Saturday afternoon found Brantley, Reese and Tesha making a run to the hardware store to place an order for the materials they would need to build the conference room and to make a couple of adjustments to JJ’s new space in the loft. When Reese had suggested they take Tesha along, he’d been skeptical but to his surprise, she’d done far better than expected. It seemed she didn’t mind the leash as long as Reese was at the helm, and she took commands relatively well. With some additional training, Brantley figured Tesha had the makings of a canine partner.
Thanks to everything going on with the task force and the construction project they were undertaking, Brantley nearly forgot about his parents coming for dinner until Reese brought it up.
“I’m still on the fence about what to make,” Reese said, a hint of real fear in his voice as they studied the main floor of the barn, considered their options for rearranging and accommodating more people.
“No need,” Brantley told him. “I’ve placed an order at the diner and my parents are pickin’ it up on the way over.”
“I could go get it,” Reese offered, the words coming out just a little too fast. “You know, so they don’t have to. Play my part.”
Brantley reached for him, pulling Reese in and then backing him against the desk. “Are you nervous, Tavoularis?”
“Not nervous,” Reese said, those panicked brown eyes meeting his as a pained smile formed. “Terrified.”
Despite the fact he was trying to play it off, Brantley knew there was a lot of truth to Reese’s statement. It was kinda cute.
“There’s nothin’ to be scared of. They’re gonna love you.” Brantley kissed him, pulled back. “Almost as much as I do.”
Reese cocked his head. “Almost?”
“Well, considerin’ I get to share a bed with you, I’m not sure anyone can love you as much as I do.”
“No?”
Brantley could hear the challenge in Reese’s voice. “Would you like me to demonstrate just how much?”
“Yes.”
He was pleasantly surprised by the agreement, so he leaned in and pressed his lips to Reese’s. The kiss started out as a leisurely exploration but turned molten within seconds. While Brantley plundered Reese’s mouth with his tongue, his fingers worked free the button on Reese’s jeans, tugging the zipper. No better time than now for a distraction.
Reese assisted at that point, freeing himself so Brantley could palm his cock, stroking slowly, all that smooth, velvety flesh gliding through his fist.
“I could do this all damn day,” Brantley breathed against Reese’s skin as he slid his mouth over his neck. “Touchin’ you, strokin’ you.”
Reese’s head fell back on his shoulders, soft groans escaping as he braced himself on the desk.
“Do you need my mouth on you, baby?” he whispered. “You want to slide your cock deep in my throat?”
He took Reese’s strangled moan as an affirmative.
Brantley went to his knees without hesitation, took that heated flesh into his mouth, and drew on him with enough suction to have Reese’s hips thrusting forward.
“Oh, fuck, yes. Brantley … oh, fuck.”
With a litany of profane encouragement as the backdrop, Brantley proceeded to work Reese right up to that precarious edge, held him suspended there for long minutes, easing back when he was too close, working more vigorously when he would begin to relax somewhat. And when he sent Reese over, it was with his name tumbling from those beautiful lips.
True to form, Brantley’s parents showed up at eighteen thirty—half an hour early. Evidently his father knew how to sweet talk the diner into letting him have the meal earlier than planned.
Thankfully, Brantley had given Reese a heads-up, not wanting the man to be taken off guard when Iris and Frank Walker pulled into the drive sooner than expected. Not that it mattered. The instant their footsteps sounded on the front porch, Reese began to pace the kitchen, making circles around the island. His shoulders lifted and lowered, his chest rising and falling as though he was prepping himself for a big game.
“Relax. They’re gonna love you,” Brantley told him, then pressed a quick kiss on his lips and went to help his father bring in the food.
When he looked back, Reese was still doing his pregame routine, once again pacing the floor while Tesha stared up at him in confusion. But she didn’t sit there for long. Her ears perked up as she turned her attention to the front door.
“Mom. Dad,” Brantley greeted, opening the screen door. Lowering his voice, he tacked on, “He’s nervous, so be gentle.”
His mother’s eyes glittered and a sweet smile formed. “He has nothin’ to be nervous about.”
No, he didn’t, but Brantley knew Reese wouldn’t believe him.
Brantley took one of the paper sacks from his father, held the door until both parents were inside, then led the way to the kitchen.
“Still no dining room table, I see,” his father noted as they moved past the empty dining room.
“Soon,” he assured the old man. “Reese insists on furnishing this place.”
“At least one of you knows how to make a house a home,” Iris said, stopping just inside the kitchen to wait for Brantley.
He moved past his mother, smiled over at the handsome man with the terrified expression.
