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“Life doesn’t work that way,” Colt gritted out. “Shit fizzled, and it’s time to move on.”
He could tell Hayley that he’d found his mate, but that would only send the gazelle over the edge. Colt also didn’t want Milo to even be a blip on Hayley’s radar. The guy was vindictive as hell.
“You know we were meant to be together,” Hayley whimpered. “I don’t know why you refuse to see that. Just come over and we can work this out, Colt.”
A migraine was starting in the back of his skull. Whenever Colt had been interested in someone, he’d held out on revealing where he lived. It was a precaution he’d always taken, just in case.
Hayley was a prime example of why that measure was needed. He had no clue that they didn’t even live in the same area code. Colt was an hour’s drive away.
It had been different with Milo. Colt had realized the human was his mate before he’d asked the guy to come home with him. If Milo hadn’t been his mate, they would have spent an amazing night in a motel room.
A person’s home was their sanctuary.
“I’m not coming over, Hayley. There’s nothing to work out. I wish you all the best.” Colt hung up and blocked the guy’s number. He should have done that a month ago.
He stepped out of the laundry room and right into Kellen. “Give a guy some space.”
His brother’s arms were crossed. “I was coming to get a load of laundry and couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”
“That doesn’t mean you had to eavesdrop,” Colt argued. “Just because you have exceptional hearing isn’t an excuse to be rude.”
“Cut the shit, Colt.” Kellen frowned. “What in the hell was that about? Your mate is under this roof, and you’re talking to another guy?”
He had to count to ten before he lost it on Kellen. “Are you accusing me of cheating on Milo?”
“Do you remember when you offered to get even with Braylon for betraying Atlas?” Kellen asked. “You asked me to describe my mate’s best friend to you.”
“I remember.” Colt wasn’t sure where this was going. “That plan isn’t feasible anymore since I found my mate.”
“Atlas heard us talking in the kitchen that day,” Kellen said. “He didn’t think I was attracted to Braylon, but I realized that it was total disrespect to even talk about another guy, especially when Atlas was in the house.”
Colt had just wanted Hayley to leave him alone. The thought of taking the call being disrespectful to Milo hadn’t crossed his mind. What if roles had been reversed and it had been Milo in the laundry room on the phone with an ex-lover? Colt knew exactly how he would react. “You’re right.”
The skin between Kellen’s eyes wrinkled. “Why aren’t you snarling at me and telling me to fuck off?”
“Because you’re right.” Colt shrugged. “If you want me to act like an ass, I can oblige you, but I’d rather get back to Milo.”
A wide grin broke across Kellen’s face. “I’ll be damned. You’ve been leashed.”
“Don’t get shit twisted. I’m just in a good mood. Now if you’re done scolding me, I want to head back to my room.”
Kellen shook his head and chuckled as he walked into the laundry room.
* * * *
It took a moment for Milo to get his bearings when he woke up. As he lay there on the box spring and mattress, he glanced around and saw that all traces of Colt’s descent into despair had been erased as though it had never happened.
Milo wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun’s rays had faded on the walls, a dark orange glow around the blinds like a picture frame.
It was dusk. Had he really slept the day away? Milo had never done that before and wasn’t sure why that bothered him so much. There were times when he’d slept in on his days off but never an entire day.
Not even when he’d had the flu once as a teenager. Milo had gotten up repeatedly, thirsty and disoriented, until his mom had led him back to bed and tucked him in.
Her death had hurt so badly that even now he wanted to cry. It had been three years since her funeral, and he wondered if the pain of losing her would ever fade.
She’d been a single parent, struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads, but she’d given him such a full and wonderful life that he’d never envied what others had. Money had been tight, but money wasn’t necessary to read stories to him, take him on endless walks to the park where he could play, or movie night at home whenever she didn’t have to work.
She’d been his best friend, and at the young age of twenty-five, Milo had lost her to an icy road and bad visibility. His mom had only been forty-two when the police had found her car, the woman inside dead from a head injury, even though she’d been wearing her seatbelt.
