Reservations, p.42
Reservations, page 42
“I can miss,” Logan started while disappearing into the room.
“No, you can’t. We have to do everything by the book right now,” he heard Linda say.
“Go pack, babe. We’re not doing this man unto himself crap anymore, Levi. .”
When Levi didn’t readily move, Thane went to him, taking him by the shoulders in a much gentler hold than he thought possible with all the aggravation rushing through him.
“I just had to watch the man I love in one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever witnessed. You’re coming with me where you know you should be.” He had no idea where Levi’s room was, but that was all right. Since the kitchen took one opening, Levi’s room had to be down the other. He guided them in that direction. Just as he suspected, Levi’s room was spotless.
“What’d you say to her?” Levi asked, turning, following Thane as he left Levi standing in the doorway and went to the center of the small room.
“I just called her bluff. We’ll see if she bites. For now, I need you to pack.” When Levi hesitated, Thane’s frustration grew. He had to remind himself that Levi was only being difficult because he wanted to pay his own way, handle his responsibilities himself. That helped settle Thane, and he stepped forward, placing both hands on Levi biceps. “I like this look on you with the bill of the hat turned to the back. Your face was made to wear ball caps like this.”
Levi let out an unsteady breath, showing just how stressed he was.
“Don’t get upset. Stop worrying. She doesn’t want Luke; she wants his money and it’s not much.”
“You’re right, it’s not,” Levi started, his head shaking back and forth as if he saw the ridiculousness in her thoughts. “He gets less than eight hundred dollars a month. She can’t make it on that.”
“I needed to know that figure. Babe, get your stuff. Let me go tell Logan to make sure he packs all his school work together. I don’t want you guys coming back here ever, but certainly not for the next few days. We’ll talk this all out back at the resort. I don’t want her showing back up, and she might.”
That spurred Levi into action. Thane left him there, calculating his next steps. That was far less money than he’d initially thought. He wouldn’t even have to move money around to write that check. Once he felt reasonably comfortable in his strategy, he went to the car for some privacy. He needed to talk to his attorney, get his game plan set. Buy him some time to get these guys as far away from California as he could.
Thane arrived at his attorney’s office forty-five minutes early, still surprised at how quickly his California legal counsel, Jason Hammer, had pulled this meeting together. Levi was in tow. He’d seen firsthand the dismal quality of Levi’s wardrobe. His guy lived off vintage T-shirts and athletic shorts with a stack of hand-me-down blue jeans and sweaters he’d bought while living in Maryland. He had nothing but sandals and a single pair of tennis shoes for his feet. For some reason, that had been the catalyst to show Thane just how much Levi gave of himself to keep this family going. The best he could see, Levi’s only splurge was his used smart phone on a cheap month by month plan. Saints had nothing on his guy. The knowledge incensed him more that his mother would try and take from her children who lacked any sort of real foundation due to her own negligence.
Levi looked as uncertain as he’d ever seen him as they walked toward the reception desk. “Hi, Thane, Jason’s expecting you. Let me tell him you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you think he’ll really scare her?” Levi asked for maybe the hundredth time today.
“I do,” he said, running his hand down Levi’s arm, hoping to give him reassurance.
“I’m underdressed.” Levi looked around at the grandeur of the attorney’s office then down the length of Thane’s body. He had worn a suit and tie, his standard dress, except Levi didn’t really know that. Since he’d been in Coronado, he’d kept it casual. “You look like you did when I first met you.”
“I don’t know if that’s a compliment,” Thane teased, drawing Levi’s eyes straight to him. “Now, listen, I brought you here today so you can read the terms we’ve put together, see what we may have missed, and so you’ll know exactly what’s going on, but please don’t start that fighting thing you do with me. Not in there. We’re united.”
“We are united, but I don’t want you giving her money.” Levi immediately started to argue, and Thane laughed, never taking his eyes from Levi.
“Exactly that. Don’t do that,” Thane teased. Jason came through from the back, his grin splitting his face from ear to ear. He was a large man in every way, at least six feet, six inches tall and a combination of brawn and good looks. His loud booming voice sent a chill down the spine even when he was jovial, like right now.
“Well, I see you got your guy,” Jason said, laughing as he stuck out his hand first to Thane, then to Levi. “I’ve been to the club a few times. I was there the night you shot him down. It was very enjoyable to see Thane getting some of what the rest of us get regularly.”
“Hey, hey, hey,” Thane said, grinning back at Jason. “We don’t need to remind Levi of my shortcomings.”
“I don’t know, I’m kind of enjoying this, but since we have thirty or so minutes before she arrives, we can continue when you buy me drinks tonight.”
“I’ll buy you drinks if you get this settled for us,” Thane countered, following Jason through the door. Levi had suddenly become quiet, not uttering one single word. He was unsure. Thane did nothing to relieve Levi’s uncertainty. Instead he hoped Levi remained quiet like this for the next couple of hours because it made his boyfriend appear agreeable. Thane gripped his hand, threading their fingers together, tugging him along.
