The Long Game, page 22
Jack whimpered and Grady groaned, an absurdly happy sound that vibrated up the length of Jack’s cock. His orgasm loomed, building low in his body and curling up his spine and drawing his balls up tight.
He pried his fist from his mouth and gasped, of all fucking things, “We should do blood tests.”
And, well, maybe that wasn’t his finest moment, but it sure as hell seemed to work. With a low grunt, Grady’s eyes screwed shut and his hips jerked. He pulled off Jack, his head falling back, his mouth still open in a perfect O as he came into his own hand.
“Oh fuck,” Jack whispered, grasping his own cock as one of Grady’s hands wrapped around it. He ended up with his fingers curled around Grady’s, guiding the speed and tension while Grady gazed up at him, those big dark eyes glazed with lust and post-orgasmic bliss.
Coming all over Grady’s face hadn’t been Jack’s intention, but he couldn’t pretend he had any regrets.
18
Grady took a couple of hours off work Thursday morning, leaving the boys to take their showers and eat something while he went to pick up Jack’s mother for her orthopedist appointment for her knee. Jack had left for the arena at the crack of dawn to oversee the annual maintenance and repairs on the chillers. The arena kept ice in all year, but there were no bookings for the next week so that, should any issues be found, Jack and his team would still have time to get a decent sheet of ice ready for the kids.
Jack had warned him he could be done by noon, but it could also go quite late. He hoped Jack would be done in time to join him and Colton later for their appointment with the lawyer, but he’d understand if not.
Margaret Chevalier met Grady at the door with a cool smile. “I’m sure I could get one of those Ubers to take me.”
“But that would ruin my day,” Grady assured her, stepping aside as she locked the door. He saw how she’d clung to the doorframe in order to step down onto the stoop and offered her his arm for the final three stairs.
She looked at him curiously, then tucked her hand inside his elbow and passed him her cane so she could grip the handrail with her other hand. “You must have better things to do with your time than taking some old lady to the doctor.”
Grady didn’t know much about orthopedics, but it was clear her knee was only one area of concern. She barely limped, but based on how her nails dug into his arm, her hips might bother her more than the knee. “You’re not just some old lady, and I’m more than happy to help.”
She sniffed, her face settled into a bland, slightly grouchy expression. Grady could tell she was in pain and wondered how much she’d been masking from Jack and everyone else in her life.
The good thing about an early appointment was the doctor hadn’t had time to fall behind yet, so Jack’s mom was in and out of X-ray in a matter of minutes and then went straight in to see the doctor. Grady stood when she came back into the waiting area, trying not to hover while she checked out with the administrator behind the sliding glass window. He was an inveterate eavesdropper, though, and heard the young man assure Margaret that someone would call her about scheduling the surgery.
Margaret cast a furtive look at Grady and nodded. “Fine.”
Grady pursed his lips. He’d talk to Jack about that, too.
The drive home was quiet, and as soon as he parked he jumped from the car and went to open her door. She seemed confused, but took his arm again.
“I met those boys of yours,” she said as they walked to the door.
“They told me. Colton seems to be counting the minutes until he can return and learn French.”
Margaret snorted in a way that reminded Grady of Jack. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”
“I can ask him to leave it alone,” Grady said, but Margaret was shaking her head before he’d finished making the offer.
“It’s fine. Someone has to make sure he doesn’t end up butchering the language.”
“I appreciate your help. His return to school will probably be difficult and the extra support will make a big difference.”
Margaret appeared thoughtful as they slowly climbed the stairs. She never showed any sign of pain, but Grady wasn’t fooled. He’d bet each step up hurt like a son of a bitch.
Once they reached the stoop, he took her key and handed her back her cane, holding the screen door wide and opening the inner door for her. Rather than step inside, she paused and looked up at him. “It’s a good thing. What you’re doing for those boys.”
