Chapter 17 #2
With a shrug, I said, “I don’t think your mom understood how much it would hurt for no one to call you about the baby.
” It’s all I could come up with. I’d never known his mother to be anything but supportive of him.
But everyone has their moments. “The holidays can be frantic for everyone. Maybe she wasn’t thinking? ”
“Yeah, it’s not like her to be so callous.” He furrowed his brows and nodded slowly, turning his phone in his hand. “I definitely have to call Dad today.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Call him with me on the line.
” I pulled him closer to me. “If he has narcissistic tendencies, he won’t want to look like an asshole in front of me.
So, it’s more likely he’ll talk to you civilly.
” I thought through his predicament. “And say nothing about money this time. It seems to trigger him.”
“Yeah, okay.” He blew out a breath. “Let’s call your family now. It’ll be a pleasant break from all my drama.” Leaning into my chest, he rested his head on my shoulder. “Funny to think that the family who wasn’t accepting of your sexuality is now the drama-free one.”
With a quick grin, I kissed his head. “Yes, who’d have thought?” I slipped my phone from my joggers and FaceTimed my sister, Harper. “We’ll start with my sister first and ease into it.”
“Sounds great.” He straightened.
The phone rang, and picked up, her face coming into view, her long, dark hair falling to her shoulders. With a broad smile, she said, “Eli. How are you doing?” She tucked a bang behind her ear as the background blurred.
“Good, I’m here with Wren Lewis. Do you remember him?” I held the phone, so we both showed on the screen.
Wren smiled and waved. “Hi, Harper. You were in middle school the last time I saw you.”
“Damn, how are you? You ended up at ASU too?” Her smile reached her eyes.
“Who is that, honey?” Mom’s voice came through the connection.
“It’s Eli, and he’s got Wren Lewis with him.” She angled her phone, and Mom appeared next to her on the screen, her brown hair, grey streaking the front, and her dark gaze peering into the screen. “Wren Lewis? My gosh. It’s good to see you.” The kitchen cabinets came into view behind them.
“Thanks, Denise. It’s been a long time.” He offered a warm grin to the screen.
“Mom, Harper, Wren and I are dating again. Well, we’re boyfriends.” Warmth surrounded my heart. Wren was right. This was an enjoyable diversion from his family.
With a squeal, Harper propped her phone on something and clapped. “That’s great. The high school sweethearts are back together.”
“It’s lovely, Eli.” Mom came in closer. “I know how much you loved Wren. No one could ever compare.”
“Uh…” With heat flashing through my cheeks, I snuck a peek at Wren, who was also flushing. Those three words remained unsaid between us. I’d change the subject. “Wren quit gymnastics and is on our cheerleading squad now. That’s how I met him again. I saw him on the field with us at the first game.”
“I attended this school last year, but it’s so big, I never saw him.” He pursed his lips. “I was, uh, never attended the football games.” He bit the side of his lower lip.
“That’s incredible. So, fate brought you two back together?” Harper beamed at us.
“Guess so.” I breathed in deeply. “How is your volleyball season?” I hadn’t spoken to her since before school started.
“Great, we’re playing in regionals this year and hopefully we’ll make it to the state championship.” Harper lifted her chin.
“We’re hoping your sister gets a scholarship, like you did for football.” Mom gave a curt nod.
My father lumbered by in the background. “Who’s that?”
“It’s Eli, dear, and he’s back with Wren Lewis. You remember him, don’t you?” Mom twisted and then moved aside.
Dad’s face came into view, a baseball cap covering his gray hair. “Eli? It’s good to see you, son. What are the odds for the game tomorrow?” He gave a sly grin.
“Dad, I don’t get involved in that. It’s against the rules. I don’t even want to discuss it.” I chuckled. It was the same old shit from Dad.
Dad shifted his blue-eyed gaze. “Wren? I remember you. You used to hang around here a lot.”
“I did.” He shot a look at me.
“He was my boyfriend back then, but I wasn’t out.” There was no point in explaining it now. “Anyway, we’re boyfriends again, and he’s on the cheering squad.” I breathed a sigh.
“A cheerleader, huh?” He lowered his brows. “So, you do what? Throw the girls in the air?”
“Yes, and dance and do tumbling.” Wren gave a stuttered chuckle.
I wouldn’t let Dad respond to that. He still held on to his old-fashioned ideas about certain things. “Anyway, Dad, we were just calling to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. We’ll see you in a few weeks for Christmas.”
“Oh, yes. I’m looking forward to it.” Dad winked at me.
The phone shifted to Harper, thank God. “Mom’s cutting pumpkin pie, so we’re about to eat dessert.”