~~~
Levi tried. Lord knew he did. He stayed silent through the terms of the agreement Thane’s attorney had quickly drawn up. Hell, it hadn’t been seven hours since his mother had been at their house. How Thane had gotten Jason to stop everything and draft this agreement was beyond him. That was the first most impressive feat. The second came when Jason outlined all the requirements his mother would have to live by. The most important one to Thane was zero contact with Logan or Luke. If either boy wanted to know her, Thane or Levi would readily give her information to them, but she was to stay away from both boys for the rest of their lives. She also had to stay away from social services. That was said very carefully, but still stated clearly. If she broke any of the terms, future payments would end, and she’d be expected to pay every dime back. That was where things got tricky for Levi.
Levi zeroed in on the payment portion of the agreement, and he immediately started shaking his head, looking up at Thane, whispering as if Jason didn’t sit just feet away, “I can’t afford this, Thane.”
Thane’s hand came out, taking the agreement from Levi, while the other clasped his hand. “Don’t worry about that, babe. I’m guaranteeing that payment.”
Levi’s head might have actually exploded right then. Heat flooded his cheeks as he spoke much louder this time. “You can’t pay for her.”
Thane rolled his eyes, and Jason busted out with a booming laugh. “I wasn’t sure about him. I wondered if that was an act.”
Thane answered, “It’s frustratingly not at all an act.”
Levi sighed dejectedly, staring between both men that had just blown him off. He wasn’t certain what he had expected by coming there today, but the small amount of hope he’d hung on to all morning slowly began to slip away. An anxious desperation took hold. It would take everything and then some to keep his mother away from Luke.
Jason’s office door opened, interrupting the steady build of fear growing inside Levi. “She’s here, but she’s refusing to give me her full name.”
“Levi, do you know her full legal name?”
Still stuck on the three tier payment schedule, coming to a total of forty thousand dollars his mother would get over the next two years, he completely missed the question directed to him. That was more than double what Luke would be paid through social security.
“Levi, answer the question,” Thane encouraged. It took a second as he looked between the three expectant faces to remember the question he’d been asked. Name. His mother’s name. Right.
“Teresa-Jane Silva. It’s hyphenated. No middle name.”
Jason turned back to the assistant, letting her know there were no other changes. Thane started to stand, motioning for him to follow. He did, still lost in the possibilities of how in the world he could afford those payments. They were led through a side door into an empty conference room. Thane flipped on the lights and drew Levi farther inside. An oversized table with six leather office chairs filled the center of the room.
“I want you to stay in here no matter what you hear. I’ll come get you when it’s over.”
“Thane, you can’t do this. I can’t pay that, and I won’t let you pay that to her,” Levi said, rounding to Thane, cutting him off. Thane eased forward, kissing his lips. Not necessarily a romantic kiss. He got the feeling it was an appeasing him kind of kiss to help stop his objection. Levi’s eyes narrowed, realizing Thane did that move quite a bit.
“No one’s ever watched my pennies as closely as you, Red. Promise me. I know if you promise, then you’ll stay in here, but if she sees you’re distraught, she’ll know she can get more from me. Promise,” Thane said right in his face, turning serious as he spoke.
“I’ll wait, but I don’t agree with this,” Levi added, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Noted.” Thane disappeared behind the door, and Levi edged back against the table, staring at the now closed door. He stayed just like that for a good thirty minutes only gathering bits and pieces of the conversation. When the big gentle bear, Jason Hammer, viciously raised his voice a couple of times after his mother did the same, Levi got Jason’s intimidation factor. Outside of that, he heard nothing he could make any sense of.
At times, he couldn’t even be certain they were still inside the office. He dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. He hadn’t even let himself dwell on the heartsick emotion of seeing his mother, knowing she’d kept some kind of tab on him. She had known he was gay. She’d stayed in San Diego, but never came back to see him or his brothers. That hurt, knowing she was in the same city as they were all these years and never even bothered to pick up a phone… The knowledge threatened to crush him. It had to hurt Logan and Luke, and it had to have gutted his loving father. He wondered how much his dad had known. Levi suspected he probably knew the truth, lied to protect Logan and Luke.
The door opened, and Levi looked up to see Thane. He looked tense and rolled his shoulders as he opened the door wider. “We’re done.”
“She agreed?” Levi asked, not budging, his knuckles digging into the table.
“Yes. How are you?” Thane asked, moving closer.
“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly. Thane sighed and came toward him, stepping between his legs.
“This has to be hard to deal with,” Thane said, gently putting his hands on Levi’s waist.
“As I waited in here, listening to her voice, there were so many unexpected layers to her just showing up like this. Part of the reason I’m like I am is because I taught myself to be the best person I could be so she’d come back home. She hated cleaning house. From the day she left, I always kept our house clean just in case she came back, she’d see I wasn’t messy anymore. I wanted her back so badly.”
Thane said nothing. He just wrapped his arms around Levi and held him. Exactly what he needed. Levi closed his eyes and melted against Thane. Minutes passed in their silence before Levi said, “I’m worried about how you can afford everything you’re putting out while taking us on. I’ll work. We saved…”
Thane pulled away, moving back to look Levi in the eyes as he interrupted and said seriously, “We’ll be broke.”
