I've Got You

by Becca Seymour

  I took a moment to consider, all too aware of Davis’s desire to be upfront. “Not about Tanner,” I started. “I understand his need to protect you. I’m pleased he’s got your back.”

  Davis nodded. “It’s why he’s in my life so deeply. He’s one of the good ones, family.”

  I bobbed my head in understanding.

  “And upstairs. The kiss?”

  With a loud swallow, I zeroed in on his mouth. “The kiss.”

  His lips quirked, and my gaze lifted to his eyes. Amusement danced in their depths. “You okay with what happened, what I said to Tanner?”

  “I—” I clammed my mouth shut before restarting. “I want to do it again. A lot.” He beamed at me as I continued. “The whole defending me was hot.” I shrugged, aware my face was hot, and I felt awkward as hell. This telling the truth shit was hard freakin’ work. I didn’t know how he did it so effortlessly.

  “That’s good. Go on.”

  I held back from rolling my eyes and attempted to form words I knew I was more than capable of, despite behaving like an awkward teenager around him. And I would never admit it to anyone, but all of those broken cups and plates were all directly linked to Davis distracting me in some way. This was what he did to me, and more often than not without him even realizing it. “I didn’t know how to handle everything you were saying at first. Yeah, it was seriously sexy, but then I couldn’t help thinking of Libby and about the bigger reality of us doing… this. When you said you were unsure about us too, what we were, I was able to breathe again. It’s a lot.”

  “Too much?”

  I shook my head. “No, not that, just a lot. I don’t want to mess this up. Having Libby in the mix changes everything, and do I sound like a complete idiot if I say I don’t want to let her down?” I certainly felt like it for saying those words aloud. She wasn’t even one, so none the wiser, but still, getting close to her and then somehow screwing this up… the possibility didn’t sit well with me at all.

  Davis glanced over at his daughter, who’d crawled over to the small play area set up in the corner of the dining area. She seemed content picking up and playing with, sometimes throwing, her toys. When he returned his focus to me, he said, “I need you to not worry about messing up. Sometimes relationships work out; sometimes they don’t. As long as we keep telling each other what’s going on, we’ll figure it out.” He took hold of the bottom of his tee I wore and stepped right into my space. He lowered his voice. “And I’m relieved as fuck that you want more.” He shook his head as though contemplating something. “I’m so aware being openly gay is new and scary as shit, and part of me knows jumping into something with you when you’re not sure—”

  “I am sure.” I was. What I felt was real, right. It didn’t mean I had everything worked out just yet, but I refused to ignore my attraction to Davis.

  “Okay.” His hand gripped my waist. “But I need to be really clear. If we’re going to see where this goes, I don’t share. I don’t mess around.”

  I nodded emphatically. “I wouldn’t—”

  With a press of his lips against mine, he cut me off, and I breathed him in. Happily allowed him to take control of the kiss, aware Libby was a few feet away. I reached up and touched the stubble on his chin, and goose bumps dotted across my skin. After a few small kisses, he pulled away.

  “So no screwing around, no overthinking, not quite casual, but no labels just yet?”

  My heart stuttered as hope pushed its way to the surface, desperate to break free and take a big, gulping breath. While a dull knot swirled in my gut that we weren’t ready for more, for labels and everything that entailed, acceptance bloomed. “Sounds doable.” I sealed our agreement with a brush of my lips against his.

  When he stepped away, I lost his heat but gained something far better.

  Contentment.

  I really was going to figure my life out. This was the next major step.

  Chapter Thirteen

  DAVIS

  A week later, I was in the kitchen preparing tomorrow’s baked goods while Katie was up front serving and Scott was running the register. It had been a week of stolen kisses between working, parenting, and life, and a whole week of Scott not destroying a single thing. I took it as a win.

