Page 37 of Man of Honor
I still wanted to protect him...but in a different way.
I wanted him to be mine.
I shifted the engine to idle and let us glide into a low, shady bank.“You’re the only man in a hundred miles who gets to share my spot,” I said, nudging his boot with mine.“Best fishing in the Garden.”
He raised a brow, looking skeptical.“You never took anyone else here?”
“My brother and dad used to come with me on weekends.Nothing fancy. Just some beers and enough boudin sandwiches to last the day.We had a running bet. Biggest catch got to sit on his butt while the others cleaned and cooked.”
“So that’s how you got so good in the kitchen,” Gage cracked with a teasing wink.“How about we revive that bet?Loser cooks tonight.”
I grinned. “You’re on.”
We relaxed in pleasant silence after that.The morning had started to warm up, but it was still too early for beer, so I unscrewed a thermos of hot coffee and passed him a cup.
“What about your brother?” Gage asked, taking a sip of aromatic dark roast.“He still around?”
“Not anymore.” I leaned back and stretched my legs out, crossing them at the ankles.“He’s up in Minnesota now. Got himself a wife and kids and took up ice fishing instead.I tried it when I visited a few years back, but freezing my ass off while fishing on a bucket just ain’t the same.”
Gage laughed, a light, free sound I wanted to hear for the rest of my life.“That’s something I’d pay to see.You in a pair of mittens. Maybe a hat with a pom-pom on top.”
“Laugh it up, but I’ve got a picture somewhere of exactly that.My folks framed it and hung it above their mantel."
“You see them much?” Gage asked, adjusting his line.He sounded curious, and I realized despite how long we'd known each other, we knew so little.I'd always tried to maintain a professional boundary between us, but now, I wanted him to know all the small, intimate details of my life:my personal record for a dead lift, favorite cereal, or the music on all my playlists.
I wanted to be in his life, and I wanted him in mine.
“They retired down in Florida a few years back,” I said, wedging my pole under a seat and settling in to sip my coffee.“Dad sold the old house and crawdad business and scraped up just enough to buy a condo.He split the leftover money between me and mybrother.Doug used it to start up a fishing shop, and I used my portion to remodel the house.Make it somewhere I could see myself growing old, you know?"
"Maybe someday you'll retire to Florida like your dad," Gage suggested.His smile was small and bemused, like he was enjoying stories about my family even though he couldn't relate.
"Spending my time pulling in sea bass and hitting golf balls?" I wrinkled my nose."Doubt it. But he loves it. We stay in touch with phone calls here and there, but yeah, I miss the old fishing trips.”
“Well, you’ve got me now. I’ll be your wingman any time.”
“That right?” I raised one eyebrow and grinned.“I’ll hold you to that, you know.”
Gage shot me a sly look from beneath his lashes, one that instantly had my dick perking up and taking notice.“You ever take dates out here?”
“Nah.” I chuckled. “I usually drive down to Baton Rouge for that.The dating scene isn’t exactly bustling in Devil’s Garden.You may have noticed.”
“Not really.” Gage stuffed his tongue in his cheek, looking suddenly embarrassed.“I was mostly focused on only one person back then.You may have noticed.”
“I noticed, you little fucker,” I muttered under my breath.
He threw back his head and laughed so loud that an egret near the bank startled and took flight, swooping above our heads on giant wings.
"I get it now, you know," he said, flashing me a sheepish, lopsided smile."The way Ivy looks at me—it finally clicked.No wonder you looked so horrified whenever I tried to flirt with you.Can't really blame you, but I'm glad you finally got over it.Took you long enough."
"Just so happens, I'm real good at waiting 'til the time is right." I let my fingers trail lightly over his wrist, casual enough to pass as friendly,but lingering long enough to pick up his flickering pulse.His breath hitched, and I fought the urge to grin.
"Guess I came back at the right time," he murmured in a voice that had gone throaty.“Might even call it fate.”
“Fate,” I repeated, savoring the sound of it.Maybe it was. For nearly fifteen years, Eden and Gage had been on the periphery of my world.A thread running through the seams that held my life together.
Gage tipped his face up to the sunlight, basking in healing warmth.He looked untouchable, leaning back against the gunwale of the boat with that lazy, almost feline grace.A soft breeze ruffled his hair, tugging at the loose fabric of his t-shirt.His skin had taken on a healthier glow, and except for the deep bruises over his kidneys, the pea-soup colors had mostly faded.For the first time since that night, he looked like he was finally breathing easy.
I wouldn't have bounced back from being worked over nearly so quick, but then, this wasn't Gage's first rodeo.Pain and betrayal were expected parts of life for him.