Life in Fusion (12 page)

smile at one another—as if that were their reward for a job well

done.

Even after Wade and Shep came back in, filling the room

up with more bodies, it never felt cramped. And Wade kissing

the top of my head and massaging my shoulders while they all

talked at the same time, still managing to understand one another

perfectly, eased the tension I felt as the lone wolf interloper.

It wasn’t that I didn’t belong, so much as they were all so at

home. It was a slight distinction that made a huge difference in

the way I perceived myself among them. I kept on smiling as they

volleyed comments back and forth while carting the food and

wine from the kitchen to the dining room. It was as chaotic as

any given evening at my parents’ house, but in a totally different

way. Here it felt like anything uttered among them would be

enjoyed, appreciated and welcomed wholeheartedly. At home it

felt like anything might be uttered at anytime, whether enjoyed

and appreciated or not.

His family had manners, and was all polite and shit—quite the

contrast from mine.

I brought up the rear, following Wade into the dining room

while Shep sat the kids down at the dinette table in the kitchen.

Jackie breezed past me and helped Shep arrange the fries and

chicken nuggets onto plastic plates for the boys.

Jackie mentioned the boys were no longer allowed to eat

anything that could stain, such as tomato sauce, while at Del’s.

Apparently there had been some incident in the past. I wasn’t

sure why she decided to inform me of this, as if I, of all people,

would judge anyone else’s nutritional intake. I was however

beginning to think these tiny humanoids were a lot more trouble

than they were worth.

Wade motioned for me to take the chair next to his while

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79

Del and Uncle Pete sat at either end. My stomach rumbled and I

realized how hungry I was as I joined them at the table. The dining

room wasn’t huge to begin with. The fact it was crammed full of

furniture between the table, sideboard and large china cabinet

didn’t help matters. An oversized brass chandelier dangled above

our heads and the back wall was covered with framed photos

of the family. I was sure to all of them it was cozy, but to me,

who’d grown up having dinner on the floor in front of the TV, it

was kinda claustrophobic. The open archway at my back that led

into the living room was the only thing that kept me from totally

wigging out.

I could hear giggling coming from corn-kids in the kitchen

and Jackie insisted they stop whatever evil they were up to. Shep

immediately backed her up and silence fell from the other room.

Del caught me smiling over the kids getting into trouble.

“Would you like to have children, Boone?” she asked.

I started laughing, at first because I thought it was a joke,

then morphing into my own nervous giggle when I realized she

was serious. I knew my deodorant was beginning to fail, feeling a

bead of sweat run down my side. “Um.” I turned to Wade, who

was shaking his head at Del.

“Christ woman,” Pete said, laughing. “Start off with the easy

questions, why don’t you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Del was now blushing every bit as much as

I was sure I had to be.

Jackie poked her head into the doorway. “Don’t say anything

good until I’m at the table.” With that her head disappeared back

into the kitchen.

Wade snickered while taking his napkin and placing it in his

lap. “We should all burst out into fake laughter just to drive her

nuts.”

With that the four of us all glanced back and forth at one

another before bursting into real laughter over the orneriness of

Wade’s intent to torture his sister.

“Damn it!” We heard Jackie grumbling from inside the kitchen

80 Ethan Day

before she shot into the dining room. “You can finish with them,

honey,” she called back at her husband.

“Kids suck sometimes,” Jackie huffed, plopping into a chair.

“A ringing endorsement,” I said to Del. “I think I’ll pass, if it’s

all the same to you.”

She insisted everyone go ahead serve themselves as Shep

came striding into the dining room. He gave his wife a none too

pleased grin and she smiled back, as sweet and innocent looking

as the day she was born—a look both she and her brother had

perfected.

“You need to stop saying things like that about your own

children,” Del berated Jackie. “They hear a lot more than you

think and they may not understand you’re just kidding around.”

“Who was kidding?” Jackie asked, oozing sarcasm as she

forked some linguini onto her plate. “I’m not going to be one

of those mothers who pretend her children are little angels while

they terrorize the entire town. And it’s difficult to parent them

when their daddy and uncle give them whatever they want.” She

stared down Del. “I wonder where their uncle got that from.”

Del frowned while Wade smiled, sneering at his sister and

repeating, “I wonder where he got that from,” in a mocking tone.

I choked on my beer once again when a piece of garlic

bread sailed through the air, popping Wade in the chin before

ricocheting off and landing on his plate.

“Jackie, really,” Del said in a disapproving tone as she stared

across the table at her husband.

“Don’t look at me, they’re grown men and women now,” Pete

said, twisting some pasta around his fork.

“Thanks for the bread, sis.” Wade grinned at Jackie as he

delicately patted his chin to remove the butter.

Shep was laughing until Jackie reached over and pinched the

hell out of his arm.

“Damn it, baby,” Shep whined, rubbing his arm. “Got the

pinchers of a lobster, this one.”

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81

Wade sat back in his chair and laughed at Shep. I was beginning

to feel like I’d been transported back to high school, seeing a

whole new side of Wade. He straightened up a bit when he saw

me watching him, which I found even more amusing…like he

was afraid he might be grounded once we got back to his house.

“So Boone,” Del asked, winking at Jackie, who kindly poured

some red wine into her glass. “What do your parents think of

Wade?”

I shrank into my seat. “Well, they haven’t actually met him

yet.”

Del glanced at Wade then back to me. “Oh, I…are you not

close then?”

I shrank down into my seat some more. “No, we’re very

close.” Jackie appeared to be enjoying watching me squirm. “I

just figured—”

“He’d wait until he knew for sure I wasn’t a freak before
telling

his parents about me.”

