Chapter Fourteen #5
Seth recalled the sound of an approaching vehicle when they’d been on the porch.
They’d gone inside before someone drove past, but Reggie would’ve recognized their vehicles if he’d done a minimum amount of research.
But it was over. Reggie would get transferred to the state prison’s infirmary to await his hearing and sentencing, and the only thing Seth had to worry about was making his own confession to his constituents.
He stood up and looked into Reggie’s cold eyes.
“I am sorry for what happened to you and your mother, and I will keep an open mind about your brother until the evidence says otherwise.” And he meant it.
Seth had let his hatred of Ryan Ulrich fester for so long, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d be in a similar position as Reggie if Seth’s circumstance and family dynamics had been different.
“I will keep my word about the investigation. If I can clear Ryan’s name and bring your mother peace, I’ll do it. ”
Reggie held his regard for several long moments before he nodded.
With that, Seth turned and left the room.
Lyndhurst, Beckett, and Johansen would hold a press conference later to assure the public of their safety.
Seth doubted they’d go into great detail until they could corroborate as many of the things Reggie said as possible.
Seth expected them to hold a lengthier press conference soon, but he would not stand at the podium for any of them since he recused himself from the case.
His absence would get noted, commented on, and speculated about, but he couldn’t help that.
Seth would hold his own press conference once he decided what to say and when to say it.
The sun was shining when he walked out of the hospital, something he took as a good sign.
Seth wasn’t foolish enough to believe his personal rainstorms and thunderclouds had taken a permanent hiatus, but he anticipated more sunnier days than darker ones ahead.
The clock on his dash said it was nearly one o’clock, and he couldn’t believe he’d been in Reggie’s hospital room for so long.
Seth thought about the staples in his refrigerator and pantry, then worried Rueben had starved to death.
He’d left his guy at his house without transportation or even a cell phone since they left his belongings at the cabin until the scene was cleared.
Seth shifted into Drive and headed home.
They’d figure out what to eat once he got there, and maybe finish what they’d started in the great room when Rueben came to him wearing nothing but Seth’s shirt.
He let those images multiply until they became a mixture of reality and fantasy.
Seth was primed and ready to act each of them out until he got within view shot of his home and saw the number of vehicles in the driveway.
Rueben’s truck was among them, so someone had driven it to him.
Both Kerry and Shawna’s vehicles were there, so he suspected one of them had delivered it to his house.
Seth ran through a few strategies on how he could encourage them to leave and decided on the direct route of telling them to get out.
He even practiced a few different tones as he traveled the short distance from his driveway to the front door.
But once inside, the smell of delicious food and the sound of cheerful chatter changed his mind.
Or maybe it was seeing the man he loved standing at the kitchen island, holding court like the king of the castle and the keeper of Seth’s heart.
Kerry, Shawna, Keegan, and Sven held on to his every word as he wowed them with something he assembled and put in a baking dish.
None of them noticed Seth had entered, which gave him a moment to take it all in.
He’d built this house after his breakup with Oliver because the home they’d once shared felt like a box of memories that never let him heal.
Everywhere he turned was a reminder of what Seth had viewed as Oliver’s rejection.
He knew better now and recognized that they were just too different to make it work, but back then, Seth needed a fresh start.
Building the house had helped, but the structure had never felt like his home until this very moment.
Seth dropped his keys in the little dish on the foyer table his mother picked out on one of her many antique hunts.
Boy, would his parents get the surprise of their lives when they returned from their cruise and met Rueben. They were going to love him.
Rueben must’ve sensed his regard because their gazes collided over the expanse of the house.
His man lit up brighter than fireworks on the Fourth as he reached for a towel to wipe his hands.
They started moving toward each other at the same time, meeting in the middle, where Seth caught Rueben in a tight hug.
“I hope you don’t mind the company.” Rueben’s voice was muffled against his chest, but Seth still heard him over his pounding heart.
“This is your home too,” Seth said. He wanted to tell Rueben about the epiphany he had when he walked through the door but would wait until they were alone and preferably naked.
Rueben looked up at him with emotions swirling in his eyes.
“I’m so glad you said that because Keegan and Kerry showed up here with my truck and nearly all my possessions from the ranch after Cash verified my vehicle wasn’t part of the evidence in the investigation.
I told them they were a bit presumptuous, and they laughed at me and invited the other two yahoos over. ”
Seth was very curious about how Keegan and Kerry ended up as a dynamic duo, but those questions could wait.
The oven timer went off, and a chorus of cheers sounded in the kitchen.
Shawna slipped around the island, donned some mitts, and removed a dish of bubbling goodness from the oven.
“What is that, and how did you pull it together with the ingredients I had on hand?”
Rueben’s condescending snort expressed his opinion of the state of Seth’s kitchen staples. “It’s the enchiladas I wanted to make for you last night. Since Keegan and Kerry wanted to be so helpful, I sent them to the store with a list of ingredients.”
“Smells amazing,” Seth said. “I’m not sure I want to share.”
“I have enough to make another pan, so there will be plenty to go around and have for leftovers.” Rueben would sing a different tune once he saw how much Kerry could put away. When his man turned to head back to the kitchen, Seth tugged him back. “What?”
“I love you.”
“You’re as cheesy as my enchiladas,” Rueben said. “I love you too.”
“I’m not waiting for you guys to suck face before I dig in,” Kerry said.
Seth rolled his eyes and tugged Rueben into the kitchen, where he insisted the chef get to serve himself first. No one dared to protest and risk getting tossed out before they sampled the food.
Rueben placed an enchilada on a plate, then added beans and rice.
He handed it to Seth instead of keeping it for himself.
“We’ve been snacking all afternoon, but I bet you’re starving.”
Seth took his first bite while standing up at the counter. He moaned his appreciation before Kerry shoved him out of the way. To his surprise, his cousin gestured for Keegan to go in front of him.
“We’ll need to keep our eye on those two,” Seth whispered to Rueben.
“We won’t have time because I plan to keep you so very busy,” Rueben whispered back. “So many rooms to leave a mark on, and I have a plan for every one of them.”
“You people need to eat and get the hell out,” Seth said.
Their guests laughed, thinking Seth was joking. But he wasn’t and proved it the second they set their forks down.