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A real laugh.
A Riley laugh.
God, how I’d missed it.
I hurried to the kitchen and went to the fridge. I opened it and smiled when I saw two freshly prepared sandwiches sitting on plates with plastic wrap over them. They were on separate plates so I knew Ford had made one of them for me. My heart lifted as I thought about the man waiting upstairs for me. I still couldn’t believe the turn-around I’d seen in him tonight. I’d hoped to talk to him about it, especially since he’d seemed so tense by the time we’d gotten back to my place, but it would have to wait until tomorrow. My mind was running at a hundred miles an hour as I tried to figure out how to handle what was happening with Riley.
I grabbed one sandwich and a bottle of water and returned to the living room. Riley was cuddling Puddles and saying something to her about how pretty she was. The little princess was eating it all up.
“Is this your bag?” I said to Riley as I lifted his backpack off the floor. I knew it was, but the question had been my way of seeing if it was all he had.
He nodded.
The bag was so light I knew it probably didn’t even contain a full change of clothes.
I wanted to fucking strangle his parents. What kind of monsters kicked their kid out like that? My thoughts drifted to Ford as I realized it was the exact thing he and his friend, Theo, had feared as kids.
“Come on, I’ll show you to your room. You and your new girlfriend can share the bed,” I added with a wink.
Riley beamed at that and snuggled Puddles close as he shrugged the blanket off. He carried her against his chest as he followed me to the other side of the house. I showed him to the room I already had set up for Walter. As much as I would have liked to have Riley on the second floor with me and Ford, this particular room already had everything he’d need in it. I’d planned to have Walter stay on the first floor so he wouldn’t have to climb too many stairs during his recovery.
I showed Riley around after setting his backpack on a chair and putting the water and sandwich on the nightstand.
“I’ll bring you something to change into,” I offered.
“I have some sweatpants in my bag,” Riley said. He seemed a little nervous as he looked around the spacious room. “Are you sure this is okay?” he asked.
“It’s fine,” I promised. “Ford and I are upstairs, second door on the right if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to come up there, even if you just get a little scared. Living out in the middle of nowhere can take some getting used to,” I said. “It’s a far cry from Detroit.”
Riley nodded. “It’s pretty out here,” he said. “I like it. Colder than home, but really clean, you know? Like everything’s fresh.”
I nodded. It was the perfect way to describe northern Minnesota. Even if I didn’t understand some of the small-town thinking, there was no comparison when it came to the beauty of Pelican Bay versus the rundown streets of Detroit.
Riley put Puddles on the floor as he stood awkwardly by the bed.
“Let me know if you need anything,” I reminded him. “There’s food and stuff to drink in the kitchen and if you get too cold, there’s blankets in the bathroom closet.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. I knew it only made sense that he felt nervous around me again, but I didn’t let that stop me from reaching out to pull him in my arms for another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Riley. I’ve missed you.”
I felt him sigh against me. “Me too. I’m so sorry, Cam.”
“No more apologies,” I admonished. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”
“Okay,” Riley said as I released him.
I left the room just in time to see him picking Puddles up again and holding her against his chest as he went to look into the bathroom. I went back to the living room and grabbed my gun, then made sure the house was locked up for the night. I left a few lights on so Riley would be able to find his way around if need be, then trotted up the stairs. My need to get to Ford was indescribable.
And it had nothing to do with sex.
When I went into my room… no, our room, because I was already starting to think of it that way, Ford was lying in bed watching television. When he saw me, he turned the TV off.
He didn’t say anything when he saw me; he just pulled the covers back for me. I set my gun on the nightstand and crawled into bed next to him. His arms went around me as I dropped my head to his naked chest. I felt his fingers sift through my hair as I breathed in his scent. He didn’t ask me about Riley, but I knew it was because he was waiting for when I was ready to talk.
