Max’s Story
It was Sunday morning and Teddy and I were at the Westin-Hall’s helping them get ready for The big Villager “Kwissmiss Powty.” I promised Seth I’d help him with the food. Teddy was helping Freddy clean his room, Izzy and Ali were cleaning up their toys in the den, and me, Seth, and Zach were in the kitchen cooking up a feast. We were making every brunch food and appetizer known to mankind. No one ever went hungry when The Village got together.
“So, did the guys get home safe last night?” Seth asked.
“Yeah, they took the redeye, Brody said all is good. Our guest went right to the guesthouse so I didn’t get to see him yet.” I replied. “Did you pick up a gift for him?”
“Yeah, it’s with the others for Daddy to hand out. Izzy got something for them too, she thinks we’re mailing it to Arizona.”
Zach laughed at Seth’s comment, “what the hell is it with those two? She loves the hell outta Asso.”
“She’s gonna freak the flip out when she sees him” Seth said as he put something in the oven. “I’m glad Brody convinced him to come home with him.”
“Brody said he seemed depressed and homesick, so he convinced him it would be a big help if the two of them were both in the same place this week, they’re working on a bunch of layouts for some campaign. Brody said he had a smile on his face when he left him at the guesthouse.” Even though Asher had moved to Phoenix and was doing well on his own, the Village kept an eye on him. Seth’s brother Brian was a Psychologist and met with him regularly, Brody kept tabs on him at the office, and Seth made sure he made himself available whenever they called. Asso was on his own, but we were his family and were always in the background. We talked more about Asher while we continued to get everything ready.
Seth looked at his watch, “about an hour to party time” he announced.
Izzy squealed with excitement and yelled, “I get weddy now, c’mon Ali” then she grabbed her little brother by the hand and the two of them crawled their way up the steps.
Teddy and I said our goodbyes and headed home to get ready too. Back at BroMax Farm, Asher was up, dressed, and ready to go. He and Brody were getting the twins dressed in their frilliest Christmas dresses. “Asher!” I yelled as I gave them a hug, Teddy joined in… Teddy knew Ash was coming, he also knew it as a surprise and he didn’t tell anyone. I was impressed. I hadn’t seen him since C&C’s wedding, he looked different. Asher was wearing a white ruffle shirt, and a pair of purple velvet tights (definitely not the typical Carolina country attire). He was also wearing a little makeup to highlight his beautiful features; it was clear they had been working hard on perfecting their look. I gotta admit, their look caught me off guard, but he looked damn good… there was this… confidence? Or maybe ‘comfortable in his own skin’ kind or air about them. They had definitely come into their own and radiated.
“You look cooooool” Teddy said sincerely. Even through the perfect makeup, I could see Ash was blushing. He was quiet at first, but after a few minutes he went into motormouth mode and told us all about life in Phoenix. I left everyone to talk while I went and got ready for the party, about a half hour later, we were loading up the Pacifica and heading back over to the Westin-Hall’s. We got there a little early, Seth was upstairs helping Izzy get ready and Zach was in the kitchen with the other kids setting up the food.
Asher got another warm welcome from the Westin-Hall gang. Zach hugged them and said, “Izzy’s upstairs getting ready, go up and surprise her. She’s gonna freak!” Zach, Brody, and all the kids stayed downstairs and continued to work while I took Ash up to Izzy’s room. She was sitting on the bed in a frilly frock of green, red, silver, and gold with every damn sparkle and frill imaginable. She was facing the mirror with head looking down and Seth behind her struggling with the matching ribbons in her hair. The door was open; Ash entered, and I pulled out my phone to capture the moment.
Seth smiled at Asher, moved out of the way, and let him take his place. “I think you should let the silver and gold ones cascade down” Asher said quietly as he messed with the ribbons.
