Good
Guys Don't Date Bad Boys – Ch. 42
By
Laura S. Fox
Copyright
© 2022 Laura S. Fox
All
Rights Reserved
Gay
Erotica
Intended
for Mature Audiences Only
This
story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong language
and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
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making a donation to Nifty by clicking the little blue button on the front
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Chapter
Forty-Two – Meeting The Future In-Laws
Maddox
couldn't tear his eyes away as he watched Jonathan elegantly dismounting, as if
he was starring in a movie about the wealthy offspring of an affluent family...
which he totally was, of course. For Jonathan, this wasn't a role; it was his
life, and seeing him here, at his parents' home, made the picture complete.
Jonathan
smiled at him as he took off the riding hat and tried to civilize his hair.
Maddox smirked and walked over to him. It was a real pleasure to run his hands
through Jonathan's usually neat hair that was now tousled and displayed a tiny
bit of rebellion in the making.
"What?"
Jonathan asked and cleared his throat, after a few moments spent staring into
each other's eyes.
"Did I already
do this?" Maddox leaned in and brushed his lips against Jonathan's. A small,
soft sound escaped from that beautiful mouth and told him his attentions were
much appreciated.
"A reminder
is always nice," Jonathan replied. He was the one to lean forward now, eager
for another kiss.
Maddox let
his arms slide around Jonathan's waist. It felt good to have him so close
again. Jonathan appeared to think the same as he moved his hands around
Maddox's neck, pressing his thumbs right under the earlobes. Maddox appreciated
the thought, and especially how firm Jonathan's touch was.
"Ahem,"
someone said loudly, startling them.
They didn't
pull away from each other, though, their only compromise was stopping their
kiss. Maddox saw the butler's wrinkled face lit up by a big smile as he took
them in.
"Maddox,
this is Mr. Simmons," Jonathan was the first to speak, stuttering in the most
adorable manner, but without moving his hands away from Maddox's neck.
"We met,"
the butler confirmed. "I'm the one who gave him the UTV."
"Of course,
of course," Jonathan said quickly and bit his bottom lip. "How is Rusty doing?"
he asked, only then realizing that they had both forgotten they were supposed
to rush to their friend's assistance.
"Entertaining
your parents, I believe."
"Oh,"
Jonathan managed.
"Nothing
outrageous, I suppose," Simmons said. "Although he has a tendency to put his
hands everywhere." The old man gestured vaguely. "He's probably giving your
mother a surge of emotion by examining some old vase from too up close right
now."
Maddox
decided it was a good moment to intervene. "That's Rusty for you. He never
keeps his hands to himself, but he's a good guy, I swear."
"Well, I
hope he breaks that ugly old thing," Simmons murmured under his breath and
shuddered in feigned disgust.
"What old
thing?" Jonathan asked.
"Nothing,
nothing, don't pay me any mind," Simmons replied brightly. "I was ordered to
bring you, along with the tea."
"I need to
get out of these clothes first," Jonathan said.
"I'll help,"
Maddox added brightly.
The old
butler quirked an eyebrow. "You're only allowed to wash your hands," he said
promptly.
"But--"
Jonathan tried to reason.
"Your father
promised that he would fire me today if I failed to bring you as quickly as
possible. For all I know, it could already be too late."
Jonathan
groaned, apparently not in the least disturbed by the prospect of losing
Simmons. "All right, we're coming. Just let me take Asta
back."
"Very well,"
Simmons acquiesced. "But don't take long."
"This dude's
a slave driver, isn't he?" Maddox murmured as he followed Jonathan into the
stables.
"I heard
that," the butler said affably.
"And I see no
sign of failing hearing," Maddox said under his breath, as well.
Jonathan was
smiling at their exchange. "Don't worry, Maddox. Mr. Simmons must like you very
much. He doesn't lend his noble steed, and by that I mean the vehicle you used,
to just anyone."
"I'll take
that," Maddox admitted.
***
Jonathan had
an inkling that it was only Mr. Simmons's wish to whisk them away like that,
not even allowing him to get out of his riding clothes. But he had proven quite
rebellious in front of his parents by their standards and, now that Maddox was
here, he wanted nothing else but for them to like him. It was a sort of secret
wish, and he could live without their approval of Maddox, of course, but it
would be nice to have it.
