by Jaime Reese
His eyes rounded. She could bake one heck of a flaky pastry and had formulated some of the most delicious cream-filled recipes he had ever tasted. But the thought of her using her piping skills to decorate the exterior with more than a simple happy face…
“I was joking,” she said with a grin. “But you should have seen your face. It was priceless.”
A nervous chuckle escaped. For the last few months, he had spent hours practicing his piping to create different star shapes, petals, leaves, flowers, lines with pinpoint precision and large smooth, flat sweeps. There was still so much to learn and master.
The flashing light of the front door opening caught their attention.
“You’ve got a cake to assemble and we’ve got someone up front wanting to spend some money.” She squeezed his shoulder before leaving him to his work.
He took a deep breath, feeling a lightness in his spirit. He hadn’t realized how much his memories had weighed him down until he had opened up to Gabriel and now Natalie.
Ben pulled his phone out of his back pocket and shot off a quick text. I love you.
His pulse spiked when the dots instantly bounced on his screen. But do you love me more than hamburgers?
He bit his bottom lip, smiling while typing his reply. More than a buffet of burgers, hot dogs, greasy pizza, and cake. He had to start assembling the six-layer cake plus he had made a few bite-sized cupcakes he needed to decorate. He looked down at his phone when it vibrated with a text.
I still love you more.
Warmth spread through his entire body as he typed out his reply. I’ll show you how much I love you when I get home.
Can’t wait. :)
Neither could he.
They sat at a small table set in the corner of the hotel’s restaurant. The dining area was dark, but the small candle in the table’s centerpiece emitted enough light to read lips and see the signs. Ben stared across the table, smiling at Gabriel enjoying his steak. Poor guy needed a break from burgers and pizza. He never complained, but Ben noticed a few more hours were logged at the gym every week.
“What did you wear?” Ben signed when Gabriel looked up at him.
“You mean this?” He looked down at his black T-shirt. The black cotton wrapped snugly around his muscles and across his chest. He glanced back up at him, questioning.
Ben shook his head. After a few more text and phone call apologies, Gabriel reluctantly forgave his sister. Hurting Ben had been so far outside of her character, Gabriel knew it hadn’t been intentional. But his del Toro stubbornness and protectiveness demanded he hang on to the anger a bit longer than expected.
“When you took your sister to the movies that day with your two football friends.”
A wide smile spread across Gabriel’s face. “I still can’t believe she told you about that. She’s got more skills than I thought. It took me months to get all that history from you. And she gets it all in half an hour after telling you one story?”
“You get sex.”
“Good point.”
Ben arched an eyebrow at Gabriel’s heated stare. He cleared his throat. Sprouting a boner in the middle of the hotel’s restaurant wasn’t ideal. “Answer the question,” he signed, straightening as a chill rippled through his body at the lingering heat in Gabriel’s eyes.
“I had a big sword.”
“I bet you did,” Ben signed as he leaned back in his seat.
The sudden smile split Gabriel’s face. His eyes shone with that teasing playfulness that always made Ben’s heart skip a beat. He pushed his empty plate aside and signed. “I really did. But the guys said it wasn’t fair. So they rallied every kid in that theater to even the score with some fairy tale of their own about me needing to be ‘welcomed into their movie kingdom with a token if they wanted to accept me in their court.’ So I got jewelry. I think I got a sparkly bracelet, big diamond ring, or gold bead necklace from every kid in that theater that night.”
Ben’s entire body vibrated with laughter. He shook his head, smiling as he stared at Gabriel, wondering what the hell he had done to be so lucky to have this man. Most times, Gabriel was the protective guardian. Other times, he was the big teasing guy with the devilish grin, playful eyes, and manipulative dimple. But underneath it all, he was always the caring, considerate man Ben loved who made his heart beat a little quicker.
“What?” Gabriel asked. “I couldn’t say no to all those little princesses wanting to give me jewelry. It would have hurt their feelings.”
