CHAPTER 37 - BRUSCHETTA
bruschetta
CHAPTER thirty-seven
David rarely used his wealth for personal things, but he spared no expense getting to Noah’s parents’ house as fast as possible. He didn’t even flinch at the price of renting a private jet, only to find that the company was willing to do the flight in exchange for an Instagram post.
The flight was comfortable and, most importantly, fast. Noah got them a rental car upon landing in Knoxville, and David FaceTimed Caroline once they were in the car.
“My papa will not stop talking about your statement,” Caroline said around a yawn on screen. It was past midnight in France, but the baby made it hard for her to sleep. Pierre was big now, and he liked to kick at night, apparently. “He was upset.”
Fear coiled around the base of David’s spine. “He was upset?”
“Very,” Caroline said with a nod. “He had no idea how bad things were with your father. He thought the incident last year was the first one.”
Noah’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. David carefully transferred the phone to his right hand and reached over with his left to squeeze Noah’s thigh.
“I didn’t know either,” Caroline continued. “I knew more than my papa, but not all of it. I’m sorry, David.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” David said. “It’s over now, and that’s what matters. You focus on the baby.”
“I can’t wait for you both to be here. I feel like I’m pregnant with a horse,” Caroline muttered, rubbing her belly. “Now I understand why women get so impatient. I want Pierre to be here already, so he’ll stop kicking me all the time.”
“We’ll be there soon,” David assured her. “Don’t have him without us, okay?”
They were still a few weeks away from Caroline’s due date. While the rest of Formula America would be wrapping up summer break, he and Noah would be figuring out how to be fathers.
“How close are you to Noah’s?” Caroline asked. She grunted as she shifted positions again and reclined on a mound of pillows. David hated seeing her look so uncomfortable.
“Maybe five minutes out,” Noah said. “Are you joining us for family dinner?”
“I don’t think so. I should probably sleep,” Caroline said.
“I agree,” David said. “But, um, there’s something we wanted to tell you.”
Caroline paused. “Oh?”
David looked over at Noah, who was still watching the road. A smile curled at Noah’s lips, though—one of pride.
“Noah and I are getting married,” David said quickly. He tried not to sound too excited out of respect for Caroline’s affection for him. She was also up to her ears in pregnancy hormones, and David didn’t really want to find out how bad those could be when they turned into rage.
“You’re engaged?” Caroline sat up in bed. “Since when? Does Jacob know?”
David laughed. “No, Jacob doesn’t know. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“I knew there had to be some reason you were going to Noah’s parents,” Caroline said, pointing a finger at him. “You never do things on a whim.”
“He’s stuck with me,” Noah said, blindly reaching over to tickle David’s chin. “And you are too—blame him.”
Caroline finally smiled, and it actually reached her eyes. “Congratulations, both of you.”
Not that long ago, David thought he would never see Caroline again. Even when she told him she was pregnant, he expected them to be more like business partners. He never thought they would be raising a son together as real friends, though they had a lot of work to do in that department.
“Thanks, Caroline,” David said, touched.
Her eyes dimmed. “I’m very glad you’re happy, David. It looks good on you.”
David sputtered for a response as his cheeks turned red.
“I agree,” Noah said cheekily. “He’s hot as fuck when he’s happy.”
Caroline covered her mouth to laugh as David shot Noah a look. His heart warmed, and for the first time, there was no sense of doom lurking in the shadows. He didn’t have to make up any excuses for his parents or find the right thing to say that would appease them without hurting Noah.
He said his goodbyes to Caroline, and she set the phone on her belly to let him say goodnight to Pierre. He didn’t care if it was weird—the doctors said Pierre could hear now, and David wanted him to know his voice.
Sunset painted the Smoky Mountains blue. They weren’t as big as the Rockies at Noah’s apartment in Denver, but David still had trouble imagining a young Noah running around mountain trails.
