by Jerry Cole
He got some steak and chicken from the fridge, while the girls headed in to look over sides. Taryn helped Mom make a large salad, and Rosa held up some roasted veggies from the freezer. Mom made a lemon cake earlier in the day, so we were all set.
We continued drinking throughout the evening, eating as the sun set over the water. It was beautiful, and our new friends agreed. I could see that Rosa felt overwhelmed by it all, following her in when she said she was going to get the cake.
“Are you okay?” I asked, and she turned to stare at me for a moment.
“They’re wonderful. Everything about this place is amazing.” She wiped a tear from her eye as I pulled her into a hug. “Seeing Peter out there makes me so happy. Thank you for loving him.”
“It’s not a problem,” I assured her, hugging her as she wrapped her arms around my neck.
“Is everything okay in here?” Mom asked as she walked into the kitchen. “Goodness. Look at you.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy being here with Peter and all of you,” Rosa said as Mom took her into a warm embrace.
“We’re always happy to have you,” Mom assured her, smiling over her shoulder at me.
I loved my sister for deciding to stay the night at the house, kissing her cheek when she took Rosa to her old room to get some sleep.
Chapter Ten
Peter
We were quiet that night in his old room. I needed to feel him inside of me but also wanted to respect his family. The girls were right beside us as well, so we held in every noise as we both came. I handed him some water, taking my drink when he finished.
“Was Rosa okay in the kitchen?” I asked as he smiled at me.
“She was overcome with happiness. I think there was a little bit of wine involved.” We both laughed.
“We went to a friend’s wedding a few years ago, and there were bottles of wine at every table. She got so drunk that I had to carry her to her hotel room. To this day, she doesn’t get why people offer unlimited wine at weddings!! She contained herself today, but I could see the emotions playing over her face.” Owen looked at me for a moment, reading my expression. “This family thing is weird for us. I think that we both need to adjust, though we’re leaving in a day.”
“It’s so close that it’s no problem to visit anytime. I’m close for a reason.” I kissed him, memorizing his taste. I loved that he was thinking of me this way, making me fall more in love with him.
“I can’t wait for the holidays,” I told him, smiling into his eyes.
Amber cooked up an easy breakfast of eggs, home fries, and toast in the morning for us. We were planning dinner out, so I was excited when Owen asked us if we wanted to hike down to the lake.
We dressed for the occasion using a few borrowed items, and then Owen led the way with my hand in his. The girls were behind us, laughing and talking as we made our way down the hill. It was about five miles to the lake through a relatively flat path, and we stood on the small shore, looking out over the glistening water. I glanced back to see Owen’s house above us and back further than I would’ve guessed.
“This looks closer than it is,” I told him, squeezing his hand tightly as he smiled.
“I used to think the same thing when I was a kid. My parents hated me some days for making them take me out here. It’s just always been my peaceful place. I’m happy to share it with you.” Owen kissed me, and we heard a gagging noise behind us.
“Take it to a room,” Taryn joked as she paused to look at the water.
“This is beautiful. Can you see it at your place?” Rosa asked as Taryn shook her head.
“No. I just come here a lot to enjoy it.” She grinned, and I smiled as Rosa gave me a wide-eyed look.
“It’s stunning, isn’t it?” I asked as she nodded.
“The restaurant is on the water as well. It’s pretty when the sun sets,” Owen said as Rosa’s eyes rolled back into her head.
“Like last night?” She asked as he chuckled, nodding in response.
“I’m not going to want to go home,” she told Taryn, scrunching up her nose.
“Move in. I have an extra room.” Taryn offered, and they both laughed.
“I don’t think Matt would like that. I think that he’s already sick of me.” Rosa covered her mouth, giggling again. “Besides, my job would hate me.”
“Just visit a lot. You’re always welcome, and this is such a quick weekend drive.” Taryn said, smiling at her brother. “I do mean a lot.”
We walked around the lake for a while. There were both sandy shores as well as grassy edges. I asked Owen about fishing, and he listed a few different kinds of fish that lived in the lake. It wasn’t my thing to want to catch anything that way, but he told me a lot of people were fans of fishing in the local area. I got that.
We made our way back to the house to shower before dinner. It was a casual place, so Owen and I settled on black dress pants and button-up shirts, both in shades of blue. We slipped on some dress shoes, meeting everyone else in the living room. The women were all dressed in summer dresses and sandals, while Mel wore similar clothes to us.
He took all of us in his large Escalade. Mel used that for family trips, and we fit well. We took the middle row, and the girls sat in the last one, whispering together. I stared at the scenery as it flashed by the window, loving this area and family.
The restaurant was all windows, overlooking another body of water. We were seated right away, ordering drinks before looking over the menu. The place offered a variety of seafood, as well as steak and chicken. We all settled on surf and turf, eating the salad that came before the entrees as we discussed the week.
Nobody wanted to go home the following day, but Owen had already missed one hockey game. I needed to get back to my clients, and Rosa had work. We lingered over the meal, taking a walk along the water once we finished,
Taryn and Rosa went back to her place when we arrived home. We talked with Owen’s parents for a while longer before excusing ourselves to bed.
