What Matters Most (28 page)

then Rory’s full lips tipped into a broad smile. He walked down the porch steps and stopped in front of them. Josh felt Nick tremble beside him as Rory looked at Josh.

Rory’s smile didn’t seem strained in the least as he offered Josh his hand. “Good to see you again, Josh.”

Josh matched the blond’s expression as they shook hands. “You, too.” Josh released Rory’s hand as the other man’s gaze had already sought out Nick. He opened his mouth for introductions only to shut it again when Rory spoke softly.

“Nick.”

Nick released a stuttering breath as he took Rory’s hand. “Nicholas Mendiola.”

Rory’s smile wavered. He tugged and embraced Nick. “I know who you are.”

Josh sniffled as he watched the brothers hug—once Nick finally unfroze and wrapped his arms around Rory. “Well damn,” Josh mumbled, swiping at a tear that spilled down his cheek. This was going better than he’d hoped, but he didn’t want to cry like some soft WHAT MATTERS MOST

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hearted sap. He brushed another streak of moisture from his other cheek and willed himself to get it under control.

This is what being part of a family feels like.
Nick had been so shocked to find himself being hugged he hadn’t been able to move at first. Then it’d sunk in—Rory, his brother, wasn’t angry, didn’t seem to begrudge him anything, and Nick was standing stiff as a board when he could be hugging the brother he’d always longed to have. He heard Josh sniffle, caught in his peripheral vision Josh’s attempts to brush away his tears. It made his own eyes burn, his throat tighten against a sob.

“Rory,” Nick said, just because he could. He felt the younger man’s body shake, his broad chest heave as Rory gave in to the emotions Nick was struggling to control.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to walk away from us, from Josh,” Rory rasped, his

breath tickling Nick’s neck. Rory thumped his back a few times then loosened his grip so Nick could lean back. Nick did, noting the slight differences in their height—he was at least an inch or two taller—and the similarities in their features. Same wide eyes, tilted up just a bit at the corner, same curve of the cheek and square chin. A small piece of Ian in each of them, but not the cruel part that would have kept them from ever being a family, he hoped.

Nick held out a hand for Josh, something in him shimmering peacefully as soon as he felt his lover’s hand in his. He looked at Josh, knowing the love and respect for the man must be obvious in his expression. “Josh is…” Nick tried to explain it, but found himself embarrassingly short of words. He settled for “Everything,” because it was the truth, even if it didn’t adequately describe how much Josh meant to him.

Josh beamed at the single word and scooted close as Rory stepped beside Nick and rested an arm over Nick’s shoulder. Josh pulled his hand free and caressed Nick’s lower back before sliding his hand into Nick’s back pocket and promptly pinching Nick’s ass.

Nick flinched and Rory laughed. Josh grinned as Nick tucked Josh to his side and secured him there with an arm over Josh’s shoulders. “Grabby,” Nick accused, which earned him another pinch.

“Can’t blame me, you’ve got a very fine ass.”

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Nick huffed and was pretty sure he was blushing from his head to his toes as Rory made a strangled sound before pleading, “Please, can you not talk about my brother’s, er, attributes?”

Josh snickered. “No, but I can try not to talk about them around you.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” Rory said as he started to walk to the steps the hesitated.

“Um.”

“Go ahead,” Nick told him once Rory seemed to realise they couldn’t all three take the steps at the same time. He and Josh trailed behind Rory as anxiety began to swell inside Nick again. Just because Rory had been so willing to accept him didn’t mean the others would.

And that might well change Rory’s mind.

Rory stopped with one hand on the screen door handle as he turned to peer over his shoulder at them. “Just so you know, Chance told me what he tried to do. I can promise you he won’t be an ass.” Rory sounded almost smug and Nick wondered what had gone down when Chance confessed his attempt to corner Nick alone. Judging by the unholy grin Rory wore, Nick imagined it wasn’t exactly pretty, but it wasn’t unforgivable, either.

“All right, thank you.” Nick let Rory hold the door for him and Josh. The doorway was too small for them both so he settled for holding Josh’s hand and letting him lead the way. It was not, he thought sternly, an act of cowardice. He wasn’t hiding behind Josh. He was just letting him go first because Josh had been here before and knew the way. And there was also the added bonus of watching Josh’s tight butt flex as he walked. That sight alone was enough to distract Nick from his worries.

