Almost Everything 9/15 [Lure Big Bang]
Almost Everything Master Post
Chapter Nine
Luke squared his shoulders as he knocked on the door of Reid’s office at the hospital. He’d been putting this off for too long: he had to introduce Reid to his family. At first, Luke used the excuse of Noah’s surgery, but Noah was on the road to recovery. Luke and Reid had settled into some sort of routine. He couldn’t ignore the hurt in his grandmother’s voice whenever he tried to deflect her invitations. Finally, Luke couldn’t think of a good excuse and he’d given in. He promised his grandmother they’d come to dinner, but he asked that they keep it to a small number of people if that was at all possible.
Things were getting a little better with them. Although any time Luke mentioned Noah, a shield would go up around Reid. He knew Reid wanted him to tell him everything was done, but Luke wasn’t ready. He was still confused about what he felt and what he wanted from both men. Now, he had to ask Reid to be a loving husband with his family. Luke wondered if it was asking too much. On the other hand, Luke was certain everyone knew why he and Reid got married, but Emma insisted on meeting the man Luke was living with. Most of all, the younger man missed his family, and he wanted to spend time with them.
Luke knocked again with a renewed strength.
“What!” Reid’s voice bellowed through the door.
Luke smiled to himself and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s my husband,” he muttered to himself. “Reid, its Luke. Can I come in?”
The door swung open and Luke kicked himself for no bringing Reid’s special latte. It would probably make this a lot easier. “What are you doing here?” Reid asked.
Luke forced himself to keep smiling. “It’s good to see you too, honey.”
“Don’t call me honey.”
Deciding to let that go, Luke asked, “Do you have a minute?”
“I suppose. What do you want?” he asked, going back into his office, indicating Luke should follow.
Closing the door behind him, Luke walked into the small office. He knew one of the reasons Reid was looking forward to the completion of the new wing was a bigger office. That time couldn’t come soon enough for Luke. He felt like the walls were getting closer.
“Luke?” Reid asked.
“What?”
“What do you want?” the older man asked again. He knew if Luke was at the hospital, he was there for Noah. The thought made his stomach burn with disappointment, and he wanted to get this over with. He hated the idea of Luke bidding his time with him, waiting for Noah to be ready again.
“Oh, um, well, I checked your schedule, but…are you free for dinner tomorrow night?”
Reid crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing Luke for a moment. There had to be something more behind the request. Luke wouldn’t be this nervous about a simple dinner at home. “Why?”
The blonde let out a sigh and tried not to wince when he replied, “We need to have dinner at the farm.”
“The farm?” It took Reid a moment to realize what Luke was telling him. “But you still haven’t finished that flow chart.” He started to pace a little, mostly talking to himself. “I’m going to need note cards. I can usually cram, but pictures would help.”
“Reid!” Luke reached out and grabbed his husband by the shoulders. “Shut up!”
The doctor quickly closed his mouth. “How many?”
“How many what?” Luke asked, gently rubbing his hands on Reid’s shoulders trying to help ease the tension rolling off of the doctor.
“How many of your clan are going to be there?” Reid asked. He wouldn’t admit it, but Luke’s ministrations were starting to make him feel better.
“Well, my parents, dad’s girlfriend, Molly, my siblings-Faith, Natalie and Ethan. And my grandma Emma. Jack might be there, he was married to Janet, but he and Carly are planning to-”
Reid started to shake his head. He took a few steps away from Luke, the younger man’s hands falling to his sides. Reid held up his hand to stop Luke. “Wait. I told you, you aren’t allowed to talk about them without a chart. And why should I agree to do this?”
“My grandmother’s home cooking.”
Reid’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. That was certainly enticing. “What else?”
“Grandma asked what your favorite pie was because she’s planning to make one from scratch.”
That was what Reid needed to hear. “Strawberry rhubarb,” Reid answered. “Wait. I have to sit through a dinner with God only knows how many of your kin and I’ll get homemade strawberry rhubarb pie?”
“Among other things, yes,” Luke answered. “But, please, try to…” He sighed. “Try to be less like Dr. Reid Oliver and more like…”
“What?” the doctor asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Like someone you would actually marry?”
