Chapter 4
Chapter four
Warner - With a Little Help from My Friends
At Crow’s the following week
“Talk to me about Skyler.” I wanted something to gauge my relationship on, though I really knew better than to compare. But after a few days with no answer about moving in from Cody, I had to ask.
“Why?” Crow answered with a raised eyebrow.
“I know you had a rocky start.” That wasn’t an answer, but it was easier than articulating my fears.
“You’re not having a rocky start with Cody. Y’all are good together.” He dropped some fresh ice into a little square glass before opening the decanter to pour us both a drink.
“I asked him to move in and he said no.” Well, he didn’t exactly say no, but he didn’t say yes either, which left me at odds. I took the drink and sniffed, breathing in the sweet caramel notes, then took a healthy sip. This one was one of my favorites.
“That’s hard to believe. I mean—”
“I know.” I threw an arm up.
“Hey, don’t spill the bourbon. That shit’s expensive.”
“Whatever.” Our modest beginnings often crept up in interesting ways.
Drink the most expensive alcohol in the world, but don’t waste it.
Neither of us had money growing up. His father worked at FIU, where I went to school in South Florida, and that's where we met and bonded. Now we both had money. Crow bought and sold businesses and other investments, which I took advantage of when I wasn’t playing lawyer.
Truly, our lives had turned out fantastic—we were the kings of the world, or at least Tampa.
Crow grumbled and sipped his drink. “Why wouldn’t he want to move in with you?” he finally blurted out.
I had thought about that over the past few days, and my conclusions seemed flimsy, but worth vetting. “He’s independent. Too independent. I want to take care of him, but he only allows so much.”
“You remind me of those old Looney Toons. You know, the ones with that Mira chick who loved the animals to death—literally.”
“That was Tiny Toons, and her name was Elmyra. And har-har, mother fucker.” I only knew because Cody watched them sometimes, and though that wasn’t his favorite, it was the kind of thing that stuck in my head, which was why I made such a great lawyer. I didn’t forget much. Ever.
We both laughed though, his image wasn’t all that off.
I loved too hard, too fast, and my daddy tendencies were strong.
“What do I do, Crow?” It wasn’t all that long ago that Crow was asking me the same thing about Skyler, and at the time, I didn’t think the situation would ever be reversed.
Cody seemed perfect. He loved the same things I did, being outside, camping, swimming, and the daddy/little dynamic.
Neither of us was all that serious, but as we grew closer, I thought that had changed, since it felt exceedingly serious to me.
“You give him space, dumbass. He’ll come around in his own time. The worst thing to do is push him away or push too hard, too fast. Trust me.”
That’s what Crow did when he and Skyler were getting together, and Skyler’s first impulse was to run. I wasn’t going to do that to my Cody. He could take all the time in the world. I’d take my cues from him. “Yep. You’re right.” I raised my glass for a toast.