Denial and Acceptance Pt. 08

"Hey, I had socks on!" I smiled as I recalled. My girlfriend at the time, the girl who would eventually become my wife, was rather adventurous and had dared me to do it. As I recall, I won a blowjob for completing the dare.

"What can I say? Christine was a bad influence on me." I said.

"Ah, she wasn't that bad."

"She could have been worse, that's for sure."

"Christine?" Ake asked.

"Dan's ex wife. She's the one that dared him to streak. You got suspended for that, didn't you?" Micky asked.

I nodded again. "Yep, one week. Almost failed history because I missed a midterm that week."

"What about you, Ake. You ever streak back in school?" Mackenzie asked.

Ake shook his head. "I was a good kid. Good grades, no missed school, attending sporting functions with my clothes on." he finished with a smile.

We talked late into night. When Mackenzie excused herself to go to bed, Ake and I talked for a few more minutes before he stood as well. He grabbed the bag he'd brought and wiggled his feet into his shoes.

"You're leaving?" I asked.

He turned to look at me for a moment. "I...I mean, I wasn't sure if..."

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a rather chaste kiss.

"I love you, Ake. My sister knows about us and even if she didn't, I wouldn't be concerned about what she thought about you staying here."

I felt Ake relax a bit.

"If you'd prefer to go, I'll understand, but you're welcome to stay."

He considered it for a moment before finally shaking his head. "I would, but I don't have any clothes and I'd rather not do a walk of shame the day after meeting your sister."

I chuckled. "Then I'll text you when I know when and where we're surprising Finn tomorrow, ok?"

He smiled and kissed me before leaving.

The next morning, I'd been up for a few hours before my sister finally shuffled into the kitchen like a zombie. I slid a cup of coffee, creamer and honey across to her.

"Mmm." She grunted.

I smiled. She'd never been a morning person and I quickly learned it was best to feed her coffee immediately if I had any hope of getting her functional.

She took the first sip of her coffee and sighed. "Thanks."

I nodded and sipped my own coffee.

After she finished her first cup, she held it up and wiggled it, so I topped it off before she added the cream and honey again. Halfway through her second cup, she finally asked.

"So what's the plan today? How're we doing this?"

"This" was the surprise for Finn. I looked at my phone and saw it was after ten. Finn would have been up for a couple hours and it should be right on the edge of a reasonable time for me to text about plans for tonight.

"Let's find out!"

D -- Hey, what're you doing tonight?

I sipped my coffee and chatted with my sister about some of the houses she wanted to look at today. Finally my phone chirped.

F -- Probably drinks with Carlos and his wife, why? You want to join us?

"Hmm. She's got plans for drinks with Carlos and his wife."

"Well, shit."

I thought for a moment, then snapped my fingers. "No, that's perfect!"

"What?" my sister asked.

"It's perfect. I'll say I'm meeting them, find out where and when, then you'll show up. It's absolutely perfect because it's HER plan, not mine."

"She'll never expect it!" My sister was as excited as I was.

I quickly texted her back

D -- Hell yeah, I'm in! Ake will probably be there, that work?

F -- Of course! The pub at seven. See you then!

"Pub at seven." I said.

"What pub?"

"It's a place we usually go after soccer games to celebrate or commiserate. It's....here." I showed my sister the location on a map.

"Oh, that's right next to that fabric shop I go to! I've seen that place. How come you haven't taken me there?"

"Because they don't serve much wine?"

"Yeah, because I hate brown liquor." She said, exasperated, "So what's the plan?"

"Well, since you're riding, I think Ake and I will ride as well. We'll just show up and see how it all plays out."

"No plan like barely a plan. Simple. I like it."

"Less to screw up, and if it does get screwed up, we can just pretend it was part of the plan."

"Ok, so seven. So we have some time to check out some houses?"

"Yeah, like eight hours or so."

"Is Ake coming?"

"He could if we take his car. The truck just has bucket seats. Let me see if he wants to go."

I texted Ake and he said he'd love to go look at houses with us. I explained the driving situation and he said he was headed out the door. I told my sister and she hopped up to go get ready. I decided to do the same.

I was in a good mood and was singing in the shower.

But if only you could see yourself in my eyes

You'd see you shine, you shine

I know you'd never leave me behind

But I am lost this time

Are we destined to burn or will we last the night?