  “Hey, boss.” I lazily looked up at Scott, not so secretly loving when he called me that. I would take any moment of time I could get luxuriating in the extra time with the guy, even if it was in these small moments at work. The reality was he wouldn’t be here for much longer. We’d already briefly chatted about him returning to the clinic, and while he tended to change the conversation, I saw a longing in him that he didn’t seem ready to admit to.

  I picked up a towel and wiped my hands. “Hey.”

  “It’s kinda quiet out there, so I was wondering if you needed a hand.”

  I didn’t even bother to glance to check. Instead, I called him over with a nudge of my head. “Get your hands washed, then get your ass next to me.” He grinned and did as asked before moving to my side. His arm brushed against mine, and I threw him a wink. “Grab those apples for me and get chopping.”

  “Yes, sir.” He mock saluted, looking far too pleased with himself. It looked good on him, this lighthearted side that I’d seen more of recently.

  With a raised brow, I gave him a once-over, deliberately taking my time. When a hint of pink made an appearance on his neck and traveled higher, I grinned. I couldn’t deny I made it my mission whenever I had the chance to get him hot under the collar. “You know,” I leaned into him, “I could get used to you saying yes to me when I ask for something.”

  His breath hitched before his jaw tightened, and I watched, amused, as he pulled himself together. “You know,” he leaned into me this time, and I didn’t fight my grin, “perhaps you need to start asking questions where my yes will be mutually beneficial.”

  A burst of laughter sprung free, and I shook my head, willing my semi to calm down. “Touché,” I responded and nudged him. “Now chop.”

  As he chopped, I continued preparing the pastry. “So what did you do last night after I spoke to you?” We’d fallen into a routine of speaking to each other every night after I’d put Libby to bed.

  He shrugged. “Not much. I did speak to Jenna, though. She’s finally given me a date when she’s going to come and stay with my nephews.” His voice took on a different tone when he spoke about his sister and the boys. For that alone, I liked Jenna already.

  “That’s great. When are they coming?”

  “By the end of the week.”

  “Oh wow.”

  “Yeah, she kind of sprung it on me, but that’s cool. I don’t need any time off or anything.”

  He sounded so worried that I laughed. “It’s fine if you do, Scott. Geez, how long’s it been since you saw them?”

  “Too long,” he admitted. “But honestly, she’s already said she’s not sure how long she’s going to stay, plus she’s going to drive rather than fly, which is crazy with Toby and Hunter. She said something about a road trip or something.”

  It would be good to discover a different side of him, and what I already knew I liked. “Are you okay for room and things?” I’d only been around his place a couple of times and wasn’t quite sure of the situation.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “Thanks. Denver has made a really great home. There’s a bedroom for everyone, but the boys can bunk together if they want. All the rooms are doubles.”

  I nodded and started gathering the chopped apples to put them over the heat. “Will you grab the cinnamon and brown sugar for me please?” A moment later he handed them to me, and I measured out and placed them in the pan over the heat with the apples. “Have you spoken to Denver recently?”

  “Yeah, actually.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and I zeroed in on the sliver of his stomach exposed by his raised shirt.

  “And?” I asked, distracted.

  A grin lit up his face. “The old guy’s actually met someone on his travels and is reloca
ting. He wants to sell.”

  “Holy shit.” I wondered immediately what this meant for Scott, who was staying in his godfather’s place, and for Carter as well who worked at the clinic.

  “Yeah, that was pretty much my response too.”

  I stirred the contents of my pan and lowered the heat. “Grab the pastry for me, please.”

  “Sure.”

  “So,” I started, giving him a smile when he placed the trays on the counter to my side, “what are you going to do?” He could leave. The possibility of that, which to be honest was very real considering this news, sat heavily in my gut.

  Scott leaned against the counter, facing me. “I’m not sure.” He blew out a weighty breath, and I glanced his way. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth.

  “Well, what are your options?” I was impressed with my ability to be a grown-up when I needed to be. It seemed fatherhood did that to a guy.

