Cloudy With A Chance Of Love

by E M Lindsey

  “Will do. Take care, alright?”

  Collin ended the call, shoving the phone into his pocket, then made a clicking noise with his tongue to signal mealtime. Morticia pranced after him, and it wasn’t long before Robert joined her in the corner of the warm barn where Dudley sat perched on his little nest of hay. Collin tended to his afternoon duties, robotic in his motions, like he had been since the day the storm had passed.

  Loneliness had been a constant companion, but never had it taken form this way, in the shape of two men who should be there. He let out a shaking breath, then did up the latch on the barn before heading to the house. Most of his stuff was in boxes, and the table had a couple of net sheets lying out showing property lines and the cost to buy. Cherry Creek was ideal for an old man on his way to hermit status, but resigning himself to it felt more painful than he expected. Beside that sat Grant’s latest email, a half-hearted plea for him to return, a promise of what they might be again. With it, two flat listings that he could easily afford, but they sat there like they’d condemn him to a prison rather than freedom from this pain.

  He knew falling in love wasn’t in the cards for him. His marriage had taught him that much. He just hadn’t expected the universe to test him so bloody thoroughly. “Pull yourself together, man,” he muttered to himself as he climbed the steps and went straight for the shower. Everywhere in his house felt tainted by the ghost of Max and Spencer, but at least here he could get clean.

  Scrubbing bubbly fingers through his hair, Collin shoved his head under the spray, then froze. It wasn’t the first time he swore he heard their voices, but this one sounded a little bit too real.

  “...super creepy. We can’t just make ourselves at home, sweetheart.”

  Collin’s fingers shook as he reached for the knob to turn off the water.

  “It’s not like he’s going to care. You think he’s going to call the cops, Max? It’s Collin.”

  “Yes, grumpy mountain man who probably has a gun and shoots trespassers on sight,” Max pointed out.

  “You know what, you’re so dramatic. You call me a priss when…”

  “Oh fuck, the water’s off.”

  Collin wasn’t aware of how he dried and dressed himself, but he felt every heavy footstep as he pushed past the bathroom door and into the living room where the two men waited. The fantasy he’d had—the nights he spent begging the universe to let him find those two there in the morning when his eyes opened—was too close. It was too real.

  He stood there, mute and wide-eyed in the doorway, not quite sure what to say. His first absurd thought was that they hadn’t changed. They were better washed, in clean clothes that weren’t his, Spencer’s hair just so, his feet in comfortable trainers, Max in his worn leather jacket and t-shirt, but they were still them. And why wouldn’t they be? It had been a single fortnight.

  The moment shattered with Spencer’s cleared throat, with Max elbowing him and Spencer letting out a squawk of protest. Collin felt the mad urge to smile, but he fought it back.

  “Uh, surprise?” Spencer offered.

  Collin’s heart stopped beating in his chest for a single moment. “Why are you here?”

  “Because,” Max said quietly, “this is where you are.”

  Collin wasn’t quite sure how to handle the fact that they were really there. Both of them alive, healthy, safe, together in his kitchen as he put the kettle on. His mind was going a mile a minute, and it took all of his control not to either throw them out, or throw them in his bed and take them apart bit by bit.

  He was aging, his libido was nothing like it was in his early university days, but Max and Spencer breathed life and vigor into the dark corners of him he swore had died with his divorce. But why were they here? It was ridiculous, it was stupid. It was a disaster waiting to happen.

  Never mind how much Collin wanted it—bordering on desperate need. Never mind that he wasn’t sure he could let them walk out of his life one more time. He knew better.

  Clearing his throat, Collin turned back around and clasped his hands together tight enough to hurt. “What sort of tea do you prefer?”

  “There’s more than one kind?” Max asked.

  Collin fought the urge to roll his eyes and grin at him. “I have a few. Herbal—erm, mint, chamomile, lavender…”

  “Earl Grey?” Spencer asked.

  Max groaned. “Oh, my God, you would. That is disgusting. Do you have just, like, Lipton or something?”

