26. Samson
SAMSON
I try to dance in my small shed, a way to burn off some steam and center myself, but it’s hard when Rowan’s not here to watch, to instruct, to move with me.
I find that he centers me in ways dance can’t.
It’s becoming a bit of a…not a problem, per se, but something else. Something bigger, something significant.
I’ve never missed someone like this. Where several minutes feel like hours. Where in his absence, I feel like something is slowly being cut from me.
Is this how my brothers feel about their partners? It’d make sense given how much they hate being parted from them.
I end up cutting my dance session short. I set my axes down and wipe my sweaty face and chest with a rag, glancing down at my phone. My heart sinks when I realize he hasn’t messaged, but then again, I don’t really expect it. I’m sure Harley has roped him into something dangerous…
That thought makes me move a little faster, pulling my shirt on as I nearly sprint across the grounds.
I don’t want to be like Cade, who hovers over Ansel, always lingering around him.
I’m not that whipped. But I like Rowan. More than like him, actually.
I want to be with him all the fucking time. But I realize that can’t be healthy.
He can have friends outside of me.
He can hang out with my brothers and their partners, have fun, and be wild.
If they behave.
And only if they do.
Actually, that’s just ridiculous because I’m pretty sure none of them ever behave.
Except maybe Wylder. He might, but he doesn’t count.
He’s far too stubborn and stringent. The rest, especially Harley, are mischievous fuckers.
They like to burn things down and blow things up. I mean, I do too, but still.
I don’t count when it comes to him.
I push through the front door. It’s eerily quiet except for Nugget barking and Dottie cooing at him.
I should find her and ask her where my brothers are, but it would be all for naught.
She’d simply squirt me in the face with her vinegar concoction and tell me I should use my eyes.
I’m better off pulling up the cameras in the house and trying to find them myself.
Fumbling with my phone, I click on the app Neo uses to monitor each hallway and room in the house. He put it in earlier this year, trying to keep tabs on people coming and going. What I see when I flick the screen to the ballroom makes me stop in my tracks.
“What the fuck?” I murmur as I stare down at the screen. “Is he…is he teaching them how to dance?”
I let out a small chuckle and then shake my head. Of course he is. Rowan is… Well, there’s a reason he’s the lead in the performance. He’s that good, and people look up to him. The fact that he managed to get Wylder and Matthias to move like that… Fuck.
He is something else.
I find my footing again and move quickly down the hall, pushing forward until I slide through the double doors.
This place is under construction, with Wylder and Neo renovating every aspect of this house that our father left to him, flushing out the parts of our father embedded into every nook and cranny.
When I come to a stop, what I see before me is nothing less than a miracle.
Rowan is in the front of the room, everyone else all in a line, each following his footsteps, trying to learn a simple dance.
Well, all except Cade, who is swinging from one of the temporary poles holding up the floor above us.
He seems to be doing his own thing to his own beat.
Ansel, Neo, and even Jackson are all moving to the thump of bass beneath their feet as well.
Jules is missing, but that seems more normal than not the past few days. I get the impression he’s avoiding us.
Or avoiding Harley.
I don’t know where Wyatt is either, but I’m assuming he’s away for work or else he’d be here.
I feel the bass rumbling beneath the floorboards, can hear the music thumping through the speakers.
No one even notices I’m here, lingering and watching.
Well, no one but Rowan. When he catches my eyes, his movements falter for just a second before he carries on, letting me sway in the background as he instructs everyone on how to move.
It’s glorious. For several minutes, I relish it. They’re finding out that this is not as easy as they think it is. And maybe some of them realize why I like it so much.
Wylder wriggles his hips like a robot, Harley spins around like a dog getting dinner, and Neo humps the air. Not perfect, but it’s enough.
Rowan’s voice cuts above the music. “Channel Mrs. Buckingham. Channel your mom.”
My heart thunders in my ears as Rowan meets my gaze over the top of Harley’s head.
His lips curl up, and he gives me a small smile.
I can’t help but wink at him, my hips moving with the sultry beat.
But then it all comes crashing down.
Literally.
One moment everyone is swaying with the music, the next there’s a crash and a poof of dust billowing around the pole Cade was swinging on. I hear a laughing groan as Ansel rushes over, falling to the ground and cradling Cade in his arms.
“Oh my god, are you okay? Talk to me,” Ansel whispers, his voice cracking as Cade blinks up at him.
