Chapter 28
Jeremy loved a Christmas horde as much as the next store owner, but not when they started to interrupt his love life. The day had been crazy busy, and he’d barely managed to close the store in time to drive to the address Harrison had given him that morning. He was about to meet Uncle Jeff and Aunty Celeste for the first time and he was nervous as all hell.
Striding up to the door, he berated himself for telling Harrison he’d meet him here. At least if they’d come together they’d be able to walk in together and Jeremy wouldn’t be on the verge of hyperventilating. Aaron hadn’t had any living relatives he knew of, so Jeremy hadn’t done the ‘meet the family’ routine since he was nineteen and his first boyfriend’s dad had walked in on them screwing in his boyfriend’s bedroom. That hadn’t ended so well.
“Calm the fuck down,” he muttered under his breath. “And clean up your language, arsehole.” Exhaling, he pushed the doorbell and heard a traditional melody play somewhere deep inside the house. Oh God, what if they were traditional people? He was about as far from traditional as anyone could get. He wore eyeliner for fuck’s sake. He’d planned to wash up and change his clothes in the back room of the store before leaving, but his last customer had taken so long to decide which t-shirt she wanted he’d run out of time. He’d had to make a choice between making himself presentably mainstream or being on time for dinner. His mother would have happily skinned him alive if she found out he’d shown up late for his first dinner with his boyfriend’s family. On the other hand, the occasional addition of makeup had always been an extension of his personality. In the end, he’d decided the extra lashings of black were the lesser of the two evils. Now he’d arrived, he wasn’t so sure.
He glanced down at the small bouquet of flowers clutched in his left hand. The gerberas were a little wilted, but they still looked presentable. At least he’d had the forethought to buy those earlier in the day.
The door opened and he heaved a huge sigh of relief when he saw Harrison on the other side. “Thank God, it’s you,” he whispered as he swooped in for a quick kiss. “If I don’t get this shit off my face soon I’m going to throw up.”
“Why?” Harrison’s brows drew down, though there was a smile on his face. “You look sexy,” he said with a wink.
“Somehow, I don’t think Uncle Jeff and Aunty Cel will agree,” he argued. “I want to make a good impression.”
Cupping Jeremy’s face, Harrison stared into his eyes. “Babe, you stood by me when it counted. They know that. The impression has already been made.”
“This is different.” He used his free hand to rake the hair back out of his eyes, but it fell forward again.
Harrison took hold of his wrist to stop his fidgeting. “Maybe you should give them a chance before you put their place cards on the judgemental table.”
Jeremy took a couple of deep breaths and nodded. Harrison had grown up with these people. He would know if they were the type who would judge him harshly based on his appearance. “You’re right,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s do this.”
Harrison held out his hand and Jeremy took it, threading their fingers together tightly as they walked into the living room. A man rose from the couch as they entered. He appeared to be in his fifties, with neatly trimmed salt and pepper hair and laugh lines around his mouth, but he still moved with an ease that told of health and vitality. “Here we are,” he murmured as Jeremy and Harrison approached. The frown on his face was dark enough to frighten the sturdiest of beaus. “You must be Jeremy.”
Jeremy pasted on his most charming smile. “That’s me. Jeremy Hayden,” he said, holding out his hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
Taking his hand, Jeff gave it a slow and deliberate shake. “I hear you’ve got my boy mixed up in some bad stuff. Tea drinking and what not.”
Jeremy blanched. He had to be missing something. What was wrong with tea? “It’s strictly herbal, I promise. No caffeine.”
The older man threw back his head and laughed heartily. “I’m having you on, mate,” he said, giving Jeremy a clap on the shoulder. “I’m Jeff. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
“For goodness sake, Jeff. You’ll give the poor man a heart attack.” Jeremy turned as a second voice came from the doorway on the other side of the room. The woman coming toward them was all smiles and welcome. “Hello, Jeremy. I’m Harrison’s aunty, Celeste.” She dismissed Jeremy’s proffered hand, instead pulling him into a warm hug. “We’ve been dying to meet you.” Pulling back, she cupped his face with her hands. “Look at you, you gorgeous man.” She threw an excited glance at Harrison. “You said he was handsome but I figured you were exaggerating.”
Harrison shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”
Jeremy couldn’t help but smile at Celeste’s compliments and she placed a hand over her chest in response. “And that smile,” she crooned in delight. “Did you make a deal with the devil to get that?”
Raising a hand, Jeremy held his thumb and index finger close together. “Just a little one.” They both laughed and Jeremy started to relax. “Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Celeste,” Jeremy told her. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting the two of you as well.” He held up the bouquet of flowers he’d had by his side. “These are for you.”
Celeste’s face lit up as she accepted the brightly coloured bouquet. “Aren’t you a treasure,” she said with a happy laugh. “I love them. Thank you.” After inhaling the fresh fragrance, she handed the bouquet to her husband. “Put these in some water will you, dear,” she requested before turning back to Jeremy and Harrison. “Dinner is ready so you boys go sit at the table. We have so much to talk about.”
They spent the next hour devouring a pork roast, complete with crackling, and getting to know each other. Jeff asked the most questions, but Celeste and Jeremy did most of the talking as each introduced topic led to six others that then had to be discussed to the satisfaction of both. Harrison was quiet for the most part, but the easy smile on his face and the brightness of his eyes spoke volumes. His touch was a permanent fixture on Jeremy, either from an arm slung across the back of his chair, or a hand resting on his knee. The contact helped Jeremy stay relaxed throughout the evening.
“How was work today?” Harrison asked as they were eating dessert. He’d only eaten a few bites of the cheesecake Celeste had served, but even that was an improvement on the previous few weeks.
“It was a bright emerald green all morning,” Jeremy responded. “But it turned puce around lunch time.”
Harrison raised his eyebrows. “Puce?”
Jeremy nodded, wrinkling his nose. “A toddler threw up all over the floor right in the middle of the store.”
“Oh no,” Harrison said, laughing out loud. “How awful.”
“Tell me about it,” Jeremy continued, joining in Harrison’s mirth. “Kat immediately announced it was time for her break and bolted for the front door. She’s such a traitor.”
The story only made them both laugh harder. By the time their amusement faded Harrison was breathing heavily, the sheen of unshed tears in his eyes. He still struggled, from time to time, with the sensations that came with true laughter. The emotions involved sometimes overwhelmed him, and it took him a few minutes to regain his equilibrium. Jeremy didn’t mind. It was getting easier over time and there was nothing quite like hearing Harrison laugh. Each and every chortle was a victory in Jeremy’s eyes.
