Forever & Ever

by Tere Michaels

  “You’re evil,” Evan said, throwing a cork at Matt’s head.

  “I’m Super Pop Pop, and you’re just jealous.”

  “WE CAN only stay two days,” Danny told Matt as they attempted to clean off the table after all the procreating couples had headed home. Danny held the garbage can and followed Matt around the perimeter. “Jane and I both have to work.”

  “I get it—building the old careers.”

  “We manage a gym.”

  Matt stopped, wagging a fistful of dirty napkins in his stepson’s face. “What do you do?”

  “We are personal fitness consultants,” Danny said dutifully.

  “Clearly you need to practice that in the mirror more.”

  “I’m not practicing—”

  “Or you can join the family business.” Matt dropped fortune cookie wrappers in the garbage can.

  “You can use that bad Italian accent forever, but you own a security company. You’re not in the mob.”

  “Fun killer.”

  TO SAY Matt was looking forward to Fake Christmas Holiday was an understatement.

  His to-do list read like a Hallmark movie—buy toys, get his Santa suit cleaned, buy another big red sack to hold all the toys while he wore his suit. More than their yearly trips to the condo in Florida, more than backyard barbecues, Matt loved FCH in all its chaotic, noisy glory.

  He took the entire two weeks before it off, concentrating on his shopping, finding the perfect gift for each member of his family. They had a monetary limit, which Matt stuck to, something that drove Evan crazy.

  Perfect gifts, in budget range. Maddening.

  “CAN I see your list?”

  “No.”

  “Can I barter with you?”

  “What are you offering?”

  “Sex.”

  “No.”

  ON THE Friday before Fake Christmas Holiday, Matt loaded the car with gifts, luggage, and trays of cookies Elizabeth and Jane had baked in their kitchen. The caravan of Cerellis and their families would begin in less than an hour, and it was all Matt could do not to break into song in the driveway.

  “Did you remember the bag of stuff for the kids’ stockings?” Evan asked as he came out the front door, both hands full of shopping bags.

  “Big kids or little kids?”

  “Both.”

  “Yes.” Matt took the bags and filled the last square foot of space in the back seat. “Please tell me that was the last of it. Because our next option is lashing stuff to the roof.” He shut the door, then waited for the entire SUV to explode like a piñata.

  “Next year everyone gets an envelope of cash,” Evan said, like clockwork. Matt patted his shoulder and nodded like he was considering it.

  He wasn’t.

  Pop Pop Matt was the best damn Santa in the world, and no one was taking that away from him.

  LESS THAN twenty-four hours later, all those brightly wrapped gifts were now opened and spread all over the living room of the beach house. The frenzy burned intensely, then fizzled out as everyone collapsed in exhaustion among the happy carnage.

  “I can’t see the floor,” Matt said, leaning against the kitchen counter and looking at the living room.

  Evan brought him a mug of coffee, his own clutched in his other hand. He mirrored Matt’s position, pressed close as he gazed out at their family. Family, extended family, friends who were now family. Two generations of humans whose main connection seemed to be making sarcastic comments and being fiercely loyal.

  How could you go wrong with that?

  “Bennett might have to build another wing.”

  “Don’t encourage him,” Evan whispered.

  “This is a fertile bunch, Evan. Don’t be fooled by the momentary lull.”

  Evan sipped his coffee, trying to look casual. He suspected an announcement coming soon from Elizabeth and Ollie but didn’t want to steal anyone’s thunder.

  “Twenty-four humans in this house. Twenty. Four.”

  “And a dog.”

  “And a dog!” Matt sounded on the verge of a rant, but one sideways look at his husband and Evan could see the absolute delight on his face. He loved having everyone here, loved spending a fortune on gifts, loved wearing his Santa costume to pass out gifts. Every time he did, Evan remembered that first Christmas, Matt buying the kids tons of presents, but then they spent it apart, broken by Evan’s insecurities.

  He regretted that moment so much, the panic and breaking up.

  And yet.

