AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The only reason, Rian hasn’t fallen apart completely is because Bran is right there, reaching for him. His son has been sitting in his lap this whole time, and it only now dawns on him that his little boy has been quietly observing him, sitting still yet gently tugging at the bottom corner of the letter, as if wanting to be a part of this moment Rian shares with Cy.
Sebastian Scott, the soldier Cyril had fallen in love with, is Bran’s brother.
Sebastian Scott, the man murdered ruthlessly in Afghanistan, is Harris Kelly’s nephew.
Sebastian Scott is the face gracing the campaign posters and pamphlets of the charity for veterans struggling with their mental health. The charity founded and ran privately by Harris Kelly, inspired by the untimely death of his nephew.
Sebastian Scott, the first person to light a spark in Cyril’s heart, is also the reason behind his own unfortunate demise.
The realizations are both illuminating and terrifying at the same time. The serendipitous connection between them, bending time and circumstances to form a family of their own – Tayida, Sebastian, Cyril, Rian, and Bran. Brothers. Lovers. Soulmates.
Rian kisses Bran’s soft curls. The little boy lets go of the paper and turns to cuddle in his arms with a soft sigh. Rian is not alone. Not anymore.
Be bold. Be brave.
And he has been – the evidence is right there in his arms. His son is the driving force behind every step, every breath, and every risk he takes. Every small victory he has won against Harris has been dedicated to his child. To their future.
Now, if he could only bring himself to go after the man of his dreams and trust his heart would not be broken. Trust that Ty will love him back and finally be his.
My beloved.
* * *
Bran drankhis bottle half asleep and was happy to snuggle up with his favorite squishy on the bed, while Ty was out at reception inquiring about a portable bed for him then for a quick shopping trip to get them some supplies.
After arriving at the cabin almost at dusk, they were both too stunned and exhausted to bother doing anything more than tossing their meager luggage to the side, feeding Bran, then bathing him. Bran has gone down without a fight and barely stirs when Rian changes him into a fresh diaper and a light cotton white onesie with yellow duckies.
Rian’s mind is still pretty foggy after all the travel and the overwhelming experience of reading Cyril’s letter. A part of him wants to curl around Bran and forget about everything, but his instincts tell him he can’t afford himself the luxury of not being vigilant. He has to wait for Ty, before he could consider sleeping at all.
There are two bedrooms in the small villa, both stuffy and small. Rian scans the room, thinking to himself,I don’t want to be apart. Close. Closer. Together.
Ri closes his eyes and sees them clear as day – Ty and himself wrapped in a tangled embrace. His face is flushed with heat, but he holds on to the fantasy for a moment longer.
At last, he forces his eyes open once more. He needs to move, do something, feel useful. Rian begins organizing their belongings, tipping his backpack on the bed and sifting through the few personal items he has packed in a hurry.
Rian had hardly thought about what he might want to grab for himself from the home they had hastily abandoned. He had stuffed the Chewbacca squish-mellow in his carry-on and had not changed his mind about it even if it took up seventy percent of the space. Fuck it. It was Bran’s favorite and if he could give him the small piece of comfort, it was totally worth it leaving extra pairs of underwear behind.
He had managed to grab a few shirts, a pair of jeans and the tattered photo album that contained all his memories from Cyril. He laid out the fake paperwork Rick had secured for safe traveling with Bran, money, travel checks and their passports.
They had gone around the world and back before they finally arrived at the small resort in the quiet Florida coastal town of Key West.
Ty has been leading them through this whole experience. His confident calm demeanour makes Rian weak in the knees.
Everything about Tayida, makes him think in complete overdrive. Ri craves to be closer to him. Even if their circumstances are so overwhelming, he shouldn’t possibly be able to think about romance at all.
The giant mess of panicked thoughts in combination with hyper-awareness of the close proximity of the man he has been in love with for years, is brewing a dangerous storm in his head, sprouting all sorts of vivid fantasies and strange little glimpses of a future thatcould be.
The letter from Cy gives him only a faint sliver of clarity, but there is so much more he wants to know.
Ty returns with the cot and bags of groceries soon after. This isn’t even a plain old travel cot. He’s gone and bought Bran a proper crib he needs to build. Rian is shaking his head, amused that he would think about Bran's comfort to this precise extent. He’s gotten him a cute little bedding set – colorful blankets with Superhero characters and several sets of matching pajamas. Rian is making a mental note to wash all the textiles tomorrow.
His son wakes up from his short nap, just in time to go through the bags with Ty as he pulls out every item slowly. They have their little babble chat again, an in-depth discussion on the advantages of linen versus cotton in the tropical state of Florida.
Tayida has even managed to get some children’s books. One of them happens to be written and illustrated by Rian.
This man! He’s fucking perfect, that’s what he is.
Rian stands there, blown away by how thoughtful Tayida is. He is so kind and considerate, thinking about Bran’s and Rian’s comfort first. He’s brought them some clothes as well, and all the items are to his liking, exactly his style and size.
