by Faith Gibson
Bryan stopped at the doorway and watched the two of them together. Christy was a beautiful girl, and Andy was holding her hand. A spark of jealousy hit Bryan square in the chest until Andy caught his eye and smiled. “There you are.” Andy stood and held out his hand for Bryan. The jealousy subsided, and when he reached Andy’s side, Andy pulled him close. “B, this is Christy. Christy, my fiancé, Bryan.”
Bryan held out his hand, but Christy threw her arms around Bryan, hugging him tight. He looked over at Andy who was smiling, but something about it wasn’t right. There was a sadness behind his eyes. As Bryan hugged the woman back, she sniffled into his chest. “Thank you, Bryan. You have made me the happiest girl in the world.” When she finally pulled back, she wiped under her eyes, making sure her mascara wasn’t running down her face. “I’ve been so worried about this guy for so long. Now I don’t have to worry anymore.”
“No, you don’t. I’m gonna take good care of him.”
“Can we all sit down? I have something to tell Andy,” Christy said, sniffling.
Mal said, “We’ll just leave you alone.” He and Cade headed upstairs.
The three of them sat on the couch with Andy sitting in the middle. He reached out for Bryan’s hand, threading their fingers together. Christy smiled at the gesture. “I could have just called, but I really have missed you. And I wasn’t sure how you’d take the news, so I decided I would take a chance and come visit.”
“Stop, Chris. You don’t have to have a reason to come see me. Now what is it you need to tell me?”
“It’s… your grandfather passed away last week.”
Andy’s hand tightened around Bryan’s. “And? I’m glad you wanted me to know, but he’s not my grandfather. None of them are my family, not since they tossed me out.”
Christy tried to smile. “That’s not all. Your mom came to visit after the funeral, asking me if I knew where you were. I lied and told her no. I figured if you wanted her to know, you’d have told her yourself.”
“I can’t see why she’d want to see me now. She didn’t give a rat’s ass about me when I needed her the most, so why would she want to talk now?”
“I think it has something to do with the company. Andy, I think they want you to come home.”
Bryan’s heart skipped a beat. What if Andy decided running his family business was what he wanted now? Where would that leave Bryan? What would happen to them? Bryan knew he wouldn’t be welcome as Andy’s partner.
“I am home,” Andy seethed. “Here, with Bryan, is home. I have a new family now, and the Holcombs can all rot in hell as far as I’m concerned.”
Christy coughed out a laugh through her tears. “Come here,” she said, pulling Andy into her arms. She looked over his shoulder at Bryan and mouthed, “thank you.” Bryan placed his hand in the middle of Andy’s back, rubbing small circles.
“Now, that’s settled. How long are you going to be here? Can you stay a few days?” Andy asked. He leaned back against Bryan. Andy was still tense, so Bryan grabbed Andy by the nape and massaged his neck while he and Christy talked.
“Uh, actually… I’m…”
“What? Christy, just spit it out.”
“I miss you,” she admitted. “I’m thinking about relocating to Kentucky.”
“Really?” Andy’s body relaxed a little.
“You should stay here for now. I’ve already got a room ready for you,” Bryan told her. Andy turned his body so he was facing Bryan.
“When did you do that?”
“When you two were in the car. You were outside for quite a while.”
“We were talking about… you,” Andy lied. Bryan knew his lover well enough to know there was something he was hiding. That didn’t sit well with him, but he wasn’t going to call Andy out in front of Christy. Whatever it was had caused the haunted look Bryan noticed earlier. Bryan touched Andy’s face with his fingertip. God his man was gorgeous. He just wished he could take the pain away. Andy was trying to put on a good show for Christy, but Bryan knew him. Knew when he was truly happy his blue eyes sparkled. There was no sparkle in them now. He wanted to drag Andy to their room and make love until the ghosts of Andy’s pasts were finally locked up tight.
“I couldn’t impose,” Christy said, breaking their moment.
