Thanks To You

Chapter Twenty Eight(Alex)

As they pulled up to Alex's parents' house, Zack clutched the bouquet of flowers and the box of chocolates, a nervous excitement bubbling within him. Alex noticed as he walked over to open Zack's car door.

As Zack stood from the car, Alex kissed him gingerly. "You don't need to be so nervous baby. I know you have a lot of trauma with your parents. But my parents are going to love you just as much as I do. They already know how much I love you. And they've been dying to meet you. My mom has been talking about how much she wants to show you her teddy bear collection, which may compete with yours . My dad will be so excited to know that you work out every single day. You might be able to get a new customer to your CrossFit class." Alex said as he took Zack's hand and walked them up to the door.

"Does your mom really have a teddy bear collection? Or are you lying to me? You know I don't fuck around when it comes to my hyper fixation." Zack said with a side eye glance.

Alex giggled at his boyfriend and how cute he was when it came to the things he loves. "Yes! She does! I wouldn't lie to you about something like that. I know how much you love teddy bears."

Zack smiled. "I bet mines bigger, but I'd be excited to see what she has." Zack said a little bit competitively.

Alex knocked, and the door swung open to reveal a short, slender woman with short brown hair, and brown eyes that looked exactly like Alex's. She had a strong British accent, welcoming them with a warm smile.

"Hello, boys." she said, her eyes lighting up. "I'm Emma, Alex's mom." She said with a hug to Alex. Zack feeling a bit jittery, managed a friendly smile while he watched Alex embrace his mother.

"Hi mama. I am excited to come home and introduce you to my love." Alex said sweetly.

Emma smiled at Zack. "Hi Zack! Thanks for coming to visit us."

"Hi, Emma," Zack replied. "These are for you." Zach handed her the flowers and chocolates, and Emma's face lit up.

She gave Alex a little bit of a side eye showing that she approved already. Zack had a smile on his face seeing that she smiled over them. Feeling a little bit more confident in his choice to make sure they stopped for gifts.

"Oh, how lovely! Thank you, Zack!"'she said, giving him a warm hug. "I'm grateful you brought these. Come in, both of you."

As they entered the house, Zack couldn't help but compliment her, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emma. Alex has told me so much about you."

With a chuckle, Emma hugged him again, saying, "Thank you, Zack. And it's lovely to finally put a face to the stories Alex tells."

Alex's mom then turned to her son again. Hoping to speak to him more. "Hello, sweetheart, I love you. Thanks for bringing him home to us so we can meet him." She smiled.

"Of course. I was just waiting for the right time. And I've never been more excited for you to beat anybody in my life. I love him with all my heart and I know you will too." Alex said while he grinned wildly. So delighted to finally be introducing the most important person in his life to the other important people in his life.

Zach blushed, responding, "Hello, ma'am. Thank you for having me. you raised yourself a really great boy. I see where he gets his kind and caring nature from."

As Emma led them to the kitchen, Emma gushed. "Well, my goodness aren't you just adorable. And the way you speak about my boy makes me tickled."

Alex blushed at the way that Zack was speaking about him, and the way his mom was reacting. Alex was absolutely delighted to see them responding to each other so well, and then being so happy. Alex knew that Zack was craving and yearning for a close family relationship that he never really had.

As they sat at the kitchen table to chat, Alex watched as his mom chatted about how much Alex had shared about Zach. "He gushes over you every single time he calls me. He was so delighted with you to move in with each other. I know he was worried about doing it so soon, but I think it really made the two of you stronger from what he tells me."

Zack blushed again and added with a nervous laugh, "I hope it was all good things. I know us learning to share space was pretty rough at the start there. But I think we've really developed a good routine. Alex has been so patient with me as he knows that I really need routines to thrive."

Alex grinned as he saw Zack and his mom interacting. Alex always found it extremely delightful when Zack opened up like this.

"Babe you act like you're a monster, you struggle with some mental health issues. We all do from time to time. You just function a little bit differently, and we had to learn how that was. We're doing a pretty good job handling it I think."

Zack smiled goofily. "You always know what to say. And you're right. I think we're doing a pretty good job." He winked.

In the kitchen, they encountered Alex's dad, as he walked in. Alex stood up to warmly hug his dad. Alex gave his dad a squeeze. "Hi Dad."

"Hello Son. Who is this fine gentleman?" Alex's Dad said.

"Dad this is my boyfriend Zack. Zack this is my dad Luke Gaskarth." Alex said with a sweet smile.

Luke extended a hand for a shake with Zack. Zack gave a firm handshake, prompting Luke to playfully ask, "Who works out here?"

Alex playfully rolled his eyes as Zack grinned, "Guilty as charged. I teach CrossFit classes three times a week and I am a personal fitness coach. I also work out for at least three hours a day."

Alex bumped Zack's shoulder playfully, interjecting, "I sometimes think he's at the gym more than he's at home."

Luke chuckled, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet the man keeping our Alex in such great shape. Welcome to the family, Zack."

Alex looked on concerned as Zack took in a sharp breath. And he started breathing deeply trying to contain himself. Alex wrapped his boyfriend in a hug. "Hey honey. Don't overthink it. Dad's just trying to be sweet and tell you that he likes you. It's OK to be liked by your family Zack. Here in this family we're here for you."

Emma looked on proudly as her son comforted Zack. " I don't wanna pry but, this is a family of love, and we will never judge you. It seems you may have struggled with that with your own family. But I want you to know you're safe here."

Zack started to tear up, and Alex reached up and wiped them away. So sad to see that his love was overwhelmed. " You've all been so kind to me and you just met me. I could never thank you enough for your kindness. I always struggled with love in my own family. So seeing how much your family loves each other makes me feel very grateful to be here." Zack said sweetly.

"Falling in love with you is the best decision I've ever made Zack. I'm just as grateful for you to be here." Alex said as a final note on the conversation.

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As the evening unfolded, the atmosphere around the dinner table was warm and filled with laughter. Britney, the family dog, lay at their feet, looking content. The afterglow of the emotional conversation lingered in the air as they all enjoyed a delicious meal together.

As Alex glanced around at his parents and Zack, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude. They accepted Zach wholeheartedly, and it was a moment he had dreamt of for a long time. The love and acceptance from his family meant the world to him.

Amidst the chatter and the clinking of cutlery, Alex found himself lost in his thoughts. He looked at Zack, engaged in conversation with his parents, and a warmth filled his heart. The idea of spending the rest of his life with Zack lingered in his mind. He hadn't planned on thinking about it anytime soon, but the thought was persistent.

As he savored the joyous moments around the table, Alex couldn't escape the notion of a future together with Zack. The laughter, the love, and the acceptance felt like the building blocks of something lasting. He pondered the concept of forever, his heart silently whispering that Zack might just be the one he'd want to share that forever with.