  Evan watched Griffin and Jim sharing a third of the bigger sofa, Lois Lane the beagle stretched across their laps. If they hadn’t broken up, Evan wouldn’t have used that rock bottom bounce to reclaim his life. If they hadn’t broken up… Matt and Jim wouldn’t have slept together.

  How fucking weird for Evan to be thinking, Well, glad that happened.

  “Maybe we should get a dog,” Matt was saying, bringing Evan’s attention back. “The grandkids would love it.”

  “Maybe we should get a dog so I can walk it? No.” Evan elbowed him gently. “I’ve mellowed in my old age, but not that much.”

  “Mellow? Uh, no.” Matt gave him a dazzling smirk. “You’re still the same uptight pain in the ass you always were.”

  Evan knew flirting when he saw it, at least from Matt, because they’d been doing this a long damn time.

  Before he could say anything, Katie ambled by.

  “Why are you two being so standoffish? We have cookies… somewhere in there. You might want to check under the twins.”

  “That’s a pass.” Matt saluted her with his cup.

  Among the wrapping paper, boxes, and gifts, Josiah emerged, unfolding and stretching. “Who wants to go for a walk?”

  “Me!” Caroline bolted from the chair she was sharing with Sadie—who almost ended up on the floor. “Sadie, do you want to come?”

  The tone and slow enunciation from Caroline got an overly blinky response from Sadie.

  “No, thanks. You two go along,” Sadie said with a regal nod.

  Josiah nodded as Caroline rooted around her fathers to find her sweatshirt; then the two preteens left, leaving silence in their wake. When Evan heard the sliding glass doors close, he said, “All clear.”

  “Oh. My. God.” Sadie started to laugh, leaning down to high-five Daisy, who was leaning against Griffin’s legs. “Not subtle.”

  “What? What wasn’t subtle?” Austin asked, going from sleepy to awake in a second.

  Katie, returned from the kitchen with a tray of cups of coffee, made soothing noises. “Don’t worry, honey.”

  Evan sighed, but the laughter bubbled in on the tail end of it. “Aren’t they too young—”

  “Josiah and Caroline?” gasped Matt. His cup shook in his hand. “They are far too young—”

  “Dads!” Katie reprimanded with a look. “It’s just a little mutual crush. Don’t make a big thing about it. And don’t embarrass them!”

  “Sorry, Katie. We’ll behave,” Evan promised even as Matt shook his head beside him.

  “Shouldn’t someone be out there walking with them?”

  EVENTUALLY MATT and Evan got their time on the couch. The younger folk were busy putting babies to bed or supervising almost teenagers in the game room. Four familiar couples settled around the fireplace with a bottle of wine.

  “This is nice,” Daisy said with a yawn, curled under Bennett’s arm. “I always forget the full volume of everyone in the same room.”

  “Blame Evan. It’s mostly his fault.”

  “I can’t help my virile fertility.”

  Matt hooted, and he and Helena fake high-fived.

  “Why are you high-fiving him?” Evan asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m sleep-deprived. My boss took the past two weeks off.” Shane snored quietly beside his wife. “Also, you said virile fertility. Are you drunk?”

  “Give me time.” Evan kicked back, stretching against Matt, who seemed about three seconds from conking out.

  “We
spend so much time planning and buying stuff and wrapping stuff…,” Griffin started to say.

  “Who is this we?”

  Ignoring Jim, he continued. “And then it’s over in like ten minutes.”

  “You say that every year, Griffin.”

  “Because it’s true every year, Daisy Mae.”

  “I like when Jim reminds everyone he’s a house husband,” Matt said, raising his glass.

  Everyone followed suit as Jim flipped them off.

  ONE BY one, they drifted off to bed. Evan felt too sleepy, too warm to move, as Matt drifted in and out beside him. Each of their friends came over to drop a kiss or a half hug before ambling out of the room.

  “Breakfast at ten,” Bennett reminded them. “Because we’re all sleeping late. I bribed the big kids to watch the little ones.”

  “Good man.” Evan gave him and Daisy a salute as they disappeared up the stairs. Their generosity brought everyone together. Their partnership with Shane and Griffin earned them all successful careers.

