Page 51 of Single Teddy
Wesley.
Sweet, wonderful Wesley.
Was it concerning that I wanted to spend all my time with him? Every time I was in his orbit, I didn’t want to get out of it. But short of stalking the guy, I couldn’t exactly find an excuse to be with him twenty-four-seven.
And why would I?
I’d been trying to figure out why I was so…obsessed with him since I met him, and I still couldn’t find a good reason.
I mean, I wasn’t gay, and even if I was, I didn’t want to jump his bones. Not that I wanted to jump a lot of people’s bones anyway.
There had always been something wrong with me. Something that didn’t quite click. Something that made girls ditch me faster than you could say breakfast, but I’d learned my lesson quite early on and had stopped trying to get myself a girlfriend. Who wanted a boyfriend who cared more about hugs and dating than sex?
I sighed and cast one more look at the apartment before I closed the door behind me.
Nah, Wesley had already done enough for me. For us. I was sure Hwan could help me decorate. He had decorated an entirestore and the apartment above it, which was the coziest, most wonderful place I’d ever seen.
Yeah. Hwan would do.
I took the car back to Luna’s Lodge and packed our few possessions into the trunk. Bear had a lot more than I did, which was as it should be. He was a child. He needed more than I did. Although now that we had a home, something more…permanent, maybe I could get some more stuff for myself. Maybe I could get a hobby. Or start collecting stamps or something. I’d never had anything like that before. The Navy and staying alive had been my only concern for so long that I didn’t know what to do with myself now that it wasn’t part of my life.
Thankfully, the island had plenty of things to keep me busy and help me discover new things about myself.
Wesley’s pretty green eyes flashed before me for a second, and I grimaced.
What is that all about?
I shook it off—whateveritwas—and focused on the task at hand.
“So that’s it then? You’re leaving me!” Mr. Rogers said after I’d loaded the last box in the car and had cleaned our room so it was ready to receive new guests.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Rogers. Bear needs more space and his own room, but we’re really going to miss you.”
Mr. Rogers waved his hand dismissively and chuckled.
“Of course he needs a home. He’s a good boy, your little one. He’s lucky to have you. And you’re both going to be dearly missed.”
I hugged the older man and patted his back.
“You’ve got my number, so call me if you need anything, any time. Okay?” I told him. “And we’ll make sure to visit you all the time.”
“Well, not all the time,” Mr. Rogers said. “You’ve got your own lives to live.”
I laughed.
“And part of living our own lives is visiting family, so…”
Mr. Rogers coughed. “You boys are spoiling me rotten. I might not have kids, but all of you, Slade, Joey, Donovan, you’ve become my sons.”
“Seeing as my own father is a piece of trash, I will gladly take you up on thatDadthing,” I said, and Mr. Rogers wiped his eyes.
“Go, get, before I start crying, and I don’t want you seeing this old man crying.”
I squeezed the older man’s shoulder, told him goodbye once more, and retreated to my car before I was the one crying in front of the man.
Our stint at the lodge might have been short-lived, but it had a big impact on us feeling at home in this town.
I took a silent moment before I looked at myself in the rearview mirror, took a deep breath, and set off for this new chapter of my life.
