Page 34 of Otter Heart
But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a secret wish inside my heart that he would choose me in the end. It was hopeful and bright, like a star sitting alone in the night sky. But, like a star, it gave me no warmth. There was no point in placing stock in an empty dream.
“Oh Bessie,” I sighed, patting her and ruffling her ears. “That boy is getting under my skin.” I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers. “And I know you like him too. But he’s gonna go home someday, and it’s just going to be you and me again.” I kissed the space between her eyes. “That’ll be okay though. We’ve been through harder times than that and we always come out on top.”
Pushing myself up from my chair, I reached my hands toward the ceiling, leaning side to side to get a good stretch.
“What do you say we take a walk and then get some lunch?
I stooped down, running my fingers through her long golden fur.
“On second thought, maybe you should skip lunch,” I added, feeling the plumpness of her belly. “Have you been sneaking into the pantry again while I’m not paying attention? You are getting hella chubby, girl.”
I got up and went to the front door, pulling the leash from the hook.
“Come on, tubby,” I smiled, hooking her up. “Let’s go burn off some of that kibble, huh?”
Chapter Fourteen: Adam
“You guys are buying a house?!” I scoffed. “That’s amazing! Congratulations!”
Rowan smiled as he wrapped his arm around James’ waist. “Thanks. It’s been in the works for a while. We actually had just started the closing process when you moved down here.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?!”
“We wanted to make sure it was all going through before we told anyone,” James replied. “You know how it is. People can have a lot of opinions and well-meant advice, but it just makes the process more stressful. This way we could just deal with it ourselves and enjoy the good parts once it was done.”
“So where is this place?” I asked, looking between the pair of them. “Is it near the lake or maybe in town?”
“It’s actually only about a mile from your cabin. It’s not on the water, but it’s really close,” Rowan said. “Want to see the pictures?”
“Hell yeah I do!”
Rowan pulled out his phone and flipped to the listing that he already had pulled up. Apparently, he’d been expecting me to ask. I took the phone and immediately was floored by what I saw.
“But… this is a farmhouse,” I said, scrolling through the photos. “There’s barns and fences and…holy shit!” I looked up at them, my mouth hanging open. “Twenty acres?!Twenty?! What are you going to do with that much land?!”
“Well…” Rowan said, the biggest smile on his face I’d ever seen. “James has always wanted to live on a farm and foster animals. And believe it or not, his boss at the vet clinic is willing to pay him for his effort. I guess there’s a lot of farm animals that need a place to go and it also gives the vet larger animals to practice on so he can expand his business. I guess he’s looking at pulling in another veterinarian in the next year or so to keep things moving in the right direction.”
“That’s right,” James added. “I’m gonna basically get paid to take care of the animals. The vet has already contacted the local shelters and gotten grant money to help us get set up. The farm will belong to us, but the animals will belong to the shelters. That way I can keep doing the work I love but with a more hands-on approach. I’m getting tired of filing papers anyway.”
“This… This is so unbelievable,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s like you’re both getting everything you’ve dreamed of.” There was a tinge of melancholy to my voice as the envy crept in. “You’ve got everything.”
“Don’t worry, Adam,” Rowan said, pulling me into a side hug. “Things are going to come together for you too. You’ll get it figured out.”
“Have you started working your way through that list I gave you?” James inquired. He’d been bugging me about it for almost two weeks now. “Anyone stick out to you?”
“I…”
His brows knit together. “You haven’t talked to anyone yet, have you?”
There was no sense denying it. He could see right through me. “No,” I replied. “But when I’m ready, I will.”
“You’re never going to befullyready. And that’s okay. Just get out there and try stuff! You don’t have to find the perfect guy on the first try!”
My mind immediately turned to Mateo and how fond of him I was becoming. It was stupid considering the fact that we’d both agreed our relationship was only for practice. Everything we had was fake. But to my heart, it was becoming more and more real with every passing day. I cared for him more than I wanted to admit, and I shouldn’t have been caring for him at all. How could I not, though? The way he touched me, the way he somehowsawright through me. It was like he knew me better than I knew myself. He always did the right thing.
And that night after we’d tracked his dog through the storm. That… That was magical. Of course, I was still alittleashamed I’d blown my load so fast. But then again, so had he. Clearly, we had chemistry. Just the mere thought of it made my cock begin to thicken. Everything about him was perfect from those beautiful green eyes of his down to his thick uncut dick. Not only that, but he treated me well, like I was somethingimportantto him. I didn’t feel like a quick fuck that he was dying to get rid of. And that… well, that was different for me.
Letting him be the top in the relationship was bringing out a side of me I didn’t know I had. The longer we went on, the more I didn’t want to let it go. But how could a guy like that fall for me? I was, self-admittedly, damaged goods. He deserved better than that. And with his looks and his charm, he could have whatever the hell he wanted. If I was in his situation, I wouldn’t pick me either.
