Page 79 of Daily Grind
He rose, grabbed what they needed to clean up and sank back under the covers with Rob. “I should thank you. For giving me part of myself.”
“Didn’t though.” Rob’s words were filled with sleep. “You always had this.”
“Freeing it, then.”
A chuckle. “Didn’t do that, either.”
Brian propped himself up on his arm and laughed. “I’m trying to complement you here.”
Rob cracked open one eye and smiled. “I know. But you took the steps to grab me. I merely walked into your life.”
“Well, then thank you for that.”
Rob reached up and pulled Brian down. “It’s been my pleasure.”
Their lips met. It had been Brian’s pleasure, too. And his sanity. He’d never been more at ease with himself than when he was with Rob.
For the first time in a very long while, he felt whole.
* * *
An entire daywith Brian away from the city was a dream come true for Rob. Carrie Furnace had been nice, but so close to home. Biking hadn’t removed them from the city, either. While McConnells Mill was only an hour away, being here felt like they’d left everything behind—their jobs, the city, the stress.
Brian had been right about bringing his camera. The mill and the covered bridge made for stunning shots, especially against the newly green trees and the swollen stream that fed the sluice damn. The air was heavy with cool moisture and the fresh scent of warm earth. They both spent a good half hour snapping shots in and around the mill before heading out on their hike.
He twined his fingers with Brian’s. “Do you come up here often?”
Brian kicked a stone down the path. “Not so much anymore, with the shop and all, but when we were younger, my folks would take us up here and let us burn off steam by hiking and running our brains out. Or take us down to Moraine State Park, rent some canoes, and let us exhaust ourselves.” He looked up at the trees. “I always loved the water and the trails and… everything.”
A man after his own heart. He gave Brian’s hand a squeeze. “I can see why.” He paused. “There are places like this in Britain, especially north and west. But we never traveled much. There were always places to walk. Fields outside town.” He looked around. “Nothing like this, though. This is… spectacular.” So green. So many trees! To think, he’d balked at first when the board had proposed moving CirroBot to this area. He’d have missed so much if they hadn’t convinced him.
Brian rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. “I should do this more often.”
Yes, he should. Rob could see the stress peeling off of Brian in layers. He walked taller and smiled wider. There was an actual spring in his step and color on those amazing cheeks. “Well, I do love to hike. And bike. I’m guessing there must be somewhere around here to do that, too?”
Brian nodded. “Moraine. Can also swim there, though if you want to do that, we might as well go up to Erie for the weekend. It’s not the ocean, but the beaches are nice.”
That was a good sign—Brian thinking about an entire weekend away. Those new hires of his must be working out. “I’d love a beach getaway.”
Such light in Brian’s laugh. “We’ll do it, then. Whenever I can get the time.”
Hopefully soon.
They fell into a comfortable silence and walked through the woods. A few times, Rob pulled Brian to a stop so he could photograph some wildflowers and once to capture a chittering squirrel scolding them from a tree.
Utterly delightful. The best day.
A horrible electronic buzzing cut through the bird songs and the rustle of leaves. Brian jumped and pulled his hand from Rob’s. “Fuck.” He whipped his phone from his back pocket and stared at the screen. In that instant, all the tension returned to Brian.
No. Goddamn it. Rob’s heart ticked up a beat.
Brian answered. “Hey, Mark. What’s up?” A pause. “No, I’m”—Brian looked around, his eyes wide and wild—“out of town.”
Bloody fuckinghell. Rob curled his hands into fists.
“Did you call Miranda?” This time the pause was longer and Brian’s face fell. He pushed his hand through his hair. “Shit. Everyone? And Beth can’t stay?” He kicked at the ground. “I forgot she has a class tonight.”
Brian met Rob’s gaze and his face was so damn pale.
