PREPARED

THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

THE AUCTIONED SERIES

BOOK 6
CARA DEE
 Prepared
Copyright © 2022 by Cara Dee
All rights reserved

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be reproduced in any way without
documented permission of the author, not including brief quotes with links and/or credit to the
source. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction and all
references to historical events, persons living or dead, and locations are used in a fictional manner.
Any other names, characters, incidents, and places are derived from the author’s imagination. The
author acknowledges the trademark status and owners of any wordmarks mentioned in this work of
fiction. Characters portrayed in sexual situations are 18 or older.

Edited by Silently Correcting Your Grammar, LLC.

 CONTENTS

Welcome to the Camassia Cove Universe

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue

Field Notes: D. Quinn

Announcement from Cara
More from Cara
About Cara
 WELCOME TO THE CAMASSIA COVE
UNIVERSE

Camassia Cove is a town in northern Washington created to be the home of

some exciting love stories. Each novel taking place here is a standalone—
with the exception of sequels and series within the CC universe—and they
vary in genre and pairing. What they all have in common is the town in which
they live. Some are friends and family. Others are complete strangers. Some
have vastly different backgrounds. Some grew up together. It’s a small
world, and many characters will cross over and pay a visit or two in several
books—Cara’s way of giving readers a glimpse into the future of their
favorite characters. Oh, who is she kidding; they are characters she’s unable
of saying good-bye to. But, again, each novel stands on its own, and
spoilers will be avoided as much as possible.
Prepared is the happily ever after that follows Gray and Darius’s
journey in the Auctioned Series. It takes place in the Camassia Cove
universe, with all six books centering around Gray and Darius. It is not
required to read other Camassia novels to get the full enjoyment of the
Auctioned series, but if you’re interested in keeping up with secondary
characters, the town, the timeline, and future novels, check out Camassia
Cove's own site at www.camassiacove.com.

Auctioned | Stranded | Deserted | Played | Finished

 CHAPTER ONE

O kay, Google. Let’s see what the internet says about writing good wedding
vows.
It’s been forty-eight hours since I proposed to you, and I’m
already feeling the pressure.
Christ, I’ll be the laughingstock at the wedding, knucklehead.
Why can’t we just go with the traditional, scripted vows?
I scratch my jaw and sneak a glance into the kitchen where
you’re preparing supper with the boys, and this is what I gotta put
down on paper. How it makes me feel when I see you, whether
you’re cooking with the kids or we’re at the shooting range. I gotta
find a way to explain how a painful punch to the heart telling me
“This is what you have now” is the greatest feeling in the world.
You look over at me and smile when you catch me staring.
“What’cha doing, baby?”
I don’t fucking know.
“Watching a field medicine documentary on YouTube,” I lie.
You don’t laugh it off as another “Darius thing.” You say, “Save it
so I can watch later, please.” Then Justin hollers for your attention,
and you’re there to help him measure flour.
 One pandemic later

“One minute!” Kyle yelled.

Gray turned on the communication device in his headphones,
then peered out over the pitch-black water, only illuminated by the
moonlight. It had to look pretty fucking badass to see three
helicopters flying in low over the water in the middle of the night.
Darius nudged Gray’s boot with his own, and Gray met his stare.
They exchanged a nod. Yeah, they were gonna be careful. Yeah,
they were gonna return home without a goddamn scratch. That was
the deal. They had their whole life waiting for them back home.
“Thirty seconds!”
Gray released a breath, refusing to let the nerves get the best of
him. He’d worked hard to channel all the anxiousness and turn it into
determination and 100% focus.
With them in the helicopter was River Tenley, who’d been there for them
in Vegas with his twin brother, Reese—and Shay was here now too, their
boyfriend, who hadn’t been in Vegas. Reese was in another helicopter.
Kyle Finlay, a former helicopter pilot in the Marines, flew the roaring
machine that’d once belonged to the Royal Air Force. It’d been stolen
years ago and sold off to civilians who didn’t really care about the
legalese concerning military aircraft sales. The Middle East and South
America had a huge market for owning military equipment, Gray had
learned. Just two days ago, Dare and Ryan had launched into a harangue
about US military guns keeping the drug cartels’ wars blazin’ down here.
Deep breaths.
Kyle was descending.
Gray peered out again and saw the water rippling up a wide circle
on the surface of the water. Directly below them was a narrow but long
sandbank where six Jet Skis waited for them. They weren’t at the shore
just yet. Kyle couldn’t put down the helicopter so close to the jungle.
“This is it!” Kyle shouted. “Bring my nephew home!”
Adrenaline spiked within Gray, and he watched Darius go first. He undid
the shoulder straps and adjusted the precision rifle onto his back, then
stepped out on the ledge. In a fluid motion, he released the handlebar
above, dropped low, gripped the ledge, and jumped off the helicopter.
It wasn’t more than a seven-foot jump, but still.
Gray’s turn. He mimicked Darius’s movements, and his stomach did
a somersault as he jumped off, his boots landing hard in the soft sand.
“DQ online.” Darius’s voice filtered through in the earpieces they
all wore.
“Nolan online.” Gray followed.
The other two helicopters dropped their passengers too.
“RQ online,” Ryan said, some fifty feet away.
“Ten-1 online.” That was River.
“Ten-3 online.” Shay.
“Ten-2 online.” Reese. That’s what he got for being six minutes
after River. Gray had been treated to a big bitch fit about it earlier.
“Fin-2 online.” Similar story with the Finlay brothers, the reason
they were all here tonight.
Reese had reached out a week ago, needing help. Their friend’s
nephew had disappeared in the jungle in Belize during his second
mission as a PMC. An extraction gone wrong.
“Fin-1 online.” That grim voice belonged to Cullen Finlay, the elder of
the three, and the father of Crew Finlay. They were all Marines in that
damn family. Or formers, but you weren’t allowed to call Marines former.
“First group, move out,” Greer ordered. He was the second Finlay
brother and the man in charge of the whole rescue op, along with Reese.
Well, he’d taken charge. It’d been Cullen at first, but as the father of the
missing son, he wanted to go in and blow everyone to pieces.
They went in pairs, the four of them grabbing two Jet Skis, and Gray
wouldn’t see them again until they’d rescued Crew, his partner, and the
person of interest they’d been assigned to bring home to the States.
As relieved as Gray was to take a more passive role in this op, it
didn’t feel good to see those men go off on their own. They were the
cavalry and dressed the part, in full combat gear. Reese was putting
himself in danger because he felt responsible for just mentioning the
term private military contractor to Crew last year, who’d felt like the
Marines didn’t have more to offer him.
Ryan was in the first group too, because they needed an extra
marksman.
 And because this was the lifestyle they’d chosen. They could
retire; many of them had, but they kept a certain phone charged and
ready just in case someone needed help.
It’d been Gray a few years ago. When his life had been hanging
by a thread, Darius had been there. He’d called in favors to get help,
so Ramirez had shown up. Ryan had dropped from a helicopter with
a rifle and a big serving of Quinn hell-raisin’. Then Vegas… So many
had come to help Gray and Darius.
Now it was their turn.
Darius held back with his orders for the second group while the third got
ready farther away on the sandbank. They were the perimeter watch and
consisted of four friends of Cullen’s, three of them also ex-military. Their job
was to stay near the roads but not on them, to keep watch over everyone
passing through their escape route, and to intervene if they had to.
They’d been here all week, preparing and laying the groundwork,
while the first group had focused on recon and surveillance.
Gray listened in silence as the groups disappeared, both physically
and from his earpiece. One man from each group remained on their
main line of communication, and the rest switched to a private line.
“All right, let’s go,” Darius said quietly. “Remember not to linger
on the beach.”
Right. They were running straight for the jungle.
Why was it always a place crawling with animals that could take
you out with a single bite?
Once Darius had pushed a Jet Ski out into the water and boarded it,
Gray climbed on behind him and made sure his handgun was secured
and his knife strapped tightly. Unlike the combat squad, the others were
in civilian clothes. Army-green utility pants, matching long-sleeved tees,
and Kevlar vests. All their gear fit into their pockets, aside from weaponry.
Gray had put on a beanie too, ’cause the way he figured, he’d
rather have insects crawling on cotton than on his scalp. He just
didn’t fucking like bugs.
The shore was only a couple minutes away, so it wasn’t going to
be a long ride on the calm waves.
About thirty minutes south was the Guatemalan border, and the
area was rife with conflict, both because of the drug trade and the
never-ending contention between Guatemala and Belize.
 Gray wrapped an arm around Darius’s middle as they were off, and now
it made perfect sense that Darius had smirked when Gray had wanted to
make sure his boots were water-resistant. Didn’t fucking matter one way or
another when they’d just stepped into knee-deep water to get on the Jet Ski.
Keeping an eye on the shoreline, Gray went through the mental
list of tasks for the night, and of course, he couldn’t help but wonder
what might go wrong. As Darius always liked to say, no plan
survived the first contact with the enemy.
In an attempt to keep the worst of the tension at bay, Gray took it
upon himself to tell his travel companions a little about Belize.
“Welcome to Belize, gentlemen,” he said, loudly enough so they’d
hear him in their earpieces over the ocean spray. “Unlike our nice
hotel in Mexico, there’s no room service here, nor any protection
from the exotic wildlife. They say if you wanna see a jaguar, come to
Belize. But that’s not all—oh no, it isn’t. Belize is home to some of
the world’s most dangerous creepy-crawlies, from the bullet ant
named after its sting supposedly feeling like a fucking gunshot, to the
highly aggressive fer-de-lance snake. In fact, no nice animals exist in
this country. They’re all out to kill you, so chances are if we survive
our run-in with a drug cartel, a fuzzy little beetle will finish the job.”
It was quiet for a few seconds before Shay cleared his throat.
“Thanks, man. I feel better now.”
Darius shook his head. “Get off Wikipedia, knucklehead. They’re
more afraid of you than you are of them.”
“I love you, but you have zero credibility on this topic,” Gray replied
bluntly. “Oh, there are no sharks here—wait! There were. Oh, you
won’t see a fucking rattlesnake—wait! Ryan was attacked by one!”
Ryan better freaking watch himself up in the mountain range. He
was a magnet for trouble.
“How about we focus on our job?” River drawled.
Yeah, okay. Fine.

Five minutes later, there was no time to discuss which venom could literally
rot your leg anyway. River and Shay sprinted up the beach and into the
jungle, with Darius and Gray going the same way but farther up the
beach. A four-wheeler waited for them on a small dirt road, and it was
Gray’s turn to drive so Darius could be ready in case anything happened.
The clock was ticking, so there was no waiting around. Gray started the
engine and tore out of there as soon as Darius was behind him. They were
going inland and up the mountainside to function as backup to the rescue
team. The plan was to simply be ready—and then provide cover when the
rescue was complete and it was time to get the fuck out of there.
“Next time, I wanna do more,” Shay muttered over the line. “I may
not have the training Gray has, but I’m not useless.”
“Next time?” River replied. “Boy, you’re lucky Reese and I were
stupid enough to let you come at all.”
Gray grinned to himself and pushed the ATV to the limits.
It’d been an ongoing debate since they’d arrived. Back in Vegas,
or before Vegas, Shay had made River and Reese promise to let
him tag along next time. And the twins had been confident there
wouldn’t be a next time, so they’d agreed. Now, here they were.
Shay wasn’t lying, though. Gray had been able to spar with him
quite a bit, and the guy was an insanely skilled fighter. But what did
an impressive history with martial arts matter when he had two
Dominant boyfriends who refused to have him near danger? Gray
was on the twins’ side on that point. They had no business going
near combat ever again. They’d be backup, support, drivers, work
with logistics—whatever, as long as they kept a safer distance.
Some two hundred yards up the mountain, the dirt road ended.
Gray and Darius had reached their designated spot to wait.
Gray drove slowly into the bush, just till the four-wheeler was
concealed, then killed the engine, and Darius climbed off.
Shit. It was almost impossible to see anything with the headlights off.
They’d already been dimmed by an attachable filter since the guys didn’t
want to announce their presence more than necessary, but it’d still allowed
them to see the damn road. Now, nothing. He couldn’t even see any stars.
Oh, but he fucking heard…
With the engine off, he suddenly heard the entire jungle. All that
rustling and crunching and creaking and, and, and shit. He’d seen a
YouTube video of howler monkeys; he knew what they sounded like, and
he fucking heard their ghostly, growl-like howling now. They couldn’t
be close, but they were definitely in the area.
“The others parked here.”
Gray joined Darius on the last stretch of the dirt road and let his eyes
adjust to the darkness. Then he saw what Darius was pointing at, the two
ATVs on the other side. The first group had left them here mere minutes
ago and was now trekking through the damn jungle to get higher up.
The compound where Crew Finlay was being held was another
half a mile away. Up the wide peak and to the east. With nothing but
thick vegetation in between here and there. Well, there was a heavily
guarded main road, of which they were steering clear.
“Nolan and DQ in position,” Darius stated quietly.
River would relay the update to the rescue team.
“Let’s say that next time we go to bed together.” Gray spoke
under his breath. “Nolan and DQ in position.”
Darius shook his head in amusement while Shay coughed on a snicker.
Gray grinned to himself and retrieved his gloves from one of his
pockets.
It wouldn’t be Nolan for much longer, though. In ten days, he
became a Quinn.
Just ten days to go. After waiting for so fucking long. They’d
postponed the wedding twice because of the pandemic.
Thanks to the doomsday prepper, they hadn’t lost any deposits.
Darius had kept saying, “Let’s not order anything we can’t return, in
case we gotta postpone.”
He’d been right. Hell, he’d been right about so many things.
People had hoarded. There’d been lockdowns. Many had lost their jobs.
Lives had been lost too.
At times, Gray had felt guilty for how comfortably they’d been able to
live throughout the whole thing. They’d homeschooled the kids from time
to time, work around the cabin continued as usual, they’d never run out of
anything. Darius, on the other hand, had been firm—with zero guilt. “This
is why we fucking prepare, so that when the world goes to shit, we don’t.
We can’t do everything, but everyone can do something. People gotta
learn to take some goddamn responsibility and think ahead.”
Not that they hadn’t suffered at all, of course. Mom’s inn had been
temporarily closed for six months. Ryan had almost lost his bar in San
Francisco. Darius’s restaurant had taken a huge hit, and he’d had to dig into
his savings to keep the place afloat for months. But then he and a handful of
local restaurant owners had banded together to switch gears. They’d pooled
their resources and started a delivery service, where servers and other staff
could come back to work. But rather than waiting on tables, they’d been
kitted with headsets and laptops for phone and online orders, they’d loaded
up food in Styrofoam containers, and they’d driven all over town to deliver
meals. Without an established middleman involved to take a cut. All the
money had gone directly back to the restaurants and the employees.
Improvise, adapt, overcome, as Ryan had said through vicious
coughs when he’d been sick with the virus. He’d caught it pretty early
on and had been down for the count for weeks. Months, if one counted
the return of his senses of taste and smell, which he certainly did.
Gray and Darius had been sick too, but to much milder degrees.
“What’s with the gloves, knucklehead? It’s eighty degrees.”
Gray cleared his throat and shook his head. He’d found himself
spacing out a lot recently. So much had happened while he’d waited
for their big day, and it felt like the ultimate milestone, in a way, to
finally marry the love of his life. It put him in a nostalgic mood.
Probably not optimal, given their current location and job.
“I found them at Ralph’s place,” he replied. “They’re supposed to
protect you from snakebites.”
The gloves were thin and fit like a second skin, and they were
layered with both latex and leather. In short, they wouldn’t be in the
way if he had to use his gun, but they still offered protection.
Darius just shook his head in amusement, then retrieved
something from his pocket. The thermal monocular, more accurately.
He was going to check for heat sources.
Gray didn’t even want to try it. He’d read enough to know that a
lot of things out here in the jungle would register as a heat source,
and fuck that. He knew the dangerous animals were out there. He
didn’t want to see them, or the warm prints they left behind.
“Perimeter watch on your six, Darius,” River notified. “They’ll pass
you in a few seconds.”
“Roger,” Darius replied.
Gray glanced behind him, and sure enough, two of the men from the
third group appeared. He did not envy their job of basically walking around
in the jungle and keeping watch.
They nodded to one another in greeting but didn’t linger. They
disappeared into the thicket a moment later, both holding their rifles
at the ready. Thermal scopes let them see the same heat signatures
Darius was watching for.
He smirked, which put Gray on edge.
“You see something, don’t you?” he accused.
“Maybe.”
Fuck this jungle noise.
“Here.” Darius closed the distance between them and handed
over the monocular. “It’s not close—you got nothing to worry about.”
Gray had heard that before. He reluctantly accepted the
monocular and was told to look northeast, maybe twenty yards in,
fifteen or so feet above the ground.
Yup, heat signatures all over the goddamn place. Mother of
Christ. Through the scope, the jungle was nothing but a yellow
canvas with red blotches everywhere.
And one giant snake.
“Holy fuck.” It was so clearly a snake. The heat signature squeezed a
branch up in the trees, and Gray estimated it had to be at least seven or eight
feet long. “Why does nobody ever need to be rescued in fuckin’ Alaska?”
“Screw the cold,” River chimed in with a mutter. “What’re you
seein’?” “World’s biggest snake next to the one in Darius’s
pants,” Gray replied. Shay let out a slightly too-loud laugh, to
which River shushed him. Darius sighed.
“Wait.” Gray caught something moving in the background. The heat
signature was much larger than the snake, and it was moving on the ground,
but he couldn’t see what it was. “Dare.” He handed the monocular over.
“Below the tree with the snake. There aren’t bears here, are there?”
Darius peered through the scope, immediately finding the source.
“Too blotchy—no, that’s not one signature. It’s two, moving closely
together. Fuck—it’s people.”
Gray stiffened and acted on instinct, dragging Darius backward to
the tree line where they could be invisible.
Darius adjusted his earpiece on the way—no, wait, he was pressing one
of the two buttons, which meant he was switching to another line rather than
asking River to convey a message. “Third group, DQ here, identify
yourselves with a raised hand signal. We have eyes on movement
approximately thirty yards northeast of our position. Two of them,
heading away from us.”
In the meantime, Gray relayed the same information to River and
Shay, making sure to keep his voice low.
“Goddammit,” Darius whispered. “It ain’t them. All right, we’re
gonna take care of them silently. DQ out.”
Fuck.
Okay, okay. This was one of those things they’d been prepared
to do. They’d known from the start that the cartel would have eyes all
over the place. They “owned” the mountain.
Gray and Darius didn’t feel the need to say anything. They’d trained
for this, and the bond between them as partners in a hostile situation
had only grown stronger the past year and a half. Using hand signals,
Darius gestured he’d go first, and Gray followed right behind him.
For once, the incessant jungle noise was an ally. The animal
sounds, the underbrush rustling, the trees creaking, and the birds
calling masked their footfalls as they disappeared into the tropical hell.
Adrenaline began surging again, and Gray felt like an idiot for taking
pleasure from it. He couldn’t help himself. It sharpened his focus and
made him feel like he was doing something good. Like he was making a
difference on a whole new level, because that was the PMC thing, wasn’t
it? To go where others wouldn’t. And this was his way of having his cake
and eating it too. He didn’t want or need a big slice, just this. This right
here. Once-in-a-blue-moon missions and training with Darius.
The pandemic had given them a lot of practice hours, during which
they’d put more focus on speed, silent communication—Gray had even
started learning sign language—and disarming someone quickly.
Removing the threat was the key to ensuring their own safety.
Darius raised a closed fist, halting their approach, and peered
through the monocular.
So far, Gray couldn’t see anything other than trees and ferns—
the entire jungle floor was covered—but it shouldn’t be long now. His
eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and maybe the clouds were
rolling back to reveal the moon too. Hard to be sure. He couldn’t
actually see the sky for the density of the trees.
 “They’re taking a break,” Darius murmured. “One is drinking, the
other is definitely smoking. Lucky bastard.”
Gray rolled his eyes and unstrapped his knife. He unfastened his
gun too, but held it in his holster.
“We won’t get a better shot than this,” Darius finished quietly.
“Estimated distance, fifty feet. I can see one rifle on the left guy’s
back. Don’t know about the other one, but we assume they’re both
armed. Left guy’s yours.”
“Understood.” Gray patted his pockets to make sure he knew
where he had duct tape and zip ties. “I’m ready.”
They resumed their pursuit, and Gray took a deep breath. His
stomach tightened with determination, and he poured all his
concentration into the target ahead of them.
They were practically wading in a sea of ferns and low bushes,
with traitorous roots slithering below, waiting to trip them. But at least
the sounds they made were drowned out by the rest of the
cacophony of noises. Distant screeches, echoes of howls, and so
many fucking birds and buzzing night creatures.
Gray heard the two men before he saw them. They spoke Spanish. The
glow of a cigarette followed, and then the shadowy figures became clearer.
Left guy, left guy. Several options ran through Gray’s head. He knew
Darius had given him the left guy because a man with a visible weapon
was easier to disarm than one you didn’t even know was strapped.
Their approach slowed down. Gray and Darius were about ten
feet away, somewhat hidden behind a thick tree, and the targets had
their backs to them. Darius pocketed the monocular and signaled to
Gray. We charge at the same time. Gray nodded.
Focus.
Deep breaths.
The second Darius gave the signal, Gray crept forward and had to force
himself to think about every step he took. Where he could steady himself in
case he stumbled and how long it would take to jump to his feet if he fell.
He heard Darius’s firm coaching voice in his head. You don’t run
until you have to. You have the element of surprise right up until
you’re noticed. Keep that moment for as long as you can.
The two men chuckled at something, and the guy to the right gestured
as he spoke about whatever. Darius undoubtedly understood; he knew
Spanish. Gray had forgotten most of what he’d learned in high school.
“No manches, estás pero si bien pendejo,” one of them laughed.
When the guy to the left dropped his water canteen and bent
down to pick it up, Gray made the decision in a fraction of a second,
and it would change their plans. He sucked in a breath, sprinted the
last few feet, and lifted the rifle off his target. Then, to the surprised
shout of both men, he threw the rifle farther into the jungle and
rammed into the guy to the right, sending them both to the ground.
Gray gnashed his teeth and used his upper body to keep the man down
while his hands went to check for guns. He had maybe two seconds before
the invisible restrictions of shock faded and allowed the men to fight back.
“Goddammit, knucklehead!” Darius swore.
“¡Vete a la verga!”
Gray grunted and threw away a handgun, and right then, the guy got
ready to swing at him. So Gray utilized what he had left, his head. He
slammed his forehead against the guy’s nose and used the seconds of
bloody pain—literally—to roll the guy over onto his stomach.
Behind him, he heard Darius’s heavy breathing and shouting in
Spanish by the other dude, which went completely silent after a
muted thud. Darius must’ve knocked him out.
“Fuck,” Gray panted. He found a knife too and threw that away as
well. Then he jumped to his feet, planted a boot on the man’s back,
and gathered his hands together. “I need help.”
Darius was already there. He pulled out a roll of duct tape and
began taping the man’s wrists together behind his back. “I told you to
take the guy to the left,” he said irritably.
“I saw an opportunity,” Gray argued. “You always say we
shouldn’t waste them.”
Darius clenched his jaw but said nothing. They worked in silence
for a minute or two—guns and knives were disposed of, a radio was
turned off, phones were shut off and thrown into the bush, hands and
feet were restrained securely, and several layers of duct tape went
around the targets’ heads to keep them from making sounds.
“Targets apprehended and disarmed,” Gray informed River, out
of breath. He patted the men’s pockets, checked their belts, and felt
their torsos for hidden items that could be used to escape.
 The guy Gray was originally supposed to take care of was waking
up, groaning and grunting, but there wasn’t much he could do. Or the
other one, for that matter, who just glared at Gray.
“Stop kidnapping people and this shit doesn’t happen,” Gray told him.
A second later, River had an update. “Rescue team in place—they’re
entering the side building where they think they’ll find the hostages
at the next guard change.”
“Casualties so far?” Darius asked.
“Zero.”
Gray wiped sweat off his forehead and dug out a bundle of rope,
and Darius helped him tie the two men to the nearest tree.
“All right, we’re returning to our position,” Darius announced
gruffly. He didn’t waste time bringing out the monocular again,
possibly to make sure they hadn’t attracted a crowd. Who the fuck
knew how many soldiers the cartel had roaming around.
On the way back to the dirt road, Darius had to be a dick. “We’re
gonna talk about this when we get home.”
“Okay, baby.” Gray snuck in a quick kiss to Darius’s cheek. “I’m
looking forward to all the praise for doing exactly what you taught me.”
Darius shot him a side glare.
Woof!
 CHAPTER TWO

“D arius! Ellis sent our wedding monogram!” you yell from downstairs.
“Oh my God, you have to come see it. It’s gorgeous.”
What the hell is a wedding monogram?
After filling the log holder in our bedroom with more firewood, I return
down the stairs and see you on the couch with your phone. You’ve been
down this weekend, and I fucking hate it. Neither of us wanted to postpone
the wedding, but it looks like this virus ain’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Maybe this wedding monogram whateverthefuck will brighten
your mood.
I sit down next to you and squint at the screen. Oh. Well, hell.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” you ask. “Ellis designed it himself.”
A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth, and I dip my chin. It
actually is beautiful. G&D—I like the look of that. The design isn’t
frilly or too fancy either. Elegance meets nature, with cursive writing
and some simple foliage emerging from the letters.
“We’re gonna put this shit everywhere,” you vow. “Invitations,
place cards, menu, wedding favors—”
“I can ask people for favors because we’re getting hitched?” I joke.
You grin and roll your eyes.
I’m just happy to see you smiling again. I know you love our life, but
this wedding is your life jacket through the pandemic. Your main
distraction, your personal project, and your light at the end of the tunnel.
And where other grooms find their future spouses tedious for going
into bridezilla mode, you have no idea how much it means to me.
You want our big day to be perfect. You want the day I become your
husband to be perfect.
No fucking wonder I feel the pressure about our vows. I can’t put into
words how much I live and breathe for you, knucklehead. For our family.

“Remember when we said not a goddamn scratch?” Darius

grumbled. “Those are fucking scratches.”
Gray suppressed a sigh and returned the first aid kit to one of his
pockets. There, all better. The cuts and scrapes he’d sustained along
his arms during the wrestle were cleaned and hidden underneath
gauze now. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed getting injured. But out here,
they took no chances. An infection could ruin everything.
“Do you remember when I told you to cut the cord?” he reminded
patiently. “Don’t let me be your weakness, Dare. I’m supposed to be
your strength, like you’re mine. Please trust me out here just like you
do at home when we’re training.”
Darius blew out a breath and walked closer, his boots crunching
gravel on the dirt road. He inspected the bandage around Gray’s
arms. “I may recall such a discussion.”
The last of the fight drained out of Gray, and he reached up to
kiss his stubborn man. “I love you. Just treat me like you’d treat Ryan
in the field. Rely on me, Big Daddy. Count on me.”
Darius’s forehead wrinkled. “Big Daddy does not fucking tell
Ryan he loves him in the field.”
Gray closed his eyes and laughed silently.
It was the moment Shay chose to remind them of their listening
in. “This has got to be the sweetest extraction in PMC history.”
Even Darius found that funny.
Gray had never considered the amount of waiting Ramirez must’ve done
before rescuing them from the island. Or the waiting Ryan had undergone
while hoping for updates from the yacht. It was a lot of waiting.
Gray squatted down and inspected a tiny frog right at the end of
the dirt road.
And how many people can you kill just by looking at them, froggy?
It’d been two hours since anything had happened. Darius had
gone and checked in on the two men they’d tied up twice, and they
hadn’t moved an inch.
“Anything?” Gray heard Shay ask.
“Guard change in fifteen,” River responded.
Fifteen minutes. Good to know.
“Where’s the team holed up while they’re waiting?” Shay wondered.
“Somewhere in the building,” River answered. “Ryan said it’s just a
bunch of cells and sorting rooms. Theory is, the drugs go through there.
They identified equipment for cutting coke and turning it into bricks.”
The security had to be tight, in other words.
Gray had seen the map they’d drawn up of the compound, which
consisted of four buildings. A main residence, designed like a
luxurious hacienda, and a similar but more modest structure on the
eastern side of the property, where they speculated workers stayed.
The last two buildings were simpler and therefore more interesting
to the rescue team. Nobody put thought into how warehouses looked.
The clay exterior wrapped up the structures into plain boxes with small
windows, all of which had bars on them. And in the end, they’d opted
for the building where they had observed food being delivered to.
The cartel’s operation took place behind high fences that the team
had scaled and climbed over when the guards patrolling were out of sight.
“Do they have an estimated head count on hostiles?” It was
Darius who asked.
“Twelve immediate threats,” River said. “They’re the heavy
security. The rest are a nonissue, Ryan said. I’m assuming local foot
soldiers hoping for scraps.”
Darius nodded to himself.
Gray didn’t know enough about how these things were run, but he did
know that the cartels were excellent at delegating the criminal offenses to
impoverished civilians, for lack of a better word, to basically do the dirty
work. It was why they hadn’t killed the two men they’d restrained. Cartels
wouldn’t waste anyone irreplaceable to keep an eye on the jungle. That was
a job for some poor idiot just trying to put food on the table for his family.
Still, the soldiers were poor idiots hoping to climb the ranks, so it
wasn’t like they had a whole lot of sympathy for the men. They just
didn’t want to end their lives.
The drug trade had victims on both sides of the law.
“Any update from the helicopters?” Darius asked next, checking for
heat signatures again. “If the kids are injured—or any of our crew, for that
matter—there’s only so much Gray can do before he needs assistance.”
Gray longed for a day when Darius didn’t refer to people older
than Gray as kids. Nobody here was a fucking kid. Crew Finlay and
his partner were both a few years older than Gray, and the guy
they’d been contracted to bring home was nineteen.
“We’re getting an update,” Shay said quietly. “Hold, please.”
Gray rose from the ground again and absently cracked his knuckles.
It had to be mind-numbing for River to receive information from two lines
at the same time. Willow was behind the software, and she was trying to
develop something new using AI, but she was secretive about that.
Darius suspected someone in DC had headhunted her.
Gray grinned to himself. Darius’s youngest sister, Elise, had been
easy to fall for. A born mother, that one. And she had three little girls
with Avery, one of Darius’s best friends. She was one of the most
caring people ever, and she had a very typical little-sister/big-brother
relationship with Darius that was always fun to behold. Willow was
different. Gray had shared a journey with her very few people knew
about, and he’d come to adore her step-by-step. And up until this
past winter, he hadn’t believed he could love her any more.
Then Willow fuckin’ Quinn, gray hat extraordinaire, got pregnant.
Gray had never seen the Quinn family stunned before that day. All
brothers, completely fucking speechless. Because while both Elise
and Willow were autistic, it was Willow whose struggles shone
through the most in her everyday life. Elise was a chameleon who
could fake it till she made it. Willow could not, and according to her
brothers, she’d spent her life giving off a vibe that just screamed she
would never have kids of her own.
 Sure, Gray had been surprised too, but not to the same extent.
After all, she was an amazing auntie. She shared a special bond with
Justin, and even more so with Elise and Avery’s daughters. Willow
also had an honorary niece in a girl she used to babysit.
Now she’d make an amazing mother too. She’d started showing
as well, and she was so fucking funny. Because she’d always be
uniquely her, and if the baby kicked, she looked down at her belly
and tried to talk sense into the little one.
Gray was excited to become an uncle again.
Fuck, now he missed the kids.
He couldn’t wait to—
“Okay, we have movement,” River informed them. Gray shook his head
and refocused. “Rescue’s underway—it’s gonna be fast. Shay and I are
gonna head down to the beach and reposition the Jet Skis for a quicker
getaway. You two stay back. I’ll give you a heads-up if there’s movement on
our end near your position. I’mma touch base with the pilots too.”
“Understood. We’ll be ready,” Gray said quietly.
He glanced at Darius, who was scanning the nearby
surroundings through the monocular.
Too curious to know how the rescue was going, Gray tapped the button
on his earpiece till he was on the first group’s line of communication, and he
was immediately greeted by the sound of rapid gunfire.
“On your two o’clock, Quinn.”
“All exterior cameras down.”
“Greer, behind you!”
“I think they’re awake now.” “Jesus,
there goes my hearing.” “Second
detonation in three, two, one.” “Get
down, get down, get down!”
Holy fuck. Gray flinched at the loud blast.
It was impossible to tell them all apart, but safe to say, the rescue
team was busy.
“Four incoming from the residence.”
“Backup ETA sixty seconds.”
Oh. They must’ve contacted the perimeter watch for backup.
“We have eyes on the hostages.”
“Crew!”
 “Holy shit, Dad? Dad!”
“Third detonation in three, two, one.”
Gray recoiled at the next blast too, but he couldn’t help but grin
from ear to ear. Cullen had been reunited with his son.
“Move out, move out, move out!”
“Get the fuck outta there. We gotta
go!” “Backup’s cleared the front
gate.” “Motherfucker!”
That last one made Gray go rigid. He knew the sound of
someone getting hurt by now. Only question was, how badly? And,
well, who? Reese, Ryan, Greer, or Cullen? Technically, it could be
Crew, his partner, or the guy they’d been sent to extract too.
“I’m okay, I’m okay—go help your brother. We’ll meet at the front
gate.”
Too many voices at once. Gray almost got dizzy. But it was Ryan, wasn’t
it? Ryan and Greer were the snipers of the squad, so it made sense for
them to remain outside while Cullen and Reese freed the hostages.
Part of taking on a smaller responsibility during this operation
was receiving less information. Gray and Darius were on a need-to-
know basis and had arrived in Mexico four days ago, along with
River and Shay. Meanwhile, Greer, Cullen, and Reese had been
making plans and getting their hands dirty for the past nine days.
They’d been here, in Belize, when Reese had called Darius for help.
Gray switched back to the second line of communication and released a
breath.

“Two minutes,” River said.