Well thanks for emphasizing the fact I have yet to even mention any

of this to them, cock sucker
. “I’m going to tell them this week,” I

blurted out, in order to defend myself. I hadn’t actually planned

on doing so, but I suppose it had now been bumped up to the

top of my to-do list. “We have a great relationship, actually…

very um…open with each another.”

Understatement of the century.

“So I’ll be meeting them?” Wade was grinning from ear to ear

as he now had me backed into a corner.

“Soon,” I said, like he was totally over-reacting.

“I for one can’t wait to meet them,” Jackie said, just before

shoveling a fork full of linguini into her mouth.

“Man this sauce is
really
good,” I said while chewing—my

desperate attempt at trying to change the subject, even though

it was true.

“My mother’s secret recipe,” Pete said, proudly.

82 Ethan Day

“About the only good thing that woman gave us,” Del

muttered.

Pete set his wine glass down, staring down his wife. “That’s

really nice, Del. She’s dead now—perhaps we can allow her to

rest in peace.”

Del shrugged like she hadn’t a clue in the world to what he

was referring.

“Still anxious to meet mom and pop?” I asked Wade.

“Desperately,” Wade replied, refusing to let me off the hook.

“Just remember you said that when she starts re-decorating

your house.”

Jackie set her fork down before wiping her mouth with the

napkin. “Oh I won’t let him forget.”

“I think that sounds like a lovely gesture,” Wade lied, “I’d be

happy if she liked me enough to offer.”

“Good! I’ll be sure to tell her you said that.” I turned to Del

and Jackie. “My mother has the most…unique taste.”

“I don’t care what you say.” Wade sat up in his chair. “You

can’t scare me off.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing. Scare you? What

would you possibly have to fear…stealing away the
only
child of

an ex-beauty queen…dragging him hundreds of miles away…

locking him away in your castle hidden in the mountains.”

Wade took another bite, though he now appeared to be less

confident than he had moments before, keeping one eye on my

face while he chewed.

“Every parent’s dream,” I began, wistfully staring off into the

distance. “Having their children move away so they can see even

less of them than they already do.”

“Heaven.” Jackie sighed, now also staring off into space as

well.

Everyone began laughing accept Wade, who was trying

to muster the joy required to join in, though now obviously

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83

rethinking his position on meeting my parents.

“You’ve got a bit of an evil streak, don’t you?” Shep asked

me, nodding his approval. He turned to Wade. “Maybe you can

meet Boone’s parents next weekend?”

Wade held up his hand. “Just simmer down there, buddy.

Whenever Boone’s ready.”

I laughed. “Such a patient man you’ve turned out to be.”

Wade sneered at me, not enjoying the way I worked him over

that last topic.

“Well, the ladies and I did want to ask you both,” Del started,

seeming unsure of how or if she should proceed. “We had an

idea, that perhaps sometime over the next couple of months,

once the tourist season dies down, we could throw you both a

big party, invite the whole town—give everyone a chance to meet

you—as a couple.”

My mouth went dry suddenly, and I tried to smile. I just wasn’t

sure if I’d been able to really sell it. “Wow, um.” I turned to Wade.

“I think that’s so nice of you to offer, thank you so much.

We’d be delighted.”

Oh, hell no! He did not just accept for us!

“Sure you wouldn’t like to ask your boyfriend, there?” Jackie

asked, obviously enjoying the look on my face.

Wade got a good dose, before I adjusted myself and slid the

mask back on.

“That really is nice of you,” I said. “A month or two, huh?”

Hell’s bells, what if we aren’t even together in a couple of months? More

pressure to add to the pile.

“It’s too much, right?” Del asked, obviously feeling awkward.

“A tiny bit sooner than I would have imagined, perhaps,” I

began, reaching over and placing my hand over Del’s arm. “But

so thoughtful.”

Okay—fairly sure I dodged a bullet on that one.

“And we’d be happy to accept.” Wade placed an arm around

84 Ethan Day

my shoulders and kissed me on the cheek. “Wouldn’t we sweetie?”

He looked so damn cute, that playfulness back, now that he’d

found a way to pay me back and keep
The Wade and Boone: Together

Forever Train
chugging along at a nice, leisurely, break-neck speed.

I smiled and turned back to Del. “We most certainly would,

thank you so much. It really is very kind of you think of it.”

Wade kissed me on the cheek again, that deep, rumbley laugh

gurgling up from his chest. My gaze locked with Jackie’s who

appeared to be enjoying herself immensely.

He is so not getting any for the remainder of this weekend.

Wade’s hand landed on my lap and he squeezed my leg, a little

closer to my crotch than he should have been, considering we

were sitting at his aunt and uncle’s dinner table.

Well, okay…no sex for the entire weekend is just stupid…but he’s

definitely not getting any tonight.

I cleared my throat, feeling his pinky finger lightly rubbing my

dick through my jeans. I grabbed my beer bottle and smiled as

Del was now in full party-planning mode, tossing out ideas the

way a person with Tourette’s volleyed curse words. Wade nudged

my crotch once more before sitting back and removing his hand

from my lap. I was now half hard and Del was insisting I invite

my parents and all my friends and family to the soiree, making me

both nauseous and horny all at the same time.

So maybe I’ll let him fuck me…but I sure as hell won’t let him know

I’m enjoying it…so…take that a-hole.

I hate being a slave to the cock, I thought, shoveling in another

forkful of linguini. I sighed, chewing my food slowly, deciding I

shouldn’t be so hard on myself. Why should I need to suffer for