CHAPTER 15
Brian let out a heavy sigh, eyeing the bowl of apples and the basket with baked goodies Albert sent every morning for the kids who came to borrow a book or read at the library. He skipped breakfast at home, but Bart didn’t make a fuss out of it, because he knew his husband enjoyed having a muffin or croissant fresh from the oven.
Not that day, and not in the past week or even more was he hungry. Brian had lost count of the days since he last had an appetite. So far, he managed to fly under the radar, or at least he hoped so, because neither Bart, Martino, or Luca made any comments. However, the librarian was sure it wasn’t going to take much longer until the men in his life noticed and would start to give him hell about that.
Stephanie, on the other hand, gave Brian scrutinizing looks for a couple of days; she knew something was wrong with him, the librarian could bet all his money on it. The young woman was waiting for him to open up about his problem and talk to her, just like he did so many times before. Were the circumstances different, he would have done that right away, but not this time.
Not when Stephanie and Bailey were, albeit indirectly, the cause of Brian’s lack of appetite. A couple of weeks earlier, when he, Bart, and the children were visiting his parents, Anthony took him outside and asked him if he found out anything about his sibling. The librarian looked his father straight in the eyes and, without hesitation, said he didn’t.
The older man went back into the house without a word, but Brian knew he sensed he wasn’t telling the truth. Since he was a little boy, the librarian didn’t have any problem with lying to his mother when the situation absolutely required it. However, he couldn’t keep things from his father or put the blame on someone else for something he did; Anthony Cavallieri was a walking, talking lie detector.
“Babe, did you eat?” Bart’s voice pulled the librarian, who hadn’t noticed him, Stephanie, and Martino coming into the library, out of his thoughts. “I know you. When you’re stressed you skip meals for days on end.”
“Eleven years later, and you still won’t let me live it down.” Brian grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. “Well, um…”
“Stuff your face with a sandwich or something!” Stephanie joined the librarian’s husband, giving the man a critical look. “Bailey drives me insane when they do this! Fortunately, now, with the pregnancy and all, they finally eat properly.”
Bart looked around to make sure there were no kids present and whispered into his man’s ear. “For fuck’s sake, babe. I swear you don’t eat, you won’t get sex for a year. You’re not doing this again.”
“Ugh, fine.” Brian grimaced, then bit into a croissant. “Are you happy now?”
“Luca is right, you are the most stubborn librarian on earth,” Bart affectionately grumbled.
“He’s right about you, too; you’re a brat.” Brian grinned. “However, I still love you,” he added, winking.
“Look at the big boy here!” Bart changed the subject, cooing at Gianluca, who extended a hand, asking for attention.
“Big boy, indeed,” Brian said affectionately. “He takes after his papa, because his dad is a smol bean, like my husband here.” He turned to Martino. “You told him, didn’t you?” He gestured to Bart, shaking his head.
“About what?” Martino replied with a shrug. “I don’t remember, the two of us talk a lot, about many things and…people.”
Brian let out a chuckle. “He’ll watch me like a hawk now and will give me hell if I don’t eat.”
“Uh-huh. Luca, too.” Martino nodded. “You know how he is. How much he cares about you.” The young man paused a bit, then continued in a voice thick with emotion. “We all do; you are important to us.”
The redhead’s words melted Brian’s heart, but they were also a reminder that his family, and many other people, relied on him. If he continued to skip meals or not eat at all, he would get too weak and wouldn’t be of any help to those who needed him. I won’t let them down, the librarian said to himself, finishing the croissant.
Brian’s stomach started to grumble, and the smell of freshly baked muffins, cupcakes, croissants, brownies, and other mouth-watering pastries and cookies became irresistible. He took another croissant, soft moans of appreciation accompanying every bit. Faces brightened by radiant smiles, Bart, Martino, and Stephanie applauded him.
Once again, his loved ones made Brian feel valued and loved. There’s no point worrying over things that hadn’t happened yet, he said to himself, determined to tell his father the truth about Stephanie and Bailey the next time he brought the subject up. Whether the two would want to talk to the man who fathered them or not, it was only up to them, and he would stand by their side, like a good friend does. The best friend they needed. He smiled at the thought.
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The two, a man and a woman, honey-blond hair and blue eyes, in their twenties, were looking around the library for quite some time, but Brian decided not to intervene for the time being. Instead, he examined them; the two looked like they were related, most likely siblings, and weren’t there to search for a book.
Stephanie was in the back, supervising Jamie, who was arranging the arts and crafts supplies which arrived in the morning. This time, the young woman was there as part of her job, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed it less. Just like their boss, the assistant librarian was a fountain of wisdom, and also possessed a great sense of humor.
A couple of middle school kids came into the library with a long list of books for a group project, keeping Brian busy for quite a while. The children, all victims of neglect, were extremely shy and reserved when they came to The Base, but the care and affection they were surrounded with at the rescue center turned them into chatterboxes, and the librarian loved to talk to them.
Another group of kids came shortly after the first one left, this time to return the books they borrowed a few days earlier, so Brian didn’t pay so much attention to the two adults. They were still there after the second group of kids stepped outside of the building, so the librarian shrugged and climbed up the ladder to put a stack of books on the top shelf.
