Mason laughed. “Oh, man, yeah. That huge voice. When he gets excited, I bet they can hear it all over Manhattan. When we were kids, the neighbors heard him halfway down the street when he had a problem with something.”
It was great to see Mason again, and I loved the opportunity to talk about our family in person. It brought back all sorts of great memories growing up. Mason always stood up for Benji and me in so many different ways. Once in a while, he could be a little overbearing, but he was still on our side. I’d met a lot of other men in my life who weren’t so lucky with older brothers.
As we climbed into my compact car together, I said, “I didn’t have a big restaurant plan for tonight. Would it be okay to go back to my place and share a takeout meal? I know that’s not the kind of fancy food you get at the resort, but it will give us a chance to talk without all of the noise around.”
Mason grinned. “That sounds perfect. Kyle insists on eating healthy all the time. Let’s splurge on something full of calories. It’s already been a long day. I got up at 3:00 a.m. to drive down out of the mountains to catch my flight. I could have left the night before and stayed somewhere near the airport, but I don’t like to miss any extra nights with Kyle. You can understand why.”
I knew what Mason was getting at, and, for some reason, Angelo immediately came to my mind. I wanted to consider what that meant, but Mason was already moving on to talking about other topics.
He said, “Tilda is getting so big. She’s a sweetheart. What do you think about me being a dad?”
“Adoption or surrogate?”
“Oh, we’re not that far along yet, but I think we’d be two good dads. Simon did well with two moms. It’s something we’re seriously considering.”
As Mason stepped into my apartment, he said, “This is an awesome place. If you have to live in the city, it should be in an apartment like this. None of my crash pads in Los Angeles were ever half as nice.” He turned to face me. “Do you still like it? Be honest with me. Your satisfaction is what’s important, not your big brother’s envy.”
“Seriously? Are you jealous of me?”
“Oh, maybe a little bit in some ways, but it’s not like I want to do what you’re doing. It’s more a situation of wishing I had some of the opportunities you’re enjoying when I was a few years younger like you. I love mom and dad, but moving to another city would have been exciting. Of course, then I might never have reunited with Kyle. I would never give up what we have now. In fact, I think everybody should be envious of us. He’s fantastic.”
I tilted my head slightly to the right. “What type of opportunities? Is it only about living in a different city? You were already climbing fast up the ladder at Matheson and Greene as soon as you graduated from college. I know that was partially because you were the son of one of the bosses, but you still showed them all how good you are at what you do.”
Mason nodded. “Yep, I did have an inside track to my first job with the firm. It was a lot like what I gave you with Star One. They were chomping at the bit to take a chance on a guy who shared my genes. Having someone who can pull a few of those strings from the outside never hurts.”
I blinked. “Wait. Go back a few steps. What did you say about Star One?”
“Yeah, that’s what happened. One of the top executives here, I think his name is Blackfield, Blackwood, something like that. He came out to L.A. to meet with Dad, Bentley Greene, and me to see how we did things at Matheson and Greene. Star One was growing quickly, and he wanted to see how the big players operated. He was quite a player himself, but we won’t get into the rumor mill.”
“Blackmoor?”
Mason pointed at me. “Yeah, that’s him. Do you know him?”
I spoke slowly and quietly while I considered what Mason’s casual comment meant. “Yes, he’s the mentor for Angelo and me.”
“Wow, it is a small world, isn’t it? Now, what were you thinking about for dinner?” Mason patted his belly. “I’m hungry. Does Chinese sound good? Or how about a deep-fried everything feast with chicken fingers and fries? Or is there something else you like better? I’ll treat.”
I swallowed hard. I thought Mason said that he worked behind the scenes to get me my first job at Star One. I suddenly didn’t feel very hungry, and I raised a question. “So, are you saying that you asked Blackmoor to give me a job?”
Mason pointed across the room. “Hey, let’s go sit on the sofa. I did suggest that you were looking for a position. He told me to urge you to apply, and he mentioned that he was confident that you’d rise to the top of the stack. I think that was all of the discussion about you.”
