Brian hated that bitch ‘patience’ but he knew her well. Knew how to play her game. He’d wait for his heart. He’d take his time and court him—wasn’t that the chivalrous word for it? Earn Sway’s trust the way a real man should. He knew his guy was petrified of what was already simmering rapidly between them. Go slow was what Sway had asked of him. He’d called it being easy, but Brian called it running scared. Sway feared Brian for a whole other reason and it didn’t have a damn thing to do with his silence. It was about stability, reliability. Sway wanted to feel protected, never wanted to be left out in the cold again. Never wanted to feel the sting and pain of loss anymore. He wanted forever. Some men feared that ‘f’ word, but only the fake ones. Forever? Brian knew how to do that too.
He pulled up to his brother’s house, not wanting to go home and sit there alone. It was only seven-thirty, the night was young. So, when Dana had called and invited him for pizza and nachos that made the decision even easier.
“What’s up, B?” Dana yelled when Brian closed the door behind him.
Brian gave Dana a chin nod and his brother a quick one-armed hug before making his way farther into the den. He draped his heavy coat over the back of the couch and kicked his boots off in the corner. His brother had moved in with Dana a couple of months ago. They hadn’t been dating for very long, but they’d been flirting with the idea of making their professional partnership a personal one for three years. They knew each other well. It’d taken Ford a while to get out of his own way and open up to the possibility that he could have a life.
Dana came out the kitchen carrying a large bowl of chips in one hand and a bowl of spicy salsa balanced in the other. He gave Brian a smug look when he walked by. Brian almost tripped him, the bastard.
“He’s acting like that because Sway called him right before you got here.” Ford said, sitting on the corner of the sectional. Brian always chose the one micro-suede recliner in the large room, since it had perfect positioning in front of the seventy-five-inch television. Dana’s home reflected everything he was. He was an award-winning marksman. His condo was clean, sharp. Dark brown furniture, dark rugs. A brick fireplace that he used regularly. The custom-made gun cabinet was Dana’s pride and joy. Brian expected nothing less than the dramatic pieces he had inside. A range of weapons from antiques to ones not even released yet. Now, he noticed a lot more of his brother’s influence popping up here and there in the small amount of time he’d been living with Dana. He was glad his brother had someone to be there for him and Dana was definitely the real deal.
Brian blew out a long breath. Sway must’ve called Dana as soon as he walked into the hospital. He supposed he’d have to get used to this if he was going to pursue a relationship with his co-worker’s best friend. The same way he and Ford had no secrets, he assumed Sway and Dana were the same. Good thing he liked Dana. “What’d he tell him?”
Ford grunted, flipping through the channels. “Ask him yourself.”
Dana brought in three beers and a piping-hot oven pizza. He sat down on the section right beside Ford, but his focus was on Brian. “How was your evening?”
He wanted to slap that stupid grin off Dana’s face. “You tell me.” Brian signed a little slower when he was talking to Dana. He was still learning how to sign, but his mind was so sharp, he was picking up on it fast.
Dana leaned back into Ford’s side and his brother automatically lifted his arm—never taking his eyes off the television—and let Dana in close to him. Just like Brian had been with Sway earlier. He swallowed thickly then took a huge drink of his beer. It had trouble going down as it chased the lump of loneliness.
“He said he’d never regretted doing a favor for someone until tonight.” Dana looked at Brian skeptically. “He didn’t elaborate but he didn’t sound pissed when he said it. He sounded like he was in La La land. It’s been forever since I heard that sappy tone in his voice.”
Brian reclined in the comfortable chair and grabbed the handle to lift his long legs which still hung over the foot rest. “This where you tell me not to hurt him or you’ll kill me.”
Dana simply shook his head. “I don’t have to tell you that. I know you won’t hurt him. I don’t want Sway to hurt you, Brian.”
That grabbed not only Brian’s attention but Ford’s too.
“Why would you say that?” Brian was a private man; his brother was the only person he confided in—that didn’t have initials behind their name. But, he was in the moment and his mind was intrigued.
“Sway is strong to a fault. He really is. To have been through what he has and survived is amazing. I also know that he’s closed himself off from anything that could make him feel good, from anything he could get too attached to and it be taken away. He needs security.”
All Brian could do was nod. Dana had grown up with Sway. He knew him like any brother would. He sounded as if he wanted Sway to be happy but he also wanted him to be secure. The pain of losing his only brother resonated and changed Sway before he’d gotten a chance to feel how amazing all-consuming love could be.
“I’ll give him all the time he needs,” Brian promised.
Dana seemed to appreciate that answer, so Brian put a few chips on his plate and a couple of slices of pizza and settled in to enjoy his brother and his partner’s company.