Chapter Twenty-One
Lionel
Lionel wasn’t nervous about meeting Brad’s parents. Honestly, he wasn’t. He kept telling himself that for most of Saturday morning—silently, of course, because he didn’t want Brad having second thoughts about introducing them.
He had ordered the beers that Brad had suggested.
There was a beautiful plant waiting to be taken to the parental home for Brad’s mom.
Lionel didn’t know the name of it, but according to the description online, it was apparently very hardy, would grow under all conditions, and was highly suited as a plant that would fit in any garden.
So, that had to be a plus point, surely.
It wasn’t like he hadn’t met other parents before.
Lionel had been calling Ian’s mom “Mama Kay” since he was in high school.
He often got invited to family dinners at Ian’s house and had gone to the beach with them during the summer holiday season more than once.
Some of Ian’s siblings were already parents. Maisie was a case in point.
Admittedly, Lionel had steered well clear of Hector’s parents, but everyone did, so that wasn’t unusual.
Hector and Morty were about to become parents, and Lionel didn’t see his relationship with them ever changing.
A lot of the people he saw as clients or investors also had children, so he’d had a lot of experience dealing with parental people.
He’d just never been in the position of meeting the parents of his significant other.
Brad was his first and only significant other.
Somehow, just the thought of meeting the people responsible for raising his mate had set a flutter of butterflies in Lionel’s stomach that was still there when Brad suggested he would drive them in his truck.
“I know the way and the best places to park, so it’ll be fine.” Brad’s eyes were twinkling as he took Lionel’s hand and they headed out of the house. “I’ve already put the beer and plant in the back seat. Are you all right? You look a little tense.”
“Are you sure the jeans are a good idea?” Lionel looked down at his legs, worried that the washed-out blue denim was too casual.
“If Dad’s pants don’t have holes in them, I’ll probably faint.” Brad unlocked the truck and opened the passenger door. “My parents don’t stand on ceremony. Besides, your butt looks incredible in those jeans.”
“I think you’re trying to distract me.” Lionel slid into the passenger seat, his heart giving an extra thump at the care Brad showed closing the door after him before striding around to the driver’s side.
Brad was unlike anyone Lionel had dated before—especially in the ways he was so attentive to the little details that made Lionel feel special.
In less than a minute, they were on their way. Brad had the radio playing low, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat. Lionel watched out the window as they moved out of the neighborhood, trying not to let his worry show.
The problem, from Lionel’s perspective, was that he didn’t know Brad’s parents. He’d asked twice, since Brad said they were invited to a barbecue, about Brad’s memories of growing up. He’d been trying to get a sense of who they were as people.
Lionel didn’t have any expectations of being pulled into the bosom of Brad’s family, but he’d at least like to have something in common with the parents, so he didn’t always feel like a third wheel or a random observer at family events.
He got the impression Brad was close to his parents, and that had to be a positive.
Although I always thought I was close to Mom, too, until she started traveling.
It was as if all of Lionel’s natural charm and ability to relate to people from all walks of life were still on his dresser at home.
It was obvious he would be respectful, but should he be friendly?
There was such a thing as being too friendly—Lionel had seen that in many people growing up, and he didn’t want to be that guy.
“Only another few moments and we’ll be there.” Brad patted Lionel’s knee. “I hope you’re hungry. As I said before, Mom always plans to feed an army, and that’s just if I’m visiting. You can guarantee that it will be double today.”
“Your mom didn’t have to go to any trouble.”
Brad snorted as he turned down another street. “Don’t ever let Mom hear you say that. She lives to feed people. You’ll see for yourself in a minute. The house is up ahead.”
“Do you have a big family, or is there a hall or something similar around here?” Lionel glanced around, noticing all the cars parked along the road. “There’re a lot of cars around.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Brad said with a cheery smile. “Mom and Dad’s place is quite private. They have just over two acres here and no close neighbors.”
“It’s a lovely area.” Lionel enjoyed his home and backyard, but he could see that having a bit more land and a larger place could be useful, particularly if he and Brad ever started a family of their own.
Shit, what if his parents ask about that?
Wasn’t that what normal parents did? It seemed to be the first question anyone asked in the pride when someone found their mate or decided to bond with a fellow pride member.
Glancing at his mate, Lionel decided that was something Brad would have to answer if asked.
There had been a few times when it seemed Brad was keen on the sort of sex necessary for baby making, but then he quickly diverted Lionel in some other—highly enjoyable—way.
It wasn’t like they’d actually had the chance to talk about children or anything future based either, since their claiming.
Between the renovations at Morty’s bakery and Lionel getting his business on track after being evicted from the pride, neither of them was in the mood for in-depth conversations at the end of a busy day.
It’s early days, he reminded himself as Brad parked in front of a large, sprawling house.
We don’t need to rush into the family idea.
Lionel gave a passing thought to Mom. His message to her had been read, but there’d been no reply.
A big part of Lionel was still annoyed about that.
Surely to goodness Mom could at least have sent congratulations.
