Page 21 of Twice the Problems

Warm lips touched his shoulder. Dodge’s hard body molded against him. Quest’s every thought scattered. He wanted to beg for these men to swear they would love him forever. Quest wished he could marry them and tie them together forever. He understood that wasn’t possible, and it broke his heart a little.

Dodge pulled away first. “Shaw decided not to stay. He’s dressing and leaving.”

Quest set Salem back on the floor. “I don’t blame him. He didn’t make any friends last night.”

Salem nodded as he carried his cup to the table. “True, but I still feel sorry for him. I don’t think he’s a bad person, really.”

“He’s set on burning his life to the ground.”

“Exactly,” Salem said, proving Quest’s thoughts correct.

“He said he was sorry like a dozen times while we looked for his clothes. I know a drunkmouth speaks a sober mind, so I don’t doubt for a second he genuinely thinks we’re stupid. But I don’t think it’s personal as much as he just has a huge ego we were stepping all over.”

Salem froze with his coffee halfway to his mouth.

Quest swiped a hand over his eyes. He didn’t know if Dodge even realized he had just told on them about eavesdropping on Salem’s argument with Shaw last night.

Salem set his cup aside. “You were listening.” His chest rose and fell on a deep breath. “I suppose I knew you’d heard at least part of what was said since we were yelling. I’m sorry.”

Quest honestly didn’t understand Salem sometimes. “Why are you apologizing?”

Dodge nodded. “Yeah. Why are you apologizing? You’re not the one who called us dumb and dumber.”

Salem made a helpless gesture. “You two have—”

“I’m sorry for saying that. You two didn’t deserve it.”

At Shaw’s interruption, all eyes turned toward the door.

Shaw stood with his shoulder leaned against the frame. With his hands shoved in his pockets, he looked like a little kid called to the carpet. Shaw clearedhis throat. He sounded and looked uncomfortable as hell. “There’s no excuse I can give. All I can say is I have a lot going on right now and you were easy targets at the time.” He straightened. “Thanks for everything. I hope you three have an amazing life. You should definitely stop hiding. JD loved a good scandal.” With a small smile, he turned away, leaving them alone.

They exchanged glances.

Salem’s hands lifted and fell. “I never had any intentions of hiding, so I have no clue what that was all about.”

A smile exploded across Quest’s face. Dodge looked his way, wearing amatching huge grin. “Well. Let’s not let our food get cold over it, then.”

Quest grabbed their coffees and moved to sit at the table. They were happy in their bubble and Salem didn’t plan to hide them. Things were finally looking up. It was time to eat and get on with the life they deserved.

Chapter Eight

OnethingSalemwouldalways be was a meddler. He couldn’t help it. Largely, people were too blind to see what was best for them. When someone was too close to a situation, it clouded their vision. As someone who had been forced to take their power back, he understood how important it was to be brave and reach for more.

As he made his way to the door of a small house, Salem was unsure how he felt. He couldn’t see Shawmingling with anyone poor. Salem was fully aware of what that said about him, but Shaw was… Shaw. Still, Salem couldn’t live with any misunderstandings hanging over his head. He had enough genuine wrongdoings to live with. Salem rang the doorbell, fully expecting to be ignored. He wasn’t even sure if Joesph was home. Salem shifted from foot to foot and waited. He didn’t know how long he should wait. With Joesph in a wheelchair, it could take a minute to get to the door.

When the door swung wide, Salem was more than a little surprised to find himself eye to eye with Joesph. “Oh. I thoughtyou couldn’t walk.” God. He heard himself. There was no taking it back. The shock had rendered him stupid.

Joesph’s mouth lifted in one corner. He truly was handsome. His light blue eyes swam with humor at Salem’s expense. “A lot of people in wheelchairs can walk. It’s just exhausting and hard work, but it’s even harder work to stay in a wheelchair all day in your home.”

Salem could see that. It would be so much more comfortable on the couch with the occasional hobble to the bathroom and kitchen. Salem made a dismissive motion, hoping to move on. “Noir told me where you live. I hope it’s okay for me to stop by. Itseems my husband used to host these personal gatherings of select people before he passed. At Noir’s prodding, I’ve decided to try to keep his memory alive by continuing his tradition. Maybe not as often, or whatever. Really, this is just a trial. I don’t know if I can handle a ton of people in my space.” He was rambling. Salem took a breath and pressed on. “Anyhow, it’s this Friday. I have an invitation for you. I worried if I had it delivered, you would toss it without even considering attending.”

“Why would you even want me there? I’m nobody.”

“You were seated with Noir the last time I saw you,and he says he likes you better than most people. Since he was the one pushing me to throw this party, I thought it would be nice if you came.”

Joesph shifted his cane from one hand to the next, leaning heavily throughout the entire process. “Do you mind if I sit down?”

Salem felt awful. “Do whatever you need.”