"I know. And the same goes for me."
They hung up and Rob stepped out into the crisp air of an autumn morning. Inhaling deeply, he tried to clear his head of the past, but that wasn't easy. Not until he pictured Julian, his serious eyes, his sensual mouth, his beautiful hands, his unconsciously elegant movements. That's what trouble looks like – gorgeous, perfectly tailored and a little bit sad.
***
Dawn was just starting to break, but both Danny and Julian were already up and ready.
"We're going to go somewhere where it's quieter," Julian told Danny as they finished breakfast and went into the living room. All the furniture was still there, but everything else was gone and on its way to Peach Tree.
Stopping in the middle of the room, Danny looked around like he wasn't sure if this was the same place. Danny wasn't as uneasy as the first time he came here, but he never got used to the noise of traffic. The angry honking of horns, tires screeching, sirens blaring at all hours – they were all sounds Julian had blocked out a long time ago, even welcomed as reminders that he wasn't in Peach Tree any more.
Now he was afraid that Danny might hate it there too. Packing had distracted him, but Danny didn't seem too thrilled about the move now that it was about to happen. With all their things in boxes, the apartment looked so different, and that made Danny feel a little insecure.
With Julian next to him, Danny was kneeling backwards on the couch and looking out the window into a pale blue-gray sky. A crane was swinging its arm over the tops of distant buildings and Danny watched it closely.
"There won't be tall buildings like these where we're going, but there will be lots of trees," Julian told him to try and make him look forward to the move.
Danny turned his serious, brown eyes to him then he nodded. Julian saw the trust that the little boy had in him. That's why he had to try anything he could to make his life better and just hope he might like Peach Tree.
He knew without a doubt that Rob would hate it over there – that lonely house, no place to have fun anywhere nearby. Rob was too good-looking and dynamic for small town life. Idly Julian wondered what kind of social life someone like Rob might be leaving behind.
"Rob is going with us," he reminded Danny. "He'll be helping me with my work."
Danny turned to look at him again. "I wanna help."
"All right. You'll help me too," Julian said with a smile.
Danny was such a sweet, little guy but so quiet. Julian didn't get to hear his voice often enough. That's why he was surprised when he spoke to Rob so readily. Rob was a surprise too. Turning easily from friendly to intimidating when the circumstances called for it, he wasn't easy to figure out.
"Rob is going to be here soon," Julian told Danny after he saw a text from him. "He's on time."
Leaning over, Danny stared out the window toward the street far below like he expected to see him arrive from way up there. At the sound of the door chime, Julian got up.
"Rob is here?" Danny said as he clambered down off the couch and ran to the door to wait for him to open the door.
As soon as Julian opened the door to Rob, Danny announced, "You're on time."
"I guess so," Rob said and then smiled at Julian, knowing he was the one who must have said something like that. "Good morning, Julian. Good morning, Danny."
After greeting Rob, Julian looked down at Danny and prompted him to say good morning.
"Me too. Good morning, Rob," Danny said in a small, shy voice.
Rob didn't even get the chance to put down his bags before they got on their way. All of the things they were taking along were already down in the car. They all went into the elevator together, where Danny clutched Julian's hand tightly.
Danny didn't like being in the parking garage either, and Rob noticed. "Want to help me carry my bag?" he asked Danny.
"It's too big," Danny told him.
"We'll carry it together," Rob said and let him hold on to the bag.
That did the trick, and Julian found himself smiling at the two of them working as a team. But then he got distracted. Even through Rob's jacket, Julian could see the flex of his biceps. It wasn't easy to tell himself to look away and not to admire the man.
Julian's Mercedes SUV was loaded down with a lot of Danny's things plus office equipment and supplies. They still managed to find room for Rob's duffel bag and backpack. With his things in the car, Julian suddenly felt how real this was – the move and Rob coming along. Oddly, having Rob with them didn't add to the strain like Julian would have expected. Maybe he was a nice distraction.
Julian was buckling Danny into his car seat when Rob leaned into the front passenger side. Going over to him, Julian took him aside. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to sit in the back with Danny so you can keep a close eye on him and keep him occupied, or let me know if he gets upset."
"What if I drive and you sit with him?" Rob offered.
