Page 42

TAMERON

“Welcome to our home!”

Bean straight-up beamed as he gestured for us to come in. He blinked a few times as Dayton walked past him, his telltale sign that he was trying to remember a name.

I bent to hug him. “Dayton,” I whispered.

He hugged me back. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

I meant it. Helping Bean remember had become part of our routine.

We’d all learned to pick up on the signals that he was lost, and one of us would step in and help him.

And we usually attempted to be subtle about it.

No need to constantly remind the guy he needed help, right?

It had to be frustrating enough for him as it was.

“Your home is lovely,” Dayton said as he handed Jarek our housewarming gift, a cute little cactus that even Bean couldn’t kill if he forgot to water it for a few weeks.

It had been Dayton’s idea, and I loved him for it. The man was unfailingly thoughtful. Wasn’t it funny how something that had annoyed me mere months ago now made my heart swell with warmth and this strange, still unfamiliar tenderness? Love really did change people. Even me.

“Thank you,” Jarek said. “Most of the renovating work was done by my brother, so if you ever need someone for that type of thing, make sure to reach out to him.”

“Oh, that’s good to know. We’ve been thinking about redoing our kitchen,” Dayton said with a look at me.

Yup, there was now an official “we” and “our,” and I still wasn’t used to it. Every time Dayton used it so casually, my heart skipped a beat.

I hadn’t officially moved in with him, but somehow, most of my clothes had found their way into his bedroom, and I spent far more time at Dayton’s than I did back with Nash. I cleared my throat. “Yeah, erm, we could do that. I mean, if Dax agrees.”

The house was Dayton’s, and technically, his brother paid him rent. And by technically, I meant he didn’t because Dayton said he didn’t need the money and wanted Dax to focus on building his business. The man was a goddamn saint…and he was mine.

Creek and Heath’s arrival was the distraction I needed to compose myself again.

I’d been unusually emotional the last few weeks, ever since officially entering a relationship with Dayton.

That part, I didn’t care for at all. It was like being with him had changed some core setting inside me, and now I suddenly got all teary-eyed at baby animal videos.

Like, what the actual fuck? Not one of the side effects of being in love that I was particularly thrilled about.

“I brought my brother,” Creek said. “Hope you don’t mind, but he was sitting around by himself, moping.”

“I was not moping.” Forest sounded indignant. “I do not nor have I ever moped.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jarek said, as always the peacemaker. He extended his hand, but Forest was already hugging him. Bemused, Jarek returned the hug of that little ball of sunshine.

When it was my turn, I just went directly for the embrace. Forest gently patted my back. “Happy to see you again, Tameron.”

“You too.”

Forest let go and turned his eyes to Dayton. “Oh, hello.”

Dayton grinned at the unmistakable flirtiness in that tone. “I’m Dayton, Tameron’s boyfriend.”

Forest’s eyes widened. “You’re not straight?” he asked me.

“Apparently not.”

“And you couldn’t have discovered that the last time I visited?”

I snorted. He was such a riot, that one. No filter at all and unapologetically gay. “You can file your complaint with Heath. If he’d picked The Mummy sooner as the video to watch, I might’ve.”

Forest let out a dramatic sigh. “Amateurs. Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dayton. I hope you know you picked one of the good ones.”

What? Hadn’t he meant to say I’d picked a good one because Dayton was hot as fuck?

But Dayton wrapped his arm around me and pressed a kiss to my hair. “I sure do. He’s a treasure, this one.”

A treasure? Me? In what universe? But Forest and Dayton shared a look that made me keep quiet, as if they knew something I didn’t.

“Hey, guys, sorry for being late,” Nash said as he walked in. “My shift was…” He came to a full stop. “Forest. I wasn’t expecting… I thought you were… It’s good to see you.”

And then he extended his hand to Forest, as if the kid were a stranger he’d never met. Granted, they’d only met once, but Forest had spent a few days with us, so it wasn’t like they hadn’t interacted.

What the hell was up with him? I’d never seen him that flustered. Maybe he’d had a bad call? He’d been on shift, so who knew what had happened.

Luckily, Forest plain ignored the hand, the same way he’d done with Jarek, and hugged him. It was a bit of a comical sight because he was so much shorter than Nash, barely reaching his shoulder, and I smiled. If Nash was in a mood because of a bad day, Forest would be able to pull him out of it.

