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Derek’s mom lifted her hands into waggling jazz fingers in exactly the same way Amy had. “Ken and I bought that Airbnb we were staying at near Disney World.”
Ken’s face gaped in a goofy grin. He took one of Derek’s mom’s hands and kissed it. “Angie and I are going to be snowbirds.”
Derek decided to emulate Amy’s current coping strategy and gulped the rest of his wine.
Chapter 42
When Derek got back to Dylan’s apartment that night, it took a very, very thorough blow job and thirty minutes of being the little spoon to calm him down enough to close his eyes. But he still wasn’t ready to sleep. “You still awake?”
“Yep.” Dylan’s mouth was pressed against Derek’s back. He was clearly at least 85 percent asleep.
“What does your perfect life look like?”
“Are you thinking about this because your mom’s about to be living her best life with her new super-hot husband or—”
“Can you not call him super hot?”
“Are we the kind of boyfriends who lie to each other?”
“No.” Derek gritted his teeth. “But maybe just go back to calling him Batman instead.”
“Maybe.”
“Hmm…” Dylan tugged on Derek’s shoulder, asking Derek to turn and face him. “What does the perfect life look like for you?”
Turning onto his back, he rested a hand behind his head and pulled Dylan on top of him. He loved Dylan’s warm weight pressing on his chest, grounding him into the mattress. Derek considered. He’d never been asked it before.
“I guess… quiet. I don’t like a lot of drama. Tonight’s events notwithstanding. If I really think about it, I just want some space to breathe… like land maybe? A nice porch. Someplace cozy with just a shit ton of space for my books and my DVDs so they won’t have to live in bins under my bed. Space for Gus to run around when I have him while Olive travels. If I could, I’d sell my apartment and try to save up to get someplace with space. I like being a nurse because it’s twelve hours and then done, but I feel like I want to do more with my days off. Maybe try to find a new hobby. Something stupid like gardening. Or maybe goat yoga.”
Dylan’s laughter vibrated against Derek’s chest. “I’ve always wanted to know what happens if they poop on you.”
“Scratch the goat yoga idea. I do want to read more. I don’t know. I feel like the last few years have been one crisis after another.”
“Olive’s brother… and before that, and I guess still stuff with your sister… Did you know Michelle wouldn’t be there tonight?” Dylan turned and rested his chin on Derek’s chest.
“I figured. Not sure if she still speaks to my mom. But yeah, lots of crises.”
“I guess even before that your dad too. You took so much on your shoulders.” He caressed Derek’s neck and over his shoulder blades. “You deserve a place where you could have peace. Drink your gross smoothies out on the porch and watch the sunrise.”
“All of that.” Derek took a deep inhale and then pressed a kissed to Dylan’s forehead. “I know it’s simple and nothing grand or exciting.”
“Babe, all of my hobbies happen in my house or within a five-mile radius. Last year, I read an entire six-thousand-page book series in a week during that ice storm, and it was one of the happiest weeks of my life up until that point. Because I could just be in front of my fireplace. I felt peaceful.”
“Yeah… I guess, I feel like that was really all my dad wanted. God, I hate he didn’t get to have it as long as he deserved.”
Dylan kissed Derek’s jaw.
“He used to say some people loved to travel. Some people loved adventure. But that he loved quiet. I never thought that made him boring. I thought that sounded nice. Speaking of which, do you still have to fly out Thursday?”
Dylan sighed. “Yes.”
“Still want to take me to see your house when you get back?”
Dylan’s face brightened even in the dimness of the room. “Yes.”
He’d mentioned the house more often since Derek found out why he’d rented it out. Dylan seemed to genuinely love the place and miss it. After all, the guy had spent two years fixing it up. It seemed like Dylan put so many dreams into that house. And now he wanted to take Derek to see it…
A lingering worry pinched inside him, distracting him from the anticipation of seeing Dylan’s house. He needed to tell Dylan about what happened with Jake. He’d almost done it earlier, but he’d chickened out. He didn’t want the moment asking Dylan to be his boyfriend to be ruined with explaining it. Since the Grill-Out they’d been too busy—both the good, sexy, exploring kind of busy and work and apartment reno busy—to think about Jake at all until tonight when he was about to have that conversation. The more things progressed with Dylan, the more what happened with Jake barely registered.