“He snuck in here while we were asleep and tried to get into my bed without permission,” Flynn said. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”
Officer Paxton turned to glare harder outside before he focused on us again. “Yes, it does, which is why I’m not exactly rushing around putting cuffs on anyone. Your choice is to let him in or leave.”
“And then he gets everything?” Flynn asked, and I’d never heard him sound so heartbroken. “Jayce, that’s not right.”
“No, it isn’t, but the courts would have to decide who can stay here and who can’t and everything else. I’m only the guy delivering bad news.” Officer Paxton shrugged, and Flynn looked like he’d been slapped. “Let River help you get this sorted. He’d love it.”
Flynn squinted and his cheeks were red as he stared at me. Another cop with a sharp chin and curious gray eyes came up to stand in the doorway. The man seemed familiar. I got a bad feeling about it. Dad and Papa knew a lot of people around New Gothenburg and went to a lot of events, plenty of which I’d attended with them. “Mr. Daughtler?” he said, gesturing at my Lexus. “I ran the plates and... anyway, would you like to go? You don’t have to be involved in this situation.”
Officer Paxton turned to purse his lips in the other cop’s direction, and Flynn hung his head.
Abandon Flynn to this shit?Fuck that.“Yeah, I’m going—weare going. Can we have at least a half hour to get some of his things together?”
“Sure,” Officer Paxton was quick to say, and the other cop nodded.
“We won’t be long.” I grabbed Flynn’s hand and dragged him back to the bedroom, and he looked bewildered enough by everything that I knew I’d made the right choice last night—he hadn’t been with it at all earlier. Hell, he might still be drunk now. Once I had the bedroom door closed, I grasped his solid shoulders until he stared into my eyes. “Do you want to stay here with him? Your ex?”
He shook his head. “What choice do I have? This is where I live.”
Closing my eyes, I didn’t even bother to think about it. My parents might get mad, but they loved me, and even if they didn’t understand this thing between me and Flynn, I wasn’t worried that they would kick me out—or be awful to someone who was having a rough time.
“I’m sorry,” Flynn said, caressing around my left eye. The touch hurt but I let out a long breath and looked at him again.
“Don’t be. We’re going to my place.”
“Are you sure? That’s—”
“It’s early. The fucking sun isn’t even up yet. We need more sleep, and I’m not leaving you here alone.” I brushed a light kiss to his cheek, then took the time to taste his lips.
He nodded and picked up his pants from the floor.
Just under half an hour later I was piling luggage into the back of my car with the cops watching while Flynn’s ex paced the lawn and the neighbors on either side and across the street gawked at us from their front porches. I couldn’t blame them; Chris had been yelling off and on, giving them a good show.
“Who the fuck are you?” he spat at me for maybe the tenth time, but I ignored him.
Flynn came out of the house, his messenger bag shaped like a leaf slung across one shoulder, and I walked up to him to take the backpack he had on the other one. I knew he could carry the weight but wanted to put myself between him and his ex because I already fucking hated that guy and I’d barely met him—except for where his fist had clobbered my face. I slid my arm around Flynn and tensed when we got closer to my Lexus.
Officer Paxton had already made Chris move his Audi out of the way. That had been a debacle, too, and I’d thought we might have to get a tow truck to make it happen, but in the end he’d listened to the police. I wasn’t sure if he’d thought Flynn had managed to replace his old car with a new one? Or if he’d been so intent on getting inside that he hadn’t considered the strange car at all.
“I want to talk to you,” Chris yelled at Flynn.
“About what?” Flynn asked. I wrapped my hand around his wrist to keep him from going over there, and his pulse raced under my touch. “You left me for a younger man. You pulled classic midlife crisis shit on me, and I get some of it, but not the way you screwed me over like you never cared. I would’ve never done that to you. I would’ve never stolen from you. You could’ve gone off to fuck someone else with some dignity.”
Chris started moving closer, but Officer Paxton put a hand out toward him, and he stayed on the lawn. “Well, now you’ve fucked around, too. Let’s fix this. Are you going to throw away twenty years?”
Flynn shook his head and laughed. “Are you serious? You spent all my money on someone else. And... I know what it’s like to have someone who wants to be with me now. I can’t, Chris. I fucking can’t. You never treated me like you loved me.”
Chris let out a strangled, frustrated sound, but I was too tired to let the argument go on.
With my arm across his shoulders, I forced Flynn around the Lexus and got him and the rest of his belongings inside while his ex ranted at the police officers, who still weren’t letting him near us. I got behind the steering wheel and backed out of the driveway. As much as I wanted to swerve and ding the stupid fucking Audi parked half on the lawn, I didn’t—Dad and Papa were forgiving, but that probably would be a bit much, even for them. I didn’t want them to start out in a bad mood when I talked to them about Flynn staying at the house.
For his part Flynn said nothing as I drove. He was still quiet as we crossed the toll bridge to Vert Island, and I began to worry as I pulled up in front of my house. It was still way too early for anyone to be up, even Papa, and my eyes burned with the lack of sleep. I took a deep breath as I parked behind Jury’s red Lexus, which was near the cobblestone front path, and I didn’t see my parents’ vehicles, so they must’ve put them in the garage last night. I got out and went around to Flynn’s side, and he still hadn’t opened his door, so I did it for him. I went to a knee beside him, and he only stared. I hated the sadness that had stolen away the fun man who’d let me put him to bed.
“I’m sorry. This is a bad idea.”
Shrugging, I took his hand. “Stop apologizing. You’re okay. I’m here for you. I know we’re on the same page. You like me, I like you. You’re probably somewhere at the first sentence of this page and I already skipped to the last one, but I’m going to say this anyway. I care about you. A lot. You’re... everything. I want you safe and happy, and you won’t be those things staying in a house with a man who hurt you. I couldn’t live with myself if I left you there.” I kissed his wrist and held his hand to my cheek. “Let me do this.”
“I could go stay with Brandt.”
