Before It's Too Late (Troubled Hearts Book 3)

by Savannah Brooks

  “He’s okay. He’s had a hard time, and Friday, it seemed like the dam finally broke. But he’s okay. He’ll be okay.” He paused and looked at Alex as he pulled out the chair beside him and sat. “I’m thinking of staying over at his place on a regular basis from now on to help with Taylor and keep him from feeling so alone.”

  Amy smiled sweetly at her husband, then Cael. “And what about you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How are you holding up?”

  Cael pressed his lips together and folded his hands on the table. He thought about the best way to answer Amy’s question. How was he holding up? He really hadn’t stopped to think about how he was doing with everything. He’d been focused on Zach, supporting him after his breakup, being there for him after Abbey’s accident, and helping with Taylor.

  Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, but somehow, he held them back.

  “I’m okay,” he said, his voice hoarse as he spoke through the strain in his throat. “Abbey’s my family, too. You all are.” Cael shook his head gently and closed his eyes, rubbing a hand over his face. “I just wish there was more I could do.”

  Amy reached a trembling hand across the table and placed it over Cael’s.

  Cael rubbed at his watery eyes, trying to catch the tears before they fell, but it was no use. A few drops slipped free. He quickly wiped them away. His heart weighed heavy in his chest and it suddenly felt as though his lungs had no room to expand.

  “Sorry. I’m sorry,” he whispered. Cael pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep, steadying breath.

  “Cael?”

  Cael looked up at the sound of Zach’s concerned voice, hoping he didn’t look too distraught. Zach had enough to deal with. The least Cael could do was keep it together.

  “Dad, will you take her?” Zach said, handing Taylor off to Alex. He came around behind Cael and leaned down, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his nose into Cael’s hair.

  Cael straightened and clamped his hand over Zach’s as they rested against his chest. “I’m okay,” he whispered.

  “You sure?”

  Cael nodded. “Yeah,” he said, his voice a little firmer. “I’m good.”

  The oven timer beeped, and Cael gave Zach’s hand a squeeze, then let go. Alex started to get up but Zach stopped him.

  “I’ll get it, Dad.”

  Zach stepped away and grabbed the potholders off the counter. After slipping them on his hands, he opened the oven and pulled the casserole out then set it on the glass stove top. Removing the mitts, he closed the door and pressed the button to turn off the oven. Opening an upper cabinet, Zach pulled down a stack of plates and placed them on the counter.

  “Let it set for a few minutes, Zach,” his dad said, holding Taylor on his knee.

  The mood lightened during dinner and continued long after as the conversation drifted over happier topics, such as Chloe nearing completion of her Master’s degree in art history, Gramm’s successful recovery from the back surgery and subsequent stroke she’d had several months ago, and Taylor’s most recent accomplishments, including the latest additions to her vocabulary.

  “Fortunately,” Cael said, the corner of his mouth lifting, “Taylor hasn’t repeated any of Zach’s colorful words as of yet.”

  “Hey, I’m getting better.”

  “You are, but I swear, one of these days, she’ll do it, and I’m gonna bust up laughing when she does.”

  “Zaa,” Taylor said, her adorable smile stretched wide across her cheeks as she smacked her palm on the high chair’s plastic tray.

  Cael laughed. “See. She knows we’re talking about you. Don’t you, Tay-tay?” He tapped his finger lightly on the tip of her nose. Taylor giggled and reached up with her tiny hands in an attempt to grab his, but missed.

  “Amy, you alright?” Alex said, his brows pinched together.

  Cael and Zach both turned their attention from Taylor to Zach’s mom and frowned. Amy’s arm tensed, the muscle in her forearm visibly contracting, and her hand clawed at the air. She winced and the pain froze in her expression as she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “I’ll get your pills,” his dad added, passing Taylor to Cael. Alex left the kitchen.

  “Mom?” Zach said, pushing out of his chair. He went around the table and knelt in front of her.

  “I’m okay, honey,” she whispered through clenched teeth.

  “Maybe we should go so you can rest,” Zach offered, looking up at her with his hand on her knee. “It’s getting late anyway.”

