One Last Kiss Goodbye (Hidden Hearts #2)

by N. J. Nielsen

"Of course it was or the police wouldn't have become involved. I never could understand what you saw in him." Kayne sat back to give Jacen some space as he was starting to look a little freaked out. "Do you need me to do anything for you? You've been there for a while now entertaining Macen. Do you need pain pills? A loo break?"

  Jacen nodded, "Thanks. I think I should go and get my medication. I need to take it with food." He paused at the doorway and asked, "Who's Squirt?"

  "She's our black Lab. She's gorgeous. I think you'll like her. She's been Macen's best friend since the moment I picked her up at animal rescue." Kayne grinned, might as well get Jacen used to another member of their family. If he worked things out right, he'd soon be asking Jacen to become a permanent member of their family.

  Kayne waited patiently for Jacen to do what he had to do before he came back and sat on the couch. He wanted to get the whole story about Teagan out of the way before Macen got back, as he never wanted to badmouth Teagan in front of his son. Clearing his throat he started. "Since Teag left and filed for divorce, we had to put the house up for sale. We've been staying with Micah and Sammy for the last couple of weeks, just until I get my feet back under me. When she left, I found out that not only did she empty out our joint accounts, but she also hadn't been paying on the mortgage. I don't know how she did it, but she managed to get a stay of payment. By the time the bank came knocking, it was too late." He shook his head. "She must have been planning this for a while."

  "Damn, I'm sorry."

  Kayne waved a hand in the never-mind gesture. "Let me just call the boys. I want them to pick me up a clean shirt. I freaking reek. Is there anything you want them to get while they're out?"

  "Some soft drinks would be good. I don't mind what kind, as long as it isn't lime."

  "Good to know. I'll have to keep that in mind." Kayne hesitated for a minute. "Do you mind if they bring Squirt over? I just don't think it's good for her to be tied up outside for so long by herself."

  Jacen looked at him and nodded. "It's fine. Make yourself at home. While you make the call, I'm gonna use the loo."

  Not being able to stop himself, Kayne's gaze zeroed in on Jacen's arse as he headed towards the bathroom. His mind drifted back to the night almost a month ago when Teagan found out he was still in love with Jacen. She had screamed at him after she had found the photo in his wallet taken of him and Jacen at Desmond's fiftieth. He'd always loved the photo, but it was gone now, ripped to shreds by a vindictive bitch.

  His memory wandered back even further to the night he had kissed Jacen outside the banquet hall and the argument he'd had with Teagan when she told him she'd seen what he and Jacen had done. He hated knowing her anger had tainted the beautiful experience. Then she'd blackmailed him into sleeping with her the night of the school formal. A month later he found out she was pregnant with Macen. His dad had basically said he'd made his bed, and now he'd have to man up and lie in it. And for the next seven years he had. Kayne had put everything aside to be the best damn father he could be. He loved his son more than life itself. It just saddened him how he didn't love Teagan the way he should, but she just didn't deserve it.

  After seeing Jacen at Desmond's fiftieth, he'd kept thinking about what it would have been like if he hadn't let Jacen walk away back in high school. What would have happened if Jacen hadn't run away to Melbourne? Would they have been together? Shaking his head, he tried to clear out the image of his intended happily ever after. It scared him because first off, he would have to admit to Jacen just how strong his feelings for the man were. Kayne wasn't sure Jacen was going to take it too well. Then he'd have to explain how he'd stupidly stayed away because Jacen's own father had asked him to let Jacen have a chance at finding happiness. If he was honest with himself, he didn't want to have to examine those thoughts too closely. When he over-thought things, shit always seemed to hit the fan.

  Actually, now wasn't the time to cave in and admit to anything, especially after what Jacen had just gone through. Jacen needed time to heal before Kayne started to try and seduce him. Trying to make Jacen fall in love with him all over again wasn't going to be easy. He also knew his gorgeous man needed time to get over the fucked up relationship he'd been in, as did Kayne himself. He didn't want a rebound fling. He was aiming for happily ever after.

