AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You...” Alcy’s cheeks pinked. “I thought you hated this?”
He frowned. “What? No! I’m glad you’re here. I mean, we both know there’s only one way this is going to end, but I’m glad you’re here with me to see it through.”
“I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
Then Beez’s world tilted when, for the first time since he’d known Alcy, the angel stuck his tongue out at him.
Alcy—teasingme?
Beez had to admit, it was fucking glorious.
Chapter Nine
Sunday morning, Carter stepped into Danny’s old room, and found Beez and Alcy passed out on the bed.I guess even hosts need to sleep now and then.It was moments like these, when they were both at rest, that Carter felt closest to them. Beez wasn’t making dirty jokes all the time, and Alcy wasn’t clenched so tight it felt as though he’d pop a spring any second.
And right then, they were men, just like Carter. Not holy beings, engaged in a battle to try to get him to choose between them, but two guys, crashing at a friend’s place. Carter sipped his coffee, and smiled. Though both Alcy and Beez had said they’d need to go when Carter made his choice, Mr. McAffrey said it wasn’t necessarily true. Carter could keep them here, with him.
But….
Would that be fair to Alcy and Beez?Despite how good they looked, they were thousands of years old, and had a place in the grand scheme of things.Am I being selfish, wanting them to stay?And if they did, how could he look at them with a clear conscience, knowing he was keeping them from living their lives?
I don’t want them to leave me. I love being around them.
From the other room came his mother’s ring tone. He froze. Crap, it was Sunday. He wasn’t up to speaking to her most of the time, but given the circumstances… Beez and Alcy had shared so much with him about religion, and knowing the truth made it harder to stomach most of the stuff that spewed from his parents’ mouths. Still, if he didn’t talk to them, he’d have to deal with a much greater fallout, and the prospect ofthatevent made his stomach clench and his palms sweat.
He stepped from the room, closed the door behind him, then grabbed his phone from the table. He swiped a finger over the screen. “Hey, Mom.”
“What took you so long to answer?”
Carter sighed. “Mom, it’s eight in the morning. My tests are over, I did great, and now I’m letting my brain decompress.”
“You did good?” There was excitement in her voice. “That’s excellent! We’re so proud of you.”
Wait—That was it?Where was her constant harangue of introducing him to someone? The badgering of whether he had a girlfriend? And what about the demand that he start popping out kids one after the other?
Unease rippled through him. “You okay, Mom?”
There was a moment’s hesitation. “Yes, we’re fine.”
Nope, he wasn’t convinced. “Is something going on?”
“What?” The sharpness of that one syllable was so much more like the mom he knew. Then her voice softened. “No, of course not. Everything is great. Listen, I was calling to tell you we wouldn’t be doing dinner tonight. Is that okay?”
Okay? It was great. “Sure. What’s going on?”
She expelled a breath. “We have a counseling meeting with Pastor Ken after services tonight.”
That unease was back with a vengeance. In all these years, neveroncehad they required counseling. “Okay, why do you need to see him?”
“We—your father and I—have some things we need to discuss with him.” Before Carter could ask if anything was wrong, she continued, “It’s really not a big deal, all right? But tonight is the only time he has available.”
That sounded logical. More than that, he was touched that she’d shared it with him. “Okay, fine.” Then he recalled Alcy’s words about being honest with his parents. “Mom? You got a second?”
“Of course. Everything all right with you?”
Carter took a deep breath. “Yeah. No. I mean… Mom, would you be upset if I told you Ididn’twant a job working with computers?” When she didn’t respond immediately, he rushed ahead. “I mean, I’m sure it’s a great job and everything, but it’s not me. I may not know what I want out of life yet, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t doingthisfor the next forty years.” He steeled himself for the blow up.
Crickets.