“No, I’d marry you,” the words slipped out so easily it scared Luke for a moment, and he couldn’t look at Reid. “I feel like I keep asking so much of you. You married me, gave up your home-”
“Well, it’s not like I’m not getting anything in return. But, Luke, I hate dinner parties. I can’t do small talk, and you said it yourself, people generally don’t like me.”
Luke gently reached out for Reid’s hand. “But I like you and for that reason my family will too.” Reid rolled his eyes in response, which Luke ignored. “I’ll get the note cards ready for you,” the blonde promised.
*
As they drove out to the farm, Reid kept rattling off questions about Luke’s family and checking the information against the study aids. When they finally got there, Luke insisted that Reid keep the note cards in the car.
“Why?” Reid asked. “You won’t let them wear name tags.”
“They’re my family! This isn’t one of your medical conferences,” Luke countered. “Now, take a deep breath and think about the leftovers we’ll have to take home.”
Reid almost chuckled, but the visual was exactly what he needed. He left the cards on his seat and got out of the car. Luke got out as well and joined Reid. He stood in front of the doctor for a moment.
“What now?” Reid asked.
“Nothing,” Luke replied. “I just need a moment.” He smoothed down the collar of Reid’s polo shirt, glad that the redhead had gone home and changed into a polo shirt and jeans. “You’re going to be great,” Luke said, and neither man knew if he was talking to Reid or himself.
“All right.” Reid reached for Luke’s hand. “The sooner we go in, the sooner we get this over with.”
“Nice,” Luke muttered.
“You look the same way I did before I went before that medical board in Texas. Don’t pretend you’re looking forward to this.”
“I love my family,” Luke countered. “And yes, I’m nervous, but I want you to…” He gently shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“It’s more real like this, introducing me to your family; our lives are becoming more intertwined.”
“Yeah,” Luke admitted and he hated to do so. He already felt like he was attached to Reid, more than he ever thought possible. Bringing Reid into his family was a big step. His family meant the world to him, and he knew Reid’s sarcasm and narcissism could be off-putting. Luke wasn’t sure how his two lives would meet. He knew his family would try, but he wasn’t so sure about his husband.
“Well, I’m hungry,” Reid finally said and tugged gently on the hand that was holding his. “So if I promise to try and wait five minutes before insulting someone, could we go in now?”
“Yeah.”
Luke led the way into the Snyder kitchen. They could hear the excited voices from the porch. Luke’s siblings were running around. Emma was putting the finishing touches on the food, while ordering Holden to set the table.
When Luke went to open the kitchen door, Reid tugged on Luke’s other hand. The blonde turned and looked at him. “Can you do this?” Luke asked.
“It’s not like I hate people,” Reid muttered.
There was barely any space between them, but Luke leaned in closer, his breath brushed against Reid’s mouth. “Homemade strawberry rhubarb pie.”
“Okay.” Reid nodded his head and Luke led them into the kitchen.
“Hi everyone!” the blonde called out.
Everything seemed to stop. Holden put the last fork on the table, and Molly was standing next to him. They had been whispering quietly together, but both turned to look at Luke and his new husband. Emma was setting the potatoes on the counter, and Luke’s siblings came running into the kitchen from another room, their mother at their heels.
“Luke!” Natalie and Ethan ran up to him, and the blonde let go of Reid’s hand to kneel down and hug his younger siblings. Faith was sitting in the corner, pretending she was anywhere but there.
Reid stood by himself, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
Emma moved and placed more food on the table, and then she walked up to Reid. “Dr. Oliver-”
He held up his hand. “Uh, Reid’s fine.”
“I’m Emma.” She pulled him toward her in a hug, and Reid froze for a moment. “We’re so glad you could finally come. Luke’s said how busy you are.” She hadn’t stopped talking, and Reid was grateful because he didn’t know how to respond. He gently patted her on the back before she finally pulled away.
“Uh, thanks for inviting us,” Reid said.
Luke stood back up and give the redhead a quizzical smile. “Reid, this is my sister Natalie and my brother, Ethan.”
He offered a wave and Luke knew that his husband’s behavior couldn’t last for long. He took Reid’s hand and led him further into the kitchen. The couple walked up to Luke’s mother.
