“Just watch out for Palma.” Tracy mirrored his stance against the kitchen counter. He was almost done with his coffee and thought about a second cup, but also wanted to go hang out with Paxton. He needed to return her laptop too. “She’s my mama and she will ask you a hundred questions. We’ve already given the heads up for everyone to keep their questions to a minimum, but if any of them get wind about you and Alexander, it’ll be game over. Her and Mama Lawson were a force to be reckoned with back when we were younger.”
“Good to know,” Wright said. He’d been focused on the fact that he was meeting more of the kind and loving family that the Lawson’s came from that it hadn’t crossed his mind they might ask him about his own family and past. He glanced down at the floor, thoughts racing through his head.
“What is it?” Tracy’s voice was calm and gentle. Wright looked up, trying to blink away the tears that seemed to show up unwanted way too often. He’d always been able to control his tears around his father. “Oh, honey. It’s okay. Come here.”
Tracy wrapped him in her arms. He couldn’t stop the floodgates. Wright couldn’t remember the last time he’d been hugged by a mom. Not even his own. Maybe a short, one armed hug after a day of work or something, but nothing comfortinglike this. Wright buried his face in her shoulder. She wasn’t as tall as Xander or Patrick, but still had a few inches on him. He hugged her tightly. She brushed a hand through his hair and used her other to hold him just as tight across his shoulders. “It’s okay, honey. I’m sorry if I brought up bad memories. Just remember you’re here now and you’re safe with us. You’re our family and we love you.”
Love.
It was the second time that morning he’d heard the word. The tears came harder. He clung to Tracy and she continued to hold him. He didn’t know how to respond to that. He loved this family too. When he finally pulled away, Wright could see tears in Tracy’s eyes. She cupped his face in her hands and swiped at the tears on his cheeks. “Honey, it’s all going to be okay. Just give it some time. You’ve already come so far and we aren’t going to leave you now, okay? How about you go upstairs and take a minute in the bathroom. I’ll let Paxton know you’ll join her.”
“Thank you,” Wright mumbled. He couldn’t find his voice to say it any louder. He did as she suggested and splashed water on his face before walking back downstairs. Being in the house already felt natural. The living room had an entrance both in the hallway by the stairs and from the dining room. He found Paxton sitting on the porch, the baby quiet in the car seat. She was rocking her with her foot.
“She just fell asleep again so please be quiet.” Paxton’s voice sounded tired, but she didn’t look it. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, Wright assumed she was popular. Her eyes were grayer than Xander’s, but still had specks of that clear sky color. He sat in the seat next to her, the same one he’d sat in when he and William were talking that first full day he was here. “How was your date last night?”
“I already fell into that trap with your mom,” Wright said. “And I’m not spilling details about your uncle.”
“Oh please,” Paxton said and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like he didn’t spill the beans to us. Cooking you dinner and renting that movie you were talking about the other day.”
“He rented a movie?” Wright asked the question before he could think it through. Paxton slapped a hand over her own mouth, eyes wide. Wright’s cheeks, once again, went hot.
“Oh my gosh! Spill the details!” She was whisper-shouting and if Wright wasn’t wishing for a meteor to hit the ground right now, he’d find it amusing. “I mean, not like all of them because that’s my uncle and I’m not actually into picturing him without clothes. Was it good, at least?”
Wright picked his feet up and wrapped his arms around his legs. He wanted to talk about it. Not about the details, as Paxton said, but just in general. He never thought he’d have a life like this and outside of his therapist, he didn’t have anyone to talk to about things. It wasn’t like he could talk to Xander about himself. And Paxton was closest to his age, so maybe he could lean on her for support. Maybe he could reach out to William or Brett. With them being in relationships with other men, maybe they could give him advice. His therapist told him he needed to make some friends. Or try at least.
“It was good,” Wright said. He swallowed and closed his eyes. “It was my first time.”
“Wait, really? Oh god. Why do you have to tell me this when the baby is sleeping and I can’t be excited?” Wright opened his eyes to look at Paxton. She was smiling and his earlier thoughts about her being tired vanished. “My first time was awkward as hell. I guess you skipped over the awkward stage with someone that has experience.”
Wright let flashes of last night fill his mind. The way Xander took control, directed him, moved his body. It was better than any porn he’d watched. The books Xander read were a closesecond, but his first time had been everything he could hope for. He was getting sappy about it.
“My first real boyfriend was in ninth grade. We didn’t date for long and didn’t go very far, but he was my first kiss. It was literally in a janitor’s closet at school.”
“Seriously? I thought that only happened in books and movies.” Wright twisted his fingers together but smiled. The conversation was light. He needed that right now. “Did one of you step in the mop bucket?” Wright had watched a movie where that happened one day when he was on Xander’s rules of not doing anything.
“He had to go to the office and call his mom to bring him new shoes. I don’t know if he actually told the office lady why, but he refused to kiss me at school again. My first kiss with a girl, now. That was something I’ll remember for a long while.”
Wright remembered William saying something about her being bi. The first two weeks he was here, she was still in school and after that, he’d spent a lot of time with Tracy or Xander. Most of their conversations happened over the family meals. They definitely didn’t talk about this kind of thing while eating.
“I’m assuming it was good?” Wright shifted his foot and took over rocking the baby for her. She reached down and grabbed something on her other side, but Wright continued watching the sleeping baby. She was only a couple months old.
“It was at a party. We were playing that game where you spin the bottle and then go into a closet with the person and make out. Most people pretend, but I’d had a crush on the girl for a while and took my chance. We both scored to second base in that little room.”
“And second base is…?” Wright was vaguely familiar with the game. He’d read it in one of the books, but the bases he didn’t understand.
“Oh, my sweet innocent child. Allow me to corrupt you.” Wright smiled and glanced over at her. She had something in her hands and was moving it in some type of pattern. She rested her hands in her lap and looked at him. “First base is kissing. Second is touching the intimate areas. Third is going down on someone. And fourth is what you did last night.”
She said that last part pointedly and Wright shook his head. “By that logic, we got to second base the second week of me being here.”
“What? No way. Damn. You’re getting more action than me right now. You need to teach me your ways of scoring an older person.”
Wright scrunched his whole face with the image that popped into his mind. “I totally just pictured you with some eighty-year-old man, all wrinkled and stuff.”
“Now you’re just being mean.” Wright looked from the baby to Paxton and smiled. His smile faded quickly when he realized what was in her hand. “What’s that look for?”
“Nothing.” Wright looked back to the baby and tried to control his breathing. His therapist had given him a few breathing techniques when triggers came up. He breathed in, counted to five, and then let the air out through his mouth. He repeated it a few times but couldn’t bring himself to look back at Paxton while she held it.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Paxton’s voice was softer. She resembled her mom in that way. “Do you need me to call Xander?”
