6. Six
Six
W il smoothly stopped his car in front of a set of wrought-iron gates that were gradually opening thanks to the automatic opener attached to the sun visor. He glanced at Ben, who was sitting silently in the passenger seat, his complexion pale, and his hands twitching in his lap.
Wil reached over and stilled the fluttering digits. “Relax. Dad and Pa are looking forward to meeting you. I promise they’re just two normal guys. Nothing to worry about.”
“ ’Nothing to worry about’ , he says,” Ben muttered. “Wil, how many boyfriends have you introduced to your parents?”
“Um. You’re the first, actually,” Wil admitted. He winced at the glare Ben shot him. “I haven’t really dated since being at college, and Dad and Pa only got back together the summer before I started, so yeah, you’re the first important person I’ve brought home.”
Pulling the car to a halt in front of a large adobe-style house, he killed the engine and turned to face Ben.
“I promise, my family are good people. Yes, they’re famous, but it’s not only who they are.”
“I understand that Wil, but not only am I meeting your parents, but I’m also meeting some of my favorite musicians. I’ve been to one of their concerts, for Christ’s sake. And now I’m meeting them as their son’s boyfriend. Of course I’m going to be nervous. Any sane person would be!”
“I’m sorry,” Wil apologized, leaning over the console to press a kiss to Ben’s mouth. “I shouldn’t dismiss your feelings in this. We’ve only known each other a few weeks and we’re still learning about each other.”
Ben kissed him back, cupping Wil’s jaw. “Apology accepted. You’re right, this is all so new, but hey, we’ve managed to not kill each other in the six hours it’s taken to drive here from Phoenix, so that’s a good sign.”
“True,” Wil agreed, sneaking in another quick kiss. “Come on, let’s get inside and get the hard bit over with.”
Exiting the car, they met at the trunk to retrieve their bags before Wil led Ben up the steps and used his key to open the front door, yelling as it opened, “Make yourselves decent, we’re here!”
“Hey, son,” his father’s voice called out as he came down the short hallway. Wil dropped his bag as he was engulfed in a tight hug.
“Hey, Dad. Missed you.”
“We’ve missed you too,” Kellet told him, releasing him from the hug, stepping back with his hands on Wil’s shoulders as he inspected him. “Glad you made it home safely.”
Turning to Ben, Wil tugged his sleeve, pulling him closer. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, Ben Martinez. Ben, this is my dad, Kellet James.”
“Hi Mr. James. Thank you for letting me come and stay.”
“Hi Ben. You’re welcome. And please, call me Kellet and call my husband Jamie. We don’t stand on ceremony here.”
“Where is Pa?” Wil asked, surprised his stepfather wasn’t first to the door to meet them.
“Out by the pool. Seth got a melody stuck in his head, and we’ve all been noodling around with it all day.”
“By all of you, you mean Seth and Liam are here too?” Wil asked, a feeling of foreboding washing over him. Just what he needed, his honorary uncles here to give him and Ben a hard time.
“I know. I tried to get them to leave a while ago, but you know what Seth’s like, and then when he heard you and Ben were on your way, he settled in and won’t leave until he’s ready.”
Wil turned to Ben. “I apologize now for everything Seth will say and do. I promise he’s really a good guy behind the image he portrays.”
“Don’t worry too much, Wil, Cal is here to keep him in line,” his father assured them.
“Oh, thank God for that,” Wil said in relief. “Ben, you’ll love Cal. He’s a software designing whizz and a super nice guy. How he ended up with Seth is one of the world’s mysteries, but they are stupidly in love, and he’s good for Seth.”
Ben looked a little panicked at the news he was meeting the rest of Larkspur right away, and Wil sent him a reassuring smile.
“Leave your bag here, and we’ll go and meet them,” Wil told him. “Then we’ll order pizza and have a quiet evening.”
***
It took every ounce of self-composure Ben possessed to push down the nerves and follow Wil and his dad out to the pool area. As they passed through the open-plan living space, he noticed how relaxed and lived in the house looked. It definitely wasn’t the McMansion he’d been expecting. From the quick glimpses he caught, he observed a vibrant home adorned with colorful throws on the couches, many framed family photographs, and a bookcase brimming with books tucked away in the corner.
