Chapter Twenty-Seven
Caleb
One month later
“I’ll come by sometime next week and help you with the cabinets.
” Sal scratches the back of his neck, lingering on the front porch.
It’s one of the few times today that we’ve had actual eye contact.
He and Vivian met us early this morning at Kayden’s apartment.
Now it’s late afternoon, and we’re almost done moving all of Kayden’s stuff into my house. Our house.
“That’d be great. They should be here Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.” I’ve ordered new kitchen cabinets because I figured Kayden is going to be spending more time in our kitchen than I will, and I want it to be nice and new for him.
I’ve ordered new appliances too because the old ones came with the house when I bought it.
He doesn’t know that, though. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he walks into a brand-new kitchen.
I want Kayden to feel like he isn’t just moving into my house, into my life, but that this is his home too and that we’re creating a life together.
I want to upgrade the bathroom next. Put in a tub, maybe, and some skylights, so we can watch the stars on a cloudless night, wrapped around each other in the tub.
My chest squeezes at the thought of all the new memories we’ll be creating here, in our mutual home.
“Cool, cool,” Sal says, his gaze dropping to the wooden planks. “What is it now? Fifteen years? It’s still holding up real good.” He swipes his boot back and forth against the mahogany hardwood.
“It really is. Good choice.”
Sal looks up at me with surprise, then smiles carefully. “Oak would’ve been just as good.”
“Maybe, but I like this better. I’m glad you persuaded me to get it instead of the oak.”
Sal looks like he wants to say something else, but then leaves it, just nodding at my words.
We still have a long way to go, but I’m confident we’ll get there.
It’s all new to us, this new dynamic. We’re not just friends anymore; we’re more than that.
Perhaps one day, Sal will be my father-in-law, too.
I really hope so. That’s going to take some getting used to for sure, but no matter what happens, we both have one goal in common—to make Kayden happy.
“... I just think you’ll get tired of the beige really quickly,” Vivian muses as she appears at the end of the hallway, a clearly annoyed Kayden trailing behind her. He looks one step away from losing his mind. I can’t help smiling at the two of them. They’re so similar.
“If we do, we can just paint it again,” Kayden counters, then rolls his eyes when his gaze connects with mine.
“But why waste time, money, and good paint if you’re just gonna change your mind anyway?” Vivian’s voice has that slightly shrill edge to it, her cheeks flushed from running around helping us all day.
“No one says we will!” Kayden’s voice takes on the same shrill edge as he holds up his hands behind his mom and does a strangling movement, mouthing I swear to fucking God.
Sal and I both snort, and Vivian’s eagle eye shoots in our direction. “What?” she snaps.
“Nothing!” we both blurt at the same time, then burst into laughter.
She holds up her hands in resignation. “Surrounded by stubborn-ass men! Why do I even bother?”
“Like the pot calling the kettle black,” Sal mumbles under his breath.
Like she has eyes in the back of her head, Vivian zeroes in on her husband. “What was that?”
“Nothing, darlin’. Just talking to Caleb.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m sure Kayden appreciates all your advice, don’t you, Kayden?” Sal says fondly, shooting a pointed look in his son’s direction before pulling Vivian against his side. She struggles at first, then leans her head against Sal’s shoulder, patting his chest.
“I do. You know I do, Mom.”
“We should get out of your hair,” Vivian says. I haven’t talked to her alone since Kayden told her about us, but I know we need to at some point.
“Thanks again,” Kayden says, walking up to his parents, hugging his mom first, then Sal.
“Of course,” Sal rasps, wiping at his eyes as soon as Kayden walks to the front door. He gives me a short nod. “See you tomorrow, Caleb.”
“See you, Sal. Bye, Viv.” Yep, awkward as fuck, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.
“Oh, thank God,” Kayden groans, leaning back against the door as soon as his parents have left. “I wanted to wring Mom’s neck.”
I laugh. “I could tell.”
“She thinks she knows everything better.” He pushes away from the door and moves up to me.
I wink at him. “Takes one to know one.”
“Fuck off!” He scowls, then walks straight into my arms, resting his forehead against my chest. “I’m not that bad.” I wrap my arms around him, my body relaxing, the feel of him against me soothing as always.
