by Lily Love
He was flattered that Craig would do something like that for him. He wasn’t sure if it would keep Hunter away for good, but Jack hoped it would. He felt safer. The house was calmer and quieter now that he didn’t have to worry about Hunter showing up. Even Isaac was feeling it — he slept easier now.
Jack was happy.
The day after Craig and Hunter’s showdown, Jack got a text message from Lane.
Come over for coffee?
Sure. Now?
Yup.
Jack tucked his phone back into his pocket and went to find Craig. Craig was giving Isaac a bath in the kitchen sink, his little wash basin set up. Isaac had been fussy today, and he was squirming and looked about ready to cry.
“Hey,” Jack said.
“Hey.” Craig looked up from Isaac. “What’s happening?”
Jack leaned against the counter. He tried to play with Isaac’s hand, but Isaac wasn’t having it. Most days he was such a good baby that behavior like this was troubling. “Lane invited me over for coffee. We haven’t hung out very much this month, and he’s the kind who’s used to letting himself in and plopping down on my couch in the middle of the day whenever he wants. He’s probably going through friendship withdrawal, so I thought I’d go over and spend some time with him.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine.” Craig finished rinsing Isaac and lifted him from the basin. He wrapped in him a plush towel and held him close. “We’re fine here on our own. Maybe we’ll do a little reading.”
“What are you reading to him?” Jack asked, smiling. Seeing Craig be a good dad was one of his favorite things.
“Well, he’s too little to really appreciate anything, I think, so I’ve been reading him a Nancy Drew mystery.”
Jack laughed. “Wow.”
“When he’s old enough to appreciate pictures, we’ll transition, but I read somewhere that it’s not good to baby-talk your baby. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, but if he’s trying to develop his language skills, I figured reading proper books to him might help.”
“I guess it can’t hurt.” Jack grinned. Craig was trying his best to be a good dad, and Jack admired him more for it every day. It was heartwarming to see. “I’ll let you two get to it. I’m going to head over to Lane’s. If you need me, you know where to find me.”
“Will do.”
Jack left Craig and Isaac in the kitchen to head for Lane’s. Lane lived one house over at the end of their cul-de-sac road. Jack and Lane had been fast friends, and not long after Jack moved in, he was already used to stopping by Lane’s place just to shoot the shit. These days they showed up at each other’s houses unannounced. Lane had only sent him a text because Jack had asked him to respectfully keep his distance while Craig and the baby were around.
Jack didn’t think Craig would take too kindly to his cousin-in-law letting himself into the house at all hours of the day.
Jack crossed Lane’s yard and climbed the steps of his porch. He knocked on the front door and waited. Lane opened the door, looked over Jack’s shoulder, then stepped back. “Come in.”
“You look like you’re afraid of something,” Jack said. “What gives?”
“Not afraid,” Lane said. “I was just making sure that Craig wasn’t tagging along with you. I didn’t figure he would since Roman’s here, but you know, I wanted to make sure.”
“Uh, why?”
“Because.” Lane closed the door behind Jack quickly. “Because I need to hear the gossip about what happened the other day, and if he was here I couldn’t just ask. That would be rude.”
“God.” Jack shook his head. “I should have known.”
“What?” Lane chuckled. “Am I that bad?”
“You’re terrible,” Roman called from deeper in the house. “I should know. I live with you.”
“You married me,” Lane shot back.
“Because if I didn’t, you’d leak all my secrets to the world.”
Jack covered his mouth with his hands to try to hold back his laugh. It didn’t work. Lane glared at him, then rolled his eyes and nodded toward the kitchen. “C’mon. You want to stand around and dish while I make coffee?”
“You haven’t made it already?” Jack asked.
Lane wrinkled his nose. “No. What do you think I am? Responsible?”
Jack snorted. “What was I thinking?”
“I texted you pretty much as soon as I was sure I didn’t have anything else on my plate for the day,” Lane said. He moved from the doorway to the kitchen. Jack followed. “So I didn’t have time to make coffee.”
