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“You okay there, laddie?” Lisa stuck her head out from the kitchen door, and I startled. She’d already started on dinner, and even though she was working, she’d been nice company the last few hours. At one point, she’d grabbed a stool from the kitchen island and stuck the back of it under the doorknob so we could talk without a barrier. She spoke about Scotland, and I listened, a homesickness I never quite knew I had aching deep inside. I wondered if I could convince Judah to go to Edinburgh with me one day.
“Aye, I was just thinkin’.” I laughed sadly and stared at the photo of my parents. “I haven’t seen this picture in a while. I put it away so it would hurt less.”
She moved farther into the living room with some flour on her cheek, and I couldn’t help but smile. She stopped beside me and threw the tea towel over her shoulder before planting her fists on her hips. “That your ma and pa?”
“Aye.” I glanced back at the picture, and a peacefulness washed through me. “You remind me of my mum, Lisa. She was a strongheaded woman who liked to take care of people. She took everyone under her wing. She loved people.”
Lisa wrapped an arm around my shoulders—or tried. She wasn’t very tall and only managed to cup my neck as she petted me soothingly. “You don’t mention your da much. Was he a good bloke?”
I nodded. “Aye, definitely. Originally from the Isle of Lewis.”
“Oh, I got a cousin from there. Nice fellow.” Her pets became harder, and I leaned into her embrace.
“Dad was a tough bloke. He always worked sunup to sundown. When they got to the States, he started working at a construction company. There was an accident. A steel beam fell on his chest, puncturing his lungs. They couldn’t get him to the hospital fast enough. I was fifteen when he died, and I miss him every day.”
She made a sad sound. “You look like him.”
I chuckled. “Mum always said I did. She also said I acted like him, too.”
“So, he was definitely a good man, then, because you are.” She plopped a kiss on my cheek. “Have you had anything to eat today? You’re pale.” She didn’t wait for an answer. Wrapping her nimble fingers around my wrist, she dragged me toward the kitchen, and I had no choice but to follow her. She was a strong lady.
She steamrolled her way into the kitchen and grabbed the stool from under the doorknob before shoving me into it at the island. Pointing a finger at me, she gave me a long, hard look. “Now, you will eat or so help me, I will tie you down and hand-feed you if I have to. You’re as bad as Judah.” She spun on her heel and grabbed an apple in a bowl sitting on the counter, then passed it to me. “Eat.”
“Aye, ma’am,” I teased, and she whacked me over the arm. Laughing, I took a bite out of the apple and settled onto the stool.
Lisa went back to the stove, and after a few moments, she peeked over her shoulder at me. The flour was still stuck on her cheek, and the more I stared at her, the more I saw Mum. “I’ve been hearing you and Judah speak here and there, and honey, let me give you a piece of advice, the same I’d give my own child.”
I cocked my head. “Yes?”
“Judah’s mother is a beast of a woman. She’s stubborn and bullheaded, and what she’s doing, it isn’t about her son, it’s about her. Don’t let her win.” She gave me a small smile. “Judah’s happier than I’ve ever seen him and you’re the reason. Don’t break his heart again.”
“I love him,” I whispered in return. “I won’t let her drive me away this time.”
She winked. “You’re a good lad.”
A few hours later, I’d unpacked the dismal number of boxes and had given everything a place. Ten minutes after I’d finished, Judah, Ellis, and Hilton walked through the door. Almost immediately, Ellis and Hilton ran up to me and started telling me everything they’d done, and their excitement made me smile. It was amazing how quickly they’d grown attached, like best friends who’d known each other their entire lives.
I stared over their shoulders at Judah, who leaned against the threshold of the living room with his arms crossed wearing a gentle grin. He was handsome like this, despite the bruising on his gorgeous face, and I had no idea why I’d thought I could ever leave him again. I’d missed him too much the first time.
“And then, he asked me out on a date.” Hilton rolled his eyes and waved his hand with a huff. “I don’t shit where I eat, if you know what I mean.”
I blinked, completely missing parts of the story. “Who asked you out?”
Hilton pouted. “Weren’t you listening to me, Tav?”
Ellis knocked his hip against Hilton’s. “He was too busy eye fucking Judah.”
“Hey!” I batted Ellis’s arm with the back of my hand, and he laughed, dancing away from me.
“Where’s the lie?” Ellis shrugged, and I couldn’t deny it. I had been eye fucking Judah, but who could blame me? My partner was hotter than the sun on a summer afternoon, and that went double when he was fully clothed in a suit that moved and fit snugly with his hard body.
“We’re going to leave you two alone for adult time.” Ellis rolled his eyes, a small tilt to the corner of his mouth, and he tugged Hilton’s jacket to guide him toward the stairs.
I watched until they were gone before I turned back to Judah. “You hired movers.”
“You’re not angry,” he hit back without missing a beat. He didn’t move from where he was leaning against the threshold, clearly taking the time to study how annoyed I was. Smart man.
“Oh, I’m pissed.” I crossed my arms to meet his posture. “But fighting with you is a losing battle, and I’d rather have you fuck me and coming on my tits instead.”