Darius grunted and pushed the last ATV back onto the dirt road.
Gray hurriedly lined up the medical supplies he needed right there on the
ground. Two gunshot wounds, one twisted knee, a shrapnel-type injury, and
plenty of cuts and scrapes appeared to be the result of this mission.
“Update on injuries?” Darius asked, out of breath.
“Hold,” River responded. “No change, but Ryan and Cullen are
still losing blood.”
 Darius looked to Gray, who nodded. They’d do what they’d
agreed to mere minutes ago. It’d been a possibility they’d been
prepared for from the beginning either way.
Considering they had three extra people now, the rescue team
would have to take the last ATV. Gray and Darius would cover them
from behind and run to the beach, flanked by the perimeter watch,
who were also on foot.
“Estimated four hostiles in pursuit,” River said, which was better
than the previous six. They must’ve dealt with the other two on the
way down the mountain.
“We’ll take care of them with the third group,” Darius replied.
They heard the distinct rustling of an approach seconds later, and Darius
jogged up to the tree line to meet the teams. At the same time, River said,
“First group inbound.” And right after, Gray spotted the first three men— and
one gangly-looking teenager. Reese and Greer were acting as support for
Cullen, who’d been shot in his thigh on the way out of the compound.
“Gray, you ready to be our medic?” Reese panted.
“Aye, sir.” Gray attached his clip-on flashlight to his beanie and
patted the seat of one of the ATVs. “Bring him here. Hey, kid—
catch.” He tossed a bottle of water and an energy bar to the guy
they’d rescued. He looked like he needed it.
Listen to yourself. “Kid.” He’s almost your age.
Christ.
Well, Gray had lived a hundred lives.
With a shake of his head, he concentrated on Cullen instead.
He hadn’t begun his studies to become an EMT yet, but he’d
crossed off two private courses in field medicine from his list, so he
was ready for his first thirty-second patient.
Cullen hissed and threw off his combat helmet as he slid onto the
seat, and Gray wasted no time. He got down on his knees, grabbed
the shears, and cut open the pants where the man had been shot,
and he quickly examined the wound. The bullet was still lodged
inside, and blood was gushing out. Not fucking great.
“Get Ryan on the next ATV when he arrives,” Gray ordered. He helped
Cullen straighten his leg before he strapped a tourniquet around his upper
thigh. As close to the groin area as possible, so he could cut the blood flow.
“Try to even your breathing. And you know this is gonna be painful,
right? I mean, you Marines get hurt all the fucking time.”
Cullen chuckled, his breathing strained and choppy, and he
nodded jerkily. “Not my first rodeo with a TQ.”
That’s what Gray figured.
“Greer, you can take the kid and head for the beach,” Darius
directed. “Reese, you’ll go with Crew.”
“Copy—”
A gunshot blasted through the air, catapulting Darius and Greer
into action. They darted back into the jungle, from where the rescue
team had come, and it took all of Gray’s focus to stay with Cullen.
Through River’s updates, they’d learned that Crew and his
partner Lawrence were in high spirits. Dehydrated and a bit
malnourished, but with enough strength to be of use.
More gunfire followed. Too many shots to count. It was difficult to
estimate the distance in the jungle, but Gray guessed within one
hundred feet.
“Motherfuck,” Cullen growled.
Yeah. This shit hurt. Gray tightened the windlass further until the
wound stopped bleeding. Then he bit the tip off a bottle of wound
cleanser, squeezed it all out over the wound, before he pressed a
handful of compresses on top and wrapped gauze around the leg.
Last but not least, he checked his watch.
4:14 AM
“This comes off before six AM.” He pointed to the tourniquet and
rose from the ground, angling away the flashlight at the same time.
“You good to drive?”
He gritted his teeth and nodded once. “Yeah. Where’s my boy?
Crew! Get outta there. I fucking swear.”
“Do y’all need backup?” Reese asked, presumably for someone
on their communication devices to respond to. While he waited, he
turned the ignition on all the ATVs.
Gray declared himself finished with Cullen for now but told him to
make sure they ended up on the same helicopter. Then he hurried
over to the “kid,” who, in Gray’s defense, didn’t look nineteen.
Fifteen, sixteen—tops.
 “My name is Gray. You understand we’re here to bring you home to
your parents?” Gray knew the look in the boy’s eyes. He was utterly lost.
He hadn’t been treated well either. His clothes were practically in shreds,
he was dirty from top to bottom, and his cheeks were sunken in.
Gray wasn’t privy to the details of Crew and Lawrence’s mission, but
with the kid having American parents of Mexican heritage, it was easy to
make guesses. Cartels didn’t shy away from using children for leverage.
Whether Dad belonged to an enemy organization or someone had testified
in a courtroom, refusing to be silenced… It could also be a custody battle
gone way too far. In Darius’s experience, that was often the case with
extractions of children. One parent who left the country with the kid.
“Can you tell me your name?” Gray asked patiently.
The guy looked up at him with a blank expression. At least his
reflexes worked; he’d caught the water and the energy bar earlier.
“Um, Marcos,” he croaked. “Am I really going home?”
It was such a relief to hear his voice. “Yes, you are. In fact…Cullen
over here is ready to take you down to the beach right now.” He gently
ushered Marcos toward Cullen. “We have helicopters waiting for us.”
Cullen managed to swallow his pain and take over. “C’mere, kid.
Let’s get you outta here.”
Gray let his flashlight scan the guy quickly, and he didn’t see any
physical wounds that needed immediate attention.
“Finally!” Reese snapped impatiently.
Gray looked up to see more men emerging from the jungle. He
had to agree with Reese—fucking finally. Darius and Greer were
helping…it had to be Crew. He had to be the one who’d twisted his
knee on the way down. Ryan stumbled out backward as he peered
through the scope of his rifle. Leaving Marcos with Cullen, Gray
hurried over to help his future brother-in-law.
With so much background noise, both from the jungle and in their
earpieces, Gray hadn’t noticed that the gunfire had ceased.
“Did you get the last ones?” Reese demanded.
“Can’t be sure,” Ryan gritted out. Sweat poured from under his
helmet. “Darius got one, I know that much. I took down one too.”
“Greer got one,” Darius stated.
So one could still be out there?
Gray guided Ryan over to an ATV and told him to sit down.
 “We gotta clear the area,” Greer said firmly. “Crew and Lawrence—
grab one of the ATVs. Straight down to the beach.” He adjusted his
earpiece —or changed the channel. “Third group, this is Fin-2. Move
out immediately. I will stay behind with DQ and Nolan. Over.”
By now, Gray had cut open Ryan’s shirt enough to inspect the
gunshot wound, and he was relieved to see the bullet had mostly grazed
him. It was still a flesh wound with blood trickling out steadily, and it was
going to bruise up his entire bicep good and proper, but it would heal
quickly—once he’d been stitched up, and that would have to wait.
Cullen and Marcos were gone. Crew and Lawrence tore out of there.
Reese and Ryan would be next.
“You’ll live,” Gray was happy to announce.
Tiny flying critters buzzed in the glow from the light, and hopefully
they weren’t lethal. If killer moths were a thing, they’d be in Belize,
no doubt.
“Thank fuck.” Ryan smirked faintly. “Otherwise, Angel would kill
me.” Legit.
While Gray worked and cleaned the wound, Greer and Darius
kept watch, and Reese gave River and Shay an update.
“Hold here.” Gray had trapped a few layers of compresses
against Ryan’s flesh wound. “Press down hard.”
Ryan did as told and winced.
He was lucky that direct pressure was enough to slow the bleeding.
Gray grabbed one of the larger rolls of elastic bandage, then began
wrapping it around Ryan’s arm as tightly as he could.
“We’re gonna have to start callin’ you Doc.”
Gray smiled ruefully and eased away Ryan’s hand again. “Or you
could stop getting hurt. That’s an option too.”
“Eh.” Ryan dismissed the notion.
“All done.” Gray started grabbing the supplies he’d used. “Make
sure to get on the same helicopter as Cullen and me. I’ll have time to
stitch you up on the way.”
“Roger that. Cheers.” Ryan grunted and swung a leg over the
ATV. “Let’s move out, Reese.”
Gray stepped back and pocketed everything, including the trash. The
last thing he saw before he flicked off the flashlight was the blood covering
his gloves, and he shook his head to himself. It wasn’t a Quinn
adventure without somebody getting shot.
River’s voice filtered through in the earpiece. “Our ride’s here in
seventeen minutes. Time to get off that mountain.”
“Aye.” Darius lowered his thermal scope and nudged Greer, who
wasn’t on the same line as River. “Helicopters are here in seventeen.”
Greer nodded with a dip of his chin. Unlike Darius’s handheld
scope, Greer’s was attached to his helmet, so they decided to use
that on the way. They’d gun it and stop briefly every sixty seconds to
check for heat signatures.
They didn’t have time for a leisurely jog—and who knew if more
cartel soldiers were trying to catch up.
The three men took off after making sure they hadn’t left anything
behind, and Gray let his eyes adjust to the darkness again.
“How long till we reach the beach, you think?” Gray asked.
“At this rate, maybe fifteen minutes.” Greer was already breathing
heavily, which made sense. He’d had the workout of a lifetime tonight.
’Cause it sure as fuck wasn’t poor physique. The Finlay brothers
were as tall as they were ripped for pushing…forty-five, fifty,
thereabouts, Gray guessed.
“Fifteen more minutes in the Killer Bug Capital of the world. Got
it.” Gray was definitely looking forward to his twenty-four hours at a
nice hotel outside of Cancun after this.
“Don’t forget the frogs,” Greer noted. “My boy gave me a long
fuckin’ rant on the frogs here before I left.”
“Is that your boy as in, your son, or your boy as in, ‘Jump on that
Daddy dick’?”
Greer coughed around a laugh.
“The latter, but I’m only Daddy to our kids,” he chuckled breathlessly.
Well, Gray wasn’t gonna make assumptions around friends of River and
Reese.

They made it off the mountain and to the beach in the nick of time,
with only River remaining on the beach.
 “Step on it!” he yelled. “Greer, you’re with me!”
Gray reached one of the two Jet Skis first and pushed it out into
the water as sweat continued running down his neck. Darius wasn’t
far behind, and Greer followed.
Three helicopters hovered silently over the dark horizon farther out.
The third group was on their way out there.
“Okay, go,” Darius ordered, jumping on behind Gray. “Goddamn,
I need a smoke.”
“That’s literally the last thing you need.” Gray white-knuckled the
handles and sped up, getting sprayed by the ocean every time they
hit a wave.
One of the helicopters ascended and tipped sideways as it turned
around and flew away. At the same time, the third group arrived on
the sandbank, and they wasted no time in climbing up on the ladder
they’d lowered. Those things looked so fucking flimsy that Gray
almost wished he could take the Jet Ski all the way to Mexico.
Instead, they’d go the same route they had coming in. Helicopter
between here and some tiny-ass airstrip in Dangriga, tiny-ass planes
—and in two, so they’d all fit—between Dangriga and Belize City,
and from there, a flight to Cancun.
It was in Belize City they turned into American tourists, excited to
continue their vacation in Mexico.
Right before they reached the sandbank, Gray slowed down and
turned off the engine, letting the Jet Ski glide forward until they hit
sand. Darius was quick to dismount.
The loud thump-thump-thump of the helicopters above was
nearly mind-numbing.
“We need the medic over here!” one of the men shouted over the noise.
He was the last of the third group.
“Let’s go.” Gray made sure Darius followed him, and they ran up
the sandbank and over to the other helicopter. “Are both Cullen and
Ryan up there?” He had to yell for the man to hear him.
Gray got a nod in confirmation, and then he was hauling himself
up the unsteady rope ladder with Darius right behind him.
The three newcomers had to be on the other helicopters,
because this was clearly their temporary infirmary. Kyle was the
pilot, and his only two passengers were Cullen and Ryan.
 Gray spotted a large medic kit secured to the floor, so he
grabbed the seat closest to it and buckled in.
Darius signaled to Kyle for them to get out of there, and then the entire
helicopter went sideways as it turned around and headed out to sea.
Cullen was clearly in pain, and he had to come first. Gray needed to
check his bleeding. Pulling himself up on the ladder must’ve raised Cullen’s
pulse to the max, which obviously could’ve caused more damage.
Once they were level again, Gray jumped into action and readjusted the
straps holding him in place. Rather than having them over his shoulders, he
attached them around his midsection so he could move freely.
Darius received two sets of headphones from Kyle, and Gray got one
of them. He removed his earpiece and put them on. Fuck, much better.
Noise-canceling for the win. They could finally communicate too.
“Cullen, I need you to be as specific as possible about the exact
location of your pain,” Gray directed. He opened the medic kit and
was relieved to see so many supplies and tools.
“The bullet’s lodged deep,” Cullen managed to grit out. “Doubt
you can grab it.”
Gray wasn’t even going to try. That was for a surgeon to determine.
“In ten days, I’m marrying a man who’s got two bullets in his body.
Going through airport security with him is always an adventure.”
Cullen chuckled through the pain. “My wife’s married to a man
with a similar condition.”
Of-fucking-course.
Gray turned on the flashlight attached to his beanie again, then removed
his gloves to put on a new pair of the surgical variety before he cut up more
of Cullen’s pant leg. He needed to see the wounded area better.
Having studied so much these past eighteen months, Gray
always found it interesting to think back on all the things they’d done
wrong in the past, which he could perform correctly now. But there
was always one thing textbooks couldn’t determine accurately, and
that was the circumstances that brought an injured patient to a field
medic. Or a field medic in the making, in Gray’s case.
If he’d told his instructor that his fiancé had once given him heroin and
removed a bullet from his thigh in the field, the instructor would’ve lost his
shit. Probably. But then…it’d been their best option at the time. Gray had
been bleeding out on that godforsaken island once the bullet had shifted.
 He didn’t want to remove Cullen’s dressing now, but he had to
clean it again. The TQ was still firmly in place, though, so that would
help. Otherwise, changing the dressing risked halting the coagulation
process and kick-starting the bleeding once more.
He dumped the dressing to the side, happy not to see too much
blood, and immediately went to work disinfecting the wound.
“You seem to know what you’re doing,” Cullen said.
“I’m a sponge for knowledge, baby.” Gray jerked his thumb over
his shoulder. “I’ve had a lot of practice on that one.” He heard
Darius’s tired chuckle in his headphones.
“I’d like to think I’ve given you practice too,” Ryan mentioned.
“Lord, don’t get me started,” Gray muttered. He unwrapped a couple
sterile cotton swabs and applied antiseptic cream in and around the wound.
A lot had changed back home, one of them being their new
neighbors. Ryan and Angel’s partner, Greg, had, with help from
Darius, bought a chunk of land adjacent to Darius and Gray’s
property. It’d been a gift for Ryan’s birthday last year. He’d been so
overwhelmed that he’d had to excuse himself.
It’d been sweet.
Ryan loved San Francisco, but he was missing Washington. He
missed the small-town feel. He missed his family.
It’d be a while before they moved up permanently, probably a
couple years, but now they had land to build on. They had a new
cabin, which would one day be a guesthouse once their home stood
ready. And the best part? They’d be literally five minutes away from
Gray and Darius and their kids.
Angel had become a Pinterest junkie in her plan-making for their
future, and Darius was working hard to recruit her as a prepper.
She wasn’t all that different from Jayden. They’d both lived on the
streets and now found comfort in self-reliance. Angel was going all in.
Gray was surprised by Greg, however. The man was nice as hell but had
always preferred the comfortable city life, with all its conveniences and
luxury. He was a lawyer who wore Armani and felt right at home in
restaurants with sixteen fucking forks and knives flanking his plates. But…
he was also a masochistic submissive devoted to his Master, and Greg had
undergone some kind of change when they’d started building their cabin last
year. He was discovering he really loved seeing the results of things he
could create with his own hands. And he’d admitted to feeling more
at peace after a week up in Westslope.
It was a recipe for success, if one asked Gray.
But yeah, Ryan had constantly fucking hurt himself while building the
cabin. Gray had lost count of the times he’d run over with his medic bag.
So many deep-tissue bruises, one nail gun on the prowl that’d shot two
nails into Ryan’s hand, probably a fractured rib after falling down a ladder,
countless cuts, countless stitches, countless, “It happened again, Gray!”
Good times.
It was kind of bizarre because Ryan was so goddamn skilled. He
was creative, practical, and he’d had a lot of practice. Then…well, he
was also reckless. And a fair bit lazy. Who needed a ladder that was
fifty feet away when he could just stack a few crates on top of one
another and jump up on a roof?
“Okay, almost done.” Gray wrapped a new bandage around
Cullen’s thigh, tightly, atop plenty of absorbent compresses. “I don’t
want you to remove this until you see a doctor, preferably the minute
you get home. I have enough antibiotics for you to take for three
days, just to be safe, and no alcohol, no smoking, no straining your
leg. I’ll remove the tourniquet when we’re in the air again after
Dangriga, and then you gotta be still. Got it?”
“Let’s back up to the no-alcohol part,” Cullen replied. “You’re saying,
after this hell ride, after getting my son back, I’m not allowed to have a
celebratory drink during our twenty-four-hour R&R in fuckin’ Cancun?”
Gray smiled. “That’s what I’m saying. Booze is a blood thinner.
Don’t be stupid.”
Cullen snorted and dug into his pocket, and he retrieved a
fucking pack of smokes. “Thank fuck I have selective hearing.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” Gray exclaimed.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, Ryan held out two fingers in silent
question—and then Darius followed! Motherfucker! He’d been so
good! Darius hadn’t smoked in over a year—aside from a handful of
times he’d lied about. As if Gray couldn’t fucking smell it on him.
“We all have our limits, baby,” Darius said. “It’s been a long
night.” Gray scoffed.
Then he coughed for good measure as three grunts lit up cigarettes.
 CHAPTER THREE

S ometimes I’m convinced that love is the best way to torture ourselves.Idon’tknowhowmanytimesI’velostyouinmynightmaresandthe

worst-case scenarios I can’t help but conjure when life is a little

too good.
I’m not the kind of man to sabotage myself, but I am the kind of
man who will try to prepare for any catastrophe that might take you
from me too soon. I’ve learned your blind spots, I see the hazards
you tend to overlook, and I have a dozen plans in place in case you
decide to go do something stupid, like injure yourself.
We can’t have that.
You’re my lifeline, knucklehead. The thought of losing you, the
thought of going back to the existence I had before you, turns my
stomach and makes breathing painful.
But I can’t write this in my vows. People want the lovey-dovey
shit, right?
They don’t want my neurotic fear of having you ripped away from
me in a freak accident.
This is on me. This is my biggest fear. It’s not a reflection of the man
you’ve become. Because that man…? Jesus Christ, I admire you. I love
your strength, your vulnerability, your openness, your determination. And
somehow, you’ve made me more comfortable with who I am.
Okay, see, this is the shit I gotta tell the guests at the wedding.
Gray found an ally in Greer when it came to smoking. He eyed his
brother with contempt every time Cullen lit up a smoke.
“Don’t give me that fucking look,” Cullen bitched.
“Don’t give yourself cancer,” Greer shot back. “Goddamn
idiot.” “What he said,” Gray added, eyeing Darius. “It’s
twenty-four hours, knucklehead.”
Gray chose not to argue. To be honest, he wasn’t irritated for
real. It had been a long night—and day. He’d let Darius have his
break. And now they could finally relax too.
Cancun was looking very beautiful this evening.
Far from everyone was staying, though. Crew’s partner Lawrence
was on the next flight to Texas, to deliver Marcos to his parents. The
men in the third group had gone to their gates, heading for Boston and
New York, with both Kyle and another pilot hot on their tails. The third
pilot had aimed for the lounge to wait for his Florida flight first thing in
the morning, and even River and Shay were ditching those who stayed.
They were being secretive about it too. And since Reese was staying…?
“I just don’t get it,” Gray said, hopping into a cab. “They’re going to
DC now? When they’re coming to the wedding in nine days?”
Actually, it was sooner than that. They had bachelor party festivities
a couple days before, and the Tenleys were obviously invited.
“You ask too many questions, kid,” Reese drawled. “But no,
they’re not heading to DC.”
That wasn’t helpful!
Gray narrowed his eyes at the man, who scooted to the middle
seat to make room for Darius.
“Is it wedding-related?” Gray couldn’t help but ask.
Reese merely chuckled, then faced the driver and gave directions
in flawless Spanish.
“Hmpf.” Gray peered out the window instead.

Two hours later, they began reaping the rewards of their successful mission.
 Their hotel was far from the city noise and very luxurious. It was a
Westwater golf resort, where guests stayed in their own bungalows
and had access to golf carts to get around.
The bungalows were grouped together six by six, each section
forming a circle around its own pool area and outdoor kitchen. Gray
and Darius in one bungalow, Reese, Ryan, and Greer in another,
and Cullen with his son in a third.
Tiki torches lit up the area as the men emerged after having
showered and starting feeling human again.
Gray directed Darius to a lounger, wanting to snuggle, and got
comfortable between Darius’s legs.
“I ordered pizza from the restaurant,” Reese said.
“Suh-weet,” Gray said. “Dare and I were just talking about food.
Where’s Ryan?”
“Talking to the mister and the missus,” Reese responded.
Greer was on the phone too, a few feet away. “That’s right, baby.
Daddy will be home in two more sleeps. Can you give Corey the
phone again? Maybe he can tell me why you’re up at this hour.”
Aww.
Earlier today, Gray and Darius had had a similar conversation with the
kids at home. Justin just didn’t understand why Daddy and other Daddy
were going on their honeymoon before the wedding. Because Nana had
taught him that honeymoons were for after. So they’d reminded him
patiently that they were helping a friend with something—and, yes, they
would absolutely be home before Easter this weekend.
Cullen was next to arrive at the pool, supporting himself on a damn
golf club, and it didn’t go unnoticed that his eyes were a little red.
Gray knew what family reunions felt like. Finally being able to let
go, see those you loved again…
Reese glanced up at him. “Crew’s on the phone with Mama Bear?”
“You bet.” Cullen smiled and limped over to another lounger. “I feel
like I can breathe again.”
Then he shouldn’t be lighting up another cigarette.
Gray didn’t wanna bother the man, but his gunshot wound could
easily start bleeding again. He’d had to apply more dressing after
he’d removed the tourniquet.
 “How’s your leg?” Gray asked. “Any numbness left from the
tourniquet?”
“Very little. You did good, kid.” Cullen cleared his throat. “You all did. I
can’t… I—shit.” He exhaled a little laugh, and his eyes turned glassy.
“Just —thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for putting
yourselves at risk. You have my eternal gratitude and respect. And if you
ever need anything—babysitters, designated driver, someone to bag your
groceries— I’ll send Crew right away. He’ll work for free.”
Gray grinned widely and felt Darius’s silent chuckles behind him.
“We were happy to help,” Gray murmured.
And they were lucky that Crew had gone missing on an official
mission. They’d had more information to go on; they’d known
specifics of the location.
Darius, River, and Reese all had experience from the agency where
Crew was contracted, and it was a merciless business. Just because they
had a boss didn’t mean they had security. A failed mission wouldn’t
automatically result in a rescue operation. They had teams of
investigators who put all the factors together before they made a decision
on whether to send someone new to bring the contractors home.
In Crew and Lawrence’s case, that was still under investigation.
And their parents had said fuck it, taken out loans, and funded the
operation themselves. Not unlike Gray’s parents had done.

Midnight came and went.

Nine pizzas disappeared.
In Gray’s defense, the pizzas had been smaller than regular
pizzas, and that was why he’d chowed down almost two pies on his
own, with Ryan and Reese watching in wonder.
“What?” Gray wiped his mouth on a napkin and reached for his
Fanta. Ryan shook his head. “I’m gonna go broke when my twins
get older.” Uh, yeah. Ryder and JJ were Quinns all the way.
“That’s Jason right now,” Greer said. “Boy’s a damn locust. We haven’t
had leftovers in months, ’cause he’s hit a growth spurt and eats everything.”
 “I remember when it was my boys,” Cullen said with a shake of
his head. “I don’t know who was worse, Crew or Maverick. Kaden
didn’t eat a lot per se, but he had a period where he was up in the
middle of the night because he was starving. And what did he eat?
My lunch for work the next day, obviously.”
“I remember that,” Greer chuckled.
Gray belched and side-eyed the slice Darius had abandoned.
It was really good pizza.
On the other hand, the pool looked really good too, and he didn’t
wanna end up in a food coma. Ryan and Greer had even brought out
snacks and booze that they’d bought at the airport, and if Gray passed
out before they could open the vodka, he was gonna be pissed. He
wanted a screwdriver and a gin and tonic, in that order. Probably a
couple more after that. Then he wanted to have drunk sex with Darius.
He leaned closer to Darius and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
“Can I convince you to take a midnight swim with me?”
Darius smiled drowsily. “I was wondering when you were gonna
ask. Sure.”
Oh dear, did he already find Gray predictable?
They left their lounger, and Gray put on his charm for Ryan, the
resident bartender, to mix them some drinks.
Darius pulled his tee over his head and furrowed his brow. “One
might think I’d be your resident bartender.”
“Don’t be jealous, big brother,” Ryan drawled. “It ain’t a good look
on you.”
Gray snorted softly and stripped down to his boxer briefs. “Baby,
let your brother serve us. If he’s a good boy, I’ll even tip him.”
Ryan didn’t look so smug anymore.
Darius did.
“I have a problem with vanilla brats,” Ryan stated.
Reese and Greer laughed.
“I have a problem staying awake,” Cullen yawned. “I think I’mma
call it a night and see how my boy’s doing.”
Yeah, Crew hadn’t been out here. His uncle Greer had brought
him pizza and soda, but the guy was understandably beat.
“Don’t forget to take your antibiotics,” Gray reminded. “But thank
you for not drinking alcohol.”
 “Don’t worry, I’ll have a couple extra drinks at the pool tomorrow
before we go home.” Cullen smirked at Gray’s heavy sigh before he
limped toward the bungalow he shared with his son.
Darius was first to dive into the pool, his ass looking all kinds of
hot in those boxer briefs. Thigh porn, ass porn, whole body porn.
Gray let out a breath and jumped in after, and the water was perfect.
Not too warm, not too cold.
“Hey, Doc, can I swim too?” Ryan asked.
Gray pushed back his hair and wiped water from his face. “You
know the answer to that, and if you really wanted to jump in, you
sure as hell wouldn’t ask for my permission.”
Darius rumbled a warm chuckle. “He’s got you pegged, Ry.”
“There will be no fucking pegging here,” Ryan muttered, pouring vodka into
two glasses. “I wanna jump in, but at the same time…fuck. I’m tired. I miss
my kids. I miss waking up with Angel and Greg wrapped around me.” Gray
smiled a little and swam over to Darius near the edge. He felt so
damn lucky to have his man here. But yeah, missing the kids was brutal.
“What about you, man?” Reese nodded at Greer with a smirk. “Do you
miss your fourteen husbands and two hundred
kids?” Gray quirked a brow, curious.
Greer laughed under his breath and poured whiskey into a glass.
“The whole mad bunch.”
Ryan was the type of man who asked the personal questions.
“Do you have yourself a harem or what?”
Greer shook his head, still amused. “Nah, just a big family. We’re
four partners and five kids, with one on the way.”
Hot. Damn.
Ryan let out a low whistle.
It was a good moment for Gray to tune out and focus on his own
Big Daddy, so he swam straight into Darius’s arms and latched on
while the three filthy kinksters on land started talking about BDSM.
“Can you imagine? Four people in one bed?” Gray asked quietly. Darius
grinned faintly. “Sounds like a regular Tuesday when Justin and
—”
“Oi! Your drinks.” Ryan left them their cocktails on the pool’s
edge. “Don’t forget that tip, Gray. I will accept an extra lobster tail
with my steak at the reception.”
 “Noted.” Gray smirked and returned his attention to Darius.
Their reception was going to kick ass in the luxury department. Since
Mom’s inn had been fully booked for another wedding, they couldn’t have
the ceremony there. So they’d moved it to the marina. They’d get married
right there on the pier, then host the reception at Darius’s restaurant, where
guests had been given the options of surf and turf, salmon, or scallops.
“By the way, you haven’t given me your I’m-so-proud-of-you
speech yet,” Gray pointed out. “And don’t skimp on the you’ve-come-
so-far-knucklehead bit.”
Darius chuckled and gathered Gray’s legs around him. By now,
they were at the center of the round pool, and it was effortless to
tune out the rest of the world altogether.
“I think I’m done with those speeches,” Darius murmured. “You
know I’m proud. You know you’ve come far. If you showed me
anything tonight, it’s that you’re my equal in the field. You have your
skill sets, you’re confident, you take initiative. You’d make one hell of
a contractor, Gray. And the best partner I could ever find.”
For not being a speech on pride, he sure made Gray feel ten feet tall.
“I had a fantastic teacher.” He closed the distance between them
and kissed Darius. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Darius slipped his hands down Gray’s boxer briefs as
they teased their tongues together, and shivers upon shivers of pure bliss
ran down Gray’s spine. “Now I want our lives to return to normal, though.”
“Me too.” Gray ghosted his fingers along Darius’s scruffy jaw and
couldn’t wait to get back to life on their mountain. Where every day
was structured to make room for both regular work and the chores
that pushed them closer toward total self-reliance.
They’d had plenty to keep them busy. Ryan and Avery had come
up one weekend to help Darius install solar panels on the back of the
roof of both the main cabin and the one for guests. During lockdown,
they’d grown closer to Sebastian, one of Darius’s bartenders, and his
husband, Blake. It’d taken one barbecue and approximately half a
bottle of whiskey for Darius and Blake to get creative on how a
cluster of livestock pens could look on the other side of the stream.
Over the course of a summer, they’d cleared the area below the stream,
they’d built a very small version of a barn there, they’d moved the chicken
coop, they’d built three pens for animals, and they’d framed the area with a
picket fence and raised planting beds where they could grow more
vegetables.
It wasn’t actually a barn, Gray supposed. But it had a similar
design, and it was used to store animal feed—as well as shelter the
two pigs they had. According to the capacity regulations, four more
pigs would fit in there.
Darius’s next project was to clear a larger area so they could
have a pasture.
The trees weren’t the problem, though. It was the soil. They
needed a foundation suited for growing grass.
Otherwise, he couldn’t buy his damn goats.
Because, yeah, that was apparently happening.
“What’s that smirk for?” Darius kissed it.
“Your passionate ramblings about the benefits of owning goats,”
Gray chuckled.
“Hey, I know when I gotta sell it.” Darius smirked back. “You’re on
board now, aren’t you?”
“You know I am.” Gray locked his arms around Darius’s neck. “I
still don’t know how you’re gonna turn a piece of actual forest into a
grass pasture, though.”
Darius frowned to himself. “Yeah, I’m still working on that. But
I’ve seen others do it online. I know it can be done.”
Gray had no doubt. In the meantime, he was Googling the most
bizarre crap. Like, how to milk goats and the process of turning said
milk into cheese.
How life had changed.
It was just funny to him. Former hockey player with hopes of
perhaps becoming a counselor or something similar, maybe with a
nice apartment in the Valley…
He couldn’t picture any of that anymore. The mere notion of living
in an apartment in the most populated area of Camassia made him
feel claustrophobic. Up in the mountains, they had freedom. Hard
work and freedom. And two pigs, seventeen chickens, and two dogs.
Then there were the owls.
That was another thing that’d changed. Darius had literally woken up
Gray in the middle of the night to discuss an article he’d just read on outdoor
cats causing more harm than anything else. So instead of getting a
couple cats to keep the rodents away, they’d spent a weekend
building nesting boxes to attract owls. And they’d succeeded. Two
nesting boxes, two trees—on each end of the property—two owls.
The last one had moved in this past January.
“I wanna go home,” he sighed. “For chrissakes, I’m at some luxury
resort in Mexico, and all I can think about are freaking owls and shit.”
Darius smiled and moved them closer to the pool’s edge. “You
don’t know how happy that makes me.”
“You’ve corrupted me.” Gray nipped at Darius’s jaw.
That made Darius laugh a little. “Don’t act all innocent. Last time I
checked, the orchard was your passion project—and remind me,
who started his own pharmacy in the backyard last year?”
“Pharmacy,” Gray laughed. It was a medicinal garden. With herbs
and plants they could use for minor stuff, like cuts and scrapes, like
aches and rashes. He shrugged. “It’s practical. And we needed to do
something with the space where the chicken coop stood before.”
“Hey, I’m agreeing with you—”
“Did I hear someone say chicken coop?” That was Greer.
Gray glanced over at the man and smiled. “Yeah, we recently moved
ours.” They were almost at the edge of the pool again, so he disentangled
himself from Darius and aimed for his cocktail. “Do you have chickens?”
He didn’t see any other reason for the topic to be interesting to others.
“We do, yeah.” Greer nodded and refilled his glass. “Recently
expanded with rabbits and a pig too.”
“Oh my God, there’re two of you, baby,” Gray told Darius. “Rabbits—
that’s a fine idea,” Darius said. “They’re cheap, easy to cook,
and don’t take up much space. We’ll add that to the list, knucklehead.”
Gray snorted and took a big gulp from his drink. Phew, Ryan didn’t
mess around with the vodka. The drink barely had any OJ in it.
Plenty of lime juice, though. It was good.
For the next several minutes, Darius and Greer became the best
of friends as one topic set off another. Farm animals, growing crops,
keeping living expenses down, and the big winner, self-reliance.
“It’s like peering into my future,” Ryan mused.
Gray grinned. “I’m glad you’re prepared.”
He was starting to wonder if Darius might invite Greer and his family to
the wedding, which would’ve been ironic. But then Gray heard them say
something about meeting up the next time Darius and Gray visited DC.
They’d been there once. Willow had asked them to accompany her to
DC so she could visit Jake’s grave, as she did every year, and Darius
hadn’t wanted to deny her. Not after everything she’d done for them. So
the three had flown out for a week, shortly after Darius had proposed.
And one of the evenings when Willow just wanted downtime at the hotel,
Darius and Gray had visited the infamous Mclean House, the kinky estate
where River and Reese had built their BDSM community. Greer was
apparently one of the founders, but he hadn’t been around when Gray
had marveled at the contraptions around the house. At times, he hadn’t
known if something was used for medieval torture or erotic pleasure.
“I think I’ve had enough for one day,” Reese announced tiredly.
“Are we on the same flight tomorrow?” Gray asked. “Ours is at five,
I think. Three-hour layover in Houston, then the last flight to Seattle.”
Reese groaned as he stretched his arms over his head. “Yeah,
that sounds about right.”
Cool. Ryan was Washington-bound too, but he’d go home first so
he could travel up with his family. They’d arrive in Camassia a day or
two later.
“Night, guys,” Reese said, getting off his lounger. “I’ll head over to
the market first thing to get us breakfast. Shall we say eight o’clock?”
They were all in agreement, and they decided to meet up on the
terrace outside the bungalow he shared with Ryan and Greer.
Gray finished his drink and wiggled his glass at Ryan, who shook
his head in amusement.
“C’mon, bartender. Liquor me up.”
Ryan grinned.
In the meantime, Darius was talking to Greer about different
kinds of fertilizer.
So sexy.
No, really, it wasn’t sexy at all, so it was a shock to feel Darius from
behind with a semi-hard cock. Gray coughed and rested his forearms
on the edge of the pool, and Darius stepped forward a smidgen and
dipped his fingers into the waistband of Gray’s underwear.
“We didn’t have much luck with sodium nitrate,” Darius was
saying. “Since we’re in the middle of the forest, we gotta raise the pH
quite a bit, and it’s been a slow process.”
 Gray barely reacted when Ryan handed him a new drink. It was kind
of difficult when Darius was teasing his fingers between Gray’s ass
cheeks. He’d pushed down his boxer briefs just enough for quick access.
Was this actually happening?
Gray took a swig from his drink.
“…sick of all the planting beds,” Darius went on, and Greer
nodded. “And I hate buying soil. It goes against my fucking nature.”
Greer laughed. “I feel ya. At the same time, there’re plenty of
benefits with the planting beds. If a crop gets sick, it’s easy to purge
the area. And once you have the soil, whether you buy it or not, you
can experiment with it according to the plant you’re growing. More
often than not, the answer is more manure, but at least that’s free.”
For the love of God, change the topic.
“Aye, we have a neighbor who supplies us,” Darius replied. “We’ve
had some success in using the soil we already have, but it takes two
years to get the right pH for anything other than raspberries and
blueberries—whatever shit you usually find in the woods.”
Gray shuddered as Darius pulled himself free from his underwear
and pressed the head of his cock against Gray’s ass. The man was
really fucking doing this. Now. Here. In the middle of his
conversation about soil pH and cow shit.
“Are you using the eggshells from the coop?” Greer asked.
“Yes,” Gray said, when Darius finally started pushing in. Oh, fuck yes,
finally. Just about an inch so far. It stung without oil, but that only made it
hotter. Then Gray realized he’d kind of answered Greer’s question too,
which sure as hell hadn’t been his intention, but he went with it. “I mean,
yeah, I grind it into powder. We mix it with the soil every spring and fall.”
Good save.
Darius took it from there, and Gray left the conversation
altogether. He sipped his drink, made sure to regulate his breathing,
and focused on Darius’s big cock slowly pushing deeper inside him.
Gray felt so inappropriate and dirty. In the best possible way.
Then it got worse—or better, depending on how one looked at
things— when Cullen reemerged, saying he couldn’t sleep. His brain
couldn’t relax. So he sat down, in obvious pain, and lit up a smoke.
And poured a damn whiskey.
 “I’m glad you’re taking your gunshot wound seriously, man,” Gray
said. “What is it with you Marines?”
Cullen merely smirked and tipped his glass in a silent cheers,
then took a swig.
“Just keep reminding yourself that he’s safe and sound again,”
Greer murmured.
Cullen nodded with a dip of his chin. “Anyway. Didn’t mean to
interrupt. What were you talking about?”
Gray took the cue and tuned out once more. He was almost done
with his next drink too. And his man was buried balls deep in his ass
and moving way too slowly. There was nothing fluid about the pace,
and it wasn’t even a pace. It was natural movements, like when Darius
shifted where he stood, or took a step forward, pushing in deeper,
when he drank from his cocktail. Then a step back, more shifting, a
fake cough, some laughter, all of which slid his cock in and out of Gray.
It was as indecently hot as it was frustrating.
Gray couldn’t help himself. He started making the same
movements, even as a voice in the back of his mind told him it
wasn’t smart. The alcohol was warming him up, giving him that
perfect buzz…and clouding his judgment.
He emptied his glass, and that voice fell silent.
Goose bumps appeared on his arms.
Fuck, he loved how Darius could surprise him. But maybe it
wasn’t so much a surprise after all. Darius had never enjoyed
discussing sex in front of others, but the man was shameless about
crossing physical boundaries. Case in point, how he’d fucked Gray
with the door open in Vegas—and how Ryan had caught them…
This was all the spice Gray craved. Sex had never been so damn
good before he’d met Darius.
“One more drink, please,” Gray said, sucking in a breath. Shit,
that felt amazing.
“I don’t know how to feel about my medic getting shit-faced,”
Cullen noted.
Gray chuckled, out of breath, and scrubbed a hand over his face.
God. When Darius rubbed against the most sensitive tissue deep
inside Gray, he didn’t fucking know what to do with himself.
 Ryan brought the vodka bottle and some mixers over to the pool’s
edge, and Darius casually rested his forearms on Gray’s upper back.
“I could go for a whiskey, little brother,” he said casually.
“Oh, you could, huh?” Ryan grumbled. “How did I become your
fuckin’ server? I was shot too, you know.”
Gray felt bad when he glanced at the angry bruises forming
outside of Ryan’s bandage. “I swear, when you sit down at the
reception, there will be three lobster tails on your steak.”
“And that’s why I do it.” Ryan handed over a whiskey bottle too.
“I’m gonna hit the hay,” Greer said before he finished his drink.
“I was thinking the same,” Ryan yawned.
“Me too.” Cullen threw back the rest of his whiskey, and then
Greer helped him up.
Finally. Yeah, just go.
Gray bit his lip and poured some vodka into his glass. Lime juice
followed, and a splash of OJ.
“You comin’ too, or…?” Greer trailed off and glanced at Darius
and Gray.
Ryan snorted, and the knowing smirk he shot Gray was
mortifying enough to make any man blush, Gray included, but the
booze helped. He managed a simple grin and shrugged a little.
“I reckon we’ll have one more drink,” Darius answered. “Yeah,
you enjoy that drink,” Ryan drawled. “Goodnight, kids.” “Night.”
Gray rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide his nervous smile.
At least the fluttering nerves in his stomach didn’t show.
A few more goodnights were exchanged, and then Darius pressed
a kiss to Gray’s shoulder as the other men left the pool area.
A beat later, Darius slid a hand down the front of Gray’s boxer
briefs too, and Gray moaned under his breath.
“Harder, baby,” he pleaded in a whisper.
“Push back,” Darius murmured. “I want my cock milked properly
before we’re out of here.”
Gray exhaled a curse and clenched down as hard as he could,
and he began meeting every thrust.
“You just couldn’t wait, could you?”
“Didn’t feel the need.” Darius flicked the tip of his tongue against
the shell of Gray’s ear. “If I wanna fuck my boy, I will.”
 Oh God.
Gray took over stroking himself off so Darius could focus on
railing his ass. Hard, quick, shallow movements that eventually
turned into deep thrusts laced with urgency and possessiveness.
“Oh my G—hnngh.” Gray screwed his eyes shut, already feeling
his orgasm building up.
Sensing that Darius was close, Gray clenched down as hard as he
could, ’cause that was always a surefire way to trigger his own euphoria,
when Darius slipped into savage mode and chased his climax.
“Fuck, that’s it,” Darius groaned. “Good boy. Good fucking boy—
keep squeezing my cock like that.”
“You like it when I’m your greedy slut, Big Daddy?” Gray panted.
Darius hissed, his fingers digging into Gray’s hips. And he didn’t say
anything. It was as if he couldn’t. Just when the pain threatened to
drown out the pleasure, both in his ass and his hips, Gray let out a
desperate whimper and felt Darius go rigid behind him.
It set Gray off too. The pleasure exploded, and he almost sank
deeper into the water when all his strength left his body, yet he
couldn’t stop pushing against Darius’s cock.
Holy fuck.
Pool sex in Mexico—check.
 CHAPTER FOUR

“T his was fantastic, knucklehead.” I wipe my mouth with my napkin and

lean back. “You did something different with the sauce, didn’t you?”

