A/N: Hello again everyone! Time to check in with Shane and Giovanni! :D

Before we get started, I would like to thank everyone that read last chapter! I would also like to give a huge thank you to winterschild11, Anno1701, RainbowDiamonds, and Side1ways for reviewing!

I hope you all enjoy!

"Thanks again, Ashley, I really appreciate you handling everything at work so we could get away. Especially this close to the wedding, I know you're crazy busy." I turned out of my parking garage and headed to pick up Shane at his apartment.

"That's okay, you'll more than make up for it when I'm gone on my honeymoon," she said teasingly.

"Definitely. Call me if there's a problem."

"Will do, G. Don't worry about anything here. Have fun meeting the parents." I growled at her laughter and disconnected the call. She had teased me mercilessly about this being a "meet the folks" weekend and I guess in a way it kind of was, but I assured her over and over that what Shane and I had wasn't anything serious. The problem was that while I had tried to convince her of that, I was having more and more trouble convincing myself.

Being a logical thinker, I listed the facts in my head as I drove. 1) I liked spending time with Shane. When I was around him, I laughed more and felt more at peace than I had in ages. I couldn't wait to go into work to see his smiling face and I dreaded his days off because they tended to drag by slowly. 2) The sex between us was hands down the best sex of my entire life. 3) I no longer wanted to go to clubs in search of anyone else. As a matter of fact, I didn't even get the slightest bit aroused by men I would have found sexy before I met Shane. 4) The thought of him being with anyone else made me want to actually hurt someone. 5) I honestly cared about him and his happiness.

When he told me he loved me, my first instinct had been to run, I didn't want to experience the kind of pain I had felt when Juliana left me ever again. I had guarded my heart for years, never getting too close to anyone, never leaving myself vulnerable. Yet, somehow this man had found a way in and he seemed to have set up camp in my heart. As he always did, he picked up on my nervousness and assured me that he was okay with me not saying the words back to him, even though I knew he deserved better. I cared about him more with each passing day and I had finally begun to trust him, but I just wasn't quite ready to take the plunge into another relationship yet. Huh, that was the first time I had ever thought that sentence to myself with the word yet at the end. I was shocked to discover that I wasn't completely closed off to the idea anymore. Apparently, I was changing.

I pulled up to the curb just as the reason for that change stepped out the front door of his apartment and walked towards me, his suitcase dragging behind him. A smile lit both of our faces as I jumped out of the car and grabbed his suitcase out of his hand and placed it next to mine in the trunk of my car before climbing into the driver's seat.

Instead of pulling away from the curb, I turned to him and pulled him close, kissing him slowly and thoroughly, soaking in his clean, citrusy smell. My heart rejoiced at having him near. Why did I always feel most at home when I was in his arms?

"Are you ready to go?"

"The real question is, are you ready?" He laughed. "My family can be a bit much to take when they're all together."

"I'm sure they're not that bad," I assured him as I pulled away from the curb.

"Okay, let me put this into perspective, the last time I saw my dad he was telling me about how reading Fifty Shades of Grey really amped up things up between him and my mom in the bedroom."

I glanced over at him, trying to tell if he was really serious or not, and began laughing when I saw him shudder repulsively at the memory. "That's classic. By the way, I love how you wait until we're in the car, already on our way to meet them, before telling me that so there's no way I can back out."

"Would you have backed out if I had told you earlier?" He arched his brow at me.

"Not a chance." He smiled at me and I reached over to take his hand, threading my fingers through his. He sighed contentedly and settled in for the long drive.

Several hours later, we turned onto a long winding driveway that led to a beautiful, three-story log cabin with a huge deck on it and large windows that allowed a panoramic view of the breathtaking landscape that surrounded the house. New spring flowers were just beginning to pop up from the well-tended garden at the front of the house, welcoming its visitors with a rainbow of colors.

We stepped out of the car and I quickly removed my jacket, breathing in the clean mountain air. It was a beautiful spring day and much warmer in Tennessee than Chicago. I opened the trunk and grabbed both of our suitcases as we heard a shriek and a woman I assumed was Shane's mom began running out of the house to greet us.

He let out a tiny yelp, followed by a laugh as she grabbed him in a fierce hug. He wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug and kissing her cheek. "Hey, Mom, I've missed you so much."

"Oh, baby, I've missed you, too. I'm so happy you could come." She looked at him with complete adoration and I felt my heart give a little squeeze in my chest as memories of my mom looking at me the exact same way floated to the surface.

"Mom, I want you to meet someone. This is Giovanni Russo, he's my friend and my boss at the restaurant."

I extended my hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am. Thank you so much for having me here this weekend."