They both
hurried after the impatient butler, who certainly didn't look his age by how
fast he sprinted in front of them, balancing the tea tray with flawless
professionalism, as usual.
"Now I'm
starting to get Rusty's fears about drinking tea," Maddox whispered.
"What fears
are those?" Jonathan asked.
Maddox
didn't get a chance to reply because they appeared to have arrived at their
destination. The double doors to the living room opened wide, and Jonathan
stopped for a moment, confused, just as Maddox was. The musical notes of what
could only be interpreted as someone vocalizing poured out of the room. Only that
it was a male voice... and, of course, it dawned on him.
The surprise
wasn't that Rusty was doing his best to attack impossible notes, but his mom,
who unceremoniously grabbed the college kid's cheeks and forced them apart.
"Stick your tongue out more, let it all flow," she ordered.
Rusty was
already leaning back in fear, grimacing in every possible way. That was no
impediment to Jonathan's mother, of course, who seemed keen on making him bend
to her will.
"Don't act
so weak," she chastised him. "You must be over six and a half feet tall. Your
voice must come out a lot more powerfully than this. I'm not even a vocal
coach, and I can count ten different mistakes you make."
Jonathan
hurried toward his mom. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, "mom, I'd like you to
meet my boyfriend, Maddox."
She turned
her attention to him with her eyebrows raised and released Rusty from her
clutches. The poor thing walked backward quickly, rubbing his cheeks and
staring at her, all wide-eyed, as if she was going to attack him again at any
moment now.
Jonathan
took Maddox by the shoulders and gave a strained smile to his mom. Somehow, he
felt that her opinion mattered more than his dad's. She zeroed in on Maddox,
and her eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm Francine," she said and offered him her
hand, "Jonathan's mother." She let the last word drop as if it weighed a ton.
Maddox shook
the offered hand with a straight face. "Nice to meet you, Francine. I'm Maddox,
Jonathan's boyfriend." He spoke in the same manner as she had, emphasizing the
last word.
The two
opposing sides stared at each other for a moment, neither of them breaking the
handshake, as if they needed time to assess each other. In the end, it was
Jonathan's mom who withdrew her hand. Then, she turned her eyes to her son.
"He's awfully pretty, isn't he?"
Jonathan
twisted his tongue into a knot in an effort to keep quiet.
"Mrs. H, I
assure you," Maddox said with the most dazzling smile Jonathan had ever seen,
"I'm more than just a pretty face."
"I'll vouch
for that," Rusty added. Somehow, he had ended up behind the sofa and appeared
to consider himself safe there. "He can touch his nose with his tongue."
"No, I
can't," Maddox contradicted his friend.
"Oh, yeah,
that's me," Rusty agreed and began demonstrating that particular skill.
Jonathan
pretended to be suddenly fascinated by an invisible crack in the ceiling. His
mom didn't seem taken aback by Rusty's antics, however.
"Can you
also sing?" Francine asked, examining Maddox with interest. Then, turning
toward Rusty. "Not that you can, dear. There's a mountain to climb until you
get anywhere near that destination."
Jonathan
considered it a good moment to interrupt. "Mom, Rusty has a wonderful voice."
Francine
smiled, all-knowingly. "A so-called diamond in the rough has no value and no
room to be displayed for people to see. It needs a lot of work first."
Jonathan
groaned. "That was a compliment, Rusty, trust me."
"Taken,"
Rusty agreed, with one hand up, after giving up on forcing his tongue out and
up toward the tip of his nose.
"Tea is
served, madam," Mr. Simmons intervened.
"Can I skip
the tea?" Rusty asked, with his hand still up.
"No.
Simmons, I'm sure, bent over backwards to make it," Francine said in an airy
tone.
Hmm, Jonathan
thought as he examined his mom briefly. That was a joke, which meant she was
pleased.
"Don't stand
over there, come sit here," she ordered Rusty, who had no choice but to obey
the order and walk around the couch to sit by her side.
She said
nothing while she poured each one a cup and handed the tea around. Rusty
sniffed his cup and made a face but smiled broadly right away. "Smells like
rich people's tea," he said.
Jonathan
grinned and watched his mother's reaction. Francine, however, seemed perfectly
undisturbed, as if she was accustomed to treating college kids to tea every
day. "So," she started, "what are your intentions with my Jonathan, Maddox?"
