by Christi Snow
Both Daniel and Austin looked exhausted and worried, Austin wearing a rumpled suit, Daniel looking like he’d just jumped off the rock stage. And he was in a hospital room.
“What happened?”
“As near as we can tell,” Austin said, “you went to Brady’s penthouse to prepare it for their arrival when you should have been home in bed. Your fever got too high, and you passed out on the stairs, banging your head as you fell. So, you not only terrified both of us, but now you’ve earned a couple of nights in the hospital while they make sure your brains aren’t going to leak out your ears and to break some of the crap gumming up your lungs.”
Luke groaned and gingerly felt his scalp where the source of his pain ached.
“Yep,” Daniel said, tugging his hand away. “You certainly know how to ring in the New Year with a bang.”
“What about your concert?”
Daniel shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. We just need to focus on getting you well, first.”
Luke raised an eyebrow and turned to Austin for the real story. He’d heard enough of their argument to know there was more to that story.
Austin shook his head. “He left before the concert was over to rush over here. Now the press and his label are all clamoring for answers.”
Luke closed his eyes wishing his head weren’t pounding so hard so he could think clearly. “The press?”
Austin nodded grimly. This was everything he’d been afraid of about getting involved with the two of them. “But it’s nothing for you to worry about. Daniel and I will handle it.”
He squeezed Austin’s hand. “Together, right? You’re not leaving us, are you?” He hated the desperate plea he could hear in his voice, but there was no preventing it. It terrified him that Austin would take the smallest obstacle and use it as an excuse to run from them.
Austin brushed a light kiss across Luke’s forehead. “Don’t worry. You’re not getting rid of me that easy. I told you I’m all in and that hasn’t changed one bit. Your job is to get better. Finding you unconscious on that floor was the scariest moment of my entire life, right on par for when Daniel’s plane went down.”
Luke shuddered at the memory. He’d rather forget everything about that week when they hadn’t known if Daniel would live or die.
Austin nodded. “You know how awful that was, so how about you never put me through something like that again? Either of you.” He reached across Luke’s hospital bed to grab hold of Daniel’s hand.
Daniel nodded, but Luke could see the tears he fought flooding his eyes.
“I never thought it would happen,” Austin swallowed, “but I’ve fallen in love with the two of you. There’s no getting rid of me now.”
Luke met Daniel’s stunned gaze. “I know I’ve been running a fever, but did he just say that he loves us?”
“He did. The fucker is determined to make me cry. And fucking hell, it’s working,” Daniel said on a sob. “I love you both so much. We will make this work.”
Luke had no words. He felt the same way about both these men, even though a simple four-letter word like ‘love’ didn’t seem near deep enough or expressive enough.
A cough combined with the arrival of his doctor kept him from having to put all that into words. Thankfully, it looked like the three of them had plenty of time to talk it all through.
He’d get his chance.
Chapter Twenty-Two
AUSTIN
Austin smoothed down his tie and buttoned the front of his jacket before pushing open the door to the boardroom of Hodges Media. The twelve person board had already taken their places around the table and at the far end sat both James and Emily Hodges.
He’d already given them a heads up about what he planned to do here and was thankful to have one hundred percent of their support.
It had been a week since Luke had been rushed to the hospital and in that time the paparazzi had found out about his connection to Luke and Daniel. Their pursuit of the inside story had been relentless, to where the three men had holed up in a property owned by a friend who the media couldn’t trace back to any of them.
The upside to that was that for the first time since coming back to New York, they’d all been together.
And it had been fantastic.
Luke had been in the hospital for a couple of days, but with a strong prescription of antibiotics and Austin and Daniel waiting on him hand and foot, he was growing better every single day.
The music label had given Daniel a bit of leeway after the abrupt ending to the concert, but that was only because the buzz for the new music was so positive. They’d be stupid to throw that relationship with him and the band away.
The fervor surrounding the three of them was worse than Austin had ever expected, but beyond that his life was so much better than he’d ever dreamed. Even if he got hounded by the paparazzi every time he stepped out the door for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t regret Luke and Daniel.
Because at the end of the day having the two of him in his bed made everything about his life better.
He wouldn’t ever take that for granted.
The noise in the room quieted as he stepped up behind the podium. “Thank you all for coming in this morning. I promise not to keep you long because I understand the weather is supposed to turn on us again.”
A few groans sounded across the board, but he’d never whine about snow again. Snow had brought him into Luke and Daniel’s life.
“I brought you in today to address some publicity that you may or may not have noticed about me in the last week.”
Two board members nodded, but only one or two gave him the disapproving look he’d been expecting.
“I will preface this by saying that I feel that my private life is my own and one hundred percent does not affect how I do my job. I’m proud of my track record here at Hodges Media and feel like that speaks loud enough for my ability to do my job. But I also understand that we are a media company and that reputation is everything. I would never set out to do anything that interferes with the good business we have all built here together.”
