No Sacrifice Page 28

  “Hi. What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Uh, nothing,” Patrick said, fighting for calm, which only set Chance off again. He buried his face in a pillow to hide the laughs, but apparently they were still audible across the phone.

  “Who’s with you? Is that… is that Chance?”

  Patrick closed his eyes and threw a mock glare at Chance, but that only made it worse. “Yes,” he said.

  Emily shouted. “Yes! Finally!”

  Chance grinned at the shout and leaned in, left a quick kiss on Patrick’s cheek, then climbed out of bed. “Be right back,” he whispered, then padded into the bathroom.

  “So! Did you go out last night?” she asked, and he could hear the glee in her voice.

  “Geez, there are a lot of people worried about my love life,” Patrick grumbled, then sighed. “Yes. He’s here, isn’t he?”

  “That doesn’t mean you went out. You could have just fucked,” Emily pointed out, chuckling.

  Patrick frowned. “That’s not me,” he said quietly.

  The chuckling stopped. “I know. I’m sorry. I take it that it went well, though?”

  “Yes,” Patrick said, glancing up when Chance came back with a washcloth and cleaned him off. He dropped a kiss on Patrick’s forehead as Patrick took care of the condom. “Very well. He loves me. And… I love him, Em.”

  “That’s great, really. I guess we need to get that paperwork done, then, hmm?”

  Patrick rolled his eyes. “Uh, we just started going out last night.”

  “And? You better hang on to him. Put a ring on that man’s finger, Patrick. He’s worth it, if even half of what you’ve said about him is true.”

  “It’s all true, Em. But—”

  “No buts,” she said, and Patrick heard something in her voice that gave him pause.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Emily sighed. “Sara’s getting… not impatient, she’s beyond that. I think it’s really hurting her that I’m hesitating, but….”

  “Yeah, I gotcha. It’s not so easy, even if we parted on good terms.”

  “Exactly.” She paused for a moment. “I guess, though, if I’m going to do the paperwork for you, I’ve got no reason to put her off anymore.”

  “It’s not just the paperwork. But… listen to your heart, Em. Do you love her?”

  “Yes,” Emily said without hesitation, then paused as the implications of her answer sank in. “Well, there’s my answer, isn’t it?”

  “I’d say so.” Patrick turned to Chance when he climbed back into bed and settled into his arms. “So, did you just call to check up on my love life?”

  Emily laughed. “No. I wanted to see if Stinker was awake yet.”

  “Nope. He went on our date with us last night, so he was up late.”

  “You took Avery on your date?” She sounded shocked.

  “Yeah, well, Chance figures we’re a package deal. And he loves Avery, so it worked out. That’s not to say I’d want to do it all the time.”

  “No, but… that’s really cool of him. I’m glad they get along. Seriously, Patrick. Put a ring on him. That man’s a keeper. If you don’t… someone else might,” Emily warned him.

  “Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Give us a chance to date, huh?”

  She sighed. “Fine. Um… I’m off today. So maybe get Avery to call later?”

  “You bet.”

  “Okay, good. Go enjoy your man.”

  Patrick rolled his eyes. “Bye, Em,” he said pointedly and hung up to cackling.

  Chance chuckled. “May I ask what she’s pushing you to do now?”

  “Marry you,” Patrick said, shaking his head. He glanced up to see Chance’s frown. “I told her to give us a chance to date.” He tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

  “I never thought about that.”

  Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Thought about what?”

  “Getting married. Back in Georgia, of course, it’s not legal.” He shrugged a shoulder. “So it’s not something I ever considered.”

  Patrick took in the pensive expression. “Would you? Consider it?”

  Chance looked up in surprise. “I guess. I don’t have anything against it. Just… never had anyone I’d want to marry. Well, uh… before you, that is.” He looked away again, and Patrick stared at him for a long moment, filing the thought and Chance’s reaction into the back of his mind.

  “Well, even after Em, I’ve got nothing against it.”

  Chance looked up again. “No?”

  Patrick shook his head. “No. But….” He paused and tilted his head, listening. “Cover your nuts.”

  “What?” Chance asked, completely nonplussed.

