Page 35 of Strike A Chord

“Glad you had a good time. Don’t let me disturb you, just getting a glass of water.” She kissed the top of Josh’s head and then mine. His smile was incredible.

“Mom kissed me first, she likes me best,” he sang, and she chuckled.

“Goodnight, boys.”

“’Night, Mom,” we said in unison. It was the most perfect end for date night.

As soon as her door shut, Josh sat up. “Do you think she’d be okay with me living here? I’m not messy. I clean up after myself and I can be quiet.” Was he pitching a pet or himself? I knew her protective momma bear would roar when she found out about his PTSD and saw how broken he was after he had an episode. The nightmares weren’t nightly from what I’d witnessed, but often enough to break my fucking heart.

“Sweetheart, she’s already enamored with you. Mom and I love living together and having you and I here to dote on and feed to her heart’s content will make her very happy.” Growing up, my mother fed every kid I brought home. Not everyone, such as Josh, had the great childhood I did. A loving, doting parent. Hot meals, clean clothes, I never had to ask for a thing. The world would be a much better place if every child had the same.

“Okay. Okay. Yeah.” Was he answering an unspoken question or reassuring himself? “I’m nervous as fuck, not gonna lie, but this feels right. Building a life with you. To be honest, never having had a family before, it will be nice to have a mom around.”

I could see that for him. “Awesome, I’ll talk to her in the morning.”

“We’ll talk to her in the morning.”

Good boy. He was already doing better than he knew. Between us, Mom, and his career taking off, Josh’s belief in himself was near the light at the end of the tunnel he’d been lost in.

Chapter Fifteen

Josh

“Good morning, boys, you’re up bright and early.” Up early? I didn’t sleep, not even after an orgasm which usually helped. I was nervous as fuck. Under the table, Reagan gripped my knee to keep my leg from bouncing. “Is everything all right, Josh?”

“He’s fine, Mom. We wanted to talk to you about something.”

She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a seat. “Okay boys, spill it.”

Reagan took a deep, steadying breath. He was the epitome of calm while I was on the verge of hurling. What if she rejected me? “Josh and I have reached a point in our relationship and we’re ready to take the next step and live together.” Becky’s face fell though she quickly righted it.

“I knew this day would come. I’ve loved having you here, Reagan, but I’m happy you found your soul mate.”

“Mom, we want to know if Josh can move in here with us.” She perked up and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“On one condition.”

Uh oh, here it comes.

“Name it.”

“Glad to hear you speak up, Josh. I’d like to build a tiny house in the back yard for me. We could still cook together in the big kitchen, so I’d just need a little sink, mini fridge, that sort of thing. But I’d like to have my own private space. Nothing against you boys but it would be nice.”

“Seriously?” Did I hear her right? No conflict with me, just wants a little space for herself. And we’d still get to eat together. Count me in. “Consider it done.” Oh shit, was I supposed to reply for both of us?

“See, you worried for nothing.” Freaking Reagan, always right but I had to admit, it was one of the many things I loved about him.

“You boys are gone more than you’re home and with the rockstar hitting the road,” Becky winked at me, “I’ll still be the only one here. Reagan, I put the house in your name when I paid it off so it’s yours to do with as you please. Maybe you boys can combine a couple of the bedrooms and make yourself a nice master suite. After my little casita is done first, of course.”

“Of course, Mom. I need to find a contractor for a couple of things at the bar. I’ll ask about residential work, too. We’ll need to have plans drawn up and pull permits for the tiny house, but from what I’ve read the city has approved many of those.”

Stunned. Shocked. Afraid to speak for fear of fucking it all up.

Don’t speak to me. Don’t speak to me. Don’t speak to me or I’ll…

“Sweetheart, are you all right?” That’s all it took. Those four simple words from Reagan and I turned into a giant crybaby. What the fuck was wrong with me? Hard ass Josh had been flushed down the toilet and replaced with a pussified one. Having Reagan and Becky both wrap their arms around me only intensified the tears.

“All right, son.” Becky had no idea the effect that word had on me. “You want to tell us what that was all about?”

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