"They're of
the best kind," Maddox replied, without flinching.
"Mom, let's
not make this awkward. Don't interrogate Maddox like this."
"Ah, I see.
What do you two have to hide?"
"Nothing,"
Jonathan said defensively. She was an expert at dragging defensiveness out of
him. Now, it seemed as if there was something to hide.
"Mrs.
Hamilton--" Maddox began.
"Francine,
please. No need for formalities since you're interested in becoming one of us."
"Mother,"
Jonathan said a bit more pointedly to draw her attention.
"Maddox and
Jonathan did it," Rusty blurted out while fidgeting nervously in his place. "I
mean, they're in love and all that. I can sing at the wedding."
The strange
outburst from Rusty seemed enough to redirect the eye of Sauron. Francine
turned toward the troublemaker. "You'll sing at the wedding if I approve."
"Maddox is
just my boyfriend," Jonathan decided that he needed to get the conversation
back on a normal track. "Let's not jump the shark here, all right?"
"Ah, and I
thought this impromptu visit had a somewhat romantic reason behind it,"
Francine said and sipped from her cup.
"We're too
young for that, don't you think?" Jonathan hurried to say.
"So, romance
is for old people nowadays?" Francine asked.
"We're
practical people," Maddox intervened. "First, we need to finish our studies."
"I see,"
Francine said.
"And get
jobs," Maddox added. "And get to know each other a bit more."
"So, you're
not sure," Francine concluded. "That means that Jonathan can remain open to
other prospects."
Jonathan
leaned forward, ready to contradict his mother, but Maddox was faster. "I'm
completely sure. I just wanted you to know I'm responsible. But, heck, I guess there's
no point in hiding it. I'm here so that we can announce our engagement."
That
bombshell seemed enough to render his mother speechless for a moment.
"Engagement? When did this happen?" Her inquisitive eyes rested on Jonathan
again.
"It didn't,"
Jonathan decided to stop the madness. His mom and Maddox were like two poker
players trying to bluff each other out of the hand. "We're taking things as
they come. I assure you that I'm not interested in other prospects," he said
the word and a tiny scoff for good measure, "and that Maddox is the one and
only for me."
"Same here,
not in so many words," Maddox chimed in.
"Can I sing
at the engagement party?" Rusty intervened with a question of his own.
Good thing
his dad walked in at that very moment. Usually, it wasn't the kind of thing
Jonathan was looking forward to, but his mom needed to be stopped somehow.
***
Maddox tried
to maintain a reassuring smile the entire time, especially when Jonathan was looking
at him, but on the inside, he was wound tight as a spring. Jonathan's mom was a
tough cookie, for sure, examining him with those unnerving eyes that looked
exactly like his boyfriend's. It was clear as day for anyone who looked that
Jonathan took after her. The same aristocratic nose, the same slight frown,
were shared by both mother and son, only softer in her. However, while Jonathan
had a certain wariness he carried like a cloak, Francine Hamilton was the
picture of self-assurance.
Therefore,
he had no idea if he was even ready to meet Mr. Hamilton, now that he had met
his wife. If she was a force to be reckoned with, how much of a hard-ass was
he?
No time like
the present to face his future in-laws, it seemed, because the doors opened, admitting
a man in his fifties with a sour expression on his face. While his shoulders
were stooped by age, he had a commanding presence, and Maddox could totally see
where Jonathan picked up some of his mannerisms.
"We have
guests, my dear," Francine said in a suave tone, offering Maddox a sly smile.
Oh, so now
she was eagerly waiting to see how he would fare against the big boss. Well, he
was ready, as much as that mattered. Without waiting for another cue, he jumped
to his feet and hurried toward Mr. Hamilton with his arm extended. "I'm Maddox
Kingsley, sir, Jonathan's--"
"Boyfriend,"
Mr. Hamilton completed his sentence and shook his hand very briefly. "Of your
friend," he gestured vaguely at Rusty, "I'm already aware."
Rusty
grimaced like a kid caught doing something frowned upon and put his cup on the
saucer on the table using both hands with infinite, comical, care.
Mr. Hamilton
sat opposite him, which gave Maddox free rein to watch his opponent's every
move. Jonathan was the only one still standing, and it didn't look like his
parents were bothered by that in the least.
