Chapter 15
15
SCOTT
Weeks flew by. Deer finished his tests, and he seemed confident about his work. I liked seeing him secure in his intelligence. After college was finished for the semester, we spent even more time together when I wasn’t working. We went to dinner, had sex, played together, and he even helped me find Christmas presents for my friends and family. Not surprisingly, he was good at choosing what to buy someone, even if he didn’t know them.
My injury healed and I removed the stitches myself. While I got twinges every so often, I barely felt it anymore and didn’t need to take as many painkillers.
Then, the twentieth hit, and we found ourselves at A Class Above the Rest, waiting for Avery’s impending arrival. Deer and I sat in one of the booths, and he pressed against my side, clutching his beer nervously. He held the bottle so tight his knuckles went white.
I smiled and swooped down to kiss his rosy cheek. “Don’t be nervous. Avery will love you.”
Deer shook his head, dark hair falling around his eyes. “He’s your friend. I want to make a good impression.”
I smoothed a hand down his spine. “Fawn, you don’t need to try. You’re already perfect, and he’ll love you. Trust me. I know Avery. He’ll eat you up.”
He sent me a small, anxious smile. “I hope so. I mean, not eat me up . Like me. I want him to like me.” His cheeks flushed a vibrant red, bright enough for me to see in the dim lights of the bar, and I laughed. My sweet, shy deer.
The bar’s heater blasted and it was nice and toasty, just how I liked it when it was cold as a freezer outside. We’d shed our coats and had them hanging over the end of the booth.
“Oi, what’s going on, mate?” called a familiar voice behind us.
Grinning, I turned in my seat and looked at Avery. “I’m just waiting for a mate.”
“Is that why you’re drinking that shit?” Avery pointed at the beer on our table, and I zeroed in on his middle and ring finger—or lack thereof. Deep pink scars weaved their way around the nubs that ended at the first knuckle. He hadn’t changed much since I’d seen him last, which was surprising. Usually, he switched up his appearance every so often. He still had the natural brown he’d dyed his hair a few months back. Before that, it’d been bleached pale white. He’d always had a young face, with a square sweeping jaw and plump lips. He certainly didn’t look his thirty-four, very soon to be thirty-five, years.
I chuckled and raised my bottle of beer, tipping it toward him. “Yeah, I’m just waiting for a mate.”
“What’s your mate’s name?” he pushed on.
“James.”
“Yeah? What’s your name?” He crossed his arms.
“James.”
Deer smirked, glancing between me and Avery as though he couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. He wouldn’t, but any millennial Aussie and their mates would get it.
Avery cackled. “You fuckwit.”
I gently pushed Deer out of the booth and stood to give Avery a big hug. He was a lot shorter than me, standing at around five foot two—we’d measured our exact heights when we were legless and joking around about it—and his face ended up smooshed in my lower chest. He dug a finger into my ribs, and I laughed harder and stepped away to look at him. I grasped his shoulders. “Hey, sweetheart. How was the trip?”
“ Fun . Especially when I had to listen to this dickhead the entire plane ride.” He threw a thumb over his shoulder at Dane, my younger brother. Though, everyone and their dog knew him as Cricket. If you asked his friends about “Dane,” they probably wouldn’t know who you were talking about.
“What the fuck?” I spread my arms, and Cricket laughed, stalking forward to give me a hug with a rough slap to the back.
“Hey, mate.” Cricket took a step away and ran a hand through his blond mullet, cracking a wide, cheeky smile. “Avery said he was gonna visit you for Chrissy, so I thought I’d pop over and check in with your ugly mug.”
A feeling I couldn’t put a name to welled up in my chest. I hadn’t seen either of my brothers since I’d left Australia. We talked by phone and texted all the time, but we’d decided it was too dangerous for them to come over to the United States to visit. They always sent me photos, though. Skippy usually gave me pictures of his two little girls to show me how much they were growing, while Cricket, the playboy he was, showed me who he was going to fuck that night. And sometimes I got photos of his ute that he was fixing up.
I grabbed him again and dragged him in for another tight hug, ruffling his mullet. “Fuck, I missed you, kid.”
