Chapter Forty-Eight
Dean
My phone buzzed in my pocket as I paced the living room of Beau’s apartment.
Or I guess it was mine now, too. We had been back in Boston for a week, and today was the day that Cole came home from camp.
Beau hadn’t told him I was here or that we were officially back together yet.
We had both agreed it would be kind of a great surprise, so I waited at home while Beau went to pick him up from the airport.
I was nervous. I couldn’t help it. I was worried that maybe Cole would be mad or didn’t want me living with them. No matter how much Beau assured me that wasn’t true.
I sighed and slipped my phone from my pocket as it went off again.
But I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the pictures Maverick had sent to band group chat.
How happy he looked. The smile on his face that never seemed to leave.
In this picture, both Maverick and Jackson had snorkels on as they stood in front of clear blue water.
Big, goofy smiles split their faces, and I couldn’t stop the one that spread over mine.
This was my brother. The Maverick I knew.
Not the person he had been pretending to be.
Maverick: We swam with dolphins today! It was so cool. We’re having the best time.
Killian: You look like you might have gotten a little sun, Mav. Your skin isn’t so ghostly white.
Blake: You look happy,
Maverick: I am happy. And yes, Kill, I have gotten tons of sun. It’s so beautiful here.
Dean: I love seeing you like this.
I glanced up as the front door opened and Cole walked in. He stared at me for a second as if he wasn’t sure I was real and then he dropped his bag on the floor, rushed toward me, and engulfed me in a hug, lifting me off my feet.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Cole exclaimed. He pulled back to look at me again before we were hugging and laughing. “Does this mean what I think it means?”
I chuckled softly. “What do you think it means?”
“That you and Dad are back together? Are you moving in? Does that mean you’ll come to my games and stuff, too?
” Cole released me. “I mean, it’s cool if you don’t want to, but if you’re going to be my stepfather, and Dad does go on the road a lot, that means my other dad should be here.
Not that I don’t like spending time with my grandparents. ”
Beau wrapped an arm around him. “Take a deep breath, kiddo. We’re not married yet, but yes, that means he’s moving in. And that we’re back together.”
“This is the best day ever!” Cole shouted. “I’m going to put my stuff away, but don’t go anywhere. We have to catch up. I have so much to tell you.”
We both watched as he picked his bag up and headed to his room.
When I looked up at Beau, he winked. “Welcome home, Pink baby.” He opened his arms for me, and I happily stepped into them.
We stood there for a few minutes, just wrapped up in one another.
This, this was what had been missing from my life, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“So, while I was at camp, I kissed... Oh. I should probably let you two have some alone time,” Cole suggested.
Beau squeezed me tightly before letting me go. “Of course not. We missed you and want to hear all about camp.”
“Who did you kiss?” I spun around to face him.
Cole blushed up to the roots of his hair. “Um, a boy.” He ducked his head and gave me a shy smile. “It wasn’t like a big thing, but it was nice. He was nice.”
“Do you have plans to keep in touch with this boy, or is it just a onetime thing? You know what?” I reached for his hand. “Tell me everything.”
Cole blushed even darker, his face now a shade of cherry, and I squeezed his fingers tighter. “Could we go into my room?” His gaze moved behind me, and I knew he didn’t want Beau to hear whatever he was going to tell me. “No offense, Dad.”
“None taken.” Beau grinned.
I let Cole lead me down the hall to his room, and when the door was closed behind us, he chewed nervously on his bottom lip.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I told him. “How about you tell me how camp was? Did you have fun? What’s it like? Do you do hockey drills all day? I gotta tell you, that sounds horrible.”
“His name is Bryant,” Cole blurted out. “He’s seventeen, has blond hair, dark eyes, and he’s a goalie.
We exchanged phone numbers, but I don’t know.
What if it was just a summer thing for him?
What if he doesn’t really care about the kisses we shared?
I feel so dumb.” He dropped on this bed face first.
I stepped closer. Maybe I wasn’t cut out for this dad thing. What if I said the wrong thing? “If Bryant doesn’t want you, then he’s the dumb one. You’re amazing, Cole.”
He mumbled something I couldn’t understand into the mattress before he turned to look at me. “You’re just saying that.”
