by Nora Phoenix
“How come I’m drunker…drunkener…more drunk than you are?” Enar wanted to know. He shot Palani a suspicious look.
“Because I stopped drinking after five beers, figuring one of us needed to be sober enough to get us home.”
“But…but the whiskey?”
Palani laughed as he opened random doors until Enar pointed toward the one that led to his bedroom. “That was all you, man. But no worries, I brought the rest of the bottle, since you only finished half of it.”
He led Enar to his bed and gently lowered him until he lay on his back, his feet still on the floor. Palani kneeled to take off Enar’s shoes and lifted his legs onto the bed, turning him into a comfortable position.
“You were supposed to get drunk too,” Enar complained.
“You’re plenty drunk for both of us.”
“But I wanted you to feel better about Vieno…”
Palani walked around the bed and turned on the soft bedside lamps on both sides of the bed. “Are you sure that’s what you were doing? It looked to me as if you were trying to feel better yourself.”
Enar scoffed. “I’m not the one who’s losing my best friend slash lover.”
Palani lay down on the bed beside him, and Enar turned his head to find Palani’s brown eyes drilling into his. “Really? Because I suspect that’s exactly what happened today.”
Drunk as he was, Enar’s alarm bells went off. “I’m not…he’s not…”
Palani put his index finger on Enar’s lips. “It’s okay. You don’t need to say anything. I wanted to point out that if that were the case, hypothetically, that I understand like no one else. I wouldn’t judge.”
Enar swallowed. “You wouldn’t?” he whispered.
“No. So if at some point you decide you do wanna confide in me, I’ll listen, okay?”
Enar stared at this kind brown eyes for a few seconds more. “Okay,” he said. “I’m tired. Can we sleep now?”
“Do you want me to stay?” Palani asked, surprise painted all over his face.
Enar thought about it. He could make up an excuse about not wanting Palani to have to travel in the dead of night to the other side of town, a rather unsavory part at that, but he’d be lying. “Yeah, I do,” he said before he could talk himself out of it. “If you want to.”
“Sure,” Palani said after a second. “Do you have a shirt I can borrow to sleep in?”
Enar gestured at the closet in his room. “Grab whatever you want. Can you get one for me as well? I don’t wanna sleep in my dress shirt.”
“You have a T-shirt underneath,” Palani pointed out.
Enar looked at his chest. “Oh. Right.”
He tried unbuttoning his shirt, but the small buttons were too much for his thick fingers and uncoordinated brain. So he watched as Palani stripped down to his boxers, then threw on an old college shirt from Enar. It looked hot as fuck on him, even if it was too big.
“I like you in my shirt,” Enar whispered with a hoarse voice.
Palani smiled. “I like wearing a shirt that smells like you.”
He crawled back onto the bed next to Enar and deftly unbuttoned his shirt. “Sit up for a sec.”
Enar did as he asked, and Palani took his shirt off, then told him to lie back down so he could take his pants and socks off.
“I have a guest bedroom…” Enar said slowly.
Palani looked him straight in the eye. “I know, but is that where you want me to sleep?”
Enar hesitated for a moment. “No.”
“Okay, then.”
He lifted the covers, and Enar snuggled underneath. Palani took position on his back right next to him. Before Enar realized what he was doing, he rolled onto his side and put his head on Palani’s shoulder. Palani’s arm came around him in a protective fashion that made Enar’s eyes well up. How long had it been since he’d been held like this?
“Thank you,” he murmured with a thick tongue, then passed out.
He woke up the next morning with a blinding headache and a stomach that made it clear eating would not be part of the program for a while. He had to piss so badly it hurt, and Palani was gone.
17
Lidon woke up the next morning with Vieno sprawled on top of him, touching him everywhere possible. He hadn’t slept in the same bed with another man for three years, but it took no getting used to, he discovered. Vieno simply…fit.
He’d fucked him hard yesterday evening. The invitation had been so blatant he saw no reason to ignore it. That luscious ass right near his face had been hard to resist. Vieno had been right. The sight of Lidon’s cock disappearing in his ass was gorgeous.
