Page 18 of Mimosa (Murphy's Pub #2)

Chapter Eighteen

Back at the pub, they celebrated quietly with a drink for Mims’s father, and another, louder one for Mims.

Cosmo bragged endlessly, telling the story over and over again, and Sonny held him on the sofa in the common area of the second floor, remarking several times over the orange and green of the retro décor.

Goldie was working the pub, but as soon as the pub cleared, he closed the doors and joined them, so Cosmo got to brag one more time.

“He really just…that’s incredible, Mims.”

“He pretty much said that a lot of men fool around with other men, but they’re still supposed to marry women.”

Mick wasn’t there, he was already in bed, so Murphy kept his voice low when he said, “Dad doesn’t think like that. I doubt he ever knew of any of his friends fooling around with men. I’m sure there were plenty, but none would have let him know.”

“Yeah,” Abs said, his eyes widening as something seemed to dawn on him. “What if your dad…you know, was one of them?”

Mims laughed but no one else did. As he stared around the room, he said, “Come on, guys. Not my dad!”

“Why not? How would he know, if he weren’t one of them?” Sonny asked him. “I mean, you will likely never know, but it’s a thought.”

“Wow. I can’t even picture my dad with my mom, let alone sucking dick.”

A rounding, “Ew,” went up in the room.

As he giggled, Sonny kissed his cheek. “I gotta go.”

“No! I thought you’d spend the night.”

“Gotta take care of some things. I’ll call you tomorrow, and I’m coming Saturday and I’ll make sure I stay all night.”

“Fine. Want me to walk you out?”

“No. Stay here with your family.”

They kissed and the guys all whistled and clapped.

“Go fuck yourselves, all of you,” Sonny said while laughing and waving. “See you all later.”

“Speaking of which, I need to call Taran. I’m out.”

As he was leaving, Abs said, “I’m about tired of you guys and your boyfriends. Makes the rest of us look bad.”

“Why?” Mims asked him.

“I’m prettier than you and Cosmo. I should be wifed-up.”

Goldie groaned and said, “I told you, Abs, if we’re both single when we’re forty, we’ll hitch.”

“Forty. I will be long past my prime.”

Murphy threw one of the bright orange pillows at him. “Fuck off, Abs.”

“You are married, so you don’t need to be pretty anymore.”

Eazy giggled himself silly, and Murphy threatened to take sex off the table.

“Right, like you could go without for more than a week.”

There in the comfort of his home, with his true family, Mims discovered he’d never been happier. Sure, his father was about to die, and that broke his heart in ways he hadn’t suspected, but the looming specter of death had caused…regret? Well, something that had given him a little more hindsight than he’d ever had.

But, seeing that a father could change, even a little, he could finally see Murphy as a father figure. The father he’d truly needed all those years. Not the old men that wanted him for fun and never for anything serious.

Paps was his dad, and all the other men his brothers. He had all the love in the world in that pub.

When he woke in the morning, Daiq batted his door open and jumped on his bed. “Hey! What are you doing?” Daiq didn’t answer, of course, but moved under Mims’s blankets to curled up next to his hip. “Okay, well, good morning to you, too.”

Cosmo peeked inside the door and asked, “Is he in here?”

“He’s right here,” Mims said, pointing. “See the lump that isn’t me?”

Laughing, Cosmo came into the room, his face flushed. “He’s been all over the place this morning. I don’t think he remembers that he has one daddy and a ton of uncles.”

“He’s spoiled, so he searches for the one that will spoil him most at any given time.”

Cosmo sat on his bed, and the dip in the mattress made Daiq get up, turn around and curl right back up against him again. “How are you this morning?”

“I’m…good. I feel what, you know, people talk about a weight being lifted. I feel that. I didn’t even know there was a weight on me, but man, I feel lighter, like I went on some lemon juice, cayenne pepper fast or something.”

“You’ve never done that.”

“Yeah, I sure did. I lost ten pounds and gained them back in just over a week when I started eating again.”

Cosmo chuckled and said, “Well, I’m glad you’re in a good place, honey, but you know what comes next, right?”

“Yeah,” he said in a whisper. “He, uh, dies. I’m not ready for that.”

“We never are, from what I’ve seen in memes and sad videos on social media.”

Mims closed his eyes and confessed, “It’s going to suck, but…it was going to happen sometime. Shit, I’ve wished for it a bunch.”

“Don’t be one of those idiots who think they’ve got special powers, and you caused this. More likely it was his meanness that ate away at him.”

Mims laughed as he shook his head, absently petting Daiq under the blankets. “No, of course not. He’d have died much faster and much more painfully, like with a million boils festering all over him.”

“Right,” Cosmo said. “So?”

“Well, I don’t know how I’ll feel when he’s gone. But I do know one thing. I’ve got all of you to help me through it.”

“You sure do. Listen, when His Majesty comes out from the blankets, could you bring him into the room? He can’t just wander all over all the time. I’m afraid he’ll get out one of the doors.”

“I will. For now, he’s fine. He’s good company.”

