Then there was the matter of Galen. They didn’t get to spend any time together, but they talked each night, keeping the conversation light. Galen still hadn’t found a job, which he was sure was because of his father’s interference. The lawyers continued to haggle over the seized assets, and the only reason Galen wasn’t on the streets was because of Andy.
When Galen had called to say he got the last bouquet of flowers, something caught in Robert’s chest when he realized that those were the flowers Robert had ordered the day Bree died. When Robert got to the funeral home, he was shocked to see the bouquet had been added to the rest of the pieces. His heart swelled with pride over the fact Galen had done something so sweet.
Their late-night Skype calls meant everything to Robert. He’d lie in bed and stare at Galen, listening as he chatted about anything. It was just nice to hear his voice, which calmed Robert after the chaos of his days.
Tonight it was especially fun.
“And he kissed Andy, there in the restaurant in front of his friends and family.”
“You’re kidding? I thought Andy said he was so shy?”
“I know, right? He said Marco told him he didn’t want to scare Andy by going all caveman on him. That didn’t last long, obviously, since he practically mauled Andy.”
“So what did Andy do?”
Galen barked out a laugh. “He took Marco by the hand, turned to everyone they were eating dinner with, and said, ‘Excuse us, we have to go. Right now. Nice to meet you all, and…. Okay, bye.’ And then he dragged him out of the restaurant and back here. I had to sleep with a pillow over my head, because Marco was making Andy howl. But the best part? In the morning, Andy woke up and the other side of the bed was empty. He was so certain Marco had left, he sat on the bed, feeling stupid because he’d let another guy who wasn’t going to stay get what they wanted. When he stepped out of the bedroom, he could smell bacon and eggs. He turned the corner and found the table loaded with food. Croissants, bagels, muffins, fruit, juice, and the bacon and eggs. Marco looked up when he entered the room, swept across the floor, and kissed Andy, telling him good morning.”
Aw, that was so sweet.
“Okay, and?”
“You’ll love this. Marco told Andy that in his family, once you found the person you knew you were going to be with, you did whatever you had to in order to win their heart. He said he would do anything he could to make Andy happy, and hoped they could spend a lifetime together getting to know each other. Andy is over the freaking moon.”
“And where are they now?”
“They’re out with Marco’s family again. He’s introducing them to his boyfriend.”
Shit. Was it fast? Hell yes. But the times they chatted, Andy had told Robert all about Marco. He could hear in Andy’s voice that he was smitten, and it seemed as though it had paid off for him.
“I’m glad.”
“Me too. Andy deserves it so much.”
“Listen, this weekend we’re supposed to go to my folks’ house for dinner. Are you still up for it?”
There was a bit of a hesitation before Galen answered. “Sure. I’d like to go.”
“Great. I know Andy was going to come with us. Why not ask if he wants to invite Marco?”
“Seriously?”
Robert chuckled. “My mom will cook for an army. Tom, my brother, will sit there and stuff his face, and Mom will fuss over Brian, making sure he’s doing okay.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Cancer. It’s terminal, but he’s a fighter. They told him he had less than a year, and it’s been five.” Robert drew in a breath. “He’s fading, though. I don’t know how much longer he has.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. They met in college and have shared almost twenty-five years together. Theirs is a love that everyone should aspire to have. I know that Tom is going to be devastated when Brian passes, but we’ll be there for him. He won’t have to face it alone.”
Robert had to admit that there had been many times over the years that he’d been jealous of what Tom and Brian had. Seeing them together in front of their parents’ fireplace, Brian nestled in Tom’s arms, his head resting on Tom’s chest, brought home what Robert was missing in his life. The day they’d gotten the results of Brian’s biopsy, any trace of jealousy vanished as Robert did what he could to comfort them.
When Galen yawned, a sliver of regret sliced through Robert. “I’m sorry I’ve kept you up. Get some sleep.”
“No, it’s okay.”
The sleep in that soft voice told Robert it wasn’t. “Sleep, Galen. That’s an order.”
