Chapter Eight
Donovan
“I t’s nice that Eric is moving in with you,” Anthony says as he carries a box into my house. We’re lucky the guys could help, and I’m still trying to get used to the fact that the guys includes a professional hockey player. I’m not hugely into sports, but it’s still cool.
“I think he broke his ankle so he wouldn’t have to help,” Rylan jokes.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Rylan—well, other than he’s probably one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met—it’s that he’s almost never serious.
And super cocky too, so there we go. Three things I’ve learned about Rylan Pierce.
The fourth is that he’s absolutely head over heels for Hayes.
He builds Hayes up in this pure, heartfelt way that almost makes me believe in love again.
“We decided I would move in after I got hurt, but I have to admit, it’s a perk,” Eric says while resting on his crutches by the door.
“Oh. Ouch. My back.” Rylan does this stumbling thing, and Hayes immediately goes into action.
“Wait. Are you okay? Here, put that down. I knew this was a bad idea!”
“Baby…you’re not the one who’s supposed to believe me. I’m a hockey god with perfect pecs. Carrying boxes can’t take me down.” He flexes said pecs.
I roll my eyes.
Anthony chuckles.
Hayes…well, I’m pretty sure he has to physically hold himself back from burying his face in Rylan’s chest.
“Hey! I can do that too!” Eric is clearly concentrating hard. I don’t know about the rest of them, but I can’t see anything happening. “My shirt’s not as tight, so you can’t see.” He pouts, which makes everyone laugh.
“I saw. You have nice pecs too,” I reassure him.
“What did I miss?” Another voice comes from behind us, and I look back to see Kason Maddox, or Mads as Hayes and Rylan call him, come up the walkway.
“Half of the moving,” Rylan replies.
“I was meditating and lost track of time.” Mads shrugs. He’s Rylan’s best friend and the goalie for the Rebels. He agreed to come over and help us too.
I felt bad when none of Eric’s friends were able to pitch in.
When we were younger, he was incredibly popular.
Everyone loved him and wanted to spend time with him.
But I’ve noticed the older we get, the less friends he has.
The thing is, people still love him. He’s the center of attention at every party, people work out with him, play basketball with him, whatever, but they’re not there for the real stuff.
They’re like Cliff in that they’re willing to use Eric but aren’t ever there for him.
“You’re two hours late.” We head inside, and Rylan sets his box down.
“Yes. As I said, I was meditating.”
“Just because you can’t stay still for more than five minutes doesn’t mean other people can’t,” Hayes tells Rylan.
“Wanna have a staring contest?” Rylan grins.
Hayes sputters. “What? No.”
Rylan looks at us and pumps his dark brows. “He loves me.”
“Do you confuse him like you do the rest of us?” Anthony asks, and again, we share laughter.
I have fun with them. It’s a reminder of how sometimes you can get something good out of one of the worst things to happen to you. If it hadn’t been for Malcolm, I never would have met them, and they’re good for Eric and me.
“Are we going to do this or what? You guys are slackers,” Mads says, and everyone grumbles at him.
“Says the guy who was late,” Hayes reminds him.
“It’s a bad habit I picked up from somewhere. Your boyfriend rubs off on me.”
“I only rub off on Hayes.” Rylan gives his well-known smirk.
Hayes punches him in the arm playfully, which just prompts Rylan to pick him up and toss him over his shoulder, before heading back outside, followed by Mads and Anthony.
Eric’s lingering, and one look at his pouty lip is all I need to know something’s up.
“I don’t like not helping, D. I feel useless. Everyone is doing this for me.”
I walk over and press my forehead to his. “You’re too sweet for your own good. You’re the first person to be there for everyone else, yet you feel guilty accepting help from others. We’re here because we’re your friends. That’s what friends do. It’s not your fault you’re hurt.”
“Husband,” he says.
“Huh?” I pull away.
“You said you’re my friends. They’re my friends. You’re my husband.”
This is something he’s been saying. I thought it would be a joke on our wedding day and that’s that, but Eric has stuck with calling me his husband and seems to get a kick out of it.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Apparently everything.”
“Hey.”
“I’m kidding, D. I’ll make everyone something to eat.”
“Are you sure you can—”
“Are we about to have our first fight as husbands?”
I can’t help but shoot a glance behind me to make sure no one is close enough to have heard, but they’re all out by the U-Haul.
It’s only been a couple of days, and I’m just not sure how I want to move forward.
Part of me really wants to tell Anthony and Hayes, but I also worry no one will understand.
Is it bad that sometimes I’m not sure I understand either? I just know it was the right thing.
“Fine, but if you’re hurting tonight, it’s your own fault.”
“Yes, Daddy,” he teases. I shake my head and head back out to help the others.