We lay quietly together before he cleared his throat. “Are you okay?” he asked as I smiled.
“Yeah. I just had a great time. I don’t know what I expected, but this was amazing. Your family is so kind.” I smiled at him, watching as he leaned in for a soft kiss.
“They like you, both of you.” He assured me as he slipped an arm over my stomach.
We were leaving early in the morning, so we could get home in time to get ready for the rest of the week. We weren’t even having breakfast with Owen’s family, choosing to stop for coffee and pastries on the way at one of Owen’s favorite places.
We fell asleep quickly once we stopped talking. When I woke up in the morning, it was time to get ready to go. We did enjoy coffee with Amber after we showered, waiting for the girls to get to the house so we could leave.
Hugs were given along with tearful goodbyes. Amber hated to see her son leaving again, and she also assured Rosa and me that she was going to miss us as well. She told us to visit anytime and reminded us that she loved the holidays.
Once we were in the car, Rosa sniffled. “I’ve never been so emotional leaving anyone behind like that apart from you, Peter. Leaving my ex was easier than that was. What does your family take to make them so wonderful?”
“I’m a lucky guy. They’ve always been that way. I can’t think of a day where they ever mistreated us.” Owen smiled as he pulled onto the main street.
“How do you leave to go home?” Rosa asked, and he looked at her in the rearview mirror.
“It’s not easy, but I have a good life in New York. I like having my own space, and I’d never have met the two of you if I didn’t live there.” He smiled his crooked smile that got me every time, and I let out a sigh.
“Kiss up,” Rosa muttered in the back seat as we both laughed at her.
We dropped by the bakery for a box of assorted pastries and coffee. Rosa carried the box to the car while Owen and I juggled the coffees, setting everything up
inside the car.
We started the drive, listening to a podcast over talking. As we crossed the bridge that led us out of Connecticut, Rosa sighed.
Just over two and a half hours later, we pulled into Owen and Rosa’s complex. He parked, and we unloaded the bags, carrying them to the front door before Owen unlocked it.
Once inside, Rosa took her bag to her room. She always got ready for reality right away, and it wasn’t long before I heard the sound of the washing machine. I followed Owen to his room, sitting on the bed as he unpacked his suitcase. He tossed clothes into a pile for laundry before setting his toiletries up in the bathroom.
“Are you going to unpack?” He asked as I smiled.
“I don’t live here,” I reminded him with a smile as he shrugged. “What?”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Owen said as I raised a brow at him.
“You already have my best friend as a roommate. You want me here, too?” I asked as he leaned in for a kiss.
“I like waking up with you,” he told me, making me swoon.
“We’ll keep the loft for our nights alone,” I suggested, feeling his lips on mine again.
I stayed the night there, going home in the morning to wash clothes and settle back in. Within a couple of hours, I was back on my laptop, catching up with clients. It felt good to be back at it, but I missed Owen.
I knew that he was at the rink for his skate. Seeing him talk about that with his parents cemented how much hockey meant to Owen. It also showed me how he’d hoped to go pro and that it hurt when that ended. I wasn’t going to be the guy that took that away from him, and I had my work to do. I was going to support him in everything that he wanted to do.
There were moments that I wondered how he left Connecticut and his family. They were kind and fun to be around. They adored their children, and so did Rosa and me at this point. Was it hard for Owen to live here? Was he now staying for me?
That thought had me deep in the depths of guilt as I continued to work on my projects. Rosa showed up first, glancing at me as she set down two cans of my favorite energy drink. “I thought you might need these. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Just thinking about the weekend.” I reached for one, cracking it open.
“I know, right? I want to go back,” she agreed, opening the second and taking a long drink.
“What if he’s staying for me? He loves his family and that house. Didn’t you see that this weekend?” I asked, feeling myself start to go off the rails.
“Of course. He loves all of them and that town. A lot.” She gripped my shoulders to stare into my eyes. “He moved here on his own. He lives here by choice.”
“Even now?” I asked as she nodded slowly. “I just don’t want him to make any choices for me.”
“He’s choosing to love you. That’s all.” Rosa smiled at me until my shoulders slumped, and I leaned into my hands. “Would you go there if he asked you to?”
“I could go anywhere. That isn’t the issue. Owen coaches kids here that need him. I don’t know how much of that would be there.” I mulled that over for a moment, and something popped into my mind. “That’s where he got hurt in the first place. Maybe it brings back bad memories.”
“That’s what I was thinking. He would have a fresh start here, even if it weren’t what he wanted from the city.” Rosa smiled at me as understanding crossed my face. “He’s happy here, with you and with hockey.”
“I need you so much sometimes,” I admitted to her as she raised a fist into the air.
“I knew it!”
We chatted as I finished up for the day. I got a text just before six, asking if Rosa was with me, and were we hungry? Within half an hour, he was knocking at the door with a bag of food from our favorite Indian place. I kissed him with a smile, happy to see him. “Hi, babe. How was the rink?”
