Page 48 of Love Notes and Late Nights
Her words sunk in and etched into his head. It’s exactly what he was looking for—his person. His thoughts returned to Harris. The guy obviously had feelings for him and, by the sound of it, they weren’t new. But they were new for Wolf. He looked up and saw Joanna giving Rick a silent message with her eyes, which Rick read perfectly.
“I’d love to stay and chat,” Rick said. “But I have to finish mowing that lawn before dinner. You’re staying for dinner, right?”
Wolf hadn’t planned on it, but he could never say no to this family—his family. Sometimes he needed to remind himself that he had family, and it was the best family he could have asked for. “Sure. I’d love a home-cooked meal.” He smiled at Joanna, and she smiled back.
“I’ll call Ethan and see if he and Tyler can make it,” she said.
“Good.” Rick stood with his coffee cup. “We can catch up when I’m done with the lawn.”
Joanna waited until Rick left the kitchen and she heard the sound of the sliders opening and closing before she moved her chair a little closer. “Tell me about these nightmares. Has something triggered them?”
That was the confusing part. They came at a time when he’s been happier than he’d been in a long time. “I don’t know what triggers them. Everything’s been great.”
She frowned. “Are you having them every night?”
“No.” But they might as well be every night because he was afraid to sleep after an incident, and just when he finally got a good night’s sleep, a fucking nightmare started the cycle all over again.
She rested her hand on his cheek and rubbed her thumb back and forth. “Do you want to talk about them? The nightmares.”
“No. They’re just past memories that come back to me. Bad ones. From my old life. My old family.”
Her hand dropped from his cheek, and she crushed her fingers together. The anger and frustration shown in the hardness of her eyes, the way it always did whenever anyone mentioned his parents. “I wish you could find a way to leave all that behind.”
So did he.
“I think you should go to counseling. I’ll come with you if you want. We’ll all go with you if you want. But I strongly think you should go.”
She always offered, but he didn’t want anyone to hear the things he had to say. The things he went through. The abuse he endured just because of who he loved and because his parents were narrow-minded assholes.
“Please think about it, Wolf. You need to figure out how to move on and deal with what you went through.”
He slowly nodded, because that’s what he’s been trying to do. He wanted to move on and forget about his past. He thought he did. He thought he was handling it. But apparently that’s not the case. Maybe Joanna was right. It was time to go to therapy.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ROCKTOBERFEST
The break flew by, maybe because he’d enjoyed the private time with Wolf so much. Now that they were heading out again, he knew that they would need to be discreet in public and around the guys. The only downside was that instead of sharing a suite, they’d have their own individual custom RVs in a private section of the campground, so sneaking into each other’s bed needed finesse.
Walking up the small flight of steps to the private plane filled Harris with a reminiscent feeling of last year’s trip. Despite the drama, it turned out to be an awesome time. As he stepped into the cabin, he saw that Wolf, Marshall and Amy were already there. They were only waiting for Ethan and Tyler.
Harris took a seat next to Wolf and gave his secret lover a bro shake, along with a sly smile. He extended the same handshake to Marshall and then kissed Amy’s hand. She looked lovely in a pale-yellow sundress.
Voices made everyone turn toward the doorway.
“This is so exciting! Just like last year,” Tyler exclaimed. “Only I’m not by myself. I promise not to overdo it with the drinks this time.”
Ethan slung his arm around Tyler’s neck and grinned. “Drink all you want, baby. I’ll carry you off the plane.”
“Oooh.That’s sounds scandalous.”
“Welcome aboard!” Wolf called, then coughed on a laugh under his fist. “Nice outfit.”
Tyler was his usual outlandish self in something that could only be described as a onesie. He turned from side to side with his hands on his hips. “It’s my travel outfit. Very chic and very comfy.”
“I’m sure.” Wolf laughed, without bothering to tone it down, and Harris gave him an elbow in the ribs. “Sorry,” he apologized to Tyler. “But you make it so easy.”
“No worries. I’ll just chalk it up to your lack of fashion sense.” Tyler buckled himself into one of the captain’s chairs and deposited his tote bag on the floor. “I brought board games if anyone’s interested.”