  “Cover them. Incoming in three… two….”

  And the door burst open, and Avery jumped up onto the bed, throwing himself at them at the same time.

  “Chance!” he shouted. “You’re still here! Yay!” He wrapped his tiny arms around Chance’s neck. Patrick grinned when Chance pulled his hand out from under the cover where it’d been protecting him to hug the boy.

  “Yes, I am.” He threw a grin at Patrick, obviously pleased at Avery’s happiness. “Good morning, Squirt.”

  “Morning, Chance!” He flopped back onto the bed. “So, can we go out to breakfast? Go see Marcy? Please?”

  Patrick shook his head, laughing. “Not this morning. Maybe tomorrow. Marcy’s coming to see us today.”

  Avery’s eyes grew huge. “She is? Really?”

  Patrick nodded, still chuckling. “Yup. She’s going to try to teach Chance and me how to cook.”

  “Uh-oh,” Avery said, eyes getting even bigger. “Should I get my bucket?”

  Patrick blinked at him, and Chance started laughing. Patrick elbowed Chance. “You’re not any better than I am.”

  “True,” Chance said, still chuckling. He leaned in and kissed Patrick’s temple, then turned to Avery. “Where’s Froggy?”

  “He’s still sleeping,” Avery said.

  Patrick raised an eyebrow at Chance, wondering what was going on.

  “Why don’t you go wake him up, and we’ll come out and get some breakfast, okay?”

  Avery nodded. “Okay.” He turned around and climbed down, then nearly ran out of the room. As soon as he was over the threshold, Chance climbed out of bed.

  “What was that all about?” Patrick asked, standing up himself.

  “Didn’t think you’d want Squirt seeing me naked.” He snatched up his underwear and jeans and hurried to pull them on.

  “Oh!” Patrick shook his head at himself. “I didn’t even think about it, but you’re right. I’m usually dressed—well, mostly—when I get up.” He pulled fresh underwear out of his drawer and pulled them on, then snagged last night’s jeans and stepped into them. By the time he was buttoning his jeans, Avery was standing in the doorway.

  “Da! Chance! I’m hungry!”

  Patrick and Chance exchanged looks, both chuckling. “Yeah, yeah, Stinker, we’re going, we’re going.”

  Patrick stared into the pot, frowning. He poked the pasta with the wooden spoon, but it just sat there like a lump at the bottom.

  Marcy leaned over and peered into it. “What did ya do to it?”

  “I don’t know. I did like you said….” He looked up and smacked his forehead. “I forgot the oil.”

  Marcy sighed, picked up the pot, and dumped it in the sink, then refilled it with more water. “Put the oil in first and wait for it to boil.” She shook her head and stepped over to Chance. “Now, how are you doing?”

  “Uh….” Chance shook his head, and Patrick leaned over to look down into Chance’s pot. He stirred the stuff in the bottom, but Patrick heard a muffled scraping sound and a few seconds later saw small black flakes on top of the sauce. “I think I burned it.”

  Marcy shook her head. “How did ya burn it? You’ve been standing there the whole time!”

  Chance blushed, and Patrick really felt bad for him. “I like things a little burned,” Patrick said, ki
ssing Chance’s temple, and Chance gave him a grateful look.

  “Y’all are hopeless! It’s jar sauce and basic spaghetti!” She shook her head again and picked up Chance’s pot. “Well, yours isn’t too bad. A little burnt but edible. Patrick, just make sure ya use enough oil so it doesn’t stick, then stir it.”

  Chance managed to warm up the premade garlic bread without burning it, and Patrick’s second attempt at pasta was edible, if not good. Marcy tried to explain how to tell if it was done by giving him some kind of lecture on firmness or something. His face must have been blank, though, because she gave up and told him if he threw a strand against the wall and it stuck, it was done. That worked, and they sat down to eat.

  Avery pronounced the meal delicious, though Patrick suspected it was just so they didn’t try to cook dessert. He brought out a box of donuts that made the kid cheer and Chance grin. “I started buying them at the grocery store. It’s hard to walk down to the bakery every day with him.” Patrick chuckled. “I’m just glad we survived the meal. I think, uh, I think we could probably make that again.”

