#Fate

by Cambria Hebert

  Once she was in Romeo’s arms, I went to the front door, where a very familiar and satisfying sound made the air purr.

  The fastback, which was as awesome as ever, sat near the door, engine rumbling, body shining. Trent was behind the wheel, and Travis was sitting on his lap.

  “Dad!” Travis yelled, running around the front end. “Dad! Look! I got to drive. Dad let me drive the fastback!”

  Rimmel’s intake of breath made me glance at her.

  “Best wedding gift ever, right?”

  Tears shimmered in her eyes, and she nodded. “Best ever.”

  “You drove that all the way up here?” I asked, ruffling his dark hair.

  “You look different,” he announced, scrutinizing my face.

  “I got a haircut and shaved.”

  He nodded. “Guess what? We’re going to the movies too.”

  At the bottom of the stairs, Trent groaned.

  I grinned. Guess the secret was out of the bag. “You are?”

  “The home theater,” Romeo said from behind.

  Dropping onto my knee in front of Travis, I smiled. “Have fun, okay. Be good for your aunts and uncles. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Okay.” He nodded.

  “You’re okay with me going out with Dad for a while?” We tried not to spend too much time away from the kids. The most I was away was when I was at physical therapy or some other medical appointment. I’d had a couple meetings with Gamble, but he’d come here for them.

  I worried that maybe us being gone for PT earlier and then leaving again tonight might be too much for him.

  Travis nodded. “Blue and Jax are going to help me catch more Pokémon!”

  “Ah,” I mused and pulled my phone out of my back pocket. “Guess you’ll need this.”

  I was seriously considering getting the kid his own phone. Yeah, yeah, he was only five. But he pretty much commandeered mine… I needed a phone too.

  He took it, putting his finger on the sensor and unlocking the screen. He was struggling a bit learning how to read, but little man knew how to work a phone better than me.

  In a burst of movement, Travis flung himself forward, wrapping his arms around my neck. Momentarily shocked, my eyes lifted to Rim, who smiled. Closing my arms around him, I cleared my throat. “Call your dad if you need anything.”

  “Okay.” He pulled back and ran up the stairs, yelling for Blue, Jax, and Nova.

  “He’ll be fine.” Rimmel assured me.

  “Yeah,” I said, looking after him. “I know.”

  I felt a hand slide under my arm, and then I was being lifted back to my feet. I didn’t have to look to know it was Trent.

  “Thanks, guys,” he said.

  Romeo and Rim waved us off, practically throwing us out and shutting the door behind us.

  “The movies, huh?” I ribbed Trent, giving him a lopsided smile.

  He groaned. “Last time I tell him a secret.”

  I laughed, but it quickly turned into a gasp of surprise when my back hit the front door.

  Trent’s body pressed all along mine, one hand on my hip, the other caging me in. His eyes were lit with fire, narrowed and gazing around my face as if he hadn’t seen me in years.

  I recognized his hunger. It was the same kind he always made me feel.

  Smiling faintly, I lifted my chin, turning so he could get a good look at my jawline.

  A ferocious sound rumbled in his chest, and the hand at my hip suddenly wrapped (gently) around my neck.

  “You shaved.” He grunted, the pad of his thumb rubbing over the stubble.

  “Technically, I trimmed it.” I corrected. “Gotta give my man back the scruff he loves so much.”

  Trent dove into my neck, lips latching on and making my eyelids drop closed. The hand on my neck slid up a little so he could hold my face exactly where he wanted while he kissed and sucked along my jaw. Making a sound of approval, he drew back to rub his nose along the prickly hair, his fingers tightening on my jaw.

  “So fucking good,” he mumbled, kissing toward my mouth and claiming my lips.

  Both his hands wound around my neck, pushing up into my newly cut hair. He massaged my scalp and totally messed up the style.

  When he pulled back, he tugged my lower lip with him, and my hand slid into the back pocket of his jeans, squeezing his ass.

