Page 59 of Before It's Too Late

Cael laughed. “See. She knows we’re talking about you. Don’t you, Tay-tay?” He tapped his finger lightly on the tip of her nose. Taylor giggled and reached up with her tiny hands in an attempt to grab his, but missed.

“Amy, you alright?” Alex said, his brows pinched together.

Cael and Zach both turned their attention from Taylor to Zach’s mom and frowned. Amy’s arm tensed, the muscle in her forearm visibly contracting, and her hand clawed at the air. She winced and the pain froze in her expression as she squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’ll get your pills,” his dad added, passing Taylor to Cael. Alex left the kitchen.

“Mom?” Zach said, pushing out of his chair. He went around the table and knelt in front of her.

“I’m okay, honey,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

“Maybe we should go so you can rest,” Zach offered, looking up at her with his hand on her knee. “It’s getting late anyway.”

Cael glanced at the time on his phone. Eight forty-five. “Oh, wow, it is,” he said. He hadn’t realized how much time they’d spent talking.

Alex returned with an orange prescription bottle and emptied two white pills into his hand.

“Here you go, honey.” He placed the pills in her steady hand and grabbed her glass of iced tea from the table. Amy pushed the meds into her mouth and Alex held the glass while she guided it to her lips, drinking what was needed to swallow her medication.

“Thank you,” she said.

Alex set the glass down and moved around behind her. “Come on. We’ll see the boys and Taylor out and get you off to bed.”

After a quick round of goodnight hugs, Cael strapped Taylor in the car as Zach fell into the front passenger seat. Cael took that as his cue that he was driving home. As he climbed in, Zach held the key out in the palm of his hand. Cael took it and started the engine. He glanced over at Zach.

“You okay, Pook?”

“Yeah.” Zach straightened a little in his seat and scrubbed both hands down over his face. “Just worried about Mom.”

Cael put the car in reverse and backed out onto the street. “Me too. Sorry, man.”

“Fucking sucks,” Zach muttered, staring out the passenger window. “I feel like I’m losing my mom and my sister at the same time.”

Cael reached across the console and clasped Zach’s hand where it rested on his thigh. “I know.” He let out a deep sigh. “I’m right there with you.”

Silence followed them the rest of the twenty-minute drive to Zach’s house. After parking in the garage, Cael switched off the lights and killed the engine. He looked back at Taylor asleep in her car seat, her head bent forward and her neck kinked at some God-awful angle.

“Geez, that looks painful,” Cael said quietly.

“What?” Zach blinked and turned to follow Cael’s gaze. “Oh.” He laughed softly. “I’ll grab her if you want to get the bag and open the door.”

Together, they managed to get Taylor changed and into bed without her waking up hardly at all. Cael stepped into the hall outside of Taylor’s room. Zach followed, leaving her bedroom door cracked open.

Cael reached for him. “Come ‘ere.”

Zach didn’t hesitate. He let Cael take his hand and pull him in close.

Closing his eyes, Cael wrapped Zach in a tight hug. He leaned back against the wall with Zach in his arms. Zach relaxed and leaned forward with him, bending his neck to rest his head on Cael’s shoulder.

Cael had never been able to fully comfort his best friend before now. Sure, they’d hug, but Cael’d always had to keep his desires under control. Now, he could pull him close and it didn’t matter where or how their bodies touched. He could let his hands wander or breathe in his scent or kiss him anywhere. Cael didn’t have to hold back anymore. He could get lost in the simple joy of just holding Zach, being everything he needed, and not wanting to let go.

So he did, and Cael treasured the endless seconds of having the man he loved tucked against him.

Chapter 15

In the darkened hallway just outside Taylor’s bedroom, Zach lifted his head, and his gaze met Cael’s then drifted downward to his mouth. Zach leaned in, closing his eyes, and held his breath as he pressed a tender kiss to Cael’s warm lips.

The stress of everything in his life melted away. How did a fucking kiss do that? He’d never in his life experienced the warm rush and gentle soothing the way he did now as he stood there, his lips and body pressed to those belonging to his best friend. He’d needed this for so long. He’d searched for this for years. All this time, everything he’d ever needed had been right in front of him.