Page 34 of Subtracting the Heart

Chapter Fifteen

Ford

Ford sat at the end of the Fairytails bar watching the jubilant festivities to celebrate the ending of one year and the beginning of another. Everyone was having a great time, he could tell, but he just wanted to be home with Cade.

With Jax being gone, Ford felt awful leaving Kincade at home alone. Unfortunately, they had guests, and someone needed to ensure things didn’t get out of hand with the boys, so Cade stayed at the Greystone. The boys hadn’t given them any trouble yet, but itwasNew Year’s Eve, and he’d hate for something to happen. Ashton was there, after all.

Cade’s mother was attending a party at Mitsy Someone’s condo in the high-rent district. As far as Ford knew, Cade’s father was due to be arrested at any time. It was another reason he hated to leave Kincade home alone. His younger lover might despise his father’s actions, but there was still the parental bond.

It had taken Ford a while to cut his own ties, not that he’d had any choice in the matter. His father had cut him off in any way he possibly could after he’d told his mother he liked boys instead of girls the summer before he started college at Tulane.

“Branford, don’t slouch,” Alicia Hammond Thomas ordered. His mother ran a designer gift shop in Great Neck. His father was a partner in a brokerage house in Manhattan, spending little time with the family at their home in Nassau County.

Ford, himself, had attended boarding school in Connecticut since being in the middle grades and those trips home were awful. He’d grown to be his own man away at school and being back at home in Great Neck was wearing on him already. He’d only been home for two days since he’d graduated.

His older sister, Sela, was in France at the Sorbonne. His younger twin brothers, Garrett and Grant, were out with friends that night, though his dislike for the brats wasn’t something he hid well. They reminded him too much of his parents in that their pretense and position in the socialhierarchy of their peers was the most important thing in the world to them.

“Why are we having a dinner party in the middle of the week?” Ford adjusted his sports coat. It was new, and he didn’t like having to wear it.

He’d had to wear a school jacket for the past four years. He certainly didn’t want to have to wear one in the summer when he’d rather be out in the pool. The less amount of time spent with his family, the better.

“I told you, Abigail Mellon is home from her year abroad. I invited Charles and Sophia for dinner so you could reacquaint yourself with Abby. You two were such good friends, Branford, remember?” his mother prompted.

He remembered Abby Mellon from middle school, all buck teeth, glasses, and nasty attitude. She’d called him girly because he didn’t like to play kickball and preferred to sit under the large elm tree at the end of the playground and read instead of participating in activities with the other children.

Abby was a bully back then and based on the summers he’d seen her when he was home from boarding school, she hadn’t changed. He had no intention of getting reacquainted with the girl whatsoever.

The painful trip down memory lane was cut short by the ringing of his cell. Ford glanced at the screen seeing it was Jax. The clock showed it was just after eleven.

Ford thought he’d be able to conference Jax and Cade at twelve. They couldn’t be together to celebrate the New Year, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t say “I love you” at midnight.

“Hello, Cajun.” Ford hoped his tone was teasing.

He hurried upstairs to the quiet of his office. He, much like Kincade, hated that Jax needed to go to Minnesota with the team, but he knew better than anyone how loyal the man was to those he cared for.

Ford wasn’t too surprised when Jax made the decision to go, even though he’d said he was happy not to go when the boys asked about it. He was the ultimate team player.

“Hey, baby. How’s my guy? Things hoppin’ at the club?” Jax chuckled.

“Full house. There’s a line around the corner waiting to get in. I feel bad for them because it’s snowing and fucking cold but they won’t leave, God bless ‘em. I sent Brady and one of the dancers to hand out coffee earlier. I plan to send them back out with champagne at midnight. How about you? How was the flight?” Ford asked.

“Fine. I had a chance to talk to Denny Walker and pumped him to lead out there tomorrow. He’ll be captain next year and I’m glad for the kid. He can go back in and renegotiate his contract and squeeze some more money out of the cheap bastards. Anyway, I talked with Cade earlier. He sounds kinda lonely, and I was thinking if you could get away before midnight…” Jax began his explanation.

For seven minutes, Jax told him exactly what he wanted him to do to Cade and by the time the description ended, they were both breathing heavily. “Let go, love.” Ford knew exactly what Jax had been doing while he was laying out his elaborate plans, and Ford was about to spill in his suit slacks but wanted to save it for when he got home.

“Fuuuuck! Oh, god, baby.”Jax was gulping deep breaths that made Ford grin.

Phone sex was how the two of them got through the away games before they’d met Cade. He was glad that time was coming to an end. He wanted Jax home, too.

“Hang on.” Ford could hear Jax moving around and then when he settled back to the phone, he heard a loud yawn which wasn’t a surprise.

“Okay?” Ford heard Jax exhale loudly.

“Better than okay, baby. Anyway, send me pictures of the two of you together in bed, please? I’ll be home tomorrow night but I just need a little something to get me through tomorrow,” the big guy told him with a low chuckle.

Ford laughed. “You’re incorrigible, Jackson. I love you. We’ll watch tomorrow. Make sure they kick ass, okay?”

“Nothin’ but a win. Make sure you kick ass tonight—well, maybe not kick, but kiss. I’m there in spirit, Branford.” Jax hung up.

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