Neil sighed softly, but Isaac deserved this—whether it was to bitch or to worry or both. He knew this had to be hard, to love a cop.
And Isaac did love him, he believed it.
“Let’s talk, then, Guapo. I’m ready.”
Isaac had a soft, sympathetic look in his eyes. “I guess it’s not worth my asking you not to go looking for trouble.”
“It’s my job. To look for trouble. It’s what I do.” And he couldn’t be effective and safe.
“It’s definitely what you do, but it’s not really your job. Your job to deal with trouble when it appears.” Isaac rolled his eyes. “But I don’t want to argue. My point is you’re going to do what you do, and I know that. But you’re supposed to call me the minute something happens, and I get to decide what I do next. We have an agreement. Do you need to…discuss it?”
“No.” He wasn’t dumb or anywhere near unaware of his reasons, for all that he acted the simple hick. “No, I was being a dick, punishing both of us because I felt like we were drifting apart. I should have come to you, but I didn’t.” There wasn’t a lot to discuss. He’d needed Isaac. He hadn’t been shot on purpose, but it had been a way to slam open a closing door.
“You? A dick?” Isaac smiled gently, but then his look turned more serious. “I’m sorry I let so much time go by. I felt like I wasn’t enough for you, and I didn’t know how to fix that.”
“And I felt like a shitty human being. I was hurting you, no matter what.” Neil filled his lungs until they burned, then let his truth come out with the air. “I love you. I hate knowing that I’m making you unhappy. I want to be the one that finally did it right.”
“I love you. I was unhappy because I wanted us to work, and we weren’t. I wasn’t sure I knew how to share you, but… Alain… I don’t know. Maybe we should talk about Alain?”
Oh, his kitten. Alain made him feel ten feet tall, yes, but when they’d all been together? When Isaac had taken him while he was loving on Alain? He’d been whole. “Yes, Sir. We should.”
Isaac took his hand. “It’s strange, but I think Alain being here, being with us, makes me feel closer to you. Now that I see it, I get it. What you need, I mean. And how well it can work.”
“I—” He reached out for his Guapo, needing another physical connection. “I think he fits, like a missing puzzle piece.”
That was the best description, because having Alain there didn’t make their connection less solid, just stronger.
Isaac settled against him, head on his chest. “Yes. Like that. He’s…put us back together.” Isaac sighed. “I really like him, Neil. He’s a good man, a good sub, he so obviously cares about us.”
“He is. I want him to stay. I want him to be ours.” Neil stroked Isaac’s dark hair. “I want to be yours. I missed you.”
“I missed you, love.” Isaac stretched up and kissed his chin. “We’re good now. I’ll ask him to stay. Will you?”
“Yes.” And whether the question meant would he stay or would he ask or both, the answer was the same.
Isaac nodded once. “We’ll get you out of your lease. This is what we need, I think, all of us. To be together. To come home to one another.”
He nodded and kissed the top of Isaac’s head. “I’d be happy to be here with y’all.”
He’d wanted a chance to love his man at will for a long time, and now there would be two, if Alain wanted them.
Isaac shifted and sat up, pulling him in for a kiss. His eyes were bright and focused as they pulled apart. “You’re mine, boy. You belong here with me.”
“I am. I do. I want to be here, with you. Sir.” It felt like a vow when the words came out.
His words hung between them as Isaac searched his eyes, then Isaac face broke out in a huge smile. “Finally!” Isaac laughed and hugged him hard. He could feel Isaac’s heart beating fast against him. “My beautiful boy. My own. Finally. Thank you.”
“Yours.” He pushed into another kiss, pouring his entire soul into the connection. Isaac took it and mirrored it too, making so many promises.
“Beignets, coffee! Oh…oh, look at that. I’m a lucky man, me.”
Isaac smiled into their kiss, not quite ending it, just bringing him back to the room a little. He nodded to his Sir, his Guapo, his lover, giving his approval to the question in Isaac’s eyes.
Isaac shifted away from him, leaving an Alain-sized space between them. “Those smell delicious. Thank you. Come sit, Alain.” Isaac waited for Alain to put the tray down and patted the couch.
“I hope you like them. ’s Granmere’s recipe, huh?” Alain beamed and snuggled in, and Neil stole a hard kiss, tasting sugar on his lips.
“Alain, I want you to know that we would never pressure you into making a decision on anything, and you should always feel safe to tell either of us anything, includingno. Truth is important and—”