  Even with all the faded bruising, Kayne knew Jacen was still one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen. His huge pale blue eyes still looked as innocent now as they had when he was only eleven. It was like he expected the world to always be perfect. Kayne never forgot the way Jacen looked the first time he'd ever laid eyes on him. Jacen was so small back then, yet he'd possessed the biggest, most soulful and utterly saddened eyes that Kayne had ever seen. Back then it'd been natural to pull the kid in for a hug and comfort him as Jacen explained about all the teasing he'd received from the other kids. It took Kayne a week, and a bunch of extra detention, just so those same kids knew to leave Jacen Ives alone. The kid was off limits. Finding Jacen upset was one of the reasons he'd befriended Micah. He just needed to keep an eye on the kid, to make sure no one was still hassling him at school or in the neighbourhood in general.

  Concern filled Kayne when Jacen walked back into the room and didn't immediately sit down. "Are you in pain?"

  Jacen shook his head, "Just a little stiff from sitting for so long. I haven't been able to use the cream on my back and it pulls a little," he admitted.

  Without thinking, Kayne stood up and walked over to Jacen. He lifted the back of Jacen's shirt, gasping at the sight he found. Whereas the bruising over his body was fading, on his back, it was still vivid. When he spoke, he heard the tremor in his own voice. "Where's the cream?"

  Jacen stepped away and pulled his shirt down with something akin to shame flooding his face. "You don't have to do anything. I'm okay. I'll get Micah to do it when he comes back."

  "You're not okay, Jace. Just let me help you."

  Jacen slowly nodded before he left the room, coming back shirtless with a jar of ointment in his hand and held it out to Kayne. "I didn't want you to see this. Please don't tell anyone."

  "I won't tell anyone, but you can be damn sure I'll be here every night to apply this crap myself," he growled softly. He hated knowing the guy had probably been in pain ever since they'd got there and hadn't said a thing.

  Jacen tried to protest. "You don't have to. I can't take up all your time. You have a family and work. You don't have to add babysitting me on top of everything else you have to do."

  "I'll do it, even if it means I stay here until you are healed completely. You need someone. Please just think about it. You don't have to be so strong. It's okay to need a little help."

  "No!" Jacen all but yelled.

  Right then Kayne knew—well, suspected—Jacen possibly had some sort of feelings for him. It might be small, but it was still there. Now all he had to do was work out how to spark it back into life.

  "Yes!" Kayne answered, just as defiantly. "You need someone to help you, and if you don't want me telling your family, then it has to be me." He bit his cheek to stop the grin forming on his lips. "So what's it going to be?"

  Jacen was quiet for a long time and for a moment Kayne thought he was going to say no. He saw a shudder run through Jacen's body the moment the man seemed to realise he had no other choice than to take Kayne up on his offer.

  "Fine." Jacen said it so softly that at first he wasn't sure he'd even heard it.

  "Thank you." Kayne leant in and whispered, ever conscious as his lips touch the edge of Jacen's ear. He couldn't help but think how with just a slight turn of his head he would be able to press his lips against Jacen's throat. It took all his willpower not to do so and to step away. "I promise to take very good care of you if you'll let me." He ran his hands up to rest on Jacen's shoulders and waited while another shudder made its way over the smaller man's body.

  Kayne watched as Jacen slowly pulled his shirt back on. They heard the sound of the car doors slamming and the unmistakabl
e sound of a dog barking.

  "How big is your dog?"

  "She's fully grown. We've had her at least three years." Kayne looked out the window and watched as Micah released Squirt into Jacen's backyard.

  "Did Micah lock the gate properly?" Jacen asked as he stood beside him and looked out the window.

  "Yup," Kayne said with a chuckle. They turned as Sammy and Macen walked through the front door carrying bags of takeaway.

  "Dad." Macen squealed as he raced towards him. "Uncle Micah says Squirt's going to live here now. Are we living here too?" Kayne watched as his son threw a wary glance at Jacen before looking back at him, waiting for an answer.

  Kayne looked up in astonishment at a sheepish looking Micah and Sammy. "Why is my son under the impression Squirt will now be living here?"

