CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
DOM
The next two weeks passed in a blur. Noah and I spent every free moment together. Sometimes at his house, sometimes at mine. Although my friends were more accepting of our relationship, Damon was starting to come around. He even hung out with us one night and watched a movie.
There had been some further discussion about Damon and Noah joining the Kings. Rebel wanted to make it official at our upcoming spring break party in April. I felt like it was the right move for all of us.
It was late one afternoon when Noah asked me if I would come for dinner at his mom’s house. We were walking through the parking lot after classes. I’d never had any anyone take me to meet their parents before. Immediately, I felt a nervous twitch in my stomach.
“You want me to meet your mom? You don’t think it’s too soon for that?”
“Of course not. She knows I’m seeing someone. It was her idea to invite you. I’ve never been this serious about anyone before. She sounded excited when I talked to her on the phone.” Noah gave my hand a squeeze. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready for that kind of thing.”
“It’s not a problem,” I hurried to reassure him when I saw the uncertainty in his eyes. “I wasn’t expecting the invite. I would be happy to go for dinner.”
That’s how I found myself standing in the kitchen at home asking Codie for her opinion. “Is this too casual? Am I supposed to dress up?”
I wore my usual blue jeans with a T-shirt and a hoodie pulled over top. I felt comfortable, like myself. Noah hadn’t indicated this was a dress up event. Still, I worried about making the wrong impression.
“I think whatever you wear will be fine.” Codie patted my arm, offering me a comforting smile. “Can I just tell you how adorable you are right now? I love seeing you in love. It’s like this cloud has been lifted and you’re blooming.”
I frowned, snatching the protein bar from her hand and taking a large bite. “Blooming? Like a flower? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never met anyone’s parents before. I don’t want her to think I’m a lazy slob for wearing jeans.”
Codie chuckled, waving away the rest of the protein bar when I tried to hand it back. “You’re overthinking this. She wants to meet the guy her son is head over heels for. She’s not going to care what you wear. Focus less on your appearance and more on being yourself.”
“Noah is taking you to meet his mom?” Auryn entered the kitchen, having overheard some of our conversation.
He stretched an arm over his head, grimacing when his shoulder popped.
“That sounds pretty serious. I can’t believe I lost you too.
I’m the last one standing.” When Codie shot him a pointed look, he added, “I mean, I’m happy for you, dude. Don’t sweat it. His mom will love you.”
Codie shook her head, rolling her eyes. “I can’t wait for the day that love makes you it’s bitch, Auryn. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”
“Never gonna happen. I’m a lifelong bachelor. Get some and get the hell out. That’s my motto.” With a cocky smirk, he pulled a bag of chips out of the pantry, stuffing a handful in his mouth.
“I can’t believe some lucky girl is missing out on this.” Codie’s tone dripped sarcasm. As she left the kitchen, she paused in the doorway. “Everything will go better than you think, Dom. I can’t imagine anyone not liking you.”
When Noah arrived in his new car to pick me up, I was vibrating on the inside with nerves. This wasn’t like me at all. Usually nothing shook me.
I got into the passenger side of his new black Mercedes, immediately hit with that new car smell. I had yet to replace my car. Eventually, I would get around to it. I’d been catching rides to campus with Stray and Noah.
I was glad to see Noah also dressed casually. Maybe I really had been overthinking my attire. After putting on my seatbelt, I sat there stiffly. Unable to relax.
“Jesus, Dom, I can practically feel you vibrating from here. You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Noah reached over to place a hand on my thigh. “Maybe this is too soon for you.”
“No, I’m good. Just nervous. I want to do this.” I really did. I knew that it meant a lot to Noah for me to meet his mom. Her and his brother were his only close family. That made it important to me as well.
Noah leaned across the console to press a kiss to the corner of my lips before putting the car in gear. “You are the perfect man.”
My stomach continued to flip-flop as we drove through town. I wanted his mom to like me. I couldn’t remember the last time I gave a shit if someone liked me or not. I had to chuckle to myself. Being with Noah really had changed me.