"Have you
seen the Kincaids out, dear?" Francine asked and
sipped her tea. Rusty was watching her with disturbing intensity. Maddox barely
kept himself from leaning over and slapping his friend upside the head. After
all, he had dragged Rusty there, and Rusty was Rusty, regardless of
circumstances. Something told him that it would do the Hamiltons
a bit of good to see someone so out of their social circle drinking tea in
their giant living room.
"Of course,"
Mr. Hamilton replied, his eyes never leaving Maddox. Maybe the man expected him
to squirm under that scrutinizing gaze. No luck there, though. Maddox was sure
he was the picture of chillaxation, without looking
too loose-limbed. "They were disappointed that they didn't have a proper chance
to say goodbye. To you and Jonathan." For a fraction of a second, Mr. Hamilton turned
his hawk-like eyes to his son.
By how
Jonathan straightened up and cleared his throat, that was some kind of
scolding. The Kincaids, right. Those were Drew's
parents, plus the asshole. Good thing they were gone.
"We've said
enough goodbyes to one another to last us a lifetime," Francine said and
smiled.
Her husband
didn't appear particularly pleased with her reply but said nothing. Then, his
attention turned to Maddox. "So, Maddox, what do your parents do?"
"They run a
construction company together. My oldest brother, Vern, is mostly in charge
now, and whenever we have the time, the rest of us help."
"How so?"
Mr. Hamilton asked.
Maddox took
a look at his hands. Jonathan had told him that he loved his hands. "I work on
site, depending on the project. Yes, I'm talking about the grunt work," he said
without hesitation. He had no reason to pretend to be someone else.
"You're
majoring in--" Mr. Hamilton changed tack.
"Economics,"
he supplied.
Mr. Hamilton
nodded. "Jonathan says you're doing well in school."
There was no
question mark anywhere, so Maddox didn't say anything, waiting for more than
that.
"He used to
be the king of Sunny Hill. Now I'm the king," Rusty broke the unnerving
silence.
This time,
Maddox moved one foot and kicked Rusty in the shin, hopefully quick enough that
no one would notice. Rusty gave him a panicked glance.
"Is this
title related to some popularity contest?" Mr. Hamilton asked.
"Obviously,"
Francine said, although the question couldn't have been directed at her.
"Today, our son brought home two handsome young men. This one," she pointed at
Rusty, "even shows some promise. You'll listen to him sing later."
"Oh," Mr.
Hamilton replied and frowned. "What kind of promise do you show, Maddox?"
Maddox was
about to start selling himself hard, when Jonathan intervened. "He's a good
man, and that's not a promise, it's a reality," he said sharply.
The tone of
his voice must have been unusual because both his parents strained their necks
to glare at him. However, Jonathan, although still a bit disheveled from his
earlier ride and Maddox's kiss, stood his ground. "That is the most important
thing I care about. If you don't approve of Maddox, say it now. I've discovered
recently that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, so--"
Mr. Hamilton
interrupted. "No need for dramatics, Jonathan. Your friends are welcome for as
long as they wish to stay. As for your future, which seems so cloudy to you at
the moment, we will speak of at length once you can spare a moment for us to
talk alone."
Was that it?
If the way Francine offered her husband a cup of tea and steered the
conversation toward some generic topics was any indication, so it seemed.
Maddox had to admit that he was a bit disappointed, seeing how he had been so
valiantly prepared to go to war with the final boss.
***
"Rusty, I'm
so going to kill you," Maddox groaned as soon as they were out of the room.
"Sorry, man,
I got nervous and shit," Rusty replied. "Hamilton, dude, your folks are
downright scary."
"You've seen
nothing, Rusty, trust me," Jonathan decided to pour some more gasoline over the
fire.
"For real?
Ah, man, this is like the weirdest winter break ever," Rusty complained.
Rusty was
right, of course. His parents were difficult to talk to and kept to themselves
and whoever they considered their own. Jonathan stole a glance at Maddox,
waiting to see the first signs of disappointment. But Maddox just looked back
and hooked one arm over his shoulders. "What do you think, babe? Did I knock
them off their feet or what?"
Jonathan let
out a sigh of relief. "Totally. But you know it doesn't matter, right?"
