Page 71 of Killer Honeymoon
Royce kissed his husband’s sweet lips. “I’m sorry our honeymoon went sideways.”
Sawyer’s smile was quick and genuine. “Best honeymoon I’ve ever had.” Royce must not have been able to keep the disbelief off his face because Sawyer chuckled and said, “I’m serious.”
“How is that possible?” Royce asked.
“Well,” Sawyer replied, “it’s my only honeymoon, so it automatically lands in the top spot.”
Royce puffed up his cheeks and blew out a breath. “I’m not sure if I should be happy or horrified.”
Sawyer’s forehead furrowed in confusion. “Happy, of course.”
Royce caressed his husband’s brow until the frown lines smoothed out. “I try hard not to resent all the firsts I can’t give you because I get to be your finals. I don’t want to resent your memories of Vic, but I am human.” Royce heaved a hefty sigh. “I admit a green monster might’ve been whispering mean things in my ear while we were waiting to take Gary out with the golf clubs.”
Sawyer scooted even closer until they were fully pressed together down the length of their bodies. “Vic and I had scheduling conflicts that only permitted us to take a long weekend off for our wedding. And with Vic’s issues with traveling, we decided to stay home.” Sawyer lifted his hand and sifted his fingers through Royce’s hair. It felt so good, and it took a battle of wills to keep his eyes open. “And then we got food poisoning from some takeout. We were renting a small house with only one bathroom at the time.”
Royce sucked in a sharp breath and nearly choked on it. “Oh no. That’s terrible.”
Sawyer smiled and kissed him. “There are so many firsts left for us to experience together. I’m looking forward to each one.”
“Especially the biggest adventure of them all,” Royce said.
Sawyer’s gaze turned to molten chocolate. “Fatherhood.”
Royce kissed him again, this time languidly, as if they didn’t have a care in the world or a fourteen-hour drive ahead of them. “It will be the grandest adventure of them all,” Royce said once he pulled back.
They lay like that for far longer than was wise, considering they would be heading out in the morning, but neither seemed eager to get up.
“I can’t wait to bring our kids here every summer,” Sawyer said sleepily. “I’m thinking we’ll need two weeks, minimum.”
Royce tightened his hold on his husband and nuzzled his nose in his soft hair. “How many kids are you thinking?”
“Two, maybe,” Sawyer said, then tilted his head back to study Royce. “Why?”
“If we have more than one kid, we’ll need more than one vacation house to pass on. Your folks have set a very high standard.”
Sawyer snorted. “Christ, you’re supposed to leave the weird fretting to me.”
“I guess we could pit the kids against each other, and the winner gets the vacation house.”
“Our version ofThe Hunger Games?” Sawyer teased.
“Maybe nothing quite as brutal.”
They continued chatting about the future they envisioned until the bonfire’s final flames became embers. Royce doused the fire with a bucket of water, and the two of them headed inside to catch some sleep.
They shared sunrise kisses and cuddles on the ferry the following morning before starting the long journey home. They stopped a few times to fuel up, grab a bite to eat, or switch places but otherwise kept the wheels rolling. Royce relented and kept the next audiobook playing even while Sawyer drove, which was how they passed up their own street and had to circle the block.
Royce snapped his head around and caught Sawyer’s wicked smile. “You did that on purpose.”
“Just seeing if you were paying attention. You haven’t moved an inch in the last hour or two.”
“Take me home, asshole. I’m sure Topher is eager to leave.”
The young detective’s truck was parked in front of Royce’s garage door, so Sawyer pulled up beside it and killed the engine. One of them could pull the car into the garage later. Topher met them at the head of the driveway. The guy was built like a linebacker, and his tawny coloring reminded Royce of the majestic lions he’d seen in zoos. Toph had a boyish face and was as eager as a puppy to please. That night, his expression was riddled with anxiety and tension, though.
“Something wrong, Toph?” Royce asked.
Topher rubbed the back of his neck. “I hope you guys won’t be mad.”