“I added basil.” You dip down and kiss my cheek before you take
my plate. “Next up, dessert and coffee.”
Christ, you spoil us.
“Is that so smart? Elise will be here soon, won’t she?” I glance to
Avery in question. She sent her hubby and three girls over here for
dinner with us on the porch, because she’s preparing something for
their anniversary. But I’m fairly sure I heard her saying she’d come
up later with samples for a future wedding cake.
Avery checks his watch while Hazel climbs on him. “Two hours,
give or take.”
Ah.
“Dad, can I watch a movie?” Jayden asks.
I nod. “Go for it.”
He disappears inside, with Justin following, and then I have little
Cassidy jumping over to my seat.
“Hi!” That’s her favorite word. And one of the few she knows.
“Hey, angel.” I grin when she squishes my cheeks together, and I
give her a loud smooch that makes her giggle.
 “Hi, hi!” she laughs. She sees you returning behind me, so
obviously, you get a couple hellos too. “Hiii! Hi!”
“Hi, little darling.” You wink at her and set a tiny porcelain dish on
the table.
I’ve seen it in Elise’s shop. It’s a miniature version of one of those
tiered cake stands on which she puts truffles, and of course you’ve
bought one. Can’t you see it’s tiny? What am I gonna do with that?
Precisely seven truffles fit on that thing, and we’re three grown men.
“Do you need a hand, Gray?” Ave asks.
“No, no, you sit. I’m almost done.”
Cass mirrors Hazel and starts climbing on my back, so I lean forward
and snatch up one of the truffles and pop it into my mouth. And it’s
fucking delicious. I’m usually more of a baked-goods type of guy, but
every now and then, my sweet tooth calls for chocolate with my coffee.
Next time you come out, you have a tray with three cups of
coffee, and you sit down next to me and ask, “Isn’t the serving dish
pretty? I thought we could have a combination of dishes at the center
of each table at the reception for when dessert is served.”
Ah, so you have a plan for this cocktease of a cake stand.
“I’m just gonna point this out once,” I say, still chewing. “It’s tiny.” You
grin a little at me. “Well, aside from the actual wedding cake, there
will be a couple trays too. Which you already have at the restaurant
—but I thought the cake stands look more wedding-y. They’d make a
nice addition, I think.”
You’re probably right. You have an eye for this. I have my own
wedding-related responsibilities I’m more invested in.
I’m really fucking invested in these truffles, though. I take a sip of
my coffee and steal one more piece.
“If our budget allows it, order a bunch of these,” I say.
You look amused. “They’re not Elise’s, if that’s what you think. I
bought them at Target as a placeholder.”
Oh hell. Then I can’t eat them in front of her. I just made it off her
shit list again.
“In that case, don’t tell her I’m enjoying them a fuck-
ton.” You think I’m joking, knucklehead.
The next day felt weird. It was a break they needed. To just chill by the
pool, discuss the mission, have a few drinks, and eat good food. But at
the same time, their bags were packed, they had checked out of their
bungalows, and they were all anxious to go home to their families.
“How can I be so relaxed and tense at the same time?” Gray yawned
and stretched out on his lounger, and he reached for his margarita.
He was feeling the country song Cullen was playing on his
Bluetooth speaker. Carrie Underwood was a goddess.
“Enjoy it while it lasts, baby,” Darius murmured drowsily. “It’s
gonna be wedding mayhem the minute we get home.”
Mayhem.
Gray snorted softly.
There would be no mayhem. Gray had turned wedding planning into a
structured dream, and almost everything was ready. Of course, Mom had
helped a lot. Running her own inn had turned her into a party planner
over the years, after hosting so many bachelorette parties, birthdays, and
anniversaries. Countless people had gotten married there too.
Gray had a binder and a tablet. His shit was organized, thanks to
her assistance.
He bit his lip and glanced over at Darius’s lounger. And yeah,
Gray was curious about a couple things that Darius was in charge of.
Such as the freaking honeymoon. The children’s entertainment at
the reception. The playlist. And the wedding itself.
A year and a half ago, they’d divvied up the responsibilities with little
thought to how things would turn out. When Darius had said he wanted to
be in charge of their honeymoon, Gray had gone, “Pshht, sure!”
Now, he had practiced his reaction in the event that Darius took
them camping.
Gray would genuinely like that; he loved going camping with Darius
and the kids. But maybe it wasn’t honeymoon material? At the same
time, he had faith. He didn’t truly believe they’d go camping. His money
was on Victoria or Vancouver. They’d shared a couple romantic
getaways there, when pandemic restrictions allowed it, and each
weekend had been wonderful. Plus, both places were stunning.
He wasn’t worried about the ceremony either, not after the creativity
Darius had shown earlier this year. Gray had been shopping for place card
holders online one day, and Darius had done a double take at the laptop
screen. Because Gray had found these beautiful holders that were
essentially sawed-off pieces of natural wood. Like from a young tree. Which
would fit their nature-like theme. Their colors were moss green and white,
with wooden accents. A theme Gray had chosen because he thought it was
perfect for Darius—and the life they shared in the cabin. It was rustic and
modest with a touch of elegance. Just the way Gray loved life.
“We ain’t payin’ for that,” Darius had said.
Then he’d grabbed his ax and stalked out into the forest.
He’d ended up creating all the card holders, the menu stands,
and napkin holders himself.
Hadn’t cost them a dime.
Besides, all the things Darius had built over the years? Furniture, flower
beds, their freaking home. Gray had absolutely nothing to worry about.
Actually, that wasn’t true. Ryan was in charge of their joint
bachelor party, along with Avery and Abel.
Anything could happen.
“What do you say we meet up in Colorado this winter?” Ryan
asked sleepily. “Looks like we have a few Finlays to initiate.”
“Definitely. I was thinking that earlier,” Reese yawned.
Gray was game. Now that Leah Connor was married and had a
kid on the way, he didn’t have to worry about her casting wistful
looks at Darius wherever they went.
“How about we bring our families for a change?” Gray suggested.
And he said it as if he’d been there a ton of times; he’d been there
once, but he’d heard of their reunions.
“I don’t know what’s in Colorado, but Archie and I owe the rest of
our family a vacation,” Greer said. “We were supposed to go to
Florida when we found out our surrogate mother was pregnant.”
Oh yeah, all thoughts on vacation flew out the window when you
discovered you were gonna be a dad. Gray and Darius could relate.
While Ryan explained how they, as a team of old grunts, met up at a
retreat in Colorado every now and then to touch base and catch up with
buddies from the field, Gray sent his mom a quick message just to check in.
“…and it’s chill,” Ryan was saying. “It’s a few days of hanging out,
shooting the shit, and pissing contests. They’ve got a big rehabilitation
center with a shooting range, gym, obstacle courses—you name it.”
 “I’m in,” Crew was quick to say. “After this month’s shitshow, I
gotta assert myself and show Dad who’s boss.”
Cullen chuckled and climbed out of the pool. “You could also get
your ass back in the service and give your old man a fuckin’ break. I
wasn’t half as worried when you were in Afghanistan.”
Crew shrugged and scratched his nose. “PMCs have
more fun.” Darius snorted.
Reese winced. “I really shouldn’t have told you about our field.”
“Are you kidding me?” Crew widened his eyes. “Being held hostage
notwithstanding, it’s already my dream job. I’m gonna get better. I’m gonna
work harder. And I’m gonna enjoy a salary you can actually live on.”
Gray could tell by Cullen’s expression that this was one of those “We’ll
talk about this when we get home” situations. But what could he say? Yeah,
what’d happened to Crew in Belize would come with consequences, but the
guy was what, twenty-six, twenty-seven? He was a grown man.
Gray was tiptoeing around the same topic at home with his mother.
Last week, they hadn’t had the time to come up with a genius excuse
as to why they were leaving town right before the wedding. She’d
agreed to watch the kids, and Gray had admitted they were off to help
a friend. “I’ll have to tell you more later,” he’d added.
Mom wasn’t an idiot. She had her suspicions. They’d never really
gone away after Vegas.
This was Gray’s life, though. He chose to be here with Darius. “Anyway,”
Cullen said. “Colorado. Sounds fun. It’s been a minute since
I got to see my wife on a pair of skis.”
It was settled. There would be a trip to Colorado in the near future.

Despite the knowledge that they’d see one another again eventually, it
was weird saying goodbye to the Finlays. They weren’t exactly friends
yet, not enough to stay in touch, but they’d shared something heavy this
week. Something each man involved was always going to remember.
It was less weird saying goodbye to Ryan. They’d see him in a
couple days.
“Guess who just got upgraded.”
 Gray looked over to a visibly satisfied Reese as he joined them at
the gate. “Ugh. Seriously?” He wanted to get upgraded too, dammit.
“We’ll sleep the whole way,” Darius reasoned, stifling a yawn.
“You want one of Willow’s sleeping pills?”
Gray shook his head. To Darius, everything that made you
drowsy was a sleeping pill. In reality, it was for severe anxiety, and
Gray didn’t wanna lose his composure.
Thank fuck they had extra legroom, at least. Gray managed all
right in economy, but the tall drink of water next to him had to spread
out and steal space from Gray.
Tired from the journey, from the sun, from the screaming children
around, and from the background noise, Gray sank lower in his seat
and lolled his head against Darius’s shoulder.
“I think I burned my forehead,” he mumbled.
Darius gathered his arm around Gray instead and felt his
forehead. “Yeah, it’s a little red.”
Gray hummed and closed his eyes. “I just wanna be home—in
our bed,” he whispered.
“What was that?”
Gray cleared his throat, annoyed by the airport noise. “I said I just
wanna be home with you, in our bed.”
“Mm, me too. Or a documentary marathon on the couch.” Darius
hugged Gray to him, and it felt so damn good. Some of the tension
faded away. “Do we have any more of those truffles?”
Gray grinned sleepily. After all the shit he’d gotten for those truffles…
“There might be a couple packages in the back of the main pantry.”
“You’ve been hiding them from me?”
“I’ve been saving them for you.”
“Oh. You really do love me, don’t you?”
Gray snorted a chuckle. “After the drama with your sister, I’m not
sure I should.”
As it turned out, Elise did not like it when her brothers enjoyed candy
and sweets that she hadn’t made herself. She was the family’s very own
truffle peddler, and she had an impressive glare to protect her territory with.
“Let the record reflect that you brought that drama on to us,”
Darius replied.
Whoa.
 Gray lifted his head and stared at him in disbelief. “Are you
kidding me? I did that for you. In my world, you were gonna see the
wedding favors and go, oh wow, the knucklehead really knows me.
Ain’t he sweet? Instead, you just threw accusations around.”
This was some bullshit. Gray had put a lot of thought into the wedding
favors. Each guest who had RSVP’d to attend had received a gift a few
weeks ago, and Gray had figured, since Darius really loved those Ferrero
Rocher truffles, they’d been added to the goodie bag. One truffle in one of
those tiny cupcake holders with a dome-shaped lid. It’d looked so pretty.
The gift bags held some other stuff too, like a wooden pen with their
wedding date, soap bubbles because throwing rice was wrong—and
birdseed wasn’t the best option out on a pier—and a candle in a tin jar
that held their wedding monogram. Cute shit! Plus the chocolate truffle.
“We’re dead on our feet, Gray,” Darius reasoned. “Let’s not blow
this outta proportion.”
Solid idea, but it still bugged Gray. He hadn’t known that the
truffle thing was serious. He’d thought Darius had made a joke when
he’d said he’d have to hide those truffles around Elise.
Gray had discovered the severity of the matter a few days after
the gift bags had been sent out. Elise had driven up to the cabin,
waving a Ferrero Rocher truffle around, hollering at Darius, who was
now banned from her shop.
“Besides, I told you I didn’t want any fuckin’ soap bubbles,”
Darius grumbled under his breath.
Gray narrowed his eyes. “And I told you we’d have to go with
those if we didn’t find anything else. Guess what—we didn’t.”
“Why?” Darius blurted out. “Why did we have to go with them?
Why did we have to send gifts at all? We’re the ones getting hitched.
If you’re dumb enough to get married, you deserve a fuck-ton of gifts
as a consolation prize.”
Holy shit. Gray stiffened.
Darius realized what he’d said, and he groaned and pinched the
bridge of his nose. “It was a joke, Gray. You know it was a joke.”
Whatever. Gray clenched his jaw and withdrew, even going so far
as to put a seat between him and the one who needed a consolation
prize for getting married.
 “Really?” Darius asked irritably. “You wanna pick a stupid fight
over that?”
All their fights were stupid—and always began when someone
was tired —but the dick had put his foot in his mouth this time. Gray
shook his head and didn’t respond. Darius was the one who’d said
what he’d said, but it was Gray who was picking a fight? Fuck that.

A few hours later, the bad mood was giving way to worry, and Gray
was beginning to fret. Soon as they’d landed in Houston, Darius had
muttered about needing a smoke, and he’d headed straight for the exit.
Reese had opted for a two-hour nap in some lounge, and Gray
had… wandered. Wandered and wondered. He’d eaten, he’d bought a
neck pillow, he’d eaten some more, he’d talked to Mom and the kids,
and then he’d bought a coffee and made his way over to their gate.
They’d start boarding in forty-five minutes.
So had Darius been outside just smoking for two hours?
Gray sighed to himself and sent a quick text.
Can you warm up those cold feet and get to the gate?
They didn’t fight often. Usually when it happened, it was about
logistics and time. If Darius presented a plan for building something
new at home, it was in Gray’s nature to get rid of any obstacles. So
he’d ask and point out issues, which sometimes irritated Darius
because, more often than not, he’d thought of everything and had an
answer for it all. Likewise, Darius was the same when Gray wanted
them to do something as a family, like go someplace.
They were working on it.
But this…? Yeah, when they were tired and strung out, every
molehill had the potential to turn into a mountain.
Thankfully, they were both good at making up. Neither of them
got butthurt about being wrong on occasion, and the make-up sex
was out of this world.
Gray glanced at the screen as his phone buzzed with a reply.
Just got through security.
Okay, good.
 It would be nice if they could work this shit out before they
boarded, ’cause Gray preferred to use Darius as a pillow instead.
He spotted Darius a couple minutes later, and Gray moved to a
far corner of the gate where they could get a semblance of privacy.
Goddammit, Darius probably hadn’t eaten, and he hated airplane
food. Late-night flights didn’t always have a decent menu anyway.
Gray peered down the long hall, where most shops were closing.
“Did you eat?” Gray asked as soon as Darius was within earshot. Darius
maneuvered himself between the rows of chairs and inclined his
head. “I had coffee and some jerky that didn’t live up to its claim of
being Texas’s finest.”
That was nowhere near enough.
He sat down next to Gray and blew out a breath. “I’m sorry I split
earlier. I had to clear my head.”
Gray eyed him carefully. He wasn’t even annoyed anymore, but he was
a bit worried. “Over a stupid fight? Baby, I know you wanna marry me.”
Darius let out a tired chuckle. “Good. But the shit leading up to the
bitch fit isn’t as minor. I shouldn’t have taken Elise’s side from the get-go.”
Gray felt his forehead crease as confusion seeped in.
“Look, it’s a…” Darius cleared his throat and started over. “This
whole pandemic, you’ve anchored yourself to the wedding planning.
It’s been your light at the end of the tunnel, and I guess it’s been…
intimidating, in a way. And I’m not even sure that’s the right word, but
everything you do is so fucking perfect—and I don’t know how to
measure up. Don’t get me wrong, the day’s important to me too, but
—you know. Fuck. I just wanna be married to you, knucklehead. I
don’t care about all the other shit, and you do, and—”
“Hey.” Gray had to stop him there. He had to intervene. Darius
had it all wrong. “First of all, I haven’t anchored myself to anything
besides you and our family.” That crap was important. “The wedding
has been a good distraction, absolutely. When Mom had to close the
inn, I went stir-crazy. I needed something to do in between helping
out at the restaurant and studying morphine drips and what types of
antibiotics are more suitable for the field.”
Darius glanced at him hesitantly, and the look just tore at Gray.
Fuck, he never wanted Darius to feel that way. It was bizarre.
 “We’ve had another few things rocking our world lately,” Gray
reminded patiently. “The adoptions going through, all the foster
family shit, name changes—all of it. It’s been overwhelming. In the
best way, mind you, but overwhelming, nonetheless. And burying
myself in the wedding planning gave me something to… I don’t
know, it centered me somehow. Gave me a date to look forward to
where I finally get to become a Quinn too.”
Because he was the last man standing. A Nolan in a house full of
Quinns.
“Yeah?” Darius was thawing. Tension left his shoulders.
“Yeah.” Gray tested a smile and nudged his shoulder to Darius’s.
“I don’t know what this has to do with Elise, though.”
Darius sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. “That
goddamn Ferrero truffle or whatever it’s called.”
Uh-huh. What about it?
If Gray had thought some chocolate he’d picked up at Target—as
a placeholder while he tried to decide how the tables would be set at
the reception—would cause such an issue, he never would’ve
bought the damn things.
“It was the way you explained your vision,” Darius went on. “How
you didn’t want a big wedding cake. You wanted each table to have
a smaller cake and some pastry and truffle dishes—and the reason
for it. Because I don’t like too much commotion or being the center of
attention, you thought it would be more intimate and less chaotic this
route. You just know so much about me, Gray.”
Gray smiled, even as the confusion lingered. “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Well, sure, if I can showcase the same.” Darius frowned. “It’s a year
and a half later, and I’m still struggling with what to put in my vows, and
then you send out the wedding favors, including another fucking thing you
know I like, and…yeah. I’m not saying I’m making a lick of sense, and I’m
not putting you on some pedestal for the sake of it, but you’re a little too
good at anticipating my needs, you spoil me fucking rotten with your
attention, and you constantly show how often I’m on your mind. Especially
with this wedding. You think I don’t see? You think I don’t see how many
times you’ve settled for something because you know it’s what I prefer?”
This just got weirder and weirder. Was Gray being berated or what?
 “You realize it’s not my wedding, right?” Gray felt the need to make
sure. “It’s our day. Of-fucking-course I will plan it for the both of us. But
that doesn’t mean I’m making concessions on my own preferences.
We’re more similar than you might think, honey. I want that day to be
perfect for us. I wanted the wedding favors to reveal a little bit about us.
I absolutely wanted you to bitch at me about the soap bubbles until we
ended up angry-fucking each other’s brains out.”
Darius’s mouth twitched with mirth.
“You’re just gonna have to live with our family and friends blowing
bubbles our way,” Gray said. “Rice kills birds or some bullshit, and
birdseed out on a pier…? We don’t need to attract more sea gulls. That
leaves us with bubbles or flower petals, and we’re just not that couple.”
“But we’re bubble guys?”
Gray smirked. “I was kind of thinking about the kids. They’ll enjoy
it. And it won’t cause any damage if they continue indoors.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Darius pinched his brows together—but he looked
way less troubled now. “I guess you have a point.”
Gray was still unclear about the involvement of Elise. Darius had
turned out to really love those chocolates; for chrissakes, he’d raided
the cupboards in the middle of the night on more than one occasion,
and Gray found it sweet and funny. At the reception, they’d obviously
go with Elise’s creations. They didn’t really compare.
“Is there a fight with Elise I should know about?” he asked. “I
texted with her yesterday morning about our order for the reception,
and things seemed fine.”
Darius shook his head. “That’s between her and me—and it ain’t
serious. What I said earlier was just… I shouldn’t have gone off on
you for including a wedding favor that might make my sister huffy. It
was a dick move. It was an excuse.”
Ah. To be honest, Gray hadn’t thought that far. He enjoyed the
good-natured rivalry and banter between the Quinn siblings. Avery had
shared some stories from back in the day when he’d admitted to Elise
that he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth. She’d been so taken aback
that she’d avoided him for days. Ethan had a similar experience with
her, from the time he’d told her he didn’t like cupcakes or something.
“For the record—” Gray nudged their shoulders together again. “I see
how much you love me every day, Dare. You should know by now that I
don’t count romance in roses and chocolate assortments. I see it in the
time you put into our home, from the biggest fortifications you install to
the smallest crops you add to the list. I see it in the way you look at me
and how devoted you are to our family. And I see it in how you train
me. I know your biggest fear is to lose what we have, and so you do
everything in your power to prevent that from happening.”
Darius closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
It made Gray furrow his brow.
“You just stole the one good line I’d written down in my vows,”
Darius muttered.
Gray exhaled a laugh, more relieved than he could put into
words. “What was it, the fear and prevention stuff?”
Darius nodded.
“You’ll think of something new.” Gray was confident.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Hey, I haven’t even started writing mine.”
Darius sighed and retrieved a half-eaten bag of jerky from his hoodie’s
front pocket. “Words come easier for you, knucklehead.” He stuck a piece
into his mouth and extended the bag in silent offering. “Are we okay?”
“We’re more than okay.” Gray chewed on a piece and made a
face. “These aren’t.”
“Right?”
Still, Gray took one more. He loved jerky. But there were better
brands. “You know what I think we need?”
“Tastier jerky?”
Gray grinned. “A day away. Soon as we’re rested, I say we pack
up the kids and head to the hot springs. I’ll make those cinnamon roll
bites you love and make sure we have enough hot dogs to feed our
army. No wedding talk, Reese can’t come, and we’ll spend the night.
We’ll try out the new tent.”
Judging by the look on Darius’s face, he was all in.
Gray bet they could take some great pictures too. Springtime in
Washington was stunning.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Darius leaned in and
kissed Gray chastely. “I love you.”
“Love you too.” Gray pecked him back a few times.
 “We don’t have to worry about Reese,” Darius went on. “He
texted from the lounge. He’s staying in Seattle to help River and
Shay with something.”
“Helping them with what?” Gray pressed, too curious for his own
good. Darius chuckled. “You think he told me?”
Hmpf.
Knowing Darius, he hadn’t asked for details either.
 CHAPTER FIVE

S ometimes I wonder if you’re doing this on purpose, knucklehead.

I mean, just leaving your iPad on the kitchen island like that? Open,
screen lit up with some recipe? It’s not as if you left the room to
take a leak; you drove off to pick up Jayden from school.
Works for me, though.
You have an expansive Spotify library, with playlists labeled
“Fuck to this,” “Date night,” “Fuck to this 2,” “Justin’s faves,”
“Children’s songs,” “Latest obsession,” and on it goes.
You follow my cousin’s ’90s barf-fest playlists. Fuckin’ Ace of
Base and boy bands.
I click on the playlist for our date nights and reckon I can copy it the
way it is. See? Isn’t so hard to be in charge of music for the wedding.

God-fucking-damn, it felt good to see the Welcome to Camassia Cove sign.

The old Wagoneer was back on home ground after spending a week at
Sea-Tac.
“Do we have everything for Sunday?” Gray asked as they got closer
to the big-box stores right outside of town. “I think Target’s open now.”
It was still early, but Mom was up, the kids were up, and
breakfast was in the making.
 “I bought every item on your Easter list two weeks
ago.” “Okay, then we’re good.”
Darius switched lanes to bypass the Valley and head straight for
the northern parts. “What are the plans for the weekend?”
“Dinner at my parents’ on Saturday, then Easter egg hunt on Sunday
morning at Avery and Elise’s.” Gray didn’t know who else would show up
for the hunt, but he was guessing the whole Quinn family.
“So essentially, we barely have any time to fuck off before the
wedding hysteria begins,” Darius deduced.
Gray could’ve been annoyed if he didn’t know that Darius just wanted
their little family to himself. So instead, it made him happy, because he
sort of wanted the same. Actually, right now, it was sheer need. He
needed to close himself in with Darius and the kids for a little while.
“Here’s where we’re at,” Gray responded. “We stay at home
today. Tomorrow, we’ll head up to the springs and camp out for the
night. It’ll just be us. Then Mom gets to play the Easter bunny with
the kids when we get back on Saturday. Sunday will be Easter
madness with your family. On Monday, we brace for impact.”
Because after that, guests were arriving.
Come to think of it, Ryan and his family would undoubtedly be
there for the Easter egg hunt on Sunday.
The three Tenleys would have to make themselves at home in
Gray and Darius’s guest cabin while they were camping with the
kids, presuming they arrived this weekend. River and Reese knew
their way around the property, and Darius would simply make sure
they knew where to find the keys.
“When are your brothers flying in?” Darius asked.
“Gage comes down from Vancouver on Monday night, and the
twins fly in on Tuesday,” Gray replied.
A lot was probably changing in the twins’ lives this year or the
next. Gabriel had done well for himself and was now the
Blackhawks’ backup goalie, and there was industry talk about LA
wanting him. If it happened, Gideon would move with him. Those two
were inseparable, which Gray found comfort in. Plus, Gid’s new path
in pursuing a career in physical therapy would suit him perfectly. He
was ready to choose a major after studying part time in Chicago.
“I think Abel and Madigan come down on Tuesday too,” Gray added.
 Abel had been in the news lately. Other teams constantly wanted him,
but he was happy with the Canucks, and they were fucking lucky to have
him. He could do better. A lot better. But Gray’s best friend wanted his
happy medium, and that included playing for a team that rarely made the
play-offs, resulting in a shorter season and being closer to home.
He’d grown closer to Gray’s big brother this year too since Gage
had moved up there. And as long as Gray’s title as Abel’s best friend
was unthreatened, he didn’t mind one bit.
“I’m starting to regret choosing two best men,” Darius admitted.
“No shit?” Gray snorted.
At the same time, he understood the dilemma. It’d been
impossible for Darius to pick between the brother he was closest to
and his best friend. But yeah, the hell would rain down on Darius
once the bachelor party was underway.
Gray was happy with his dream team. Abel was his best man, and
Mom and Isla were the honorary best women. They wouldn’t be in the
actual wedding, but they’d been heavily involved in the planning.
As they passed the exits for Camas and Downtown, Gray felt the
anticipation rise within him. Mere minutes to go. They drove up the
mountainside toward Ponderosa, where Mom and Aiden lived, and Gray
reached over the backrest to grab his carry-on from the back seat. He’d
bought a jar of Tahitian vanilla at the airport in Belize for Mom. It was
some fancy stuff, apparently harvested in Belize too, despite its name.
“Christ.” Darius rubbed his chest and winced. “If someone had
told me a few years ago that I’d find out what it feels like to miss your
kids to the point where it hurts…”
Gray smiled so fucking hard. “How much shit do your brothers
and Avery have on you for their speeches at the reception? How
many times have you vowed to never settle down in your day?”
Darius shook his head and turned onto Mom and Aiden’s street.
“Let’s not go there.”
Gray smirked and let it go, because at the end of the circular
drive where five yellow houses were kinda grouped together, a door
opened and revealed Jayden.
He spotted their car and turned around, and they could hear him
shout, “They’re here!” into the house.
Gray’s heart flooded with warmth.
 Mom’s old Beetle was parked next to Aiden’s much newer Audi,
so Darius parked right outside on the street, and Gray was out of the
car the moment they stopped.
“Dad!” Jayden’s eyes lit up before he sprinted barefoot down the
driveway.
Gray met him between the cars and wrapped the kid in his arms,
squeezing him tightly. Fuck, the boy was growing up way too fast. Five
months to go till he turned eleven, Jayden was just a head shorter than
Gray —but he hadn’t lost the affection of someone much younger once
it’d been restored a few years ago. He still preferred to be home with
his dads. He didn’t get squirmy at hugs anymore. Quite the opposite.
“Did you grow another foot while we were gone?” Gray kissed the
top of his head. “Damn, we missed you.”
Jayden smirked up at him. “Yo, you got a tan. Where’ve you
been?” “In a freaking jungle,” Gray chuckled.
“Daddy, I drawed you something!” Justin was next, and their five-
year-old tumbled out while struggling to put on his shoes. He was not
going to waste his socks on a driveway that’d just seen rain.
Jayden moved on to Darius, so Gray jogged forward to scoop up
Justin. “What’s this fuckin’ growth spurt you’ve hit, son?” Darius asked
somewhere behind them.
“How’s my sweetheart?” Gray peppered Justin’s face with kisses,
to which the boy laughed and grinned goofily.
“I’m good! We’ve had ice cream with Nana every day and
cookies with Pops every day also.”
Jeesh. Why did that not surprise Gray? It was more than spoiling the
kids, though. Mom dove for the ice cream when she was worried, and
Aiden snuck cookies on the sly when he thought nobody was watching.
“Nana buys the best ice cream, doesn’t she?” Gray repositioned
Justin on his hip and spied Mom in the doorway, and she—
“I wanna say hi to Daddy,” Justin said, squirming his way down to
the ground.
“All right.” Gray smiled before walking over to Mom, who had his
favorite girl in the whole world on her hip. “Hi, my little sleepyhead.”
Cass blinked drowsily, rocking her purple unicorn pajamas, and
her smile was just as sleepy. Her hair was all over the place, and
she had sleep lines on her cheek.
 “Hi, Dada…” She yawned and reached for Gray, who was all too
happy to take over and hug her to him.
She giggled sleepily when he squeezed her a little too hard.
“Dada, noooo.”
“Dada can’t help himself,” Gray replied. “I missed you so damn much.”
Mom couldn’t be too upset with him. She was smiling at their reunion in
her freshly awoken glory, complete with a robe and some messy updo.
Gray dipped down and kissed her cheek.
“It’s good to be home. I got you something.” He handed over the
Tahitian vanilla, hoping it would earn him a few brownie points.
She inspected the jar with a little smirk on her face, then looked
up and raised a brow. “Product of Belize?”
Gray grinned sheepishly. This was him extending a hand. With
an olive branch.
“Hi, Dada!” Cass hollered.
And Darius appeared right behind them, with Justin in his arms. “Hey,
angel. How you been? You good? You raisin’ hell with your brothers?”
She laughed and shrugged, probably not understanding half of
what Darius had said. Their toddler was a delicate little thing, but she
was making progress every day, it seemed.
Aside from lagging behind on the growth charts, she wasn’t developing
that much later than her peers. It was her walking, maybe. Her steps were a
bit unsteady. She was equal parts clumsy and careful. But at that age, just a
little over two years, it was hardly something to worry about.
Mom ushered everyone inside and said breakfast was ready, and
the kids talked a mile a minute about everything they’d done this
week. Grandma and Grandpa had visited, of course. Pops and
Grandpa had, with Jayden’s assistance, tried to teach Justin how to
fish. According to Justin, Cass slept soooo long. They’d all drawn
pictures for Gray and Darius, and they’d gone shopping with Nana,
and, and, and they’d had lunch at Daddy’s fish camp!
“We helped Nana in the garden too,” Jayden added. “She grows way too
many flowers, so I helped her plant tomatoes and bell peppers. I’ll show you!
They’re in the kitchen. I mean, you can’t see anything yet, but…”
“It’s true—he’s been such a good gardener,” Mom gushed.
Darius could not look prouder.
Jayden beamed under the praise too.
 By the time they all reached the kitchen, Cassidy had found her
way to Darius’s embrace, Jayden dragged Gray over to the windows
where potted plants had been replaced by cut-off milk cartons and
newly planted seeds, Aiden joined them with a good morning and a
welcome home, the coffee was done, the house smelled like Gray’s
childhood weekends when Mom went all out with blueberry muffins,
pancakes, bacon, eggs, fruit, juice, and yogurt.
If one person knew how to feed a hockey team, it was her.
She missed it too. Gray could tell. It was partly why she loved to
watch the kids, because they filled her house again, like Gray and
his brothers used to back in the day.
“By the way, I got two jobs,” Jayden mentioned casually as he sat
down at the table.
“Boy, you got what?” Gray blurted out.
“Summer jobs,” he said. “Pops wants to clean out the garage,
and Grandma needs help carrying things cuz her fingers aren’t as
strong anymore.”
Gray and Darius exchanged a slight frown.
“Look,” Jayden went on, “I freaking told them what youse’ve taught
me —family helps family for free and whatever, but it’s their rules!”
Oh. Well, then.
Gray turned to Aiden in question.
“He’s already helpful,” he replied. “Now’s the time for him to
shake down his grandparents and start saving money. Did you know
the boy’s already talking about owning a boat one day?”
That kinda melted Gray. He did know about Jayden’s dream. He
talked about it every time they visited Darius at work in the marina.
Jayden wanted to have his own fishing boat and crew.
“As long as y’all’re on board,” Darius said firmly. “It’ll be a good
first job. It’s how I started too.”
“You did?” Jayden cocked his head.
Darius nodded and cut off the crust on a piece of toast for Cass.
“My brothers and I mowed lawns and washed cars throughout high
school. But I think I was your age when I began walking the
neighbors’ dogs and helping old folks stow away groceries.”
“You weren’t much older when you started helping me at the inn either,
sweetie.” Mom pointed out to Gray. “Guests adored that boy, let me tell
you. He’d knock on the doors and offer turndown service and
refreshments.”
Gray smiled. Those had certainly been simpler times. Good
times. “I ate so many pillow chocolates.”
Mom laughed. “You sure did.”
Gray shook his head and grinned at the memories, and then he
assisted Justin with reaching for the muffins. One was enough. The
boy loved his muffins, but he could manage some whole grain toast
too. Much to Justin’s dismay.
“In that case, congratulations on your first job, sweetheart.” Gray
lifted his coffee mug at Jayden, who grinned widely.
“You’ll do well, small fry,” Darius agreed. “We’re proud’a you.”
Gray still wanted to call Darius’s mom, though. He knew the
outcome of the call, but he wanted to make sure she was okay. Mary
had been struggling with her arthritis lately, and it felt weird sending
a kid over to help for money. Maybe they could compromise. Jayden
could work for extra money, and Gray could stop by after work more
often and just lend a hand.
Despite the age difference between both their parents, they’d become
good friends during the pandemic when their families had to join forces and
help one another. In that way, the pandemic hadn’t all been awful. Even
now, Aiden and James would go fishing together with a few other friends.
Mom and Mary organized family dinners a couple times a month too.
Gray watched in amusement as Justin forced the “boring brown
toast” into his mouth, puffing out his cheeks to the max, and washed
it down with a glass of milk.
“Ahhh,” he exhaled in victory. “Now I can eat the muffin?”
“Yeah, now you can eat it,” Gray chuckled softly. Then he
glanced across the table where Darius was offering a piece of bacon
to Cass, and she just scrunched her nose and shook her head.
“I have so much to teach you, baby girl.” Darius kept the bacon for
himself instead and made appreciative sounds that made Cass laugh.
“Gray, are you noticing that I’m not pushing for answers about
your little trip?” Mom asked.
Gray quirked a brow. “I was assuming you’d wait till the little ears
were out of range.”
 “Yes, well.” She stirred milk into her coffee. “Befriending Mary
comes with some serious perks.”
“Christ,” Darius chuckled.
Gray didn’t get it.
So Darius explained. “Knowing my ma, she’s told Chloe how I’ve
corrupted you.”
Oh.
“Oh, my son does not need corruption,” Mom assured. “He was
born with a bleeding heart.”
“Yeah, wonder who I got that from,” Gray retorted.
“Anyway.” Mom shot him a dirty look. “Just…don’t make these rescue
operations a habit, okay? Please? Or I will worry myself to death.”
“Did my mother turn you into a Catholic too?” Darius asked her.
Gray coughed to hide his laughter.
Meanwhile, Mom just looked proud. “She may have shared some
pro-tips, and I will not hesitate to use them.”
Gray shook his head. “It’ll never be a habit, Mom. I swear. We
have too much to come home to.”
“Good,” she replied firmly.
Part of him couldn’t believe how well that went. On the other
hand, she’d probably find ways to bug him about the trip later. In
private. Over several years to come.

Thirty-six hours later, Gray’s batteries were charging.

