“Masks are the obvious solution there. I’m game.”
“You are not.”
He shrugged. “Sure. You use a burner phone, not hooked up to the cloud in any way, put the masks on before you start recording, and wear clothing over anything identifying.”
“Like your tattoos.” She blinked at him. “This plan sounds like it’s been tested.”
He shook his head. “Not by me. But some of the shit I hear about at work lands and I file it away. Just in case.” He cleared his throat. “A lot of my list is big boy toys. Don’t judge me.”
“I would never. Like what?”
“A home gym. As long as I’ve been an adult, every room in my house has been filled with growing people. One day, they’ll finally be gone, and I want to have a room that’s nothing but weights and a treadmill, and I don’t have to workout with young guys who drop weights with horrible clanging sounds that make me think they’re breaking my building.”
She giggled. “You work out at the station now?”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds horrible,” she said solemnly.
“I warned you my list is selfish.”
“It’s not.”
“I haven’t even gotten to the truly extravagant stuff yet. Like, I sort of want to buy a four-wheeler.”
A place to pump iron in peace and quiet. A giant machine to ride around. Really good sex, a weekend to himself. It was the wish list of a college kid, looking forward to the independence a full-time job would bring him. Almost two decades delayed, and now delayed again. Kerry’s heart ached for that kid, this man, who still worried he shouldn’t want anything fun in his life. “That’s amazing,” she said softly. “That sounds like a really good time.”
“I want to clarify, that the wild, happy sex on my list was specifically, a weekend spent naked with a woman. So we haven’t done that yet.”
“Not yet.” She kissed him. “But we will.”
From her bedside table, his phone vibrated. He sighed. “Real life calls. Would you grab that for me?”
She handed it over. He didn’t roll away as he checked it. He stayed where he was, like it had better be pretty important if he was going to get out of her bed, and she liked that feeling a lot.
“One of my brothers,” he rumbled, looking at the screen. He tapped into the message app. Right above the most recent message was a photo she recognized—Owen holding Charlie in the hospital, right after the delivery. Her heart did a funny ping-pong thing as he read the newest message, but all she could see was Owen and his grandson, the wee little brand-new person she had just delivered.
“Huh,” Owen said. She snapped her attention to the message he was showing her. “It’s Josh.”
Josh: I’ve got big news. Coming into town tomorrow. Owen, can I crash at your house for a few weeks? Bought a place but it’ll take some work to be habitable.
Kerry didn’t know much about Josh, but this sounded exciting. “Which brother is this?”
“Josh is a mechanic. He’s worked on the racing circuit for a decade, down in the States.”
“That’s cool.” If Kerry was remembering correctly, the other brother who left home was a pilot. She wondered how Owen felt about the adventurous careers of his brothers, and if that had any impact on his secret desire for a more adventurous personal life. “He bought a place, sight unseen?”
“That’s a very Josh thing to do. It’s probably a terrifying shack, but he’s real good with his hands. He’ll fix it up.”
As they talked, more bubbles appeared.
Adam: Way to keep a secret, bro! My place or Will’s might be better. Owen’s guest room was turned into a nursery.
Will: What Adam said. This is exciting!
Owen let out a sigh of relief, which made Kerry laugh, and added his own message.
Owen: My couch is available, always, but yeah, Will’s house might be more comfortable.