“We have two extra bedrooms. Besides, Andy has missed you, too. So why don’t you stay with us while you figure out if Kentucky is really the place for you?” Bryan wanted his lover to be happy, and maybe having a little bit of home would help ease the ache of everything he’d lost all those years ago.
Christy looked at Andy, and he nodded. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“If you’re sure.”
“We’re sure.”
Bryan was still unsettled with the news that Andy’s mother was looking for him. He wanted to believe Andy wouldn’t go back to Texas, but his family was beyond rich. While Andy helped Christy get settled in his old room, Bryan decided to go for a walk, but ended up in the barn lifting weights. The pain from overexerting his arms matched the pain in his chest. If Andy decided he wanted to run the family business after all, Bryan wouldn’t be able to stop him. He had nothing to offer that could stack up against all that money.
“You sure are sexy when you’re sweaty,” Andy said from the door. Bryan didn’t put the weights down. He couldn’t look at Andy and see the truth on his face. “What’s got you in a tizzy, B? You don’t work out this hard unless something’s on your mind. So why don’t you put the weights down and talk to me.” Andy grabbed the bar as Bryan pushed the weights off his chest. “Bryan,” Andy said with more force. Bryan settled the weights into the supports and sat up, wiping the sweat from his face with the hem of his T-shirt.
Andy sat down on the bench facing him, their knees touching. “Talk to me, B.”
“I was thinking about what Christy said, about the possibility of you going back.”
“It’s not a possibility, B. Let me tell you something, in case you’ve forgotten already.” Andy paused. His breathing increased, and his eyes flashed with an anger Bryan hadn’t seen since the night they went to Primus. “I love you. You,” – he poked Bryan in the chest – “are my family. This is my life now. I would rather live in a one-bedroom trailer with a dirt yard than to go back to Texas, as long as I have you by my side. Do you think so little of me, of my love for you, that you believe for one second I’d choose that over you?”
“I just —”
Andy put his fingers over Bryan’s lips. “You just don’t give yourself enough credit. You never have, but let me tell you something. You are the best man I know. You gave up your childhood, your formative years, to take care of your family. You joined the Marines to help your family. I joined because I was a scared kid running from my ghosts. I didn’t have an honorable reason, not like you. Bryan, I don’t give a shit about the money. I could have all the money in the world, but if you aren’t there to spend it with me, it’s worthless. I like my life. Our life. I want to build on the life we have together.”
“I’m sorry,” Bryan whispered. Andy’s words went a long way to ease his worries.
“It’s okay. Now kiss me,” Andy demanded, grabbing Bryan’s T-shirt and pulling their faces together. When they separated, Andy said, “What do you say we show Christy the Dairy Barn and then head to DW’s? That’ll give Cade and Mal some alone time while we show Christy where she’s thinking about relocating to. It’ll also help get her mind off her troubles.”
So, the lie Andy told earlier must have something to do with her troubles, not Andy. That he could abide by. “What about her job?”
“She’s a graphic designer and can work from anywhere. I think moving to Arlo could be good for her, at least temporarily. She wants to be near me, and I wouldn’t mind that. I’ve missed her. But don’t worry, B. You’re still my number one.” Andy kissed him quickly before sliding off the bench and holding out his hand. “I told you I want to marry you, Bryan, and I meant it. I want you for the
rest of my life.”
How could Bryan argue with that?
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Andy
Andy had missed Christy more than he realized, but having her around didn’t take away from his time with Bryan. Having both his best friends in his life went a long way to healing the old ache Andy felt. He’d been pissed off that Bryan would even think for one second Andy would choose his old world over the new one they were building together. It reiterated Bryan’s lack of self-esteem, and Andy was going to work on that.
They had taken Christy to DW’s, where they sat at the bar talking to Kason. Christy let loose, drinking more than Andy had ever seen; but then again, he’d not spent any real time with her since high school. During the course of the evening, she dragged both him and Bryan on the dance floor. While Andy sat and enjoyed his two best friends dancing together, Kason asked about her. “She’s my best friend from back home. She’s thinking about moving here.”
