Page 76 of Jordan

We stood in the kitchen a while longer before Dexen and Jordan drifted back to the dining room. Vail turned in my arms, bringing his face nearly level with mine. “What’s the matter?” He smoothed his thumb between my eyebrows. “Why are you so deep in thought?”

“Do I hold you back?”

“From what?”

“Friends? Life? Whatever you want?”

“Jordan, I only want you and Hart. Everything else will fall into place. It’s fun getting out and seeing people, but we don’t have to do that together. I’m fine visiting family on my own. You don’t have to worry about me. Or Hartley for that matter. We’re happy. If we weren’t, we’d tell you.”

“Promise?” Dammit, I was softening. I never spoke of such things before. I didn’t voice my vulnerabilities or let anyone see them. Yet, standing in front of Vail and when Hartley was with us, I found looking at them was akin to cracking my chest open and exposing my fucking heart.

“I promise. If there’s anything I want or need or if I feel like you’re holding me back, I’ll tell you.”

“Good.”

“There you two are,” Hartley said as he entered the kitchen. “Got room for another?”

I opened my arm. “Always.”

Together, the three of us stood there, not talking, simply soaking each other in. The sounds from the dining room, of Dexen, Greer, and Jordan talking floated to us. They were happy as well. That was what I wanted for my son, to be happy and healthy. To find love and thrive. He had, more than I could have ever hoped for.

“There he is, my new best friend,” Greer joked and slapped me on the back. A low growl worked its way up my throat as I resisted turning and pulling my gun from its holster. He peered at me with a smile. “Too soon?”

Vail and Hartley shook in my arms. I glared at them both. They couldn’t hold their laughter in any longer and both started chuckling. Traitors.

“What do you want for dessert?” Greer asked. “We’ve got ice cream and ice cream. I honestly didn’t expect to serve dessert. I figured you’d leave once dinner was over. Guess that teaches me. Next time I’ll have a cake ready.”

“You’re going to bake a cake?” Vail asked.

“No, but there’s this great bakery Dex uses at the club. They make dick cakes. And while that doesn’t sound appealing, they’re really good. Next time, expect a cock for dessert.” He winked.

“I don’t think you should be making those kinds of promises,” Dexen called from the dining room.

That time, even though I didn’t want to, I smiled.

Goddammit.

I didn’t want to soften.

Well, if there was anyone I could do it in front of, it was family. And as much as I wanted to put a bullet in Greer more times than not, that was what he was, him and Dexen. They were family. And so were Hartley and Vail.

In that moment, I wanted to make things permanent, which was insane on many levels. We weren’t there yet. Maybe one day we would be. Until then, I’d wait. When they were ready, we could discuss having a commitment ceremony.

I was getting way ahead of myself. I found with Vail and Hartley; time didn’t matter. All that did was being with them, protecting them, caring for them, and giving them everything they desired.

As I was about to lean in and kiss them, the front door flew open, the sound of it slamming against the wall reaching us, and I heard Raiden call for me. “Cops,” he said when he came into the room. “They just pulled in. A bunch of them.”

Spinning, I put Vail and Hartley behind me and went to the front of the house, quickly unholstering my gun and putting it in the drawer of a small table then removing my jacket and holster so I could shove the holster in the drawer too. I didn’t want the cops to confiscate my gun. Jordan got in my path and placed his hands on my chest to stop me as I put my suit jacket back on, while Greer took the gun and holster from the drawer and climbed the stairs with it.

“No,” Jordan said. “Stay here. Let me handle them.”

Dexen shook his head as he walked past. “I’ll go.”

“They’re here for me,” I told them. No one else had done anything to warrant a police presence. In my line of work, there was always a chance for me to be arrested. With everything that happened with Leeland, I foolishly thought it would be taken care of. I guess not. At least I had a solid alibi already in place as well as video footage to back it up. It paid to have the best tech minds at my disposal.

A man in a uniform came through. His eyes didn’t scan the room. They fell on me and remained there. More officers entered the home with their guns drawn, pushing my guards closer to me until I was surrounded by them and family.

“Jordan Altair, you’re under arrest in connection with the disappearance of Gilbert Cresswell,” the officer said as he came closer.

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