Come Back Around

by BA Tortuga

  The world went soft around the edges, and he would give damn near anything to stay right here.

  Which was when the knock came on the door, the sound of giggles floating in.

  “Daddy! We saw you kissing in the window!”

  He pulled back, but he wasn’t sorry. “Did you?”

  “Uh-huh!” Luce was smiling, but he saw confusion lurking.

  “Daddy, Pop-Pop gave me his bandanner!”

  “Oh, wow. Wow! That’s special, isn’t it?”

  “Yes!” Dani waved the red bandana. “Are you hurted?”

  “I… I’m just going to take it easy. You girls can play out here in the backyard area, though.”

  “Okay! Will Uncle Markus bring Marbles?” The girls loved that ridiculous doxie to distraction.

  “Oh, y’all. I don’t know. We’ll see, okay? They are coming a long ways.”

  “Do they have a dog here?” Luce wanted to play. He should have brought Dolly, damn it, but he hadn’t wanted Jen to deal with picking them up and bringing the dog.

  “I’m not sure, but I bet there are a ton of games and stuff at the main house, and I brought some toys to play with.” He hadn’t planned on not being able to occupy them by running them around.

  “I can take them to go see.” Mat gave him a wry look. “I bet we can find colors.”

  “I bringed colors, Papi! Wanna see in my packpack?”

  “I do! We can go sit on my side and color so Daddy can sleep. We’ll get a snack too.” Those girls would never turn down cinnamon toast or yogurt or something.

  “Y’all can leave the doors open. If you want, I mean. Make it one big cabin.” Pretend like we’re family.

  “You got it, querido. You want anything right now?”

  “I just want to know you’re here with me, Matty.”

  “I am.” Mat bent to kiss his cheek. Again. Like—oh, God, this felt utterly crazy.

  “Can we have pizza for lunch, Papi?” Luce grabbed Mat’s hand, smiling at him.

  “Let’s see what the chef says. A little bird told me he likes to make pizza a lot.” Mat’s eyes were just dancing.

  “A real chef? Daddy, did you hear? A real chef.”

  “I did. I can’t wait. Maybe I can get a sausage and mushroom when it’s time?” Reid wasn’t hungry now, but he knew he would need to eat.

  “Daddy, can I meet him? Dani can stay here.”

  “Uh….” He looked to Matty.

  “How about we see if Pop-Pop will show Dani how to fold that bandana?” Mat held out a hand to both girls. “Then we all come back here and color?” Matty raised a brow at him.

  “Perfect. I’m in. You have my word.” He just wanted a little nap.

  “Cool. Come on, ladies. Adventure ho!” Mat took the girls off, and cool silence descended.

  God.

  He touched his lips, and they tingled.

  It had been real.

  It had been.

  Oh God, what was he thinking? Two minutes alone with his ex and he was back in love?

  Well, he’d never been out of love with Mat, but he was hopeful again, and that was a dangerous thing.

  He threw his arm over his eyes. He needed a nap, and he’d figure it out.

  Later.

  Chapter Eight

  MAT took Dani back to his folks because Pop would run her. Then he headed to the kitchen with Lucia, wanting to check on pizza and let her meet Geoff, who would fascinate her.

  Lucia held his hand in an iron grip, but she didn’t hide behind him when they headed into the big house. He was so proud of her. She was such a big girl.

  The kitchen was bustling, the wedding planner and Jennifer going over menus with a woman who was the definition of “the higher the hair, the closer to Jesus.”

  “Hey.” Mat smiled when all eyes turned to them. “Are we interrupting?”

  “Of course not.” Jennifer beamed, opening her arms. “It’s my Lucia!”

  “Jen!” Luce ran to her, grabbing her like she hadn’t spent a day with her in the car yesterday.

  “Did you sleep good last night, little girl?” She grinned at Mat, nodded. “How’s it going?”

  “It’s good.” Should he tell her about Reid?

  “Daddy fell down and—”

  Oh God.

  “—kissed Papi.”

  Jen chuckled. “Did he? Well, your daddy likes to do that.”

  Did he? Mat’s eyes went wide. Damn. That was good news. Really good news.

  Which was weird, because on the way up to the ranch, he’d been convinced he was going to just let the lawyers deal with Reid from then on. Now….