"We don't stand on formality here, sweetie, you can call me Brooke or Mom since everyone else around here does, it's the only way you'll get me to answer. We are thrilled to have you, the more the merrier I always say." She swatted my hand away and away and wrapped her arms around me in a sweet hug. I hugged her back gently, feeling instantly comfortable around her, and glanced over the top of her head to see Shane smiling, his hazel eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Come on in the house, everyone else is already here."

"Everyone?" I must have looked as nervous as I felt because Brooke quickly reassured me that it was just the immediate family. All of the extended family wouldn't arrive until Sunday morning.

We walked into the cabin and I looked around at the vaulted ceilings and living room that held several love seats and comfortable chairs, along with an enormous stone fireplace. Music and laughter drifted up from somewhere and Brooke led us down a flight of steps into a basement. We walked through a cozy home theatre before entering a hallway which opened up into a large game room complete with pool and air hockey tables, poker tables, and the kind of old school, stand up arcade games I hadn't seen in years.

"Squirt's here!" someone shouted and we were immediately surrounded by Shane's family who all talked over one another as they took turns hugging him affectionately. Finally, Shane stepped over to me so he could make introductions.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend Giovanni Russo. Gio, this is my dad David, my sister Michelle and her husband, Jason, my other sister Emma and her husband, Mark, my older brother Landon, and of course, James." I shook hands with each of them as we were introduced until I got to James and froze as I felt my face flush with embarrassment.

"We've already had the pleasure of meeting," he said, waggling his eyebrows at me deviously.

"James," Shane growled out a warning, but James just laughed as he quickly explained what happened at the club the other night.

"I'm really sorry about that-" I started, but was interrupted by Shane's mom who scolded James for embarrassing me. She wrapped her arm around my waist and steered me over to a chair and sat me down. Shane sat down next to me and everyone else settled around us.

"Everyone has always mixed the two of them up, even their closest friends and family." Shane's sister Emma told me sweetly.

"They liked to take advantage of it in school," Landon interjected with a wry smile. "I don't know how many classes they switched on test days."

"Hey, he was better at math than me, it just made sense," James jumped in.

"And there was no way I would have passed music composition without him," Shane agreed.

"There's only one way to tell them apart," Shane's dad spoke up. "The scar on the back Shane's head, where he split it open and had to have seven staples put in to close it back up."

I turned to look at Shane and reached over, rubbing the back of his head. I frowned as I felt the raised scar along his scalp. I felt my stomach roll at the thought of him being in pain. He looked at me with a soft smile and I realized what I had been doing and quickly removed my hand, folding it into my lap. I looked up to find Brooke studying me thoughtfully before she gave me a small wink.

The doorbell rang, announcing the pizza delivery and everyone scrambled out of their seats to go eat. Shane and I stood as James walked over to us. "Hey, I'm sorry about giving you a hard time earlier."

"It's fine, I knew you were just teasing and I can take it," I said with a smile.

"I really am glad you're here, seeing you two together makes me feel like smiling," he said the last word in a singsong voice.

I chuckled and Shane groaned, his face turning a bright shade of red as James referred to the smiley face condom he had given Shane.

"That's right," I drawled. "I have you to thank for that don't I?" I smiled widely as James and I shared a fist bump.

"Why do I get the feeling that it would be best to keep you two apart?" Shane asked as he took my hand and dragged me to get some food. I could hear James' laugher following us up the stairs.

After dinner, we all settled in the living room where Shane's dad started a fire to ward off the chill of the cool spring evening. It was warm and cozy as we all snuggled into the comfortable love seats. Shane sat next to me and reached for my hand that was laying in my lap, threading our fingers together. I glanced around to see what reactions there might be from his family, but it seemed no one had noticed except James and Michelle who both smiled at me. Shane had told me that his family was very supportive of him and his two brothers, who were also gay, but I had seen many people who reacted differently when actually faced with public displays of affection between two people of the same gender. That didn't seem like it was going to be an issue with Shane's family and I relaxed some of the tension in my shoulders that I hadn't even realized I'd been holding in.

I watched Shane's family interact with each other as they told countless tales about their childhood and teased each other in ways only the people who had known you throughout your life could. I laughed when they told the story about how a thirteen-year-old Shane threw up all over their guide when they went white water rafting.

"I couldn't help it," he groaned at the memory. "I don't do well with bumping up and down like that."

As his family moved on to tell an equally embarrassing story about Emma, I leaned over to whisper in Shane's ear, "You must have outgrown it because you do just fine with bumping up and down on my cock." He turned a lovely shade of red as a tremor went down his body and I had to fight the urge to grab him by the hand and drag him off to the nearest bed. I glanced over to find James watching us with a grin on his face. I'd have to learn to be a lot subtler, the guy clearly missed nothing and loved to use it to tease his siblings mercilessly.