I will hold you 'til I hold you right

But if only you could see yourself in my eyes

You'd see you shine, you shine

"Wow...Dan!"

I'm not saying I yelled in a very unmanly way. Nor am I saying I slipped and pulled the shower curtain down as I collapsed into the tub. But if that had happened, I can tell you that I would have seen Ake with his eyes wide and his hand over his mouth for just a moment before he dissolved into laughter.

My face red, I untangled myself from the shower curtain and turned off the water. As I stepped out of the shambles of my bathtub, Ake handed me the towel he'd been holding. I smiled as I dried off. I mean, it had to have looked hilarious.

Finally, he stopped laughing and stood there, watching me dry. "I'm so sorry, Dan. I didn't mean to surprise you like that. I was going to knock and announce myself, but I heard you singing. I'd never heard you sing before and I was just sort of...shocked? Surprised? Blown away?"

I blushed as I wrapped the towel around my waist just as there was a knock on the door.

"You alright in there? Sounded like you're doing some percussive remodeling!"

Ake looked at me, questioningly.

"Destruction."

"Oh!" Acknowledgment appeared on his face.

I stepped past Ake and opened the door. My sister just looked at me in my towel, Ake with his red face, and the bathtub with the shower curtain down and draped half over the side.

"Right." She said and closed the door on us.

I shook my head and leaned over to kiss Ake's cheek. I walked into my bedroom and closed the door to the hallway before dropping the towel.

I got some athletic boxers from my dresser and slipped them on.

"Awww." I heard behind me. I turned and saw Ake leaning against the door to the bathroom, his arms crossed as he watched me get dressed.

I smiled and shook my head as I finished getting ready. Short, thin wool socks, light hiking pants and a t-shirt with a subtle KTM logo on it finished the look.

We walked outside after finishing getting ready and Ake handed me the keys to his car. He got in the back, ignoring Mackenzie's protests. Before she could start on me, I got in and started the car.

We decided to drive by the houses, first, to see which ones she might want to call about to do a walk-through. We drove for a little over an hour, first to see where the hospital was where she'd be working, then to start looking at houses. She wanted to see roughly how far away they were from her work, though she said that was a lower priority than where the school for Emily was.

"Oh, here." Ake said from the back seat. Mackenzie turned and saw a business card in Ake's hand. She took it from him and read it.

"It's a realtor in the area. She was a client who I did some work with about a year ago. Gave me her card in case I was looking. Great lady."

Mackenzie thanked him and guided us to the first house. We drove past seven more houses, four of which had already been sold, and two of which that looked like they were in the process of being sold. Worried she'd be left with nothing, she called the number on the card.

She introduced herself and explained how she got the card, then said she was looking at houses in the area. She talked about the house that seemed to still be for sale, but it sounded like the realtor had started asking more questions.

I ignored the conversation and pulled up to a bakery that looked like it served sandwiches. It was after lunch and I was starving. Mackenzie put her hand over the microphone and told me what she wanted and Ake and I walked into the shop to order our lunches.

When we walked back out, Mack was sitting at an outdoor table with a big smile on her face.

"Rose thinks she has a couple other options for me. She's on her way to meet us."

"She's one of the good ones." Ake said. "She found Katie and Mila their house."

Rose showed up just as we were finishing. She quickly took over and dragged Mackenzie in to her car, telling us to follow her. She was an absolute force of nature.

It was the third house she showed us that I knew Mack had fallen in love. The front yard was small, but the back yard was big and well manicured. It was a good sized three bedroom, two-bath home with a decent sized one-car garage. It was right in Mackenzie's price range and the best part was that not only was it in the same neighborhood as the grade school Emily would attend, there was another park a few blocks away.

Before I knew it, the realtor was on the phone, putting in an offer on the house.

"Are you sure?" I asked Mackenzie. "This is happening pretty fast."

"Unfortunately, that's the market these days." Rose interjected. "However, this one's already had an inspection done and the owner is in the middle of upgrading the electric in the garage so it's up to code. One cracked pipe in the basement has already been fixed and otherwise it's ready to move in."

Just then her phone rang and she walked away to answer it.

I checked my own phone and saw that it was already five o'clock. "We should start making our way back. We can be there late, but closer to seven would be better."

