Cowboy Logic - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,79
seat and I’ll get the water set.” Jericho was good at this, just like he was with the kids. “You got a washer and dryer here?”
“I do. It’s on the other side of the kitchen. You’re welcome to use it, if you want.”
“I’ll do some. Looks like most of your soft clothes are in the hamper.” Jericho got the water going, steam starting to rise. Jericho left him on the seat a minute, then stepped in with him, naked as a jaybird.
“Oh…” He leaned forward, wanting to touch. A hug. To be held for a minute. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, baby.” Jericho stroked his back, bending to kiss his mouth for a second. It was gentle, warm, and he felt the loss of it when Jericho stood. “Let me get you washed. You’ll feel like a new man.”
“Okay.” He could stand that. His old self was a little beat down. Lord.
Jericho washed his hair, then rinsed, then repeated the process all the way to his toes. God, he really did feel better when they were done and drying off.
“Thank you. God. I was trying, but Mal’s on deadline and can’t come help.”
“Well, I’m glad I could.” Jericho got him into some soft clothes, then dragged his sorry ass back to the couch. “There you go. You want something? Maybe some juice?”
“There should be some in the fridge, maybe. If not, I’ll take a Diet Coke.”
“Sure.” Jericho moved around, and he dozed, and when he opened his eyes, there was juice and toast and some grapes. Sweet man.
Not that he was ready to trust that he really understood what Jericho wanted. But it didn’t matter right now, did it? Jericho was here, and he’d enjoy it.
That was how it worked.
Jericho scooted in next to him, holding a plate of cheese and crackers. “Hey.”
“Wow. You found all sorts of things.” The grapes tasted so good. “Thank you. I’ve been writing hard. That’s it. Just writing.”
“Mmm. Maybe you need some sleep.”
“Yeah. Maybe you too. You look exhausted. How was the flight?” He didn’t know quite what to say, but he wanted to know everything.
“Long. Do you mind if we call the kids? They’ll want to say hi.”
“Jericho, I need you to listen to me for a second.” He put down his glass and caught the man’s gaze. “I love your kids. I need to be important—like ‘I would be brokenhearted without you’ important—but being in love means that I get your kids are first. Being in love means that I’d live brokenhearted so those babies get what you think they need.”
Jericho looked him in the eye in return. “Thank you. They love you too, you know. They wanted to come with me, but if I was wrong… Well, I knew I couldn’t handle my disappointment and theirs.”
“I love you. I love all y’all.” He didn’t have anything else. He didn’t need anything else.
Jericho gave him this most amazing, happy smile. “Then we should call them. You should have heard Travis yelling at me that he didn’t care if I was gay— Oh. Shit. I got something for you.”
“Did he get my letter?”
“He did. Were you sneaking around with my daughter on Skype?” Jericho started digging in his pockets.
“I never sneak. I just gave the kids my information. I wanted them to be able to get hold of me.” He wasn’t sorry. He never said anything he wouldn’t say to Jericho.
“I’m not mad. Not at all. They needed to know you cared.” Jericho handed him a little velvet bag.
“What’s this?” He opened the bag and tumped out two rings—both gold with a rainbow of colored sapphires in the channels. He looked up, and his heart stopped.
Really.
He may have even passed out for a millisecond.
“Jericho?”
Jericho nodded, very serious, but those gray eyes were just dancing. “Well, if we’re gonna do this, I want to be able to do it up right. No hiding or making excuses. I got married once for the bad reasons, though I wouldn’t trade the kids for anything. This time, though, I wanna do it the good way.”
“I’ve never wanted to marry anyone,” he admitted. “And the first week, I knew. As insane as it is, I wanted you to be my family.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I just—you’re it for me, baby.” Jericho put the ring on him, and it fit perfectly. Not to mention it wouldn’t get caught on stuff if he was working. “So, yeah? We can call the kids and tell them you said yes?”
“After we get yours