Deliver Me (20 page)

Christmas
morning arrived, and Tag was the first one out of bed. He was awake before Duke
came to get him. He checked on Delilah, but the princess was still snoozing.
Tag was too excited to sleep. Today was a big day for more than one reason, and
he was more nervous than he’d ever been standing in front of thousands of
people pouring his heart out in song.  He started the coffee pot and looked out
the window. Big, fluffy flakes of snow were swirling around. It had been a long
time since he’d seen the ground covered, but he might see it later if it
continued to lay like it was. There was something calming about the white
stuff.

Erik
padded up behind him and kissed him on the neck. “Merry Christmas, Baby.”

“Merry
Christmas, Doc.” Tag turned into the doctor’s arms and was greeted properly
with a sizzling kiss. “I have a present for you,” Erik husked as he pushed his
erection against Tag’s hip. Tag’s own cock had started filling as soon as Erik
kissed him.

“Yeah?
What if I have a present for you?” Tag asked, moving his hips against Erik’s.

“Then
I think we’re both going to get lucky.” Erik grabbed Tag’s hand and led him
back to the bedroom. They should be tired of each other by now. With the
exception of Delilah’s bedroom, they had christened every room in the house several
times over the last two weeks. Erik bought several sets of new sheets when he
got tired of washing every day.

They
removed their underwear, and Tag found himself pushed back onto the bed as Erik
commanded, “Lay on your side.” Tag knew what he had in mind, and he would
gladly oblige. He loved when they sucked each other off at the same time. They
didn’t have a lot of time before the others would arrive, so they didn’t
hesitate getting down to business. It amazed Tag how in tune their bodies were.
It was a rare occasion when they didn’t orgasm together. This morning was no
different. Tag never got tired of the glide of Erik’s fat cock down his throat,
or the scent that belonged to his man. The slurping and moaning were the only
sounds in the bedroom until Tag felt his balls tighten. He increased his speed
on Erik’s dick, ensuring they came together.

Tag
was granted his wish. Just as the first salty taste of Erik’s come hit Tag’s
throat, he shot into his lover’s mouth. They sucked and swallowed and lapped at
each other until both were completely spent. Tag rolled over onto his back, his
hand grazing Erik’s hairy leg. He savored the feeling of completeness he felt
with this man. Erik changed positions so his head was at the foot of the bed
with Tag’s. “You want to take a shower?” he asked against Tag’s neck. Erik bit
the juncture of his neck and shoulder, sucking the skin between his lips. “Or
do you want to fuck?”

Most
of the time, Erik wanted to make slow, sweet love. But when the tiger in him
came out, Tag held on. Erik in sweet mode was nice. Erik in tiger mode? It
usually ended in Tag walking funny and toting bruises for days. If they only
had more time…

Tag
fingered the chain holding the key around Erik’s neck. “As much as I’d love to
walk around all day with an aching reminder of what you pack in your pants, we
need to take a shower.”

“Always
the voice of reason,” Erik joked. He ran his hand through Tag’s now light brown
hair. He had dyed it back to its natural color the week after his final show.
At first he was afraid Erik wouldn’t like it. He had fallen in love with the
glammed out rock star. When he said as much to Erik, his lover had replied,
“No, I fell in love with Lee Holloway. I don’t care what color your hair is, or
even if you have hair. I’m in love with the man inside. The gorgeous packaging
is just a bonus.”

Erik
rolled from the bed pulling Tag along with him. As much as he wanted to sink to
his knees and blow Erik again, Tag stayed on his end of the shower. By the time
they were dressed, their home was already filled with family. Echo had Delilah
dressed in her new Christmas outfit. Bethany was pouring coffee for everyone,
and Sloane and Pauly were at the stove cooking breakfast. Mack and Gus were
sitting side by side on the sofa with the babies. The sight would make the
perfect dysfunctional family photo.