"Did I get
you in trouble by saying that you two did it?" Rusty intervened.
"I'm sure
they have no doubts about the `doing it' part," Jonathan said. "After that
whole thing with Drew--" He swallowed his words.
"Who's
Drew?" Rusty asked. "Did you do it with him, too?"
Maddox took
both of them by surprise by swatting Rusty upside the head. "That's none of
your business, dude."
"All right,
all right. But I was just trying to help."
"Really?"
Maddox asked, still keeping one hand wrapped tightly around the back of Rusty's
neck.
"Yeah. I
mean, these dudes are really old-fashioned, right? Sorry, Jonathan."
"No
worries," Jonathan said and bit his bottom lip trying hard not to laugh. He had
a feeling Rusty held the key to rattling his parents' conservative ways.
"So, if they
find out that you two did it, they'll pull a shotgun wedding on you. Problem
solved," Rusty offered in what seemed to be quite a serious tone.
"We're not
at some redneck ranch, Rusty," Maddox insisted and shook his friend by the neck
hard enough to earn a heartfelt `ouch' from him. "These guys might sue me for
millions for taking Jonathan's V-card."
"V-card?"
Rusty perked up right away.
"Shut up,
you ass," Maddox said quickly and threw a guilty look at Jonathan.
Jonathan
kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Well, for all that's worth, it went better
than expected. Mr. Simmons is readying your rooms. And truly, you two can stay
for as long as you want."
"Can we stay
for Christmas? Will we get some really cool expensive gifts? Like a Ferrari or
something?" Rusty asked, bouncing up and down on his feet, regardless of how
Maddox tried to keep him still.
"My parents
don't know you that well yet," Jonathan played along with the joke. "Maybe next
year, who knows? But Rusty, how come you sang in front of my mom? I thought it
was a very well-guarded secret."
"I had no
idea what to do. And I touched the piano, and your mom thought I was not all
here," Rusty pointed at his temple, "so she might have wanted to calm me down
by playing that huge thing, so I thought that I had no choice but to sing,
shock her with my uncanny abilities, and then... well, it wasn't like I had a
plan or anything. The moment I started singing, she jumped up from behind the
piano and started shouting all kinds of things at me."
Maddox
patted his friend on the back in sympathy. "My dude, I don't think you shocked
her or anything."
Rusty
pouted. "No, she says I suck."
Jonathan
reached behind Maddox to squeeze Rusty's shoulder in sympathy. "When I hear
words like that coming out of my mom's mouth, I'll know the world is ending. I
know her well, and she was damned impressed, Rusty. But my family believes in
excellence above all else, which is why she was torturing you when we came in.
If she went to the trouble to tell you anything, that's because she thinks
you're capable of being the best."
"That's
true," Maddox confirmed. "I mean, it looked like she really took a liking to you."
Rusty's
pleased grin let them know that everything was all right in the world.
"Hey, guys,
I didn't even ask you if you were hungry."
"I ate all
the cookies on that nice tray," Rusty said promptly. "Ugh, your mom must think
something else weird about me now."
"I wouldn't
worry about that if I were you. And I bet Mrs. Day, our cook, is really happy
now, after seeing that, finally, someone appreciates her efforts."
"I would like
to appreciate her efforts every day," Rusty said promptly.
"However,"
Jonathan insisted, "cookies aren't real food, so how about we stop by the
kitchen? But let's not let my folks know about it. They're very strict about
having meals on a schedule, but you two have come a long way, and I don't want
to be a bad host."
"I don't
need any food when I have you," Maddox declared but right at that moment, as if
to contradict him, his belly rumbled loudly.
Jonathan
laughed and wrapped his arm tightly around Maddox's waist. "Let's see if Mrs.
Day has something lying around that counts as food."
"What if she
tells on us to your mom?" Rusty asked.
"I'll plead
guilty," Jonathan assured him.
***
Maddox
didn't want to let Jonathan know how impressed he was with everything around,
but Rusty didn't have the same problem at all. "Are those real paintings? Is
that like, crystal, or something? I bet the electricity bill is huge."
Jonathan
politely offered answers to everything and looked at Maddox from time to time
with a big smile on his face. They didn't even have to talk to know that they
were all right with each other.
