Chapter 26
Jeremy
I’d spent the last few days in bliss. My face was sore from how much time I’d spent smiling.
When I’d first set out on this trip with Leah, I was filled with dread.
Now I didn’t want to leave. Going home meant leaving Austin behind for the foreseeable future.
We’d made the most of the time we had together, and he’d even snuck us out one day to make a special trip to a store to buy me some more lacy things.
When we pulled up, my face had incinerated.
I’d never had anyone with me when I’d made my purchases, mostly doing it online because there was a weird sense of shame attached to it.
Austin didn’t make me feel ashamed. He insisted that it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen and wanted to make sure I had plenty to keep him entertained.
The workers at the store were nice. They didn’t bat an eye when Austin asked for men’s lingerie.
Most things came in sets, but I wasn’t really into the idea of wearing a bra.
I liked the panties the best. They made me feel weirdly powerful and in control of my body.
Even if no one ever saw them but me, I felt good about myself.
Of course, now they weren’t just for me.
The second we’d gotten back to the house, Austin had ushered me up to his room, and I hadn’t gotten past trying on one pair for him before we’d tumbled to the bed.
I’d never been given a blowjob through my underwear before, but there was something about the feel of Austin’s breath through the lacey material that had me racing toward release faster than normal.
Then again, everything he did was perfect.
Down to the way he spoke to me.
Never in a million years did I think I would get someone who would fulfill my fantasies without me having to ask for it, but that’s how I knew that Austin Bennett was my perfect match.
He could read me like an open book. Every little pleasure point was at his disposal. He’d never forgotten where they were.
But now it was New Year’s Eve, and it meant that the day after tomorrow we’d have to give up our little slice of heaven.
My heart pounded a million miles a minute as I thought about all the things I had to do the moment Leah and I made it back to the city.
Bless her, Leah was a lot more organized about it than I was.
While it affected her as well for me to move out, the girl already had a plan.
She had one of her best friends who was ready to move in to help offset the rent.
We were all sitting in the living room. The Christmas tree was still up, lights casting their enchanting glow against the wall when Mrs. Bennett came in carrying a tray of cocktails. She passed them out, and I took mine while giving her a smile.
Things had been better since the talk the other day. While I didn’t think that Leah and Austin’s parents completely understood everything, at the end of the day, their children were happy. That was the important part.
I took a sip of my chilled drink, allowing the flavors to wash over my tongue. The taste of coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, vodka, and crème was what I could make out.
“What is this?” I asked, taking another sip because it had been delicious.
“I’d like to think of it as a fun twist on a White Russian, but make it taste a little more like tiramisu.”
I hummed at Mrs. Bennett’s response, taking another drink. I’d need to slow down because the night was still early, there was no telling what else she had up her sleeve.
“So I was thinking that once Tamara moves in, then it should be easy to help get Jeremy where he needs to be...”
I hadn’t been paying attention. Leah was obviously talking about the moving situation, it was something that I should have been paying attention to. It was part of my life, and I needed to have some control over things. I couldn’t just up and move across the country without a plan.
“I still need to figure out my job situation. Sure, moving back to San Francisco doesn’t seem like that big of a deal, but it’s a lot. I don’t want to have to mooch off of Austin—”
“You wouldn’t be mooching.” I was cut off before I could finish. Austin took a gulp of his cocktail before setting it on the coffee table in front of him. “It’s called taking care of the people you love. We do that around here.”
My face heated at the statement.
“Awwww. Is my baby brother admitting to being in love?” Leah cooed.
Austin only smiled before scooting closer to me taking my drink from my hand to set it next to his.
My hands were clammy with nerves because this was so weird to be happening in front of his family.
We went from hiding things just a few days ago, to this.
Being out loud and free. And Austin wasn’t afraid to show affection.
“Jeremy, I don’t want you to worry about things when you get to San Francisco. You’ll find a job. I just want you with me. We’ve already spent years apart, and I can’t imagine going on without you anymore.”
Mrs. Bennett covered her mouth as her eyes watered. The moment was sappy as hell, but I was there for it. It was beyond sweet.
“Austin—”
“Jeremy, I want you to come as soon as possible. I’ve already talked to my parents about it if we need to help pay your way out there, we can do that.”
Now it was my turn for my eyes to water.
I’d never dreamed of something like this happening.
I wanted to be with the love of my life.
To be with Austin and not have to worry about time and distance, but I didn’t want to have to owe anyone by the end of it.
I’d spent the last three years establishing my independence…
And that’s when it hit me. This was the Bennett family’s way of showing me that they accepted me. That I was a part of them at this point. They knew that I wasn’t going anywhere, that I belonged with Austin. They were willing to do anything to make that happen.
In that moment, my heart cracked wide open, and the tears freely fell.
I wrapped my arms around Austin, burying my face in his chest as I tried to hide my sobs.
My whole life, all I’d wanted to be was accepted.
I’d finally found that with this family.
It wasn’t a mistake that I’d found both Austin and Leah.
Once the emotions of the evening wound down, we went back to talking, less about the big move and more about other things going on in our lives.
Leah had just taken on a new position at work.
She hadn’t even told me yet, explaining that she’d wanted to surprise everyone on the trip.
Much like we had with the engagement. The wedding that wasn’t happening.
More cocktails were made, by the time we were an hour out to midnight everyone had a nice buzz going on. I’d had about three of the Tiramisu White Russians, and Austin had switched to beer after the first one.
Mrs. Bennett tapped me on the shoulder and had me follow her to the kitchen. I wasn’t exactly steady on my feet, but I went with her because I was happy to be included in anything.
It was a lot less quiet in the kitchen, I had a strange zing of happiness slip through me when she squeezed my arm and moved to open some of the cupboards. She was already treating me like one of her children. It was all that I could have ever asked for.
“Now, Jeremy. Can you help me grab the champagne flute from the top shelf, please?”
I came up behind her pulling down the glasses, delicately setting them on the counter. Her smile remained warm as she slipped past me and pulled two chilled bottles from the fridge as well as a bucket. She filled the container with ice and set it all next to the flutes on the counter.
“I hope that this all hasn’t been too much for you.”
My face heated, I hated that I was still embarrassed by all of this. “This has been amazing. Everything could have gone so much worse, but I’m so thankful for how accepting you and your husband are of your children and their partners.”
At first, she didn’t say anything back. Mrs. Bennett arranged the bottles in the ice so that they were mostly covered before she finally looked up at me with a soft and genuine smile.
“I know I said it the other day, but no one should ever have to feel like the love from their parents is conditional. While what happened and is happening between you and my children is unconventional, I only want them to be happy.”
I nodded because I hadn’t done anything to deserve this woman’s trust. I’d hidden things from both Leah and Austin, but here she was, giving me the same unconditional love that she showed them.
That was when it hit me. I was accepted.
It didn’t matter that I’d screwed up because that was how unconditional love was supposed to work.
This family took me in and gave me what I didn’t know I could have.
It is everything I could have ever dreamed of.
My eyes watered with the realization, maybe because of how much alcohol I’d had that evening, but when Mrs. Bennett wrapped me in a hug, I lost it.
The waterworks started, I sobbed into her shoulder, finally letting go of years of frustration and fear.
I was finally in a place where I was safe and free to be myself.
This family would do anything to make sure I stayed that way.
It took several minutes to calm myself wiping the moisture from my eyes. They were probably still red, but I felt ten times lighter than before I’d come into the kitchen with her.
“Now, grab the bucket and bottles; I’ll worry about carrying these glasses. It’s almost midnight, and I think you deserve to celebrate properly.”