“Well, let”s see.” Tomi paused. “So far, we”ve seen the Jardin Botánico at the University
of Puerto Rico, the Catedral de San Juan Bautista, El Morro, the Coamo thermal springs, and
the Bacardi rum tour” — she chuckled, holding up two fingers — “twice.”
“Don”t forget about El Yunque rain forest.” Mitch”s hands rested on Tomi”s shoulders,
his eyes meeting Linc”s over her head. The heat in those blue eyes was evident even in the
dark.
“And soon you get married.” Linc”s aunt smiled happily. “Yes, in four days, on Saturday.” Tomi”s hands covered Linc”s on her shoulders. Mitch
leaned down and kissed her cheek. “And all of you are invited,” Mitch added, his invitation
drawing cheers and whistles from the group.
“Has the rest of your family arrived yet?” Marissa asked. Linc saw Tomi and Mitch
exchange a look, their expressions a conflicting and uncomfortable mixture of emotions. He
opened his mouth to intervene when Mitch spoke.
“No, it”s just us,” Mitch spoke quietly. “Our families won”t be joining us.”
There was a moment of surprised silence, and Linc watched the disapproving looks
flicker across the faces of his family members, especially his aunt.
Finally, she reached out and grasped their hands, her smile bright. “In that case, we”ll
be your family,” she declared, as others in their group nodded their heads in agreement.
“And after your wedding, we”ll have a big reception to celebrate. Come” — she stood, taking
Tomi with her — “we should move to the water, so we can be ready at midnight.”
“What happens at midnight?” Tomi asked.
“We get in the water,” Marissa explained, standing as well. “It”s an old tradition to walk
into the water exactly at midnight on La Noche de San Juan. It”s supposed to bring good
luck.”
Tomi and Marissa stripped down to their swimsuits along with several others in the
group before they all headed toward the water. He and Mitch opted to stay behind and keep
an eye on everyone”s belongings.
“You have a great family,” Mitch told him.
“Yes, I do.” Linc watched Tomi and Marissa splashing around in the water with other
members of his family. “I”m very lucky.” He paused for a moment before glancing at Mitch.
“Can I ask you something?”
Mitch looked at him. “Anything.” “What”s the deal with your family? I mean, I”ve never been married before, but if I did,
I know they would be there.” Linc chuckled. “You saw how excited they were about your
wedding.” He sobered. “I just can”t understand why your parents wouldn”t want to share this
special moment with you.”
“My parents don”t agree with my lifestyle.” Bitterness tinged Mitch”s voice.
Linc nodded. “I take it they have a problem with you being bisexual.”
“Actually, they don”t.” Mitch released a humorless laugh. “They couldn”t care less how
many men and women I fuck, as long as Tomi isn”t one of them.” Mitch grew quiet, his gaze
focused on the water. Linc remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“Did you know that Tomi has two doctorate degrees?” Mitch suddenly asked. When
Linc shook his head, he continued. “She doesn”t like to talk about it, but the truth of the
matter is that she”s an extremely intelligent woman, smarter than my parents and I
combined. She”s more generous and loving than any person I”ve ever known, including my
parents, but as far as they”re concerned, she”ll never be good enough for me because of the
color of her skin.”
Linc thought about the myriad of people he”d dated over the years of all races, colors,
and genders. Considering the varied hues of the people in his own family, he knew that
something as trivial and unimportant as skin color would never be an issue for any of his
relatives.
To Mitch, he said, “Do Tomi”s parents have the same issue?”
“No, their issue is strictly Tomi”s lifestyle,” Mitch told him. “Tomi comes from a deeply
religious family. On top of that, her father is a career military man. For him, „don”t ask, don”t
tell” isn”t just a military rule; it”s a way of life. Tomi has openly dated men and women since
she was a teenager, but her parents chose to pretend it wasn”t happening. Their moral and
military values just won”t let them accept the idea that their baby isn”t in the traditional heterosexual relationship with a man who only fucks her in the missionary position once a
month.”
Mitch shook his head. “I remember the one and only time they came to visit us in New
York, when Alec still lived with us. It was easy to act as if they didn”t know what type of
relationship the three of us had together, but once they saw the bedroom with the one bed
that we all slept in, they couldn”t pretend that they didn”t know anymore. They gave Tomi
an ultimatum. They told her that she could either leave with them at that moment or stay
with us and continue to” — Mitch made quotation marks with his hands — “live in sin.” His
eyes drifted back to the beachfront. “Luckily for me, she chose to stay.”
Their conversation halted as Pedro approached. “Your lady is asking for you.” He spoke
to Mitch. “I think some of my male cousins may be taking more of a liking to her than she
can handle.”
“That”s not surprising.” Mitch laughed as he stood. “Tomi has that effect on people.”
Mitch made his way through the crowds of people toward Tomi. Linc”s eyes remained glued
to him every step of the way.
“Oh, mi Dios,” Pedro murmured. “You got it bad, don”t you?”
“Look,” Linc began, knowing exactly what his cousin meant, “I already told you —”
“Yeah, I know.” Pedro cut him off. “You just enjoy being with them.” He sighed. “Take
some advice from your primo and try not to get in too deep, okay?” He patted Linc on the
shoulder and headed back toward the water.
Linc watched Pedro go, thinking his cousin”s words of advice had come much too late.
Chapter Twelve
Linc smiled when Mitch answered the phone. His morning voice was deep and rough,
the sound so sexy, it made Linc”s dick hard.
“My clients had to reschedule their appointment, so I”m free for the morning,” Linc
told him, trying to focus on driving and not the image of Mitch