  Now he wanted the girls to be asleep so he could go sneak into Reid’s bed.

  The idea felt so crazy, and yet so perfect. He loved it.

  Reid’s kiss had been desperate, wild with hunger and pure need. For him. Not for any contact, but for his specifically.

  “Papi?” Lucia blinked at him. “Papi, where are you?”

  “Huh? Oh, sorry, kiddo. Geoff? Do you have two seconds to meet an aspiring chef?”

  The man in charge turned, offering Luce a warm smile. “There is nothing on earth I’d rather do. You want to be a chef, my friend?”

  Lucia grabbed his fingers hard but nodded.

  “That’s awesome. I love to cook with other chefs, so maybe you can come help me sometime this week.”

  “Papi? Can I?” She was vibrating in his hands.

  “If you want to, sure.” He mouthed a thank-you at Geoff. “But when Geoff says, okay? He’s going to be busy.”

  “My daddy says no sharp knifes and no fire. Can I still help?”

  Jen and her mom were staring at Luce, just enrapt.

  “You can. In fact, I was thinking of making pizza for lunch. Are you good at putting things on pizza?”

  Her eyes went wide. “Uh. Uh-huh.”

  “I’ll be in here if you need help,” Jen said. “I bet Daddy wants sausage and mushroom.”

  “And Papi wants pepper-pony.” Luce was beginning to grin.

  “I do. And so does your sister.”

  “What about you, Ms. Sous Chef?”

  “I like sausage, but no mushrooms.”

  “I like mushrooms with no meat, so we can trade off!” Geoff sounded so delighted, and if he was put out, it didn’t show.

  “Okay. I will put all my mushrooms on your pizza, Mr. Chef.” She beamed at Geoff. “I need to wash my hands first.”

  “You got it. I’ll get the dough out. Tiny, can you grab Quartz’s old stool?” Geoff was beaming.

  “Yes, boss. I’m on it.”

  Tiny. That gigantic bastard was named Tiny? Goddamn.

  “Do you want me to stay a bit, kiddo?” He wasn’t sure what he hoped the answer would be.

  “Uh-huh. You take pictures for Daddy since he’s in bed.”

  “Okay. I can totally do that. Can I sit with Aunt Jen?” He sank down at the table with Jen and her mom, clearly. “Hi. I’m Mateo.”

  “Hello. I’m Elena, Jennifer’s st—”

  “Mom. She’s my mom.”

  Elena teared up, blushing a sweet rose. “Well, then. I’m the mother of the bride.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m the groom’s brother.” He said it with a wink and a smile.

  “Lucia and Daniela are Mat and Reid’s kids, Elena.”

  “Oh, how sweet. She’s….”

  “Lucia. Dani is younger, and is with Abuela and Pop-Pop.”

  Jen leaned over, frowning at him. “Is Reid all right?”

  “He’s a little tired, I think.” He didn’t want to get Reid in trouble, but he didn’t want to tell Jen in front of a bunch of people.

  “He’s been stressed. Rest is good.”

  “It is.” He opened his mouth to ask what Reid was so stressed over, but Lucia called out.

  “Papi! I get to roll dough! Take a pitture!”

  “I’m on it.”

  Oh God. This was heaven. Reid was going to be over the moon. Lucia never
opened up this fast, but Geoff was really engaging her with the pizza. She even had a little chef’s hat on.

  He took one picture after another, loving how this felt… normal. Like they were a family. Mat closed his eyes for a moment. They were a family, and he wasn’t sure, still, how it had all gone so wrong.

  It sure had, though. The fights had been building for a long time. Mat had been exhausted, desperate for more time with Reid, with the kids, and he’d snapped.

  Suddenly he’d had every other weekend with the kids, and no Reid at all.

  All the accusations and arguments swirled in his head, and Mat pushed them away. Luce was cooking with a ranch chef, and she deserved his full attention. “Is that Daddy’s?”

  “Uh-huh. I made a heart with the meats. He will like that. I’m going to make a kitty on mi hermana’s.”

  “I like kitties,” Geoff said. “They’re fuzzy.”

  “We don’t have a kitty yet. Daddy says maybe for Dani’s birthday.”

  “Does he?” Mat tilted his head. “Daddy’s kinda allergic, baby.”

