Chapter Twenty-Three

 

 

KYLE RESISTED calling out, “Honey, I’m home!” when he came in the door. He’d worked till almost nine at the office so he wouldn’t have to go in this weekend.

Oddly, no snorting Jasper barreled around the corner to greet him. After placing his briefcase and keys on the buffet in the foyer, he crept around the corner, wondering why his house was so quiet. Maybe Forrester had taken Jasper for a walk.

Loosening his tie, he stopped in his tracks at the beautiful sight that greeted him.

Glasses on his nose and mouth agape, Forrester had fallen asleep in the living room recliner, a book on his knee and Jasper curled up in his lap. Impulsively, Kyle reached into his pocket and grabbed his iPhone, then took a quick snapshot of his little family.

His family.

That was what Forrester had become to him. His family, his world.

Not sharing the pic on Instagram—this moment was Kyle’s alone—he made the picture his phone’s screensaver instead.

Perfect.

Overcome with happiness, he sat on the couch and watched them sleep. The delicate way Forrester breathed through his mouth, lips coming together in soundless words. Muttering happy dreams, Kyle hoped. Jasper snorted loudly, twitching a little as he dreamed too.

How had he gotten so lucky?

Tomorrow they were going to his ball game because Forrester wanted Kyle to be a part of his life, his family. He loved Kyle. Their relationship wouldn’t be a secret much longer. The days of Forrester pretending to sleep at the bookstore, or using the backdoor at Reverends if it was daytime, of Kyle worrying about exposing their relationship, would soon be gone. He’d seen the way Forrester had teared up when Amanda said, “And it’s nice to finally meet you, sweetie.” It had almost been Kyle’s undoing. He couldn’t wait to hear what Nonna said, but he imagined she’d pretend to be surprised.

Kyle finally had everything he’d ever prayed for, sleeping in his living room.

He cleared his throat of the sudden grapefruit-sized lump filling it. He wiped at his face, not realizing he’d been crying.

Coming awake in a flash at the noise, Jasper’s head flew up, and he let out a deep braying howl of warning. Forrester jerked when Jasper jumped from his lap. “What the…?” He blinked rapidly, trying to wake up.

Kyle brushed at his eyes, not wanting to be exposed just then.

A smile lit up Forrester’s face when he spied him. “Hey, bello, when did you get home?”

“Just now,” he said, smiling as Forrester stood and stretched.

Yawning deeply, he shuffled over to Kyle, plopped down on the couch, and cuddled sleepily against him. “How was your day?”

“Same old same old. How did the appointment go?”

He scooted closer, caressing his chest with an amorous smile. “You look hot in this suit.”

Kyle stilled his wandering hand and touched his chin till their eyes met. “Later. Tell me what happened.”

He let out a weary sigh, his shoulders slumping. “Dr. Sullivan was nice, and he answered all the questions you made for me. Ma was not pleased that I was being so nosy, but I could tell she was impressed.”

Kyle sniffed, imagining the snide remarks she’d probably made.

“He put a port in her arm.”

“Already? Wow, he didn’t waste time.”

“Yeah, that’s what Ma said. Her lumpectomy came back bad, and he wants her to start chemo on Tuesday bright and early. I guess they want to shrink the tumor before they do surgery.”

“A mastectomy?”

Forrester nodded. “I thought Ma would get pissed, but she didn’t. She just said, ‘Looks like I’m getting a boob job.’”

“Really?”

He kissed Kyle’s cheek, forcing a smile. “I owe that one to you, I guess. Then she’ll have chemo and more radiation.”

“Anything else?”

Forrester looked tired, beaten. “I wrote everything on the paper you gave me. Good thing too, because Amanda had a ton of questions.”

“You told Amanda?”

“Apparently if Ma has radiation, Preggo can’t be around her because of the baby. I just got off the phone with her a little bit ago. Ma doesn’t know I told her.”

“Looks like Amanda’s the family secret-keeper.”

Forrester sniffed in disgust. “Ma wants to have some big dinner next weekend to tell everybody. Like it’s some kind of fucking party.”

“Your mom heals with food.”

This time he did smile. “You picked up on that one, eh?”

“What about you? How are you?”

He made a face and shrugged. “Fine.”

“Forrester,” he warned.

He scowled. “Hey, I don’t wanna talk about it, okay?”

“Okay. Do you mind if I read the notes you took?”

Leaning back on the couch, he waved airily toward the kitchen. “Have at it. They’re on the counter.”

After a quick peck on Forrester’s cheek, he found the list beside a McDonald’s bag with a half-eaten Big Mac and untouched fries.

Not a good sign.

“You get enough to eat, babe?” Kyle called. Usually, the man ate his body weight in food.