Izzy’s head shot up when she heard the new voice, she looked in the mirror to see her old friend. It took a second for it all to register, but when it did. DAY-UM! “ASSO! YOU HEO! WHY YOU HEO AT MY HOUSE? YOU WILLY HEO! I LOVE YOU, ASSO!” She was shaking with excitement; the ribbons lost their importance, and the only thing that mattered was Asso was home. She turned and held him in the tightest embrace for a long while. He squeezed her back, doing his best to hold back the tears. She leaned back to look at her friend, examining his face, taking in the makeup, then she gave his outfit the once over. She took in the essence of Asher… I thought to myself ‘oh, shit. She’s gonna say something?’ Izzy had no filter; I was afraid she might say something about Asher’s makeup or clothes and hurt their feelings. Seth had the same thought and shot me a look. Then Izzy surprised us again. “You look like a pwince! You bootiful” she said with sincerity as she lightly touched his face. Then she planted a kiss on his lips and went back to hugging him. Asso was home, and the best Christmas gift Izzy ever got.
While Asher and Izzy were reuniting upstairs, the party had started downstairs. Seth and I left Ash to help Izzy with her “hao wibbons” and joined the party.
Things were in full swing with Maverick, RayRay, Taylor, Noah, Craig, Colton, Ella, and Caleb already standing around the food tables laughing and feeding their faces while they filled their plates. Christmas music and the smell of pine and cinnamon filled the air. Seth and I were attacked with hugs and Christmas greetings as we entered. I loved having all these people in one place, I mean, I got to see the guys who were still connected to BroMax Candle Company regularly, and we had seen everyone at C&C’s wedding a couple of months ago, but it was good seeing them all laughing and having a great time together. It was always amazing to see the transformations, they all came to us at their lowest, now they’re standing around talking about their jobs, college, business ventures, homes, plans for the future. It was amazing how far they had all come, it was exactly what Seth and I envisioned when we started The Village. My grandpa would be so fucking proud, I missed him so much.
Ella was home from school, and holding Abbi while she talked to Craig who had Olli in his arms (C&C love our baby girls), both my girls were loving the attention. Caleb was making RayRay and Taylor laugh with stories about all the hot, clueless, straight boys in the dorms. Noah and Maverick were talking with Zach and Brody in another corner, and Colton was adding garnish and little touches to all the dishes on the table making everything just perfect. The three boys were in the den playing… everyone was having fun.
The party started to move from the kitchen and spread out a little bit throughout the first floor as more people showed up. Gina and her gang came through the front door with a loud “Merry Christmas everybody!” Ricky walked in with his latest girlfriend and Timmy playing the third wheel, then Kelly and Nathan showed up and added to the gifts for the guys under the tree. Eli, Riley, and Mercedes made an entrance in coordinated outfits. Che and River sauntered in a little late, and brought Hugo with them… Che had worked the night shift and wanted to get a couple hours of sleep in before they came. The place was crazy by the time Izzy made her grand entrance down the stairway with Asher in tow.
They made it about halfway down the stairs when Izzy announced, “Hey! Asso’s heo!” Everyone looked up and Asher found themself surrounded by love… Okay, so I heard Hugo ask Che ‘what the fuck is that?’ I also saw Che take him into the kitchen… I’m guessing our young thug Hugo got a quick lesson on respect and acceptance.
Meanwhile, everyone flocked around Asher and was excited to see them, his response kind of surprised me… the Asher I knew was shy and always did his damnedest to blend in with the furniture… the new, self-confident Asher greeted everyone with a hug. He was outgoing and talkative, like… like he was in his element, I loved the change in him. Everyone was happy as hell to see him and vied for his attention. He made his way into the living room where he basically held court and sucked up the attention and admiration of his friends… no, let’s say family. That’s what we were.
The doorbell rang again for the millionth time, this time Sams stood there with his boyfriend Marcus, and the rest of his family including his twin sisters Charlie and Rosie. Dear fucking lord, Izzy, Maggie, Charlie, and Rosie instantly assembled and sized each other up taking in all the frills and bows, and sparkly shoes… within seconds the four of them had bonded and were off to the den to play. There was a little territorial skirmish at first because the boys had already claimed the room… but they settled their feud in seconds and were all playing like best friends. I saw Seth across the room talking to Sams’ dad and he had this look of bliss on his face… a house full of people, a room full of love, and Christmas chaos everywhere… this was his perfect moment.
