by Aliana James
“He came out of retirement and is back to work,” Alec answered.
“This is nice but how’s Tyler, Travis? What happened?” his mother interrupted.
He steered them to the row of seats, relieved to see his father sitting. Alec stood behind him as he knelt in front of his mother. This would kill him to tell her. What made it worse is that he didn’t have all the details. Only more questions.
“Last we saw him, he was the ICU. He had a mild fever, and they said he might have an infection, but they weren’t sure yet,” his mother said as she looked from his father to Travis.
He took a deep breath. The only way to do this was to pull it off like a band aid.
“Someone shot him in his hospital bed.” As he finished telling his parents what happened, his mother grew pale. His father bolted upright from his chair and Alec placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him. He nodded at Alec as the last thing he needed was his father injuring himself.
“He’s in surgery now. We’ve been waiting for information. They told us they would come out and tell us when they know more,” Alec said.
“Oh God, I watch those shows,” his mother sniffled. “When they don’t come out, it’s not a good sign. That means it’s serious.”
“Mom, I don’t think what’s on television is correct. Let’s not jump to any conclusions, okay?”
His father snorted. “Conclusions? I’ll jump to as many as I want, Travis. You know your brother. You know that he’s into something horrible for this to happen!” He started to shout. “I’ve already lost one son to this… this shit. I won’t lose another one. Suppose you were in the room! They’d have shot you too! You keep away from Tyler, Travis. You hear me? Nothing Tyler does is a good thing. Nothing!” He stormed out of the waiting room.
Alec locked eyes with Travis. “I’ll stay with him.”
His mother stared after his father, tears in her eyes. “We tried so hard, Travis. To forgive him. To give him another chance.”
Travis sat next to her. He thought he would have to console his upset mother but her next words proved him wrong.
“Tell me something, Travis.” She wiped her face and gripped his arms. “When the nurse was checking on him earlier, Tyler had scars on his sides. They weren’t from a recent attack. This isn’t the first time, is it?”
Well, shit.
He dislodged her hand from his arm, convinced that it would leave a mark had he left it there. Now was not the time to get into this.
“Mr. Andrews?”
With a sigh of relief, he and his mother stood and approached the nurse stood in the doorway.
“Yes, I’m Mr. Andrews. This is my mother. Tyler’s mother,” he said.
She smiled at them both. “Tyler is still in surgery. The surgeon said that the bullet punctured his spleen, so they’ve removed his spleen. Right now, they’re double-checking to make sure it didn’t affect any other organs. If it didn’t and everything else is okay, he should be in recovery in an hour or two.”
His mother smiled at the nurse, then hugged Travis. Her arms squeezed him and she kissed him on the cheek as he thanked the nurse.
“Was that the nurse?” Travis’s father asked.
“Yes,” his mother answered, “she said that barring no complications, Tyler should be in recovery in less than two hours. They had to remove his spleen, but you can live without it so it’s not life-threatening.”
Both Alec and Travis stared at her in surprise. She looked at Travis’s face and laughed.
“I told you I watch those shows on TV.”
Travis
An hour took forever to pass. His parents sat huddled together, his mother trying to calm his father. Alec lounged with his feet straight out and his head back, eyes closed. It looked damn uncomfortable to be in that position. These chairs were stiff and not made for comfort. The families who sat in these waiting for their loved ones to complete their surgeries must all have back issues.
“You need to relax. He’s okay,” Alec said.
“I know that,” he snapped.
Alec opened one eye and tilted his head toward him.
“Say nothing, Alec. Please.” He got up and left the waiting room. Fresh air would help. His emotions were all over the place. And what happened when they figured out Tyler was alive and came back to finish him? What then? He couldn’t be at the hospital twenty-four-seven.
Not to mention the forty thousand. Alec would lend him the money, so he supposed that would solve that. And his care? What about the hospital bills? His insurance covered a portion, but he’d have to pick up the rest of the bill.
“Travis?” his mother called from the doorway of the waiting room. “Wait a minute. I’ll walk with you.”
She said something to his father and walked to join him in the hallway. He needed this time by himself. Listening to his mother talk on and on about nonsense right now wouldn’t help him sort out anything. If he was rude to her, it wouldn’t help either of them.
Her hand through his, she patted his hand as they walked. “Go through those doors. I spotted a café in that direction. Let’s hope it’s still open.”
They walked in silence as they turned the corner and saw that the café was open. It was the same one he and Alec visited earlier.
“Alec and I had coffee here earlier,” Travis said.
Together they walked up to the barista and placed their orders. His mother grabbed a chocolate chip muffin at the same time he did.
“These are tasty but not as good as yours,” he said as they both laughed.
“You never could stay away from chocolate.”
Coffees in hand, Travis paid the cashier and found them a table in the corner.
“Remind me to get something for your father before we walk back. Do you think Alec would want a coffee too?” she asked.
