"Jess, everything has been great. I couldn't be happier with someone else, even if I tried."

I held my phone to my ear as I laid on our bed. I didn't even have a chance to finish getting dressed when Jess called me. The only reason that I even answered my phone, to begin with, was that I was waiting for Robbie to finish showering. So, here I was laying on the bed in just a pair of jeans while Jess was giving me the third degree.

"Tyler, you've been shacking up with him for three months now and I barely get to see you anymore."

"I know, I've been a horrible friend and I'm sorry about that. It's just been hard finding the time to hang out and all. We'll get together soon, I swear."

"You better or I'll be beating on your door in the middle of the night. Anyway, did you give it up for him yet?"

Just then, Robbie walked out of the bathroom naked. His body was still wet from the shower and he was drying his hair with a towel. The sight of him in all his glory was enough to make me quiver still. I almost forgot that I was on the phone when Jess's voice came through it again.

She asked, "Well?"

"Jess, that's a little personal. Let's just say that our needs are being taken care of."

Robbie started laughing at my response. Truthfully, he has been completely awesome throughout this whole experience. He hasn't pushed me once to do something that I wasn't ready for. Everything that we have done so far has been at my own pace. That was just one of the many reasons that I loved this man. I switched my phone to my other hand and stretched my arm across the bed toward him. Robbie threw the towel back into the bathroom and laid down on the bed beside me. He laid on his side facing me with his head propped up with his arm.

Jess responded, "Tyler if you don't put out before too much longer he's going to give up and move onto someone else."

She was talking loud enough that I knew Robbie could hear what she said. He reached over and grabbed the phone from my hand, taking over the conversation for me.

Robbie said, "Jess, it'll happen when he's ready and not a second before. Besides, I'm perfectly fine waiting. Now if you don't mind, my boyfriend needs to get ready to go meet my parents. We'll all get together for dinner or something later this week."

I could hear her reply, "Well, you better be taking care of him or I'll beat that millionaire ass of yours."

He replied, "I am Jess, don't worry. We gotta go now, he'll talk to ya later. Bye."

I don't think that she even had time to respond before he ended the call. I rolled onto my side and faced him as he sat my phone down between us. Reaching over to his head, I pulled him into me and gave him a quick kiss.

"Thank you, she would have stayed on the phone all night if you let her."

Robbie replied, "I know, but we need to get dressed. My father likes his guests to be on time."

I kissed him again and we both got off the bed. I looked through the closet for a shirt to wear while Robbie started to get dressed. Most of my clothes and personal possessions were at his place now since I was practically living with him anyway. There were just some odds and ends at my old place that I didn't feel like moving yet. At least until my lease ran out at the end of next month.

As I buttoned the shirt that I picked out, I started to dread the thought of the night ahead of us. During the three-plus months that we had been seeing each other, Robbie still hasn't managed to tell his parents. He had told me before that his family knew that he was into guys too. But, I was still worried that they would freak out none-the-less. Even if he was the outcast of the family, this was still life-altering news. Not to mention that he was still one of the heirs to a major real estate company. I would never forgive myself if he was shunned by his family and thrown out of the business. If something were to go horribly wrong, I don't know if I could forgive myself for it. Either way though, nothing would change my feelings for him. I'd share a cardboard box in an alley with him if it came down to it.

I sat on the edge of the bed while waiting for him to finish getting dressed. When he was ready, he walked over to me and took both of my hands in his. While glancing up his body, I couldn't help but notice that he looked sharp regardless of what he wore. Even in a plain black button-down shirt, he looked gorgeous.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?"

He replied, "Tyler, I have never been so sure of something before in my life."

Standing up from the bed, I kissed him and gave him a quick hug. This was bound to be a rough night for him and I wanted to be there for him. After he broke off the hug, Robbie held onto my hand as he led me out of the room.