  “I like it,” he said, sweeping his stare over me again. “The scruff and the hair.”

  The hair was still fairly long on the top, but the back and sides were all cut close.

  “Gotta look good for my groom tomorrow,” I said, pleased he liked what he was seeing.

  Surprising me again, Trent scooped me up, carrying me down the stairs to deposit me into the passenger side of the fastback.

  I’d driven our “parent car” a few times since we’d gotten home, but not the fastback. Since it was a clutch, I needed two feet, and the broken leg I was sporting cramped my style.

  We’d barely been out in the Mustangs at all (his or mine) because we always had the kids. I wanted something big and protective around them, something they would feel safe in. A sports car wasn’t exactly that.

  The accident was still too fresh in my mind. It still haunted my dreams sometimes.

  Reading me, Trent picked up my hand across the center. “Thought you might want to take a spin in your car tonight, but I can go get the SUV.”

  “No,” I said, giving him a smile. “This is perfect. I miss this thing.”

  “I know.” He agreed gently. “She’ll be here when you’re ready for her.”

  His understanding and automatic acceptance of everything and anything I felt never ceased to inspire me with awe. I honestly believed Trent was one of the most empathetic people I’d ever met.

  I was goddamn lucky he was the father of my children.

  “What movie are we seeing?” I asked, eyes twinkling.

  As we drove away from the house, he made a rude sound. “I’m not telling you anything else.”

  “Maybe I should call Travis.”

  Another sound ripped from Trent’s throat. “He called me dad.” His voice was stricken. “Dad, where are you taking Dad?” he quoted. “Fuck, I’d have told him anything.”

  My hand covered his on the stick shift. “I understand.”

  After a moment, T smiled. “I’ll drive, you shift?”

  Some nerves skittered along my back, but I shoved them down and nodded. We hadn’t done this in a long time.

  It didn’t matter. We still drove perfectly in sync.

  44

  Trent

  * * *

  A date the night before the wedding?

  Why the hell not?

  Besides, there was something I needed to do, and it definitely couldn’t wait until after the wedding.

  The only time alone we’d had since before his accident were stolen moments, middle-of-the-night rendezvous, and trips to physical therapy.

  With Andi and Travis settling in more and more every day, I thought it would be okay if we just took a few hours for us.

  “Hey, frat boy?” Drew called as I pulled the fastback into the parking lot.

  “Yeah?”

  “If you wanted to watch a movie, why didn’t we just do it at home, in the private theater.”

  Turning off the car, I pocketed the keys and twisted to face him. The lot was dark, only a few lamps overhead providing shadowy light in the interior. “Because I wanted to come out with you. Because we don’t need to hide at home. Because if I put a movie in our theater, we’d have six kids piled on top of us and a bunch of drooling dogs.”

  “You mean we don’t have to watch a cartoon tonight?” Drew gasped, shock and awe all over his face.

  I laughed. “Most of all, I wanted to be alone with you.” Not bothering waiting for his reply, I jogged around the car to open his door.

  “Stop treating me like a girl,” he bitched.

  “Your leg is broken.” I reminded him. Leaning down in the
doorway, I said, “And I’m treating you like I love you. Like maybe I want to marry you.”

  “Maybe?” He scoffed.

  I nodded, making a sound of agreement. “Maybe.”

  “Help me out,” he said, holding out his hand for me to take.

  Ignoring his hand, I swooped in, grabbed his waist, and tugged. When he was on his feet, I glanced in the back at the crutches, and he made a face.

  “Want another ride?” I asked, turning.

  He jumped on my back, and I couldn’t help but smile. “Who would have thought you would be the kind of guy to love a piggyback ride so much.”

  “Put me down, frat boy.”

  “No.”

  “You know,” he said, “if you wanted us to be alone, coming to a public movie theater kinda defeats the purpose…”

  “Look around the parking lot, Mask.”

  He was quiet a second as he swiveled around, making a noise near my ear. “Why is the lot empty? Are they closed or something?”

  “Or something,” I said.