“Okay.” He yawned again. “Robert?”
“Yeah?”
“Can we talk again tomorrow?”
“Sure. I’d like that a lot.” This time Robert yawned, and Galen chuckled. “Shut up.”
“Go to sleep, and that’s an order.”
The words were on the tip of Robert’s tongue, but he bit them back. Now wasn’t time for them.
“Good night. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Night.”
Hanging up the phone was the hardest thing Robert had to do in a while. He ached to hear Galen’s voice again.
Was it tomorrow yet?
“ARE YOU sure I look okay?”
“You’re fine. Stop fussing.” Andy came in from the other room, held his hands up, and did a twirl. He was dressed in black jeans and sported an embossed shiny silver shirt with dark blue swirls across the torso. His dark eyes looked even more mysterious with a bit of guyliner artfully done up. No matter what, even in a crowded house, Andy would definitely attract attention. “What about me?”
“You look great, but….”
A crease formed on Andy’s forehead. “But? I’m not sure I like how that sounds.”
The last time Galen had gone out with Andy and Marco, he’d had to separate the two of them when Andy climbed onto Marco’s lap and gyrated his ass onto Marco’s groin. Both of them had their heads thrown back, mouths wide. When Andy started moaning, that was too much. Galen clutched Andy’s arm and pulled him off Marco, who scowled at him. Marco stood, and Galen couldn’t help but notice the rather sizable bulge in his pants. No wonder Andy was so happy.
“You swear you’re going to control yourself tonight.”
Andy sighed and rolled his eyes. He held up one hand, giving the fakest Boy Scout pledge Galen had ever seen. “Yes, Mom.” He stuck his tongue out. “God, I’m not the one who got screwed on the dance floor. And now you’re practically being a Puritan.”
“Don’t start.” Galen waggled a finger at Andy. “Thanks to your little show, they’re not going to let us back into McDonald’s. Did you even notice the looks the mothers were giving you? One of them had her kid’s eyes covered and was marching her out of the restaurant. You’re lucky you didn’t get arrested.”
The bastard didn’t even have the decency to blush. “What can I say? He brings out the best and worst in me.”
Warmth flowed through Galen at the dreamy expression on Andy’s face. “God, I’m so happy for you both.”
“I am too. Marco’s not like any other guy I’ve ever met. He treats me like… to him, I’m precious. He holds doors for me, he’s not ashamed to take my hand in public, and when we were with his family, he stayed by my side the whole time, even when they tried to get him to join in on a game of volleyball. I told him to go play, because I wanted to watch those muscles pumping. The bastard leaned over and whispered in my ear, telling me if I wanted his muscles to pump, we could go into the closet.”
“And lemme guess….”
“It was great, until his mother opened it to grab a jacket. Marco grinned at her and just closed the door again.” Andy reached for Galen’s hand. “I’ve never felt like this before. Did you know that he’s got a degree in marketing? He’s like a supergenius type.”
“Why is he delivering flowers?”
“The shop belongs to his parents. He helps out there, u
sually on the weekends. The first day he came here, it was because his sister was sick and they needed him. He told me that when we met, he went back to his mother and said if there were any other deliveries to us, she had to call him.”
“And you were scared to ask him for coffee.”
“You think I was bad? He was a nervous wreck. He’s big and growly and was afraid he’d scare me off if he moved too fast.” Andy leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. “His mom invited me into the kitchen, and when Marco stood up, she glared at him and said he wasn’t invited. I was so sure she was going to tell me to get out, but instead she put me to work slicing bananas, watermelon, and grapes to make a fruit cup. While we worked, she told me that I was all Marco had talked about since he met me. Then she related the story of how she and her husband had met.” He tilted his head and grinned at Galen. “I admit, I was a little sexist. I asked her if he pursued her that way. She smacked me on the arm and told me it was her who did the pursuing.”
Both of them cracked up.
