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“I dream sometimes too,” Matty mumbled against a birthmark at the right corner of Austin’s mouth.
“Yeah?” Austin smiled, kissing him back.
“Yes.”
“What do you dream about, Matty?” Austin’s anger had evaporated from his face and dissolved into thin air, now replaced by nothing but affection.
“It’s a secret,” Matty whispered teasingly.
“Oh yeah…?”
“Yeah.”
In one swift movement, Austin lifted him and placed Matty on his back on his messed-up bed. Placing his arms on both sides of Matty’s head, Austin ground his hips against Matty’s abdomen while he purred,
“Tell me about it, sweetheart. Tell me about all your dreams. Maybe they just happen to be mine too.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Ethan – Now
“TELL ME ABOUTyour siblings. What are their names?” Avery sat leaning against the trunk of a tree, his eyes closed against the sun.
“Uhm, there’s Ryder. He’s seventeen. He’s real good at football. Tight end. Everyone says he’s headed for a scholarship…” Ethan trailed off, the usual hint of jealousy jabbing at his chest whenever he thought of his two-year-younger brother and the fact that he was bound for bigger and better things than West Texas. And then came the guilt, of course. Because he loved Ryder. They’d always been the closest out of the four of them.
“There are two more, right?” Avery asked, eyes still closed.
“Yeah. The twins. River and Reeve. They’re thirteen but act like freaking toddlers most of the time. I’m surprised they haven’t killed each other yet with all the crazy shit they’re constantly up to.” He couldn’t help chuckling at the thought of his twin brothers. He missed them even though he would never admit it. “Reeve has a learning disability. Didn’t get enough oxygen when he was born. River is his partner-in-crime, though. I swear to God, one of these days they’re gonna set the house on fire or some shit like that.” He shook his head, still chuckling.
“Ryder, River, and Reeve… How come your name doesn’t start with an R?” Avery opened his eyes and gazed questioningly at Ethan.
“Okay, so here’s the thing about Belinda Bishop,” Ethan smiled fondly. “She’s crazy about nineties movies. Her favorite isReality Biteswith Ethan Hawke. She gets all googly-eyed whenever they show a rerun. She has this massive crush on him. She can go on for hours about him, listening to her 90s music, stealing a smoke on the back porch when she thinks no one’s watching… So, she named her firstborn—and most good-looking child—Ethan, of course.”
“That’s very sweet,” Avery smiled. “She’s a really complex woman, your mother.”
“Right?” Ethan laughed. “Real complex.”
“So, what about your brothers’ names, then?”
“Yeah, so when Ryder was born, she was still stuck on the same movie, so she named him after Winona Ryder and since she couldn’t give him a girl’s name… Well, I mean, you have a girl’s name so that’s probably a thing with you city folks.” Ethan couldn’t help teasing Avery.
“It’snota girl’s name. It unisex,” Avery protested, before continuing. “And the twins?”
“Well, Mom had moved on by then.My Own Private Idaho.”
“Of course… RiverFuckingPhoenix and KeanuStonefaceReeves.” Avery sounded awestruck. “That’s a stroke of genius, Eth. Your mom is like the coolest mastermind, ever. God…” he moaned appreciatively. “Phoenix and Keanu are so fucking hot in that movie.”
Ethan chuckled, his heart swelling with… well, with something as he took in Avery all flushed and cute.
“What about you? Why are you called Avery?”
“I’m not really sure,” Avery murmured. “I remember asking my mother once when I was younger and she mentioned something about A being the first letter of the alphabet, you know.” Avery grinned, the sound a slightly bitter edge to it as he tipped his face to the sky. “Did you see that?” Avery suddenly rose and pointed at the canopies above their tent, his entire face changing as it lit up with amazement. The large trees had offered them the much-needed shade when they’d woken up this morning. There was nothing worse than waking to the sensation of being boiled alive in your own sweat.And there was nothing better than waking up next to Avery.Shit, where had that come from? It was their second day in the national park in Kentucky, and Ethan never wanted to leave.
Waking up to Avery covering his chest in sloppy kisses and mumbling sweet nothings against his sticky skin had already made this day memorable. Matty would’ve kicked his ass if he were here. Surrounded by miles and miles of spectacular nature, and Ethan couldn’t pull his gaze away from Avery for more than a few seconds at a time.
“What?” Ethan looked in the direction that Avery was pointing.
“The bird. With the red tail feathers?” Astonishment was painted across Avery’s face, his bright blue eyes reflecting the vastness of the morning sky.
