The sound of the doorbell ringing pulled me from the memory. Not only were my cheeks now on fire, but so was my body, and even worse was I had to sit at the dinner table with my family and Chase for the next two hours with no relief.
I looked up at Chase, knowing the smirk on his face was from the fact he had caused me to remember and now I’d be thinking about it the rest of today.
“Asshole,” I said softly, pulling away from him and heading towards the front of the house to see who was at the door. Just as I whirled around the corner I caught sight of the man I had called my uncle since the beginning of time. Devon. He was Taylor’s dad, and right alongside of him was her mother, Tegan and their newborn baby, Clark. It had been months since I last seen them since I didn’t come home for summer break this year.
“Look at you, just as beautiful as always.” Uncle Devon smiled as he walked across the foyer and straight towards me. I met his stride, racing to him just as fast to give him a hug.
“Hi Auntie T,” I squealed, releasing Uncle Devon and wrapping her and baby Clark in a hug next.
“I see you finally brought someone home,” Aunt Tegan said with a beautiful smile on her face right before we pulled away from one another. I was so wrapped up in answering her and rubbing the bridge of Clark’s nose, I hadn’t noticed the tension that had entered the room until it was about to explode. I turned around realizing Chase and Uncle Devon were staring at one another in complete silence.
“Okay. Uncle Dev, this is Chase… my boyfriend. Chase, this is my Uncle Devon. Taylor’s dad and my dad’s partner and best friend.” They eyed each other for a moment, Chase being the first to break the silence.
“It’s nice to meet you, Devon, sir,” he said all gentlemen like. I almost laughed, but instead covered it with a smile. It wasn’t like Chase to be this polite.
“Nice to meet you as well. I know her dad already gave you the run down, but in case you forgot or simply need a reminder, I’ll break every bone in your hand before you have a chance to beg for mercy if you hurt my niece.” Uncle Devon smiled, slapping Chase on the back as he dismissed himself, walking off to find my dad.
“Let’s just say anyone Taylor brings home will have a hard time getting around him.” Tegan laughed, “Speaking of my daughter, where is she?” she asked, nestling Clark against her chest.
“She’s upstairs in my reading nook. You know Taylor, always got her nose stuck in a book and since I didn’t take my whole collection with me to school, she has plenty of reading material whenever we visit home. At least until I get a bigger bookshelf to hold all my books at school.” Taylor had already been here for two days. She had come down with me and Chase, staying with me at my house as her parents had been away at her grandfather’s ranch. I hadn’t wanted to bother her, so I gave her alone time whenever she started to shutdown, knowing she was going through a lot of stuff and sometimes the best time to think and come to terms with shit was when you were by yourself.
“Okay, sweetie. So good to see you again. We missed you on the beach trip this summer.” She leaned in, kissing me on my cheek before turning towards Chase, “And nice to meet you, Chase. Please don’t hurt her, I like my husband not in jail,” Aunt Tegan said with a wink before walking away in search of Taylor.
“What is up with all the men in your family threatening me anyways? Your dad wants to bury me, your uncle wants to break my hand, AJ said he would punch me in the eye, Michael said he’d knee me in the balls, and Brendon said he’d go crazy on me.” Chase sighed, his voice filling the air as I laughed loudly, pulling him into a hug.
“Oh just wait, Chasey pooh. You still haven’t met my Uncle Jared. He’s my mom’s brother and a bit on the crazy side since him and my dad were childhood friends.” I laughed even harder as I released him, watching him as he scratched the top of his head. We stood there in complete silence before Chase finally spoke up again.
“So you need a bigger bookshelf?”
“Why, you gonna buy me one?” I responded with my own question, wondering why he was so nervous all of a sudden.
“No.”
“No? Then why’d you ask?”
“Because I can make you one. Well, if you like.” Chase make me a bookshelf? Immediately my mind went to an image of him in low hanging stone washed jeans, a tool belt sitting on his hips and exposing his V muscle even more as he manipulated wood into something for me. I think yes.
“You know how to do that?” I questioned him with a smirk on my face.
“I know we don’t really know all the ins and outs about one another just yet, but no worries because we have all the time in the world, and I don’t want you to tell me or I tell you, I want us to learn these things about each other. But just for the sake of this conversation, yes I know how to do that. I’m training to be a carpenter back at school. This is my last year, so I know quite a bit. Well enough to make a bookshelf for my girlfriend.” He continue to fidget with each word that leaves his mouth. I was learning that was tick of his, his tell. Whenever he was nervous or unsure of how someone would react to something, he made sudden movements.
“Well, I would love for my boyfriend to make me a bookshelf.” I stood on my tiptoes, leaning forward and into his face, placing a simple kiss on the bridge of his chin. “Chase, that’s so hot. Plus, you can build me everything I need now. Like floating shelves and oh my God, you can make me a reading nook in my room!!”
“Gia, let’s not get carried away now.”
“Carried away? Oh baby, I’m just getting started,” I retorted, before walking away from him to go and check on my mom in the kitchen.
“Alzerro King, stop it!” I heard my mother’s hushed voice as I stood outside the kitchen, peeking around the corner catching a glimpse of my father and mother embracing one another. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her, and her head was leaning back on his shoulder. You could see their hearts beating, the emotion flowing simply form the way they touched and looked at one another.
It was beautiful.
“You know ease dropping is frowned upon in this household,” AJ, my oldest brother’s voice met my ears. He had just turned eighteen over the summer and in his last year of high school. Michael was thirteen. Having just hit puberty and Brendon was the baby, eight years old and could get away with murder.
“You know sneaking up on someone like me is an easy way to get yourself drop kicked in the throat?” I turned around, placing my hands on my hips as I locked eyes with him. AJ’s eyes matched our fathers, in fact, everything about him reminded me of my father. It sometimes shocked me how similar they looked and acted.
“Try me, big sis. Remember what happened last time you tried to take me on?” AJ was a wrestler, therefore he knew what he was doing. I, however, wasn’t and only knew the moves I learned when my dad forced me to take karate classes as a teen.
“Round house kicking me in the stomach isn’t really a means to winning, AJ,” I argued back.
“Oh, you’re just jealous that you lost to your little brother. I mean who the hell would want to admit that?”
“Did someone say lost?” My Uncle Jared’s voice met my ears, and I pushed AJ out of the way to get to him. My arms were wrapped tightly around him, squeezing as hard as I could the moment he stepped in front of me.
“Gia doll, did you miss me or are you trying to cut off my air supply?” He laughed into my ear, his voice deep and robust. I could hear Izzy’s Russian tone coming out as she yelled at the kids to sit down.