Preston might entertain it for a moment, but Shane would shut me down immediately. While he definitely was attached to us and I knew the three of us were long-term, Shane was not one to stop what had become his “normal” to entertain my selfish ideas.
Besides, this was only for a few more days. Then, I’d be cleared by Preston, and I could return to training once more and get back into my normal routine, too.
I grabbed my coffee mug off the end table beside the couch and headed into the kitchen. I was rinsing it out to stick it in the dishwasher when a knock sounded on the apartment door. Frowning, I set the mug in the sink, then dried my hands before going to answer the door. An older man, probably somewhere around his fifties, and a younger man who looked to be near thirty were on the other side of the door. I frowned at them, bracing a hand on the doorframe to bar their entrance, should they even attempt to enter.
“Who the fuck are you?” I demanded.
“Spencer Wreath,” the younger guy said, thrusting his hand out toward me. I just eyed it, not bothering to shake it. His smile didn’t falter a single bit. “Zeppelin sent us. I’m his son-in-law, and this is my dad, Jaxon.” He gestured to Jaxon. “He’s Zeppelin’s husband.”
“And why is Zeppelin sending strangers to my home?” I demanded, still not budging. I wasn’t allowing some fucking creeps inside the apartment both my men lived in. Didn’t matter that they weren’t home. I didn’t know either of these fucks, which meant I didn’t trust them.
“Zeppelin is worried about Shane,” Jaxon spoke up then, his voice deep and smooth.
I snorted. “Worried. Right,” I drawled. “Tell your husband to keep his nose out of everyone else’s business, yeah? And if he has concerns about Shane, he should take it up with him. Not me.”
I moved to shut the door, but Jaxon pressed his hand against it. I sighed in annoyance, glaring at him. “I’m warning you to remove your hand right fucking now, or I’ll smash it in the door frame,” I warned him. I didn’t want to cause trouble for Shane at work by injuring his boss’s husband, but I already had practically zero patience. The little I usually possessed was already fucking gone.
“Dad…” Spencer said quietly.
Jaxon only evenly met my gaze, not backing down. “We’re not the enemy, X. But we will be if you don’t just hold a sensible conversation with us. Shane, while he probably doesn’t know it, is family to Zeppelin. If you let us in, we can explain more, and maybe you’ll understand Zeppelin’s protectiveness over Shane.”
I cocked my head to the side the slightest bit, but finally, curiosity won out and I released the door, letting them inside. Turning, I strode into the kitchen and put my mug in the dishwasher, then made my way to the kitchen table. I gestured for Jaxon and Spencer to sit across from me. When they did, I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest, arching a brow at them. “Well?” I asked.
“Zeppelin stopped Shane from committing suicide,” Jaxon informed me. Some of my agitation bled away into understanding. “He gave Shane stability as a tattoo artist. It gave Shane a purpose and a routine. When Shane abruptly called Zeppelin and told him he was going to appointments only, Zeppelin panicked. He doesn’t want to see Shane fall back into that headspace.”
“He’s fine here,” I said. There was literally zero for them to be worrying about. Shane had even already returned to work full time. Shouldn’t Zeppelin’s fears be null now?
Spencer smiled. “All we want to know is that you and Preston will look out for him. Keep an eye on the signs. Shane is the quiet type?—”
“Is he?” I interrupted him, not believing him for a second. “Because he’s constantly putting me in my place and reprimanding me like a child.” I liked it, but they didn’t need to know that.
Jaxon smirked, a chuckle resonating from his chest. I could see what Zeppelin saw in him. The man was hot as fuck. A real DILF, to be honest. And his son was the spitting image of him—just a younger version.
“I think,” he finally said after exchanging words with Spencer without either of them opening their mouths, “that Shane is going to be fine. I think being with you and Preston will give him another purpose, and I think your… personality will make him feel like he’s in control again.”
I snorted. “Sure, old man.”
Jaxon rolled his eyes, then pushed back from the table. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome?—”
A fake smile tilted my lips. “Sure don’t,” I drawled, interrupting him and not caring how rude it was.
He narrowed his eyes at me like he wanted to say something but decided against it. Smart man. “But I’m extending an invite for you, Preston, and Shane to come to family dinner on Sunday night. I’ll make sure Zeppelin mentions it to Shane as well, so you won’t be tempted to conveniently forget.”
I gasped and dramatically placed my hand over my heart, feigning offense. “Who, me?”
Spencer laughed and stood as well. Jaxon was not as amused if his eye roll was anything to go by.
“I hope to see you three there. I think both you and Shane could do with some real family.”
“We’re family enough,” I said coolly. But even after they left, I sat there, contemplating their invitation. Regardless of if I wanted to share Preston and Shane with even more people, and regardless of my feelings on the invite, I knew Preston could do with some familial love. He wasn’t like me and Shane. He needed friends and family and human interaction.
Muttering a curse, I pushed back from the table. Looked like we were attending a family fucking dinner, whether I liked it or not.
The shit I did for my man.
Chapter 30
Shane