What We Want Read online

  “Help, Aunt G! She wants to plan the wedding.”

  “It figures you two would gang up on me.” Marge was pouting.

  “Who is ganging up on you, Mom?” Carson hugged her and kissed her cheek.

  “Oh, my favorite son.” Marge kissed him back. “The other son and my wretched roommate, baby. They won’t let me have any fun.”

  “Who cares what they think? We all know the love birds will just be informed of when and where to show up and that’s it.”

  “You do realize my boyfriend can kick your ass, don’t you?” Zach was threatening.

  “Whose ass do I need to kick, baby? Just say the word.” Rob gave him a new bottle of beer.

  “The little bitch. He teamed up with Marge to plan our wedding.”

  “Was that before you teamed up with Gerry or after?” Rob asked.

  Zach gasped. “I’m marrying you. You should be on my side!”

  “I’m always on your side.” Rob kissed his forehead. “We can elope to Vegas anytime you want,” he stage-whispered.

  “Oh, no, you will absolutely not!” Marge yelled. “I need to be on this wedding since this one,” she pointed at Carson, “will probably never get married.”

  “Mom!” Carson moaned. “I’m too young to be tied down!”

  “Shut up!” Marge said. “I want grandchildren. Lots and lots of grandchildren. I’ll give you one more year of fooling around and that’s it.”

  “You have Zach and Rob to torture now. I’m the youngling.”

  “Hey! We’re not senior citizens yet!” Rob complained.

  “Not for a few more months, straighty.” Carson came up to him. “See, these fine lines you have around your eyes and mouth.” He took Rob’s chin and turned his face left and right. “They are not so bad. Yet.” He smirked. “But I can hook you up with this chemist friend who’s making this antirid crème to die for.”

  “Carson, leave him alone.” Zach pushed Carson’s hand away and pulled Rob into a hug. “Don’t listen to him, honey. He’s a mean little shit. I won’t let him hurt you.”

  “I would die for that crème,” Gerry cried.

  “See, baby, I will find this for you, too.” Marge hugged Carson and motioned to Rob and Zach.

  What? Zach stopped breathing. An icy fist grabbed his heart and squeezed.

  “You’ll find what for him too?”

  Marge stood pale as a ghost, her mouth hanging open.

  “Oh, shit, fuck!” Gerry stomped her cane. “You and your big mouth! You just had to go blab everything out.”

  “Mother? What. Did. You. Do?” His mouth went dry, his brain tried to replay events of the last spring, but he felt numb and unable to grasp what was going on. He knew his mother, but this...

  “Well, honey—”

  “Don’t you honey me now. What?”

  “Um, you remember when Gerry broke her leg?”

  “We all remember that. You will not tell me she broke her leg on purpose?!”

  “No! No...”

  “Even I am not that crazy,” Gerry mumbled.

  “No. I thought you two looked cute together when you managed the crisis with Sylvia, all spies and Superspecial Agents,” Marge said.

  Gerry groaned.

  “And it would probably have ended there...” Marge sighed. “Fortunately, this idiot doesn’t know how to walk down the stairs and breathe at the same time.” Gerry smacked her over the head.

  “No fighting!” Rob separated them.

  “Then it really dawned on me when we were in the ER.” Marge patted her hair back in place. “I came to the waiting room to tell you everything was fine. You and Rob were hugging. Remember?”

  “Yes, I remember. Rob was having a hard time.” The memory of that first hug was still one of his favorites, despite the circumstances.

  “That’s an understatement,” Rob admitted.

  “Well, I came out and saw you two, and you were so beautiful together. And it just came to me, you know, just poof! I saw that you were a match made in heaven.”

  “You saw what?!” Zach snapped.

  “You saw us in love even though I never once said anything about being bisexual or in any way interested in men?” Zach noticed that Rob would start hyperventilating and he rubbed his back. That usually did the trick, but this was not the usual situation.

  “I know my son. And Rob, honey, I lived next door to you for five years and I always knew you are not one hundred percent straight,” Marge told him.

  “What?!” If they triggered Rob into a meltdown today, Zach would never forgive them.

  “Delusional...” Carson snickered.

  “Shut up.” Rob punched him in the shoulder.

  “He didn’t know. At least you didn’t out him before he understood it himself,” Zach said. That level of cruelty would be unimaginable.

  “I would never do that someone! I thought he would tell me when he was ready.”

  “See, Zach, Mom can show some restraint after all,” Carson said.

