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He took my hand and even took the roller bag. This played out like our very own romance novel.
“New car?” I dropped into the passenger seat of a Lexus after we stored my stuff in the trunk.
He settled in behind the steering wheel and started the car. “Rental. Just until mine gets here. It will be another couple of days before the truck arrives. I thought about going new, but I’d had mine so customized when I bought it that I didn’t want to let it go.”
I knew exactly what he meant. I’d be bringing my car down at some point as well.
My chest tingled—the perfect kind of tingle. It reminded me of the intense joy of scoring a game winner or seeing a kid I coached make his first successful slap shot or… being with the man I loved. There’d been moments like this before—the night in Vegas, the day we’d spent together, making late breakfast. I liked how much stronger it vibrated in me now.
“I got good news from my attorney tonight.” Austin sounded excited, which lately hadn’t been the case when talking about legal things. “We signed the letter of understanding to transfer control of the foundation to me. It’ll be fully mine, no longer connected to the company. It cost some money, but it was worth it.”
I reached over and squeezed his leg as he drove. “That’s great. Congrats.” I left my hand where it was. I liked the connection. He’d desperately wanted the foundation and had to jump through some hoops to get it.
“My attorney’s hopeful everything else wraps this week. I’m ready for the clean break.”
“I’d never considered the idea of getting to reset everything.” I yawned. “Sorry.”
“You don’t ever have to say sorry about being tired after a game and a flight.” He dropped a hand from the steering wheel onto mine. “And I hadn’t ever thought about starting over either. I’d gotten so much fear from my parents and ignored what could be. I don’t want that Austin to ever show up again—if he does, send him to the penalty box.”
“Duly noted. Hopefully, neither of us gets to that extreme. I’m sure we’ll both fuck up. I have to be not so stubborn when it happens.”
“Same here.” He gripped my hand extra tight as I did the same to his leg.
We drifted into the most comfortable silence. That peace had been there with Austin from the start but had more impact now that we’d committed to each other.
He pulled into a neighborhood I’d been to one other time because Nick Belcroft, a D-man, lived here. He’d invited me for brunch along with Tristan Nettles. Nick, Tristan, and me made up the LGBTQ contingent on the team. Nick was married while Tristan had recently gone through a break up.
During our trip, Nick had extended an invitation for Austin and I to come over when we were situated.
The homes were new, nice, and weren’t crazy big from what I’d seen. Nick had said he and his husband bought there because they knew another gay couple that lived in the neighborhood and spoke highly of its inclusiveness. Maybe I’d look here too.
Austin pulled up to a two-story, modern home and triggered the garage door. I couldn’t make out all the details in the dark, but it seemed nice. The garage had space for his car, but more than a few boxes and other signs of a move-in in progress littered the other half.
We got out as the door closed behind us. I grabbed my backpack, and he got my luggage.
“Remember, this is all still a work-in-progress.” He opened the door that led inside and lights turned on in the kitchen. The appliances were new—not ridiculously high-end but more like what Mom had installed when she’d renovated. Beyond that, it was a cozy kitchen that would be nice to hang out in for breakfast.
“I’ve got makings for Greta’s pancakes,” he said as if he’d read my mind. “I thought we could cook in the morning… if you’d be up for that. Seemed the perfect thing to break in the kitchen with.”
“Great idea.”
As we talked, soft lights came up. Had it come this way with the motion sensors or had he already had people here installing new stuff? I liked it. While the kitchen had turned on bright, the living room was softer.
“Let’s go get comfortable,” I nudged into him and gave a sleepy smile.
He nodded, and I followed him through the living room that only had a couple of chairs and a TV standing in front of the fireplace. At the staircase by the front door, he said, “I’ll give you the full tour in the morning, but down here is the kitchen, living room, bath, and a guest room. Upstairs is the master suite and my office.”
We headed up.
“I like the layout even better seeing it for myself rather than the pictures.”
“Me too. I like having all the personal space up here. There’s a lot of custom stuff too—like those appliances and all the smart home stuff.”
“I can’t believe you got it so quick.”
“Things happen fast when you deal in cash.”
“Good to…” I stopped short as the lights came on in the master. He’d spent time with this. The king-sized bed dominated the room but didn’t overtake it. It looked comfortable with many pillows at the headboard. He also had a loveseat and coffee table along with a dresser. Through one door, I saw a sliver of what looked like a spectacular shower and the other door had to be the closet.
