Chapter 3
Danny
I rubbed my face, trying to invigorate myself. Despite my best intentions, I hadn’t slept well. My roommate had stumbled in at three—drunk, high, and shocked at just having been dumped by the third girl in a row.
Now, Dwight tried hard…but the guy just didn’t have a way with women. Oh, they’d agree to go out with him. Who wouldn’t? Blond hair, blue eyes, California tan, tall…a damn attractive package. Unfortunately, he’d open his mouth, and that turned off just about everyone. He spouted right-wing conspiracy theories and drivel that made no sense.
I sort of shrugged and ignored him after having figured out early on that he couldn’t be reasoned with. Why he insisted on attending a university in California while there were plenty in red states who would welcome him, I wasn’t entirely clear. We had other right-wing students, for certain. And I respected some of them, for certain. Dwight, though? Not so much. And I struggled to reconcile the straightlaced dude, who believed in taking away rights of others, with the guy who regularly liked to get high.
He’d cried.
I’d gently suggested selecting women with similar interests. Surely he could find a woman with the same conspiracy views as him, right?
He’d vomited into his trash can.
I’d cleaned up that mess and him and tucked him into bed.
Out of an abundance of caution, though, I hadn’t fallen back asleep. They’d told us a couple of harrowing stories in our freshman year, I supposed, to keep us on the straight and narrow. The girl who asphyxiated on her vomit and died was a scary one. I couldn’t remember the others in as much detail. As much as Dwight annoyed me, I didn’t want him dead. My hope was that, once I got into medical school, my caliber of roommate would improve. In fact, I could wish I’d have a single room. Probably couldn’t afford it, though.
A strong extra-large coffee and a breakfast sandwich got me to Gaynor Beach. I stopped at Nice Buns to grab a second coffee and some sticky buns. The online reviews of the place were fantastic and, after I’d consumed one of said buns, I had to agree. I held out the box to James and Colin as we stood in front of James’s house.
His soon-to-be former house.
“It’s a nice place.” I examined the bungalow. Barely more than a tiny house but cute. “A bit small.”
He laughed. “Well, none of you ever descended en masse, did you?”
I cocked an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just…” He cleared his throat. “Right.”
“What he’s trying to say is that he wanted his independence and was afraid if he bought a big house that you’d all visit. All the time.” Colin grinned.
“Well…” James cleared his throat again. “Okay, you’re not wrong. Although cost was a factor as well. I couldn’t afford a bigger place.”
“Good thing he can.” I indicated Colin. “Because you know, now you’re shacked up, Mama and Daddy are definitely going to come and visit. Often.”
James groaned.
Colin laughed.
I grinned. Yeah, my brother was so easy to tease. “Okay, so what are we doing?”
“I’ve done several runs between here and Colin’s house.” James pointed to the SUV.
“Our house,” Colin quickly interjected.
“Right.” James let out a long breath. “Most of the computer equipment and electronics have gone. Everything else is boxed up. I figure you and I should be able to do it in a few trips.”
I cocked my head. “You’re not taking the furniture?”
“Nah.” Colin leaned back against James’s SUV. “My place has everything we need. We’ve found a not-for-profit that was looking for a solid desk, so they’re picking that up shortly. The guy who’s moving in has two young kids. So we’ve arranged for a kid’s bed and a crib to be delivered.”
James snickered. “We.”
I gazed between the two men.
“Colin organized it,” James asserted. “We found out late last night, and Colin arranged everything. Well, the desk we’d already found a home for. But the bed, crib, change table, and dresser have all been paid for by him. A delivery company is bringing them up from San Diego shortly.”
I whistled. “I’m not going to ask what that cost you.”
James cut me a look. When Colin wasn’t looking, he indicated Colin with his chin.
Was James saying a lot or none of my business? Fair enough. Skinny white dude’s skin was still pasty, despite having been in SoCal for more than a month. His pretty green eyes sparkled when he talked about James, but sometimes I caught a worried expression from each of them, when they thought the other wasn’t looking. If he didn’t get a liver transplant, then he was going to die, so that made sense.
This morning, in the bright sun, his coppery red hair shone. He looked better than he had in a while. Possibly because the meds had finally cleared up the Hep C. Or maybe because he was just that much in love with my brother.
Maybe both.
I peered into a window where a stack of boxes was visible. “So we run the rest of your stuff over to the house and then we clean for the new family?”
Colin snickered. “You don’t think that house is white-glove clean already? James might not have been living there much, but he keeps it shining. In case Mama ever did show up.”
