Page 76 of A Simple Mistake
Of course, Aidan noticed.“Something on your mind?”
“Maybe.When we get home, could you… I dunno… talk to Gareth?Daniel said he looked gutted, but I don’t think that was it.Aidan, Gareth was scaring me.I thought he was ready to grab a gun and shoot someone.I’ve only ever seen Jack like that, and Jack is… well, Jack.”
Aidan sighed.“I’ve seen it, too.Looks like Flynn finally realised he has something to lose.”
“Are you going to…” Nico trailed off, unsure what he wanted to ask for.Help to stop Jack and Gareth from doing something that would land them in jail?Or help with burying the bodies?That wouldn’t be fair to Aidan.
“Don’t fret, brat,” the lawyer interrupted his internal gyrations.“We’re family, all of us, remember?We look after each other and we keep each other out of trouble, too.”The hand that landed on Nico’s shoulder was large, and warm, and reassuring.“Let’s go.Daniel’s done enough moping and feeling sorry for himself.I’ll kick Flynn’s arse for neglecting you two.And then we’ll sweep the street without incurring penalties.”
“Whatisthat infernal racket?”Gareth rolled over, only to see Jack already out of bed, pulling a T-shirt over his head.
“That’s the glazier with my panels, and if he’s making a racket, I’m worried.”He leaned to press a kiss to Gareth’s cheek.“Go back to sleep.”
Gareth wished he could do just that, but twenty years in the military had left him wired for early mornings.He didn’t mind being awake, though he wasn’t in the mood for a run.Stretching to catalogue sore spots and bruises, he found nothing concerning.Which made him miss Jack even more.They didn’t have the house to themselves all that often and a lie-in was a treat, especially feeling as mellow as he did after the previous night.
The racket outside abated, and Gareth rolled out of bed with a sigh.He could trust Jack to dispense coffee and tea to delivery drivers and visiting tradesfolk, but if Jack was setting to work breakfast was required.Andheneeded a shower before he was fit for company.
Gareth had just finished drying off when his phone chimed.And chimed.And chimed.
A flurry of texts was worrisome, even without alarms going off alongside.Gareth snatched his phone… and started smiling as he read the misspelled, garbled messages.Was there a mobile phone equivalent of a keyboard smash?
He heard Jack on the stairs and stepped into the bedroom, towel in one hand, phone in the other.“I think Daniel’s having a bit of—Oh.”
Jack had brought him tea.
“We can have a few more minutes in bed,” Jack smirked.“Strategising.”
“Is that what we call it now?”Gareth dropped the towel and shoved the cushions into a pile.Jack had brought coffee for himself, he saw, and a plate of shortbread.Maybe he hadn’t been the only one dreaming of a lazy morning.“Are the glaziers gone?”he asked, holding his hands out for the tray.
“Yep.I’ll fit the glass this morning and then reconnect the security system.”Jack settled against the headboard and reached for his coffee.“Though it sounds as if security wasn’t what sent Daniel running.”
“And forgetting your birthday.”
Jack waved that off, as Gareth had known he would.“You’re not mad at him, are you?”
“Daniel?Of course not.But we need to have a conversation about trust.They both feel we won’t believe them unless they bring us something ironclad.That bothers me.”
“Same.”Jack stared at nothing, sipping his coffee.Then he shook his head as if to clear it.“I’d still like to blame the school, but they’re spending at least the same amount of time with us, so…”
“It hardly matters where they came by that stupid notion, just that we get rid of it,” Gareth said.“How’s the jetlag?”
“Annoying.Give me a pass if I’m only present in spurts, okay?”
Gareth nuzzled into Jack’s neck, close enough for a nip to his earlobe.“You can have anything you want.You only have to ask.”
One reason Jack loved renovating was that it left his subconscious mind free to trace connections while his conscious mind—and his hands—were busy elsewhere.Time and again he’d stepped away from his screen, frustrated by a lack of progress, only to return after a stint of painting, tiling, or a bit of carpentry, with the solution ready and waiting for him.
It worked a little less reliably when the problem involved his family.Or maybe those problems just took longer to puzzle out.
The previous night’s discussion with Gareth had left him off-kilter.Daniel’s angst-filled texts had shoved him sideways a bit more, and Jack was grateful for a job that needed his full attention, so the back of his mind could contemplate the gaps between acknowledgment and acceptance.
Baby steps, he supposed.Like their house and their family, his and Gareth’s relationship was a work in progress—and they’d taken another step forward.
“Are you done?”
Caught up in his thoughts, Jack hadn’t even noticed he’d stopped moving.“Hardly.What do you need?”
“You.For maybe half an hour if you can spare the time.”
