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“He’d like that.” Andy smiled as he settled back against the pillows. “I could come with you.”
I shook my head and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re exhausted. Rest, and I’ll bring you a cup later.”
“Do you think that you could ask Dad to come here when you’re done? I think I want to tell him. About, you know.” He chewed on his lip nervously.
Maverick would love that. He would climb into the bed, cuddle with Andy, and hold him like the most precious child. “Of course I can.”
He reached for my hand. “Thank you, Leo. For staying with me last night and not pushing me away. I will... I promise that I will tell you soon.”
“Yeah, of course.” I squeezed his fingers.
I love you.Those words were on the tip of my tongue, but I shoved them back down. I made my way downstairs to find Maverick sitting at the kitchen table. With Ezra.
Shit.
“Fancy meeting you here, boo.” Ezra tilted his head, and I tried my best to ignore him as I went to pour myself a cup of coffee. “You slept here last night.”
I spun around. “I did. I’m sorry if you have a problem with that, but Andy needed me.” I glanced at Maverick, who was staring at Ezra with something I couldn’t decipher in his eyes. “Andy asked for you, Dad.”
“Me?” Maverick’s brows shot up.
I nodded. “Yeah, he wants to talk to you. Go cuddle with your son for a little while.”
Maverick wrapped me in a tight hug. “Thank you, Leo. For bringing him home.” Then he was rushing upstairs to get to Andy.
“Andy isn’t himself, Ezra. He’s not the same boy. He’s changed. He has demons you’re not even aware of.” I resisted the urge to slam my mug down onto the counter as he stared at me, his dark eyes narrowed.
“He wasn’t here to pick up all the broken pieces. Maverick, Noel, and I did that. Maybe Andy would like a recap on what that did to you, because I have notes.” Ezra clenched his teeth. “Sit.” He pointed to the chair across from him.
I dropped into the chair. “It’s not what you think. Boo, he’s hurting.”
“Mm.” Anger flashed in Ezra’s eyes as he took a sip of his coffee. It wasn’t even eight in the morning, and he looked flawless. Like he had gotten a full night’s sleep on a mattress made of clouds and had forest animals dress him when he woke up. “You were hurting, too.”
Crap, this was going to be tougher than I thought. I glanced behind me at the stairs before I answered. “His mother showed up.” I knew Ezra would find out sooner or later, especially with Andy talking to Maverick. “Right now, I’m worried about Andy, my friend. Not Andy, my ex-boyfriend.”
“He’s home, so I guess that’s a star.” Ezra leaned back to stare at me, his gaze moving over my face. “You know I love you, right, boo?”
I nodded. “I do, and I love you, too. I appreciate that you care about me and that you’re so worried.”
“There’s a but coming.” Ezra giggled softly. “Why is there always a but?”
He wasn’t wrong. “I still love him, and I just... What if this time it works? What if we get our happily ever after? You and Carson got a second chance. So did Mav and Jax. I want that, too, Ezra, so fucking bad. He’s the only one I’ve ever wanted.”
“CC and I...” He sighed. “We were friends forever and then things just happened.”
I snorted. “Things happened all right.” I giggled when he stared at me. “Oh, please. You kissed the man before you molested him in the back of a dark club.”
“I took my shot.” Ezra grinned, a faint blush dusting his skin. My bestie was an open book about everything, but he had it bad for his husband. It was adorable.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek before I spoke. “I want to take my shot. I love him and don’t want to lose him again.”
“I know.” He reached across the table to pat my hand.
We both glanced over when Maverick stepped back into the room. He ruffled my hair playfully, but I noticed the redness in his eyes and the somber look on his face. Ezra was instantly on his feet, hugging his friend.
“I want to burn down the world right now.” Maverick pressed his face against Ezra’s shoulder.
Ezra rubbed his back. “We can totally do that, boo, whenever you want. You just let me know, and I’ll bring the damn matches to start the fire. No questions asked.”