“So now here we are, about to go meet your boyfriend’s parents.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” Galen didn’t like the way the words felt as they flew off his tongue. “We’re just… friends.”
Andy gave him an indulgent look as he patted Galen’s hand. “Oh, sweetheart, no. I love you, but I would never send you roses. I’m not sure why you’re so wigged about this.”
Galen was afraid to tell Andy the truth, because he didn’t want him to look at Galen differently. He opted for another potential reason. “Because my parents cheat. They have for years. What makes you think that one day I won’t wake up and decide it’s not working for me, and go out and pick up some young meat at the bar and let him do me in the bathroom?”
Andy scoffed. “Do you want to get done in the bathroom?”
Galen shrugged a single shoulder. “It’s pretty much the only real sex life I’ve had.”
“So you’re scared. That’s perfectly natural. But there comes a time when you have to ask yourself, is it worth losing something that might turn out to be the best thing I’ve ever had, because I’m scared?” Andy grinned. “You taught me that.”
“Me?”
“You were out looking for a job when Marco came over to deliver that last set of flowers. I took them and found myself tongue-tied. He smiled at me, and I knew that I had to listen to what you’d said or I would probably regret it for the rest of my life. I asked him in for coffee, and I’ve never seen a wider, more beautiful smile. We talked for a good two hours about nothing, but every word from his lips fascinated me. I was already halfway set to jump his bones, until I remembered what it was I wanted. So, when we were done, I thanked him and asked if we could do it again sometime. He said he’d like that. When we walked to the door, he put his hands on my shoulders, leaned in, and gave me the gentlest, sweetest kiss I’d ever gotten. He reminded me to put the chain on the door, because he wanted to be sure I was safe.” Andy sighed, deep and content. “You know, I’ve never had anyone worry for me like that. It felt good. After years of toads, I found a prince.”
The bell rang, and Andy took off like a shot. He yanked open the door to reveal Marco, decked out in a black suit and pressed white shirt. From delivery driver to fashion plate, Marco had it all covered.
“Hey, Andy.” He grinned and leaned in for a blistering kiss. Once they came up for air, Marco turned to Galen. “Hey, Galen. Are you guys ready to go?”
“Sure.”
Andy slipped his hand into Marco’s and followed him down the stairs, with Galen not too far behind. Marco whispered something, and Andy smacked his arm and gave a naughty giggle.
“Stop teasing me.”
“I’m serious.”
Andy’s eyes went wide. “No way.”
“Yup. Do you wanna?”
“Hell yes!”
Galen strode forward and pushed them apart. “No closets, no bathrooms, no…. Just no. Save it until you get back home.”
Andy turned, and his smile morphed into a sad expression. “No, it’s not that.” He looked back at Marco. “Can you give us a second?”
Marco slid a hand over Andy’s cheek. “Sure. I’ll be in the car.” He went down the stairs and out the door, but only after casting a glance over his shoulder at Andy and giving him a wink. Andy’s cheeks pinked, and it was a good look on him.
As soon as the door closed, he whirled to face Galen once more. His expression caused a knot to form in Galen’s stomach.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really. Can we talk for a minute?”
That did not bode well. Galen leaned against the wall, hands tucked in his pockets. “Okay, go ahead and talk.”
When Andy blew out a breath, it became crystal clear to Galen he wasn’t going to like what Andy was about to say.
“So, listen….” He stared off into the distance and swallowed hard. With his hands clenched at his sides, he seemed to be doing his best to avoid Galen’s gaze.
“Just say what you have to.”
Short, quick panted breaths, and his eyes squeezed tight. “Marco asked me to go away with him for a few weeks. His parents have a cabin in Gilman, and he wanted me to come with them to, you know, get to know his family.”
A twinge in Galen’s chest. “Oh.”
“It’s just for a while. We’d be back the last week in August. He said you could come with if you wanted to.”
The way Andy’s voice rose, Galen knew he hadn’t been invited.
“I hope you have fun.”
