by Carol Lynne
Mario’s tongue working its way up Asa’s body was the only thing keeping him awake. “Sleepy,” Asa mumbled.
“Sorry, babe, but they’re waiting for us.”
Asa groaned and opened his eyes. At least with the big dinner being at The Canoe, they wouldn’t be expected to stay and watch the traditional afternoon football games. “Promise me an after-feast nap?”
Mario swiped his tongue across Asa’s lips before delving inside. Asa returned the kiss, sucking Mario’s tongue as it swept the interior of his mouth.
Mario broke the kiss and stood up, holding a hand out to Asa. “Come on. The sooner we eat, the sooner you can get your nap.”
He took Mario’s hand and allowed his lover to pull him up. “Will you put on those black leather pants I fell in love with?”
“Hey, I thought you fell in love with me, not my pants.”
Asa grinned and nipped Mario’s chin. “I did fall in love with you. The pants just sealed the deal.”
* * * *
“Hey, Leo, sit with us,” Mario called to a good-looking older gentleman Asa didn’t know.
Carrying a plate loaded with food, Leo sat across the table from Asa. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Leo Burkowski, the new assistant fire chief.”
Asa held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Leo. I’m Asa Montgomery.”
Leo grinned. “I know. I’ve seen your picture in Newsweek. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Mario took a bite of his roll. “Leo’s renting the house next door to me.”
Asa nodded and tasted his stuffing. He was worried when they’d first stepped in to The Canoe. He’d lived in Cattle Valley for quite a few years, but it dawned on him as Mario hugged and greeted people that he knew only a handful of its residents. It made him realise he’d shut himself away for too long.
As the conversation at the table continued, Asa discovered just how much he longed to build the kind of friendships Mario had. His lover was so easy around everyone in the room that a small part of Asa felt jealous. The ease in which Mario joked with Leo was the perfect example. Even though Asa knew in his heart Mario wouldn’t stray, the insecurities he’d always struggled with started to rise to the surface.
“Excuse me.” Asa wiped his mouth and stood.
Mario reached out and put a hand on Asa’s leg. “Want me to get you something else?”
“No. I’ve had enough. I think I’ll give my spot up to someone else who needs it.” Asa picked up his half-eaten plate and carried it to the cart set up for dirty dishes. He scraped the remainder of his food into a plastic bucket before stacking his plate with the others.
Wandering into the bar area, he spotted a man sitting by himself, looking as lonely as he felt. He took the stool next to Erico. “I figured you’d be busy in the kitchen.”
Erico glanced over and slowly shook his head. “I was, but I decided to take a break. Where’s Mario?”
Asa gestured over his shoulder in the direction of the dining room. “Still eating.”
Erico met Asa’s gaze. “He seems happy. That’s good. He deserves it.”
“Yes he does,” Asa agreed. He noticed the sheen of sweat on Erico’s face and the pallid complexion of his normally olive skin. “You feeling okay?”
“Yeah. Guess I’m trying to fight off a flu bug or something.”
Asa searched for something else to say. “Hey, any luck finding another chef?”
Erico shook his head. “No. I’m looking for someone who’ll stay this time around. Someone I can train and trust enough so I can take some time off.”
“You’ll find him.”
“Yeah.”
Erico pushed himself away from the bar. “Guess I’d better get back in there.” He started to walk away but stopped and turned back to Asa. “It was nice talking to you.”
“You, too.”
After Erico left, Asa tried to figure out what to do next.
“Hey, what’re you doing in here by yourself?”
Asa glanced over his shoulder to find Rio standing behind him. “Needed a break.”
Rio sat down on the stool Erico had vacated moments before. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing, it’s just…” He waved his hand. “I realised I don’t really know anyone, so I came in here.”
“And how’s that plan workin’ for ya? Getting to know people in here are you?”
