28. Markus
CHAPTER 28
MARKUS
Adam can cook. He explains that it’s because they take turns cooking dinners at the station during their shifts. Why he’s such a whiz in the kitchen is hardly important; all that matters to me right now is the French toast he made for a late breakfast. I glance at the clock—almost four in the afternoon. Correction— very late breakfast, but I don’t care about that either.
I can’t remember the last time I felt this relaxed and at peace. Spending time in Adam’s bed today is exactly the sort of physical and mental therapy I need after the last few days.
I twirl a bit of the toast in a pool of syrup and look across the table at Adam. He’s watching me with a relaxed and dreamy expression, which I imagine mirrors my own. This comfort I feel with him is new, like everything fits right when we’re together.
After a moment of sharing that silent stare, he asks, “What?”
“Nothing,” I say, but it’s a lie. My mind races with, well, everything . Past, present, and future, happiness and sadness and everything in between. It all whirls around inside me, and it’s a bit overwhelming. But when I look at Adam, my mind calms, and my heart swells, and I feel fresh air in my lungs like it’s the first breath I’ve taken in this life.
If I’m interpreting these feelings correctly, I think it means I like this guy. A lot . As Adam would say, I want more with him. It’s an exciting prospect, and it’s a bit terrifying too. New town, new car, new relationship, new me? That’s a lot of newness. Am I ready for it all?
The look Adam gives me is cryptic, like he’s trying to see into my head and read my mind, but soon enough he glances away at Rufus, who is curled up in a cuddle puddle with Drusilla.
“When should we admit it?”
“Admit what?”
“That they’re a couple.”
“Probably about the same time that you admit you’ve foster failed Drusilla and officially adopt her.”
Adam’s lips curl on one side in a cheeky smirk. “I’ve never failed at anything in my life.”
I can’t help but laugh whenever he looks at me like that. “Well, in that case, it’s a foster win!”
Now he laughs. “I like the sound of that.” He dips his head and lowers his tone to coo at the dog. “What do you think, Drusilla? Who’s your daddy?”
That makes me laugh again, and it feels good. Being with him is nice and easy, and I hadn’t realized how much I needed something nice and easy in my life.
At Adam’s question, Drusilla gets to her feet and crosses to him, licking all over his chin when he moves his lips out of her reach. He scratches behind her ears and kisses the top of her head, and she pretty much melts from the attention.
“That looks like a yes to me,” I say.
Now I coo at Drusilla when I ask her, “And who’s your boo?”
“It’s Rufie,” Adam says in a syrupy voice.
“Rufie?” I cringe.
He looks at the ceiling as he reconsiders. Then he says, “Uh. Ew. No, that’s a terrible nickname. We’ll stick with Rufus.”
“Good plan.” I laugh once more. Jesus, do I ever laugh this much? Out of the blue, I start quizzing him, desperate for more information.
“When is your birthday?”
Raising a brow, Adam answers, “April twentieth. Yours?”
“September eleventh.”
“Oh wow.”
“Yeah, it’s weird. What’s your favorite color?”
He laughs and shrugs. “Red…no, blue. You?”
“Hmm. Green. Favorite food?”
Adam ponders the question for a moment, then excitedly answers, “There’s this taco stand in San Antonio. I’ll take you sometime. You’ve got to try their al pastor. Life changing.”
Is he suggesting we travel to San Antonio together? Because it sounds like he’s planning a date. And I like the sound of that. Even if we’re not talking specifics, I like how easily the idea of us sharing things together comes to his mind. To keep from fixating on that notion, I ask a new question. “Do you always wear socks when you sleep?”
Adam laughs so hard he gets the dogs riled up. They circle his chair like they want in on the joke. He kicks a foot up, wiggling his toes in his Charlie Brown Christmas themed socks. “Yes. And if I had my druthers, I’d wear them when I’m having sex too.”
Now I laugh, one of those laughs that clears the cobwebs from your mind and fills your chest with fresh air. “Uh, no. I’m going to have to veto that.”
He smiles so wide I can see both dimples in his cheeks, and when he tries to quell the smile by biting his lip, my heart goes pitter-patter. Damn, this man is fine and funny and quirky, and I’m really, really into him. This time, I’m too distracted with his grin to come up with another question.
