Chapter Eighteen
Ernest
It was moving day. Technically, Ernest knew it wouldn’t make any difference to their relationship.
Toby had been happily staying at his house since Tuesday.
Well, Tuesday they had actually had dinner with Morty and Niall, Hector and Kaya, which Ernest was totally unprepared for.
It was really sweet, seeing Toby with all his friends. And Hector had taken him aside to chat!
Ernest was only a little disconcerted by Hector—it was difficult to get a handle on his personality, only because the man was so quiet.
When the three younger men were all giggling and carrying on over something Morty had found on his phone, Hector motioned for Ernest to follow him down to Kaya’s room.
“Don’t ever be threatened by these threes friendship,” he said in a low, deep voice. “Those three are tight. They’re family to each other, and now that you’ve claimed Toby, they’ll include you as one of their own. That’s what they do.”
“They did that to you?”
Hector nodded, giving Kaya a last cuddle before putting her down for a nap.
“When I met Morty, I was living in a big house all by myself. It was completely set up for a mate. Then I met Morty and saw his love for his business. And yeah, I bought the building. That probably makes you feel uneasy. I would feel like that in your position.”
Of course, Hector would understand. For all his quietness, he was another alpha personality. “I didn’t know what to think, to be honest,” he admitted. “I mean, his apartment is new. You’ve clearly spent a lot of money and time on it, which is very generous of you.”
“Don’t let that stop you moving Toby into yours.” Hector chuckled. “I can understand you wanting to have Toby at your own place. At one point I wanted that with Morty, too. This place means a lot to Morty—probably more than the other two men, and since the redevelopment, it works for us.
“I don’t know what Niall will decide to do when he finds his mate, but I am glad that Toby is willing to move in with you. It’s what we’re raised for isn’t it, providing a home for our mate.”
“Are you talking about the caring, the protection, or the utter panic that you don’t know that you’re going to be doing right by your mate, and you really want to?”
Hector paused for a moment, tickling Kaya’s belly gently as she lay in the cot they had prepared for her.
“Actually, yes, something like that. I was never made to believe I was worth anything. And don’t get me started on mothers who have very fixed ideas about what they want for their sons.
But Morty has really helped soothe a lot of the fears I had at the beginning. ”
“I don’t have parental concerns,” Ernest said. “But thank you. I don’t want to feel like a tag-along in Toby’s life. I was really hoping we could build a life together.”
“It’s what we all want with our mates,” Hector agreed, carefully covering Kaya, who had already closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
“I can already tell you’re not the type to keep him from his friends.
I would advise you to go one step further, though, and embrace his friends.
We’re not bad people.” Hector chuckled again.
“You haven’t met Toby’s family yet, have you? ”
Considering Ernest and Toby had barely a chance to get to know each other, Ernest shook his head. “Have you?”
“Oh, yep. They’ll make you feel welcome, too,” Hector said.
Ernest wondered why he laughed.
But that was Tuesday. It was now Saturday, and while Toby had stayed the night at the house, he had asked if Ernest would take him back to his place, for a bit—on his own—so he could do some last-minute packing.
The plan was to move the furniture pieces that Toby wanted to take with him today. The bed was not included, thank goodness, but Toby said he wanted to give the apartment a thorough clean.
Ernest was torn. On one hand, he wanted to help Toby, on the other Toby’s mention of cleaning had Ernest suddenly worried that maybe his house wasn’t up to scratch.
Yes, there was a good chance his common sense had flown out of the window.
In his defense, Toby moving in was a milestone moment in Ernest’s life.
This time, Ernest knew it would be permanent.
In those two hours, Toby said he’d be at his apartment, Ernest had used it well by chasing out those dust bunnies that always seemed to collect in corners. Moving furniture around so at least there was room for the chair, and then for Toby’s dressing table.
That took a bit more maneuvering. Ernest didn’t have a lot of spare wall space in the bedroom. He didn’t think Toby would want his dressing table sitting in front of a window that let light in, because it would fade the wood. So yes, there was some moving around, some shoving too.
Ernest wondered at one point if he should just collect everything in his house and put it in the shed. Then Toby could pick out which bits he wanted to go back into the house. He got so far as picking up one end of his couch, and then he remembered Toby said he liked the couch.
Oh, my gods, he thought, collapsing onto the couch he’d been about to move, and gripping his head with his hands. Toby is not ‘he who will not be named’. Toby cares about me. Toby already loves this house. Toby…
The shrill noise of his alarm jolted him from his little mantra. It was time to go and pick up Toby. Time for the final move of Toby’s things. It was really happening. Even though Toby had spent every night in his house since they’d claimed each other, this move made things final.
Ernest looked around. Please be enough, he thought as he got up and grabbed his keys. Please let me be enough, followed him out to the truck.
In town, Ernest parked just outside the front of the building. It was a weekend, so they were lucky there was available parking.
He went around to the side entrance, hearing the excited squeals and giggles of Toby and his friends before he’d even knocked on the door. Knocking and then letting himself in, Morty shrieked and then fell against the table, giggling, Niall grinned, and Toby’s face flushed red.
“What is it?” Ernest asked, seriously thinking he was missing something.
“Is everything alright?” He noted the boxes.
There wasn’t much left. Toby had been packing bits up every night to take back to Ernest’s house throughout the week.
“If you’re worried we can’t move this all in one go, I’ve put the seats down.
