Page 81 of Night By Night
Maddox got behind the wheel. Then he sat there for a moment, a playful smile on his face.
“What?” Hank asked.
“I’m in decent shape, but I’m not sure I can carry you across the threshold when we get home.” He winked.
Hank snorted. “I’ll cut you some slack for that, Sir.” He laid his hand on Dox’s thigh and felt a thrill roll through him when Dox laid his hand over Hank’s and left it there for most of the ride home.
Yeah, this felt…right. No, it didn’t make sense unless he took an honest assessment of himself and his life up until this point, the sum of it and the sum of his relationship with Dox.
Everything they’d done as kids set this into motion.
The trust.
The rapport.
The love.
He never had the right vocabulary for it when they were kids, but it was all there, the whole time.
He wasn’t stupid enough to try to deny it.
Why? Why deny the best thing to ever come into his life, next to JJ?
Why deny how he felt about the guy when the truth was, he wasfinallyhappy? They both were.
JJ woke up long enough to get her bath, check her blood sugar, and take her medication, then she fell asleep again almost immediately, worn out from her nonstop play that afternoon.
They stood in her bedroom doorway for a moment, watching her sleep.
“We’re going to have to threaten boys she brings home, aren’t we?” Hank asked.
Dox grinned. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem by the time she reaches that age. Especially if Rusty and Eliza have anything to do with it.” He patted Hank on the shoulder. “Let’s head to bed. I think I know what I want to do next.”
* * * *
In an ideal world, Maddox would have taken Hank to a decent resort on the beach for the whole weekend and holed up in their room, never leaving it until time to check out, spending the entire time making Hank’s head explode from pleasure.
Giving him every reason to celebrate the choice he’d made giving himself to Maddox.
For tonight, they had to be dads. Eliza and Rusty had offered to let JJ stay with them tonight, as had June and Scrye, but the men gently refused their offers because they were, frankly, scared to. They were still worried about JJ’s medication and adjusting the levels, checking her blood sugar—all of that. Maybe in a few weeks, once doctors were happy with her maintenance levels, and JJ had started learning how to take care of that, too, then they’d let her out of their sight for an overnight.
Until then, Maddox was perfectly happy to be an overprotective dad and keep her close at night. It was difficult enough to let her out of their sight during the day while they were at work.
Maddox led Hank to their bedroom—theirbedroom—and locked the door behind them. Then he pulled Hank into his arms. “I’m still afraid I’m going to wake up and find out this was just a dream.”
Hank draped his arms over Maddox’s shoulders, around his neck. “If it is, then we’re both having it…Sir.”
He wore a playful smile while he said it.
“Sounds like you’re getting used to calling me that.”
“I am, believe it or not.” His smile faded. “I wish Mom and Dad were here today. And Lois.”
“If they’re able, I’m sure they’re watching us and smiling.”
“I hope so.” His gaze seemed to be searching Maddox’s face. “I’ve spent the past couple of years too deep inside my own head. I know I have. I didn’t have a choice. I had to shove everything way down inside me and hold on tight because I had to take care of her. I was afraid to lose it. I was all she had, and I couldn’t let those fuckers in Cameron’s family have her. Iwouldn’t. Especially not after they tried to blame Lois for everything.”
“It’s you and me, boy,” Maddox quietly said. “You and me, shoulder-to-shoulder. You’re not alone anymore, and I won’t hesitate to fuck someone’s shit up if they try to get in our way. Let them try to come after us. We’ll take them apart.”