“Dinner is served,” Bean announced, and we all found our spots along their spacious dinner table that seated eight.

“Gorgeous table,” Heath commented, running his hand along the wood. I had to agree with him. It was made out of solid wood and had clean lines and heavy, sturdy legs. No frills, but somehow still elegant.

And now I was waxing poetic about a dinner table? Somebody slap me. Gently though.

“Jordan made it,” Bean said. “My coworker. He does it as a hobby.”

“We had a hard time finding a table that was big enough, let alone one we liked. Most tables seat four or six.” Jarek shot a loving look at Bean. “But we wanted to ensure you all had a spot when you came over for dinner.”

Aw, that was sweet of him. He was such a good guy.

“On the menu tonight is a new recipe,” Bean announced. “Grilled fish with a cauliflower-and-potato gratin.”

Bean’s cooking improved each week, and I loved seeing him flourish. He loved his job, and last week, Eddie’s Bar had gotten a super favorable review in a local magazine, which had drawn in a lot of new customers who’d come specifically for Bean’s cooking. I’d been so proud of him.

Also, cauliflower? How strangely fitting. “I love cauliflower,” I said, and Nash sent me a wink. The man knew exactly what I meant.

“How are the wedding plans coming along?” Dayton asked.

“Good. It’s gonna be a super small event,” Bean said. “Twenty people in total. I don’t do well in crowds, and we don’t have extended family we need to invite, so it’s gonna be small.”

“Intimate,” Jarek said, reaching for Bean’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “Just with the people we love. And my best friend has procured a special license so she can marry us.”

“That way, nobody will sound the alarm when I forget his name halfway through the ceremony,” Bean joked, then laughed. “Which, as you all know, is not outside the realm of possibilities.”

No shit. When Bean was stressed, his memory issues were a lot worse.

“I love small weddings,” Forest said with a wistful sigh. “They’re so much more personal. Who wants to waste time exchanging polite chit-chat with a second cousin you haven’t seen in ten years instead of dancing with the people you love?”

Creek ruffled his brother’s hair affectionately. “You always were a romantic.”

Getting married. Now there was a concept I hadn’t even considered before, but suddenly, the idea of being dressed up in a nice suit and looking into Dayton’s gorgeous eyes while promising him forever didn’t seem so far-fetched.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t ready for that anytime soon. But I was open to the idea, and that in itself was a shocker.

“Well, who knows? You may find your Prince Charming in the city of love,” Heath said to Forest.

“How are you liking it here so far?” Dayton asked. “Must be quite a change of pace from small-town Texas.”

“Gosh, yes. Very different. I only arrived two days ago, so I can’t say much yet, but it seems like it’ll be a good fit for me.”

“Where are you staying?” I asked.

He turned his head away from me as he answered, so I didn’t catch what he said. Should I say something? I didn’t want to make him feel bad, especially in front of everyone else. On the other hand, Dayton had been encouraging me to speak up more and remind others to take my disability into account.

I looked sideways, and of course, Dayton was watching me. He must’ve picked up on my emotions, as usual. He put a finger at the bottom of his lip and flicked it toward Forest. Tell him.

I took a deep breath. Fuck, I hated this. “Could you repeat that, Forest? It’s hard for me to hear you when you look away from me.”

Forest whipped his head around. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry. Of course. If I forget again, please remind me, okay?”

Thank fuck, he was so nice about it. If he’d snapped at me or had acted embarrassed, I wasn’t sure if I would’ve had the nerve to do it again. “I will. Thank you.”

“I was saying that for now, I’m staying with Heath and my brother while I search for a room to rent. It’s hard finding something in my price range where I’ll also feel safe.”

“This city has grown ridiculously expensive,” Heath said. “It’s a shame because a lot of folks who grew up here can’t afford it anymore.”

Dayton nodded. “I got lucky with the house I bought. The previous owner died, and his kids wanted it sold quickly without having to do anything to fix it up. I made a cash offer without inspection, which was a risk, but it paid off.”

Nash cleared his throat. “If you want, you can stay with me. In Creek’s room, I mean.

Like, rent it. It’s available, and now that Bean has moved out too and Tameron is mostly with Dayton, it’s just me, so…

Not that you need to feel sorry for me because I’m sad or anything.

Well, I am because I will miss them, but not angry sad.

I’m happy for them. But there’s room for you. If you want.”