“Okay, it was great talking with you, and good luck at regionals.” A smile worked across my mouth. She knew the best moment to snatch the phone from Dad.
“And good luck with your last game tomorrow. Can’t wait to see you guys.” She blew a kiss onto the screen.
In the background, Mom called out, “Bye, boys. See you soon and love ya.”
“Love you.” With my smile widening, I ended the call and took a deep breath. “Okay, two families down and one to go.” I set my gaze on Wren.
“They are funny. Your dad especially.” Clicking his tongue, he said, “He’s an interesting guy.”
“That’s a good way to put it.” I kissed Wren’s cheek. “At least he’s speaking to me and—”
“He’s trying, babe. Now if my father would just try…” He hung his head and lifted his phone. “How should I start?”
“Try wishing him a happy Thanksgiving first and let’s see if he says anything about the baby.” Would his father even answer the phone? I pursed my lips.
“Okay, here goes nothing. Following this, I may get very drunk.” He wrinkled his forehead.
“Yeah? We have some whiskey in the cupboard. It’s Malik’s, but I’m sure he won’t mind.” I inched closer to him, focusing on his phone. “You ready?”
“Yep.” He pulled up his dad’s number and called.
The phone rang several times.
As he hovered his thumb over the red button to end the call, he said, “I don’t think—”
“Hello?” his dad asked with a baby crying in the background.
“Dad?” Wren set the phone on speaker. “Uh, happy Thanksgiving. It’s Wren and I’m here with Eli. I have you on speaker.” He widened his eyes, and his breath quickened.
I dropped my arm from his shoulders and squeezed his free hand. He was terrified. “Hello, Darren. How’s your Thanksgiving?”
“Oh, it’s been hectic,” Darren said. “Um, Stuart was born about four, or maybe five days ago. I suppose you can hear him crying. Karen tried to settle him for a nap.”
“Yes, I can hear him.” Scraping his teeth over his lower lip, his gaze snapped to mine. “How is he?”
He wasn’t mentioning his mom. Good. I up-nodded at him, letting him know he was on the right track.
“He’s doing well. He’s a little jaundiced, but I guess that happens,” Darren said.
“Darren, who’s on the phone?” Karen asked in the background.
“It’s Wren and Eli. They’re calling to wish us a happy Thanksgiving,” Darren shouted.
“I need you. Can you get off the phone?” she asked.
“I’m sorry, boys, but I have to—”
“No, Dad, I wanted to talk to you. Can we talk?” Wren watched me.
I shook my head. Obviously, they were busy, and if he tried to bring up their last conversation now, it wouldn’t fare well.
“I mean, maybe another day. I’d like to come and see my baby brother.” His brows wrinkled. “I have a game tomorrow and—”
“It’s too soon for you to see him. We don’t want him to get sick, so we’re not having anyone over. I have to go.” He ended the call.
Dropping the phone onto his lap, Wren hung his head. “What the hell should I do now?” He sniffled. “Fuck, Eli.” He turned into me, burying his face in my neck.
“Shhh, babe. He’s flustered. Think about it. The last time he had a newborn was twenty-two years ago, and even then, I’ll bet your mom managed most of the childcare.” I held him to my chest, brushing my hand down the back of his hair. “I have a feeling Karen won’t stand for that.”
Choking out a chuckle, he said, “Yeah, I think you’re right. If nothing else, she gives Dad a run for his money.”
“Literally.” I pressed a kiss on his head. “Let’s go see if Malik will relinquish some whiskey for a good cause.” I squeezed him. “Are you okay?”
He swiped his eyes. “Yes, I will be.” With a sigh, he rose. “Let’s go. I need to forget a few things.” He ambled toward the door.
“And we have pumpkin pie, too.” I followed him through the hallway and into the main room. It had been a long time since I’d seen him drunk. This could be interesting.
After hanging out with Malik and Tex, playing Madden and letting Wren forget his problems with a few shots of whiskey, we retired to my bedroom. “How are you feeling?” I shut the door behind us. Wren was just starting to slur.
“Great.” He plopped at the foot of my bed. “Come here.” He waved me over to him.
Was it okay for us to have sex? He had a look in his eyes. But he was drunk. I stepped to him and between his open legs. “Wren, you’ve had a lot to drink. Maybe we should go to bed.”
“Those were my thoughts exactly. Go to bed.” He cupped my balls, rubbing his thumb across my plumping shaft.
“I want you, Eli.” He peeked up at me with darkened eyes and swept his tongue across his lips.
“Have I had a few drinks? Yes. Do I care? No.” He slipped the band of my underwear and joggers down.
“First, I want to suck you off a little, and then? I want to top, but this time, I want you facing me. I want to pretend I’m fucking you on the kitchen counter like you did to me. ”