Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry.”
He turned to look at me then. “And I’m sorry, but I wasn’t completely honest with you when I told you about my own family. The reason I moved to Rune had a lot to do with Dean dying, yes, but also, my family doesn’t condone my being gay either. I mean, my parents aren’t the kind of people who would throw me out on the street, but we were never close after I came out in my senior year of high school. Everything just stopped. I wasn’t included anymore, and neither wanted to touch me.”
“So no hugs, no nothing,” I stated.
“Right.”
“And after you left home?”
“We were all still there in New York but had no contact.”
“So you all lived in the same city but didn’t speak?”
“Correct. And now, because of that, when we do talk, once in a blue moon, everything’s strained with my parents and my sisters. I still hold out hope, but as the years pile up without communication, the need for them—for any of them—decreases.”
I understood that. “Why didn’t you tell me?” We had talked about so much while he was gone, endless conversations where I found the phone next to my head on the pillow the following morning.
“I didn’t want you to think I was the kind of person who gave up trying with family. It’s important to me that you see me as being there for the long haul.”
“I do,” I assured him. “I see you.”
“That’s good, because especially now, with us,” he said, smiling at me, putting a hand on my cheek as he looked at me, “I’m starting to see the beginnings of a new family, and I want that more than anything. I didn’t want you to doubt that I could make a commitment when the time comes.”
“Well, with Misha, there’ll be three of us.”
“And someday maybe more?” he said huskily, holding me still as he bent to kiss me.
I pulled back so he missed my lips. “More?”
He chuckled, and it was a good sound. Warm, sexy, like he was himself again. “Yeah. Maybe another dog? Something bigger?”
“Ah. Like a German shepherd maybe?” I teased, thinking of Gunther.
“Could be,” he said slyly.
“You just want a dog that people are scared of and don’t make kissy noises at.”
“What? I hadn’t even considered that.”
“Liar,” I said, laughing. “And really, as long as whatever you choose likes Misha and doesn’t try and eat him, I’m game.”
“Agreed,” he replied with a sigh. “And also, down the road, before I’m too much older, I want a life with you and a family that includes children. I think that’s important for you to know.”
“We haven’t even known each other a whole month yet.”
“But it’s close,” he countered quickly. “And I’m not saying I want to adopt kids tomorrow. I’m just telling you I want everything with you.”
“Everything? Are you sure?”
“Yep. And I’m telling you all this because I have a feeling about us. Period. I knew from the moment I saw your beautiful dark eyes on me and I nearly passed out.”
“Knock it off.”
“I swear it’s true. It was like being hit by lightning.”
“You’re a sap.”
He nodded vigorously. “True, but I don’t care.”
I couldn’t help smiling at him. I was crazy about him even though he was an idiot. But so was I.
“And I know something else.”
“What’s that?”
“That you’re going to make a great father.”
I stared up at him. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”
His smile was warm. “I’ve heard you, Maks. You know about love. It’s in every word you’ve ever said about your mother and brother when we’ve talked about them on the phone. And I know that your father’s a monster, you’ve told me that too, but I’m thinking that you not being anything like him sounds like a great first step to knowing the kind of father you don’t wanna be.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“I think you’re still holding on to the past to remind yourself that you’re not a good man or that things could go wrong at any second. But I think what we should both learn from this nightmare with Reid is that the only way to live in the present is to be present. No more uncertainty or hiding for either of us. We’re on the right track now.”
“I—”
“And conversely, wouldn’t growing up near an animal sanctuary be great for kids?”
Of course it would.
“Teach them responsibility and empathy,” he said, tilting my head up as he bent close. “Doesn’t that sound wonderful, my wayward man?”
I took a breath, and when he kissed me, I felt it—the connection, his hope, and my surrender to his ridiculous plan. I’d been looking for the North Star for so long and finally found one in him.
He broke the kiss when he heard Misha yelp, and we both leaned over the railing and looked down at him. I hadn’t even heard him go down the many steps to the backyard, but there he was, and he’d suddenly found himself cornered by a large white ceramic duck with a gingham bandanna around its neck.