After
breakfast was eaten and the kitchen cleaned up, they handed out gifts. Tag
helped Delilah open hers while Erik snapped pictures with his camera. Erik had
taken the pictures from Thanksgiving and made them into a book for everyone.
They could have gone overboard with presents since Tag had more money than he
knew what to do with. Instead, they bought small, personal gifts to fit each
friend’s personality. When it came time for Tag and Erik to swap presents, Erik
set his camera down and said, “I’ll be right back.”  Bethany stood and
retrieved the camera.

Tag
walked over to the tree and pulled out a small package he’d hidden in the
branches the night before. When Erik returned, he too, had a small box. “You
first,” he said to Erik. Tag was nervous about his present, so he wanted a
little more time until he presented the gift to Erik.

Erik
took Tag by the hand and directed him to the front of the fireplace. All eyes
were on them as Erik held the box in his hand. “Lee, before I met you, I vowed
to never open my heart to anyone else again. You wore the key to my heart
around your neck until I was ready to use it to open the lock I had placed
there. You gave the key back to me at the concert, knowing I was ready. Now,
I’m ready to go one step farther.” Erik opened the box and pulled out a ring.
“Lee Holloway, I would be honored if you would marry me.”

Tag
allowed Erik to place the ring on his left hand. When he got a good look at the
platinum band, he laughed. He couldn’t help himself. He laughed so hard he
cried until he realized everyone was staring at him, waiting on his answer.

“Yes,
of course I’ll marry you, Doc.” He pulled Erik to him and kissed him
passionately. The crew erupted into cheers, but Tag held up a hand. “Before you
get too carried away, I have a present for Erik.” He opened the box and pulled
out a ring. “Doc, when I met you, I was a jaded shell of a human being. I was
on top of the world, ready to jump off. That same world was turned upside down
the day Delilah died, but she left me with a blessing in the form of our
Princess. Then I met you. You gave me my life back, and I cannot imagine going
a day without you by my side. Erik, Delilah and I would like to know, will you
marry us?” Tag placed the silver band on Erik’s finger as he broke out in a
shit-eating grin. Erik couldn’t contain his own laughter as he looked at the
ring Tag had given him. They had purchased the exact same ring for each other.

“Yes,
I’ll marry you both.” Tag and Erik kissed again before taking Delilah from Gus.
Bethany snapped a picture of the three of them.

When
the crew finished wishing them much happiness, Bethany handed them each a box. “I
have something for you.”

Erik’s
was a framed picture of the three of them at the birthday party. Erik kissed
her on the cheek, and thanked her. Tag opened his and froze. He traced his
fingers around the edge of the frame, memorizing every inch of the picture
inside. The photo showed Erik sitting on the ground at the cemetery, holding
Delilah in his lap. Duke was on the ground with his snout on the grave marker.
Tag didn’t try to hold back the tears as he pulled Bethany into a hug. “Thank
you,” he whispered into her hair. When he composed himself, he placed the frame
on the mantle alongside the picture she’d given Erik.

Echo
stood up and said, “It’s time.”

The
crew began gathering their gifts and putting on their coats.

“Are
you ready?” Tag asked Erik as he put Delilah’s baby coat on her.

“Yes,
I just need to grab my shoes.” Erik disappeared down the hall before coming
back with his boots in his hand. “Do you have the flowers?” he asked Tag.

“Echo’s
bringing them. I’ll go start the car, let it warm up.” Tag placed Delilah in
her seat and headed to the garage to start the Range Rover. When he got back
inside, he picked up Delilah’s car seat. “Ready?” he asked his lover.

“Yep,
let’s go.” Erik opened the back door to the car so Duke could climb in. Ever
since Delilah came along, his place was on the seat beside the baby.

