“Ewwww,” Jameson said, and Lucas chuckled. Sometimes you just can’t fight a four-year-old.
Lucas finished his lunch and took the dishes to the sink. What he wanted was to have a quiet, rainy afternoon, but somehow he wasn’t going to get that. So he grabbed Jameson, hoisting him high, getting a ton of giggles. “You go help Daddy with the poop. You need to put on your raincoat and boots.”
“Okay. But I won’t touch poop.” He hurried away.
“What is it with four-year-olds and poop?” Lucas asked, turning off the water.
Brendan shook his head. “I wish to heck I knew.” Brendan wound his arms around him, pressing to his back. “On an unrelated subject, you really feel good.” He rested his head against Lucas’s shoulders. “It’s really nice like this.”
Heat rose inside of Lucas, but instead to going white-hot, it stayed at simmer, nice and pleasant. Lucas knew that all he had to do was turn around and taste Brendan’s sweet lips and he would be on fire, but that wasn’t what he wanted, not right now. Brendan obviously needed to take things slower, and he was fine with that.
Lucas turned off the water and slowly faced Brendan. Then he hugged him, and they stood together. “You know, it isn’t going to be too long and then you aren’t going to need me anymore. We’ve figured out who was behind the issues you’ve been having, and that was why you asked me here.”
Brendan snorted, the most unsexy sound Lucas had ever heard, and yet it made him smile. “How well do you know Greg?”
“I’ve known him for a long time. Why?” Lucas asked, and then groaned. “Jesus, do you really think… of course that’s what happened.” He pulled back. “How could I have fallen for the classic Greg fixup?” He began to laugh. “Whenever Greg is happily coupled up, he wants everyone else to be the same.”
“I’ve heard that,” Brendan said.
“Yeah. Greg is a yenta at heart. He tried to fix me up a few times before, but I wasn’t interested. When you work in a club,you are working when everyone else is playing, and then you go home, sleep, and get up to do it all over again. When everyone else wanted to go to lunch or dinner, I was sleeping or trying to get the things done that everyone else did during the day so I could go to work. And I was never interested in dating the guys at the club. I slept with a few of them because I was lonely and they were on offer, but I never found anyone who I was interested in. Not like this.”
Brendan swallowed hard. “You’re really interested in me… in us? This isn’t some kind of… I don’t know… loneliness or just being out here?”
“I’m not a liar and I don’t lead people on,” Lucas said firmly.
“I didn’t think you did. It’s just that… most guys aren’t interested in a guy who comes with a four-year-old in tow.”
“I’m not most guys. I know you and I haven’t known each other long, but you should be able to see that.”
“I do. But I have to be able to trust it, and that takes time. Jameson and I have been through a lot. He’s a four-year-old who loves his mother, but doesn’t really trust her. If she’s here and tells him something, Jameson looks to me to tell him if it’s true. I think that is kind of sad.”
“I know it is. But I’m not like her.”
Brendan snickered. “I’m very aware of that. Just give us time. It’s pretty clear that Jameson likes you, and I do too. I really do. I like having you here, and how you just seem to fit. Damn it all, what I think scares me the most is that I could fall for you. And what do I do when you decide you need something more than our boring lives?” The fear in Brendan’s eyes was so real.
“Hey.” Lucas tugged him closer. “I know you’re scared right now. There’s been a lot happening. But know this—I will tell you what I want. I like it here, and if something changes about that,I’ll tell you. I’m not going to shut you out. That is not the kind of guy I am. I try to be open and honest with people.”
Brendan turned to look into the other room. Lucas did the same. Jameson was putting on his boots, so Lucas took the chance to kiss Brendan hard, holding him close, feeling the tension in his body ease as he finally let go of the worry and just went with the heat between them. Lucas feasted on those lips, before backing away, breathless.
“Well, I got that message loud and clear,” Brendan said softly.
The rain had finally let up, and the sun seemed to be trying to break through the clouds. “I know you have things to do, and I want to finish looking through the footage before Greg gets here. But maybe you and I can pick things up later.” He took a deep breath to calm himself before returning to his computer.
Brendan left the house, holding Jameson’s hand, both of them getting back to work, but Lucas found it hard to concentrate, his mind going back to Brendan.
Lucas wassitting at the kitchen table when Brendan returned. “Is Greg here yet?” He had spent hours going through the video, making copies of the pertinent sections to show to the attorney.
“Not yet. But everything has settled down. The riders are happy. I’ve fielded a few calls, but mostly, they were concerned for the horses as well as us, making sure we’re okay. I even had a few offers from people willing to spend the night in the barn to make sure there isn’t a repeat. I honestly didn’t expect this type of support.”
“Why not? You’re a good man. How many people have you helped over the years? How many kids did you let work off their riding lessons because they couldn’t afford them otherwise?”
“Quite a few, I guess.”
Lucas took his hand. “So don’t be so shocked when these same people just want to pay you back. Kindness breeds kindness. At least I believe that.”
Brendan sighed back into his chair. He looked worn out.
“Daddy,” Jameson said as he hurried in and climbed onto his lap. “Are the horsies okay? Did the baby come?”
