Page 36 of Forbidden Moon
RJ HELD JONAH’S HANDfrom the table to the truck. It seemed they had silently crossed an invisible line in the sand and were now, officially, an item. Fine with him, and judging by how Jonah was plastered to his side, he felt the same way. When they reached the truck, RJ opened the door for his date and jogged around to get behind the wheel. He found Jonah watching him, a warm smile on his face.
“Thank you for supper. I loved getting to know you better, but I have to admit this is the first date I’ve ever been on.”
RJ looked surprised.
“Honestly? I thought I was the only one! Thank you for saying yes.”
“Would you like to walk with me in the park? I know a great spot by the water where we can watch the sunset.”
RJ liked the idea, eager for more time with Jonah.
“You bet! I’m not ready for our date to end anyway. Just tell me how to get there.”
Once they reached the highway, Jonah gave him more details.
“Van Cleve Park has a lot to offer and is very popular. There’s a beach for swimming, walking trails, picnic areas, and a cool lighthouse overlooking Little Bay de Noc. I’ll show you where to turn when we get closer.”
Now that they were alone, RJ’s erection returned with a vengeance, taunting him to do something about it. A glance at Jonah revealed the same problem, but somehow he knew intimacy wasn’t on the agenda for tonight. Maybe this weekend, if he was lucky.
“If I remember, you moved here from Newberry to be closer to your brother. What about the rest of your family?”
Jonah appreciated an easy question.
“I’m the youngest of five. My sister Meredith is the oldest, and she and Drew have four kids. Then comes Ben. He owns the Preserve and a construction company called Natural Homes. He’s married to Evan, and they have six children so far. Then come Connor and Avary, who both married last winter. They all live close to my folks who own a country club and golf course in Newberry. It’s only a couple hours away, so we get to see each other fairly often.”
RJ missed the last part, mind still processing the information about Ben.
“So your brother Ben is gay, married, and they havesix kids? Amazing! Did they adopt a whole set of siblings or what?”
Oops. Jonah may have overshared and needed to be careful how he explained this.
“No, nothing like that. They wanted to have their own biological children, and it was quite an involved process. I’m glad gay couples have more options now.”
RJ figured they must have used in-vitro or surrogates. Butsix?
“Do you want children someday?”
Jonah lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Oh, yes! I love kids. What about you?”
RJ shrugged.
“Sure, I guess. I figured I’d wait until I met someone special and go from there. I’m not opposed to children, though I’d prefer them one at a time!”
Jonah already knew he wouldn’t be able to reproduce with a human mate. RJ wasn’t to blame, but it seemed especially cruel for Luna to have withheld the gift of children from an Omega who only recently learned he could conceive. An Honor Mate was a possibility, though it wouldn’t be the same. He locked away the pain, unwilling to let it fester and spoil their budding relationship. The turnoff came up quickly.
“Take a right here at Lake Shore Drive and go for about five blocks. You’ll see the signs for the parking area.”
RJ sensed that Jonah held something back, something he didn’t want to talk about. Maybe when they knew each other better, he would share it with him. He didn’t mind—after all, they’d just met, and having children wasn’t something they needed to discuss in detail.
They reached the park, and Jonah directed him to a spot near the public beach. RJ handed him down from the cab, locked the vehicle, and wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked.
“Is this all right?”
Jonah beamed, slipping his arm around RJ.
“Now it is.”
