Page 42 of Starting Over in Cedarwood

“Shaun?” Seemed a bit fast to be choosing houses, but whatever.

“I’m thinking about my future and the one I want to share with you.” Shaun nodded and squeezed Kevin’s thigh. “Kev, I’m falling for you. Why not make some moves that’ll help with that future?”

He opened and closed his mouth without answering because the words evaporated. His breath clogged in his throat.

“How about you say you’ll help me?” Shaun rubbed Kevin’s thigh. “I know I’m going fast, but I also know this is the move I need to make. I can’t keep living in an apartment because it’s too easy. I’m the kind of guy that when I hit a snag, I want to run. If I have a house and admit what I want—you—I won’t have a reason to run. I’ll have something that’s mine. I’m too old to be goofing around. Things will be easy with us, but hard too, and I’m okay with that. I want the rough, the smooth, the whole thing with you.”

“You’re asking me to move in with you, aren’t you?” He wanted to follow Shaun’s way of thinking, but Jesus, he couldn’t keep it all straight. He wasn’t sure he wanted to move in with anyone—if that was what he was being asked. It might be nice to live together. They’d have nights together and could see each other at the end of the day, but they’d have nowhere to run if they had an argument.

“Not yet. I move at warp speed, but not all the time.” Shaun sipped his drink, then grinned. “I want us to have a chance to feel this all out, but I want a house. I’m tired of living in a tiny box apartment. This is something I want, and the more places I look at, the more it feels right.”

“Okay.” He respected Shaun’s decision.

“But enough about houses. You’ve got mad respect here. Your co-worker couldn’t say enough about you.” Shaun massaged Kevin’s inner thigh. “It’s great.”

“Yeah.” He stared at Shaun for another minute, then remembered what he’d wanted to tell Shaun in the first place. “I guess I do. Nedra likes me, though. She’s always had my back.” He laughed. “But this new owner, Mr. Vale, is suitable, I suppose. He was a decent enough mayor and an okay celebrity, but he’s got a good head for business—better than Mulhenney, the former team owner. I know Vale’s letting me try out my ideas to sell food at better prices and hopefully move more of it. If we can get people in and sell our concessions at a decent, affordable price, then fine by me.”

“You will. He’s got an asset in you.” Shaun bumped shoulders with him. “I’m impressed with your job and your ability to do it. You’re really someone special.”

“You are, too.” He kissed Shaun. “The ninth inning is about to start. Our relief pitcher seems to be a better closer than starting player. It’s good because he’s getting the opposing team’s players out faster, but it means the game goes faster and cuts down my time to clean up before the next game. The two-hour break isn’t always enough.”

“Then go. I’m looking forward to your texts tonight. Dirty is good,” Shaun said. “I love a dirty text.”

The tips of Kevin’s ears burned. He’d never sent a dirty text. Ever. Then again, he might have to try. “I will.”

“Good.” Kevin left his seat. “Until later.”

“Until later.” Shaun winked. “I’ve got to finish these nachos and watch the rest of the game. I’ll probably let the crowd thin out before I go, too. I hate traffic.”

“Sounds good.” He waved, then leaned in to kiss Shaun again. “Bye.” He wanted to say more, but held back instead. He waved before he made his way to the concession stands. When he entered the staff portion of the stand, Nedra groaned.

“Good. We need you,” she said. “You’ve got a good guy. Has to be, because this is the first time you’ve returned to the stand with a smile on your face. I like it.”

“I do, too.” Kevin jumped into the swing of things and tried to keep his mind off Shaun. The house thing bothered him, but all-in-all, his heart was lighter and his spirits soared. Nedra was right. He was in a positive mood—partially because of the job changes, but mostly because of Shaun.

The house idea was a huge thing and scary, but could be what they both needed. He saw a future with Shaun, too, and a little house—one with a yard—might be the piece they needed to make their relationship complete.

* * * *

Shaun waited in his seat until the game concluded and the crowd thinned. By the time he walked past the concession stand, the garage-type door had been pulled down.Closed.So much for one last chat with Kevin.

He made his way through the stadium. The noise of the game was gone and the excitement of the experience had died, too. The smells of the food lingered in the air. The flags flapped in the breeze and Shaun understood the thrill of being at the ballpark. The energy in the crowd had been palpable. He missed the electricity. It wasn’t quite as exciting as being with Kevin, but nothing compared to his boyfriend. Kevin fascinated him. He had no idea how Kevin managed to keep all the orders straight. He’d mix everything up, while Kevin took the chaos of the concession stand in stride.

Shaun wandered out to his car. Instead of driving straight home, he opted to locate the houses he’d looked at online. Each of the homes had something in common—three bedrooms—enough for an office and guest room—two bathrooms, a two-car garage and especially a large back yard. Two of the homes ranked high on his list because they featured tall fenced-in yards or privacy shrubs. He liked the layout of the third house, but it didn’t have a large yard or two-car garage—but there was room to add on. Did he want the headache of home improvements?Not yet.

He’d have to show the houses to Kevin and do some walk-throughs.Not impossible.

Shaun drove into the parking lot of his apartment. Once he parked and gathered his things, he locked the car and headed up to his unit. He wanted a bigger place, but the smallness of his one-bedroom apartment became glaringly obvious. It wasn’t just small. It was cramped. Time for something new.

He turned on his tablet and sent an email to Tony, the realty guru at the newspaper. If anyone would know what to do, it would be him. Shaun needed help navigating the housing market. After he wrote and sent the email, he headed to the bathroom for a shower. He should’ve run today, but he’d rather veg a while and run with Kevin tomorrow.

He also should’ve called Cheryl to let her know he was still alive. She’d want to know and want updates on Kevin. Calling her wouldn’t be a short chat. She liked to talk—then again, so did he. If he wanted to accomplish anything else while he waited on Kevin, he’d have to call her later.

He wondered how long Kevin would be at the stadium tonight, though. A while, probably, since the second game didn’t start until seven. He checked the clock. Six-fifty-five.

Kevin would be a long while and he’d have time to call Cheryl.

His phone rang and Shaun checked the ID, hoping it was Kevin. Not his lover. Not even Cheryl. His heart lodged in his throat.

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