  “Uncouth,” Spencer hissed.

  Collin turned around and finally let himself smile as he plucked a bag of Earl Grey and one Yorkshire from the cabinet and plonked them into the bottom of the mugs. The kettle was at a quiet, rolling boil, so he added water, then set the tray like his English upbringing demanded.

  Milk, sugar, lemon, stale packet of chocolate hobnobs.

  This whole situation was enough to send him into hysterics. Two gorgeous, younger men—clients, once—whom he’d laid out, and stroked, and sucked off. He knew the taste of their tongues, their sweat, their cum. It was seared into his mind, and he craved more.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you’re really doing here,” Collin said as he slid the tea toward them.

  Max didn’t bother with it, but Spencer plucked his mug from the saucer and added sugar and milk, stirring with the small spoon before taking a sip and setting it back down. “Well, I was minding my own business when Max’s desperate ass showed up at my work and begged me to take him back.”

  Max turned to Spencer, outrage plain on his face. “I’m not the one who climbed all over me like a damn cat in heat, sweetheart.”

  Spencer shrugged, and there was a confidence in him, a surety that hadn’t been there before. And there could only be one reason for it. “You two have sorted things out, then?”

  The pair looked at each other, then Max took a breath and looked Collin directly in the eye. “Mostly. I know I was...I am...an idiot sometimes. Trent really fucked me up, and that’s going to take me some time to get over. And I know I don’t deserve forgiveness…”

  Spencer reached for him, and the easy way Max let himself fall into his grasp made Collin’s stomach clench with want, and his heart clench with pain at watching the two men he wanted and couldn’t have. And he couldn’t begrudge them this, either. More than he wanted them, he wanted them to be happy.

  “I have a lot to work on too,” Spencer insisted, and he was speaking to Max, but he was looking at Collin. “I’m spoiled and naive and insecure. And sometimes I’m more work than I’m worth.”

  “No,” Collin said, finding the courage to speak up. “You’re both worth it.”

  Spencer’s eyes brightened. “Well, when Max told me what he wanted, it wasn’t a hard sell.”

  Collin forced a smile. “I’m glad he came to find you. And I...appreciate that you wanted to let me know that it worked out.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “You’re the reason, you know.”

  Collin’s smile became a little more genuine, even if it ached. “I wouldn’t say that. I could see you two needed each other from a mile away. You just needed a push.”

  Spencer sighed and leaned into Max. “See, I told you he wouldn’t fucking get it. Be direct, Max.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” Max grumbled back.

  Collin stared at them both. “What are you on about?”

  “You,” Spencer said. He detached himself from Max’s grip who let him go easily, and he stood, walking around the table until he was right in front of Collin. He hesitated a minute, glancing back at Max, and Collin saw the other man nod in his periphery. Buoyed, Spencer leaned in and put a soft, warm hand to Collin’s cheek. “You’re the reason, because you make us fit. I couldn’t stop thinking about Max when I left, but...I couldn’t stop thinking about you, either. This doesn’t work without you, Collin. It’s the three of us, or nothing.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Collin heard himself say, voice thick in the back of his throat. “You’re young, you have so much
ahead of you. You don’t need me.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Max said, and then he was on his feet too, closing the distance on the other side so Collin was trapped between them both. Exactly where he knew he wanted to be. Max’s hand, more calloused and stronger than Spencer’s, touched Collin on the back of the neck and he leaned in, lips brushing the back of Collin’s ear as he spoke. “More than anything else, we need you too.”

  Chapter 26

  Spencer is ready for the goats

  It hardly seemed real. Spencer had spent the past two weeks cycling through rage and despair, but he didn’t want to think about that. Max showed up, and that was everything. Those tenuous moments where he thought Max might be there for just him were the most agonizing part. The hope burned bright in his chest, but if Max didn’t want Collin, too… then there was no way Spencer could have either of them.

  Something happened up on the mountain, and even now back in Collin’s cabin, everything was different. But Spencer swore he could feel the magic wrapping itself around the three of them, pulling them closer together.

