Family Ties

Part 25

Jackson sat nervously at a restaurant, gazing out at the beautiful skyline illuminated by the setting sun. This was the best restaurant in town, with the best food and views. He had prepared a beautiful evening that would have even Cook jump with joy.

Raymond seemed to have accepted his fate, so he was cautiously optimistic. He didn't want to celebrate too soon because Raymond was slick and could easily get out of the situation. To be honest, it had been a fairly nerve-racking week. He wanted to grab Raymond and drag him to the supply room, but he had to sit and wait, no matter how aggravating it was!

He'd also given Skye a lot of thought. He'd never interacted with children before, but Skye appeared to be a very intelligent and extraordinarily sharp child. Their interactions had been very positive, which boosted his confidence, and he discovered that he enjoyed being around him and viewing the world through the eyes of a child again. He had grown to understand Raymond's concerns about those who were in Skye's life. He would have given up a long time ago if he wasn't so confident this was what he wanted.

"You really know where the best spots in the city are," Raymond observed as he took a seat.

"Only the best for you." His smile was warm as he called the waitron over. "So, do you approve?" Jackson looked at him nervously. Why did this man always make him feel like he was wrong-footed and unsure?

"It's... well, let's just say that I don't normally hang out at places like these. Single dad and all that," he grimaced, "so it's good to go anywhere where there are no jungle gyms and toy cars."

"Hey now, don't hate on people who happen to like cars." He jokingly reminded Raymond of the wall of miniature cars in his office.

They spent the majority of their meal making lighthearted conversation. Jackson didn't want to ruin their time together by becoming hot and heavy and forcing Raymond to flee. It felt comfortable and right to be with Raymond. If he had any doubts that this was a keeper, they were quickly eliminated by how easy he was to be with. There was no forced dialogue, no acting or posing; even their silences were comfortable, which he rarely encountered.

After dinner, he took Raymond's hand and lead him up to the rooftop where a helicopter was waiting.

"What are you planning?" Raymond called over the sound of the blades whipping through the air. Instead of answering, Jackson pulled him along and into the helicopter, helping him to strap in.

He sat clutching Raymond's hand and watched his ecstatic face as they flew across the city. With his honest and adorable replies, he seemed so much more like Skye in these situations. Jackson pointed out the window for Raymond to observe as the chopper began to slow down and hover.

Raymond's eyes widened as the fireworks display he'd planned began. He couldn't help but notice how outstanding the performance was. He watched Raymond's delight as he turned, grinning and wide-eyed.

"Skye would have loved this," He said excitedly, turning back to the display.

Jackson felt even more confident when they were finally on their way back to Raymond's. He'd give himself a ten on the romance scale, and the smile on Raymond's face was proof that he did well. He'd never given a date as much thought as he had so far. This made it appear more exciting. Raymond wasn't impressed by his wealth or the Dealer's reputation, but he'd quickly found that it was the little things that mattered to him.

"Thanks, Jackson." Raymond stood in front of his apartment door. This was certainly one of the best dates he's ever been on, he had to admit. But then, it's not like he regularly dated a billionaire.

 "You can do better than that," Jackson murmured, taking a step closer, and leaning his hand on the door behind Raymond.

As Jackson loomed over Raymond, his back slammed the door. He groaned slightly as he looked up at Jackson drawing nearer. A tingling sensation ran down his spine as he felt Jackson's mouth glide over his. His hands snaked up around Jackson's neck as he reached up.

Raymond lost his balance once the door gave way behind him without warning. Jackson, who was leaning against the door to keep Raymond in place, fell forward, reaching out so that he didn't land on Raymond with his whole weight. For a brief time, they lay intertwined, their lips still touching, Jackson unsure what had happened.

"What are you doing?"

They both turned to face Skye who was watching them with a slight frown on his face, his eyes darting between Jackson and Raymond.

"Hey, buddy!" Raymond smiled at him, pushing Jackson away, who himself was scrambling to get up, his face red with embarrassment.

"What were you doing?" Skye asked again, looking suspiciously at both of them.

"We were only saying good night." Raymond smiled, bending down to give him a hug.

Frowning, Skye looked between the two guilty-looking adults in front of him, his eyes darting to the smaller details so that he could get a better picture.

"Black hair, cologne..." He mumbled to himself, his eyes pinned on Jackson. "He's the one who made you happy!" He exclaimed, his face lighting up, seeing Raymond's blush.

"Okay, enough showing off. Where's your grandpa?" His face flushed as he gave Jackson a shamed glance. Skye's ability for observation went beyond anything he'd learned at that age. It was so natural for him to look at a situation and draw obvious logical conclusions. His innocence also allowed him to blurt out these observations at the most inopportune times.

"He's right behind you." Skye pointed, while Raymond turned around in shocked surprise.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked suspiciously, glancing over to Jackson, who was calmly taking in the situation.

"Long enough." Jesse leaned in to hug Raymond, before crouching down in front of Skye, holding his hand up for a high five. "Grandpa is so proud of you! Should we get some ice cream?" he beamed, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

"We'll leave the two of you to sort things out." He looked from one to the other. Both looked as if they'd been caught doing something wrong.

"Eh, sorry about that." He smiled at Jackson who was sitting with a coffee in his hands.

"What was that with Skye, back there? Is he psychic or something?" Jackson asked. That kid had summed up the situation really quickly, almost as if he already knew what happened.

"Or something." He chuckled. "He's a bit of a mentalist in training. My fathers trained him ever since he could sit up."

"A mentalist?"

"You could say he reads people and has an uncanny ability to remember things he's only seen once." He elaborated, "He read our body language and looked for tells to come to a reasonable conclusion, which we confirmed by blushing like two school kids."

"Seriously? He can do that? Can you do that?" Jackson was still confused.

"I suppose you could say so." He tried to skirt the issue.

"Well, that explains why you're so perfect at work." He mused. He'd never doubted or even thought of Raymond's ability to remember people, and their history or even the fact that all his observations were so spot on.

"So, what are we going to do about the Skye situation? Obviously, the cat's out of the bag now." For him, this was a stroke of good luck. Clearly, Raymond couldn't deny their attraction and now that Skye knew, there shouldn't be any other obstacles in their way, barring that crazy family of his.

"Nothing." He responded calmly. "He would have figured things out sooner or later, might as well be now."