Page 42 of Protecting his Heart

They stayed snuggled together, dozing here and there, until Owen’s phone began blowing up with chimes from messages. His friends and family were obviously up and about, and quite right, too. After all, it was eleven o’clock in the morning.

Evan kissed Owen’s cheek. “Check your messages while I make breakfast. And no push ups today.”

“Okay,” Owen said, still sounding sleepy. It wouldn’t surprise Evan if the man fell back to sleep, but it was his birthday, and he could spend it however he wanted to.

Evan slipped into some joggers and a T-shirt and started a fry up. One thing they always agreed on was that, despite not wanting to eat a full English breakfast, it was the fastest way toget over a hangover. While he worked, he heard Owen on the phone. He obviously hadn’t gone back to sleep, which was good.

His voice drew nearer. “It was good… A little, yes… Maybe… Not on your life.” Owen entered the kitchen, giving Evan a smile, even as he went pale, probably at the smell. “Mum’s asking if you have proof of what happened last night.”

Evan smirked. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

Owen glared. “No, he doesn’t,” he said to his mum. He rolled his eyes and left the room, which was probably a good thing. “You’ll have to get it from him then.”

Evan chuckled. He would expect a phone call or message from Sally in the near future. In fact, he was sure he would receive messages from several people about those photos or videos. Whether he shared them would depend on who it was.

He finished cooking and took two plates to the dining table, finding Owen staring at the news on the TV.

“Anything interesting?” he asked.

Owen shook his head. “Was Freddie really there last night?”

Evan snorted. “You know he was. You saw him before you started drinking.”

Shaking his head, Owen stood and joined him at the table, his face paling again. “I’m trying to breathe through my mouth because this is terrible.” His eyes widened. “Not your cooking! The smell.”

“I know what you meant.”

They ate in silence, Evan allowing Owen to come back to being a slightly less hungover man than he had been, and by the time they finished, Owen was smiling. “As much as I hate eating when I first start, I was ravenous by the end.”

“You sound a little more human now. How’s your stomach and head?”

“Stomach seems fine now. I suppose time will tell. My head is okay.”

“Good. Oh, I was speaking to Damon last night. He was talking about that kid you mentioned from the charity?”

“Riley?”

Evan nodded. “Damon is sponsoring him to go to college to get his degree.”

Owen grinned. “I knew he’d been considering it, but I hadn’t heard that he’d decided.”

“Yeah, he said he didn’t see a problem with it, especially when Riley seemed so switched on and enthusiastic. Hopefully, this boy will do right by them.”

“He will. I could see the intelligence behind those careful eyes. He didn’t want to believe something good could happen to him but wanted so badly to.”

“Did you look into it anymore?”

Owen shook his head. “I got distracted by some things.” He smirked.

“Oh? What things might they be?”

“I wonder.” He stared at Evan, eyes shining.

Evan grinned. “Now, birthday boy, what would you like to do today?”

“You mean you don’t have any karaoke planned for today. Be still my heart.” Owen placed a hand against his chest. Evan flipped him off, and they laughed. “To be honest, I don’t really have any plans. Mum couldn’t get the time off work, so she won’t see us until Tuesday, and I didn’t make plans to see anyone else.”

“Do you want to visit Book Drunk for a coffee while we decide?” He couldn’t decide if he was brave for suggesting it or an idiot.

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