He laughed. “Yeah, you too, old mate.”
When I finally let him go, I stepped back to get a good look at him. He was eight years younger than me and had the attitude to go with being the baby of the family. He was a smart-arse, but he was also hilarious and a huge damned flirt.
“How are you? How’s Skippy?”
He shrugged. “Same as always. Skip’s busy with work and the family. I’m busy fucking.” He thrust his hips and winked.
I shook my head with a chuckle and turned so he could see Deer. “Avery, Cricket, this is Deer.” I waved toward him, smiling widely as Deer took a nervous step forward.
He looked good dressed in a pair of snug jeans and a button-up black shirt that I’d bought him while we were shopping a few days ago. He’d protested, but I always won fights when it came to money. I had enough of it, and he deserved to be spoiled.
He held out a hand toward Avery first. “Hello. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Avery stared for a long moment before he cracked a grin and went straight in for a hug attack. Deer was taller than him, which meant he got Avery’s hair up his nose. The face he made was adorable. “You are as gorgeous as I imagined.” Avery pouted. “I asked for a photo, but Scotty refused to send me one. I had to come and check you out.”
“So, you only came to see Deer?” I asked, amused.
He winked. “You bet I did.”
Deer laughed. “I’m glad I passed that test, then.”
Avery took a step back, knocking one of the newly empty tables behind him with his denim-covered prosthetic leg, and gave Deer a once-over. “Scotty, your boyfriend is a fucking beaut. I’m impressed.”
“Not his boyfriend,” Deer said rather quickly, his cheeks pinking.
I froze, my gut churning. No. He isn’t. I’d asked him to stay around for January, but we weren’t anything but playmates, were we? He needed the money, and Avery had told me to get laid.
Avery glanced at me from the corner of his eye, pointing a knowing look toward me.
“Let’s get some drinks.” Cricket slotted himself between Avery and Deer, then held out his elbow toward Deer like a Victorian era gentleman, something he definitely wasn’t. “Shall we? You can tell me what my brother’s been up to. Don’t spare the details.”
“Don’t flirt with my boy.” I pointed a finger at Cricket. “Deer’s mine.”
Cricket held up a palm to me. “Oooh. Possessive. That’s new.” He stuck out his tongue and practically hauled Deer toward the bar.
Deer sent me a pleading glance over his shoulder, and I laughed. A few minutes with Cricket and whatever shyness and nervousness he had left would evaporate. My brother always had a way with making people feel safe and comfortable around him.
Avery patted the booth’s table. “Get in, we’re having a chat.”
He didn’t wait for me, rather manhandled me onto the long seat on the right side before I could say anything. He might be a sub, but Avery had the attitude of a Dom. Whoever managed to land him needed a huge set of brass balls because controlling Avery would require a lot of strength and patience.
He sidled in beside me and nudged me hard in the ribs with his elbow. “What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” I glanced in the direction of the bar, searching for Deer and Cricket. My brother wouldn’t do anything stupid, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep an eye on them.
“Oi, attention on me.” Avery grasped my face between his fingers and yanked it so my gaze met his. “He said you weren’t boyfriends, and I saw that expression you got on your face. You were all sad. Have you talked to him about wanting more?”
I groaned. “Ave, don’t do this.”
“Do what? Have a yarn with my mate? We haven’t seen each other in forever, and I’m worried about you.” He booped me on the nose. “Now fess up. What have you and Bambi figured out?”
I wasn’t getting out of this conversation even if I wanted to. Avery wouldn’t let it go. Once he had something in his head, it was stuck there until he got answers.
“I asked him to stay through January. He agreed. We’re nothing. He needs money, and you told me to get laid, so I am.” I shrugged. “End of convo.”
“Yeah, nah. We ain’t done yet.” He tugged my arm. “We’re going to finish this now or when Deer gets back. Your choice.”
I sighed. Goddamn it. I loved Avery, but he was also a pain in the arse. “Fine. I want to keep him. Okay? I like him a lot, but he’s only staying because he wants cash, and I don’t want him to stick around for that. I want him to want me. Fuck .”
