Page 92 of Galen's Redemption
He spun around, a smile on his face. “Yes?”
There were so many thingsin Robert’s heart that he wanted to say, but all of them paled before one truth. “I love you.”
“I know.” Galen gave a saucy wink. “And I’m kinda stuck on you too.”
As he waited for Galen to change, Robert took a seat on the sofa. The other bedroom door opened, and Andy came out, cradling Mouse in his hands. She was leaning up into his touch, her eyes closed.
“Hey, Andy.”
Andy looked up. “Oh,I thought you left.”
“Galen’s getting dressed, so it’ll be a bit yet.” He reached over and stroked Mouse’s back. “How’s Mouse? You taking care of your Daddy?”
“She’s a good kitty.”
Andy took a seat next to Robert. He turned his head to peer at Galen’s door, then brought his attention back to Robert. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve known Galen for years, and he’s alwaysbeen unhappy, even if he wouldn’t admit it. But being with you? He’s smiling, and it’s genuine this time. He’s looking forward to going to work with you, to giving back. And again, that’s on you. I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you for not hurting him.”
Mouse squirmed free and pounced on Robert’s leg. She was still so tiny and helpless-looking but had a fierce determination about her.She was perfect for Galen. Robert reached down and rubbed her between the ears, which set off a round of purring that rattled her tiny frame.
“I’m going to tell you the truth. I once believed I would never fall in love again. I thought I had to choose between the shelter and being with someone else, and I couldn’t walk away from my people. I still won’t leave them in the lurch, but Galen seemsto be willing to be at my side, and I’m so damned grateful for that. It will also free up some of my time so I can spend it with him. Now I just need to figure out a way to get him to talk to Noel and Lincoln. He has that cloud hanging over his head, and I don’t think he’ll ever be truly happy until he gets rid of it.”
Andy leaned in conspiratorially. “Don’t tell him I said this, but Galen missesLincoln. He regrets so many things he’s done, but hurting Lincoln and Noel is at the top of that long list. He won’t be able to forgive himself until he makes peace with them.”
Robert sighed. “I know. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but—”
The bedroom door opened and Galen stepped out. Robert thought he’d dress up for power meetings and the like, but he was mistaken. What he was wearing?A pair of jeans with a hole in the front pocket and a faded blue shirt with a washed-out logo on the chest. Somewhere he’d found a pair of tan work boots, laced up to the top. And that bit of stubble on his chin added to the whole package. God, just looking at him gave Robert some naughty ideas.
“How do I look?”
Andy fanned himself with his hand. “Oh, holy shit. Who knew you could look so… butch!”
That made Galen grin. “What do you think, Robert?”
“I…. Um….”
“I think he’s trying to put together a coherent sentence. Honestly, Gale…. You look amazing.”
“Yeah, what he said.” Robert set Mouse on the couch, then got up and marched over to Galen. When he reached him, Robert swept Galen into an embrace. “This is the perfect clothes for working at the shelter. Honestly, I thought you’d haveon a suit or something.”
Galen smirked. “I’m going to take one with me, if that’s okay. When we meet with people who we hope will give us money, I want to dazzle them, but when we’re cleaning, I figure I should wear clothes that won’t matter if they get dirty.”
“You’re the office manager. You’re doing the computer work, paperwork, and things like that. You don’t have to do manual labor.”
“Oh,Robert.” Andy patted his arm. “You’ll learn.”
He looked between Andy and Galen. “Learn what? What are you talking about?”
“On that note, I’m going to meet Marco for coffee.” Andy stood, kissed Galen on the cheek, then walked to the door. He turned around and winked at Robert. “Enjoy your first lesson in Galen 101.” He stepped out and closed the door. Robert could hear the laughter as he wentdown the stairs, and he wondered if he should be worried.
“Come on. We have work to do.”
“What was he talking about?”
Galen opened the closet and pulled out a garment bag, which he slung over his shoulder. He shut the door and turned back to Robert. “You don’t need an office manager. Well, let me rephrase. You don’t needmeas an office manager. You need a partner. Someone who will work sideby side with you. I can balance books and squeeze a dollar from the most miserly of people. And that’s going to help, but it doesn’t fix the plumbing or paint the walls or get the layers of crud off the windows. While it’s better than sleeping outside, these people deserve the dignity of a clean, warm, safe environment.” He drew in a breath. “They need to not end up like Bree.”