I yawned unexpectedly and apologized as I checked my watch, surprised to see that we had been talking for a couple of hours. I felt so at ease around Shane's family and had enjoyed hearing their stories so much that the time had just flown by. However, after the long drive and sitting by the cozy fire, I found myself suddenly exhausted.

"Oh, you must be so tired after your long drive. Let's all go to bed. We have a lot to do tomorrow if we want to be ready for the rest of the family to get here on Sunday." Brooke stood and patted my arm.

Everyone helped straighten up, refolding the throw blankets and placing them on the backs of the couches and discarding their plastic cups as Landon snuffed out the last bit of the smoldering fire. David checked to make sure the doors were all locked and I went to the front hallway to retrieve the luggage we had left there when we arrived. Shane tried to take his bag from me and I was rewarded with that smile I loved when I insisted on carrying his.

He led us up to the second story where there were six bedrooms and three bathrooms. We continued on to the third story which contained five more bedrooms and two bathrooms. The shock must have shown on my face because Shane chuckled. "My grandfather was a genius when it came to investing his money, especially when it came to both oil and railroad companies. He became extremely wealthy and when he died, everything was divided between my mother and her two sisters." He shrugged his shoulder easily as he led us into what I assumed would be our bedroom. It was decorated in the same rustic, cedar furniture that had been used throughout the cabin, giving the place a rich, woodsy smell.

We quickly put our clothes away to try to prevent any further wrinkling and I slid our empty luggage into the closet. I went into the bathroom where I quickly washed my face and brushed my teeth. While Shane took his turn in the bathroom, I took off my clothes, leaving only my boxer briefs on. I folded my clothes neatly and placed them on a chair by the window. I stood, looking out the large picture window at the expansive backyard and the woods beyond, with what appeared to be a narrow stream running along the property. The moon was full, casting a beautiful, ethereal glow on everything it touched.

I breathed deeply as my thoughts swirled in my head. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so at peace, not just because of the beautiful surroundings or Shane's loving family, but because of Shane himself. Shane Diamond was easily the finest man I had ever met. He was funny, kind, smart, talented, and fucking sexy as hell. Perhaps Ashley and Micah were right and it was time to open my heart up again. It was obvious Shane had been raised by two loving, committed parents who had shown their children what a good marriage looked like, much like my own parents. It was very different from Juliana's parents who had spent many years fighting and cheating on each other before ending their marriage with a bitter divorce. Maybe Shane, unlike Julina, would know how to stay and work through relationship problems rather than bailing at the first sign of trouble. I was beginning to believe that if there was ever another person I could trust my heart with, it would be Shane, but there was still a part of me that was afraid to take that step; afraid of getting hurt again.

Feeling cold from standing in nothing but my boxer briefs, I scrambled to the bed and slid in between the sheets. I was just beginning to warm up and my eyes were getting very heavy when Shane came back in the room and began taking his clothes off, folding them neatly before setting them aside. I forced my eyes open so I could enjoy the sight of his beautiful body and flawless skin as it was exposed to me.

He grinned shyly when he caught me staring and he hurried to turn off the light and climbed into the bed, making me jump when his ice-cold toes grazed my leg.

"Sorry, babe," he said curling up against me to gain warmth and my stomach fluttered at the endearment.

"Thank you for bringing me here. Your family is amazing." I turned on my side facing him and captured his lips with my own.

What started out as a quick kiss, soon turned very heated and Shane rolled me onto my back as our tongues dueled with each other. I dropped my head back on the pillow with a sigh as he slid down my body, leaving warm, wet kisses along the way. He nipped at my hip bones and licked a path along the muscles above my groin. I needed to feel his mouth on me so I slid my fingers into his hair, gently guiding his head down lower. The little tease chuckled and I felt his hot breath ghost across my cock, through the thin layer of fabric covering my groin.

He looked up at me, the moonlight shining through the window making his features clearly visible and I was suddenly held captive by his beautiful hazel eyes. We stared at each other for what seemed like a long time and I saw such a mixture of love and trust and happiness in his gaze, that I had to close my eyes against the unexpected surge of emotions that crashed over me. I wanted to tell him how I felt about him; how important he had become in my life.

Shane lowered his head and began tonguing my shaft through the fabric of my boxer briefs, leaving it wet and incredibly hot and forcing all coherent thoughts aside. I lifted my hips, allowing him to slide the underwear down over my legs and toss them carelessly over his shoulder. He leaned back down and nuzzled his cheek against my cock then buried his nose into my groin, breathing deeply. He licked at the tender skin where my hip met my groin before sucking on it, hard. I knew what the gesture meant, he was marking me as his. I found myself wanting to do the same, to claim him as my own, but I couldn't make myself do it yet.

