Page 44 of No Kind Words

“I made blueberry and triple chocolate muffins all by myself. They look amazing. Ben says they’re good enough to go in the cabinet tomorrow. He’s putting a ‘made by Roddy’ sign. How cool is that?”

“I hope you’re getting paid for your slave labour. You should get the going rate.”

Roddy spins around, walking backwards. “Do I get paid? That would be awesome. I’ve never had money before. The odd quid here and there when I begged. I’ve never earned any, though. Cool.”

“How about you get the money from the muffins? You’ll earn more that way.”

“Yes!” He jumps up, punching the air with his fist.

We let him take the leads of both dogs, and he walks ahead of us. I grab Jethro’s hand, revelling in the warmth of his strong hand around my own. “Is this what you wanted when you came back here?”

“Which part? Because walking here with you is the best feeling in the world. It’s better than I imagined because I didn’t get just you but also the friends I left behind.” Jethro smiles freely, his eyes bright with happiness.

“What about him?” I gesture at Roddy. “Because he’s not going anywhere.”

“No, he’s not. I think I met him for a reason. He’s meant to be here with us. How do you feel about adopting him?”

“You’d better marry me first.”

“Are you going to open it?” I ask Roddy. His finger hovers over the Enter key. He’s worked so hard, even though it was a struggle at times. The truculent teenager came out on more than a few occasions, but I enjoy seeing the emotions of a person his age. Such a difference from the worn-out, street-smart kid he was when I first met him.

“Go on, son. You don’t have to be worried. You did all the hard work.” Roddy turns to Ben, my husband, and officially his dad. I’m his dad too. Asking him if he would be interested in becoming our son is a memory I’ll never forget. Nor will the conversation our solicitor had with his biological father. He wasn’t happy with the idea until we suggested—a veiled threat, really—that we might involve the police and tell them of the abuse Roddy suffered. After that, it was plain sailing. We both took Ben’s surname—Jerrick. I was more than happy to get rid of Palmer and the memories of my father.

“Okay, I’m going to do it.” With a satisfying prod on the key, Roddy’s results came up. “Holy shit! I passed them.” He beams at me, then looks back to the grades. “Two sixes for maths and science, and fuck me, a seven in English. Maybe the books weren’t too bad after all.”

“Congratulations! That’s fantastic, Roddy. I’m so proud of you.” I hug him. Ben grabs him from me and does the same.

“We need to celebrate. What do you feel like doing?” Ben asks.

Roddy’s cheeks pink. I already know what he’s going to say. “I’ve kinda made plans to see Luke. Is that okay?” When Roddy would come to the surgery, the two men started as friends. I’m not sure when it changed into something else, something more. We never discussed his sexuality. I had no clue about his preferences; it never felt important to ask.

“Of course we can do something tomorrow. We can go out for drinks after work,” I say. “Go and call Luke. He’ll want to know your results.”

The fact that he’s eighteen, coming up for nineteen and only doing three GCSEs embarrassed him, but he’s decided on going to the same catering college as Ben and needed to get some exams under his belt. He has a talent to rival Ben’s, which means I never go hungry, and neither do the staff at the surgery. Maeve still complains that she’s always putting on weight when Roddy brings in new samples for her to try.

After Roddy goes to his room, Ben reaches for me. “I felt like I aged ten years waiting for him to press the key.” With his arms wrapped around my neck, we line up chest to chest and hip to hip. The passion and love I have for him has never waned. If anything, it has got stronger. “We can do some celebrating ourselves. If he’s going to be out for the night, we can be as loud as we want.”

He tilts his hips forward, pressing his growing erection against my own. “Hmm, I like the sound of that. What time do you think he’ll be gone?”

“Can’t you two wait till I leave?” Roddy grumbles, but he’s grinning. “I’m going now. I’m staying at Luke’s tonight. And don’t ask. You know the answer is yes.”

“There’s nothing embarrassing about being safe and prepared,” Ben says, knowing how much this winds him up.

“When it’s your dad asking, then yes, it’s embarrassing. Have fun.”

“You too. And, Roddy…” I wait for him to turn back. “Well done, buddy. Go have fun, but be home by ten tomorrow morning, please. There’s something we need to show you.”

“Do you want a lift over?” Ben asks.

“Um, no, it’s okay. I can walk.” Roddy passed his driving test in the spring and has been saving for a car so he can get back and forth from college to here. He works in the café at the weekends, and he wants to see Luke.

“Okay, see you tomorrow.” I follow him to the front door. “What are you doing?” He gives us a weird look. “Why are you grinning? Stop it. It’s creepy.”

We wait behind him when he opens the door, then stops. “What the fuck is that?” He spins his head around so fast I’m surprised he hasn’t hurt his neck.

“What?” Ben asks innocently.

“That!” He points. “That car!”

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