It was strange saying it out loud. I hadn’t even admitted it to myself yet, but Avery had a way about him. Telling him all my deepest, darkest secrets was a relief. We’d shared some pretty horrible things in our lives, but also good things, too. He was my best mate for a reason.
Avery smiled warmly and stroked my hand. “Scotty, platonic love of my life, you are one stupid bugger. Do you not see how he looks at you?”
I frowned. “What?”
“That bloke stares at you as though you hung the moon. You could be broke as fuck, and I reckon he’d stay.” He shook his head. “Get your thumb out of your arse and talk to him. We both know you’re good at that. Invite him into your life, not just into your world. Look at you, you’ve already started. He’s meeting me and Cricket. I don’t think I’ve ever met one of the guys you’ve been with.”
It was true, but then I’d never wanted anything serious. Deer was different. He fit into my life perfectly.
“I didn’t expect Cricket to come. He made plans last minute.” Avery leaned back into the booth and grinned. “So, we won’t crash your Deer party. I booked us a hotel.”
“You don’t need to,” I said, but he shook his head.
“I don’t want to hear you fucking, mate. Plus, maybe I want to get laid while I’m in town.”
I made a face. “Not with my brother again, right?”
Avery shrugged, completely undisturbed. I knew they’d fooled around a few times, but I’d made it my mission not to know more. “He’s fun and he’s right there for the taking. Or giving, should I say.”
“Fucking gross.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, Scotty, you’re so easy.”
I shook my head. “While you’re here, I’m going to arrange some bodyguards.” I held up my finger when he went to argue. “I’m not risking yours or Cricket’s life. I’m sending a message to Zombie right now. We’ve always got private security on retainer for times like this.” I pulled out my phone and sent Zombie a request to contact the firm we used, and Avery merely sighed, knowing this wasn’t worth the argument.
Cricket and Deer headed back toward the booth, and Avery slid out so he could take the opposite side. Deer gave him a smile as he stole Avery’s original spot, while Cricket took the seat beside Avery.
“You finished with the goss?” Cricket teased, grinning as he plopped a whiskey down in front of Avery. “Thought I’d get you a real drink. The beers here are shit.”
“Oi, watch your mouth. Avery and I are turning into Americans,” I said with a chuckle.
“Fuck off with that shit.” He grinned and nodded at Deer. “I was just telling your lover boy here all about the stuff you did as a kid.”
I groaned. “You didn’t.”
Cricket’s smirk was downright mischievous. “I told him about Skip dakking you on the stage of that play Mum put us in.”
Deer leaned in close to me as he set down two beers. “I still don’t know what dakking is. I feel like it’s something to do with your underwear.”
I laughed and rubbed a hand over my face. “Yeah. Fuck, is there an American word for it? He pulled down my pants to my ankles so I flashed the audience my cock in my jocks.”
Deer’s face lit up and he cackled. “That makes sense now. We call it pantsing someone.”
“Hah. You ever pantsed someone then, Deer?” Cricket’s eyebrows waggled. “Come on, you can tell us.”
Deer’s cheeks flushed and he shook his head. “No. Never. It’s kind of mean.”
Cricket snorted. “Well, yeah, that’s the point of having a brother.”
I rolled my eyes as I curled an arm around Deer’s shoulders and brought him closer. He snuggled in. “You never said that when Skip got to you. If I remember correctly, he dakked you in front of Hodgo, the guy you were crushing on at the time.”
Cricket made a face, telling me I was right. It’d ended up in a brawl between Cricket and Skippy, and Dad had needed to get between them. At the time, we were all in our mid-teens.
“So, what’s with the nicknames?” Deer glanced between us. “You’re Cricket, and your other brother is Skippy. But Scott doesn’t have one?”
Cricket lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. “You bet he does. We call him Gabby.”
Deer’s eyes widened. “Why?”
Cricket pointed at me. “Because this bloke here’s got the gift of gab. He can talk the pants off a priest.”
I rolled my eyes, but warmth spread through my chest. I missed home and my brothers. As much as I loved my new life in New York, a homesickness was buried deep in my chest and came out in situations like this.