“Obviously my family doesn’t know anything about what Damon and I do. They think we run some online business. Website and media management for other companies.” Noah’s gaze darted to mine when we pulled up at a red light.
I nodded, understanding completely. Doing what we did wasn’t something that could be shared with just anyone. The fewer people that knew about it the better.
“Makes sense. Most parents aren’t going to support their child’s criminal enterprises.” I had to laugh. Noah and I were only together because of those criminal enterprises. Funny how things work out.
When we pulled up in front of a small bungalow in a quiet, cozy neighborhood, my nerves began to recede. Now that we were here, I was ready to face the challenge before me.
Noah shoved open the front door of the house, calling out to announce our arrival. We entered into a small porch area off the living room. A kid that looked to be about fifteen sat on the couch playing a Switch. He glanced up as we entered, looking me up and down.
Pausing his game, he put down his controller and signed, “Who is this? Your latest conquest? Since when do you bring them home to meet Mom?”
Noah had mentioned that his brother was deaf. However, he must have neglected to tell his brother that I understood sign language.
“Conquest?” I repeated, signing the words as I spoke. “That’s harsh. Noah and I have decided to go with boyfriend instead. Sounds a little less cringey.”
His brother’s face reddened as he realized I’d understood. He shrank back onto the couch. “Sorry,” he signed, looking chagrined. “I shouldn’t have assumed you couldn’t understand me. Most people can’t.”
“It’s cool,” I said, continuing to sign back. “My best friend doesn’t speak. He uses sign, so I learned it a while ago.”
Noah jumped in then. He both signed and spoke as well. “Alex, this is Dom. My boyfriend. Dom, this is my brother Alex. Don’t mind that he can be a bit of a shithead at times.”
Alex rose from the couch, shoving a hand through his short dark hair before offering it to me. His entire demeanor seemed to change now that he’d realized I wasn’t a temporary fixture in Noah’s life.
“Noah?” His mom called from the kitchen. “Dinner is just about ready. Why don’t you guys come in and take a seat? Bring your brother.”
We followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen, an adequately sized space closed off from the living room.
A dining table near the window had already been set with four places.
Noah’s mother was briskly whisking a pot of gravy on the stove.
Forgetting about it completely, she turned to us with a huge smile.
“Hello, Dominik. It’s so lovely to meet you. Noah has told me so much about you. I’m Emma.” Instead of offering me a hand, Emma threw her arms around me in a warm hug. One of those hugs that only moms can give.
I tentatively put my arms around her, giving her a gentle squeeze in return. “Thanks for having me over.”
Emma pulled back to look me over. Not in a judgmental way.
Rather more curious, wanting to take me in.
She was average height with a thin build, wearing yoga pants and a tank top.
Her dirty blonde hair the same shade as Noah’s was tied up in a messy bun.
Although his eyes were green, her eyes were deep brown. A friendly warmth within them.
“Why don’t you guys take a seat at the table? We’ll eat in a few minutes. I hope you’re hungry, Dom. There’s a lot of food.” She turned back to the stove, turning off burners and giving things a final stir.
Noah and I sat on one side of the table. His brother sat across from us. Emma offered a variety of drink options. I went with water, keeping it simple.
She made a wonderful dinner of roast beef, potatoes, veggies, and gravy, along with a cherry pie for dessert. Knowing that she’d put in so much effort to have me over made me feel warm and accepted. The nerves from earlier had faded, replaced by a sense of comfort I hadn’t expected.
“Noah tells me the two of you met at the university,” Emma said when we were all seated. “What are you taking there, Dominik?”
“Investigative studies. I’m not really cut out for police work or anything like that, but I thought it might be fun to work as a private investigator or something.” I appreciated that she started with a basic topic of discussion, even though I was sure she had much deeper questions for me.
Discussing school was easy. It didn’t take much thought, and it didn’t dig too deep. Knowing that this woman had thrown her husband out when he’d rejected their son made me love her already.
“I imagine that would be fun.” She nodded thoughtfully while chewing a bite of roasted vegetables. “Possibly dangerous though.”
