Page 21 of Lost Without You
“Hopefully he keeps the jokes PG,” Ryker quipped with a small smile as he glanced at his husband.
“Unlikely,” Rachel giggled.
Ethan nodded. “Most of the time. But I always make sure I’m not eating or drinking anything when he starts texting me,” Ethan joked.
A waiter came by to drop off several tapas plates and to take their drink orders.
“Help yourself. We ordered a few things to start,” Wes murmured.
Ethan was starving, but he offered the plates to Rachel first. They all dug in, and he nearly moaned aloud at the intense, delicious flavor of the grilled calamari and the potatoes with roasted garlic and tomatoes.
“So, tell me all about life here in New York. You guys have been married about a year now?” Ethan asked.
“It’s been wonderful,” Wes replied in between bites. “So far our living and working together has worked out great, but we’re looking for a second place. A house outside the city, with a yard. Space to roam, and for some quiet when we need to escape the chaos.”
“That’s right, you have three dogs and two cats,” Ethan responded.
“Actually, Ryker needs the space to get away from me,” Wes laughed, and Ryker elbowed him playfully.
“How far away from the city are you looking?” Rachel asked as their drinks arrived. “I mean, do you want a place you can drive to or fly?”
Wes cocked his head. “Fly. Neither of us likes long road trips and it would be a lot with our fur babies. We’d like to hop on a plane with our brood and arrive an hour or two later.”
“If you’re looking for a second home, you should try down east,” Ethan offered as he sipped on his beer. “I mean, Maine. My grandmother had a house in Wells that we’d visit almost every summer. Nice beaches, friendly people. And in the off season, it’s very quiet.”
“I’d have to find a local airport, but that’s an idea,” Wes glanced at Ryker who nodded in return. “Maybe we’ll check it out one weekend.”
“If you love being near the ocean then I highly recommend it. Plus, you can take short day trips up the coast. There are tons of beautiful islands to visit. It’s not overdeveloped. Not compared to California.”
“Do you like living in San Francisco?” Ryker asked him.
“I like being near the beach, but don’t get me started on driving. Now that I work from home, I forget how bad it is until I need to drive for book signings or meetings. Eventually, I’d like to move to a smaller city. For now, it’s good that I’m near a major airport given the writing conferences and speaker tours I get asked to join. You’re the same right, Wes?”
“Yep, but I’m pulling back on a lot of that. I need to make more room in my schedule. A lot more room. Speaking of which…” Wes paused and looked at Ryker, who gave a small smile and nodded. “We have some news we’d like to share.”
Chapter Ten
Ethan
Wes interlocked his fingers with Ryker’s and Rachel let out a squeal that had the surrounding tables turning their way.
“You’re going to have babies!” Rachel exclaimed and her infectious joy made Ryker and Wes laugh.
“You stole our surprise declaration, Rach!” Wes whined, but he was smiling as he spoke.
Ryker’s smile lit up his whole face. “We’ve decided to go the surrogacy route. We have to start the vetting process, but if all goes according to plan, we could have a little boy or girl in a year or two.”
More happy screams were shouted out as Rachel and Ethan stood up and gave Wes and Ryker congratulatory hugs.
“This calls for champagne,” Rachel gushed as she waved over the waiter and placed an order. “So tell me, who’s supplying the swimmers the first time around?”
Ryker and Ethan choked on their drinks, with Ethan almost spewing his beer across the table.
“Ryker,” Wes answered without blinking. “I need more of this amazing man in my life. Plus, I don’t know if the world can handle more than one of me. At least, not yet.”
Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes.
“I think you made a great decision, and hopefully your baby will be as humble as my brother,” Rachel murmured and shook her head. “My baby brother is having a baby! Ahh! Have you told mom yet?”