out.” Cornelia’s smile was long gone. “He thinks he can fix things. And he’s shocked when he can’t.”
“That’s tough. It’s also sort of amazing.”
“You really think so?” she scoffed. “It just ends in heartbreak.”
“Sure. Or it ends with making something better that no one else was willing to give a second glance.”
“I raised an idealist.” She didn’t sound happy about it.
“I wish I had been raised an idealist,” Matt laughed. “Being a pessimist with a mountain of shields hasn’t kept me from my bouts of disappointment and bitterness.”
And drinking and loneliness and self-destructive behavior that lasted decades.
“Hmmm.” Cornelia drank the rest of her water, seemingly contemplating what Matt was trying to say. When the glass was empty, she gave him a side-eyed look. “I’m a little overprotective.”
“Me too. So don’t fight with my boyfriend anymore, please.” He winked.
She covered her eyes with her hand. “I was horrendously out of line. I have to apologize.”
“That’s what breakfast is for. Redemption with maple syrup.”
“You’re an awfully nice man.” She lowered her hand to look at him.
Matt shrugged, then collected her glass and his. “I used to be an angry, lonely prick. Then I met a guy with four amazing kids and more issues than the Sports Illustrated back catalog, and boom—happiness.”
“Boom, happiness?”
“Okay, boom. Boom. More booms. A mushroom cloud. Then happiness.” He got up to bring the empties to the sink.
“I’m still not comfortable with the guns in the house.”
Matt turned around. “Fair enough. In the morning I can show you the gun safes where we keep everything. Might reassure you we’re not storing them with the extra toilet paper in the hall closet.”
She regarded him for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you.”
Matt looked at the clock and sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m old and need more sleep. The kids will be down early scavenging—the noise level escalates quickly around here.”
“Good idea.” Cornelia got up. She walked to the doorway, pausing and turning back before she walked through. “Thank you, for the talk.”
He gave her a little salute.
Back in the bedroom, Evan was starfished across the bed, snoring into the pillow. Matt enjoyed the view for a few moments before climbing in next to him. It was a herding of limbs and rearrangement of linens, but finally he found his comfortable place, tucked around his boyfriend, their heads sharing a pillow.
He fell asleep with a feeling of contentment.
Chapter 15
A SCATTER of knocking gave Evan about ten seconds to pull the covers over him and a still-sleeping Matt before the knob turned.
“My eyes are closed! Mostly!” Helena called, poking her head in.
“Hey,” Evan whispered, going up on his elbows to greet his partner.
“Breakfast is ready in about ten minutes.” She leaned against the door, casual as he’d seen her in a while, in NYPD sweats and a big smile.
“Thanks.” Evan looked at her in the dim light of the room. “What’s up with you?”
Helena couldn’t contain her happiness. It threatened to explode off her face at this rate. Her eyes shone with a light that seemed to be coming from the inside.
“Good shopping trip?”
Then she giggled, and Evan almost fell off the bed. “What?”
More shocking than the giggle was a bounce, followed by a handclap. “Ten minutes, breakfast. Hurry, hurry!”
And with that she was gone, slamming the door behind her. Matt twitched hard, then woke up with a start. “Whu?” he grumbled, rolling over to grab at Evan’s middle.
“Breakfast. And Helena is being weird.”
“Bad weird?”
“Good weird.”
“Thank God.”
They skipped morning showers and just crowded into the bathroom to brush their teeth. Evan assumed everyone would be in sweats, but the thought of it made him itchy—and Matt would tease him if he wore “real clothes”—so he settled for
“That’s tough. It’s also sort of amazing.”
“You really think so?” she scoffed. “It just ends in heartbreak.”
“Sure. Or it ends with making something better that no one else was willing to give a second glance.”
“I raised an idealist.” She didn’t sound happy about it.
“I wish I had been raised an idealist,” Matt laughed. “Being a pessimist with a mountain of shields hasn’t kept me from my bouts of disappointment and bitterness.”
And drinking and loneliness and self-destructive behavior that lasted decades.
“Hmmm.” Cornelia drank the rest of her water, seemingly contemplating what Matt was trying to say. When the glass was empty, she gave him a side-eyed look. “I’m a little overprotective.”
“Me too. So don’t fight with my boyfriend anymore, please.” He winked.
She covered her eyes with her hand. “I was horrendously out of line. I have to apologize.”
“That’s what breakfast is for. Redemption with maple syrup.”
“You’re an awfully nice man.” She lowered her hand to look at him.
Matt shrugged, then collected her glass and his. “I used to be an angry, lonely prick. Then I met a guy with four amazing kids and more issues than the Sports Illustrated back catalog, and boom—happiness.”
“Boom, happiness?”
“Okay, boom. Boom. More booms. A mushroom cloud. Then happiness.” He got up to bring the empties to the sink.
“I’m still not comfortable with the guns in the house.”
Matt turned around. “Fair enough. In the morning I can show you the gun safes where we keep everything. Might reassure you we’re not storing them with the extra toilet paper in the hall closet.”
She regarded him for a moment, then nodded. “Thank you.”
Matt looked at the clock and sighed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m old and need more sleep. The kids will be down early scavenging—the noise level escalates quickly around here.”
“Good idea.” Cornelia got up. She walked to the doorway, pausing and turning back before she walked through. “Thank you, for the talk.”
He gave her a little salute.
Back in the bedroom, Evan was starfished across the bed, snoring into the pillow. Matt enjoyed the view for a few moments before climbing in next to him. It was a herding of limbs and rearrangement of linens, but finally he found his comfortable place, tucked around his boyfriend, their heads sharing a pillow.
He fell asleep with a feeling of contentment.
Chapter 15
A SCATTER of knocking gave Evan about ten seconds to pull the covers over him and a still-sleeping Matt before the knob turned.
“My eyes are closed! Mostly!” Helena called, poking her head in.
“Hey,” Evan whispered, going up on his elbows to greet his partner.
“Breakfast is ready in about ten minutes.” She leaned against the door, casual as he’d seen her in a while, in NYPD sweats and a big smile.
“Thanks.” Evan looked at her in the dim light of the room. “What’s up with you?”
Helena couldn’t contain her happiness. It threatened to explode off her face at this rate. Her eyes shone with a light that seemed to be coming from the inside.
“Good shopping trip?”
Then she giggled, and Evan almost fell off the bed. “What?”
More shocking than the giggle was a bounce, followed by a handclap. “Ten minutes, breakfast. Hurry, hurry!”
And with that she was gone, slamming the door behind her. Matt twitched hard, then woke up with a start. “Whu?” he grumbled, rolling over to grab at Evan’s middle.
“Breakfast. And Helena is being weird.”
“Bad weird?”
“Good weird.”
“Thank God.”
They skipped morning showers and just crowded into the bathroom to brush their teeth. Evan assumed everyone would be in sweats, but the thought of it made him itchy—and Matt would tease him if he wore “real clothes”—so he settled for
Similar Books