  He shifted and his brows dipped. I couldn’t figure out if he was nervous, uncomfortable, or possibly even embarrassed. Maybe it was a combination of all three.

  “What?”

  “Denver actually asked me if I wanted to buy him out.” He gave a shallow laugh.

  “On the house?” My heart leaped at the possibility of Scott being more permanent, but I tamped my excitement down. What he was talking about now was pretty significant to his future, and while I was definitely interested in being a part of it, our newness meant that I couldn’t hope or expect for him to be thinking about me, or Libby for that matter.

  “Yeah,” he finally answered after a beat. “Not just that, but the clinic too.”

  I turned the stove off and turned in his direction, eyes wide. “No shit.”

  “No shit.” He nodded, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “I just can’t process it, you know? Why’d he offer it to me? He knows what a jerk I was, how unprofessional I was.” He shook his head, disgust with himself written across his face.

  “Hey.” I reached for him and turned so his back was to the counter and I was before him, my legs wide and straddling him in a standing position. “Cut that shit out.” I gripped his hips and squeezed lightly. “You made a mistake, and I’d say there was a significant extenuating circumstance to factor in. Right?”

  He shrugged, a frown creasing his brow.

  “Do you miss it?” When his eyes connected with mine, I knew his answer without even speaking. “So what the hell are you doing here working with me?”

  “You don’t want m—”

  I slammed my mouth to his and kissed him for a few long seconds before I pulled away, taking pleasure in his heavy breathing. “Shut the fuck up and don’t be ridiculous. You know that’s not what I mean. You didn’t go to school for what, five—”

  “Seven.”

  “—seven years to be working a register when you have these crazy magic hands to save animals and this bulging brain that’s going to waste.” When a small smile curved across his mouth, warmth filled my chest. He was finally getting it. “So I’ll ask again, despite being here for a piece of my fine-looking ass, what the hell are you doing here, Scott?”

  He reached out and dipped his hands in my back pockets. “It is a fine ass.”

  “I know. I already said that. Quit stalling.”

  “I really want to consider it. I trained so damn hard, went to the best school and was in the best program in the country.” He shook his head. “I worked my ass off for this.”

  “And?”

  “Part of me wanted to rebel and to give my dad a big eff you. How screwed up is that? I’m a grown-ass man in his thirties and wasted time rebelling. I’m kind of pissed off with myself.”

  It was the first time he’d shared so much about his dad. I was curious for more, so kept quiet.

  “I hated the idea of going into a branch of the family business. It was either veterinary school or pharmaceuticals. I wanted to hate it so much, but instead, I love it. I had no choice, beyond those two options, in any of it. It was made really clear I had to go into medicine, to keep up with the good name. Whatever the hell that even means.” His tongue darted out and he traced his dry lips before continuing. “My family is pretty much a household name for pet owners, did you know that?”

  I shook my head.

  “Yeah. My grandfather got into bed with a huge pharmaceutical company, was the lead consultant on staff, became a joint partner. It was left to my dad, is meant to be left to me.”

  “Wow. Okay, so not what I was expecting. So is that what you want?”

  “Hell no. I just want to practice, get my hands dirty and heal, you know? Plus there’s no chance it’ll be left to me anyway, not now.” His face fell. “My dad’s not quite so accepting of having a gay son.”

  Shock shot through me. “He knows?”

  “I was fifteen and caught making out with my friend Tommy. I never saw him after that. He and his family up and disappeared, while I had to have a week off school with broken ribs.”

  Nausea churned in my gut. I wouldn’t ask him to repeat himself, despite the incredulous what the fuck? forming in my head. I knew it happened, knew people who stepped out of the hetero “norm” were at risk and vulnerable every day, but that didn’t make the knowledge of him being hurt by someone who should have protected him any easier to swallow. “Did that happen a lot?” My voice was gravelly with controlled emotion.

