Family Overload

Between chapters 45 and 46

Nolan

I’ve never brought anyone home before. It’s only as we’re driving through the familiar streets of Sun Haven on our way to my family home that I realize this.

Sun Haven and the surrounding town are filled with the embodiment of love is love. Almost every shop, restaurant, and business is proudly displaying a pride symbol in some fashion. Everyone is friendly, smiling. There’s an eclectic mix of people – elegant dress, comfortable gym wear, worker’s overalls, business chic, loud and bright.

Sun Haven, Glensdale, and the surrounding towns that make the perimeter around the local college university campus were always going to be queer-centric. Rainbow Dorset University is this part of the state’s pride and joy. It is the queer campital of university settings. There is no better place than RDU.

Except maybe Longwood U. It had been a difficult decision not to attend RDU but I wanted to be a little further from home. I love my parents. My family means everything to me. But everyone needs to spread their wings from time to time. My brother attended Longwood and so did Lathan, so I’d visited a few times and it might not be quite as queernormative as RDU, but it’s pretty damn great all the same.

And as a bonus, the Davenports attend and work at Longwood U. It obviously hadn’t been a deciding factor when choosing schools but my life wouldn’t be as good as it is now if I’d made a different decision.

I glance behind me to check on Skye. I know he’s nervous. There was a very noticeable change in him a couple of weeks ago in which he kind of settled. Became more comfortable with our relationship. But that doesn’t mean Skye isn’t who he is. He’s worried.

He’s a kind soul. A sensitive soul. He’s willing to fight for our love but outside judgement will hurt.

That’s one of the things Uncles Damon and Declan said in our phone call that stuck with me. I’d always thought that I could ignore all the outside noise. I’ve been doing it my entire life. While the RDU vicinity is primarily queer, homophobes do pass through from time to time.

I admit that their slurs and damning us to hell for our decisions or whatever have never hurt me. Especially when you shoot back that their fragile sexuality is showing. Wow, do they get butt hurt. But I’ve never been in love when faced with those comments. I’ve never heard those words directed toward me and my partners.

If their words hurt my uncles, who have always been of the ‘fuck you’ personality, how is that going to hurt me, who definitely doesn’t have that persona? How is it going to hurt someone as sweet and gentle as Skye?

“Turn here,” I say, nearly missing the street. Uncle Quin named our little cul-de-sac Blind Snake Lane. I was fifteen when I realized that ‘blind snake’ is in reference to a dick. He did so to honor Uncles Damon and Declan since they’ve given both of their husbands’ nicknames that essentially mean ‘big dick’.

I don’t share this information though. It’s something that never fails to make me laugh and a smile climbs my face as we near Blind Snake Lane. Especially when you see from the aerial view, as we have with a drone, that Uncle Quin may have laid out our little circle of houses at the end in the vague shape of balls with a long shaft leading to the public road.

Who says my uncles don’t have a sense of humor? No one. That’s who.

“Here,” I say and point at the sign to Blind Snake Lane. There’s a single house built on the right side of the ‘shaft’ part of the cul-de-sac that belongs to Sparrow. Cutely, there’s even a black figure of a sparrow in the eaves of the house.

Down in the ‘balls’ part of the cul-de-sac, are a dozen houses with space for maybe a dozen more. Especially considering Uncle Quin owns the land around our cul-de-sac now. I imagine he’s working on ways to connect them and not disrupt the aerial view of our dick neighborhood.

I don’t need to point to the enormous house to indicate it’s ours. I’ve already mentioned that my Papa Orson is a trust fund baby and built a mansion in the neighborhood. It takes up three plots of land so the neighborhood will always be short three houses because Papa Orson demanded to live in luxury.

“Wow,” Orion says and I see him shift in the corner of my eye to take a better look at the house. “When you said big house, I didn’t think it would be bigger than the White House.”

“You’re exaggerating,” I say, laughing. “It’s big but nowhere near that big.”

“Do you have ten bedrooms? Thirteen bathrooms?” Orion asks.

“Where are you coming up with these numbers?” Skye asks, amused.

“Number of windows.”

I lean forward to look out the windshield and count the windows going across the front. Huh. “No, there are…” I mentally count and then laugh. “Okay, there are ten bedrooms. But there are only… fuck’s sake, Orion. Yes, there are thirteen bathrooms.”

We all turn to look at Orion’s smug grin.

“Why do you need so many bathrooms?” Skye prompts.

“Each bedroom has their own. There’s a full bathroom at the back door so we don’t have to trek through the house when we’re outside. There’s the primary bathroom on the first floor – yes a full bathroom. I don’t know why. And then my Papa Zvi has one in his studio.”

“Studio?” Tavis asks.

“He’s a porn star,” Orion says, beaming. “Catch up, Pops.”

“Ah. Right. I didn’t realize he had a studio here.”

I nod. “Yep. The top floor is his studio. I’ve only been up there once but then I had very awful images of my father and have never gone upstairs since. That’s just not what a kid wants to know or think about their father.” I glance at Orion and Skye, trying to keep my smile hidden. “Present company excluded.”

Skye’s cheeks heat but Orion laughs loudly. I smirk, meeting Tavis’s eyes.

