by Sara Bell
“No, but you may not like it.” He paused. “I want my brother to stand up for me.”
A few days ago, Bran might have fought him on that one. Instead, he said, “As long as you make him wear one of those puffy pink dresses with all the lace, I’m fine with it.”
Nate chuckled, then clutched his stomach. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
“Let me call the nurse and get you some pain medicine.”
“No. I’m not done with you yet. We still have to go over numbers four and five before we seal the deal.”
“Okay. Let’s hear them.”
“Four is one of the most important. I want kids, lots of them, to fill up that big house of yours.”
“It’s our house, and I’m more than willing. Hell, I’ll get you pregnant right now if you want me to.”
“You’re a sick man, Brandon Nash, and I love you more than life itself. That brings me to number five. I want to get married on a weekday morning.”
“Honey, are you sure they slacked off on your medication? You aren’t making any sense. What does loving me more than life itself have to do with getting married on a weekday morning?”
Nate tugged at Brandon until Bran was positioned over him, looking down at his face. Brandon’s breath caught in his throat when he saw the love sparkling in Nate’s eyes. Nate’s voice was little more than a whisper and shaking with emotion. “Because, the minute we say our vows and the minister pronounces us as one, I’m going down to city hall and having my last name changed. I want to take your name, Bran. I want the whole world to know who I belong to.”
Brandon gathered him close and let the tears fall. He whispered to him, nonsense words of love and commitment. After a few minutes, he pulled him into a gentle but promising kiss. The sound of applause broke them apart.
Six nurses stood at the door, alternately smiling and sobbing. One of them, an older woman who reminded Brandon of his Aunt Larine, said, “That was the most beautiful proposal and acceptance I ever heard.”
Brandon said, “You heard the whole thing?”
A red-headed aide pointed to the railing at Nate’s back. “Next time you want privacy, make sure your sweetie’s rear-end isn’t jammed against the intercom button. She gave a deep sigh. “The part about him taking your name just did me in. Why are all the good guys gay?”
A blue-eyed blond in pink scrubs spoke to Nate. “The cutest thing was the way he went all nervous because you didn’t answer him fast enough. Your boyfriend is one special guy, Dr. Morris.”
Nate reached up and stroked Brandon’s face. “He’s not my boyfriend, anymore. He’s my fiancé.”
* * *
Nate always thought loving families like the Nash’s only existed in T.V. reruns. The forest of plants in his room and the string of visitors he’d had since his accident four days ago blew that theory out of the water. From the minute visiting hours started at nine a.m. until they ended twelve hours later, Nate was bombarded by his future in-laws. He had to admit, he was enjoying the attention. Between Gale and Grandma Taylor, he hadn’t eaten a single bite of hospital food since he’d been bumped up to solids. They either brought or sent home-cooked meals every six hours. Brandon had started timing his visits to coincide with mealtime.
Seth was also a fixture at the hospital. Though Nate kept giving him a hard time about going back to school, he had to admit he was enjoying having his brother back in his life. He and Seth had spent long hours since the accident putting their relationship back together. The only thing they disagreed on nowadays were their parents.
“I still think you should call them,” Seth had said during a marathon of conversation and the mint-chocolate-chip ice cream he’d smuggled in. Nate had to give him credit though. The minute he’d refused, Seth had dropped it. For the last two days, Seth had been too excited about the pending arrival of his boyfriend, Phillip, to bring it up again.
Nate leaned back against his pillows and looked at the clock on the far wall. It was almost six and Bran should have been here by now. He hadn’t wanted to go back to work at all until Nate was released, but he’d finally rationalized the necessity by saying he was saving up for a long honeymoon. He was adamant about not using a dime of Nate’s trust fund. Brandon was so old-fashioned, Nate was surprised he didn’t ask him to quit working all together so Bran could support him. Maybe once the kids came along, he would move his office to the house. For now, he was looking forward to just being able to shower by himself, much less going back to work.
The deputy assigned to watch over him from four p.m. until twelve a.m., an older man named Jim Mason, stuck his dark head in the door.
