Page 94 of Stick By Me
“Yeah, okay.” I blew out a breath. “But I want to get you something.” With a frown, I peeked at him. With all this shit going on, I’d completely blown it.
“I’m here with you. That’s all I need.” He kissed me again.
“Leo, you’re a good man. I’m glad he has you.” Uncle Tad gave Leo a warm grin.
A few hours later,Leo had taken Uncle Tad’s truck out for shopping, and we were watching a home remodeling show on the television in the waiting area. My uncle had made several comments about the show hosts doing everything wrong and it had cheered me up and given me something else to think about besides how well Dad’s surgery was going. I glanced at the window, sunshine beaming through it. “Good thing it’s not snowing today. I don’t know if Leo would know how to drive in it.”
“Even so, my truck could handle it.” He patted my knee. “He’ll be fine out there. He seems very capable.”
“He is.” Warmth flooded my chest. God, how I loved him. “He’s sort of a nerd. He went to ASU for business and now he’s a planner at a high-tech company.”
“Yeah? How did you meet him?” My uncle shifted to face me.
Scratching the back of my neck, I said, “At an animal shelter. We were both volunteering that day. I sprayed him with a hose by accident and gave him one of my team shirts.” I smiled at the memory. It seemed so long ago now.
“I see. So that’s how queer people meet their dates?” He quirked the corner of his mouth.
With a sharp laugh, I pushed on his shoulder. “No, we use apps like everyone else.” This was a nice reprieve, like old times with Unc. He was always around when I was growing up. Hewas like a second Dad to me. Shit, now I had three father figures in my life?
“So, tell me more about him. Is he gay or?” He arched a brow.
“He’s bi, like me. But he’s only been dating women.” I huffed a laugh. “Also like me, except that I’d decided to date men last summer.” I toyed with a fold in my jeans. Milo was the first man I’d wanted to date. How odd I ended up with his friend’s brother. “I’m the first man he’s dated.”
“Oh.” He twisted toward me, planting his hand on his thigh. “But, he’s out, right? You’ve met his family and all that?”
“Yeah, I met them over Thanksgiving. He wasn’t out then though, so it was a little weird.” I pursed my lips. “Leo came out to them the day before yesterday.” I met his gaze. “There was a weird family dynamic going on with his brother being gay and it was hard for him.”
“His brother is gay?” He shifted on the couch and eyed me. “It makes me wonder if there’s some sort of family history for being queer.”
“I don’t know. Is there anyone on Mom’s side of the family that was queer?” I peered at him. This was weird. His side of the family wasn’t blood related, so I couldn’t ask about it anymore. Maybe I’d ask Coach Dupont. Shit, did he know about my status? He must since me and my friends were out at the university.
“Come to think of it, she had an uncle who was gay. He lived in Florida maybe, with his partner.” He faced the television.
Leo strolled into the room with a plastic bag dangling from his hand. “Hey, any word? I brought sandwiches from the deli at the store.” He dropped in next to me and opened his bag. “I also have Gatorades.” He rummaged in the bag. “I wasn’t sure what else to get you both to drink, and I know what Archer likes.” He handed me an orange Gatorade and a wrapped sub.
“Thanks, Leo.” I twisted off the cap on the Gatorade, then sucked some down. He was so thoughtful.
Leo passed another sub and bottle to Uncle Tad. “Here. I hope you like turkey and provolone. I tried to make it a little on the healthy side after hearing about your cholesterol.” His cheeks, already pink from the cold outside, flushed a deeper shade.
“I love turkey and provolone. Thank you, Leo.” He held up the wrapped sub a moment and gave Leo a warm smile.
“This is a cute little city. Some of the buildings look so quaint and old. I bet it was beautiful here a few months ago when the leaves were all changing.” He unwrapped his own sub and bit into it.
“It was. I love fall. It’s my favorite season, even though I know it means it’s going to be colder than a witch’s tit in a few months.” Uncle Tad chortled, then bit off a piece of his sandwich.
“So, any word?” Leo eyed me, then sipped his drink.
I chewed my sandwich, then swallowed. “Not yet. We’ve been watching this remodeling show and Unc’s been telling me about all the shit they’re doing wrong.” I chuckled.
“These shows give my clients the wrong ideas about a job. They think we can come in and remodel a bathroom in like, two days, because they saw them do a whole house in a week.” He barked out a laugh. “Sure, but if you want quality, it takes time.”
With a nod, Leo said, “Yeah, my dad runs a tax business down in Arizona and he says similar things when people come in at the last minute wanting their taxes done on time.”
“Ah, so your dad is a business owner?” Uncle Tad ate the last bite of his sub.
“Yep. He went to college for accounting and got into the tax business by luck. He worked for a small tax place when he was in school and picked up the business when the previous owner retired.” Leo drank more Gatorade, then popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and licked his fingers.
I watched Leo’s tongue dart out around his index finger, then his thumb, heat sparking in my belly. When this was over, wewere going to spend a lot more time together in bed. “I didn’t know that about your dad.”