“I ended up helping a bunch of kids in the open skate. They saw me before they hoit the ice and wanted to know some secrets. I, of course, pulled up some flyers about the camp for parents, so my last one for the summer might be filled up. I’d love that.” Owen smiled as he took the bags to the counter. We plated everything, eating on the couch as Rosa told him how great of a time she had in Connecticut.
“Taryn wants to come to visit next weekend. I think we’ve created a monster.” He grinned, and she clapped her hands.
“No, that’s perfect. We’ll have to make some more plans.” I could see the wheels turning in her mind already. “She loved dancing.”
“Taryn will always love dancing.” He said it with a straight face, and we both broke out in laughter. “I was thinking somewhere new for dinner.”
“I’ll find a place. It’s going to be perfect.” She stabbed another piece of chicken, slowly chewing as she checked something on her phone. “Do you think she’d ever move here?”
“She bought her place, so I don’t know. She could sell if needed, but it’s never been in the plans.” A flash of hope crossed his face, then passed.
We finished the meal, deciding to go back to their place to sleep. I brought an overnight bag that included my laptop. She went right to bed while I stayed up a while with Owen in bed. We made love, telling each other that we loved the other before falling asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms.
I got up with Rosa in the morning, drinking coffee and working until Owen appeared. “Morning, babe.” He kissed my cheek.
“Hello, sleepy guy,” I said, smiling at him.
“Did you get up with Rosa?” He asked as he poured himself some coffee.
“Yep. I got used to that when she was staying with me,” I replied as he nodded. “What’s on the agenda for your day?”
“I wanted to fit a couple of hours in at the gym.” He smiled at me. “Can you get away?”
“I think so. Want to get lunch after?” I replied, and he nodded. I wrapped up the project in front of me, then dressed for the gym. He lived a bit further, so we drove together and headed inside to run a few miles on the treadmill.
Chapter Eleven
Owen
I couldn’t help but watch Peter as he ran on the treadmill. He wore earbuds, making the movement look fluid as he listened to whatever was making him frown in thought. He was in great shape and all muscle.
It took me back to last night when I had my hands and mouth all over that body. I could make Peter moan in pleasure and scream my name in a separate moment. I loved that power.
He wasn’t even an athlete like I was, but he had the appearance of one. Though I’d never been attracted to a teammate in the past, he got my interest at first glance. I just thought he was with a girlfriend.
I smiled and took a long drink of my water, looking away to focus on myself. The gym wasn’t too crowded today, and we had a choice of machines once we finished running. This was a good feeling, being here with Peter. Everything about him left me with a good feeling. I was happy, and my mom noted that with a smile on her face. She told me to stay with him, kissing my cheek before we went out for dinner.
I sensed that something was bothering him, but I just watched him. We’d just gotten home, and I knew they were overwhelmed by Connecticut, to a point. I agreed that it was beautiful, but I didn’t want to live there now. I loved visiting, loved my family, but the city was a new start for me.
I wondered if he knew that as we lifted weights in another corner of the building. Did he think I didn’t want to be here? I hated that thought, and we finished the workout, heading out to the car. At our table, I looked across at him. “I love you.”
“I love you,” he said with a smile. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. Just thinking about us.” Peter raised a brow, as a worried look filled his eyes.
“How so?” Peter asked, reaching for his water.
“I love being here in New York. I want you to know that.” I gazed into his eyes, and he nodded. “Don’t ever think otherwise.”
“I don’t. I mean, maybe after the weekend. You are so happy there.�
��
“I am happy there. I love my family dearly, but I can visit anytime that I want to. I live here.” I reached out to squeeze his hand, and he licked his lips.
“Okay,” he murmured and smiled slowly. We ordered sandwiches and ate leisurely. I assumed he didn’t want to rush back to work, and all I had was a practice later on today.
We left the restaurant after about an hour, driving back to the apartment. He walked to his computer, checking some messages as I grabbed water from the fridge. Everything about this felt so right and natural, so much so that it overwhelmed me at times. “I’m going to take a shower. Want to join me?” I asked, unable to resist.
“You’re terrible for my job, but yes. I do want that.” He grinned, turning to face me. Peter reached out, pulling me to him for a deep kiss as we both moaned.
We made love in the shower, cleaning up and rinsing off afterward. He dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt while I just pulled on shorts. I’d dress later for the skate but just wanted to relax right now. I found Peter working away at his computer, and a grin formed as I passed him. “I’m working now. Working for the rest of the day.”
“Yes, sir.” I took water, heading back to the bedroom to catch some scores on the TV in there. Mom called to check-in, and I told her that we were all settled back in the city.
“I loved your friend and your boyfriend. Wonderful people,” she said as I chuckled.
“They are. How are you and Dad?” I asked with a chuckle, hearing her sigh.
“The house is too quiet. I need voices in here, so I asked Taryn to bring Matt to dinner. She mentioned that she’s visiting this weekend?” Mom asked, and I affirmed that.
“You guys should head in one weekend. We could have some fun,” I encouraged her as she agreed. It was harder for them with friends and obligations there. That only got worse closer to the holidays. That was never a problem, but with Peter here, I was willing to stay here more now.
“It’s approaching Fall. You know how busy I get in that time,” she reminded me as I pretended to groan. “You love the holidays too, Owen.”