Page 77 of Should've Been Us
“It wouldn’t have been a surprise if I told you.” Lance opened his arms and Lulu released Connor to go intothem.
He stopped and waited as Lulu hugged her brother. They were close. They always had been. Just like he and Kady were close. He hoped that given some time that Lance would accept him just like he’d learned to accept Nick in Kady’s life. Now he and his brother in law were partners and friends as well as family. Maybe Nick could help him convert Lance to his side down at the station. Then they’d all be one big happyfamily.
The thought made himsmile.
“Con?”
He was jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of Lulu’s voice. He focused and saw that she was staring at him. So were Lance and Trent. Lulu was holding her hand out to him again and he took it, lacing their fingers together and letting her pull him in closer to the group they’d allformed.
“Lance. Trent.” Lulu’s voice was calm and steady, soft but sure and she squeezed his hand before she spoke again, “I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend, ConnorShaw.”
God. He felt those words like a direct hit of adrenaline pumped into his veins. She’d told him that she loved him. She’d told him that she wanted to be with him. She’d said she wanted to build a life with him. But this was the first time he’d heard her call him her boyfriend and he liked it. He liked it alot.
Lance scoffed, “Lu, we know who Connoris.”
“No. You don’t.” She raised her chindefensively.
“Lu…” Lance started again but she shook her head and he fellquiet.
“You don’t know Connor.” Her voice was softer as she glanced back at him, “Neither did I. Not really. Not untilrecently.”
Connor’s heart thumped again and he squeezed her hand in response. The admission struck him somewhere deep that had been hurt more times than he could count. Instead of pain though, this time that empty space inside him filled withhope.
Lulu was acknowledging that she hadn’t seen him before. She was telling him, just as she was telling Lance. She was telling him again that she was truly in this with him now. She saw him now and she chosehim.
She smiled softly as she turned back to her brother, “But you will get to know him, just like I have, because Connor is going to be part of my life, a big part of my life, for a really longtime.”
“Forever.” He found his voice and though the word came out hoarse with emotion, he cleared it and tried again, “I’m going to be by her side forever, if she lets me have any say aboutit.”
Lulu turned that soft, loving look on him again and smiled, “We’re together, just like we always should’vebeen.”
Connor couldn’t help himself. Those words, that smile, the way she looked at him, he had to kiss her. Now. He pulled on her hand gently and she moved into his arms. He lowered his head and she was already right there waiting. He kissed her softly and she gave a small sigh of contentment that filled him with nothing but pure joy. He kept it sweet and innocent and just as he expected, their audience made themselves knownquickly.
Lance cleared his throat. Loudly. And Trent snickeredquietly.
Connor ended the kiss and untangled himself from Lulu. Her smile was half goofy and love drugged when she grinned up at him. He gave in to the urge and kissed the end of her nose as well before pulling her into his side and turning back to face the two men watchingthem.
He offered his hand to the one that wasn’t glaring at him, “We’ve never officially met. I’m Connor. It’s nice to meetyou.”
“Oh, I know who you are.” Trent smirked at his boyfriend when he grumbled. “And it’s nice to meet you as well. Ignore my other half. He’s always grumpy when he has to share me with the outsideworld.”
“This isn’t about you.” Lance grunted, though the look he gave his boyfriend was pure adoration, “So long as you keep your hands toyourself.”
Trent only laughed as he took his hand back from Connor, “Oh come on, I only said he had a nice ass once. Yours is way nicer,baby.”
The placating sweetness of Trent’s words had Connor stifling a laugh of his own. Lulu wasn’t as thoughtful. She cracked up, earning another hard look from her brother. Trent grinned wide and innocent until Lance finally threw his hands up in thearm.
“You’re impossible. You’re allimpossible.”
“Ah come on, you know you love us.” Lulu teased and Lance finally smiledagain.
“I do.” He glanced towards Connor, “I love my sister,Shaw.”
“I love hertoo.”
“You hurt her. I hurtyou.”
“Understood.” He nodded inagreement.
