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Yanking his hand free, Milo threw his arms around Colt, burying his face in his mate’s neck. “I’m not going anywhere, and if you call yourself worthless again, I’ll take you to task, Colt. You’re worth more than a lot of people I know. You’re kind, caring, funny, thoughtful, passionate, and mean the goddamn world to me.”
Colt slid his arms around Milo. “You quiet the darkness inside of me, regardless of how I acted earlier. I can’t promise I’ll be perfect, but I would never hurt you, Milo. I don’t ever want you to feel as helpless and afraid as I have.”
“My uncle…” Milo whispered as he dried his eyes on the shoulder of his mate’s shirt. “Eric is Chris’s brother. My mom’s house was a rental, and when she died, I had nowhere to go. I asked Eric if I could move in with him, but he has a violent temper.”
Eric never left bruises in places anyone could see, so no one knew about Milo’s silent suffering. Even if he’d told Deputy Lowery, then what? That dilapidated house was all Milo had.
Colt hugged him tighter. “I don’t want you going back there, Milo. Say you’ll move in with me. I know I’m a hot mess, but you never have to worry about—”
“Yes,” Milo said, cutting him off. “If you’re sure that’s what you want. We barely know each other, and we’ll have to get used to each other’s idiosyncrasies.”
Colt set Milo aside and cupped his jaw. “I’m positive that’s what I want. We’ll get used to each other’s habits. I look forward to getting to know you inside and out.”
Milo couldn’t believe he’d just agreed to move in with Colt. It was terrifying and exciting, and his head spun as worry filled him. “What if us living together doesn’t work out, Colt? I was completely miserable living with my uncle, but that was better than being homeless.”
Milo thought so. The thought of sleeping on the streets was terrifying.
“Kellen would force me to leave before he’ll let you walk out the door.” Colt pulled Milo onto his lap and circled his arms around him. “Mates are cherished, even when they aren’t yours. Why do you think the deputy was ready to beat my ass when it came to you? We protect them, shorty.”
“I hardly think your brother would choose me over you,” Milo said.
Colt dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone then dialed, putting the call on speaker.
“Milo got the day off,” Kellen said when he answered. “I told his boss that he had a stomach bug. She said if he was out more than three days, he’d have to come back with a doctor’s excuse.”
“Gross,” Milo said. “I’d rather you told her I broke my arm or something.”
Kellen chuckled. “You can’t complain when it worked. Don’t sweat it. If need be, Colt and I know a lion shifter doctor who’ll write that excuse for you.”
“I appreciate what you did for me,” Milo replied. “How much did you have to flirt with her?”
Colt arched a brow as he looked at him.
“I just gave her a dazzling smile and told her how nice she looked in her blouse. Now I’ll have to avoid the store, so Colt is responsible for grocery shopping.” Kellen sighed. “The shit I get myself into.”
“Atlas is going to beat your ass,” Colt said. “If he doesn’t, I will. You know he’s been betrayed before, but he put his trust in you for some damn reason.”
“Not if I tell him why I did it,” Kellen replied. “I would never do anything to break his trust in me, Colt. No one on this earth holds a candle to him.”
“I need you to settle something,” Colt said, as if ready to change the subject. “If you had to choose, who would you kick out, me or Milo?”
“You,” Kellen said without hesitation, which surprised Milo. “That was a dumbass question. Mind telling me why I’m putting your ornery ass out? If you hurt Milo’s feelings, I’ll tell Atlas and set him loose on you. He’ll make you wear those shoes for a month straight.”
Milo didn’t get the joke about the shoes. “He didn’t hurt my feelings, Kellen.”
Colt grinned. “Milo agreed to move in, but he’s nervous. He thinks he’ll be homeless if things don’t work out between us.”
“Not fucking happening,” Kellen replied. “First, you need to have a better talk with him about mates. Second, if it did come down to choosing between you two, a mate is always going to win. By the way, welcome to our dysfunctional family, Milo.”
“Thank you.” Milo smiled, praying it never came down to Kellen having to make a choice. Colt had been through so much for so long that he deserved happiness, and Milo was determined to give that to his mate.
“Talk to you later.” Colt hung up. “Feel better?”
“I will as soon as you tell me my portion of the bills. I’m not a freeloader.” Milo hoped he could afford it because he desperately wanted to get out of Eric’s house.
“One dollar a month.” Colt nuzzled his neck. “I know that’s steep, but it’s not easy keeping up with a mortgage on a house that’s paid off.”
“I might have to split that into fifty cents a paycheck.” Milo breathed in deeply, Colt’s lips causing havoc on his body.