  Shane climbed into Matt’s lap for some wrestling until Helena hit him with a rolled-up magazine.

  “Your sex games are so weird,” Matt sighed, messing up Shane’s hair before he got up.

  “This is the scene of the crime.” Helena finished her glass of wine as Evan put his hands over his ears.

  “Your poor child,” he sighed. “What are you going to do when she figures it out?”

  “How is she going to figure it out? She’s going to know she was named after Antoinette Perry, we won the Tony around that time….”

  “It’s a little too on the nose.”

  “Evan, our other choices for names were lawn chair and beach house. I think Toni was the nicest thing we could do.”

  Matt smacked the side of the chair. “I’m tapping out of this discussion. Go to bed, Shane.”

  Griffin hauled Jim off the couch; they wrapped around each other like handsy octopi. Evan watched them share a kiss, then murmur to each other as they gathered empty glasses.

  “Leave them. We’ll take care of it,” Evan said.

  “Nah, old man needs water to take his pills,” Griffin said lightly. He took the glass from Jim’s hand, making the same scowl face.

  “Can I make a Viagra joke?”

  “No.” Griffin gave Matt a kiss on the cheek, then Evan. “Night, guys.” He paused, considering. “Okay, just one.”

  Matt threw his hands in the air. “Goddammit, I forgot what I was going to say.”

  Griffin left them in the living room, heading for the kitchen with the glasses. His laughter rang out, leaving Matt muttering under his breath.

  “You believe I had a great line, don’t you?”

  Jim held his hand to his ear, squinting in the firelight. “Eh, speak up, sonny. Can’t hear you.”

  “Jerk.”

  “Dickhead.”

  Jim and Matt did a half hug, Jim bending down and Matt pretending to rough up Jim’s hair at the end.

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “Keep it up, asshole.” Jim hit Matt with a throw pillow. “I’m still in better shape.”

  “He’s right,” Evan pointed out and got an indignant look from Matt. “What?”

  “I’ll let you two work this out. Try not to stare as I walk away.”

  “James Shea, how much did you have to drink?” Griffin yelled from the kitchen.

  The night ended in Daisy coming down to tell them all to shut the hell up before they woke a child.

  UNDER THE covers, Evan poked Matt as he continued to break into peals of laughter. “Daisy’s going to come in here and yell at you.”

  Matt choked, tears streaming down his face. “She’s so fucking tiny, but when she yells….”

  “It’s terrifying.” Evan tried not to join Matt’s ridiculousness, but it wasn’t easy. “Stop!”

  “I can’t!”

  Evan lay there, letting the bed shake as Matt let it all out. This was his life, married to a big kid who never missed an opportunity for a smile. “You’re nuts. I don’t think you can handle your liquor anymore.”

  “You think Jim’s hot,” Matt hiccupped, wiping his eyes on the sheet. “If I had a Breathalyzer, you’d be in trouble, buddy.”

  Plumping up his pillows, Evan rolled over to face his husband. “Is this role-play?”

  “If I said yes, can we consider it my Christmas present?”

  “So I’m cancelling our trip to Maine?”

  Matt made a face. “Can we role-play in Maine?”

  “Matt, you know we’ve never done that, ever. And to be honest, I don’t know how to do that,” Evan said. “But I can promise you lots of shower sex.”

  The smile he got was wide and bright.

  “This is why I love you. And why I wrote you a poem for Christmas. It’s called ‘Ode to Evan’s ass’….”

  AT NINE fifty, Evan rolled out of bed. He grabbed his sweater and socks and left Matt snoring away under the pile of blankets. Outside in the hallway, he encountered a stampede of grandchildren as Josiah herded Nathaniel, Shelia, Brigit, Clancy, and Mattie toward the stairs.

  “You need help?” Evan asked, observing his grandson’s patient herding.

  “No, I got this, Grandpa Evan.” Josiah grabbed Mattie right before she toddled into a wall. Matt’s namesake didn’t quite have her sea legs yet—champion crawler, so-so walker. Katie’s youngest wasn’t going to run until she was good and ready. “I hear there are pancakes and bacon.”

