance under different circumstances."
"How has Gavin been?" Finn inquired.
"Better than I expected," William replied. "He has Saul now, and their son. The three of them spend a lot of time together." He chuckled. "I'm on babysitting duty while Gavin figures out this matter with his brothers, but I can't imagine this little tyke will be satisfied with my presence."
As if on cue, the baby in the crib stirred and began to sniff slightly. Jessie quickly picked him up, rocking him in his arms. In spite of Jessie's efforts, the baby remained restless. Gavin almost seemed to feel it because he suddenly rushed into the room and took the child from Jessie.
As Gavin rocked the child in his arms, Saul came in, ushering the shy boys along. "Come on closer," Gavin urged them. "I want you to meet my son."
Both Jackie and Kyle seemed excited, now that their reunion with their brother had gone so well. "What's his name?" Kyle asked.
"He doesn't have a name yet," Saul replied, "but we were considering Shannon. Shan, for short."
The exchange made Parker all the more aware that, at this point, he was superfluous and out of place. He didn't really belong to this family and while he'd promised Alicia he'd look after her kids, it seemed obvious that Gavin would do a great job on his own. Even the checking up on the house thing felt petty to him now, because his heart told him the children would be more than happy here.
It might have seemed like a rash conclusion, but Parker had a lot of experience with abusive families, some of it pretty personal, and he was a good judge of character. He could tell Gavin would love his brothers probably as much as he did his son.
Parker cleared his throat to draw the attention of the family. When Gavin and Saul looked at him, he said, "Well, Mr. Price, I'm sure you can take it from here. I should be going to allow you to get accustomed to one another."
"Leaving already?" Gavin asked. "Won't you stay for lunch, at least?"
Parker was tempted, but he shook his head. "Perhaps another time. I wouldn't want to impose."
"You're not imposing." Gavin smiled. "It's the least we could do after all the help you've given my brothers."
Parker still hesitated, and Finn stayed quiet, not being a huge help. In the end, it was Jack who tipped the scales. "Come on, Parker, stay. Please."
The latter word came out about three times as long than it should have been. One look at Jack's wide eyes, and Parker knew he was beaten. "All right," he said, relenting. "I suppose I'm not in a hurry."
"Excellent," Saul said. "Come on. We were planning on having a barbecue in celebration of Kyle and Jack's arrival."
Just like that, Parker was swept up in the whirlwind of energy of the Simmons extended family. As it turned out, Saul wasn't that great of a cook, and once he set up the grill, William banished him and took over. Parker would have liked to help, but Gavin had decreed him the guest, so he was stuck observing the proceedings with no small degree of amusement, and maybe even a little jealousy.
He sat down in the shade of a tree as he watched William and Jessie bicker over the grill, with Andreas hovering nearby. Gavin played with Kyle and Jack, while Saul held his and Gavin's son. The closeness between all of them showed, even when they weren't actively paying attention to one another. Parker had never had this, and his experience as a social worker told him it was rarer than he'd have liked.
Finn came to sit by his side, taking in the s
cene as well. "This is nice, isn't it?"
"It is," Parker agreed. "Having Gavin will do wonders for Kyle and Jack. They've been under such strain since Alicia got hurt."
"They're great kids," Finn murmured, a hint of wistfulness in his voice.
Parker suspected there was more behind those words than Finn's opinion on Kyle and Jack. It almost sounded like... yearning, a yearning that echoed within Parker, as if it were his own.
He shook himself and struggled to find another topic of conversation. "So... I take it you and Saul are very close?"
Lame. Of course they were. What kind of comment was that? God, Parker could have kicked himself for his stupidity.
To his surprise, though, Finn didn't laugh off his question. "Somewhat," he replied instead. "To a certain extent, we were at odds growing up. Both of us have always been... headstrong, and our fights could get quite disastrous back when we lived together."
Finn's voice turned strangely sedate, and Parker remembered something Finn had mentioned before, about Gavin. "What happened?" he asked quietly.