“Home, sweet home,” Noah said as he turned off a cracked asphalt road onto a steep driveway. They linked hands on the center console as Noah’s family home appeared out of the trees, and it was nothing like David’s imagination.
Maybe it was because of Mr. Caparelli’s cattle operation, but David expected a picturesque American farmhouse when he imagined Noah’s home. The reality was an architectural marvel of A-frames and triangular shapes that reminded him of snow cabins at the ski resort. It had black painted trim and wood accents, which were dark and cozy at the same time. Yellow light glowed in the windows, and David ached to go inside to feel the warmth of it.
“You grew up here?” David asked in awe. There were so many trees, their leaves varying shades of green. They were different from Germany, but the forest reminded him of home anyway.
“I did. I was a little country boy,” Noah said in his best country accent. “You like it?”
“It’s beautiful. I didn’t expect it to look like this at all.”
“It didn’t look like this when I was growing up here,” Noah said, stretching in his seat. “I’ve sunk a lot of money in this place. But the bones are the same. You ready to have a Caparelli family dinner? I’m pretty sure it’s just going to be spaghetti with my dad’s homemade sauce, but it’ll do.”
David kissed him hard on the mouth, drinking in the taste and scent of him. He’d never met a more perfect man in his life. Noah’s fingers grazed his jaw before his hand folded at the back of David’s neck, pulling him in closer.
“My dad will come out and yell at me if we make out in the driveway,” Noah teased between gentle kisses. “Don’t ask him about my freshman year homecoming.”
David kissed him one more time and opened the passenger-side door. Cicadas trilled in the trees all around as Noah hopped out on the other side. David pocketed his phone and carefully grabbed the bouquet of tulips he’d bought for Noah’s mom from the floor. They’d survived the trip without any injuries, thankfully.
Noah grabbed their luggage, and they headed up to the house together.
“How long until Finlay gets here?” David asked.
“I think he’s a half an hour behind,” Noah said. “We’ll probably just be finishing the house tour.”
David snorted. Americans and their home tours.
The front door swung open before they could even knock. Noah’s mother clapped her hands excitedly and rushed out onto the porch to grab her son in a hug. David didn’t remember much from the night of the party in Paris, but Margie looked a million times happier here in Knoxville, just like Noah had said she would.
“I was at the store when you called,” she said over Noah’s shoulder, squeezing him tight. “My little boy coming home for dinner with his boyfriend? Look at you!”
She released Noah and made a move for David, but Noah gently stopped her with an arm around her waist.
“His arm is still broken, Mum,” Noah warned, then let her go.
“David,” Margie cooed, gently winding her arms around his neck. “My sweet angel.”
She smelled like tomato sauce, but not in a bad way. David hugged her back with his one good arm and smiled into her shoulder. He liked Margie’s hugs.
“Sorry for throwing up on you last time,” he said. Might as well get it out of the way.
“Oh, that?” She made a dismissive gesture. “It added some excitement. I was more worried about you. I’ve never seen Noah that pale. Now, let’s get some food in you both, yes?”
“These are for you,” David said as he pulled away. He held out the bouquet and watched in horror as tears welled in Margie’s eyes.
“Woah, woah, those are happy tears, babe,” Noah said, tugging David to his side as Margie blubbered over the flowers.
“Thank you,” Margie said, wiping her eyes. “It’s been ages since anyone bought me flowers.”
“Hey! I bought you flowers for your birthday,” Noah protested.
Margie waved him off. “You sent flowers. You didn’t bring me flowers. Thank you, David.” She sniffed the tulips, and more tears leaked from her eyes.
“She’s fine,” Noah assured him. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s making bruschetta,” Margie said as she invited them inside. “I also bought wine, but you have to tell me if it’s any good. I asked the nice lady at the store pick it out for me, but I never know what to get for Finlay’s picky palate.”
“He can deal,” Noah said, rubbing David’s back.
