Caleb rolled his eyes. “Okay, that’s fair—myshit. But the point is, we’re not locking you into anything, and we’re not going to use this against you. If you decide you want nothing to do with us, you’re still welcome to stay here while you figure out what your next step is. No dick suckage necessary.”
Before Jayne could reply, there was a knock on the front door. Everett pulled his phone from his pocket. “Gage is a little early—I guess traffic wasn’t all that bad.”
TD. Jayne stood up a little straighter and wiped the tears from his eyes. As much as he loved the Single Dads, he didn’t want to have to explain to one of them why he was in his brother’s condo, or why his eyes were so puffy.
“Do you mind if I go hide in the spare bedroom?” Jayne asked. His eyes had begun to burn, and he blinked a few times to try to do away with the sensation. “I’m friends with, uh,Gage,and I’m really not feeling up to reliving everything that happened today.”
“Go for it,” Caleb said.
“If Bo blabs, we’ll cover for you,” Everett promised. “Once they’re gone, I’m heading out to pick up Shep and Parker. You’re more than welcome to come with if you want.”
It was more than Jayne could have asked. Flattered by their sweetness, he placed a tender kiss on Caleb’s cheek, then rewarded Everett with the same. “Thank you.”
Caleb’s cheeks went scarlet. “Dammit, now I’m blushing. Everett, you’re going to need to cover for me, too.”
Everett rolled his eyes, planted a hand between Caleb’s shoulder blades, and steered him toward the living room. As he went, he met Jayne’s gaze and smiled, and the weaponized butterflies that fluttered in all of Jayne’s most hollow parts detonated all at once.
Life was worse than it had ever been, but for the first time, Jayne had something to keep him going—hope. No matter what happened between the three of them, Jayne would always remember the kindness that Everett and Caleb had shown him.
Always.
20
Jayne
GlitterDoctor: Update
GlitterDoctor: Things are looking up
GlitterDoctor: More news later, but stay tuned—I think this is going to be one hell of a wild ride
21
Caleb
Later that evening, after Everett had left for work, a young, surly, redheaded teen stared Caleb down from the other side of Caleb’s own kitchen island, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. His hands were tucked into the sleeves of his black hoodie, but even without seeing his fingers, Caleb was pretty sure he was perpetually flipping him the bird. Ever since he’d arrived at the condo, Shep, Jayne’s younger brother, had been in amood—but not the kind of mood someone should be in after their apartment, and all the things in it, decided self-immolation was the best way to get a point across.
No.
The kind of mood Shep was in had Caleb convinced that in a previous life, Caleb had pissed in Shep’s cereal, and Shep’s immortal soulstillwasn’t over it.
It was the kind of mood that made Caleb glad he would never, ever have a child, not because he disliked babies, but because one day, those babies would turn into teenagers. Moody, unpredictable teenagers who would look at him like he was a vile pimple on the ass cheek of the Earth simply for existing. One day, he’d have to thank Shep for giving him an additional reason not to regret his broken genes, but today would not be that day.
It was his kitchen, goddammit. If Shep found him so intolerable, he could go to his room, or the living room, or leave the condo and ride the elevators up and down, scowling at whatever unwitting resident was foolish enough to board alongside him.
What made things worse was that Jayne wasn’t there to help him—he’d gone to put Parker down for the night in the crib Everett had picked up on the way back from rescuing the Jag. It was just Caleb and the sultan of scowls himself.
Lord help him.
“No scowling allowed,” Caleb said at last. He finished dicing the last of the chicken breast he was preparing for dinner and set the knife he’d been using in the sink. While his back was turned, he felt Shep glare with increased intensity, like if he did it hard enough, he could really sock it to The Man.
The little bastard.
“I feel you scowling.” Caleb turned on the water and waited for it to warm, keeping his back to Shep. “You probably think you’re fooling me, but I’m wise to your ways. Don’t argue with the man with the knife, okay?”
“I’m not arguing,” Shep argued.
Caleb’s eye twitched.
