by A. T Brennan
“Yeah.”
“That sucks.”
“It does.”
Rhys drained the rest of his coffee and looked at my still half-full cup. “Almost done?”
“I'm done.” I pushed the cup away and reached for my wallet.
“You can get the next one.” Rhys shook his head, grinning. “I'm in a celebratory mood today.”
“And you thought a diner was the way to celebrate?” I teased as we stood and stretched. The booths were a bit small, and I felt like my body had locked itself in a permanent bend.
“You only just found out that I'm loaded today.” Rhys shrugged. “So I figured I'd better get in one last greasy spoon meal before I have to start taking you to all sorts of fancy places.”
“Nah.” I hooked my arm through his and smiled as we made our way to the counter to pay. “I'm not a finer things type of guy. I like greasy spoons. As long as you're with me, I don't care about any of that crap.”
“It's okay if you do-”
“I don't. I'm with you for you.” I kissed him quickly, effectively ending the conversation.
I'd suspected Rhys had money after what the judge had said today, but having him confirm it made it real. I'd been telling the truth. I really didn't care about fancy things. I'd never had them and never really wanted them. It didn't matter how much money Rhys had. I was happiest when he cooked us dinner and we spent the night gaming or watching a movie.
Rhys paid the bill and drove us back to my apartment. We both had to go back to work tomorrow, and even though I offered to spend the afternoon at home while he went and talked to a Realtor or a mortgage person, however you went about buying a house, he said he'd start tomorrow and wanted to spend the rest of the day and night with me.
As I watched Rhys make us chicken parm, fetching whatever he needed as he went, I couldn't stop smiling. I'd literally found my person. After so many years of feeling broken and like I wasn't enough, I'd found a man who loved me for me. He accepted my disabilities but still believed I could do anything I put my mind to. He didn't just take care of me, he supported me, and he let me support him.
I'd given up on love a long time ago, thinking that it was never going to be for me. Who would have thought that a seizure would be the thing that brought me to Rhys? He'd made a joke a few weeks ago that I'd literally fallen for him at first sight, and I'd joked back that I hadn't seen him until after I'd woken up so that wasn't completely accurate. The truth was I'd known there was something special about him from those first moments when he was so kind and caring. There had been something in his eyes and in his energy that instantly put me at ease and told me he was a man I could trust.
I'm glad I went with my gut and took a chance because it led me to my own happily ever after.
Epilogue
Rhys
“You busy?” I asked Caleb, peeking into his office. He'd set it up so his desk was in the middle of the room and his chair faced the door so he'd be able to see Violet or me when we came to talk to him.
“Sorry?” Caleb looked up from his computer screen and frowned slightly. “I didn't catch that.”
“Busy right now?”
“Not really. Trying to get a handle on these emails. Holy heck, there's a ton of them.”
“Did you honestly think being promoted to team leader would mean less emails?” I asked teasingly, grinning as Caleb blushed.
A lot had happened in the last six months. After I'd been granted guardianship of Violet, I'd spent the next month looking for a house that we both liked in the right area. We'd eventually settled on a small bungalow with a finished basement so Violet could have her own space. There'd already been a bedroom and a bathroom down there, and I'd had what had been a man cave or sorts, complete with a built-in bar and wood paneling, converted into a sort of rec room for when Violet had friends over. The room had a TV and whatever gaming system she'd picked since video games still weren't my thing, couches, a small fridge, and an area for her to study and keep her computer.
I'd made the decision to ask Caleb to move in with me before making an offer on the house. I'd wanted to make sure he loved it too. The upstairs had a big master bedroom with en suite bathroom, a spare room for his office, and a living room that was pretty much set up the same way as Violet's room downstairs but with all his gaming stuff.
We'd all moved into the house together, and Violet had started at the school for the deaf when we'd still been living in my apartment, and Evan had switched my hours so I worked days and could be home with Violet and Caleb every night.
Caleb also moved his schedule so he worked when Violet was at school, and we had a rule that at least three times a week we would all put everything else aside and have dinner together. Aaron joined us for these meals more often than not, and after getting to know each other, I'd found I liked him for her, and he wasn't afraid of me anymore.
Unfortunately Caleb's seizures hadn't stopped. He was still having four or five drop seizures a month, and he'd had another tonic clonic when Violet had come home early from school one day. It had been scary for everyone, but at least he'd been okay.
Five months after moving in, things were better than I could have ever hoped. Caleb and I still couldn't seem to keep our hands off each other, and I loved how he was getting more and more confident when it came to sex and trying new things. I went to bed and fell asleep next to the only man I'd ever loved and woke up with him every morning.
I had both of the loves of my life with me. I couldn't ask for anything more.
“Perfect. Can you come with us for a little bit?”