  Cael glanced at the time on his phone. Eight forty-five. “Oh, wow, it is,” he said. He hadn’t realized how much time they’d spent talking.

  Alex returned with an orange prescription bottle and emptied two white pills into his hand.

  “Here you go, honey.” He placed the pills in her steady hand and grabbed her glass of iced tea from the table. Amy pushed the meds into her mouth and Alex held the glass while she guided it to her lips, drinking what was needed to swallow her medication.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Alex set the glass down and moved around behind her. “Come on. We’ll see the boys and Taylor out and get you off to bed.”

  After a quick round of goodnight hugs, Cael strapped Taylor in the car as Zach fell into the front passenger seat. Cael took that as his cue that he was driving home. As he climbed in, Zach held the key out in the palm of his hand. Cael took it and started the engine. He glanced over at Zach.

  “You okay, Pook?”

  “Yeah.” Zach straightened a little in his seat and scrubbed both hands down over his face. “Just worried about Mom.”

  Cael put the car in reverse and backed out onto the street. “Me too. Sorry, man.”

  “Fucking sucks,” Zach muttered, staring out the passenger window. “I feel like I’m losing my mom and my sister at the same time.”

  Cael reached across the console and clasped Zach’s hand where it rested on his thigh. “I know.” He let out a deep sigh. “I’m right there with you.”

  Silence followed them the rest of the twenty-minute drive to Zach’s house. After parking in the garage, Cael switched off the lights and killed the engine. He looked back at Taylor asleep in her car seat, her head bent forward and her neck kinked at some God-awful angle.

  “Geez, that looks painful,” Cael said quietly.

  “What?” Zach blinked and turned to follow Cael’s gaze. “Oh.” He laughed softly. “I’ll grab her if you want to get the bag and open the door.”

  Together, they managed to get Taylor changed and into bed without her waking up hardly at all. Cael stepped into the hall outside of Taylor’s room. Zach followed, leaving her bedroom door cracked open.

  Cael reached for him. “Come ‘ere.”

  Zach didn’t hesitate. He let Cael take his hand and pull him in close.

  Closing his eyes, Cael wrapped Zach in a tight hug. He leaned back against the wall with Zach in his arms. Zach relaxed and leaned forward with him, bending his neck to rest his head on Cael’s shoulder.

  Cael had never been able to fully comfort his best friend before now. Sure, they’d hug, but Cael’d always had to keep his desires under control. Now, he could pull him close and it didn’t matter where or how their bodies touched. He could let his hands wander or breathe in his scent or kiss him anywhere. Cael didn’t have to hold back anymore. He could get lost in the simple joy of just holding Zach, being everything he needed, and not wanting to let go.

  So he did, and Cael treasured the endless seconds of having the man he loved tucked against him.

  Chapter 15

  In the darkened hallway just outside Taylor’s bedroom, Zach lifted his head, and his gaze met Cael’s then drifted downward to his mouth. Zach leaned in, closing his eyes, and held his breath as he pressed a tender kiss to Cael’s warm lips.

  The stress of everything in his life melted away. How did a fucking kiss do that? He’d never in his life experienced the warm rush and gentle soothing t
he way he did now as he stood there, his lips and body pressed to those belonging to his best friend. He’d needed this for so long. He’d searched for this for years. All this time, everything he’d ever needed had been right in front of him.

  Zach pulled away slightly. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  “For what?”

  “How ‘bout for fucking everything?”

  Cael snorted.

  “Seriously, man. I mean it. Every time I’ve needed you, you’ve been there. Even the times I didn’t know I needed you, you were there. I fucking took for granted that you always would be. That I’d never lose you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I just… I seriously don’t know how I would have ever managed without you. And the way it feels when we kiss… fuck, I don’t even know how to explain how epic that feels.”

  Cael gave him a wry grin, arching one brow. “Epic, huh?”

  “Shut up,” Zach snapped just as Cael captured him in another kiss. He couldn’t stop the stupid grin spreading on his lips nor the swelling of his heart in his chest nor the crazy flutters in his stomach.