As we walked out of the room, I glanced down at the top of the dresser and two drumsticks laying on top of it. I brought over the one that I caught after Robbie asked me to be his boyfriend. It seemed only fitting at the time and I haven't really thought about them since. The pair was finally reunited, just like Robbie and I have been. I guess in the end that Jess really did accomplish her goal that night at the concert. If I didn't catch that lone drumstick, I would have still been single in my lonely apartment. That one event set into motion a chain of events that neither of us could have foreseen. That lonely piece of wood that had caused me so much turmoil ended up being the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

I had never even conceived being with another guy. But, Jess was right, you can't control who you love. Now, I had more love and admiration for the man leading me out of his, well our condo I guess, than I had for anyone else. The simple fact that he was willing to introduce me to his parents was enough to show how much he cared for me. I could only hope that their response was as receptive as he wished for. However, I wasn't holding my breath when it came to his father.

...

When we got off the elevator in the penthouse, a woman met us outside the doors. From the resemblance and age, I guessed that she was Robbie's sister. She appeared to be rather prim and proper with a knee-length black dress and classic black pumps. Her dark blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail which dropped down just below her shoulder blades. I kept to his side as he walked over to the woman and gave her a hug. He whispered something in her ear, but I couldn't quite make out what he was saying. After breaking off the hug with her, he turned to me and reached his hand out to mine. I was reluctant to take it, but he grabbed onto my hand anyway.

Robbie looked at me and said, "Tyler, may I introduce my sister, Sam. Sam this is my boyfriend, Tyler."

I stuck out my hand intending on shaking hers, but she took a step toward me and gave me a hug. I wrapped my free arm around her back as she said in my ear, "I'm glad that my brother has finally decided to settle down."

She stepped back from me and said, "You did good Robbie, he's a cutie."

He replied, "Thanks, sis."

She responded, "Shall we introduce the pup to the wolves now?"

My grip on his hand tightened and I could feel my back stiffen at the thought of what was yet to come. Robbie looked at me with those piercing blue eyes and my heart melted in their gaze. I started to relax as I walked with Robbie and his sister into the penthouse. The place resembled Robbie's condo, very clean with few decorations. The only real difference was, it was way bigger. This place took up the entire top two floors of the building.

Robbie and his sister led me through the lower floor and into the living room where there were two other people already sipping on cocktails. They appeared to be in there 50's and were both well dressed. The gentleman looked remarkably like my boyfriend and his sister. The siblings seemed to get their hair and eyes from their mother. I was shocked that Robbie kept his hold on my hand as we approached his parents.

"Robert," his father growled, "I thought that I told you if you ever bring another guy to meet me that I would disown you."

Robbie responded, "Father before you judge him, let me introduce him to you. This is Tyler, he was responsible for putting together our recent ad campaign."

Robbie's father glared at him before he responded, "Hhhmmm, I think I like him already. Residential occupancy at our new building is already at 83% and it doesn't officially open for another week."

"Thank you, Sir."

Robbie looked at me and smiled. "Tyler, this is my father, James and my mother, Evelyn."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both."

Evelyn walked over to us and gave me a hug. She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes with the same piercing blue eyes that her son possessed. "I approve Robbie, he looks so innocent and gorgeous at the same time. I can definitely see why you fell for him."

Robbie replied, "Thank you, mother."

Robbie had told me a month into our relationship that his parents wouldn't have a problem with us being together. Somehow though, I didn't truly believe it until tonight. We joined them in the living room, seated across from them as we sipped on our cocktails and talked about a wide range of subjects. James was still super critical of everything that Robbie said, and I concluded that would never change. However, I had a feeling that his father loved him regardless of whatever choices that he made in his life. It was just part of his natural instinct to protect his son.

When the servants announced that dinner was ready, we all walked over to the dining area and took our seats at the table. Conversation during dinner stayed the same as it had been before. That was until we finished eating and the plates were cleared. Our glasses were once again refilled by one of the servants and a plate of pastries was placed in the middle of the table. I was just about to take another sip of my drink when Robbie stood up and dropped down to one knee. The rest of the family stopped conversation in mid-sentence as their eyes went to my boyfriend.

Robbie took my hand and asked, "Tyler Joseph Marks, will you marry me?"