I push open my door and immediately hear the laughter of kids. It brings a smile to my face and I absently think about the question all those months ago about whether I want kids. Am I feeling warm and happy because I know I’ll be seeing my nieces and nephews or because a part of me wants kids of my own?

Tavis’s arm wraps around my waist, Orion and Skye stopping at my other side.

“So…” Skye says nervously. “We’re not going to, like… announce this to a backyard full of people, right?”

“No,” Orion says. “Of course, not.” He meets my eyes and I know he’s looking for confirmation.

“No,” I agree. “But, how comfortable are you if I introduce you as my boyfriends as well? Just mine.”

Skye’s shoulders relax. “Yeah. I like that.”

With that answer, I take his hand and squeeze it gently. “His pretty eyes meet mine. “I promise, this is the most accepting place you’ll ever step foot, Skye. We’re all about protecting our peace here so there will never be anyone brought home that feels the need to judge anyone here.”

He leans into my side for just a second. He’ll see. It’ll take time to trust everyone here but he’ll see. There is no better place in this entire world.

“Ready for family overload?” I ask.

“When you say family overload… what are we talking?”

“If I had to take a guess, I mean everyone who lives in this neighborhood as well as family who have moved out,” I say and earn myself another weary expression from Skye.

Once more, I squeeze his hand. I was intending to let it go but I think he needs the support right now and he’s not comfortable enough to hold Orion’s hand. So I keep his locked in mine, Tavis’s hand in the other, and lead them toward the house.

It’s faster to walk through the house to the backyard instead of around the house. Orion swears as he follows, his quiet laughter at how big everything is never stopping, including when we stand just inside the wall of windows that are wide open, combining the indoor dining room and kitchen with the outdoor dining and kitchen.

There’s a massive fireplace in the outdoor patio, stone floor and ceiling. Beyond the outdoor living is a massive pool and an even bigger yard. As I suspected, I don’t see anyone missing. Everyone is here.

A look at Skye has me a little concerned so I pull him to my chest and kiss his temple. “How about we begin small? I’ll ask just my dads in, okay?”

If it weren’t for the rapid beating of his heart and his shallow breaths, I might have believed his quiet ‘I’m fine’ in answer. “Liar,” I whisper and gently push him to Tavis’s side. “Go back through that door. I’ll get my dads, okay?”

He’s not wrong. This is a big family and I remember all too clearly when Sparrow brought his brand-new husband home without even telling us he had a boyfriend. Dak did stupidly well facing a backyard filled with hurt and irritated people who didn’t get to celebrate Sparrow’s marriage.

At the time, I was also offended. And while this isn’t the same situation, I remember Dak’s pale complexion as they faced angry family nonstop for an hour or more before everyone settled in to celebrate them.

I’m not putting Skye through that.

My niece Clara is the first to spot me as I step out of the house. Her voice yelling, “UNCLE NOLAN!” as she sprints to me has the entire yard quieting. I snatch her from her ground and wrap her tightly in my arms.

“Hey, munchkin. I can’t believe how much you’ve grown.”

Her arms are tight around my neck. “Mommy says you brought your boyfriend but I don’t see anyone else,” she says.

Of course, she did. Grinning, I set her on her feet in time to catch little Syonic as he races to me. It’s a mad rush of hugging all the little – my nieces and nephews and cousins by blood and by choice – before my parents make it to me. Followed by my siblings. And the second-generation Whitaker twins.

Sometimes I forget how long greetings and departures take with a family this size.

“Okay, okay,” I say, laughing. “I promise to say hi to everyone but first, can I just get my dads inside?”

“Only our dads?” Jasmine asks, crossing her arms.

I kiss her cheek. “To start with. Then just siblings. This is overwhelming for some people who aren’t used to family gatherings the size of a football team.”

She huffs. “Fine.”

Papa Orson drapes and arm over my shoulders as we head inside. “You nervous, kid?” he asks.

“No. But Skye is so don’t be overwhelming.”

He laughs.

My guys are all milling about the family room, Skye sticking close to Tavis’s side. He looks our way with big eyes, eyes that get bigger as soon as Princess Daddy V steps into the room with us.

“So, this is my Papa Orson, Papa Zvi, Daddy Luca, Daddy Wren, and Princess Daddy V. These are my boyfriends, Tavis, Skye, and Orion.”

Silence fills the room. I know they’re taking in Princess Daddy V in his cute ruffled pink skirt, pink tank with a glittery unicorn, bows in his hair, Viking-like hair, enormous arms and chest from working in the forge, and covered in pastel tattoos while my family is processing that I didn’t bring my boyfriend Tavis and his sons home but my three boyfriends.

“At least we didn’t find out via a meme again,” Papa Zvi says, a smirk on his lips.

I grin. “Not this time but I did create a meme for you. Just in case you thought we should carry on the tradition.”

“Oh no,” Daddy Luca says.

Papa Orson grins. “Tell me.”

“You know, tacking onto the last, now she’s calling me daddy and brother-in-law since I took her father and her brothers for my own. What’s that new trend? Airball?”

Papa Orson bursts into laughter. All my fathers laugh, though Daddy Luca tries not to and fails.

Skye huffs but I don’t miss the way he’s also fighting a smile. I grin. Time to play this over and over again until Skye laughs too. It’s going to be a long, fun, and exhausting afternoon.

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