“Yes, that’s my man. So fucking hot.” Connor kissed him, nipped at his chin, nuzzled into his neck. “Love you.”
“God, I love you. So much.” He wrapped his arms around Connor, holding on tight.
“I know. I do.” Connor hugged him back, breathing with him, in and out, as real as they could be.
He nodded, telling himself this was ridiculous. It was a month. Not the end of the world. A month.
“We’re okay, honey. We’re lucky. You know we are.” Connor settled in his lap, easing up on the hug.
“We are. I just feel…like I’m doing something wrong.”
“Hey.” Connor kissed him again. “If you’re doing something wrong, then at least we’re doing it together. Focus on what you need to do. I will too. And we’ll keep talking. Every day, okay? We’ll FaceTime you after dinner.”
“Yeah.” That weird sensation hit him again. What if they didn’t need him?
“It’ll be an adventure. The boys don’t listen to me the way they do you. And I’m not half the cook you are either.” Connor sighed. “I can do it though.”
“And I’m going to work my ass off getting this place back on track. I swear to god.” He was going to make this place shipshape.
“I would expect nothing less. That’s what it needs. I know when we come back it’ll be incredible.”
“I’m going to have the bedroom painted for us, and replace the mattress, so it’s ours.”
Connor nodded. “That’s a great room. I love the view.”
“And a firm lock on the secret room door so the boys don’t try bungee jumping?”
“God, yes.” Connor’s laugh sounded the most relaxed it had been in days. “They’re not allowed in the hot tub either.”
“No. I’ll put in a pool.” With a gate. A fence. Maybe an electric fence.
Connor’s eyes lit up. “Right, I forgot you’re rich now. You can just…put in a pool. Crazy.”
“We, babe.We.” That was important.
“Sorry. We. Of course. I just never thought of myself as a rancher. This is…wild.”
“Yeah. We’ll figure it, right? You and me.” Because the alternative wasn’t reasonable.
Early needed his family.
7
“Ican’t find my other shoe.” Jayden ran back up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
Connor sighed. Of all the challenges of the last two weeks, getting the boys out the door in the morning was the worst. “Come on, guys, you’re going to miss the bus.”
Jaxson turned in circles in the kitchen. “Did you make lunch, Dad?”
Oh, fuck. “No. I uh…you guys are going to buy lunch today.” He dug out his wallet. How much was lunch anyway? Shit. “A treat.”
“Yeah? Cool!”
“Cool.” He stuffed ten dollars in each of their backpacks. “Don’t lose it, okay?”
“Okay!”
“Found my shoe!”