  “Only when he suspected something was going on with me and another guy.” He gave a humorless snort. “Nothing ever did though, go on, even when I was at school and at Davis…” He paused a moment, and I wondered if it was because of the link to my name. “…for my veterinarian studies, I was too chickenshit.”

  “Understandable.” My eyes were wide, my tone edged with a need for him to believe that one word.

  “Maybe.” He looked defeated for a moment before his gaze refocused on me. “You know, when Denver offered me the job to come out here, I was already in a great position, waiting to become partner.”

  “So why did you?”

  “Denver convinced me. He never talked about things openly to me, but he knew I was terrified of my father, and the more I think about it, the more I suspect he had an inkling I was gay.” His lips kicked up. “It was the best decision I ever made.”

  My heart stumbled, a rush of feeling pulsing through it and making my chest ache. A lick of flame traveled across my skin as I searched his eyes for the barest of seconds before our lips touched in a bruising kiss. His chest was plastered against mine as our tongues collided. I breathed him in, tried to memorize every moment. Everything he’d shared, everything he’d been through, all of it. I couldn’t take it away and wouldn’t even if I had the magic to do so. The very fabric of the man before me was made up by not only his fierce determination, but the battles he’d survived. And he shared it all with me in my goddamn café kitchen with Katie out the front, customers clanking cups, and us in a position where I couldn’t show him how his story had affected me.

  Reluctantly, I pulled away, both of us breathing heavily, and not a moment too soon as my name was called to head out to the front.

  “Come and have dinner at my place tonight.”

  He bobbed his head, his cheeks flushed and need sparking in his eyes. “I can do that.”

  With a brisk nod, I disentangled myself, needing the distance so I didn’t go all Neanderthal on the guy and drag him home now in the middle of the afternoon.

  Chapter Fourteen

  SCOTT

  There’d been a shift in almost every aspect of my life since that unexpected moment in the kitchen. Not only had I spent several hours video conferencing Denver about returning to the clinic, but I’d also met up with Terry, who was managing the clinic in my godfather’s absence. I’d made it clear that if I was to purchase the practice, I didn’t want to be the manager. While I’d obviously be involved in key decisions and budgets and such, the day-to-day running would be far better in Terry’s capable hands.

  Not only would this ke
ep the existing staff settled, but Terry was doing an excellent job. I’d witnessed how good he was myself when I’d been working there. With the basics hashed out, I then had met with the business manager at the bank to look at funding.

  It wasn’t complicated. It was just figures and therefore exhausting. While I excelled at math, I had no desire to be buried in it. But still, together we worked out options to look at financing not only the house but also the clinic. Denver had tried asking for a ridiculously low sum, knowing full well I wasn’t going to be asking my father for funding. He knew me better than I’d originally given him credit for.

  The opportunity was beyond anything I’d envisioned for myself, outside of the financial support of the Anderson inheritance. And while I was grateful for the low offer, I pushed him for a more realistic agreement—but nor was I a fool. I needed all the support I could get.

  With reams of paperwork to go over, contracts to be properly drawn up and signed, licensing to be acquired, it would take a few weeks to get everything settled. It would mean financially I was going to be tied to a loan that made me feel slightly queasy, but I knew I’d make it work. I wanted this.

  It also helped that with this purchase, I was making a commitment to stay. There was new ease between Davis and me, and I was sure it was because I was finally settling. With no chance of me up and leaving, the very real chance of a future was a little more attainable.

  An edge of fear still remained, but largely to do with the unknown. I was just relieved that excitement kept me high and pushed me forward. It was always close to the surface whenever Davis was around or in my thoughts.

  I looked out of the front window when I heard a car pull up outside. With a grin, I headed to the door and stepped out to greet Jenna and the boys. While my smile didn’t falter when I saw them, my brows dipped when I saw just how full her car was. Boxes sat on the passenger seat, and the station wagon’s rear window would have been impossible to see out of, it was stacked so high with bags and boxes.