He took a deep breath. “That’s why I’m here to tell you that the rumors are true. I’m in love with two men. We’re in a committed relationship and are moving in together.”
While they were all temporarily displaced, Austin had hired Brady’s interior designer and the three of them were giving input to have his penthouse completely redesigned.
“Those two men are my life and my number one priority.”
He took a deep breath. “And yes, that means I value them above even my job here, although I’m still as committed to the success of Hodges Media as I ever was. I know not everyone understands that, but I’m still the same person I was a month ago when we were all celebrating our preliminary Christmas numbers at the December board meeting. Besides being a happier person overall and maybe spending a tiny bit less than eighty hours a week in the office, this shouldn’t change a thing.”
“Which all means that our CEO will be healthier and much less likely to die of a heart attack sitting at his desk in the next year,” James said from the other end of the table.
Austin smiled at James. “Yes, there is that.”
“Also,” James added, “you all need to know that while he may be here a little less, I’ve been watching over the last week, and I can easily and honestly say that Austin’s personal productivity is up. The reports he’s been generating are coming in at least a couple of days before they were over the last year. I think we can all agree that a happy and healthy worker is better for the company overall.”
That was something that had been a canon for the company the last couple of years as they’d witnessed other companies who had increased productivity by increasing job satisfaction.
“Thank you, James.” His heart swelled for the man who’d been his mentor and a stand in father for most of his adult life.
He redirected his gaze back to the board. “So, why are you here? My goal for H
odges Media is to be a good influence, not a bad one. To that end, I wanted you informed, but I also wanted you to speak honestly. If you feel I’m a blemish on the company, I need you to speak up now.”
His stomach swooped. He loved his job and didn’t want to give it up. But he would if it meant the company remained stable.
“So, the floor is yours.”
“Wait.” James stood up across the table from him. “I have something to add first. I met Austin when he was seventeen years old and yes, there has been a great deal of nepotism at work here because he’s never ceased to amaze me with his commitment to doing the right thing. That was obvious in him from the very first moment I met him and he told me outright that my marriage to his mother would never work.”
Several board members tittered.
“Right?” James nodded. “Even back then, he was smarter than me. The Hodges family has always known that he was the right person for this job and both Emily and I still believe that. With him as our CEO, we can both sleep soundly at night knowing that he has our utmost trust. Nothing about that has changed. We don’t want a thing about him to change and honestly, are both thrilled with these new men in his life. He needed to find a hobby outside of the office. I’m thinking he found a good one.” James winked at the board.
Austin fought the grin that wanted to break free. James had always been outspoken.
He had no idea what the board might decide, but knowing James and Emily stood behind him meant everything.
He could live without the job. He had a good nest egg.
But the people in his life were priceless.
And at the end of his life, that was all that mattered.
Chapter Twenty-Three
LUKE
Five years later...a week before Christmas
Luke winced at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he wiped away the blood above his eyebrow and tried to determine if a butterfly bandage would work this time.
That kid had given him a fucking black eye.
He wasn’t sure who he was more angry with, the overeager, hyped up kid who’d gotten caught up in his excitement over seeing Brady’s adopted twenty-year-old, gorgeous daughter or himself for letting the kid get a drop on him. He should be smarter than this at this point.
Austin and Daniel were going to kill him.
The door to the bathroom opened. “Hey, boss, you in here?”
He turned fully toward Keegan, who’d been working at Talos Security for a little over a year now.
Keegan winced. “Aw, man, he got you good, didn’t he? Do you need stitches?”
“No, I don’t think so.” He didn’t have time for sutures, even though they had someone in house who could give them to him. That was the one thing they’d insisted when he set up his security firm, that they had as many services available to them on-site as possible. No one had time for never-quick runs to the emergency room.
But tonight he didn’t even have time for that much. He was already running late for his date tonight with the guys. “I think a butterfly will hold it.” Luke fumbled with the bandage, the swelling in his eye making everything more difficult.
“Here,” Keegan said, taking the butterfly from him. “Let me help.” As he settled the steri-strip at the edge of Luke’s eyes, he asked, “I thought you were letting the team handle these jobs from now on? Didn’t you promise Austin something to that effect?”
“Yeah.” Luke groaned. After what should have been a simple security job went sideways last year and Luke had to visit the ER for the third time in two years, Austin had given him an ultimatum. What was the good of being in charge if he was always the one in danger? Austin—and Daniel—wanted him to stay in the supervisory role as owner. And, mostly, he had abided by that...only sending his team out on jobs.
But Brady’s kids were different. After watching over Brady for so long, it was hard to leave any of his family’s security to someone else, even if Luke was watching over it all from the base at Talos Security.
“And believe me, I will hear about it when I get home.” Luke really didn’t want to start the holidays with a fight.
“Oh, yeah,” Keegan said as he swiped off the final bit of blood. “I almost forgot. Austin sent over his driver since the snow is kicking up out there. He’s waiting for you out front.”