Those few measly letters on a screen would have meant the world to Lionel. That didn’t happen.
“Are you sure they’re looking forward to seeing me?”
“They have been doing nothing but pestering me about you all week.” Brad turned in his seat, his hand warm and firm on Lionel’s shoulder. “All you have to do is be your normal self. They will love you.”
I thought the pride loved me, too, until they didn’t. Lionel resolutely pushed that thought aside. Reaching over to the back seat, he grabbed the beer and the plant. “I’ll lead with the gifts,” he said, pulling them over to sit on his thighs. “I can worry about everything else later.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about in this house,” Brad said firmly, in that voice that was guaranteed to make Lionel’s cock twitch. “Come on, they won’t bite. My parents are perfectly normal people. Well, sort of, but they don’t bite guests.”
Climbing out of the truck, Lionel went around and met up with Brad, who led him onto the porch. Brad didn’t knock, just walked in, calling out in a loud voice, “Hey Mom, hey Dad, we’re here.”
Lionel heard a female voice calling out, “We’re all out the back, sweetie. Come on out, we’ve been waiting for you.”
We’re all? Who’s ‘we’re all’? Lionel wasn’t sure. The home was lovely, warm, and comfortable, although he didn’t have a chance to study the décor. The butterflies in his stomach had multiplied, and he inhaled slowly through his nose, trying to calm his nerves.
He noticed there were trays and trays of food on the kitchen counter as they walked through.
Are they having a party later? It wasn’t any of Lionel’s business.
He focused on following Brad out onto a porch that was a lot bigger than the one at his own home.
His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.
There were people everywhere. What’s more, they were all people Lionel knew.
“I knew you’d make that face,” Brad said quietly. “Just knew it.”
“What’s going on?” he murmured to a chuckling Brad. He suddenly noticed the huge banner strung across the yard. The three-foot letters spelled out Congratulations . “Is this for us?”
“Here, let me take those.” Brad quickly took the plant and the beers out of Lionel’s hands. “This is for us, but mostly it’s for you. Your friends thought it would be a good idea to show you how supported we are as a newly mated couple.”
“You did this. You did this for me.” His eyes filling with tears, Lionel leaned over, not caring about their audience.
He had to kiss his mate. A huge cheer rang out from the crowd as their lips met, which was probably a good thing as it reminded Lionel where they were.
He kept the kiss short, but he made sure his love and gratitude flowed through their bond.
“All of your friends are here,” Brad said as they parted. Looking around, Lionel could see that it was true.
Ian was with his sister Maisie and her partner—carrying their newborn, whom Lionel hadn’t had the chance to meet yet.
Hector was there, hovering over Morty, making sure he was comfortable.
That poor man had doubled in size in the past week and looked ready to pop at a moment’s notice. Lionel even saw Jasmine waving at him.
As he caught her eye, she called out, “I told you I had something important to do on Saturday!”
There were some of his favorite business friends, and colleagues, as well as people from his high school days. No one from the pride, and in that moment, Lionel realized how many friends he had outside of the influence of the pride.
“I don’t know how you did all this, and so quickly, but… you take my breath away,” he said looking down at his mate.
“I’ll be sure to do that again later.” Brad winked. “Now come and meet my parents.”
Lionel rubbed his hands on his jeans as he went toward the two people who were standing by the grill. The man was huge, easily as tall as Lionel, and he had a big wide smile.
“The name’s Charlie.” He held out his hand. “Welcome to our home, son.”
Lionel could barely speak as he shook the hand offered to him.
Charlie wasn’t just shaking his hand, he pulled him in for a full hug.
“Don’t ever think you haven’t got family, boy,” Charlie said gruffly, keeping his voice low.
“You’re going to need a bit of help coping with our Brad as he can be a bit precocious, and I want you to know, we’ll always support you. ”
“Don’t go warning him about our son before he’s barely had time to enjoy their mating.
” The woman next to Charlie nudged the big man away, wrapping her arms around Lionel’s waist. “You’re a big one, aren’t you.
Perfect for our son. You can call me Mom or Gigi, it’s entirely up to you. Welcome to the family, dear.”
“I think I’m going to faint,” Lionel said with a bit of a chuckle. “When Brad said I was going to meet his parents, I wasn’t expecting all this.”
“Argh, you’ve had a bit of a rough week,” Charlie said. “That’s the best time to have a bit of fun, and you’ve got some great friends who think the world of you. They’ve been telling me all about what you got up to growing up.”
“Oh, no.” Lionel groaned as he let Gigi go and reached for Brad’s hand. “Divide everything you’ve heard in two and throw out half of it. I wasn’t that bad.”
“You haven’t heard all the stories I’ve been storing up about Brad.” Gigi rubbed her hands together. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years.”
It was Brad’s turn to groan. “Let’s go and greet some of your friends,” he suggested, tugging at Lionel’s hand. “I haven’t had a chance to meet many of them yet.”
“I’ll be proud to introduce you.” And Lionel was.