My mouth dropped open, but I didn’t know what to say. It was one thing to get a job in your family’s company like Mason did. He was the heir apparent, but Star One was over a thousand miles away. I’d spent my entire time with the company swatting away rumors about earning my first position. I’d always thought that I competed on an even playing field.
My voice sounded weak as I tried to maintain some composure. “But I applied for the job and had a good interview. I thought it was all me.”
Mason grinned. “Oh, I’m sure that he would have called me back if red flags came up when you spoke in person. At best, I helped you leapfrog a few other applicants, but look what you’ve done since! You won that competition fair and square, and now you’ll be able to write your ticket to a plum position at almost any ad firm in the country.”
The fact that Blackmoor was involved brought the competition results into question, too. When I finished in third place the year before, it caused a spike in rumors about me. I’d been too busy with Angelo to notice what people were saying after we won. I shivered thinking that the way I understood my career success might be entirely wrong.
I ordered Chinese food to share with Mason, but I could barely taste it. I ate maybe half as much as I would on a typical evening. After he stuffed the last bite of egg roll into his mouth, Mason asked, “Are you okay? You’re usually a Chinese food fiend. I remember how shocked Mom and Dad were when you liked Mongolian beef as a little kid.”
I shook my head. “I think there’s been a lot of stress lately. The world’s moving so fast. I could use a little slowdown for a few days.”
The evening didn’t last long after dinner. Mason asked if it was okay to go to bed early. He was starting to feel the impact of getting up at 3:00. Still shaken, I said, “Oh, yeah, of course. We can go out for breakfast in the morning, and then we can go somewhere for fun. I don’t know where, but…yeah.”
Mason wrapped his arms tight around me again. “You need some sleep, too, little brother. I bet it’s been a long week. We’ll sleep in tomorrow and relax.”
About an hour later, I couldn’t sleep, and I lay in bed thinking about Angelo. He was right about how I got my job, but if he thought that made me a bad person, he was wrong. I didn’t have anything to do with Mason’s behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
Still, with Mason’s mouth in town, it was possible that the truth could get out. I needed to talk to Angelo so that he could hear the full story and an apology from me before anyone else whispered in his ear. My Sunday was mostly free since Mason was busy meeting his client. I reached for the phone on the bedside table and watched it glow in the dark. I was confident that Angelo would still be awake as I typed a message to him.
“Hey, I know this is out of the blue, but could I see you on Sunday? I’ve got something to talk about, and it’s kind of urgent.”
Angelo must have been near his phone and wide awake. Seconds later, I had a response. He typed:
“My weekend is pretty busy, but I’m going to my niece’s birthday party in Fort Worth on Sunday. You would be welcome to come. There’s a crowd, and they all know who you are because of the contest.”
18
Angelo
My next-to-youngest niece, Elisa, was turning 10. It was a landmark for her. She told me, “I’ll be a whole decade old!” I remembered holding her when she was only an infant. Now
she was turning into a beautiful young girl.
Anna told me that she thought her little sister was outgrowing birthday parties with balloons and clowns, but Aunt Sofia insisted. Anna said, “I think Ma fears that it means she’s old if she doesn’t need to put together a grand party like this anymore.”
Elisa came up with an excellent solution to the issue. She was practical like her dad, Uncle Lorenzo. Elisa had her friends invite younger siblings to the party to enjoy all the games designed for the little kids. It was a fantastic idea. As I helped a little boy tie off his helium balloon, I glanced around the back yard, and everybody looked like they were having a lot of fun.
Then I saw Jamie. My jaw dropped in stunned silence. He didn’t tell me the night before whether he would come to the party or not, and I didn’t expect him. Inviting him was the polite thing to do. I still wasn’t sure whether I could count Jamie as a friend or not, but he did seem to want to tell me something important.
I handed off the balloon and stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, with a goofy smile pasted on my face. I was happy to see him.