  “I still don’t know how I burned the sauce,” Chance said, shaking his head.

  Patrick shrugged. “I don’t either. But it was still… well, pretty good. That woman has the patience of a saint.”

  Chance laughed, then kissed Patrick. “Thanks, baby. Yeah, she does. I can’t believe she wants to try hamburgers with us. I’m almost positive I’ll burn those.”

  “You know, maybe we ought to just hire her to cook for us. Make stuff that we just have to nuke.”

  Chance considered him for a moment. “That’s not a bad idea. Think she’d do it?”

  “I could tell her it’s for Avery—she’d do it for him.”

  “That’s sneaky and underhanded,” Chance said. “I like it.”

  Patrick grinned.

  The last few weeks of Patrick’s break flew by faster than he would have liked. He was looking forward to getting back to work, and he’d be very happy when he and Chance were on the same set again. But he was most definitely not looking forward to dealing with Rhys, because he had a feeling it would not be a good thing.

  For one thing, he didn’t like the way Rhys had left things after their “rehearsal.” Patrick wasn’t convinced Rhys had let the idea of a relationship go and was even more unexcited about the prospect of having to put him off or turn him down—again. The best Patrick could hope for was to spend as much time as possible on breaks and such with Chance and make it clear who his heart belonged to.

  For another, Patrick wasn’t looking forward to kissing someone other than Chance. Oddly, it had never bothered him when he’d been married to Emily, but somehow with Chance, it did. And worse, he wasn’t kissing just anyone, but it was Rhys. With his fears that Rhys hadn’t let go of things yet, it was bound to be uncomfortable.

  Patrick was quite grateful for the time he and Chance had so far. He felt a lot more secure in Chance’s feelings—more sure, even, of his own—so he could feel more confident that turning Rhys down was the right thing to do. He could admit it helped knowing it wouldn’t mean he’d be alone. It wasn’t right, he knew that in the deepest parts of himself, but Patrick didn’t like to be alone, and the last couple of months before he’d asked Chance out had shown him just how true that was.

  Even with all of these worries, the two weeks left passed too quickly for Patrick’s peace of mind. He’d had too much to do, too much to organize before going back to work.

  Avery was finally settled into a new preschool. Patrick had been waffling between two of them, but the thing that had decided it was when Patrick showed up with Chance to introduce him to the center director. The first place had given him a look—the kind that told Patrick exactly how they felt about same-sex couples. The other one… hadn’t even missed a beat. She’d greeted him with a friendly smile, then started showing them around without so much as the slightest odd look. Patrick had been sold, then and there.

  Marcy agreed to make up some casserole-type dishes for them after their disastrous first attempt at cooking lessons. She put the casseroles in oven-ready containers and even taped directions to the lid for how to warm each one up so they didn’t screw up. She’d flatly refused to take money for it—the only thing she’d let him do was buy ingredients—instead telling him her payment would be his continued lessons, eventually not needing her cooking. Patrick had agreed, too grateful she’d do as much as she was, but he secretly felt both he and Chance were hopeless in the kitchen and instead hoped he could get a good enough paying role to hire a housekeeper.

  They’d managed okay with the hamburgers, though. Chance only burned one of them, and the french fries Patrick had made in the oven were only a little brown on one side. She taught them Hamburger Helper, a simple chili, and after succeeding at a meatloaf, Patrick began to think he and Chance just might be able to handle the cooking thing after all. Learning was a slow process, but between them, they started to pick up on things.

  The cooking lessons had meant he and Chance hadn’t had the opportunity to go out on another date yet. Marcy was trying to squeeze in as many lessons as possible before filming started, well aware of how little time they’d likely have then. So when she wasn’t teaching them, she was working, which meant no babysitter. It worked out, though, because the lessons still gave them time together, and Patrick needed that.

  Even with the time flying as it was, he floated on cloud nine. He and Chance spent as much time together as possible, around Chance’s work and Patrick’s other tasks. They cooked and ate dinner together, sat next to each other as Chance wrote songs and Patrick studied his lines. They put Avery to bed together and then spent most of their evenings after that in each other’s arms… and in bed.