“Yeah,” Forrester said. “Did you eat? There’s some McDonald’s I didn’t finish.”

Kyle suppressed a grimace and tossed the food in the trash. He’d just have a power bar.

While Kyle ate, he read over the notes his boyfriend had taken. He knew Forrester had no real clue how tough the upcoming months would be, not until he lived them. Kyle was glad he would be there and Forrester wouldn’t have to go through it alone. Being an only child with no cousins or extended family, Kyle had been so depressed during his mother’s illness. And then losing her?

Those had been the darkest days of his life, and even now, he knew he wasn’t over it.

Maybe he never would be.

Clearing his throat, he brushed at the tears in his eyes when Forrester joined him in the kitchen. Kyle took a steadying breath, trying to compose himself. He was tired and letting his emotions get the best of him. He needed to stay strong for Forrester. Kyle busied himself by refilling the vase with his lilies. They’d been so pretty yesterday, he’d just had to cut some for the house.

“C’mon, twerp, time to go night-night potty,” Forrester told the dog as he opened the door and let him out on the lead Kyle kept just outside the door. The sun had set, but that wonderful summer nighttime sky still clung to the light, illuminating Forrester’s tall frame in the patio door. He glanced at Kyle. “I think we need to get a fence. Then Jasper could play outside as long as he wanted and not have to be on a leash all the time. Plus, you could plant flowers all along it. Or maybe in the corners.”

Kyle set the vase down and smiled. “That would be nice.”

“I got a cousin who owns a landscape business. I think he does fencing. I’ll call him. But if he’s too expensive, we can just do it. Lots of digging, though.”

“Oh, yeah, sounds good.”

Were they at the point as a couple that they made decisions about their house together, their dog, so quickly? He liked to think so.

“Move in with me,” Kyle heard himself say.

“What?”

“Move in with me,” he said more firmly. “Like get your stuff out of storage and live here. With me.”

A slow smile crept across his face and he nodded. “Yeah, okay. But I’ll need to do it slowly, with Ma being sick.”

Kyle shook his head, feeling stupid. While he’d come home to his dream, his very own little family, Forrester had a real family to consider. “Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s probably too soon, I just….”

And then Forrester stood before him. “No, it’s not too soon. I love you. But—” He paused and ran a hand up and down Kyle’s arm. “—I’m gonna be with her for three hours Tuesday. Maybe I should just tell her?”

“Yeah?”

His face was stoic, his lips a grim line. “Maybe? I mean, I should, right? What if I lose her?”

At the crack in his voice, Kyle hugged him tightly. “You’re not gonna lose her. You have to remain positive. Believe me, it helps.”

Nodding, Forrester pulled back. Then Jasper was at the door, barking to come in for his bedtime biscuit. Forrester stepped away and let the dog in. He got a dog treat and made Jasper sit before he gave it to him. They both watched the dog snort and crunch, and then Forrester turned to him. “I’m ready for bed. How about you?”

“Yeah, I’ll just shower first.”

The perfect peace of quiet came over Kyle when he took his device out for the shower. His tension from the long workday eased under the heat of the water. Afterward, he went upstairs and found Forrester sitting in bed, his lower half under the covers. Wearing his glasses, he had the hand with the remote propped above his head. Forrester patted Jasper with his other hand, having no idea how sexy he looked, with his dark hair, tousled and wild, his bare torso so tan against the white sheets. Kyle’s cock twitched.

“Indians or the Tigers,” Forrester asked. “Which one do you wanna watch?”

“I don’t care.” Kyle crawled across the bed. “You pick. Just put it on CC for me, please.”

He placed his processor and batteries in the dish for the morning, then got cozy beside Forrester, scooting Jasper over to make room for himself. Jasper gave a disgruntled kick when Forrester quit petting him in favor of putting his arm around Kyle. After a few more kicks, he got up and moved to the end of the bed, throwing them an ASPCA-commercial look.

“Hey, sorry ’bout your luck, Jasp,” he told his dog. “He’s my boyfriend.”

Sleepy, Kyle read some of the sportscaster’s commentary but wasn’t really into it. Then Forrester raised the remote and the volume gauge on the screen lowered. He shifted Kyle until they were facing each other. “I can’t believe Ma kept this from us.”

So Forrester did want to talk after all.

Feeling like this would be easier if he could hear, Kyle retrieved his processor, popped the batteries back in, and slid it around his ear. The stillness vanished, replaced with the low rattle of the TV and Jasper’s snores. Kyle took the remote and hit Mute—the day had been too long for the additional noise. Kyle snuggled under Forrester’s arm, resting his palm just above Forrester’s underwear. The muscular body against his felt so warm and comforting. But he didn’t say anything. He caressed Forrester’s stomach, playing with the hair and waiting.

