Wood (A True Lover's Story #2) - A.E. Via Page 0,35

fineness. He smiled even as he struggled to sit up straighter. This man was truly something else. Wood set the plate down on the coffee table, and Trent’s excitement came to a screeching halt.

“What’s this?”

“My specialty.” Wood beamed proudly.

“Oh yeah?” Trent laughed nervously. He loved eggs but eggs a certain way.

Wood went into the kitchen again, and Trent picked up his fork and stabbed at the plump omelet. He wasn’t a fan. What the fuck is in here?

He heard the refrigerator door open, then Wood asked, “You want orange juice, or milk, or…”

“Orange juice… the biggest cup we got in there,” Trent hurried to say. He set his plate in his lap so he didn’t have to bend over the table to eat. “What’d you say was in here?”

“It’s a cheesy spinach mushroom omelet.” Wood winked. “Bishop told me you love eggs. And that you put extra cheese on everything.”

Trent exhaled silently. Did he now? Damn. Had Wood been asking about the things he liked from his best friend so he could cook for him?

“And I’m glad you do like those because I really only have a few dishes I can make, and this is one; you had the other last night.” Wood sat in the recliner and immediately began eating his breakfast. When he brought the fork to his mouth, a long string of yellow cheese clung to his omelet. “Mmmm. Now that’s heaven.”

“Where’d you get spinach and mushrooms?” Trent frowned, still terrified.

“From the store yesterday when I bought the spaghetti ingredients.” Wood nodded at his untouched plate. “Go on and eat before it cools. The cheese has to be gooey.”

“Oh well, I was gonna—”

“I used to make this for my mother when she wasn’t feeling good…” Wood’s slight smile fell, and he glanced away from Trent as if what he’d just remembered didn’t rouse happy memories. Were his folks dead? “She’d be so happy to see me in the kitchen. She always loved it when I made these for just me and her.”

Trent didn’t want to probe, and Wood didn’t offer up anything more as he sat there staring down at his plate as if he were caught in some nostalgic trance. Trent didn’t like the way Wood’s pained expression made him feel inside. Maybe Wood had lost his mother while he was in prison. He’d heard that was one of the worst things for an inmate to go through.

Not knowing what else to do, Trent picked up his fork and took a big bite of the eggs and moaned loudly, drawing Wood’s attention. “Mmm. I see why she loved these.” Trent nodded, pointing at the cheese dangling from his bottom lip. He quickly chased his mouthful with a huge gulp of juice, then went in again. “Wow. The cheese is literally melting in my mouth.” Although Trent’s stomach felt as if it was going to rebel any minute, Wood was watching him now with shimmering eyes and a pleased smile.

Trent would take this punishment for Wood. Hell, the bathroom was only a few feet away.

Chapter Eighteen

Wood

Trent took two muscle relaxers after he ate and ended up having to go lie down. Around four o’clock, Wood called Bishop and canceled their dinner plans for tonight since Trent was knocked out and he wasn’t really in the mood to entertain. In a nutshell… he was fucking horny and frustrated. Wood stayed in his room with his door open just in case Trent needed his help and lazily sketched in his notepad. He hadn’t felt any real inspiration in years, and he was getting nervous that he never would. If he couldn’t get into a reputable shop and perform his art again, then he’d survived all those damn years in that cage for nothing.

Trent only came out of his room to use the bathroom, then climbed right back into bed. He was tinkering with Trent’s PlayStation to see if he could possibly figure out one of those ridiculous games when he heard a car pulling up in the driveway. He got up and opened the door and was surprised to see Edison walking up the porch with a large dish in his hands and a smile. Wood reached out and relieved him, then moved back so he could let his friend’s partner in from the cold.

“Don’t worry, I’m not staying. I know we canceled for tonight because of Trent’s back.” Edison pointed at the steaming container in Wood’s hands. “But you guys still need to eat, right, so I just