Stubborn Heart (14 page)

Chapter 16

T
REVOR
was excited to be going home. He’d had three wonderful days with his parents and family, but it was time to be at home. Funny that he was thinking of Atlanta as home, but he knew the reason why. He had missed spending time with Mark. Mark was the reason Atlanta was home. He spent most of the flight home thinking about Mark, and about his life in general. He thought back and tried to recall the exact moment when he’d first realized he loved Mark, but it eluded him. It was hard to remember not loving him.

Staring out the window into the sky, Trevor smiled as he thought about the way Mark made him feel. Sometimes it felt like his heart might explode from all the love and happiness it contained. There was just too much emotion for one heart to hold. Trevor had loved people before, but this was the first time he’d ever been
in love
with someone. He loved his family. No matter how many miles separated them, they were still such an important part of his life. And he loved Derrick. But even for the short time that they had dated, his feelings for Derrick were never the same as what he felt for Mark. Derrick was his best friend, like the brother he had never had. So they’d had sex a couple of times; it was a nonissue. Ancient history. Trevor and Derrick never talked about it, so it was as if it never happened. Trevor smiled as he thought to himself:
Ream Derrick a new one for telling that story to Mark.

Some of the feelings Trevor was experiencing were contradictory. He felt both strong and vulnerable at the same time. When Mark was near, he believed he could do practically anything. He also realized Mark had the power to crush him. He had felt as though a hot poker had been shoved into his chest after their argument, when Mark had left him standing in the parking lot of his apartment on Wednesday. Had that been only a few days ago? He frowned as he remembered. That was the scary part. It was also frightening to know Mark was not in the same place as he was right now. He was certain Mark liked him and was attracted to him, but he wasn’t in love with him. He also knew Mark had been hurt before, so he had to take things slowly. Definitely no more using the “L” word for a while. Trevor hated that he had blurted it out during an argument, but there was nothing to be done about that now.

Reality pulled Trevor from his thoughts as the plane landed. When it was his turn, he gathered his things and exited the plane. He rode the tram to baggage claim. Once he was in baggage claim, he phoned to let Mark know he’d landed. Mark said he was already circling the airport. Trevor’s bag finally came around on the carousel. He grabbed it, walked out of the airport, and saw Mark’s car waiting at the curb.

He stowed his luggage in the trunk, then climbed into the passenger side, where he was immediately pulled over for a big kiss.

“I could get used to this kind of greeting!” Trevor beamed as he sat back and fastened his seat belt. Mark pulled the car away from the curb.

“I’m glad you’re back.” Mark smiled warmly. He reached over and squeezed Trevor’s thigh.

“Me too,” Trevor said. “How fast can you get home?”

Mark turned slightly to look at him. “What’s the rush?”

“I need to spend some time with you. In bed,” Trevor replied hungrily. He reached out and placed a hand on the back of Mark’s neck. He rubbed lightly at the base of Mark’s skull. “First, I want to pound you into the mattress,” he continued. “Then I want to hold you until we have to get up to go to work.”

“That sounds nice, but you’re going to have to wait a little while.”

“Why?” Trevor asked, surprised by the response.

“I told Derrick we would have dinner with him tonight.”

“But why?” Trevor groaned in frustration. “I just got home.”

“Exactly,” Mark explained. “We cooked a lot of food the other day, and Derrick wants to spend some of the holiday weekend with you. You know he had to stay in town because of work, and you’re the closest thing to family he has in Atlanta. How could I possibly refuse?” he asked innocently.

“Geez!” Trevor huffed in mock disgust. “One measly trip out of town and you two are ganging up on me.” He crossed his arms over his chest and pretended to pout, but he was secretly glad Mark and Derrick were becoming friends.

“What can I say?” Mark asked conspiratorially. “You weren’t here. You didn’t get to vote.”

“Sounds like it wouldn’t have mattered anyway,” Trevor said, huffing.

“All I can say is that you’d better not take all night eating,” Mark warned, squeezing Trevor’s thigh.

A wide grin spread across Trevor’s face. “I’ll eat so fast, you’ll be embarrassed.”

Mark laughed and rolled his eyes. But he reached up and ran his fingers through Trevor’s beard.

D
ERRICK
had everything ready by the time they arrived at the apartment. He gave them both a big hug, and then Mark helped Trevor take his luggage to his room. Trevor set his bags down on the bed, and Mark dropped the bags he carried beside them. Mark reached over and shoved his fingers in the top of Trevor’s jeans. He hooked his thumbs under the belt and pulled Trevor close. His lips covered Trevor’s in a deep, hungry kiss. Trevor grabbed the back of Mark’s head and crushed his lips against Mark’s. Someone whimpered in pleasure, but neither man was sure who had made the noise.

“Now that’s a real welcome home!” Mark said with satisfaction as he finally pulled away from Trevor’s lips.

“Do we really have to go out there and eat?” Trevor asked huskily.

“Remember. Eat fast and let’s go,” Mark replied jokingly.

When they emerged from the bedroom to help Derrick with dinner, the table was already set. In the center of the table sat a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. Derrick had reworked all of the food so it looked as if it had just been prepared, not left over from the previous meal.

“All this for little old me?” Trevor asked, taking in all the food. He was genuinely surprised that Derrick had gone to all of the effort to make things look perfect. “You’re going to make somebody a great housewife one of these days,” Trevor teased.

Derrick whacked him on the ass affectionately. “Just so long as you aren’t the husband.”

“What?” Trevor asked, feigning shock. “I’d be a great husband.”

“Your head is too big,” Derrick said. “Now go sit down.” He carried the last of the bowls to the table.

Trevor looked at Derrick’s face, wondering if he might be lonely. Neither of them went out very often. Before he started dating Mark, they’d stayed home together almost every night. Trevor made a mental note to set aside some catch-up time soon.