  Collin looked good. Sandwiched between him and Max, he looked fan-fucking-tastic, and Spencer wanted to wriggle his way in between his men and stay there for the foreseeable future. It would be so easy to give in to every temptation, but that’s what got his heart stomped on the first time.

  Despite every atom in his body that screamed at him to put his hands on Collin’s cheeks and bury his tongue down the man’s delicious throat, he didn’t. The lust between the three of them was thick and already Spencer’s defenses were slipping.

  Who was he kidding? He didn’t have any defenses to protect himself—or his heart—from these men. He backed up a little because he couldn’t breathe or think when he was that close to them.

  “We need to talk.” Spencer let out an awkward chuckle. “That sounded far more ominous than I meant it to.”

  “Darling?” Collin’s voice broke on the word and Spencer had the stupid urge to throw himself into the arms of his big British bear and sob his dramatic heart out.

  “We need rules and shit. And to exchange phone numbers. And a fucking plan. Because I’m in this, like, really in this, and if you’re not…” Spencer couldn’t finish the sentence, but it didn’t matter because Max and Collin were talking at once.

  “We are.”

  “We’re so in it.” Max sighed and left Collin’s side. He pulled a chair out and motioned for Spencer to sit. “Sit, talk. Tell us what you need from us.”

  Spencer knew Max regretted letting him leave. Spencer regretted going. He hated the way they said goodbye. All the things they’d left unsaid. All the ways they let themselves hurt. Spencer didn’t want to hurt anymore.

  “I don’t need marriage or anything, but I need to know that we’re really doing this. That this isn’t some sort of… fling. Because it’s not that for me. It’s… it probably proves how dramatic I am. I’ve never been in a serious relationship before, but that’s what this feels like.”

  “That’s what it is.” Max assured him. He lowered himself into the chair next to Spencer. Collin still hadn’t moved. Spencer slowly raised his gaze and he hoped his heart wouldn’t be broken again with whatever Collin was about to say.

  Collin walked around the table and instead of taking a chair, he crouched down, making his knees pop, grimacing as he bent lower. He reached for Spencer, his large hand rough from a lifetime of hard work, warming Spencer’s cheek with a gentle caress.

  “My darlings, I never should have let you two leave.”

  Spencer laughed, watery and thick. “You going to go full-on Misery now?” His insides trembled and he fought the urge to stay in his chair, to not climb into Collin’s lap and grip onto him like a needy spider monkey.

  “I’ve been a lonely old bastard for too long. I thought that’s how my life was meant to go, and I didn’t plan on the two of you crashing into it. But I’m glad you did. And I was stupid.”

  “I think we’ve established that being apart doesn’t work for any of us.” Max said. “Now we have to figure out where we go from here.”

  “I can go anywhere.” Spencer piped up. “There’s nothing keeping me where I am.”

  “What about the shelter?”

  “I can move it. Or close it down. Or we can expand it somewhere else. There’s plenty of cat shelters in the city already. Maybe it would be better suited somewhere else. What about your ex, Max? I know I took it badly when I found out, but you were about to propose to someone. Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “We can take cats. We can take goats and duck too.” Max moved his chair closer to Spencer. “As for me, Trent and I had been over for a while. I think proposing was my desperate attempt to fix things. Not that it would have.”

  “You’re sure?” Spencer eyed Max skeptically.

  “I’m sure about you and Collin. I’m sure that losing Trent the way I did made room in my life and my heart for the both of you. Not to replace him or something, because you’ve both made places of your own.” Max rubbed his sternum, as if he was showing Spencer that his place inside was near Max’s heart.

  Collin stood, his joints popping again, and his face pulled into a grimace. “My knees didn’t like that so much. You sure you want an old man like me?”

  Spencer stood and tugged Collin into the chair, then finally let himself indulge and made himself comfortable on Collin’s lap.

  “We want an old man like you. And you’re not that old. So… the three of us together. How do we make that happen?”