“Have I told you everything you want to know?” he finally asks me.
“For now.”
“Well, then, let’s get started.”
Started?
Adam stands from the table and takes our plates to the sink. When he claps his hands, the dogs assemble attentively at his feet, but he addresses me when he speaks. “We’ll shower, then head over to the clinic to help clean up.”
Uh…what? “ Help clean up?”
Adam nods as he reaches the door to his bedroom, making a show of pulling his socks off like he’s doing a striptease, then he disappears inside. I follow him and the trail of discarded clothing, which leads me to his bathroom. Inside, I find him naked, warming up the water for a shower.
“What do you mean ‘help clean up’? Who are we helping?”
“Everyone,” Adam says casually over his shoulder, then he turns to face me. God he’s gorgeous, especially when he’s naked and rock hard, that erection pointed right at me. “Come here.”
I forget whatever it was we were talking about and follow his command. Pushing down my boxer shorts until they fall to the floor, I walk into his arms and trace my fingers over his chest and down to his jutting cock.
Adam presses me to the shower wall, where the spray douses us both as he kisses me, and his hands rove to my length. I stroke him as he does the same to me and lose myself to the sensation of his touch, his taste. His kiss is maple-syrup sweet and nearly masks all the devilish things he’s doing to my body.
When he pulls away, water drips from our hair and down our faces as we catch our breath. Adam comes closer, his whole body against mine, our cocks pressed together. I love the heat of it and how his silky texture is ribbed with thick veins. Between us, he links our fingers like we’re shaking hands, but with our linked grip ringing our cocks.
Oh. Wow. I’ve never tried this before, but Adam guides my hand with his so we’re jerking our cocks off together. And, God, it feels amazing.
He stares into my eyes as we fuck like this, the shower spray and our pre-cum making our strokes smooth and fast as we near the point of release. I don’t think I’ve blinked this whole time, so entranced by his gaze as he guides the pace of our linked grip.
“Are you gonna come for me, babe?”
The rumbly sound of his deep voice when he calls me babe is music to my ears. It turns me on just as much as it fills my heart with warmth. I nod excitedly. “Yes. Oh God, yes.”
With that, he squeezes our cocks harder, and I do too. The feel of us pressed so tight together is fucking amazing. When we each orgasm, our hot cum combines as it marks us both, a mutual claiming this time. He is mine, just as I am his. I know that now, without a doubt.
Once we’ve come down from that high, Adam bathes me. His fingers are gentle as he runs them through my hair and over my skin, such a contrast to the roughness from before. I bathe him, too, loving the way the soap suds cling to his skin like they’re as desperate to touch him as I am.
Once we’re rinsed and dried and dressed, I remember my question from before our steamy shower sex and ask him again, “What do you mean that everyone is helping clean up?”
Everyone , it turns out, is the entire town of Krause. Or at least that’s how it seems. Adam parks his truck across Main Street, and I’m shocked by the sight that greets me when I look over at my clinic. The boards that Adam’s brothers-in-law used to cover the broken door are off, so is the broken door, and three men work to install a new one.
I practically jump out of Adam’s truck before he puts it in park and run over to the men to see what’s going on. I recognize one of them easily—Knox County from Adam’s fire crew—but the other two are strangers.
“What’s up, Doc?” Knox says to me, and then we both frown. “Uh, yeah. Anyway, these are my brothers Briscoe and Clay.”
I shake their hands, then look at the door they’re installing. It’s brand new, with a heavy-duty locking mechanism. “Where did this door come from?”
“Al’s Hardware,” Knox says and nods to an older man who’s just stepped through the opening with a level in one hand and some shims in the other. “This is Al.”
“Howdy,” Al says.
“Nice to meet you, Al. How much do I owe you for the door?” I ask him.
“Aw, not much, Doc. Maybe a couple nail trims for my dog?”
Uh… I’m astounded. Not sure what to say. A couple nail trims would cost just thirty dollars. I’m certain this door costs far more than that, not to mention the labor for installation. Before I can argue or insist I pay him the full costs, Adam tugs at my arm to take me through the opening and into the lobby.