“Us? Where?” he asked as he stood and stretched. I tried to ignore the strip of his stomach that was exposed as his shirt rode up. I had other things to focus on. I could ravage him later.
“Me and Violet, and it's a surprise.”
“Last time I agreed to one of your surprises we ended up going geocaching.” He narrowed his eyes at me.
“That was fun!”
“For you guys. I got lost how many times?”
“I always found you.”
“Not the point.”
“I promise there are no coordinates involved in this surprise.”
“Fine.”
Violet was already waiting in the car, and Caleb climbed into the backseat, muttering about long legs and being squished in the back.
It took about half an hour to get to our destination, and I was kind of grateful that Caleb couldn't pester me with questions as I drove.
“What is this place?” Caleb asked as we climbed out of the car.
We'd stopped at an old Victorian-looking house. There were no signs or markers to identify what kind of place it was.
Caleb glanced at Violet, who was beaming and almost bouncing from excitement.
“What's going on?” He looked between us, a confused look crossing his face.
“This is a puppy rescue. The owners bring in puppies that have been freed from backyard breeders or puppy mills and rehabilitate them for adoption.”
“Violet's getting a dog?” Caleb looked at the house and then at Violet.
“No, silly. You are.” Violet grinned and pushed her hair back from her face.
“What?” Caleb turned to me.
“I found a trainer in the area who trains seizure-response dogs. He comes highly recommended, and he trains the dogs to do almost everything one from an organization does.”
“And it's the same thing?”
“It is. All we have to do is get the dog certified after it's trained, and then you've got yourself a service dog.”
“Rhys, this is too much money...”
“Babe, I have the money, and I want to do this for you. I can't put a price on your well-being or safety; you shouldn't either.”
“Thank you.” Caleb's eyes filled with tears, and I pulled him to my chest in a hug. He was still struggling with feeling inadequate, and his anxiety made it hard for him to realize he was worth everything to us.
Violet wrapped her arms
around both of us, creating a Caleb hug sandwich, which made Caleb laugh and his anxiety disappear. Violet had a way of reading him and knowing exactly what he needed that was uncanny.
I knew one of the biggest moments for Caleb was when Violet had told us that she thought of us both as her dads. She'd always thought of me as a dad, but Caleb was just as much of a father figure to her now as well.
“Okay. What do you say we go in there and find you a new four-legged best friend?” I asked when we broke the hug and after Caleb had wiped his eyes.
“Let's.” He nodded, grinning broadly as he reached for my hand. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
“Love you, Caleb.” Violet linked her arm with his and grinned up at him.
“Love you too, kiddo.”
“Alright. We all love each other. Now let’s go find a dog that loves us too.” I rolled my eyes playfully, trying to cover up the fact that I was so happy I thought I might burst. I finally had a family again, and it felt good.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading book four of my series, and I hope you enjoyed learning about the men who make up my Den Boys.
If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review to let others know what you think.
If you’re interested in keeping up with my news and releases, you can connect with me on my Facebook author page, join my Facebook reader group (Amanda’s Den Dwellers) where I post teasers, giveaways, and lots of photos of all things m/m, or sign up for my newsletter.
All the best,
A.T. Brennan
About The Author
A.T. Brennan, a native of Ottawa, Canada, enjoys picking up and moving every few years. A former member of the Canadian Armed Forces and current entrepreneur and author, she enjoys spending her days working on her many projects and her nights writing and not getting enough sleep. She currently lives on Canada’s East Coast with her family, enjoys collecting books and exploring the different aspects of romance in her works. She’s made the leap from m/f romance to m/m, and also publishes erotica under the name Mandie Mills.
Dedication and Acknowledgements
To E.L., for your support and friendship.
This book would not have been possible without my awesome beta readers; Kyleen, Nora, Vicki, Jill, Kaity, and Jessica.
Thank you to my proofreader Tanja, for another awesome job, and to Teresa Connor for the incredible cover for not only this book, but the entire series.
Coming Soon/Now Available
Seasons
~ A four-part novella series~
Now Available
Book 1 ~ Spring Passion (m/f)
Book 2 ~ Summer Heat (m/f)
Book 3 ~ Autumn Lust (m/f)
Book 4 ~ Winter Connection (m/f)
*Also available as a collected anthology
Wrong Place, Right Time (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book One
Now Available
The Way We Were (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Two
Now Available
The Long Road Home (m/f)
Solitary Soldiers Book Three
Late Fall 2018
Taking Chances (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book One
Now Available
Letting Go (m/f)
Robson Brothers Book Two
Now Available
Only You (m/m)
Robson Brothers Book Three
Now Available
All In (m/m)
The Den Boys Book One
Now Available
Healing Him (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Two
Now Available
Breaking Free (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Three
Now Available
Sweet Surrender (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Four
Now Available
Holding On (m/m)
The Den Boys Book Five
Summer 2018