Page 50 of In Step

“No, she didn’t. And neither did I, at the time. But I do now. And you had it way worse. You were just a kid. The responsibility should never have been left to you.”

“But I should’ve come home more often after I left.”

He sighed. “Yeah, you should’ve. We missed you.Imissed you. And you missed watching Fiona grow up. She’s almost a teenager.”

May slid my coffee onto the shelf in front of me and whispered, “I’ll give you a minute.”

I nodded my thanks.

“I regret that more than anything.”

“Anyway.” His voice was thick with tears. “I just wanted to remind you that you’ve carried more than your fair share in this family already, and I don’t want you feeling guilty about your job and being away. I promise I’ll tell you if I need you, but we’re okay for now.”

I put a hand over my face. “Jesus, Con, you’re gonna make me cry and I’m in the middle of the damn hairdressers.”

He snorted. “Sorry. But there was another reason I called as well. We’ve got Mum’s assessment appointment finalised. I’ll text it to you so you can book flights. You’re still coming, right?”

“Of course I am. And we’ll talk more then.”

We said goodbye and I pocketed my phone.

A warm hand rested on my shoulder and I looked up into May’s sympathetic eyes. “You okay, sweetie?”

I sighed. “Families, right? Never a dull moment.”

She smiled and set a massive slice of caramel brownie next to my coffee. “There are some things only sugar can fix.”

I snorted and swallowed half the brownie in a single bite.

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

Kane

It had beena long-arse day on the boat, but at least the rain had stayed away. The breeze had switched to a light northerly, bringing a little tropical warmth and humidity along for the ride, and for once my newly healed forearm wasn’t aching. It had been a prime opportunity to get a ton of weather-delayed work ticked off, and Leroy’s list had been relentless. Only the insistence of Fox ensured we got any sort of lunch break, clamping his hand over his boyfriend’s mouth when Leroy tried to argue. Leroy acquiesced immediately. It was a superpower above all others, and I secretly admired the fuck out of the man.

The huge workload wasn’t made any easier by my late-night shenanigans with Abe and my hamster brain, which had assigned the man’s words to some mind-numbing loop that was driving me crazy.“Just think about it. Just think about it.”

Well, good fucking luck thinking about anything else.

Almost nine years of abstinence, and then Abe presents himself to me on a platter in all his gorgeous silver-fox deliciousness, finger-licking good, knife and fork not required. Good God.He hadn’t been gone five minutes when I’d jerked off just at the memory of what we’d done, and again in the shower before work. Twelve hours later and my dick was still on standby.

That’s what happens when you put your cock in solitary confinement for nine years, idiot.The genie was well and truly out of the bottle, and fuck if it wasn’t messing with my metaphors.

I also wasn’t kidding myself that any of it meant anything serious to Abe. He was in town for six weeks, and even though I believed that he liked me, I was also readily... available. It was how Abe lived his life. He’d been crystal clear. Short relationships, nothing serious wherever he was at the time. But did it matter? That was the question I was stuck on. And if it didn’t? Was I supposed to just walk away from him? My first sex in years? Was the universe insane? WasIinsane for even considering the idea?

Not according to my doctor who I’d called from the boat during our morning tea break. He’d barely drawn breath, itemising all the reasons it was, in fact,absolutely fine. And that had followed the part where he almost choked on his coffee when I told him exactly how long it had been for me. He tried to pretend it was a perfectly natural reaction, if a little over-the-top, while the unsaid commentary between his words actually screamed,‘Are you fucking crazy?’I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d written me a prescription for it over the phone.

“Hey, Sugar,” Fox called from the back of the boat where he’d snagged a blustering Leroy into a tango hold and was busy trying to dip the wriggling red-faced man. “I bet you could teach us a thing or two from dancing with the master himself. Got any smooth moves to pass on?”

“Fuck you.” I flipped him off. “I’m just doing the guy a favour.”

I’d copped flack all day about the dancing thing, and I didn’t know whether to be relieved it was all out in the open or freaked out by the sidelong looks Leroy kept sending my way. Not to mention I still intended to havethatconversation with the man, so good luck pretending Abe and I were just dance partners once Leroy knew I was gay. And I still didn’t know how he’d feel about keeping the information from Judah. Maybe telling him wasn’t such a good idea, after all. If Judah found out—

Shit.I had no idea what to do.

Leroy freed himself from Fox’s embrace, shoved the laughing man onto a coil of rope, and straddled him. They grinned stupidly at each other, and before I had to witness yet another tooth-aching bout of sickly sappiness, I headed aft to help Patrick.

“Ignore them.” Patrick handed me the bag of towels for washing. “And are you really helping that guy as his dance partner?”

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