Suddenly, the chaos was broken with even more chaos as the sound of jingle bells outweighed every other noise in the room, the front door flew open and a jolly “HO, HO, HO” wafted through the atmosphere. The final guest had arrived! The kids came running from the Den as Santa entered and dropped his giant bag on the floor. All the kids ran to him with the exception of Ali… God, I loved that kid. He stood in front of Santa, several feet away, smiled at him and gave him a subtle wave with his fingers. Santa melted, walked past the other kids, and picked up Ali. Seth cleared an overstuffed chair for the guest of honor to sit. Santa sat with Ali asking him if he’d been a good boy, etc, etc… then BA the elf came out of nowhere and handed Daddy…er… um… Santa a gift for Ali. Santa earned his first hug. One by one the kids all sat on Santa’s lap. Teddy was the last of the kids to go, I heard my son whisper in Santa’s ear, “I know it’s you grandpa, thanks for helpin’ Santa, he’s real busy.” Brody was on the other side of the chair; he heard it too and we smiled at each other. Teddy was at that age where he still believed in Santa, but had his doubts. He was looking at a picture from last Christmas and put two and two together that Santa looked like Grandpa Daddy (yup, they called him Grandpa Daddy, only in the south, folks), and realized he had never seen them together. So, he asked Grandpa about it, and Grandpa told him that Santa was busy around Christmas so he asked him and some other grandpas to help him out… Teddy bought it (and of course told Freddy who also bought it). Grandpa Daddy told the two boys all about his training sessions at the North Pole and how sick he was when he got home because all he ate for a week was candy canes and hot chocolate. The two best buds bought it hook, line, and sinker, and swore never to tell the other kids. I was impressed how he and Freddy kept the secret to themselves and didn’t ruin it for the others. Anyway, when the kids were done, Santa moved on to the Villagers. The guys were all hamming it up on Santa’s lap, it was hilarious… Santa had something for everyone in his bag.
The kids had all bought little crap for the villagers too. I think one of the sweetest moments of the day was Izzy sitting on Asher’s lap giving them their ‘Kwissmiss pwesent’. It was a tiny frame with a picture of the two of them, “Dat you. Dat me, hang it on you Kwissmiss twee n’ see me aw d’ time.” It was a small ornament with a picture of the two of them at C&C’s wedding. Asher hugged his tiny friend; I could see his tears. I was glad he came home.
The party stayed strong through the afternoon and into the early evening, by about 5:00 the twins had had enough, so Brody and I decided to call it a day. Asher was deep in conversation with Noah and Taylor and told us to go on without him he’d find a ride home.
It was a great party, and a great addition to our Christmas traditions. Izzy’s ‘Kwissmiss Powty’ idea was a great one.
Asso’s Story
I loved my new life in Phoenix, but I admit there was a lot of drama… Alejo, Ricky, Trevor… in addition to all the work stuff, and other stuff. I had spent almost my entire life alone, then I found The Village, moved to Arizona, and now I had more people around me than I could handle… I mean really. So many guys. Hot guys. Like I said, there was a lot of drama, I needed a break.
Brody was in town working on a new campaign. It was all hands on deck and we were in the office on Saturday morning. I overheard him talking to Max on the phone about The Villagers Christmas party the next day. Izzy called and invited me personally, but I just couldn’t go. Could I? I mean should I spend money for a flight just to go to some party? Plus I had a lot of work to do, I couldn’t make up my mind so I told Seth no. I said something to Brody about how I wanted to go, but it was too much money and I had a lot to do at the office. “We can crank this shit out faster if we’re in the same place, why don’t y’all fly back with me and work from the barn like we used to?” He suggested.
“Can I? I mean, I can’t just do that. Can I?”
“Why the hail not? We gotta get this shit done before the holiday break, fly back with me” Brody said like it was nothing. I couldn’t make up my mind, so Brody made it up for me. He called HR, and they emailed me a ticket. Just like that. “We leave at midnight. Y’all just go home and pack your bags when we’re done here, then we’ll meet me at the airport.” So that’s what I did.
When we finished work for the day, I jumped in Yoda and drove home to pack my stuff. ‘Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, was I really doing this?!’ I thought to myself. ‘Was I really jumping on a plane on a whim, and going home to Wilmington just to go to a Christmas party?’ I was! Trev was waiting for me when I got home, he was so jealous! He couldn’t come, he had to work, plus he didn’t have extra money for the ticket. I felt a little bad, but I was honestly glad, like I said I needed a break from the drama, and Trev was part of the drama. I kissed him goodbye then headed to the airport, I stopped by Ricky’s on the way to tell him about my last minute trip; he pouted a little at first, but was happy for me. Sorry… I’m starting to motormouth, so, long story short; I met Brody at the airport and we touched down in sweet home North Carolina in the Middle of the night, the next morning I was surrounding by people I loved.