  Cael released his lips. “Definitely epic,” he whispered.

  “Told you.”

  “You wanna go to bed now or grab a beer and go blow shit up?”

  “Do you really have to ask?”

  Cael pecked Zach’s lips, a huge smile on his face. “I’ll grab the beers. You pick the game.”

  ***

  Zach parallel parked along the curb and glanced toward the flat, open grass area of Belmar Park. “Looks like the guys are already here.”

  “Probably waiting on me.” Cael leaned across the console and stole a quick kiss.

  “Go on then. I’ve got Taylor. We’ll be right over.”

  “You sure? They can wait a few more minutes.”

  “Nah. I’m sure.” Zach wrapped his hand around Cael’s neck and pulled him in for another kiss, this time lingering a few seconds longer. “Go,” he muttered.

  “Okay.”

  Beaming, Cael hopped out of the car and jogged toward the group of guys tossing the football around. Zach watched him for a moment as they greeted him, some with a quick fist bump and others with an upward clasp of hands and a shoulder bump.

  After pulling Taylor from her car seat and grabbing the diaper bag, Zach locked up the car and carried her toward the make-shift football field. He found a bench in the partial shade of a Wasatch maple where he could sit and watch the guys and dropped the bag on one end.

  “How’s this spot, Tay?” he said, setting her on her feet. She stood in her little jeans and Sketchers tennis shoes, staring toward the guys as Zach started digging through the bag for a couple of her toys.

  Taylor pointed toward the field, pulling her binky from her mouth. “Cael!”

  Zach looked up. “Yes, Uncle Cael’s out there playing football with his friends. Do you want to sit and watch with puppy or play with your truck?” He held up Taylor’s plastic red truck and her soft, pink stuffed puppy, both of which she loved.

  Taylor stuck her pacifier back in her mouth and reached for her puppy. Zach handed it to her, and she hugged it tightly with one arm.

  “Chuck,” she said around her binky, pushing her hair out of her eyes with a flat palm.

  Zach handed the truck to her. Taylor took a few steps away from him and dropped down to her knees in the grass. Holding her puppy to her side, she rolled the truck over the ground, making vroom-vroom noises as she did. Fucking adorable. Zach pulled his phone from his back pocket and crouched in front of her.

  “Tay-tay,” he said, and the moment she looked up, smiling behind her binky, he snapped her picture before she went back to playing. He couldn’t wait to show Abbey all the pictures he’d taken.

  Zach took a deep, calming breath, inhaling deeply and letting it out slowly. It was hard not to think of Abbey when she existed in so many aspects of his life. Hell, every time he looked at Taylor, he thought of his sister. He couldn’t deny how much it hurt. Having Cael made it all bearable.

  He glanced across the field. His eyes locked with Cael’s and instantly, the corners of his mouth pulled up as his heart warmed.

  Who was he kidding? Having Cael made everything better.

  Zach sat on the bench and settled back. It had been a while since he’d hung out while Cael played with the guys. Cael joined them almost every Sunday morning right around ten and usually, they played a slightly more physical version of tag football for about an hour. Zach’s attention bounced between keeping an eye on Taylor, playing games on his phone, and watching Cael. Admittedly, he found himself doing the latter most of the time, but who could blame him.

  About thirty minutes into the game, the guys took a break. Cael jogged toward Zach and Taylor, his eyes locked on Zach’s, his smile growing bigger the closer he came. Breathing hard, Cael braced one hand on the back of the bench and leaned over the diaper bag toward Zach.

  “Hey,” Cael said, bending further and pecking Zach on the lips.

  Zach licked the salty taste from his lips left behind by the light sheen of sweat on Cael’s skin and bit his lip to stifle his smile—the one that formed without his permission any time Cael paid him any affection in public. “Hey.”

  Cael reached into the diaper bag and pulled out the orange PowerAde he’d packed. Straightening, he twisted off the cap and guzzled about half the bottle.

  “So, I hope you don’t mind, but I told the guys about us.”

  “I sort of figured. What’d they say?”

  “Pfft. About damn time.”