They all chatted throughout dinner. The conversation was cheerful, but not about anything in particular. Derrick asked about Trevor’s family, and how they were all doing. Trevor happily answered all the questions, promising to show them both pictures of his now five nephews and nieces. Mark and Derrick in turn told Trevor about their own Thanksgiving celebration.

Trevor enjoyed watching the interactions between Mark and Derrick. There seemed to be a bond between them now, certainly more than there had been before he had gone to Idaho.
I really like that they are getting along so well
, he thought to himself with a smile.

After dinner, everyone chipped in to clean the kitchen. Derrick transferred all the leftover food to storage containers. Trevor washed and stacked the dishes. Mark dried them and put everything away.

Partway through the cleanup process, Trevor had an idea. “Why don’t we put up a Christmas tree Saturday?” he asked excitedly.

“Where would we put it?” Derrick asked, stopping to lean against the counter.

“I don’t care.” Trevor shrugged. “Either here or at Mark’s condo.”

“We don’t have room for a very big tree here,” Derrick observed.

“It doesn’t have to be a big tree,” Trevor countered. “But it should be a live one.”

“I have plenty of room for a tree,” Mark volunteered. “But I don’t have any decorations.”

“So you’ve never had a Christmas tree?” Trevor asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.

“Well, of course I did when I was growing up,” Mark explained, slightly embarrassed. “But after my mother died, we stopped putting up a tree. Then when my father passed away, the few remaining decorations were in such bad shape that I threw them all out.”

Trevor still looked as if he couldn’t quite believe it. “Then that settles it. We’ll put up our tree at Mark’s place.”

Derrick agreed, and they began discussing the logistics of buying the tree and getting the decorations over to Mark’s home. Mostly it was Trevor and Derrick doing the planning. Mark was content to sit back and watch the two of them strategize. They were so lively and animated as they worked out the details of where to purchase the tree and what decorations they would need.
Like two little boys on a mission
, Mark thought with a smile. He was surprised to note how truly comfortable and content he felt right then.

S
ATURDAY
morning finally arrived, and Mark stood outside his building waiting for Trevor to pick him up. The weather had turned a little cooler. Mark watched the steam rise from his travel mug as he sipped at his coffee. Trevor had dinner with him earlier in the week, and they had rearranged the furniture in his living area so the tree could be placed in front of the large glass window by the balcony. Mark smiled as he remembered Trevor’s proclamation that the tree would be so beautiful all of Atlanta would drive by to take a peek. It was almost impossible not to get caught up in his enthusiasm. Trevor’s white Honda pulled up to the curb, and Derrick moved to the backseat. Greeting them both, Mark slipped into the front passenger seat. He leaned over and lightly kissed Trevor’s cheek.

The farmer’s market was bustling with activity. Raised concrete platforms with metal shelters formed rows wide enough for cars to navigate between them. Vendors displayed their produce on makeshift shelving and tables. People were milling about everywhere, driving and walking from one booth to the next. Trevor was constantly on watch for cars making sudden turns, or pedestrians crossing without warning. Beyond the produce stands was a large fenced-in area containing what seemed like hundreds of Christmas trees. Trevor navigated his car into a parking space close to the gate. Mark realized he had been holding his breath as he looked over at Trevor. The excitement was almost palpable on his face.

They exited the car and walked through the opening. The trees were roughly lined up in rows, but there seemed to be no method to the madness. There were trees of all shapes and sizes. Some were fat, some slender. Some had long needles, other had short compact ones.

“How will we ever be able to choose from so many trees?” Mark asked as he stopped alongside the first of the trees.

“You’ll just know,” Trevor replied confidently. He squeezed Mark’s shoulder as he started walking down the first row. Derrick followed close behind, already scanning for possibilities.

Soon Mark was the one trailing behind. He listened with amusement as Trevor and Derrick discussed every tree, weighing its merits and defects. They sniffed, poked, and prodded at each tree. They pulled at branches to ensure that the needles remained intact. If the needles pulled away easily, it meant the tree was too dry and wouldn’t last the season.

“This one!” Trevor and Derrick cried in unison as they walked around the tree. Mark had to agree. It was a beautiful tree. The blue spruce was about eight feet tall and thin from bottom to top. It was tall and straight, an almost perfect triangle. Trevor insisted on paying for the tree, claiming, over Derrick’s protests, that he was the one who saw the tree first. After they paid for the tree, the booth manager helped them tie it down to the top of Trevor’s car.

With all the finesse and grace of the Three Stooges, they managed to navigate the tree through the parking deck, up the elevator, and down the corridor to Mark’s apartment. Trevor inspected as Derrick held the tree in place so Mark could tighten the bolts, securing it in the stand. When they were done, they all stood admiring the naked tree. Even without decorations, it stood proud and majestic.

“My first Christmas tree,” Mark said as he stood in the middle of the room, hands on his hips.

“
Our
first Christmas tree,” Trevor corrected, placing his hand on Mark’s lower back.

Mark looked up at Trevor, then over at Derrick. “Yes.
Our
first Christmas tree,” he agreed.

Mark made sandwiches for lunch while Trevor and Derrick began unpacking and unraveling the strands of lights. After eating and clearing the table, all three men worked to run the strings of lights all over the tree. White lights were placed on the inside near the trunk and colored ones on the outside. Derrick calculated that they did not have nearly enough ornaments for a tree this big, so off to the mall they all went.

Predictably, the mall was packed with holiday shoppers. Each trying to outdo its neighbors, every storefront had been decorated for the season. Christmas music was piped through the sound systems in the stores and the common areas. Added to the music was the low thrum of conversations and other background noise. In spite of the chaos, it was inspiring to wander from store to store. Each holiday display gave them new ideas for their tree.