Chapter 12 #6
“Emory and his dad saw one when they went to Hawaii, and he told me all about it when he got home. I don’t remember much, but I’ve been googling all the different octopuses, trying to guess what you are, and I remembered him telling me how amazing he thought they were,” Ronan said.
His smile turned a little softer as he gazed at Cameron.
“He said they were like ‘little world builders.’”
Cameron turned and looked up at Emory with wonder in his eyes.
Emory had completely forgotten about that.
His father had been so eager to go snorkeling, and they’d come across a group of octopus who had built a little city out of discarded shells, coral, and pieces of driftwood.
His father had spent the whole trip back to their hotel telling Emory all about octopuses and how impressive they were.
That was why they’d always stopped by the octopus exhibits at the aquarium. His father had loved them.
And now here Emory was, madly in love and hopefully soon to be mated to one.
“My father loved octopuses,” Emory said, and his voice cracked for the umpteenth time that day. “He thought all of their quirks and eccentricities were amazing. He’s the reason I spent so much time at the aquarium. He…would have loved you so much.”
“Just like you love him?” Ronan pressed, walking up to them like Cameron wasn’t barely dressed, crying silent tears as Emory fought to hold back his own.
“Just like I love you,” Emory parroted, brushing a few tears off Cameron’s cheek with the back of his hand.
“And I love you,” Cameron said, his beautiful smile slowly spreading across his face.
“That wasn’t the first time you said that, right? I didn’t just intrude on your big, semi-naked moment?” Ronan asked.
Cameron burst into giggles, and Emory couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh too.
“Emory?” a voice called from the living area.
His mother’s voice.
“Just a minute!” Ronan shouted, rushing to the door and slamming it shut.
Emory’s mouth dropped open, and Cameron gawked.
“What? You really want her to walk in and see her son and son-in-law looking like they walked off a Hustler photo shoot?”
Cameron grabbed his clothes off the bed and bolted for the closet.
“Honey–” Emory called, standing up to follow him, afraid Cameron was throwing himself back into his den.
“Just getting dressed!” he shouted, and Emory slumped back down onto the bed.
Ronan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”
Emory ran a hand down his face, hopefully wiping away the last of his tears. “I’m definitely not great. But I have you, my mother, and the love of my life in my corner, so I suppose it could be worse.”
Ronan smirked. “You’re right, it could be worse. Your mom could have walked in on you guys fucking each other while wearing coconuts.”
Emory groaned, and Cameron snickered as he emerged from the closet. He was back in his somewhat rumpled clothes, holding Emory’s letterman jacket over his arm. Emory took the jacket and, at the urging of his lion, settled it over Cameron’s shoulders again.
Those two freckles disappeared as Cameron smirked at him. “Is this some sort of jock pre-mating ritual?”
“You better believe it. I once found him under the bleachers fucking some twink while only wearing the jacket and–”
“Ronan!” Emory gasped, but Cameron just laughed, nestling up against Emory’s side.
Ronan grinned innocently before going to open the door, revealing Emory’s concerned-looking mother.
“They’re all yours,” Ronan said as he stepped around her.
She stopped Ronan with a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Ronan. We’ll see you downstairs in just a moment…if you’d like to stay for the fireworks, that is.”
Ronan turned and winked at Emory and then left.
Emory’s mother walked in and surveyed Cameron’s rumpled clothes and the too-large jacket on his slim shoulders. She smiled a far too knowing smile. “Emory’s been trying to get someone to wear that thing for him his whole life. Guess it’s a good thing he found you.”
Cameron clutched the jacket tighter around himself.
“What do you want to do, love?” Emory asked, turning to his fated mate. “Do you want to go home? Stay up here? It looks like the weather has cleared up; I could take you to dinner in town?”
Cameron’s knuckles cracked where he was clinging to the jacket. “But the family meal—“
“Will be a great time for me to reestablish some order in this family,” his mother growled.
“It seems we may have a lot more to discuss than we originally thought, given Jonathon’s return later this week.
If you would be so kind as to join us again for after-dinner drinks, I think there should only be a few family members there. ”
“Ariel and Corin?” Cameron asked hopefully.
The age lines around his mother’s eyes crinkled as she smiled.
“Yes, and perhaps a few others who are quite fond of you and were very worried when you fled upstairs. I think the rest have had quite enough opportunities to impress you, and seeing as how they failed miserably, they will not be invited back. Maybe ever.”
Cameron bit his lip, and Emory pulled him into his arms. “Would you like to go for a drive with me?”
“Are you driving?” Cameron asked. He felt a small rush of excitement emanate from Cameron’s octopus.
“Would you like me to? We can take my father’s Ferrari.”
Cameron grinned a toothy grin that would give Emory’s lion a run for his money.
“As long as that’s okay?” Cameron asked, turning to look at Emory’s mother.
She nodded. “I am so very sorry we were not able to shield you from all of this, my child. You two make a beautiful mated pair. You have my blessing, and everyone else’s blessing who matters. We won’t be taking an official vote tonight, but I do hope you’ll join us later.”
Cameron rushed across the room and hugged Emory’s mother. Emory followed after him, and they exchanged a quick embrace before Emory ushered Cameron down the back stairs to the large, detached garage.