Unfortunately, Ma saw Jamie, too. She rushed up to his side before I could offer a hug. Ma clapped her hands. Taking two leaps beyond anything that I’d confirmed, she said, “It’s so good to see you again, and now you’re my angel’s boyfriend!”
Sudden shock registered on Jamie’s face. He couldn’t do anything in response but hug Ma tight to his chest. Jamie mumbled, “It’s good to see you, too, Mrs. Moretti.”
As she pulled back, I saw a flush on Ma’s face. She said, “Just call me Ma Moretti. You’re one of us now, and you’re such a polite and handsome young man, too. Please help yourself around here. There’s pizza and punch, and…” Ma turned as I tapped her on the shoulder. “Oh, here is Angelo.”
Anna attempted to rescue us. She called, “Aunt Elena! I need your help over here.”
Jamie recovered quickly, and before Ma turned away, he said, “Thank you so much. Yes, Angelo is a great man. I couldn’t stay away once he invited me to the party. I can’t wait to eat with the whole family again. Maybe we could all go out to dinner and give all of you a break. It would be my treat.”
Ma waved her hand. “Oh, don’t think of that! I love to cook.” She reached out for Jamie’s belly. “I haven’t fattened you up yet. You’re just skin and bones.”
Anna called again. “Aunt Elena! Hurry!”
Ma said, “Oh, I must go. It looks like they need me over there. Please enjoy the party.”
After a few steps in the direction of Anna, Ma turned halfway back around to look at Jamie. She blew him a kiss, and then I dashed in her direction. She was backing up without looking at what might be in her path. I saw a toy wagon and kicked it out of the way seconds before she stumbled over it.
Ma was startled to find herself in my arms. “Angelo! I thought you were talking to your boyfriend.”
“You were staring at him, and you weren’t looking where you were going. I had to make sure that you didn’t fall over something.”
Ma laughed softly. “You’re my wonderful son, always looking out for me. Oh, I must be embarrassing you. I’ll go now and talk to Anna. You need some special time with your new boyfriend.”
I breathed a sigh of relief when she turned and looked down at her feet to make sure that she didn’t stumble. Making my way back to Jamie, I heaved a massive sigh.
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “We’re boyfriends? Not that it’s a bad thing at all, but it’s news to me. When did that happen? I’m sorry that I missed it.”
I shook my head. “You must know how mothers can be.” When I looked up into Jamie’s face, the shock was still there. I said, “I guess I’ve got a few things to explain to you.”
“Well, yeah! The last I knew about all of this, you weren’t out to your family. Now, I think your mom will try to convince me to marry you. I’m confused.”
“Can we go inside the house and get away from the party?”
“Of course, I’d love that. Is there beer in the fridge? I might need something to calm my nerves. This is all coming at me a little fast and furious.”
“I’m sorry about that, and yeah, I’m sure Uncle Lorenzo has plenty of beer in the house. I need one, too.”
My aunt and uncle lived in a sprawling ranch-style house on the outskirts of Fort Worth. With Jamie at my side, I stopped at the refrigerator in the kitchen and grabbed two beers. With them in hand, we headed for the couch in the living room. I noticed that it was incredibly quiet inside the house compared with the chaos of the party and the noise generated by at least twenty little kids.
Jamie sat on the leather sofa first and patted the cushion at his side. “If you’re going to be my boyfriend, you have to sit by me. I insist on that.”
I said, “This is crazy. It’s kind of exciting, too.”
Jamie turned to face me and placed his right hand on the side of my face. “Yeah? Exciting? Tell me more.”
“Don’t you think so? Anyway, so the night we got home from L.A.…”
Jamie didn’t let me finish the thought. He kissed me, and his hand slipped around to cup the back of my head. With the weight of his body, he pushed me into the corner of the couch. We both parted our lips, and our tongues tangled in the hunger of the kiss.
