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“I’m sorry!” Dex jumped off Sloane’s lap, backing away as Calvin approached.
“I’ll give you sorry.” Calvin took off toward Dex who let out a yelp and made a run for it, with Hobbs worriedly following at a much slower pace. Rosa and Letty joined in the chase, demanding to know what had happened. Bradley and Lou were busy feeding each other pieces of fruit so Sloane turned his attention to Ash, smiling at his friend’s dopey smile as he leaned into Cael who was cheerfully rambling on at him.
“Ooh, and I just got a new shooter game, if you want to come over sometime this week. We can hang out.”
“Okay. Tell me when, and I’ll be there.”
“Great.” Cael bit his bottom lip, and rubbed his bare arm.
“You cold?” Ash asked.
“A little. These stupid meds. I’m hot one minute, cold the next.”
“Here.” Ash grabbed his knitted scarf hanging off his chair and wrapped it around Cael’s neck. “There you go. It’ll keep you warm.”
Cael looked down at the scarf and petted it, his face flushed. “Thanks.”
“Keep it. I’ve got another one at home.” He gave Cael’s cheek a playful nudge.
“I need to go to the bathroom. Excuse me.” Cael made to stand, and Ash helped him up.
“Need help getting there?” Ash offered.
Cael shook his head. “Nah. I grew up with Dex. I know my way around crutches.” He laughed, took his crutch, and headed for the bathroom, walking right by his brother who waved at him from under the headlock Calvin had him in. With a sappy smile on his face, Ash watched Cael go until he’d disappeared into the bathroom. When he noticed Sloane was watching him, he frowned.
“What?”
“You two are so fucking adorable.”
“Fuck off,” Ash replied, looking embarrassed.
“So?”
“Come on, man.”
“Nope.” Sloane folded his arms over his chest and got comfortable. “Talk to me. Dex told me about what happened with you two back at the grain terminal. It was pretty… epic.”
“Yeah.” Ash shifted uncomfortably. “It kind of took me by surprise.”
“Talk to me, Keeler. This isn’t just anyone. It’s Cael.”
A pained look came onto Ash’s face, and it worried Sloane. “Which is why I don’t want to fuck this up. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
Sloane sat up. “You’re regretting it?”
Ash tried to hold back a grin but couldn’t. In the end he gave in. “Fuck no. I don’t regret it. I just mean, I wish I hadn’t been so impulsive. I wanted to do it right.”
“I don’t know about you, but I’d say by the look on Cael’s face a moment ago, you did it right.”
Ash leaned forward, talking quietly. He looked determined. Sloane was under no illusion his friend was in for a tough time. Not where Cael was concerned. The young Therian was crazy about Ash. This was certainly a step in the right direction, but it didn’t eliminate Ash’s previous concerns or his troubles. “Look, we have a lot of shit to sort out. Mostly my shit. But we agreed to take it slow and talk first.”
“So, are you together or what?”
“That’s something we have to work out.” Ash sat back with a sigh. “I know the team wouldn’t care, and we’d have to hide it at work, but outside, in the open… I don’t know if I’m ready to be what he needs me to be.”
Sloane reached over and patted his friend’s arm. “Whatever you do, do it with him. Be open and honest. Work it out together. He loves you, Ash. Let him help you.”
Ash gave him a nod before his expression turned smug. “Dropped the ‘L’ word, huh? I knew you were in love with him.”