I’m sure there’ll be room for your chair and your dresser.
If there’s anything else, you know we can always make a second trip. ”
“No, that’s not it. I’m sure it’ll all fit.” Toby came running over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Morty and Niall just wanted to give us a moving present.”
“A cake?” Ernest loved Morty’s baking.
“Yes, it’s a cake, but we’re not eating it here, guys. This is for me to take home with Ernest.” When Niall and Morty collapsed into giggles again, Ernest started moving the boxes. The first two he picked up weren’t too heavy—mostly books, and the last of Toby’s clothes.
Taking them out to the truck, Ernest put them into the back from the side door, then went back inside to pick up the chair. Toby was whispering furiously with Morty and Niall, but they all stopped talking when Ernest walked back in.
Ignoring them, Ernest picked up the chair and walked back out. This time, as he went past them, Niall wolf-whistled and waved his hand in front of his face. “I do like to see a man working his muscles,” he stated.
His cheeks flaming, even though Ernest knew Niall was only teasing, he carried the chair outside. He did hear a slap. Clearly, Toby wasn’t keen on somebody eyeing his mate. “What? I ogle Hector all the time. I don’t want Ernest to feel left out.”
Still blushing, Ernest went back to pick up the dresser. In a short time everything was packed away, Toby hugged his friends, and then hurried around to the passenger side of the vehicle, clutching a large cake box.
“Did you want me to put that in the back with the furniture?” Ernest asked. “It would be safe on the chair.”
“No, I’ve got it,” Toby said with a huge grin. “This is our housewarming present. I can carry it.”
That was sweet of Toby’s friends to do something like that, even if Ernest had been living in his house for years.
He nodded at Niall and Morty, who were now huddled by the door leading into the back of the kitchen, waving madly as Toby waved at them.
Morty might have been crying, but Ernest didn’t see the point in prolonging a goodbye when Toby would be back at the café on Monday morning.
Toby was quiet on the drive home, though. “Are you happy about this?” he asked, wondering if he needed to turn the truck around.
“Definitely. I want to be with you. It’s just…” Toby looked down at the box on his knee. “I really hope you don’t mind my friends’ sense of humor.”
“I don’t see why I wouldn’t. I like your friends. They’re really sweet guys. I know how much you care about them. I’m not taking you away forever. It’s just I couldn’t sleep on your bed in a small place.”
Toby burst out laughing. “I’m so glad we left that bed in the apartment. Hector and Morty said they could use it for overnight guests, so they can deal with it.”
“Like family? Hector mentioned the other night at dinner that you have a big family.”
“Yep, I sure do. It’s great that you’ve got a big porch because when Mom finds out I’ve moved, then she’s going to be visiting, and she doesn’t travel alone.” Toby was still chuckling when they pulled into the driveway.
Between the two of them, it only took about twenty minutes to empty the back of the truck.
Ernest put the furniture pieces into the spaces he’d made and then stacked the boxes Toby hadn’t unpacked yet into the spare room.
Toby could work out where he wanted to put his bits and pieces in his own time.
Ernest had already said—at least a dozen times—that if anything of his was in the way, then Toby could move it.
Going back into the kitchen, Ernest was thrilled to see Toby had made him a cup of coffee. “Hmm, just the way I like it,” he said, leaning in and giving Toby a kiss. “Thank you.”
Toby had put the overlarge cake box on the kitchen table. “Did Morty make us something special to have as our first celebratory lunch?” he asked as his stomach rumbled. It was hungry work moving stuff.
“He did.” Toby’s hands were flat on the top of the box. “They were just having some fun. I didn’t want you to get upset.”
In Ernest’s experience, if someone told him they didn’t want him to get upset, that was usually a cue that they were going to be upset. But the sense coming through their bond seemed more of embarrassment.
“If it’s one of Morty’s cakes, I don’t care what it looks like. I’m going to want to eat it, anyway. Your friend is an amazing baker.”
“I’m so glad you said that,” Toby said as he flipped open the lid of the box.
“Uh, what am I looking at?” Ernest peered into the box. “That looks like a map of Italy. Sort of.”
“Oh no, it’s the wrong way around.” Toby spun the box around and then stepped back so Ernest could see.
He swallowed hard and took another look. “Is that meant to be a penis? Did Morty make us a penis cake?” The coloring’s interesting.
Toby nodded, his lips twitching. “Morty and Niall took guesses on the size of your anatomy. They claimed it was life-size.”
Ernest looked back in the box again, and a chuckle escaped his lips.
“Between you and me, I think they overestimated just a little bit,” he admitted.
“Perhaps your friends need glasses. But hey, because they’ve been so generous, at least it means there’s more cake for us.
Look, it’s even got the cum coming down the side of it.
It’s lovely how your friend pays attention to all the little details,” he finished tongue-in-cheek.
“You’re not upset?”
Ernest looked at the cake again. “What flavor is it?”
“It’s a fruitcake with an orange cream frosting. Morty wanted it to be a full-bodied cake.”
I bet he did. “I’m not upset, although…” Ernest laughed cheekily. “Perhaps I’d better be the one to cut it. If your friends made this for you, thinking this represented my dick, well… you’re not going to want to take a knife to it, are you?”
He was still chuckling when he went over to the kitchen drawer to pull out a knife and reached into a cupboard for a couple of plates. He was a huge fan of fruitcake.