“I never tried,” I said.
Cricket snorted. “Only because we’ve never been to church. Mum would’ve been caught dead before she walked into one of those for anything but a funeral or wedding.”
I shrugged. It was true. Australia was multicultural and had a lot of different religions, but in Townsville, the majority didn’t attend church because the biggest religion there was none. I didn’t enter a church until I was twenty, and that’d been for an uncle’s funeral. Even weddings were done outdoors in Townsville these days.
Another culture shock for me in moving to America was how religious everything was.
“Anyway, I got my nickname because I’m sporty. Always doin’ some kind of sport, but cricket was my go-to.” He grinned cheekily. “I also love playing with a bat and balls.”
Deer slapped a hand over his mouth and chuckled.
“Skippy? He’s always on the go. Can’t get that bloke to slow the fuck down, been that way since he was a kid, so we called him Skippy like the bush kangaroo. His real name is Christian, though. I’m Dane, but I probably won’t answer to it. Sometimes I forget that’s my legal name.” Cricket rocked his glass from side to side and the ice clinked before he raised it to take a drink. “Mm. The good shit. What about you? Deer can’t be your real name.”
Deer sent him a soft smile. “It isn’t. My name’s Diarmuid. So, Deer’s a nickname.”
“You got family, mate?” Cricket asked. The thing about my brother was that he was a chatterbox, too. He said I had the gift of gab, but he could charm anyone he came across as well. Skippy was the same. We’d all inherited our charisma from our dad.
My grip on Deer tightened. I didn’t know the full story, but Deer’s family situation was tense. I didn’t want Cricket to make him uncomfortable.
“I have two brothers, too.” Deer spoke before I could change the topic. “I’m the middle kid. I haven’t seen my older brother since we were practically babies. He went to live with my uncle after my dad died. My mom and I have a strained relationship. I love her but she’s...difficult. My younger brother’s in Erie, Pennsylvania, attending college there. He’s her favorite.” Deer winced and pain flashed across his face. “But that’s life, I guess. Everyone has a favorite.”
Avery smiled sadly at him. “Some families really suck.”
If anyone would know, it was him. Cricket and I were lucky with how we’d grown up—money and good parents.
Deer snorted out a laugh and raised his beer toward Avery. “Amen to that.”
Avery grasped his glass of whiskey and tapped it against Deer’s bottle. “But fuck ’em, right? We’re stronger without their drama.”
Deer laughed. “It’s true. People suck.” He slid his gaze to me. “But sometimes they’re awesome.”
I didn’t know what reacted first—my heart or cock. Either way, they both jumped. Fuck, how was he so damned adorable? I wanted to eat him up. Now, there was an idea for later....
“So, what do you do for Christmas in this country?” Cricket asked. He was the person who hated silence. “You don’t happen to play Slip ’N Slide cricket, do you?”
“No, we— wait. What is that ?” Deer’s eyes widened.
Cricket was in his element. It was one thing when it involved a sport he loved, another when it involved the shit we got up to when we were kids.
He held up his palms. “You know, Christmas is a summer holiday in Australia. Okay, you ready for this? We get a long-arsed tarp and lay it on the ground in the backyard. Add some dishwashing liquid and water, set up the wickets at the end, and you have Slip ’N Slide cricket.”
I groaned. “I ended up with a broken arm from that one year.”
“Oh my God, I bet you did.” Deer’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head. “But that sounds fun. We have Slip ’N Slides in America, but we never had one.” He frowned.
“I’ll take you to Australia for Christmas one year and we can play.” I’d blurted the offer before I’d realized what I was going to say. The moment Avery sent me a knowing smirk, it hit me. Fuck. I turned my gaze on Deer, and he was staring at me with a soft expression that had my insides squirming.
“I’d like that,” he whispered.
Cricket, oblivious to Deer and me, kept talking. “Then, when we’re done playing cricket, you use the tarp to slide on. It’s so fucking fun, especially when you’re pissed as an adult.”
“I’m in.” Deer nudged me playfully on the shoulder. “You’ll have to teach me how to play cricket.”