I was so excited to see everyone, and kind of surprised at how excited everyone was to see me… I kind of stole the show. Izzy (my first friend ever), was the most excited. She screamed my name and gave me a hug that just made all the stress and drama just not matter anymore. Then she gave me a Christmas ornament with a picture of the two of us from Craig and Colton’s wedding, it meant everything to me… I knew then why I called The Village home; I felt loved there.
I put my motormouth in third gear and talked to all the people I had left behind. I wore a ruffle shirt, purple velvet tights, and a little makeup. No jeans, no flannel, no work boots… I definitely stood out. Izzy said I looked like a Disney Prince, Seth said I looked like the artist (formerly known as) Prince, that made me giggle. The other guys gave me a little crap about it, but it was all in good fun. It was not your typical country couture, but it was 100% ME, and it felt good to be me around them. I think BA’s reaction was the best; she came up to me, looked me up and down, and said, “yer foundation is too white, darlin’” Then she pulled this little tin out of her giant purse and handed it to me. “This is the good stuff. Mary Kay.” Then she hugged me and told me how beautiful I looked, “yer a sight for sore eyes, sweetie. I think aboutcha’ often.”
I ended up on the couch stuffing my face and talking with Noah. I didn’t really know him at all, I never even really met him. He was Taylor’s boyfriend… shit, now there’s a title I’d kill for. Taylor , what to say about Taylor? Taylor was one of the hottest men I had ever met in my life, long sandy blonde hair that he usually kept in a bun or ponytail, however, that night he let it flow down over his shoulders, His body was perfect, his smile magnetic, and his personality could charm the tights off anyone… including yours truly. The first time I met him was in Seth’s office, I could hardly eke out a ‘hello’ I was so struck. But that was the old Asher, the new Asher had confidence, I liked… no… I loved myself now. I talked to Noah and Taylor for what seemed like hours. We laughed, swapped stories, and really bonded… oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I bonded with Taylor!
Well, afternoon turned into evening and people started to leave. It was down to mostly Villagers and the Westin-Hall family. Seth told everyone to “eat up” before he started to put the food away. I filled my plate one more time (seriously, I probably ate more that day than I had the entire week before). I kept talking with Taylor and Noah, I was between the two on the couch and they seemed to be closing in on me. I thought it was my imagination. Seth and Zach eventually kicked us all out so they could put the kids to bed, I said my goodbyes, and promised Izzy I would see her again before I left town. After that we moved the party across the street to Craig and Colton’s house where I kept talking to Noah and Taylor, and instead of eating so much, I was drinking.
It was about 10:00 when Taylor and Noah offered me a ride to the guesthouse. Taylor was driving a classic Mustang, it was his mothers and had an amazing story behind it… all I knew is that it was beautiful (Yoda was functional, but Sally was a star). It was a fun ride, even if I was scrunched in the backseat. When Taylor’s Mustang rumbled up to the old barn, it got kind of awkward. I said goodnight, then Taylor said, “I used to work in that barn, I haven’t seen it since they turned it into a guest house.” Then he said, “do you have anything to drink?” Okay, I know I’m naïve, but that was a come on. Right?
“Um, I don’t know. I think I saw some beer in the refrigerator.” That’s all it took, the very cute Noah, and the very hot Taylor got out of the muscle car and walked me into the guesthouse. I found some beers, and we sat on the couch and talked some more. The guys sat on either side of me… really close. I mean really close! Taylor subtly put a hand on my thigh as we talked, a little later Noah did the same… I… I … I didn’t know what to do, so I just sat there. Taylor said something, so I turned my head to look him in the eyes and he kissed me. Taylor fucking kissed me! TAYLOR! WITH HIS TONGUE!!!!! The hottest guy I had ever met was making a move on ME!
When he pulled out of our kiss, I turned to look at Noah. There was no way he was good with this. Right? When I turned my head, he kissed me too! OH MY GOD, I was their play thing!
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god… like I said it was good to be home.
To be continued…
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