14. Antonio
Antonio
Despite Lucky’s insistence that he was dressed fine and needed no gift in hand, Antonio felt like a frog in a frying pan.
Everything was utterly wrong. The few times he made it to the ‘meeting family’ stage, he’d been given strict instruction on what to wear, what to bring, and where to be.
The Wilde family seemed to have no such pretense.
Lucky navigated him over the river and through the sprawling residential district of Rosaria. Of the many major towns on the island, Rosaria remained strictly dedicated to its quiet connection to nature. It was hard to believe the airport was just two hours away.
“You can park here and then we’ll walk up. Dad’s truck does a good job of taking up the whole driveway.” Lucky pointed to the left side of the road.
He parked under a tree. Sunset turned the fronds black against the rich orange sky. It was a beautiful evening, and he was about to formally meet Lucky’s family for the first time. And he didn’t have a gift.
His spiraling thoughts were cut off by Lucky’s hand curling around his own. With fingers laced together, he squeezed the omega’s smaller hand and pulled him close. He pressed a kiss to the top of Lucky’s head. “I’m afraid of what your father thinks of me.”
Teague Wilde was a real celebrity.
“I’m sure he’s wondering what you’ll think of us. Don’t worry, okay? If he tries to be growly, I’ll growl back.” Lucky flashed one of those smiles that made him think of early mornings and calm seas.
“Alright, I’ll hold you to that.” Antonio breathed in the omega’s comforting, sugary scent.
They walked hand in hand along a stone fence broken by a wrought iron fence that stood open.
In the driveway there was a blue truck surely older than he was.
A path from the driveway was made from rainbow paving stones.
Lucky skipped along each one, laughing brightly.
The house was exactly what he would expect for a family that seemed so brilliant.
Yellow paint was worn now but once upon a time it was surely vibrant like the sun. The window frames and doors were a brilliant crimson. Large hibiscus flowers bloomed along the building in a myriad of purples, pinks, and reds. A garden patch was bursting with vegetables.
He could so easily picture Lucky running around barefoot here.
Inside was even better. At first, he thought it was wallpaper creating the florals on the walls but as he stared, he realized it was a mural that covered every inch of the living room. The unmistakable scent of sauce and browned meat and herbs filled the air. It was warm. Cozy.
“Welcome to the Wilde house. What do you think?” Lucky drew him from his staring, something shy in the way he rocked on his heels and looked up from beneath pale lashes.
“Your home is beautiful, Lucky.” He smiled softly.
“You guys made it!” Jack Wilde bounced into the room with a smile more mischievous than Lucky’s and dark eyes that glittered with an endless mirth. He was different out of uniform.
He wore layers – a yellow shirt with a sheer green robe and brown vest over that with ropes of beaded necklaces.
The leggings from earlier were replaced with black wide-legged capris and he had on house slippers.
Without the ponytail, the accessories in his hair were more noticeable.
Butterfly clips, gold rings, and colorful beads decorated shoulder length black hair.
He had tiny braids scattered randomly throughout the stands.
“As if you would let us live it down if we didn’t.” Lucky rolled his eyes.
“I would, it’s dad who would have moped around!” Jack shot back, “Speaking of, you’re on salad duty so get to it, Lulu.”
“You’re just looking for a chance to interrogate Antonio.” Lucky narrowed his eyes, swiveling his head around.
Antonio couldn’t help laughing. “I’ll be fine, you can go help your father.”
“Don’t underestimate Jack, he’s wily!” Despite Lucky’s words, the omega released his hand and kicked off his sneakers to switch into house slippers.
“I’m not gonna hurt him.” Jack grinned, getting a gentle shove as Lucky walked past. As soon as Lucky was out of sight, Jack stepped up to pull an extra pair of house slippers from beneath a bench by the door.
“Here, you can put these on. Dad’s a stickler for no shoes in the house. He hates vacuuming.”
“I feel the same about vacuums.” Life near a beach made it a necessity. Changing out his shoes, he finally stepped into the living room properly. “This mural is incredible…” It went all the way up to the ceiling, spreading flowers and vines everywhere.
“Thanks! Our mom made it. They’re all flowers that only grow in Paradise.” Jack’s hands were buried in his pockets as he rocked back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels and back again. Their mannerisms were identical even if their features were far from similar.
“She must have been quite the artist.” Antonio complimented.
“More like quite the eccentric, she loved crafting and painting almost as much as she loved swimming.” Jack was all smiles. “So, did you like your day at the aquarium?”
His cheeks burned as he nodded, “…Next time I’ll be sure to explore a bit more.”
“Next time.” Jack arched his brow. “You know, I was all ready to give you something of a shovel talk but honestly… Lucky’s been all laughs and smiles since meeting you. I can’t say I have any complaints.”
Jack couldn’t possibly know what those words meant to him.
“Jackie! Come help with the dinner rolls!” Lucky’s head popped around the corner before Antonio could think of a fitting response.
The omega rolled his eyes and patted Antonio on the arm, “Make yourself at home. If you need the bathroom, it’s through that door.” He disappeared towards the kitchen, leaving Antonio standing there alone.
He didn’t know what to do with his hands. Left alone, he decided to look around the welcoming, thoroughly decorated space.
Behind a well-worn couch, pictures lined the wall in frames of various shapes and sizes.
Lucky stood out in several of the photos.
His auburn hair and large blue eyes were bright points in every shot.