Ben instantly folded his index, middle, and ring finger into his palm, leaving his pinky and thumb out as he pushed his hand down. “That,” he signed, “is one of the many reasons why I love you.” It was nice to be honest about his feelings and know that Gabriel felt the same. But in the back of his mind, he couldn’t fight the tiny tug that kept nagging him. The mental reprimand that warned him that loving someone too much would only lead to a broken heart.
A large, warm hand reached out to him. He glanced up at Gabriel.
“I’ve already told you,” Gabriel said, speaking slowly, carefully mouthing each word. “I’m not going anywhere. This isn’t temporary.”
Ben’s heart thundered. Gabriel’s mind-reading skill was another reason he loved this man so much. That, and his sixth sense for detecting those moments when Ben was at the edge of sanity and losing his balance.
“Can we go for a walk?” he asked.
With a quick nod, Gabriel settled the check.
Hand in hand, they walked along the shore. Ben would never tire of the salty air and hint of water sprayed up by the ocean. The beach was beautiful during the day, bright with the sun and full of color with the ocean’s blue hues and the sprinkle of colors from all the umbrellas and bathing suits. At night, it was magical. The full moon offered enough lighting to accent the crests of waves coming in from the ocean and usually lit a few feet of walking distance in their path. But tonight, with the cloud-covered sky, there was almost total blackness except for the occasional white water of a curling wave and the dots of light from the boats on the distant horizon.
It reminded him that he was a tiny piece in the world’s puzzle. That even without the sprinkle of color and bright lights, there, in the darkest of night, there was still beauty to be appreciated.
Hours later, they sat in bed watching TV. Ben pulled his attention away from the screen when Gabriel paused the movie to sign a question.
“Are you going to tell me what’s been bothering you for hours or do I have to guess?”
He chewed his lip, wondering how much he could say without triggering that tic in Gabriel’s jaw.
“Did something happen to Calvin?”
Ben blinked. Repeatedly.
A knowing half smile crept up Gabriel’s cheek. “I figured that’s who you were texting when you got home from our walk.”
He would never get over how easily Gabriel read him. He narrowed his eyes. His Gabriel was good, but he wasn’t that much of a mind-reader. “Did Matt call you?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Julian did. Told me Calvin was having a hard time.”
Ben nodded. “His father visited the house today. Told him he wanted to see his son for Father’s Day. But Cal said it was his father’s twisted way of giving himself the gift of making his son feel like crap.”
“Ah,” Gabriel said, leaning back against the headboard. “I get it. Probably the same present my dad has planned for himself this weekend.”
Ben reached out and ran his fingers along Gabriel’s jaw. He was both excited to meet Gabriel’s father but equally worried. “Cal doesn’t have anyone else. Just his father. And his life is pretty much limited to Halfway House and his job. He’s so distant I’m surprised we’re friends.”
“Because you’re Ben. And you’re irresistible.”
His cheeks heated. “I worry about him.”
“You worry and care about everyone.”
A weak smile pulled the corner of his mouth. “Sorry.”
“Don’t
ever apologize for being you.” Gabriel leaned over and pressed their mouths together in a soft kiss. “How long does he have left at the house?”
“A little over a month. I’m not sure he’s going to make it.”
“I can talk to Julian and Matt. Put in the paperwork to see if they’d give him a furlough to come here. Maybe the change in scenery for a day or two will do him some good. I know his record. If a furlough for personal reasons is a problem for whatever reason, I can see if a business-related consultation would be a better reason.”
He couldn’t have controlled the bubble of hope if he tried. “You can do that?”
“I’m evaluating buildings for security. He could…provide some insight. I don’t know…I’ll find a way to spin it.” Gabriel raised his hand. “Don’t get too excited. There’s no guarantee it can happen. Since we’re not his family, it might require us to jump through a few hoops. And maybe living in a hotel is an automatic rejection. But we won’t know unless we try.”
“You really don’t have to do that. I know you’re not his biggest fan.”
“At first,” Gabriel said with a laugh as he signed. “Only because I didn’t know what he was up to. Until I figured out he was too busy wondering if I was good enough for you.” He pressed another kiss to Ben’s cheek before he continued signing, “I can’t hate the guy for wanting to protect you.”