They
parked next to the two SUV’s at the cemetery. Erik had suggested they all meet
the woman who brought them together. The group walked quietly to where Delilah
had been laid to rest almost six months ago. Echo handed Tag the fresh flowers,
and he replaced the ones Erik had brought the last time he visited. “Hey, Sis.
It’s Christmas. You know I couldn’t not spend it with you. And everyone’s here
with me. I wanted to tell you your angel looks beautiful on top of the tree. You
would love it. And you would love Delilah. She looks more and more like you
every day. I want you to know that I already adopted her, and pretty soon she’ll
officially have another dad. She has plenty of aunts and uncles helping to
watch over her, and I’m pretty sure she’s already claimed Brady as her
boyfriend. But don’t worry about that. I have a feeling he’ll feel the fear of
Gus before they start dating.” Tag paused as the crew laughed at his joke.
“Seriously, I miss you something fierce, but I know if there’s a heaven, you’re
there, because there was no better person in this world than you.”

Tag
pulled the photo out of the faded flowers and frowned. Erik took it from his
hand and placed it in the new bouquet. Tag’s breath hitched at the sentiment.
When he was somewhat composed, he crushed the old rose petals between his hands.
The small pieces floated to the ground, swirling amidst the snowflakes. He took
Delilah from Erik’s arms and squatted down by the headstone. Holding his
sister’s namesake, he softly sang her favorite Christmas carol. When he hit the
chorus of
White Christmas
, the others joined in. By the time they left,
the ground was covered in a blanket of snow. His baby sister got her Christmas
wish.

“Daddy!”
Delilah yelled through the house to Erik. Normally he would chastise his
daughter for doing so, especially since the house wasn’t that large. But today
was her special day, and he wouldn’t get on to her for anything.

“Yes,
Sweetheart. What is it now?” If she had said
daddy
once today, she’d
said it fifty times.

“I
can’t find my earrings,” Delilah said as she looked under the seat cushions on
the sofa. His baby girl was now a woman. A woman who was standing in the middle
of the living room in her underwear with her hair in curlers. He grabbed his
camera and snapped a picture.

“Oh
no you didn’t! Daddy…”

Erik
laughed and kissed her on the cheek as he held the camera out of her reach.
“Yes, I did. Your earrings are in the bag Echo packed for you. I’m pretty sure
everything you need is in the bag Echo packed for you.”

The
kitchen door opened, and the love of his life walked in the door. Lee’s hair
was shorter than Erik had ever seen it. “Lee, Baby, what happened to your
hair?”

“I
thought I’d look presentable for the pictures.” He ran his slender fingers
through the short brown locks. “Don’t you like it?”

“I
think we’ve had this conversation before. It’s what’s on the inside I fell in
love with. The packaging is the icing on the cake. But Lee, do me a favor. Stay
away from the scissors.” Erik winked at his husband.

Lee
grinned and kissed Erik. He licked the seam of his lips, asking for entrance.
Erik opened for him. Twenty-five years later and his lover still got him hard
with just a kiss.

“Please,
get a room,” their son Daniel said as he entered the house. “On second thought,
don’t. I’ve heard you two go at it enough for one lifetime.”

Erik
laughed and snapped a picture of Daniel and Lee hugging. Their home was filled
with photos of both kids as well as the crew through the years. Erik’s favorite
pictures, though, were the ones of Delilah and Brady sitting between the
pumpkins. He and Bethany made it a tradition to carve pumpkins for the kids
then take their pictures on the front steps. There were now twenty-four
versions of the photo. Number twenty-five would be taken later today, after
they said their vows.

The
babies grew up together, never wavering in their friendship. When they were old
enough, the thought of dating someone else never occurred to them. If it had,
neither entertained the idea. They graduated high school with Delilah going to
college and Brady going into the Marines. The absence was rough, but they
persevered. Now, Delilah was a nurse working with Erik in his clinic, and Brady
was part of Gus and Mack’s private security firm.

Daniel
followed in Lee’s footsteps and was now lead singer for an up and coming rock
band. With Lee’s contacts and Daniel’s voice, he would be on top of the charts
very soon.

