“It’s something to think about,” Mac said. “Don’t rush to come to an answer on that one. You’ll know when you’ve made the right decision.”
“How?”
“It’ll feel right,” Mac said. “It might hurt a little, but you’ll feel it’s right in your gut.”
Kyrone wasn’t sure what his gut felt other than queasy at the thought of making the wrong decision. He didn’t want to lose Jared, but he didn’t want to hurt him later on by realising he needed to have kids to be happy. Not that there was any guarantee that Jared wouldn’t want kids or that he wouldn’t be able to adopt. Everything would have been so much easier if they were dealing with certainties, but the reality was that the future couldn’t be set in stone. What he did know for certain was that he loved Jared and wanted to be with him. They could cope with everything else together.
“Thanks, Mac.”
“Did I help?”
“Yeah, you did.” Kyrone stood. “I’ll see you tonight.”
17Jared
“Are you nervous?” Kyrone asked as they walked from the bus station to the pub.
“Only about looking stupid when I can’t answer any questions,” Jared replied.
“Are you sure?”
Jared stepped into Kyrone, brushing their arms together before moving away again. “I’m sure. It’ll be good to meet some new people. Besides, meeting more of your friends can’t be as scary as meeting your mum.” He grinned as he spoke to communicate that he was joking.
He had a small number of nerves fluttering in his stomach but nothing major. Even though he’d only met Dylan and Hunter briefly, they’d seemed nice.
“My mum’s notthatscary,” Kyrone said in a teasing tone. “And you won’t look stupid. We’re all pretty crap, and the questions tend to be really obscure.”
“So why go?” Jared asked.
“It’s a laugh. We have a few drinks, chat, and do our best.”
Jared stared at the ground, wondering if he would be the only one not drinking.
“I’ll be sticking to soft drinks,” Kyrone said.
Jared looked up at him.
“Watching Dad battle with alcohol and seeing how he died was enough to put me off for life.”
Jared squeezed Kyrone’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“At least I won’t be the only one not drinking tonight.” Kyrone winked at him.
Jared smiled, amazed at how they were beginning to feed off each other’s clues to guess what the other was thinking. Or at least, Kyrone was able to do that with him.
They arrived at the pub a few minutes later. When they stepped inside, they were met with a wall of warmth and a friendly, buzzing atmosphere. There was a lot of warm wood, brass fittings, and golden lights, giving the pub a homely appearance. Kyrone led him to a large circular table in one corner, where Dylan, Hunter, and a couple of other guys were sitting drinking and playing cards. They also had an answer sheet for the pub quiz that obviously hadn’t begun yet. They’d written ‘Hell’s Dancers’ as their team name, which made Jared smile.
Kyrone introduced him. The two men Jared didn’t already know were Logan and Taylor. Like Hunter, they were massive guys who dwarfed him and Dylan. Kyrone was somewhere in the middle, tall and muscular but not as broad and beefy as the other three guys.
“I’ll go get us some drinks,” Kyrone said, kissing Jared’s jaw. “Anyone want a top-up?
The four men at the table gave him their orders.
Kyrone rolled his eyes. “You guys are gonna bankrupt me,” he muttered.
“I thought you were earning more since you got Adonis inked on your chest?” Dylan retorted.
“Yeah, yeah.” Laughing, Kyrone went to the bar.
