Reunion (12 page)

After a teeth-rattling three miles on the washboard
surface of a dirt road, Grant heaved a huge sigh of relief as the shake roof of
their destination came in to view. Gabe hadn't been kidding when he'd told him
it was out of the way. Sill, he had to admit, leaving the heat of the valley to
spend a day in Flagstaff was an excellent idea. The road was cut through part
of Coconino National Forest, and tall ponderosa pines towered on either side.
Grant couldn't hold back the gasp when he got to the final curve that opened
into one of the most beautiful settings he'd ever seen. It was as if he'd
entered a private wonderland. As directed, he passed the first two smaller
roads that were posted with cabin numbers. The main road curved around a large Tudor-style
inn and led to the back of the property where he located the covered picnic
pavilion and playground that was his final destination.

A few cars were parked in the designated spaces,
but not nearly as many as he'd anticipated. Hadn't Gabe said this was an
Enwright company picnic?

He opened the car door, and stretched his long
legs, filling his lungs with the warm aroma of pine on a summer day. A sleepy
voice from the back seat made him smile.

“Are we there yet?” Annie asked.

He opened her door and unbuckled her from the booster
seat. “We're here, sweetheart. And look, baby, there's a swing set and…” He
lifted her from her seat and set her on the ground. Pointing to where two dark
haired girls played on a slide, he said, “I think those girls over there look
like they might want to play with you.”

Annie shook her head and squeezed his hand in a
death grip. His heart constricted. She had never been a clingy child before.
Gabe was right, she needed to be back around others…in limited doses. He
squeezed her hand back. “Why don't you stay with me for a little bit and we can
look around. Then you can go play if you want to.” They'd been walking hand in
hand toward the small group of people gathered around a grill on the other side
of the pavilion. His attention had been focused on his daughter, so when she
gave a gasp and released his hand, he froze in place, quickly looking for any
danger.

“Patti!” Annie's cry was sharp, then she was
running straight toward the woman who held a piece of his heart.

Patti lowered herself to kneel on the ground,
stretched her arms wide and waited with a smile on her face and tears in her
eyes. When Annie crashed into her, she wrapped his daughter up tight, and
together they rocked from side to side. Patti stroked Annie's hair, whispering
that everything was going to be all right. When Annie started to cry, Patti
pulled back, cupped her face, and with her thumbs, wiped the tears from Annie's
cheeks.

“I-I-I thought you were in heaven with my mommy,”
Annie sobbed.

There was a commotion behind him, but he didn't
turn away until a hand gripped his arm. He glanced over and met Gabe's steady
gaze. “It's okay, Grant.” The tone was reassuring, as if he sensed Grant’s
desperate worry to do the right thing for his daughter.

Looking back, he saw her little body shake with
the effort to draw a deep breath. “You and RJ…I thought you were…” Her words
were lost as she started to cry even harder. Grant’s heart shattered into a
million pieces as he realized his efforts to protect his daughter had very
likely been the cause of every one of her tears…every nightmare.

A familiar gasp drew his attention to his
immediate left. RJ was standing right next to him, watching the scene unfold.
His normally bronze skin had an unhealthy grayish tint and deep lines scored
his forehead. His worried expression looked like Grant felt.

“Oh, Jesus. What do I do?” RJ asked, sounding near
tears himself.

Suddenly, the answer seemed to fill Grant’s heart
and he didn't need to look back at Gabe to know what the right thing was for
Annie.

“We go to them,” he whispered. Taking RJ's hand, he
tugged, and together they crossed the short distance to Patti and Annie. Grant
swallowed around his own tears and spoke in a voice so scratchy he hoped he
could be understood. “Annie, baby, don't cry. RJ's right here, too. RJ and
Patti are both here…everything is going to be okay.”

****

RJ sat on the picnic table, his feet on the bench,
elbows propped on his knees. Michael Enwright sat next to him in nearly an
identical position, fingers sliding absently over an envelope clasped loosely
in his hand. Although Michael had asked to speak with him, so far they'd just
been sitting there saying nothing. Watching. Waiting.

It had taken nearly thirty minutes to calm Annie
down, but as Gabe had explained, the catharsis was good for all of them. Given
any choice in the matter, RJ would have bundled Patti, Grant, and Annie into
the car and taken all of them somewhere private.

With Gabe's quiet guidance, the adults were
encouraged to ease Annie into playing with two little girls. Now, several hours
later, the children were playing some intricate version of tag. Near as he
could tell, the rules involved freezing the grown-ups in place, usually in
ridiculous poses, while Gabe's lover Uriah chased the girls. He was sort of
fuzzy on the whole freeze and thaw bit, but if the squeals and laughter were
any indication, no one much cared abut the rules.

