“So, what have we decided?” Tarius asked.
Branson laughed. “I’m not sure. Tarius Higgs, will you be my boyfriend?”
“Yes.” Tarius released an odd, squeaky sound that was a combination of laughter and embarrassment. “Yes, but can we hold off for a little while on being public? Or announcing anything? I don’t want to take any attention away from Linus’s recovery.”
“Sure, but you know what I’m going to say, right?”
“That I shouldn’t ignore my own happiness because someone I love is in pain?”
“Not the exact words I’d use, but basically yes. I understand why you want to wait, so we’ll wait. And maybe this is a little soon, but will you be my date to the Winter Solstice Gala?”
“Yes.” Tarius’s heart squeezed with joy. The Winter Solstice Gala was held every year at the beginning of the new year, to celebrate a fresh start for everyone, and it was sponsored by the constabulary. Tarius had attended since he was a child, but once he was an adult, he hadn’t gone every year. And he’d never brought a date. “I would love to attend the Gala with you, Branson.”
“Excellent. Now my friends and siblings won’t tease me about going solo.”
“Hah. Same.” And since he was sitting on a perfectly comfortable couch with his boyfriend… “So, do you want to restart the movie, or kiss more?”
They kissed more.
A lot more.
SIX
Secretly dating Branson Cross,while also doing his best to help Linus cope with his new reality, was a lot easier than Tarius expected. Partly, because Linus was getting excellent support from his family and friends. And partly, because Tarius was known to be a workaholic, so Dad and Liam never bothered asking where he was if he didn’t come home until late.
He didn’t sleep over with Branson, even though he’d been tempted several times. If he didn’t come home at all, then Dad would ask why. And since Tarius wouldn’t just be crashing with a friend anymore, but with his secret boyfriend, Tarius didn’t want to put himself in the position to lie to his sire. Not that Dad was oblivious tosomethinggoing on, but his attention was heavily focused on Linus.
Linus’s recovery was nothing short of breathtaking, and Tarius was beyond thrilled when Linus and Miko announced they felt the mating bond. It didn’t surprise him in the least. The pair just…made sense. The same way Peyton and Layne had made sense.
Tarius was looking forward to the upcoming Gala like crazy. He and Branson still hadn’t said anything about their relationship to their family or friends, but tomorrow was thenight. They’d show up together, dance together, openly be a couple together. He’d already picked out his best suit, shirt, and tie.
Since Dad had texted and asked Tarius to come home for a family dinner that evening, Tarius pulled up at the curb around six. Demir’s car in the driveway surprised the crap of out of him, since Demir rarely had free time during the work week. He grinned his entire walk across the lawn to the front porch, curious if his brother’s husbands were here for dinner, too.
Nope, only Demir at the table with Dad, Liam, Linus, Miko, and what looked like a premade pot pie. Demir explained he’d basically been forced to take paid leave before it vanished. Tarius loved the idea of seeing his oldest younger brother more over the weekend.
Everyone at the table was subdued, which wasn’t entirely unusual lately. They mostly chatted about the Gala, and at seven, everyone began clearing the table. Tarius didn’t sense anything particularly odd, until the front door opened and Aven walked inside.
“Hey, man, what’s up?” Tarius asked.
“I’m not sure,” Aven replied. “Demir texted and asked me to come over at seven.”
“Yeah, hey, guys.” Demir waved Aven into the dining room. “I want to talk to you both about something that I already spoke to Linus and Dad about.”
“What about Liam and Layne?”
“Liam knows. I’m having breakfast with Layne tomorrow. But you guys are my big brothers, and it’s time to rip off the bandage, so to speak.”
Tarius did not like the quaver in Demir’s voice. “About what?”
Demir took their hands and pulled them into the living room, which was somehow empty. He sat on the middle couch cushionand pulled them down with him. Tarius met Aven’s curious, worried gaze briefly, before re-focusing on Demir.
“What’s going on, brother?” Aven asked. “Are you and Brandt and Oliver okay?”
“Yes, we are amazing,” Demir replied immediately. “This is, um, actually about why I wasn’t at Linus’s last university game. I didn’t flake because I’m an asshole, and Linus and I had a really good talk earlier.”
“I’m assuming you talked about why you didn’t make the game?” Tarius asked.
“Spot on, counselor.” Demir sighed. “I meant to go. I wanted to go. I planned to go. But I got a last-minute appointment that evening for an excision biopsy. I didn’t have to wait three more weeks to know if a mole on my shoulder was benign or melanoma skin cancer.”