Much like in his own kitchen, Jack settled against the counter and watched while Lane busied himself with boiling the water and setting up his French press.
“I’ll forgive you,” Jack said.
“I don’t care if you forgive me or not.” Lane shot him a playful look. “I want to hear about what the hell happened the other day with Craig. He socked Hunter in the face. I saw it from my window.”
“You’re like one of those grannies who’s always watching the street,” Jack accused.
“Hey, it’s my property.” Lane measured the coffee grounds and set them in the French press. “I need to make sure things stay safe. You know. In case I need to sic Roman on any trouble.”
“I’m not a dog,” Roman called from elsewhere in the house. By the sounds of it, he was in the laundry room.
“You’re a SEAL, though.”
“Was.”
“Same thing.” Lane winked at Craig. Roman and Lane were the best at getting under each other’s skin, but they never took it too far. “But anyway, back to the point… what gives? I’ve seen you and Hunter fighting on your porch, but that’s nothing new. I thought you guys were broken up for good.”
“We are,” Jack said. “Hunter just doesn’t get that, though. He’s decided he’s done with our breakup and he wants me back. He’s been relentless about it.”
“Mm. Well. You’re not going to say yes and let him back into your life, are you?” Lane asked hesitantly.
“No.”
“Good.” Lane took the sugar from the pantry. “If you did I might have to stop talking to you.”
“Ha ha.” Jack shook his head. “But you know, I guess Craig felt the same way, because that punch meant business.”
“I’m pretty sure Hunter’s eye is going to be swollen shut. I didn’t think Craig had it in him.”
“I didn’t, either,” Jack admitted. He couldn’t help but smile. The way Craig cared for him was charming. It did nothing to dampen Jack’s crush. “It was kind of nice to see him so upset for me. I told him what was going on with Hunter and he took it poorly.”
“As anyone in their right mind should.” Lane took a few mugs down from the cabinet. “I told you that Hunter wasn’t any good for you. I’m happy you understand that now.”
“Mm.”
“But… I don’t know. Is that really it?” Lane frowned. “I feel like there’s more to it than that.”
Roman came in through the kitchen door and joined them. He leaned against the fridge, doing his best to stay out of the way as Lane made coffee. Lane smiled at him, love softening his expression. They were cute together.
“Well…” Jack glanced at Roman. He didn’t really want to bring up what was happening with Craig in front of Craig’s cousin, but Roman had become a fixture in Jack’s life, and it wasn’t like Roman wouldn’t hear about it eventually, anyway. Lane had a mouth. “There’s a little more to it, but I think we should wait for the coffee to be done. I kind of want to be sitting down when we talk about it.”
“Is it that shocking?” Lane was instantly interested. He shooed Roman away from the fridge so he could get the cream. “You’re making me want to know even more.”
“It’s… well.” Jack sighed. “We’ll talk about it when we’re sitting down.”
“How long has it been since you’ve had drama to dish?” Lane asked with a laugh. “I’m excited. Why don’t you guys go settle and I’ll bring in t
he coffee as soon as it’s done.”
“You just want to get to the gossip earlier,” Roman accused.
“And?” Lane stuck out his tongue.
Jack shook his head. He looked at Roman and nodded toward the living room, and Roman nodded in agreement. They left Lane in the kitchen and got settled in the living room.
It was going to be an interesting discussion.
“So.” Lane looked at Jack from over the rim of his coffee mug. “There’s more to it than Craig stepping up to defend your honor?”
“I’m… not sure,” Jack admitted. “What I’m about to tell you isn’t something you can repeat. Not to anybody. Not even to Brad and Dylan.”
“… You’re trusting Lane with this?” Roman asked, laughing.
“Shut it.” Lane elbowed him playfully. “What’s going on, Jack?”
“Well…” Jack looked apologetically to Roman, then turned his gaze on Lane. “We slept together.”
Roman gagged. Lane gasped.
“You slept with Craig?”