Levi widened his eyes, and the relief running through him caused him to speak without thinking. “That’s okay. Maybe even better for me. I was uncomfortable with all the money you have…”
Thane lifted a hand, pressing a finger to Levi’s lips, silencing him. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Wait. Don’t get your hopes up, Red. We’re broke like getting you a reasonably loaded XT5 instead of a fully loaded Escalade, which I really wanted you to have to drive back and forth to school.”
That silenced Levi. He lifted his brows, causing Thane to chuckle as he placed both his palms on Levi’s cheeks, holding him in place.
Levi pressed his lips to Thane’s expecting to be brief, but this man made him complete. Thane had given him the world.
Thane slanted his head, his tongue sliding along the seam of Levi’s lips until he opened, and let him slip inside. Had they been alone, Levi would have taken full advantage of this moment, but they weren’t—not really—and he reluctantly pulled away. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Jason came through the door. “I don’t want to rush you two along, but my next appointment’s here.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s go home.”
Chapter 28
That night, the music thumped while Levi gyrated enticingly against Thane. Being the owner of Reservations had its perks. His reserved table was right off the dance floor, not in the VIP section, and as far as he was concerned, it was the best table in the house. Thane held Levi’s glass as Levi took a drink from his celebratory martini and continued to move; his guy never lost his groove as he swallowed the gulp down.
Thane handed the empty glass over to Jason, who was there with them, celebrating their victory. With nefarious intent, Thane lifted the hem of Levi’s shirt, pulling it over his lover’s head, tossing that in Jason’s direction too. Levi turned and backed his perfectly round bouncing ass against Thane’s rigid cock then looked back over his shoulder, giving him that tipsy, irresistible grin. Man, he was so in love.
He kept the beat, moving in time with Levi even as Chase came forward, abandoning his tables to begin dancing with Levi, effectively sandwiching Levi in between the both of them. There was a split second of jealousy that soon died as the cheers of the tables around them started, and Levi turned in his arms, pressing himself head to toe against Thane before kissing him. His guy wasn’t the least bit interested in the other waiter. Chase didn’t seem to care; he kept moving like a trained dancer to the delight of the entire room.
“Wanna break, handsome?” Thane yelled.
“Yeah and some water. You’re getting me drunk,” Levi yelled back, already moving from his arms to go back to the table. The club was in rare form tonight. They were packed full, which was nothing new. Much to Julian’s dismay, Thane had just ordered the entire club a round of Redheaded Slut. A shot he’d chosen in honor of his mister. Levi had laughed about the name, but leaned in when no one was paying attention and promised to show him exactly how slutty he could be when they were alone. Thane was so looking forward to that promise he’d almost taken Levi back to the room early.
They were having too much fun and had partied so much tonight. The club members thought it was their new status as life-partners they were celebrating. For Thane it was so much more. They were free of all the ties that bound them.
This afternoon, Thane officially became part of the family. He, Levi, Luke, and Logan all sat down for their first family meeting, unanimously agreeing to forgo the on-campus apartment, and move straight into Thane’s new home in Ellicott City.
They planned to move the Silva brothers out of their home in San Diego next week. Thane wasted no time in having Jenna purchase all their airline tickets to Maryland the afternoon of Logan’s last day of class. That had earned a tearful Alison a night out with Logan. Thane pulled some strings, giving the young couple the VIP treatment at Castelli’s by themselves tonight. Luke was happy to stay at home on the new gamer laptop Thane had impulsively purchased after leaving the attorney’s office. Luke needed something special of his own.
Thane had finally gotten his guy and had two new brothers in return. Thane wrapped an arm around Levi’s waist as he scooted up to the table, gulping down the cold water that had been left behind. When Thane kissed Levi on the shoulder, his guy stopped drinking, instinctively offering the drink to him. It was a sweet gesture; he took the glass and finished the water.
“You need to get out there and dance,” Thane yelled across the table to Jason.
“I’m not the dancing kind.”
Chase obviously heard the exchange, or watched Jason’s resistance, and immediately came over, gyrating in front of Jason before pulling him right off that chair.
“Come on, Daddy Bear. You’re dancing tonight,” Chase said matter-of-factly, refusing to take no as an answer.
It took a little more prompting, but Jason did get out there on the floor, and he wasn’t half bad.
Thane ran his fingers through Levi’s hair, drawing his redhead’s face back so he could lean in and kiss him, first a simple brush of the lips that lingered then turned X-rated. That was Levi’s fault. Levi kissed him like he had a right to be there. Thane always lost his mind when Levi dominated him. It wasn’t until he was knocked in the arm that he broke from Levi to see Julian placing two fresh glasses of water in front of them. It kind of pissed him off. Water wasn’t enough reason to interrupt such a kiss…until his club manager stepped aside and he saw Linda standing there.
Her grin spread from ear to ear. When he’d planned this impromptu celebration, he’d called her. Her presence definitely broke the rules, but no Walker-Silva gathering would be complete without her.
“I come bearing company,” Julian announced with sass.
Thane grabbed Jason’s seat for Linda. “I’m glad you came.”
“It’s so much fun here,” she said, both he and Julian started snapping fingers, drawing waiters from every direction to give Linda the VIP treatment.