  “Trent, what—”

  “Stop talking. Let me surprise you at least a little bit,” I muttered. Geez, the guy was nosy tonight.

  The inside of the theater was just like the parking lot outside. Empty. But it was lit up and definitely open.

  A teenager with a red hat with the theater logo on the front smiled at us from behind the concession stand. “How are you doing tonight, Mr. Mask?” Then his eyes went over my shoulder. “Mr. Forrester?”

  “It’s Mask.” Drew corrected automatically.

  He never used his old name now. He didn’t answer to it anymore either.

  The kid nodded. “What can I get for you?”

  “Fries, extra ketchup,” I told him. “Popcorn, two sodas, and…” I glanced over my shoulder. “What candy do you want?”

  “Fries.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Skittles,” I told the kid.

  He nodded. “We’ll bring it in for you if you want to go ahead to your seats.”

  “Thanks.” I headed off in the direction of the theater, and Drew tapped me on the shoulder. “Yes?” I asked, amused.

  “You didn’t buy tickets. And since when does this place deliver your order?”

  Lowering, I put him on the floor and then turned to face him. “Since I rented the entire place out for the night.”

  Drew’s eyes widened. “You did what?”

  “I said I wanted to be alone with you.”

  “So you rented out an entire theater?”

  I shrugged.

  He blinked.

  I held my hand out between us. “Hold my hand.”

  He did, leaning heavily on me as I led him down the hall.

  “What movie are we watching?”

  “You’ll see,” I said, guiding him into one of the smaller theaters. I could have chosen the biggest one, but it wasn’t necessary. I wanted the smaller space. I wanted the room at the end of the hallway.

  Plus, it was less to decorate.

  The second the door closed behind us, Drew stopped, turning to look at me.

  I smiled.

  He pointed to the candles lining the dark, narrow hallway leading into the theater. “You did this?”

  Taking his hand again, I nudged him forward. “Come on.”

  Candles flickered and shimmered, creating a soft glow through the short hallway, and under his feet, yellow rose petals covered the space between them.

  When we made it around the corner to the seating, Drew halted again, eyes roaming everywhere before settling on me. “Frat boy.”

  “I know you told me once you weren’t the type to need romance, but I kinda wanted to give it to you anyway,” I said, nerves making me incredibly nervous.

  This was the first time I’d ever done something like this. At least for Drew. For us. I’d strung lights, lit candles, and cut out a hundred paper stars for other people’s romances. I don’t know why it took so much to do it for my own.

  Maybe, like Drew, I thought it wasn’t necessary.

  Maybe I thought a guy like me didn’t think I deserved it.

  Fuck all that.

  I was taking it. The romance. The love. Everything.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” he said, awed.

  His head hit my shoulder, and our hands entwined as we stood there gazing around the space that was lit dimly by hundreds of candles. And I literally mean hundreds.

  But they were the flameless kind. Theater rules.

  There were also a few battery-operated paper lanterns strung around the room and sitting on the stairs leading up the rows of seats. Large bunches of white balloons were tied to the row behind the one where we were sitting, and there were a few big bouquets of yellow roses sitting close to our seats.

  He glanced at the screen, which was just white, and back to me. “When did you have time to do this?”

  “I always have time for you.”

  Leaning in, he kissed me, a simple kiss turning into something deeper, something longer lasting. When at last he pulled back, his eyes were glassy and held a dreamlike quality.

  “You like it?”

  He nodded, his smile shy.

  “Follow the petals,” I said, then decided against having him walk. Picking him up, I carried him the short distance up the stairs to maneuver toward our seats, which were dead center and in the perfect place.

  The armrest between the two red leather chairs was already up, and there were blankets and pillows stacked on the seats beside ours.

  Depositing Drew in one chair, I grabbed a giant pillow/ottoman thing and slid it under his booted foot, making sure he was comfortable.

  While I worked, I felt his stare the entire time, and frankly, it was giving me a hard-on.

