“You’ll see.” He wolfs down the rest of his food before trotting to the back bedroom.
Nate and I scarf down our food as well. Just as we’re standing, two big guys enter through the open trailer door carrying a giant mattress.
Holy shit.
Like two excited little kids, me and Nate follow them into the bedroom. Dex has propped our air mattresses up against one wall to make room. The guys lean it up against one wall and then leave.
“We got a bed?” Nate is gaping like it’s the best thing he’s ever seen. “I can’t believe we got a bed.”
The mattress is still in its plastic packaging. It’s brand-new. Tears burn at my eyes and I feel like the biggest asshole for nearly ruining Dex’s big surprise by being pissed about Seth. Fuck Seth.
Dex smiles so big both his dimples are showing. I have the incredible urge to kiss both of them. Nate launches himself at Dex, nearly tackling him. Dex cracks up laughing as he hugs Nate. I’m too stunned to move.
The guys come back with box springs and a metal frame. All three Love trips watch in awe as the two men assemble the bed in record time. Once it’s complete and taking up most of the room, they leave for good this time. Dex follows them out and then returns with a sack in hand. He’d brought two home with him—one with groceries in it and the other remained a mystery because I bitched him out. He pulls out a packaged set of sheets for the bed and some pillowcases.
It takes all three of us to wrangle the fitted sheet onto the queen-sized bed, but we eventually manage. There’s a top sheet so we lay it neatly on top. Once all three of our pillows are covered, we put them across the top of the bed. All three fit perfectly.
Since Nate’s blanket is the biggest—a giant quilt Lavinia also gave us, we set to stretching it across the bed. When the bed is made, we just stare at it in disbelief.
“I can’t believe this is ours,” I murmur, my throat thick with emotion. “And we’ll all fit.”
Nate predictably climbs into the middle, a rare smile gracing his pouty lips. I kick off my shoes, bouncing onto the bed next to him. Dex more or less prowls onto the other side. Something about the way his shoulder muscles bunch as he moves has my stomach tightening.
This is so fucking cool.
Dex lies on his side so he can see both of us. Nate turns toward him, snuggling against his chest. I’m annoyed at first because I kind of want to be the one to touch Dex’s stupid-hard abs, but then I’m thankful I’m not that close because there’s no telling what I’d do if I touched his abs. Brother or not, the thought is electrifying. I spoon Nate, inhaling his hair that smells like lavender.
“Thank you,” Nate says to Dex. “For everything. You saved us.”
This time, tears well and I can’t hold them back. Dex’s strong arm wraps around the both of us, squeezing.
“I would do anything for you,” Dex admits. “Anything.” He takes turns running his fingers through Nate’s hair and then mine. I want to purr because I fucking love when he touches my hair. I’ve loved it since we were toddlers. Something about it has always soothed me.
Dex’s voice grows sleepy. “Aren’t you going to go eat your ice cream now?”
His breath evens out and I know he’s passed out. Bringing my lips to Nate’s ear, I say, “Come on. Help me clean up dinner. Let him nap for a bit.”
Nate shivers at the way my hot breath tickles his ear, but he nods. “And then I want to go to bed early.”
That makes two of us.
What started as a horrible damn day has quickly turned into the best. Things are looking up for the Love trips. It’s about time we crawl ourselves out of the gutter.
3
Nathan
We have a bed.
I'm still having trouble believing it.
Of course Dex would somehow know exactly what we needed and wanted before we would. This bed is a new beginning. It's everything.
"One day," Andy says as he dries off the last dish, "I'm going to get a really good job so Dex can let me take care of things for a change."
My chest squeezes at his words. I feel the same way Andy does. Wanting to one day pay back Dex for all he sacrifices for us.
I pull the ice cream out of the freezer and open both tubs. After scooping some of each into a bowl for Dex, I grab three spoons and hand one to Andy. His smile is back to being permanently affixed to his face. An hour ago, I was worried he'd say something he couldn't take back. Seth was just a loser with a hard-on for my brother. Nothing more. Andy doesn't need friends when he has the two best ones in the world.