Stepping out onto the patio area, he was met with four sets of eyes fixed on him. He resisted the urge to grab Wil’s hand and hide behind him like a shy child. A tall man with dark hair stood and approached them. Although now forty, Jamie Larke was still as sexy and handsome as he’d been when he and Larkspur had hit it big over twenty years ago.
Jamie gave Ben and Wil a huge smile before pulling Wil into a hug.
“Good to see you, Wil.” Releasing Wil, one of the most famous men in music, turned to Ben and offered his hand. “And this must be Ben. Good to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too,” Ben replied, proud of himself for not stammering and melting on the spot.
“Come and meet everyone else,” Jamie said, ushering him forward. “This is Liam Jones. He’s the nice one amongst us,” he said, nodding to the bass guitarist, who gave Ben a small smile in return. “And this asshole is Seth Worthington.”
“Hey!” Seth protested. “I’ve mellowed in my old age. Just ask Cal.”
A snort of laughter came from the blond-haired man relaxing on one of the loungers, a laptop balanced on his knees. He waved cheerily in greeting. “Hey, Ben. Welcome to the madhouse. I’m the sane one amongst the bunch, so feel free to come and find me when they get too much.”
“How can you say you’re the sane one when you married Seth on the spur of the moment in Vegas?” Jamie asked. “You’re probably the least sane amongst us.”
“Ignore them, Ben,” Wil said, slipping an arm around Ben’s waist and pulling him in close before addressing the group. “Please don’t frighten him away. I like him, and I want him to stick around.”
Warmth slithered through Ben at Wil’s words, and he snuggled a little closer into Wil’s side.
“Oh. Like that, is it?” Seth asked, walking over to join them. “I think Ben and I need to get to know each other better.”
“ Uncle Seth,” Wil growled, tightening his grip on Ben’s waist, and it was all Ben could do not to laugh at the horrified look on Seth’s face.
Seth pointed a long finger at Wil. “Don’t call me that!”
“You started it,” Wil shot back. “Ben and I are newly dating. Yes, we think there is the possibility of it being a long-term thing. We don’t need you doing the whole ‘hurt him and we hurt you’ speech, okay?”
“Babe, come and sit down, so we can all get to know Ben,” Cal called out to his husband.
With a huff, Seth stomped over and dropped onto the lounger where Cal was. Cal put his laptop to the side, allowing Seth to lean back against his chest.
“Ben, what can I get you to drink?” Kellet asked. “We’ve got just about everything, including a nice IPA from a local micro brewery.”
“Beer sounds nice, thank you.”
“Make yourself at home. I’ll order the pizza while I’m at it.” Kellet looked around the group. “The usual for everyone?”
“Can you get mine with only half mushrooms please, Dad? Ben doesn’t like them.”
“That’s okay. I can just pick them off,” Ben protested. He liked that Wil had remembered his aversion to mushrooms, but didn’t want to make it an issue.
“It’s just as easy to take them off the order,” Wil reassured him as he guided him to a vacant chair.
“Thank you,” Ben said quietly, and to his surprise, Wil planted a quick kiss on his lips before settling into his own seat.
“No problem.”
“So, how did you two meet?” Seth asked.
Ben glanced at Wil, who grinned back at him.
“We met at a frat party the weekend before midterms,” Wil replied.
Seth’s keen gaze flicked between them, and Ben tried not to squirm under the scrutiny.
“I feel there’s more to it than that, but we’ll let it go for now,” Seth said.
“Seth, you aren’t tormenting Wil’s boyfriend, are you?”
The fresh voice had Ben turning in his seat as an older man who could only be described as a silver fox strode towards them.
“No Miles, I’m not,” Seth sighed.
Ben watched as Miles leaned over and kissed Liam. He said something too low to be heard that had the bass guitarist blushing faintly, before he nodded. Liam looked over and caught Ben’s gaze.
“Ben, this is my partner and also our manager, Miles Cartwright.”
Ben stood and stretched out his hand in greeting. “Hi Mr. Carwright. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Good to meet you too, Ben. Call me Miles.”
Ben sat down again, in awe of the man who was not only the manager for Larkspur but also the owner of the management company that handled Eclipse and several other A-list celebrities.
Kellet returned with the beers, and Ben relaxed as the conversation flowed around him. Listening to the teasing and laughter, he began to see them as a group of good friends who’d known each other for years rather than the chart-topping band they were.