“I think we have broken your Père,” Sebastian whispered from our new spot on the couch. Grayson had never moved from the island, staring at all of us as Hunter did his best to get his attention, failing miserably, “but I suppose getting so much information from his children suddenly would be rather shocking.”
“He’ll be fine,” I whispered back, laying my arm behind him on the couch as I watched over my siblings, Lincoln and Serenity talking as Winifred, Silas, and Sidney played with Mylo, “Silas would make a good dad. He told me they were talkin’ about havin’ a baby.”
“You would be a good Papa too. You know that, oui?” Sebastian poked my nose and I laughed softly.
“Gotta find a partner before I consider bein’ a Dad. I don’t wanna raise a baby alone.”
“Ah yes. Has the person you were telling me about come to you yet?”
“Nope. Not yet,” shrugging, I slowly rubbed his arm and Sebastian smiled, a look of relief washing over his face.
He still hasn’t realized that I’m talking about him.
That I touch him because I want to be with him.
Why does he think I do it then?
The sound of the doorbell startled Aldo who immediately ran over, barking gently. I let out a loud whistle and he came back over, sitting down in front of Mylo who I realized he was protecting from what Aldo assumed was a threat to the home.
“I forget how overprotective your dog is,” Winifred laughed.
“Only of those he considers family. So me. Sebastian. You guys. He let Lauren get mugged before. Didn’t really care about her,” I laughed as well, watching as Hunter went to open the door and four people suddenly came in, “Oh! Papa!” I got up quickly and rushed over, hugging my grandfather Sawyer as soon as I saw him.
“Jesus Ollie I missed you too,” he groaned, his frame tiny in my arms.
Grayson and Sawyer were effectively twins, their hair and eyes the exact same as well as their height. Grayson had once explained that until he was 22 he never knew who his father was as his mother, Natalie, had run from their home in North Dakota when Grayson was two and she was 18. Natalie and Sawyer had been young parents, only 16 when Grayson was born and Natalie had been worried that she was going to ruin Sawyer’s life. But Sawyer had wanted nothing more than to be a part of Grayson’s life. It took them twenty years to find each other again and it had been entirely by accident as Grayson had gone to North Dakota to see his mother's grave. Natalie had passed when he was 20 and it took him a year to feel strong enough to visit, Hunter at his side when he did. From that day forward, as soon as Sawyer and Grayson found each other, Sawyer stayed in his life, moving from North Dakota to Montana to be with his son. He had met my Papa Layne a few months after moving here and they had now been married for 30 years, Sawyer in his seventies and Layne in his early 80s.
“Hey,” Layne smiled when I pulled him into our hug, “it’s been almost a year. No more, Oliver.”
“I promise. Hi Papa Judah,” I let go of Layne and Sawyer to hug my grandfather, “How are you feeling today?”
“Heart is fine,” he shrugged, patting my back as I kissed my grandmother Allison on the cheek, “you got taller?”
“Nope, you shrunk. I’m 31, I ain’t gettin’ any bigger,” laughing, I assisted Allison to the living room as the rest of my grandparents followed and helped her into a chair, “How did y’all even get here?”
“We can still drive,” Sawyer huffed before looking at Mylo, “why is there a tiny child in the middle of the living room?”
“He’s our son,” Winifred giggled as I flopped next to Sebastian, “Grandpas, Grandma, this is Mylo. We finally got to bring him home from Bulgaria.”
“Oh I love his name,” Sawyer immediately sat on the floor and Mylo toddled over.
“Mylo Grayson,” Sidney added and Sawyer smiled brightly.
“You have the same middle name as me. Yes, you do. Hey!” he scowled when Aldo tried to come between him and Mylo and I whistled once again, making Aldo immediately lay on the floor, “Control your dog.”
“I did with a whistle. He’s protective of children,” Shrugging, I laid my head back to look at the ceiling, “I ain’t got anythin’ to super share. This is Sebastian,” I pointed to him, never moving my head, “my assistant, roommate, best friend.”
“Bonjour,” Sebastian called softly.
“Oh!” Layne shouted and sat down next to Sebastian, “Bonjour! D'où venez-vous?”
“Beauvais,” Sebastian shifted and I finally lifted my head to find him staring at Layne in surprise, “J'ai grandi dans un orphelinat près de l'église Saint-Étienne. Je suis arrivé en Amérique il y a quelques mois. Je viens de devenir citoyen grâce à Oliver.”
“Je suis heureux que vous soyez là. C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer, Sebastian. Appelez-moi Papa Layne. Comme tout le monde. Même si... tu sors avec mon petit-fils?”
“Qu'est-ce que c'est ? Non! Il ne ressent pas ça pour moi ! Nous sommes juste amis,” Sebastian’s entire face turned red and I snorted, rubbing his back gently with my fingertips.