“Hey, Stephanie, how are you?” a pleasant male voice asked from behind. “It’s me, Duke, your old friend and partner-in-crime. I’ve been waiting for you to recognize me, but since you didn’t…” A moment of silence followed, then the voice continued in the same lighthearted tone. “Did I change so much in the three years I’ve spent in England? Well, we spent, since Melina is here, too, tagging along, as usual.”
“Hi, nice to meet you.” Brian grinned as he started to climb down the ladder. “Steph is in the back. Give me a moment and I’ll call her.”
“Oh, sorry…mister?” Duke swallowed hard a few times and blushed in embarrassment. “Are you a man? Whoa!”
“It’s alright.” Brian gave the other man a friendly smile. “I’m not offended. Happens to me a lot.” He extended a hand in the other’s direction. “I’m Brian, the resident librarian. I’ll call Stephanie. Who should I tell her is here asking for her?”
“Um…it’s a surprise.” Duke’s answer came in a hesitant voice. “Just call her, sir, please.”
“Hello!” The young woman accompanying Duke came from outside, where she went a few minutes earlier. “We saw some horses running on a field on our way here. Is there a horse farm nearby?” she asked in a voice filled with excitement. “Oh, sorry.” The young woman apologized when she saw the librarian with the phone in hand.
Brian offered her a warm smile, then speed-dialed a number. “Hey, Stephanie, you got two people asking for you?” He listened carefully to the voice on the other end of the line. “All right, I’ll tell them.” The librarian listened to the young woman some more, then ended the call and turned to the two guests. “She’ll be here in twenty minutes. And yes, that’s the vet clinic and stables.” The last part came as an answer to the young woman’s question from earlier.
“Vet clinic?” Duke exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. “What a happy coincidence! My sister Melina here is a vet, and she adores horses. Also, cats.”
“That’s awesome.” Brian offered the two one of his warm smiles. “I’m sure Nico, the clinic owner and head vet, Ian and Oisin, the vets-in-training, Hector and the other techs, and also Maurizio and Manfred, the horse trainers, would love to meet you.”
“Wait, trainer? Are those therapy horses?” Melina’s eyes went wide with surprise and started shining with joy and interest as she continued. “Because that’s fantastic. I always wanted to work in a center using horseback riding as part of recovery therapy in some paralysis cases.”
“Yeah, especially if you are surrounded by all the handsome men…” Duke smirked, then grinned. “I don’t doubt they are hot as hell, vets are usually sexy. I’m not lucky enough to date a hot guy, vet or not. I’m a lot more boring than my sister, just an investment consultant.”
Stephanie came from the back, eyes widened in surprise when she saw the two. “Duke? Melina? I can’t believe you guys are here.” She gave each of them a big, warm hug, then turned to the librarian. “Did Bailey come back from work?”
“Not yet, but I can text them to see,” Brian replied as he composed and sent the message, then turned to the other young woman. “Yes, they are therapy horses.” A few minutes later, the ping coming from his phone made the librarian let out a low whistle. “That was fast.” He read the message and smiled. “They are at Oisin’s, with Lennox, who bought pizza, cherries, and pears.”
“Isn’t Lennox the best?” Stephanie said in an affectionate voice, then turned to her friends. “Bailey is pregnant.” She inhaled sharply. “I have a lot to tell you.”
“Finally!” Melina clapped her hands in excitement. “I bet Grant is over the moon.”
“Lennox really is.” Brian nodded, his voice soft. “The man is made to be a father, mark my words.”
“Whoa, wait a minute!” Duke raised his hands, a frown creasing his forehead. “Who’s this Lennox guy? Steph?” He gave his best friend a confused look.
“Lennox is a friend and Bailey’s husband-to-be,” Brian answered, after Stephanie mouthed help to him.
“Our friend was happily married to Grant.” Melina frowned. “Something is very wrong here.”
“They weren’t happy at all.” Sadness crept into Brian’s voice. “I’m betting you both are protective of them and that’s why they didn’t say anything.” He wrapped the two in a warm gaze.
“Are you suggesting Grant was a fucker who abused Bailey and the Lennox fellow saved him?” Duke’s body tensed, and he balled his hands into fists. “Why didn’t they…”
“Because they knew how you would react, and they loved Mr. Roberts very much.” Stephanie inhaled sharply before continuing. “Bastard as he was, Grant was his son.” She gestured to the librarian. “Brian here saved Bailey’s life more than once. He’s a wonderful guy who cares about us very much. We became very close in a very short time.”
“I’m just glad I made it in time.” A shy smile playing on his lips, Brian waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “I don’t know about the wonderful guy part, but I do care about both of you very much.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Stephanie shook her head, then gave the librarian a look filled with gratitude and warmth. “He really doesn’t know how wonderful he is.”
Duke nodded. “No, he doesn’t. I don’t doubt your friend here did more than you tell us; just like me, he’s the type who would kill that motherfucker and would make sure no one ever found the body.” The young man grinned. “Which, in my book, makes him the greatest friend you ever had or will have, and a man I’m honored to meet.”