Grady smiled but it felt a little wobbly. He was surprised how much he’d needed to hear that. It wasn’t that he didn’t think he was doing the right thing, or a good thing, or that he’d needed validation or some shit but…yeah, it was nice to hear. Particularly from someone who had made it patently clear she was never going to pretend to be nicer than she was.
“Thank you, Maman Chevalier,” Grady said sincerely. “That means a lot.”
Margaret nodded once, then used the doorframe and her cane to step up into the house. She turned to shut the door, her usual resting bitch face firmly back in place. “Tell Colton I’d like a latte when he comes back,” she said.
Grady smiled. “I’ll be sure to do that.”
And maybe it was wishful thinking, but he chose to believe her last nod was a thank you.
* * *
Jack stepped out into the staff parking lot, happy to be done working in the bowels of the arena and to feel the sun on his face. His team was great and the chillers had only needed basic maintenance, but it had still seemed like a long morning in the cold, dark engineering room.
Of course, it didn’t help that he’d woken up twitchy as all hell. Well, okay, he’d woken up in Grady’s arms, snuggled against his chest, and it had been heavenly. Then he’d thought how quickly he’d gotten used to starting his days like that.
The last week had been…a lot. Good. Fantastic. But also busy and new and unlike any that had come before, so maybe the fact that he felt so damn nervy was to be expected.
What the fuck did Jack know about being in a relationship? Nothing. But he was pretty sure it was kind of weird that it was going this well. That he was so completely at home with Grady and fine with waking up in his arms. Hell, it had been four days and he already dreaded the idea of staying alone at his own house for a night. In his own fucking bed, for Christ’s sake.
He felt doomed to fuck this up. He wasn’t someone who got close to people. Hell, his own mother barely tolerated him most of the time. What if he was being too clingy? What if he accidentally pushed Grady away?
Checking his watch, he saw he still had a few hours until he had to meet Grady and Colton at the lawyer’s office. Grady was working while Colton was having lunch with Christian, and Jack very much needed to do something besides sit around and pine for Grady, so he texted Sam and asked if he wanted to come along on an adventure.
What better distraction could there be than an infant just home from the hospital? Also, based on the updates he’d received, Savannah was desperate for some adult company—she no longer included her doting, overprotective, worry-wart husbands in that category—between now and when her parents arrived the following day.
Sam, bless him, readily agreed. Jack picked him up after hitting the florist, the bakery, the toy store, and Maria’s Italian Restaurant, then headed out of the city, chatting all the way. Sam was happy with how his interview with the owner of the Dipsy Doodle Dangle Café had gone. It didn’t sound like he was going to need any help from Jack to land the job.
Sam gazed in awe at the fields of sunflowers in all directions as they drew up in front of the farmhouse. Usually it was corn and Jack could admit the sunflowers were a dramatic change. By August, they’d be taller than Grady, their huge black and yellow faces heavy with seeds, enough to bow their stalks.
“This is so cool,” Sam said as he hopped out of the truck, arms full of bags. “More like home than the city.”
Jack was about to propose a road trip so Sam and Colton could see more of the countryside when the front door popped open and Rhian stepped out.
Sam froze, one bag slipping from his fingers and landing on his feet, then glared at Jack. “That’s Rhian Savage. He’s a motherfucking NHL player.”
Jack let out a startled laugh. “Yes. And he’s my friend.”
“There should be a rule about not springing famous people on other people without warning,” Sam hissed.
Jack grinned. “Wait until you meet Christian’s dads.”
“Colton already warned me about that and told me about the Ice Cats. I never realized Moncton is some kind of queer hockey Mecca.”
“You’d be surprised,” Rhian said with a chuckle as he trotted down the stairs from the front porch.
Sam plastered a bright smile on his face. “Hi!”
Rhian took one of the bags and shook Sam’s hand, introducing himself like he hadn’t heard their exchange. Jack smirked at the awe on Sam’s face.
Summer tan and bulked up for the new season, Rhian was something to behold.