James groaned.
I guffawed. Then considered. “Hey, where’s Widget?” I never saw Colin without his French bulldog puppy.
“At home.” James scratched his shorn hair. He kept his scalp nearly shaved while he had a nice beard.
I was always clean-shaven while my hair was…also short. “You left the baby home?”
“We needed the back seat empty to do this in as few loads as possible. She’ll come back with us the final time. She and Colin are going to supervise as we put up Christmas decorations for the new family, and then our place.”
“I can help—” Colin started.
“No.” James and I grinned. In unison, no less.
“Did you bring decorations?” I sipped my coffee.
“Yes.” Colin shifted a little, then resettled. “I’ve bought outdoor decorations for both houses. As well as a few things for inside.”
“A few?” James chuckled. “Bought out the store, just about. Mostly for here, though. We’re going sparse this year until we figure out how we’re going to organize our place.” He gave a pointed look in Colin’s direction. “See? I got it right.”
Colin leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Did you buy a real tree for in here?”
“Nah.” James scratched his beard again. “We didn’t want to make things too complicated, and some people are allergic. There’s a nice artificial tree and several boxes of decorations. Anthony said he thought the guy might want to decorate with his kids, so we’re leaving the indoor stuff alone for now. If he read the situation wrong, we can always help them. I’m more worried about doing the outside lights.”
“Huh?”
He winced. “The guy’s leaving a bad situation, and no one’s supposed to know where he is. I just figured…”
“If this house is decorated like every other house, then it won’t stand out.” Colin grasped James’s hand. “He’s so smart.”
“Actually, I think you decided that.” James rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “We didn’t get much sleep last night.”
I almost piped up that I was also underslept, but I didn’t want to compare a drunk roommate with helping a guy leaving a bad situation with two little kids. I clapped my hands together. “Okay, let’s get this done.”
Two hours and three runs later, all of James’s personal belongings were at the house he now shared with Colin in West Beach. He’d have time to unpack later. The little house wasn’t decorated yet, but the social worker, Anthony, had called with a heads-up to clear out for a bit.
We hunkered down at Boardwalk Book and Bites while Anthony helped the guy and his two kids arrive at the house. We didn’t want to overwhelm them.
We sat outdoors with Widget at our feet, eying our food.
I tried to figure out if I could slip her something.
“Allergic to everything.” James gave me the imperious older-brother glare. “She’s not hard done by, no matter what she wants you to believe.”
Widget blinked several times.
I gave her a sympathetic smile.
She huffed, then hunkered down.
“I admit when Anthony said a victim of domestic violence, I assumed he meant a woman.” I eyed my lunch.
“Yeah.” Colin sipped his drink. “We’re all programmed to think that way.”
“You said he’s got kids?”
James nodded. “The guy’s name is Rob. His daughter Hallie is four, and his son Thomas is a year.” He bobbed his head. “I’m just glad we can help out.”
“How much of a discount on the rent are you giving?” Not that it was any of my business, but I was super curious.
“I’m only charging him enough to cover utilities.” James nudged Colin. “This guy won’t let me contribute to his mortgage, so I can easily afford to keep paying mine.”
“So basically, you’re giving the place to the guy for nothing?”
James glanced back and forth between Colin and me. “We’re lucky folks. Anthony heard I was looking to rent my place out and everything just sort of…came together. Anthony vouched for him, which is more than I’d get with a random renter. I’m sure the guy’s not going to trash it, well, beyond normal kid stuff.”
“Yeah, probably not.”
“Plus, I don’t want the house empty. So he’s, like, doing me a favor.”
I didn’t call bullshit. I could’ve…but I didn’t. I’d always known James had a generous nature. Colin’s giving side had been a bit more of a surprise. He’d come from back east. An investment banker. I’d figured someone like that would be…snooty or entitled. And maybe he had been—I had no idea. I just knew the guy my brother loved was kind, compassionate, and a little shy around the massive Reynolds family.
James’s phone pinged with an incoming text. “Anthony says we can go around. That Rob’s expecting us.”
We rose as a group, with Colin a little slower. James looked like he was going to offer to help, but Colin scowled. He was an independent guy, and obviously being dependent on others grated on him. We were always careful, when he came to the family home, not to baby him. But not to give him overly taxing chores either. He probably noticed—we weren’t exactly known for being subtle.