As soon as Cosmo left, Daiq came out, meowing quietly at Mims. “So, you were just waiting for him to leave. I get it.”

Daiq brushed along Mims’s face, purring loudly. “You know, he’s right. What if you got out? You could get hurt and that would make us all very, very sad.”

More purring, then, like he’d heard Mims, he jumped off the bed and went to the door, meowing loudly.

“Okay, let’s go to Cosmo’s room.”

After depositing Daiq with his daddy, Mims got dressed and everyone met in the basement for practice. Mims did some fancy moves that Goldie taught them, and Hippy volunteered to do the running with Cosmo to the patio and backroom tables.

That meant Mims would be front and center the entire night. That made him nervous.

“You know you’re a good dancer,” Haze told him.

“I do not know that.”

“Well, you are. Come on, do some more moves.”

Mims closed his eyes and let the music take over his doubts and he remembered he was unencumbered. He was light and free, and for once, he let his body sway and dance, happy to feel each note of the song penetrate him.

Goldie grabbed him and they danced together, Goldie moving him easily around the basement floor, and Mims saw it, the lights, the faces. The many, many nights he’d been in the spotlight, all the patrons cheering on their fun. He was there, on that bar, dancing for them, making them love him.

For so long, he’d begged to be loved, missed that love that he thought he’d lost, but remembering he’d been loved all along, that made him smile, and suddenly, he couldn’t wait to show his joy to all those that came each weekend to play.

The six had never really considered their jobs work. Yes, their feet ached at the end of each weekend night. Their bodies sore, their voices ragged, but instead of work, it was as if they were at a bar with friends having a good time, because they were.

That Friday, he danced on top of the bar, pouring shots down the throats of customers, shaking his ass, and flirting terribly with Cosmo, Haze and Goldie, who were closest to him.

The music was kicking, all his favorite pop songs, songs that were easy to dance to.

But Saturday was when he really shined.

Abs helped him dress extra sexy, and he had a thin line of black around his eyes, his lips a little darker and shinier with gloss and his pants were stretchable, so he could dance all he wanted and not split them.

“Your man is coming tonight. He’s gonna drool all over you.”

Mims stood in front of the mirror and spun around to look at himself front to back. “I think he just might.”

“How long is this gonna last, you know, with him not getting away much?”

“I don’t know. Maybe until they get busted.”

“Bummer,” Abs said, and hugged him.

“Yeah, but tonight, he’s mine. I may hide his damn phone.”

“Do it. I’ll hold onto it for you.”

“I may take you up on that.”

They went out together in one line to the bar and the crowd that had already gathered cheered and whistled. Hippy began his juggling as Haze took orders, and Mims poured beer after beer while trying to find Sonny in the crowd.

He wasn’t there.

“Where’s your bae?” Abs asked as he came over to Mims to grab a bottle of tequila.

“I don’t know. I’m ready to get really pissed.”

“I don’t blame you.”

Checking his phone, he didn’t see any messages from Sonny and no missed calls. There was no time to worry about it, though, as they were especially busy that night.

He barely had time to get on top of the bar with the others, they were so busy making drinks, but the tips poured in like the liquor flowed.

He spun and danced, doing a little dirty dancing with Abs as Cosmo lifted his shirt to show off his chest and six-pack while wetting the crowd with the water sprayer. Haze was on his knees, doing direct shots, and Hippy danced around the front of the bar before heading out to help Murphy.

Hippy came back from grabbing empties and taking orders but went right for Mims. “Hey, can you come back out with us? There are a ton of people back there.”

“There are a ton here, Hip! Or did you not see them?”

“Seriously, just one round through the patio, please. I swear, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you.”

“Okay, yeah, sure.”

As peeved as he was, he’d never deny his friends anything, so the next time Hippy left the bar to head to the back, Mims was with him, holding a tray and collecting bottles and glasses from tables.

In the patio, however, he froze. Sonny was sitting on top of a table, his feet on one of the metal chairs as he sipped a bottle of beer and stared right at Mims.

Mims handed his tray to Hippy, whispering, “Thanks, man.”

“Yeah, no problem. Go have some fun.”

Mims walked to Sonny and hopped on the table next to him. “So, you did come.”

“Told you I would. You were pretty busy, so I came back here.”

“It’s a busy night. I’m glad to see you.”

“I heard you were smiling more. I had to see that for myself.”

Mims leaned over and kissed him tenderly, sucking a little on Sonny’s bottom lip. “You’re most of my new smiles.”

“I hope so. Go work. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“I…I am really glad to see you.”

Sonny ran a finger down his forehead to the tip of his nose and said, “Yeah. Me too.”

He left him to go back to work and Murphy caught him before he got to the bar. “Go be with your guy.”

“I’m not leaving everyone tonight. We’re really busy, Paps!”

“Dammit, honey, I wanted to be nice.”

Mims got on his tiptoes and kissed Murphy’s cheek. “Paps, you’re always nice to me, and I haven’t thanked you enough for that. I really love you. Like…like a lot, and Eazy and the kids and everyone.”

“We love you too, Mims.”