“The sheriff just radioed in, Doc. He’ll be here as soon as he finishes up some paperwork, but he wanted me to give you a heads-up. Seems that the female contingent of the Nash family is on the way over.”
“Wedding plans?”
Jim smiled. “You got it. Looks like they’d at least give you a chance to recover first.”
Nate shook his head. “You don’t know Gale. She’s so happy that Brandon is finally settling down, I think she wants to make the whole thing a done deal before he changes his mind.”
Jim said, “There’s not a chance in hell of that happening, Doc. Anyone can see how crazy about you he is. Take my advice, though. Elope.”
Over the next hour, Nate began to think Jim had the right idea. After looking at catering options and seating charts until his eyes crossed, Nate was ready to crawl out the third floor window. When Brandon came in, he sighed with relief.
Brandon walked over and kissed his mother and his grandmother, then greeted his sisters and sisters-in-law. Finally, he came over to Nate and kissed him softly on the lips.
“All these females aren’t wearing you out, are they?”
Gale said, “Nate has been a perfect gentleman about the whole thing, but I think you may have a point, Brandon. I mean, it’s hardly fair to expect him to plan everything in his condition. I’ll come by your office tomorrow and you can do it.” With that announcement, she kissed Nate’s cheek and left, the rest of the crew following behind her. Nate almost burst out laughing at the forlorn expression on Bran’s face.
He eased down into the bedside chair. “I set myself up for that one, didn’t I?”
Nate reached for his hand. “’Fraid so. Looks like you’re going to be busy for the next few days.”
Bran nodded. He looked down at Nate’s hand. “Hey, you got your IV taken out. Does that mean I can spring you from this place soon?”
“Tomorrow, if everything checks out like it should. Think you can handle me being at home twenty-four-seven until I’m recovered enough to go back to work?”
Brandon leaned close and kissed the pulse point beneath his ear. “I think I can come up with a few things to keep you busy while you heal.”
Nate laughed. “I’ll just bet you can. Gale told me you’ve recruited different family members to stay with me while you’re at work. That isn’t necessary, Bran.”
Brandon kissed him again and then leaned back in his chair. “Afraid it’s non-negotiable, sweetheart. The guards will also come home with us until we catch the bastard that did this.”
“Any leads?”
“We found a partial fingerprint on the undercarriage of your car, but it doesn’t match anything in our system. I’ve sent it to some of my buddies in Quantico to see what they can do. In the meantime, I do have news of a different sort.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense.”
“Seth’s boyfriend flew in this afternoon.”
“Ah, the mysterious Mr. Patterson. What’s he like?”
“I don’t know yet. As soon as Seth picked him up, he took him to the house to get him settled in. I was at work, but Keith stopped by to drop off some lasagna Maria and the kids made, and he met him. I don’t think he was overly impressed. Oh, and get this. They’re sleeping in separate bedrooms.”
Nate nodded. “I know. Seth told me a little bit about their relationship.
I’ve got to say, I’ve never even met the guy, but I already know I don’t like him very much.”
“That sounds serious. I mean, you like everybody. What makes you so sure you won’t like Seth’s guy?”
Nate made a face. “That’s just it. He doesn’t act like he’s Seth’s guy. Seth told him about the rape right after they started dating. He wanted Phillip to know before things got serious. Know what the bastard said to him?”
“From the tone of your voice, I’m guessing it was nothing good.”
“You’re damn right it wasn’t. He demanded that Seth go get an AIDS test.”
“What’s the big deal, babe? You and I have had that discussion, too. We both get tested every six months ourselves, you for your malpractice insurance and me as a state employee who has to deal with open wounds at accident scenes. We even discussed the fact that we’re both clean and, given our sexual histories, won’t need to use condoms when the time comes.”
