Locke looked like he might argue, but something behind him whipped his head around, his body automatically blocking me from whatever forest noise had spooked him.
Or, you know, Nash, as he stepped into the clearing, bag on his back, his helmet tucked under his arm, and the prettiest smile I’d ever seen.
The prettiest,shyestsmile. As if our boy didn’t know what he was walking into, even as he abandoned the bag and the helmet to claim his rightful place between us.
Locke pulled him close and nuzzled his jaw. “I didn’t think you were coming.”
“Always come for you, brother—fuck.” Nash shivered under Locke’s touch, squeezing my hand in a death grip, his snatched breath swallowed by the kind of kiss he’d been so scared of the first few times it had happened.
He wasn’t scared now.
They need some alone time.
Not that they couldn’t fuck in front of me—they had yesterday—but if anyone deserved Locke’s undivided attention, it was Nash.
They came up for air. Nash turned to me, his sweet eyes a little dazed.
I took his hand. “Take a seat, lover. We’re staying.”
“Why?”
“Why not?”
Nash was adaptable enough that he didn’t ask any more questions. He went back for the bag he’d brought—a magic bag with my good drugs, snacks, and a fat joint with Rubi’s name—literally—all over it.
He’d even brought a blanket.
I pinched his scruffy cheeks. “It’s almost like you knew.”
“I did. Locke told me you were here and I already knew it was fucking cold.”
“You’re still cute as fuck, McGovern.”
Nash rolled his eyes and unwrapped a Toffee Crisp, splitting it with Locke, leaving the Dairy Milk for me.
I lit the joint and smoked a tiny bit before passing it on. Then I sank into their collective embrace, and we lay beneath the trees, shutting the cold out as we shot the breeze all night long. Friends. Lovers. Soulmates.
We even talked about the future. About the baby I’d likely never have. Guarded by Wren’s willow tree, it felt safe. “It wouldn’t be weird for you?” I tipped my head back, searching for Locke’s face as I used his chest as a pillow. “To help us raise a kid that wasn’t yours?”
Locke gave me a relaxed smile. “Not at all. I’d feel lucky. New life, it’s a fuckin’ gift, no matter where it comes from, and knowing it had come from you two would blow my tiny mind.”
There was nothing tiny about this man. He was a giant in every sense of the word, and I loved him.
Weloved him.
Nash lounged at Locke’s other side, the half-spent joint smouldering between his lips. He hadn’t said much, content to watch. I tangled my fingers in his hair, found the AirPod in his ear and considered stealing it. Then he hummed, eyes closing to my touch, and I let him be. Nash didn’t need to talk for me to know he was listening.
He didn’t have to do anything except stay alive, and for now, as midnight came and went and we stayed with our little birds until sunrise, my boys gave me everything I’d ever need.
21
LOCKE
Orla was an early riser. Nash wasn’t unless he was still awake from the night before. Me, I could go either way. Which is how I found myself alone at her kitchen table while he slept in one room and she got ready for work in another.
I was eating breakfast, drinking tea, and texting with my kids, all while knowing Nash was in dreamland and Orla was half naked.
Colour me content.