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***Mark's POV***

"Baby, are you almost ready?" Sebastian walks out of the bathroom looking like a dime. God he's fucking attractive.

"Yes, love. Just grabbing my shoes." I slip my feet into my boots and bend over to tie the laces.

Warm hands touch my hips. I smile while rolling my pants back over the tongues.

Standing up, I turn and soak in the bright smile of the man I love. There is nothing better than having him here with me.

Nothing.

"Ready." I smile and lean in to kiss his lips.

"Keep going. We can be late." Seb leans in again, biting my lip.

"Nope. Not having Angie pissed at me. We said one. Let's go." I grab his hand and pull him out of the room.

"You two look amazing." Mak walks up and hugs the both of us. Handing Seb a freshly baked pie.

"Thanks." I grab my keys and we make our way to the truck.

The drive is farther than I expected. But to spend time with Seb's family, I don't mind.

We pull up with five minutes to spare. I help Sebastian out and we lace our fingers together before he knocks on the door of his family home.

It's nothing large, but it's a home. It feels like a home. The love practically pours from the foundation as you enter the cozy space.

"Mark, I swear you get cuter every day." Mrs. Angie pulls me into her arms and hugs me softly.

"As you get more beautiful." I kiss her cheek and hand over the pie that I was made to bring.

Mak!

"I said we had it." Mrs. Angie swats my arm but takes the dessert none the less.

"It was Mak." Seb tattles. He's a brat.

I pinch his side. He could have let me take the credit.

"Not a chance. Ma already knows you don't cook." Seb chuckles as I roll my eyes.

"I make a mean breakfast." I argue.

"That's IHOP . Just because you set it on a plate doesn't mean you made it." Seb kisses me on the cheek as he walks away laughing.

"Don't let him give you a hard time. He can cook but, he would never tell you that he spent two months learning to do a push-up ." Devon walks up to me. He's Seb's youngest brother.

I laugh. That's funny.

"His arms are big." I counter. They were.

"Yes but, you should have seen him five years ago. Actually come here." Devon pulls me along so I follow, almost willingly.

Devon squats down and pulls open a cabinet. He hands me a photo album. I open it and I am more than excited by the pictures.

I burst into laughter.

"Devon!" Seb almost squeals as he hobbles over too slowly. The damage is done. I saw it. Oh, did I see it.

I wipe tears from my eyes while rushing through the pictures.

"We called him Gumby." Asia walks in with a shit eating grin on her face.

"You promised." Seb whines and crosses his arms. He pouts. He's too adorable.

"We promised not to show him the other pics. This was not in that contract." Asia giggles and points to another photo album tucked between a few books up high.

"I fucking hate you." Seb groans and falls into the couch.

Mrs. Angela walks over and snatches the album off the shelf.

"Might as well. He loves you anyway." She winks. I nod and smile.

Mrs. Angela puts the book in her lap and pulls me close.

"High School." Angela points at the picture. I'm dead. Fucking RIP!

"Screech." I yell out. I grip my side as a large air bubble traps under my rib. Gasping, tears spring from my eyes. My head begins to spin as I try desperately to catch any breath.

You can't even. This boy. Oh shit, fuck. Hallelujah baby Jesus. Thank you for cameras.

Priceless!

My Sebastian has a curly poof of hair atop his thin head. He's just as tall but omg. Did he ever eat? His legs look like string beans. His arms are so thin that you can barely make them out next to his teammates. His basketball jersey hangs loosely off his forearms. Screech. Saved by the bell. Oh fuck.

Make it stop!

I can't.

"It's not that funny." Seb glares at me. It just makes me worse. I fall off the couch, barely missing colliding with the coffee table. My sides. My poor lungs.

Hell, I wish Grey was here.

"That's not the best one." Aaliyah butts in as she flips a few pages, holding the book above me from my place on the floor.

"No. Stop. Can't." I just can't get a single gulp of vital oxygen. Trying desperately to appease my burning lungs, I roll to my knees and grip my stomach. I use the table for support as I try to get to a standing position.

There, before my very eyes, I am just having a hard time digesting the picture.

I gasp, wheeze and fan my hand in front of my face. I may pass out.

"In the flesh. Mr. Sebastian Royals. Hot runway model. Every boy and girl's dream." Mya smirks as she sits down next to my embarrassed boyfriend. He puts her in a head lock. I can barely make out the exchange from the stream of tears filling my squinting eyes.

"You. Can't. Make. This. Shit. Up." I slap my knee and fall forward. I'm a lost cause.

In all his glory, Seb stands proudly in front of a mirror. The only thing adorning his birthday suit is white boxers and a pair of white tube socks. He is literally flexing. What he's flexing? No idea. He literally is bones and skin.

I die. Done.

"I hate you Mark Fletcher." Seb crawls over to me, grabbing me by sides. He makes everything worse. His honey fingers dig into my ribs as he wrestles me to the ground.

"Bet you're still stronger than in that pic." I tuck my head into his chest as his family bursts into laughter.

"No more albums." Seb scrambles off of me, lurching to get to the pictures.