  “It is about damn time,” Josh, one of Cael’s football buddies with whom he also worked at the VA hospital and the one he’d known the longest, interjected as he came up beside Cael and clapped him on the back of his shoulder. “Hey, Zach. Good to see you. It’s been a while, yeah?”

  “A few months.” Zach knit his brow. “You knew?”

  “Knew what? That he had a thing for you? Shit, it was written all over his face every time he so much as looked at you or talked about you, so yeah. We knew.”

  “We?”

  “The guys here.” Josh gestured with his thumb, pointing over his shoulder. “Well, we had him figured. Didn’t see it coming from you though. Maybe because we don’t see you as much.”

  Zach felt his cheeks heat. “Oh. Maybe.”

  “Whatever you two are doing though, keep at it. Dude’s been happy as a pig in shit every time I see him lately,” Josh said, his choice of words reminding Zach of his Australian roots.

  Josh had moved here to Colorado from Sydney as a teenager, and while his accent had faded to barely recognizable, Josh’s choice of words on occasion continued to be a dead giveaway.

  “Only problem is he’s bloody invincible now. Good thing he’s on my team this week.”

  “Is there something wrong with a guy being happy?” Cael asked.

  “‘Course not. Just good to see is all.” Josh gulped back half the water in his bottle. “Anyway, so this must be the little munchkin I’ve heard about.”

  “Yep,” Cael said.

  “She’s a cutie. Taylor, right?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Hey! You guys playin’ or what?” yelled Marcus from where he stood in the middle of their make-shift game field.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Josh hollered back. “We’ll be right there.”

  “Guess that’s our cue,” Cael said, downing more of his sports drink. Josh jogged back toward the guys as Cael leaned down and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Zach’s lips. A few catcalls erupted from the guys, and they both smiled as Cael pulled away. “I better get over there.”

  “Guess you’d better.” Zach grinned as he watched Cael rejoin the guys. Now that he thought about it, Cael did seem happier.

  At least this part of Zach’s life seemed to have taken a turn in the right direction. Cael had been nothing short of amazing prior to their first kiss and subsequent intimate turn in their relationship, and things had only gotten bet
ter since. Going from best friends to lovers so far had been easy and, surprisingly, uncomplicated, even with Taylor. The hands-on glimpse of what life would be like to live with Cael and raise a family with him filled Zach with more hope than he’d had in a long time.

  “Zach?”

  Zach pulled his gaze away from his sexy, athletic boyfriend and looked over his right shoulder in the direction of the familiar voice. Somewhat disappointed with the interruption, he smiled politely.

  “Oh. Hi, Marleigh.” It turned out the voice belonged to one of the teachers from Taylor’s daycare.

  Adjusting her blonde ponytail, Marleigh casually wandered toward him and Taylor. “Hey. You here with them?” she asked, cocking her head in the direction of the guys.

  “Yeah. Just hanging out, getting some fresh air.”

  Marleigh put her hands on her narrow hips, swaying on her feet. “Same here. You coming down here tomorrow night for the festival and fireworks over the lake?” She sat down on the bench, keeping a friendly, if not a little too close, distance between them.

  “We are.” Zach couldn’t help but smile as he thought about the plans he and Cael had for tomorrow evening. Chloe didn’t have plans, so she’d offered to babysit Taylor for several hours. They’d already picked a spot from which to watch the fireworks and planned on fried chicken, beer, and otherwise, just hanging out, with maybe a little cuddling. He couldn’t wait.

  “Just you and Taylor?”

  “Actually, no. Gotta a friend babysitting her so my boyfriend and I can have a night out alone.” He watched as Taylor planted her hands on the ground and got to her feet.

  Marleigh’s enthusiasm dimmed. “Oh. So, not single anymore.”

  “Nope.”

  “Darn.” She chuckled. “And here I was about to ask you out.”

  Zach scrunched his face a little. “Sorry.”

  What was it about this park and him always bumping into women who wanted a date?

  “Oh, don’t be,” Marleigh said, giving him a dismissive wave.

  Taylor grabbed and held on to Zach’s leg, smacking his knee. “Zaa.”

  “Whatcha need, munchkin?”