Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
Nolan tried not to pace, but it was hard.
Ryder had gone to check with his brother Warrick about the security of the house and the land because he said he wanted to spend a bunch of time with Nolan up in their room. It was awful; he felt like everything that had happened was on him.
He wasn’t going to run. Ryder was worth staying and fighting for, and Race was here too, still asleep from the effects of the dart. But at the same time Nolan kind of felt like he was losing it a bit.
So he just did what he needed to do.
He paced up the stairs, down the stairs, around the room. He watched a little TV. He made cookies because he was hungry. He looked at the drone pieces, and then he started putting them back together.
This was at least something he knew how to do.
Putting things together was a big skill for him, and so he slowly began to rebuild the drone, frowning over the mauled mess of plastic and metal.
“What are you doing, man?” Con had been hanging out at the house, and at the house, and still at the house. It was fascinating.
“I’m putting this back together”
Con tilted his head. “Why?”
He shrugged. “I guess because I can. Because I don’t know what else to do. It’s not like I can make the house any cleaner. I’ve already made cookies. I need to do something. I’m not used to doing nothing all the time.”
“Dude, I get that. You can put it back together?”
“Well, I don’t know that I’ll ever make it work again, but I can totally at least get it together to where we can see what it looked like and maybe learn something about it.”
He could tell Connal was in.
“Interesting. What other things can you make?”
He shrugged. “I’m a mechanic. I can put all sorts of things together—cars, bikes. I have worked on planes and computers, vacuum cleaners. I like to take things apart and put them back together to make them work.”
“Oh, we’re gonna have the most fun! How do you feel about LEGO?”
He grinned at Connal because he really liked his spirit and his attitude. “I love LEGO. I really do. I like the great big projects, you know, the ones that take hours and hours to put together.”
“Oh my god, me too. Although sometimes I don’t have the patience to finish them all by myself, and I have to get War to help me. But I would totally do LEGO with you.” Con bounced a little, which was adorable. He had a feeling Con didn’t have a whole lot of friends.
Maybe he was wrong, but he would bet Con was a lot for most people.
“Let me know whenever you’re ready. Right now, I’ll work on this. Can you hand me that piece there that’s shaped sort of like a cookie with a bite out of it?”
“Dude, you’re totally feeling the cookies right now, huh?” Con handed over the piece exactly, and that was great. It boded well for LEGO later on.
“I am. Do you want to go get some from the kitchen for us? I didn’t really have but one to make sure they tasted good.” He stuck his tongue out to make sure that he could get the piece that he was trying to fit into place. It was like a mandatory helpful thing.
“Sure. I’ll be right back. Do you want some milk?”
Nolan glanced up. “I would love a cup of tea actually. Can you?”
“Got it. Milk or lemon?”
“Lemon and honey.”
They looked at each other and grinned because some things were just true. Salmon, honey, berries, these were all things that were necessary for life, and he wasn’t going to be the bear who decided he didn’t like those normal things.
“I’m glad you got away from him.” Con went to make tea, getting out glasses and starting the kettle. “I can’t believe he would chase you.”
“Me either, honestly. I mean, it’s not like I’m the only bear available. It’s not like it was a love match. I don’t even think he liked me very much. I felt like it was sort of one of those things where everybody was forced to do it.”
“Huh, well that’s kind of weird. You said it was set up by a matchmaker?”
He shrugged. “It was a contract between our families, sort of like an arranged marriage.”
“Arranged mating?” Con’s eyes went wide. “Creepy.”
“Yeah, they’re a little hidebound.”
“Which is weird because Race is so not hidebound. He’s kind of amazing.” Was Connal vibrating? He thought Con might be vibrating.
Nolan stared over at Connal for half a second and then went back to putting things back together. “You know, you’re right, he’s really not one to follow the rules, but he left home really early.”
“He was precocious, huh?” Con winked as he poured water into the cups and teabags, then added honey and lemon to the hot, hot liquid.
“Yeah. He was not one to be put down, you know? They couldn’t keep him in line, so he just ran.” Nolan figured he probably ought to resent Race for that, but he didn’t. He was so glad his brother had gotten out because Race would have gotten himself killed if he’d stayed.
“That’s wild, man. The three of us grew up in a very different space than you guys.”
“I can tell you’ve always been free to do what you want to do.” He put another piece into place, gluing it down, and he was really pleased at how this was coming along.
