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“What happens to the food if no one comes by during the summer?”
“Martha throws it out, I guess?”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah… just like that, handsome.”
They were sitting against the headboard of Avery’s bed, talking between bites of sandwiches and mushroom filled omelets. Ethan was moaning in appreciation around every bite of deliciousness and Avery beamed, cheeks flushed with tiredness from the long drive—and perhaps from being back in his parents’ house, too.
“My parents are not very nice people, you see. Of course, they are nowhere near the likes of Matty’s father. We’re not talking abusive assholes here. No, I’ve always been fed the right kind of food and worn the best clothes money could buy. I’ve attended the finest schools in the country. Expensive holidays in Europe. Physically and intellectually, I’ve lacked nothing.” Avery placed his plate with the half-finished sandwich on the comforter and bit at his lower lip absentmindedly.
“Come here,” Ethan whispered as he pulled Avery against his chest, kissing his temple. Avery sighed into his broad chest before continuing.
“It’s the indifference, you see. It does something to a child, to a person, when the people who are supposed to love you don’t see you. You know, see you for who you truly are. I’ve never had that from my parents.”
“Yeah, I get that. I’ve always felt acknowledged by my folks. When I came out, they told me that they’d known all along and that they loved me regardless. That nothing could ever persuade them not to love me.” Ethan brushed at Avery’s hair as he contemplated what he was going to say next. It was there, right at the tip of his tongue.
“Yeah… When I came out in college, my mother started listing all the gay, French poets. I swear to God, I almost saw her drooling at the possibility of her own flesh and blood becoming a hyped, gay archeologist-slash-anthropologist.” Avery sighed, his eyes fixed on the linen curtain blowing in the breeze from the open window. “I guess I’ve always felt that my mother’s love was dependent upon how I could fit into a certain mold. And not so much on the fact that I’m her child and that she should love me regardless.”
Avery’s sadness was palpable as it lingered in the space between them and Ethan felt his chest expanding from the image of Avery as a child, seeking his parents’ attention and recognition. A sudden urge to act as a counterbalance to the indifference of Avery’s parents overtook him.
“I see you, Avery. I see you for everything that you are. And I like everything that I see.” A muffled sob escaped Avery’s lips as he exhaled deeply into Ethan’s strong embrace.
“You do?” His voice came out on a whisper, painted with uncertainty and longing.
“I do. And if you want to, I’d love for you to tell me more about Mattie. Your Mattie.” Ethan’s gaze drifted to the framed photograph on the wooden desk of a smiling Avery beaming with pride holding the hand of a cute toddler, who looked at him like he’d hung the fucking moon. Frozen in time the photo depicted innocence and unrestricted happiness.
“Yeah?” Avery looked up at him, blue eyes covered in unshed tears.
“Yeah.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against Avery’s who in return spoke against his lips, a slight tremor seeping through his soft voice.
“Okay, I’d like that.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Austin – Now
“SWEETHEART, YOU WANNAstop by Dad’s for dinner?” If someone had told Austin a couple of years ago that this would be his life now, he would have laughed in their faces. There was no better feeling in the world than standing at your own kitchen counter looking out at your own, overgrown backyard doing the dishes and calling outsweetheart.Especially if thatsweetheartwas a 5’8” blue-eyed blond named Matty Carter.
Austin still couldn’t fucking believe it most days. That Matty was his. His boyfriend. His partner. His everything. Austin had noticed the then fifteen-year-old blond right away the first time Will had brought him down to the docks three years ago. Matty had been so small and frail back then. Not the full-grown man he’d turned into during the time they’d known each other, worked together, and slept beside one another. Austin had known that it was a slippery slope to fall in love with a minor but fallen he had. Hard. And they’d managed alright. They’d had a whole lotta pent-up sexual energy and blue balls, but they’d managed.
He heard Matty rummaging around the upstairs bedroom. They still hadn’t completely settled in. It’d only been a month and a half and with the time they spent at sea and in bed, they hadn’t gotten around to all the small stuff. Like hanging up framed photographs in the hallway. Austin as a high school senior. That had resulted in an “awwww, babe, look at you,”spilling from Matty’s delectable lips, which then again had made Austin drop to his knees and blow his gorgeous boyfriend in the middle of the hallway.
Or the time when Matty had found Austin’s worn teddy bear, Harold, at the bottom of a moving box and had given Harold the most erotic voice-over recorded in history: “You’ve been a bad boy, Austin. Why don’t you cuddle with me anymore?”That had led to Austin chasing his brat of a boyfriend all over the house before they’d ended up in the laundry room, Austin nibling at Matty’s ripe ass while he bent over the dryer. “You’re such a fucking brat, aren’t you?”Austin had hissed against his crease, while he continued to bite and suck at Matty’s soft, cream-colored ass cheeks. The sound of Austin’s sloppy kisses had provided a rhythmic soundtrack to Matty screaming “you don’t even know the half of it, you fucking brute,”and Austin’s growls of possessiveness before he’d fucked Matty long and hard.
Placing the last plate in the drying rack, Austin heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs.
“What was that, babe?” Matty smiled as he entered the kitchen, blond curls all over the place, blue eyes beaming brightly. Matty came to stand behind him, wrapping his sinewy arms around Austin’s midsection, resting his chin on Austin’s right shoulder.
“Dinner. Dad asked if we wanna stop by later. Will and Millie are coming too.” Austin turned his head and kissed the downy skin of Matty’s left cheek. It was covered in dust. “What’ve you been up to?” Austin smiled against the velvety skin, vivid images of how he’d railed Matty against the dresser this morning coursing through his mind.
“Hmm, yeah that sounds good. Home-cooked meal and all,” Matty murmured into Austin’s t-shirt.
“What do you meanhome-cooked meal and all? I feed your scrawny ass every goddamn day.” Matty couldn’t cook for shit, so Austin had asked Millie to teach him the basics and he was now the designated cook in the O’Neil-Carter household.
“Yes, you do, babe,” Matty nodded against Austin’s beefy shoulder. “And you do it so well, too. And it’s a hungry little ass. So fucking greedy for its next meal.” Matty’s taunting tongue peeked out and licked at Austin’s right earlobe while moaning exaggeratedly, grinding his hips against Austin’s jean clad ass.