After clearing his throat, RJ broke the silence
between them. “Obviously, Enwright Security is far more advanced in covert
operations than I suspected, judging from the elaborate planning that occurred to
bring us all here.” He glanced over at Michael and caught a small smile.

“What?” RJ demanded.

“The Enwright employee who planned this doesn't
have anything to do with the security end of our business. But Dr. Gabriel is a
damned soft touch. Just don't tell him I said so.”

“Oh, come on, he had to have had a lot of help…”
RJ's gaze drifted back across the lawn to where Patti balanced on one foot, the
other leg bent at the knee, her hand plastered to the top of her head. Annie
raced rings around her, nearly sending them both to the ground in fits of
giggles.

A laugh threatened to escape and he experienced
the oddest sensation in his chest…as if his heart was swelling. “Patti.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny…”

“It wasn't a question.” Confirmation wasn't necessary.
Of course it was Patti. She had always been the catalyst that drove their
relationship. She had been determined to bring them back together more than a
decade ago; he should have realized she wouldn't let the dream go without a
fight.

Just beyond the game of tag, Grant stood with
Marcus—the man who had helped so much in the aftermath of the shooting. They
had their heads together, apparently in deep discussion. When Grant nodded his
head, Marcus turned to wave his partner Max over. After a brief discussion that
had Grant looking back and forth between the two men, Marcus leaned in, gave
his lover a kiss, clapped Grant on the shoulder, then turned and headed in the
direction of the main inn. Max watched Marcus go, but Grant turned and met RJ's
gaze. For a long moment they just stared at each other across the expanse of
yard, then Grant's lips curved into the sexiest damn smile…as if he couldn't
wait to get RJ alone somewhere. His dick grew heavy at the thought.

Beside him, Michael laughed softly drawing his
attention once more.

“Normal is what you make it, RJ,” he said softly.
“Marcus and Max might be here today without Jolynn, but that's only because we
keep a top level case manager on site at all times, and she drew the short
straw.”

Michael nodded his head to where Graeme and Liz
were walking toward the nature trail, hand in hand. “Graeme and Liz knew each
other back in high school. Someday, I'll tell you the story of the rescue that
brought us all together, but I admit, it took a little convincing to get me
into bed with another man. Okay, maybe very little, because he's just sexy as
all fuck, but the point is…now the three of us are a family. And we're part of
this.” He gestured at the people scattered around the picnic area.

RJ looked over to where a dark haired woman sat on
a park bench, cradling her belly with one hand, while the other traced a lazy
pattern over her stomach. RJ didn't have a lot of experience with pregnancy,
but she looked ready to deliver at any time. She'd been introduced as Christina
Thomas…Chrissie to her friends. They hadn't gotten to talk much because she'd
stayed close to her girls most of the afternoon, but the love and devotion from
her men was plain for all to see. Carter and Cade treated her like their queen,
taking turns to bring her a plate of food, a bottle of water, a small cushion
to slip behind her back. They shared their affection openly, and their twin
daughters, who bore a striking resemblance to Carter, called both men daddy.  

“Thank you,” RJ said quietly. “I never believed—” He
shook off what he'd been about to say. “Michael, your company has an amazing
reputation for going the extra mile for clients, but this”—he nodded toward
where most of the group was gathered—“goes far beyond anything I could have
imagined. I know we started this case bass-ackward, but I promise we'll pay you—”

“Jesus Christ, RJ. I thought I was hiring some
sort of genius, but when it comes to relationships, you're more fucked up than
Gabe and Graeme put together.” He stood and tossed the envelope he'd been
holding into RJ's lap. “Assuming the terms are acceptable, I expect you to
report to work a week from next Monday. Now, I've got some catching up to do.”
As Michael loped off in the direction of the nature trail, RJ heard him mumble
something about stubborn men whose names started with the letter G.

With hands that shook ever so slightly, RJ slipped
his thumb under the flap and opened the envelope. When he read the very
generous offer of employment, it was as if the last piece of the puzzle that
was his life clicked into place. He looked up just as Grant reached him and
silently held out the letter.

Grant read quickly, a small frown line forming
between his brows. He pressed his lips together, and for just a long damn
moment, RJ thought his friend…his lover was going to turn him down. Then with a
start, he realized he hadn't asked.

“It looks like I'm going to be sticking around,”
RJ said.

Grant looked up, searching RJ's face. “Is that
right? I suppose congratulations are in order, then?”

“As generous as the offer is, I'm going to have to
think about it,” he said, his voice serious.