I shrugged with a laugh. “Eh, the only thing you need to know about the backyard game is stand in front of the wickets and bat the ball so it doesn’t hit the sticks behind you. Easy as.”
Deer plopped a gentle kiss on my cheek, and the small gesture surprised me. I cocked my head toward him, and he smiled softly in response. “Sounds like fun.”
Cricket cackled. “Let me tell you more stories. I’ve got plenty.”
This was going to be a long night. Yet, I didn’t mind. Deer, the guy I liked more than I should, got along with my best mate and younger brother. What more could I ask for?
* * *
We celebrated Avery’s birthday two days later—before the actual date because it was Christmas Eve—and it was a fun night full of laughter and drinks. Deer was happy, eager to get more stories about my childhood from Cricket.
By the end of the night, Deer informed me that he was staying with me for the holidays. When I asked him why, the only answer I got was “I don’t want to spend it with my mother.” It made sense, from what I understood about her, and I liked the idea of him being here with me and my family.
I’d already commissioned a piece for him as a Christmas gift and couldn’t wait to give it to him.
Then, Christmas Day finally came.
I woke up before Deer, taking a moment to appreciate his sleeping form. He was soft in slumber, all gentle lines and relaxed posture. This Deer didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders. I gave him a tender kiss on the forehead before I slipped out of bed and got dressed. Then, I went straight to the kitchen.
I began cooking a huge breakfast feast, including scrambled eggs and bacon. If I was at home, we’d have seafood galore, cob loaf dip, and the barbie on the go with snags and all kinds of delicious mouthwatering meat. Perhaps I really could take Deer to Australia next year. I’d need to figure out a deal with Killough to keep us safe while I was there.
By the time I heard the padding of Deer’s feet, I’d prepared toast, bacon, and eggs, and he came into the kitchen in cute reindeer pajamas I’d bought him. He grinned when he caught sight of the food.
“Did you cook?”
“No, I have servants,” I joked, and his laughter was sweet to my ears. The sound was the most beautiful I’d ever heard.
He rolled his eyes and closed the distance between us, laying a gentle kiss on my mouth. “Thank you.”
I patted him playfully on the arse. “You’re welcome, my sweet fawn. Now, sit that cute bum on the stool and I’ll get you some grub.”
“Wait.” He held up a finger and disappeared back through the door again. I had a feeling I knew what he was doing, so I finished dividing the breakfast before I opened the drawer to my left and pulled out a pretty wrapped present in green paper and a blue ribbon. I slid it and his plate toward his side of the island top.
When he rushed back into the room, he paused as his gaze caught the gift. “You got me something.” Clutched in his hands was a present of his own and he groaned. “This won’t be as nice as what you got me.”
“Who says?” I shifted closer to him and cupped his face, laying a kiss on his forehead. “Anything from you means the world to me.”
He flushed, the pink bleeding across his cheeks and down his neck. He passed me the present. “It isn’t much, but I knew I wanted to buy you something like this for a while.”
I raised my eyebrows and excitement made my fingers tingle. Growing up, I had everything I could’ve ever wanted, but this was different. This was from Deer and that meant a whole lot more. I ripped off the wrapping, tearing it to pieces until I came to a brown box, which I opened with enthusiasm.
He laughed. “It isn’t that exciting.”
“Oh, it is.” I peered into the box and my heart clattered against my rib cage. I pulled out the snow globe inside. Except, it wasn’t “snow” in the plastic sphere, but what appeared to be sand. There was a koala and kangaroo standing beside each other with a wooden location sign above them, pointing in all directions. I looked closer to see the cities on the signs.
Coffs Harbour.
Bundaberg.
Townsville.
Alice Springs.
Karratha.
Nullarbor.
They were strange towns to have in an Australian globe, but it was nice not to see the usual capital cities.
Deer let out a shaky breath. “I know you’re missing Australia, and this might be nice to keep around the apartment for when you get homesick.”
I kept staring at the globe gripped in my hands, speechless. No one had gone out of their way to buy me such a thoughtful present, not even Avery. My best mate and I agreed it was easier not to exchange gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
I placed the globe on the counter and turned toward Deer. I grasped his wrist and dragged him into a tight hug, kissing his cheek. “I fucking love it, Fawn. It’s the perfect present. The best I’ve ever gotten.”