There were pictures of him holding up shells as a little boy in his swim shorts and wide hat, others of him with various animals or building sandcastles.
Many were of him and Jack playing on the beach, swimming, or standing next to tanks at the aquarium.
Others contained a woman with dark brown eyes, tawny beige skin sporting tan lines from what looked like countless days in the sun, and a waterfall of brown curls.
Her arms were curled around the twins in every shot. She had a smile mirrored perfectly in Jack’s mischievous look. Antonio thought Jack looked quite a bit like Teague, until he saw him next to their mother.
“I don’t look much like her, do I?” Lucky startled him.
“No, you do, I was just…” His scramble for words made Lucky’s eyes glitter with amusement.
“It’s okay. You don’t need to overthink it. I’m adopted, actually.” The revelation should have felt heavy, but Lucky said it as if he were discussing the weather.
“Really?” He winced at his own question.
“Really.” Lucky cocked his head, “No recessive genes caused this.” He pointed at his eyes, “I was a foundling – dropped off at the hospital, no questions asked. According to the story, mom was in the hospital recovering from giving birth to Jack at the same time. She said the nurses kept walking me up and down the hall trying to calm me and every time they passed, I made Jack cry. So, she asked to hold me, and the next thing dad knew, he was the father of twins.”
“Is that how you got the name Lucky?” He’d been curious for a while, since it wasn’t exactly a typical name.
“Sort of! Our names were originally Jack and Lucas but mom used to call me her lucky charm and dad called Jack ‘Jackie’ all the time which just became Jackie and Lucky. I personally prefer Lucky and don’t use Lucas on anything outside of legal documents.” It made perfect sense to Antonio.
“Lucky suits you.” He reached out to squeeze the omega’s hand. His lover. His partner. It still didn’t feel real.
“Lucky Wilde really is a name that sticks.” Antonio had never agreed with something more. Lucky looked like his name sounded. From the wild auburn curls that danced as he moved and the blue eyes that sparkled like the morning sea, Antonio couldn’t think of a more deserving name.
“Lucky Wilde is a person who can’t be ignored.” He cupped Lucky’s cheek, leaning in to capture his lips.
“Ahem, if you two can contain yourselves… Dinner is done.” An unfamiliar voice, deep and rumbling like an earthquake crawling across the hills.
Teague Wilde was so much more intimidating in person.
A wild mane of waist length brunette hair was interspersed with a mix of braids that did nothing to tame the errant curls and sun-bleached waves.
His hair was mostly black but there was grey and brown and red mixed in along with a multitude of silver accessories similar to Jack’s style.
He had dark eyes, almost black set beneath a prominent brow.
His skin was a deep, russet brown, weathered like the cliffs of Paradise by life at sea.
He was a handsome alpha with an imposing presence heightened by muscular crossed arms. But the entire thing was broken up by a shockingly bright pink apron covered in lace ruffles.
Antonio was not sure what his expression was. He wasn’t even sure he could feel his face.
“Dad, I think you broke him.” Lucky poked his ribs.
Somehow, he figured out how to breathe. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir…”
A hand was immediately held up by the other alpha, “None of that formality, thanks. Come sit and eat first. The rolls are gonna get cold if we just stand here.” Teague’s slow way of talking calmed some of his nerves.
The kitchen was painted a forest green shade with dark brown cabinets. It was a little outdated in a cozy way. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. It reminded him of afternoons spent at Mateo’s house, of warm cookies or fresh fruit after a long day of school and play.
“Were you an after-school pastry kid or a fruit kid?” The question slipped out before he even realized what he was asking.
“Lucky was a pastry kid. Anything with sweets, he wanted his fingers in.” It was Teague who answered, grabbing oven mitts to move a plate of lasagna to the table.
It was round and welcoming. Jack was already seated with his back to the wall.
Antonio took the seat near him, across from Teague.
He felt a bit more confident with the twins flanking him, it was easier to look the man in the eye and know if he was failing in some invisible way. “Hah, so was I. Cookies were my vice.”
“I was a fruit kid! Anything with fresh fruit, but particularly mango.” Jack grinned, “Lucky’s sweet tooth has no limit.”
“I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Antonio smiled, pulling his seat in.
“Sugar makes me feel happy, and who doesn’t like chocolate?” Lucky shrugged.
The table was set with plates for each of them.
A thick slice of lasagna sat perfectly in the middle of ceramic plates.
Each one was a different color. His was green, Lucky’s was red, Jack’s was yellow, and Teague’s was blue.
Tall glasses of limonada de coco were already slick with condensation.
He took a sip, trying to calm his nerves.
“Your home is really beautiful, thank you for inviting me.” Antonio genuinely couldn’t remember how he was supposed to act in front of someone’s parent.
“You’ve got trouble relaxing.” Teague’s blunt response was almost enough to make him choke on his tongue.
But the man wasn’t wrong. What was he doing? He wasn’t nineteen meeting his partner’s parents and trying to pretend he wasn’t running on two hours of sleep and a pint of rum. “And you’re as blunt in person as you are on your shows.”
For just a moment, he was worried that was a step too far until Teague grinned, a wide and easy smile that lit up the man’s face. “That’s more what I expect from someone who built a search and rescue team from the ground up. Eat your lasagna.”
Lucky put a hand on his leg under the table. Antonio entwined their fingers and focused on surviving dinner.