Wyatt picked up his headphones and went back to work.
* * * *
In the afternoon, Wyatt took over Dad’s kitchen and decided to make cupcakes for Justin and his crew for the morning. He made two batches, keeping one batch entirely sugar free for Justin. Wyatt couldn’t lie—the sugar free ones were never quite as nice as the others, whatever the recipes promised, but Justin loved them.
Justin arrived home soon after. “Cupcakes?” he asked hopefully as he walked into the kitchen and peered into the oven.
“You can take them to work tomorrow,” Wyatt told him.
“Thanks, Wy.” Justin hugged him. He smelled of sweat and soil. “The guys will love them.”
Wyatt warmed with the praise.
“I’m starving,” Justin said. “Damn, I hate it when Del’s away! What’s the point of marrying a chef if he’s not here to cook for me every night?”
“How sad,” Wyatt agreed, and then grinned. “How sad that you, a grown man, can’t even survive a single night without your husband.”
“Excuse you, it’s been two nights already,” Justin said in mock outrage. “Two!”
“You’re ridiculous,” Wyatt told him. “And you stink. Go and have a shower.”
“Can’t,” Justin said, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. “Sarah had to take off early to take her mom to a doctor’s appointment, so I’ve still got to put the horses in.”
Sarah was the stable manager. When Dad and Justin had bought the house, the stables and the enclosed paddocks were being used for agistment, and Justin had taken over managing that until he’d got his organic produce business up and running. When that had gotten too time-consuming to handle both, he’d hired Sarah to run the stables.
“Is her mom okay?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” Justin said, and then dug into the pocket of his jeans as his phone began to ring. His expression softened as he looked at the screen, and he was smiling by the time he answered. “Hey, Del.” He listened for a moment. “I miss you too.”
Wyatt checked on the cupcakes.
Justin and Dad were still stupidly in love after fifteen years together. It was sweet, but it made Wyatt ache a little too. He wanted someone to look at him the way he sometimes caught them looking at each other, like they still couldn’t believe how lucky they were.
“Awful,” Justin said in response to something Dad asked. “You’re not here to cook for me! But Wy is making me cupcakes for work tomorrow.” He paused. “I know he is. The best. Wy? Del wants to talk to you.”
Wyatt wiped his hands on his apron and took the phone. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hey, Wyatt,” Dad said. “I miss you, kiddo.”
“I miss you too,” Wyatt said. “Are you back tomorrow?”
Dad made an unhappy sound. “Probably Saturday. Michel got me another meeting, and they can only meet with me tomorrow afternoon. But if it doesn’t run too late, I’ll drive back tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Want me to bring you anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
“What about your sister?”
“Don’t ask her,” Wyatt warned him. “She’ll want another puppy.”
Dad laughed, the sound full and warm. “That’s a good point! Okay, I’ll see you soon. Put Justin back on for me?”
“Love you, Dad,” Wyatt said.
“Love you too, Wy.”
