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“Would you like me to come back for it?” He’d already decided that he would return in time for the concert, but it would be nice to hear Noah say he wantedhim there.
Noah smiled. “You know I would. Why do youeven ask?”
“Maybe I want to make sure. Youth is fickle,you know.”
“If you say so, Prof,” Noah teased, knowing Jax hated it when he called him that in private.
“Don’t forget payback, babe,” Jax said, raising a brow at him, and chuckled when Noah pretendedto pout.
And then his blood pressure soared when Noah added, with a sly grin,“What makes you think I’ve forgotten?”
Only the fact that a group of students wandered past just then stopped Jax from pulling Noah into a hot kiss. His body hummed with the need to kiss the younger man on his pretty mouth, to devour him and own the grin that creased Noah’s cheeks…
This wouldn’t do. He hadn’t come all this way to lose himself in thoughts of a man he had given up. Jax refocused his attention on his surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, they had come to a halt at the barricades that separated the pier from the main road, along which the parade was to pass. He could hear the marching bands and craned his neck to see where the floats were. People had begun to gather, and he and Jim put the boys to stand in front of them. Jim had bought them extra-large ice cream cones, and they were busy making sure that not a drop was wasted. Jax grinned as he saw their tongues busy lapping up every stray drop of the multicolored ice cream in the huge waffle conesthey held.
“They’re gonna be a handful later,” Jim said. “Unless we can find a way for them to work off all the energy this sugar rush is gonna give them.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Jax told him. “The parade will last a good couple of hours at least, and after that maybe we can let them loose to swim before lunch. I saw a sign about swimming as we were coming in.”
“Okay. As long as when we get back home, they’re too tired to harass their mother. I just spoke to her, and she’s loving the quiet.”
Jax laughed. “When is she dueexactly?”
“Another month, but if this one is anything like the boys were, she’ll be at least a week early.”
“I guess you’re not gonna leave her side much for the next few weeks, huh?”
“Nope. In fact, you’re on your own after today, my friend. I need to keep close to her, in case sheneeds me.”
“No problem. I’m sure I can find enough to occupy me before I haveto leave.”
He looked back up the road where the sound of music grew louder, and he could see the first of the marchers approaching. It was a band, and he felt his spirits settle as he let the music wash over him. This band was clearly experienced, and their playing was flawless. He smiled as he recognized the tune they wereplaying.
“They’re pretty good, aren’t they?’ Jim said, nodding towardthe band.
“Better than that, Jim. These guys are masters. Have any idea whothey are?”
Jim shrugged. “I dunno. Probably the college band.”
Jax’s heart sped up for some unknown reason and he glanced around him sharply. Someone was watching him, but he had no idea who or where the person was standing. He kept looking around but could see no one, and when Jake tugged on his shirt to get his attention, he looked down at the little boy.
“Did you ever play in a band, Uncle Jax?”he asked.
“For a while in high school, yeah, Jake.”
“Did youlike it?”
“It was fun, until I got bored with it, yes.” Jax chuckled at the memory of how quickly he lostinterest.
“What didyou play?”
“The clarinet,”he said.
The marching band was much closer now, and Jax could see their brightly-colored uniforms. They were executing a dance move as they played, keeping time with the rhythm of the music while showing off their finesse with their instruments and their ability to multitask. Jake had turned his attention back to them, and once again he felt eyes boring into him. Jax turned away from the advancing group and concentrated, searching through the thickening crowd around him, turning to look everywhere … and then he sawhim. Noah.
He was standing almost directly behind Jax, his eyes boring into him, dark and unreadable. Jax felt the immediate reaction to Noah that had always kicked his heart rate up whenever they were together in the past. The fact that even after ten years he was still so susceptible to the younger man did not bode well for his resolve to move on with his life. Noah was no longer his, had not been his for a decade, and he would not let any unresolved emotion send him hurtling back into the dark place that had taken him years to free himself from. He’d been too old for Noah back then, and his chance with him was certainly long gone now, wasn’t it? It was best he remembered that.
He closed his eyes, willing his body to calm down. It had heated up even more, and he was almost dizzy with the combination of his emotions and the heat of the day.
