He’d kiss his boys goodbye last night beside their car after spending most of the evening with Eric and Ellison curled up on the couch on either side of him. Hours later, he swore he could still feel the softness of their lips and silkiness of their hair as he had run his fingers through it as they watched a movie. They’re heads on his lap, and their delicate fingers twined together. The closeness of the twins was something he’d thought about but never really understood the true bond. They each sought comfort from the other and couldn’t exist in the same space without touching.

Shit, what the fuck had he done? The dinner invite had been a spur of the moment thing. Ellison’s slim form had been wrapped around him, and he hadn’t wanted to let him go, but he wanted Eric with the same intensity. He scrubbed his hands over his face and blew out a heavy breath. The promise he’d made to himself after their first meeting was obliterated with one impulsive dinner invite. Spending the evening making them dinner, caring for them, and holding them—no way he could he let it go.

Their ages were still an issue, he was old enough to be their father, and they had so much—

“Pelter! Did you just come to sit your oversized ass in my office or you got something to say?”

Fuck, he’d spaced out. He jerked his gaze to his pissed off cousin.

“My crew’s on their best behavior so what the fuck?”

“How the fuck do you take care of two men?”

Scary appeared confused, and then a slow smug smile spread across his mouth.

“Well, you fucking came to me for advice on your boys? You gotta be desperate, man.”

“Don’t bust my balls, I know we ain’t—”

“We’re family whether I like it or not.”

“Thanks, I’m feeling the love.”

He and Scary were never close. His dad, Scary’s uncle, was a bit of a dick, well, more than a dick. His parents were the type to think everyone was lesser than those who didn’t have the best or strive to be the best. His aunt made the mistake of falling in love with someone who skipped out on being a parent. He and Scary hadn’t hung out much other than spending time at their grandmother’s house. Scary, or Brawler as he was known back then, had run with the rough crowd. And him, he’d gone into the military and joined the SWAT team. The irony of asking his ex-con cousin about how to handling dating his men wasn’t lost on him.

“Get off that high horse of yours. We’re on opposite sides of the law but I been straight for years, but you’re the prodigal son, so to speak. So, what the fuck is up?”

“I invited Eric and Ellison to my place for dinner.”

“Keep going, man.”

“I didn’t exactly think through the date. I mean, shit, what the hell am I going to do with two twenty-three-year olds?”

“Fuck them.”

He wasn’t even shocked that Scary said that with a straight face.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“So, you don’t want to fuck them?”

“I didn’t say that either. You got two damn men. Wren has two husbands. How the fuck do y’all do it? Setting aside the fact I’m old enough to be their father, how does all this shit work?”

“Lots of fucking compromises. No secrets. Elijah demands complete honesty.”

“I get that part. But how do you spend time with them together and separately? I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here.”

“Rule one…honesty. The equal time thing, it’s not always going to be perfect, but to be honest, all this shit is different. This ain’t paint by numbers, man. This is where the honesty comes into play. You freaking out about the prospect of dating two men?”

“More their ages than the two.”

“Stop right fucking there. Listen, if you’re going to go all fucking noble and shit, you should walk away now.”

“I don’t think I can.”

“Then do this, sit down and discuss your expectations and theirs. Sin and Saint are almost creepily close, but that might just be that twin shit.”

The office door flew open behind him, and as he reached for his service weapon, Scary reached under his desk.

“What the fuck, Linus? Didn’t you learn from the last time you pulled that shit?”

Linus grinned, and it was too much like his brother Lucky’s mischievous expression, and it meant trouble.

“Nice patch job by the way and you missed by a fucking mile last time.”

“What the hell do you want?”

“Um, you and Pelter in the same room for an extended period. Battle of the Beasts, man, we’ve got money on this shit, and I’m here to witness.”

As an atheist, he didn’t think there would ever be a situation where he’d believe in Hell, but this was it. He was in Hell. Linus was too nosy for his own damn good.

“How the hell did you even know I was here?”

“Wren called said you were off to Brawlers, Bear and Ben called said you’d just drove passed their shops. Then a group message was started, and the bets were coming in. I was the only one crazy enough to witness, oh, Lucky or Psycho would’ve come, but they had kid duty.”

“We’re not going to fight.”