“I’m going to puke,” Roman groaned. “That’s my cousin.”
“It was only once,” Jack said. He was quick to correct what he’d said. “It was… it was kind of a mistake.”
“Were you drunk?” Lane asked, dumbfounded.
“No. We were in a hotel room after going to a game and we were talking. Then we started flirting. I kissed him, and he pinned me to the bed and—”
“Oh god, no.” Roman stood abruptly, fingers in his ears. “I can’t hear you. I’m not hearing this. I’m going to go do… do something. Far away. Maybe in the next state over.”
“Have a good time, babe,” Lane cooed, all grins. “We’ll be here talking about how Jack stuck it in your cousin’s ass.”
“I didn’t,” Jack said.
“I’m out.” Roman darted out the door.
When the door swung back into place, Lane leaned forward. He set his coffee down and locked eyes with Jack. “So you slept with Craig?”
“Technically.”
“Did you come?”
“… Well, yeah.” Jack shifted his weight, a little uncomfortable.
“And did he?”
“He did.”
“Then you slept together.” Lane rubbed at his face in disbelief. “I would have bet money that he was straight. Like. He’s maybe a little fragile looking, but plenty of straight guys border on femme. I mean, he was engaged. He has a kid. How did you do it?”
“I don’t know,” Jack admitted. “It kind of just happened naturally. I’ve had a crush on him since he came to your wedding, but I didn’t think he had one on me. I didn’t think he’d feel anything for me other than platonic friendship.”
“Are you sleeping in the same bed now?” Lane asked. He dove straight to the heart of the matter.
“No.” Jack wrapped his hands around his coffee mug. “It was a one-time thing. The next morning he woke up and freaked out. I was convinced he was going to take Isaac and go back to LA, but instead we talked it out. He said that it was a mistake and we agreed never to talk about it again.”
“… So that’s it?” Lane asked. He sounded disappointed. “There’s no more secret midnight romps or affairs?”
“Well, that’s the thing.” Jack frowned. “We haven’t slept together since the hotel incident, and at first he was a little closed off around me, but he’s opened back up. We’re not flirting — mostly because I’m being conscientious about what I say to him now — but he keeps… doing things that make me think he wants more.”
“Like punching Hunter in the face when he came to try to get you back,” Lane said, excited and breathless. It was like he’d just solved an ancient mystery. “Oh my god. So you think he’s still into you?”
“I don’t know.” Jack didn’t. Craig’s mixed signals confused him to no end. “I think because I like him so much, I want to read into it and say that he’s stepping up like he is because he likes me, too. At the barbecue it felt like he was flirting with me again. I don’t want to step on his toes and make him uncomfortable, but… I like him.”
“So that’s why you turned down all my matchmaking attempts,” Lane mumbled. “You’ve been after forbidden fruit.”
“It’s stupid, right?” Jack sighed. “He’s straight. I get that. Deep down I know that there’s no chance something between us could work out, but… I want it. I want him.”
Lane flopped back on the couch. He covered his face with his hands and muffled a scream. When he was done, he peeked from between his fingers over at Jack. “This is beyond juicy.”
“So do you understand why I don’t want anyone knowing?” Jack asked. “It’s not right.”
“Nope. It’s super wrong of you.” Lane dropped his hands. “But sometimes the heart doesn’t care. Is this something you’re feeling in your heart, Jack? Or something you’re feeling in your dick?”
Jack laughed. “Well, when you put it like that…”
“There’s a difference,” Lane said. Most of the time he was silly and upbeat, but there was a serious slant to his voice that made Jack listen. It was rare that Lane was so stern. “I did a lot of liking with my dick when I was hopping from man to man. Every time I met someone, I was sure that they were ‘the one’ because of the physical attraction. Until I met Roman, I didn’t even realize that mental attraction was a thing.”
“Like, psychological attraction?” Jack asked.
“Whatever you want to call it.” Lane waved a hand dismissively. “It means the same thing, in the end. It’s like… it’s important that you click and find each other attractive on the outside, but there’s more to it than that. Your brains need to be attracted to each other, too.”
