Page 36 of Protecting his Heart

****

Chapter 11

Owen

The moment he’d kissed Evan, he’d known his mother would jump on it, and he held up a single finger behind Evan’s head, asking her to hold her questions for later. She would. He knew she would, but there would be questions. He couldn’t deal with the question right then, though. He needed to reassure himself that Evan was right in front of him and hadn’t disappeared off the face of the earth again.

He needed to tell Evan how he felt. It was easier for him to acknowledge he loved Evan now that he’d heard Evan profess his love for him.

At least, he thought he had. The previous night’s good time was a little blurry, but he was sure Evan had said he loved him. But even if he was making it up, Owen could feel the love between them. As if it was a tangible thing he could hold on to. And he wouldn’t take the chance that Evan disappeared before he said it.

He did, however, want to make it a little special, so he held it in for the moment. He had plans.

He cupped Evan’s cheek. “Are you ready to go home?” he asked.

Evan nodded. “I am.” He turned to Owen’s mother. “Thank you for everything.”

Sally rose at the same time Evan did, her arms slipping around the waist of the taller man. “You are always welcome.You know that. Just take care of yourselves.” She glanced at Owen and grinned.

Owen stood and enfolded her in his arms, and her mouth found his ear. “I’m so happy you finally got your head out of your behind. Love him fully, my boy,” she whispered.

“I plan to.”

They said their goodbyes, and Owen drove them home, fingers linked with Evan’s. When they entered the house, Owen pulled Evan into the bathroom. “Time for a shower.”

Owen undressed them both without fanfare and waved for Evan to get in first. It was a tight squeeze because their shower was not built for two large bodies—two smaller bodies, maybe, but not two large ones—but they managed. He draped his front against Evan’s back and reached for the shower gel. Squirting some onto his fingers, he slid his hands across Evan’s skin. As he was further under the water, the suds quickly washed away, but Owen repeated it several times until his front was clean. Then he stepped back a little, instantly missing the skin-to-skin contact, and washed his back, ass and legs. When he’d finished, Evan turned around and pulled Owen into his arms, resting his forehead against his shoulder. Owen just held him.

After a few minutes, he said, “Let’s get out so I can feed you.”

Evan said nothing, and that, more than anything else, worried him. There weren’t many things that kept Evan from talking, but the topic of his parents was one of them. He dried off his best friend and himself and led him to the bedroom, helping him get dressed in his scrubs. He didn’t think Evan was in the right frame of mind to be going to work, but he understood Evan’s need for normality.

While Evan leaned against the counter, Owen reheated the enchiladas, dividing them onto two plates and taking them to the table. Evan followed and sat beside him. Owen fetched drinks and then took Evan’s hand.

“You don’t have to talk about it, but you do need to eat.”

Evan met his gaze, the pain etched so deeply into them, and nodded. He picked up his knife and fork and ate. Owen watched, mirroring his movements to hopefully encourage him to eat more than he might’ve if he hadn’t been there, and when they were done, he pushed the plates aside, reaching for Evan again.

Evan cleared his throat and sniffed. “I went to Book Drunk for a coffee, wanting to enjoy some time out of the house.” Owen nodded. “I didn’t see them at first.” He frowned. “Or maybe they came in after. I don’t know. I was looking around to see if I knew anyone and saw…her.” He swallowed. “She looked right at me…andsmiled.” Heat rose in his voice, the anger finally beginning to show. “As if I would be happy to see her.” He shook his head. “I could tell my father was there, too, though I didn’t see his face. I saw the back of his head, which was enough. I stood to leave, but I knocked into the table and the plate shattered on the floor. Oscar cleaned it up and told me to leave.” He blanched and looked at Owen. “Not like that, I mean. He could see I needed to go and told me I could.”

“I know. He was worried about you.”

Evan raised his eyebrows. “He was?”

Owen nodded. “He had no idea what had spooked you, but knew something had, so he called Christian, who called Freddie, looking for me. I wasn’t there, though, so he called Brett, who tracked me down.” He’d been in the middle of organising a surprise for Evan. “To begin with, I had no idea where you might go. I called and messaged, but you didn’t answer. I came home, but you weren’t here. I called Matteo to see if anyone at the hospital had seen you, but no one had.” He sighed. “I will be honest with you. I was going out of my mind, but I knew I would find you, even if you didn’t want to be found.”

Evan tightened his hold on Owen’s hand. “I did want to be found. I promise.”

“I know.”

“How did you know where I was?”

Owen chuckled. “Mum rang me. She said you were there, and she hadn’t wanted to leave you alone until you fell asleep, which was why it took her so long to call.”

Evan nodded, eyes locked on something to the side of Owen. “She called after me,” he murmured. “Just like she had that night.”

Owen’s heart raced, like it always did when he thought about those two people and what they did. “What do you mean?”

“When I raced out of Book Drunk, she called my name. Her voice hasn’t changed,” he said distractedly. “She did the same when I left the house after they threw me out. I didn’t stop to see what she wanted. Then or now.”

---