All was well in the world.
The sun was setting between the trees, the kids were wrestling
into their pajamas in the tent, Darius was helping Cass into a new
diaper, and Gray was preparing dinner by the fire.
They’d pitched their tent some twenty feet away from the hot
springs on the mountainside, just off the beaten path, and they
hadn’t seen a soul all day. In short, it’d been perfect.
Gray adjusted the grid atop the fire and turned the hot dogs over.
He grinned to himself, listening to the boys as they volleyed
questions to Darius at a rapid pace.
 “…so that’s why you can’t start a fire on a boulder,” he answered.
“One runt comin’ your way, knucklehead.”
Gray glanced over his shoulder as Cassidy stumbled out of the
tent and promptly knocked herself over. Christ, that little darling. This
was why he’d placed a thick blanket right there. In fact, their entire
camping ground was covered in blankets.
“Look at you, sweetie. You gonna help Daddy with the hot dogs?”
He extended a hand to her but didn’t leave his spot by the fire.
It was so easy to just go pick her up, but it didn’t do her any
favors to take those steps for her.
She grunted and pushed herself up. “I’m hungwy.”
“Yeah, we’re gonna eat soon as the boys are ready.” Gray patted
the spot next to him. “Come here.” He abandoned the tongs and
opened the summer sleeping bag they’d brought for her—and Justin.
Justin liked to sneak in too.
Cass grinned and clutched Gray’s shoulder, and she stepped into the
soft sleeping bag. The kids had quickly learned that wearing a jacket wasn’t
as fun as sitting in a sleeping bag around the fire, so that had become their
thing. Flannel pajamas and blankets and sleeping bags before the weather
was warm enough. Sweats and hoodies for Gray and Dare.
“You’re cuter than words, you know that?” He smiled down
at her. She beamed and held out her arms wide. “Dis cute!”
“Exactly like that.” Gray chuckled and smoothed down her ever-
present, light brown bed head. With a button nose and a set of
beautiful pale blue eyes, she was on a course to be trouble for every
protective family member.
She even had Gabriel and Gideon completely wrapped around
her finger.
Who could blame them, though? Any of them. Cassidy was their
miracle. A preemie miracle that the doctors hadn’t given good odds.
Gray would never forget the day she was brought to Adeline’s shelter.
The pandemic had revealed just how much abuse existed in society, so
Adeline had called in all her volunteers to be able to handle the influx of
residents. Lockdowns had forced children to stay at home with parents
who had no business being near kids. Husbands had worked from home
and taken out their frustrations on everyone around them. Addiction had
spiked. Cases of domestic abuse had gone through the roof.
 The first six months of Cassidy’s life had been chaos, starting
with a premature birth and a heroin-addicted mother. An abusive son
of a bitch for a sperm donor, who was thankfully going to spend the
rest of his life behind bars now.
The mother was gone with the wind, having given up all her rights
when her addiction had won. CPS had been involved from the very
beginning since Cass had to spend her first month on this earth
weaning off drugs.
It’d all culminated one night when Cass had been around six
months old. The sperm donor had set their house on fire, killing two
friends of the mother, and a firefighter had rescued Cass.
Their little girl may have been weakened. She may be small for
her age. She may have the worst coordination skills on this planet.
She may be developing a tad slower. But damn, she was a fighter.
She was a Quinn.
“Nooo, I wanna hear the thermos story!”
Gray threw a glance over his shoulder at the sound of Justin’s whine.
“We heard it last time,” Jayden argued. “I want the somewhere-else
story.”
Well, hell. That was a heavy one.
“How about I tell you both stories?” Darius suggested the obvious.
“Yay!” Justin cheered.
Soon enough, all three emerged from the tent, hungry and ready for
story time, and Gray was prepared. With Cass on one side and their
cooler on the other, he kept an eye on their girl while he finished their
dinner setup. Ketchup was a must for the little ones, Darius had his
favorite mustard, Gray had another, relish, pre-chopped onion,
homemade hot dog buns, and a ton of napkins and wet wipes.
Oh, and juice boxes.
“Juice box!” Justin’s eyes lit up, and he plopped down on his pajama-
clad butt on the blanket. “It’s so warm and cozy by the fire, Daddy.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Gray smiled and splayed a napkin across Justin’s lap.
Over the next few minutes, their priority was to get the kids their food.
Darius helped the boys while Gray turned Cassidy’s dinner into mush. Or
close to it. They didn’t buy the regular hot dogs at the store; they went to
their personal butcher, Nelson, so there was skin to remove, and the
sausage had to be diced onto a bright-pink plastic plate.
 “Spowk!” Cass pointed at her spork next to Gray’s lap.
He handed it to her, then set her plate on his leg. He was quick to fasten
her bib around her neck too, ’cause it got messy real fast. That’d definitely
been a new experience when Cass joined them. Diapers, pacifiers, bibs, and
onesies. Unfortunately, she didn’t use the latter anymore.
“There you go, baby. Come closer—you can use my leg as a table.” She
scooted closer and leaned against him, spork in hand, so she could
dip the sausage in way too much ketchup and squeeze the hell out
of the hot dog bun.
“Fuck, this is it. This is the life.” Darius bit into his hot dog with an
obscene amount of mustard, and he could not look more at peace.
The sight flooded Gray with contentment and pure love, and he
reached into the cooler to grab a beer, which he handed to Jayden.
“Pass that to Daddy, please.”
“Can I try?” he asked Darius.
Who delivered his usual response. “Can I see some ID?”
Gray smirked and chewed on a mouthful of food, and he grabbed
a bottle of water for himself.
“I wanna hear a story now,” Justin said. With ketchup all around
his mouth.
“The somewhere-else story,” Jayden added quickly.
Gray exchanged a soft grin with Darius. “Go on, storyteller.”
The man claimed he couldn’t find his words easily, but he’d
turned out to be the best storyteller in their family. Gray loved to
listen just as much as the boys did. But yeah, this was a heavy story,
so he hurried to finish his hot dog before he’d lose his appetite.
“All right, let’s see. The somewhere-else story.” Darius took
another bite of his hot dog, and he chased it down with a swig of
beer. “You remember how your father and I met?”
Justin was too cute; he raised his hand eagerly as if he’d started
school already. “I remember, I remember! You were in a bad place,
and you were scared.”
Darius nodded with a dip of his chin. “That’s right. We were a long
way from home. Long way from our families, long, long way from the
cabin. And we were out at sea, surrounded by people who weren’t nice.”
That was one way of putting it.
 Gray took a deep breath and met Darius’s stare over the dancing
flames of the fire, tiny embers climbing skyward as the last light of
the day faded between the trees.
He would never forget. He’d never forget the yacht, period, but he’d
never forget that particular night on the top deck. When hope had mingled
with dread, when determination came and went, when strengths and
weaknesses battled. When he’d found his comfort in Darius’s arms.
“I wanted to protect that knucklehead from every danger,” Darius
murmured. He flicked a glance at the boys. “Just like I feel about you
two and your sister.”
Gray’s heart clenched.
Darius finished his hot dog and started preparing a new one.
“One night, Gray and I got a moment alone. We just wanted to go
home and see our families again, but we couldn’t yet.”
“And you pretended,” Justin supplied helpfully.
“We did.” Darius looked back to Gray. “We squeezed each other tightly
and pretended we weren’t on that boat—that we were somewhere else. I
remember thinking I wished I could grow wings and fly him outta there. Just
cut through the clouds and fly all the way home to our mountain. And that
became my pretend heaven—right here. These mountains, these trees, all
the fresh air. This is where I pretended we were. This is my somewhere
else, and…somehow, Daddy and I managed to turn that dream into reality.”
Gray swallowed hard, unable to describe how much he loved that
man. And what their journey together had done to them both. How
it’d forged them together and shaped their future.
Jayden leaned against Darius’s side and gazed into the fire, and
Gray immediately knew where the boy’s mind went. As it sometimes
did. As they sometimes made sure it did.
Jonas would never be forgotten either.
Darius hugged Jayden to him and kissed the top of his head. “We
had a lotta help along the way, didn’t we?”
Jayden nodded. “My big brother helped.”
Gray blinked past the sudden sting in his eyes and busied himself
with helping Cass drink from her sippy cup. But his thoughts wouldn’t
stray from Jonas. If only they could see each other for five minutes,
so that Gray could tell him how Jayden was doing.
He’s thriving, buddy.
 He’s just like you.
We miss you.
They had no graves to visit, so they’d found a big rock back
home, along the cliffside behind the cabin, where they’d attached
little plaques with all the names of the guys they’d lost.
“It’s important we never forget those who helped us get to where
we are today,” Darius was saying quietly, and Gray did his best to
pay attention again. “Sometimes, the smallest thing makes the
biggest difference. Someone who gives us strength to fight another
day, someone who says something that brightens our mood. It can
be anything. Life is full of those moments. Full of memories.”
Milo had once given Gray the strength to fight harder.
When he’d started giving up on himself, Gray had looked to Milo
and seen someone worth rescuing.
When Linus had died, Gray had reconnected with his rage.
Rage was a good tool.
The guys they’d lost were still there for Gray in a way. It was why
he— and Darius—couldn’t close the door completely for the next
mission. Their children would keep them from taking too many risks,
but they’d found their compromise. Chances were, they’d head out
again sometime in the future. Because there would always be a Milo
who needed saving. Or a Gray or a Jonas or a Cole or a Niko.
Gray caught Justin nod to himself, before the boy said, “I just
checked, and I remember lots of things.”
Gray exhaled a chuckle and reached over to ruffle his boy’s hair.
Justin smiled goofily and stuck the last piece of his hot dog into his
mouth. “Can we hear the thermos story now, Daddy?” He turned to Darius.
Yes, please.
It was a much lighter story.
“Sure thing.” Darius gestured for the thermos in question, positioned
next to the cooler, so Gray handed it over to Jayden, who could pass it
on. “This thermos right here is older than all of you—including Gray.”
Gray grinned and shook his head.
“Is it older than you?” Jayden smirked, asking the same question
he had last time they’d heard the story.
So Gray provided the same joke as then too. “Nothing is older
than Darius.”
 “You’re comedians, both of you,” Darius drawled. “It actually is
older than me.”
“Because it used to be Grandpa’s!” Justin exclaimed.
“Exactly.” Darius tapped his nose. Then he bit into his hot dog
and spoke with his mouth full. “He bought it at the thrift store when
Grandma was pregnant with my big brother, Jake.”
The first time he’d turned this into a story for the kids, this part
had been followed with, “It’s proof you don’t gotta shell out a fortune
on modern shit like that Yeti brand. This cost my pop one buck and
has kept coffee warm for nearly five decades.”
First of all, Yeti was the best thing since sliced bread. Second of all,
one dollar fifty years ago was approximately eleven bucks today, almost
the same price as a Yeti cup. So yeah. Gray would just keep ordering all
things Yeti. Outdoor blankets, mugs, thermoses, coolers—the whole nine
yards. And he did not show Darius the price tag each time.
“You see here…?” Darius held the black thermos closer to the
fire, revealing names carved into the finish. “Grandpa made it a
tradition of his to bring the thermos to the hospital every time
Grandma went into labor— which, let’s face it, was a lot.”
Jayden snickered.
“Your name is the second, Daddy,” Justin said. “Right?”
“Yeah, right here. And all your uncles on my side of the family.”
Darius pointed to the carvings. “First Jake, then me, Ryan, Ethan,
Lias, and your aunties, Willow and Elise.”
James had added Willow and Elise to the list when their
adoptions had gone through, which made this Justin’s favorite story.
“Then one day,” Darius went on, “just last year, when you two
became official Quinns, I helped Grandpa clean out his garage. And
I found this thermos.”
Justin giggled in anticipation. “Grandma wanted to throw it away.”
“Can you believe that?” Darius got animated about it. “She wanted to
throw out a perfectly good thermos.”
Gray chuckled and welcomed a climbing Cass onto his lap. She was
done eating, and one yawn set off another. Sweet pea. He pressed kisses
into her hair and wrapped the sleeping bag over her like a duvet.
Not having to watch her every move allowed him a break to grab himself
another hot dog, one of the last ones on the grill. Jayden was on his
third, Justin only ate one, Cass less than that, Darius would probably
stop at two, and Gray could eat all night.
“Grandpa and I decided it was best I carry on the tradition,”
Darius said. “So I brought the thermos home, and I carved Jayden’s
name right here.” He turned the thermos around to show a more
recent list. “Jayden Quinn. Justin—you’re here, sweetheart.”
“Justin Quinn.” Justin sat straighter and grinned sleepily.
“And now, li’l Cassidy Quinn too,” Darius finished with a smile.
“Yeah?” Cass perked up, thinking Darius had called for her, and she
yawned and rubbed at her eyes. “Whas’at?”
“It’s you, sillypants.” Justin leaned in and rubbed his nose with
Cassidy’s. “You’re Cassidy.”
“Yeah!” She was visibly confused but grinned at her brother’s
affection, nonetheless. “We go sweep now?”
Gray laughed under his breath. Was she the only toddler in the
world who loved to sleep? After the stories he’d heard from Elise and
Isla, it sure felt like it. Not that it stopped Cass from waking up in the
middle of the night sometimes, but it was becoming rarer.
“Maybe Daddy can get Cass to sleep while me and the boys fix
up s’mores and cinnamon roll bites,” Darius suggested.
“That’s a good idea.” Gray nodded and brushed back Cass’s wild
hair. “What do you say, baby? You wanna start our sleepover?”
Yeah, she was on board.
 CHAPTER SIX

“G o back to sleep.” I kiss your shoulder before I roll out of bed and step
into a pair of sweats.
“Wake me up if you need help,” you mumble, half asleep.
Nah. This is my time with her.
I find Cass standing up in her crib, in the room she sort of shares with
Justin. He’s sound asleep, preferring to sleep near his sister, but sometimes
we find him in Jayden’s room, where the bottom bunk is still Justin’s.
“What’s got you cryin’ tonight, angel?” I pick up the girl and
position her on my hip.
She sniffles and clings to me.
We’ll get rid of those tears in no time, though. We always do.
I’ve come to enjoy these middle-of-the-night moments when she
wakes up crying. Because she stops as soon as she sees me, and
then we head downstairs. I get a cup of coffee and a chocolate
truffle. She gets to cuddle up with me on the couch. I’ll put on some
documentary that runs in the background, but…for the most part, I
just sit there and watch her grow tired again.
“Daddy sweep?” she croaks.
“We’ll sleep soon,” I say. “We’ll cuddle first,
yeah?” She nods and blinks. “Yeah. Cuddle
Daddy.” That’s right.
“I’m not ready for this,” Darius muttered into his coffee mug.
He and Gray stood on the porch as the wedding party descended.
Some of them had arrived yesterday. A few had stopped by to
say hey before driving toward their inns and motels. Mom’s inn was
fully booked, partly with guests for their wedding, partly with guests
for the wedding being held there.
They’d seen Ryan and his family for Easter celebrations on
Sunday, they’d had lunch with Gage and Mom yesterday, and the three
Tenleys were occupying the guest cabin. In a few minutes, they’d be
joined by Darius’s cousins, Case and Boone—and their daughter, Ace.
Case and Boone’s mom, who insisted Gray call her Aunt Erin, was
flying in tomorrow and would stay with Mary and James. So would Ace,
come to think of it. At least part of the time. Maybe she wouldn’t even
be here today, since Ryan had informed them today was adults only.
Gray’s brothers would stay at their mom’s, obviously. She’d take
every opportunity to spend time with them. Abel and Madigan had their
own place in the Valley, Dante, Elliott, and Tariq weren’t flying in until
right before the wedding, and same went for Cole, Jackie, and Charlie.
But right this second, they had four vehicles rolling up. Just as
Gray and Darius had finished their chores for the day. Every animal
had been fed, the dogs and the kids had been dropped off at
Darius’s folks’ house after school and day care, and—
Whoa.
Gray let out a laugh as a dance song from the ’90s blared out of
Case and Boone’s truck. They were the first to park, right next to the
Wagoneer, followed by Ryan’s truck.
Case jumped out with an actual boombox on his shoulder and
bobbed his head to the beat.
Ethan and Avery emerged from Ryan’s truck too.
Gray didn’t actually know exactly who was showing up today.
He’d been told it wasn’t mandatory; it was basically a briefing for the
bachelor party activities that would take place this week, and Ryan
and Avery were in contact with everyone. And those who didn’t have
anything better to do today could stop by.
“Jesus,” Darius sighed.
 Gray grinned and descended the porch steps. “Come on, baby.”
It was time to greet their guests.
Abel and Madigan parked next to Ryan at the same time as the
Tenleys appeared on the guest cabin’s porch.
Gage, Gideon, and Gabriel stepped out of the last car.
“Who else is feeling fucking pumped for this wedding?” Case
hollered over the music.
“He’s gonna give the pigs a goddamn heart attack,” Darius said.
Gray chuckled and picked up the pace, and he met up with Case
and Boone right before the bridge that crossed the stream.
“I see you brought the party with you.” He exchanged a grin with
Case and hugged him. “Good to see you again, Casey.”
“You too, man. Since our men don’t dance, I’m hauling you out
on the dance floor when we go clubbing.”
“No spoilers, you little shit!” Ryan yelled.
“Oh!” Case shouted and held out his free arm. “Who you callin’
shit, you old fuck!”
Oh God. Gray could only shake his head in amusement—and move
on to greet the others. Boone got a hug, Ethan got a hug, they all got
hugs. Gideon and Gabriel were already goofing off, dancing to the new
song that was playing. All ’90s, give or take a few years. That was Case
O’Sullivan. From “Mr. Saxobeat” to “Boom, Boom, Boom” by Vengaboys.
It was possible Gray was subscribing to Case’s playlists on Spotify.
Darius couldn’t stay grumpy for too long. By the time he’d greeted
everyone, he’d reached his wry-smirk stage.
Gray threw an arm around Abel’s shoulders and smacked a loud
smooch to his cheek. “Are you ready for this mayhem?”
“Are you?” Abel grinned. “Keep in mind, I helped plan it
all.” Yeah, Gray was game.
“Oi!” Ryan let out a sharp whistle, taking charge. “Let’s get to the
porch before it starts raining again.”
They just barely had enough chairs for everyone. Having
anticipated a large crowd throughout the week, Gray had prepared
with plenty of snacks and beer. Their fridges and cupboards were
full, so while Darius, Reese, and Madigan went on a chair run in the
guest cabin and around the property —the greenhouse had two, the
barbecue area had six—Gray, Abel, and Shay raided the kitchen.
 They filled the table on the porch with beer, chips, sodas, nuts,
the good jerky, and three types of dip.
Quinns and Nolans could eat.
Not to mention a certain Abel Monroe.
“Case, turn off the noise you call music,” Ryan directed.
“Uh, no.” Case chuckled and defended his boombox on the back
of the porch. “You don’t come near this thing. I was given permission
by Avery to play love songs, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Technically, he was correct at the moment, because “Truly,
Madly, Deeply” by Savage Garden was playing—at a more
respectable volume so they could hear one another talk.
“Talk about nostalgia,” Abel mused. “For our moms.”
Gray barked out a laugh. “Right?” He caught Ryan’s scowl and
puckered his lips at his future brother-in-law. “How are those abs
comin’ along, Daddy?”
Ryan sucked his teeth as the others cracked up.
Age digs worked every single time.
“That’s enough outta you, kid.” Darius pulled Gray to him and
hugged him from behind. “Considering we’re surrounded by filthy
kink folk, you don’t want me getting creative to shut you up.”
“We’re full of motivational quotes and inspiration for how to
silence brats,” Reese confirmed.
Gray laughed under his breath and glanced behind him. “You can
get creative any time you want, my beast.”
“And that’s our cue.” Ryan stole the show again. “We’ve been
plenty creative for this week, and between Avery, Abel, and me, we’re
gonna test Gray and Darius’s limits as a couple, as individuals, and as
parents. Just to make sure they have what it takes to be husbands.”
Jeesh. Gray grinned in anticipation.
Darius leaned back against the railing and rested his chin on
Gray’s shoulder.
“Are they gonna carry eggs around all week? Make sure they
don’t break?” Case asked. “Because they can switch out the eggs
and carry around Boone and Ethan.”
That was hysterical. Ethan slipped through the crowd and strode
toward his cousin, and he said, “Let’s see if you can carry me, kid.”
 “Oh my God, stop—I’m not the one getting married here!” Case
tried to hide behind a smirking Boone.
“What a shocker that you’re all talk, Casey,” Ryan scoffed.
“Fuckin’ Hannah Montana generation.”
“What’s wrong with Hannah Montana?” Abel and Gray asked. They’d
watched the show together growing up. Team Mikayla for the win.
“That’s an excellent question that we won’t answer today,” Ryan
told them firmly.
“Because the answer’s obvious?” Darius drawled.
What the fuck? Traitor.
Ryan tipped his beer bottle to Darius in silent agreement but was quick
to get back on track. He was a pro. “First up is this little one right here.” He
clapped a hand to Abel’s shoulder. For the record, there was nothing little
about Abel—or anybody else here. Maybe Abel, Shay, and Case were the
ones under six feet, but Ryan was talking to a group of tatted-up bad-boy-
looking types who could hold their own. Gray guessed he was the only one
who hadn’t been seeing a tattoo artist on the regular. Just once.
But yeah, kinksters had their own language, and Abel was totally
Madigan’s little slut boy.
“He’s gonna test Gray’s and Darius’s patience, strength, and
improvisation skills as parents,” Ryan went on. “Mic’s yours, Abel.”
Gray braced himself.
Abel smirked and faced the happy couple to be married. “In our
only family-friendly activity, Gray and Darius will be unleashed with a
few children at the crafts store in the Valley, where they’ll perform a
task under pressure, on a budget, and with a clock ticking. More info
on this tomorrow morning.”
Jesus Christ.
“Is this why our damn mothers requested we give the kids
Wednesday and Thursday off from school?” Darius blurted out.
Ryan grinned. “We couldn’t ask you outright, so we recruited Ma
and Chloe.”
More traitors!
“We’ll meet up outside the store bright and early tomorrow morning
before they open,” Abel said. “While Gray and Darius get to babysit,
the rest of us will have a tailgate breakfast in the parking lot.”
“We don’t babysit our own children.” Gray rolled his eyes.
 Abel merely smiled.
Fuck. Gray was missing something.
“You’ll babysit our girl,” Boone said.
“Abby and the twins too,” Ryan added with a smirk.
Avery cleared his throat. “And my three girls…”
Gray swallowed hard. That was a lot of kids. Couple of toddlers,
a handful of three-, four-, and five-year-olds… Four kids who could
actually be helpful in a crafts store—Ace, Jayden, Abby, and Grace.
Reese eyed Shay. “Should they babysit you too,
boy?” Shay laughed. “Fuck you.”
Gray glanced at Ethan, who thankfully grinned and shook his
head, and he said, “Don’t worry, I won’t blindside y’all with my boy.”
Oh, thank God. Not that Ethan’s son wasn’t fucking adorable, but
he was like four or five months old.
“Fucking hell, I’m never having kids,” Gideon said.
Gray tossed him a dry look. “I can point to three ancient Quinns
right here on this porch who’ve said those exact words over and
over, and now they all know what it’s like to change diapers.”
“Sounds to me like the Quinns aren’t very smart,” Gid retorted.
You’re on your own, little brother.
Darius chuckled silently and pressed a kiss to Gray’s neck. To
the barcode tattoo and its meaningful digits below.
That’d been Gray’s one and only session in Madigan’s chair, when he’d
filled in the scarring with shadows and perfect lines. Then he’d copied his
work to give Darius an exact replica of the tattoo, right there over his heart.
Ryan side-eyed Gideon. “We’ll get to you, son. Don’t worry.” Then he
faced the rest. “On Thursday, we’re going all out. We meet up outside
Darius’s restaurant at ten for breakfast. We’ve arranged for babysitters
already. Bring your warrior attitudes, ’cause we ancient folk are gonna
team up against the annoying little puppies and play hockey.”
Holy shit.
Gideon and Gabriel erupted in a “Fuck yeah!” and a buzz went
through the group.
“Are you joining, Ryan?” Gray had to ask. Despite his excitement,
his first thought was that Ryan had been grazed by a bullet less than
a week ago.
 “Of-fucking-course I am.” Ryan scowled. “Don’t take this away from
me, boy. You may think this was Abel’s idea, but this one’s on me.”
“Yup, he suggested it,” Abel confirmed.
It didn’t freaking matter whose idea it’d been. But whatever. Ryan
was a grown man. He knew what he could handle. And it sure as
fuck wasn’t a team of semi- to pro hockey players.
Gray scratched his nose. “Old against young?”
“That’s right.” Ryan nodded. “We’ll have more teammates on our
side, but you have the NHL players.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m feeling very young today.”
Case threw that out there.
“Don’t even try,” Ethan chuckled. “Everyone over thirty gets
called old by these punks.”
Thirty was a stretch. Thirty was still young. But Case was thirty-
seven, so…
Gray exchanged a look with Abel and the twins. They were gonna
crush the old-timers, that was for sure. Then he slipped a glance to Shay
and asked, “How are you on a pair of skates, man?” Because Shay would
definitely be on their team. He was just a few years older than Gray.
“I’m decent.” Shay weighed his answer. “I’m gonna have to study
the rules, though.”
“Rules,” Ryan laughed. So did the other Quinns, not to mention
River and Reese.
Fine. They were gonna play dirty? So could the young punks. No sweat.
“Anyway. I think we’ve divulged enough, haven’t we?” Ryan looked to
Avery.
And he nodded. “Yes, I believe so. We’ll be at it all Thursday,
with plenty to follow after the hockey game, but we wanna keep a
few surprises.”
“Like the fact that we’re going clubbing?” Gray asked.
Case chuckled.
“We’re not going clubbing,” Ryan promised. “The only dancing I
do is in the kitchen with my wife.”
Abel yawned loudly. “Lame.”
Yeah, Gray just found that sweet as hell. He’d gotten to dance
with Darius in the kitchen a few times too.
“Any questions?” Avery asked everyone.
 Nobody had questions, more interested in digging into the beers
and the snacks.

The following morning, Gray watched Darius transform as they made

their way down the mountain and out of Westslope. Someone was
taking the bachelor stuff seriously.
“So you’re just not gonna talk to me?” he asked.
Darius was all but white-knuckling the wheel of the truck, and he
had his focused face on. “Look,” he said. “I don’t know what Ry was
smoking when he thought a hockey game with you guys would be a
good idea, but if I want a fightin’ chance to win this thing, I gotta bring
home the other activities. They’re clearly all gonna be competitions.”
Gray found a grin. “You’re really going all in.”
“I ain’t givin’ you material to mock me for years, knucklehead. I’m
not ready.”
Gray laughed.
“Daddy, I don’t like this!” Justin announced.
Gray peered into the back seat, where their three kiddos were in
various stages of preparing to be props at the first bachelor party
activity. Jayden was texting, presumably with Ace, and Cassidy was
half asleep. Justin was…breaking up with a lollipop.
“It tastes weird.” He extended it to Gray.
“Give it here.” Darius tilted his head but kept his eyes on the
road, and he parted his lips.
Gray stuck the lollipop into his mouth.
Darius promptly grimaced. “This is one of the sugar-free ones.”
“I’m not feeding the kids sugar before breakfast,” Gray stated.
That was ludicrous. “Those were on sale—and they contain real fruit.
They’re organic and everything.”
“No wonder they taste like shit.” Darius shook his head.
“Yeah, shit.” Justin giggled.
Gray rolled his eyes. “Language,
baby.” “Sorry,” Darius and Justin
said at once. That was funny.
 While they drove past Downtown and the exit toward Camas,
continuing toward the Valley, Darius muttered to himself about Ryan.
How his brother had been so damn stupid to pick hockey.
“He probably thinks you’ll have strength in numbers.” That was
Gray’s guess anyway.
“In what universe can a team of nine or ten grunts on the wrong
side of forty beat four hockey players and a Shay Tenley who’s some
highly trained martial arts fighter?”
Gray snickered. “In Ryan’s universe?”
Darius scoffed.
But yeah, tomorrow would definitely be fun. They didn’t know the
exact teams yet; Gray had provided a list of men they were close
enough to to extend invites to a bachelor party, and the three best
men had taken things from there.
He presumed not all could make it. Especially not today. It was a
regular workday, and given the early hour…
Two wedding guests had had to cancel last minute, but then Cole
had asked if he could bring a plus-one. So far, the seating chart plan
was intact. Thankfully, not everyone would bring their kids to the
wedding either. There’d still be around fifteen of them of all ages, but
several had opted for babysitters.
Mom had said the number of guests was going to fluctuate up
until the last two days before the wedding. So…seventy-four,
seventy-five… seventy-six guests, thereabouts.
They had enough food for ninety, so Gray wasn’t worried.
They’d been smart about the tables too. You could always
squeeze in an extra guest at a round table.
“Let’s not forget about Avery,” Darius said around the lollipop.
“Just when we focus a little too much on Ryan—or even Abel—that’s
when Ave will strike.”
Gray shook his head in amusement.
Abel wasn’t gonna be a problem. Gray had given his best friend a
fantastic bachelor party last year. It’d been a very small wedding,
with just their closest friends and family; in fact, only ten people had
attended the ceremony itself, and not just due to Covid restrictions.
Abel had requested something tiny so he wouldn’t get worked up.
 He and Madigan had gotten married at the inn. They’d hosted the
reception there too. And the bachelor party for Abel. While Darius
and a handful of others had taken Madigan out for dinner and drinks
on Lincoln and Adeline’s yacht, Gray had invited Abel and half a
dozen family members and friends for a luxurious treatment at the
inn. Dinner by the chef from a restaurant in Vancouver that Abel was
obsessed with, lots of drinks, massages, a plethora of Abel’s favorite
snacks and desserts, from Adeline’s Rice Krispie treats to a Nutella
cake by Elise. More drinks. Several trips down memory lane. Britney
on repeat. Midnight cheeseburgers from Coho Bar & Grill.
It’d been a great send-off. A great wedding too.
“For chrissakes.”
Gray followed Darius’s stare and burst out a laugh. Arriving just south of
the Valley, at Cedar Point, they drove alongside the large parking lot for
stores like Target and Old Navy, plus some smaller chains—and one crafts
store. And Abel hadn’t been exaggerating about the tailgate breakfast.
The area outside the crafts store was fairly empty, as they didn’t
open until ten, so their family manning two portable grills in one spot
between two trucks stood out quite a bit.
Darius turned into the parking lot, and Gray just smiled wider.
Ryan and Madigan were literally putting up crime scene tape to seal
off their little area. Then Gray could see Ryan gesturing to his boys
about the kids having to stay within the taped zone.
JJ and Ryder seemed to have grown another inch every time they
came up here. The twins were four years old and loved to test limits.
Oh hell, Nova-Lyn was here. They hadn’t mentioned Abel’s little
sister yesterday.
Considering the Hayes family had been a big feature in Gray’s
childhood, they were obviously all invited, and that included Casey, Abel’s
quasi-older-brother slash uncle that the family had sort of adopted years
ago. And Casey was present, bringing their tally of Caseys up to two. Vegas
Casey and Camassia Casey, who was decked out in work clothes. He ran a
landscaping business and had fingers greener than his coveralls.
It made perfect sense that he’d brought his daughter
Haley. Gray scratched his forehead. That was two
extra kids. “Are they all our cousins?” Jayden asked.
 “Pretty much,” Darius replied. “Ace, Abby, JJ, Ryder… Auntie
Elise and Uncle Ave’s girls too.”
And they were all accounted for this lovely morning. Except Elise.
Ethan wasn’t here. Or Boone. Or the Tenleys.
“Ace uses a lot of emoji hearts,” Jayden noted.
“Oh yeah?” Gray chuckled and side-eyed Darius. “Do you do that too?”
“No,” Jayden snorted. “Gross.”
Darius blew out a breath in relief.
“I sent her a picture of the snake we found in the bathroom last
year— the one we released in the woods, Dad?” Jayden went on, to
which Darius nodded, following along. “After that, she sends three
hearts with each text. Like, what the fuck? I send her photos of fish I
catch with Grandpa and Pops also. Same—hearts all over the damn
place. I don’t understand girls. She could just say it’s cool.”
Darius pulled into a spot near the crime scene and mulled over
his response.
Gray looked on in amusement.
“Nope,” Darius replied eventually. “Not touching that one right
now. Son, you’ll discover that a lot of girls speak another language—
and it’s going to take you a lifetime to understand them. You keep
your emoji hearts to yourself—and to Gray and me—for a while
longer. Turn eleven first. Then twelve and thirteen. Then we’ll talk.”
Well, eleven was coming up right after the summer.
Gray jumped out of the truck, and Jayden replied with a “Wilco”
before he climbed out too. Justin followed, and Darius grabbed
Cassidy and disposed of his organic lollipop.
It was pretty cold today, despite the fantastic weather, so Gray
made sure Justin and Cass had their beanies on.
“Hi, Jayden!” Ace called excitedly.
Here we go.
Gray thought the whole thing was so cute.
“Howdy, babysitters!” Ryan hollered. He had Ryder climbing all
over him.
“Good morning.” Gray smiled at everyone and went under the
tape. Tailgates were dropped, kids were treating the trucks—and
some fathers— as jungle gyms, and Avery was setting up a table
with thermoses, paper mugs, fruit, muffins, and yogurt cups.
 Abel shook his head at Gray. “Beard and flannel—the fuck
happened to you, buddy?”
Gray chuckled and scrubbed a hand over his jaw.
“Uncle Darius, come look at the worm I found!” JJ exclaimed.
“If I do, will you remember I’m your favorite uncle?” Darius replied.
Oh, so he was in recruiting mode for the crafts store.
JJ shrugged and squinted up at him. “Yeah, okay. But Uncle
Ethan teaches me how to kickbox.”
Gray suppressed his mirth and zeroed in on the Caseys instead.
“I see you two have met.”
Case was rocking a vintage NSYNC tee under his black denim shirt.
Gray appreciated the hell out of that. This was the old music he loved.
“When Abel said he was pulling Lyn from school today, I knew I
wouldn’t hear the end of it if I didn’t let Haley tag along too,” Casey
responded. “Then I get here and find a guy who not only loves boy
bands but who also shares my name. It’s clearly my day.”
Gray grinned and did a quick head count of the kids. Three who
were over ten—Abby, Jayden, and Ace. Four who were between five
and ten— Grace, Justin, Nova-Lyn, and Haley. Then another four
kiddos under five— JJ, Ryder, Hazel, Cass, and Julia.
He considered himself lucky that Casey hadn’t brought his other
two children. They were much younger.
“You feelin’ the panic yet?” Case smirked
knowingly. “Heh.” Gray exhaled a laugh. “A little.”
“Breakfast’s ready! Well, for some of us. We’re putting more on the
grills.” Ryan and Madigan were hard at work slinging paper plates with
breakfast sausages, scrambled eggs, and toast. “Kids, gather ’round!”
“No eggs for me, Daddy Dos,” Abby
reminded. “I remember, baby boot.”
Daddy Dos, that was funny—and sweet. Gray had heard a few
versions of Abby’s nicknames for Ryan. Double D, Daddy Dos, The
Spare, and Poppa Ry. Of course, Ryan encouraged each one. The more
creative, the better. In turn, Abby was Ryan’s honey, crumb snatcher,
baby boot, Double B for the aforementioned reason, and…D.B. Cooper.
Which was her actual last name. Or part of it. Cooper-Quinn. She’d
wanted to hyphenate when Greg had taken Ry’s name too.
 “Breakfast for another little champion.” Ryan handed a plate to
Justin, who smiled goofily. He adored Ryan.
“Thank you! Where’s Auntie Angel?”
Abel thought it was a good time to put on some music, and he’d
brought his Bluetooth speaker for the occasion.
“She and Uncle Greg are at the cabin,” Ryan answered. “He’s, uh…”
He lifted his gaze to Gray. “He’s holding her hair when she pukes.”
Oh, fuck yeah. “For real?” Gray lit right up.
Ryan smiled and dipped his chin.
Justin just wrinkled his nose.
“Congratulations.” Gray was really happy for them. They’d been
trying for a while. “That baby will never need new clothes.”
Ryan laughed through his nose. “Elise has already offered a
truckload of onesies.”
No surprise whatsoever.
Madigan and Abel had overheard the conversation, so they
congratulated Ryan too. Avery undoubtedly knew already. In the
meantime, Darius asked if anyone else was coming.
“The Tenleys texted,” Ryan replied. “They got called away on errands.
Ma’s spoiling Boone rotten with homemade bagels, and Ethan’s at work.”
“Yeah, I gotta head back too,” Casey said. “Spring is busy. But Lincoln
will be here in ten minutes. He wanted to see Gray and Darius tackle a
dozen kids, and then he’ll bring Haley and Lyn with him home after.”
“Who’s Lincoln?” Case asked.
“My old man,” Abel answered. “And my husband’s best friend.”
He smirked.
Case lifted his brows. “There’s gotta be a story there.”
“This from the man who has a kid with his brother,” Gray said. “We
keep it in the family around these here parts,” Ryan drawled. Avery
came over with Julia on his hip and handed Gray a cup of coffee
and a plate of breakfast, so it was time to tune out the conversation.
“Damn, this looks good. Thanks.” He took a sip of his coffee and
headed over to the bed of Ryan’s truck for a makeshift table. And for
Darius, who was watching Cass chew on a muffin while he drank coffee.
“Haley, I’m leaving now,” Casey called.
“Okay, bye!”
 “I feel loved,” Casey deadpanned. He turned to Abel next. “Take
a metric fuck-ton of photos.” He faced Gray next. “Have fun with the
chaos, and Ellis and I will see you tomorrow.”
Gray offered a two-finger wave and had his mouth full of eggs.
“Okay, bye!”
Casey snorted a chuckle and headed under the tape, aiming for
his work truck across the way.
“Dada!” Cassidy peered up at Darius with a grin and bobbed her
head to the music.
“You like this tune, huh?” Darius’s eyes flashed with amusement.
Gray liked this song too. “Anything Could Happen” by Ellie
Goulding was a great way to get reenergized.
“Two minutes till the store opens!” Abel announced. “Should I
explain the task?”
“Floor’s yours, kid.” Ryan nodded.
“Okay—then I want everyone’s attention, including the kiddos!” Abel
went on. Every dad nearby instructed his children to listen to Abel. And
it worked, to an extent. “I have right here—” Abel retrieved two bills
from his pocket “—two fifty-dollar bills. One for Gray, one for Darius.
Your task is to bring all the kids with you into the store, and they gotta
help you put together a gift for your future hubby. You’ll each have
twenty minutes in there. Don’t worry, Gray—the staff knows what we’re
doing. Madigan talked to them, and we’ll have two spotters inside too.”
Okay, good, because holy fuck.
“We flipped a coin earlier, and Gray, you will go first,” Abel said.
“We’re leaving the rules for the gifts up to free interpretation, with two
exceptions. One, the kids have to participate. And two, the gift can’t
be ready-made. It’s time to get crafty.”
Gray swallowed around a mouthful of food and handed his plate
over to Darius.
What the fuck could he give Darius from a crafts store?
 CHAPTER SEVEN

W
no?
here are we on the topic of bribing kids? Gray area or plain okay or big no-

It wouldn’t be for a shitty reason.

Just to make me look good.
I need a manual for parenting.
Fuck it, I’m bribing them.