"I messed up," Finn replied. "Both of us were struggling with our father's expectations, and I forgot to be a brother while trying to uphold my duties as a son. I almost separated Gavin from Saul. We're doing better now, but sometimes, I wonder if I even deserve their forgiveness."
On instinct, Parker reached for Finn's hand and squeezed it. "You're a good man, Finn. I'm sure your brother knows that. Whatever happened between the two of you is in the past. I can't believe you tried to hurt either of them on purpose, and you really can't blame yourself for it forever. What you can do is keep going forward and make sure nothing like that happens again."
Finn smiled. "That's what I'm trying to do. But in any case, I'm being morose and ruining the mood. This is a happy occasion, a good day, and I want to hear more about you."
Just like that, Parker went from comforting and concerned to aroused. He felt his face flame as Finn's gaze settled on him. The man didn't even try to disguise his interest in Parker, and having the focus of that intense look on him heated Parker's blood.
"Me?" He spluttered. "What about me?"
Finn chuckled, and the sound flowed over Parker like a caress. "Haven't I said it before? I like you, Parker. I want to get to know you better. Why not now?"
Parker could empathize, but he didn't know what he could say that wouldn't sound pathetic and lame. Then again, Finn had opened up to him, so maybe Parker could reciprocate.
He felt uncomfortable with the idea of speaking about his time in the orphanage, though. Maybe that showed, because Finn's expression softened. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. Come on. Let's give Gavin a break and play with Kyle and Jack."
With that, Finn dragged Parker away from the table and toward the giggling children. They ended up playing a game of tag in which even William was included despite his insistence that he needed to watch their meal. In deference to his injury, Gavin stayed aside with his baby, while Jessie briefly took over the grill for his father.
It was fun and domestic and maybe a little crazy, and by the time Jessie called out the meal was ready, Parker forgot about his previous wariness. When Saul invited him to stay the night, he immediately said yes.
****
Finn hadn't originally planned on staying over at his brother's place. His father needed him back at the mansion, especially since he'd been gone for a few days. However, when his brother had made the invitation and Parker had readily agreed, Finn couldn't bring himself to decline.
In truth, Finn had forgotten the last time he'd spent a day of leisure with his brother. Their born Alpha natures had created a rift between them. Now that their lives had found new purpose, that rift was closing through the warmth and affection of their mates.
And Parker... Hearing his laugh, watching the wind blow through his hair, brushing against him as they played with the children—it was amazing. Emotions bubbled in Finn's chest, so deep and overwhelming Finn didn't know what to do with them.
He must have been pretty obvious about how he felt, because Saul cornered him alone as the rest of their little group was cleaning up the plates and detritus from the meal. "He's your mate, isn't he?"
Finn nodded. "I'm sorry, Saul. I already regretted how I treated Gavin the first time we met, but now that I finally understand how you feel... I don't even know what to say. And I'm... I'm so fucking lost. I don't know how to get Parker to see me as a mate."
"It's not easy, what with him being human." Saul squeezed his shoulder. "Just take it slow. Enjoy today with him. And don't worry about me and Gavin. Water under the bridge."
Before Finn could thank his brother for his generosity, Jessie's outraged voice called out to them. "Hey, what are you guys doing? You leaving all the work to us?"
Saul and Finn shared a grin. Their older brother could have quite a temper, especially now that he was pregnant. They knew better than to cross him. "Coming, Jess," Saul replied.
As it turned out, Jessie seemed to be in on whatever plan Saul had come up with to encourage Finn's budding relationship with Parker. Somehow—Finn had no idea how—Parker and Finn ended up doing dishes together while everyone else busied themselves with other chores.
"What did you tell them about me?" Parker asked with a vaguely suspicious look.
"It's not what I told them, it's what they guessed. Saul knows me very well."
Parker rolled his eyes. "And that's how I ended up washing dishes. I really didn't expect my day to go this way, you know."