Until he heard the voices coming from a room up ahead. The rumble of deep

masculine voices and the softer tone of a woman’s. Josh stopped and half turned, offering his hand. Nick took it immediately, feeling as if it were the only lifeline he had in the familial sea of uncertainty that awaited him. Rory’s hand on his shoulder and barely spoken encouraging words emphasised the fact that he had Nick’s back, but Nick knew if things got nasty…

“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Josh said with so much conviction Nick found himself unable to doubt it. The words, combined with the expression on Josh’s face, gave Nick the courage to take the last few steps into the room even as Rory offered to go first and handle the introductions.

Nick declined Rory’s offer but did, however, keep Josh at his side. He stepped into the doorway, Josh pressed against his side, and immediately all conversation stopped. Nick’s WHAT MATTERS MOST

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gaze darted from one face to the other, lingering over Annabelle’s, feeling a tingle of warmth in his belly when he realised she wasn’t glaring at him. Evan grinned and welcomed him, and even Justin’s lips twitched as if he fought back a smile. Nick didn’t have quite as much restraint, not with the wave of relief washing over him. Josh was right, it would be okay.

Nick settled his attention on the last man in the room, the one he knew must be

Chance Galloway. Stoic in appearance and several years older than Rory, Chance was still handsome, his dark hair thick and verging on curly where the ends met his shoulders. Eyes as dark as his own met Nick’s. He tipped his head towards Chance, noting the hesitancy in the man’s expression.

Rory cleared his throat behind Nick and Chance’s hard façade vanished, his eyes

lighting, warmth filling them as he looked over Nick’s shoulder. Nick felt a hand press against his lower back, nudging him further into the room. He entered, his gaze drawn back to Annabelle. When she gave him a tremulous smile, so very much like Rory’s, Nick’s lungs seized. He’d wanted this for more than half his life, wanted to know his siblings, and now that it was finally happening he didn’t know what to do. Josh smoothed a hand over the small of his back, a silent encouragement as Rory slipped by.

Nick barely noticed. He was still watching Annabelle, waiting for he wasn’t sure what until she stood and took a sure step towards him. Without the slightest hesitation, Annabelle opened her arms, confident in what she was doing, what she was offering. When Josh would have pulled away, Nick gripped him tighter, bringing Josh with him as Nick reached for Annabelle with a trembling hand. All of his control, his rigid determination to keep his emotions on tight rein shattered as he found acceptance from his sister. Nick didn’t try to stop the tears, and judging by the raspy breaths and muted sobs, neither did Annabelle or Josh.

Another body joined the threesome, Rory squeezing in between where he could,

between Annabelle and Josh. “Let me in, I feel like an idiot sitting by Chance and bawling like a baby.”

Nick’s huffed laughter hurt his throat which felt raw and too tight, but the sound of the other three joining in made his heart soar.

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“Your mother sounds about as bad as Ian,” Annabelle said, looking like she really wanted to say something more. Probably along the lines of Antonia being a first-class bitch, which Josh agreed with, but he’d never say as much. After all, if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have Nick, so he kind of had to be grateful she was a nutbag.

“Annabelle,” Rory scolded, flushing to the tips of his ears.

Nick’s expression tightened, the fine lines around his eyes becoming more prominent as he nodded. “She has…issues, but at least she finally gave me the letters.”

“She gave them to your lawyer, probably afraid of what you’d do if she didn’t and you found out about them once you met us,” Annabelle pointed out.

“Maybe,” Nick said, “but that doesn’t explain why she saved them in the first place.”

Josh had given it some thought, and while no one could know Antonia’s motivation for not destroying the letters in the first place, he could take a guess. “Well, if anyone accused you of having contact with Rory and Annabelle, she could have offered up the unopened letters as some kind of proof that maybe you didn’t have contact with them?” Everyone looked at him and Josh ducked his head, wishing he had kept his mouth shut. “What? It’s just an idea.”

