When they finally popped out of the chapel and got into the limousine that one of their friends had supplied, Laird turned and grabbed him and yanked him close for a kiss. “I cannot believe how many people were there for just the pictures, Devon.”
“I know, so much for a small intimate wedding, huh? The reception ought to be rockin’ cool, though. My people are pretty good dancers.”
“Oh my dad will just have a little too much alcohol and do a Scottish dance for you. You won’t need me to.”
He laughed at the idea of Archie doing a hopping, jumping, skipping dance that made his kilt fly up. “But it’s you I want to see, husband.”
Laird’s eyes widened, and his smile stretched to fill his face. “Husband, I really like the sound of that.”
“I do too.” Devon went up on tiptoes and took a kiss. “Happy New Year’s Eve, by the way. Are you excited about the year to come?”
Laird’s chuckle was warm and dear. “Are you kidding? This is going to be one of the most momentous years in my life. It’ll be my first year married, my first year living with someone—my husband. My first baby. I’m gonna go back to school. It’s gonna be the best year ever. It’s going to be wild and fascinating and busy, and I can’t wait.”
That was what Devon needed to hear. That was really what he wanted to know—that they were in this together, and that Laird felt positive about it all.
“We’re going to have the most fun together.” He stole one more kiss. “But now we have to go have cake and our first dance so we can leave for our honeymoon.”
That was what he was looking forward to. That and his kiss at midnight with his new husband.
Their first New Year, and it was their wedding day.
That was pretty damn cool.
Chapter
Seventeen
Laird was so tired he thought he might just sit down and cry. Somehow or another, the weather had been brutal this year, and car accidents were almost a daily occurrence.
It was coming up on Valentine’s Day, and he knew that he needed to do something for Devon, whose baby bump was really a thing, and who put up with him taking a lot longer to get home because they had so much cleaning to do on the bus when they got back to the shed.
Not that Devon ever complained, but he wasn’t about to go through that process again. They’d done it around Thanksgiving and Christmas when Devon had been so sad. No, Laird was making way more of an effort these days.
And of course, Devon was working his ass off, too. Somehow or another, people had a lot of babies right around Valentine’s Day. So he and Raven were slammed at the birth center. Laird was trying to take everyone’s advice and make sure he and Devon slowed down a little bit and enjoyed this pregnancy. But, wow, it was really tough.
“Hey, Nick, you gonna come over for dinner tonight?”He always asked because Nick had a small apartment, and it was cold, and it sucked to be lonely. Really he just wanted to grab takeout on the way home and sit on his ass with Devon and the cats and not do anything.
Nick slung his duffel bag over his shoulder and shook his head. “Not tonight, I don’t think. Thanks, though.”
“Yeah, you okay?” He hoped his relief didn’t show on his face.
“Yeah, I’m fine, man. Just tired as hell. I think I’m gonna order a pizza and sit on my ass and fart.”
“I would pretend to be shocked and everything, but I’ll be honest, that’s sort of my intention, except for the farting will probably be done by the cats.”
Nick arched one eyebrow. “Cats fart?”
“Not like dogs, but yeah, cats fart.”
They walked out to the parking lot together. “You gonna get a dog, you think?” Nick asked.
Laird nodded. “Probably when I’m home, and the baby’s a little bit older. I think kids need dogs. Of course, Devon says he thinks kids need cats, and I’m not a hundred percent sure that those three monsters wouldn’t just kill a puppy.”
“Fierce are they? They never come downstairs to see me.”
“Once you get to know them, they’re all really sweet; they adore Devon. But yeah, yeah, I would definitely say fierce is on the list.”
“I can’t imagine.” Nick clapped him on the back with one hand. “Do they like, watch you when you get busy with Devon?”
