They weren't reassuring at all.
***
Mitch had helped Sammy wash up, and now she and the other kids were running around the back yard with what looked like pillowcases tied around their necks like capes. Mitch watched them and their capes flying behind them, but before he knew it, he had Stella by his side once again.
She took care of ninety percent of the conversation, and all Mitch had to do was nod and throw in a word or two. While he was pretending to pay attention to Stella, Mitch found his eyes were drawn to Enrico. Mitch kept glancing his way, wondering what he was thinking, if he was jealous.
That wasn't something Mitch should have been worrying about. For one thing, Stella was saying something about wanting to go to Ashbury again, but she didn't have her car. Before she could ask him for a ride, Mitch quickly excused himself. "Sorry. We'll probably have to go soon, and I wanted to talk to Wyatt and Sam. It was nice seeing you."
Mitch didn't really have anything he needed to talk to them about, and he wasn't good at making conversation. It turned out he didn't need to. Wyatt started asking him about his work on the Dunbar house. When he heard they were going to be doing a lot of planting, he pointed to Sam. "That's his department."
"You helped me plant the back garden," Sam told him. "And I heard you talking to the plants back there when they were just coming up."
Wyatt denied it. "You're crazy."
"He told them to grow because it would make me happy." Sam laughed but he was obviously touched.
"How did you two meet?" Mitch wondered. It seemed like some kind of miracle to him that they found each other in this small town and were so happy together.
Wyatt answered him. "The boys picked Sam to be their new dad, so I had to seduce him."
"That is not what happened," Sam interjected.
"Dad?" Mitch said since Wyatt was the boys' uncle.
"We're adopting the kids after we get married. We talked to them about it, and they were thrilled. They adore Sam. And they kind of like me too," Wyatt said modestly.
"You're not too bad," Sam told him then looked shy when Wyatt gave him a big grin.
"I'm so lucky. Sam is the perfect human being and he's all mine," Wyatt said and kissed him on the cheek.
"Oh, my God. You're so embarrassing," Sam complained as he blushed, but he couldn't stop smiling the whole time as Wyatt put an arm around his waist and held him close.
"My vows are going to say 'promise to love, cherish, and embarrass this man till death do us part.'" Wyatt said it jokingly at first, but then he got tears in his eyes and spoke like he was really saying his vows.
"You two are really something," Mitch told them.
Seeing that some people were leaving, the two of them went to see them off. Enrico was on the side of the house by himself, watching the kids playing with the dogs, trying to get them to be their sidekicks. As the last of the evening light disappeared, shadows lengthened across the grass, and Mitch went to join Enrico.
"I don't think Sam and Wyatt could be more different," he said to Enrico. "For one, Sam doesn't seem like the type to enjoy being teased."
"He is when it comes to Wyatt. You jealous? You want some of that?" Enrico asked with a wicked grin and a challenging stare.
The insinuating look in Enrico's eyes made Mitch turn away. He could see Sam and Wyatt with their arms around each other as they talked to someone. From every look to every kiss and touch, Wyatt felt free to express his feelings for Sam. Did Mitch envy him? Did he want to gaze at Enrico like the rest of the world stopped existing? Did he want to claim him with a casual touch, or an arm around his waist, a hand low on his back?
"Sam and Wyatt seem like they belong together," Mitch said just to say something.
"Yeah," Enrico agreed. "It's sickening, isn't it."
Mitch made a noncommittal noise. He could have guessed Enrico wouldn't be into something like that, something lasting that would tie him to one man forever. That thought gave his insides a painful twist.
The two of them were standing near the corner of the house, not far from a small thicket of young trees. Before he could think, Mitch pulled Enrico into the shadows.
Holding him close, inhaling his scent, Mitch didn't know what the hell he was doing. He only knew he needed this, just to steal this one moment of holding on, of feeling Enrico against him, his hands rubbing Mitch's back as he sighed.
A dog barked and they broke apart. Mitch came back to his senses more or less and told Enrico. "I better go see what Sammy is up to."
He had to steady himself as he walked away in search of his kid. Mitch found her over by Sam's vegetable garden. She and Gloria had Sam cornered and both of them were saying "flowers" over and over again while apparently being egged on by Mrs. Del Rio. Confused, Mitch hung back trying to figure out what was happening, and Enrico showed up and went over to Sam.
