by Shea Balik
He was standing in the shower with Cabe Donovan, naked as the day they were born. Some things took a priority, even when it came to the pain of a hangover.
Cabe just grinned at him. “I guess this isn’t the time to tell you that we slept together all night naked too, huh?”
Elden felt his eyeballs roll back in his head, but that was the last thing he could remember. When he did finally wake up, he’d really wished he could forget it.
CHAPTER 8
Had Cabe known Elden would freak out by being naked together, he might have… Who was he kidding? Sleeping with a naked Elden in his arms, even if there were many, many bouts of throwing up, had been totally worth it. Not even the fact that Elden had fainted made him feel the littlest bit guilty.
It had, however, made getting them both clean challenging. Thankfully, Elden’s shower had a luxurious bench seat at one end. Using that to prop up Elden and turning the showerhead so the spray could reach them, Cabe quickly washed Elden, carried him out, dried him off and placed him in bed with the plastic trash bin nearby.
Then he went back to wash himself. There was nothing better than a shower after sweating all night long from drinking too much. Not that it had been Cabe who’d done the drinking, or the sweating for that matter, but being snuggled up to Elden had caused him to end up with his skin itching to get clean.
Much as he’d preferred to stay under the spray for the next hour, Cabe reluctantly got out and dried himself off. Figuring Elden needed to get used to seeing him naked, Cabe didn’t bother wrapping the towel around his waist, choosing instead to walk out of the bathroom naked.
Since Elden was still passed out, and most likely with him being hung over would remain so for quite some time, it didn’t matter what state of dress Cabe was in. He didn’t want to leave Elden for too long in case he started puking again, Cabe went to check on their clothes.
Last night had been a disaster after midnight. Elden had ended up throwing up all over Cabe’s clothes, his own clothes, and that of several people who hadn’t gotten out of the way fast enough. If it hadn’t been so gross, it would have been hilarious, since many others reacted to Elden’s puking by doing so themselves.
The only good news was, as a bar owner, Cabe was so used to seeing it his stomach remained rock solid. It was a good thing too, since he doubted Elden would have been able to take care of himself last night.
Turning back on the dryer when the clothes still felt slightly damp, Cabe went back to the bedroom to make sure Elden was still okay. Relieved he appeared to be sleeping peacefully, Cabe decided to clean up the bathroom.
He had gotten most of the puke off the floor, sides of the toilet, and the sink after each of Elden’s episodes, but it wouldn’t hurt to do a more through clean. Once that was done and Elden was still sleeping, Cabe’s growling stomach had him going to the kitchen in search of something to eat.
He was pleasantly surprised to find the fridge reasonably stocked, more importantly, nothing appeared expired. There were eggs, several types of cheeses, and sandwich meats. He opened one of the crisper drawers and smiled when he found mushrooms, tomatoes, and even spinach.
Choosing a nice sharp cheddar cheese, he pulled out the eggs and vegetables. A chopping board was propped up near the sink as if it had recently been left there to dry. He set everything on the counter and got to work on making an omelet.
After eating and cleaning up, Cabe went back to check on Elden. Smiling at the way he was curled up with a pillow tucked against his chest, Cabe decided to crawl back in bed with him. This might be his last chance for a while to just hold the shy, easily embarrassed man.
The odds were, once Elden woke up without the discomfort of a hangover he would make every excuse in the book to not only get rid of Cabe, but to isolate himself. In fact, Cabe had a feeling it would take him considerable effort to convince Elden to come out of hiding. But he would do it, because Elden was worth the effort.
***
Two fucking weeks and Cabe was ready to go break down every door in Dahlonia until he found where Elden had managed to hide himself. The town, while not tiny, wasn’t exactly a huge metropolis. No way should one man have been able to disappear for two weeks without anyone having seen him, especially when Cabe had everyone he knew looking for him.