I stare at them a moment before finding Rowan in the crowd. He’s standing there, eyes wide as everyone bustles toward Cade; Matthias and Wylder cautiously, Dalton and Harley with far more glee.
“Told you that would happen.” Harley snorts. “You didn’t fucking listen.”
Cade flips him off, obviously not that hurt. With him taken care of, I head for Rowan. He widens his eyes, nodding his head toward my brother. But I’d rather not think about any of them right now. Not when I have Rowan here, being perfect and wonderful.
My hands wrap around his waist, and I pull him into me, my nose nestling into the crook of his neck. He sags against me, a small sigh leaving his lips.
I nuzzle my face deeper into him. “You smell good.”
“I’m sweaty, but thank you.” His eyes flick over to where Cade is still on the floor. He’s milking this for all it’s worth. I mean, Ansel is fawning all over him, cooing at him like a baby. I’d do the same if I were laid out on Rowan’s lap. There would be nothing on earth that could peel me away.
“Will he be okay?” Rowan asks, chewing on his bottom lip. “We did tell him not to swing on it, but he insisted.”
“He’ll be fine. Wylder, on the other hand…
” We both glance over and see Wylder standing there, glancing up at the missing support structure, a phone to his ear, speaking quickly to someone on the other end of the line.
Pretty sure that’s someone from the construction team.
He wants to make sure the second floor doesn’t come tumbling down on us all.
Or maybe it’s the insurance company—either way, I know it will get fixed soon.
“Oh god, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have…” Rowan sighs and then meets my gaze. “But I should have. They need to know how much you love this, that it’s harder than it looks, and that it’s something you’re not to be mocked over.”
My throat feels tight, and I’m having a hard time swallowing as Harley walks up to us, swatting me on the back and grinning at Rowan. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime, really. It’s not a hobby, it’s not just something for fun, at least for us.”
My throat thickens. I like that. How he puts the two of us together. “Right.”
He leans against me, and his hands move up to run along my back, bouncing up the bones in my spine. It feels so right to hold him like this, even with chaos still happening around us.
I eye my brothers. “How did you get them all here?”
“A code yellow? Whatever it was had everyone dropping everything and appearing.”
I grin. That has to have been Harley’s idea. I owe him for making this happen. “Fucking amazing.”
“It is. They all love you, too. When I told them what this was for, none of them left. They all chose to stay.”
That makes my chest tighten and the room sway under my feet. I guess I always objectively knew that my brothers have my back, but it’s nice to see it in person.
“Did you see it? Did you see my moves?” Harley asks.
I try to pretend I’m not excited that he’s enjoyed himself. That they all seem to have.
“They’re harder than they look,” Harley continues. “You should have seen Matthias when he first got here. He swore the first ten minutes. And well, annoyingly, Wylder is damn good at this, even if he is a little stiff.”
“So is Samson,” Rowan says, much too sweetly, making me lean over and kiss him deeply. He’s breathless when I pull away. “I can tell how much you love it. How much it loves you.”
I blink and turn my gaze away, my eyes stinging slightly.
“Aw, you crying?” Harley teases.
Rowan scolds him immediately. “He can cry if he wants to, but I bet he’s just happy. Happy you put in some effort to learn something he loves.”
I turn back to stare at him, this wonderful, perfect creature.
And I wonder how I got so lucky.
How I’m going to make him stay.
Rowan and I get barely an hour together before I’m dragged away. Again.
This time, I’m happy to leave him, but only because Wylder messaged me the reason.
Neo has a lead on Adam’s killer.
I leave Rowan with Harley, shooting him a warning glance to behave. My brother smirks, but nods. He might like fucking with me, but he knows where the boundaries are.
I hope.
Neo’s evidence isn’t enough. He’s pinned it down to three possible suspects, but after the fuckup with initially blaming it on Rowan, I’m not taking any chances. I need firm evidence before we proceed.
Thankfully, my brothers all agree.
I remember to bring up the chief of police and remind my brothers how the force ignored both Adam’s and Rowan’s pleas for help. Thankfully, Wylder’s already on top of it, with a dinner scheduled with him the following week.
After that, I suspect they’ll be taking everything more seriously.
When we’re finally done, I seek out my little dancer. His laughter rings out through the lobby, and I follow it like a moth to a flame.
The house seems brighter these days, and I don’t think it has anything to do with Neo and Wylder’s renovations.
