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“Surprise,” Theo said, wiggling his fingers as he made like he had performed a magic trick.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” I confessed. “This is new to me.”
“So everybody’s sorry? Right? Is this the spot where we have a group hug?” It was easy to see why Theo married Julian. The teleporter liked his men sarcastic.
“No more hugs.” I patted my side. “Ribs can’t handle it.”
“Let’s get you to a healer,” Theo said, his eyes narrowing as he opened a portal.
“What about the Centurion’s base?” I asked. “Should we leave a note?”
“Sorry, we wrecked your cool base. Send me the bill?” Julian turned about, surveying the damage. “Was that his master plan? Property damage?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “He was convinced he’d won before you got here.”
Julian lifted me as if I were a blushing bride. “Priorities. First, we get you fixed. Then we’ll talk to the Centurions. Maybe they can shed some light on this disaster.”
Theo grinned as Julian cradled me like a stuffed toy. We had just gotten our butts handed to us. We nearly died, and yet he seemed to think it was a riot that his husband carted me around. I shot him a dirty look.
“I didn’t say a thing!”
The best part was he didn’t need to. Eclipse had thought he could tear me down, and for a while, he did. But in the end, the supervillain’s tactics backfired. Now, thanks to some weird telepathic mojo, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind about how I fit into this equation. I might have to include that in his eulogy.
We could deal with the ramifications of today at a later time. I needed a doctor to ensure I lived to see another day. After that, I wanted quality time with Theo, maximum body contact, maybe with some popcorn and a rom-com. I wanted to enjoy being the third person in this trio. The rest of the world could wait.
29
The house smelledof carnitas that would have made my abuela proud. When Julian said he loved Mexican food, I’m not sure he understood what he was getting himself into. There was enough food for an army and easily three days of leftovers. I had ruined them. The local taco joint would never scratch that itch again.
A month had passed since the Nocturnals went on their bender trying to destroy the Centurions. The healer had seen to my wounds, but it still required a week of bed rest. I didn’t enjoy being trapped in my apartment, but it gave me time to take notes about the future of Midnight Alley. And I couldn’t complain that Theo spent plenty of time resting in bed with me. Everything was better when you had a teddy bear handy.
“Who taught you to cook like that?” Julian asked as he finished loading the dishwasher.
“Grow up in a house of women, and without a doubt, they are going to put you to work. I’ve shucked more corn than I care to remember.”
Theo laughed. “So I can’t ask for elote next?”
“Don’t make me reach across this couch.”
He laughed. When Theo first asked me out, I had been worried about having to share the man with his husband. It required a bit more communication than I was used to, and don’t get me started on scheduling. But I hadn’t considered the benefits that came with two men. I had cooked dinner while Theo set the table, and now Julian had finished the cleanup. I had gained a relationship and a friend. It was hard to grasp what had terrified me at the start. This was a home I could get used to.
“Can we finally talk business?” asked Julian.
“I’m too full to argue,” Theo said, rubbing his belly. “If villains attack, they can have the city.”
I searched for my backpack. I crawled to the end of the couch, unzipping the bag and pulling out my notebook. It wasn’t a fancy legal binder, but the fact I was writing down ideas was already more managerial than I thought possible.
“I came prepared. I’ve got a list of ideas I wanted to run by you. Scarlet says she’s out of the business, but she’s been great about helping me prepare for the re-opening.”
Julian wandered over to the couch, laying down so that his legs draped over Theo’s lap. They were a cute couple, and I appreciated that they no longer hid their affection. It was endearing to see Theo rubbing Julian’s legs in an absent-minded manner. Even cuter when he leaned in to kiss me, and stole the notebook from my hands.
“Check this out. He was worried about taking over. Do I recall you saying you didn’t know what you were doing?” He showed the notebook to Julian. “He has multiple quotes for the upholstery. I think he was lying to us this whole time.”
My cheeks burned, but I refused to hide. It wasn’t much different from dealing with the vendors for the bar. Except now, I wasn’t trying to source alcohol, I was hunting for… well, everything. Without Scarlet, I wouldn’t have gotten this far, but I was getting comfortable with the process.
“How do the numbers look?” Julian controlled the finances, and ultimately, he wanted to make sure this remained a smart business investment.
“We’re thirteen percent under what we expected. I called in a few favors and strong-armed the floor guy. I think we’ll be golden.”
