Page 18 of Having HIs Back
“Great. Thank you for coming so quickly.” He looked to the car where Charlie sat in the back. While Kerry watched, one of the other officers got into the cruiser and pulled away.
“How arethe boys?” Brian asked when he arrived two hours later.
“They’re okay. Right now, they’re having cookies and milk. I’ll be glad when this is all over.” Maybe then, he would have a chance to figure out what a future might look like for all of them. The kids needed stability, and Kerry wanted a chance to see what his life could be like with the boys and maybe a certain officer in blue. Though he knew that was jumping the gun just a bit.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. I had to make more calls to put pressure on the lab. I have been assured that the tests will be run tomorrow morning and that we will have results sometime during the day. I can hold our suspect on trespassing and suspicion charges for a few days, but not much longer, especially if he gets a lawyer who really presses the issue.”
“Come on in. I did my best to make this a game, but the boys saw and heard more than I wanted them to.” Kerry went inside, and Brian followed. In the doorway, Kerry turned around, smiling. “Are you looking at my backside?”
Brian blushed, and Kerry knew he’d caught him. Kerry turned back around and made an extra effort to swing his backside as he went into the kitchen.
“Why are you walking that way?” Henry asked.
“Excuse me?” Kerry said, with mock indignation.
“You look like a hurt chicken,” Henry pressed, and then burst into a fit of giggles that took Phillip along with him, though what the boys knew of chickens was a mystery to him. It didn’t seem to matter. Maybe it was something only little boys could understand.
“I think you looked….” Brian was right behind him, his voice soft, barely reaching his ear. “Sexy.”
Kerry shivered and tried to stop it but failed. He wanted so much to be able to turn around, pull Brian into a kiss, and see where the hell that would lead him. That was the old Kerry, the one who could throw caution to the wind because it was just him. It was also the one who had a terrible dating record because he never stopped to think. Now, he had his nephews to look after, and that meant being the gatekeeper of not only his life, but theirs too. Still, the urge was there, especially with how Brian stayed right where he was, heat rolling off him, raising Kerry’s temperature.
“Finish up your cookies. It’s almost time for both of you to go to bed.” Tonight, that could not come fast enough. Even Pebbles was sprawled out in the kitchen floor, his eyes blinky, clearly ready for sleep.
“Can I have a cookie?” Brian asked. Kerry reached for the package. “Not that kind of cookie.”
Kerry turned, looking deeply into Brian’s eyes, startled at the level of heat and his own reaction to it. He had always considered Brian handsome, with the way his strength showed in his manner and the way he filled out his suits. He was definitely someone who kept himself in shape. “Maybe later.” He swallowed hard, because that had not been his intention at all.
“Good,” Brian said, just an inch from his ear, his breath tickling Kerry’s skin. He stepped back a few seconds later before going into the living room.
The boys finally finished their cookies, milk, and giggle session. Then Kerry hustled them into the bathroom to brush their teeth and wash their faces and hands. Once they were done, he got them into pajamas and finally in bed. Pebbles joined Phillip and made himself comfortable, which started a squabble with Henry, because he wanted Pebbles.
“The dog can choose for himself, and I’m sure he’ll be in your room soon enough,” Kerry told him, and Henry returned to his own room. Phillip settled down, cuddling his stuffie, and rolled right over. Kerry kissed him good night and then tucked in Henry.
“Is the bad man going to come back?” Henry asked.
“No. He’s in jail, and I hope he’s going to stay there.” The thought of that asshole getting his hands on Phillip was enough to make Kerry’s blood boil. But that wasn’t going to happen. “You don’t have anything to worry about. The bad man isn’t going to come back, and if he does, I’ll be here to keep you and Phillip safe.”
“And Mr. Brian too?” Henry asked.
Kerry found himself nodding. “Yes. Mr. Brian too.” He kissed him good night and said a silent prayer for both the boys that this would be over soon. Then Kerry would need to figure out what they were going to do from there. “Night.” He left the room and found Brian in the living room, the lights down and everything quiet.
He sat on the sofa and felt Brian’s gaze on him. “Are they okay?”
“Yes. They’re both tired. Henry asked if the bad man was coming back. I’m not sure if that was a more general question or if he might have recognized Charlie somehow. I’m hoping it’s the former.”
“Me too. Though I really think we have him.”
Kerry could only nod. “What will you be doing tomorrow?”
“Questioning our suspect,” Brian told him. “But I don’t want to talk about that, at least not right now.” For the first time, Kerry saw doubt and hesitation in Brian’s eyes. He was always so sure of himself, so seeing him this was way a surprise. “I like you, Kerry. I think you know that.”
“I know. But I keep wondering if….” He sighed. “I keep wondering if this is kind of weird. You’re the guy who is investigating Caroline’s death, and….”
Brian leaned forward. “I get that, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. I didn’t expect to begin this investigation and find someone I was interested in. Hell, I was beginning to believe that I was never going to find someone. I’d basically given up, and then there you were, with your bright eyes and determination. You kind of swept me off my feet a little.”
Kerry swallowed hard. “I don’t know what the future is going to bring. I do know that I can’t live here. I can’t expect the boys to stay in a place where their mother died. They are going to need somewhere fresh. I also know that can’t be my place in Seattle—it’s too small. So, I don’t know where we’re going to live, but I do know that I need to get the boys settled somewhere. They said I could transition to Olympia, but my clients are in Seattle, though, and….”
Brian leaned closer. “You do know that Seattle is just up the freeway. That it isn’t on the other side of the country. And that they make these things with four wheels and an engine, called cars.” He cocked his eyebrows, and Kerry snarled in response.