“Really?” Kason’s voice had more than a passing interest.
“Yeah.” Andy leaned closer. “You like what you see?”
“What? No, I…” he huffed, visibly flustered.
“She’s a great girl, but she’s been hurt. A lot. So, go easy with her, okay?” Andy couldn’t think of a better man for Christy than the Marine behind the bar, and Christy was kind and caring. Just the sort of woman to help ease the troubles of a man like Kason.
They’d been there a few hours, and Andy was ready to get Bryan home so he could hold his lover, but Christy and Kason were talking, and he didn’t want to ruin something for her. He waited another half hour, and when he suggested they go home, Kason asked Christy if she’d like to stay a while longer. The bar was practically empty, and he was closing up early. “I’ll get her home, if that’s okay.”
Christy put her hand on Andy’s arm, and smiled, nodding.
“You kids have fun,” Andy said. Bryan paid their tab, and they left Christy and Kason grinning like teenagers.
“You think she’ll be okay?” Bryan asked as they were walking to the truck.
“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Besides, she’s a grown woman, and she needs someone good to make her forget.” Andy didn’t elaborate. He would eventually tell Bryan what Christy had confided to him in the car, but not yet.
Cade and Mal were already upstairs by the time they got home. Andy took Bryan to the bedroom, and once they were undressed, Andy stepped up to Bryan until there was no room between them – bare skin touching from their chests down their legs. Andy pressed his lips to Bryan’s, inhaling his breath in, using Bryan’s oxygen as a lifeline. Andy wanted Bryan to know how deep his feelings were. He could say he loved him all day long, but unless he showed him… “I want you to make love to me,” Andy said into Bryan’s ear, kissing the shell, licking his way down Bryan’s jaw.
“Andy–”
“No, B. I need you to do this for me. I need you to love me completely.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I want to lie on my back with my legs spread open for you so I can watch you make love to me. I want to see your face when you fill me up with your seed. I want to watch your beautiful eyes change colors from love to lust. I want you in the most special way I can have you.”
Bryan held Andy’s face in his hands, searching his eyes. When he saw the truth there, Bryan kissed him more tenderly than ever before. Keeping one hand on Andy’s hip, Bryan turned the covers back and urged Andy to lie down. He opened the bedside drawer, retrieving the lube before crawling between Andy’s open legs. His moves were slow, yet sensual, as he ran his fingertips from Andy’s knees all the way down the inside of his thighs until they met at his cock. “So beautiful,” Bryan cooed. He took his time rubbing Andy’s legs, stroking his erection, playing with his balls. Andy didn’t rush him. He let his lover take his time exploring, since this was his first time making love to a man. If Bryan was nervous, he didn’t show it.
Bryan poured the slick onto his palm and rubbed his hands together. He fisted his cock, stroking his length a few times, while stroking Andy’s in the same rhythm. Bryan continued rubbing Andy with one hand while teasing his hole with the other. Andy focused on Bryan’s gorgeous face as he breached his pucker. He had to remind himself this was Bryan, the man who loved him. The man who was going to be his husband one day. This man would never hurt him. Bryan poured more lube over Andy’s hole and continued to stretch him open. Andy wished he’d thought to put in a butt plug earlier so he’d already be stretched, but he hadn’t planned on asking Bryan to make love to him until he saw the fear in Bryan’s eyes earlier. Realized Bryan needed this as much as he did. And having Bryan stretch him gave him the chance to get used to Bryan’s touch. When Bryan hit his prostate, Andy bit his lip and moaned, arching off the bed.
“I’m ready, B. Please…” If Bryan didn’t enter him soon, he was going to blow.
Bryan teased Andy’s hole with the leaking head of his cock, rubbing it up and down as the pucker quivered. Taking a deep breath, he pushed through the tight ring and stopped, giving Andy time to get acclimated to having a dick in his ass. “More,” Andy begged, taking a deep breath and blowing it out. Bryan eased the rest of the way in, stopping when he couldn’t go any farther. God, he’d never felt anything like being inside Andy’s hot, tight channel. It was so much better than he could have imagined. It was like Andy had been designed specifically for him.
