Chapter Six #2
“Hey.” Christ, he sounded like Eeyore. Kerry wanted to get Keegan alone to clear the air, but Lucinda looped her arm through Keegan’s and led him into the kitchen under the guise of getting his help.
She wanted the hot gossip on the new man to assess his risk to the happily ever after she envisioned for Keegan and Kerry.
Sven waited until Lucinda and Keegan were out of the room before he turned and glared at him. “You better fix whatever you fucked up.”
“I—” That was as far as he got before Sven cut him off.
“Don’t waste your breath. That special sparkle Keegan gets whenever he looks at you is missing.”
Kerry’s chest felt tight, and regret burned a trail from his stomach to his throat.
He wanted something cold to drink to soothe the ache, and he needed Keegan’s warmth again.
He could find both those things in the kitchen, but he’d have to go through Lucinda first. Fuck it.
Kerry released a low growl and crossed the room.
“What does Danny do?” Lucinda was asking when Kerry stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey, Ma,” Kerry said before Keegan could answer. “Can I borrow Keegan for a few minutes?”
When she turned around, she wore the smuggest smile he’d ever seen on her face. “Take as long as you need, dear.” She set her potholders on the counter and turned off the stove. “Dinner can wait.”
He wanted to ask since when but didn’t dare.
Lucinda shot him a warning glare on her way out of the kitchen.
Kerry waited a heartbeat before he crossed the room.
He wanted to crowd Keegan against the counter and cup his face, so Kerry stopped a few feet away and tucked his hands inside his front pockets. “Hey.”
“Hey.” Keegan bit his bottom lip and shook his head. “I think we already said that.”
Kerry nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. He might not be as vocal as Sven, but he never lacked something to say. “I want to tell you how sorry I am about the way things went down last night.”
“So say it,” Sven said from the other side of the kitchen wall.
“Sven!” Aunt Debbie cried. “Get back in here and leave them alone!”
“Damn it,” Sven groused.
Kerry looked over his shoulder and considered waiting until they were alone again, but that hadn’t worked so well for him. Maybe having an audience nearby would help him keep his sanity. “I find myself in troubled waters, and I’m not sure how to navigate them.”
Keegan’s posture softened, and he eased a little closer. “That makes two of us.”
“I’m sorry for saying anything that upset or confused you.”
“So you’re not sorry for thinking those things, but you’re sorry for saying them.” Keegan pursed his lips and nodded. “Good to know.”
A snarl of frustration caught in Kerry’s throat, and he swallowed it down.
He took a deep breath to settle his nerves.
There were all kinds of delicious aromas in the kitchen, but Keegan’s signature sunshine scent was his favorite.
“Yeah, look, I am sorry for thinking stupid shit too. I didn’t mean to imply that I’m some massive force of masculinity you can’t resist. I don’t think one night in my bed will keep you jonesing for more for the rest of your life. ”
Keegan barked out a short laugh, lowered his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re not helping.”
Kerry stepped back and pondered what he’d said wrong this time. “I should just stop talking. I can never say the right things around you.”
Keegan cocked his head and studied him. “It never used to be that way. Why is it different now?”
All Kerry could do was shrug. “Troubled waters.”
Keegan nodded. “Think maybe we could build a bridge and get over them?”
Kerry didn’t really have a choice if he wanted to keep Keegan in his life. “Definitely.” His answer earned a genuine smile, and the pressure in Kerry’s chest eased up. He’d just have to fake his enthusiasm about Keegan’s big date.
“We better get back out there. It’s probably taken all of them to hold Sven back,” Keegan teased.
More than one pair of feet fought for traction on the other side of the kitchen wall as nosy family members scampered away before getting caught.
Kerry would place money on the culprits being Sven, Debbie, and Lucinda, but the busybodies were too fast for him to catch.
Everyone looked deep in conversation by the time they rejoined the family in the living room.
Lucinda searched their expressions as she stood up. “Guess I’ll finish putting dinner together,” she said.
“I’ll help,” Keegan said.
“Me too,” Sven and Debbie echoed.
“I need help setting the table,” Lucinda told them.
“Fine,” Debbie said, “but I’ll need you to speak up so I can hear your conversation. Years in the restaurant business has left me hard of hearing.” Kerry snorted. She could hear a frog fart from two thousand yards away. “I heard that, Kerry,” she said to prove his point.
Keegan’s favorite meal was Kerry’s too. The chicken and stuffing casserole was something his mom had learned to throw together quickly on a busy weeknight, but the dish tasted like it had taken all day to make.
