Page 50 of From the Flames
“Then that’s good. No more people are going to have to go through what I did.” That was a big deal.
“The thing is, that fire brought all this to light. Not that I would have wanted the fire to happen, but something good did come out of it, and you helped that happen.”
Willy nodded slowly. “I know. But I wish none of this had happened. I wish that the kids and I didn’t have to lose everything.”
Kevin tugged him to him. “I know. Me too. I didn’t mean to make light of all you’ve been through. It’s a lot, and Kraft and Hobson is going to pay dearly for that. They are. There isn’t going to be anything left of the business once this is all over, and there are going to be a lot of criminal charges. This is going to cost them more than money.”
“Good.” Willy rested his head on Kevin’s shoulder. “I’m glad it’s over.” He held Kevin tightly. “How much damage is there to your house?”
“Parts of the yard are already turning brown, and the plants against the back of the house are going to die. The department pulled the siding off that wall and had it carted away so it didn’t start on fire, and I’m going to need to have all of it reshingled. But other than that, it’s going to be okay. These guys had no idea what they were really doing. They figured spreading gasoline around and then lighting it would get what they wanted. But the guy at my house splashed a bunch on himself, so if he had lit the fire, he would have likely been caught in it.” Kevin moved back and gently cradled Willy’s cheeks in his hands before drawing their lips together. “It’s all okay as long as I know you and the kids are safe.”
“We are now,” Willy said. “I get the idea that we always will be as long as you’re around.”
“It’s all part of the service.” His eyes went really dark, and Willy shivered. “As are a lot of other things.”
Willy found himself giggling like an idiot as images of Kevin doing wickedly wonderful things to him popped into his head, just as Grant raced over with a bunch of Legos. He shoved his latest creation in the air.
“That’s great,” Kevin said. “It looks just like a horse.”
Grant grinned. “Will you come play with me?”
“Give me a few minutes and I will,” Kevin said, and Grant raced into the other room.
Willy shook his head. “He thinks the sun and moon rise with you. Whenever you’re gone, he asks when you’re going to come back, and the dogs.” Willy didn’t know quite what to say. “The kids don’t understand why the dogs aren’t here all the time.” He was hoping Kevin understood what he was asking.
“Do you think it’s a little soon for us to move in together?” Kevin asked, and Willy nodded.
“I do. But I want you to understand what’s at stake. The kids are already beginning to accept you as part of the family. And what they need is stability. You and the dogs being here and then being gone is something they don’t understand.”
“So you do want me to move in?” Kevin asked.
“Things will happen between us when the time is right. I don’t want to rush things, but I do need you to understand that it’s more than me and you. If we’re going to build something between us, then we need to know what the stakes are.”
“I get that. The kids have to come first, and we can’t jar their lives. They’ve already had enough change in their lives.”
“Okay, we sound like we’re on the same page, but yet I’m not sure. I mean, we aren’t ready to live together, and we want the kids to be happy and stable… so what do we do? Every time you come, you bring the dogs, which the kids love. And then when you go home, so do they, and the kids… well, especially April doesn’t understand it, because she thinks of Benjamin as her dog.” But he was Kevin’s dog. Not that Willy thought Kevin should give Benjamin to April; it was just that it was hard to explain ownership issues to a two-year-old who was in love with her puppy.
Kevin chuckled. “It means that we see each other on a regular basis. But we have to understand that things between usare important and aren’t going to change. I want to be part of your family, and I want you to be part of mine—you and the kids. So from there we’ll figure it out.”
“Uncle Kevin,” Grant called.
“Go on in to play. I need to get a few things started for dinner. Then, once the kids are asleep, we can talk some more.” He hadn’t expected this conversation to be this difficult, though he knew why he was having so much trouble. A part of him wanted to just have Kevin move in with them. But it was too soon, and rushing into things wasn’t good for him or the kids.
He prepped the salad and veggies. He also prepped the potatoes. Grant had requested mashed, so he got them ready to cook. The tasks gave him a chance to think, and he figured he was being dumb. The kids would deal with Kevin coming and going, just like they dealt with saying goodbye to their friends at school. It was easy because they knew they would see them again soon. And Willy didn’t exactly have a revolving door on his love life—he kept watching Kevin with the kids and smiling like an idiot. He was worried about stability while he was dating a real-life superhero.
“Look at that!”
“Yay!” Grant said as Kevin held a super-tall tower so it didn’t fall over. Grant handed him bricks until the tower got way too tall and buckled in the middle, sending everything crashing to the floor. Grant giggled, and April put her hand over her mouth as though something was very wrong. But then she laughed.
“You start another tower. Remember how I showed you to do it to make it stronger?”
Grant nodded and got to work as Kevin strode into the kitchen. “Do you know what I want?” Kevin asked. “I want the kids and you in my life. I want to be here for Grant and April’s first day of school. I want to see them grow up into wonderfulindividuals, and I want to be here when you cry on my shoulder as they go away to college for the first time.”
Willy glared at Kevin. “I will not cry.” Oh hell, who was he kidding? He was going to lose his shit when his kids went away. It was that simple. But he also had a lot of years before that happened. Kevin snickered. “Okay, I might, but you had better not bring it up.”
Kevin just smiled. “Okay. I won’t say anything in fourteen years when you cry as Grant goes off to college. It will just be something I pretend didn’t happen.”
“Either that or you’ll be too busy trying to look stoic so you don’t tear up yourself.” Willy couldn’t help grinning as Kevin tried out the stoic look but couldn’t hold it. “Yeah, that’s about what I thought.”
