Emmett had his arms open wide, and he stepped right into his embrace, a sigh rocking through him.
“You’re gonna have to sign for me,” he said, voice low, but he knew Emmett would hear.
“What’s wrong?”
He hated the fear creeping into Emmett’s voice. He wanted to chase it away.
“Concussion,” Jane answered for him.
Emmett’s gasp made him cringe.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Getting you back was more important.”
“You…” Emmett cursed under his breath, hands coming up to cup Wilder’s face. “You reckless man.”
Emmett’s lips were on his, and time seemed to stop. If he could live in that moment forever, he would.
“I love you,” Emmett whispered against his lips.
Emmett pulled back, but not too far, before Wilder caught the back of his head in his hand, staring into shimmering blue eyes.
“I love you, too, Darlin’.”
Emmett smiled for a moment, then cleared his throat.
“Uh, this is my parents,” Emmett said, red creeping onto his cheeks. He motioned at the smaller man. “Edan.” He turned toward the one who looked at Wilder as if he might pummel him. “And Tommy Crawford.”
“Uh, hi,” he mumbled, trying to get his vision to focus, “Lovely to meet you.”
He blinked at Miles when he stepped up beside him, his hands moving. Signing. He was signing his words to Edan and Travis, who’d placed himself next to his father.
“This is Wilder,” Emmett said, lips pressed together to keep from smiling. “My boyfriend.”
Boyfriendsounded so trivial compared to what he felt. To what they truly were. He was going to put his name on Emmett. He was getting Emmett a cut and a property patch. This man was his. If someone opened him up, all they’d find in his heart was Emmett. His smile. His laugh. The way those eyes looked at him as if they could see into his soul and loved what they saw.
Emmett frowned. “I don’t know your last name.”
“You’re in love with a man whose last name you don’t even know?” Tommy drawled.
Emmett signed something to his father, who crossed his arms and glared back at him.
Wilder saw Jane puffing out her chest like some offended baby mama out of the corner of his eye and lifted a hand to stop whatever she was considering doing. He didn’t need her to make things worse, even if he appreciated her standing up for him. Now wasn’t the time.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sure there’s a birth certificate somewhere with my name on it, but no. It’s just Wilder.”
The boy who’d had a different name had been long gone by the time Jane called himwildthe first time. She’d quicklyamended it to Wilderwhen he’d pulled a stupid stunt just to feed them for a day or two.
“You hurt him, and I’ll kill you. My brother-in-law knows how to get rid of a body,” Tommy said, his serious expression only making Wilder straighten more.
“Dad!”
Tommy’s brown eyes looked from Wilder to Emmett, brows arched in challenge. Yeah, he wasn’t doubting the validity of the man’s threat.
Emmett winced, a slight shake to his voice as he said, “Heath’s dead.”
“What happened?” Miles asked, and it took him a second to realize he was speaking for Edan as he signed, trying to include Wilder in their conversation.
