For a stunned moment, Damien said nothing. “Baby, no. You’ve got this all wrong.” Damien kissed Matthew’s forehead. “You don’t have to work if you don’t want to.”
“Then what am I going to do for money?”
“You can try to find a job if you want, but I figured you’d stay home and take care of the babies.” Damien ran his hand over Matthew’s stomach. “I’ll support you while you take care of Emily, and if you decide you do want to go back to school, then I’ll take care of your tuition and we’ll hire someone to look after the kids.”
Matthew closed his eyes. “You’d do that for me?”
“Yes.” Damien rolled Matthew onto his back and nosed his way beneath his jaw, savoring the bright notes of fresh sweat and Matthew’s aftershave. Matthew instinctively lifted his ass, but Damien made no move to enter him. “I want to give you everything.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve given me everything.” Damien kissed the spot where Matthew’s neck met his shoulder. “And I take care of those I love.”
Half an hour later, after knotting Matthew one last time, Damien left his dozing boy in bed to shower and dress. There was a wedding he had to attend, and after it, a difficult conversation he couldn’t put off any longer.
26
Damien
Despite previous reluctance to be a plant, TD was getting married in a greenhouse. The irony hit Damien particularly hard as he walked in through the white wrought-iron and glass doors and witnessed the abundant leafy green arrangements down the central aisle. At the front, forming the altar, was an archway trellis thick with more of those same leafy plants interspersed with small white flowers.
And palm fronds.
Fucking palm fronds.
They were fanned out from a place behind either side of the archway, swooping dramatically away from the center in what Damien was sure was an attempt to add visual drama. To anyone else, the clever pairing would have worked, but all Damien could do to keep from laughing his ass off was to thoroughly investigate the venue for cacti.
Mercifully, there were none.
Once he was satisfied that his anus wouldn’t be meeting a prickly fate, Damien scanned the room for anyone he might recognize. Namely, a Single Dad. It proved harder than anticipated.
Unlike xV’s small, private wedding, it felt like all of Aurora had come to witness TD tie the knot. Metaphorically speaking. Damien winced. “Tie the knot” definitely wasn’t the right expression when dealing with anything involving his friends.
Besides the elusive Single Dads, their partners, and more children than Damien could hope to keep straight, the venue was stuffed full with every aunt, uncle, grandpa, grandma, cousin, second cousin, sort-of cousin, and honorary dad TD could find. Most of them had taken a seat in one of the numerous rows, but there were still enough standing that movement was difficult. Frustrated, Damien sent an SOS the best way he knew how.
KnotMyProblem: I’m here, so are about fifty million men in suits and I’m starting to go face blind. Where are you guys, and who are all these people?
xVerity: TD’s friends and family?
KnotMyProblem: TD has friends?
LoveHarley: well yeah. What do you think we are?
KnotMyProblem: I mean other than us. Who does he think he is, being social?
KnotMyProblem: (I’m joking just fyi)
KnotMyProblem: (TD, know I mean it from the heart when I say I’m sure everyone here is lovely even if you are FRIENDSHIP CHEATING ON US.)
Gwynning: If you’re going to get technical, TD is friendship cheating on the sort-of cousins with us. They’ve all been close since childhood
KnotMyProblem: LIES
GlitterDoctor: Sorry, Knot. As someone getting dicked down on the regular by one of the sort-of cousins, as well as TD’s brother, I can officially confirm that Gwynn’s right
GlitterDoctor: All of us Single Dads are friendship homewreckers
KnotMyProblem: Story of my life