The only one not out there searching for Elden was Jaivon, since he was watching the bar while Cabe went to every place he could think of to find Elden. He was going out of his mind with worry.
“Are you sure he wouldn’t have gone out drinking again?” Shine asked. “I mean, he took to it like a duck to water. Maybe he’s over in Helen with all that German beer.”
Cabe glared at Shine. “He hates beer and the only reason he was drinking so much that night was because you kept giving him cocktails.”
Shine tried to pull off an innocent look but that wasn’t something the man could ever hope to accomplish. “Me?” he placed a hand to his chest. “Why I nev…”
“Can it Shine. We all know you drink more than a fish,” David said as he was doing something with his phone. “The first time you took me drinking I lost an entire weekend. How I’m alive, I’ll never know.”
Pissed that he’d let Elden anywhere near Shine that night, Cabe turned on his heel to head back to Elden’s house again. Just as he’d opened the door, Nathan, the accountant at Twisted Vine and one of the group of friends that had been at The Cure All New Year’s Eve, said, “Did anyone try his mother?”
Cabe froze in his tracks. Family wasn’t something they’d really talked about, so he hadn’t even known his mother was somewhere close enough that Elden might go to. “His mother?” Cabe turned to Nathan. “Do you know where she lives or her phone number?”
Nathan was already shaking his head. “I just remember when he was helping Twisted Vine with their website that she had been pestering him about something.”
Disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to just pick up his phone and call her, Cabe at least had a place to start. “Does anyone know anything about her?”
Nathan tapped the tip of his finger against his bottom lip for several beats. “I think her name is Doris, but I can’t be sure of her last name.”
David had been typing away at his phone. “There’s a Doris Richland in Helen.”
“See,” Shine grinned. “I told you he’d be in Helen.”
“I’m sending you her address,” David told him as Cabe strode out of his bar to go find Elden and bring him home.
Even if it meant kidnapping him.
CHAPTER 9
Elden’s mother stopped in her tracks when she saw him once more at her kitchen table working and sighed. “Exactly how long are you going to hide like a coward?”
The man who had come out of the bedroom with her laughed outright at him. “Is it because you’re gay that you don’t know how to be a man?”
There were many, many things about Doris Richland that Elden couldn’t stand, especially when it came to always finding fault with him. But there was one thing his mother never allowed, and that was for anyone to put him down because he was gay.
She spun on the man so fast, he actually jumped back a little when her finger came out and jabbed him on the chest. “Now you listen here, mister. I will not tolerate bigotry in my home. Leave now and I just might let you keep that tiny thing you call a dick attached to your body.”
Elden grinned and gave the man a wave as he stormed from the house in a huff. “Thanks,” he told him mother when the door slammed shut.
His mother whirled back on him with a scowl on her face. “You know I don’t put up with that kind of crap in my house, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let my child hide out here like a little kid who’s been teased on the playground. It’s time you pull up those big boy panties and face that man who, for whatever reason, is interested in you.”
Elden inwardly cringed. How did his mother give him a boost to do what he’d been afraid to do, while also putting him down by insinuating he wasn�
�t good enough for Cabe?
Then again, since he probably wasn’t good enough for Cabe, she might have a point. It would just be nice if, for once, she could do the supportive thing without demoralizing him at the same time.
“I’m not hiding,” Elden denied even though, if the childhood taunt were true, his pants would definitely be on fire at the moment. “I told you, I have two clients in Helen that I’m working with and it’s easier to work from here so I don’t have to keep traveling back and forth when I meet with them.”
His mother crossed her arms and stared at him. When he didn’t back down from his obvious lie she started tapping her foot. When he still didn’t come clean, she heaved a dramatically disappointed sigh.
“You’ve met with each of them once, which you could have planned for the same day so as not to have to make an extra trip.” Her dark brown eyes stared him down. “Regardless, that was two days, yet you’ve been here two weeks. You’re hiding.”