No lie, Gray felt nervous. He’d obviously guessed it would be something

like this, but he could just manage going to the grocery store with his own
three kids. Now he was going into a crafts mecca with eleven children.
“We’ve agreed to throw you a lifeline,” Avery added, and he
opened the door to his car and hauled out two…what were those?
Oh, child carriers. “In case you want to—”
“Absofuckinglutely,” Gray was quick to say. “Hand them over,
yeah, shit.” One on his chest, one on his back. These would at least
take care of the two toddlers, Cass and Julia.
His mind started spinning as Abel helped Cass into one of the
carriers. A single glance at Darius told Gray that his man had flown
into strategy mode. Darius would probably make his complaints
heard afterward, but right now, he saw the task and focused on it.
 “Fuck me, I don’t wanna alarm y’all, but there’s a celebrity coming
toward us right fucking now,” Case warned. “Holy shit. How’s my hair?”
Gray furrowed his brow and looked over— Oh Christ. It was Lincoln.
“Dude, that’s my dad,” Abel said.
Ryan and Madigan cracked up.
“Your dad is Lincoln fuckin’ Hayes?” Case exclaimed. “He’s a
rock god!”
“I thought you only listened to Ace of Base and The Spice Girls,”
Darius commented.
The…Spice Girls. Gray laughed.
“What can I say? I’m a man of layers.” Case looked legit nervous.
“Okay, shut the fuck up and play it cool.” That’s what he told
everybody else, who were already as chill as chill could be. “Look at
him. Can you believe he turns fifty-four this summer? If he shakes
my hand, I’ll never wash it again.”
“Jesus,” Ryan muttered. “Do you know his horoscope too?”
“Well, his birthday is July thirtieth, so that makes him a Leo,”
Case answered frankly. “I’ll look it up later.”
By the time Lincoln was within earshot, Gray had a babbling Julia
on his front, and a head-bobbing Cassidy on his back, and the
shoulder straps crisscrossed uncomfortably. But it would have to do.
“Hi, Dad,” Abel said casually.
“Hi, Daddy!” Lyn called.
Case couldn’t help himself. “Hey, man, I love you.”
Lincoln lifted his brows a little, but Case hadn’t been exaggerating.
Lincoln was used to that behavior. Maybe less these days, when he
was more known for being a producer, but everyone older than thirty
had grown up with Lincoln’s band topping the charts on VH1 and MTV.
Apparently, those channels had played music back then.
“Smooth, Case,” Darius said.
“Not one bit.” Ace shook her head at her dad.
“Not like that,” Case added quickly. “I’m just—fuck. My brother
and I listened to Path of Destruction all the time growing up. He’s got
all your CDs.”
Lincoln smirked faintly and shook hands with the train wreck. “Good
to meet you, kid.” He continued toward Abel and Lyn, and he looked
very amused by Gray. “Check you out, son. This is gonna be fun.”
 “Hey, Mr. H.” Gray smiled and released a breath. “All right,
should I go in, or…?”
“Whenever you’re ready.” Abel was having fun with this too.
“Don’t break your budget.” He handed over the fifty. “Case and Ryan
will spot you in the store—make sure the kids don’t knock over any
displays and whatnot.”
Definitely a relief.
“I’ll tag along too, of course,” Avery said. “Someone has to catch
everything on film.”
Oh great. Wonderful. Fuck.
“Yeah, I’m gonna need a copy of that,” Lincoln added.
“So what happens after we’ve bought the supplies?” Darius asked.
“Oh, right! Duh. Sorry.” Abel cleared his throat. “We’ve made
reservations at Coho Bar & Grill right after, so you’ll be putting
together the gifts there.”
Suh-weet. Gray loved that place. Adam and Alessia, who ran it,
were coming to the wedding too. During the pandemic, it had been
Adam and Darius who’d pushed forward on the local delivery service
to keep Camassia’s restaurants afloat. Sebastian, as well.
“Okay, all the kids, you’re with me!” Gray hollered. “We have
twenty minutes!”
“Starting right now.” Ryan set a timer on his phone, and it catapulted
Gray into action. “JJ, get that rock outta your mouth. For chrissakes.”
Thank God they were here so early. No traffic, no people. They ran
toward the store, and he made sure they were all inside before he followed.
“Woo-hoo!” Ryder cheered for no apparent reason.
“Uncle Gray, what’re we gonna buy?” Grace asked.
“Candy!” Justin suggested.
“I want stickers!” That was Haley, and Lyn added her approval.
“With glitter.”
“All right, so I want you to think about Darius,” Gray told the kids.
The lady at the checkout counter smiled politely, thankfully prepared.
“You’re free to run around, just—be careful. Okay? Be very careful.
And if you see something you think Darius will like, bring it to me.”
No arms needed twisting here. The kids ran off, and Gray blew
out a breath and eyed the store. It was fairly large, looking like an
average Michaels, with several aisles and sections.
 Gray decided his job would be to peruse the shelves as quickly
as possible while keeping an eye on the kids with flailing limbs.
Which included Ryan’s twin boys, Justin, and Hazel.
Gray grabbed a basket.
Gift for Darius, gift for Darius. He rubbed his forehead and
headed for the section with leather crafting stuff. Maybe a kit of some
sort? Darius was already great at woodworking, and he’d mentioned
wanting to work with leather too.
A kit of supplies would get disqualified, wouldn’t it?
Julia cooed and tried to reach for something shiny, but Gray just
didn’t have the time to indulge her right now.
Seven minutes later, he was given an update on the time remaining from
Ryan, and no great ideas had been born in the aisles. No, they couldn’t give
Darius a key cabinet. Great gift, but it was ready-made and required no
assembly whatsoever, aside from having to paint it. Haley and Nova-Lyn
had presented notepads with reasons for why one deserved candy, and it’d
sparked a vague idea that Gray was mulling over.
“I like this one!” Grace ran down an aisle to meet up with Gray,
and she showed him a pink tin jar. “You can put Uncle Darius’s
favorite candy inside.”
Not a terrible idea. “You know what, I’ll hold on to it, and then we
can see what we decide when our time’s about to run out. Thank
you, sweetheart.”
Grace beamed in pride and darted off again. She was a good one. She
took her task seriously, and even though she wasn’t Elise’s biologically,
she’d been there from the beginning, and the girl took after her so much.
Gray returned his attention to a display with tools. Again, no
craftsmanship necessary. Unless…unless they built him a toolbox…?
Darius really needed one—in case one of his other four fell apart.
He rolled his eyes to himself and felt the pressure rise within him.
Had they gone to any kind of hardware store, he’d be done by now.
Hmm. There was one thing. Darius actually saved a lot of
drawings from the boys in his office at the restaurant. Perhaps they
could decorate a bunch of picture frames.
Gray hurried toward the aisle that held those kinds of things, and
the two girls with him giggled madly at the bouncy ride.
“Dada, go!” Cass laughed.
 “Eight minutes left!” Ryan hollered from somewhere.
Avery was like a damn shadow. Gray couldn’t shake him.
Finding several wooden and plastic frames for painting and
decorating, Gray held up two made of wood. “Julia, pick one.” He
shifted them in front of her, and she said “oh-oh-oh!” and tried to reach
for one. “That one? Good job. Thank you for your participation.”
He dropped three frames at $2.99 each in his basket.
Then he stopped the first set of girls he saw, Ace and Abby, and
asked if they could help him find things to decorate with. Paint,
stickers, glue, anything.
Gray stumbled upon Ryder and JJ next. They were inspecting a
shelf with notepads and paper crafts.
The pad Haley and Lyn had shown him crossed his mind again,
and he scanned the selection of everything from novelty gifts and
supplies for sketching. He spotted that very pad, with the reasons one
deserved candy. What if it wasn’t candy? While Darius could go to
town on chocolate truffles like the next guy, he didn’t have that big of a
sweet tooth. Not for candy anyway. His poison was baked goods.
“Uncle Darius draws pictures sometimes.” Ryder held up a sketch
pad. And he wasn’t wrong. When their families got together, the kids
loved it when Darius showed them how to draw something. He was
weirdly good at it, yet never mentioned it as a hobby. Despite the
doodles Gray had seen of Darius’s plans around the cabin.
Gray shook his head to clear it. Both he and Ryder had to switch gears.
“He sure does, but it has to be a gift we put together ourselves, buddy. I
don’t think Abel and Ryan will accept sketch pads and pencils as a gift.”
Reasons Darius deserved a cinnamon roll bite? Where was a
notepad for that? Or reasons he deserved to ignore people?
“Four minutes to go!”
“Motherfff…uddruckers.” Gray scrubbed a hand over his face—
and then the idea hit him.
Reasons Darius deserved to stay at home.
Gray dropped his gaze to the pink tin jar in the basket. They could fill
that thing with little notes—with excuses. Excuses Darius would be allowed
to use when they were making plans with others. He already got blow jobs
for free, so that kind of coupon book was ruled out. Also, not very kid-friendly
to get crafty with. But excuses that let him off the hook for guys’
nights? Dinner with their extended family when he really wanted to
have pizza in front of the TV with Gray and the kids?
Darius would love it.
“Listen up, children!” Gray called out, his voice echoing. “You
have two minutes to bring me decorations! Stickers, glitter, craft
paper in your favorite colors! Maybe the older kids can lead the way
to the scrapbooking aisles!”
“Come on, I’ll show you.” Ace flew by and brought the twins with her.
Good girl.
Gray was hot on their tails and ushered any child he saw along
the way with him too.
This could actually work.

As much as Gray loved children, he needed the breather that followed.

He sat his ass down on one of the dropped tailgates, he accepted a
bottle of water, the children were already plastered to Darius—including the
two toddlers on his back and chest—and…yeah. He just stared into the air.
They’d made it out of the store with thirty seconds to spare, and
they’d spent forty-two dollars on things that fit into one paper bag.
Darius was going in another direction. As Gray guzzled his water,
his fiancé turned into a drill sergeant.
“Clock’s ticking, big brother,” Ryan reminded.
“Logistics is key,” was Darius’s response. He’d somehow managed
to get all the kids lined up, two by two, and he spoke to each kid quietly
before he deemed them ready to begin. “Does everyone understand?”
“Yes, sir!” everyone over six or seven confirmed.
“Understand what?” JJ asked.
Gray grinned.
The older kids saw it as a game to follow their gruff, half-militant
uncle, whereas the younger ones had the attention spans of goldfish.
So this would definitely be interesting to watch later. Gray was
suddenly glad Avery was filming.
“Fifteen minutes left,” Ryan said.
 “I only need ten,” Darius replied. “All right, let’s go, troopers.
Jayden, Abby, Ace—remember what I said.”
Gray narrowed his eyes. Okay, Darius was smart. He’d
delegated. He was using the three who were over ten—because
they could shoulder a bigger responsibility.
For the first time, Gray felt a little threatened. Besides, there were
plenty of things Darius could give him from the crafts store, because
while someone was always busy building the next project, whether it
was a chicken coop or a shed, most of Gray’s projects took place
indoors. With self-reliance as their mutual goal, he’d gotten into
everything from soap-making and candle-making to making his own
preserves, potato chips, lemonade, and even sewing.
Hell, Darius could probably build him a cabinet for whatever hobby
Gray had in his damn sleep. With his hands tied behind his back.
Case, Ryan, and Avery followed Darius’s squad into the store,
leaving Gray alone with Abel, Madigan, and Lincoln.
The silence was incredible.
“Can I see what you bought?” Abel walked over to the truck,
while scarfing down a plateful of scrambled eggs.
“You make the rules, buddy.” Gray smirked. “For the record,
remember when I hosted your bachelor party? The personal chef?
The massages? This wasn’t it.”
“I clearly went to the wrong bachelor party.” Lincoln frowned.
“Thanks,” Madigan said.
Abel laughed. And he glanced at Gray. “It’s not over, is it?
There’s all day tomorrow too.”
Yeah, but Ryan and Avery were in charge of that, for the most
part. Or that was Gray’s impression.
Abel chewed on the inside of his cheek and looked hesitant. “I
thought you’d like to include the kids in an activity.”
Fuck. A rock of guilt smacked Gray right in the face, and he
reached out and squeezed Abel’s hand. “I’m just bitching, hon. This
morning is giving me memories to last a lifetime—good memories.
I’m stoked I get to share it with my kids.”
Abel looked relieved, thankfully. “Okay, good.”
Most of the guilt faded from Gray, and he turned the rest of it into
determination to savor every moment. He hadn’t been lying. He was going
to remember today for as long as he lived, and, more than that, his
boys would remember it for a long time too.
“We should start packing up,” Madigan told Abel. “I’ll handle the
grills. You take down the tape and stow away the coolers.”
“Yessir.”
Gray remained right where he was, still recovering from the
shopping spree.
While Madigan brought out a bucket of sand to smother the heat,
Lincoln leaned against the truck and lit up a smoke.
“Don’t tell Ade,” he said.
Gray snorted softly. As if she didn’t know he snuck a smoke from
time to time. “Is that the marriage advice you’re sending me off with?”
He exhaled smoke through a smirk and grew pensive. “I reckon
my advice is, don’t take advice from me.”
The man was selling himself short. He was a great husband and
a great dad. Gray had basically grown up with Lincoln nearby for
every teenage emergency.
“Took me a while to see it, but you’re good for each other,” he said.
“I see a bit of myself in Darius—we’re not too different. Same as you
share some traits with Adeline. And he and I need your type in our lives
to live to the fullest. Someone who makes everything meaningful.”
Gray smiled. That felt really good to hear. “You both show your
affection through countless projects.”
He chuckled. “Miles-long to-do lists?”
Gray nodded.
So did Lincoln. “Sounds about right.”
Darius had told Gray once that he used to “build to survive.” Build
to have a place to sleep, build to make something functional, build to
keep himself occupied. But these days, with Gray and their family in
mind, Darius built for the future. He wanted everyone to be as
comfortable as possible on their mountain, and many of the projects
on his lists were to benefit someone else. Like the low fence along
the stream—so the kids wouldn’t fall in. The new chicken coop,
which made it easier for Jayden to do his chores with Darius on the
weekends. The planting beds he’d built for Gray’s little medicinal
garden. The barbecue area for summer evenings with the family.
 Lincoln was similar with his work. While he’d hire someone to
make changes around the house, he was building a legacy that
would take care of his family for generations to come. Second Verse
Studios was a big deal in the music industry, and Lincoln Hayes’s
Wikipedia page was impressive. Case probably knew it by heart.
“I just know what it’s like to have someone who makes you wanna
spend more time at home,” Lincoln admitted. “It’s the best damn
feeling. It’s the right feeling, if you ask me. I don’t ever feel restless
there. And I think Darius will agree with me—and that’s because of the
poor souls we convinced to spend the rest of their lives with us.”
Gray let out a soft laugh and shook his head. “I think I can speak
for Mrs. H here when I say we feel anything but poor.”
Lincoln smirked and put out his smoke. “Well, we can be pretty
fucking charming.”
Too true.
At the sound of kids’ voices, Gray looked up and couldn’t fucking
believe what he was seeing. “You gotta be kidding me.”
No way had Darius used up his twenty minutes.
The man marched out like some professional babysitter, Julia still on his
front, Cass on his back, and he was holding Ryder like a damn football
under his arm. All the other kids followed him, each one with a lollipop in
their mouth. Darius included. Well, Ryder was holding his in his hand.
Jayden and Abby had been put in charge of carrying the
shopping bags “Daddy, we bought the things!” Justin yelled.
Good for you, baby.
Gray hopped down from the truck and squinted due to the sun. “I
need you to look more frazzled, Dare. Come on.”
The man just smirked around his lollipop and started helping Julia
out of the carrier.
Judging by the disgruntled look on Ryan’s face, he hadn’t gotten
the pleasure of seeing his brother flip his shit. Avery looked impressed
as he took over and grabbed Julia, with Hazel and Grace following.
“This was fun!” Ace said happily.
“It was anticlimactic.” Case was a little disappointed too.
“You’re just jealous you didn’t get a lollipop, son,” Ace replied.
Gray laughed.
Case didn’t argue.
 Then Abel let out a sharp whistle. “Kids! It’s very important you
don’t discuss what you bought with Gray and Darius. We’re about to
drive over to a restaurant, where you’ll get to help put the gifts
together. And until then, zip it! Okay?”
Abel sure knew how children functioned.
They were eager to mimic his zipping motion, but kids talked. A
lot. All the time.
Once Darius no longer had kids strapped to him—and Ryder had
stolen his uncle’s lollipop and run off to his daddy—he came over to
Gray just as Lincoln was called away by his daughter and Haley.
“Can we be on the same side for one moment?” Darius asked
quietly. Gray was instantly intrigued. “Of course.”
Darius glanced around them to make sure nobody else could
hear. “Do you ever feel like you can love children but not like them?”
Oh hell. Gray so wanted to laugh—but this wasn’t the time. His
man looked like he’d just confessed a cardinal sin.
“As long as you’re not talking about our own kids—baby, that’s
me most of the time.”
The relief in Darius’s eyes was so swift and so evident, and it
must’ve hit him hard because it was as if he couldn’t quite believe it.
He stopped himself and had to make sure.
“You’re not joking now, are you?”
“I’m not joking,” Gray chuckled.
“Thank God.” Darius threw his arms around Gray’s shoulders and
squeezed him in a hug, his scruffy face buried against Gray’s neck.
“I’m never doin’ that again. Worst fifteen minutes in a long time. My
fuck, they just don’t shut up, knucklehead. Their mouths don’t stop
running. There were so many of them.”
Gray’s stomach tightened with amusement and so much affection
that he barely found his words.
Darius must’ve pulled off a solid act, though.
“You looked so unfazed when you came out,” Gray murmured. He
glanced over Darius’s shoulder and made sure Cass was with someone
— Avery. Julia and Cass were trying to pull at Avery’s shoestrings.
Jayden and Justin were goofing off with Ryan and the twins.
“I ain’t givin’ Ry that satisfaction,” Darius grumbled. “Fucker was
eyeing me the whole time.”
 Gray laughed softly. “My sweet man. Do you need some
aftercare when we get home?” He scratched his fingers along the
back of Darius’s neck, and he hummed appreciatively.
“I think I might.” He shivered. “I don’t get how my brother does it.
How he can be so goddamn high-energy all the time.”
Eh, Ryan had his limits too. But yeah, Ryan and Darius, a set of Irish
twins where one was as extroverted as he could be and the other
introverted as hell. Ryan created chaos, he thrived in it, he gained
strength from it. Darius did his best to tame it, to endure it, and to end it.
Gray loved his homebody.
“When we’re done here, I’m gonna take care of you.” He tilted his
head and pressed a kiss to Darius’s cheek. “I’ll make lasagna for
dinner. You change into sweatpants and throw yourself on the couch.”
Darius groaned with longing. “That’s where I wanna be. Preferably
with you in my arms, but the lasagna ain’t gonna make itself.”
Gray laughed and inched back enough to see the sweet,
exhausted little grin on Darius’s face. “I love you.”
“More than words, knucklehead.” He dipped down and kissed
Gray chastely. “For the record—and I know all parents say this—but
our ankle biters are perfect. They make just enough fuss that you
don’t gotta worry you’re raising infiltrating aliens, but not so much
you wanna bash your head through a wall.”
Gray couldn’t stop laughing.
“I’m serious,” Darius went on. “I love our nieces and nephews—
but Jesus fucking Christ. There’s too much of my siblings in those
little shits. If it’s not Grace summoning her inner Elise to tell me what
I’m doing wrong, it’s one of the Ryan Juniors who want me to watch
them jump off the roof of a car.”
Gray wiped at his eyes, his shoulders trembling, and spotted
Justin coming over. “Little ears inbound.” The boy had already
finished his lollipop.
“I wanna know what’s funny!”
“Daddy,” Gray replied, still grinning. “He said you, your brother,
and your sister are aliens. Can you believe that?”
Justin made a noise and gaped up at Darius. “I’m not an alien.
You’re silly, Daddy! My skin isn’t green.”
 “Oh yeah? How should I know? I need proof.” Darius swooped up
the boy and immediately dug his nose under Justin’s windbreaker to
expose his tummy. “Maybe your belly’s green.”
Justin squirmed and giggled uncontrollably in between Darius’s
growling noises.
Gray smiled at the display, then glanced over at Avery and the girls
again. Cass’s nose was a little red, and it was time they stopped
horsing around in a parking lot that was slowly growing more crowded.
 CHAPTER EIGHT

O kay, I have the tickets for our honeymoon, baby. Shit.

Just a few years ago, I was so sure I’d spend the rest of my life
alone, going from one unattached string to another when I had to scratch
an itch. Now, here I am, not just ready to spend my life with a person but
to share everything, crave their presence, need them like air.

An hour or so later, Gray declared himself done with Darius’s gifts. Coho
Bar & Grill was open just for their party at this hour, but Adam and Alessia
were going all out on the service. The bar was packed with sliders, fries,
buffalo wings, and other snacks. The kids got to roam free with Adam and
Alessia’s son, and the grown-ups could hate on Case being in charge of
the music all they wanted, but it didn’t stop them from singing along to the
tunes. Adam, Ryan, Case, Madigan, and even Avery—who was a bit
more reserved by nature—belted out the lyrics to 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s
Up?” right around the time Darius was finishing up his project too.
The kids laughed at their singing dads.
Gray popped a couple fries in his mouth and took pictures.
Abel filmed.
 Lincoln watched with his brows lifted while Nova-Lyn devoured a
serving of mac and cheese on his lap.
“What are they doing?!” JJ yelled.
Gray laughed.
Ryan ran over and picked up the boy. “Come sing with Daddy.
Ooooh-ooohh.”
This was the perfect continuation of what’d started at the crafts
store. Gray felt so damn good. The place was as cozy as always—
as far as steakhouses went—and everyone was happy.
When they’d arrived, the best men in charge had split the dining
area in two, using two room dividers they must’ve dropped off here
earlier. Then they’d divided the kids into two groups too, with one
being put in charge to assist Gray, and the other to assist Darius.
Gray had gathered around a couple pushed-together tables with
Ace, Abby, Grace, Haley, Ryder, and Cass to decorate three picture
frames and put together the Jar O’ Excuses. Alessia’s staff would be
cleaning glitter off the floor for weeks to come.
The kids had had a blast, though. While Gray had written little
notes of excuses that Darius could use to stay at home, to get out of
social gatherings, the little ones hadn’t held back with stickers and
other decorations. The picture frames were color explosions and
would likely outshine any drawing Darius put in there, and the pink
tin jar…well, it was just very visible. From space.
“Five minutes left on the timer, brother!” Ryan called.
Gray couldn’t see Darius behind the screen, but he did hear
Justin go, “You can’t show that finger! It’s bad!”
“Uncle Ryan started it,” was Darius’s excuse. “Help Daddy glue
these into place instead.”
Gray grinned and shook his head.
Then Abel handed him an apple cider. “Cheers, buddy.”
“Fuck yeah.” Gray clinked his bottle to Abel’s and took a swig. Ahh,
ice-cold and delicious. His favorite brand of tipsiness came from hard
cider, and Washington knew apples. “Darius, you’re driving later!”
At the second sip of the cider, Gray began to really look forward to
tomorrow. The kids would be at Mom and Aiden’s house for the day—and
the night—and Gray and Darius would be able to let go and have some adult
fun. Presumably after the oldsters had injured themselves on the ice.
 “There’s no way they’re beating us tomorrow, is there?” Gray
already knew the answer, but he wanted Abel’s two cents.
“Christ no.” Abel chuckled and eyed the other men. “As long as
Shay can stand on a pair of skates, we’ll manage.”
Gray nodded with a dip of his chin. “So we have some obvious
positions. Gabriel in the cage, you on the left wing—but you should move
up front. You and Gideon will be the offense. Shay and I can pick up the
slack and multitask between assisting you guys and defending the goal.”
“Gabriel’s gonna have to leave the cage a little bit too, I think,”
Abel replied. “What the ancient enemy lacks in skill and stamina,
they’ll make up for in dirty play.”
No fucking doubt.
“How many will there be on the ice at the same time?” Gray
wondered. “There’s gotta be a limit.”
“Ryan was talking about seven or eight.”
Gray snorted. Yeah, they truly weren’t giving a rat’s ass about
standard rules, that was for sure. “Niko’s not joining, huh?”
That was a shame. He hung out with Niko quite a bit; he didn’t
live far away from the marina. Unfortunately, hockey was a sport he
only enjoyed watching.
“No, I asked, and…” Abel shrugged. “Niko, Lias, Greg, Gage,
Ellis, and Casey will watch from the stands. I thought about asking
Dad too, ’cause let’s face it, he would slow down the old folks even
more—” he smirked when Gray laughed “—but he and Mom are
heading over to your folks’.”
Made sense. They always got together. Mom and Adeline were
two peas in a pod, not to mention thick as thieves, and Lincoln and
Aiden had a seriously cute friendship. They were both grandfathers
these days, and with one best-selling author and one former rock
star slash famous producer, they never ran out of things to complain
about in the entertainment industry. They loved to complain.
“Oh, for chrissakes!” Not unlike Darius. “How did his goddamn
glitter end up over here?”
Gray made a yikes-face with Abel.
“Don’t you like glitter, Uncle Darius?” Grace asked.
“I’d rather swim with sharks, trooper,” Darius replied.
 Gray saw Grace’s next question coming from a mile away, mainly
because it’d happened a couple weeks ago, and he winced beforehand.
“You didn’t like the picture I made with glitter glue for your
birthday?” There it was.
“Ooof.” Case winced too.
“Well, see, that’s very different,” Darius said. “I put your picture
on the wall in my office the day after so I could look at it all the time.
But I don’t like getting the glitter on my fingers, you know?”
Gray and Ryan exchanged an eh-not-too-shabby look.
Good save, baby.
Grace accepted the explanation, and then Ryan declared time was up.
Justin ran over and wanted up, so Gray lifted him to his hip, and the boy
immediately reached for the fries and chicken fingers on
the bar. “You like your chicken fingers, don’t you?”
“They’re so yummy.” Justin grinned and stuck half of one into his
mouth. “Uncle Abel also likes them. He said so.”
“Chicken fingers are awesome,” Abel agreed.
“And you eat too, Daddy!” Justin pressed a chicken finger against
Gray’s mouth with such speed and force that it nearly knocked Gray back.
He chuckled an “ouch” and nibbled on Justin’s own fingers instead.
The boy found that hysterical.
In the meantime, Avery, Madigan, and Ryan removed the room
dividers and hid Darius’s gift, and Gray noticed something. Throughout
their visit here, those three men had taken kids aside to ask them
questions, and they were making notes on their phones. Like right now,
Avery was talking to Jayden and Abby, jotting down whatever they said.
Whatever the guys asked the children, they were enjoying answering.
With smirks and gestures and all.
“It looks like we have a winner, everyone!” Ryan called out. “Abel,
Ave, and Madigan—we’re gonna compare the last of our notes, and
then we’ll announce the results. Gray and Darius, you can have a
seat and discuss how much you love us.”
“I love you, Uncle Ryan!” Justin shouted.
Gray laughed and hugged the boy to him. God—he was sure as
fuck not shy anymore, this one.
“Aww, I love you too, champ.” Ryan was like a pig in shit. “Your
daddies can take notes on how to show me love. And don’t you ever let
them tell you about indoor voices. They’re overrated, you got
that?” Justin giggled behind his chicken-finger-greasy hand.

The guys in charge didn’t need too long to deliberate, but it was enough
to give Gray and Darius a break at one of the tables. While Gray peeled
glue off Darius’s fingertips, Darius inhaled a couple brisket sliders—
sounding dangerously similar to how Big Daddy sounded in bed.
JJ and Ryder had managed to squeeze in one hell of a fight too,
so Ryan took them outside for a talkin’-to.
“We gotta come here more often,” Darius said. “Goddamn, Grady
knows good brisket.”
Yeah, this place was something else. Best steakhouse in town.
“There. All done. I need a cigarette now.” Gray sat back and
gathered the glue peels in a napkin.
Darius chuckled. “Dork. I’mma give both you and Justin a bottle
of glue next Christmas. You’ll be occupied for days.”
No joke. It was so satisfying.
“All right, let’s get started,” Avery said. “Kids, you can sit down.” Some
of them dropped to the floor right where they’d been standing,
Justin included, and the others found a nearby chair and a nearby
adult. Except for Cassidy; she was playing peek-a-boo with Adam
and Alessia’s son between the barstools.
“Look at her.” Darius was watching too, amused and beyond
hooked. It would never tire Gray to see the love Darius had for their
kids. Not that Gray had ever doubted the commitment once it was in
effect, so to speak. It was just a beautiful sight. “She’s growing
sharper and more observant every day.”
She really was.
Gray slid his gaze back to Avery and Abel.
Abel went first. “Okay, so after Gray’s and Darius’s trips to the
craft store, we asked the kids what they thought of their experience.
The first question was, who was funniest to shop with?”
“The majority voted for Darius,” Avery stated.
 “What the hell?” Gray blurted out. How the fuck had Darius been
funnier?
Darius smirked wryly. “You forget that kids can be cruel little
shits. They spent that time laughing at me.”
That did feel marginally better.
“Next, we asked about the participation,” Avery continued. “And we
decided to make that a tie. Because Gray let the kids run around and
be creative on their own—Darius did no such thing, but he did create a
game out of having the children make quick decisions in the aisle they
were in, and they found that very funny. So you both get a point.”
Gray side-eyed his competition.
“Then we asked what gift they preferred,” Abel said. “It was a
close call, but Darius won.”
Fuuuck.
Gray sank down in his seat and scrubbed a hand over his face.
With the amount of glitter and colorful stickers they’d used, he’d
really thought this would be in the bag.
“Did I miss anything?” That was Ryan. He was back.
The twins were red-nosed from the crying and screaming they’d
done earlier, but two lollipops had put them in a better mood.
As batshit crazy as Ryan could be, Gray had heard the man discipline
his boys in the past. He could make both JJ and Ryder heel when he
wanted them to. And then they hugged and made up, and all was forgiven
until the next fight would occur approximately three hours later.
Once Abel and Avery had caught Ryan up to speed, he took over.
“Last but not least, we got a few seconds to inspect the gifts
when we discussed your performances,” Ryan said. “It’s clear that
Gray’s got patience for days, and no kid could ever fear him—can’t
say the same about my brother.” The grown-ups got a laugh from
that. “But today, Gray was the squad leader who sent his team
ahead to check things out while he gathered his wits. Sloppy
strategy, you had to rely on the spotters more, and it wasn’t until the
last minute you figured out what to make. On the plus side—”
“Oh, there’s a plus side?” Gray bit out. He couldn’t help but feel
offended.
Ryan smiled. Widely.
Fuck. Damn button-pusher.
 “The kids loved shopping with you, Gray,” he chuckled. “You went
with a gift that allowed them to be part of the decision-making. And a
big bonus, when you left the store, you actually offered your number to
the lady at the register in case she needed help cleaning up any
messes.” He turned to reach across the bar for something, and then he
revealed the gifts. Gray’s gifts. “So here we are, Darius. Gray and the
kids present to you a glitter factory. Three picture frames and your
happily ever after. A tin container with…yeah, I’m not gonna count
them.” He stopped digging through the little jar. “Either way, when you
have plans to head out somewhere, in here, you’ll find excuses that let
you stay at home. Clearly the perfect present for your hermit ass.”
“Are you shittin’ me?” Darius rose from his seat and went over to
accept the gifts. “I don’t have the words.” It was his turn to rummage
through the pink jar, and he unrolled one strip to read the message.
“‘Not tonight, knucklehead, I gotta watch the neighbor’s garden
gnome collection.’” He burst out a laugh.
Gray grinned.
Darius read one more. “‘Or we stay home and I’ll fire up the grill while
you make a cheesecake.’” He glanced over at Gray. “I’m speechless,
knucklehead. I’m… I just—this is the best gift you could ever get me.”
“Abel, let Mom know that just made my wish list,” Lincoln told him. Gray
exhaled a laugh, feeling tons better now. He’d had a feeling Darius
would love it.
But yeah, Darius won that day. He won the first round. With the
argument: “Darius went in there with a plan in motion, and he headed
straight for the aisle he needed. The kids got to pick out a certain object
that went on the gift, therefore abiding by the rules, and then they were
out. The kids got to laugh at their uncle—which they did a lot—and since
they got here, they’ve participated by adding their names to little wood
chips. So with that, here is Darius’s gift for you, Gray.”
Twelve silver-plated chains hung from a rustic-looking wooden
plank, the length of a piece of firewood they threw in the woodstove
at home. One chain for each month of the year. And then a bunch of
wood chips with the kids’ names had been attached to the chains to
showcase their birthday. Name on one side, the date on the other.
That kind of gift hit Gray right in the feel pit, not only because it was so
family-oriented, but because Darius paid attention. Over a year had passed
since Gray had seen that very thing on Pinterest. And now he’d
received one where all the children in their family had played a part.
He absolutely loved it. It was gonna hang between the kitchen
and the living room at home.

“A little to the left,” Gray said.

Darius shifted the birthday calendar a little to the left, and then
Gray was satisfied.
“Yeah, right there.”
After making a quick mark, Darius grabbed his hammer—and a
nail from between his lips.
Christ, it felt so good to be home again. It was nice that it was still early
too, just a little past two in the afternoon. Yet, the activity had wiped out the
kids. The boys were being spoiled over at Darius’s parents’ house; Case
and Boone would bring them back later, and Cass was napping upstairs.
A war couldn’t wake her up, much less Darius hammering a nail
into the wall.
Gray walked over to the fridge and pulled out eggs, butter, and
milk. That was for the brownies he was making later. Then the rest of
the ingredients for the lasagna. He was using Mom’s recipe, so he
already had a good combo of ground beef, ground pork, and ground
Italian sausage sizzling in a Dutch oven on the woodstove. Two
mason jars with homemade crushed tomatoes waited on the
counter, along with garlic, basil, onions, and spices.
“That looks great.” He smiled at the new feature on the wall. “You
know how to come up with perfect gifts. But I admit, I’m a little
surprised you remember me mentioning that calendar.”
Darius scratched his nose, seemingly amused, and stowed away
the hammer in his toolbox. “It’s possible I’ve been keepin’ track of
your Pinterest for inspiration.”
Oh really?
Gray quirked a brow, intrigued, and began chopping the onions.
“What kind of inspiration?”
 Darius shrugged. “More like, I’ve been searching for clues on what you
might want. Whether it’s honeymoon plans or Christmas gifts…” He cleared
his throat. “It’s also about being one step ahead of you in case you get the
brilliant idea to pay for something we can make ourselves. Again.”
Gray let out a laugh. He couldn’t be mad if he tried.
Their iPad dinged with the alert of someone arriving at the gate,
so Darius went out into the entryway to check the screen. A little
early for Case and Boone, but maybe the Tenleys were back.
Turned out, it was.
“I’m curious about their secret errands.” Gray stirred the meat
and added some butter before he stepped outside with Darius, who
stuck a toothpick in his mouth.
His forehead wrinkled with confusion, so Gray followed his gaze
and was suddenly confused too.
There was something in the back of their truck. The rented truck
River and Shay had arrived with after their little outing to Belize.
Darius rubbed a hand over his chin. “That looks like a cage. If
they’ve brought their kinky games to us…I swear.”
Gray chuckled and ducked inside to grab the baby monitor. Then he
returned outside and jogged down the porch steps and toward the stream.
Whatever it was they’d brought, it was huge and had to be
carried by both River and Reese. It was covered in a tarp too, except
for one end that was visible.
Shay followed with a moving box of some sort.
“Y’all need a hand?” Gray offered.
“Nah, we’re good. Ain’t that heavy.” Maybe not, but certainly bulky. Reese
nodded toward the side of the house. “We’ll put it down over there.”
Darius was right. That did look like a cage. It had similar netting to the
chicken coop, and it was wrapped around a solid wood frame construction.
“So this is just temporary, guys,” Reese went on. “It’s a wedding gift
slash thank-you from Greer, Cullen, and Crew. There’s a helluva
nice bottle of whiskey too.”
Surprise tore through Gray, and he had to move closer as the twins
set down the…big thing on the ground. Darius couldn’t stay on the
porch any longer either and headed over to the side of the house.
River pulled away the tarp, and it became abundantly clear.
Oh my God.
 “I’ll be fucking damned.” Darius grinned. “You brought takeout.”
Gray laughed and smacked Darius’s arm, then hurried over to Shay
and the mystery box. But it wasn’t a mystery anymore, because that
thing over there was definitely an outdoor cage for rabbits.
“Don’t get attached,” Shay warned with a wry smirk.
Gray was used to it by now. He lifted the lid and sighed internally.
He wasn’t a problem. The kids, however? Once they saw the tiny fur
balls in the box…
They were awfully cute, all four of them.
“You’re gonna have to build them a permanent enclosure,” Reese said.
Darius nodded pensively. Gray knew that look. Someone was suddenly
glad they hadn’t had the chance to change into sweatpants yet
because Darius wasn’t gonna be able to wait.
“I’m not gonna see you for the rest of the day, am I?” Gray smirked.
Darius smirked right back, kissed his cheek, and said, “’Course you
will. I’ll be right down there by the other
animals.” Yeah, building.
“Can we help?” Reese asked. “I wouldn’t mind some inspiration
for fun times back home.”
“You’re not building me another cage!” Shay exclaimed.
Another?
“Enclosure,” Reese emphasized.
“Sure, you can help out.” Darius wasn’t gonna let himself be
derailed. “I think we have all we need, actually. Gray, can you get the
snake protection screen from the shed? I wanna make sure we have
enough left. We gotta get the house section off the ground too. I did
some research and…”
And Gray tuned out his man. This was Darius’s day. First,
excuses to get out of social stuff. Second, a new project.
Gray tossed an arm around Shay and said, “Let’s go serve our
men some beer and snacks.”
“How submissive of you,” Shay joked.
Yeah, well. Gray did love to dote on his Big DIY Daddy.
 CHAPTER NINE

Y ou’re a slow riser when I wake you up with my mouth on your perfect body.
It’s like you know what’s going on, so you try to prolong the
moment, savor the waking-up part.
I slip a hand under your thigh, sliding it up to squeeze your ass,
and kiss your abs. I’m ridiculously attached to those, especially
tracing the tip of my tongue along the valleys between your muscles.
I feel like I should thank you again for yesterday. You always make
me feel so damn good, baby. I love being at home with you. I love how
you alternate between taking care of me—treating me like some king—
and fussing over me. How I can be the one you look up to one minute,
only to call me baby the next and make sure I eat right.
I’m hooked on that contrast. You make me feel ten feet tall as
much as I feel looked after.
That’s new to me.
I press an openmouthed kiss to the base of your cock and feel
your lazy fingers combing through my hair.
Sun will be up soon. So will the early-risin’ boys.
I suck you into my mouth and hear the first exhale fill the silence,
and you part your legs for me. You want me between them.
You’re almost hard.
Fragments of yesterday flash by as I swirl my tongue around your cock.
Your stupid grins when I get excited about a new project, your teasing
kisses, your indulgent smiles. Dinner with our friends—your spectacular
lasagna. Boone finally taking the control of the music, pissing off Case.
Beer on the porch. Sweat, sun, cold winds. Reese, Boone, and Ace
taking a dumb selfie with the pigs. Shay visiting the chickens. You
laughing when he almost got charged by the rooster. Then seeing you
take care of everyone, playing the host you love to be. How you’ve
changed my life, knucklehead. How you’ve given it meaning.
“Mmm…” You stretch out sleepily and grow harder for every second.
It doesn’t take long to get you needy. A few minutes, and then
you’re right there, breathing heavily, whispering pleas, wanting more.
Don’t worry, I’ll fill you soon.
I suck you harder and stroke two fingers around your asshole,
and that makes you arch and dig your head back into the pillow.
Fuck me, you’re a vision.
“Gimme your big fat cock, baby,” you moan.
Not yet.
You reach blindly for the lube in the nightstand, and I flatten my tongue
along the underside of your cock and take you as deep as I can. Then you
stiffen, gasp, and let out a string of keening curses. So close—almost there.
I redouble my efforts and go faster, a little harder, a little deeper.
When I roll your balls in my hand, squeeze them a little, you lose
it. The first shot of hot come shoots out of your cock and coats the
roof of my mouth, and I start swallowing repeatedly. You moan too
loudly and throw an arm over your face to muffle the sounds, and I
save something for you to fill your mouth with.
I don’t stop until you let out that final breath that makes you become
one with the mattress. Then I’m quick to slick up my cock, and I spread
your legs a bit more before I press myself against you and push in.
“Oh my fuck,” you groan.
Pleasure washes over me. I bat away your arm, then dip down and
kiss you forcefully, and you get a little surprise from me. I slide my come-
coated tongue around yours, and we swallow the last of you together.
I smack one hand to the headboard and start fucking you in
earnest. It’s gotta be quick. I don’t want interruptions, not when you
get so perfectly clingy and cuddly.
“Wrap your legs around me, boy,” I order quietly.
You exhale a curse and do as told.
 “Fucking beautiful…” I nip at your scruffy jaw and close my eyes,
letting the sensations consume me. “That’s it. Use your tight little ass
to milk my cock.”
I gotta slap a hand over your mouth to keep you quiet.
I gnash my teeth and take every bit of what you give.
Can’t fucking get enough of this feeling. How tight and soft and wet you
are around my cock, those desperate whimpers, how you latch on to me.
“Almost,” I groan.
“Fill me.” Your breathless plea is muffled behind my hand. “I need it.”
Yeah, you goddamn do. You need my cock to fill your perfect ass with so
much come it’ll run down your legs later.
That’s where I lose my breath. That’s where I spiral. I pound my
cock in and out of you as the pleasure crashes down on me.
I think I’m the one who needs to be silenced.
My fuck.
I screw my eyes shut harder and bury my face against your neck
where I have no control over the string of curses that slips out.
How can you feel so fucking good, baby?
“Jesus.” Panting like I’ve run a marathon. Great.
“That was so hot,” you breathe out, shivering. “I can’t
move.” You think I can?

