Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
James strode to Nolan, where everyone else from Whipped had gathered. He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around Nolan. James soaked in his scent—the lemongrass and citrus he’d come to memorize. Nolan trembled against him, but he kept his fixed expression.
“I’m so glad you were safe,” James murmured to Nolan. “I was worried.”
“Thanks for the heads-up,” Nolan said. “Don’t know how this might’ve escalated if the cops hadn’t shown up. Clearly, Carter’s not taking getting called out well.”
James snorted into Nolan’s hair, clutching him tight. “Smart move on filming.”
“You too on recording.” Nolan looked up at him, affection shining in those warm brown eyes. “Think this is going to take long?”
James shook his head. “We’ve got a few hours. This should be a pretty cut-and-dried situation.”
“Thank you,” Meg said. “The evidence will make this go far faster than a he-said, she-said ordeal. Cops aren’t always the friendliest with my sort of business, so having this case ironclad helps.” She crossed her arms, her jaw clenched. “I hate that Micah was up here by himself when they entered.”
“Maybe I can work out in the main area a bit more,” Nolan offered, and James squeezed him hard. Fuck, he loved this man.
“Thank you,” Meg said softly. The shadows under her eyes were a little more pronounced—the stack-up of issues had been weighing on her more as of late—but James would pull her aside for a heart-to-heart soon.
Since he was staying, she’d have to put up with the interference, just as she’d been there for him.
He wasn’t blind to who’d set him and Nolan up in the first place—but he was grateful.
“With any luck, that’s the last time we’ll be seeing those guys,” James said, casting a glance over to Carter, Ken, and their friends, who seemed to be getting more uncomfortable by the second while the cop questioned them.
“We’ll make sure of it.” Meg lifted her chin and fixed them with a glare.
Nolan nuzzled closer to James, and he took the moment to just hold his boyfriend tight.
***
Like James had guessed, the whole situation had taken a few hours, so he was doing takeout instead of the dinner he had planned. He didn’t mind this pivot, as the nerves that had sprouted wouldn’t allow him to focus on making a good dinner anyway.
James set the takeout from Suya House on the kitchen counter, and the jollof rice and fried plantains with chicken made his stomach rumble.
He turned toward Nolan and picked him up to place the tall man on the counter.
Nolan let out a small whoop as he settled there, spreading his thighs in invitation.
James stepped between them, tilted his head up, and pressed his lips to Nolan’s.
Heat twined through him and the effervescent joy he never wanted to stop feeling.
When he pulled back from the kiss, he stared up at Nolan. “I’d been terrified earlier,” he murmured. “After knowing that what we get isn’t always forever…fuck, I don’t want to lose you, baby. I don’t want to lose this.”
Nolan shook his head, those brown eyes softening. “I can’t imagine the pain you went through with Andrew. I can’t promise anything—life is unpredictable—but I can promise I’m in this, for as long as you’ll have me.”
James’s heart sped a little faster. “With Andrew I felt like our story got cut short before it even got the chance to run. We dated for a year, got married, and maybe a year and a half in, his health started to rapidly decline. He spent the last year in and out of hospitals before he passed.”
“Fuck,” Nolan said. “That’s rough.”
James pressed his lips together and nodded. “So as much as some might see me moving on fast, I learned I don’t want to waste any time I get. When it’s right, it’s right, and we’ve got something real. Something worth protecting.”
“I love you,” Nolan murmured, and exultant warmth stirred inside him.
The doorbell rang, and James stepped back as Nolan slid from the counter.
“That would be Adeola Walker, right on time,” James said, leading the way to the door. He opened it up, and she stood there, not in her normal scrubs but in a bright yellow wrap dress that made her look years younger. Her skin glowed, and her warm eyes crinkled around the edges.
“Momma,” he said and wrapped his arms around her in a huge hug.
She squeezed him extra hard. “Glad you came to your senses, my son.” Then she drew back and cast a scrutinizing look over Nolan. “So you’re the man who snared my James’s attention?”
Nolan squeezed the back of his neck. “I’m assuming he stayed for the coffee. I make a mean cup. Can I get you some?”
Adeola laughed, filling the room. “I’d love that.” She looked at James. “This man, he takes care of you?”
James nodded, and her eyes softened.
“It’s about time you let someone,” she said firmly. “Come on, boys. I was promised dinner and entertainment, so you’d better have stories for me.”
“You wouldn’t believe where we came from earlier,” Nolan said, offering his arm to James’s mom. She slipped hers in his, and the two of them strode ahead, chatting as naturally as if they’d been friends for years rather than just meeting.
James’s heart thumped hard as warmth spread through him, like a cranked-up heater in the winter. Getting his mother’s seal of approval meant everything, but even more so, knowing she didn’t blame him for moving on had given him all the relief he needed.
While he’d still occasionally step on landmines, he’d picked a man who would weather them alongside him.
Someone who wouldn’t hesitate to help pull the shrapnel out.
He set off down the hall, ready to start his next chapter.