“Mom, Dad, this is Reese Tavoularis. Reese, meet Iris and Frank Jr.”
His father barked a laugh, stepping forward to set his sack on the table before moving toward Reese and holding out a hand. “We’ve met a couple of times. At Curtis’s,” Frank said easily, pumping Reese’s hand twice. “And please, just call me Frank.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Reese said, his voice cracking slightly. “Again.”
When Iris stepped up to him, she batted away his hand and went right for the hug. Brantley realized he probably should’ve warned Reese she was a hugger.
“Look at how handsome you are,” Iris mused, cupping Reese’s face in her small hands before glancing back at Brantley. “You did good.”
That earned them a strangled laugh from Reese.
“And who do we have here?” Frank asked, peering down at Tesha, who was sitting obediently at Reese’s feet, obviously not knowing what to think about their guests.
“This is Tesha,” Brantley told them. “We adopted her a few days ago.”
“Aren’t you a sweet girl?” Iris said, bending down to offer her hand to Tesha.
They all watched as Tesha took a hesitant step forward, craning her neck for a sniff. She must’ve deemed Iris trustworthy, because she took another step closer, then another until Iris was able to give her bony head a scratch.
“She’s a little underweight,” Iris said when she stood tall again.
“It’s a long story,” Brantley explained. “But she’s in a much better place now. The weight will come in time.”
Iris nodded, understanding glittering in her eyes. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“We thought we’d eat on the back patio,” Brantley informed them. “Since it’s a nice evening.”
“That would be lovely. Why don’t you and your father properly dish the food. We will not be eating out of Styrofoam. Reese and I will carry out the drinks.”
“Be nice, Mom,” Brantley warned, although he said it more to help Reese along than anything. One would’ve thought he was going before a firing squad, not meeting his future in-laws for the first time.
That thought had Brantley pausing as he lifted one of the Styrofoam containers out of the sack. That was … not where he’d thought he would be going so early in this relationship. But oddly enough, and for the first time in his entire life, the idea of marriage didn’t scare the hell out of him. Of course, he’d never considered it before, wasn’t even sure it was on his life’s to-do list. There was no denying Reese Tavoularis had thrown him for a loop from the moment he met the man, so it made sense he was thinking long-term, right? If you’ve got something good, grab it with both hands and hold on tight.
“Somethin’ wrong, boy?” his father asked in that grumbling tone that the Walker men were well known for.
Brantley shook himself back to the present. “Not at all, Pop. Somethin’ wrong with you?”
Frank laughed that easy laugh Brantley was used to hearing from him. “Can’t say there is, no.”
They dished up the food onto plates his mother would approve of, then carried them outside, where his mother and Reese were already sitting. The instant Brantley stepped outside, Reese was on his feet, assisting by taking a plate, setting it in front of Iris. Once they had everything situated, Brantley took a seat beside Reese, reaching over and patting his thigh as reassurance.
“I heard a rumor you helped out my nephews a few years back,” Iris said casually once everyone had started to eat.
Reese paused, his fork suspended in midair. “I’m sorry, ma’am. Your nephews?”
“Wolfe and Lynx Caine,” she noted. “They live in Embers Ridge.” She smiled kindly. “It’s where I grew up. With my two brothers.”
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” he said, still stumbling over his words a bit. “I still talk to them every now and again.”
“Good boys, those two,” she tacked on. “A little rowdy, but good nonetheless.”
“And your momma?” Frank inquired. “How’s she doin’?”
Once again, Reese appeared tongue-tied.
“Keep in mind, my folks are part of the fabric of this town,” Brantley said, hoping to ease some of Reese’s obvious discomfort. “They know anyone and everyone who’s ever lived here.”
“Your folks are good people,” Frank continued. “I was sure sorry to hear about your father.”
“I … uh … yes, sir,” Reese muttered, staring wide-eyed at Frank.
Iris reached over, patted Reese’s hand. “Relax, child. We don’t bite. I promise.”
Brantley leaned toward Reese, lowered his voice. “Not like I do.”
The choked laugh he got was the turning point.
Thank goodness.
***
Reese wasn’t sure he’d ever been more uncomfortable in his entire life. It sort of reminded him of the first time he had launched his ass out of an airplane. He’d been terrified but determined not to show it and intent on completing the task. Similar to how he felt now.
He had attempted to psych himself up for this dinner, but no amount of muttering had helped. Plus, even if it had, all that would’ve gone right out the window the minute Iris and Frank Jr. walked in the door. Why Reese was intimidated, he didn’t know but he was. Intimidated and insecure, two traits he wasn’t all that familiar with.
Then again, meeting the parents wasn’t something he did on the regular.