  “Shut up.” Marge smacked him.

  “I hate you people,” Carson pouted, rubbing his head.

  “Anyhow, we knew we needed to do something—”

  “We?” Zach asked.

  “Gerry and me—”

  “Of course.”

  “We needed to go to New Haven, but we knew we had to make you stay here alone with Rob.”

  This is not happening. This is a nightmare. Is Rob going to think I was in on it? No, no... we're engaged for God's sake.

  “So, we came up with,” Marge made air quotes, “selling the house.”

  “What do you,” Zach imitated her, “mean?”

  “Well, why do you think I called Miranda and insisted that she be the real-estate agent?”

  “Oh, this is good!” Carson squealed and quickly ducked away before anyone could smack him.

  “I told her to stall and not put the house on the market. Renting it to Drew was a personal favor to his mom.”

  “You colluded with Miranda?! That’s why she acted like a psycho?” This was a coup type conspiracy, and he hated Miranda even more now.

  “Come on, Zach!” Gerry moaned. “Did you really think she couldn’t find one person to show the house to in three months?” She rolled her eyes. “You were using the wrong head, kiddo.”

  “I can’t believe you two!” Zach said. He knew he should be furious at his mother, but the thought of not having Rob in his life killed his ability to breathe.

  “I think we should say thanks...” Rob was dazed, and Zach couldn't blame him. He was yet to really know his mother-in-law.

  “You bet your sweet ass you should,” Gerry said.

  “Don’t call my boyfriend’s ass sweet, Aunt G.”

  “But it is!”

  “Geraldine, stop it!” Marge said.

  “I hate when you call me that.” Gerry stomped her cane again.

  “The grill is ready, guys. We can bring out the meat,” Drew’s deep voice rumbled.

  Carson huffed and sauntered away. Drew looked after him, clearly confused.

  “I’ll go and water board the info on that antirid crème out of him. Call me when the lunch is ready.” Gerry followed Carson.

  “You’re getting along with your parents, I see,” Marge told Drew. His mom and dad stood by the grill and, surprise, argued.

  “Yes, I do, now that I’ve moved out.” Drew laughed.

  “That’s usually the case,” she said and looked at Zach. That guilt inducing stare he knew so well.

  “Come on, I’ll help you with platters. We’ll get it done in no time.”

  They were finally alone.

  “Baby, that was disturbing.” Rob watched Marge walk away wide eyed.

  “Welcome to the family.” Zach laughed.

  “Right.”

  “You do realize that we won't have a single say in planning our own wedding? That eloping idea keep sounding better and better...” Zach's frustration was evaporating; it did whenever Rob was near
.

  “You very well know we'll do everything she says. Although, I draw the line at her choosing my tie. That is... just no.”

  “You are such a freak,” Zach laughed. “We never did use your ties in a more creative way.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  “Wh-what?!” Rob glared at him. “That is sacrilege! Who are you? Lucifer or something?!” He put his hands in front of him and took a step back.

  “Come on, beautiful,” Zach laughed. He loved to tease him. “You know I would never touch your precious collection. But your reactions are priceless.” He pulled Rob into a hug. Yes, this was his man.

  He said at the beginning he would take him anyway he could. What did it matter that this was his mother's devious plan all along? Maybe she did know better. His heart beat faster as a familiar scent enveloped him. With a start, he realized that this was it. His race was over. He had crossed the finish line and found the love of his life. He could finally rest now.

  “You people really need some serious therapy,” Rob mumbled into his hair, warm breath tickling Zach's ear and making him shiver.

  “You still have time to run for the hills,” Zach whispered.

  Rob looked into his eyes and smiled, laugh lines that Zach loved so much visible around his soft lips. He took Zach’s face in his hands and kissed him softly.

  “Never in a million years.”

  The End

  Or is it?

  Don't miss out!

  Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Eliott Griffen publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.

  https://books2read.com/r/B-A-HOPH-XLRX

  Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

  About the Author

  Eliott is a full-time freelance writer living on the Old Continent with three dogs and a cat. Also, the owner of a squeaky clean, never used degree in IT Management. As you will learn, they ramble sometimes, always… Occasionally they even write something. People say it’s good stuff. As an Aspie and enby, Eliott writes #ownvoices stories about confusing life under a double rainbow. Yes, there will be a HEA. No, it will not be easy sailing. And, there will be at least one animal in every book, because, ya know, three dogs and a cat...

  Read more at Eliott Griffen’s site.