“How did you guys hook up?” Alex signed, a cheeky little smirk on his face. “How do gay guys know the other one is gay?”
“Alex!” Emma admonished, signing while speaking. “That’s an inappropriate question. It’s also none of our business.”
Noah chuckled, clearly used to this shit from his brother. He put down his fork to sign his reply. “Dom isn’t technically gay. He’s bi. Also, we hated each other in the beginning. We actually fought a few times.”
Alex stabbed a piece of roast beef with his fork as he mulled this over. After a moment he signed, “Interesting. Sounds like a good way to build some sexual tension.”
Muttering beneath her breath, Emma shook her head. “I’m sorry. I hope he’s not making you uncomfortable.”
I laughed it off, appreciating Alex’s candid remark. It helped to keep things light. “No worries. This meal is delicious, Emma. Thank you for inviting me.”
“Of course. Noah speaks so highly of you. I had to see you for myself.” She beamed at Noah. “I’m so happy you found someone that you’re crazy about. You deserve it, kiddo.”
The discussion for the rest of the meal focused on general subjects, like what Noah and I planned to do when we were finished with school.
What kind of goals we had for the future.
Nothing too pointed or personal except for when Alex mentioned that the last guy Noah briefly dated had been a loudmouth dick, and so far, he thought I was much nicer.
Noah had cringed at that. Although he hadn’t denied it.
After dinner, Alex dragged Noah into the living room to game with him for a while, leaving me alone with Emma. Even though she insisted that I didn’t have to help clean up, I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher.
“You really didn’t have to do that, Dominik. You’re the guest here. Can I get you anything else? Do you want more pie?” Emma motioned to the pie plate on the counter.
“No thank you. I’m stuffed. I couldn’t eat another bite. It was so good.” I got the feeling she wanted to say something more now that we were alone. Like she’d been waiting for a chance like this.
She started the kettle to make a cup of tea. A few times she opened her mouth to speak before finally saying, “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Not at all. Go for it.” Here it comes. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I braced for anything.
“Are you and Noah serious? I mean, is this relationship something you’re both deeply invested in?” When Emma met my gaze, worry shone in her brown eyes.
I understood. She needed reassurance. She’d watched Noah suffer in the past, and she didn’t want to see it happen again.
“Noah and I had a strange start,” I said honestly. “The fact that we’re even together now is kind of a miracle. I’m completely in love with him. This is real. I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed. She released the breath she’d been holding. “Good. I’m relieved to hear that. Noah’s had it hard in the past. I’m not sure if he told you about his father.”
“He did.”
“Then you understand why it means so much to me for him to find his happiness. He’s never dated anyone for long.
Nothing long-term. When he first started dating, I saw him used and tossed aside by those he believed cared about him.
I can’t watch him get hurt, Dom. Not again.
” Emma twisted her teabag between her fingers, almost tearing it.
She was the mom every kid deserved to have, especially every gay kid. I wondered if she had any idea how amazing she was.
“I’m sorry if this comes out sounding a little scary and intense, but if anyone fucks with Noah while I’m around, they won’t live to see another sunrise. And I sure as hell won’t be the one to hurt him.” There was no other way to say it. She needed to know exactly how I felt.
Shock filled Emma’s expression. It quickly gave way to relief. She nodded, dropping her teabag into her cup before filling it with hot water. “That’s all I needed to hear. Thank you for loving my son as much as I do.”
In that moment I knew that I’d been accepted.
Completely and wholeheartedly welcomed into her family.
She could have asked me to hunt down her shitty ex-husband and take his head off, and I would’ve done it.
Even though she would never do such a thing, I think she knew I wouldn’t hesitate to protect Noah, no matter what the circumstances.
By the time we left later that evening, I was feeling really good about our visit. Emma sent me home with the rest of the pie, telling me to come back anytime. Noah couldn’t have been happier with how everything went.
When we were snuggled up in my bed together that night, he poked me in the ribs and grinned. “So when do I get to meet your family?”