Ben blew out a shaky breath, clearly seeing the love staring back at him.
“I don’t expect to be the only person who matters in your life,” Gabriel signed, stopping to brush away the hair from Ben’s eyes. “I just want to be one of them.”
There weren’t enough memory pieces in his mind to remember this moment…this feeling. “You matter most,” he signed, then sealed their lips in a kiss. He traced every curve of Gabriel’s body as their unhurried kiss continued.
After breaking away from the kiss, he absently slid his hand down Gabriel’s chest with a sigh.
He stilled when his wrist was captured. He stared into Gabriel’s eyes as his hand was guided back up Gabriel’s chest, over his beating heart. The heartbeat thumping under Ben’s palm was strong and steady.
“You matter most to me too,” Gabriel said before leaning in.
Ben’s vision blurred as their mouths pressed together in another kiss. The pulse under his palm beat faster. Harder.
For him.
Gabriel’s heart was as big as the man himself.
And there wasn’t a doubt in Ben’s mind that it belonged to him.
Father’s Day
Bull tugged at his tie and took a step back, staring at his reflection for the hundredth time. He used the hair product that didn’t make his head itch and did that sweep thing in the front the way Serg had explained months ago. His hair was longer, but with the industrial-grade goop, it still worked.
He leaned in and scowled at the microscopic speck on his dark suit. Brushing it off, he pulled at his cuffs and rolled his shoulders, shaking off the building tension. He took a deep breath and exhaled, willing the tightness in his shoulders to fade and the negative what-ifs in his mind to vanish. Maybe going into this dinner, hoping things might be different was proof he had officially lost his damn mind. There was no reason to believe tonight would be different. But he couldn’t stop his silly heart from wishing his dad would give him a pat on the back or an attaboy like he used to when he was a kid.
With a growl, he pulled at the tie’s knot and loosened it, yanking it from around his shirt collar. If he was going to dinner, he was going to be himself. Not the prim and proper illusion he hoped would earn his father’s approval.
Ben leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom. Damn, the man looked good enough to eat. With the short notice and long list of cake orders to fill for different Pride celebrations, Ben hadn’t had time for much this week, let alone time to shop for a suit. Thankfully, Matt had a closet full of them and somehow convinced Ben to take one.
The sleek black suit fit him like a glove and matched his dark hair. Wearing nothing else but a crisp white shirt, he looked sharp yet casual and ready to strut his sexy ass down the catwalk.
“Don’t wear the tie,” Ben signed. “This isn’t work. It’s dinner with your father.”
Bull nodded, even though his body felt the weight of a high-stress assignment. Faking his best half smile, he couldn’t resist the urge to tease. “And we’ll match if I don’t wear one.”
Ben pushed off the doorframe. “I know you’re worried. But we agreed, if things don’t go well, we leave. No questions asked. Okay?”
It was exactly the reassurance he needed. With another deep breath, he nodded. He stood still and admired Ben’s intense focus on even the smallest tasks as he undid the top two buttons of Bull’s shirt. His green eyes seemed to pop in color more than usual, likely from the contrasting dark suit. His hair was styled away from his eyes and held in place with some of that magical goop.
Ben took a step back and cleared his throat. He repeatedly flattened his hands down his sides, finally stopping the nervous movements to sign. “You’re staring again. Do I look okay?”
“You look sexy as hell in that suit.”
The wicked smile on Ben’s face was telling. “So do you. Why do you think I had to take a step back?”
Heat rippled through Bull’s body as Ben’s appraising gaze assessed him from head to toe.
He made a mental note… They should play dress up more often.
Thirty minutes later, they stood on the porch of his childhood home. It was still the same beige color with trimmed hedges along the perimeter and paved path to the house. The same big tree in the front lawn and the same concrete half-moon mailbox painted to match the house colors.
Still a beautiful house, but it no longer felt like home.
