Page 38 of Now and Forever

Seth cringed. He never could’ve stepped in to help Daddy at the winery. It would’ve been too much.

Daddy jostled him. “Hey, I don’t mean that if I had another partner I’d want to rebuild. That’s not what I meant. I guess… I suppose the era of having that career has passed for me. I’m in the next phase of my life, and now that the Silver Chalice is gone, it’s made me think. I didn’t choose the winery. It chose me because Everett needed my help.” He sighed. “Who knows what’s next?” He pressed a kiss to Seth’s temple. “But whatever it is, we’ll share it together somehow.”

They tangled and untangled their fingers as they sat in silence, Daddy’s observations sinking in. A thought occurred to Seth. Daddy had never discussed finances in any detail with him, other than insisting he needn’t worry. But a lot had changed, and he didn’t wantDaddyto worry.

“Daddy, I want you to know that if we need to postpone the wedding, or put off buying a new house, that’s okay. I can even try getting another dishwashing job to help out.”

Daddy’s grip tightened on Seth’s fingers and he regarded him with a frown. “Shit, I didn’t think to reassure you. God, Seth. No, that’s not at all necessary.” He pressed a soft kiss to Seth’s mouth. “We’re more than fine. I’ve invested well, and eventually, the insurance will come through. Plus, I still have the land and I’ll be able to sell that too.”

“Oh.” Seth knew that Daddy made a good living, but he hadn’t realized he was that wealthy. “Okay. But if you need me to, I’ll get a job.”

Seth yelped as Daddy gathered him onto his lap. He was treated to a wide smile—the first Seth had witnessed from Daddy since the fire.

“This is what I think we should do right now.”

Seth tilted his head. “What?”

“Make mad, passionate love until we pass out. Whaddya say?”

Sounds better than making cranberry bread.

Seth answered by plunging his tongue into Daddy’s mouth and letting Daddy have his way with him.

Chapter Ten

Malcolm lay stretched out on the long sofa in their beach hideaway, while the woodstove helped keep the chill from the room. The charming and homey rental was the same place he and Seth had stayed in almost a year before. He had to admit that taking some time away and coming to Florence had helped. Seth had been right. He needed to clear his head, not worry about big decisions for now.

While Malcolm knew he and Seth would always be Daddy and boy, they’d evolved into partners who were bound together by friendship and love. Even though losing the vineyard had gutted him, he still felt as if he had everything. He had Seth.

“Daddy?” Seth trotted down the winding, wrought-iron stairs that led to the loft bedroom. “I was thinking of going into town and picking up some fish or chicken to cook for dinner. Is there anything else you want me to get?”

Malcolm gazed at his boy with affection, one arm behind his head and the other beckoning for Seth to come closer. Seth had made a lot of progress in the past few months. He’d not only passed his GED, he now had his driver’s license. Seth approached the couch and Malcolm tugged on the bottom of his sweater.

“C’mere. Lie down with me.”

Seth laughed as he tried to wrest his sweater from Malcolm. “But you said you didn’t want to eat any later than seven, and it’s almost five. If I don’t pick up the ingredients and start cooking soon, I’ll never be done by then.”

Malcolm frowned. He’d been expecting an awful lot from his boy lately, whenhewas supposed to be the caretaker, the Daddy. Seth had stepped in, assuming the responsibility for a lot of things so Malcolm could take some time for himself. But a large part of his identity was being a Daddy and he missed that feeling, the joy of making his boy happy, of being the one who gave the comfort.

“Let’s go out to eat instead. It’s time for me to treat my boy.”

Seth took Malcolm’s hand. “You don’t have to do that. I don’t mind getting groceries and cooking. You said you wanted to stay in while we were here, so you could rest.”

Malcolm went back to tugging on Seth’s sweater with his other hand. “I guess I said a lot of stuff, huh? What about the place with the clam chowder you loved?” He waggled his eyebrows. “You know you want to.”

Seth laughed some more as they playfully slapped at each other’s hands. “Well, I guess it is kind of a chowdery night.”

“Very chowdery.” Malcolm pulled on Seth’s arm just hard enough to cause Seth to tumble down on top of him. “Oof!”

Seth gasped. “Did I hurt you?”

Malcolm embraced him. “Nah. I’m resilient.”

He lifted his head off the cushion, using his tongue to tease Seth’s lips apart. Seth let him in, let him take control of the kiss. He tasted his sweet boy over and over, let the smell of him envelop his senses. The wood crackled in the stove and Malcolm was reminded that they were supposed to be leaving for dinner.

“Mmm. Love you so much, baby.”

Seth grinned. “Love you too. Should I call and see if we need to make reservations?”

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