Grant's shoulders slumped slightly and he looked
back down at the letter before handing it back. “Well, let me know what you
decide…” 

Unable to extend the charade a moment longer, RJ took
Grant's hand. “I can't accept until I talk it over with my partners. It's going
to mean a lot of changes in all our lives.”

Grant jerked, his head snapping up, gaze locked on
RJ's. “You mean it?”

“I mean we have to agree. Let's go get Patti and…”
He looked over to where the game of tag was winding down, then back to Grant.
His throat squeezed tight at what they'd almost lost. “Be sure, Grant. Patti
and I are adults…if this isn't the right choice for Annie, we'd understand.”

Grant moved forward to stand between RJ's knees
and cupped his face between two big hands. “The two of you risked your lives to
keep my daughter safe. I've never been so sure of anything in my life. Let's go
get our girls and make this thing official.”

“I had fun today, Patti,” Annie said. Her words
were nearly swallowed by a jaw creaking yawn. “Can we play on the swings
tomorrow?”

“I had fun today, too. It was very nice of Mr.
Michael to get us a cabin so we could stay overnight. I’m sure we can play on
the swings tomorrow before we head home, okay?”

Annie pushed up, her face so serious, that for a
moment, Patti thought the little girl was going to cry. The knuckles on the
small hands were white she gripped the edge of the sheets so hard. “Why did the
bad man want to hurt us?”

Grant had kept Kendricks’ identity and the motive
behind the kidnapping a secret from Annie, which Patti thought wise. None of
them knew exactly what had gone on between from Michelle and Franklin, but his
words to Patti, plus Michelle’s actions the last year of her life, spoke
volumes. But that still left some gaps in the little girl’s fears. Patti
struggled to find the words to bring comfort.

“Sweetie, I don’t know for sure. Sometimes we just
can’t know why something bad happens. He wanted something that wasn’t his and
it made him do bad things. I know you were scared but he can’t come back any
more.”

“I’m glad he’s dead.” The fierce look on Annie’s
face nearly broke Patti’s heart right in two. She would have given anything to
spare the little girl this experience. Before she could find the right words,
Annie spoke again. “I’m glad he’s dead and the doctor said it was okay to feel
like that. But I’m even gladder that you’re here. I don’t want you and RJ to
go,” Annie said.

Patti brushed a lock of hair from Annie's
forehead, then pressed her lips to the girl’s soft cheek one more time. She
guided Annie to lie back against the fluffy white pillows once more. “You go to
sleep, sweetheart and I promise I'll still be here in the morning, okay?”

“Okay,” Annie said. “RJ too, right? You said we
could be a family.”

Patti looked up and smiled at the two men standing
in the doorway. RJ leaned against the frame, his faded jeans ripped at the
knees, rust colored T-shirt stretched tight across his chest. On the surface,
he presented a casual, relaxed posture, one foot resting on the other, a knee
bent slightly, arms folded across his chest. The truth of how he was feeling
showed in the way he lowered his chin so his curtain of heavy black hair
shielded his eyes, something he'd done when he was younger whenever he felt
vulnerable.

Grant stood slightly behind RJ, but at Annie's
question, he stepped closer, wrapped an arm around RJ's waist and rested his
chin on RJ's shoulder. RJ visibly stiffened until Grant placed his other hand
over RJ's heart and completely encircled their lover in his embrace. RJ's head
came up, his gaze finding Patti’s. For a long moment, she wondered if he would
bolt if Grant let go of him.

Patti understood that feeling. RJ was her oldest
friend and had always been attracted to both men and women, but he'd never
fully embraced living outside the norm. Those two stolen days in Sedona where
the four of them had interacted as a family, RJ had given himself freely,
accepting Grant's attention every bit as much as he welcomed hers. Then
something inside both of them had seized in the aftermath of the shooting. As
if some deep-rooted insecurity whispered that karma had bit them each on the
ass for daring to think they could have more than they'd been dealt in life.
Logically, she knew that wasn’t true, but she saw her own fear mirrored in RJ’s
expression. Yes, they’d committed verbally only a few hours ago, but she feared
until they consummated the next level in their relationship, uncertainties
would continue to rise to the surface. Taking a deep breath, she finally
answered Annie’s question.

“RJ too, honey,” she said. “We’ll all be here in the
morning and then we’ll go home together.”