Asa playfully punched Rio in the shoulder. “It’s not that I don’t want to get to know people, it’s just…hell, I don’t know. I’m always worried people will like me for my money and not me. I guess deep down, I just don’t have the need to have a ton of friends. Besides, I think Mario has enough for both of us. I don’t begrudge him that at all, it’s the way he is, but I don’t know that it’s for me. Am I making sense?”
“Perfect sense.” Rio rubbed his thumb across a scratch in the top of the bar. “You can love someone without being their clone. Take my relationship for example. I love my men to death, but I make certain allowances. Ryan likes to think he’s in charge, so I give him that. It makes him feel secure. Nate? Well, Nate likes to be the centre of attention, so I try to make sure I hold the spotlight on him.” Rio shrugged. “There’s no one answer. Does Mario want you to make friends?”
“I don’t know. I think he wants me to get out more, meet people. And part of me wants that too, but there’s another part that’s happy with just spending time with Mario.”
“Yeah, but you can’t expect to spend every minute of every day with him. You’ll both eventually need a break. What happens to you if Mario decides to do something with a group of his friends? Do you think he’d be able to just leave you at home by yourself? That’s why it’s important to form relationships beyond what the two of you have at home. Just because you become a couple, doesn’t mean you need to give up your individuality.”
Asa understood most of what Rio was talking about. Maybe he didn’t need to be the social creature Mario was, maybe making one or two friends would be enough for him? “So how do I go about making these friends?”
Rio shrugged. “You become more approachable would be my first suggestion.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, you don’t sit at a bar by yourself. You mingle. You join in on a simple conversation. You won’t make friends overnight, but you can set the ground work.”
Asa stood and picked up his cane. “Guess there’s no time like the present, huh?”
Rio squeezed Asa’s shoulder. “Hey, if I can do it, so can you.”
* * * *
Mario was getting ready to go look for Asa when he spotted his lover across the room, talking to Jay, who, as usual, was surrounded by kids. Mario smiled as Gracie began pulling on Asa’s pant leg.
Evidently, she was finally able to get his lover’s attention away from Jay long enough to listen to her, because a second later, the pretty little girl was in Asa’s arms. Mario was surprised at the ease Asa showed handling the child.
“I’ll talk to you guys later,” he said to the group of men. He strolled over to the children’s table and came up behind Asa, kissing his man on the neck.
“Hey, you trying to steal my boyfriend?” he asked Gracie.
“Nope. Just borrowing him,” Gracie stated in a matter of fact tone.
Mario laughed. It was obvious Gracie had been around grown-ups. “You sound like your Dad.”
Asa leaned back against Mario. “Pretty little thing, isn’t she?”
Mario reached out and pinched the end of Gracie’s nose. “Yeah, and I’ve a feeling she knows it, don’t ya?”
“Well, Daddy says women are supposed to pretend they don’t know how beautiful they are, but then he calls me beautiful all the time, so how am I not supposed to know?”
Mario laughed again. “You’ve got a point.”
Gracie spotted someone else she thought looked like fun and squirmed out of Asa’s arms. “See ya,” she called as she sprinted off towards Ryan.
&
nbsp; Nuzzling Asa’s ear, Mario whispered. “Are your legs holding up okay?”
Asa turned his head and kissed Mario. “I could probably use a rest.”
Mario pulled out two chairs beside Jay. “Have a seat.” Mario took the one between Asa and Jay and sat down.
“How’re you doing?” he asked Jay.
“Good,” he answered as Joey bounced around on his lap.
It wasn’t the first time Mario noticed how comfortable Jay was around kids. As a matter of fact, Jay seemed to prefer their company to other adults. He wondered why that was. From what he knew, Jay didn’t have younger siblings, but then, maybe Jay simply didn’t talk about them.
“Has Erico eased up on you?”
“How’d you know?” Jay’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t yell at him, did you?”
“Let’s just say we had a little chat.”
“Was he mad?”
Mario wondered why he seemed to care so much how Erico reacted. “Mad? No.”
“Then what?” Jay continued to prod for answers.
