Page 21 of Except You
I don’t wanna wear a pink shirt, but knowing Beau, he’ll find a way for me to do it. Seems I’m hopeless when it comes to him.
“Fine, get the pink bed.”
He claps his hands, and Doggo barks in agreement. We leave the damn place with glittery pink and purple things, not a traditional masculine color in sight, but Beau looks happy and Doggo is looking pretty damn cute, so how the fuck can I be mad about it?
I can’t. That’s just it. I fucking can’t.
“You know,” Beau says when we finally make it back to my place and he starts taking things out of the bags. Doggo is off exploring, and I hope like hell he doesn’t ruin anything, like my workout shoes or my mattress. “I think Doggo is really happy. I mean, he was smiling the entire way home.”
“He was not. Dogs don’t smile.”
“Doggo does.”
I roll my eyes at that, and he grins at me, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“I think we’re gonna have to agree to disagree,” I say.
“I love disagreements, Max. You’ll see. I’m nothing if not stubborn.”
“And what do your parents think of that?”
“Oh, they love me just the way I am,” he says with a smirk. “And they’ll love you too. I’m actually going up to see them next weekend. Do you want to come? We can bring Doggo, and he can have free rein of the farm.”
“Where do your parents live again?”
“Oh, a small town near Bakersfield. I think you’ll love it.”
“You do realize we just met?” I ask, and Beau shrugs.
“I feel like I’ve known you far longer. Some people are like that. Just kindred spirits, platonic soulmates. That’s you and me, Max. You’re stuck with me now, especially since we have Doggo to consider.”
“Seems so.”
Just as I say that my phone pings, and I pull it from my pocket, glancing down with a thundering heart when I see that it’s Magnus who’s messaged me back.
“What? What is it?” Beau says, coming up to stand near me. His head cranes around my shoulder, his hand landing on my waist, and he lets out an audible “oh.”
My breath comes out in a whoosh. “He didn’t block me.”
“He didn’t.”
“I’m scared to open it,” I say, and Beau nods.
“Want me to look first?”
I hand him the phone wordlessly, and he slides the message open, his face brightening as soon as he does.
“Oh, it’s a picture of his kids and their names and ages.”
He hands me the phone, and I stare down at it, seeing Kieran and Lucy smiling up at me.
“These are different than the Christmas card pictures,” I say, my voice nearly a whisper. “He sent me new ones.”
“They’re beautiful kids. I think this is a good sign, Max. This is him reaching out and letting you back in his life. It’s an olive branch. If he didn’t want this, he wouldn’t have responded.”
I nod and swallow roughly, setting my phone on the counter and rubbing at my eyes. It’s very dusty in here. I probably need new air filters. I’ll have to check them this weekend.
“It’s okay to cry,” Beau says gently as he wraps his arms around my waist and tucks his head against my chest. He’s comforting me the only way he knows how, and I let him. My hands splay across his back as I hold him to me, my face buried in his hair.