Was Patrick blushing? Milo wasn’t sure, as he wouldn’t make direct eye contact.
“Come on, Daddy, I’m ready for you.”
Patrick’s eyes widened, and Milo couldn’t help but snort. This resulted in Patrick shaking his head with a chuckle before walking into his office. There was a distinct sound of the door being locked, but the walls weren’t soundproof. Milo was an open-minded guy, but he didn’t want to hear his boss in daddy mode, and there was no doubt this Jason was the new boy he’d heard about. There’d been some gossip in the office, which was to be expected from a group of journalists. Before any noise started that he wouldn’t be able to scrub from his brain, he diverted the desk phone to his mobile and locked the outer office on the way out. That way, nobody would inadvertently walk in on something that would buy them five years on a therapist’s couch.
He thought about going to the staffroom for a coffee, but he needed some fresh air, so he headed outside to get one. Milo hadn’t picked up his jacket, and it was freezing outside, but his favourite place was only a short walk down Fenchurch Street. Their office was in the Walkie Talkie building.
The last six weeks had been a bit of a blur. Liam had given notice at the flat, as he needed to move home to support his dad after his mother’s death. He’d quit his job in the city, and they had agreed he could work remotely during his notice period. The lease on the flat was up in April, and Hassan had suggested they move to a three-bed so they didn’t have to bring someone new in. Milo was hesitant, as Kieran and Hassan were their own little clique, and he didn’t want to feel like an outsider in his own home. God help him for what Kieran would say when he found out about Edward. It was bad enough now, when he still just assumed Milo was seeing a married man.
Then there was Edward. Since their amazing few days in Norway, they’d only seen each other twice for a quick fumble in a hotel room, which was in the arse end of South London. Press attention was picking up on when the prime ministerwas going to announce she was stepping down, so they were basically stalking Edward. Milo missed the carefree man he’d fallen in love with over Christmas. He was back to being an uptight politician. They chatted by text, but even that had become more sporadic. It felt like Edward was pulling away from him, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Perhaps it was for the best. How could they even work, especially if he became prime minister?
He had plans with Edward at the weekend, and this time they’d actually get some proper time together. They were staying at another property Derek owned, in the countryside, so there was no chance of them being spotted together. The last couple of times, they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other as soon as they saw each other. Edward hadn’t spent the night, and the experience had left Milo feeling hollow.
This time, Milo would insist they talk first. Well, he’d try his best. It was always difficult when Edward stood there looking all handsome in his suit and beaten down by the day. He needed Milo to take control and get him out of his head. The cost was that Milo’s own head was running at a million miles an hour. But they had an entire weekend together, so time to talk and fuck. Friday couldn’t get here soon enough.
Two days later, Milo called in sick to work, which is something he rarely did, even when he was genuinely ill. Edward had cancelled their weekend away with a cryptic message.
E:Have to cancel the weekend. It’s not safe to meet right now xx.
Milo had replied, but got nothing back, and he couldn’t call him in case he was with someone who might see Milo’s name. Perhaps Edward had him stored as something else inhis phone. He didn’t want to overthink it in case the reality upset him.
Once he’d called in sick, he had to find something to do, not wanting to be by himself. Hassan and Kieran were both at work. Thank fuck they both had jobs that required them to be present every day, especially Kieran, whom he couldn’t deal with today. Lexie was at work as well, so she wasn’t available. That left him with one option.
Milo:Threw a sickie. What are you doing today?
Liam:Had to take the day off as well to help in the bakery. Want to come and keep me company?
Milo:Happily. Be there as soon as I can.
Liam:What are you doing tomorrow? Want to stay over so we can catch up properly?
Milo:Sold. Will let you know when I’m on the train.
He hadn’t really spoken to Liam since the night before the funeral. On the day itself, Liam had been surrounded by well-wishers, so it was impossible to get him alone. Since then, Liam had been focussed on work. Why he was still putting so much effort in was a mystery, when he was leaving. And not just leaving, but giving up his bonus and shares, which were worth a fuckload of money. It’d be good for them to talk. Focussing on someone else’s problems would be a welcome distraction for Milo.
It would take a couple of hours to get to Heartwood. This is when Milo wished he could drive as it would have been quicker. He had to get two Tubes to get to Paddington, then get a mainline train, followed by a branch-line service, which was a shuttle train that just went back and forth along one track between a handful of stations and took around fifteen minutes. Then he had to get a cab to Sylvie’s Slice, named after Liam’s mum.
Thankfully, cabs were always waiting, and it was a fifteen-minute drive into Liam’s hometown. Milo had always loved coming here. He’d grown up in the city, so had never knowna quiet life like this. It would be a great place to raise kids. Not that he wanted to have his own, but the idea of living somewhere like this and just writing all day had its appeal. Milo still hadn’t done anything with Edward’s Christmas present. He would once there was some normality in his life, whatever that looked like.
“Milo!” shouted Liam from behind the counter. “Sit down. I’ll be over in a minute.”
Liam was smiling, and it was the first time Milo had seen him do that since before Christmas. The place wasn’t busy, but it was the lull between breakfast and lunch, so that would change soon. It had a cosy yet modern feel, which had all been Sylvie’s doing. The whole place was a reminder of the wonderful woman she’d been. Whenever Milo had visited, she’d always treated him as if he were one of her own.
“Here you go,” said Liam, putting coffee and a breakfast roll in front of him. “I assume you didn’t have breakfast?”
“That’s very presumptuous of you.”
“When Milo is stressed, he doesn’t eat. Probably why you’re a skinny bitch. You’re always stressed.”
“Piss off. I’m not skinny.”
“Compared to me, you are,” said Liam, flexing his biceps and squeezing his muscular chest.
“Good morning, Liam,” said a very country-looking guy, with a beard and plaid shirt.
“Oh . . . hello . . . good morning . . . hello . . . um . . . hi, Austin.”
Milo was struggling to keep a straight face. He could see why Liam was all flustered. Austin was hot. He had to be in his forties, although the beard might be making him look older. He had warm brown eyes, and he clearly had a soft spot for Liam with how he was smiling at him.
