Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96112 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 384(@250wpm)___ 320(@300wpm)
“You do more than that.” He cupped my cheek, and he furrowed his brow. There was concern in his eyes too. “You’re afraid of being left behind.”
I took an unsteady breath and nodded hesitantly. I’d promised to be honest.
Behind me, Lucas scooted closer and hugged my midsection. He kissed the side of my head. “We’ll be mindful, sweet boy. Of course we can decide on a date.”
Colt nodded. “We’ll work on that fear too.”
I exhaled in relief.
Lucas gave me a tight squeeze. “Thank you for telling us.”
Their acceptance made my eyes sting, and I averted my gaze briefly to swallow my emotions.
They were too good to be true, yet I was powerless to doubt them.
* * *
At the end of the evening, I looked at the clock more often than necessary. Sleeping arrangements were on my mind, and I had this hope that they would want me with them. There were two—well, three now—guest rooms on the second floor, though I never opened the door to what had once been my parents’ bedroom. And then there was my room on the third floor. My bed was big; it was the same size as the ones in the guest rooms. We would fit, I swore it.
I yawned.
Realistically, though, it made sense if they wanted to be alone together. We didn’t have a relationship or anything, and it had been a long day. Maybe they needed a break. Maybe they needed privacy to talk or process. I didn’t know.
Christ, I was desperate and got attached too easily. It wasn’t good being so starved for company. If I weren’t careful, they’d find me clingy in no time.
Right then and there, I decided to go full throttle in my friend search. I needed more people in my life. I needed friends. I couldn’t put all my energy and focus on Colt and Lucas. They would get tired. Besides, it wasn’t healthy.
“Oh—I had no idea it was this late.” Lucas was looking at his watch. “Kit, you can go brush your teeth. Colt and I will come tuck you in.”
I swallowed my crushing disappointment. “Yes, Sir,” I mumbled. Reaching for my pajama bottoms on the floor, I stood up and put them on. “Colt knows where my room is.”
Lucas inclined his head in acknowledgment. “And we’ll all fit in there?”
My heart jumped, as did my hope. “Yes, Sir,” I replied quickly. “You’re going to bed also?”
“In a moment,” Lucas said with a nod. “We’re going to catch up with the news first.”
“We’re gonna talk about you.” Colt smirked and winked at me.
“Colt,” Lucas chastised.
I bit my lip, torn between amusement and worry.
Colt chuckled. “All good things, I promise. Go brush those teeth now, boy.”
Fine.
Ten minutes later, I finished my bedtime routine, scrolled through my phone a bit, and cranked up the AC in my room before sneaking under the duvet. The colder it was in the room, the closer we would cuddle up against one another.
I was a genius.
With a little squirming, I managed to get out of my pajama bottoms. They landed on the floor just as I heard Lucas and Colt on the stairs.
Anticipation rushed through me, and I pulled up the covers to my chin and waited.
Tonight, the house—this big house—wouldn’t be empty. I wouldn’t be alone in the deafening silence. There were sounds again.
Lucas appeared first, followed closely by Colt.
“You have a nice room.” Lucas smiled.
“Thank you.” Few things had changed in here since I was a kid. There were more school pictures and no Legos. My bed had been upgraded a few times, and the walls had been repainted when I was ten.
“You should see his hobby studio down the hall,” Colt replied. He went straight for my bed and sat down on the edge. “Did you have a nice time today?”
I nodded and nodded and nodded. “Very much, Sir. I’m glad you came here.”
“Me too.” He snatched up one of my hands and kissed my knuckles. “Pool fun tomorrow?”
“Yes!” My eyes lit up, and I couldn’t freaking wait. “It’s going to be good weather. I checked.”
“Sounds great.” He glanced over at Lucas, then back to me. “I’m gonna admit something. It’s really fuckin’ hard not to get ahead of myself with you, and I haven’t felt anything remotely close to that since I met Luke.”
“Oh,” I mouthed, stunned. Was I breathing?
“Same here.” Lucas rounded the bed and lay down on top of the covers. “We want you to—goodness, this bed is comfortable.”
“I know.” It was meant to sound smug; instead, I coughed because I hadn’t, in fact, been breathing. “Shit. Smooth.”
Colt chuckled and gathered my hand in his lap. “We wanna be honest with you, Kit. Just like we expect honesty from you.”
Lucas cuddled closer, much to my joy, and kissed my cheek. “We’re going to keep a lid on some of our…dreams, I should say—for a while, at least—but we want you to know we’re excited to explore more with you. You’re a wonderful boy.”