“Then what the hell are you doing here, we got trouble?” All the amusement disappeared from Linus’ expression, and he was all business.

It wasn’t about trouble, but he felt there was some brewing. He just needed more information before he asked Linus and the Trenton Crew for help. He had more pressing issues to take care of, and that was making sure he did right by Ellison and Eric.

“No, I wanted to ask Scary something. I think I’m going to go. This was a—”

“Is this about getting the twins on your dick?” Linus asked with a straight face. “Oh, man, that’s the newest gossip, heard you had them out at your place.”

Linus strode across the office and perched on the corner of Scary’s desk.

He surged to his feet and clenched his fists. “Is my sex life a bet too?”

“Naw, man, we figured you’d give in sooner or later. What the fuck is the problem?”

He darted a glance from Linus to Scary, he didn’t want to go back to the play by play of being too old or them too young, or the one thing he hadn’t told them—he was fucking terrified.

“He doesn’t know what to do with two of them,” Scary answered for him.

“Fuck them.”

“What the fuck is it with you two? Fuck them isn’t an answer. Not that I don’t want to, because I do, but how the hell do I keep two of them happy?”

“Is that what this is about? You ain’t the first man in history having to keep two partners happy. But you don’t gotta hide them from each other, bonus.”

It was well-known Linus had avoided commitment before Wren and Hunter came along and that he’d had plenty of open relationships. For as long as he’d known Linus the man was seeing at least two people, male and female. He didn’t get it, he liked monogamy, and one day hoped he’d have someone to come home to, but this situation hadn’t ever even been a blip in his thoughts.

“What about the twenty-two-year age difference?”

“Minor issue and you know you want those boys to call you Daddy so bad you’re about to nut in your pants.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He jerked his gaze to Scary to find the man all smug.

“Oh, come on, this is just us, admit it, you want to take care of those two boys. You want them happy and content. Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you watched them. You’re protective as fuck and for an even-tempered man you get pretty pissed when someone even glanced at your boys. Do you remember the night King and Linc got married?”

“What about it?”

“You were hovering near them all night. They didn’t notice, but we did. You sent plates of food. Made sure someone always refilled their drinks. Oh, and when they fell asleep that night, when you thought no one was around, you leaned down and kissed their foreheads and tucked their blankets around them. You’re so a Daddy.” Scary arched a brow and relaxed back in his desk chair.

Shit, he’d thought he’d been so careful that night. The temptation of them in his house. The urge to pick them up and carry them upstairs to his bed had overwhelmed him, yet he’d settled for just tucking them in. That night proved to him he needed to stay away from them.

“Don’t panic.” Linus held up his hands. “They didn’t notice. Listen, me and Scary ain’t exactly the people to come to for advice about your sex life or lack thereof, but what the fuck could it hurt? I mean, if those boys of yours aren’t in love with you already, it’s fucking close, and you can’t tell me you don’t feel the same.”

He fell back into the chair he’d vacated and observed as Scary pulled a bottle of Top Shelf whiskey from his desk drawer.

“What if I’m not enough?”

“Never know unless you try, Camden. From what I remember when we were kids, you were a stubborn shit. You won’t fuck this up, but if you don’t stop keeping those boys at arm’s length or sending them mixed signals, then you’ll definitely fuck it up. Let’s have a drink.”

“I’m on—”

“Our last Sheriff was dealing drugs and people, you having one drink won’t make no difference.”

“Wren, baby, I got a favor—”

He turned to find Linus on his phone.

“Cover for Pelter. He’s got an emergency to take care of…” Linus snorted. “Yeah, that kind of emergency. I’ll make it up to you tonight, I promise.”

Linus’ smile when he talked to his men, or the way he relaxed when they were around, was as far removed from the man he knew that it could get. Linus was hard and a bit cold, but for Hunter and Wren, the man was downright soft.

He nodded at Scary, and the man poured three doubles. He hadn't known what to expect when he came to Scary for advice, but part of him prepared for more snark and insults. He and his cousin were never close. He was closer to Linus even though he threatened to bust him and his crew hundreds of times over the years.

Everything had changed so much since he’d moved there and taken over the job as Sheriff. But he wouldn’t change it for the world. He finally found somewhere he belonged. He just needed to figure out how to make his two men happy.