Connal brought him his cup of tea, sliding in to sit across from him again. “Just tell me what you need me to hand you.”
“Thanks.” They worked together quietly for a while until Nolan’s skin prickled, the hair on the back of his neck rising, his nose twitching.
That meant that Rye was in the room, and he glanced up, smiling when Ryder came over to put a hand on his lower back. “Hey, what are you two working on?”
“Nolan’s really good at this. He’s reassembling the drone.” Con waved a hand at the parts still strewn across the table.
“Well, look at all this. You think you’re going to be able to make it fly again?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so, mate.
I don’t think it will ever work again. Not without new parts.
I can make a reasonable facsimile, so you absolutely know what it looked like.
If we find some kind of computer part, maybe you can get images off of it.
That part I’m not great with, but I can totally give you something to see.
” Nolan didn’t even know if that would help, but it was better than sitting there.
He shrugged. “It’s not worth much, but—”
“Hush. You’re amazing.” Ryder kissed him on the top of his head.
“Race is really good with the digital part. Maybe he could make the camera work,” Con put in.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. We’ll ask him when he’s feeling a little bit better.
” Ryder gave Nolan a squeeze. “Right now, this is great. Being able to see what it looks like, being able to maybe find the manufacturer information because you’ve got it where it’s supposed to be is going to be handy.
Even if they’ve scrubbed off the serial number, having a reasonable facsimile, like you said, would make it easy to find the brand and all that kind of stuff from the pictures. Having tea?”
Con rose and went to get another mug out. “You want honey and lemon like us?”
“Sounds great. You guys want me to make some sandwiches or something? I don’t even know what time of day it is.”
“Maybe breakfast sandwiches,” Con said.
Nolan nodded. That sounded really good, and his belly rumbled.
Rye grinned at him and kissed his cheek. “Breakfast sandwiches it is. I have some English muffins, some sausage, and I’ll make some eggs.”
“I’d offer to help, but—” He held up his hand. “Grease and glue fingers.”
They all had a bit of a chuckle about that, with Ryder swooping in to kiss him on the nose, then on the mouth.
“We’re going to fix this, and we’re going to make it clear, mate, that you’re your own bear, and that you’re welcome here. Herschel is not.”
He beamed. “We will.”
Because to be perfectly honest, the alternative sucked, and he just wasn’t interested in going back and being whatever Herschel wanted him to be.
“I don’t understand it,” he admitted.
“Which part?” Ryder asked on his way to the kitchen.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know how anybody would want someone who didn’t want them.”
“Oh, I know this one!” Connal bounced. “Because people are stupid and selfish and—”
“Greedy. Don’t forget greedy,” Ryder added. “I always liked greedy as a reason.”
Con shrugged. “Possessive, too. And they can’t handle being told no. Then there’s the part where they just simply can’t believe that somebody doesn’t want them completely. It’s a thing.”
“And do you understand this thing?” Ryder asked Con.
“Of course I do. I’m irresistible, but I would never force myself on someone.”
Nolan giggled because Con made him laugh. Just full-on silly man-bear.
Rye cooked for them, and then they ate their sammies and chatted, both big bears helping him.
Ryder glanced at the drone once Nolan had run out of pieces to glue back in. “Looks great, babe. We should take our tea and go upstairs.” Ryder gave Con a pointed stare.
Nolan blinked up, smiling. “Oh, I could go upstairs. I think in fact I could totally do that. I’ll see you later, Con.” He couldn’t stop his blush if he wanted to. But it was totally pleased. It felt so good to be wanted. And then wanted for him alone.
“Dirty bears. Go have fun. Know that I am jealous.”
He waved, and his cheeks were burning as he headed upstairs with Ryder, but not bad enough that he wasn’t going to do it.
He hoped that there was going to be something fun and amazing waiting in the bedroom, something that involved riding his bear into the ground.
I can hear you. Be good. We’re heading upstairs. There’s a door that locks.
And a big bed, he pointed out. A big bed for big bears.
Funny how that works out. Ryder chuffed softly, his nostrils flaring. I wasn’t sure why I needed such a big bed. Now I knew it was just waiting for you, and I didn’t even realize it.
Nolan could handle that. They snuck down the hallway, and he thought they’d made it, but no. He groaned when Race opened the door of the guest room.
“I thought I heard someone coming.”
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Nolan asked, his voice little more than a growl.