Interesting. Mario decided to be honest with Jay, but not in front of the kids. “You got a moment?”
Jay seemed surprised, but eventually nodded and passed Joey to Asa. “Do you mind?”
“Not at all.” Asa turned the baby around to face him. “We’ll make funny faces at each other while you’re gone.”
Mario led Jay into the hostess area of the restaurant. He noticed Jay was down and decided to question him about it. “Something wrong?”
Jay shook his head, his long hair covering his face from Mario’s sight. Mario couldn’t get over how much Jay resembled a child who expected to be scolded. “Hey,” he said, tilting Jay’s chin up. “I just wanted to talk to you away from the kids.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Why the hell would I be mad?”
Jay shrugged. “I know Erico’s your friend.”
“Yeah, and so are you.”
“Thanks.”
They’d gotten so far off the subject, Mario wasn’t sure how to get back on track. “Erico’s a good guy, despite what some people think, but I don’t know that he’s the right man for you.”
Jay immediately began to deny he had thoughts of Erico, firming Mario’s suspicion to the contrary. “I’m not interested in Erico. I’m not interested in anyone.”
“Well, just keep in mind what I said.” He started to walk off, but a hand to his arm stopped him. Mario knew how rare it was for Jay to initiate contact. He turned, noticing the sadness in the big brown eyes that stared back at him.
“I lied.”
Mario nodded but kept his mouth shut, hoping Jay would confide in him.
“Why do I always feel attracted to bad people?”
“I told you, Erico isn’t bad.” He hated that Erico was misunderstood by most people. He couldn’t blame them, it took him a long time to see Erico’s true colours, and his friend didn’t give anyone the chance to get close enough.
“He’s strong.”
Mario thought of Erico’s size. Although he was fit, Erico wasn’t nearly as muscled as the majority of the men in town. “I guess so.”
Jay nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
What would it be like to live in fear? Jay had suffered more than anyone should at the hands of other people. He wondered how he could help the small, seemingly fragile, man. “Have you ever considered learning to box, or one of the martial arts? As a matter of fact, martial arts may be perfect for you. It requires skill rather than size or strength.”
“Of which I have neither,” Jay sighed. “I hate this. I’m so tired of being afraid to date again. Ethan’s been wonderful to have around, but he’s more a brother.” Jay’s face flushed. “I get…lonely.”
“Perfectly understandable. How about I make you a deal? You come to Asa’s house on your nights off. I’ll start training you, and you’ll pay me back by cooking us dinner.”
Jay’s big brown eyes lit up. “Are you serious? You really think I could learn that stuff?”
“I’m positive. Do we have a deal?” Mario stuck out his hand.
After a brief pause, Jay reached out and shook it. Mario couldn’t get over how small-boned the man’s hands were. He started to rethink his promise, but decided teaching Jay a little self-defence couldn’t hurt. If nothing else, Mario hoped it would give Jay more confidence.
“Okay. Um. My next day off is Sunday. Is that too soon?”
“No. Sunday should be fine. If the weather gets too bad, we can do it at The Gym instead of having you drive out to Asa’s house.”
The light in Jay’s eyes faded. “I forgot. I…uh…don’t have a car.”
Shit. Mario hadn’t thought of that. “Don’t worry. We’ll work something out.”
“Do you think I could invite Ethan? You know, he could use some training, too. And I bet he even has the money to pay.”
Mario also knew about the guy who’d been threatening Ethan in DC. “Sure. But don’t mention the money thing. We’ll figure out something for him to do in trade.”
“Thanks. I’m going to go tell him if that’s okay?”
“Sure.” Mario watched Jay walk away with a spring in his step that Mario hadn’t seen before. The car situation might be a problem unless he could talk Rio into just letting him use The Gym for the classes. “Well? There’s only one way to find out.”
He found Rio helping Erico wrap up leftovers in individual containers. “You got a second?”
Rio glanced up and grinned. “I dunno. Will it get me out of leftover duty?”