For all his words, he didn't seem to mind. In fact, as he ran water in the sink, he watched Finn through the corner of his eye. Finn noticed only because he was watching Parker in turn.
They splashed each other at the same time. Parker released a high pitched squeak, while Finn burst into laughter. He could have probably evaded Parker's attacks, but he didn't, and they ended up in the middle of a watery war zone.
Of course, while their little fight began as good fun, it spiraled into something entirely different when Parker's wet clothes started clinging to his chest. Parker had discarded his suit jacket, and through the dress shirt, Finn could now see the pointy tips of his nipples and the flat planes of his abdomen.
Before he could stop himself, he pinned Parker against the kitchen counter. "I know you said we can't do this with the kids around, but..."
Parker's breath caught and his erection nudged against Finn's leg. "Yes. I mean no. God... Tomorrow. Tomorrow, once I go back to my hotel. Okay?"
Finn nodded and stepped back. It would have probably been an impossible task for him, but he was well aware of his brother standing guard in the hallway outside the kitchen, possibly to prevent the kids from interrupting. Finn appreciated it, but when he claimed his mate, he wanted to be in private.
"Come on," he told Parker. "We should clean this place up."
For the first time, Parker seemed to realize the state of the kitchen. "Oh, my God. Your brother is going to be furious."
"Somehow, I doubt that."
Parker just watched him with a bemused smile as Finn retrieved a mop from the nearby closet. They worked together companionably, and somehow, that meant as much as their heated kisses and touches. It was a promise for more, and it made Finn hope that he could truly have his heart's desire.
When the kitchen was clean, they slumped down on the chairs to rest. "Thanks," Parker told him with a grin. "This was fun. I haven't had a water fight in ages, and it was never like this."
Finn arched a brow. "Oh?"
"I grew up in an orphanage," Parker told him. "When we played... Things could get mean. I was on the smaller side as a kid, and for a while, I was bullied a lot." He smiled, and the sorrowful memories seemed to have no effect on him. "But now, I'm happy."
Finn reached for his mate's hand, loving this generous, beautiful man more than ever before. "So am I."
Chapter Four
They ended up talking for hours, and after Parker let go of his pre
vious doubts, he found himself so comfortable with Finn he forgot about the conspicuous absence of his hosts. Gavin and the children reappeared after dinner, but everyone was obviously encouraging closeness between Parker and Finn, and for the most part they were given privacy.
It was, for lack of a better word, nice. Parker's previous attraction to Finn bloomed, but when he went to bed that day, he slept poorly because of the realization that he'd still have to leave soon.
The next day, Parker awoke feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement. As he abandoned his guest room, he ran into Kyle and Jack who seemed to have decided to reenact yesterday's game on their own. Shaking his head at their antics, he made his way to the kitchen, where most of the family was already waiting.
"Hi, Parker," Jessie greeted him. "Please, take a seat. Dad made breakfast."
Unsurprisingly, Parker was seated next to Finn, but he couldn't really mind the meddling of Finn's family. Still, he tried to remind himself that he needed to preserve at least a modicum of professionalism. "I'm going to have to impose on you for a lift to my hotel," he said. "I've already stayed too long."
"Of course I can drive you," Finn quickly agreed.
Parker had been expecting that. After all, they'd spoken about it the day before. And maybe he should have been embarrassed about it, but the sexual tension had had been building between him and Finn went beyond any shame he could possibly feel.
Parker was many things, but he wasn't a coward. The situation might not be ideal. He was probably getting in too deep. Even so, he didn't think he could help himself.
He might have been able to stop it if it had been only about sexual attraction, but Finn wasn't just some hot guy looking for a good time. He was strong, yet kind, responsible, yet so passionate. He'd come to the aid of his brother-in-law's siblings so naturally. The time they'd spent together the day before something stir in Parker's heart.
That something might have been the cause of why he smiled and nodded. "Thank you," he told Finn. "I'd like that."