“Mom.” Luke greeted her with a hug. “Thank you for doing this,” he whispered in her ear. He knew how much his mother wanted him and Noah to get back together, and adding a dinner with his dad and Molly couldn’t be easy for her.
“I’ve been looking forward to getting to know Dr. Oliver better,” Lily responded diplomatically.
“Why?” the redhead asked, his face scrunched in confusion.
“Reid,” Luke gritted through his teeth.
“Yeah, right. Sorry. It’s nice to see you, Ms. Walsh.”
She tried to return the smile before going over to pull Ethan away from the stove.
Finally, Luke grabbed Reid’s hand again and led him to Holden and Molly. “Reid, you remember my dad, Holden, and this is his girlfriend, Molly.”
“Ah, yes, you did that report on the miscarriage of justice that would take place by sending Mr. Snyder to Malta. You handed that government official his ass,” Reid grinned and offered his hand.
Molly stifled a laugh, grateful for once that she wouldn’t be the one making everyone uncomfortable at the dinner table.
Holden offered his hand as well, but he took it back when Reid said, “You guys have a kid right? Starts with an A.”
“Reid,” Luke started to reach for the doctor’s hand because he couldn’t put his hand over his mouth.
“Alison?” Reid asked.
“No,” Holden answered. He didn’t appear to want to help by giving any more information.
“I left my note cards in the car. I told you I should bring them with me,” Reid replied looking at Luke. “And why do I know the name Alison?”
“She works at the hospital,” Luke responded. “Alison Stewart. You were at her non-wedding to Casey Hughes.”
“Oh, right.” Reid turned back to the couple. “So what’s your kid’s name again?”
“Abigail,” Molly responded, seeing the slightly dazed look on Holden’s face. “We have a daughter named Abigail, and it’s nice to see you again, Dr. Oliver.”
“Yes,” Holden finally said. He knew how important this was for Luke, and for that reason alone he would be civil. “I don’t know if I ever got a chance to properly thank you for your help with proving that body wasn’t Damian’s.”
Reid shrugged his shoulders. “It’s what I do.”
“Well, I appreciate it.”
“And that’s my sister, Faith,” Luke said, nodding to the sullen teenager in the corner.
Emma finally insisted that everyone sit down. It was a bit awkward at first, Luke grabbed Reid’s hand and tried to find a spot where no one would be on Reid’s other side. But it was a round table and not possible. Faith had wandered over to a chair. She gave Reid a brief glance. She looked right through him, and Reid was impressed. He hadn’t managed to master that look until he was in college. He took the seat next to her, dragging Luke with him.
They sat in silence for a moment and Reid wondered if they were supposed to say grace. He glanced at Luke and a nervous smile flashed back at him. A small part of Reid wanted to make a complete ass out of himself just because his loving husband was such a nervous wreck and to prove to Luke that the world would not end if Reid failed to impress the Snyder clan.
Finally, the food started to get passed around, and everyone talked at once. Reid tried to keep track of the conversations, but the food was too good; he didn’t want to miss a morsel.
“So, Reid, tell us about yourself,” Emma instructed.
The doctor chewed a few times, swallowing his food. “I’m a neurosurgeon.”
“What’s that?” Ethan demanded.
“Well, I cut into-”
Luke’s hand reached down and gripped Reid’s thigh. “He’s a special type of doctor. He’s the one who helped Noah get his eyesight back. He fixes people.”
Glancing briefly at Luke, Reid turned back to the young boy. “Yeah, what he said.”
Emma chuckled nervously. “Yes, we know you’re a doctor, but what else?”
Reid gave her a blank stare. Then he glanced around the rest of the table to see all the Snyders staring at him. “What do you mean?” he finally asked.
“Reid works very hard,” Luke rushed to add. “He’s the best in the country. His work is very important to him.” He turned to his father. “And, Dad, how’s the new foal doing?”
Conversation flowed from there. Reid spent most of the time focusing on his food. He enjoyed the meal and was grateful that he was no longer the focus of all their attention. But hearing people talk about crops and horses, he felt like he was in another world. He started to realize he would never fit in this world. Before it wouldn’t have bothered him, because he and Luke had a business arrangement. He was attracted to Luke. He wanted him, but Luke wasn’t someone to share a weekend with and walk away. With Luke, came all of these people, and if he wanted more, then he would have to somehow become a part of this world. He glanced at the dark-haired woman named Molly. She smiled and rolled her eyes in the direction of Lily. Reid found himself smiling back and decided he’d have to talk to her to find out how she coped with all of this.
