home for dinner this evening?” When Robin opened his mouth to respond, Mike got in first. “And… bring Dean with you.” He turned to face Dean. “That’s if you’ll come.”
Dean smiled. “I’ll be there, you can count on that.”
Robin’s eyes were huge. “Really?”
Mike nodded. “I think it’s time we got to know each other a little better, don’t you?”
Robin’s chest heaved. “You mean that?”
“I do. So now I’ll leave you alone. Besides, I need to go home and tell your mom to set another place at the table.”
Dean walked across to Mike, his hand extended. Mike contemplated it for a second, before giving it a firm shake. “I’m glad you came over.”
Mike chuckled as he relinquished Dean’s hand. “I had little choice in the matter, believe me. I had Petra and Ryan giving me grief. Now maybe I’ll get to enjoy my Christmas in peace.” He gazed at Robin. “But before I go…” He laid his hand on Robin’s shoulder. “I guess it’s a hard thing for any father to accept his kids have grown up. I trust you with so much where the business is concerned. I tell folks how mature you are. Maybe I should start meaning what I say, and trust you now.”
Dean’s throat tightened as Robin hugged his dad. Way to go, Santa. Dean didn’t believe for a second that he and Mike were suddenly bosom buddies, but it was a start.
Dean and Robin stood at the front door, waving as Mike got into his car and drove off. Dean closed the door, and a second later, Robin leaped into his arms.
“Did that just happen?”
Dean laughed, but Robin took his mouth in a fervent kiss, and Dean went with it. He pushed Robin against the front door, his hands under Robin’s ass, and held him there while they kissed.
“Hey,” Dean murmured between kisses. “We’re giving my neighbors a free show right now.”
Robin chuckled. “Then you should sell tickets. We’d make a fortune.” He locked his legs around Dean’s waist, reclaiming his lips in another hungry kiss.
It took all of Dean’s strength of will to pull away. He didn’t put Robin down, however. Holding him like that felt so good.
“A couple of things I need to point out here. I want to grab a shower before we go. You need one too. And if we don’t stop, we are going to be late. Think what kind of impression that would create.” He had one more point to make, but it pained him to have to do it.
It seemed Robin was way ahead of him. “You can put me down now.” Dean slowly lowered him, but Robin kept his arms around Dean’s neck. “I’m not stupid,” he said quietly. “My dad doesn’t change his mind that easily. But right now? I’ll take what I can get. He needs time to get to know you. He’ll come around.”
Dean marveled at the confidence in his voice. “You are truly amazing, do you know that? And I’m going to miss you tonight.” When Robin blinked, Dean locked gazes with him. “You need to pack your bag.”
Robin stared at him, his mouth opening and closing. Finally, he sighed. “You’re right, of course. I need to go home. So long as you know… I’m gonna miss you too.”
“We’ll have other nights,” Dean assured him. At least, he hoped they would. It had to be pretty obvious to Robin’s parents after the NYC trip, exactly how the land lay. And if they were going to treat Robin as an adult, that would mean not objecting to him spending weekends at his boyfriend’s house.
Boyfriend. The word filled Dean with warmth.
He kissed the tip of Robin’s nose. “First one upstairs gets to shower in the corner tub.” He set off running.
“Hey, no fair!” Robin gave chase. “What happened to making compromises?”
“Fine,” he yelled. “You can share the shower. But no distractions, you got that? I am not going to the Emergency Room with a broken leg on Christmas Eve, all because you wanted to fuck in the shower.”
Not that the idea didn’t have some merit.
Dean gave a joyful laugh. Having Robin in his life was never going to be dull.
Robin had the severest case of butterflies ever.
Between Ryan smirking—his eyebrows waggled so much, they resembled caterpillars on steroids—through the entire meal, Mom doing her best to engage Dean in conversation about anything and everything, and Dad not saying much, his appetite had been shot to shit. Still, he couldn’t believe they’d come this far.
“Where do your