I groaned loudly as he took my cock into his mouth and he reached up to cover my mouth with his hand so I wouldn't wake up everyone in the house. I nodded to let him know I understood and he removed his hand and he picked up the pace on my cock, sucking hard on the tip before he swiftly took me the rest of the way. I reached down and placed one hand on the back of his head while the other slid under his neck to feel the smooth skin of his throat. I could feel the movement against my hand as his throat worked its way down my cock and I saw stars when he swallowed hard around me.

Shane moaned around my cock and I glanced down to see him up on his knees, his hand working his own cock at a furious pace. It was the hottest thing I think I had ever seen and I couldn't hold back my orgasm any longer. As my body jackknifed up off the bed, I clenched my teeth to ward off the scream that threatened to burst from my chest and came hard in my lover's mouth. My hand, still against his throat, felt him swallow over and over as he took it all. He pressed his mouth against my hip as he followed me, his release spilling into his hand.

When his orgasm had subsided, he finished licking every inch of my sensitive cock until it was clean. Standing up, he leaned over the bed to kiss my lips, his tongue swept in my mouth and I could taste the slightly bitter taste that lingered there. He stood back up and started to retreat, but I grabbed his hand before he could escape and pulled it towards me, sucking his fingers slowly, each in turn, before licking at his palm to clean the remaining come off of it. Shane's come tasted so good, as sweet as the man himself; and much like the man, after one taste, I found myself addicted. His eyes were half-lidded and had turned a dark, hunter green looking color with his arousal. I finally released him to go to the bathroom and clean up, chuckling to myself as he stumbled to the door on shaky legs.

I was already half asleep by the time he climbed back into bed and snuggled up against me, kissing my shoulder tenderly. "Night, gorgeous," I murmured sleepily and drifted off with a smile on my face as I heard his words.

"Goodnight, Gio. I love you."

XxX

The next day was a whirlwind of activity as everyone was assigned jobs to help get things ready for the arrival of the rest of Shane's family, or as they lovingly referred to it, the invasion. Emma, Michelle, and their husbands went outside to set up the games while David and his three sons made sure all the extra bedrooms were set up with clean towels and fresh sheets. I helped Brooke in the kitchen, preparing the Easter feast that the entire family would enjoy the next day. I was surprised that Shane hadn't been assigned to cook with us, but I suspected that Brooke has some things on her mind that she would like to discuss with me privately.

I was placing pineapple rings on top of a ham as Brooke stood on the other side of the island counter, slicing potatoes for scalloped potatoes. I caught her glancing at me a few times with questions in her eyes.

"Is there something on your mind, Brooke?"

She looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Giovanni, it's none of my business."

"You can ask me anything you want and I'll do my best to answer."

It's just that, well, Shane mentioned that you were divorced…"

"Yes, for a little over three years now." Before I knew it, I had told her the entire story. She came over and placed her hands over mine with a look of concern in her eyes.

"You poor boy." She placed her hand lovingly on my cheek. "I'm so sorry you were hurt, dear, but…"

"What?" I prodded.

"I can tell you are a fine young man with ambition and integrity. It's easy to see why Shane is so crazy about you, but you have to understand that I'm a mother and I worry about my baby getting his heart broken." She held her hand up to stop me from saying anything before she continued. "I know you've been hurt, badly. It's also very clear to me how much you care about my son. Please promise me you'll be careful with him. Shane has never been one to do things halfway, that's why I know that when he falls in love, he'll hand over his heart and never look back. So, please be careful with him, because I know he'll be careful with you."

"Believe me, the last thing I ever want to do is hurt Shane. I care about him very much," I assured her quietly.

"Thank you, Giovanni." She hugged me tightly and kissed my cheek. I found myself liking Brooke Diamond even more as I saw what a protective, loving mother she was. She reminded me so much of my own mother, especially as we moved around the kitchen, cooking together.

We had just finished up and Brooke was explaining to me how much she was looking forward to having grandbabies when Shane walked into the kitchen.

"Mom!" He groaned. "Please, leave Gio alone."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, feigning innocence as she wiped down the counters.

We chuckled as Shane took my hand. "Come with me, we have twelve dozen eggs to color."

Done! So, it looks like the visit is going well and things are looking good for Shane and Giovanni. :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter, as well as if you happened to have a favorite part/moment!

Again, I hope you all enjoyed and that you all are staying safe out there! The next chapter of this will more than likely be up sometime next week!

Until then!

-Epically Obsessed