“No,” Erico said, butting into the conversation.
“I need your permission to teach Jay and Ethan some self-defence techniques at The Gym after-hours.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem, but I need to check with Ryan. He’s the one who deals with all the insurance issues. Hold on. I’ll go find him. Feel free to continue on in my place.”
Mario chuckled and started adding cranberry sauce to the foam containers. “I knew he’d figure out a way to get out of work.”
“Is there something going on between Jay and Ethan?” Erico asked.
“No. They’re friends, but they both need to learn to defend themselves.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because they’re both tired of being afraid all the time.” Finished with the cranberry sauce, Mario started on stuffing.
“But what’s Jay afraid of?”
“Being abused again. You can’t blame the kid after what he’s been through.”
When Erico said nothing more, Mario glanced up. His old friend’s hands were shaking as he held the carving knife. “Erico?”
“Who did it?”
“You don’t know?” Fuck. He figured Erico knew. The conversation with Jay earlier was the only reason he decided to fill Erico in on Jay’s past. “He was kicked out of his house when he was fourteen. Ended up at a shelter in DC at fifteen that friends of ours run. Before he came to Cattle Valley an ex was stalking him. Guess it was pretty bad. He ended up in the hospital twice. Finally, our friends decided to send him here.”
“That’s why you warned me away.”
Mario knew it was a realisation more than a question. “Yeah. Sorry, I guess I thought you knew his story.”
Erico set the knife down and stared Mario in the eyes. “You think I’d hurt him?”
“No. Not in a million years.” He thought about telling Erico about the conversation with Jay earlier but decided against it. No sense leading Erico on. Mario doubted Jay would ever be ready for the likes of the handsome restaurant owner.
“He’s afraid of anyone bigger than he is,” Mario said in way of explanation.
“He’s not afraid of you, or Ryan, or Rio.”
“We’re not single men. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Jay’s afraid to date. I’m gonna try and give him some self-confidence by teaching him a few tricks to defend himself in case he’s ever put in that position again.”
Erico nodded. �
�I’m glad you told me.” He cleared his throat. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on something in my office.”
Mario watched him go, fighting the urge to follow. Who was this new Erico? Mario had seen more emotion in his old friend over the past two weeks than he’d seen in all the time he’d known him.
“It’s a go,” Rio announced, stepping back up to the table.
“Thanks. I was going to have them come out to Asa’s house, but I forgot neither of them had cars. This way I’ll be able to pick them up if the weather’s bad.”
With the last of the leftovers put in their containers, Mario grabbed two of the boxes and nodded his goodbye to Rio. “See ya Monday, boss.”
“If I can still walk by then. Nate said he’s got something extra special planned for the rest of the weekend.”
“Ooh, extra special, huh?”
Rio chuckled. “Yep. Something about alternative uses for pumpkin pie.”
“I’ll pray for ya, man.”
“Thanks.”
Mario found Asa talking with Pete Nash, one of Cattle Valley’s newest deputies. “You ready?”
“Yes. It was nice to meet you,” Asa said to Pete.
“You, too.”
Asa started to follow Mario to the door. “Wait! Did you get some of that left-over pumpkin pie?”
Mario’s jaw dropped. “Please tell me you haven’t been talking to Nate?”
Asa flashed him a wicked grin. “It wasn’t just me who heard it. Why do you think I asked if there was any pie left? I figured there’d be a stampede at the dessert table.”
Mario held up the foam containers. “Two pieces. Whatcha gonna do with them?”
“Take me home, and I’ll show you.”
Epilogue
“I can’t do this.”
“Yes you can, Angela.” Asa shook his head as his secretary came into the office. Alice dutifully retreated and shut the door. “It’s been over five weeks since you’ve had a drink. You’re on your way. Don’t give up now. Not on yourself, not on your dream to make things up to your son.”
A sob sounded from Angela’s end of the phone. “You have no idea how hard it is.”
