Oh, man. It would be weird to stay at Rick’s, but the place was a damn mansion, not to mention beautiful. “You sure that’s… I don’t know, appropriate?”
“He loved you like you were his own. He’d want you there.”
He closed his eyes, refusing to cry. If he was a believer—and he was—then he had to believe that Rick was in a better place, where his pain was over. That was nothing to wail about. “All right. Do you need anything? Like right now, I mean?”
“Nah. I’m going to bed. I’m pondering sleeping for three days. Call me tomorrow with times and such, okay?”
“Will do. Love you, Pop.”
“I love you more. Night, son.”
Early hung up and made himself a cup of coffee, knowing he wasn’t heading back to bed.
He watched it brew and had just taken his first eye-opening sip when Connor wandered in wearing slippers and a thick robe. “Too early for coffee,” Connor mumbled and walked right up to lean in. “Can’t sleep?”
“Pop called. It’s over.” It was never too early for coffee.
“Oh. I’m sorry. But it’s cold, honey. Come on back to bed.” Connor’s hand slipped into his.
He wasn’t going to be able to sleep, but he could play Candy Crush and drink coffee and relax. “All right. We can do that.”
“Good. We can stoke up the fire when we get up there.” Connor led him upstairs. “Do you want to leave as soon as they’re done with school? I’ll take the day off and pack us all up.”
“It’s up to you, love. You’ll need Friday, Monday and Tuesday at the least. Can you take Thursday too?” God, that would be good, to have another set of hands, someone to be there to make noise.
“Honey, I’ll take the week. Okay? I can get a couple of hours in there if I need to, I’ll just bring my laptop. We’ll tell the kids’ teachers.”
“Thank you.” He put his coffee on the bedside table and grabbed Connor’s hand, holding on.
Connor fussed over him, helping him back into bed, getting them settled together so he could lie on Connor’s chest. “There, now.” Connor pulled the blankets back up, warming them both. “We don’t have to sleep; we can just be here. Okay? Together?”
“Yeah. Pop sounded wrecked. He wants us to stay at Rick’s with the boys.” Was that okay? Was that good with Connor?
“Whoa, that’s kind of…weird, isn’t it? To stay…what did you tell him?”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, tickled to death. “I said it was weird.”
Connor’s chest vibrated and his abs jumped with the giggles. “But we’re doing it anyway, aren’t we?”
“I guess so, yeah. I can get with Demming about the ranch details while we’re there.” Demming had been Uncle Rick’s lover once upon a time and had been the ranch manager for decades.
“I haven’t met Demming, have I? He always seemed like a busy guy. That’ll be good I guess.” Connor’s fingers slid through his hair and rubbed his nape. His husband loved to touch.
“You’ve seen him at Christmas and all. He’s quiet, but you liked him well enough.” Demming was a master at blending.
“Wow, okay. Well, I’ll pay better attention?” Connor sighed. “Okay so we’re staying in a…haunted house. Got it. Are you okay? Tell me what’s on your mind. I know who he was to you, hon.”
“I’m just tired. It breaks my heart that he died so hard, but I know he has to be at peace now. I’m not sure what I’m going to tell the boys, but they’re going to have to love on their Papaw pretty hard.”
“You just tell them that. That your dad is sad because he lost a friend and needs extra love and lots of help. Hell, you need some extra love too.”
“Yeah.” Part of him wanted to tell Pop the kids were sick, the car had problems, they couldn’t come, but that was the bullshit coward’s way out, and he wouldn’t take it, dammit.
“Don’t worry, the kids always make your parents happy. They love the boys. Just having them there will be good for them.”
“True that.” He had to grin. His folks had fussed when he’d come out of the closet, not because he was gay, but because they weren’t going to have grandbabies. But Connor was determined to make it happen, and it was one of the reasons he knew they were meant for each other. He hadn’t been sure he was destined to be a father, but Connor showed him he was.
And now they had two of the wildest amazing monkeys in the world.