“So beautiful, Lily. You feel so good wrapped around me, loving me like only you can.”
“I’ve never…” Andy cleared his throat. “Love me, B. Make love to me.”
Bryan placed Andy’s legs over his shoulders then settled his hands on the bed, keeping his eyes locked with Andy’s. He eased in and out at first, the same way Andy had done the first time he made love to Bryan. Being with Bryan this way freed something in Andy. With Bryan filling him up with his cock and with his love, the final piece of his past broke free from the shackles. No longer was he burdened with the pain. Instead, he was filled with so much love, so much emotion, so much Bryan, he couldn’t hold back the tears.
Bryan froze, but Andy shook his head. “No, Baby. It’s all good. I promise. So goddamn good,” he whimpered as he grabbed onto his cock and began stroking. “So fucking good, B. I want you to fill me up with your release.”
Bryan’s eyes darkened as they did when he was turned on. He quickened the pace of his hips, thrusting harder with each stroke. He pushed Andy’s legs off his shoulders, placing his hands on the backs of Andy’s calves, holding his legs farther apart. “I wish you could see this, Andy. See my cock filling you up. My cock, Babe, filling my hole. Mine, Andy.”
“Yours,” Andy grunted as he pulled harder and faster on his dick. “Gonna come so hard, B.”
Bryan pegged his prostate over and over, and Andy closed his eyes when his orgasm took over. “Oh, god, Bryan…” Andy’s cock pulsed, shooting streams of come over his hand and onto his stomach. His ass clenched around Bryan’s hard length, and Bryan growled as he thrust harder and harder through his own climax, filling Andy like he’d wanted. When the last of Bryan’s pulses faded, he lowered his chest to Andy’s, kissing him with an urgency Andy didn’t understand. Bryan pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed tightly.
“I’m so sorry. I got carried away.”
“Bryan, look at me. Look at me,” Andy said more forcefully when Bryan wouldn’t open his eyes.
“That was perfect. You took away the pain of my past while giving me your love in return. I’ve waited over eight years to have that pain removed, and you did it. You.”
Bryan rolled to his side, his spent dick slipping out of Andy’s body. This time, it was Andy who pulled Bryan to him, allowing him to rest his head on Andy’s chest. If felt good to hold his man. His future husband. “I want to get married, B. I don’t want to wait.”
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you. Just the two of us at the courthouse? Small affair with our family with us? You wanna go to
a beach somewhere and dig your toes in the sand?” Bryan asked, as he placed kisses on Andy’s chest.
“Do you want your family there? Christy would kick my ass if I didn’t include her.”
“I think Brett would want to be there. Brianna might be able to get away without the twins, but she’d probably be okay just knowing about it.”
“What about Bryce?”
“I doubt he’d want to be there. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother, but there’s something there that won’t let him get close to me.”
“When’s the last time you saw him?”
“The day I left for the Marines. I think sometimes he resents me for taking off, leaving him with the responsibility of looking after Brett. He’s never come out and said it, but Brett hinted at it a couple of times in his letters.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I shouldered the responsibility for years. There’s no reason he couldn’t step up and be the man of the house for a little while. If truth be told, I think it was Brett who looked after Bryce.”
Andy’s phone rang somewhere in the room. “Shit, I forgot about Christy. She’s probably sitting at the gate,” Andy said as he scrambled off the bed. “Hello?”
“Hey, I wanted to let you know I won’t be back tonight.”
“Everything okay?”
“Great.”
“You sure that’s a good idea?” Andy asked. She’d just met Kason.
“Yes, Dad. I’m sure. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I love you, Chris. Call me if you need me.”
“I will, and I love you, too.”
Andy disconnected the phone and stared at it.
“Christy and Kason hitting it off, I take it?” Bryan asked.
Andy nodded and placed his phone on the nightstand. He slid back in bed and pulled the covers up over them. Taking his place against Bryan, he got comfortable. “Seems that way.”