After a quick shower, he’d shown him the kitchen. Vieno hadn’t been able to keep his gasp back when he saw the state of it. Lidon should have hired someone to do a thorough cleaning before Vieno moved in, but he disliked strangers in his house, and it had all happened so fast that he hadn't even had time to arrange it. He could still ask his aunt for a referral for someone he could trust, but he’d better check with Vieno first. He had no idea if Vieno would get territorial about shit like that. Some omegas did, from what he understood.
Vieno stirred on top of him, and he lifted his head and shot Lidon a sleepy look.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Lidon said.
A soft smile spread across Vieno’s face. “Hi. Good morning, I mean. Did I oversleep?”
“No, no, don’t worry. I’m off today. I figured we'd explore the house a little further, make sure you’re all set up for when I go back to work?”
Vieno’s face showed a flash of fear before he nodded. “Sounds good.”
He rolled off Lidon, then stretched and yawned. “Shall I make us some breakfast?”
Lidon got up as well, putting on some shorts and a T-shirt. “That would be perfect.”
When he turned around, Vieno was dressed, but he was frowning. “There is something in your fridge I can make breakfast from, right?”
“I hope so,” Lidon said sheepishly. In all honesty, he hadn’t even thought to check. “But if not, we can go grocery shopping today…” His voice trailed off as he remembered it wasn’t quite that easy. “How did you and Palani do that?”
Vieno sighed. “I would give him a list once a week, and he would get everything. But I can’t see you doing that for me, not with how busy you are with your job. And I guess we’re too far out for groceries to be delivered, huh?”
Lidon didn’t like that their first morning together was starting off like this. It felt like he had failed Vieno somehow, and he hated that. “Make a list of everything you need, and I’ll make sure they deliver today. They can deliver to the gate, and I’ll bring it inside. I prefer not to let any outsiders inside the gates.”
He heard his father say those exact same words, the Hayes family motto: no outsiders inside the gates. He didn’t know why, but he would stick to that advice. His father had never steered them wrong, and Lidon intended to follow his example.
Vieno sighed as they walked into the kitchen. “I’m gonna need a few minutes before I can make anything here,” he said. “Why don’t you go do…whatever it is you usually do? Breakfast will be ready in, say, thirty minutes?”
With that, Lidon was effectively banned from his own kitchen. He wandered into the living room, where he found himself staring at the wall of pictures from his family. As long as he could remember, those pictures had decorated the wall. Every one of his family members was represented…his grandfather, who had passed away on the day Lidon was born, his father and his daddy, looking happy and so much in love. Aunts, uncles, his older cousins.
His own picture was the last one that had been added, his graduation picture from high school. After that, it was as if time had stopped. But now that Vieno and he were together, there was hope again. Hope for more pictures…of their kids. More family to fill this wall. Would Vieno want kids? They’d never discussed it, but Lidon assumed so. He’d never met an omega who didn’t. It was like an innate desire, an inst
inct. And with Enar around, Vieno would have the best prenatal care in the world.
His eye fell on the thick, red family photo album that contained pictures of the ranch going back decades. Once upon a time, the ranch had bustled with activity, filled with many families living here. Pack, his father had explained when he’d shown Lidon the old photos. When they were still wolf shifters, they lived together on the land with their pack.
It was sad to see the big house so empty, the lands so desolate. They were fertile, but Lidon had never done much with it. He didn’t have the time to do it all by himself. Rodrick had suggested selling off land, but Lidon had rejected that idea. Why would he? The ranch was paid off, so it didn’t cost him anything, and he didn’t need the money the sale would bring. Not that he had shared that tidbit with Rodrick. His almost fiancé had known Lidon was well-off but had no idea how well. In hindsight, Lidon was extremely happy about that.
It was strange to be in his own home and hear someone else in his kitchen. Sure, Enar stayed over sometimes after he’d fucked him, but that was different. He froze. Fuck, he’d never even thought of Enar in all this. What would he do now that his one safe avenue of getting what he needed was closed off? Dammit.