Nate shook his head. “This is different, Bran. When Seth told him he’d already been tested and hadn’t been with anybody since the rape, Patterson got angry and refused to even kiss him. Seth finally gave in and the two of them went and got tested together. They were both negative, but the doctor told them to get retested in six months. That’s just standard procedure, but Seth said his so-called boyfriend has decreed anything other than light kissing is off limits until the second test comes back. He won’t even consider using condoms until Seth proves himself worthy.” Nate clenched and unclenched his left fist. “What kind of jerk treats somebody he claims to care about that way?”
Brandon said, “Loosen up your fingers, baby. You’ve already got one broken arm. You don’t want to add broken knuckles to the mix. Did you ask Seth why he puts up with it?”
“I did, but he just gave me some song and dance about how his relationship with Phillip means more than just sex. I know you’ve been understanding about my reluctance to make love, and I appreciate that, but this just feels wrong to me. Something isn’t right.”
Brandon came to sit on the bed and started kissing away Nate’s frown. Between kisses, he said, “I’ll keep on eye on Patterson while he’s at our house. Now we need to talk about our own sleeping arrangements.”
Nate was having trouble following because Brandon was sucking on his earlobe. His voice sounded squeaky to his own ears when he said, “What about them?”
Brandon moved down to bite softly on Nate’s collar bone. “If you want to wait until after the wedding to make love, I’ll do my best to keep my hands off you, but I don’t want you to sleep in the guestroom anymore. I want you in my bed every night, sleeping in my arms.”
Nate moaned as Brandon’s tongue found the sensitive hollow of his throat. “I don’t want to wait, not about any of it. I want you so bad right now I’m about to come just from kissing you.”
Brandon looked down at Nate’s erection to where it tented the sheet. “So I see. I know the doctor said you couldn’t have sex for a couple more weeks, but Keith said it should be okay for you to do other things so long as you didn’t strain yourself.”
Brandon started kissing his neck again. Nate barely managed to say, “What other things,” before Bran started pulling at the bottom of his hospital gown. He almost had it all the way up to Nate’s lap when he stopped and grabbed his radio. Nate was confused until he heard Bran speak.
“Mason?”
Jim’s voice came through instantly. “Yes, Sheriff?”
“Nobody comes through that door unless you radio me about it first.”
“What about doctors and nurses?”
Brandon said, “Nobody. Tell them it’s a new security measure or something. Hell, I don’t care what you tell them, just keep them out of here for the next half-hour, at least.”
Nate could almost hear Jim smiling. “Yes, sir. Remember Sheriff, the doc just had surgery four days ago. Be gentle.” He signed off before he heard Brandon’s curses.
Brandon sat the radio aside and kissed Nate softly on the lips. Nate put his arms around Brandon’s neck and opened his mouth. With a growl, Bran pushed him back against the pillows and swept his tongue into Nate’s mouth. After a minute, Brandon began kissing a trail from the corner of Nate’s mouth to his neck. When he got to the collar of Nate’s hospital gown, he grabbed the hem and pulled the whole thing over Nate’s head. Nate groaned and reached for him, but Brandon stopped him.
“No, baby. This is just for you.”
“But I want to make you feel good, too.”
“Honey, you make me feel good just by looking at me like you do.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper that did nothing to ease Nate’s state of arousal. “Let me touch you, Nate. Let me do what I’ve dreamed of doing to you since the first time I laid eyes on that hard body of yours.”
Nate sighed as Brandon’s fingers toyed with one of his sensitive nipples. Though the sheet was still covering him from the waist down, he felt exposed under Bran’s gaze. “This is the first time you’ve ever seen me without clothes on.”
Brandon dipped his head down to flick the teased nipple with the tip of his tongue. The heat in his gaze when he looked up made Nate shiver. “And you’re even more beautiful than I imagined, and believe me, I’ve spent long hours imagining you naked. I can’t wait to see what’s under that sheet.” To prove his point, he started lowering the fabric.
“Bran, nobody’s ever—”
“Shh, baby, I know. I would never hurt you. I want to give you something nobody’s ever given you before.” With that pronouncement, he lowered the sheet. He kissed all the ugly bruises on Nate’s chest and stomach, treating each mark to his tender examination. He even kissed the bandages covering Nate’s surgical incision. Nate was almost mad with anticipation when Brandon reached between his legs and cupped him in his hand.