“Maybe,” I teased, and when his brows shot up, I shook my head. “Show me a picture. I want to see what all the fuss is about this Bryant guy.”
Cole twisted onto his back and unlocked his phone. He sighed softly before he held it out to me.
“He’s hot,” he said quietly.
The picture he showed me was of him and I assumed Bryant; their heads pressed together with big, goofy smiles on their faces.
He had big brown eyes, curly blond hair, and looked several inches taller than Cole, who was nearly as big as his father.
And much larger than I was at five-foot-eight.
But Bryant looked just as happy as Cole did in the picture.
“He’s okay,” I said nonchalantly.
Coel huffed. “Okay? He’s better than okay. Bryant was the hottest boy there. He towered over all of us, and he’s so nice. Like super nice. Funny and friendly. Everyone wanted to hang out with him, but he picked me.” His eyes went round when he realized what he had told me. “I really like him.”
“I bet Bryant feels the same way about you.”
“He was probably just being nice when he asked for my number.”
My brows shot up. “Wait a second. Bryant asked for your number? Cole, that’s huge. I bet he’s at home with his family right now, thinking the same thing you are. ‘What if Cole doesn’t really like me? What if he was just being nice when I asked for his number? He was the cutest boy there.’”
“I wish.” Cole giggled. “I have more pictures.” He gave me that shy smile again. “If you want to see them.”
I nodded. “I’d love to.”
“And, uh, you could sit down with me or whatever. You don’t have to stand there.” Cole patted the bed next to him.
My heart swelled with delight. I climbed up onto the bed and stretched out next to him, then he held out his phone again. This time it was just Bryant, laughing at something, his head thrown back and his eyes pinched shut.
“You spent a lot of time with him.”
“We were roommates,” Cole whispered.
Oh. OH. “Cole, did you do anything other than kiss Bryant?” I wasn’t sure if I should ask that or not, but I was curious.
“No.” He blushed again as he shook his head. “We kissed a lot, though.”
I didn’t push for more. Only because it wasn’t really up to me to do that, and if Cole wanted to tell me more, he would. He was a teenage boy, after all. He had to have some secrets that he kept to himself. Maybe shared with his friends. Certainly not with his father’s boyfriend.
“What about the pen pal you were talking to?”
“We’re still talking, but honestly, Reed is just a friend. He lives in North Carolina. That’s kind of far. Bryant lives in Portland, Maine, and that’s not that bad.” Cole sighed softly. “I don’t know. This is all so new to me.”
I nodded. “You know, Killian lives in North Carolina and is friends with Hutch, Reed’s father. I’ll be visiting him if you want to come with me sometime. You could meet Reed and see how that goes. And honestly, North Carolina isn’t as far away as you think it is.”
“I think Reed’s mad at me.” Cole chewed on the inside of his cheek.
I tilted my head. “Why do you think that?”
“I messaged him about Bryant, just because I wanted to talk to someone who would understand, and he didn’t respond to me. He read the message, but that was it. Maybe I said something that upset or offended him.”
Or, I thought to myself, Reed likes you more than a friend and might be a little jealous. “Maybe he’s busy.”
“Maybe.” Cole let out a long breath just as there was a knock on his bedroom door. “Come in, Dad.”
Beau opened the door and stepped into the room. “I was going to order pizza...” His eyes went wide when he saw us. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” Cole assured him. “There’s room for you, too, if you want.”
Beau’s lips twitched, then he let the smile spread over his face. “I think I’d like that.” He quickly climbed up on the other side of his son, so he was between the two of us.
The three of us lay there for a few minutes, and I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t enjoy it. It made me feel like we were all a one big happy family. And it might be too soon to think something like that, but I didn’t care.
“You said something about pizza?” Cole broke the silence just as his stomach growled. “I can’t help it. I’m a growing boy and all.”
Beau caught my eye before he answered. “I did mention pizza. Any kind you want.”
“You know I’ll eat anything on my pizza. Well, expect anchovies. That’s just nasty,” Cole said. He smiled as he looked between the two of us.
I snorted. “I’m with Cole on that one.”
“No anchovies, got it.” Beau grinned.
Cole sat up. “I think I’m going to like this. Having us all here together like one big, happy family. I’m so glad you and Dad are back together.”
That would make the two of us.