Nick hugged him and half pulled Josh onto his lap. “And a good one, baby. Probably the truth, too, although I really wish I could believe she held onto them with the intention of giving them to me soon. But she wouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, little brother, I have to say I sometimes forget you’re not just a pretty face,”

Justin teased. Josh lifted his head up enough to shoot a glare at his brother, and stuck his tongue out at him for good measure.

“Obviously Josh got all the looks
and
the brains in the family.”

Josh blinked at Chance, stunned the older man had made a joke that actually

complimented Josh.

Chance winked while the others hooted and dogged Justin. “Better close your mouth, boy, before I rethink the whole smart bit.”

“Well, so much for the big bad twink-monster.”

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Chance arched a brow and his lips twitched. “Twink-monster? Really?”

If Josh blushed any harder he was going to combust. “Well, yeah. Everyone knows

you don’t like twinks, so…yeah, that’s the whole twink-monster thing.”

That sent the others off into another round of laughter, Chance included. Josh

snuggled down on Nick, moving all the way onto his lover’s lap as Nick held him tightly.

Each puff of breath, each rich, deep chuckle that passed Nick’s lips made Josh’s dick harder and harder. The man was just too sexy when he was happy. It made Josh want to lap him right up, taste the joy and wallow in it with Nick. Nick’s hand slid between Josh’s thighs, the tip of his thumb just ghosting over the head of Josh’s shaft and he nearly came in his jeans.

“Stop it,” Josh hissed. He’d just die if he shot in his pants with everyone around.

“Sorry,” Nick whispered in his ear, not sounding sorry in the least, but he did move his hand down to rest on Josh’s knee.

“I like
you
,” Chance finally said when everyone was done laughing and talking. “And if you’re a twink, well then, I guess I’ll have to rethink my stand on them.”

Josh considered giving a short lecture on labelling people but decided against it—and he
had
sorta labelled Chance even if it had mostly been a joke. And besides… the guy liked him. No way was Josh jeopardizing that. It was like a prize or something and he wasn’t giving it back.

A couple of hours later, Josh surveyed the people sprawled in various relaxed poses in the living room. Max and Bo had been invited over to meet Nick, and the three of them had hit it off better than Josh had expected. Nick especially seemed to get along with Max, maybe because they had both only recently discovered the truth about their sexuality, or maybe it was just that both could be reserved and introspective. Or it could be all of those things or none at all; it didn’t matter.

“One thing,” Annabelle piped up when there was a lull in the conversations. She

pointed at Justin first then Nick. “No more beating on each other.”

Nick blushed adorably but didn’t readily agree and neither did Justin. “I’m not

promising anything,” Justin said as he took Annabelle’s hand and nipped at her fingers.

“You know sometimes us guys like to work things out with our fists.”

Justin seemed to realise it was the wrong answer a split second after everyone else in the room did. Annabelle’s eyes narrowed to slits as she pulled her hand free, thumping the WHAT MATTERS MOST

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end of Justin’s nose. “I’d say that’s because you haven’t got the sense to find an intelligent way to deal with a disagreement.”

“Hey!” Justin blinked and rubbed his nose, his eyes watering. “You just reacted with violence! That hurt!”

Annabelle snorted and rolled her eyes. “That was a love tap, not a punch, you baby.”

She leant in and placed a loud smacking kiss on Justin’s lips, then grinned when she pulled back. “Better?”

“Hell yeah,” Justin rasped.

“Maybe you should thump him again,” Evan advised, planting a kiss first on

Annabelle’s lips then half-sprawling over her to do the same to Justin’s.

Josh cuddled closer to Nick, enjoying the love play between his friends until Chance cleared his throat, drawing all the attention to him. He looked from Annabelle to Nick to Max and Bo then back at Annabelle.

“You do realise, Annabelle, Evan, Justin, that there is potentially a solution for our problem.” He flicked a glance at Nick. Rory was smiling at Chance like the man was the centre of Rory’s universe—which Chance was, of course. Josh wondered if he had that same lovestruck expression when he looked at Nick. He gave it a test run, twisting until he could look up into Nick’s dark eyes, his heart beating a slow
th-thud
before it shot into warp speed at the expression on Nick’s face. And yeah, Josh was pretty sure he was mirroring it, basking in the love flowing between him and Nick.