“I don’t know what I’ll do if she dies.” His voice cracked.

Kyle slid up closer and hugged him.

Forrester buried his face in Kyle’s damp hair and let out a shuddering breath. “I-I can’t lose her, Kyle. I can’t.”

Making soft shushing sounds, Kyle held him. “You have to stay positive, babe.”

“I’m trying, but I’m scared that I’ll lose her. And I’m scared to tell her about me. About us.”

“Do you think she knows?” He lazily dragged the arch of his foot up Forrester’s calf, the hairs tickling his sole. “They say parents… and even grandparents, usually know, whether or not they want to admit it.”

“Nah, if Ma suspected, she would’ve blurted out that question a long time ago. Or she’d try to set me up with some random guy at the grocery store. My family isn’t known for their discretion.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” he teased. “Do you think your nonna knows?”

“No way.” Forrester rolled out of his embrace and laid his head on the pillow. “I’m a selfish shit, worrying about myself when Ma’s got cancer. I should be worried about her, and I am, but I keep thinking that if she dies, then I can never come out.”

Kyle propped up on an elbow to watch Forrester stare at the ceiling. “Why do you say that?”

“My mother talks without thinking, but she would never turn her back on me.” The conviction in his expression was palpable. “But what if my brothers act like my dad? Then what?”

“Ignorance doesn’t mean they’ll turn their backs on you. Your family loves you. It might be strange for them adjusting to you being a gay man, but they won’t hate you.” Kyle lay down to share the same pillow, and Forrester rolled onto his side until they were facing each other.

“How do you know?” He sounded like a child.

“Look how Amanda took it.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, but that’s Amanda. She’s family, but she’s not like the rest of them. She doesn’t have a racist or homophobic bone in her body. She’s too good.”

Kyle brushed his hand across Forrester’s cheek. “Every time you talk to your family, you all say ‘I love you,’ and I don’t believe those are empty words. The family I’ve met would never abandon you.”

His lower lip trembled. “I hope you’re right.”

“Nonna will give them all her evil eye if they don’t.”

Forrester chuckled. “Yeah, maybe.”

“No maybes about it,” Kyle insisted.

He inhaled, then let out a deep exhale. “I feel like I should just tell Ma now. You know, before she gets too sick. But Jesus, just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt.”

Kyle caressed Forrester’s belly in a circle. “You’re the only one who can decide when the time is right. I know I asked you to move in, but if it’s too complicated, we can wait.”

“That’s just it. I’m tired of waiting,” he said, his eyes wide and pleading. “You and Jasper? You’re my family too. But I feel like I can’t have this family without risking losing my other family. Is it too much to ask to have both? Why can’t I get to have what my brothers have? They bring home girlfriends, and no one cares. I just wanna be all ‘Hey, guys, this is my boyfriend, Kyle,’ and have them be as happy as they were when Dino proposed to Amanda, and Tony asked Missy. How come I can’t have that?”

The mention of marriage proposals made Kyle suck in a breath—God, he wanted that so badly. He cleared his throat. “Who knows? Maybe you can have it.”

“And maybe I can’t.”

“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” He almost told Forrester about what Nonna had said, but that sharp look she’d given Kyle held him back.

Was there really such a thing as an evil eye?

“Guess I’ll find out, won’t I?” The uncertainty of his tone sank Kyle’s heart.

When Forrester turned up the TV, Kyle knew he was done talking, which was fine, because he didn’t have anything else to add. Kyle slid out his processor, then glanced at Forrester before setting it in the dish.

Needing to be close, he snuggled into Forrester’s warmth. He wished he had magic words to bring comfort to Forrester. Nonna and Amanda gave Kyle hope, but could their family—Kyle, Forrester, and Jasper—and la famiglia ever become one?

 

 

THE MURMUR of the television and the soft hum of Kyle’s breathing close to his ear prevented Forrester from falling asleep. Kyle’s head rested on his arm, and he tried to pay attention to the game, but his thoughts scattered a million different directions. Kyle had fallen asleep almost immediately, exhausted after going out last night, then working twelve hours today. Forrester’s arm had gone to sleep, but rather than roll away, he hoisted his lover onto his stomach.

“Mmmm?” Kyle purred in his sleep, nuzzling his neck.

“Arm’s asleep,” he whispered, not that Kyle heard him. He caressed the strong muscular contours of his back and shifted so Kyle was between his legs. It felt so good being underneath him, pinned beneath his weight.

So safe.

Sighing, Kyle shifted and made himself comfortable on Forrester’s stomach, hips snug between his thighs, and muscled abs smothering his cock beautifully. Forrester coiled his arms about him, drawing him closer. Though Kyle covered almost all of him, he wondered if Kyle could ever get close enough. He raised his knees and clung to his sleepy boyfriend as fear swamped him.

