Laurence finally relaxed his hold enough to peer up at Nick, his eyes red and puffy. He sniffed again, bottom lip beginning to tremble as he studied Nick’s face.
“Your hair’s grown out,” Laurence said. His attention moved to the sling, and his shoulders tensed. He opened his mouth to ask, but Nick cut in first.
“Before Dad comes over, meet Kit.” Nick slung his good arm over Laurence’s shoulders, holding him close, and turned to where Kit waited quietly with his hands clasped behind his back. His tail was wrapped around Nick’s calf, nervously held still. “My partner.” Nick followed up with a brief explanation. “It’d be nice if you helped with Dad. I think he’s not going to be too happy about…this.”
Kit inclined his head towards Laurence. “Nick has told me about you. I am glad you are reunited.”
“Hi, Kit.” The pronunciation of ‘hi’ tickled oddly on Nick’s ear, and the translation symbol on his inner arm warmed. Laurence glared, wiping the tear tracks from his cheeks with a trembling hand. “Want to go for a swim?”
“Laurence,” Nick hissed.
Bee and Dew chortled a welcoming, beckoning sound. Their eyes were razor-focused on Kit, whose gaze slid to them, mere feet from him in the water. His tail tightened on Nick’s calf, but his brave, protective boyfriend kept his body between Nick and the two mermen.
“I’m not a great swimmer,” Kit replied politely.
Laurence’s dark eyes fixed on Kit with a fierceness that Nick first saw in him last year, when he’d begun defending Connor from the world. Nick had that anger rightfully directed at him on a few occasions, but he’d never seen it usedforhim.
But seeing it pointed at Kit… Nick’s heart sank. He didn’t want anything negative thrown at Kit; he’d put up with enough of that to fill several lifetimes. Nick wanted Laurence to direct his sunshine at Kit and share that spark that made people happy just to be around.
Right now, that spark was crackling over oiled animosity, and Nick needed time to put it out.
“Kit, can I meet up with you in a bit?”
Kit hesitated, eyes flashing towards the yacht.
“I won’t leave without seeing you,” Nick reassured quickly.
Kit nodded stiffly. His tail slid away from Nick’s calf, and he brushed a gloved hand against Nick’s side. “I will meet my crew in the town square,” he said. Nick tracked his path—towards the town centre—and redirected his attention to Laurence, who was glaring a hole into the back of Kit’s head.
“At least he’s mature enough not to rise to that,” Nick muttered under his breath. He dropped his arm from Laurence’s shoulders and stepped back. “Stop it. You didn’t give Connor shit for Adonis.”
“Adonis didn’t abduct Connor!” Laurence snapped. “He –”
Connor approached from the now tied-off yacht and planted his hands on Laurence’s shoulders. He squeezed. “Hear Nick out. It’s a long story, and from what he described, I think Kit didn’t have much say in how it played out. Although…” Connor folded his arms around Laurence’s shoulders, using his head as a chin rest the same way Nick had. “You never forgave Austin, and he wasn’t responsible for what happened to me.”
Laurence scowled. “Austinhityou.”
Nick kept his face perfectly blank. “Kit never did that.”
Laurence wavered, teeth gnawing his bottom lip.
Connor’s gaze cut to Nick, eyes narrowing. How or why he suspected that was a lie, Nick didn’t know. He ignored Connor’s probing gaze, directing his attention to Trevor striding up the dock. Nick swore new worry lines were etched in his dad’s face, crinkles between his eyebrows that hadn’t been there a few weeks ago. Trevor pulled Nick into an all-engulfing hug. Nick sank into it, shutting his eyes. His dad sighed deeply.
“I figured you’d let Laurence get away with skipping school,” Nick said lightly.
A startled laugh shook Trevor’s entire frame. “You’ve got me there. But he’s also got a lasagne five minutes away from being done with your name on it, so maybe you’ll let me get away with it this once?”
“How on earth do you have the ingredients for lasagne?”
“I honestly have no idea.” Trevor laughed again, the sound slightly strained.
“I would love some.” Nick pulled back. “And coffee. You guys didn’t swing home for a jar by any chance?”
“We have tea.”
The thought of tea and lasagne felt strange, though they were technically more familiar to Nick than anything else in this world. A very faint electronictingechoed off the yacht.
“That’s the timer,” Laurence said. He stepped away from Connor, and whatever their quiet conversation had been about, Laurence seemed calmer and steadier. His voice recovered, though his eyes remained red and puffy.