Worried about the dogs’ paws, I check the floor for glass, but it’s completely clean. Not only clear of glass but blood too.
Adam’s mom and his sisters are here, as well as Dee and Drew from his fire crew, and a whole squad of other locals—some I recognize, some I don’t—are cleaning and mopping my clinic. Even the elderly librarian who wrecked her car into mine is here, though she’s leaning on a cane and wearing a neck brace, and everyone is encouraging her to sit down.
“What is happening?” I mutter to myself.
Adam must hear me because he says, “This town needs a vet.”
“So?”
With a chuckle, he tells me, “ So , they want to make sure you have everything you’ll need to run this place safely.”
I frown at him. “You knew about all of this?”
“Didn’t know about the door—that’s the County brothers’ doing—but Alice and Mom organized a few locals to help with the cleanup, and that’s my brother-in-law Clint up on the ladder installing the security camera. He also brought in the computer and phone.”
Sure enough, all new devices sit in place of my broken computer and ancient phone at the front desk. And Clint stands on a ladder, adjusting a camera to face the door and windows.
Too stunned to do much of anything, I stare at all these people, these virtual strangers who’ve come here today to help me. But quickly, my mind moves out of that comfort zone as I stare down the hallway to where it all happened. I dread going back into that supply room, afraid to see the state of it. Have they cleaned that up too?
Hesitating only a moment, I walk that way. Adam follows, and so do the dogs, their claws clicking on the linoleum like a countdown toward that terrible space. I fortify myself for the bloodbath I expect to see. Instead, it’s pristine. Someone—or several someones—has scrubbed the blood from every inch of the walls and floor. They straightened and cleaned the contents of my shelves and put it all back to right, like nothing ever happened here.
I’m so grateful I could cry. This community…my God. I don’t even have words for how I feel right now. To be not just tolerated but claimed by a community is an experience I’ve never known. It feels so good and right, and… Fuck I think I might cry. Seeming to sense the vulnerability of my mood, Adam steps beside me and puts his arm around my waist.
“Thank you for this,” I say once I’ve swallowed the lump in my throat.
“Don’t thank me. I was with you the whole time, babe.”
There’s that term of endearment again. I really like it. “You organized it though.”
“My sister organized it. You made a good decision hiring her,” he says with a wink.
I stare at him a moment, that cheeky grin of his so mesmerizing, and a tidal wave of emotion swamps me. The urge to laugh and cry and kiss him all come at me at once. And I think I do laugh and cry as I pull him in for a kiss. We’re in the same place where Adam kissed me amid a blood bath last night, but today it’s serene, calm normalcy. And it’s fucking fantastic.
Adam pulls away from the kiss and presses his forehead against mine, his arms cinched around my waist to hold me near as he says, “Last night, my mom had just told me you were back in town when we got the call out to this address. All I knew was a robbery was in progress and life-threatening injuries were reported. I was petrified it was you who was hurt. And the thought that kept screaming in my head as I raced over here was, ‘I can’t lose him, not when I’ve just found him.’ Then I saw all the blood and?—”
I kiss him, unable to wait another moment before my lips are on his, capturing his anguished words, and replacing them with that soft, sweet connection. When he kisses me back, his rigid body seems to melt into mine. I melt into him too. His kiss, his nearness give me strength, like I can balance better when he’s around. It feels like I can rest some of my weight on his shoulders yet still stand tall.
“Enough of that, you two.” Alice clamors into the supply room with one end of a file cabinet, her husband lugging the other end. “Listen, Boss Man, we’re going to have to talk about grope sessions in the storage room. This could become a hostile work environment if I’m going to keep walking in on you making out with my wee tiny baby little brother.”
“Could we chill with the adjectives, big old sister?” Adam retorts.
I chuckle at them both before asking the burning question, “Why are you bringing my file cabinet into the supply closet?”
Adam’s sister nods at her husband to put his end down, and she sets the cabinet upright in the corner. “You don’t need it anymore, so we’re getting it out of the way. If you want to sell it, I know a guy?—”
“Why won’t I need a file cabinet anymore?”