Or ever.
“My mother’s doin’ well,” he heard himself say, though he wasn’t sure where the words were coming from because he was pretty sure his brain had gone offline in a desperate attempt at self-preservation.
“And your brother and sister?”
“Good. Both of ’em are up in Dallas.”
“Not sure if you know this or not, but your sister dated our youngest in high school,” Iris said.
Reese stopped chewing, stared at Brantley’s mother. “Really?”
“One for the record books, that relationship.” She smiled sweetly. “All of three days.”
Brantley and Frank laughed.
“Evidently, Cal was smitten with her back in high school although he was a senior and she a sweet-faced freshman.”
How the woman could remember that far back, with so many kids, so many memories, he didn’t know.
“So what made you decide to stay down here instead of bein’ close to your momma?” Iris inquired.
Reese turned his attention to her, respectfully. “I think I needed something familiar when I got out of the air force.”
“Understandable.” Her kind eyes remained on his face. “Will they be comin’ down here for the holidays? They’re more than welcome to join us for Thanksgiving. The more the merrier.”
Reese felt his face warming from embarrassment. He wasn’t used to this much attention. “No, but they’ve asked me … uh … us. They’ve asked us to come up there for Christmas.”
“Which we’ll be doin’,” Brantley said. “Figured we’d have breakfast with y’all, head up there after.”
“That’s a fantastic plan.” Iris glanced back at Reese. “Brantley brags endlessly about how good a cook you are. Perhaps you’d be interested in helpin’ me prepare.”
Please, God, no. “I’d be honored.”
Her face lit up like he’d promised her the moon.
“How long were you in the air force?” Frank asked.
“Eight years,” he said, his discomfort level rising.
“What is it that you did?”
“Dad, let’s move on from the subject,” Brantley said softly.
“No, it’s okay.” Reese couldn’t spend the rest of his life avoiding the topic. “I was a PJ, then trained in special reconnaissance.”
“Pararescue,” Frank said with awe. “Thank you for your service, young man.”
Reese nodded, never sure how to respond when someone said that to him.
He felt Brantley staring, knew he probably had some questions since they’d yet to share much about their time in the military. Sure, Reese knew Brantley was a Navy SEAL, an elite special operator, but Reese had never offered the details of his stint in the air force. Or his reason for leaving. In fact, he’d never shared that with anyone.
“How’s the task force going?” Iris asked, as though she sensed the need for a subject change.
“Good,” Brantley answered. “We’re expandin’ the team so we can make a dent in all the cold cases we’ve acquired. They keep comin’ in, so I figure we need to get a jump on them. As it is, with only four of us, we’re not doin’ nearly enough.”
“You know, your father was quite the sleuth in his day,” Iris said to Brantley.
“Oh, hush now, Iris.”
Curious, Reese said, “May I ask what it is you did?”
“Lawyer,” Frank said simply.
“Assistant district attorney,” Iris corrected, the words spoken with such admiration.
“Really?”
“Oh, yes.” Iris beamed. “And my Frank … oh, he was somethin’. It’s how we met, actually. I had gone down to the courthouse for something”—she waved her hand as though that wasn’t important—“and there I saw the most handsome man walkin’ down the hall toward me. Not having a shy bone in my body, I stopped him under the guise of asking for directions.”
Reese saw the color coming into Frank’s cheeks. For some reason, it made him feel better to know someone else could blush so easily.
“It was love at first sight,” she said dreamily.
Reese thought back to the first night he’d seen Brantley. At Moonshiners. But it hadn’t been until the group had relocated to IHOP that he’d found himself inexplicably riveted by the man. Looking back, it had been a life-altering moment.
And here he was, meeting Brantley’s parents.
“Well, I picked up a peach cobbler,” Iris said with a smile. “Why don’t we finish eating. After, you boys can show us around that fancy barn we’ve heard so much about. Then we can share some coffee and dessert.”
Reese met her gaze for the first time and smiled a genuine smile.
Two hours later, all the nerves that had coiled him up so tight had finally dissipated, leaving Reese with a good feeling as they walked Iris and Frank out to their truck. When they were heading down the driveway on their way back to town, Reese exhaled heavily.
“You survived,” Brantley said, stepping up behind him. “How do you feel?”
“Relieved that it’s over.”
“You didn’t like my folks?”
“Now that dinner’s over,” he clarified, horrified that Brantley would think that. “The first meeting. I’m glad it’s out of the way.”
“Me, too.” Brantley’s breath fanned the back of his neck. “And I’m glad we’re alone.”
Those few words were enough to shift the remaining anxiety into something else entirely.