The house was just as beautiful on the inside, but it was clearly a family home, not something for a magazine spread. Family photos covered the walls in the foyer. David stepped closer to look at the photos of Noah as a child, shooting daggers at the apex of a corner while driving his kart. Others were podium celebrations, including one of him hoisting up a trophy beside a familiar buck-toothed kid with red hair.
“Is that Finlay?” David squawked.
Noah laughed. “Oh yeah. You didn’t know about his Bugs Bunny days? That’s America’s hottest bachelor right there.”
“Oh my god. He looks so different.”
Kid Finlay had big, round cheeks and much lighter hair—more of a neon red than the russet it was now. He looked awfully cute.
“You look different too,” David said, reaching out to gently touch the glass. Noah had a rounder face, no tattoos, and a freckle on his cheek that he didn’t have now. He even had a snaggletooth that poked out over his bottom lip in one of the photos, but those big brown eyes were unmistakably him, and his dark curls were even more unruly back then.
They headed past the foyer into a big kitchen that connected to a dining area. Noah’s dad stood at the stove, setting pieces of bread on a baking sheet. For a moment, David saw how much Noah looked like his father—they had the same focused face.
“Hiya, Pops,” Noah said as he set their luggage in the dining room.
“Fernando, did you start the preheating?” Margie asked as she carried the flowers to the sink.
“I did,” Fernando replied, wiping his hands on his apron. David thought it was adorable that he cooked with an apron on. “Noah, David. Welcome.”
Fernando hugged his son, then gently hugged David after. He smelled like garlic, also not in a bad way.
“Please, make yourselves at home. Dinner will be ready soon,” Fernando said, gesturing toward the dining room.
“Thanks for having me,” David said. “Well, for having all of us on such short notice.”
“No, thank you for coming,” Margie said as she set the bouquet in a vase. “We’re so happy everyone is coming by.”
Noah tugged him out of the kitchen to let his parents work, and showed David the house. The living room was a half-story down from the kitchen area and looked like the perfect place to host a book club. A giant fireplace took up one wall, and massive windows took up the other, giving a perfect view out into the forest beyond.
“The deer will come right up to the glass,” Noah explained. “In the winter, we have a bird feeder out there that attracts all kinds of critters. Sometimes even black bears.”
“We should come here more often,” David murmured.
“We totally can,” Noah said softly. “As often as you want, baby.”
Noah twined their fingers together as they headed down a hallway past a bathroom decorated in a very American mom way with a forest theme.
“Here’s my room,” Noah said, flicking on the lights to a small bedroom covered in posters from Formula 1, NASCAR, INDYCAR, and WEC. A desk sat covered in plastic trophies from karting, and the shelves had even more trophies and ribbons hanging from them.
David could easily imagine Kid Noah here, buried in model cars, karting trophies, and posters. Right above the headboard was an absolutely ridiculous magazine article about Noah, featuring a cringeworthy photo of him making a serious face as he posed in front of his kart.
“This is my favorite,” David teased as he stepped closer to examine the article. Beside the page was a photo most likely taken by Noah himself of Finlay and another boy stacked on top of each other under a pile of tire blankets, both of them grinning. They looked like teenagers in this one.
“Is that Robbie?” David asked, nodding to the photo.
“Yeah,” Noah said quietly. “I don’t have a ton of pictures of him from back then. We gave all of them to his parents. I should have made copies, but… You know, my thoughts weren’t all there during that time.”
David smiled at the photo before turning to Noah again. “That’s a good one to keep,” he said, gently looping his arms around Noah’s waist. “Thanks for showing me.”
They met for a sweet kiss, though David could taste grief on Noah’s lips.
“Are we sleeping in here tonight?” David asked.
Noah shook his head. “There’s a guest house. I’d rather not completely traumatize my parents.”
David snorted. “Who said we would?”