  “Why yellow?” he asked when I shook out a blanket to drape over his lap.

  Looking at the yellow rose petal stuck to his foot, I smiled. Reaching down to pluck it off the toe of his boot, I laid it in the palm of my hand, offering it to him.

  “Because…” I began, sliding into the seat right beside him. I sat so close our bodies brushed together. “In roses, yellow is the color of friendship, and this is how we began, isn’t it? With friendship.”

  “You’re my best friend.” He agreed. “You’ll always be my best friend.”

  “Mine too.” I agreed, feeling a lump of emotion forming at the base of my throat.

  “You know,” Drew said, squinting at me. “This is kinda like that first weekend together… our first go at being more than friends.”

  I smiled. It made me happy that he totally understood what I was going for here.

  “The couch. The blankets…” His eyes drifted to the screen. “You gonna have them play Terminator, T?”

  Chuckling, I nodded. “You remember.”

  “Like I would ever forget. Our first kiss blew apart my entire world.” He reminisced. “I was so fucking nervous.”

  “You were shaking.” I agreed.

  “I didn’t feel ready… but seeing you in that bar that night, with other men throwing themselves at you…”

  “They weren’t.”

  His stare silenced my lips. “The fuck they weren’t. I almost had to blow the whole place up.”

  What a drama queen. I liked it.

  He grunted as if he was still pissed off about the gay bar. “I was so scared I’d lose you. The thought of losing you to anyone else… a woman, another man,” he listed. “It eclipsed everything else.”

  “You and me,” I mused. “We’re very motivated by the idea of losing each other.”

  “I can’t live without you, frat boy.”

  “Ditto.”

  “That kiss changed my life. Then you blew apart my world again with a blowjob…” He grinned.

  I rolled my eyes. Dude loved his blowjobs.

  “Thank you for taking a chance with me,” I whispered, rubbing my palm over his jaw. “Thank you for loving me.”

  Our lips were just about ready to touch when I
heard the concession workers enter the theater. I didn’t pull away. I continued kissing Drew in spite of them.

  The teenagers were at the end of our row when I looked up.

  “Thanks, guys.”

  They carried over all the food and slid it onto some tables that pulled up in front of the seats.

  “Can we grab anything else for you?” the boy in the red hat asked.

  “Nah. We’re good,” I told him. “You can start the movie now.”

  Before they were even gone, Drew was eating the fries. “I need ketchup.”

  I opened a few packets and slid it in front of him so he could dunk them in. I watched him eat, totally amused by his never-ending love for fries.

  A few minutes later, he glanced at me, shoved the rest of the fry in his mouth, and grabbed a big soda to take a long drink. When he was done, he held it out to me, nudging my lips with the straw. Technically, I had my own soda. But as always, his tasted better.

  After I took a drink, he fed me some popcorn and ripped open the giant bag of Skittles lying front of us.

  “Taste the rainbow, T.” He invited.

  “I’d rather taste you.”

  Forgetting all about the food, he leaned in, and we made out until the screen at the front of the room went dark.

  “It’s starting,” he whispered against my mouth.

  Piling the blankets over us and pulling him as close to my side as I could get him, we watched the classic movie that would probably always have special meaning to us.

  I made it through the opening credits before my hand began wandering. At first, his eyes stayed focused on the screen even while my hand fondled the back of his neck, his newly cut hair, and played along the jawline of his rugged face.

  I was transported back five years to that first night with Drew. To the first time I got to touch him. To the butterflies that turned my insides to a mass of quivering mush. I’d been scared to touch him but desperately wanted to do so anyway.

  Every inch he’d move closer, every lingering stare… hell, even breathing the same air in that moment had been overwhelming and thrilling.

  Maybe it wasn’t quite like that now, but it was just as good. Familiarity had its advantages too.

  Like how I knew the space just below his ear made his arms break out in goose bumps when I sucked it. How the space behind his right knee was sensitive to the touch and how I knew exactly when he stopped seeing the movie and only felt my hands.