En masse, we piled back into James’s SUV for the brief drive back to Riverside. James’s former residence was one of the smallest houses on the street, but it wasn’t out of place. In relatively good shape, it now needed some festive stuff to make it look like all the other houses on the street.
James parked us out front, and I didn’t spot another car. While we all got out, Colin, Widget, and I hung back a bit, letting James knock on the door. Then he backed up as well. I couldn’t imagine what image we portrayed—two tall Black dudes and a scrawny white guy with cute copper-colored hair, and a snorting dog.
A guy, presumably Rob, stepped out of the house. Really, though, I noticed his daughter in his arms first—curly, blonde hair, a pair of jeans, and a purple sparkly sweatshirt that reminded me of Widget’s harness. And she clung to her dad with a vise-like grip around his neck.
Next, my gaze followed his arm to the hand gripping a car seat. A small Black boy lay nestled there, fast asleep. He had a shock of natural curls and looked so restful in repose that a pang of envy ricocheted through me. Oh, what I wouldn’t give for some sleep right now.
Finally, I noticed Rob. Damn, I should’ve paid attention to him first. Because the guy was…adorable. Half a foot shorter than me and on the thin side. Light-brown hair—shaggier at the top and cut short on the sides. Soulful gray eyes. The circles under his eyes spoke of exhaustion and, in fact, he yawned even as he eyed us cautiously.
Oh, and the bandage on his nose. He was lucky he didn’t have matching black eyes. That looks painful.
“Hey, I’m Rob.” He winced. “We fell asleep on the couch.” He glanced at his daughter, then back at us. “Rough night.”
James grinned. “Hi, Rob. I’m James.” He gestured. “This is my house, and this is my boyfriend, Colin.” He rubbed Colin’s back. “And this is my brother, Danny.”
“Daniel.” I stood a little taller and tried to suck in my stomach.
James turned and full-on gaped at me.
Inwardly, I stood my ground. Yeah, okay, I normally hated my full name. I’d been named after the actor, Danny Glover. Whom I loved. But in this moment, I wanted…to be an adult in a way I hadn’t ever been before now, and that meant using the proper name my parents put on my birth certificate.
Rob blinked. “Oh. I like Danny. Sort of…softer.”
“Well then, Danny’s fine.” I gazed down, then kicked the soft green grass with my toe. Finally, I looked back up. “I’m trying to be more grown up.”
“You look pretty grown-up to me.”
I startled for a moment at Rob’s words. Is he coming on to me? I didn’t think so, but I couldn’t be certain. Even as I had the thought, his cheeks reddened slightly.
“Papa?”
He pulled Hallie closer. “Yes?”
“Who are they?”
He gazed over the three of us again. “They are the wonderful men who are here to set up your bed. You remember I told you that you were getting a big-girl bed?”
She nodded.
“And Thomas is getting a crib.” He turned to us. “Would it be okay if we put the crib in my room? Then, when he cries, he won’t wake Hallie. Not that he cries,” he was quick to add. “I promise he’s quiet. We won’t disturb the neighbors.”
Why would anyone care if the baby cried? Babies cried. That’s what they did. Each of Felicia and Leticia’s darlings had, at various times, howled the house down. Martin’s daughter, Etta, was a little less like a siren.
A touch, anyway.
“We know it’ll be fine.” Colin gave Rob a sympathetic look.
Oh. Maybe it had been an issue in the last place for Rob. Maybe crying babies had annoyed the spouse who had broken Rob’s nose. The white of the bandages matched the paleness of his skin, and I shoved down the anger that threatened to break through the surface every time I looked at him.
Before any of us could speak, a delivery van pulled up. I recalled Colin saying he’d hired a company from San Diego to come up and deliver everything.
A woman and a man stepped out. The woman held up the clipboard. “James Reynolds?”
My brother stepped forward. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Great, my name’s Nikki. This is Fred. One bed, one changing table, one dresser, and one crib, right?”
“Right.”
Rob gasped. “I can’t afford that.” He nearly toppled over, catching himself with a shoulder against the doorframe.
I strode over to his side, and pointed to the car seat. “Can I give you a hand? Just to take him inside where it’s warmer? I’m sure Hallie has some toys she’d like to show me.”
“But…”
I met his gaze.
Trust me on this. We’ve got this. We’ll take care of you. Let someone help you.
Finally, he nodded, and held out the handle of the carrier.
I took it and balanced the precious weight of the sleeping infant.
Rob pushed off the doorframe, settled Hallie into a better position in his arms, and we went inside.