She always served it with mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and buttery rolls.
Normally Kerry savored every bite, but he didn’t taste a single thing as he hung on every word his family drew from Keegan’s beautiful mouth.
“His name is Danny Rodgers,” Keegan said.
Sven leaned in close and whispered, “Have Dom run a background check.”
“You ask him,” Kerry fired back.
Oblivious to their conversation, Keegan continued. “He’s a few years older than me and works in insurance sales.”
“Half a step above a used car salesman,” Deb whispered from Kerry’s other side. “You still have a chance.”
Kerry shoved a large forkful of casserole in his mouth instead of replying to her.
“He wants to have four kids, two dogs, and a cat,” Keegan said.
And Kerry’s food lodged in his throat. He coughed until his eyes watered and his nose ran, but he finally dislodged the lump and swallowed it. Sven pounded on his back while Deb handed him a glass of water. “I’m fine,” he rasped between sips. “You can stop using this as an excuse to hit me.”
“I should get one of Lucinda’s cast-iron skillets,” Sven countered.
“Oh dear,” Lucinda said. “I hope I shredded the chicken well enough.”
“It’s fine, Ma,” Kerry replied, then drained the glass of water.
“I know better than to hoover my food. It’s just so delicious.
” And he was horrible about eating well during the rest of the week.
Kerry gestured at Keegan. “I’m sorry I interrupted.
You were telling us your plans to have four kids, two dogs, and a cat with Danny. ”
Keegan narrowed his eyes, and his face turned a darker shade of pink. “That’s not what I said.”
Food forgotten, Kerry leaned back in his chair. “I’m a little surprised big topics like kids and pets came up so soon. Didn’t you just meet the guy last night?” He knew it was the wrong thing to say when Keegan’s eyes snapped with irritation.
“Why does it matter to you?”
Kerry shrugged his shoulder like he didn’t have a vested interest in Keegan’s answers. “Just seems soon.”
“So, you’re saying one or both of us is desperate?” Keegan asked.
“I don’t think that’s what he meant, honey.” Lucinda pinned her son with a dark scowl. “Right, Kerry?”
“It sure sounded like that’s what Kerry meant,” Sven said. That little shit was enjoying every bit of Kerry’s comeuppance.
“I just want you to be careful,” Kerry said.
“Because I’m pathetic and stupid in addition to desperate?” Keegan asked.
Kerry pushed back from the table and put his hands up in the air. “Whoa. I didn’t say any of those things.”
“But you thought about them, right?” Keegan pressed.
Kerry sighed and stood up. “I think I’ll head back to the station and catch up on some paperwork.”
“Kerry, no,” Lucinda said. “This is a simple misunderstanding that you and Keegan should work through.”
“Preferably right here,” Debbie said.
Kerry looked at Keegan. He was only three chairs down, but he might as well have been sitting on the opposite side of the Grand Canyon.
Maybe building a bridge was impossible after all.
“I hope Danny turns out to be everything you want him to be because you deserve the best.” He picked his plate up and took it to the kitchen, where he fed the leftovers into the garbage disposal.
The whir of its small engine and running water covered the sound of his mother following him, but Kerry sensed her presence.
He rinsed off the plate, set it in the sink, and turned off the faucet.
When he turned around, Lucinda was spooning food into containers.
Kerry knew it wasn’t because she was eager for him to leave.
His mother just knew there was no changing his mind once he’d made it.
“I made pineapple upside-down cake for dessert,” she said. “Would you like a few slices?”
“I’d take the entire cake if you let me.” A few slices of that and some good bourbon ought to make the night a lot better. Maybe if he drank enough, he’d get some sleep.
Lucinda looked over her shoulder and smiled. “If I had a backup plan for dessert, I’d let you have the whole thing.” She turned back around to her task, her movements concise and sure.
“I meant what I said. Keegan deserves the best.”
She stilled for a moment but didn’t turn around. After a few seconds, she resumed packing enough food to feed an army. “He does,” she said. “You and I just don’t agree on who the best person is for Keegan.”
“Ma, I told you I’m not made for relationships.”
“And I told you a long time ago that you’d change your mind when you met the right person.”
“You did,” he agreed.
“I knew Keegan was that special someone the first time Sven brought him home to meet our family. You come alive, and you navigate toward him like he’s a beacon pulling you out of the dark.”
“Ma, you’ve read too many romance novels,” Kerry said.
“And you haven’t read enough,” she countered. “I’m right, and we both know it.”