  “Uh-huh. We said he could wash his hands off.”

  “Huh.” No. Besides, Dolly chased cats. He would have to talk to Reid.

  “You sound just like Daddy when I said it. Just. Like.” She glared at him and pursed her lips, and that expression? That was him, all the way.

  He grinned. “Well, there are a lot of things to consider. Mostly the kitty, though. Would he have a good life with us, huh?”

  “You could clean the litter box, I would feed him, Dani can teach her tricks, and Daddy could take allergy pills.”

  “Hmm.” He let it go for the moment with the Daddy sound, because that was a no-go, and he knew she knew it too.

  “You and Reid, huh?” Jen whispered.

  “I hope so.” He shrugged, but she deserved to know. “I mean, we had a minute without yelling. With kissing.”

  “Oh my God. Oh, Reid must be over the moon.”

  Hope surged in his chest. “You think so? I thought he was pretty mad at me—” Mat broke off after glancing at Elena. No sense airing all his dirty laundry.

  “Y’all need to talk. Seriously. Possibly with wine and nakedness.”

  “Jenny!” Jen’s mom stood up, waving at the wedding guy. Mason? Right. Mason. “Come on, hon. Show me the linens while they chat.”

  “Absolutely. We chose some gorgeous chambray cloths. This way, m’lady.”

  He grinned wryly at Jen. “Oops.”

  “Oh, she’s the only Texan on earth who doesn’t like gossip.”

  “Look, Papi, I’m making vegan pizza!”

  “Look at you, baby! What’s on one of those?” So he knew not to eat it.

  “All the veggies and this weird, sticky cheese.” She held up her hands, which were covered in white shreds.

  “Huh. Yay. Is it yummy?”

  She stuck a finger in her mouth, and he got a wide-eyed panicky look. “Nope.”

  Geoff laughed. “Well, I appreciate you making my pizza for me. I like it, but you have your mozzarella, huh?”

  “Yes, Chef!”

  God, she was so cute.

  “So, come on, man. You and Reid.”

  “What else is there to say? I… it was so easy to just reconnect.” He lowered his voice. “He broke his ankle tripping last night. Don’t panic. He’ll be fine.”

  “What? Do y’all need a doctor? Is that little shit trying to hide it? I want him whole.”

  “He’s got a walking boot with strict instructions to do crutches and rest until the rehearsal.” He wanted to go see Reid right now.

  “Oh, good. Absolutely. Silly, goofy man.” Jen shook her head. “I adore him, but he worries so much.”

  “He does. He’s freaking out. I’ll sit with him while the girls nap, though.” He would crawl into bed and hold on, actually.

  “Oh, I bet he enjoys the hell out of that.”

  “You’re getting my hopes up.” He just… God. He wanted a chance.

  “Is that bad? I swear, I thought he was going to slit his wrists those first weeks.”

  “No, it’s not bad.” He spread his hands. “It’s just… it’s starting all over.”

  “Oh, that’s the best part, right?” Her eyes danced for him.

  “I hope so. What if all we do is argue?” That had happened.

  “Then you get help.”

  Get help…. He’d never even talked to Reid about that. Neither had the mediator. Never once.

  His cheeks went damn near blazing. Were they that selfish? That hurt? Hell, maybe they were that clueless. He’d been raised to be totally self-sufficient. To not need anything. That was one of their problems. Reid had needed him, and he’d stopped respecting the man.

  Well, that was maybe a little harsh. Mat hadn’t known how to deal with it. He knew Reid was super talented. He’d only wanted Reid to be more. Fair or not.

  Now Reid was. Was it because he’d had to be? Was it because he needed Mat to leave him be?

  His head started to throb, but Lucia called to him again. Time for more pictures.

  Maybe Mama was right. He’d just figured out how to live without Reid.

  He snapped pictures with his phone, but he breathed a sigh of relief when the pizzas all went in the oven. “Okay. Now we all wait,” Geoff said.

  “We should go get Hermanita, huh? So she can come back to Daddy’s and eat?” Mat was so damn proud he could bust.

  “She’s gonna be so excited when we tell her.” Luce beamed, running to him. “Are we all having pizza together?”

  “We are.” He held out his hand after she washed up. “We’ll come back and get them, huh?”