  Or in the kitchen. Or on the kitchen table. Or on the couch. Or in the shower. They were, in fact, acting rather like rabbits, which Patrick loved. Both his cock and his ass were even a little sore. But he couldn’t care because he got some wonderful new firsts that, if he let himself think about them, would turn him on all over again.

  Like the fact that he’d had his first taste of cum. He’d never tasted his own and had always thought it would gross him out. But when he got another first—sucking Chance the whole way to orgasm—he’d been surprised by it and swallowed before he realized what was happening. They’d been in a sixty-nine, both of them wanting to give oral at the same time, and apparently Chance had been so lost in giving that his orgasm had snuck up on him. And Patrick had decided he’d been nuts. He loved the taste, like he’d learned he loved so much else about sex with Chance.

  He hadn’t slept alone once since he and Chance became boyfriends. He knew he was probably rushing into things. He did have a habit of doing it—Emily was a prime example of that. But at the same time, he and Chance had been friends for months, much longer than he had with Emily, they knew each other well, and Patrick was quite sure of his feelings. So when Chance’s underwear got mixed in with his in the laundry, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

  As Patrick’s nerves about going back to work reached a peak with only a few days left, Chance convinced him to bring Avery to Sophia’s to unwind a little. So Patrick had put the script away, put on his best jeans and button-down shirt and threw a nice jacket over it, then put Avery in the same dress shirt and jeans he’d worn on their date. He’d decided if he was showing up as the boyfriend of the singer, he should look his best.

  Chance certainly looked good. Patrick didn’t know what prompted it, since Chance usually wore a T-shirt with his jeans. He didn’t mind, though, sure Chance was dressing for him. He still wore jeans, but this time, he was in a nice button-down shirt, similar to Patrick’s, in a blue that made his eyes look really bright. He wore a gold chain and an earring Patrick had never seen on him before. Patrick reached up and brushed a finger over the small gold hoop in Chance’s left ear. “I didn’t know this was pierced.”

  “Didn’t see it one of the many times you were biting it?” Chance a
sked, and Patrick laughed.

  “Nope. I was probably too busy dealing with your wandering hands.” Chance laughed, pulling Patrick in. They got lost in a kiss for a moment. “You look gorgeous, a ghrá.”

  Chance brushed his fingers over Patrick’s cheek. “I’m going to have to do something to scare them off. They’ll flock to your table.”

  Patrick chuckled, shaking his head. “Hardly. Though I’m glad to know you love me, because every eye will be on you, most of them undressing you with their minds.”

  “Don’t remind me,” Chance moaned, and Patrick laughed harder.

  “Sorry, forgot.”

  “Are you done?” Avery asked from the couch.

  Patrick shook his head, still laughing. “Sorry, Stinker. Let’s go.”

  When they walked through the door of Sophia’s a short time later, she was the one who greeted them. Avery started looking up and up… and up. “Hello, darlin’,” Sophia greeted him. “I can’t say we get a lot of kids in here.”

  “I thought he might want to meet… this side of you,” Patrick offered.

  Sophia grinned and winked at him, then squatted in her red-sequined dress and matching heels. “How are you, little bit?”

  Avery blinked at her for a moment, then said, “Are you Tom?”

  Sophia threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, baby! Yes, I am. But when I look like this, I prefer to be called Sophia. Can you remember that?”

  Avery nodded. “Is it ’cause you’re a girl right now?”

  Sophia laughed again. “You are too precious, darlin’. Yes, it’s ’cause I’m a lady right now.” She stood up and reached out for Avery’s hand. “Would you like to go see Uncle Andy? He’s back at the bar.”

  Avery turned to Patrick and Chance. “Da? Chance? Can I?”

  Patrick was too busy grinning, but he nodded.

  Chance tilted his head. “You’re going to abandon us as soon as you get here? Can I at least have a hug?”

  Avery let go of Sophia’s hand, hurried over to Chance, and threw his arms around Chance’s neck. “Don’t worry, Chance, I’ll come back!” He glanced up, then in what was supposed to be a whisper, said in Chance’s ear, “I love you, Chance.”