Page 25 of Hansen

Cynthia pressed a hand over her mouth.“What did they do to you?”

“I never found out,” Davey said, still not looking at her.“But whatever it was, it changed me.I decided I might as well use it against them.”He closed his hand, and the water vanished into his skin.

“I don’t know if I’m a mutant,” Evan interjected before he lost his courage.“But there’s a good chance that I am.I don’t know what I can do, but I’m sure that eventually, I’ll find out.”

“Will you join the team when you do?”Evan’s father asked.

Evan hugged him just because he could.“I don’t think so.What they’re doing is great and needs to be done, but I don’t think I have it in me to go into more labs and face the people who hurt me so badly.Maybe in a few years, I’ll change my mind, but for now, I’m happy working at Orion’s bakery.”

“You have a bakery?”Davey’s mother asked Orion.

Evan was glad for the distraction.Orion answered her questions with a smile, and Evan could allow himself to relax and squeeze Hansen’s hand.

Hansen was still on the coffee table, ready to intervene if anything happened.He’d been Evan’s rock through all of this, something Evan hadn’t expected to have.

To be fair, he hadn’t ever expected to be free of the labs, either.

“You’re happy?”Evan’s mother asked him while everyone else listened to Orion.

That was a tricky question to answer.Was he?“I think I’m getting there.I have a lot to deal with, and most days, it’s so hard, and I’m not sure why I’m doing it, but then I talk to Orion, or Davey hugs me, and Hansen texts me, and I remember.I’m doing all of this because I deserve it.I can finally live my life.I don’t want to miss out on anything.”

Evan had already missed out on so much.Ellie was younger than him and Davey, but she had a son.Evan had always loved her like a sister, and he felt like an uncle to her son, and he hated knowing that he and Davey hadn’t been there for her.They hadn’t been there when she’d met her mate, when they’d gotten married, or during her pregnancy.All of that had been taken from them by the hunters and scientists, and Evan would always hate them for that.

But they couldn’t change the past.The only thing he and Davey could do was look to the future and deal with what happened to them.Their past might be messy and awful, but their future wouldn’t be.Thatwas what they should focus on.

Evan was a different person than he’d been the last time he’d sat on this couch with his parents, but it still felt like coming home.Eventually, his mother got up to get drinks, and when Evan tried to follow her, she pushed him back down and forced Hansen to sit next to him so he could keep an eye on him.Evan could already tell that these two would gang up on him, but that was fine.He’d been without anyone worrying about him for too long.

Hansen wrapped an arm around Evan’s shoulders and held him close as Evan glanced around the room.Davey’s father had gone to the kitchen, too, and Davey was squeezed between his mother and Ellie.He was holding his baby nephew again, and every so often, he looked down at him with stars in his eyes.

If Davey and Orion didn’t have a kid in the next year, Evan would eat his underwear.He was happy for his best friend.Evan couldn’t even imagine having kids, but it was obvious that Davey had.He’d pressed pause on his life for years.He’d been focused on finding Evan and feeling guilty, and that was where all his attention had gone.Even after meeting Orion, Evan had never been far from Davey’s mind.

Evan was back.Davey didn’t have to worry about him anymore, and if Hansen had anything to say about it, he never would.Worrying about Evan was Hansen’s job now, which meant that Davey could focus on what came next for him and Orion.

Evan believed that was kids, and he’d happily be Uncle Evan whenever it happened.

* * * *

THE EVENING SUN CASTa golden hue over Hansen’s home, illuminating the living room in a soft, inviting glow that he hoped would help Evan relax.Evan stood at the living room door, looking hesitant.

“Are you sure you’re fine with me spending the night again?”he asked.

The last few weeks had been a whirlwind for him, and Hansen wasn’t surprised that he needed reassurance, especially after the day he’d had.“You’re always welcome in my home, Evan.”

“Because I’m your mate.”

“And because I like you.”

Evan’s lips curled.“You like me because I’m your mate.”

“And because you’re brave, caring, strong, and resilient.Come in, Evan,” Hansen tried to keep his voice soft and soothing.He wanted Evan to feel at home here.He hoped that, eventually, itwouldbecome his home.

Evan nodded, but he was still fiddling with the hem of his shirt.Hansen didn’t expect him to feel fully comfortable here yet, and staring at him wouldn’t help, so he smiled at his mate.“I’ll get started on dinner.”After the emotions of the day, Evan had to be hungry.

Evan and Davey’s families had tried convincing all four of them to stick around for dinner, but Evan had insisted he wanted to come back to the village.No one had pushed, which told Hansen that they knew Evan’s limits, even though they hadn’t seen him in years.Davey and Orion had returned with them, but they’d gone home.Evan had wanted to give them space, and Hansen had been delighted when he’d asked if he could spend the night at his house again.He hadn’t hesitated to say yes.He was glad that Evan considered his home a safe place.

Evan followed Hansen into the kitchen.Hansen had planned ahead, even though he hadn’t known how the day would go.He’d suspected Evan would need comfort food, so he’d prepped everything he could and had left it in the fridge.

“I’m making your favorite,” he said.“Chicken Alfredo.”Evan had mentioned it the last time he’d been there.

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