Page 47 of The Map Home
“You think it was Boone?”
“Looking back, it’s possible. It’s not a crime to flip somebody off, but I did think it was odd. Something niggled at me, but I can’t say I recognized him. Maybe he was doing recon, trying to figure out how to get his hands on the bears?”
“Why didn’t he just ask someone? What is wrong with him? How come he and I are related?” Tad whined. “I mean, usually, even if I hate,hateto admit it, Boone is the focused one in an emergency. Remember when Lance Gergesen cut his finger off? Not only did Boone not freak out at all the blood, but he also put it on ice and drove him to the hospital to have it sewn back on.”
“Just keep reminding yourself that, if we can help him sort this out, he’ll be Amanda’s to deal with, and you can enjoy the chaos from afar.”
Tad wasn’t going to question why Kota would be willing to help out Boone, but it probably wasn’t for altruistic reasons. Ifthey got Boone out of this mess, he would owe both of themforever.
“We do have to help him.” Tad elbowed the driver’s side door open. “But we’re getting this dang tree up first. Boone is just going to have to suffer until we save the daytomorrow.”
“It’s not like putting the tree up will take all that long,” Dakota said, the space between his eyebrows wrinkling as he frowned.
Tad moved to the back and started to untie the tree. “Maybe in your world. But I have plans, and not all of them involve the tree.”
Kota paused, still frowning. Tad smirked when he saw realization dawn.
“Oh, you do, do you?” Dakota teased as he started to help with the plastic twine. “Like what? Are you going to woo me with more spiked hot chocolate?”
“Maybe,” Tad replied, focusing on the knots. His stomach was tied up in knots too, a mix of euphoria and fear that he was somehow doing this all wrong. Finally, the twine loosened, and they were able to slide the tree out of the truck bed. With one of them on either end, they headed toward the front door.
Tad forgotto worry about the boyfriend question while they muscled the tree into the lobby, up three flights of stairs, down the hallway, and, finally, into his apartment. He was dripping with sweat and his fingers were covered with sticky sap from the branches and truck.
“I can’t believe I got all sappy without tromping out into the woods,” he whined.
“I don’t think we lost any big limbs.” Kota stepped back from the tree and gave it a good up-and-down look. “And it still has most of its needles.”
“Alright, who’s going to hold the tree up and who’s going to tighten the base?” Tad asked.
“I’ll hold it up. My arms are longer.”
Tad stared at Kota, at the love of his life. Sure, he wasonlytwenty-six, but he’d known who he loved almost since the moment they’d met. And his feelings had only grown stronger.
“You do it this year, and I’ll do it next year,” offered Tad. “Seems only fair.”
Kota gazed back, his expression irritatingly unreadable. Tad’s stomach, already twisty and anxious, started to feel like it was trying out for the US gymnastics team. Then a rare—but sighted more often recently—smile curved Dakota’s lips.
A light dawned. “Huh. You just want to look at my ass, don’t you?”
Dakota repeated Tad’s earlier words. “Seems only fair.” Then he added, “But we are never going to get this tree up if the real reason for getting it is so we can mutually ogle ass.”
“I did not—” Tad sputtered.
Grinning, Kota released his grip on the tree’s trunk and stepped over to Tad. Reaching out, he raised Tad’s chin to press his lips against Tad’s. Tad wanted to embrace the kiss, accept it and forget everything else, but his mind was spinning and worrying. Reluctantly pulling away, he looked up at Kota.
“Is this for real? Are we for real? Will you be here next year so I can have my turn ogling your ass?”
“There are no guarantees in life. I guess that’s one thing I understand,” Kota said. “But I will do everything in my power to be here next year and for many years after so I can look at your butt.”
“It’s just that, after all this time of me pining, PINING, after you and you being a stubborn mule about it, about us being together, you seem, I don’t know, remarkably calm. Isn’t there supposed to be angst and”—he waved a hand—“all that? I’ve been here all along and now you’re just seeing me? Is that what this is?”
Before answering, Dakota kissed him again.
“Nope. I’ve known where you were, but I guess I needed a little help getting there. A map home.”
“I’m home?” Tad voice squeaked on the word home.
“You, Tad Gillespie, are home.” Dakota swiped the traitorous tear away with his thumb. “Fuck, are you crying?”
