Page 3 of Throuple Next Door

Austin snorted lightly. “That was pure luck on your part, and don’t think I’m ever going to let you forget it.” He couldn’t help smiling as he inhaled deeply, Randy and Weaver’s scents mingling into a cocktail heady enough to make his mind spin.

They stood together for a while, and some of Austin’s tension slipped away. But he had things to do, and that meant getting to work. “We need to get back to it. The rest of the furniture comes Monday, and there’s still a lot to go.”

“Like what?” Weaver asked.

“Well, you need to go pick out a paint color for your office and get two gallons of satin paint so we can have that done for when the furniture arrives. I have a few color choices that I think you’ll like.” None of them had moved, so Austin stayed where he was for the time being.

“I don’t think he’s going to let us get away with holding him for long enough that it’s too late to start, do you?” Weaver said.

“Hey.” Austin stepped to the side. “That room is the one they didn’t get a chance to repaint, probably because it was where they stored things while the rest of the house was freshened up. The previous owners chose nice colors, but I know your office is important to you.” He grabbed his notebook and pressed color samples into Weaver’s hands.

“These are nice,” Randy said.

“They are, but I was thinking purple with red trim.”

Austin rounded on him. “I know you’re joking, but if you come back with some hideous color, I will make you live with it.”

Weaver put his hands up. “I know. And I like this one. Butter Spread is soft and bright.”

“Good. Then go get two gallons and the supplies for painting. I’d come with you, but there are still a few things I need to try to find.”

“Then we’ll go get painting stuff,” Weaver agreed, and judging by the smirk on his face, Austin was sure he was going to regret letting them do any sort of shopping. The last time he sent one of them to the grocery store, they came back with what he wanted… as well as a number of things that “looked good,” which Austin had found in the back of the cupboard when he cleaned out their old apartment. So lord knew what they were going to come back with.

Chapter Two

Andrew waved as Austin passed his house. Austin returned it and continued down, parking in front, behind Randy’s truck. Because of the trip to Chicago, Weaver’s precious BMW was being driven to Carlisle by his brother, Gregory, who would continue on to Pitt for college by train. Weaver made sure Gregory knew exactly what would happen to him if he got so much as a scratch on his baby.

“Afternoon,” the neighbor next door said as he hurried out of the house. “I’m Doug. It’s good to meet you. Eileen is going to be sad she missed you, but she’s in New York on business. Welcome to the neighborhood… all of you.” He shook Austin’s hand before hurrying toward his Prius. “I’m late or I’d chat longer.” He waved, got in the car, and pulled away. That was interesting.

Austin carried the bags of groceries inside and right to the kitchen. One thing he knew about his men was that they would be hungry sooner rather than later. Austin put the groceries away and grabbed three cold bottles of water, heading upstairs. All he had to do was follow the scent of fresh paint to find Randy and Weaver. He reached the top of the stairs and pushed the office door open slowly. Randy and Weaver were both barefoot in shorts and T-shirts. Randy was edging the walls as Weaver rolled on the paint.

“Do you like it?” Weaver asked.

“This isn’t the same color,” Austin said as he stepped inside.

“I know. I got the color strip and really liked the one a shade lighter. It’s softer and….” He trailed off as Austin looked over the wall they’d finished.

He nodded slowly. “You did good.” It really was a better choice, but he wasn’t willing to tell them that. Their egos were already big enough.

Weaver mocked dropping his roller. “That’s twice he’s said that. Do you think that deserves a reward?”

“It does. You each get a cookie when you’re done.” Austin backed out of the room, heading down the stairs.

“You know what I want to do,” Weaver Fisher said softly as soon as Austin was out of earshot.

Randy snickered, but his eyes said it all. “Strip him down and make him scream until all that worry leaches out of him?”

Weaver nodded. “He’s too damned uptight. Between us, we’ve got everything covered.” He continued putting paint on the wall, ready to have this job done so the three of them could talk this shit through.

“You know that’s not enough. Austin has to have a way to support himself so he can have a way out.” Randy climbed on the ladder, and Weaver admired the way those shorts clung to that one-of-a-kind ass. “He’s always wondering when he’s going to end up on his own again. It’s happened too many times for him to just trust that we aren’t going to decide that he isn’t wanted or needed.”

“That’s bullshit,” Weaver muttered. “I don’t know what the fuck I’d do without either of you.” Randy was his best friend and confidant, the one he could say anything to, and Austin was all energy and vitality, the one person who could lead him into trouble and make him happy about doing it. Together they completed his life in a way neither of them could do alone. And he was sure Randy felt the same way. They had been together, all of them, for three years. He and Randy had been together for almost three before that, but it wasn’t until they had met Austin that things really clicked and that last piece fell into place.

“I know, and Austin does too—at least part of him does—but there’s still the need for a parachute. We have to help him have the safety net he needs to feel safe.” Randy continued painting, finishing edging the third wall and moving on to the last one, which, with all the angles, was going to be a pain.

“What is wall and what’s ceiling?” Weaver asked.

“If you can hang pictures on it, it’s wall. Otherwise it’s ceiling,” Randy answered as he continued working.

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