She went to the fridge and pulled out a protein shake she usually had in the mornings. “Lie all you want to yourself, but you’re not going to get away with lying to your mother.”
Then she left to go back to her room. Elden could only hope that would be the end of the conversation but his life had never worked out that way, so he wasn’t really surprised when it didn’t that time either.
Thirty minutes later, she came out of her room dressed for the gym. She was religious about going even if she rarely actually worked out. It was more like a social club for her and her friends.
“I expect you packed and ready to head home when I return.” She glanced at her watch. “That will be in two hours.” Her gaze met his and Elden’s stomach dropped. Like it or not, he was going home.
***
Suck it up.
Elden had told himself that over and over as he continued to work while he waited for his mother to come home. The thing was, he hadn’t even packed up his stuff yet. A part of him was still hoping she might forget about that morning.
It was stupid, and probably childish, but Elden wasn’t ready to face Cabe. The man had been witness to one of the most embarrassing nights of his life. There was no way Elden would be able to see Cabe without going up into flames of mortification. He would actually be one of those people who self-combusted.
A knock on the front door had Elden groaning in despair. His mother probably didn’t feel like fishing her keys out of her purse, but with her back, Elden was that much closer to doing the one thing he didn’t think he could do.
Opening the door, his entire body froze as he stared in shock at what, or who, he’d been hoping to avoid. “Cabe,” he breathed out as if unable to hold it in.
Then he was where he hadn’t even realized he wanted to be all along, in Cabe’s arms, held so tightly he was sure his ribs would crack but Elden didn’t care. Cabe was there, holding him. Nothing else mattered.
“Thank God I found you.” Cabe’s voice was quivering as he spoke, his arms closing in even tighter as if he were afraid Elden might disappear if he loosened his grip in the slightest. “I’ve been searching for you for two weeks. I thought…” His voice caught as Cabe dragged in a shaky breath.
It took him two more tries, but not until his lips were pressed against the side of Elden’s head was able to say, “I thought I would never see you again.”
Tears sprang up and Elden found it impossible to hold them back as they started to fall. He’d hurt Cabe. He hadn’t meant to, but he’d done it just the same. All because he’d been too afraid to deal with the fact that he’d made a fool of himself.
“I’m sorry,” he choked out around the lump that had formed in his throat.
Those strong arms tightened a fraction more even as Cabe leaned his head down and sealed his mouth over Elden’s, tears and all. A part of him wanted to pull back and wipe his face so Cabe couldn’t see them. Another part wondered why he would do that when he had exactly what he’d needed all along – Cabe.
Warmth seeped into him as Cabe brushed their lips together, not deepening the kiss, but showing Elden just how much he cared. Slowly, Cabe started to kiss along his jaw, his cheeks, even his eyelids, as if he were soaking up the tears that Elden had shed.
“Why did you leave without a word?” Cabe asked between kisses. Then he cupped either side of Elden’s face, his eyes were a mix of grief and relief. “And why didn’t you come back?”
Why was he like this? Why couldn’t Elden deal with his mistakes and face them like an adult?
“Probably because he doesn’t know how to act like a grown up,” his mother said from behind Cabe. “He’s been like that his whole life, running from the embarrassing situations he gets himself into on a nearly constant basis.” She shook her head from side to side. “I mean, really, he acted like he was some frat boy at a party, instead of the grown man he’s supposed to be.”
His mother suddenly turned the frown that was on her face into a winning smile as she held out her hand to Cabe. “I take it you’re the poor man who had to deal with clean up after Elden’s stupid antics from New Year’s Eve. I’m Doris, his mother.”
Oh, right. Now Elden remember why he had trouble facing his mistakes. His mother. Maybe if she didn’t have a knack for rubbing his nose in them every chance she got, he wouldn’t want to flee whenever he screwed up. Then again, she wasn’t wrong that he tended to make more mistakes than most people.
