Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“I can see how much you love him,” Betsy said from beside him. Deacon wasn’t even sure when she’d approached. Their mom was with her as well.
“I do.”
“How long have you been together?” Janice asked.
“Not long, to be honest, but that doesn’t change what he is to me.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t mean to insinuate that,” Janice replied.
“How did you meet?” Betsy asked.
“He was best friends with my brother-in-law. Nathan joined the army at eighteen. He’d been in the closet as well. Grady and Nathan bonded over that. They were family to each other, and then Nathan died, leaving Grady alone.” He looked at Janice, who cocked her head, watching him. “I’m not telling you that to hurt you; just so you understand. A few years after Nathan passed, I lost my wife, Nathan’s sister. I spent three years living inside myself, feeling like I’d never love or be happy again, and then Grady showed up. He’d come for a connection to Nathan, and… Hell, I don’t know, we saw something in each other, saw pieces of ourselves in each other. He woke me up again, when I’d spent years just getting by, and I’ll always be grateful for him. Not sure anyone loves the way Grady does.” He ducked his head, slightly embarrassed at what he’d said.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Betsy replied. “Did you know? About Nathan before he passed?”
“No. He went still hiding a part of himself, and Patty died never getting to know that about him. You’re lucky you get a second chance with Grady. I’d give anything to have it with Nathan, for him to have gone knowing he was loved and accepted by his sister and me.”
They nodded, both of them clearly understanding what he was saying. Deacon might have overstepped his bounds, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted them to recognize the gift they’d been given.
“Thank you for sharing that.” Janice reached out and squeezed his hand.
“What’s going on over here?” Grady asked, having finished talking with Brigid and Scout.
“Nothing,” he replied.
He could tell that Grady was emotionally exhausted, so he was silently grateful to hear Grady say, “I think maybe Deacon and I will go back to the hotel and go see Dad first thing in the morning.” Deacon wanted to leave with Grady, to hold him and take care of him and just…love him and be loved by him in return.
“Okay.” Janice stepped forward. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” She pulled her son into a hug.
“It’s good to be home,” Grady replied, pulling back sooner than Deacon would have expected. But then, he thought maybe Grady was guarding his heart, not taking things too quickly.
There was a round of goodbyes, and then Grady was driving them back to their hotel.
When they got to their room, Grady immediately tugged him close, wrapped him up in his arms, and breathed.
“Big day,” Deacon said, not having the words to describe it.
“Yeah, it was. Scout thinks he might be gay. Cat knows, but no one else. I just can’t… I can’t even imagine what happened to me happening to him. What if they didn’t come around? What if Scout ran? What if he didn’t know about me and I couldn’t be there for him?”
Deacon ran his hands up and down Grady’s back. It was difficult to do with his jacket, but Deacon just wanted to touch him, to be close to him, to become intimate with every part of him. “But those things didn’t happen. He told you, and Cat has accepted him, and you’ll always be there for him because that’s the kind of man you are.”
Grady rubbed his cheek against the side of Deacon’s head. “Feels good hearing you say things like that to me.”
Deacon leaned in and smiled into the skin of Grady’s neck. “I like saying ’em. Come shower with me.”
He took Grady’s hand and pulled him along to the small hotel bathroom. It was a tight fit, the two of them laughing and bumping into each other while they took their shoes off and undressed. He’d seen Grady naked numerous times by now, but it still struck him how beautiful he was—how masculine and how very much Deacon liked that.
He brushed his thumb over Grady’s hip, then kissed along his collarbone before stepping away to start the shower. They washed up together, chuckling as they swapped places in the small space, then got out, and dried themselves off.
When Grady went to his suitcase to pull out a pair of boxer briefs, Deacon put his hand on Grady’s arm. “I want to feel all of you tonight.” Wanted to touch him, kiss him, rub against him, hold him, and explore him. He wanted Grady to feel how treasured and special he made Deacon feel every damn day.
He watched as Grady’s cock began to swell. “Yeah, I wanna feel you too,” Grady replied.