“I’ll… I guess I’ll think about it.”
Maddox smooched him loudly on the lips. “Thanks, babe. And, in the meantime, I’ll think of something. Does anyone else know? I mean, I get it that you told your parents, since you mentioned the PI.”
“Ray knows. I just couldn’t lie to him, I swear.”
“I know. He should work for the FBI,” Maddox said matter-of-factly. “He’s like a scary hamster.”
“I won’t let him know you said that.”
“Then I should talk to him. Two heads are better than one.”
“What for?” Jonathan asked.
“To come up with a plan to make sure that Sunny Hill doesn’t turn into some shit show for you. A lot of people are good people there, but we have our weeds too, I guess. Or else, a stupid thing like Xpress wouldn’t exist.”
Jonathan remained quiet for a while. Ray didn’t judge him, and Maddox didn’t, either. They were good people, indeed. “Maddox, you know, if you think it’s all right, I have no qualms with you telling your friends about the blackmail. I mean, they know me, and I know them, and if this remains a secret, I think they’ll blame me for manipulating you for some obscure purpose.”
“Are you sure?” Maddox asked.
Jonathan nodded, even though he felt the same familiar squeeze on his heart. “I don’t trust Xpress not to release the video even if I do what they say. So, I don’t want it to be an unpleasant surprise for them.”
“All right,” Maddox said. “That’s very courageous of you, just saying.” He kissed Jonathan’s temple.
***
Maddox had been surprised to hear Jonathan’s wish to let more people know about the blackmail, but that didn’t make him less happy. If there was anyone he trusted without reservation, it was his friends. He knew for a fact that they wouldn’t judge Jonathan, either, because they were all good people. “I’m sure Dex can ask his dads for some advice. And Kane’s dad is a big shot executive, so he must know lawyers and all that.”
“At least, we don’t have to worry about lawyers with my parents knowing what’s going on,” Jonathan said and offered Maddox an unsure smile. “They know a lot of lawyers, too. Only I don’t want it to come to that. Even if this scandal is nipped in the bud, another will resurface when I least expect it. That video is out there, no matter how much of a problem it is for me. It’s not something that can be changed. So, maybe I don’t want my parents involved too much,” he said.
“Duly noted,” Maddox said promptly.
Jonathan couldn’t suppress a smile as he brushed Maddox’s hair out of his gorgeous eyes. “You’re sexy when you get all worked up like that.”
That was a cue if he knew anything about cues. He leaned into Jonathan’s touch. “You’re not getting away from me, just so you know. And mom’s really dreaming about that title.”
“Ah, the title. I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint everyone in that regard. Apparently, I’m the proud descendant of a long line of bricklayers.”
Maddox stopped and stared at his boyfriend’s face in disbelief. “Are you pulling my leg?”
“I just found out today myself. So, as you can see, we’re very much alike.”
“Hmm, that’s great news. No drinking tea with the pinky raised, right?”
“Unless you want to. For the record, I was eavesdropping on my parents when I heard about it. Let’s keep it our secret.”
“Hey, it’s going to be my family, too, soon, and I’m all for keeping up appearances,” Maddox joked. “What else did you find out?”
“Aren’t you the curious one?” Jonathan teased.
Maddox grinned and snuck his hands underneath Jonathan’s soft shirt. “You know me.”
“Well,” Jonathan sucked in a breath, “they agreed that I’m not going to change my mind about you, and that’s good. The not so good part is that my mom expects my dad to put you through the wringer, whatever that means. On the bright side, my mom really thinks Rusty’s voice is special. She even called him a wunderkind.”
“Let’s not tell him that. It might go to his head,” Maddox said. “He needs a challenge in his life, and your mom just raised the bar. I’m telling you, we might see a different Rusty Parker because of her.”
“Then, that’s settled. Ah, and I know you talked about Dex and Kane, but I just want you to know that I’m all right with letting Rusty know about the whole scandal brewing thing.” Jonathan cleared his throat slightly, like it was difficult for him to talk about it.
Maddox understood as much. “Rusty may be an airhead and a kinkster most of the time, but I’m willing to bet that if there’s someone who’s going to take the situation you’re in to heart the most, it’s him.”
“I got to know him a little during Thanksgiving break.” Jonathan bit his bottom lip and looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“Hey, I was stupid, okay?” Maddox said quietly and moved his hands up to Jonathan’s shoulders and squeezed in apology. “I guess I was surprised by my own jealousy. I don’t think I had ever experienced it in my life before that moment.”
“So, you’re over it now? Completely?” Jonathan teased him with a smirk.
“Completely. If I ever get jealous again, the only thing I need to do is re-read your love letter, and I’ll be fine.”
“You’re going to tease me about that forever, aren’t you?” Jonathan moaned and let his head fall back in feigned exasperation.
“Of course,” Maddox confirmed brightly. “Now, what should I expect from your dad? Is he going to challenge me to a chess game? I hope I don’t have to demonstrate my prowess in riding horses, because I don’t know anything about that. Also, no trivia outside my school curriculum,” he joked.
“Be yourself,” Jonathan said. “Always remember that even if you don’t win him over, that doesn’t mean that you haven’t won me already. And I’d rather you don’t get stressed by this whole thing. We’ve barely survived our finals, right?”
Maddox shook his head and then took Jonathan’s hand. “That totally went out of my mind. Finals have nothing on meeting your parents.”
“I haven’t asked you… what do you think of them?”
Maddox stopped for a moment. “Wait, do you want to know if I like them?” He pointed at his chest in disbelief.
Jonathan shrugged. “It would be nice if you did, but it’s not a requirement.”
“Well, they’re scary, as Rusty said, but your mom is really amazing, and your dad looks so dignified. Mom and dad are going to be over the moon once they meet them. No one in that neighborhood is ever going to hear the end of it. And I’m happy I met them. However, it’s you I want, so let’s stop with the serious talk for a bit, what do you think?”
Jonathan nodded in agreement. Maddox pulled him toward the bed, and they lay down on their sides, facing each other.
“Do you know when I realized that I’m really in love with you?” Maddox asked, taking in his boyfriend’s beautiful eyes, nose, and lips. He caressed Jonathan’s jawline before going lower, moving his fingers over a nice pec and resting on the quick to harden pebble of flesh beneath his touch.
“When?” Jonathan asked, as his breath began to shorten.
“When I realized that I could sit like this with you, watch you, listen to you, without wanting to have sex.”
“Oh,” Jonathan said, his lips curling in a disappointed smile.