  “Pancakes!” Brigit shouted.

  Through an intricate series of bargaining—“Shelia, hold Clancy’s hand. Nathaniel, you got Brigit. I’m carrying Mattie. Go slow, hold the railing!”—Josiah got them down the stairs.

  Evan smiled as he oversaw their trek all the way down. He cherished each individual sparkle of their personalities, the way they got along. The cousins were best friends, traveling in a pack despite their different ages, fighting and making up sometimes in the same breath. They lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same schools and day cares.

  And now they were running into the kitchen, yelling “Pancakes!” with Josiah at the lead, waving Mattie’s little hand.

  “Oh my God, so much noise,” Sadie said, coming out of her room with a dramatic sigh. “Hey, Uncle Evan.”

  “Morning, Sadie. Sorry if the gang woke you.”

  She shrugged, swanning past in her furry pink robe, blonde hair tucked under a beanie. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I love those weirdos.”

  “They’re the best weirdos.”

  They shared a smile; then she headed down the staircase. A second later Josiah’s head came into view, peering around the corner. When he saw Evan still on the landing, he jumped back.

  “She’s not up yet,” Evan mock whispered. “Maybe you should come up, bring her some orange juice.”

  Josiah’s eyes widened and he shook his head before disappearing again.

  A door opened—not Caroline but Matt, lumbering down the hallway in a hoodie that proclaimed him “the boss” and truly ugly pajama pants featuring chili peppers wearing elf hats.

  “I might have been dreaming, but an army of children was screaming about pancakes. No. Wait. That was definitely real.” He stretched and yawned before wrapping his arms around Evan’s shoulders. “Merry Day After Fake Christmas.”

  Evan relaxed into Matt’s arms. The sounds of breakfast prep rose up, a clanging of pots and pans and the happy shrieks of children, the laughter of their friends. They’d eat, then head out to the beach for a bundled-up walk, working off some of the calories consumed. Movies, hot chocolate, the annual Scrabble tournament—which gave way to strip poker after the kids went to sleep, but it all depended on how much wine Evan drank.

  Wholesome family insanity.

  “What?” Matt whispered, resting his head against Evan’s shoulder.

  “I was just thinking how much I love this,” he murmured. “Every crazy bit of it.”

  “That’s because our resistance has worn down o
ver the years.”

  “Shut up, you love it too.”

  Matt snickered. “I love it. I love you. I really love pancakes.”

  Evan didn’t want to let go of Matt just yet. There was coffee and delicious food and family to be a part of, but this in-between felt… nice. More than nice. Like contentment encapsulated into a single moment.

  “Did you ever imagine,” he said softly, turning his head to look at Matt.

  “This?” Matt’s smile lit up from the inside. “Hell no.”

  “Me either.”

  They were quiet for another moment, just watching each other. Evan broke the gaze with a kiss.

  “How lucky are we?” he asked.

  “The luckiest sons of bitches on the planet.” Matt sealed the words with another kiss, slanting their lips together in a perfect fit.

  AND THEY lived happily ever after.

  The End

  More from Tere Michaels

  Faith, Love, & Devotion: Book One

  Reeling from the recent death of his wife, police officer Evan Cerelli looks at his four children and can only see how he fails them. His loving wife was the caretaker and nurturer, and now the single father feels himself being crushed by the pain of loss and the heavy responsibility of raising his kids.

  At the urging of his partner, Evan celebrates a coworker’s retirement and meets disgraced former cop turned security consultant Matt Haight. A friendship born out of loneliness and the solace of the bottle turns out to be exactly what they both need.

  The past year has been a slow death for Matt Haight. Ostracized from his beloved police force, facing middle age and perpetual loneliness, Matt sees only a black hole where his future should be. When he discovers another lost soul in Evan, some of the pieces he thought he lost start to fall back in place. Their friendship turns into something deeper, but love is the last thing either man expected, and both of them struggle to reconcile their new and overwhelming feelings for one another.