“How drunk are we gonna get later?” Gray grinned and nuzzled his
nose against Darius’s neck.
He loved his man in flannel and jeans, but there was something
about Darius in sweats and hoodies, ’cause he looked so damn
comfortable. Plus, his ass in soft cotton was out of this world.
They’d both arrived in sweats and hoodies for the first part of their day
since they’d gear up for a game soon. Hell, the kids had still been in their
PJs when they’d been dropped off at Mom and Aiden’s house. Gray and
Darius were just gonna follow the instructions and go with the flow. They
didn’t have the kids today, no dogs to exercise or feed, Nelson and Darius’s
dad were gonna see to the pigs, chickens, and now rabbits too. It was a day
to be utterly selfish, and they weren’t gonna waste it. More than that, they
were gonna be comfortable throughout the entire day, and it’d started
with a big breakfast at the fish camp. Then they’d come here to the
hockey arena, which Abel had reserved just for the bachelor party.
“Considering the sheer number of reasons… We’ll probably get
hammered,” Darius chuckled. “To nurse our wounds from today, to
block out the memory of Ryan’s no-doubt loud participation, to forget
my cousin’s playlists…”
Yeah, Case was in charge. How that continued to happen was
beyond Gray. He didn’t mind personally; he loved older dance music,
but Case had a bunch of curmudgeons for cousins.
Gray and Darius’s peaceful little bubble was burst when Ryan
and Abel skated over to them, and the latter obviously had to spray
them with a rush of snow as he came to a sharp stop on the ice.
Gray shot him an annoyed glance.
“Dude, we’re here to go to war, and you’re Frenching the enemy,”
Abel accused.
“Aye. What the kid said.” Ryan frowned at Darius. “If we’re gonna win
—”
Gray and Abel laughed. Hard.
“All right, a bit excessive on the laughing,” Darius muttered.
It really wasn’t. Gray snorted and shook his head. In the corner of
his eye, Gideon and Gabriel were giving Shay a rundown on cheap
tricks, good ole advice, and dekeing. And the thing was, Gray was
more confident than earlier, because Shay wasn’t bad at all. He
could skate backward, he was no Bambi, and he made decent turns
at high speed. With a hockey stick in his hands, he grew bolder too.
“I think I know how to get Darius focused,” Ryan said. “Abel, tell
them.”
Gray lifted his brows. Tell them what?
Abel smirked. “We invited some people to watch. They’ll be here
any minute.”
Aw, fuck.
“Who?” Darius furrowed his brow. “And why would that get me
foc—” “Hi, Daddies! We’re here!”
Oh my God.
Gray gripped the boards and looked up into the stands. Even if they’d
all been filled to capacity, lifting the roof with the cheers of two thousand
people, Gray would’ve spotted their goofy five-year-old.
It wasn’t just the kids either. Mom, Aiden, Adeline, Lincoln, Keith—
Lincoln’s old man—Mary, James… Darius’s aunts, Erin and Britt, Willow and
her baby bump, her man, Elise, their kids too… They came down the stone
steps to join Casey, Ellis, Gage, Jesse, Niko, Grant, Greg, and Lias.
Gray slid his gaze to Abel. “Did you go through the entire fucking
wedding guest list?”
Abel found that funny. “Kind of. Far from everyone could make it,
though. We just gave them a holler. Come up and watch the game if
you want. Something like that.”
Goddammit. Yeah, this would get Darius focused. A single look
his way confirmed it. Now, suddenly, Darius had something to prove.
He wasn’t all that different from Ryan. Darius could get riled up too.
As a Quinn, you had to be competitive.
“I guess we’re done canoodling and acting all love-sick,” Gray said.
Ryan chuckled.
Darius nodded with a dip of his chin. “For the time being. Yeah.” He
cleared his throat and kissed Gray’s cheek, then addressed his brother.
“We should go gear up and talk strategy. If I don’t make at least one
goal…” He shook his head, the notion evidently abhorrent to him.
“Finally.” Ryan was satisfied, and he turned around on his skates
and summoned all the old folks for his Old Folks Team. “Inspiring
pep talk in the home team’s locker room in two minutes!”
Christ.
Abel and Gray remained by the boards and watched the old-
timers skate off the ice.
On Team Gray, they had Gray, Abel, Shay, Gabriel, and Gideon.
Two NHL players, four total who had grown up playing hockey, and
Shay, who had his own valuable skill set.
On Team Darius…Darius, Ryan, Ethan, Avery, Madigan, River,
Reese, Case, Boone.
Five against nine. And they’d be allowed to have eight players on
the ice at the same time.
Not the approach Gray would use, but whatever. Strength didn’t merely
come in numbers in hockey. It came from technique, strategy, being agile
and fast; it came from being organized and knowing where your teammates
were. Darius and Ryan were bringing a disorganized shitshow to the ice.
 Gabriel, Gideon, and Shay skated over to Gray and Abel, and they
might as well have their talk right here—before they went to gear up.
A low hum of chatter traveled down from the stands—kids who
wanted to see their daddy or uncle, Adeline and Mom who’d brought
snacks for everyone, Lincoln who asked if anyone cared to make the
game more interesting…
So that was when the betting began.
“Okay, so this won’t sound like any pep talk a coach has ever given
us…” Abel scratched the side of his head, and Gray chuckled. “We know the
rules.” The fake ones, loosely inspired by the actual sport of hockey. “No
cross-checking, gloves on at all times, no using skates as weapons—
seriously, I can’t get over when he said that. What kind of life do you live if
you feel the need to point out that skates shouldn’t be used as a weapon?”
Gabriel laughed.
“A life where anything can be a weapon,” Gray chuckled. Damn
Marines and PMCs. “We might as well suss out our main antagonists
instead. The ones who’ll stop at nothing—except for the rules—to
win. So, Ryan… Definitely Ryan.”
“Reese,” Shay provided. “River and Darius seem similar in that
they’ll try to be sneaky about the shit they pull, so we should keep an
eye on them at all times.”
Gray nodded in total agreement, then looked to Abel. “What
about Madigan?”
“We don’t have to worry about him,” Abel stated confidently. “I don’t call
him a sadist for nothing, but he’ll be too busy making sure I don’t get too
overwhelmed or something. He’ll be in complete Daddy mode for this.”
That made sense. It was one of the reasons Gray adored Madigan. The
man was so focused on Abel’s well-being and mental health.
“All right, that leaves us with the wild cards,” Gray went on. “Ethan,
Case, Boone, and Avery. I don’t have the faintest idea how the Vegas
guys are on the ice, but Avery and Ethan can hold their own. Avery has
his boxing regimen with Darius that they’ve kept up for years, and
Ethan is a man of many sports. He played football in high school,
survived years of field hockey with his brothers, works as a PT and
instructor at his own fitness center, and, worst of all, he’s a Quinn.”
Ethan had undergone a…quite fucking huge change the past eighteen
months. He wasn’t as arrogant as he used to be; in fact, he’d proven to be
really funny to be around once a certain woman had removed the
stick up his ass. And that woman was Gray’s own aunt. But that was
another story. Ethan was still a threat.
“These hotheads have a flaw, though,” Shay said. “I think we can
get into their heads with trash talk. That’s a hockey thing, isn’t it?”
Boy, was it.
“I may have some experience.” Gideon brushed some lint off his
hoodie.
Gray smirked. “How about we discuss our targets while we gear up?”

Team Gray hit the ice way before Team Darius arrived. The youngsters
were playing in white uniforms, and the more seasoned men wore black.
Jesse, Abel’s big brother, Gage, Gray’s big brother, and Lias,
Darius’s youngest brother, had been assigned the duty of making
sure everyone played by the few rules they’d set. They wouldn’t be
on the ice like a regular ref, but they’d sit on the scorekeepers’ bench
between the penalty boxes.
They would also blow the whistle when a period started and ended.
Three periods, each one ten minutes long instead of the standard twenty.
That rule actually worked in Team Gray’s favor, ’cause they would have
the chance to recover every now and then.
Case must’ve had another person doing his bidding, because the
arena exploded with music the moment he set a skate on the ice. And
he’d left the ’90s behind for the ’80s with “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
Gray’s mouth twisted into a grin, and he removed his mouthguard
and skated over to the center line where Abel and Shay waited.
Case and Boone were gonna be easy. They could barely skate.
Boone looked like he wanted to join the people watching.
Ryan and Darius spoke quietly to each other, nodded, and put on
their helmets.
“I told you we should’ve practiced,” Case gritted out.
“I didn’t think it was gonna be so damn difficult,” Boone snapped
back under his breath.
 “Unless they’re trying to pull a fast one, we can count those out,”
Shay said.
Gray agreed, but like he’d said, they could be bullshitting. Case
and Boone weren’t known for playing fair—or abiding by laws.
“What are we waiting for?” Ryan asked.
“You, sunshine,” Gray drawled, resting his arm on the top of his
stick. “We’ve been ready for ten minutes.”
Ryan narrowed his eyes, then turned to Boone. “You can wait on
the bench.”
“Thank fuck.”
“Chickenshit,” Abel coughed.
Boone spun around so fast to glare at Abel that he stumbled and
fell on his ass.
A handful of kids giggled in the stands.
Oh, this was gonna be so fucking fun.
Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose and seemed to count to ten. Or a
hundred, maybe. Then he put on his gloves and jerked his chin at the three
guys off the rink. “Okay, we’re ready. Blow the whistle when we drop the
puck. Ten minutes.” Then he addressed his team. “Helmets on,
mouthguards in, gloves on, visors down! We’re gonna crush these punks.”
Gray snorted and started skating toward the benches. “Hold on,
Ryan, lemme just go grab some bullshit remover for you.”
Shay and Abel let out a guffaw while Ryan clenched his teeth and
rolled his shoulders.
“I guess I know what game you’re gonna play today, and it ain’t
hockey,” he griped.
Gray blew him a kiss before he skated over to take his position in the
defense with Shay. The two would protect the goal, guarded by Gabriel,
while Abel and Gideon played on the offense—with Gray assisting when it
was possible. Without rules for offside and such, their dirty-playing
enemies could position themselves wherever the hell they wanted.
“Are you seriously using two goalies?” Abel blurted out.
Gray looked across the ice and rolled his eyes. Both Ethan and
Madigan stood there, though only Ethan was decked out in goalie gear.
“Never you mind how we play, boy,” Darius said gruffly.
“Are we playing today, ladies?” Gabriel called from the cage.
“Come on, we’re putting our audience to sleep!”
 Their supportive family members in the stands applauded and cheered.
Thanks for the love, Mom.
Gray took his position and bent over a little, letting the blade of
his stick rest on the ice. Shay mirrored his stance, and Ryan, Reese,
and Darius joined Abel and Gid for the face-off.
It was completely fair for a player to drop the puck.
As the music changed, morphing into Shinedown’s “Asking for It,”
Gray took a steadying breath and found his concentration.
Apparently they were going to play with the music blaring.
It didn’t matter how many grunts they pulled out as forwards,
because as soon as Ryan dropped the puck, Abel took it and passed it
to Gideon, who pushed straight ahead and then played it back to Abel.
What the fuck was the other team doing? Rather than having their
defense chasing Abel and Gideon, their forwards crawled back to chase
the puck, and River, Avery, and Case moved toward Gray’s side.
“Get him!” Reese shouted.
Ryan rammed straight into Abel, but that was after he’d passed the
puck back to the center line, where Gray waited and took over. He
jumped into action and skated between River and Avery, and he heard
the shouting getting louder as he faced Darius and Reese. He passed
the puck to Gideon and stopped abruptly, only to fly left and put the
enemy offense behind him. Then when he got the puck back from
Gideon, Gray was free right in front of the goal, and a simple shovel
shot flipped the puck right into the upper right corner of the net.
Mom hollered from the stands. “Good job, sweetie!”
“Yay, Daddy!” Justin yelled. “That was Daddy Gray, right, Nana?”
Gray skated around the net, patted Madigan on the shoulder, and
returned to his half of the ice.
“Team Gray scores first,” Jesse announced.
“Are we ready to try Darius’s strategy now?” Reese asked
dryly. They had more than one?

“Behind you, Shay!” Abel shouted.

 “Gideon, back to me!” Gray yelled. He panted and received the puck
again, and he spun around and fired between his own legs, and Abel
caught it and managed to get out of the mayhem. Gray hurriedly skated
out of there too, but Darius and Ryan were on him like a Band-Aid.
Good thing Gray was faster.
Holy fuck, had the old-timers changed their approach. They didn’t
even bother with positions. Darius and Ryan were glued to Gray, Reese
and Madigan were on Abel like a leech, River and Ethan stuck on
Gideon’s tail, Case tried to cover Shay, and Avery was their new goalie.
They were pulling some fucked-up football tactics outta their
asses too, ’cause the minute someone on Team Darius got the puck,
they all rallied to protect that teammate.
That was how they’d managed to score twice. Darius had gotten
his goal. So had Reese.
Gray had lost count of the times he’d been shoved up against the boards
by his Quinn stalkers. Christ on a dickstick, they got on Gray’s nerves.
“Shay!” Gray passed the puck to Shay as Darius and Ryan descended,
but he managed to squeeze between and haul ass once more. Then he
arrived at Shay, who was trying to keep Case from grabbing the puck. “Don’t
fuck this up, Case,” Gray warned. “Lincoln’s watching you.”
“Oh my God—fuck!” That was how Case lost the puck back to
Gray, and he pushed it around in a circle and deked left, avoiding a
collision with Reese and Ethan, only to send the puck flying across
the ice to Abel. He’d shaken his following for the moment too.
Abel scored.
“Fuck yeah!” Gray bumped his gloved fist to Abel’s, then skated
past the benches to take a quick swig of water.
“That’s 11-3 to Team Gray,” Lias called out. “Three minutes left of
the second period!”
“Let’s tire them out!” Gray ordered. They were clearly not going to
let Boone back out on the ice. He’d spent five minutes out there all in
all, and during that time, Team Gray had scored six times.
Abel skated over to Gray, who spoke in between heavy breaths,
“They keep coming at us—I’mma wake up with bruises everywhere
tomorrow. I’m done making quick escapes to chase the next goal. I’ll
fucking show those two how to check someone.”
 Abel grinned, flushed and breathing just as heavily. “All right. I’ll
start getting rougher with Mad and River.”
Good.
Gideon and Abel took the face-off with Reese and Ryan, and
Gray got on the offense as quickly as his skates carried him. He
grabbed the puck from Abel, then passed it to Gideon, just before he
rammed his shoulder right into Ryan, sending him flying backward.
“Motherfucker!” Ryan groaned.
Gray stopped next to him and stared him down. “You takin’ a
nap, baby boy?”
“You son of a—” He cut himself off and scrambled to his feet. By
then, Gray was gone.
The next time they faced off was three minutes into the last period.
Darius had the damn puck, and he was skating backward toward Gabriel
with a merry crew of enforcers crowding him. Reese, River, Ethan, Case,
Madigan—even Avery left the fucking cage to protect Darius. And Ryan
was circling them to make sure no one on Team Gray got near.
“My God, today!” Gray tapped his stick against the ice and
followed behind Ryan. Abel and Gideon searched for an in. “This is
the equivalent of bowling with those kiddie bumpers up.”
“You’re just pissy because it’s working,” Ryan laughed, out of
breath. “We’re 12-3, pumpkin,” Gray reminded. “Christ, you’re more
disappointing than the ending of Grace and Frankie.”
“Don’t take the bait, Ry,” Ethan growled.
But it was too late. The look on Ryan’s face was nothing short of
murderous, and a bolt of adrenaline shot through Gray.
Fine, let’s dance.
Ryan skated toward Gray in a move that sure as hell wouldn’t be
allowed in an actual game; he was clearly just going to try to knock
Gray over.
“You wanna go?” Gray widened his arms and eased backward,
closer to the corner boards. “Come at me!”
“Now, Abel!” Gideon yelled.
It all happened so fast. Right before Ryan and his impressive glare were
about to crash into Gray, Abel found a way in and stole the puck from
Darius. Gray got out of the way, sending Ryan flying into the boards, and
Gray was quick to rush over to where Abel needed him. And Abel passed
the puck to Gray, who fired it straight across the ice into an empty net.
Their friends and family cheered and applauded.
Gray laughed breathlessly and bumped fists with his teammates.
Team Darius turned on Ryan.
“Are you happy with the activity you chose?” Ethan snapped.
“You think this was a good idea?”
“I’m not gonna be able to walk later,” Darius added irritably.
“I hurt in places I’m not supposed to hurt,” Madigan bitched.
Abel howled with laughter.
“Shut your whiny asses all the way up. Excuse me for having too much
faith in y’all!” Ryan yelled defensively. “Trust, it won’t happen again.”
When all was said and done, the game ended 16-4 to Team Gray.
 CHAPTER TEN

Y ou’re enjoying this too much, boy.

“And then he was all, oh, I’m gonna fucking end you!”
You’re mocking Ryan.
That’s fine. He deserves a little mocking. Just be careful. We still
have some tricks up our sleeves, and we can spell revenge.
I groan as the hot water cascades down my body, loosening the
tension in my shoulders.
Ryan enters the showers right after, obviously having heard you.
And Abel. And your brothers. And Shay.
“I see we’re still hating on the elderly,” he grumbles. “Just wait.”
I grab the bar of soap and glance over to you, and it makes me chuckle.
You and Abel are enjoying the view, that’s for sure.
“Damn, you all have such nice asses,” Abel says. “It’s been fun
mopping the floor—excuse me, the ice—with them.”
Very funny.
“Tell them where we’re headed after lunch,” Reese
says. My brother perks up and smirks. “The
shooting range.” Now we’re talking.
You’re not so cocky anymore, knucklehead. You may perform
well there —in fact, you’ll do the best on your team—but the rest of
you cocky little punks? Don’t think so.
Well, this was embarrassing. Gray couldn’t stop yawning.
At eight o’clock at night.
“Just say the word, baby.” Darius wagged his most prized possession,
the pink tin jar with excuses, and pulled into the parking lot at the marina.
Gray chuckled and scrubbed his hands over his face.
What a day.
At this hour, they would normally have finished all their chores.
They would’ve had dinner too. Cassidy would be down for the night.
Justin would be fighting sleep in front of his cartoons. Darius would’ve
showered and sat down at the table to go through Jayden’s homework.
While Gray tidied up in the kitchen before he took a shower too. And
then the two would collapse on the couch in sweatpants. Sometimes,
there were cookies. Always a cup of coffee. Peace and quiet. The
news or a movie. Some drowsy plan-making for the following day.
Not tonight.
“Hoo, look alive, Nolan.” Gray smacked his cheeks and shook his head.
That one-hour nap they’d gotten at home hadn’t been nearly enough.
First, the hockey had taken it out of him. Then the lunch that had followed
where Gray had laughed so hard his stomach was still aching.
Every married man in their party had shared some words of wisdom
with Gray and Darius, including the Tenleys, who weren’t technically
married, but fuck it. In every way that mattered, they were.
As if that hadn’t been enough, they’d gone to the shooting range
after lunch. Ryan had gotten the chance to reinflate his ego as their
number one marksman, and Gray had impressed his brothers and
friends with his own results.
Then they’d parted ways for a bit to rest up and get ready for the
evening.
Considering all the trouble their best men had gone to to give Gray
and Darius memories for a lifetime, there wasn’t a chance in hell Gray
would allow them to look dead on their feet as they walked into Darius’s
restaurant for a night of eating, drinking, and who knew what else.
“You’ll have the rest of our life to distribute those excuses, honey.
Tonight, we party.” Or something. Gray stepped out of the Wagoneer
and adjusted his tie. “Tonight, I check out your ass in those pants.”
 It wasn’t often Darius donned clothes he couldn’t find in his
flannel catalogue, so Gray was going to savor every moment. He’d
managed to convince Darius to put on a nice shirt too. He’d even
shined his shoes for the occasion. And put on a sexy watch.
Gray was a bit more used to the nicer outfits since he dressed up
for his job at the inn.
“I feel like a puppet,” Darius muttered and locked the car.
“Yeah, but you’re my puppet. My handsome, gorgeous, fuckable,
sexy beast puppet.”
Darius lifted his brows. “Keep going.”
Gray grinned and met Darius behind the car, quick to grab his
hand. “Or we go see what the guys have done to your restaurant,
and if you’re a good boy, I’ll stroke your ego all night long.”
Darius chuckled. “Deal.”
They left the parking lot together, and Gray spotted Madigan and
Reese coming from the next row over, and they were carrying
impressive stacks of pizza boxes.
Abel had texted earlier. He’d been given permission to go nuts tonight,
so Madigan had offered to be one of the designated drivers who’d stop
sippin’ beer after dinner. Ryan had offered up Greg as another designated
driver, and last but not least, Lincoln and Aiden were on call starting at
midnight. If they needed more drivers, they could reach out, provided Lincoln
and Aiden were allowed to record anything remotely embarrassing.
Plenty of people crowded the boardwalk leading up to the pier
and the marina, and despite the large “Private Party” sign on the
front door of Quinn’s Fish Camp, a few tugged at the handle and
looked confused when nothing happened.
Darius retrieved his keys around the same time Madigan and Reese
joined them, and it was clear that everyone was dressing up for the evening.
Nice. Gray was going to take a truckload of pictures and selfies tonight.
“Lookin’ good, gentlemen.” Gray got a whiff of a combo of Darius’s
cologne and pizza, and he didn’t know what he loved the most.
“Right back at you, kid.” Reese smirked and stepped inside first.
The restaurant was lit up dimly and with plenty of tealight candles on the
tables, and it appeared everyone had arrived already. A rush of warmth
flooded Gray as the cheerful voices reached his ears. Case and Boone
cracking up with Ryan and Greg, Sebastian slinging beers behind the bar—
even though he was here as a guest, not a bartender—half a dozen men
erupting in “Finally” at the sight of pizza… A solid twenty-five men had to be
here, Gray guesstimated. With a few additions since the hockey game and
the shooting range—Sebastian and Blake, Adam and Jack…oh. They
officially had three sets of twins in the house. Adam and Jack Grady, Gideon
and Gabriel fuckin’ Nolan, and, of course, the sadistic Tenleys.
Gray walked over to the center of the group of tables near the bar
and draped an arm around Niko. “Twins everywhere! If it weren’t for
my brothers, I’d ask if you’d seen my Pornhub search history. Should
I have brought singles?”
“Darius and I are Irish twins—does that count?” Ryan asked.
“Of course it does.” Gray had to be clear about this.
“Boy, I’m cutting you off before your first drink,” Darius
said. In his dreams!
“Okay, now we can eat!” Abel yelled over the din. “We’ll be
discussing Pornhub search history later.”
Oh hell.
Gray laughed and dove for the nearest pizza box.

“Everyone, simmer down!” Ryan handled the hollering when they were
halfway through the pizza boxes. “We wanna welcome y’all to the official
bachelor party for Gray and Darius, who, in forty-eight hours, will’ve tied
the knot and become the ball to the other’s chain. You’re gonna love it.”
Gray smiled widely around the slice of fantastic meat lover’s
pizza he was inhaling.
Avery stood beside Ryan and took over the next part. “Before you
say ‘I do’ to each other, however, it’s our duty as your friends and
family to make sure you know each other well enough to walk down
the aisle.” Abel came over to join them, and he handed Avery an
iPad. “Thanks. With contributions from everyone in attendance here
tonight, we’ve put together a list of questions that will hopefully
reassure, amuse, and take us by storm.”
Darius had ended up at a table with Adam, Reese, and Blake, where
they’d been discussing something so boring as different types of stoves and
heating sources, whereas Gray was two tables over with Shay, Niko,
Gabriel, and Gage. And they were all told to stay where they were.
The restaurant was shaped sort of like an L, with the bar and the
smaller seating area the first thing you encountered when you came
in. And that was where they’d stay tonight, because the main dining
area that took up most of the establishment had been sealed off for
wedding preparations. Or reception preparations, rather.
“Here’s the thing, guys,” Ryan went on. “Given the sheer amount of
embarrassing stories we can share about Gray and Darius, thanks to
those of us who’ve been fortunate enough to grow up alongside one of
them, we have the firepower to turn the wedding into a bloodbath. But
since we happen to love you two—and maybe because Elise and Angel
gave us the business—” at that, Avery nodded soberly in agreement to
what Ryan said “—we won’t do that. Which means, it’s all coming out
tonight. Away from kids, away from parents. Or most of it, anyway.”
Most of it.
Heh. Well, that was…good. But now, Gray got nervous about
their plans for tonight, instead. His brothers would have a metric shit-
ton of childhood stories.
“Darius, you can’t even guess how much I’ve cleaned up my
speech for the wedding,” Avery said.
Darius tipped his beer bottle to his buddy. “If you really love me,
you’ll shoot for clean and wholesome tonight too.”
That made everyone laugh.
“Only your mother loves you that much,” Avery
chuckled. Darius instantly flicked a glance to Gray in
question. “And me, baby,” Gray assured. “Absolutely.”
Darius nodded in satisfaction and sat a little straighter.
“So let’s begin!” Abel declared. “The rules are simple. If the
question is about Gray, Darius answers. And vice versa. Which
actually brings us straight to the first question. Avery?”
Oh no.
Gray had a feeling he knew.
Avery smiled and read from the tablet. “Darius, when Gray was
little— and by little, I mean twelve—he didn’t say vice versa. He said
something else.”
Fuck.
 Gray groaned and shot a glare at Gage. His big brother must’ve
shared that tidbit, unless they’d gone to Mom too.
Gage merely grinned.
Darius was visibly amused and confused. “I have no idea.”
“On three, everyone!” Abel yelled. “One, two, three!” Abel,
Gage, Gideon, and Gabriel called out, “Vicey versey!”
“It was a thing between Mom and me!” Gray defended. “We said
it as a joke!”
Christ. This was obviously just warm-up, too.
“That’s minus one for Darius,” Ryan pointed out. “The goal is to
collect points, not lose them. In case that wasn’t clear, brother.”
Darius scratched his eyebrow with his middle finger.
“Real mature,” Ryan said. “Real fuckin’ mature. I’m tellin’
Ma.” Gray coughed around a mouthful of pizza.
Gage nudged his shoulder to Gabriel. “That’s you and Gid in
twenty-five years.”
Gray laughed in total agreement.
Gabriel scoffed. “More like thirty-five.”
“Hey.” That came from Darius. “Gabriel, you might be my brother-
in-law soon, but that doesn’t mean I won’t dump you in the ocean.”
“Thank you for the commentary, but I’m moving on now,” Abel
interrupted impatiently. “Christ, it’s like a kindergarten around here.
Gray’s turn! When Darius found out that Avery was dating his little
sister, how did he react, Gray?”
That was a good question! Because Gray knew the answer, and
he chewed and swallowed quickly so he could get his first point. “He
said there had to be something in the water—because nobody could
seemingly find a partner their own age. He’s called both Avery and
Ryan cradle robbers.”
“I knew that one was coming back to bite me in the ass.” Darius
scrubbed a hand over his face and not-so-graciously accepted the
laughs on his behalf.
“That turned out great,” Niko noted. “Say, Gray, how many
decades younger are you?”
“All right, all right,” Darius bitched. “Moving on!”
There was something magical about these tables, because as soon
as Gray finished a drink, a new one appeared. Plus, all the empty
pizza boxes had been replaced by chips, nuts, and cheese puffs.
They were fucking delicious!
Music was great too. Bless Case’s ’90s train, but Abel was
rocking everyone tonight with mainstream pop and rock—dance-
friendly, easy to sing along with.
He loosened his tie and took a swig of his fantastic, ice-cold gin
and tonic as Ryan read the next question.
“Last round before we move on to something a little bit different,”
he announced. At some point, Ryan had removed his tie altogether.
It was stuffed down one of his pockets now. “Darius, when Gray and
Abel were in high school—like yesterday—they felt bored one night
and got drunk on rum they’d stolen from Lincoln.”
Gray winced and cursed.
“How fucking dare you steal from that man.” Case had a smidgen
of attitude there.
“What did they do once they were three sheets to the wind?”
Ryan asked.
God, this was embarrassing.
Darius chuckled and scratched his bicep. “They crashed a talent
show at school and went up on stage to perform ‘I Just Can’t Wait to
Be King’ from The Lion King soundtrack—which, for the record,
Gray’s recently taught Justin to sing.”
Gray hid his face in his hands as everyone cracked up.
“Wait for it!” Ryan said. “There’s more to the story, isn’t
there?” “No, there isn’t!” Gray insisted.
Darius looked quizzical at first, before the memory hit him. “Hell, I
almost forgot that part,” he laughed. “Right, so it was Gabriel and
Gideon’s talent show at the school, and Chloe was in the crowd. And
so were Adeline and Lincoln.”
Yeah, people found that hilarious.
“I’m so glad I have girls.” Avery shook his head in amusement.
Maybe in relief too.
“Please. My sister’s a menace,” Abel scoffed.
“So’s mine,” Blake drawled with a fond grin. “She sure as heck
wasn’t no angel in school either.”
 Darius and Ethan exchanged a smirk and said, “Willow.”
“Christ yeah,” Ryan agreed. “The baby girl would orchestrate
revenge ops when she wasn’t satisfied with the grade a teacher
gave her.” He shook his head and grinned, dropping his gaze to the
tablet. “Anyway. Gray, last question’s for you. What’s the one phrase
that will go on repeat the moment Darius is wasted?”
Ethan, Lias, Avery, the Vegas boys, and Casey laughed so hard.
It was funny, but to Gray, it was hella cute too. Darius was a cute dunk.
“That’s when my man gets handsy, grabs your shoulder, levels you with
a look and all, and goes, ‘Hear me out,’” Gray replied.
“Ha! That’s Reese too,” Shay guffawed.
“It’s when we have our most genius ideas,” Reese defended.
“Seriously,” Darius said.
“And as the night progresses, it becomes a single word,” Case
added. “In the end, it’s just hemmeout. C’mere, Casey, hemmeout.”
“Hemmeout, Casey, shut the fuck up.” Darius threw a bottle cap
Case’s way, and it landed in his drink.
“Why you gotta be such a hater!” Case hollered. “Boone, punch him.”
Boone was busy mixing drinks and talking to Gideon and River.
“And on that note,” Avery cut in, “we can announce that Gray has
thirteen points, and Darius has nine.”
Woo-hoo.
Gray fist-pumped Niko and Gabriel.
“But we’re not done yet!” Abel hastened to add. “Remember we
said everyone helped out with questions? Some inspired what we
asked in the first round, and the rest come now. These are straight-up
curiosities from our guests here tonight, and Avery, Ryan, and I will
judge each response and decide how many points you’ll get for it.”
“So I can still bring this home?” Darius pressed, suddenly interested.
“Oh, hell yeah.” Abel nodded.
“Well, all right, then. Fire away.” Darius poured himself some
liquid courage.
“We’ll start with the sex-related questions while we’re still
relatively sober,” Abel decided happily.
Darius froze with his shot glass midair. “The fuck’re you talking
about? Sex-related?”
“That’s me.” Shay smirked.
 Abel snickered. “Maybe me too.”
“Yeah, I’mma go take a leak.” Gabriel stood up abruptly, and
Gideon was hot on his tail.
Gray chuckled and finished his drink.
“So!” Abel cleared his throat. “Shay wonders if you watch a lot of
porn —solo viewings or together, what habits you have, whatever.”
Darius blew out a breath and closed his eyes. “I’m gonna lose
this game.”
Gray smirked. He had no issues answering. “We mostly watch it
together, actually. But it’s not all that often. Some basic stuff—mild
kink, a little dominance and submission, older versus younger…oh,
lots of outdoors sex.”
“Amen to that last part!” Boone lifted his beer.
“You filthy fuck, man.” Madigan shook his head at Darius. “When
was the last time you went to church?”
“Oh, fuck off.” Darius was so uncomfortable…that it made several
others feel highly entertained.
Ryan was watching Darius as if he’d just found a missing puzzle piece.
That was fun.
Avery lifted a brow and looked between Ryan and Abel. “I think
we can agree that Gray gets a point?”
They were in agreement.
“Second question comes from some awesome dude with an
eight-pack,” Abel went on. “How kinky would you say you get on a
scale from Oh yeah, spank me to Rail my ass all the way to the
moon and gag me with your cock, Daddy?”
“For chrissakes,” Gray laughed. “I bet you’ve said those exact
words to Madigan.”
“And this is why my dad isn’t here tonight,” Abel informed everyone.
Ryan cracked up at that.
“We’re a four,” Darius blurted out. Almost irritably, except it wasn’t
annoyance. It was discomfort and frustration. He didn’t like discussing sex
with others, and yet… He was anything but a prude. Gray wasn’t likely to
forget their pool fun in Mexico anytime soon. Darius got off on pushing
those kinds of boundaries. As long as he didn’t have to talk about it.
“Yeah?” Gray asked.
He nodded. “I did the math. We’re a four. Next question.”
 Avery chuckled. “No elaborating?”
“None.” Darius was firm.
Gray decided to keep his mouth shut. Four was a good number.
On a kink scale from one to ten, where River and Reese were the
tens, yeah, Gray and Darius were a very happy four. Because some
of the stories Shay had shared were downright terrifying.
The three best men decided to award Darius half a point.

“Casey and Ellis didn’t have any questions either,” Ryan said. “But they put
something together we found fuckin’ sweet, so we saved them for last. We’ll
decide the scores like we’ve done with these last ten questions.”
Gray didn’t know if it was the alcohol that relaxed him or the fact
that Casey and Ellis were behind this next bit. Either way, the drinks
were amazing, and Casey and Ellis were harmless. Not to mention
the fact that Casey was one hell of a romantic.
“Who made this drink?” Gray asked loudly. ’Cause it was almost gone,
and he wanted a new one. “Oh my God, it’s so good.” He inhaled the last of
it through the straw until it was making gurgling noises at the bottom.
He licked his lips, tasting pears and…and…he didn’t know what
else, but it was amazing.
Sebastian came over with a faint grin and fixings, and Gray
should’ve known. Darius’s drinks were really fucking good, and he
knew what Gray liked, how Gray liked his drinks. And Ryan was
similar. But Sebastian? Sebastian knew flavor profiles and could
spend ages coming up with the most perfect combinations.
“Mix me one too, darlin’,” Blake requested.
Ryan declared it was a good time to refill drinks, which set most
of the men in motion with orders and fetching beer.
Abel and Shay wanted whatever Gray was having, so Sebastian
added more ingredients to the shaker thingy. He had another thingy
prepared too, with…muddled pears? Apparently.
“This…this is damn porn,” Abel slurred. “Daddy, come watch!”
“And this is why Lincoln isn’t here tonight,” Madigan drawled.
 Gray did his best to commit each ingredient to memory so he
could remake it at home. Pomegranate juice, muddled pears, white
rum, ice, and gin.
“Gray’s next Pornhub search is gonna include bartenders,” Darius
said. Gray grinned at him. “Look atchu, baby. Talkin’ about Pornhub in
public.” He reached over, almost falling off his damn chair, ignoring
the chuckles, and smacked a kiss to Darius’s lips. “I’d rather make
porn with you.”
The fact that Darius’s reaction was nothing but a sexy, lazy smirk
let everyone know he was lit.
“One more hour of hangover for tomorrow comin’ up,” Sebastian said.
He was done mixing what was in the shaker, and he poured Gray’s drink
up to maybe seventy-five percent, before he topped it off with ginger ale.
Gray immediately took a sip and moaned at the flavors. “I love
you, Sebastian. I love this drink.” So it made sense for him to steal
the shaker and tell the rest of the schmucks to get their own. “It’s me
getting married,” was his excuse. “I’m marrying a Quinn. I need this.”
Sebastian let out a laugh and told the others he’d be happy to
make them new drinks at the bar.
Yeah, shoo-shoo, hands off.
Gray sipped from his drink and waved Ryan along. He was ready
for Casey and Ellis’s shenanigans now. Then he turned to Darius
and patted a recently vacated spot.
“Come sit with me, Dare. I miss you. I love you and I miss you.”
Darius chuckled and brought his whiskey drink with him. It was
something Ryan had made him. “We all know who’s the I-love-you
slut in the bunch, don’t we, my knucklehead?”
“I’ll be whatever type of slut you want me to be, Big Daddy.” Gray leaned
against Darius’s side as he draped an arm around Gray’s shoulders. Fuck,
this was much better. They could’ve been sitting like this all evening!
“Just for me.” Darius pressed a kiss to Gray’s neck.
Gray shivered and turned to—
“Let’s wrap this up before our bachelors forget they have an
audience,” Avery suggested. He sounded drunk, and it made Gray laugh.
“Yeah, listen up, everyone!” Ryan called. “Casey and Ellis would like
Gray and Darius to share a something people don’t know about them. Gray,
would you do the honors of telling us one thing many don’t know
about my brother?”
Oh, Gray liked this one! He absolutely could. After taking a large
swig of his drink, he put on his thinking cap.
“Darius, if you come up with something most people don’t know
about Gray, you can squeeze that in before,” Avery added.
“I already have something!” Gray said. “Most people don’t know
that Darius is good at drawing. Like, if he can’t explain something he
wants to build at home, or he’s plain bored at work, he’ll sketch and
draw. And when Jayden said he wanted to learn, I swear Darius lit
up.” Gray smiled up at Darius, who looked a little uncomfortable
again. “It’s one of his ways of showing what he wants when he can’t
find the words, and I love that about him.”
Darius shook his head and hid his face under the guise of kissing
Gray’s neck. But then he lifted his head again, cleared his throat,
and spoke. “Gray can sing. And I’m not talking about when he belts
out Britney or hopped up on stage with Abel in high school to do their
own rendition of The Lion King. He can really sing. But he told me
once that when he was in school, he was terrified that his voice
would break, so he never showed off in public.”
“Oh God.” Gray groaned through a chuckle and shook his head.
“I’m not that good.”
“No, you’re better.” Darius pressed a kiss to his temple. “He’s
found his audience in our daughter. He sings to her every day when
they take one of the dogs to walk along the fence line.”
Whoa. Gray inched away and peered up at Dare. “You know
about that?”
“’Course I do. I’ve followed you a few times. Cass almost gave
away my position once when she started pointing at me.”
Chuckles all around.
Gray was…drunk and overwhelmingly happy, and he had to wipe
his eyes. It felt like his eyes were literally leaking amusement.
“This is some sweet shit,” Ryan commented. “Sweet shit makes
me sappy. I’m rewarding you both two thousand points.”
“What the fuck?” Abel laughed.
Gray could only grin. Technically, he was winning this game, but it
didn’t fucking matter anymore. He was just so goddamn ready to marry
Darius.