****

Grant suspected that the heart hammering under his
palm was all the warning he was going to get that RJ was planning to take off
as soon as he released his hold on the other man. Second thoughts, no doubt. Grant’s
own biggest fear was that somehow the promises of the afternoon wouldn’t hold
up to the realities of life. RJ had always shied away from public displays of
affection, of people thinking he was anything except a not-yet-married man. As
much as it pained Grant, he just wasn’t going to be able to keep fighting.
Sure, he wanted it all: Annie, Patti, RJ. One big, messy, happy family. But he
was a father. No matter what, he needed to protect Annie from any more losses.
If RJ was going to go, it needed to be now, before Annie became any more
attached.

Patti stood from the bed, pulled the covers up
slightly before looking up to smile at the two of them. To make room for her to
pass through the door, RJ stepped back, pressing the two of them into the
hallway, forcing Grant to drop his arms. Swallowing hard, he felt as if he was losing
a part of his heart, not just his friend.

With a quick glance into the room, he could see
that Annie’s eyes were closed, and she’d already curled onto her side. Another
full day of play had worn his baby girl out and unless a nightmare woke her,
she would sleep through to the morning. Which meant, even if his heart was
breaking, at least he would be free to focus on goodbye.

“Come on,” RJ rumbled. “Let’s take this into the other
room.” He looped an arm around Patti’s waist and led the way through the small
cabin. Grant followed more slowly, trying to gauge his friend’s mood.

As soon as they all stepped into the master
bedroom, RJ closed and locked the door. Without looking at either of them, RJ
kicked off his shoes and started unbuttoning his shirt. He tossed his clothes
onto the dresser, an untidy heap of business casual—the clothes he’d worn to
his job interview.

Grant stood transfixed at the sight as RJ’s broad,
dark back was revealed, tapering to narrow hips, his tight round ass leading to
heavy thighs. This wasn’t looking like goodbye.

RJ stepped into the bathroom, still talking as he
grabbed a towel and dampened a wash cloth. “We can take turns checking on
Annie. Plus, it’s so quiet here, I figure we’ll hear her if she wakes up, but I
don’t want her to accidently walk in on something, you know?” RJ met his gaze
in the mirror.

“You got to help me out here, Grant. I mean, I
know you’re her dad and all, but I really don’t want to fuck this up.” His
smile was broad as he looked down once more to turn off the faucet. “Jesus,
Patti—it’s like we get to be parents overnight. What do you guys think? I know
it’s early, but I’d really like to have a couple more kids. Are you up for
that, Patti?”

Grant glanced at Patti and saw the bright sheen of
her eyes, the way her lips trembled slightly. He thought he might look them
same—he sure felt shaky enough.

RJ emerged from the bathroom, then stopped
suddenly as he came face-to-face with the two of them where they’d hovered near
the edge of the bed. The smile slowly melted from his face, replaced with a
quiet intensity. “I’m not running this time, babe. You already had your chance
to change your mind. Now you’re both stuck with me forever.”

Before Grant could make his throat work around the
lump that threatened to choke him, RJ caught his wrist in an iron grip and
pulled him close. Then Patti was pressed up against him, too, their lips met in
a hard kiss, full of pent up desire and an overload of emotions. He was
drowning in need for his lovers. Not just physical, although he was hard enough
to pound nails. No, this was much more than a quick goodbye fuck. This was
about forever and love and promises.

“Need to talk,” Grant gasped. He pulled back from
the sloppy three-way kiss.

RJ and Patti moaned in unison, and Grant had to
laugh. “I just need to tell you—”

Patti spoke, interrupting the thought he wanted to
share with them about the importance of this moment. “This must be your fault,
RJ, because I know my kisses were perfect. There should be no way he could
still be thinking…”

Grant grinned, ready to defend himself. It wasn’t
like he was always making speeches. He wasn’t. Well okay, maybe a little, but
he just wanted to tell them—

“No way is it my fault that Grant can still talk,”
RJ muttered. His fingers played over Grant’s ass, a nail scraping along the
denim seam. “I appear to be the only one ready to seal this deal in an
appropriate fashion. Since I’m an excellent project planner, let me help the
two of you along. Get. Naked. Now.”

****

RJ hadn’t known if he wanted to laugh or cry when
he’d caught sight of his lover’s faces when he’d turned around in the bathroom.
They’d both looked…stunned. How could he blame them? He’d always been the one
to pull back from a relationship that was outside the lines. They’d probably
thought he would again once the excitement wore off.

God, he’d never forget today as long as he lived.
The new job was only a small part of his happiness. The real treasure was with
the two people in front of him scrambling to get undressed. And the little girl
down the hall—the one who looked at him with those beautiful eyes, so full of
trust, who still wanted him to be here tomorrow. He would work hard every day
to show the three of them, Annie, Pattie, and Grant, that they could count on
him to always be there for them.