“Because, lazy bones, while y’all were sleeping, I digitized your records with the new computer system Clint set up. You’re welcome!”
Adam hooks his arm around his sister’s neck and gives her head a noogie that messes up her hair. “There were definitely bones involved, Sis, but they weren’t lazy.”
“Ew, TMI. Boss! I need to file an HR complaint!”
“You are HR, Sis.” Adam lets her go when she tickles his armpit.
“Well in that case, I’m giving myself a well-deserved raise!” Alice says this as she comes at me with a hug. The affection is a surprise at the start, but soon I relax and hug her back. Quick as she came, she leaves, her husband shaking my hand as he follows her out.
“Am I going to regret hiring her?” I ask Adam.
“Definitely.”
We follow the sounds of laughter and friendly conversation out to the main office. As we reach the opening of the hallway, that cute little boy Mateo comes over to offer us empanadas from a plate that is almost too heavy for him to carry. Behind him, an older Hispanic woman reminds the boy to offer us napkins when Adam takes two of the piping hot treats, then she surprises me when she hugs me. The hug is great, a strong grandmotherly sort of thing that soothes my soul. When she releases me, she gives my cheek a gentle pat and hugs Adam in the same way. They move on, Mateo offering empanadas to a group of hungry-looking volunteers.
“That’s Rico’s mom, Inez. She lives next door to Drew and Chloe.” Adam takes a big bite of his empanada and hands the other to me. I’m in awe, too stunned to think about eating right now.
Like we’ve stepped up to a receiving line, others come over to greet us, each person taking a moment to hug me and Adam and pet the dogs. None of the hugs are quick and dirty one-armed jobs. We get proper hugs from Adam’s sisters Ava and Anna and a hearty handshake from Anna’s husband, Gary.
Mildred makes her way over too. The cane and neck brace force her into a rigid posture that slows her stride, but she refuses help as she comes to stand before me. I bend almost completely over at the hips to hug her gently as she says, “I’m just so terribly sorry about hitting you with my car. Doctors say I had a seizure, and I shouldn’t drive again. I don’t remember a thing, so I suppose they’re right.”
“I’m just glad we’re both okay.” I pat the old woman on the shoulders.
“If there’s ever anything I can do to help you, you just let me know, okay, dear?” Mildred takes my hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. The gesture is so sweet and motherly that it nearly brings tears to my eyes. I sniff them back and grin as a younger woman—who introduces herself as Mildred’s niece—also hugs me, then leads her aunt away.
I turn to Adam and find his mom standing there, her arms wrapped around her baby boy’s waist, apparently waiting her turn. When she comes to me and hugs me, I think I’m ready for the warmth and love I’ll receive from her.
Nope. Not ready.
For someone so small, she wields the power to knock me off my feet, right off my axis. Her hug seems to shrink me down until I’m that sad little boy who just wanted the love and acceptance of his parents. And that little boy can’t hold back his tears. I cry on her shoulder, letting myself feel my grief and relief, my pain and joy, and all the emotions in between. I don’t know how long we stand like that, hugging as my tears wet the shoulder of her shirt. When we do come apart, she cups my cheeks in her hands, and I can see that our hug brought the tears out of her too.
We chuckle as we wipe our eyes. Adam wraps an arm around each of us and kisses our cheeks. His mom’s gaze moves from me to Adam and back, and she smiles so wide. She pats her son on the cheek and tells him, “I told you so,” before instructing us both, “I expect you two for dinner. It’s chili tonight, so bring your appetites.”
When she’s gone and most of the other volunteers have wandered out through the newly hung door, it’s just Adam and me in my clinic, standing arm in arm.
“What’d she tell you?”
“Huh?”
“She said, ‘I told you so.’ ”
“Oh. She told me you were gay way back when she first met you.”
I laugh and wipe the last of my tears away.
“You okay?” Adam asks, sounding a little more serious even as he smiles.
I look around at the space as the dogs explore every room and sniff every surface. Clearing my throat so I’m sure I can speak, I tell him the truth. “I’m great, truly…great. You?”
Adam smiles over at me and winks. “Never better.”