The mix of flowers that added a touch of color to each window and framed the base of the hedges were missing. Bull’s gaze swept the plain white door. It was odd seeing so much space without a bow or wreath to mark whatever pending holiday approached. The color, the brightness, the…life. That was what his mother had always brought to things. A little chaos and spice to counteract the rigidness and order of his father.
That was the missing ingredient that now made this shell of a house so foreign.
Bull took a centering breath. He hadn’t been this nervous in a while. He glanced over at Ben. Before he had a chance to do anything, the door swung open.
“You’re here!” Natalie yelled and immediately wrapped her arms around them. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered in Bull’s ear.
They stepped inside, the smell of dinner wafting in the air. Knowing Nat, she had made lasagna—the one food she knew was equally loved by both Bull and their father. Ben would eat the lasagna and praise it, but unless it was tucked in between a burger bun with a side of fries, it likely wouldn’t make his list of favorites.
He was there in a show of support, standing at Bull’s side. Vigilant and hyperaware while appearing strong and confident. Tonight, it felt as if their roles had been reversed, and Ben was his guardian.
“Gabe?”
He swallowed heavily at the familiar deep voice. He could take down a half dozen men with nothing more than his bare hands, but one word from his father had him bumbling for something to say.
A gentle press of a hand on his back soothed his nerves.
“Happy Father’s Day, Dad.” He extended his hand.
Even though his father was in his mid-sixties, Francis del Toro stood tall and proud. His hair had more gray than Bull remembered, and his muscles no longer had the definition they once had, but he held his six-foot-two stature with the same military confidence Bull remembered growing up.
And the firmness of his handshake was still as powerful.
“And who is this?”
“Dad, this is Ben.” He turned to face Ben. “This is my dad, Frank.”
Ben’s smile widened as he extended his hand. Frank warily shook his hand, his gaze absently sliding over to Bu
ll before returning to Ben.
“Ben,” he said. Their hands remained clasped in the longest handshake known to man. “And you are?” his father asked as he kept his fierce dark gaze on him.
Bull couldn’t cave and respond for Ben. It would be a weakness in his father’s eyes and the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of the King of Bulls, challenging him to charge at what he perceived to be a vulnerable target.
“Let go of him and he’ll respond.”
Ben clenched and opened his hand the moment Frank released him. “I’m his boyfriend.”
Bull’s chest swelled when the words were signed. He delivered a glare of warning to his father. If his father wanted to be an ass to his own son, fine. But Ben was off limits.
His father pursed his lips. “He’s deaf.” Only his father could make those two words sound like an accusation.
Ben nodded as he signed, “I can also read lips.”
Point for Ben. It was the nicest way Ben could convey that he was present, even though Dad hadn’t directed the statement at him.
Without saying another word, his father turned away and went into the kitchen.
The least his father could have done was sign something in response, especially since he had grown up signing with his own father. But no, he chose the route to Prickdom instead. Figures.
“I’m sorry,” Bull signed, trying to remain calm.
“Don’t apologize for him.”
Bull kept shaking his head. Ben grabbed his wrist the moment Bull tried to rake his hand through his styled hair. He closed his eyes and took another centering breath. He wanted to walk into that kitchen and demand his father give Ben the respect he deserved.
The hand against his cheek was the soothing balm he needed. Opening his eyes, he stared at Ben, mesmerized by the steadiness in his gaze. Ben cupped his face until Bull’s heartbeat steadied. It was eerie how Ben sensed the moment he calmed, and only then, did he release his hold to sign. “One tiny battle at a time. Okay?”
Bull nodded.
For the next hour, his father kept his distance, barely mumbling a word or grunt in response to Nat’s nervous rambling. The tension loomed in the air when they were in the same room. Bull couldn’t stand it and stepped away, needing a few deep breaths to loosen the tightness in his body. He was ready to charge. But he was going to try to make this work. For Natalie. For Ben. For Mom. For Grandpa. For himself. Because dammit, he wanted that connection with his dad back. With the guy who had taught him how to throw the football like a missile and swing the bat just right to hit it out of the park.