Oh. My. God. I’d joked about this once, but it looked like I had been on target. Nash wasn’t bumbling because he’d had a bad shift. He was all flustered and rambling because of Forest.

Forest made him nervous.

Hell yes. I was here for this. My revenge on Nash would be so, so sweet.

“That sounds like the perfect solution,” I said, my tone sugary. “Though I have to warn you that Nash runs a tight ship. You can’t leave your shoes lying around in the hallway, for example.”

“That was because Creek might stumble over them and break his neck…or lose other, slightly more important, body parts,” Nash countered.

“And he’ll set up a schedule for doing chores, like the dishes,” Bean chimed in, winking at me. Apparently, he’d seen it too.

Nash grumbled. “If I hadn’t, you guys wouldn’t have lifted a finger, and I’d have ended up doing it all myself.”

“Dinner is at six on the dot,” I added. “And you take turns cooking.”

Bean nodded. “And no dissing his grandmother’s recipes. He’s sensitive in that area.”

Nash’s cheeks grew red. “You guys make me sound like a tyrant.”

I scratched my chin, pretending to consider it. “A tyrant? Nah. More like a true Top.”

A loud choking sound made me turn my head. Forest’s face was turning red as he furiously coughed. It took him a little while to catch his breath. “Sorry, something went down the wrong way,” he said, still sounding hoarse.

I grinned, knowing exactly what had made Forest choke on his food. “Not that kind of top. We’re not allowed to speculate there. It’s the Army nickname for his rank. We call him Top.”

Nash buried his face in his hands. “There are days when I wonder why I even bother with you guys.”

Bean patted his shoulder. “Because you love us.”

“Not right now,” Nash said with a sigh. “Not right now.”

Creek had watched the whole exchange with growing confusion. “I’m missing something.”

Heath bumped his shoulder. “No, honey, it’s fine. I’ll explain later.”

I doubted he would since Creek seemed rather protective of his little brother, but that was between him and Heath. No way was I getting in the middle of that.

“I don’t want you to feel pressured to offer, Nash,” Forest said softly when silence had descended. “I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.”

“You didn’t. I meant it. The house is too big for me by myself.”

Forest studied him as if he wasn’t sure what to think. I couldn’t help myself. “Nash wouldn’t offer if he didn’t mean it.”

“Oh.” Forest took one more look at Nash, then nodded. “In that case, I will gladly take you up on the offer.”

“Good. Good.” Nash looked away, focusing on me. “How’s ASL going?”

He was the absolute worst at changing the topic, but whatever. I could extend him a hand. “Good. I passed my last test with flying colors, thanks to practicing a lot with Dayton and Dax.”

It had made a world of difference to spend more time voice-off. Dayton truly didn’t seem to mind, and with Dax, I had no choice. I’d picked up a ton of new signs and expressions, and my teacher had actually complimented me. Spontaneously.

“And I have a job,” I said. Everyone turned to look at me.

“Dax has offered me a part-time position in his shop. I’m gonna specialize in restoring old cars.

Multiple people have reached out to him, looking for someone like that.

The job comes with the requirement that I take some official mechanic classes.

I’ve already signed up for those. Figured I’d better take them while I still have some hearing left. ”

“That’s wonderful,” Bean said. “But it does sound like a lot. You’re still continuing with ASL, too, right?”

I nodded. “Yes, but less intensively. And with Dax, my hours are flexible, so if I’m having a bad day with my equilibrium and am unable to drive, he understands.”

“Sounds like you hit the jackpot there,” Nash commented.

Another wave of soft fuzziness came over me, this deep tenderness, and I put my head on Dayton’s shoulder. “I sure did.”

“Awwww….” Bean and Creek said at the same time.

Nash’s mouth curled into a smile that was sweet yet sad at the same time. “Seems like my work with you guys is done.”

“The baby birds have flown the nest,” Creek said, slapping Nash on the shoulder. “So now it’s time for you to focus on you.”

Nash focusing on himself? Oh, I didn’t think so. That would mean finding a new project to obsess over, a new lost cause who needed his help. And I had an inkling who that would be. But you know what? I’d let him figure that out on his own.

I would focus on my own life. My own happiness. My own man, the one sitting right next to me.

And so I leaned in for a kiss. A soft, sweet, sensual kiss. And if it lasted a little longer than appropriate in a public setting?

I was sheer out of fucks.

Thank you for reading!