Meeting the Family

Lo

I watch Caulder as the sun touches his hair and shimmers off his sun-kissed skin. I’m not sure where he acquired those tiny ass shorts, but I love the way the bottoms of his ass cheeks peek out. The fabric simply can’t contain those peaches. I’m not sad about it.

When I pull my attention off his fine ass, I find him chewing on his lip. He’s nervous. I’m not sure why, but I love him all the more for it.

I’ve learned a lot about Caulder over the last six months and, as I suspected months ago, he doesn’t make a decision unless he’s absolutely sure. Sometimes he takes days or weeks to think it through. To research when necessary.

So when he told me he wanted to get married this summer before we started the season, I knew without a doubt that he was convinced of our love. The way it made my emotions swell nearly had me in tears. I’m not an emotional man, but to know he’s put so much thought into it and he’s come out confident that we belong together felt so big. Huge.

It doesn’t mean he’s not nervous. I don’t think he’s nervous about the wedding that we threw together quite rapidly. We decided we really didn’t need or want much as far as ceremonies were concerned. Caulder agreed on the beach and so we’ve rented a private section of beach in Northern California.

We’re wearing skimpy Speedos and have instructed our friends to wear their bathing suits. We’re having a cookout on the beach after. And that’s it. That’s what we want.

He’s happy with that.

What Caulder is nervous about is meeting my family and introducing me to his. As far as I know, he’s only seen his brother and brother’s family since the drama with the pregnant lady. He’s talked to his parents many times, but he hasn’t seen them.

I’m reminded of our teasing months ago when I joked that he’d be introducing me at our wedding. Which is now exactly what we’re doing.

I close the distance between us and wrap my arms around him. Caulder sighs, leaning his weight into me.

“You want to elope?” I ask.

He huffs. “No. This is going to be perfect.”

His family and mine will be showing up within the hour, then our ceremony is in three hours. Some of our friends are already here, playing on the beach and in the water.

We reserved this time beforehand to actually meet each other’s families so it wasn’t quite so literal that we were introducing each other at our wedding. Just on our wedding day. That’s more courteous, right?

I drop my hand to cup his crotch and he snorts laughter. “Is it because your cock is on display for everyone?”

He brushes my hand away. “It won’t be quite so bad if you stop touching me like that,” he mutters, playfully glaring at me.

“But I’m so excited to ride my husband later,” I murmur in his ear.

A delicious shiver races through him, leaving goosebumps all over his sexy flesh.

“Stop,” he demands, laughing. It sounds a little breathless. “There are kids here! They definitely don’t need to see me hard. Neither do my parents.”

I sigh. “Fine. I’ll stop talking about our evening’s celebrations.”

“Caulder!”

He inhales sharply and I know that the voice can only belong to his mother. She is quite literally the only adult female in his family.

Caulder stands up straight and a petite woman wraps her arms around Caulder’s middle. It’s almost comical looking at their size difference. He certainly didn’t get his height from her. She’s probably barely five-feet tall.

What’s very evident is how much she loves her son. When she steps back, she pulls Caulder down so she can kiss his cheek. “You look good, my baby boy. Healthy and strong. And happy. Look at that smile.”

Caulder sighs, his eyes flickering to me.

“You played a good season too. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” he says, a soft smile now on his lips.

She pats his cheek and then turns her attention to me. “However, I’m hurt that you’re waiting until you marry this man to introduce me.”

Caulder sighs again. “Sorry, mom. It happened… kind of quick,” he tells her and gives me a nervous look.

I see the flash of panic in his eyes. It’s only ever there when he thinks about what others will say to him in judgment. Not because he’s unsure.

Stepping closer, I grip his hand and pull him into my side, kissing the side of his head until he releases a breath and his tension.

When I look at his mother again, there’s no mistaking the smile on her face. She approves of me even before I’ve said anything. Because I take care of her son.

“Mom, this is Lo,” Caulder introduces. “This is my mom, Alice.”

I offer her my hand, but she gives me a big hug instead. “It’s wonderful to meet you. Orson’s not let me live it down that he knew about you first.”

Caulder laughs. “He said he was going to do that.”