They walked
into a modern kitchen that appeared to belong more in a high-class restaurant
than a normal house, but they weren't in some normal house, to begin with. The
old lady watching over some steaming pots turned to look at them with a
surprised expression on her face. "Jonathan," she said, "what are you doing
here? Dinner is hours away."
"I know,
Mrs. Day, but my friends are really hungry, so I was wondering if there's
something around here so that I can make some sandwiches for them."
"I'll see to
it," the old lady said, but Jonathan stopped her.
"Just tell
me where I can find some ham and cheese, and I'll take it from there," Jonathan
said.
She looked
even more surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Yes.
College life taught me some real-life skills lately."
She nodded
thoughtfully. Her manner toward Jonathan seemed more reserved than the
butler's, but Maddox had an inkling that Simmons had a soft spot for Jonathan,
and the other way around too. Mrs. Day pointed Jonathan to where he could find
what he needed and observed him from the corner of one eye as he began making
sandwiches for everyone. By how she quirked her eyebrows now and then, Maddox
could tell that her surprise was only growing with each passing moment.
"Let's take
these with us," Maddox said as he grabbed a sandwich, "and you can show us
around."
Jonathan
nodded, and Rusty was more than happy to take two and stare with a forlorn
expression at the last one left. Maddox took it to save the poor man from the
pangs of indecision. "I'll keep this one for you."
"Thank you,
Mrs. Day," Jonathan said politely. "And please forgive us for intruding on you
like this."
"No worries,
Jonathan," Mrs. Day replied as she turned toward her pots. "It's not every day
I see a Hamilton making his own sandwiches." She said the last words a lot more
quietly.
"It looks
like you shocked your cook," Maddox said as soon as they were outside, munching
on their sandwiches.
"She's my
parents' cook," Jonathan took care to point out. "I bet you guys now think that
I'm some snotty, uptight jerk, seeing how my family lives."
"Nah," Rusty
hurried to contradict him, "that's what we thought when we didn't know you."
"Oh,"
Jonathan said in feigned surprise. "Was that true for you, as well, Maddox?"
"No, of
course not. I fell for you at first sight, don't you remember?"
"Nah," Rusty
interjected again, "he hated your guts at first sight. Then, he changed his
mind. By the way, how did that happen?"
"None of
your business, asshole," Maddox said with good humor.
"One day,
you'll have to tell me. Or I'll just ask Jonathan. Yo,
Hamilton, do you have like a magic stick or something to turn dudes gay?"
"Rusty, I
don't show my magic stick to just anyone," Jonathan again played along with the
joke.
"Ah, but you
did. You showed it to me for like a second. If I turn gay, it's all your
fault," Rusty said.
"Just eat
your sandwiches," Maddox scolded his friend and pushed his shoulder. "And stop
reminding me that you saw Jonathan's junk. If you were less of a friend to me,
I would have had to take serious measures, like challenge you to a fight or
something."
"What do you
guys want to see first? Maddox, you've seen the stables--"
"Stables?
Like with horses? Real horses?" Rusty jumped into the conversation.
"Yes, very
real horses."
"Let's go
there first," Rusty declared. "Oh, sorry, Maddie, did you want to go see
something boring, like a museum?" he drawled in a phony accent.
"Rusty,
there's no museum here," Jonathan said. "And stop teasing Maddox. As his
boyfriend, I might have to take his side and think of a proper punishment for
you."
"As long as
it's kinky, I'll take it," Rusty said.
They all
laughed. Maddox didn't regret for a moment bringing Rusty along. Jonathan
looked so happy right now.
***
After half a
day spent showing Maddox and Rusty the grounds, Jonathan felt more alive and
free than he had ever remembered feeling at his parents' home. Mr. Simmons had
proven very efficient in preparing two rooms for the guests and had insisted on
repeating what room Maddox was in so often that Jonathan had to assure him that
he understood that bit very well.
Now, that
everyone was supposedly heading to their rooms to sleep, and the household was
getting quiet, there was only one thing he wanted to do. The door to his dad's
study was slightly ajar, which meant that they could share a word before
bedtime.
His mom's
voice stopped him before he could reach the door. "It is his choice."
"Francine,
it must be merely a fling. I'm not blind. The boy is very handsome, and
Jonathan appears to have a soft spot for handsome boys like that. The thing
with Andrew Kincaid wouldn't have happened otherwise."