Elden didn’t know why he couldn’t seem to get anything right, but as a child, mishaps were at least daily, if not several times a day. Now that he was older, he didn’t make as many blunders but that was mostly because he stayed to himself, not allowing a chance for any slip-ups.
Cabe shook his mother’s hand, but he wasn’t smiling. Elden wasn’t sure what to make of that. Everyone loved his mother, yet the look on Cabe’s face indicated he wasn’t a fan.
“It’s nice to meet you, Doris. I’m not sure what you mean by Elden acting like a frat boy since just about everyone at The Cure All was as drunk as he was.” Elden’s jaw dropped as Cabe continued what sounded like defending Elden. “As for acting like a grown up, I don’t know of anyone in Dahlonia who doesn’t have the utmost respect for Elden. He’s designed web sites for most of the business in town and his customers are impressed by his professionalism and dedication to getting the job done efficiently, exceeding their expectations with his creativity.”
For the first time in Elden’s life he watched as his mother’s cheeks flush with the color of embarrassment. Cabe had just done the impossible. He’d stood up for Elden, something no one had ever managed to successfully attempt before.
Based on the way his mother’s eyes narrowed, she wasn’t going to stand for it either. “Apparently, those rose colored glasses really do blur one’s vision. Elden has never been very coordinated or good with… well, anything.”
It shouldn’t hurt to hear her speak what she’d been saying for years, but Elden still felt the sting of his mother feeling the need to say them in front of Cabe. It was as if she were trying to turn Cabe away from him. Like she wanted Elden to remain alone.
“And I sucked at computers and science,” Cabe threw back. “So what? We all have our strengths and weaknesses but Elden has a kind heart and that, to me, is the most important quality a person can have.”
Elden smiled at the compliment. That tiny bit of self-esteem he had, bloomed a little more. There were times when all he could see were the mistakes he’d made on the web sites he’d designed. He’d assumed his clients would have been upset with him for the mishap. At the end, he was just happy that they’d paid him, not once believing they were pleased with his work.
What if Cabe was right? What if he was liked by his clients more than he thought? What if he was better at his career than he gave himself credit for?
Now that he thought about it, a good part of his clientele were from referrals from past clients. That had to mean something, right?
“You haven’t lived with Elden,” his mother shot
back to Cabe. “You have no idea what it’s like when he doesn’t pay attention and breaks your favorite lamp, or embarrasses you in front of all your friends with his lame attempts at conversation.”
Ouch. It might have been something his mother tended to criticize him about, a lot, but did she really need to mention it to Cabe? At this rate, Cabe would end up being the one running from Elden never to be seen again.
“And I’d rather be with someone who didn’t put others down. Someone who was kind and caring, even if that meant being in a crowd where he felt uncomfortable, just to make someone else happy.” Cabe’s arm had been around Elden during the entire conversation and he gave Elden a gentle squeeze during that last part. “I happen to like Elden, quirks and all. I just hope he can say the same about me.”
Elden looked sideways at Cabe. “You have quirks?”
Cabe chuckled. “Yes, sweetie, I most definitely do. When you realize what they are, I pray you’ll find it in your heart to accept them, because no one else ever has.”
Doris shook her head at them. “Whatever. You two deserve each other.” Then she turned to Elden. “I hope you’re packed and ready to finally go back home instead of hiding behind your mother’s skirt still.”
Elden didn’t bother to hold back the wince of that sharp barb. He figured he’d deserved it. Not for just running away from Cabe but for thinking in any way going to his mother was a good idea.
“I’ll be ready to leave in five minutes,” he told her. That was the advantage of having only packed a few days’ worth of clothes. It had meant having to do a wash every couple of days, but at least it wouldn’t take long to pack up.
“Good,” his mother said as she went into the house. “Cabe, since I doubt you’ll stay with Elden long enough to see you again, I wish you well.”
Before Cabe could respond she’d shut the door behind her. “So, that’s your mother?” Cabe asked even as he wrapped both arms around Elden.