I pull him back down and grab his face. I peck his lips several times and grin above him.

"Still hate you." Seb reaches his lips up and kisses me again.

"I still love you. My Gumby." I chuckle into his lips.

"Bastard." Seb pushes my face away. I stand up and help him to his feet. I straighten his shirt and pull him in for a real kiss. My mouth practically o's at the feeling of his delicious lips on mine.

"You love me." I sing song as I help put the albums back where they started.

"Burn those Ma. I'm not playing this time." Sebastian points at his mom pretending to be threatening.

"Oh come on. Like Mark's parents didn't pull the old photos out for you." Devon innocently breaches a closed subject. At least it is closed in my eyes.

"Not yet." Seb shakes his head and moves his stare to my direction.

I smile slightly. My teeth grit behind my lips. I'm not ready for that. Not now. Possibly ever if I get a say.

"You have met them, right?" Asia stands with hands on her hips. She lowers her eyes at me like she just found out I was on probation.

"Soon." Seb smiles at me. I try desperately to return the gesture.

"Lunch time." Mrs. Angela wraps her hand around my bicep and drags me into the dining room. Everyone follows behind.

I pull Seb's chair out and carefully push him into the table. I take a seat after all the ladies have gotten into theirs.

"So chivalrous." Seb kisses my hand as I sit.

"Remember that." I whisper.

I'm going to need all the fucking brownie points I can get.

Lunch is delicious. A wide array of home cooked food sits before us. We fill our bellies far past nutrition. The word glutton comes to mind as my stomach protests the final bite I manage to squeeze in.

"It's so delicious. Thank you." I stand, slowly. I help to clear the table and somehow find the flexibility to put the food away. Honestly, I sorta wanna eat more.

"You can come eat whenever you're hungry." Mrs. Angela hands me a beer and I grab one for Seb before following her out to the back.

The backyard is quaint. The grass is barely existent under the spray of fall leaves. Autumn in New York is by far one of the most beautiful seasons.

There is a swing hanging off a large tree that cascades it's branches to the ground. They create a canopy above the dated swing. The swing itself is surrounded by concrete bird baths. The water from recent rain is still stagnant in the bowls. It doesn't stop a sparrow from pitter pattering thru the shallow pool.

"There a story behind that swing?" I ask with a soft tone. Has to be. It looks untouched for years.

"Daddy built that swing when Ma found out she was pregnant with Seb. It's not much. We turned it into a little monument of memories over the years. Every year, daddy would buy mama another birdbath or yard decoration. He had hoped to turn this yard into her own personal haven. She loves outdoors. Daddy just wanted to make ma as happy as possible." It's Asia that explains what I believed to be true.

The heartwarming story is a beautiful ode to the love that was once shared between the two. It makes me sad that it no longer thrives. I remember Seb telling me how his father had passed. His mom never sought to move on afterwards.

"It's beautiful." I smile while thinking of all the days the family possibly spent out here on this very pad that we are sitting on today. It must have been a wonderful life to share such amazing memories with family.

"Hey, why don't we call it a day? I'm getting tired." Seb stands and grabs my hand. I pull him close and nod in agreement.

I'm not tired, physically.

"You two don't be strangers. Tell Mak the pie was thoughtful and amazing." Devon stands to follow us through the back door.

"Take Grey and Mak a plate. Tell them Angela wants them good and fat next time she sees them." I watch as Angie makes her way around the kitchen and assembles two plates for my missing friends.

"Next time, I will bring them." I make the promise knowing that I would. They would love it here.

"Love you two. Be careful going home." Angela hugs us. The rest of the kids give a series of hugs or a handshake in Devon's case.

"Thank you for having us." I wave as I help Seb into the truck. He puts the plates on his lap, careful not to dislodge the food from its proper placement.

I start the truck and back out carefully. My mind is a million miles away as I take the lengthy path back to Grey's house.

"You want to talk about it?" Seb's hand touches my thigh and I glance over at him. Pulling into the parking spot, I nod my head softly.

I don't necessarily want to talk. But, I don't want to hide things from him either. Daddy Parker would be disappointed in me if I did. I don't want that.

"Let's get inside." I step away from my door, rounding the back end of the truck to meet Seb on his side.

Once he is settled on to his feet, I lead him to the elevator and we make our way into the house. I set the plates down and inform Grey that they are for them.

"You okay?" Grey places his hands on my shoulders and brings me in for a hug.

"Gotta tell him." I whisper.

"You want us in here or would you like to be alone?" Grey whispers softly back to me. His hand rubs the back of my head.

"Let's all go to the balcony." I nod and give my approval for my best friends to listen to the story that Grey already knows. Mak has been informed of a little. A very little if I'm being honest.

I open the back door and set Seb down while I take a perch against the railing and face my boyfriend.

I hope he isn't angry.

"What's going on?" Seb looks at me questioningly.

I sigh and rub my eyes, preparing myself to relive the hardest parts of my years before I met the man that took my pain with just a brush of his fingers on my flesh.

"I lied to you."