firm touch against the swaddled bundle, holding him on Brian’s lap. Brian whispered, “Hey, Joshie. Are we good?”
Nick sat beside him and laid a hand on the baby too. “We’ve got him, if you space out. How do you feel?”
“Fine so far. He’s sleeping.” There was no bright light or pulling rush of silver river around Josh. Brian touched the baby’s silky skin with one finger and felt a pulsing in his head, like his Finding senses wanted to open up. I already know this kid, he told his inner self. We’re linked. Don’t need to do that again. He was certain that if he ever needed to, he could Find this child at the other end of the universe.
Joshie opened his eyes and yawned. The pull to look at him, properly look, increased, but Brian didn’t have to follow through. He turned to meet Nick’s worried eyes. “It’s not bad. I can feel a kind of pulling thing. Like when I’m on a Find. But it’s not impossible to resist.” The baby made a funny squeak and Brian glanced down. “He’s so little. Are you sure he’s healthy?” He was so glad the baby at least had dark-blue eyes, not his own freaky light ones. People wouldn’t look at him as funny… “Huh?” Nick had nudged him sharply.
“Just checking. You seemed hung up on his eyelashes or something.”
“He barely has any.” Brian pulled his gaze away and turned to look at Nick instead. A trickle of amber and steel like an aura around Nick’s gorgeous face made him realize his Finding senses had opened a little. He hadn’t even known there was a place between “Finder off” and “on.” He slammed his inner eye shut. “Weird. He’s not hypnotizing me, but there’s something. Not a really bad something.” He rocked the baby, then looked around. “Damon? Charlie? Someone want him now?”
“I’ll take him,” Damon said. “For a minute. Wouldn’t want gimp-boy to do more bending and lifting than he has to.”
Charlie eased Josh out of Brian’s lap and stood smoothly, the baby against his shoulder. “You might get a moment of time with him later. If you ask nicely.”
Damon laughed, although there was an odd note in it. “Nah. I’m waiting on Doc and that home birth form. Then I’m gone. Places to go. People to see.”
“Boats to blow up?” Charlie asked.
“Maybe. If that’s what it takes.” Damon turned toward the kitchen. “You got any beer?” He opened the fridge. “Ooh, a decent brand, too.” Taking one out, he opened the top and tipped it up against his lips, standing by the sink, looking out the window at the sky.
Charlie seemed about to say something, but then he turned away, rocking the baby. The room went quiet, but it felt weirdly crowded. Like there was a presence, a weight blanketing them, beyond four men and a baby. Brian wasn’t sure if it was all the tension— between Damon and Charlie, between him and the baby, between Nick and Damon. It might just be that. In any case, none of them broke the quiet. Even little Joshie was silent again, as they waited for Zander to come out and commit the agreed-on lies to official paper.
Chapter 18
Nick tapped his foot silently against the car’s rubber floor mat in time to the song playing over his single earbud. Listening to half the track on his music was interesting— not ideal, but interesting. Necessary, since he didn’t want to miss anything going on outside. A dog barked somewhere down by Sam’s house and Nick alerted, peering out of a corner of the windshield, but it was a single bark and not repeated.
It was another unseasonably warm January night. Not that he was complaining, since it meant he could sit in the dark front seat with the engine off and not freeze his ass. He didn’t miss Minnesota winter one bit.
In the seat beside him, Brian stirred and opened his eyes. “Ack! Did I fall asleep?”
“Shhh. Yeah. It’s okay. Nothing’s happening.”
Brian made an effort to speak softly. “You think Sam’s done for the night?”
“There’s still some light.” Nick pointed through the trees to where a flash of yellow could be seen. “He turns out the porch light when he goes to bed.”
“Oh.” Brian’s eyes drooped closed again.
Should’ve left him at home to sleep in comfort. It’d been Brian’s idea to come along. He’d said he was tired of spending evenings alone, and truth be told, Nick was too. It was good to have