Page 54 of His Middle

“Mmm.” Sawyer gazed at him through hooded eyes. “Nice.” Sawyer brought Noah’s knuckles to his lips and nibbled on each one before trapping Noah’s hand between their bodies. “If you could go one place with me right now, and the club is off-limits, where would you go? No restrictions, no what-ifs. Off the top of your head.”

“The Sierra Nevada section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I’d load Bob up with supplies, and we could take a month or two off from civilization.” Noah bit his lip. He wasn’t being fair. “But you’ve already been on such a huge expedition to Everest. Hiking in, climbing up, hiking out. You’re probably over it.”

Sawyer bopped him on the nose with one finger. “No what-ifs also means no buts.”

“Okay…but—” Noah rolled his eyes at Sawyer’s pursed lips. “Fine. So, you’re saying that taking a month-long backpacking trip sounds like a great idea to you?”

“Sure. Why not? I didn’t train for Everest or summit Mt. Whitney, Mt. Hood and Mt. Rainier because I hate hiking.”

“When you put it like that…”

Noah had only vaguely paid attention to how much he and Sawyer had in common other than Daddy kink and age play. But the more they’d spent time together, the more he’d realized how well-matched they were in other areas.

Sawyer gave him a peck on the end of his nose. “It’s settled then. As soon as Arlen says his assistant manager is up to speed and the new office manager has settled in, we’ll be free to take off.” Sawyer furrowed his brow. “Although, we’ll have to be sure to start no later than the beginning of September. We need to have enough time to hike through before the first snow hits.”

A shiver ran through Noah. “Wow. It’s all for real.”

Sawyer ran his palm up and down Noah’s arm. “We can slow things down. Stay here a while longer. What I said before holds true. If you need to wait another year or two or forever before you sell this house, it’s fine. We move at your speed.”

“Since my speed is usually deer-in-the-headlights, that’s probably not the best idea.” Noah angled onto his back, scrubbing his face with one hand as he stared up at the late summer sky, a few barely-there wisps of cloud and the occasional seagull the only distraction from the deep blue backdrop. “But I honestly do want to sell this house.”

Noah swallowed hard, the memory of finally going into his dad’s bedroom, of going through his drawers, his closet, his keepsakes—the things that were the most personal and precious to his father. He’d wanted to face it alone and was glad he did. He allowed himself to let go and weep openly, no longer holding anything in. Of course, when he’d needed his Daddy hours later, Sawyer had been there to put him back together.

“I’ll help however I can, you know that.”

Noah rolled over to face Sawyer again. “I do.” He smiled. “I was thinking… You know how you suggested your place in Monterey as a possibility, as a place to live? Do you still mean that?”

“Of course. Mi casa es su casa. If you don’t like Monterey, there are plenty of other places along the coast we can check out as well.”

“My only thing is whether we can find a place for Bob nearby.”

“Won’t be a problem. Are you okay with driving that far to San Francisco a couple times a week to check on the club? Or driving once and spending the night in the city so we don’t have to go back and forth?”

Noah felt so grown-up. Not that he hadn’t before, but notthisgrown up. He’d started a little design business of his own, had worked part-time at the club when his dad needed help, bought his own first car, paid his own bills… But not like this. Not with a partner.

“Sure. I figured unless we stayed in the city or here or somewhere else close by, there’d be some longer driving involved. Honestly, Sausalito is about as much as I can stand in terms of crowded neighborhoods. Even though we’re surrounded by plenty of people and close to plenty more, the ambience here is what saves it.”

Sawyer chuckled. “Couldn’t agree more. I considered looking at some of those houseboats for about a minute, but I think I’d be more content in a less-bustling environment—no matter how unique and incredible they are.”

“It’s funny you’d say that. I used to always bug my dad to move into one of those when I was a kid. But now, they somehow don’t have the same magic to me.” Noah drew his eyebrows together. “How about you, your plans?”

“My plans?” Sawyer furrowed his brow. “Which ones are those?”

“I don’t know. I have my shirt business and I’m doing the hands-off owner thing with the club. But I know you hadn’t figured on driving back and forth between the city and Monterey. You’d might as well be stuck running your old company again.”

“Noah, stop.” Sawyer’s expression held reproach. “I’ve already explained that if I wanted to, I could likely live well off the interest from the sale of my import business for the rest of my life. I’m happy to continue helping you run the club. And any time I spend with you is time I look forward to—driving or no driving.” Sawyer smiled. “All that matters to me is that we’re together.”

The grief that had trapped Noah in a stranglehold since his father’s death had finally been banished for good. He would always miss his dad, still wished his dad were around, but he was no longer filled with despair. Sawyer was by his side and he had everything he could ever want.

Noah grinned. “That’s all that matters to me too.”

He was living his best life.

* * * *