He snorted. “I don’t believe that.”
“Well, it’s true.” I cradled his face between my palms and slanted my mouth over his, kissing him with the kind of passion that I hoped expressed how much the gift meant to me. When I broke the connection, he blinked up at me dazedly.
“Oh.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, that’s how much I love it.”
He joined me in laughter, shaking his head. “I believe you, and I’m happy.”
“Your turn.” I gripped his hand tightly as I led him around the island and to his stool again. He sat down, and I slid the present I’d bought him closer.
Like me, he didn’t waste any time. He ripped the paper open, then paused when he came to a flat blue velvet box that fit in the palm of his hand. He raised his gaze to me, nervousness flashing in the depths of his irises. “It’s expensive, isn’t it?”
I nudged him with my elbow, stifling another laugh. “Open it.”
“I’m scared,” Deer whispered.
I tapped his nose with my pointer finger. “There’s no snake hiding in there.”
He snickered and finally opened the lid to find what was inside—a necklace made of a strand of diamonds. Hanging from it was a deer made of the same diamonds, but it had a ruby nose.
“Oh my God.” He slapped a hand over his mouth.
“I say this with love, Fawn, but protect this from your mother. It’s forty carats.”
“What?” he practically screamed, jumping to his feet and stumbling backward. His wide eyes went from the necklace still sitting in the box on the island, to me, and then back again. “I can’t have that. It’s too expensive. That must have cost, like, fifty grand.”
And the rest. Try about nearly half a mil. I didn’t tell him that, though. Price didn’t matter. I wanted him to have the best. I maneuvered the necklace out of the box and walked toward him with it in my hands. “Turn around.”
“Scott....” His eyes watered as he stared at the delicate jewelry clutched in my fingers. “I can’t. It’s too much.”
“It’s not enough. Turn around, sweet fawn. If you don’t, I’ll take it back and get an even more expensive one. Your choice. My nan taught me to be stubborn when it came to giving to someone I care about.”
“What if I lose it?” He chewed on the nail of his thumb before he hesitantly turned around as I’d instructed.
“You won’t.” I lifted the necklace over his head and laid it against his collarbone before clipping it up at the back. When I was done, I gripped his shoulders and spun him around. The diamonds glittered under the bright lights of the kitchen, but it was his flushed skin underneath that made the jewelry even more beautiful.
“Perfect for you.” I caressed my thumb along his jaw. “You deserve it.”
“I don’t know what to say,” he whispered, desperate.
“Nothing, but you’re the sexiest bloke I’ve ever seen in my life , Scott .” I winked.
Laughter fell from his pretty lips again. “Thank you, Scott, you’re the sexiest bloke I’ve ever met,” he said, mimicking my accent and everything.
“Cheeky bugger.” I slapped him playfully on the arse, and he wriggled it toward me.
He touched his fingertips to the necklace, closing his eyes for a moment before slipping them open again. “I love it. I really do. Thank you.”
My heart swelled. “Good. Now come and enjoy breakfast. Avery’s already planned to go try out an Outback Steakhouse, which is supposed to be Australian cuisine. But I’ve never been. He booked a table ages ago, apparently. Avery, the sneaky little bastard, thinks he’s clever, but I’ve already heard it’s nothing like our food back home. But I’m entertaining him with the idea.”
“You’re a good mate.”
I pinched his cheek, eliciting a chuckle from him. “Look at you, trying out the slang. Aussie Aussie Aussie.”
“Oi, oi, oi!” Deer grinned, very proud of himself.
I shook my head. Yep, I’d caught a winner. I wasn’t sure how I was meant to let him go. Perhaps Avery was right and I needed to have a conversation with Deer about somethingmore. Either way, it’d have to wait until after today. We had Rafe’s New Year’s party that he’d invited us to. I could start afresh then with asking him to be more to me.
With that thought taking root in my brain, I led him back to his breakfast, the necklace sitting comfortably against the vee of his collarbone.