Page 27 of Charming But Reckless

Orion pulled back, though he didn't go far. Tank came up on my other side and looked at the three of us with a scrutiny that spoke volumes.

He turned towards the porch. “If it's okay with you, I'd rather just drop him and go. We still have a bunch of projects we're working on that need our full attention. I just didn't want to waste another second of having Arick not with his son.”

The man who had spoken up first gave a sharp nod. “That's fine with us. The more the merrier. He's welcome to stay too. You gentlemen have a safe drive back.”

There were a few waves and handshakes, then the groups split up. The ranchers went inside, while all the men from Nightshade climbed back into the cars and left.

It was just me, Orion, and Sol outside. I looked at both of them and knew that no matter what, I would have them both in my life from now on. I intended to protect Sol from the dangers of this world much better this time around. With the way Orion had helped keep him safe, I knew that he would be a great partner to help me with that.

So what if a little voice inside me wanted to partner with him in other ways too? I could admit that there was more to this than friendship. How much more, I wasn't sure.

The desire to kiss him and hold him, to find out if he felt even a fraction of the way I did was strong. For now though, we had to get inside because there were other more pressing matters to discuss.

It would be a long day, but I would smile through every second of it now that I had my family back.

CHAPTER 10

ORION

It washard to believe that all this was real, that Sol really was Arick's son, and that my long-lost friend was sitting beside me on a couch in the house of another friend.

It was all jumbling together in my head. I couldn't split up the different parts of my life.

My past with Arick and the present with Sol. All the times in between. They had come together and created this blend that quite frankly fucked with my mind.

I had a million questions for Arick. I wanted to tell him a million stories.

That hug we had outside was life-altering. I felt like I had finally found peace. Like all the years that I had put into finding him had not gone to waste.

He was here, and he was real. If I had a say in it, he wasn't going to go anywhere.

Sean, Atticus, Jackson, and Beau were seated around the room with us. We had sent Dakota back to bed, but Sol refused to let go of his father. He had fallen asleep in the man's arms shortly after coming back inside.

We kept our voices low and even as we spoke.

Sean went first. “I know I speak for Atticus and myself when I say that you are welcome here as long as you like, Arick. The invitation was extended to your son and to Orion. We want you to know as well that this is a safe, secure home for as long as you need it to be.”

Arick smiled softly. “I appreciate your offer. I'm not quite sure what comes next. I pretty much uprooted our entire lives to come find him. There's nothing left to go back to.”

The men nodded in an understanding way. They might not have experienced it, but they all had their own journeys to get to where they were.

Atticus leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I'll be honest with you both. I think that this is something that will take time for you all to heal from. Like my husband said, you're welcome to be here. But we understand if you need time somewhere else. Healing is not a simple thing. Our friend Gerald experienced loss here on the ranch and wound up having to leave to manage his grief. It took him over a year to come home for a visit. Even now, he can't stay for more than short periods of time because the memories are too much.”

He leaned back, sitting up straight.

“What I mean by all that is to let you know that the ranch can be your getaway if you need it. Or if you feel like going back home is ideal, we understand as well and will support you. Neither of you have to work, but I know Sol does enjoy exploring the ranch. I hope that tomorrow morning, you'll allow him to continue to do so. No one gets on this land without us knowing. We have security the NightShade team put in themselves to make sure that we were protected from outside forces.”

I smiled. “We sure did. It was a pretty big project, but I'm thankful that you have it. Not that you need it with me here.”

They all chuckled at my pompous voice. Arick rolled his eyes as he tucked his son closer to him.

Sean and Atticus left shortly after. Beau and Jackson sat silently with us, neither jumping up to speak. When they finally did say something, it was basically to tell us goodnight and that they'd see us later.

That left just the three of us in the living room.

I watched Arick holding his son. My heart was so full just observing the pair. The love between them was beautiful to watch. I had no doubt they were close.

I knew from experience what it was like growing up with a single parent. You had a connection with them that couldn't really be explained to people who didn't live it, because as a child, you got to see your parent struggle and do all kinds of things to make ends meet. They’d bend over backwards to make sure that your life was as wonderful as you dreamed.

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