Page 59 of The Long Game

Grady grabbed Jack’s wrist and they grappled, hips shoving, feet tangling together. Jack’s laughter made Grady’s heart race far more than their wrestling.

They tipped precariously to the side, and Jack held on like a fucking limpet as they staggered away from the fridge. Grady’s cry of triumph ended with a gurgle of horror when Colton slipped behind them and threw open the freezer door.

“Holy god in all his glory,” Colton whispered.

Grady slumped against the counter, his hard-on and his dignity in full retreat. Colton and Jack stared in awe at the tidy rows of Ben & Jerry’s pints layered three high and three deep alongside stacks of Chapman’s boxes.

A slow smile split Jack’s face.

“What?” Grady muttered. “I like ice cream. It’s my treat after I work out.”

“I feel like I’m seeing a whole new side of you, Sergeant McDonnough,” Jack said. He sounded…charmed.

Colton reached for a pint of rocky road. Jack plucked it out of his hands and put it back, closing the door firmly. “Not until you’ve had breakfast.” Before Colton could object, Jack added, “And if you call me Daddy, I’m going to flush your coffee down the toilet.”

Colton gasped and dove for the counter, plucking a cup from the tray and keeping his distance from Jack.

Grady chuckled. “Well played.”

Jack smiled and distributed breakfast.

They stood at the island long enough for Colton to scarf down two breakfast sandwiches, and Grady felt relief with every calorie ingested. When Jack offered ice cream, Colton said he’d save it for the game, then wandered over to the couch and collapsed, reaching for the remote. Jack and Grady followed.

Jack took the spot next to Colton, while Grady sat on the coffee table across from them.

Colton sighed and put the remote down again. “I assume this ambush is why you invited me over?”

“No. We invited you because we like spending time with you, and you’re always welcome here.”

“Yeah, we could have ambushed you just as easily at Pathways,” Jack pointed out helpfully.

Colton let out a huff of laughter, his shoulders not quite so tight.

“Therearea couple of things I want to say,” Grady admitted, nervous but determined, “and I’m hoping you’ll hear me out.”

Jack brushed a hand over his knee in silent encouragement and Grady held on to it.

Colton frowned but seemed willing to listen. “Okay.”

“First, I want to make you some promises.” Grady waited until Colton met his gaze. “I promise to always be honest with you. No matter what.”

Colton glanced at Jack, and he immediately nodded. “It’s his way. He’ll tell you the truth, even when you don’t want to hear it. He calls ittough noogies.”

Colton rolled his eyes. “Okay, I believe that,” he said, leaving thebecause he’s a total dorkunsaid.

“Good,” Grady said. “Because my second promise is that nothing you say is going to change my mind or make me take back my offer for you to live here.” He could see Colton didn’t believe that but forged on. “But if you tell me what’s going on and for some reason you don’t feel comfortable coming to live with me afterward, I promise I’ll still help you, up to and including finding you another place to live where you will be safe.”

Jack put a hand on Colton’s shoulder. “We. We will help you, no matter what.”

Colton appeared young and desperately uncertain.

“But I’m hoping you’ll come here,” Grady emphasized again. “Or, well, wherever we end up, once I find us a new place. Until then, you can have the couch or the bedroom.”

Colton shook his head. “The couch would be fine. Way better than living under a bridge in Toronto, you know?”

Grady didn’t know. He hadn’t known and now it felt like his heart was cracking in two. If hehadknown, he wouldn’t have lived his anonymous, easy life in Moncton while a child, his own cousin, had struggled and suffered like that.

Grady clung to Jack’s hand, more resolved than ever. “What can I—we—do to convince you this is a good place to land? To stay? We will listen. We won’t judge. I promise that, too.”

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