At three in the morning, not many were left.

Some had work tomorrow. Others were just not up to partying till three
am.
Gray was normally one of those guys, but man, he’d needed tonight.
“One more drink,” he bargained, seeing two of his fiancé.
“One…” Darius offered a drunken grin and grabbed the bottle of vodka.
Abel was passed out on the sofa in Darius’s office. Greg had just ushered
a shit-faced Ryan out to the truck. Avery was waiting for Elise to
come get him…but he wanted one more drink too.
“I gotta sober up,” he slurred. “Mary and James have the kids.
I’m, I’m g’na worship Elise’s—”
“Okay.” Darius smacked the back of Avery’s head. “Still my baby
sister, man.”
Gray laughed silently and watched as the drink Darius mixed
Avery became stronger and stronger. He was evidently gonna make
sure Avery crashed before he got his clothes off.
Poor Elise.
Left at their table was a merry band of men. Aside from Gray and
Darius, they shared their middle-of-the-night cold pizza and booze with
Avery, Adam, Madigan—sans booze for him—Sebastian, and Blake.
“I’m not even gonna pretend,” Adam said. He blinked drowsily
and tried to look alive. “I’ll probably pass out on the couch. I’m in the
doghouse anyway.”
“Oh no, what did you do to my girl?” Gray asked accusingly. He
adored Alessia.
Avery perked up at the first sip of his new drink. “I can taste the
alcohol again. Must mean I’m soberin’ up.”
Or…Darius had given his friend two-thirds vodka and one-third
lime juice.
“I didn’t do anything,” Adam defended. “I tried…to knock up my wife, but
she was like, maybe we should discuss this first, tesoro, and I was like, but
don’t we want another kid, and she was like, I would love one, but don’t
freaking throw out my birth control before we’ve made the decision
together. And she waved her Italian li’l fist at me and everythin’.”
Gray and Madigan cracked up hard, whereas the other men
shook their heads at Adam.
“Now I miss Hazel,” Avery muttered into his drink. “Have another
kid, Adam. Have a Hazel. My little nut. I love Grace and Julia to
pieces, but Hazel was such a calm baby. First to sleep through the
night, never makes much fuss.”
“Then you know she’ll be the one giving you all the grief once she
grows up,” Sebastian chuckled.
“I was gonna say,” Darius agreed. “’Cause Hazel’s just like her
mother.” Avery scowled at the others.
Darius finally handed Gray his new drink. “You have fifteen
minutes. Aiden’s coming to pick us up.”
Oh man. “He texted?”
Darius nodded. “I talked to him when the Tenleys left, and we
decided three-thirty.” He rose from his seat for some reason, but he
had to steady himself to keep from falling over, and everyone got
themselves another laugh. “I’m too old for this.” He found it funny
too. “I blame you, knucklehead.”
“And so the wedded bliss begins.” Gray held up his drink in a
silent cheers. “Where’re you goin’?”
“I gotta piss.” Darius belched into his fist and walked unsteadily
toward the bathroom.
“Consider giving me a clue about our honeymoon while you’re in
there!” Gray hollered. He totally ignored Darius’s gruff laughter and turned
to their friends for support, instead. “Seriously! He won’t tell me anything.
Like, are we leaving right after the reception? Should I pack? Or are we
waiting till next week or next month? Maybe the summer? I don’t know!”
“All I can say is, he’s worked a lot on it, so be patient,” Avery replied.
So he knew. The bastard.
“How many know?” Gray pressed.
Avery shrugged. “Just Ryan and me, I think. And a set of
grandparents.” For babysitting purposes, no doubt.
Gray chugged from his drink and decided it was best to just move on.
He knew they were going back to that amazing little hotel outside Victoria.
The more he thought about it, the more confident he got. Well—possibly
Vancouver if Darius was going all out on a city vacation. But Victoria
seemed more plausible. For one, it was the more romantic location.
For two, they’d had their own hot tub on the terrace where they’d had
an amazing view of the mountains. It’d been one of those chalet-type
hotels, where rustic met luxury, nature met absolute comfort.
It’d been a wonderful weekend.
“Where did you take Elise on your honeymoon?” he asked.
“Switzerland and northern Italy.” Avery smiled. “I think we went to six
chocolate tastings—she was so fucking adorable.”
Oh yeah, Gray had seen pictures of that. “What about you, Adam?”
“Two weeks in Aruba, just me and the missus on the beach.” Adam
smiled too, and he looked like he wanted to go home.
That sounded fantastic for a summer vacation. But Italy? Yeah,
Gray really hoped to get the chance to explore a bit of Europe
sometime with Darius.
He glanced to Sebastian and Blake next, and he knew where they’d
gone. “How long were you guys on your trip?” They’d rented a fancy RV
and toured the country with their pack of dogs, and it’d settled things for
them. After summer, when prices dropped, they were buying an RV.
Gray had followed Sebastian’s Insta religiously for updates on their trip.
The two glanced at each other.
“About a month, right?” Blake asked.
Sebastian nodded. “We started heading home from New Orleans
around the three-week mark, yeah.”
That was a possibility too, Gray realized. That Darius was taking
him on a road trip. They had so many good memories from the road
trip that’d essentially turned them into a family.
As Darius returned, Gray’s entire being flooded with longing to
start their married life together. No matter where they ended up
going, he knew it was gonna be amazing.
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

“D amn, this is the life,” Reese yawns.

I agree with him.
Breakfast on the porch is my religion.
I finish the last of my bacon, then sit back with a sigh of
contentment and grab your hand.
We’re getting hitched tomorrow.
But right now, it’s just a slow morning at home. Reese, River, and I
will finish the enclosure for the rabbits today. You’re gonna humor your
ma with a final fitting of the children’s clothes for tomorrow. Then we’ll
have our first proper barbecue of the season tonight with our friends,
and I heard what you said earlier to Shay; he asked you to teach him
how to do something in the kitchen. So that’s what you’ll be doing.
“It would be nice to turn our house into something like this,” River
muses. “Maybe not a full-scale farm, but…”
Reese nods, already on board. “Some chickens, at least. Grow
some crops. That’d be sweet.”
You look over to me and smile sleepily.
I smile back.
Your last twenty-four hours as a Nolan.
Deep breaths.
Gray breathed in deeply through his nose and adjusted his vest
for the umpteenth time.
The pier had been cleared of people for the ceremony, and it
belonged to them for a little while.
Ninety minutes was how long they’d been allowed to book the pier for.
Hard to think how much could transpire in such a short period of time.
Gray wasn’t allowed to see the pier yet. He was holed up below deck on
Lincoln and Adeline’s yacht—with Abel—while Darius and his crew made
sure everything was ready.
Gray wasn’t the biggest fan of yachts anymore.
Mom and Isla were out there too, helping out with Elise and Mary.
There’d be no chairs or anything. The pier wasn’t wide enough for that,
so guests would stand along the sides. But Gray had accidentally
seen an impressive shipment of floral arrangements when they’d
parked earlier, so there was still plenty to do.
As long as Darius had the time to get ready after, Gray couldn’t care
about it. He was so fucking nervous. Which he hadn’t seen coming after so
much longing for this day to arrive.
“What time is it?” he asked.
Abel checked his phone. “Four-thirty.”
Fucking hell. Half an hour till the wedding.
Gray swallowed dryly and ran a hand through his hair.
“Don’t fuck up the hair.” Abel scowled and brought him a bottle of
water. Then he went up to him to apparently fix his hair. “Do you
know how hard it is to find a balance between freshly fucked and
hey, I’m getting married today?”
Gray exhaled a laugh. It eased some of the pressure.
Holy fuck, he was about to become a Quinn. He was about to get
married to the man who’d literally saved his life three years ago. The
man who’d become Gray’s dream. The love of his life.
“I’m glad you shaved.” Abel smacked Gray’s cheek lightly before
backing away.
Gray rubbed a hand over his jaw. His instructions to Darius had
been to shave three days ago, because that would give him the
perfect amount of scruff today. But Gray was going clean-shaven.
 The soft motion of the water below them wasn’t helping at the
moment, and Gray felt a little nauseated.
It helped to think about the wedding stuff, however.
“We got lucky with the weather.” That was something, at least. It
was a great spring day in late April. Not too cold, not warm. Sunny,
with just a light breeze. They wouldn’t have to worry about
assembling a tent on the pier.
Weather—check.
And then everything else. Kids were with aunts and uncles, friends
and family were about to arrive, Isla and Elise ran a tight ship over at
the restaurant… The tables had been positioned according to the
seating chart, white linen cloths covering said tables, Sergio was
working the kitchen with his team, and flowers… Huh. Gray cocked his
head, wondering if Darius was copying the theme they’d gone with
inside the restaurant. Because the only flowers they’d ordered for the
reception were white roses and…what did Mom call it…baby’s breath?
The rest was a buffet of what their mountains had to offer.
It’d been Mom’s suggestion.
“I don’t care about what some old book tells me a certain flower
symbolizes. At your wedding, I want to see the place you call home,
sweetie. I want the white roses and the baby’s breath on a bed of moss
and ivy. I want little bouquets tied together with the hemp rope Darius
uses when he hangs up your baskets of herbs. I want spruce twigs,
pinecones, and the tiny wild flowers that’ve started coming up in April.”
Gray closed his eyes and focused on Mom’s voice.
Three years ago, when he’d been in the back of a van, he’d
focused on her voice too. He’d pictured her face, her dimpled grins,
and the apple blossoms in the background at the inn.
“Let’s get to the bottom of your nerves, buddy.” Abel stepped close
again and put his hands on Gray’s shoulders. “Are we talking regular
jitters or something else? Because you look like you’re about to hurl.”
Gray forced a chuckle and sat down in the little dining area. One
of those booths that could be turned into a spare bed. “It’s just
overwhelming,” he admitted. “Last time I was on a yacht—”
“Fuck! I didn’t think—”
Gray shook his head quickly. “Don’t. That’s not—the yacht isn’t the
problem. I promise. It’s just the contrast—thinking about where I started
and now sitting here.” He uncapped the water and took a small sip.
“I’d given up, Abel. I didn’t think I was coming home.”
Those words were enough to make Abel look stricken, and he
reached across the table and grabbed Gray’s hand.
“Keep talking, please. I wanna hear it,” he said quietly. “I know I cried
all over you and Darius when we saw you in Florida after…you know. But
we never really got a chance to talk about what you went through.”
Thirty minutes before the wedding probably wasn’t a good time to
remedy that, but he was right. Gray had shared some bits and
pieces, of course. Some parts had leaked out in the media. Abel had
read a few interviews with survivors too.
It wasn’t as if he and Abel had tried to jump back to the way
things had once been, and yet, they’d attempted to navigate new
waters without looking back on the very trauma that’d set Gray on
the course that’d brought him here today.
“I don’t mind telling you all the details you don’t already know,” he
said, “but maybe not right now.” He smiled a little. “Either way, I think
that’s why I’m so anxious. Because I had to live through something
that… I mean, I just knew back then that I wasn’t gonna be able to walk
away from it. I remember—” Fuck. He shouldn’t allow himself to think
further on those dark days, not on the day he was getting married. “I
remember saying goodbye to you. To Mom, my brothers, all of you.
Right before the auction. I really said goodbye and checked out.”
Abel’s eyes welled up, and he left his side of the table to sit next
to Gray instead.
“It was a goodbye in a way.” Abel lifted their hands and kissed
Gray’s knuckles. “The guy I grew up with never came back.”
No. He’d died at sea. Or in a van somewhere.
“But you know?” Abel lifted Gray’s chin. “Someone else took his
place —someone who’s so fucking strong and just… I don’t know.
You leveled up, man.”
Gray chuckled thickly and wiped at his cheek.
“Sometimes, I mourn the best friend I lost,” Abel confessed. “I know
that’s selfish, but everything was just so much easier before. I never had to
see torment in your eyes—aside from the Craig bullshit. All the normal crap
we agonize over. All the nights we talked and used each other as freaking
diaries. I mean, how many people can claim they have a best friend
they can literally say anything to?”
Not enough people, anyway.
“And…” Abel trailed off and scratched his forehead. He squinted
too. “Okay, screw it. I was gonna say this in my speech later, but I
wanna tell you the unfiltered version.”
Gray looked to him, curious and already feeling better. Abel had
always had that effect on him.
“So, since you got back,” he started, “you’ve told me more than once that
you’re a new person. And I get it. You changed irrevocably after what you
had to go through. But whenever I miss the simpler times and how easy
things were when we were kids, all I gotta do is visit. Because the best friend
I raised hell with is still there. Not just buried in you but…in what you’re
building with Darius. Those are your dreams, like from way before.”
Gray took an easier breath and rested his forehead to Abel’s shoulder.
“The fun-loving, innocent buddy with the shit-eating grin I went to
school with had all his dreams come true,” Abel murmured. “And that’s who I
see whenever Mad and I come up for dinner. I see you chasing your kids
around, and the shit-eating grin is back. You carry a lot more these days—I
understand that your past will always be heavy—but at the same time, I’ve
never seen you so happy. And I think the Gray you used to be is hidden
somewhere underneath all this Daddy business, and he’s just rolling around
like a pig in shit, because he has three kids, he’s about to marry the love of
his life, and he’s still blessed to have me as his best friend.”
A highly unsexy, croaked laugh escaped, and Gray threw his
arms around Abel.
“And he will always have me,” he finished. “I may miss the guy
you once were from time to time, but I would never trade him for the
man you’ve become.”
Gray sniffled and tightened his hold on Abel. “I love you. You
don’t even know how much.”
“Oh my God, don’t be gross.”
Gray chuckled and smacked a wet smooch to Abel’s cheek.
“Thank you. Thank you for making me feel better. I think you’re right
—and savor that, since it rarely happens.”
Abel laughed and punched Gray in the arm.
 “Ouch. Still so fucking violent.” Gray rubbed the spot. “Don’t
teach my kids that. Justin’s especially fond of his Uncle Abel, and I
don’t need him throwing punches.”
Abel merely smirked and changed the topic. “You ready to get
married?”
Gray nodded and let out a breath. “Are you gonna wing it when
it’s your turn to give a speech?”
At that, Abel patted his chest pocket. “I have a backup speech
about how you spent years being my personal fidget spinner.”
Gray laughed softly. “Impressive.”
“That’s my middle name.” Abel checked the time again. “Okay,
you have time to pee, get the bloodshot outta your eyes, and—dude!
Where’s your engagement ring?”
Huh? Gray lifted a brow and briefly glanced at his hand. “Didn’t I
tell you about the medallions?”
Considering Abel looked like a question mark, the answer was clearly
no.
So Gray explained on his way down a narrow little hall toward the
bathroom. “Dare and I were talking one day, and we said it would look weird
with two rings. I know a lot of people do that, but—” He shrugged and
ducked into the stall. The most luxurious little bathroom you could find. Rock
stars and their spending habits, man. “Anyway. We had dinner with his folks
the week after, and Darius shared a story of how he and his siblings all
received a St. Christopher’s medallion when they were baptized or
confirmed, one or the other. The saint to protect you on your journey or
something. So I was like, what if we melt down our engagement rings and
turn them into St. Christopher medallions for Jayden, Justin, and Cass? And
then he fucked me so hard in James’s garage that I could barely walk after.”
Abel laughed and aww’d at the same time, and he leaned against
the doorframe. “That’s cute. Mad and I just added a second
engraving to our engagement rings.”
Gray nodded and bent over to wash his face. “We discussed that
too.” That would have to do. Gray removed the cap of the bottle of
mouthwash Abel had brought and inspected his reflection in the mirror. His
eyes looked a little red but not overly so. His face wasn’t puffy, at least. After
rinsing his mouth, he spat out the mouthwash and felt tons better.
His nerves had settled a lot.
 “What time is it?” He tilted his face and brushed a finger over a
scar on the side of his chin.
When one looked close enough, Gray’s body was a battlefield
that nature was slowly reclaiming.
He’d healed enough to know that he would walk off this boat and
he’d get to spend the rest of his life with the one man who knew
where each scar had come from.
Abel exhaled and smiled nervously. “It’s time to go, is what time it
is. Wedding starts in ten.”
Deep breaths.
Gray smiled and gave his reflection another glance. Hair looked good,
no blotchiness, his face was dry, and his three-piece suit looked as if it’d
been made for his body. Maybe because it’d been freaking tailored, which
had cost a mint. But he only planned to get married once.
Before they left, Abel helped him put on cuff links as well as tuck
a dark green silk handkerchief into his chest pocket.
Gray and Darius would match well with their identical suits, so
gray they were almost black, but a few details set them apart.
Darius’s cuff links had once belonged to his big brother, Jake. His tie
was black, whereas Gray’s matched the handkerchief. Darius’s
shoes were a little bit less shiny too.
Abel smiled to himself as he adjusted Gray’s tie. “I know I make a
flawless Monroe—and you’ll make a perfect Quinn. But between you
and me, we’ll always be a little Novak-Hayes and Nolan.”
Gray couldn’t have said it better himself.
“You’re the best best man I could ask for—you know that, right?
Everything you, Ryan, and Avery have done for us this week… I
don’t know how to thank you properly, but we’re working on it.”
“I felt the same way about everything you did when Mad and I got
married. It’s what we do, babe.” In true buddy fashion from their
hockey days, Abel slapped Gray on the ass and nodded toward the
exit. “Let’s get you married.”
Good plan.
They took the steps up onto the deck of the yacht and jumped
over to the dock.
The afternoon sun was still warm as it dipped lower and lower,
and it painted the sky in shades of deep blue and orange.
 Just as they set foot on the boardwalk, Gray glanced over toward
Darius’s restaurant and saw him coming out with Ryan and Avery. And
Gray’s heart gave an extra solid thud at the sight. In a Saturday crowd of
Camassia residents meeting up for drinks or watching their kids run around
to chase sea gulls and eat ice cream, three men in suits stood out.
Ryan, Avery, and Abel wore similar clothes to Gray and Darius,
only in lighter shades. Charcoal and moss green.
Darius was nervous.
Gray smiled and stuck his hands down into his pockets.
I’m here, baby.
He watched Darius pat his pockets, undoubtedly for his
emergency smokes. Then he shook his head and ran a hand
through his hair, and right then and there, he saw Gray too.
Hi.
They were maybe seventy-five, eighty feet away from each other,
but once they locked eyes, the whole world could disappear, for all
Gray cared. It didn’t exist right now.
Ryan said something, but Darius wasn’t listening. Instead, he
started walking toward Gray, who felt his feet move too.
Seconds later, they met in the middle, and Gray just smiled up at
his man.
Darius lifted a hand and touched Gray’s cheek.
“Can we get the photographer over here?” Abel yelled. “He’s
kinda missing this!”
Gray and Darius cracked a grin and met in a chaste kiss.
“Fucking stunning,” Darius murmured.
“You too.” Gray kissed him again, then grabbed his hand. “I hear
we have about seventy-five of our closest friends and family waiting
for us. You wanna get married?”
Darius turned pensive, then shrugged. “I don’t have anything
better to do, so we might as well.”
It was a date.
They began heading to the pier together, hand in hand, turning
heads as they went.
“Looking good, boy.”
Gray glanced over his shoulder to Ryan. “You too, Sir.”
 “Ah—” Ryan clutched his heart and grinned. “Best gift you coulda
given me.”
Darius chuckled. “You just made his day.”
Gray smiled. “He deserves it. I’ll try not to play favorites with my
brothers-in-law, but…”
Ryan was his favorite.
“How’s your arm, by the way?” he asked.
“Still attached,” Ryan confirmed.
Gray rolled his eyes and chuckled, and he faced forward again as
they got closer to the pier.
This was it. As the people around them morphed into the dressed-up
variety with familiar faces, Gray tightened his hold on Darius’s hand and
returned as many smiles as he could to the guests who spotted them.
They were in the process of walking out onto the pier, so Gray and
his little team slowed down. And that was when he paid attention to all
the changes. Darius had rented an actual red carpet, only it was a
muted shade of dark green rather than red. It trailed along the center of
the pier all the way out to where they’d exchange their vows.
Flower arrangements were attached to the railings on both sides,
white roses, baby’s breath, and the greenery of Westslope. And all the
way over at the end, where the pier expanded into a square platform,
their officiant waited under a wooden archway-type thing. Darius had
built it. Gray didn’t even need to ask. He just knew. And it wouldn’t
surprise him if Casey had helped, since he was a landscape architect.
It was fucking beautiful, covered in vines and tiny string lights.
“What do you think?” Darius murmured.
“It’s perfect. It’s…” He shook his head, at a loss for words. “So
perfect.”
When they’d picked the pier, it’d been out of convenience. It was
close to the restaurant, and it was a beautiful place. But now, Christ,
the pier would suddenly be one of Gray’s favorite spots in town.
Avery gave Gray’s shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll see you out
there.” Gray’s stomach tightened.
“Music’s set to begin in…” Ryan was checking his watch. “Forty
seconds.”
There would be music too?
 Gray eyed the pier, and it took him a few seconds to see the
speakers zip-tied to the railing. Several of them.
Behind them, Mom ran up, much to Gray’s surprise, and she was
out of breath. She should be at the end of the pier already.
“You look so handsome, both of you. Gah—don’t mind me, just
had to get Cassidy’s pacifier.” She squeezed Gray’s hand and
beamed at them. “See you soon, sweetie. So beautiful.”
Gray grinned and managed to shake some of the nerves.
Marrying Darius wasn’t the beginning of something new. It was just
the next chapter in a story they’d started writing three years ago. And that
felt reassuring. They had trust, they had commitment, they had a family.
Also, Darius wouldn’t hold it against him if Gray fumbled with his
vows.
He’d read an online article on different approaches to writing vows, based
on personality type and human behavior, and he’d found the type that fit him.
The one where you prepared an opening speech, just a paragraph or two, that
triggered memories to lead the way. So that’s what Gray had done. He had a
few sentences, and then he banked on memories to inspire the rest.
Even though he’d been expecting it, it came as a shock when the
gentle notes of a very specific song started playing. He whipped his
head to stare up at Darius, who smirked softly.
“I’m good at finding things,” he said quietly.
Gray let out a breathy laugh. Yeah, I’ll say. Darius had kept an
eye on Gray’s Spotify.
He knew Gray loved this song. “Electricity” by Drew and Ellie
Holcomb had played on repeat on many porch nights. Gray had
even gotten to dance with Darius to this song.
Now they’d walk down the aisle to it.
Darius squeezed Gray’s hand before taking the first steps onto
the pier, and Gray followed.
It didn’t take long before they reached the rows of guests.
You made it.
Cole, Charlie, and Jackie were here.
Gray managed a slight grin and hoped he’d get a chance to catch
up with them at the reception.
Cole had visited with his boyfriend once during the pandemic, and Gray
FaceTimed here and there with Charlie and Jackie, but it wasn’t enough.
 They weren’t just survivors anymore. They were friends.
“Nervous?” Darius asked under his breath.
“Oh yeah. You?” Gray smiled at William and Kelly, and—
“Dada! Dadaaaaaa!”
“Cassidy, come back here!”
But Cass was on a roll in her pretty dress.
She darted down the way, and Darius said, “Not anymore,” right
before he bent down and swooped up their girl. “Hey, angel. Why
you runnin’ away from Nana?”
She laughed and squished his cheeks together. “I wun, wun, wun!”
Gray was gonna need aftercare for his jaw with how much he’d smiled
this week. He reached up and wiped crumbs of whatever Mom had
fed her from her cheek.
“Ooooh!” She became excited when two sea gulls flew over
them. “Jus’n, boyd!”
“Justin can look at the birds later, sweetheart,” Gray chuckled.
“It’s time for you to get back to Nana.”
She bobbed her head and waved at everyone, stealing the show
with her charm. “Hi! Hi, hi!”
Mom to the rescue.
“You little rascal.” She narrowed her eyes playfully at Cass and
stole her away. “You’re not escaping again. Oh no, you’re not.”
Gray shook his head in amusement and hugged Darius’s arm.
Before long, they reached the adorned wedding arch, and Gray
smiled politely at the officiant before he peered up at the tiny lights and
the greenery. Then he met Darius’s affectionate gaze and faced him fully.
“On this beautiful day, we’re gathered to witness and celebrate
the marriage of Darius Quinn and Gray Nolan…”
Even as the music faded so they barely heard it, the melody and the
lyrics were etched into Gray’s mind and pushed memories onto him.
Glimpses of their darkest days, fragments of scenes they’d lived through, the
road trip where they’d gotten attached to Jayden, flashbacks and panic
attacks, the Texas sunsets in the desert, nightmares with echoes from those
who hadn’t made it, and…throughout it all, Darius had stood by Gray.
When Gray had taken off, Darius had followed.
Gray almost didn’t hear what the officiant said but had heard the
script before. He spoke of trust and faith.
 There’d been a time when Gray had doubted everything. He’d
lost his faith. He’d trusted no one.
“I don’t believe a goddamn word you say.”
“That’s your emotions speaking,” Darius stated. “If you used your
head, you’d come to another conclusion. You’d remember what I
said about your mother, about my sister—”
“So what?” Gray snapped. He glared at the motherfucker.
“Maybe you’re from Camassia. Maybe that restaurant in the marina
is really yours. Maybe you talked to my mom, but so what? It doesn’t
prove you’re here to take me home.”
“You’re right.” He dipped his chin. “I’ve been casing you since you
were born. I infiltrated a town and brought my entire family into it—”
“Asshole,” Gray growled. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I’m aware.” Darius sighed and walked over to sit down next to
Gray on the edge of the bed. “Listen. I didn’t wanna take this job, but
when shit falls into my lap, I can’t ignore it for too long.”
“I’m the shit?”
“You’re the shit,” he confirmed.
Darius squeezed Gray’s hand and smiled faintly.
It’s time, knucklehead.
Gray swallowed hard and blinked past the sudden blur in his vision.
“May the vows you make to each other today last for as long as you
shall live and give you many, many tomorrows of joy,” the officiant said.
“Darius and Gray, do you enter this union of marriage willingly?”
Gray quirked a smile at his man, and they responded together.
“We do.”
“And will you cherish each other as husbands, in sickness and in
health, for richer or poorer, till death parts you?”
“We will.”
But Gray felt the need to add, “But we’re shooting for
eternity.” Darius’s warm chuckle was music to Gray’s ears.
The officiant smiled indulgently and went on to read a passage about
family, one they’d chosen together. A text they’d picked with Jayden in
mind. A text about how important each family member was, how those
who were no longer with them still lived on in their memories, and how
children —how their children—were every bit as much a part of the vows.
They were almost there.
 At one point in time, when the worst was over, this had still been
unthinkable.
“So I might even get to meet your family one day?”
Darius huffed a chuckle. “Have at it. I’ll introduce you, and you’ll
regret it.”
Gray’s smile widened. “Loud bunch?”
“You bet.”
“Good. I like big, crazy families.”
Darius’s own smile was a little rueful, and he looked down at the
sand. “I saw a picture…” He cleared his throat. “I guess it was from
your mother’s wedding. You looked happy.”
Oh. Yeah. Good times. Good memories. “It was a good day.
Mom and Aiden wanted to do something small and quick, but Isla
and I interfered. They got hitched up at Coho Pass.” He paused.
“The only thing that bugged me was that the leaves hadn’t started
turning red yet. It was still kinda green everywhere.”
Darius chuckled. “You remind me more and more of my youngest
brother. Lias is a romantic. I think he was seven or eight when he
decided that he was gonna marry his crush at Coho Pass one day.”
He shook his head pensively. “Weddings. Not my thing.”
Gray faced him with a deadpan expression. “This is my shocked
face.” Darius let out a laugh.
But it was easy to dismiss a future as something you didn’t
want…when you didn’t think it was possible.
Today, it was.
“Gray and Darius have prepared their own vows,” the officiant
said. He nodded for Gray to go first.
Hoo-boy.
Gray took a deep breath and slipped his hands into Darius’s. “Given
the…start…we had, I used to feel like we’d been robbed of the
beginning we deserved. I would space out at random and imagine what
it would be like to meet you for the first time at your restaurant. Or
maybe the friends we have in common would one day introduce us,
and I’d develop the biggest crush the minute I saw you.”
Darius’s smile morphed into a smirk, and his shoulders trembled
with a silent chuckle.
 “But if we’d met under normal circumstances, we wouldn’t have
what we have today,” Gray went on, his voice full of conviction. And he
was totally winging it from here. “To get to where we are right now, we
had to take those exact steps. We had to fight every battle, nurse every
wound, and turn into this…this united force that wanted the same
future. That needed it.” He paused and tried not to get stuck in the
gentle severity of Darius’s gaze. Only one person understood what
Gray was saying, and that was the man in front of him. “Marrying you
here today isn’t about a beginning for me. It’s about completing what
we started three years ago. It’s about spending the rest of my life
protecting us, working side by side with the love of my life, nurturing
everything that ties us together, be it shitty memories, grief, chemistry,
love, or parenting. So that our dreams can keep coming true, and we
can keep creating new memories together. That’s all I want, Darius.”
And…exhale.
Darius engulfed him in a tight hug and pressed his lips to the side
of his head.
Gray closed his eyes and let the comfort wash over him. The
relief, the love, the safety, the fact that this wasn’t some boyhood
fantasy… This was real.
“There’s nothing pretend about us, knucklehead.” Darius leaned
in, and Gray’s breath hitched. “Tell me to kiss you.”
Gray swallowed dryly. “Kiss me.”
Darius shifted his hands to Gray’s hips and covered his mouth with his
own, and a storm of emotions swirled around him. Gray didn’t know what
to think or what to do, but one thing was for sure. The moment became
perfect as they kissed each other slowly to the background sound of
Jayden and Justin laughing at the twins’ theatrics. Justin scored a goal,
Gabriel pretended to be mad, Gideon whooped, and Jayden shouted in
triumph. All while Gray fucking melted in Darius’s arms.
“I’m losing my head over you, Darius,” he chuckled weakly. “Don’t
fucking play with me.”
“I’m not playing. If anything, I’m sick of it. I’m so over pretending
that I only wanna be near you during your recovery, when—fuck.
When I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to let you go.”
Gray fisted the front of Darius’s hoodie and screwed his eyes shut,
feeling months of tension rolling off him in waves. Then he kissed Darius
deeply until he could form words like a normal being.
“No more pretending.” He spoke in between hard kisses. “And let
me know if you’re a flight risk. I’ll tie you to a pole on the porch.”
Darius smiled into the kiss and cupped Gray’s cheek. “I’m not the
runner, baby. I’m all in.”
Gray couldn’t describe what a rush it was to hear that. “For us, I
can be a fighter.”
As Darius pulled away from the hug, he blinked past the
glassiness in his eyes and cleared his throat.
It was his turn.
He flicked a glance toward their guests. “We’ve reached the part
I’ve been dreading for a year and a half.”
Gray grinned so widely.
Darius earned himself a couple laughs from the guests. Then he
rubbed a hand over his mouth and jaw, and he faced Gray once more.
“When I proposed to you, Gray, we had no idea we’d be forced to
postpone this day twice,” he said. “I figured I’d have a few months at
best to come up with the perfect vows that could correctly convey
exactly how I feel about you—how much I love you.”
Oh fuck, Gray was gonna cry, wasn’t he?
“I ended up getting two years, and that wasn’t enough either,”
Darius admitted. “Truth be told, I don’t think it’s possible, because
you didn’t merely change my life—you gave me a new one that
made it clear I hadn’t really been living in the first place. Instead, I’d
been preparing—literally— for a lonely existence.”
Yup, Gray’s eyes welled up as if on cue, because that was a
painful image.
“I’m not lonely anymore,” Darius continued uncomfortably. So
Gray squeezed his hands and stepped closer. It’s just you and me
here, baby. Darius smiled faintly. “Thanks to you and our children, I
get to have a future worth fighting for. I want every morning chore I
get to share with Jayden, every breakfast on the porch, every funny
face Justin and I make behind your back—”
Gray laughed and sniffled.
Darius smiled and touched his cheek. “I love you with everything I am,
knucklehead. And…” He cleared his throat again. “With you, I don’t have to
hide anything.” He took a step back and turned toward Ryan and Avery,
who handed him something. A notebook? “It hit me a while back that
I don’t need anyone but you to understand me—and what I feel for
you. So the vows I spent two years working on, they’re all in here. I
had my notebook printed. Every thought, every attempt at finding the
right words, every unfiltered truth. Some grocery lists too,” he
chuckled. “It’s possible Justin spilled on a couple pages.”
“I drawed an apple tree also, Daddy,” Justin called out.
“I started drawing a snake, but I wasn’t happy with it,” Jayden added.
“Even Cassidy contributed,” Darius said.
Gray shook his head, completely overwhelmed, and he accepted
the notebook. And he felt such a forceful urge to just make things
official already, so he turned to the officiant and blurted out, “Can
you declare us husbands now? I’m ready. Like, make it happen.” He
handed the notebook to Abel for safekeeping.
“We might wanna do the rings first.” Darius was seemingly in a rush
too, and he turned around to get the rings from Ryan. “So, do we just…?”
The officiant looked a little startled but recovered quickly, and he
smiled merrily and inclined his head in answer to Darius’s question.
“Dear friends and family, beloved Gray and Darius, as you exchange
rings and commit to spending the rest of your lives together, by the
power vested in me, it is my absolute joy to pronounce you husbands.”
Gray exhaled shakily as the words rushed through him, at the
same time as Darius slid a new gold band on to his finger.
Husbands.
Gray eagerly slipped the other ring on to Darius’s finger.
“You may kiss, gentlemen.”
We absofuckinglutely may, padre.
Darius cupped Gray’s face in his hands and dipped down and
kissed him hard, and Gray felt like a fucking fool for not being able to
stop smiling. They’d freaking done it.
“Oh my God,” Gray mumbled. Oh my God. He flipped forward
once more.
Marry me, knucklehead.
“Oh my God,” he repeated and shot straight up from the chair. Was this
fucking happening? Now? Right here and now? He quickly grabbed his
phone from the little kitchen counter and stalked out of the room, where he
immediately came to an abrupt stop and was knocked back by a wall
of surprise.
Darius stood there. He rested his forearms on the countertop and
smiled faintly.
“You—” Gray couldn’t find his words. He held up the Kindle
instead, where Darius could read the words for himself.
“Oh… It looks like I’m proposing,” he murmured. Then he held up
one hand and showed two gold bands pinched between his fingers.
“What do you say, Gray? Wanna spend eternity with me?”
Those words brought a full-fledged grin to Gray’s face, and he
hurriedly closed the distance and kissed Darius hard. The Kindle
landed on the counter, and he was pretty sure he heard his mother
squeal out on the porch.
“Eternity sounds good.”
“On behalf of Mary and James Quinn, and Chloe and Aiden Roe,
we present you Darius and Gray Quinn!”
Gray melted into the kiss as they were met with applause and
sharp whistles.
“No looking back now, knucklehead,” Darius whispered.
“Looking back is for people with regrets,” Gray whispered in
response. “I don’t have a single one.”
Darius smiled into the kiss and flicked the tip of his tongue
against Gray’s. “I love you, baby.”
“Now, Uncle Ryan?” Justin yelled.
Oh God.
Darius rumbled a chuckle. “I saw this coming from a mile away.
We’re about to be assaulted by a million fuckin’ soap bubbles.”
Gray let out a laugh.
“We’re a go, kids!” Ryan confirmed.
“We’re out.” Darius quickly grabbed Gray’s hand, and the two
picked up the pace to escape the terror. On the way, Darius
snatched up Cass to use her as a human shield, and he told Jayden,
Ace, and Abby, “There’s five bucks for anyone who switches sides to
help Gray and me bring Uncle Ryan down.”
The trio could not agree faster, but Ryan had assistance from several of
the grown-up guests too. As Gray jumped into action at his husband’s side,
obviously by snatching up their goofball Justin, Isla and Gabriel flashed
their signature grins and started blowing soap bubbles their way.
Only to be followed by Gideon, freakin’ Mom, Adeline, Brady from
high school and his sister, Aurora—the list of traitors grew endless.
Justin giggled his butt off as Gray used him as protection.
“Uncle Ryan, Daddy got me!” Justin laughed.
“You’re supposed to be on our side, you little clown.” Gray
pushed up the boy’s shirt and blew a raspberry on his belly.
They almost ran down their photographer too, because why not?
It seemed like the only thing missing.
To the sounds of Jayden, Ace, and Abby defending them against…well,
a whole bunch of haters—but mainly Ryan, Abel, and the younger kids— the
new married couple jogged off the pier and toward freedom.
 CHAPTER TWELVE

T his isn’t happening. “Holy fuck.”

