They could eat.
He was going to drink.
Beck grabbed him and planted the kind of kiss on him that he wasn’t sure Parker should be watching. “Joking, babe. A bad one, apparently.”
“Oh. Oh, Jesus. Yay.” He leaned against Beck, feeling like an ass, but never so fucking tickled to be wrong. “You scared me. I thought you knew, but then…damn. Sorry, love.”
“I knew. I know.” Beck laughed and set him upright. “I thought you’d know I was joking. So sorry. God.”
“So. Gross. Ugh. Can I get another beer?”
“Go on, child.” Sky waved him off to beg another kiss from his Beck. “Christ, babe. You scared me. For a second there, I thought you were going to ask me to leave.”
Beck held him tight. “No. No, never. I did that once and regretted it for years. You’re stuck with me. I love you. I am so sorry.”
“I love you. He’s scared, and he’s pissed as all get-out because I’m announcing my retirement.”
“Ah. I knew something was up. I wasn’t going to let him leave like that. To be fair, he was probably upset because I didn’t take the idea that he thought you’d ride very well. Even though I knew he was wrong.”
“I don’t think I got it in me, even if I didn’t have a broke everything. Maybe. If I had to, but…” He didn’t want to.
“But you don’t have to.” Beck kissed him as Parker came back out on the deck.
“Dammit. I shouldn’t have given up those keys.”
“Fuck off, Park. Pull the chicken off and I’ll have Beck find you a date.”
“Yeah, okay. Dick.” Parker grabbed the plate and dealt with the chicken.
“Aw, you guys are so cute when you fight.” Beck started cleaning up beer bottles.
“You should see us beat each other up in a parking lot. That’s fucking adorable.” Parker was cackling before Sky got the words out.
“Fucking cowboys.” Beck was laughing though, right along with them. “Let’s eat out here. I’ll get us plates and silverware and stuff.”
“Sounds good. Can you bring the Italian dressing and those cherry tomatoes out, Park? The tomatoes are in the bowl I need.”
“On it.”
He watched as Beck threw an arm around Parker’s shoulders and dragged the kid inside.
Good lord and butter, what a clusterfuck. At least there was chicken to go with it.
21
“Did we drink as much as Parker when we were twenty-five?” Beck closed the bedroom door and took his shirt off, tossing it into the hamper. They’d gotten Parker tucked into bed after the kid drank half the beer in the house. “I mean, we drank, but like that?”
“We did a fair amount, yeah. I remember a few wild nights.” Sky was going for easy, but there was worry in his husband’s eyes.
He moved close to help Sky get undressed—not that his husband needed the help. Beckett just wanted to touch, and he thought maybe Sky might too. “He’s really worried, hm? I didn’t realize it was that bad.”
“We aren’t ranchers or singers or commentators. I don’t know. I guess he has a reason to worry.”
Beck tipped Sky’s face up and looked into his eyes, searching them before he said anything. “You’re still worried too?”
“About us? No. About what I’m supposed to do when I grow up? A little bit.”
“Did you try making lists? Things you like, things you want to try, things you’re good at?” He liked lists, but he was a lawyer. Step-by-step was his thing. Sky was more of a…bumper car kind of guy. Or a pinball.