They both agreed, so we let the realtor know. She said she'd be in touch with Mackenzie as soon as she heard something and waved us away, immediately going back to her phone call.

The drive home, Mackenzie was beyond excited.

"When does Emily come?" Ake asked.

"On Sunday. I wanted her to come sooner, but my parents said they wanted more time with her. So they're watching her while keeping an eye on the movers that are boxing everything up."

Part of me couldn't believe my sister and niece were moving so close, and so soon!

We pulled into my house and Ake gave me a quick kiss before climbing into his car and leaving. He had to go home to get his motorcycle.

Mackenzie and I went inside to get ready as well. I was surprised to see her beeline for another shower, but I suppose we'd been running around all day and freshening up was a good idea. I just slapped on a bit more deodorant since I was just seeing Finn.

I was out in the shop pushing my bike out when I heard Ake roll up. He was wearing his riding jacket, jeans and his short riding boots. He took off his helmet and leaned over to give me a kiss as I walked by.

Setting my bike on its kickstand, I rolled Mackenzie's bike out as well.

Soon enough she bounced out of the house wearing form fitting jeans, riding shoes and a short leather jacket. She had a street style helmet and pulled short leather gloves onto her hands. Clearly she was ready to go.

"It's only 6:40, Mack. The pub's only ten minutes away."

"So let's take the long way! I want to ride!"

I made sure the house was locked up, slipped on my riding jacket, gloves and helmet, then led the three of us out. I picked a longer route that had a short section that included some windy roads. When we got to them, Mack rocketed out in front, hugging the gas tank and leaning hard into the corners.

Ake and I pushed our own bikes, though I found myself outdistancing him as well. As good a rider as he may be, his bike just wasn't designed to hammer through windy country roads.

We caught up to Mack and I finished leading us to the pub. We'd timed it perfectly. Finn was walking toward the front door, but stopped when she saw us pull up. She waved to Ake and I, then just watched the third rider that pulled up and stopped right in front of her.

Mack stepped off the bike, lifted it onto its kickstand, took off her gloves, then finally took off her helmet.

Finn's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.

"Hey you." Mack said.

I had shed my helmet and gloves and was walking over to greet Finn when I stopped dead in my tracks. Both Finn and my sister had tears in their eyes. Before I could ask, Finn lunged forward and wrapped her arms around my sister. The two of them kind of laugh-cried for a moment before Finn leaned back, cupped my sister's face in her hands, then leaned forward and kissed her.

A gentle breeze could have knocked me over.

"Umm...did you know about this?" I heard Ake whisper beside me.

I just shook my head.

After a few moments, I decided enough was enough and cleared my throat.

Finn's head jerked up and looked at me with wide eyes. My sister just had a look like she was daring me to argue with her. I'd seen it thousands of times growing up.

I just pointed between the two of them. "So...how long?" I asked.

Finn seemed to be struggling to find the words, so Mack talked for the two of them. She laced her fingers through Finn's before looking at me. "I suppose technically, about ten seconds ago. But...well, we came close what was it, your senior year?" Mackenzie asked Finn.

Finn nodded, suddenly shy. "Yeah, before you left town with what's-his-face."

Mack rolled her eyes.

"What?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

"We sort of hooked up the summer after Mack's senior year. Then I met Carl..."

"And broke my heart." Finn interjected.

"Anyway. We've kept in touch and over the last month it just sort of happened, I guess."

I stepped forward and pulled them both into a hug. I kissed my sister's cheek, then Finn's.

"Ew!" Finn said, wiping her cheek where I'd kissed her.

"C'mon, this calls for drinks!"

The rest of the evening was great. Carlos looked like he was walking around fine, though it'd be some months before he could play again. He and Ake spent some time talking about his recovery.

I'd gone to the bar to get more drinks. While I was waiting I just looked across at the table. My sister was potentially dating one of my best friends and the man I loved was sitting at the same table.

The rest of the week was a blur. Mackenzie was in and out dealing with the possible sale of her home, the movers and their schedule. My parents were helping pay, so it was only going to take a week for the truck to get here.

They also decided to accompany Emily to the west coast. They claimed it was so they could see me and look at the house, but Mack and I both knew it was because they didn't like the idea of Emily flying alone.