“It’s okay, Darius,” Elise assures me, but how fucking can it be?
I pace one side of the kitchen and eye the kids’ creations each time I
pass the counter.
The other side of the kitchen is Sergio’s territory, and he’s busy
as fuck clearing from the dinner service.
“In what universe is that okay?” I run a hand through my hair, just
imagining the reactions…
Fuck.
I’d thought my idea was brilliant. Stuff the kids into the bar’s
seating area, distract them with a buffet, all-you-can-eat ice cream,
paper, and crayons, and…as part of my honeymoon reveal, cookie
cutters and dough, provided by my pastry chef of a sister.
I’d ordered the damn cookie cutters. Elise had prepared the
dough. And now…
Right before the grown-ups’ dessert is about to be served…
Turns out, when you make cookies shaped like the Eiffel Tower,
they come out of the oven looking like puffy dicks.
Elise begins shoving the trays of cookies into the big freezer.
“What’re you doing?” I ask.
 “The reveal’s gonna have to wait,” she answers frankly. “The
dough needs to be refrigerated, Darius. It has to be cold.”
I come to a stop. “So if we get the other trays cooled off, they’ll
actually resemble the Eiffel Tower?”
“Yes,” she promises. Next, she comes over and stares up at me,
hands on her hips. “Repeat after me. Not today, Satan.”
What?
“That’s a you-and-Gray thing. You two say that
sometimes.” “And it works,” she replies. “Say it with me.
Not. Today. Satan.” Christ.
I release a breath and swallow against the dryness in my throat.
“Not today, Satan.”
“Good job!” She beams up at me, half in snark. “We’ve got this. So
one tray of cookies turned pornographic. We’re saving the rest. I swear.”
Okay. Okay.
I nod with a dip of my chin. “Not today, Satan.”
Now I gotta go talk to Chloe and Avery.

“I’m just gonna go check on the kids.”

“Nope. You’re not.” Abel put a hand on Gray’s shoulder and kept
him seated. “I have clear instructions.”
Gray frowned. “I can’t even go see my—”
“That’s right.” Avery butted in from across the table. “They have
plenty of babysitters over there.”
Gray huffed.
Darius was up to something. He’d been gone ten minutes now,
and whenever someone exited the kitchen, like Elise or Mom or
Avery, they went to someone else to whisper something.
The servers had cleared the tables, so Gray didn’t even have a
napkin to fidget with. And he was too full to leave his seat.
If he wasn’t mistaken, and he freaking wasn’t, they’d hear some
more speeches now. Smokers would go out and smoke, some
parents were allowed to check in with their kids, and others went to
the bathroom or visited people they knew at another table.
 Each table seated five to eight people—actually, nine in Gray and
Darius’s table’s case. It was them, their best men, and their spouses.
“I’m so stuffed I don’t think I could eat a fourth lobster tail,” Ryan
announced, draping an arm around Angel’s shoulders. “’Cause you
saw I got three, right?”
Gray chuckled tiredly.
The whole damn place knew Ryan had been served three lobster tails.
“You’re insufferable sometimes.” Angel narrowed her eyes at Ryan,
who narrowed his eyes right back and rested their foreheads
together. “Only sometimes?”
“Every day and twice on Sundays, love.” Greg finished the last of
his wine.
Gray and Abel laughed.
“Avery?” That was Mom, from the next table over. “I think you can
make the announcement now.”
“Will do.” Avery nodded firmly and rose from his seat. Then he
walked over to the corner stage where singer-songwriters sometimes
performed for regular meal services.
Gray was looking forward to some answers. He loosened his tie
and glanced around the restaurant. Darius was still MIA.
“If I may have your attention, everyone.” Avery spoke into the
microphone. “As Darius loves to remind people, no plan survives the
first contact with the enemy—and I’m here with a slight change in our
schedule.” Right then, Darius came out from the kitchen, looking a
little frazzled. “Dessert will be served after a rather short spin on the
dance floor instead, so if you please, join me in welcoming Gray and
Darius for their first dance as husbands.”
Darius stopped at their table and turned on the charm, extending
a hand to Gray, who smiled in confusion but rolled with the punches.
“Is there something you wanna tell me?”
“Not at all,” Darius replied. He ushered Gray to their makeshift
dance floor, big enough for maybe six or seven couples, and pulled
him close just as another very familiar song started playing.
This too shall last…
“I’m pretty sure I made this playlist private.” Gray snuck a hand
up to Darius’s neck, where he played with the soft hairs.
 Darius grinned faintly and rested his forehead to Gray’s. “You
leave your iPad all over the place. What’s a guy to do but have a
look for inspiration?”
Gray chuckled under his breath, feeling sappier and happier than ever.
“Now…” Darius drew a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Let me have
this moment where I pretend it’s just you and me.
Somewhere else.” Gray was all too happy to join him
there. “Our mountain?” Darius nodded. “With Irish coffee
and those truffles.” Sounded perfect.
But he had to make sure. “Are you okay? Overwhelmed?”
Darius shook his head. “I got you to marry me today. I have no
complaints.”
Gray exhaled in contentment and closed his eyes too. Right now,
it was just the two of them up at the springs, dancing to this song in
the glow of a fire. Their kids were asleep in the tent.
Even so, the sweet memories of their parents’ heartfelt speeches
lingered in the back of Gray’s mind. Mom had cried, of course. Aiden
had nearly made Gray cry when he’d said, “I may have missed your
childhood, but I reserve front-row tickets for the rest of your life, son,
for as long as I shall live.”
Mom had cried at that too.
“Just so you know,” Darius murmured. “Our bags are packed at
home.” Gray’s eyes flashed open, and a thrill bolted through him.
Darius smiled lazily. “We leave first thing on Monday. Ten days.”
“Are we going to Victoria?” Gray had to ask. Had to push. A little.
To no avail. Darius was done sharing. He kissed Gray instead,
and nipped a little at his bottom lip.
Gray shivered and tuned out the sounds of children running
between the tables and their parents chasing after. But then he heard
the distinct sound of a guitar, and not one coming from the restaurant’s
surround sound system, and it was followed by Case and Boone going,
“Holy shit.” So Gray blinked drowsily and glanced toward the stage.
Oh. Oh wow. Lincoln and Jesse were obviously going to play.
Two incredibly skilled guitar players, two mics, two chairs, two
guitars. Lincoln had once been a lead guitarist—and a good singer—
but Jesse’s voice put him at the center of his own band in LA.
Gray looked questioningly at Darius. “Did you plan this?”
 Darius shook his head. “I knew they were playing, but this is Abel and
your ma’s doing. I would’ve asked Lincoln myself if I’d believed he would
play Destruction songs, but that’s clearly not happening at a wedding.”
Gray laughed. Yeah, no. No hard rock or metal on this fine day,
thank you very much.
They slowed to a stop as what would forever be their song faded,
and then Jesse looked to Lincoln.
“Oh no, this is your show, son. No, wait. I can say a thing or two.”
Lincoln cleared his throat and strummed absently on his guitar.
“Gray, I’ve known you since Abel brought you home from hockey
practice and introduced his new best friend in the world. I’ve picked
you boys up after you went on double dates with punks who didn’t
deserve you, I’ve watched in wonderment at how much you can eat,
I’ve seen you read bedtime stories to Lyn, and you called it practice
for when you have kids of your own one day.”
Gray could only offer a stupid grin.
“I feel like my family’s given you a lotta practice,” Lincoln
chuckled. “And maybe you’ll remember when Jayden’s that age what
shitty liars two drunk teenagers are when they swear up and down
that they didn’t raid your liquor cabinet.”
“Oh God.” Gray groaned and buried his face against Darius’s
neck. And that bastard was no support at all. He was having too
much fun at Gray’s expense.
Lincoln spoke again as the chuckles died down. “I don’t really know where
I’m goin’ with this, other than…I’m stoked I’ve gotten to be there to watch
you grow up, kid. To see you marry Darius today. I wish you a lifetime of
happiness. And that you’ll keep calling me Mr. H and gorgeous.” Gray
laughed, and that was an easy promise to make. “Always, Mr. H.
Thank you.”
“You forgot gorgeous, but whatever,” Lincoln muttered into the
mic. His humor was popular with the guests, but he was done now.
He slid his gaze to Jesse and nodded.
Jesse smirked and shook his head. “My old man, always a crowd-
pleaser.” He peered over at Gray. “When Abel asked us to play, he
said it had to be this song. Not just because you went through a
Lifehouse phase that was painful for those of us around you—”
“Excruciating,” Lincoln agreed.
 Gray fucking beamed. They were gonna play “You and Me,”
weren’t they?
“It was more painful for me,” Jesse said, “because Gray told me
once I sounded like their singer. Talk about fuckin’ insulting.”
“That was a compliment, you fool!” Gray laughed.
Jesse pushed forward and smiled to himself, his gaze dropping to
the strings on his guitar as they eased into the song. “Either way,” he
said. “It had to be this song because Abel was sure Darius could
relate to it. My little brother’s a romantic that way.”
That had Darius’s interest.
“Congratulations, guys. And those of you who want to join Gray
and Darius on the dance floor, now’s the time.” With that, Jesse
wrapped things up and started singing.
“Take more pictures, Ma,” Case urged.
Gray locked his arms around Darius and disappeared into their
little bubble again.
“Remember when you said your family’s loud and crazy?”
Darius laughed under his breath. “If you’re trying to say you have
me beat, I ain’t buyin’ it.”
“It’s a tie at least,” Gray bargained. “I have Gabriel and
Gideon.” “I have Ryan.”
“I have Abel’s whole family too.”
“I have Ryan.”
Technically, Gray had Ryan now too!
Shit. Gray was really a Quinn. Just the paperwork that had to be
filed, but…

“I thought he said he’d cleaned up his speech,” Darius muttered quietly.

Gray didn’t answer. He was busy listening to Avery’s best man speech,
and he was so glad people were getting this on tape, so to speak.
Even Jayden was enjoying himself immensely. He’d come over from
the kids’ corner to sit on Darius’s knee and eat ice cream.
“…and you know, this went on for years,” Avery was saying. While the
other family members, Abel included, had given their speeches from their
tables, Avery and Ryan had opted for the stage once the dancing
was over. “I remember when Darius predicted my future—this was
shortly before my eldest was born.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Darius bitched under his breath.
“First of all, he said I was going to forget my friends,” Avery went
on. “As soon as there were diapers to change, I’d stop coming to
guys’ nights.” He turned to Darius. “Buddy, when was the last time
you showed up for one?”
“And let the record reflect,” Ryan interjected, “Darius has an actual
jar filled with excuses that get him out of meeting up with people now.”
Jayden laughed loudly at that. “You really do, Dad.”
Despite that he couldn’t keep from chuckling, Gray was beginning
to feel bad for Darius. On the other hand, he’d given his friends and
brothers a lot of shit for settling down and having kids over the years.
This was their revenge.
Avery and Ryan went on for quite a while. In the meantime,
servers came out to prepare for dessert. Each table was set with a
tiered tray filled with chocolate truffles from Elise’s shop, a dish with
different types of cookies, and a small version of a wedding cake, big
enough to feed the guests surrounding it.
That’d been a fun day at Elise’s, who’d hosted their cake sampling.
With help from Jayden, they’d chosen a dense, not-too-sweet vanilla
cake, the texture almost like brownies, with dark chocolate filling, berries,
and a thin layer of buttercream frosting that covered the whole thing.
Gray’s stomach rumbled, and he didn’t know if it was because he
really fucking wanted a piece, or because he was still full from dinner.
“But here’s the thing about my brother,” Ryan said. “He’s full of
shit.” “Thanks!” Darius responded.
Gray split his focus between everyone finding the best men hilarious,
Jayden laughing with his mouth full of melting ice cream, and two servers
leaving coffee cups, spoons, and cake dishes on their table.
“Because,” Ryan continued, drawing out the word. “He was
always a family man.”
And just like that, the comedy hour morphed into a sweet family movie.
Gray smiled and rested his elbow on the back of Darius’s chair.
“You may have jumped at the first opportunity to get on our asses about
settling down,” Avery said, “but I can’t remember a single time you weren’t
there to share the moments with us. Once Grace was born, you
found more reasons to stop by and see how we were doing. When
Hazel was born, you changed the route you used to run, so you
could swing by the store if we needed anything.”
Gray shifted his gaze to Darius, hoping he listened to every word.
Gray had seen this coming, because at the end of the day, when the
jokes and ribbing died down, they all loved one another so fiercely
and would do whatever it took to keep each other safe.
It was Ryan’s turn again. “You weren’t the first to hold my twins,
but you were the first to set up a savings account for them. I know
you built the bunk beds in your guest cabin with them in mind. I know
you have a shed filled with tools for children, because every time we
visit, you want to make sure they learn something new. Something
that will help them in the future.”
Darius scratched his nose. “I’m just a fan of child
labor.” No one bought that.
Gray grinned faintly and touched Darius’s cheek.
“And you know, this dates back to when we were kids too,” Ryan
said. “You may not believe this, but Darius could be a real
peacekeeper—only he was a sneak about it. Fuck with you to your
face, mend fences behind your back.”
That was totally true. Gray remembered Darius telling him he’d
sometimes finish his pop’s to-do list since James could be forgetful…and
Mary had her moments when she was pretty demanding. So regardless
of what Darius had dedicated his life to, being around war zones, having
too much experience with guns, seeing so much death and destruction,
his priority was always to keep the peace. To minimize the violence. To
hurt as few people as possible.
“You’ve always been there, big brother,” Ryan told him. “And now that
you’ve found someone to share it all with, someone who’s way out of your
league, we’re happy to see you more often too. Don’t let Gray go, ever.
You both bring out the best in each other, and we couldn’t be happier for
you.” He raised his glass. “To Gray and Darius. We love you.”
“Hear, hear!”
“To Gray and Darius!”
“Cheers!”
 Gray snuck closer and kissed Darius firmly. “I love you. And they
deserve the biggest hug after that.”
Darius sighed and grinned ruefully. “I guess they do.” He pressed
a kiss to the back of Jayden’s head. “Let your old man up, small fry.
I’mma go hug your uncles.”
“Okay. Are we doing the thing soon?”
What thing?
“Very soon.” Darius nodded, then met Avery and Ryan between
two tables.
Gray locked eyes with the photographer, thankful he was already on it,
because that was a picture that needed to go up on the wall somewhere.
“Are you keeping secrets from me, buddy?” Gray poked Jayden’s side.
“Only one.” Jayden grinned. He was too cute. Shirt askew, suit jacket
long since discarded, and vest unbuttoned. So far, Gray had only
allowed himself to lose the jacket. But his tie was out on wafer-thin
ice. “I know where you’re going on your wedding vacation.”
“What the—how’s that fair?” Gray feigned outrage. “Everyone
knows but me.”
“Excuse me, everyone,” Avery said into the mic. “Before we move
on to dessert, a few friends of Darius and Gray would like to show
them something.”
Gray looked up, having no clue who they were talking about, only to
see three sharply dressed Tenleys make their way over with a laptop.
Reese didn’t need a mic to be heard. “I was on the phone with Darius
around the same time they’d booked the pier as the location for the
ceremony,” he started by saying. Then, right when Darius returned,
looking just as confused as Gray, Reese set the laptop in front of them on
the table. “I asked him why they didn’t just host the wedding at their place.
I mean, it’s beautiful up there. Plenty of space—you know. But in true
Darius fashion, he said, that’s too many people knowing my address.”
Raucous laughter sounded across the establishment.
Darius made zero excuses.
“The only point to my story,” Reese chuckled, “is that we couldn’t
very well bring your wedding gift here to the restaurant.”
“River and I had a blast driving this present halfway across the
country.” Shay grinned dryly.
 Clarity finally struck when Reese activated the screen and showed a
video—or was that a live feed?—of the little barn at home. The chicken coop
next to it—no, wait. It had to be a video because whoever filmed was
moving. On the other side of the barn structure, the pig pens were revealed,
and Gray let out a sound of surprise when he saw three new additions.
Three new pigs.
“Hot fucking damn, are those Berkshires?” Darius knew his shit,
and he was impressed.
“We totally named them after ourselves,” Shay said. “So think
about that when you, you know…eat them.”
“My son, the pig farmer. Lord in heaven.” Mom came over and
dropped a kiss to the top of Gray’s head.
“This is an incredible gift.” All of a sudden, Darius was handing out
hugs left and right. “Thank you. Jayden, did you see what they got us?”
“So. Much. Bacon.” Jayden was happy too.
Gray chuckled and stood up to thank the Tenleys too. He left the
actual tending of the pigs to Darius for the most part, but he definitely
enjoyed reaping the benefits of filling their freezers.
Darius and Reese were completely wrapped up in their
conversation about small-scale farm life, and if Gray didn’t know
better, he’d guess that Reese was more than a little interested. River
was definitely amused by the sight.
Blake was eager to join the same conversation, and then Adam
walked over and mentioned he was always looking for local
producers for the items they put on the menu at Coho.
Gray withdrew from the situation, needing some Mom time. The
entire day had been so hectic and chaotic and wonderful and…
Christ, beyond overwhelming—that he was developing a bit of a
headache. Plus, he hadn’t gotten to spend enough time with Mom.
She laughed softly when he crushed her in a hug.
“How are you feeling, sweetie?”
“I’m dead,” he chuckled. “Blissed out and dead. It hurts to smile.”
“Weddings will do that to you.” She peered up at him and combed his
hair right with her fingers. “Do you want us to take the kids tonight?
Darius said he’d ask you before making a decision.”
“No, we’ll bring them home.” If they were off on their honeymoon on
Monday, Gray wanted to have everyone close tomorrow. “I want a day with
sweatpants, movies, and leftovers.”
Mom nodded, taking it seriously. “I’ll make sure you get a little bit
of everything to take home with you.”
“Thank you.” He kissed the top of her head, then rested his cheek
right there, and fuck, he could’ve fallen asleep. “I think we need
some air in here.”
“I think you’re right. I’ll go open the doors. You go tell your
husband to save the farm talk for later.”
Okay, Gray could muster one more cheesy smile. My husband.
That sounded so damn right.
He made his way between a handful of guests and snuck under
Darius’s arm.
Darius smiled and gave him a squeeze but continued his talk with
Reese. “I’m definitely gonna look into that. I know we have a family ’bout
ten minutes away from us—built a new place just last year, and they’re
part of some farmer’s collective with their beekeeping business.”
“And reach out to Greer,” Reese added. “He and his family are all
over those collective groups on Facebook. I think they have a
specific account for their place—look up Finlay Ridge.”
“I definitely will.” Darius nodded firmly.
“And I definitely will steal my husband away,” Gray said. “I think
it’s time for cake.”
“Well, we’re not missin’ that.” Reese was dragged away by Shay
at the same time.
Darius hugged Gray to him and kissed his temple. “Call me that
again.” “Husband?”
“That’s the one. Tired?”
Gray nodded and stifled a yawn. “And I want my husband to tell me
why our son knows where we’re heading two days from now and I don’t.”
Darius smirked into a soft kiss. “Your husband is approximately
five minutes away from telling you.”
Oh! Well, finally!
“Let’s go have a seat,” Darius murmured.
River had taken the laptop again, so they sat down at their table,
and Darius exchanged a nod with Elise, who was standing over by
the door to the kitchen.
 Seconds later, Avery announced it was time for dessert, and that
couldn’t be right, could it? Darius was gonna spill the honeymoon beans.
Gray took a sip of his coffee, glad it hadn’t lost its heat yet. Then
he decided he was done with his tie. He’d lasted long enough, longer
than Darius, so he removed it and stuffed it into his suit jacket
draped over his chair.
“Oi! Listen up, y’all!” That was Ryan’s loud voice. He pointed
toward Elise by the kitchen door. “The shortcake over there’s tryin’ to
get everyone’s attention.”
She sent him a stiff smile and two thumbs up. “Thanks, brother.
Before everyone cuts into the cake, please gaze upon the cookie art
the children have created for us!”
Aww, Gray wanted to see this. He hadn’t laid eyes on Justin and
Cass in hours.
Grace emerged from the kitchen with a big grin and a cookie tray,
and she was followed by Justin, Nova-Lyn, and Ace. Then Ryder
and JJ stumbled out, both carrying the last tray.
“Look at those two,” Ryan chuckled. “You takin’ pictures,
baby?” “Oh yeah.” Angel was on top of things.
So was Darius. Gray leaned over and rested his chin on Darius’s
shoulder as he snapped a couple photos of Justin.
“Someone’s been eating frosting,” he murmured.
“He wouldn’t be Justin otherwise.” Gray pressed his lips to
Darius’s neck, and they watched Justin proudly present cookies to
his grandparents at the next table.
“We made them, Pops!”
“You did? They look very tasty.” Aiden grabbed a couple for his
plate. “Thank you, champ.”
“You did good, baby.” Gray pressed another kiss to Darius’s
neck. “With the kids’ entertainment, I mean. That’s a great idea.”
Darius pocketed his phone and sat a little straighter. “There were
some mishaps along the way, but sometimes you just gotta say Not
today, Satan, and then Elise will make sure everything works out.”
Gray spluttered a laugh. He’d never heard Darius utter that
phrase before.
“S’heavy, Mommy.” JJ grunted as he and his brother lifted the
tray and dumped it on the table.
 “You did so well, sugar,” Angel praised.
A couple dozen or so sugar cookies filled the silver tray, many without
decorations and frosting, but some…were mountains of sprinkles, edible
glitter, M&Ms, and colorful glaze. They were the ones parents took a tiny bite
of to appease their proud children, before they dove for the plain ones.
Gray had been around a while now.
Before Avery and Elise rejoined them at their table, they urged
everyone to dig in and enjoy the cake—and mentioned that the bar
was open for all the free cocktails the guests could drink.
“Uncle Gray, this is for you!” Ryder ran over and handed him a
cookie with green frosting and thankfully no sprinkles.
“That’s so sweet of you, buddy. Thank you.” He bit into it and
looked closer at the tray, curious as to why they all were shaped like
the Eiffel Tower. There must’ve been more exciting shapes for kids.
Damn, it was actually really good too. But when Elise was
involved, that was a given.
“Any minute now,” Ryan murmured.
Gray quirked a brow and finished his cookie. “What?” For
some reason, that made everyone at the table chuckle.
Darius dipped a plain cookie in his coffee and could not look
more amused.
“Dude,” Abel said.
Gray glanced at the cookies again.
Suspicion finally crept in. It was an awfully specific cookie-cutter
shape.
“Oh my God, this cake,” someone moaned a few tables over.
All the cookies were in the shape of the Eiffel Tower.
He snuck a glance at Darius. Are you serious?
This was no joking matter.
“Theeere we go,” Elise sang.
Were they— “Are we going to Paris?” Gray blurted out.
“As long as you’re quicker to catch a flight than a drift,” Ryan joked.
Gray didn’t even look his way. He stared at Darius, who finally inclined
his head.
“I thought we could do a weekend in London on the way home
too,” Darius said.
 “Oh my God.” Gray felt his whole face light up, and he couldn’t
freaking believe it. “Holy shit, baby. Paris.” And London! “I was
banking on Victoria!”
“Yeah, when you said that—” Darius snorted and shook his head.
“That’s a weekend getaway, knucklehead. For our honeymoon, we’re
going all out. I have a list of all the tourist traps and rom-com spots.”
Gray pinched his lips, still in disbelief. He blinked past the sudden
sting in his eyes. On Monday, they were heading to fucking France.
In Europe. He’d never been anywhere near Europe before.
“Shall we toast to a fantastic wedding?” Ryan lifted his glass of
champagne. Where had that even come fr—oh, they were serving it
now. “We’re looking forward to the pictures, but keep the sex tape to
yourselves.”
“I mean…” Angel trailed off.
Gray laughed thickly and squeezed the hell out of Darius’s arm.
He was absolutely filled with so many emotions that he couldn’t sit
still, and he felt the strongest urge to bury his face where no one
could see the heat on his cheeks.
“To one of the best days of my life.” Darius took a sip of his coffee
before he hugged Gray to him. “You and me in Paris, knucklehead.”
“I can’t wrap my head around it.” Gray sniffled, glad Darius’s
arms provided shelter, and he realized this was about so much more
than the location.
It was the stereotype. Paris, London, Rome, Aruba, Hawaii… Those
were places you heard about people going for their honeymoons. It
didn’t have to be Europe or away from the continental US either; it
could be Key West or New York or any other popular place where
newlyweds went. And Gray would be one of those people.
He’d once lost faith in ever seeing his twenty-first birthday. Now
he’d soon be the guy who could say, “Oh yeah, great city. My
husband and I went there on our honeymoon.”
He’d reclaimed his life. His sense of normalcy.
Darius squeezed him a little harder, probably knowing exactly
where Gray’s mind had gone.
“I love you, Gray.”
Gray nodded once and subtly wiped his eyes. “I love you too. So
much.”
Sweet Jesus, he was gonna go nuts buying souvenirs for everyone.
 EPILOGUE

W hat’re you doing out here?

Robbing me of sleep, that’s what. You know I sleep
restlessly without you next to me.
Punk.
I wrap the duvet around my shoulders and step out onto the terrace.
It’s not too cold here, just pretty windy. So why you’re standing by
the railing wearing nothing but skivvies is beyond me.
It’s a nice view of Paris, though. In the darkness, it’s a glittering
blanket. Faint sounds from the traffic ten stories below.
You sense my presence shortly before I wrap the duvet around
you too, and I bring you close to my body.
“Can’t sleep?” I kiss your neck.
You shiver and exhale. “My mind’s going a mile a minute.” You
hold up my field notes, the notebook I gave you at the ceremony.
“Let me start by saying, I want you to draw more.”
I smile against your skin.
“Is this what you do when you have nothing to do at work?” you
ask. “You draw stuff? I mean, you sketched the new chicken coop
and then built it. You sketched my freaking suit from Abel and
Madigan’s wedding. Cassidy’s hand gripping your finger. Our rings.
The porch… Screws and goddamn mason jars.”
I chuckle as you turn in my embrace and peer up at me.
 “I think I drew an apple too,” I say, “next to my confession about
really loving your tight little ass.”
“There was an apple on that page?” you tease.
I dip down and kiss your nose.
The humor fades, and you brush a hand over the notebook. “I feel
like I’m suffering from a split personality or something,” you admit. “On
the one hand, I want to spend the rest of my life building what we’ve
already started. Our home and all the future additions. All the projects.”
I’m not worried, because I’ve sort of seen this coming.
The first time you went to college, you couldn’t pick a major. Now, you
can’t commit to the program that would make you an EMT, which is the
only profession you’ve researched properly. But something’s missing.
You’re more naturally drawn to courses on combat and field medicine.
At the same time, you don’t want to go back to school.
“And on the other hand?” I prod gently.
You look a little hesitant. “That’s the thing, I’m not sure. I want to
build something and help others, I want to stay at home more, I want
you to be home more, I wanna stay safe, I wanna help others get
their freedoms back…”
There we have it, don’t we?
“Can’t we find a compromise? A happy medium?” I wonder.
You wrinkle your forehead in skepticism. “I can’t say in one
breath that I don’t wanna miss a minute of our kids growing up, then
say I wanna help victims regain their freedoms,” you state.
“Moreover, I refuse to take risks that jeopardize what we have.”
Yeah, that’s a…pickle.
“I wanna build something with you, Dare…” You step closer and slip
your arms around my middle, and I feel like I’m missing something.
Aren’t we already building our future? “Is the restaurant your passion?”
I lift a brow.
Stop bullshitting me, baby. You know what you want, don’t you?
You’ve come up with something.
Besides, you know I opened the fish camp to build up a network.
And I needed a job once I got out of the PMC field. A desk job’s never
suited me, and I wanna be my own boss. After that, I’m pretty flexible.
I enjoy my business; it keeps me moving, profit’s decent, but my
passion is up in Westslope.
 “Lay it on me, knucklehead.” I bump my forehead to yours. “What
is it you want?”
You swallow and ghost your fingers absently over my chest. “I
was thinking—after the World War II exhibit we went to at that
museum yesterday, you know, about the runaways who found
shelter during the war?”
I nod, with you so far.
“Well, what if the people I wanna make sure get their freedoms
back don’t lose them in the first place?” You speak in a rush all of a
sudden. “Jonas, Niko, Fil, they all ran away from home—if they had
one in the first place.”
“Okay…” I furrow my brow. “You wanna open a shelter?”
“No.” You twist your lips between your fingers and hesitate. “More
like a safehouse? A place they can run away to instead of, you
know, ending up in a bad crowd or much, much worse.”
A safehouse.
Huh.
“I talked a little with Niko about it,” you admit. “He’s fumbling too. He
doesn’t know what he wants to do, and it’s like…we’re stuck in the
middle. No regular fields appeal to us, but it’s not like we want to put
our lives at risk again.”
I get that.
“So what do you picture this safehouse being like?” I pull you
away from the railing and usher you over to the uncomfortable café
chairs and table. So fucking Paris of them. But I want you close, so I
make sure you sit on my lap.
“Like our home,” you respond bluntly. “I don’t want it to be a hiding
spot or a hotel. And Niko was like, when he lived on the streets and
didn’t have anywhere to go, he meant it literally. Nobody hired him,
nobody listened to him, nobody thought he was good for anything. But
we know…” Your passion’s coming forward, knucklehead. I see it in
your eyes. “You gave him a chance at the restaurant.”
Hell, I’m picturing it. You’re getting me hooked on the idea.
We have a big chunk of property.
“I guess that’s what I’m seeing,” you say quietly. “A place where
someone gives you a chance—hard work, safety, a roof over your head. I
mean, I still remember the feeling of putting my own dinner on the table,
literally. From having watched the chicken grow up, caring for it, feeding
it, collecting its eggs… I’ve read about farms similar to what I’d like to do.”
I’ve heard of those places as well.
A chance to make something of yourself. Rather than falling into
a lifestyle of crime and drugs, learn to grow your food, pick up useful
skills, sleep soundly at night.
More often than not, these young adults want to work and become
something. But if they have no way of proving themselves, no one who
believes in them, they’ll go to the first place that recruits them.
“What do you think?” you ask hesitantly.
I don’t know why you’re so uncertain, though. We’re clearly more
alike than we thought. For chrissakes, we’re sitting here in the
allegedly most romantic city in the world, and we’re discussing what
we can do back home in our mountains.
I clear my throat. “You’re asking me what I think about a project that
would help teenagers and young adults not only escape a bad life but teach
them to be independent? Teach them how to prepare for a better future?”
That gorgeous grin on your face now, knucklehead. It lights up
my universe.
“I mean, I know this is one of those things that takes years,” you
say quickly. “There’s a lot to research about funding, rights,
obligations, dumb government involvement—”
I gotta kiss you for that. Hard, deep. With your face in my hands, I
pour all my pride into that kiss, because you called them dumb
government. Fuck, how I love you.
Plus, I make you smile.
“I wanna talk to Adeline when we get home,” you murmur. “If
anyone knows how to get cracking on a project like this, it’s her.”
You know who’s gonna wanna be involved? Ryan. When they move up
to Camassia permanently, we can count on him wanting to be part of this.
I smirk a little. We’re both a lost cause, aren’t we?
“We still have four days of romance in Paris to suffer through.”
“Suffer,” you laugh. “Well, I guess that’s true. We’re going shopping
tomorrow.”
I make a face. “We could also stay right here and eat our body
weight in croissants and fuck each other’s brains out to this view.”
You’re tempted. Admit it.
 You reposition yourself to straddle me, and you set aside my notebook
on the table. In the meantime, I make sure the duvet closes behind you.
“You know what? I don’t wanna think about tomorrow.” You lean
in and kiss me softly. “This is gonna sound cheesy as fuck, but
you’re my Paris. You’re my dream destination.”
Yeah, that’s gotta be the cheesiest shit I ever heard.
“I knew you were cheesy when I proposed.” I lean back and bring
you with me. “You can pull it off, though. You say something like
that, and I just wanna kiss you stupid.”
You hum and kiss me teasingly, only to stop abruptly and inch
back again. “What if I change my mind?”
I feel my forehead crease. “About what?” You’re
stuck in your head tonight, that’s for sure.
“About the safehouse thing,” you say. “I know I wanna do
something like that. I feel it. But—”
“Okay, that’s enough.” I cover your mouth with my hand and
decide to give you a piece of my mind. “Sweetheart, you’re on the
right side of twenty-five, so to speak. You’re supposed to change
your mind a lot. But we’ll figure it out, I promise you.”
You’re the absolute clown who licks my palm.
“Now you’re mine,” you say.
I laugh and shake my head. You fucking nut.
Your uncertainty shows again. “How can you be sure we’ll figure
it out?”
You know how. If you were genuinely worried, you wouldn’t be goofing
off.
“Because no matter how many times we tweak the details, we come
back to what’s most important.” I gather your hands in mine and kiss your
knuckles. “Our family. You and me, our kids, and our home. The rest…?
I’ll be there right next to you, Gray. I’m prepared for anything.”
That finally does it. The last of the tension leaves you, and you
lock your arms around my neck.
I squeeze you just as hard, kiss your shoulder, and rub my hands
up and down your back.
I trace the soft protrusions of the scars that will always set you apart
from others. Trust me, knucklehead. I get you. I understand exactly what it’s
like to never quite feel at home in the normal world, for lack of a
better term.
Not that it will stop us from chasing normalcy every now and
then. I chose Paris for that very reason, so we could do something
so stereotypically honeymoon-like to get a break from the history
that’s marked us.
“I’m prepared for anything too,” you murmur.
“I know.” I swallow hard, feeling the gravity of the moment, and
hold you impossibly tighter.
I take a deep breath and feel you do the same.
Then you exhale. “Fuck going shopping tomorrow. We should find a
bistro and just spend the day people watching, making out, eating pastries,
and discussing plans for the summer. Like, are we gonna use any of the
pigs for breeding or not? Are we freaking bunny farmers now? Should we
decide how many trees to cut down to make more room for a pasture? How
do we grow a lawn in the middle of the forest? We don’t have the right soil
for grass. Isn’t it time we give our homestead a proper name?”
I smile against your soft skin and can’t believe what a lucky
bastard I am. To get to call you husband…
“That’s what we’ll do,” I reply. “We’ll find a bistro and talk about all
of that.”
But first, I’m taking your sweet ass to bed.
 FIELD NOTES: D. QUINN

Curious about the field notes Darius gave Gray at the wedding?

Click here for more information

 ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CARA

Perhaps you remember Elliott, one of Darius’s PMC buddies who was part of
the crew in Vegas in Played? Well, he’s getting his own series soon.

Yes, Gray and Darius will be secondary characters in this

suspenseful, action-packed series. Oh yeah, Ryan too. And River,
Reese, and Shay? They’ll get their own standalone book in this series.

And Crew! After getting his ass saved in the beginning of Prepared,
Reese gives him a pro-tip and hooks Crew up with Elliott out in LA for
future training.
It’s time to go rogue.

Subscribe to Cara’s newsletter and you won’t miss anything as more

information on Elliott’s series comes out.
 MORE FROM CARA

In Camassia Cove, everyone has a story to share

The Auctioned Series brings crossovers from the following titles:

The Game Series

Breathless (River, Reese, Shay) | The Shepherd (Greer, Archie,
Sloan, Corey)

Camassia Cove Universe

Path of Destruction (Lincoln, Adeline) | Uncomplicated Choices (Casey, Ellis) |
Power Play (Abel, Madigan) | When Forever Ended (William, Kelly)
| Home (Dominic, Adrian) | Her All Along (Avery, Elise) | Inappropriately
Yours (Isla, Jack & Aiden, Chloe) | A New Enemy & I’m Not Your Enemy
(Sebastian, Blake) | Dirty Chef (Adam, Alessia) | The Job (Case, Boone) |
…and possibly others | #AllOfThemPrettyMuch

Other Cara Dee titles

Aftermath (Austin, Cam) | Outcome (Chase, Remi) | Unshackled (Kellan) |
Touch: The Complete Series (Ryan, Greg, Angel)

Cara freely admits she’s addicted to revisiting the men and women
who yammer in her head, and several of her characters cross over in
other titles. If you enjoyed this book, you might like the following.
 The Job
Family | Crime | Humor | Suspense | Standalone

Boone and I may not share genes, but it’s been us against the world
since his mom took me in as a toddler. The rowdy O’Sullivan boys who
raised all the hell that Vegas could handle, who chased unforgettable nights
together, who…became co-parents to an amazing little girl. Somewhere in
that mess, I fell in love with the bastard too. But right now, I gotta focus on
this job our cousin gave us, and I need Boone by my side. The only problem
is that, for the past four years, we haven’t really been on speaking terms.

Breathless
MMM | The Game Series, #3 | BDSM | S/M | Daddykink | Standalone

“Will you beat me without knowing why I want it?”

I’m used to rejection by Sadists at this point. No one wants to beat
me or skip aftercare; they wanna talk and get all up in my business—
where they don’t freaking belong. But I give it one more try when I spot
River and Reese Tenley at a kink party. The only thing bigger than
them is their reputation as hardcore Sadists. To the memories of grief
and why I’m seeking punishment, I ask them to hurt me.
“Sure. It’s your funeral.”

Aftermath
MM | Kidnapping Drama | Suspense Romance | Hurt/Comfort
| Standalone

Austin Huntley and Cameron Nash are like night and day. One is a
wholesome family man and works in a nice office. The other is an
antisocial car mechanic on the spectrum with a short fuse. But after
being kidnapped and spending five months together in a small cell,
life will never be the same, and they can’t go a day without seeing
each other. This is their aftermath.

Unshackled
Standalone | MM Mafia Romance | Best Friend’s Father | Age Play
| Hurt/Comfort

“I need a favor. I…I can’t ask sober.”

In the wake of the bloodiest war the our syndicate had seen in a
long time, all I saw was him. Shannon O’Shea had lost more than
most, and every fiber of my being screamed at me to pull him from
the depths of his despair. As the father of my best friend, he’d been
there for me when my parents kicked me out for being gay. Now it
was my turn. I had to rescue him. But the shackles around my wrists
tightened as old enemies slithered back out of the gutters, and my
brothers-in-arms and I were once again on the warpath.

Check out Cara’s entire collection at www.caradeewrites.com, and don’t forget

to sign up for her newsletter so you don’t miss any new releases, updates on
book signings, free outtakes, giveaways, and much more.
 ABOUT CARA

I’m often awkwardly silent or, if the topic interests me, a chronic rambler.
In other words, I can discuss writing forever and ever. Fiction, in
particular. The love story—while a huge draw and constantly present—is
secondary for me, because there’s so much more to writing romance
fiction than just making two (or more) people fall in love and have hot sex.
There’s a world to build, characters to develop, interests to
create, and a topic or two to research thoroughly.
Every book is a challenge for me, an opportunity to learn something
new, and a puzzle to piece together. I want my characters to come to life,
and the only way I know to do that is to give them substance—passions,
history, goals, quirks, and strong opinions—and to let them evolve.
I want my men and women to be relatable. That means allowing
room for everyday problems and, for lack of a better word, flaws. My
characters will never be perfect.
Wait…this was supposed to be about me, not my writing.
I'm a writey person who loves to write. Always wanderlusting,
twitterpating, kinking, cooking, baking, and geeking. There’s time for
hockey and family, too. But mostly, I just love to write.
~Cara.

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