Page 43 of So Worth More
“Uncle Will! Daddy showed me my new bed. It has dinosaurs on it!” he announced running around to my side of the bed.
I’d picked out the set on the way home from work earlier in the week. I wanted my place to feel like a home away from home for him.
Pulling the covers over Andy a bit more since we were naked, I turned over to face Joe. “Really? So cool.”
“Uncle Will, is that Uncle Andy in bed with you?” the little man asked.
Lowering my voice, I said “It is, but he’s still sleeping so you need to be very quiet, okay?” I waved Joe away so I could get up and dressed. We had plans to take him to the zoo today and Andy was nervous about it.
Once he left, Andy turned over. “Uncle Andy?” His eyes were wide and filled with tears.
I drew him into my arms and let him cry it out. It was all a bit too much for my sweetheart. He’d given me bits and pieces of his history as he sobbed in my arms, so I knew these were healing tears, not ones of sadness. I was showing Andy what he meant to me by fulfilling promises, loving him openly and being there for him. Having that love and support would lessen the damage of those emotional scars over time.
There was a commotion from the living room and I heard feminine voices as well as my brother and nephew.
“Andy, sweetheart…um…I think my mom is here. My sister, too. Are you okay to meet them?”
He launched himself into sitting up. “Now? Like right now?”
“Sounds like it. You can go have a shower first if you like. We need to get a move on, we’re booked at the reptile house.”
I watched as he took a deep breath, visibly calming. “I’ll take a quick shower and come meet them after. I don’t want your mom to see me for the first time with bedhead.” He gave a little laugh, but it was forced and sounded strangled.
Cupping his chin, I pulled him to me, pecking a kiss to those lovely full lips. “Mom’ll love you. I promise. Even if she hates you, I won’t stop loving you. Mom will just have to deal with it.”
Andy’s eyes filled again but he shook them away.
“Oh, and Matilda is a pushover. Just call her Matty, not her full name. She loathes Tilly, so only call her that if you want to piss her off.”
He laughed. “Got it.” Climbing out of bed, he gave me a wink when he caught me staring at his beautiful behind and shook it a little with a chuckle at my groan.
Pulling on some sweats and a t-shirt, I ran my hands through my hair in an attempt to look presentable for my family.
I found them sitting around the new table, Joe cuddled with his nana, and Mom patting Alex’s arm. Matty sat on the couch chatting on her phone but gave me a wave as I went by.
“Hey Mom,” I said, kissing her cheek and settling into the seat next to her, “are you coming with us today?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d love to. Alex says you have your young man staying with you and I just had to come meet him! He sounds wonderful darling, I’m so happy for you.”
She pulled back to take me in properly. “I don’t think I’ve seen you look so content. Happiness suits you.”
Smiling at the thought of Andy, I said, “I’ve never felt like this, Mom. It’s different this time.”
We chatted for a while and I began to get worried that Andy was too nervous to come join us. Just when I was about to go and get him, I heard him approach.
“Hey, Matty. Nice to meet you.” he said to my sister.
“Hey, Andy. Same.” She said with a friendly smile, pulling her phone from her ear for a second.
Heading over to him, I wrapped an arm around him and led him over to my mom to make the introductions.
Andy seemed at a loss but Mom motioned him to come closer. Reaching up and with him leaning down, she grasped his face. “William, you didn’t tell me how handsome Andrew was!” Kissing both of his cheeks, making him blush a furious red, she said, “Welcome to the family, darling boy.”
As I expected, they hit it off immediately and I was sure that I’d live to regret how close they became after just one day.
While Andy was subdued around my brother, he was adorable with my nephew, managing to keep Joe engaged in the exhibits by telling him all manner of strange facts. He even worked a miracle and got Matty interested in what we were seeing rather than what was on her phone.
With Mom, he was charming. They chatted together over lunch and teased me mercilessly. Not that I minded (much), I was just happy to have almost all of my favorite people together.