Luke nodded. There were times when Austin’s overprotectiveness felt smothering, but tonight he was too tired to be anything but grateful. It would be nice to not have to concentrate on trying to drive in downtown New York holiday traffic especially as the weather turned and New Yorkers became even crazier than before.
Forty-five minutes later, the elevator doors opened onto their penthouse floor and Luke’s shoulders relaxed.
He was home.
Five years ago, he never would have thought he’d be living some place like this, but with Austin and Daniel, they had created a home here.
And someone had been decorating.
The soft glow of candles and twinkle lights greeted him along with the muted sounds of Christmas jazz playing low across the penthouse sound system. The three of them had been so busy this year—combined with the fact that they’d be in the Gresham Compound for actual Christmas—they’d agreed not to decorate the penthouse.
Luke raised his eyebrows. Someone had some explaining to do.
He followed sounds to the kitchen, but instead of either of his lovers, he found their housekeeper. “Gretchen, what are you still doing here?”
She gave him a wide grin and then really looked at him. Her eyes widened. She tsked. “Making your dinner, but you’re late. They’re both back in the music room.” She tilted her head to really look at his black eye and then came around and shoved a charcuterie board at him. “Maybe you should take this with you to soften the blow for when they get a look at your face.”
He internally winced. He’d hoped it had gotten less noticeable since he’d left the office, although the throbbing hadn’t relented. “Thanks. I’ll take any help I can get.”
She just shook her head at him as she took off her apron. “And now that you’re home, I’m setting the final timer. This one will go off in twenty minutes, so I’ll leave it under your watchful eye, because I have my lady love to get home to.”
He grinned at her. “Tell Candice I said ‘hi’.”
Gretchen had come to work for them three years ago and had always professed to be blessedly single. Then she met Candice, the bassist for Veiled Lies, last year. The two had been virtually inseparable ever since.
They all loved that the two of them were finding happiness together.
“Merry Christmas, Gretchen! Enjoy your time off.”
She waggled her eyebrows at Luke. “I fully plan to. I’m not letting Candice out of the apartment for the full two weeks that we’re off.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.” What Gretchen didn’t know was that Candice planned to pop the question for Christmas.
And on that note, it was time for him to locate his men. He strode down the hall toward the music room. As he walked, the Christmas music faded. To keep the house music from interfering with Daniel’s songwriting, this area of the house was the only place where the sound system didn’t reach.
Luke stopped in the doorway.
Daniel sat at the black baby grand piano, playing and singing with his eyes closed. Austin stood leaning across the top watching him.
Luke settled behind Austin, wrapping one hand around his waist while setting the charcuterie board on top of the closed piano.
Austin immediately sank into his embrace with a tiny hum of contentment.
Daniel’s eyes opened at the sound. He grinned at the two of them but then seemed to notice the bruising on Luke’s face because his eyes widened in surprise. The gorgeous tinkling of the notes crashed into chaos before Daniel lifted his hands off the keys.
Austin jerked in Luke’s arms, but then realizing what Daniel was reacting to, stepped out of Luke’s arms and turned to look at him.
Luke lifted his hands to placate the two of them. “Relax. I’m okay. It was just a little glitch in a case that I got caught up in, but I’m good and we apprehended the perpetrator with no injury to the client.”
As he spoke, both his men took more and more disbelieving postures. Austin crossed his arms across his chest. Daniel had both eyebrows raised in challenge.
“I know I’m not supposed to be going out in the field anymore, but this was Brady’s daughter and you know the media has been going nuts ever since she released her first album. It was supposed to be a quick drop off. It’s totally not my fault.”
“I don’t think I buy that,” Austin said as he began to slowly stalk toward Luke. “Daniel, what do you think?”
“I think I’m tired of seeing my partner in pain, at least the not-fun kind.”
“Right?” Austin glanced over at Daniel with a firm nod. “Because when he’s hurt, no one gets to have the good kind of pain and that hurts us all.” He shook his head morosely. “And just when we were supposed to be celebrating, too. I guess he’ll just have to sit on the sidelines and watch.”
Luke groaned even as his dick filled. Threatening him with watching wasn’t much of a threat because Austin and Daniel were damn sexy together. But then the rest of what Daniel said registered. “Wait. What are we celebrating?”
Daniel smirked. “He’s slow on the uptake tonight,” he said to Austin. He raised an eyebrow at Luke. “Have you gone through concussion protocols?”
“Bite your tongue.” His last concussion had left him in the hospital for over a week and a migraine that didn’t relent for almost three weeks. It had been three weeks of hell.
Daniel shook his head, but stepped forward to get a closer look at Luke’s face. He tugged his head down. “I’ll let Austin explain the celebration.”
While Daniel stood so close, he took advantage and grabbed him by the waist to tug him forward so he could give him a kiss. “I’m fine. Promise.”