I think it’s all Rowan.
I find him in the kitchen with Harley, both of them rolling dough between their hands. Rowan is still laughing, a smear of flour over his cheek.
“I swear to god,” Harley says. “Neo bought a horse, and it pooped in one of Wylder’s shoes.”
“It did not.”
“It did,” I say, finally announcing my presence. “And we love to remind him of it as often as possible. Especially as they were handmade from Italian leather.”
Rowan lights up at the sight of me, his cheeks pinkening. “I’ll have to remember that.”
I join him at the kitchen island, planting a kiss on his temple. “Whatcha doing?”
“Making cookies for rehearsal.”
I reach to pinch a bit, but he slaps the back of my hand lightly.
“Stop that. It’s not cooked. You’ll make yourself sick.”
“He’s very serious about that,” Harley says mournfully. “I’ve had to resort to stealing the chocolate chips instead.”
Rowan gives a mock gasp, his hand flying to his chest. “You thief! That’s where they went.”
“Yep.” Harley shakes the bag at him cheekily. Rowan tries to swipe it from him, but thanks to the few inches my brother has on him, it’s held out of his reach.
Rowan squeaks indignantly, jumping high with those long legs of his as he tries to grab them.
I watch them for a moment, knowing I have a ridiculous smile on my face. I can’t help it. Seeing Rowan fitting in with my family so well gives me the same feeling I have when I dance.
Pure, uncomplicated joy.
I’m about to intercede on Rowan’s behalf when a frosty voice comes from the doorway. “What the fuck is happening here?”
The two of them come to an abrupt halt, Harley’s arm stretched high, Rowan’s hands wrapped around his bicep.
“Jules…” Harley pales as he looks at the chef. “I didn’t think you were coming in today.”
“I can see that.” My brow rises at the ice in Jules’s expression. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so cold…especially not at Harley.
Rowan clears his throat, removing his hands from my brother and returning to my side. He smiles at Jules, but I know it’s not one of his real ones. This one screams awkwardness, which is apt.
Whatever is happening right now feels fucking awkward.
Jules doesn’t notice. He’s too busy glaring at Harley. Harley, who’s staring back with a yearning so obvious I wonder how he stands it.
“Hope you don’t mind us using your kitchen,” Rowan says brightly. “I promised my friends I’d make cookies. Harley offered to help.”
“So I see,” Jules says, still not looking away from Harley. “I am easily replaced, apparently.”
Listen, I get that jealousy is a funny thing, but I wasn’t jealous watching the two of them horse around. I was happy. Fucking delighted that Rowan felt comfortable enough with Harley to do so.
He’s been living in darkness for too long. Anything that gives him sunshine is good with me.
Jules, though, he’s jealous. Which is stupid, because I’m literally standing right here. I’m the one Rowan is snuggling into.
And Jules is who Harley can’t take his eyes off of. Always has been Jules for my brother. The moment Jules stepped foot in this house, he was head over heels.
Harley takes a step forward, his throat bobbing. “Jules, can we talk?”
“Non.” Jules walks around the island, gathering up dirty pans and bowls. “If you’re all done, I’ll clean up and start preparing dinner.”
“I can clean up. I just need to put them in the oven,” Rowan says quietly. “I’m sorry, Jules. We’ll be out of your way now.”
Harley’s jaw is tense as he watches Jules continue to clean with jerky movements. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but then shakes his head and walks straight out of the kitchen.
Jules pretends not to notice, but as soon as Harley’s out of sight, his shoulders slump. He ducks his head low, like he’s hoping no one will notice the obvious distress on his face.
I notice. I’m trained to notice these things.
But Rowan? He sees it just because of who he is.
He sweeps Jules into a crushing hug. “I’m sorry. Whatever you’re going through, I’m sorry. Nothing was going on. I promise we were just fucking around.”
“I know,” Jules says quietly as he extracts himself from Rowan’s hold. “I’m sorry for being rude. I don’t mean to. It’s just…” His voice trails off, but he doesn’t need to finish his sentence. He loses his mind a little around Harley. He acts irrationally and rashly.
I know the feeling, because I’m the same with Rowan.
I don’t know what’s standing between Jules and Harley, but I’m so fucking thankful there’s nothing holding me back from Rowan.
With every hour that passes, I become more convinced that he’s meant to be mine.
Forever.