  Micah rolled his eyes. "Well I told him it was because Jace's house has one thing our little house doesn't." He rolled his eyes. "Jace's house has a fence—a dog-proof fence—and five acres for Squirt to run around on. She'll be in doggy heaven."

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kayne asked, "Don't you think you should have asked your brother if he wanted to look after my dog before you just dumped Squirt into his yard?"

  Micah shrugged, just the slightest tinge of red covering his cheeks. "Jace loves kids and animals. He always has."

  "Kids and animals? What? Do you expect me to leave my son here as well?" A world of hurt ran through Kayne as he stared at the man who was supposed to be his best friend.

  "Kayne, it's not how he meant it." Sammy smacked Micah on the back of the head. "Well done, Mr Subtle."

  "Then just how did he mean it? Because for the life of me, I have no clue."

  "I think he's trying to say maybe you should stay here with Jace for a while. Don't get me wrong. We love having you and Macen with us, but let's face it—you and Macen are sleeping in my office, which isn't big enough for one, let alone two, and Jace has this nice house with four bedrooms, and three of them are not being used."

  His heart pounded at what his friends were suggesting, mainly because Jacen himself hadn't said one single word. He was too busy standing there with his mouth open as he stared at Sammy and his brother. Kayne was pretty sure Jacen was in shock, or maybe he just hated the whole idea. But if that were true then why did he agree to let Kayne come over every night just to apply ointment to his back.

  As much as he loved the idea, he still had to state the obvious. "What if Jacen doesn't want us here? Sometimes we can all be a little noisy, and Squirt will be barking at everything. Do you know what Teag will do if she finds out about this?"

  "What will Teagan do?" Jacen turned those big soulful blue eyes his way.

  Kayne was grateful when Sammy took Macen and suggested they go to fill up a bowl of water for Squirt. He didn't need his son hearing all this.

  "Teagan doesn't like you, and I have no doubt she'll cause trouble in some form," Kayne admitted, and it nearly killed him to see the pain in Jacen's eyes.

  "Will she try to take Macen from you?"

  Kayne shook his head. "She doesn't want him. Honestly, she never did. She won't cause trouble for me. It'll be you she goes after. She was always je—" He bit off the end of the sentence before he could blurt out how jealous Teagan had always been of Jacen.

  "Excuse us for a minute." Jacen grabbed Micah by the arm. "I need talk to you privately for a moment."

  Kayne wasn't sure what to think as he watched Jacen drag his brother from the room. He heard a door slam and knew Jacen was pissed. He'd never seen Jacen angry before and somehow it didn't bode well for Kayne. He figured when they came back, Jacen would give him his marching orders.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Jacen snapped angrily as soon as he and Micah were shut into the first available room. "What could possibly be going through your mind to want Kayne Henderson living with me?"

  "What are you talking about?" His brother looked totally confused.

  "I can't share a house with Kayne."

  Micah's eyes widened in surprise. "Fuck me! Don't tell me you are still in love with Kayne? God, Jace…that was… You were only a kid back then." The way his brother averted his eyes told Jacen there was more to the story. Either his brother was getting better at keeping secrets, or Jacen was missing something important in what had been said.

  Glaring at his brother, Jacen hissed. "Yes, I know damn well I should've gotten over him, but I never did. Why do you think George hurt me as much as he did? Because he knew I'd never be able to love him like I loved Kayne. And just how fucked up did it make me? I was in love with a straight man."

  "If I'd known you were still in love with the guy, I'd never have suggested this as an option. Honestly, bro, I only did it because he and Macen really are sharing the one room. And on top of that, Squirt is tied to the clothesline all day and night. Our fences would never keep him in." Micah rubbed a hand over his head in frustration. "Okay, I may have jumped the gun a bit. Just give me a minute and I'll figure something else out." His brother took a deep breath then looked him dead in the eye. "Have you ever thought maybe Kayne would be interested in some sort of a relationship with you?"

  "Were you dropped on your head a lot as a baby? The guy's straight. He's married to a woman, for Christ's sake."

  Micah kept their gazes locked. "Not everything is so simple. I know about the kiss, back in high school. Are you sure Kayne's as straight as you think?"

