“I can’t turn around to pull the curtain closed,” Aiden said. Then he kissed the edge of Cade’s ear. “Luckily, we’re wedged in here so tight there’s no room for any water to escape anyhow.”
Cade laughed, and it felt good, the vibrations shaking away some of the tension that had been gathering in his chest. He twisted his head around as far as he could and when Aiden figured out what he was up to he twisted his own neck, and they managed to fit their mouths together in a ridiculous, awkward kiss. “I can’t believe you thought we could both fit in this shower,” Aiden whispered into Cade’s mouth.
“Sorry. I’m an idiot.”
“I forgive you. But I don’t think I’m getting a good lesson in… what did you call it? Hydrodynamics? I definitely think we need to find another shower sometime soon. A bigger one.”
“We’re not going to a hotel.” Cade’s tricks had been more the cheap motel type, but there were enough similarities to make him uninterested in sex in short-term accommodations.
“My parents are talking about being in Aspen for two weeks. I’d go with them for one week, max.” He kissed Cade’s shoulder and said, “Maybe a little less. So we could go up to Chicago when they were away. Stay at the house. You could meet Percival—the dog. And Belinda. She’s our housekeeper.”
“The white American.”
“It’s not stylish to oppress people of other nationalities or ethnicities.”
“I think being a housekeeper might just be a job. I don’t think it needs to be oppression. But I’m not exactly an expert on the subject.”
“You and Belinda can discuss it, if you want. With Percival at your feet. And you’ll be nice and clean after the long, hot shower we take in my bathroom. I’ve got abigshower. We could have a party in that shower stall.”
“Who would we invite? Belinda and Percival?”
“Maybe just Percival. I’m not sure it would be appropriate to have a shower party with the housekeeper.”
It was frightening to even think about making the trip. Two and a half hours in the Mustang and then Cade would be in a different world. He’d never seen Aiden’s house, but he knew what it would be like. Big and bright, superclean, with new furniture and lots of nice things. Real art on the walls, not fraying posters. Framed pictures of the family engaged in all sorts of wholesome, fun activities in various locations around the globe. Cade knew the house would be like that because it was the only kind of home that could produce a son like Aiden. It would be golden and perfect. How the hell could Cade fit in with that?
But how could he stay with Aiden if hedidn’tfit in? Aiden loved his family, and he wasn’t going to abandon them just because his new boyfriend was shy. Cade had managed to avoid meeting the parents thus far, but the longer he managed to hang onto Aiden, the more likely it was they’d connect. Maybe it would be better if Cade got used to the house this time, so he wouldn’t have to worry about itandthe parents at the same time in the future.
“Let’s see how my schedule looks,” he said. Easier to put it off than to decide right then. “If I have shifts at work, I need to take them. But if I don’t, maybe we could go up for a day.” He felt Aiden’s lips on his shoulder twist into a smile, and then a kiss. That was his reward for trying to give Aiden what he wanted. Cade wondered how much he’d put himself through in order to earn more appreciation. He was pretty sure he’d do almost anything.
Chapter Nineteen
“Tell mesomething about your family that isn’t perfect,” Cade said. They were in the Mustang, heading up to the house in Chicago, and he was hunting for ways to bolster his courage.
Aiden looked over at him for a long moment before returning his gaze to the road. “My immediate family? Me and Mom and Dad? Or extended? Because I have an aunt who’s pretty annoying. She thinks she’s a lot funnier than she is, so she dominates conversations and tells stories that nobody really laughs at.” He glanced over again. “Not what you were looking for?”
“It’s a start,” Cade said. “But it’d be great if it was you and your parents, not the extended family. And something that wouldn’t fit into a perfect sitcom family. You know? Like, if your dad likes to cook but he’s terrible at it? That could be on a sitcom. It’s quirky, or cute or something. It’s the tiny bit of flavor that makes the family evenmoreperfect. Is there anything that’s really a problem? Like something that wouldn’t be on family television?”
Aiden frowned.
Cade could tell he was trying, so he decided to help a little. “How did they react when you came out?”
“They were surprised, but we talked about it a lot, and they were fine with it. I wanted to come out to everyone else too, and they helped with that. My mom’s really proactive about stuff, so she started checking out the school’s policies and found out they didn’t have a Gay-Straight Alliance, so she helped me start one. She kindamademe start one, really, so if you want a flaw, it could be that she’s pretty pushy. But she was pushing for something she thought would make my life easier, and she was probably right, so I’m not sure if that counts.”
“And your dad?”
“My dad?” Aiden’s lips quirked. “It wasn’t a big thing. He didn’t really change at all. Well, little stuff. We’d go for a hike and instead of asking if I liked any girls, he’d ask if I liked any guys. And we have a little book club…. Well, it’s two people, so it’s not really a club. But we read the same books and then talk about them. And it was his turn to choose the book and he picked one of those YA books about gay kids. I can’t even remember the title. But we didn’t usually read YA, so he was pretty clearly trying to help that way.”
“What kind of stuffdidyou read?”
“Oh, whatever. But, you know. Usually books that give you a bit more to talk about. That YA one? The discussion was pretty short. It was kinda, ‘So I guess sometimes there’s some bullying against gay kids. You ever experience any of that?’ and I said, ‘No, not really, but I’ve seen a bit,’ and he said ‘Well, it was good that character told someone about it,’ and I said, ‘Yup, good decision,’ and then we played some tennis. I chose the next book and it was… I think it wasThe Sun Also Rises. I figured we should give Hemingway a try, but neither of us was a big fan.”
“Okay, that’s not what I was looking for.” Aiden glanced over again and Cade smiled at him. “I mean, that sounds excellent. Like an excellent way to come out. But I was hoping there was something a bit grittier.”
“I got drunk at school in tenth grade. Three-day suspension and I had to go to drug and alcohol counseling.”
“Yeah? How’d that go? Were your parents pissed?”
“They weren’t impressed, that was for sure. My mom took me to work with her all three days of the suspension and made me do boring stuff—filing and photocopying and stapling and whatever. And my dad went to the drug and alcohol meetings with me. It was pretty pointless, because it wasn’t like I had an addiction. I was just with some friends and someone had a bottle and we did something stupid. So there were all these kids who were, like, shooting heroin or getting drunk every day because they needed it to get by, and me and my dad were sitting there like….”
