Page 68 of Shattered Dreams

Everything is perfect.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Paul

The weeks go by too fast now that football is over for the season, which means Dre and I have been spending a lot more time together, mostly holiday stuff with the kids. Especially Rylee. Which I sort of love. Don’t get me wrong, I loved doing the same things with Maddox, but he’s getting older. He doesn’t care much about leaving carrots out for Santa’s reindeer because he knows Santa isn’t real, which sucks because I thought we had more time until that happened, but kids at school can be assholes sometimes. He doesn’t look forward to a cup of magical hot cocoa aboard the Polar Express like he used to, either, these days. But Rylee?

She loves all of it because it’s still new.

Christmas came like a bat out of hell, and I swear, the house still looks like a literal bomb went off, despite the fact Dre and I spent nearly four hours last night cleaning up everything after Rylee finally crashed with Kit T. Kat, the chocolate kitten stuffie that smells like chocolate, which is weird, but Maddox said she’d love it, so I took the chance.

He was right. Smart kid.

I sigh as I pick up stray iridescent ribbon, along with random bows and tufts of crumpled-up tissue paper, tossing them into the trash as I wait for Dre to finish packing upstairs for our trip to the Valley, the fancy ski lodge upstate. I packed last night before bed so I could sleep in while he took Rylee over to his parents, who are spending the weekend in Maine with his aunt, which we both agreed would be good for her. Maddox won’t be back until New Year’s since he and Amelia left yesterday to visit Sean’s parents.

I’m not much of a winter sports guy and last I checked, he wasn’t either.

But I think Dre and I both know this trip isn’t about sports.

Far from it.

We’ve never gone on a date. Not a real one, anyway. As a couple. Which… I feel like we are, even if we don’t say it. Not everything has to have a label, right? Dre and I are just… Dre and I.

Sure, we go out with the kids sometimes, but because of our schedules, getting a night alone together is rare these days. So when it does happen, that we get time to ourselves, we usually end up staying in. Which is great. I love hanging out with Dre, watching movies, fooling around, but…

I want to do more with him. More than I ever thought I would, given the circumstances.

I want us to get dressed up, and I want to buy him a fancy dinner. Spoil him for a change because he deserves as much as he gives, and then some.

I want to hold his hand when we’re in public, even though the thought makes me feel a little nervous. But in a good way.

Maybe I even want to get a little drunk on New Year's, and kiss him at midnight as the fireworks go off, like couples do on TV every year.

And I really want to fuck him. I want to know what it feels like to be inside him. If it’ll feel different from all the times I’ve fucked women, like kissing him feels different from all the other times I’ve kissed women.

But does he want that? What if he doesn’t?

Granted, I’d be fine if he didn’t want me to fuck him, though I can’t say I wouldn’t be a little disappointed. Hell, I’d be fine if he wanted to fuck me. Sure, I might be a little nervous, because I’ve never had anything in my ass, but I trust Dre. I know he’d make it feel good, the same way he makes everything else feel good…

I shove the thought away, if only because I can feel my cock getting hard from the thought, and we need to head out soon. I adjust my cock as he rounds the bend with his suitcase, and I take in the sight of him in his dark green sweater, tailored khakis, and leather shoes. Underneath the light of the kitchen, he almost looks like an angel with the way it makes his golden hair stand out.

“You ready?” he asks, his gaze falling on me.

I clear my throat and nod. “Yeah. Ready when you are.”

The Valley looks exactly how I’d imagined a luxury winter resort would look. The lobby is adorned with rustic decor, boasting high-vaulted ceilings with chandeliers bigger than Rylee’s prize pumpkin that look like they are made out of antlers. There’s a huge fireplace in the center of the lobby, with a few people scattered about drinking coffee or wine, and the slow, jazzy music playing makes me feel somewhat tired.

I watch as Andre checks us in, and of course, a few of the men hanging around the sports bar across from us recognize him and want to talk. Sometimes I forget that the Dre I know is not the same Dre everyone else knows. Just like Alex is just…well, Alex, to us. Not the big-shot hockey player he is to everyone else.

Though there’s a part of me that worries, I can’t help but feel proud as I watch him in his element; cool and confident as always, as he smiles and they leave, as he makes his way over to me.

“Can’t take you anywhere,” I gripe, but I let out a low chuckle to let him know I’m joking around.

Well, mostly anyway.

“Sorry about that,” he says, reaching for my suitcase. I go to smack his hand, but he sprints away before I can, and I have to jog to catch up to him. When we finally reach our room, I can’t help but gasp.

“Holy shit,” I mutter as Andre holds the door open for me. “This is—”