Even though
he knew that eavesdropping wasn't a good idea in general, he just couldn't
stop.
"You know I
rarely contradict you, but I beg to differ this time. I haven't seen Jonathan
smile like that in a very long time."
"And is
smiling important?" his dad asked with a scoff.
"Yes, it
is," his mom said sharply. "Throughout Jonathan's life, we've made decisions
for him, decisions we believed to be for his own good. But he left home,
George, and that means we failed. Not only that we failed, but that we failed
him."
"I don't
understand why he would prefer this boy over Andrew," his dad continued,
although by the way his voice became defensive, Jonathan could tell he wasn't
as sure of his opinions as he usually presented himself to be.
"Because
Andrew is, pardon my French, George, what people call an asshole."
The short
silence that followed confirmed to Jonathan that his dad was just as shocked to
hear his mom say something like that as he was.
"Not even a
blind man would think that his apology was genuine. He was just annoyed to be
here, doing what he should have been doing a long time ago. And aren't we
forgetting something?" his mom continued. "Andrew has a drug problem. Is that
something you look for in a son-in-law?"
"Son-in-law?
Aren't we getting a little bit ahead of ourselves?"
"If Maddox
Kingsley is the one my son wants, I don't have a problem with it. The boy has a
spine, obviously. I know that it must be difficult to hear about old history,
but I recall very well that the first Hamilton who set foot in these parts was
a bricklayer. As for my family, you know that they weren't wealthy, either,
when they left their old homes behind in search of a better life."
Jonathan
stood there, completely nonplussed. Well, now that was some history he didn't
know about.
"Yes, we
have a name to uphold and protect," his mom continued, "and yes, it took
generations to get where we are, but that doesn't mean that we should become
blind to our roots."
"Don't we
want more for our son?" his dad asked. "Doesn't he deserve more?"
"I really
hope, George, and for your own good, that by that you don't mean Andrew
Kincaid. I detest that boy now, and his parents should have known to educate
him better."
"We don't
know Maddox Kingsley very well," his dad pointed out.
"We don't
have to. Jonathan is the one who needs to know him. And for once in our lives,
dear, let's prove to our son that we trust him and that we believe in him. We
haven't been very good parents to him lately."
"He has
grown a lot," his dad admit it. "He's his own person now."
"And? Does
that scare you?" his mom asked.
No answer
came.
"Because it
does scare me," his mom continued, "but I'll be damned if I'm letting the Kincaids have my boy just because they seem like such a
safe bet. Maddox Kingsley is welcome here and to the family, as long as that's
what he wants."
"Is that
your final word on this?" his dad asked.
"Yes."
"Will you
stop being mad at me if I agree?"
"Only if you
agree with it from the heart."
Jonathan
heard some rustling of clothes and decided to walk a few steps away. He could
tell that his parents were kissing, something he didn't recall ever seeing them
do in front of him.
"However,"
he heard his mom speaking again, "that doesn't mean you don't have free rein to
put Maddox Kingsley through the wringer. He looks to me like a stubborn
determined man. I'd love to see that used to express how sure he is of wanting
my boy."
"You mean,
our boy, dear," his dad said in a tender voice that Jonathan had never heard
him use before.
"Of course.
Maddox and his friend, the wunderkind in progress, have to stay here for
Christmas, so I'm going to be very busy tomorrow."
"There's
still some time until tomorrow," his dad said.
Jonathan
grimaced at the seductive tone in his dad's voice. Well, he really didn't need
to eavesdrop on his parents getting lovey-dovey with each other. He made sure
to make no sound as he moved away, only to almost blow his cover when he found
himself face to face with Mr. Simmons.
He put a
finger to his mouth to signal that he didn't want his presence to be revealed.
The butler nodded with a pleasant smile and then leaned over. "Maddox is in the
room--"
"Oh, gawd,
Mr. Simmons," Jonathan whispered, "I do have a working memory, you know?"
"Oh, gawd?
All right, I'm finally convinced you changed for the better during your time away
from home. I will go ask your father if he needs anything before I retire."
"Better
not," Jonathan said airily as he hurried past the butler. "I think he'll
appreciate it if you didn't, just this one time."
He felt
quite pleased with himself as he left a somewhat perplexed Mr. Simmons behind.
TBC
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