How could he have been so selfish and not even acknowledge what his marriage would mean to Enar? He’d thought of Palani and how hard it would be for him, but not of his own best friend. Sure, Enar wasn’t in love with him like Palani was with Vieno, but still. A little more consideration from him would have been nice. Should he tell Vieno about it? He wanted to, since he didn’t want secrets between them, but it felt like betraying Enar’s confidence. Maybe he should ask his friend first if he was okay with Lidon sharing it?
“Breakfast is ready,” Vieno called out from the kitchen.
When Lidon walked in, he stopped in his tracks. Gone were the stacks of dishes, and the counter sparkled, the scent of lemon heavy in the air. The breakfast table was set for two with his plate holding three times the amount of pancakes Vieno’s did.
“I would've served it with fresh fruit if you’d had any,” Vieno said, wiping his hands on his shorts.
“It looks delicious. And the kitchen is…wow. Thank you. I would’ve helped you if you’d asked me.”
Vieno’s eyes widened in shock. “No! You’re not…that’s not your job,” he said. “I like cleaning and cooking. It’s just that I need more time here to…” His voice trailed off.
“To work your way through the years of neglect,” Lidon filled in. “I know. And I’m sorry.”
They sat down at the table to eat. The pancakes were wonderfully fluffy and light, and Lidon cleared his plate in no time.
“What do you usually eat for breakfast?” Vieno asked him, still working on his plate.
“Whatever I have available. I’m sorry to report I eat a lot of takeout and ready-to-eat meals.”
“Is there anything you don’t like?”
“Brussel sprouts. And I’m not a big fan of cabbage. Other than that, anything. Meat. I’m a big meat eater.”
He smiled when Vieno wrote it down on a little notepad. How sweet was that?
“And what shifts do you work? Irregular?”
“No, though my hours are unpredictable. In narcotics, we work either an early shift or a late one, and night shifts are rare. But if something is going down, I can get called in at any time, or I stay late.”
“I’m used to that with Palani,” Vieno said. “I’ll make sure there's always a stack of healthy meals in the freezer you can heat up at any time.”
“Vieno,” Lidon said, reaching for his hand. “This house…it’s a lot for you by yourself. To take care of, I mean. Do you want me to arrange for someone to come over to do a thorough cleaning? It feels like I’m taking advantage of you if you do it all.”
“What happened to no outsiders inside the gate?”
“You can’t do this all by yourself.”
Vieno lifted an eyebrow. “You did.”
“I obviously didn’t. I didn’t realize how badly I’ve taken care of this place until now, and I’m sorry for bringing you into this. Clearly, I didn’t think it through.”
“It’s not like you had time… Why don’t you take me on that tour of the house you promised me and we’ll go from there?”
It was with a mix of shame and pride that Lidon showed Vieno around the house. After they’d inspected every room, Vieno wanted to see the outside. It warmed Lidon’s heart he felt safe enough to do that, even if he did grab Lidon’s hand with a deadly force.
The pool definitely held his interest, as his eyes went dreamy when he said, “I love swimming.”
“The pool needs servicing first,” Lidon said. “I do bring in a contractor for that, but he’s a cousin of mine.”
They walked around the pool with the pool house to a plot of land set against a tall barn. “This used to be a vegetable garden,” Lidon said. “My daddy loved being outside, and he could grow anything.”
“Did you have animals? Cattle?”
“Chickens. The coop was over there,” Lidon said, pointing to a fallen-down structure. “That storm three years ago destroyed it when a tree fell on top of it. We also held horses, but I sold them after my parents passed away. Originally, I think there was cattle here, but not as long as I can remember.”
“Lidon, this place is amazing,” Vieno said, looking around. “You could do so much with this. If you’d rebuild some of it, renovate, clean up, and rejuvenate, you could create an almost self-sufficient unit here.”
“Self-sufficient?”