“Je m'excuse. Je demande ça à cause de la façon dont il te regarde. C'est la même façon dont Hunter regarde Grayson,” Layne softly patted his cheek, “Mais dites-moi. L'aimes-tu?”
“Oui,” Sebastian nodded with a smile, “Mais il peut faire mieux que quelqu'un comme moi. J'ai fait beaucoup d'erreurs.”
“I’m confused,” Silas called, pulling Lincoln into his lap.
“Sorry, I was excited,” Sebastian raised his sleeve to chew on his shirt, “it has been a while since I found someone to speak French with.”
“Sebastian,” Layne caught his gaze again, “there are no mistakes you could have made that mean anyone is better than you. Okay?”
“Okay,” he nodded and leaned against me and I gently rubbed the nape of Sebastian’s neck, “Oliver? Do you remember what I shared?”
“Of course. I remember everythin’ ya tell me.”
“Do you… think…”
“If ya feel comfortable. I told ya before there ain’t nothin’ you can tell my family that they will judge you for.”
“Layne? May I have you translate for me? I feel less nervous if I speak French.”
“Of course,” Layne smiled gently and Sebastian leaned close, whispering rapidly to him in French. Layne gasped softly but Sebastian continued before nodding and laying against me once again, “Okay let’s see. Sebastian was born Maria Anita in Beauvais, France on February 14th. He’s twenty-three years old. The church he was raised in funded part of his education but as he refused to go to a convent to be a nun, they didn’t cover everything. He transitioned as soon as he was 19, only top surgery for now, and… and was an escort for three years before coming to America to work for Oliver as his assistant. Camera model, things of the like. Allowed men to pay him for sexual favors but he was cautious and careful. This is how he stayed in his home until he began working in a bank as a loan officer. But he enjoyed the attention and continued until he was 22. Decided that leaving that life behind was what was best for him. His greatest fear is someone finding out. Specifically… Skylar.”
“What the fuck do you mean Skylar?” Silas shouted and Lincoln quickly shushed him, “Oliver, I know you ran into him before you guys moved to Denver but…”
“Skylar is a journalist. Y’all know that,” I sighed softly, taking Sebastian’s hand, “when we ran into him during a walk, he threatened to dig up all the dirt he could on Bas. I thought it was the fact he’s trans since he was very clear he didn’t want it getting out. Not that he’s ashamed, but he doesn’t want people in the office to treat him differently. Turns out… it was his past he was worried about. Skylar only agreed not to when Sebastian mentioned knowing about his secrets. I don’t even know what they are.”
“Skylar was arrested,” Serenity called, rubbing her baby bump, “for bribery. He’s been bribing the police and politicians in various countries for information on candidates running for office. As a journalist, it compromises the legitimacy of his reports. But what got him arrested was bribing a coroner's office to get pictures of a murdered dignitary down in Colombia. The only reason he wasn’t put in prison was once again bribes. He has a rich ass husband.”
“Ah. That makes sense,” I laughed, “he was never against using sneaky tactics to get what he wants.”
“I…” Winifred looked at me confused and I gave the same expression back, “I thought you’d panic hearing his name. You used to. Badly.”
“It doesn’t hurt me anymore. I forgave him. I have better things in my life. Only missin’ a few but it’s not too late. I ain’t frozen anymore, Winnie. Ya don’t have to worry.”
“Good. You scared us for so long,” She gently hugged my leg and Judah suddenly cleared his throat, forcing all of us to look at him.
“Sebastian. I want you to know that who you were before you came here is still part of who you are. But it doesn’t matter to us. It’s nice to have you here. We really hope that you’re truly happy.”
“I am,” Sebastian smiled, “Merci. All of you. It is lovely to be here with all of you as well.”
“Dad?” I called to Grayson who had finally broken out of his trance, “Are ya okay?”
“Just… coping. I have a new son-in-law,” he pointed to Lincoln, “two new grandbabies. You’re mentally doing fantastic. I was angry for a moment but… Silas, you look so happy.”
“Mhm. I am,” Silas smiled, kissing Lincoln on the cheek who laughed softly, “best husband in the universe.”
“Um… how long have you been married exactly?” Sawyer gasped.
“Few years. I didn’t do anything illegal. Waited until Lin was 18 to so much as hug him. We got married when he was 19.”
“Ah. So you didn’t tell us because he’s so much younger?”
“Mhm. No different than Bas, but he’s not dating Oliver so,” he shrugged, “Ollie? Where are you two staying?”
“Kimpton Hotel in Bozeman.”
“Oh good then we can have the apartment above the shop!”
“You’re sharing with us,” Winifred laughed, pulling Mylo into her lap.
“Ah man,” Silas pouted, “what about you, Nita?”
“We’re going out to the ranch to be with Papa,” Serenity yawned.
“How long is everyone staying?”
“We leave in two days,” Silas sighed, “can’t afford to keep the restaurant closed that long.”