I watched as Evelyn dropped her glass on the floor beside her and James gulped down the rest of his drink. Apparently, nobody in the room was expecting this to happen tonight. Including Sam, who stared at us with her eyes glued on me. This was all happening very quickly, way too quickly for my liking. The thought of getting married had crossed my mind before. It just wasn't something that I had thought about since entering a relationship with Robbie. But, everything about it felt so right that I couldn't help myself. As a tear escaped my eye and rolled down my cheek, I slowly nodded back at him. It took his grasp on my thigh to get me to actually answer, "Yes."

Robbie slid an engagement ring on my finger while I was still too stunned to move a muscle. As I was starting to breathe normally again, I noticed one of the servants running over to clean up the broken glass and spill. James got up from his seat without saying a word and walked over to the bar. I was still too overwhelmed to worry about the rest of his family at this moment. Taking his hand in mine, I stood up from the chair while pulling Robbie up with me. Once we were both standing, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and squeezed them as tight as I could. He held me tight against him as I buried my face into the side of his neck. I tried not to cry, but I could feel a few tears fall between my eyes and his neck. This must have been the sign that I was waiting for. The sign that I truly was in love with him. I pulled my head away from his neck and quickly led my lips to his. Not really caring who was watching us, I kissed him right in front of his family.

After breaking off the kiss with my now fiancé, I backed slightly away from him while still looking into his piercing blue eyes. While I was looking at him, Evelyn, and Sam both walked around the table to hug and congratulate us. At least two out of the three seemed genuinely happy for us.

Robbie kissed his mom and sister on their cheeks. "Thank you both, it really means a lot to us. I need to go talk to him though."

Evelyn responded, "Just let him simmer, Robbie. He'll come around eventually."

"Mom, I don't want him holding this over me for the rest of my life."

Robbie started to walk away from us, but I kept a tight grasp on his hand. He looked back at me and said, "I can handle this on my own. I don't want to drag you into this any more than I already did."

"I'm part of you now. We're both in this together."

He replied, "I love you."

"I love you too."

He kissed me again and we both walked over to where his father was standing beside the bar. He was sipping his freshly filled glass as he leaned his back against the bar. James' expression hadn't changed any since he got up from the table.

Robbie said, "Father, I'm not asking for your blessing. I know you better than that."

He responded, "What is it that you do want from me then?"

"Well, some kind of acknowledgment would be nice."

James drank the rest of his drink before setting the empty mug on the bar. "I have three conditions that have to be met first."

Robbie replied, "Okay."

"First, no public announcements about this for six months. I don't want a huge public announcement and you two breaking up after. You haven't really been together long enough to take this step, at least in my opinion."

Robbie looked at me while I nodded a 'yes' back at him. He looked at his father and said, "Fine. Next?"

"Second, I'll pay for the wedding. It's the least that I can do after all the hell I put you through over the past few years."

This was probably the first time that I had ever seen Robbie in a state of shock. He started to respond to his father, but James put his hand up stopping him.

James continued, "I'll take that as a yes. Finally, all of our company's future advertising will be handled by my soon to be son in law. I don't care if I have to make a position for him in the company."

This time it was my turn to be shocked. Robbie tried to respond with his father stopping him once again.

"I want you to understand that I don't condone the lifestyle that you chose. However, if this is the life that you want, I don't really have much of a choice. You're my only son and I'll love you regardless."

Now I thought that Robbie was going to cry. He let go of my hand and walked over to his father. They hugged briefly before Robbie backed away from him. Robbie walked around the bar and refilled his father's drink before pouring drinks for the rest of us. Evelyn and Sam walked over to the bar and took their drinks from the top.

James announced, "I'd like to make a toast. To Robert and Tyler, may they know what they're getting themselves into."

Everyone laughed as we clinked our glasses together. Tonight didn't go like I was expecting it to at all. To the complete contrary, it ended up changing both of our lives. My fiancé wrapped his arm around my waist and kept it there for the rest of the night. Part of me was happier than I've ever been before. The other part of me was terrified about what was yet to come.