Lily started talking to Natalie about school. Luke’s younger sister admitted she had a science project she was struggling with.
“I could help,” Reid offered. He wanted to take it back the minute the words left his mouth because he felt everyone’s eyes on him.
“Really?” Luke asked.
Ignoring the blonde, Reid turned to the young girl. Natalie had a tentative smile on her face. “I’m a doctor. I’ve taken a few science classes. If you want to come over and work on your project with me and…” He looked at Luke and saw the blonde give him a sweet smile. Reid smiled softly in return. “And your brother, I would like that,” Reid finished.
“Yeah?” she checked, looking from Reid to Luke and back again.
The doctor nodded his head. “Yeah, but I work better with food, so we’ll have to order a pizza.”
“Can I come?” Ethan asked. He was never one to turn down the idea of pizza.
Luke smiled and under the table, his hand patted Reid’s thigh. “That would be great. What do you say mom? Can Ethan and Natalie come over for dinner one night?”
Lily wasn’t sure what to expect of the abrasive doctor, but for Luke she remembered her promise to try. “Yeah. We’ll set something up for later this week.”
The conversation started to flow again and with his hand still on Reid’s thigh, Luke leaned in close and whispered in Reid’s ear. “Thank you.”
The doctor had difficulty responding with Luke’s warm palm on his leg. He swallowed thickly and nodded his head. Luke finally let go of him, and Reid felt like he could breathe again.
Dinner was finally over and Holden told Luke he wanted to show him the new foal. Luke chanced a nervous glance at Reid but he agreed. Reid had been great during the meal, and in a way, Luke didn’t want to make his husband any more uncomfortable.
The doctor picked up his and Luke’s plates and started head to the sink.
“Oh, Reid, you don’t have to do that,” Emma said. “Thank you. I hope you enjoyed the meal.”
“One of the best I’ve ever had. Thank you,” he told her sincerely.
Emma let out a soft chuckle. It had been a while since someone told her how much he appreciated her cooking.
“Come on, Reid,” Molly said, grabbing his arm. “Let’s go for a walk. I think it helps with digestion.”
“Actually, the way food-”
Molly tugged and pulled him out of there. “I don’t care,” she said with a smile. They walked a little away from the house. “I just figured you could use the fresh air,” she admitted.
Reid was actually a little grateful. He did want to talk to someone who could understand. “Are they always-”
“When the Snyders love you, they’ll protect you like no one else. But yeah, they can be overwhelming.”
“How many are there?” Reid asked.
“Well, there’s Holden and his two brothers, Caleb and Seth, and his three sisters, Meg, Ellie and Iva. Then his cousin Jack who is in love with my cousin, Carly. They have-”
Reid held up his hand. “Please, stop.”
Molly chuckled softly.
“So how do you manage? I know that everyone thinks Noah Mayer walks on water, and I’m the guy who swooped in and married Luke right under his nose.” He couldn’t believe he was actually talking about this, especially with someone other than Katie. But she had her starry-eyed matchmaker view of the world. Reid wanted someone to give him the real take on the Snyder family. From what he’d seen of Molly, she would be that person.
“Well, Lily is-” Molly’s voice trailed off. “When you love a Snyder man, the whole family and then some comes with it. And every time you’re with the family…well, a few at time, it’s not too bad. This was one of those times.”
Reid gave her an incredulous look and opened his mouth to protest.
Molly shook her head. “But when you’re with him, alone with him, and he loves you and promises no matter what he’ll always be there for you, it’s amazing. It doesn’t really get easier though. Sitting through dinners with the ex shooting daggers at you the whole time. At least, Noah wasn’t here tonight,” she noted and winced slightly at her word choice. “I mean, I know he’s getting better and all-”
Reid held up his hand. “I think he’s always there, though. And Ms. Walsh is his number one fan.”