“Four days for us,” Winifred smiled.
“Same,” Serenity added.
“Um we never really talked about when we were going back to Denver since I can just work from my laptop,” I shrugged looking at Sebastian who nodded in agreement, “y’all know I spend summers travelin’ and workin’ out of the country most the time.”
“How long would you like to stay? You know I do not mind,” Sebastian smiled, patting my hand.
“Well… let’s see. We got three weeks before we go to Italy for the weddin’. How about a week? Then we can get things settled in Denver before we go.”
“I love that,” he nodded, “Is that okay?” he turned to Grayson who smiled brightly.
“Absolutely! Oh, I’d love nothing more!”
“Me as well.”
“Oliver?” Hunter called softly, “Can ya help me in the back for a minute?”
“‘Course,” I followed him out, confused as to where we were going and he stopped at the shop, kicking the door shut behind me, “Dad?”
“How long are ya plannin’ to act like you ain’t in love with Sebastian?” He crossed his arms across his chest as he took a seat on a stool.
“Well, I…”
“How long?”
“I was plannin’ to tell him in Italy.”
“Why do ya gotta wait?”
“We’ve only known each other for a few months. I don't want to ruin it,” I huffed, leaning against the wall, “Dad it’s been nine years since I was in a relationship. I know that Sebastian is attracted to me. But beyond that… I don’t really know.”
“Oliver he clearly does. I’ve been watchin’ the way he looks at you. It may have taken me a long time to realize Gray loved me but I can see it in all of ya. That’s why I wasn’t as angry as Gray about Silas gettin’ married and not tellin’ us. You can see the love he has for Lincoln. It’s beautiful. I know Skylar hurt you. But you can be loved again. You’re worth that kid. I swear it.”
“I…”
There was a soft knock on the door to the shop and I opened it to find Sebastian, his hands now clenched in front of his chest as he nervously smiled up at me.
“I wanted to see if there was anything I could help with. I am confused if this trip is for fun or if I have to keep working,” Sebastian rocked on his heels and Hunter clapped my back, walking out of the shop.
“Bas it’s for fun,” I smiled back, pulling him to me, his eyes growing wide, “I apologize for grabbin’ ya. You look so confused.”
“We just… the last few weeks I haven’t felt like an assistant. Just a friend who manages your calendar and does my job as CFO. Now I’m here and I do not know what to do.”
“What is it you’d like to do?”
“What is it you mean?” He tilted his head, his hand coming to lay on my chest.
“Do you want me to find somethin’ work-related for ya to do? Or do you want to take some time to enjoy ourselves? If you’d like, ya don’t have to be my assistant anymore. But you don’t have to move out either. Nothin’ will change. Ya just won’t have to manage my appointments, take care of all the things in your contract. All of that.”
“Non,” he shook his head, “I do not wish for my work to change I love it. But I would like to enjoy some time with you. I mean without worrying about work. Just… us.”
“Okay. Then we need to cancel the video meetings and calls we have for the rest of the week. Tell ‘em that we had to handle some family things and will be available next week. The business can keep runnin’ without us. So no stress. We’ll have dinner with my family then head to our hotel in Bozeman.”
“Merci,” he reached up and softly touched my cheek and I nuzzled his palm, “Oliver I…”
A crash came from outside and I opened the door quickly to find the backyard in chaos as Grayson lay on the ground.
“Dad?” I shouted, rushing over, my knee giving out and I crashed to the ground with a shout, “shit!”
“Oliver,” Sebastian ran after me, falling to his knees as a sudden burn ripped through my leg.
“I tore something,” I panted as Hunter helped Grayson sit up, “Dad are you okay?”
“I’m fine, I lost my balance and dropped the glass jug. Are you?”
“No. I… I’m pretty sure I tore somethin’. My leg is burning.”
Layne came over and Sebastian pushed my pant leg up after taking my brace off.
“Oh no,” he whispered, “Oliver it’s… It’s bad.”
“It’s not, it just looks bad,” Layne shook his head, “We can treat that here. I need ice, a compression bandage, and Hunter and Silas you’ll need to carry Oliver inside so he can put his leg up. You’re not leaving here tonight. His room is still available right?”
“Of course,” Grayson came over and slowly ran his fingers through my hair, “has it happened recently?”
“Non,” Sebastian answered for me, rubbing my thigh softly as the damage was to my knee, “I do not allow him to do anything that would cause it to happen. I do not like seeing him in pain.”
“Bas,” I whispered and he shushed me softly.
“I will take care of you, don’t worry,” he smiled, taking my hand, “it will not be hard and I am happy to do it.”
“I… I know you are,” I gently squeezed his hand and he continued to maintain eye contact as he raised my hand and softly kissed the back of it.
He’s being affectionate in front of my family.
We aren’t together.
But it’s… obvious we feel the same.
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