Noah gave him a dubious look. “Me, the second you shed any of your clothes. Finlay and Nadia got a hotel in the city—there’s some kind of city fest going on downtown. We can go if you want.”
David shrugged. “We’ll see. I kind of like the idea of a little getaway here.”
Noah kissed his nose. “Me too.”
******
Finlay seemed more like a son to Noah’s parents than Noah was. He told David and Nadia stories of sword fights in the woods with Noah, including one about a Mothman sighting when they camped out on Noah’s thirteenth birthday. David had no idea where Americans came up with their mythological creatures. European dragons seemed much more feasible than a man with moth wings.
David didn’t know dinners could be so fun. He was only allowed to eat a small portion, but food was secondary to the jokes and conversation. Finlay talked openly about Cobalt’s differential problems, and after another glass of wine, he was shittalking Hugh at the table with Noah, who nursed his sparkling grape juice with a smile.
“Well, guys, we did have a reason for calling everyone together tonight,” Noah said after a pause in conversation. “First of all, we need to do this more often. It’ll be harder with David and me in Europe, but that’s what the disposable income is for.”
David’s mouth hurt from smiling, but he smiled again anyway and squeezed Noah’s hand under the table. He didn’t think it was possible to love Noah anymore than he already did, but in that moment, he felt complete. Noah met his eye and grinned back.
“We’re getting married,” David announced, lost in Noah’s eyes. “We’re officially engaged.”
Noah lifted his hand, where his engagement ring twinkled on his finger—no longer hidden among his other rings. “Next up, Italian wedding.”
Margie burst into tears at the head of the table, and Fernando rubbed her back with a warm smile.
“Congratulations!” Nadia exclaimed, hopping up from her seat to come over to them. “You two are too cute!”
David stood to hug her as Finlay echoed her and hauled Noah up in a bear hug.
“Long time coming, man,” Finlay said, ruffling Noah’s curls. “Couldn’t even beat me to the altar.”
“You made up a lot of ground, Bugs,” David shot back.
Finlay gaped at him, then grabbed Noah in a headlock. “Did you show him my baby pictures, you little shit?”
“Lucky for you, I love your little buck teeth,” Nadia said, giving David a wink.
“I had to ruin his perception of your handsomeness,” Noah said as he fought free of Finlay’s hold. “Eliminate the competition, you know.”
“We have to celebrate,” Margie said, standing up from her chair. Noah moved to her and gave her a big hug, peppering her hair with little kisses.
“Plenty of time for celebrating, Mumma. No need for all the waterworks. You’re frightening my fiancé.”
Margie swatted at him before hugging him tight. Fernando offered his hand, and David took it with a smile.
“I was going to ask your permission at the party,” David said as he shook Fernando’s hand. “I know that’s kind of old-school, but I wanted to be respectful. Then, uh, things happened.”
Fernando laughed. “You certainly didn’t need to ask, but thank you.”
“C’mere, you,” Finlay growled, grabbing David by the waist and pulling him backward into a hug. “Think you can get away without a headlock?”
“His arm, Finlay,” Noah warned.
“Shut up, I’m not blind,” Finlay said, gently mussing David’s hair as David turned to face him.
“Thanks, Finlay,” David said.
“There was a time where I told Noah to leave you in the dust,” Finlay said. “If you were anyone else, I think he would’ve done it. For once, I’m glad he didn’t listen to me. You can be a little shit yourself, Jochmann, but you changed Noah from a douchebag to a good guy, so I owe you.”
David blinked in surprise. “Uh, thanks?”
Finlay grinned. “Welcome to the family, man.”
David stumbled into a proper hug, too stunned to register most of it. As he looked over Finlay’s shoulder at his future in-laws, his future husband, and his sort-of sister-in-law, his heart felt full. Maybe he wouldn’t have his biological family anymore, but he would have this beautiful place to come home to and Noah by his side for every visit.
“Thank you,” David finally said when he found his voice again. “I’m glad to be here.”