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“You okay?” Xaiden asked as he came up beside me. His hand found the back of my neck and gripped me gently.
I peered into his gorgeous eyes. Between him and Corbin, I could get lost for days and never want to find my way out. “Yeah, just thinking about how lucky I am.”
Xaiden gave me one of his smiles, the ones I knew he rarely gave anyone before Corbin and I entered his life. They felt like a gift. “Every day I’m grateful I met you and Corbin.” He brushed his lips over mine.
Fingers skated along my hip, letting me know Corbin had joined us. “Where’s mine?” he asked.
Xaiden smiled again and kissed Corbin like he did me. We knew if we started something in here, we’d end up coming in Xaiden’s office in no time. We had to meet Xaiden’s parents so there was no time for that, no matter how much I wished there was.
As we walked through the gym, I felt underdressed as usual. Normally, I didn’t mind. Having dinner with Xaiden’s parents, I did. Xaiden told the truth when he said his parents didn’t care about material possessions and things like that. They weren’t stuck-up or pretentious.
Corbin looked good, as usual, in navy shorts and a white polo that stretched nicely across his chest and hugged his arms. Xaiden wore a pair of relaxed khaki shorts with a deep green T-shirt. He was delicious when he wore shorts. They showed off the tattoos on the backs of his calves. I’d lost count of how many minutes I’d licked over his tattoos, loving each one. I didn’t have any. The thought of getting one didn’t sit well with me. I wasn’t a fan of needles, but I enjoyed them on him.
Then there was me in a pair of black athletic shorts and a fitted gray shirt. At least my clothes were clean, and I didn’t smell. I was going to have to start keeping nicer clothes in Xaiden’s office, just in case.
Xaiden’s parents liked to eat all over the city. They didn’t stick with expensive restaurants. Hopefully, we ended up at a steakhouse or somewhere no one cared how I dressed.
The three of us had been out before with his parents. We kept the shows of affection to a minimum and, so far, had managed to stay out of the gossip news that our friends had wound up in. That would change Friday night. We were going to a silent auction for the foundation Xaiden’s parents ran. I was looking forward to it, even if I wasn’t excited about getting dressed up. I had money now though. Not a ton but enough to buy a tuxedo that was under five hundred bucks without looking cheap as shit.
It was the end of May and the warmth of the sun radiating down on me felt good when we stepped outside onto the sidewalk. I enjoyed this time of year, more so now because we spent nights on the patio at Xaiden’s. I didn’t think I’d be someone who was one with nature, but fuck, sign me up, buy me a tent, and give me an open flame to grill on. Although, I’d probably scream so loud I’d pass out if I saw the bear Xaiden said would wander through his yard on occasion. Maybe I wasn’t fit for the outdoor life. I’d stick to the patio with the safety of the house within feet of me.
Once my eyes adjusted from the sun, they fell to a familiar Challenger. I pulled up short, Xaiden stopping beside me, looking at me curiously. Corbin followed my line of sight and sucked in a breath. That was when Xaiden noticed as well. A storm cloud of emotion fell over him.
The sidewalk wasn’t too busy. We glanced around, trying to find who the car belonged to. My gaze fell on Xaiden’s parents who were talking with a tall, broad man. Was he the one who owned the car?
When he turned, laughing at something they said, my fucking blood ran cold, but it only lasted briefly. Pretty soon hot anger raced through me so fast, I propelled forward before I realized what I was doing.
My uncle saw me a second before I reached him. I pulled my arm back and hit him on the jaw without a second thought. Xaiden’s mom gasped; however, I couldn’t focus on her. Nothing mattered but my asshole uncle talking with the people I considered family. He recovered from the hit fast and sneered. His own fist drew back but before he could lay a punch on me, Xaiden was between us.
“Try and hit him and I promise you won’t get up,” Xaiden growled.
“Xaiden, what is the meaning of this?” his dad asked.
“This asshole tried to run Val and Corbin over.”
“What?”
“I did no such thing,” my uncle quickly denied. Now I knew though. It was obvious. He’d always hated me. Always sided with my dad. Threw slurs at me every chance he got.
“You’re a piece of shit,” I seethed. “No better than your brother. Too bad you’re not rotting in the ground beside him.”
That was all Xaiden needed to be clued in to who this was. I felt Corbin’s hand go to my shoulder and grip me. Of course, my uncle noticed. It was ammo for him.
“I see some things never change,” he spat out.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Xaiden asked, knowing the answer. “Are you commenting on the fact that Val likes men? That he’s in a relationship with two of them?” Xaiden didn’t give him a chance to respond before he asked, “You know who I am, don’t you? Because I remember seeing you at one of the dinners the foundation had.”
My uncle nodded stiffly.
“You remember my brother then, right?”
Another nod.
“Why the fuck would you think you could come here, talk to my parents, and have hatred pouring off you because your nephew is gay? Guess what? He’s my partner. Both of them are. They live with me. Much like my brother, I’m in love with two men.” Xaiden inched closer, getting right in my uncle’s face. Xaiden’s hands flexed into fists. “Got something you want to say to me?”
“This is your uncle?” Xaiden’s dad asked me.
“He is. He’s also a cop who refused to help me when I was younger, even though he knew my father beat the shit out of me repeatedly. What was it you used to say, Uncle? How I deserved what I got because I liked to take it up the ass?” I was vaguely aware there were people who had stopped and were now watching us, but I didn’t care. My uncle stood in front of me for the first time in years. I hated him down to my core. To know he tried to run over not only me, but Corbin, I didn’t give a shit who witnessed this.