  "He was probably only experimenting." Jacen tried to think of a plausible argument over how to explain away a kiss that had happened almost seven years ago. "We were both young and stupid."

  "Now where have I heard that before?" Micah said sarcastically before adding. "Look, if you really don't want them here, I'll make other arrangements."

  "How? You already invited them to stay at my house. What could have possessed you to do something so idiotic?" Jacen knew he sounded panicked as he whispered furiously. He didn't want anyone outside of the room listening to him have a meltdown of epic proportions.

  He especially didn't want Kayne to hear his little freak out, knowing it was about him.

  "I already told you why, but I also had another reason this plan sounded so good to me. When the police called me, they said George was also missing. They wanted me to keep an eye out in case he came this way looking for you—to finish the job he started back in Melbourne. Neither the police nor I knew you were here. You kind of just dropped off the radar, so to speak. When I talked to Dad and Nancy, they wanted you to move into their home until everything was sorted out. I didn't think you would want that to happen, so Nancy suggested I get Kayne to move in here with you for a while so it would be safer for you. Honestly, I really never had any ulterior motives. I mean…my God! In my mind your crush was a lifetime ago. How was I supposed to remember?" He shook his head. "Like I said, I'll fix this. I promise."

  "How? I can't exactly refuse him now, can I? If I ask him to leave, I'll end up looking like a complete arsehole." Jacen's anger deserted him as he saw the complete and utter remorse in his brother's eyes. "Look, just forget it. I'll figure something out myself."

  "I'm really sorry, Jace."

  "I know you are. Don't worry about it. This'll just force me to get over it. Living with the man twenty-four-seven will surely cure me of my crush." At least he hoped it did because he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep his true feelings hidden from Kayne.

  "Jace, just don't be so adamant in pushing Kayne away. Living together might be exactly what you both need right now."

  Without looking at his brother, Jacen shook his head. He didn't want to discuss it anymore. He didn't want his brother rationalising everything until Jacen's head became filled with utter chaos. When Jacen finally turned around, he found his brother was gone. He walked back out into the lounge room, Micah was sitting on the couch next to Sammy, looking worried. Kayne was nowhere in sight.

  "He's out in the yard with his kid and the dog," Sammy supp
lied.

  Jacen couldn't bring himself to speak. He only nodded as he turned and walked out into the backyard. He sat on the top step next to Kayne as they watched Macen throwing a ball for Squirt to chase after. There was no denying the bond between the boy and his pet.

  "How much did you hear?" Jacen nudged Kayne's shoulder.

  "Honestly, I never heard anything you and Micah talked about, but I saw the look on your face as he announced we should move in with you. We can just pretend he never opened his mouth. We all know that Micah has foot-in-mouth disease on a daily basis."

  "Are you really living sharing a room with Macen?"

  Kayne nodded. "You know how Sammy and Micah moved to a very small two-bedroom house, where Sammy uses one of the bedrooms as an office for his website building business. So Macen and I are sharing the pull-out couch in the office Micah and Sammy installed for when people come to visit."

  "Is Squirt really tied to the clothesline?" He could even think how the vibrant dog, who was currently exploring the yard in between fetching the ball, felt tied to a pole all day and night.

  Kayne chuckled. "Squirt's a good girl. She doesn't mind that she's tied up, since there is no fence at the side of the house to keep her in. It's not like she'll be there forever. Eventually I'll save enough for bond and two week's rent on a new place."

  "Kayne, I–" Jacen didn't know exactly what he wanted to say and knew he was probably screwing it up completely. He was glad when Kayne reached out and patted his arm.

  "It's okay. We can figure something out. No need to stress. Macen and I won't be invading your territory. There's no need to panic."

  Jacen groaned. "Maybe there is. And it's really not okay. Micah said the police can't find George, and they think he might come here to get at me again. That's the real reason Micah, Dad, and Nancy want you to stay. My family's afraid of me being here alone in case George really does turn up. I'm worried that if you stay here your family might get caught in the crossfire."

  Jacen leant into Kayne's side. He couldn't help but sigh when Kayne gently laid his arm across his shoulders, ever so careful of the still-healing wounds on his back.