“Pain in my ass,” Mom mutters. “It’s a good thing he loves my son as much as he does.”

I grin, my arm tightening around Caulder.

“Nanny!”

Caulder’s mother turns as a young girl comes racing across the sand. Alice dips down and scoops her up, hugging her tightly.

“Ugh, stop growing!” Alice admonishes. “You’re almost as big as me.”

“Daddy says that’s because you’re pocket sized.”

“Oh no,” Caulder says.

“Did he now?” Alice asks, her gaze moving across the sand. “Sounds to me like he wants you to have four daddies instead of five.”

Two more kids are coming this way, several years older than the one in her grandmother’s arms. The girl hugs Caulder right away. He bows his head to kiss the top of her hair.

“Jazzy,” he says. “You wearing your bathing suit?”

“Yep. Dad says I need to wear a dress over it until you’re married though.” She stands back and looks at him, making a pointed look at the fact that he isn’t wearing anything besides his bathing suit. "I’m not sure Dad got the memo about your wedding attire.”

I laugh as the boy joins us, hugging Caulder from the side. Then he looks at me. “Do you have nieces and nephews?”

“No. I’m an only child. But I have a cousin that was raised like a sibling. And she has seven kids.”

His eyes widen. “Seven?”

“Yep.”

Jasmine rolls her eyes. “You act like we’re not going to end up with four more siblings one day.”

Destin glances to where his fathers are joining us. While I mean to only give them a cursory look, I end up doing a double take when I spot the giant of a man wearing a bright pink one piece over his big bear body covered in pretty pastel tattoos. Damn. Caulder told me about Vulcan, but there’s nothing like seeing this man in person. He’s a unicorn. The perfection born from flawless cohesion of femininity and masculinity.

I look at Caulder who’s watching me. His expression clearly says see?

Yeah, love. I see.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Destin says. “I hope they have another boy. I’m outnumbered.”

“You’re outnumbered?” Jasmine says incredulously. “There are two girls in the house and six boys. Even the cat is a boy.”

Destin rolls his eyes. “I mean in kids. I like my odds when we include our dads.”

Jasmine looks at us for support. Caulder nods solemnly. “Jaz is right. You need some more girls in the house. I’m looking forward to another niece.”

“Are you going to have a daughter?” Jasmine asks Caulder, her eyes looking between the two of us.

“Uh, no.”

“Ha! Uncle Caulder wants boys too!” Destin cheers.

Caulder gives me a nervous look. I wrap my arm around his waist and pull him close once again. “Actually, we’re planning to have pets. Lots and lots of pets.”

“Oh! Like a horse? No, wait! Get an emu! They’re so funny,” Jasmine says.

My man relaxes, the tension leaving his body. He hasn’t realized that kids especially, don’t really care whether you have kids or not. They don’t have an opinion one way or another. They haven’t quite been brainwashed into what constitutes a life worth living according to modern society.

It isn’t long before Caulder’s brother and his family surround us and who I presume is Caulder’s father, where Caulder actually gets his height from. I think his father is even taller than he is.

Then my cousin arrives with her kids and two of the three baby daddies to help wrangle the brood. The kids immediately get along and run off down the beach to play. Baby daddies and a couple of Caulder’s in-laws follow to keep an eye on the kids so close to the water.

My parents finally arrive and I’m not at all surprised to hear them bickering as they do when they’re within ten feet of each other. My cousin Adèle meets my eyes and together we roll them while we pull my parents apart, putting the entire group between them.

“Honestly,” Adèle admonishes my father. “You’re both acting like children. This is your son’s wedding. Why not behave yourselves for once?”

I smirk. Caulder gives me an amused smile.

There’s chaos as the two families talk. It gets loud, even on the wide-open beach.

But finally, it’s time. Time to marry the man of my dreams. I see nothing but him when we move down the beach, hand in hand. We may as well be alone. Especially when he looks at me the way he does, like I’ve given him the best gift when it’s him who’s given me everything.

The ceremony is short. Nothing but the exchange of vows and the pronunciation of husbands. I wrap my arms around him, pulling his bare skin to mine and kissing him with the sun warm on our bodies.

A perfect day to the beginning of our lives together.