“No, you’re not. If it makes you feel any better, you won’t have to argue with me when it comes to decorating. You’ve seen my taste.”
“As in no taste?”
I squeeze his ass. “Oh, I have taste. Just not when it comes to meaningless stuff like paint or curtains or furniture. My taste is more… singular.”
“Singular, huh?” Kayden licks my neck, and I fucking ignite inside.
“Yeah, you know me, baby, I’m a simple kinda guy. One-track mind and all.” I tilt my neck, chasing his lips.
“Well, I just happen to love your simple, one-track mind.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Good.” I smirk, my heart spilling over with happiness. “Welcome home, baby,” I whisper into his hair, his sweetness filling my lungs.
A quick nap and a messy blow job later, and Kayden is bouncing with energy, trying to fit as many of his throw pillows onto our couch alongside mine as he can.
“We should get a second couch,” he muses, adjusting a navy pillow. “They don’t match at all.”
“It looks fine.” I wrap my arms around him from behind, trailing kisses down his neck.
“Don’t distract me. It doesn’t look fine. It looks… ugh. Sit down and let me see how it looks.”
“You want me to be your couch model?”
“Just humor me, okay?”
“Okay, baby.” I plop down in the middle of the couch. Kayden tilts his head, frowning, then gestures with his hand.
“A little to the right,” he directs, and I scoot to the side. “No, not your right, my right.” I do as I’m told, but the frown just builds and builds into a scowl.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s no good. We need to get a second couch. Maybe one of those loveseats?”
I smirk at him, then slap my thigh. “Oh, I’ve got one for you right here, sweetheart. Best loveseat in the state.”
Kayden snorts, his gaze softening as the scowl slowly dissolves. “I don’t know if I like you anymore.”
“Pfft, you like me just fine, sweetheart. You looove me,” I sing-song, and Kayden slouches toward me, then jumps into my lap, straddling my thighs, linking his arms around my neck.
“I do,” he admits, then kisses me, his soft lips brushing against mine. I kiss him back, but I don’t let it develop into something more, although my dick is definitely on board. I have other plans.
“I got you something.” I press the words against his lips.
“You did?”
“Mhm.”
“What is it?” He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth. “Is it big, fat, and drools when it sees me?”
“Fuck, baby.” I grab his ass, stilling his already grinding movements. “No. It’s in my pocket.”
Kayden waggles his eyebrows suggestively.
“I mean my coat pocket, you little brat. Go get it.” He smiles, then climbs off my lap and near-sprints to the hallway. I take a second to adjust myself, coaxing my dick not to get any ideas. I have more important plans.
Kayden appears in the door to the living room, holding a white envelope in his hands. “What is this?”
“Open it.” I didn’t need to print them, but I wanted to see the expression on Kayden’s face when he opened the envelope.
He carefully opens it, and it looks like he’s holding his breath. My heart hammers away in my chest. Kayden pulls out the two tickets, his eyes growing huge. He blinks a couple of times, and when he finally looks up at me, his blue eyes are all watery. “Really?” He whispers.
“Really.” My eyes sting too at how precious he looks this very minute.
“We’re going to see The Emberline in concert?” His voice shakes, tinged with disbelief.
“We sure are, baby.” My cheeks hurt from smiling.
“Tonight?” His expression is almost comical, and I can’t help laughing.
“Tonight.” I look at my phone. “In about… three hours’ time. So you’d better get a move on. We’ll grab some food in Colchester before the show.”
“Three hours?! Shit, what am I gonna wear?” Panic flashes in his eyes. “What do you wear to a concert with your favorite band?”
“You look good in anything, baby,” I hum as I get up from the couch.
“That’s not helpful at all. Like, what does that even mean?”
I try to swallow a laugh, but it’s fruitless. He’s just too fucking cute, worrying over what to wear for a concert.
“Just—” I know it was the wrong word to start with as soon as Kayden’s eyes snap to my lips.
“Don’t just me, Caleb. This is serious.” He storms past me toward the bedroom.
“You need any help?” I call after him, trying not to laugh.
“No!” he yells back, then slams the bedroom door behind him. Crazy man. My crazy man. My man.