Some of Eric’s stuff had to go into my shed. I didn’t have the space for a lot of his living room and dining room furniture. It’s shitty that his life is in upheaval like this, and all I want is to find a way to make everything easier for him.
When I get back to the truck, Rylan and Mads are playfully arguing again.
“They’re ridiculous,” Hayes says.
“Yeah, but they’re fun,” Anthony adds.
“Hey, before we go back inside, I just wanted to thank you all again for helping. I couldn’t do this on my own, and we’re not really looking to put out the extra money for movers.
” I would have done it in a second if I didn’t think it would make Eric feel bad, but it looks like he feels bad anyway because he’s unable to help.
“He’s going through a bit of a hard time right now.
” I didn’t tell them he was fired or about the lack of medical coverage.
That’s no one’s business but Eric’s, but I do want them to know how much this means to me.
“Of course. I’ve been through plenty of bad times in my life.
I get it,” Mads says, and really, how fucking cool is he?
He’s only here because he’s friends with Rylan.
He doesn’t really know us. And he’s also a professional athlete, for God’s sake.
I’m sure he hasn’t moved his own things in years, yet he’s doing it for Eric.
“We got’chu.” Rylan winks.
“One of the perks of being Jilted Exes,” Anthony adds. “A friendship we never would have had otherwise.”
“I know. And I want that for Eric too.” It’s my biggest fear—that he doesn’t have that because of me. That somehow his devotion to me holds him back.
And how do I repay him? By marrying him. God, please don’t tell me I’m the worst best friend in the world. But we can make this work. I know we can. It’s in name only.
Hayes often struggles to open up, to share parts of himself, but it’s him who says, “He has it…with us too.”
Rylan wraps an arm around him, pulling Hayes close and kissing the top of his head the way I would do with Eric or him with me. We probably shouldn’t be as affectionate as we are. But I don’t know how to be any other way with him, and I’m not sure Eric would let me even if I tried.
“I think this calls for a group hug,” Rylan says.
“But is it really a group hug without Eric?” Anthony asks.
“How about we save the hug for the end?” If there’s going to be hugging, I wouldn’t feel right without Eric involved.
“So strange how I’m the one who’s in touch with my emotions more than anyone here,” Rylan teases.
“Do you know me?” Mads adds, and then we get to work again.
It doesn’t take the five of us too long to get everything either moved into my shed, garage, or Eric’s room in my house. Eric made chicken fried rice for us, and I make him sit down first while I fix his plate.
The group of us eat before Mads, Rylan, Hayes, and Anthony have to go. Anthony’s working at Lush tonight, a queer bar in West Hollywood where he dances. Apparently, Mads is dragging Rylan to yoga, which Rylan tries to get out of.
One group hug at Rylan’s insistence later, and then they’re gone, leaving me and Eric home alone.
“I’ll go drop off the U-Haul and get my car.
I’ll be back soon.” I bend over where Eric is sitting on the couch to kiss him but then stop myself.
Maybe it’s too much? All the affection and the marriage and stuff?
“Can I go with you?” Eric asks.
“Yeah, of course. I just wasn’t sure if you needed to rest or anything.”
He sighs. “I’m fine, D.”
“Why are you mad?”
He drops his head against the back of the couch. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to feel like I can’t pull my own weight. You do so much for me.”
Which he’s told me more than once in the past couple of days.
“I’m sorry. I know I’m being overprotective.
I should be better about it because I know how it feels to be on the other side of it.
I just…love you and want to be there for you the way you’ve always been there for me.
” I’m surprised when he grabs me and tugs me down to his lap.
I have to maneuver myself so I don’t hit his foot. “What are you doing?”
“Cuddling.” He wraps his arms around me and buries his face in the back of my neck.
“Yes, but why?” The thing is, I really like to be close to Eric this way.
I enjoy his arms around me, his cinnamon scent and how comfortable he always makes me.
I’ve never felt safer than I do with him, but I’m also careful not to go overboard.
Sometimes it’s harder to ignore how attractive he is when we’re this close.
“Because I love you and you’re my best friend. Because you are overprotective, but I also kinda suck because it annoys me and I like it at the same time. Who doesn’t like to have someone care about them that much?”
I slide off him so my ass is on the cushion but my legs are still over his thighs.
“I love you too.” I run my fingers through my hair.
“And I get it because I was the same. I was so thankful to have you, but I also wanted my independence. I think that’s realistic.
I’ll spoil you, but I’ll try not to be too much. ”
“That works for me! I’m glad we could have this conversation where I basically get my way.”
“You’re such a brat.” I stand, then take his hand and pull him to his feet.
I keep going back and forth between worrying one minute and feeling like everything will be just fine the next.
All I know is, I can’t mess this up. Eric is too important to me.