Page 48 of Toren

“And you trust him? Knowing he lied to you?”

“Sawyer,” Andrew snapped, setting his wine down on the coffee table so he could have his hands free in case he needed to kick his best friend’s ass.

“We talked about this on the way over,” Holt explained. “It’s not the best way to start a relationship, and neither of us want it to come up again later. After you’re more invested.”

Andrew had spent the last week trying to think of ways to ask Toren to move in with him. He was beyond invested already, but Holt wasn’t entirely wrong. He hadn’t done anything out of order the first time he’d taken Toren to bed in that LA hotel room, but what they’d done the next night in his own bed was certainly on the wrong side of acceptable.

“I trust him,” Toren said simply. “And I love that you care about him, but you don’t need to know the how or the why of things between us.”

“If you think they meddle, wait until the Covingtons get a hold of you,” Andrew muttered.

“Wait until Donovan gets out of this rut,” Toren counted, smirking quickly, but the grin fell away just as fast.

Andrew knew the revelation about Donovan’s parentage had been overwhelming for him, but he’d practically ghosted Toren, and Hunter certainly hadn’t heard from him. Andrew had checked. Toren was probably close to staging an intervention, and Andrew would back the play one hundred percent.

“A story?” Holt asked.

“My best friend is going through some issues,” Toren answered. “He’ll be fine. He always is.”

“So is Andrew,” Sawyer said.

Toren hooked his arm over the top of Andrew’s legs. “I know.” He patted the outside of Andrew’s thigh and stood up. “I’m gonna have a smoke.”

Andrew watched him go, only looking back at his friends when Sawyer snorted.

“You’re lovesick,” he said.

Andrew flipped him off. “You’re being a prick to him.”

“We just want to be sure he’s in it for the right reasons.”

“We don’t want another Dave,” Holt agreed.

“He’s nothing like Dave. I wouldn’t make that mistake twice.”

“You did, though.”

“Three times,” he corrected, grabbing his wine and taking a swallow. “I love Toren. He’s good for me, and I need you to trust that.”

“What’s the deal with his friend?” Sawyer asked.

“Not your business. But when I can tell you about it, I will.”

His friends were going to flip when they found out there was another brother floating around in the mix, but the odds of that brother being friends with his boyfriend were so slim it was nearly unbelievable. Andrew heard Toren’s voice from the back yard, hushed like he was on the phone with someone.

“Would you excuse me? And please take this time to figure out how to be normal?” Andrew asked, taking his wine and heading toward the sliding door.

Toren was in one of the patio chairs, cigarette in his mouth and cell phone against his ear. He looked up when Andrew stepped outside and mouthed Donovan’s name. Relief rushed through him that the man had resurfaced, and Andrew pointed at the empty chair. Toren nodded, and Andrew sat down, scooching close so he could fold himself in half and rest his forehead on Toren’s knee. Toren immediately threaded his fingers through Andrew’s hair, nails tickling his scalp.

“Of course we’ll go with you if that’s what you want,” Toren said into the phone. “Do you want Andrew to talk to Hunter first?” He paused, laughed. “No, he said he wouldn’t and he hasn’t said anything.” Another pause. “Andrew’s friends are over but it’s—Donovan, it’s—fine. Okay. Yes, I’ll call you Sunday and we’ll plan it all out. Okay, bye.”

Toren ended the call and Andrew straightened himself up, blood rushing to his head. His vision focused in time to watch Toren’s cheeks hollow as he took a drag of his cigarette, and he tried very hard to ignore the heat between his legs. Toren didn’t miss it, though, shaking his head with a sly grin on his face.

“He’s alive, then,” Andrew said.

“He’s been spending time with those other guys he met at Rapture last time we were there,” Toren said. “But he does want to meet your brothers.”

“Did he want me to talk to Hunter first?”