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Forty-Three
DELILAH
“Oh, I just know you missed me!” Liam cooed. “Yes you did, yes you did, yes you DID!”
He tickled Jace, who was already giggling anyway. He’d been laughing for twenty minutes straight, ever since they got back.
“And you missed me too,” Liam said, winking at me. His eyes shifted to Julius. “But probably not as much as I missedyou.”
“Yeah, well you’d be wrong,” I smirked, wondering just how much they’d talked to Julius in private. We’d had several group conversations, plus I’d FaceTime’d Liam and Duncan just about every night over the past five days. But I also knew the guys had a few meetings of their own.
They exchanged twins, and Liam began snuggling Courtney. Duncan took Jace by the hand, and led him into the kitchen for a snack.
“So you’re still thinking of getting away from us, eh?” asked Liam. “Escaping south?”
“Well Idohave plane tickets,” I said, feeling guilty.
“Oh come on,” he chided me. “You know I’m kidding, right? We’re actually thrilled you’re getting to see your family. And with Duncan and I back now, and not much going on at the Shop? The timing is perfect.”
The Shop — always the mysterious Shop. Someday soon I’d ask more about what they did whenever they made the drive into Manhattan. But for now, I was just happy to have everyone home.
Home. There’s that word again.
Yes, that’s right. I said it and I meant it.
“So you’re staying with your sister?” asked Julius.
“And my brother-in-law John, yes.”
“Good,” he nodded. “I’ll feel much safer than if you were in some random hotel.”
“Safe in the suburbs,” I joked. “But don’t worry, it’s only three days anyway. I’ll be back before any of you even know it.”
“Oh we’ll know it,” joked Liam. He smiled warmly, then reached out to pull me close and deliver a slow, wonderful kiss. At the same time, Julius stepped in with the same idea. He waited until his friend was done, then kissed me immediately afterward.
Mmmm…
Apparently both men were still on the same wavelength.
“So what kind of work did you get done while we were gone?” asked Liam, bouncing Courtney against his hip.
“A little of this, a little of that,” said Julius.
“And what aboutthat?” Liam pointed to me.
“Oh, definitely alotof that,” Julius laughed. “You know, if we’re being honest.”
The comments were actually enough to make me blush. Julius certainly wasn’t lying, and if anything he was merely downplaying our involvement together. By day we’d enjoyed playing with and taking care of the children. By night we’d rutted all over the house, stripping down and jumping each other whenever and wherever the mood struck us. Ever since the night of our initial disclosure we’d slept in each other’s beds, waking up every few hours to screw each other’s brains out.
“When are you leaving again?” asked Liam.
“Tomorrow morning. I have a nine o’clock flight.”
“Hmm. Not much reunion time then.”
I felt a heat rising inside me. “I know.”
“Duncan and I had plans for you,” he said, a bit insidiously. “But if you need to get to bed early, we totally…”
“Are you kidding?” I cut him off. “Forget that!”
“Oh,” Liam smiled. “Okay.”
“Besides,” I added, “who’s to say I didn’t have plans foryou?”
Duncan made his way back into the room, trailing Jace. The toddler was clutching a bright blue mini ice-pop, squeezing it so hard his knuckles were turning white.
“What’d I miss?” he asked innocently.
“Nothing yet,” I winked at him. “But you’ll definitely want to be around here later on tonight, after the little ones have gone to bed…”