“Mm.” Jack sipped at his coffee, unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to admit that Lane might be on to something.
“When I met Roman, it was like… he was on my mind all the time.” Lane reached out to run his fingers along the porcelain of his mug. “I wanted to write songs. I wanted to sing. I wanted to sleep with him, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted more than that, too. It was like I was alive again.”
Jack swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Maybe it wasn’t love right away, but it turned into love pretty damn quickly. And even now that feeling isn’t going away. I haven’t really talked with Dylan or Brad about it, but I think they must feel the same way, too. It’s like…” Lane paused. “I don’t know. It’s different when you meet the one you’re destined for. It’s the kind of thing where you can’t stop imagining what the future might be like if you’re together, not just how hot they are shirtless.”
Craig and Isaac. The warmth Jack felt when he saw Craig being a good father. Dreams of traveling across California and up to Oregon.
Jack didn’t have a crush — what he wanted from Craig ran deeper than that.
“So,” Lane said. “What do you think?”
“I…”
Before Jack could string his thoughts together, the front door flew open. Craig stood in the doorway, Isaac clutched to his chest. Isaac was shrieking.
“Jack,” Craig said, breathless. “I need your help. Please. Something’s wrong with Isaac and I don’t know what to do.”
21
Craig
Craig had never been more scared in his life. He held Isaac close, his attempts to rock him back to normal unsuccessful. Isaac screamed. Craig had never heard him sound anywhere near as pained, not even when Isaac was gassy.
If Jack didn’t know what to do, he needed to take Isaac to the hospital. There was no way that something major wasn’t wrong.
Jack put down his coffee and crossed the room to stand in front of Craig. There was worry in his eyes, but not the panicked kind of worry that Craig felt. Jack took Isaac from him.
“I’m going home now,” Jack said to Lane. “Sorry. Thanks for the coffee.”
“I’ll text you later,” Lane said. “Think about what I told you, okay?”
“I will.”
; Craig stepped out of the doorway. He paced toward the stairs, unable to stay still. Every time Isaac screamed, Craig’s heart shattered.
Something was wrong with his son and he had no idea what do to.
“What do you think could be wrong?” Craig asked. He kept his eyes locked on Jack. “There has to be something.”
Jack closed Lane’s front door and headed for the stairs. He carried Isaac tenderly. “I don’t know. We’re going to go home and have a look. Did you try burping him?”
“I did,” Craig said. He took the stairs quickly, staying a few steps ahead of Jack. He walked backward to keep an eye on both Jack and his son. “He wouldn’t burp for me. I don’t think he’s gassy. I’ve gotten really good at figuring out when he needs to get it out.”
“Mm, you’re right. It doesn’t sound like the cry he uses when he’s gassy. It’s something else.” Jack patted Isaac’s back, anyway. “He’s certainly got a set of lungs, though. You did good.”
“I…” Craig was too stressed to laugh. He knew that Jack was trying to make him feel better, but he couldn’t feel good when his son was in pain. “I just want him to stop. I want him to be happy.”
“I know,” Jack said simply. They crossed Jack’s lawn and climbed the stairs of the porch. “He’s going to be. All we need to do is figure out what’s got him so upset, then we’ll work to correct it.”
“I tried Googling it,” Craig admitted. “For a little while I was afraid the water I used was too hot and that I’d burned him or… or cooked him somehow, but I don’t think that’s it. I remember checking the water with my wrist. It didn’t even get hot.”
“Okay.” Jack opened the door. Craig had been standing by it, on edge.
“And then I thought maybe it was an adverse reaction to the baby shampoo I was using, so I looked I up and I don’t see any chemical burns or… or signs of skin irritation. I also read through all the reviews I could find on the shampoo and no one’s ever reported a problem with it, although I know that maybe it could just be one bad bottle, or… I don’t know. Someone tampered with it, or maybe something’s changed in the formula since the other reviews were posted.”