“Yes. Chickens for eggs and to eat. Cows for milk and meat. A vegetable garden to produce what you need in terms of food. Grain won’t do well in our climate, but that’s about the only thing. You said there's a large lake on the property, right? Does that mean you have fish?”
Lidon looked guilty. “I probably need to get some fish out of there,” he said. “My guess is it’s horribly overstocked.”
Vieno nodded. “And you have rabbits and deer. You have pretty much all you need. Water, do you have your own water source?”
“Yeah. There are two wells that have never run dry as far as I know. My daddy set up a fancy system to capture rainwater, but like everything else, it’s gone neglected.”
“You can build something beautiful here, something that will last until the next generation…” Vieno’s voice trailed off.
Lidon put his arm around Vieno’s shoulder. His omega snuggled up against him, and it made his heart satisfied.
This ranch, the land, it meant something to him that he had trouble defining. It was home, but in a way that surpassed the traditional meaning, like he was connected to it. He loved his job and appreciated the city for what it had to offer, but being here on his land brought peace to his mind. Even in the run-down state that it was, it nourished his soul to spend time here. And the fact that Vieno seemed to recognize that and strived to restore the ranch to its former glory caused his heart to sing in an unfamiliar way.
“I love what you see. Let’s talk about what you would like to start with. And don’t take on too much. I didn’t bring you here to run you ragged, and you also have your job.”
“I quit yesterday,” Vieno said calmly.
“You…what? Why?”
“Because as much as I liked my job, I wanted to focus on you first. On taking care of you. I’m not good at multitasking, and I get overwhelmed easily, so I wanted to make sure I could devote my full attention to you.”
Lidon turned him sideways so they faced each other. “I’m touched by that. But are you sure, honey? I thought you valued your job. I don’t want you to give things up for me.”
“I like being a homemaker. It’s what I always wanted to be. I know there are plenty of omegas with sky-high ambitions, and good for them, but the thought of creating a home for you, for us, makes me far happier than any career. And since you said we didn’t need my income… We don’t, right? You don’t, like, need my money?”
Lidon smiled and kissed him softly. “Honey, I make more money off interest in a day than you make in a month, so no. And it makes me happy you get to do what you want. Start making plans, sweetheart, because I would love to rebuild this place and make it vibrant again.”
Palani woke up in an empty apartment for the first time in three years. No Vieno, who made breakfast for them both, softly singing a diva tune. The sight of the empty kitchen stabbed him in the heart, and for a few seconds, he couldn’t breathe.
His knuckles turned white from his iron grip on the counter as he forced himself to inhale. It would get better. It had to. He just had to get through this. Time would heal the wounds…and all that crap. There was a reason people spouted shit like that, right? It had to be true. One day at a time, it was all he could do. One day at a time.
And it would help to focus on something else. Not on Enar, ‘cause last night had been confusing as fuck. The way Enar had talked about Vieno was… Palani wasn't sure what to think. Did the doctor have a little crush on Vieno as well? Not that he could blame him. Vieno was… No, he wasn’t going there.
He could ask his brothers if they wanted to hang out after work. Rhene, his younger alpha brother, was always in for a good time. His life goal seemed to be to fuck his way through town, and he was making stellar progress. Kean, who was a year older than Palani and a beta like him, was much more subdued and serious. He worked as a vet tech, and Palani loved his stories about all the animals he encountered. Hanging out with them usually meant Rhene would leave them after an hour or so, following some hot guy he could fuck, and then Kean and Palani would have time to catch up. Yeah, he should do that, set something up to keep him distracted. In the meantime, he would focus on his work.
He'd been so preoccupied with Vieno’s wedding he hadn’t found time yet to dig deeper into the death of Robert McCain, another cousin of Colton McCain, the omega whose death notice had started his investigation. According to public records, Robert McCain had died at twenty-two from a self-inflicted gunshot wound only two weeks before Colton had hung himself. After everything he’d discovered about the McCain family already, it seemed suspicious to Palani.