  Geoff nodded easily. “If you want. Or if you want us to bring it down, just call up.”

  “Oh, that would be a blessing,” Jen said, deciding for him. “Let the boys hang out together.”

  “Sure.” Geoff winked broadly at him. “Just let us know what drinks you want and such.”

  “Oh, that’s easy.” He grinned at Luce. “Milk for the girls and Dr Pepper for me and Reid.”

  “No Dr Pepper for me?” Luce blinked up at him.

  “Milk.” He said it firmly, and she grinned, silly and hilarious.

  “Mean old hairy Papi!”

  “That’s me, baby. Come on.” He waved at Jen, who chortled like she’d set him up on a blind date. Crazy woman. Alejandro had done well for himself.

  Which was good, because he had to sit with Jen at a dozen family things during the year. Their family did shit together.

  Luce grabbed Mat’s hand and led him to the cabin. Dani and Pop were napping on the front porch, Dani draped over her grandfather’s chest.

  He put his finger to his lips and snapped a picture. God, the cuteness.

  Luce then proceeded to rock the chair they sat in. “Dani. Chef Geoff taught me to make pizza!”

  Dani blinked awake and immediately teared up, eyes searching for him.

  “Hey, baby. Did Pop-Pop show you how to roll your bandana?” He held out his hands, picking her up when she launched herself. They all needed to pee before lunch.

  “Papi. My own Papi.” She snuggled in, breathing hard on his neck.

  “Hey, you. I love you so. We need to go potty. Can you and Sister go in here while I wake up Daddy?”

  “Uh-huh. I was resting with my Pop-Pop.”

  “He loves that. You want a pizza, Pop?”

  “I think I’ll grab your mama and do-si-do to the dining room,” Pop said, stretching and blinking. “Thank you for letting Dani come to play, son.”

  “I’m glad y’all had fun.” Now he hoped she would still want to nap after lunch. Dani was a pretty happy napper.

  She wriggled down to go in, both girls beelining for a bathroom.

  “Is that y’all?”

  “It is. Pizza is on the way, baby.”

  “Oh, that’s good. Thank you, Matty. You rock.”

  “Need to hit the head?” He knew Reid had been sleeping hard from the
fuzziness of his voice.

  “I’m okay. I had the best dream.”

  “Did you?” The girls would need a table to eat at, so he started setting up a little dining area for them.

  “Here, let me help.” Reid sat up and swung his leg over the edge of the bed.

  “Nope.” He turned a stare on Reid. “Sit on your ass.”

  He loved that shocked little look, the way Reid’s lips parted. Mat bit back his smile because he didn’t want Reid to feel mocked. He wanted Reid turned on.

  He wanted Reid to know he was turned on too, aching for another one of those kisses.

  Reid gave him an uncertain smile but stayed where he was, easing that wrapped ankle back up on the bed.

  God, his husband—ex-husband—was the finest son of a bitch on the block. Even all swollen and injured…. He wanted to jump Reid’s bones.

  “You’re thinking hard, Matty.”

  “Am I? I was thinking how I wished it was naptime, not lunchtime.”

  “You can nap after lunch. I’ll watch over you.”

  “Querido, I have no intention of sleeping.” He let Reid feel the weight of that.

  Reid groaned, the sound soft and low. “No?”

  “Nope. The girls will, but you and I are going to have daddy time together.” He loved how Luce always called it that.

  “I… God, yes. I’m in.” Reid stared at him, eyes dragging over his body.

  “I hoped you’d say that.” Even if he had to send the girls off with his folks again, they would get their time.

  “Thank you for asking.”

  “Mmm.” He shoved the last chair into place, then went over to kiss Reid square on the mouth. Reid pushed right up, taking his kiss, meeting him more than halfway.

  Mat slid one hand behind Reid’s head, holding him there. He needed this kiss more than his next breath. Reid leaned back into his touch, trusting him to hold on tight.

  He would too. No way was he gonna let Reid fall.

  Reid moaned into his lips, those pretty blue eyes watching him every second.

  God, he could totally do this all day and all night. This was what he’d missed so badly. He licked at Reid’s mouth, shaking at the flavor. This was his Reid. His lover.

  His husband.

  “Papi, you keep kissing Daddy.” Dani and Luce were both staring at them like little adorable goats looking at a new fence.