Jack led the way inside the house and followed the sound of voices to the kitchen. Once there, he handed out food and gifts and flowers while he introduced Sam to Savannah, Garrick, and Fiona.
In hindsight, Jack should have given Sam a few more details about this unusual family before they’d arrived. He’d make sure to point out the need for discretion on the way back into town. Sam, for his part, looked confused for about five seconds, then accepted a cup of coffee and settled in to talk. Ten minutes later, he asked if he could hold Fiona.
“She’s fussy today,” Savannah warned as she placed the baby in Sam’s hands. “I’ll take her back if it’s too much.”
“I’ve got it,” Sam said easily, popping the baby onto his shoulder like it was nothing. Jack was terrified just watching them pass a tiny person between them.
Fiona fussed, as promised, but Sam paced the kitchen, bouncing with his knees and patting her back. The fretful noises stopped.
Savannah’s eyebrows went up. “Wow.”
“My mom used to call me the baby whisperer,” Sam said with a sad smile before adding, bitterly, “and then there was the year they made me hold a baby almost non-stop so my natural womanly inclination to bear children for the menfolk would kick in.”
Savannah pursed her lips. “How’d that work out?”
“Womanly urges aren’t really my thing,” Sam said dryly, his hand rubbing circles on Fiona’s back.
“Whatever the fuck those are,” Savannah agreed as she arranged the flowers in a vase.
Sam’s smile flicked back to life. “Yeah, right.”
“Your mom had a point about the baby whispering thing, though. She’s been fussing since dawn.”
“Awww, poor little nugget,” Sam cooed, kissing the side of Fiona’s head. “You do look sleepy.” Sam turned so Fiona’s parents could see her slow, heavy blinks. “If you point me in the right direction, I can see if she’ll let me put her down in her crib.”
“You’re hired,” Savannah said with a smile.
Sam chuckled. “I wish.”
Savannah gave Sam her undivided attention. “If you’re truly interested, we could use another set of hands around here for the rest of the summer. We go back to Boston at the end of August, so it won’t last long, but—”
“Yes. Yes, please.” Sam’s face lit up with a big smile. “I have a car so I can get out here any time. I’m waiting to hear if I got a job at a coffee shop in town, but—”
“We can work around your schedule if it’s not too much for you to take on. There’s plenty to do here any time of day.”
“For real?” Sam asked.
“Yes, for real.”
Sam grinned. “Awesome. Now, point me to the nursery and I’ll see if I can get naptime going.”
“You’re my hero,” Savannah said. “And you can’t miss it. It’s right at the top of the stairs.”
Sam was still grinning as he bounce-walked out the door. Fiona didn’t seem to like that much and got fussy again. They all listened to the creak of the stairs and Fiona’s little noises getting fainter until Sam’s voice and Fiona’s objections came through the monitor on the counter.
Garrick waved Jack to one side of the long table while he slid onto the bench on the other.
Savannah placed the vase of flowers on the far end of the table where they wouldn’t be in the way. “Think I can convince Sam to move to Boston with us?”
Jack grinned. “You can ask, but you’re going to have to fight Grady for him. He just got his little brother back. I don’t think he’s going to want to let Sam out of his sight for a good long while.”
“Can’t blame him,” Rhian said as he puttered around the kitchen, refilling Jack’s coffee and Savannah’s water. Jack noted the way he touched Garrick’s shoulder on the way past, just because he could, and realized he could do the same with Grady now.
Probably.
Unless…unless some people found that kind of thing annoying? Jack didn’t know if he would find it annoying. He didn’t think so. After years of going virtually untouched, or only rarely so, he wanted Grady’s hands on him all the time.
Maybe that was why he was so twitchy. With all four of them shoehorned into Grady’s apartment, there wasn’t time or space for, well, a lot of things.
He noticed Garrick eyeing him and sat up straighter, stopped bouncing his leg, and tried to rein in his racing thoughts.