“Yeah, I guess.” He answered and pulled out his phone. Alec liked his coffee plain; he remembered that much but wanted to check. After he sent him a quick text, he placed it on the table.
Alec
Alec watched as Travis and Sarah walked out of the waiting room. Now would be a good time to ask for an update.
“Tell me about what happened with Tyler. I know Travis glossed over the details for his mother’s sake, but I need to know.”
Alec cringed. There was no way he could brush this man off and not piss off Travis by giving him too much information.
“I know you don’t want to say anything out of turn. You were there, right? When they found him yesterday morning?”
“Yes, I was. I found him in the hallway outside of Travis’s apartment,” Alec answered.
“And?” Henry prompted.
He battled between the short version or the detailed and ended up deciding on the detailed one.
“Someone hurt him, his leg broken… his face busted up, so I didn’t recognize him at first.” He sucked in a breath. “It was horrible.”
“Did he say anything?”
“No, just told me to get Travis. That’s when I knew who it was,” he answered.
“He was out of it when we saw him earlier. The nurse told us he was still in pain,” Henry said as he sat silent for a moment and then shifted in his chair. “Today, when they shot him…” He swallowed and looked away before he continued. “Do you think he was awake? You know, maybe he was sleeping when it happened?”
“That he didn’t see it coming?” Alec asked.
He thought about that freckle-faced kid who would visit them when they were in college. Travis would give him piggy-back rides and his laugh—Christ, his laugh would make anyone who heard it smile. For the first time since all of this happened, his eyes watered and sadness came over him. Nobody deserved what Tyler had gone through, no matter how badly they screwed up their life.
An arm came over his shoulder and he leaned into Henry. Tears had run down his cheek and Henry handed him a tissue.
“It always amazed me how I could see the most gruesome things happen at war and hold it toge
ther. But at home, man it was rough. Watching my wife give birth gutted me. I was a mess. The doctor told me if I didn’t get it together, he would have me escorted from the room. Imagine that.” Henry’s chuckle caused him to smile in response.
He and Henry had many conversations about their time in the service.
“So Travis mentioned that you found Tyler before nine yesterday morning…” Henry said.
Baffled by the topic change, he nodded and then answered. “Yes. It was early.”
“You can tell me this is none of my business and I’m being a nosy old man, but how long have you and Travis been together?” Henry asked.
Oh, shit.
He couldn’t just say, ‘Well sir, we aren’t together, but I’d very much like us to be together.’ Awkward. Different answers bounced around his head.
Henry spoke before he could choose one. “It’s okay, you know. If you two are together, it’s better than okay.”
Still in shock, he nodded again.
Henry gave him a small smile. “I’ll go see that nice lady at the desk and see if I can get any information on Tyler.” He patted Alec’s leg, grabbed his cane, and ambled away.
Well, that just happened.
He knew he should walk with him; he wanted information on Tyler. Who would have thought? Travis’s father gave his blessing on a relationship with Travis that may or may not happen.
Travis
“So… you and Alec?”
Coffee came flying out of his mouth and landed all over the table. His mother grabbed some napkins and cleaned up the mess without saying a word.
“Aww, sweetheart.” She reached out and patted his hand. His mother’s perception bordered on downright creepy. It was a miracle he covered for Tyler this long by distracting her with other news.
Since Travis came out the summer before college, they didn’t speak about it and Peter was the first guy he brought to meet his family since college. Alec had been to his parents’ house for BBQ’s and holiday parties over the years but as a friend.
He tried to figure out if he should tell her Alec had suggested they get married. No, that would be stupid. Hey, I’m getting married so your younger son doesn’t get himself killed! Yeah, that wouldn’t go well. But maybe he could mention it without the reason behind the proposal. He needed help sorting out how he felt about everything. Besides, he never could keep anything from her.
“There you are!” his father said. “Tyler is in recovery. It’ll be a while before we can see him.”
Travis watched Alec walk away with his father. The two of them laughed at something his father said.
“Is it serious?” His mother smiled at him as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Mom, shouldn’t you be more concerned about Tyler right now?”
“Your father said he’s in recovery. Besides, I can multitask.”
“How did you know something was going on?”
“Little things, I guess. He follows you with his eyes.”
He did? Travis hadn’t noticed. His preoccupation was with Tyler. Alec had been here nonstop, yesterday and today meeting him after work.
“He asked me to marry him.”
She smiled as she studied him. “That’s wonderful!”
“Sssh, Mom. I said no. And please, for the love of God, don’t mention it to Dad.”
“Hmm. Why would you say no?”
“I don’t know.”
That was an honest answer. He wasn’t sure at all.
“I always thought you two had something special. Surprised it’s taken this many years to get to this point.” She took a sip of her coffee, her eyes boring right into his. “I won’t ask if you have feelings for him. You wouldn’t be so indecisive if you didn’t. And you two have a good friendship to build on…”
“But that’s just it,” he interrupted. “Suppose we do this and it doesn’t work. I ruin the friendship and he’s no longer a part of my life.” He slumped in the chair. “I can’t handle that.”