Tossing the towel over the chair, RJ sat and
watched as Patti tugged her bright yellow tee shirt over her head and tossed it
on top of his clothes on the dresser. Grant’s shirt landed on the floor, then
he was pushing his jeans down those long, lean legs. They would all look like
wrinkled ragamuffins by morning if they didn’t hang their clothes, but RJ
couldn’t bring himself to care. Let people think what they wanted, he was
through trying to impress anyone except his new family.

“Don’t move until I say so,” he told Grant as the
other man took a step forward. Grant stopped, then looked over to watch Patti
step out of her jeans. When they were both completely naked, they looked at him
expectantly, apparently willing to let him take the lead for now. That was so
fucking sexy, especially since one look at the vintage, low-slung craftsman
style armchair with the paddle-wide arms gave him an idea.

“Over here, on your knees, both of you.” Spreading
his legs wide, RJ stroked his cock and watched while his lovers dropped to
their knees.

“Suck me, Patti. Let me feel your hot mouth on my
cock.”

Grant moaned as Patti crawled forward. RJ hissed
when Patti wrapped her hand around the base of his cock and slowly licked her
way to the tip. She gathered the drops of pre-cum on her tongue, then worked
his slit. Alternating long swipes of tongue with soft sucking on just the
crown, she seemed determine to drive him mad with her teasing pace.

Tearing his attention from a complete focus on
watching Patti’s mouth on his dick, RJ met Grant’s heavy-lidded stare. “Taste
her, querido. Make her ready for us.” Grant’s answering smile was slow, and
oh-so-fucking hot. He leaned over to retrieve the bottle of lube and a couple
of foil packets from the nightstand before he crawled between Patti’s legs.

Then it was Patti’s turn to moan as she rocked her
hips, spreading her knees wider even while she took RJ’s cock deeper into her
mouth. Grant stayed on his knees and pressed his face between her thighs.

For long minutes, the sounds of slurping and moans
surrounded them. Patti punctuated his blowjob with gasps and sighs as she
wriggled under the onslaught of Grant’s mouth against her pussy. RJ couldn’t
see what Grant was doing to her, but every few minutes, Patti’s lips went slack
on RJ’s cock, and her moans grew more pronounced. When Grant moved further up
her crease, RJ watched his lover lick at Patti’s tight pucker. God, he was so
ready to have her ride him.

Gripping fistfuls of long red hair, he held Patti still
while he fucked her mouth with slow strokes. He held himself inside her throat
just long enough to feel her swallow around his shaft.

Meeting Grant’s gaze, RJ nodded. “Hand me a condom
and lube her, Grant. Patti, baby, gonna take us both. Are you ready for that?”

Her response was another moan and an increase in
suction. He pulled her off with a pop.

“Fuck.” Grant hurried to comply. When he pulled
his fingers from Patti’s ass, he rose up on his knees and rolled his condom on.

Patti whimpered at the loss. “Please.”

“Come here, sweetheart,” RJ said. Together he and
Grant turned Patti, so that her back was to him. After quickly rolling on his
own condom, RJ held out his hand for a squirt of lube, then slicked his cock
and added more lube to Patti.

“I want you to lower slowly back, like you’re
going to sit on my lap. Hold on to the arms of the chair.” As she moved, RJ
aligned his cock with her pucker and with a hand on her hip, guided her into
position. She lowered oh-so-fucking slowly and his breath left him on a hiss as
her tight ass opened for him. Then her hot channel swallowed him up, one slow
inch at a time until she was completely seated, his cock filling her
completely.

“Want you, too, Grant,” she gasped. “Please. Need
you both.”

RJ looked over Patti’s shoulder as Grant moved
even closer, walking forward on his knees. He’d never seen anything hotter in
his life. Grant’s pupils were wide and dark, making the irises appear a darker
shade than usual. His lips were swollen, rosy, glistening from licking Patti’s
pussy.

The three of them leaned together, the kiss slow,
sticky, a promise of tomorrow, a gift of yesterday. RJ’s heart soared, the
feeling bigger than anything he could have imagined.

Then like a slow slide into heaven, he felt the
pressure as Grant pressed into Patti, their cocks brushing together inside
their lover, separated by a membrane, their three hearts joined as one. The
three of them, upright, Patti straddling RJ, riding his cock, Grant buried
inside her from the front, hands playing over skin, a twist of nipple ring, a
flick of tongue, a scrape of teeth. They rose and fell, love flowing over them,
through them, sending RJ soaring. He wanted to tell his lovers what they meant
to him, but worried he didn’t have the words, and so he rocked, he lifted, he
pressed and rolled.