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Like that was even a question. “Of course.”
Blake released me to go lock the door and turn off the lights before he led me up to his bedroom. I watched as he stripped off his clothes so that he was in nothing but his briefs before he climbed onto his bed. I followed behind him, and when Blake leaned his head on my chest, I heard him let out a sigh of relief. He drifted off to sleep not too long after that, but I lay awake long after trying to figure out how I could fix all of this for him.
Money might be the only way, and I was lucky my brother had plenty of it.
***
I managed to get a few hours of sleep and woke just as the sun was coming up. I climbed from the bed, careful not to wake Blake. I watched him reach across the bed like he was looking for me just before he moved into the spot I had just vacated. He smacked his lips together, then he smiled in his sleep, and I couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss his forehead. Then I put on my clothes to go outside to call Jackson.
“You’re up early for a Saturday morning,” my brother answered on the first ring. “Everything okay?”
I glanced up at the sky. “Blake and I are together now,” I told him.
“Like together, together?”
I didn’t answer straight away. A moment later, I heard Jackson whisper something I couldn’t understand away from the phone. Another male voice I didn’t recognize answered him, and then I caught the sound of a door shutting.
I grimaced. “Am I interrupting?”
“Nah, it’s fine, just a guy I met. You love him?”
“Fuck, yes. I love him more than anyone or anything.”
“And he feels the same way?”
I nodded, even though Jax couldn’t see me. “Blake loves me, too. You don’t have to worry about that. We’re together, and we’re good. I want forever with him.”
“But?” He pushed, and I wished he wasn’t so far away. That I could have gone to talk to my brother in person about this. Boston was only a couple hours away, but I needed to do this now. Before things got worse.
I moved farther away from the house. “His mother is a raging alcoholic, Jax, and I’m terrified that Blake is going to throw away everything for her. She drinks away any money she makes, and Blake uses his Mulligan money to pay the bills. It’s not right.”
“What do you need from me, Tommy? Just say the words; you know I’ll help you in any way I can,” my brother assured me. I was so proud of him, but I missed him so much.
I closed my eyes. “She needs to go to rehab. A good one. A place where she can dry out, get the help she needs, and stop drinking. For good. Then Blake can go to California with Mulligan, just like he’s supposed to do and make a name for himself.”
“You want me to pay for her rehab, Tom, is that it? You really love Blake, don’t you?” I heard something in Jackson’s voice that pained me. Something he hadn’t told me, and I wondered if he was thinking about Maverick. Did he feel the same way about his best friend?
I sighed. “I can pay you back. When I get drafted, or if that doesn’t happen, I’ll get a job—”
“Tom, I don’t care about the money. I care about you, and if this is what you want, if doing this for Blake makes you happy, then I’ll do,” Jackson told me.
I felt my body begin to tremble. “Thank you, Jax.”
We chatted a little bit longer before he had to go off to practice, and I went out to grab some donuts and coffee before Blake woke up. When I came back, I found him still sleeping in his bed, curled up where I had left him. I placed my goods on the dresser before I kicked off my shoes so I could hold him.
“Where did you go?” Blake reached down to touch my hands that were holding his taut stomach. He spun around to face me, and I pressed a kiss to his soft lips.
“I went to get some breakfast.” I nuzzled his neck. “Let’s go out and do something today. Unless you just want to hang here and gorge on donuts.”
A smile pulled at his lips. “I think going out would be good for me.”
“I love you, Bug. You know that, right?” I dragged my tongue over his neck and up the side of his face before I got to his mouth. He stared at me with hooded eyes.
Blake shoved me over onto the bed and climbed on top of me. “I love you, too, Gretzky. So damn much it scares me. Thanks for everything. For last night, this morning, the other day when you came to check on me. I want to be with you forever.”
“Forever, yeah, me, too.” And I meant it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
