Page 70 of Together Again

Max

I wasglad I’d taken the train to the Hamptons instead of renting a car because I was now happily sitting in the back of Joel’s rental car with a snoozing Isaac leaning against me.

Isaac had fallen asleep within minutes of us leaving the house and hadn’t stirred for the whole journey. We were only ten minutes from my apartment, so I was going to have to wake him soon, but I was enjoying him against me and how he sighed in his sleep whenever I ran my hands through his soft curls.

I’d never dated a guy with curly hair before but hadn’t expected it to be this soft. Or maybe it was just Isaac’s hair. I wondered what he would have looked like as a child. With his beautiful blue-green eyes and his streaky brown hair, he must have looked like an angel.

“You really wore him out, hey, Max?” Joel teased from the driver seat.

“Shut up.” As far as quips were concerned, this was a poor one, but I couldn’t muster the will to care. Plus, I wasn’t exactly embarrassed to have kept Isaac in the bedroom most of the weekend. We would have plenty of time to go back and explore the Hamptons over the next two months. Maybe spend Thanksgiving at Jojo’s house and see the Christmas lights and the markets.

“Maybe he wouldn’t have crashed like a kid on a sugar low if you fed him more than that raw cookie stuff.”

“Be careful with what you say next, David. our friendship is holding by a thread.”

He laughed. “Come on, that stuff looks pretty gross.”

“I don’t know, baby. I can think of a few things we could do with it,” Joel added.

“Guys!”

“Sweetheart,” David said to Joel, holding his free hand, “I like my baked goods… baked.”

Isaac finally woke up, no doubt because of the cookie-dough-themed argument.

“Hey, baby, sleep well?” I whispered in his ear.

“Hmm, very. How far away are we?”

“Not far, just a few more minutes.”

He kissed me and then looked out of the window. His smile woke all the butterflies in my tummy, and I made a promise to myself that I would take him out exploring the city as soon as he settled in my apartment.

“When do you start work?” I asked.

“In two days. Dorian has a few things he needs to tie up, and then he’ll show me around properly for the next four days until they fly out.” Isaac paused. “Can you believe they’re going all the way to Paris to adopt their daughter?”

“I can’t believe the guy that used to prank me at school is going to be a dad, so yeah, it’s all a bit crazy.”

I put my hand on his chin to make him look at me. “A penny for your thoughts?”

“Nothing much. I need to call Alex when we get home. When are you back at work?”

We were just turning the corner to my apartment, so I didn’t push for more.

“I’m back at the hospital tomorrow afternoon. We’re here,” I said as Joel whooped after finding a good parking spot.

“Guys, how about a drink before we go since we’re parked and all?” Joel asked.

“Yes.” The three of us replied in unison.

We left our bags in the car and went to my local café. Café Amore was run by Tony and Bob who’d been together since they met when they both served in the Vietnam War.

The day I’d got the keys for my apartment, Joel insisted we checked out the local hangouts. We’d walked past the café and saw Tony and Bob sharing a brief kiss. The moment the doorbell dinged announcing our arrival, they were quipping like an old married couple, which they kinda were.

It was the same every time we went in. They’d pretend to not stand each other, but as soon as no one was looking, they couldn’t take their hands off each other. It was really sweet. I had great admiration for everything they’d gone through together, from serving the country to fighting for the right to share their life as a couple.

“Antonio. Roberto,” I said as we walked in.