They all arrived on a mid-afternoon flight and it was smiles and hugs all around. My parents were getting their own car, so my dad wandered off to get that. Emily was tired, but happy to be back with her mom.

Eventually we all got back to my house. My parents had a hotel room booked, but we were doing a big family dinner at my place. I'd had meat on the smoker for a couple hours already, and Mackenzie had been prepping the sides.

We were all on the deck talking and laughing when I heard Ake's voice, just like the first time she met Mackenzie.

"Umm, hello?"

Ake was dressed in form fitting jeans and flowing blouse. He was wearing wedged sandals on his feet and was holding a bag with wine in it. I'd made it a point to make sure he knew my mother's favorites.

Moment of truth.

I stood and walked over to him, taking the bag from his hands. I held his hand and led him over to my parents.

"Mom, dad. This is Ake Kepler. My partner."

My mother immediately stood up and walked over to shake his hand before pulling him into a hug. My father also shook his hand.

So far, so good.

I mean, I expected they'd be ok since their daughter was gay and they were fine with that, but you just never know. It also helped that we'd had a number of frank conversations on the phone over the last couple months.

Emily walked over and stood next to me, just looking at Ake.

Ake crouched down so he was eye level with her. "And you must be Emily."

Emily nodded. "You're very pretty." She said.

Ake blushed and gestured at the bag I was holding. I held it toward in and he reached inside, pulling out a box and handing it to her.

"I heard your favorite player is Megan Rapinoe." He said.

Emily nodded as she opened the box. Inside were a pair of new cleats in her size. Rather nice looking ones, too.

"These have been signed by Megan." He said.

Emily's eyes went wide and she picked up a shoe to see the star's signature scrawled across the side. She leaped across the distance and wrapped her arms around Ake's neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She gushed.

"You're very welcome."

"Ake..." I looked up to see my sister standing with her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. I looked across and my mother and father both had tears in their eyes as well.

"How?" I just asked.

"Do you know Megan?" Emily asked.

Ake chuckled, but shook his head. "I don't, but I know people that know her. Work in sports medicine long enough and the sports world gets smaller and smaller. One phone call and they were on their way."

"You're amazing, and I think you have a new best friend." I whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek.

The shoes and having my mother's favorite wine quickly endeared Ake to the family. While I fussed around the grill, and Mack and I occasionally worked in the kitchen, my parents had sat Ake down, poured him wine, and were chatting him up like a third child.

Emily had planted herself next to Ake, doing her best to be patient while the adults talked, but interrupting from time to time.

"He's a hit." Mack said as she bumped my hip with hers.

I nodded. "I kind of figured he would be."

"I can only hope Kim will be as well."

"C'mon, Mack. They all know Finn, and Emily adores her."

Just then I heard a car pull into the driveway.

"Speak of the devil."

Mack slapped my shoulder, quickly washed her hands, and bounced to the front door. She was clearly happy with the new relationship.

"Hey D-man!"

"Hey Finn." I said over my shoulder.

I felt an arm snake around my shoulders and squeeze. I was still getting used to Finn being more touchy-feely.

"Smells amazing." she said.

"Thanks. You know where the brown liquid is. Wine's out on the deck with Ake, my parents and..."

"Finny!" I heard a squeal from the door.

"...and Emily." I smiled as Finn picked up Emily and hugged her while spinning around.

Once again Emily's mouth was going a mile a minute. Finn took her hand and dragged her out to the deck. Mackenzie followed them.

I looked out the window as I washed my hands and was just struck by how content I was. My family, my love, my friend, were all here. It was like the night at the bar, but better.

The night was exceptional. Everyone was pleased with the food, everyone was talking and laughing. Eventually, it had to happen. My parents started asking about Ake and I, and Finn.

I gestured for Finn to go first. She rolled her eyes and explained, sort of, what she'd told me. I admit I had some mild reservations considering I'd helped Finn hookup with more than a few different women. But looking at the way she looked at my sister, I felt those doubts leaving.

"Well what about you two?" I heard my mom ask.

I smiled at Ake and started explaining. Ake interjected now and then, but mostly let me speak. I found myself admitting to struggling with the relationship for awhile before I realized I'd never been happier and everything else was just details.