I pressed my hand against Jamie’s muscular chest, and I wanted to move my fingers further down below his waist, but I knew that it was too dangerous. If I let myself travel in that direction, it would be next to impossible to stop, and we stood a good chance of getting caught by my family.
Jamie came up for air from the kiss and asked, “So what is this about your mom knowing that you’re gay. Tell me the story. I need something to stop me from tearing off your clothes.”
I felt my cock stiffen in my jeans and rested my cheek on Jamie’s chest. I played with a firm nipple as it pushed against his t-shirt. “It all happened when I got home from the airport. They threw a family party for me, and it all happened in a whirlwind. In the middle of it all, I decided to let them all know and not look back.”
Jamie raked his fingers through my long hair. It was an incredible sensation. He tangled his fingers into the strands, gripped, and tugged my head back slightly. The movement exposed my neck, and the stiffness turned to rock hard in my jeans.
With a soft laugh, Jamie released my hair and began combing through it with his fingers again. “I’m just joking. I won’t hurt you. I’d never do that. You’re so sexy, Angelo. Congratulations. Doesn’t feel great to be out and not have to hide anymore?”
“Oh, I didn’t think you would hurt me, but tugging on my hair like that makes me horny as hell. And yeah, of course, it’s fantastic. The best part of it is us right here on the couch, and nobody in my family would think it’s unusual.”
“Back up—horny as hell?”
I decided to ignore the comment and focus on telling my story. It felt safer than acknowledging my body’s leap into overdrive.
“So, I was terrified, but something inside told me it was time. My parents had a big welcome home dinner for me with Uncle Lorenzo and Aunt Sofia and six of their kids. It was mostly the people who are here today. I blurted out that I was gay, and then I wanted to hide under the table.”
Turning my head upward, I saw Jamie grinning. He said, “Damn, you’re brave. And they were okay with it?”
“Yeah, they all said they knew it already, and they were just letting me take my time to share the news.”
“We’re always the last to know, aren’t we? It didn’t happen that way with coming out for me, but I think I know what it’s like. So many times, I’ve realized something about myself that Benji claimed he knew weeks or even months before I figured it out.”
I pulled my hand back from the nipple and stared at Jamie’s Adam’s apple. “I should have told you at work. I’m sorry that you had to find out from Ma acting ridiculous.”
“Well, it’s only ridiculous if you don’t want…” Jamie stopped.
I pul
led my head back from his chest so that I could see the expression in his eyes. “Is something wrong?”
“I almost forgot about the news I had to share. That’s why I contacted you, and I said it was urgent.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I made this all about me. That was damn selfish of me. It’s just that Ma took over. She’s like that sometimes. What’s your news?”
“Well, my brother Mason is in town. I think I told you about that at work.”
I started to toy with the nipple again while I listened. “Yep, you mentioned that. I hope you got to have some good time with him.”
“It’s been okay. I’m not sure how to say this, so I’ll blurt it out. I didn’t know it when it happened, but he helped me get the job at Star One.”
I stopped what I was doing with my fingertip pressing against Jamie’s chest. A slight shiver race through my body. The rumors were right all along, despite Jamie’s protests.
“I hope you’re okay with it,” said Jamie. “I didn’t know. If I did, I’d never taken the job. I thought it was all me. For once, I thought I did something great on my own.”
I bit my lip. I hated when people got ahead by bending the rules, but I believed Jamie when he said he didn’t know what his brother did. I swallowed hard and decided to react with some compassion muttering, “It’s okay.”
Jamie squeezed my shoulder as I turned my face upward to look into his eyes. He asked, “Are you sure?”
I wasn’t entirely sure, but I couldn’t dwell on it with my face pressed against Jamie’s warm body. “I still think it’s unfair, but if you didn’t know about it, then it’s not right for me to hold it against you. Does that make sense?”
Jamie exhaled. “Yeah, that’s the way I hoped you’d see it. Mason hasn’t done anything to boost me since. I promise.”
“Maybe there is a way to do something to make it a little better.”
Winner: The Mathesons Book 4 Page 12