“Oh, God, that feels good.” The feathery touch of Bran’s fingers on him was almost more than he could take. He’d never considered himself overly sexual before, but just knowing the man he loved was with him, urging his body to give itself over to him, caused his muscles to tighten and release to loom. “Bran, if you. . .I think I’m going to—” Before he could finish his sentence, Bran leaned forward and took the entire length of him into his mouth.
It was too much, and at the same time, not enough. Nate’s hips thrust involuntarily, but Bran was with him all the way. The gentle suction and soft stroking was more than Nate could stand. He tried to issue a warning, but no sound came out. Bran didn’t seem to mind. He took in Nate’s release, savoring him like a precious offering. Afterwards, he gathered Nate close and held him as the aftershocks rippled his body.
Nate recovered and again reached for him, but Bran caught his hand and brought it to his lips. He pressed a kiss into his palm and said, “When you’re better, sweetheart, you can do that all you want, I promise. Right now, I’m enjoying just taking care of you, just giving you what you need.”
Nate was stunned to feel tears rolling down his cheeks. Bran reached up and brushed them away. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”
Nate shook his head. “No, it’s just. . .Oh, God, Bran, it was so special, what you did to me. I never understood why they call it making love, until now. Thank you.”
Brandon climbed into bed and rocked him until the tears subsided. He chuckled. “My pleasure, baby. If you react like that to everything I’m planning on doing to you, it’s going to be one hell of a honeymoon.”
* * *
When Brandon first told Seth to wait about introducing his boyfriend and his brother until after Nate was discharged, he’d actually felt a little bit guilty. It was obvious that Seth loved Nate and was trying to repair the damage done to their relationship. He’d wondered if maybe he was hindering their reconciliation by asking Seth not to bring Phillip to the hospital. Seth had taken it all in stride, but Bran was still worried. Just spending five minutes with that insufferable ass, Patterson, convinced him he’d made the right decision. He thought back to how well the morning
had started and cursed himself again for having gotten out of bed.
Gale and his baby sister, Megan, had arrived just after seven to get the house in shape for Nate’s homecoming. Knowing the extent of Bran’s culinary skills, Megan immediately started breakfast, bless her heart. The smell of bacon and biscuits lured Bran from his bed, reminding him that he’d survived on refrigerator biscuits and microwave sausage since Nate’s accident five days ago.
He wrapped his arms around Megan’s waist and kissed her cheek. “Have I ever told you what a great sister you are?”
Megan transferred several crisp slices of bacon from the skillet to the paper-towel-lined platter. “You didn’t say that the day I drove your Camero into Grandpa’s drainage ditch. I believe you described me as the ‘red-headed menace.’ Where is your car, by the way? All I saw outside was the ‘Sheriff-mobile.’”
Bran snuck a piece of bacon off the platter, barely avoiding Megan’s slapping hand. “I sent it out to have some detail work done. Cain’s bringing it by in a few minutes so I can pick Nate up in style. He’s never even seen it before.”
“He’ll love it, but that man is so wild about you, he wouldn’t care if you picked him up in a booger-green
Pinto.”
Sasha came into the room and whimpered until Bran grabbed her a piece of bacon, too, earning himself another slap on the hand. “Please don’t talk about my classic sixty-eight and Pintos in the same sentence. By the way, why aren’t you dressed for school?”
Megan looked down at her ratty sweats. “Today’s a teacher workday. Besides, I want to be here when Nate gets home. He’s a good one, Bran. Better hang on to him.”
“I intend to. Oh, before I forget, Mom told me you’ve got a hot date for the homecoming dance at school. She also said you’ve been nominated for Homecoming Queen.”
Megan blushed to the roots of her fiery hair. “It’s no big deal.”
Bran sat down at the table and stroked Sasha’s ears. “It is a big deal. Now tell me about this boy.”
