Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80660 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
It had been a long day of phone calls, research, more phone calls, and enough bickering to give Alexei a headache. When they’d all finally called it a night and fallen into bed, Soren just gathered Alexei tight in his arms as if he were afraid of Gabriel sneaking in and stealing him away.
In the kitchen, he found Gabriel standing at the sink, washing out coffee mugs and starting a fresh pot. Justin was nowhere to be found, but he thought he’d heard the shower running when he’d been on the stairs. The first rays of light through the windows were murky and gray. It was going to begin as an overcast day at least.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep,” Alexei murmured.
Gabriel tossed him a tired smile over his shoulder before reaching to turn off the water. He grabbed one of the dish towels and dried his hands. Dressed in a pair of navy lounge pants and a gray T-shirt, Gabriel looked slightly rumpled but comfortable. Clothes Alexei had seen him in plenty of times when he’d been living with them in Colorado.
His uncle crossed over to him and folded him tightly in his arms, resting his cheek on the top of his head. “Two years is too long to stay away. I was starting to take it personally. I know Justin was.”
Alexei sighed against Gabriel’s shoulder and hugged him even harder. “Never. I’ve missed you both so much.” His voice became rough and scratchy, but it wasn’t from sleep. Nope, it was from the stupid lump growing in his throat.
“Then why stay away? You know you’re always welcome in our home. It’s your home too.”
Alexei pushed lightly and Gabriel instantly released him. He moved his hands to rest on Alexei’s shoulders, worry digging lines in his face. There were a couple of new wrinkles in the corners of his eyes, and the lines around his mouth were a bit deeper. Laugh lines thanks to Justin.
“That’s just it. I was afraid that if I didn’t leave and do something on my own, I would never leave. It’s too comfortable in your house. Too safe. If I didn’t leave and try something new, I’d hide in your home forever.”
“While it would do my heart good to have you safe in my home always, I understand. But would it be so bad if you came home once a year?”
Alexei chuckled and hugged him again. His grumpy, scary uncle was a squishy, overprotective teddy bear at heart. When he let someone in, he did anything and everything to keep that person close. Justin wasn’t a lot better, which made them both so damn important to him.
“Only if you’d let me bring Soren along,” Alexei taunted to see what Gabriel would say.
The man grunted and stepped away, moving toward the coffeemaker. He wouldn’t look at Alexei as he poured coffee for both of them.
“Are you seriously going to tell me you don’t like him? After everything I’ve told you?”
“Are you really that surprised?” Justin asked as he entered the room. His light brown hair was wet and combed back. He’d thrown on a T-shirt and jeans, but his feet were still bare. The man hated wearing shoes. He tended to walk through the house barefoot until it got too cold, and then he only pulled on a pair of thick socks.
“Yes, I am,” Alexei replied. Justin paused beside him to wrap an arm around his shoulders in a brief hug. He continued to his husband and pulled him in for a tight hug as if they’d been separated for days rather than minutes.
Thanks to his years living with them, affection had become a normal thing to him. Justin was an incredibly touchy-feely guy. It was how he connected with people he cared for. And when it came to Gabriel, Justin needed to be touching him if they were in the same room.
“He asked if Soren would be welcome in our home,” Gabriel murmured when Justin released him.
His uncle lifted one dark-blond eyebrow at him as he accepted a mug of coffee from Gabriel. “Is it that serious?”
Wasn’t that a tricky question for first thing in the morning?
Alexei chewed on his bottom lip rather than blurting out the first thing that came to mind. His gut screamed that it was that serious and more, but his brain was holding him up. Was it? Or were they simply caught up in all the excitement and adrenaline of the moment?
“It feels that way. I know what light and string-free feels like. I’ve done that for years. But with Soren, everything is different. I look forward to rolling over and seeing him on the pillow next to mine. A hundred crazy thoughts cross my mind every day, and now I can’t wait to tell him all of them.” He wrapped his hands around the plain white mug Gabriel handed him and stared at the dark liquid. “I was sure dating someone seriously would make me feel trapped or tied down. But with him, I feel so free. Like he’s lifting me up.”