Page 26 of Fighting Fate

Baylor focused on the man apologizing. His brain lagged, making him slow to explain because, goddamn. The guy was hands down the most beautiful man Baylor had ever seen. He was the definition of stunning. He fucking stunned words right out of Baylor. A blond Adonis. Fuck.

Thankfully, Rhorey had him. “It’s Baylor, Dada. We met at Uncle Zander’s.”

Relief washed over his face. “Oh. Thank God. It’s nice to meet you. Rhorey talked about you for days after you two met.”

Baylor smiled. How could anyone not while in his presence? “Please have a seat. You must be Corey’s husband.”

They shook hands. “Rhett.” Rhett sat across from him.

“Oh. How cute. Rhett and Corey, Rhorey.”

Rhett was all smiles like sunshine in a bottle. He offset Corey’s serious nature perfectly. Damn. Corey had torn himself away from this to help Baylor. He was twice as grateful now.

“I thought you lived in California.”

Baylor nodded. His throat swelled. “I do. This was my husband’s hometown. He and my son are buried here. I came to see them.”

The genuine hurt that touched Rhett’s features nearly made Baylor burst into tears. He took Baylor’s hand. “I’m so sorry. We almost lost Rhorey. I can’t even imagine.”

He never knew what to say when people told him how sorry they were, but he was thankful for Rhett, nonetheless. While Rhett might not have lost his son, Baylor gathered he had gotten close enough to understand in a way most people didn’t.

“He’s not here.”

Baylor took his hand back from Rhett and put his arm around Rhorey. “Who’s not here, honey?”

“Micah.” He made a wild motion with his hand, as if drawing a picture he saw in his mind. “He went somewhere else.” He returned to the coloring book he had pulled out while Baylor had been talking to Rhett. Rhorey didn’t look his way. “When I died, I went away too. I was happy and didn’t want to come back. Not until I heard Dada’s voice.”

While Baylor wasn’t sure if any of this was true, he was fascinated.

Then Rhorey turned his head. His blue eyes were so serious, Baylor knew he never made up stories. It was as if life had made him too mature for that nonsense. He held Baylor’s stare. “He doesn’t want you to be sad.”

Baylor swallowed. Tears slipped down his cheeks and there was no stopping it. He swiped at them, trying to show some self-control in front of a child who should never shoulder an adult’s trauma.

“It would hurt.” Rhorey touched his chest. “Right here, if my dads cried. He doesn’t want that.”

Baylor took a breath and tried to pull himself under control. “Okay. I’ll try.”

With a nod, Rhorey returned to coloring. His gaze automatically swung Rhett’s way. He didn’t look surprised.

He gave Baylor a sweet smile. “Listen to the boy. He got Corey’s genius.”

Baylor chuckled. “And his compassion from you, I’m betting. Would you like to join me for dinner? I already ordered, but I’d love the company.”

“Sure. Corey is in the car, giving night orders to his nursing staff. He’ll be in as soon as he’s done. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

Rhorey took his hand under the table and held it. A peace settled over Baylor he hadn’t felt in years. When Rhorey had first appeared at his table, he had mused over how small the world was. Now he saw the truth. Too many blatant signs pointed him toward this new path. Baylor was doing the right thing. He could go home now.

Chipper hated sleeping without Baylor. He tossed and turned, beating the pillow next to him, attempting to make it more Baylor-like. Nothing worked. He was miserable. At two a.m., he gave up and got up. He headed for the kitchen. Chipper would eat another slice of the amazing cake Baylor had gotten him. He got one bite in and heard the front door chirp, then the beep of the alarm being reset. Chipper picked up his plate and headed for the living room. He wasn’t too worried. Anyone who knew his alarm code wasn’t likely set on killing him. His heart soared at the sight of Baylor parking his suitcase against the wall.

“Hey, baby.”

Baylor jumped, and then bent at the waist, sucking air. “Holy shit, Chipper. You scared the shit out of me. Why are you up?”

“Couldn’t sleep.” He couldn’t stop smiling. “Sorry about scaring you. I didn’t think you’d be home for a couple of days.”

Baylor straightened and gave him a sweet smile. “I couldn’t stay away. I missed our bed.” His gaze lowered to Chipper’s plate. “But I see you found a way to entertain yourself.”

Chipper looked down at the humongous slice of cake on his plate. “What? My bout is over. I don’t have to restrict myself anymore.” He cocked his head and thought it over. “Maybe I should still watch it, though. You’re naturally a small guy. I don’t think you’d like it if I got fat.”

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