Much
like Lee’s success as a musician, his production company was one of the world’s
largest. He had as many awards for producing as he did for fronting 7’s
Mistress.

Sloane
and Pauly both sold their homes in L.A. and moved to Nashville. They helped Lee
as well as did studio work with new songwriters. They were married the year
after Erik and Lee were. Both men had found their kids. Sloane saw his daughter
a few times a year, and Pauly’s son and daughter visited him often.   

Bethany
and Mack dated a couple of years before they tied the knot. Soon after, they
had a baby together. Brittany was the spitting image of her mother, much to the
chagrin of Mack. He had his hands full with the boys wanting to date his
beautiful girl.

Gus
stayed busy with the security business, working mostly for the artists who
played the local arena. As far as Erik knew, Gus never dated anyone. If he did,
he kept it a secret.

Cade
joined another band shortly after 7’s Mistress left the scene. Lee talked to
his old friend every now and then, but not often.

“Daddy!”
Delilah yelled for the fifty-first time.  Lee and Daniel laughed as he rolled
his eyes and went to see what his baby girl couldn’t find this time.

Three
hours later, the wedding was over, the kids were married, and the crew was
having a blast at the reception. Erik and Lee held hands as they watched
Delilah and Brady dance their first dance as husband and wife. When the DJ
asked other couples to join in, they didn’t hesitate. They took advantage of
every opportunity to hold each other close. “Uh oh,” Lee whispered into Erik’s
ear.

“What?”
He pulled his cheek away from his husband’s and looked at him.

“We
might need to run interference,” Lee said as he nodded in Daniel’s direction.
Their son might be adopted, but he was Lee Holloway’s son, one hundred percent.
Even in his tuxedo, he was rock star personified. He was also dancing with
Brittany. Erik laughed as Mack practically dragged Bethany to the dance floor
where he could keep an eye on his baby girl.

When
the song ended, the DJ announced, “Next up, we have the father daughter dance.
Where are our two dads?” Erik gave Lee a brief kiss before he found Delilah on
the dance floor. There had been no discussion as to what song would be played.
It was a given that they would dance to “their song”.  But before that, Lee had
a surprise for their girl.

Erik
grabbed Delilah and held her close. “Dad has a song he wants to sing,” he told
her when she looked around.

Lee
stood behind the DJ’s microphone with an acoustic guitar. “I have a little
something I want to sing before Erik and I both dance with the princess.”  He
strummed the strings and leaned toward the mike…

Hey
Delilah

You’re
the key

To
healing my heart

Breaking
me free

Hey
Delilah

Here
I am

Scared
of not being

The
best dad I can

Hey
Princess

Take
my hand

Reaching
for you

Helping
you stand

You
were sent from above

A
prayer I didn’t pray

Sent
to be my light

And
show me the way

Hey
Delilah

Grab
on tight

We’ll
protect you

All
through the night

Hey
Delilah

There
you are

Looking
so pretty

We’ve
come so far

Hey
Princess

You’re
our rose

The
beautiful bloom

Our
lyrical prose

You
were sent from above

A
prayer I didn’t pray

Sent
to be my light

And
show me the way

You
were sent from above

A
prayer I didn’t pray

Sent
to be my light

And
show me the way

Erik
wiped Delilah’s tears as Lee walked toward them. “Oh, Dad,” she cried, running
to him and flinging herself into his arms.

The
DJ got their attention by saying, “Now, for the next Father Daughter portion of
our show, if you know this one, sing along.

 As
soon as the opening notes to
Hey There Delilah
floated over the air,
both men pulled their girl into an embrace and sang to her. The three of them
swayed to the music together. Before the song was over, the rest of the crew
joined them on the dance floor. The three of them spread out and the others joined,
making a circle. Everyone joined in singing.

One
little baby girl had brought them together. Now, one grown woman held them
there.