“Gale, really, come with us. It’ll be fun. We can sleep under the stars, roast marshmallows, sing campfire songs.” Andy blinked twice. “Please?”
The plaintive please wasn’t a question of asking Galen to come along; it was more Andy begging him not to be angry.
“You don’t need me to come with you. It sounds like you’re going to have a great time.”
“But—”
Galen wrapped his arms around Andy’s shoulders and pulled him in tight. “Shut up. Go. Have a good time. I’m going to be here when you get back.”
As he pulled back, Andy gripped Galen’s hand. “Promise me that. You don’t go anywhere without me. Swear to me.”
“Where would I go?” Galen chuckled as he ran a hand over Andy’s. “I’ll be here. You have my word.”
Still, Andy stood there, biting his lip. “Am I making a mistake?”
“What? Hell no. Why would he ask you to go with him and his family if he didn’t want to get to know you better?”
“Gee, I don’t know. Fifty acres leaves a lot of room to bury the body.” Andy blanched. “I didn’t mean that.”
“No, you didn’t. You’re nervous, and I get it. It’s your first time away with someone you’re calling your boyfriend. Not just a fuck but a guy you might want to spend your life with. And listen to me. He cares for you. Even I can see it, and I’m pretty clueless about things like that.”
What started out as a laugh turned into a sob as Andy threw himself into Galen’s arms. “I want him to like me. He makes me feel special, like I actually matter.”
“You listen to me, damn it. You fucking matter. The world is a better place with you in it, and I don’t want to hear you talking bad about yourself, do you get me?” Galen squeezed Andy hard. “Marco isn’t a fool. You’ve said he was a genius, so trust him to know what he’s doing, okay? And while you’re at it, trust yourself. Now come on. We have to get going.” Stepping back, Galen wiped a finger to get rid of the smear under Andy’s eye. “Fix yourself. Your face is running.”
“Oh God. He’s going to think I’m a raccoon or something.”
“No, I doubt it. He’s going to think how lucky he is to have you in his life. Go on. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Andy turned and trotted back to the apartment. Galen descended the staircase slowly, wondering why it hurt so much that he was being left behind. Again. When he got to the car, he slid into the back seat.
Marco met his gaze in the mirror. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he needs a moment.”
“You know, you’re more than welcome to come with us. It’s a big place, so there’s plenty of room. Might do you some good to get away from the city for a while.”
Galen’s hackles went up. “Excuse me?”
“Out in the country, you can have a chance to rest and think about what you want to do.”
Oh, fuck him if he thought he knew Galen. A month ago he could have bought their shops and crushed them beneath his heel, and he would have laughed about it as they took their shit from the buildings. He took a deep breath. No, he was never that guy, and Andy didn’t belong to Galen. He had every right to pursue something with Marco. That didn’t stop Galen from feeling cast aside, though.
The door opened and Andy slid into the car. “Sorry.”
Marco leaned in and kissed him. “No problem. You look amazing.”
Anger surged inside Galen as he threw himself against the seat and fumed.
“Gale, you okay?”
Andy reached back for his hand, but Galen pulled away. He turned and glared out the window. “Fine.”
“What’s wrong? Marco?”
As he started the car, Marco glanced in the mirror again. “I think he’s upset with me. I invited him to come with us, but guess I said something wrong. Galen, I do apologize for upsetting you. That wasn’t my intention at all. If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”
No, of course not. They never wanted Galen along anyway.
One big shoulder shrug and a whispered apology to Andy, and Marco pulled into traffic.
Chapter Fifteen
ROBERT RACED to the door as soon as the car pulled up. He wasn’t sure why, but he’d been nervous as hell when Galen told him Marco would be bringing them instead of Robert picking them up. He was here now, though, and that was what mattered. Robert pulled open the door and winced when Galen got out of the car, his face a storm cloud of anger. Andy and Marco strode up, Galen trailing behind them. He stopped when Andy and Marco got to where Robert stood. Marco shook hands with Robert, and then Andy pulled him into a hug.
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