Emory hadn’t known Cameron was a car person. His manic grin rivaled Ronan’s as his fingers brushed and touched every gleaming surface he passed.
“You excited, my love?”
“Of course! I’ve never had a car before, but I’ve always kind of wanted a convertible.”
At Emory’s skeptical look, Cameron laughed. “The way the air feels rushing by sort of reminds my octopus of running underwater.”
Emory shook his head, and his next words–which were surely his protective lion’s–tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Put your arms through the sleeves of the jacket so you don’t get cold in the wind.”
Cameron raised a defiant eyebrow, and Emory ducked his head, but Cameron did as Emory suggested. He then practically skipped over to the passenger door, so Emory assumed he hadn’t overstepped too badly.
Emory’s lion, not easily deterred, added a little swagger to his step as he walked around to the driver’s side and hopped in, not bothering with anything as inconsequential as door handles.
Cameron stared at him in shock for a moment before a cocky grin spread across his face, and he vaulted into his seat.
To be honest, it was pretty hot, and Emory leaned across the center console to give him a quick kiss before hitting the button for the garage door. Once it was fully opened, he put the key in the ignition, revved the engine, and they took off for town.
Cameron whooped in delight as they took tight corners with ease, and the air whipped through his tousled hair.
“I love you!” Cameron shouted into the wind.
After taking the last turn before they entered a straightaway, Emory clasped Cameron’s hand on top of the gear shift. “I love you, too.”
Emory, or maybe his lion, chanced a quick look at Cameron’s bare fingers, and he was hit with the shocking realization that he was going to need to start looking for rings.
The rest of their evening was filled with laughter and love, with Ronan joining them for dinner at one of their favorite childhood diners. They stopped in at the ice cream parlor and ordered far too many scoops, but it was worth every penny and overly-sweet bite for the smile on Cameron’s face.
After they were all thoroughly stuffed, Cameron paraded around town proudly in Emory’s jacket, and a few of the shopkeepers hooted and cheered for them both. As they neared the end of the small downtown area, Ronan led them into one of the boutiques specializing in more femme-presenting clothes.
“I don’t know…” Cameron tried to say, but Ronan took Cameron’s hand and pulled him into the back of the shop. Emory followed close behind as they headed straight for a rack of pretty skirts.
Ronan expertly began flipping through them one-handed. “You don’t know because you’re not sure if a skirt would go with Em’s letterman jacket? Or because you’re worried about what we’re going to think about you wearing a skirt?”
Cameron slowly locked eyes with Emory in the mirror behind the rack. Emory tried to convey all the love and pride he and his lion felt. He would never fault Cameron if he was tired and just wanted to go back to the house. But he would also never want to rob him of this moment.
“I… guess I’m not sure if it would go with the jacket?” Cameron said, his smile timid, but his eyes brimming with happiness.
Ronan confidently held up a pleated skirt in the matching gold and blue of Emory’s jacket. It would actually go perfectly with the button-down Cameron was wearing, too.
“I feel like it’s too perfect not to at least try it on,” Emory coaxed, laying a gentle hand on Cameron’s back. Cameron took the skirt and, with one last backwards glance at Emory, he disappeared into the changing room.
Emory was pleased, but not surprised, to see a similar look of pride on Ronan’s face. He wasn’t sure what god or goddess he had appeased, but he must have done something right to have fate bring him someone who was not only perfect for him, but also perfect for his friends.
When Cameron emerged, his octopus’ energy was practically leaking out of him. He did a slow twirl, his fingertips brushing the hem of the skirt as it spun around his long, pale legs.
Ronan burst into applause, and Emory pulled Cameron off his feet and into a crushing hug. “My perfect, beautiful Cameron,” he said, and Cameron wrapped his arms tightly around Emory’s back.
After trying on a few more things, Cameron ended up buying the skirt and three others.
He timidly asked the woman behind the counter if they could be wrapped up to go.
Maybe one day Emory and his family could make Cameron feel safe enough to wear them home, but they’d clearly messed things up this go around.
When they returned to the mansion, there were more family members than he’d been expecting. Cameron’s octopus sent out small waves of joy that Emory’s lion eagerly lapped up.
The after-dinner drinks turned into dessert, which lasted for almost two hours. Finally, after Emory’s mother and most of the relatives called it a night, Cameron allowed Emory to pull him into his lap, and they chatted easily with Ariel, Corin, and Ronan.
“You must come back to visit under better circumstances,” Ariel said, hugging Cameron tightly before passing him to her mate.
“Yes, we would love to hear more about your parents and sister. Maybe the next time we’re in the city, we can all get lunch,” Corin said.
Cameron leaned into Emory’s side, exhaustion clear on his face, but he smiled and promised they’d all be seeing a lot more of each other moving forward.
Emory led Cameron back up the stairs to his childhood room.
He stripped them both down until Cameron was back in his pretty pink panties that, hours ago, had been abandoned on the floor of Emory’s closet.
As it had earlier, the weight of the day settled around Emory, but this time, it felt more like an extra blanket he could use to tuck himself and his love into bed.
He would by no means ever want to go through this past week again, but it had led him and Cameron to declare their love for each other, so at least there was that.
As Cameron snuffled against his chest, pressing his now familiar body against Emory’s, it felt like maybe they were closing in on the start of their forever.