  Even if Max still hurt a little over his ex, Spencer was confident that he was over him enough that it wouldn’t be an issue down the road. Knowing that he’d soothed Max’s pain made Spencer feel good, like he’d come into Max’s life for a purpose.

  “As long as you two are sure we’re not moving too fast.” Collin sounded hesitant. Spencer heard the fear of rejection and brushed a kiss against his stubbled cheek to reassure him.

  “Straight people have been eloping three days after meeting someone since the invention of marriage. Surely three gay men who barely know each other can run off and start new lives on a whim.” Max tangled his fingers with Spencer’s and put his other hand on Collin’s knee. “Right?”

  “I’m all for grand gestures.” Spencer smiled so wide he thought his cheeks might crack. He hadn’t been this happy in weeks. Maybe ever.

  “You’re willing to upend your lives? Just like that?”

  “Hell, yes.” Spencer clung to Max.

  Max’s grip tightened on Spencer’s hand. “Just like that.”

  “Oh, my God.” Spencer blurted. “Where’s Robert? And the duck? You didn’t get rid of them, did you?”

  “Way to ruin the moment, sweetheart.” Max groused, but Spencer could tell he wasn’t that annoyed.

  “They’re in the barn.”

  “But they’re family. Why are they out in the barn?”

  “Robert won’t leave Dudley, and Dudley won’t leave Morticia, and Morticia isn’t going to have her kids in my kitchen.”

  “Kids?” Max questioned as Spencer all but flew off Collin’s lap.

  “Baby goats. Holy shit. Babies. I love babies. When is she due? Can we see her?”

  Collin stood and put his hands on Spencer’s cheeks, then pulled him into a kiss. It started off clumsy because Collin was grinning and Spencer was still talking, but it quickly melted into something more and Spencer tugged Max closer.

  Collin pulled back slowly, but his hands still cradled Spencer’s face, grounding him.

  “That’s one way to get him to stop talking.” Max was so close his breath ghosted across Spencer’s skin.

  “You two need to kiss, or one of you needs to kiss me. Someone needs to be kissing!”

  “I thought you wanted to talk?” Max offered, moving even closer.

  “I thought my darling wanted to see the goats,” Collin teased. He let go of Spencer, but pulled Max closer, until the three of them we
re as close as they could get with their clothes on.

  “He is done talking,” Spencer said breathlessly, “and the goats can wait. He wants kissing. Lots of kissing.”

  “Kissing?” Max leaned in and Spencer wet his lips, waiting for Max to close the distance, but Collin swooped in and pressed his lips to Max’s.

  “Hell yes.” Spencer could barely stand to watch them kiss. It was too much. Too good. Too… everything.

  After two weeks thinking he’d lost his only shot at happiness, he was so full of emotion he thought he might burst. Hell had been losing Max and Collin. He’d thought he wasn’t enough, and maybe he wasn’t for some people, but they never made him feel that way. They never laughed at him for who he was, and maybe that was a stupid reason to fall in love, but he’d done a lot more stupid things for a lot of stupider reasons.

  “Darling?” Collin’s deep voice, laced with concern and tenderness, snapped him out of his inner monologue. “You okay?”

  Spencer blinked and realized he’d started to cry. “Well, fuck.” He swiped the tears away. He let out a tight, watery laugh. “Here I go, ruining more moments.”

  “You don’t ruin anything. You make them special.” Max brushed his lips against Spencer’s cheeks.

  “Your ex was a fucking dingle for letting you go.”

  “Dingle?” Collin arched an eyebrow.

  “Have you never watched We Bare Bears? Anyway. He was stupid. Both your exes are stupid. Which is good for me because you’re mine now. His highness has spoken.” Spencer sniffled, which was the opposite of sexy, but Collin and Max didn’t mind. “Is happiness supposed to feel this unsettling?” Spencer gripped a handful of Collin’s shirt. He loved how solid Collin always was.

  Max pressed himself against Spencer’s back. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ve got you.”

  “And we’re keeping you.” Collin kissed Spencer’s temple.