*
“So what’s going on?” Luke asked as Holden brought him out the stables. “Reid-”
“Is a grown man,” Holden cut him off. “We know why the two of you got married. What I want to know is how my son is doing.”
Luke sighed. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Noah wants to get back together.”
“Is that what you want?” Holden gently questioned.
Luke smiled to himself. His father always knew just what to ask. “Reid and I are married. No matter what, I can’t forget that. And Noah…” Luke sighed. “So much has happened, I don’t know if we can go back, even if I wasn’t married.”
“Why did you pick Dr. Oliver?” Holden asked, hoping to understand why Luke would choose the doctor. He just wanted Luke to be happy, and he didn’t know if Reid could do that.
“Reid asked me that,” Luke admitted with a soft smile. “And the truth is, I trust him. I know Reid can be cold and a bit of a jerk. His MO is insult and walk away.”
Holden was silent, letting Luke work this all out in his head.
“And honestly? I can’t imagine being married to anyone else. He has these moments where he’s amazing, and I want to know that guy,” Luke admitted. “We should head back. Reid agreed to come even though he thought you’d all hate him.”
“All right,” Holden acquiesced. “And we don’t hate him. We just want you to be happy, and if that’s with Reid, then we want to get to know him better.”
Luke smiled. “He does… He can drive me insane, but yes, I am happy.”
The two men found Molly and Reid. Molly greeted Holden with a hug. “It was nice meeting you, Reid,” she said and started to head into the house.
“You too.”
Luke smiled, glad that Reid had found someone to talk to. “I think grandma said she’d give us some leftovers,” Luke told Reid. “Do you want to-”
“Luke, why don’t you go get them? Reid and I have a few things to discuss,” Holden instructed.
The blonde’s gaze skittered from his father to his husband. He didn’t want to leave Reid alone, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue. Despite the fact that Reid wouldn’t want to be alone with Holden, Luke realized the doctor would fight him just because Reid fought him on so many things. “All right.” He looked at Reid and grabbed his hand for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right back.” He hurried into the kitchen.
“So…” Reid asked, “You didn’t get a chance to interrogate me before the wedding. Now is as good a time as any, right?”
Holden crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Reid for a moment. “Luke wants us to give you a chance, for Luke’s sake we will. But if you hurt my son-”
Reid let out a dark chuckle. “Why does everyone assume I will hurt Luke? Everything he does is for Noah. I’m just the stand-in.”
Holden shook his head. “That’s why you’ll hurt my son.”
Luke quickly rushed out of the house, his arms full of food. “Reid, are you ready?” he asked, smiling a little manically, trying to assure everyone that things were great. “I think we’ve got enough food for even you.”
Reid automatically reached out to help Luke, and they headed back to the car. Holden followed, making sure they got everything together. Luke and his father shared a hug, and Reid tried to ignore the twinge he felt in his stomach. He and his own father had never hugged. Reid was happy with his life. He’d worked hard to be the best, and he never regretted that. However, this was another reminder of how different he and Luke were and how different their lives were. Despite what Holden had said, Reid knew everyone was just biding their time until Luke and Noah made their way back together.
Getting into the car, Reid picked up his note cards. Looking down at his meticulous notes, he was tempted to toss them out the window. But he was worried Luke’s “good dad” would notice, and he didn’t want to have another conversation with the man any sooner than necessary.
Luke finally said good-bye to Holden and got into the driver’s seat. “Grandma made an extra pie for you.”
Reid’s eyes fluttered shut and he groaned. Luke knew it was about the food, but he couldn’t help but be affected. The blonde shifted a little in his seat.
Reid opened his eyes and looked at his husband. “I love your grandmother.”
“You love her food,” Luke countered with a grin.
“What’s the difference?” He shrugged
“Reid, thank you for coming tonight. I know…well, I hope they weren’t too overwhelming for you.”
“It was fine. Luke, I knew what I was signing up for.” He looked at the blonde for a moment. “Well, not really, but if you haven’t figured it out, as long as there’s food, I’ll be fine. But I still think they should wear nametags.”
Luke chuckled. “Not going to happen.”
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Thanks for sticking with me, we're more than half-way done! Did you like the chapter? It's all thanks to my amazing beta (she inspired me). Thanks reilaroo !
Onto Chapter Ten…