“Here’s a thought. Suppose you do this, and it works. What then?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before continuing on. “A friendship like yours is an excellent thing to base a marriage on. I say go for it, Travis. You’ve always been too cautious for your own damn good.”
He blinked. His mother never cursed.
“This will be a good thing for you. For the both of you.” She lowered her voice as he saw his father and Alec at the register. “He needs you as much as you need him, remember that.”
Alec needed him. To save his job. This wasn’t a real relationship—better yet a real marriage. Travis watched Alec sit next to his mother, and she leaned in to give him a hug. His reaction to it, the same as always, was surprise and then delight. Alec’s upbringing didn’t involve hugs or affection.
Kane bounced in and out of Alec’s life and his gruff personality didn’t equal affection. Maybe his mother was right; Alec needed him for something other than his position at Bennett Industries. His father gathered up the garbage and touched his shoulder as he passed. Travis never thought about the hugs, or the time that his parents spent with him, Gracelyn and Tyler growing up. The surrogate uncles who he had learned various things from, the friends of the family that were available no matter what.
Who did Alec have in his life? Who was there for him? Travis glanced up at him and Alec smiled. He didn’t know if there was a way for this to work, but for the first time he wanted to find out.
Alec
“Mom, they’ll only let two of us go see Tyler, so you and Dad should go,” Travis said to his parents.
Henry grabbed his cane and hoisted himself out of the chair. Sarah hugged Travis and then Alec.
“We will come find you in a while,” she said. Travis’s parents followed the nurse back to visit Tyler in recovery.
“Can we talk for a minute?” Travis gestured to the chairs on the far side of the room.
Alec bit his tongue to keep from blurting out everything he wanted to say. Suggestions on how to help sat on the tip of his tongue. His problem-solving skills weren’t welcome here, not yet. This was Travis’s show—his decision. It would kill him to sit back and wait. The last thing he wanted right now was to piss off an already upset Travis.
Once they sat across from each other, Travis grew silent so he started.
“Your father asked me if there was something going on between us.” No way would he admit that Henry had given his blessing. Travis would call that playing dirty for sure.
“Hmph. So did my mother,” Travis said. “What did you say?”
Alec stretched his long legs out in front of him. These uncomfortable hospital chairs were killing his back. If one of his family members sat on the hospital board, they could arrange for an upgrade.
“I told him I’m not sure. What did you tell your mother?”
“I told her I turned down your marriage proposal.” Travis chuckled.
He nearly bolted from his seat and suppressed the urge at the last second.
“You didn’t mention why, I hope.”
“No, definitely not.” Travis fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. “Does the offer still stand?”
Was he talking about the marriage? Did he want to get married? His gut told him this wasn’t the end of the trouble. He needed a valid reason to give his grandfather for diverting family resources to investigating what happened with Tyler.
“Yes, it does.”
“Are you talking about the marriage or the loan?” Travis asked.
He didn’t want to appear too anxious. Leaning his head back in the chair and closing his eyes, he tried to be cool.
“One or the other. I meant it when I offered both options. Whatever you choose, I just want to help,” he answered.
“Marriage. Explain how this would work again?” Travis asked.
Holy shit.
He had been in much more high-powered negotiations. Why did this conversation feel like it was his most important deal ever?
Oh, God. D
o not fuck this up.
Travis valued his independence and his family. He needed to spin this deal, so it didn’t affect either. He was asking him to be celibate… fuck, how was he not going to have sex this whole time either?
“Hmm.” He cleared his throat. Right. Let’s do this. Alec rubbed his hands together. “So we get married.”
“Obviously, smartass. I mean for how long, what do I need to do, what do you do… you know, that kind of thing.” He gestured with his hand in the air.
Right. He squared his shoulders. A sliver of excitement shot through him as he thought of everything he could set in motion.
“I would pay off all of your debt, Tyler’s debt, and take care of his care. We need to stay married until they complete the community center.”
Travis looked at him in surprise. “You said until your grandfather passed away.”
“Listen, I’m not wishing him into an early grave. Not to mention that man is in perfect health, he might live until he’s ninety-five. How could I ask you to do this until then? Isn’t it enough that we both would have to be celibate during this time?” He would have liked to find a guy every once in a while to hook up with, but the risk was too great.
“So we’re talking a year or two?” Travis asked.
“Yeah, closer to two years. We got the permits to start the first of four phases of construction. The first set of housing is on the south side, a section to the north, then the community center—”
“I get it.” Travis interrupted. “So for two years, we pretend. What happens at the end of the two years?”
“We get divorced,” he answered.
“Won’t you lose your position at Bennett Industries?” Travis asked.
“Yes, but the project will be finished. I can find something else to do, maybe even start my own business.” He had no choice. He needed to make this offer short and sweet to get Travis to accept it. Bennett Industries was all he knew. He’d have to find something as meaningful.