Charles studied Thomas in silence for a moment, and then he went to the mantle and picked up a framed photograph. “You never met Andy, did you?”
“No, I didn’t get to work with Rhys untilPlague Z,” Thomas said, curiosity compelling him to join Charles by the fireplace. “Why?”
“This is him.” Charles handed Thomas the photograph, and for the first time, Thomas saw the man who had been haunting Rhys.
It was a family photo with Charles, Viv, Rhys, and Andy beneath a vivid green oak tree. Charles and Viv stood facing each other, although they turned their heads to smile at the camera, and they had wrapped their arms around each other. Rhys and Andy stood side by side, each with his arm around the other’s waist, and whether on purpose or on instinct, they’d inclined their heads toward each other. Andy was just as tall and broad shouldered as Rhys with curly blond hair and a charming smile that compelled Thomas’s attention.
Looking at the photo, he realized he’d never seen Rhys look so relaxed or so content. The walls were gone, and no shadows lingered in his eyes. Was it even possible for Rhys to feel that kind of contentment again?
“We’re so different,” Thomas said at last, glancing up at Charles. He already knew his chances of convincing Rhys to give him a chance for real were slim, but now that he saw his rival, he felt like they’d grown even slimmer. He wasn’t sure how he could compete with someone who was Rhys’s equal in every way — size, age, life experience.
“That’s not a bad thing,” Charles said, taking the photo and placing it back on the mantle. “He doesn’t need a clone of Andy to make him happy.”
“I hope not.” Thomas glanced at the photo and bit his bottom lip.
“You got this far just being yourself, right?” Charles offered an encouraging smile. “That’s a lot farther than anyone else has gotten. For what it’s worth, I hope Rhys doesn’t run scared. Viv and I have been worried about him. We encouraged him to visit a grief counselor, but he wouldn’t hear of it. Pushing just makes him dig in his heels, so we let it go and hoped for the best. But we aren’t getting any younger, and neither of us like the thought of leaving him like this, trapped by fear.”
“I don’t like it either,” Thomas said softly.
“Just be patient with him,” Charles said, sliding his arm across Thomas’s shoulders and steering him toward the open arch that led to the hall. “You’ve got him hooked, so there’s no need to yank on the line. Just reel him in nice and slow. Now let’s see what’s going on in the kitchen, shall we? I think I smell Viv’s homemade buttermilk biscuits.”
Thomas let himself be guided to the kitchen, lost in thought along the way. So far things were going well. He had everything working in his favor. Now all he had to do was overcome the biggest obstacle of all: Rhys himself.