“You look like you’re about to crawl out of your own skin.”
And damn Garrick for knowing him so well. Jack thought about lying but Garrick would see through that, too.
“Grady and I are together,” Jack blurted.
It was Garrick’s turn to sit up straight. “Yeah?” A huge smile grew on his face.
“I mean, after we talked in the hospital, I went to his place and we…”
“Banged like a screen door in a hurricane?” Garrick asked, positively gleeful.
Rhian clapped a hand over his face. Savannah sighed as she sat at the head of the table, shaking her head mournfully.
Jack glared at his friend. “No,” he said. Then allowed, “Well, not exactly. We’re working on that. Grady’s apartment is a madhouse right now, and the boys need our attention.”
“Our,” Garrick repeated.
“Well, yeah, Grady needs help,” Jack said, wondering why he sounded defensive. He didn’t feel defensive about it.
Garrick put his hands up. “I’m not judging. Honestly, I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. You’ve always been a good friend, Jack, even before things changed between you and Grady.”
“That’s just it,” Jack said, trying to put the thrum of nerves under his skin into words. “It’s only been a few days. I don’t know shit about dating, but I’ve seen a lot of people do it and I didn’t think I would feel so…”
Garrick cocked his head, waiting for Jack to find the right word.
Rhian slid onto the bench beside Jack until their shoulders bumped together. “Vulnerable?”
Jack sighed. “I guess. I just—I don’t want to screw this up. I don’t want to be needy. No one likes that, right?”
“That depends,” Garrick said with a shrug. “Everyone’s relationship is different. What do you mean by needy, though?”
“I don’t know…I want to be with him all the time. And when we’re together, I have this constant urge to touch him.”
Garrick exchanged knowing looks with his partners. “And what does Grady think about that?”
“Well, I haven’t said anything to him about it. I mean, it’s only been a few days. And that’s weird, too, right? I should sleep at my own house sometimes and give him space.”
“Do you want to?”
“No,” Jack admitted.
“Has Grady asked you to?”
“No.”
“So, why would you do that?”
Jack shrugged again. “I don’t know. It feels too good too fast. Aren’t we supposed to be figuring things out?”
“And you’re not?” Savannah asked curiously.
“No,” Jack admitted. “But not in a bad way. More like things are already figured out.”
“You two have been close friends for a long time,” Garrick pointed out. “It makes sense you already know a lot about each other’s likes and dislikes. Where your strengths and weaknesses are.”
Jack shook his head. “I think we still have things to learn.”
“Of course,” Rhian agreed. “I’m still learning about Sav and Garrick. Until today I didn’t think Garrick would actually ask someone if they were banging like a screen door in a hurricane, but here we are," he said with an affectionate look for his ridiculous husband. “But seriously, just this week I realized that I had no idea what kind of parents Savannah and Garrick would be. Hell, I didn’t know what kind of parent I would be. So…we’re learning that. About ourselves and each other.”
“Yeah?” Jack asked, thinking how he’d never seen the big brother side of Grady until this past week. And it hadn’t changed how Jack felt at all. Well, except he maybe liked Grady even more. “I hadn’t considered that.”
Rhian nodded. “If you’d asked me, I would have said Savannah would have us organized down to the last detail, but it turns out she’s super laid-back. And Garrick, who tends to be more of a bull in the china shop and brazen things out, is proving to be a worrier.”
“Says the man who stood by the crib watching Fiona sleep for hours until we dragged you back to bed,” Garrick said.
“Not because I was worried,” Rhian admitted, his cheeks going red. “I just…”
Savannah’s hand slid over Rhian’s, while Garrick’s ankle hooked around Rhian’s under the table.
“I can’t believe it’s real,” Rhian admitted. “I can’t believe she’s mine. Ours.”
Jack watched the way they looked at each other and wished Grady was there to see it, too.
“Jack, can I ask you something?” Savannah said, drawing him out of his musings.