Cancer.

“What the hell are we gonna do?” he whispered. “Ma ignored this. What if she dies, Kyle?”

Kyle shifted a little, but he stayed asleep.

As horrible as it had been to lose Dad, he wouldn’t survive losing Ma. He needed her. He wasn’t ready to lose her. He didn’t think he ever would be, but definitely not now. And just as Forrester knew he couldn’t come out when Dad had been here, he feared he could never come out if Ma wasn’t here. When his family learned the truth about him, she would be the one who had his back. Sure she might cause a bunch of drama and be annoying, but she would never, ever reject him.

Would she?

No! It was too terrible to think about.

“I have to have her blessing, Kyle,” he confessed, voice cracking. “I know I’m a grown man, but I don’t think I can be truly happy if Ma doesn’t support it. If she doesn’t support us.”

Blinking back tears, he clung to Kyle tighter, his body trembling.

“Babe, you okay?” Kyle murmured, lifting his head.

Overcome with the need to be covered, filled by Kyle, Forrester locked gazes with him. Kyle’s head tipped to the side and he squinted in the flickering light of the TV as he studied Forrester’s mouth. He could have told Kyle what he had said, what he was thinking, but instead he whispered, “Make love to me?”

He blinked several times. “Now? It’s the middle of the night.”

“Please,” he begged, rocking his pelvis up. He cupped the back of Kyle’s head and kissed him. “Please, I need you.”

Kyle woke up then. “Sure, baby. Whatever you need.”

With a soft cry, Forrester rolled their bodies onto their sides, wrapping his leg over Kyle’s. He clutched handfuls of blond hair and kissed him, lips bruising and teeth banging. What he’d intended to be innocent turned heated fast as all the emotions—grief, fear, ecstasy, and love—swamped Forrester. With Kyle, they never simply got off.

They made a connection.

And Forrester needed that tonight.

Desperately.

As they kissed, Kyle’s growing cock pressed to Forrester’s stomach. He needed Kyle inside him, filling him physically the way he’d already filled Forrester’s heart. The colorful shadows of the TV flashed over Kyle’s face. The game came back from commercial, but Forrester couldn’t care less.

As always, Kyle needed no words to understand Forrester’s body language. He slipped his hand back to Forrester’s ass and stroked his crack, making him tremble.

Forrester nodded feverishly in response to that touch.

Smiling, Kyle pushed him onto his back, slithered up to cup his face with both hands, and kissed him. A kiss that shifted the power in their bed. Such a complete disavowal of his control and desires was as frightening as it was arousing. Knowing Kyle must feel the same without his processor made Forrester tremble.

How could two men be so intertwined, so united on such a primal level?

Hazel eyes alert now, Kyle ran his hands up and down Forrester’s body, titillating Forrester’s skin. He kissed his mouth, eyes, neck, then licked his lips slowly. He wound fingers deep in Forrester’s hair, trailing them down his scalp to massage his ears and touch his jaw. Kyle buried his face in Forrester’s neck, inhaling and leaving the skin cool in his wake. Forrester never tired of the way Kyle touched, smelled, and tasted him as they made love.

Using his thumbs, Kyle opened Forrester’s mouth wide and delved his tongue deep. Their tongues whirled, and their bodies rolled with the urgency Kyle put into the kiss.

Releasing his mouth, Kyle maneuvered Forrester’s feet flat on the mattress, knees bent so he could slip between. Kissing Forrester’s knee and running his hands languidly the length of his body, Kyle stroked his stomach, curled his fingers through his chest hair. Splaying out across his body, he leaned in to flick his tongue along Forrester’s jaw. Forrester arched deeper into his muscular frame and cupped Kyle’s bottom to grind their hips together.

Panting, Kyle grabbed the lube they always left on top of the nightstand. He squirted some into his hand. Then he used his fingers to spread Forrester. When he pressed a finger inside, Forrester groaned with approval. Kyle carved his finger in and out, rolling over his prostate.

“Fuck!” he cried, his ass clenching and his back muscles spasming in pleasure.

The dog chose that moment to wake up, and he snorted his disapproval.

Forrester looked over at him and blushed. He looked at Kyle. “Jeez, he’s watching us.”

Kyle laughed and sat back, the slide of his finger on the way out making Forrester groan in longing. Rescuing the lube, Kyle reached behind him and grabbed the sheet, tossing it completely over their bodies.

“Better?”

Forrester nodded. The TV reflected lights in their intimate fort, and Forrester studied the man above him, haloed by the white sheet. In that moment, all of his troubles were gone, washed away with intimacy.

“You want the TV off?” Kyle whispered.

Forrester shook his head. He wanted the light so he could see Kyle.

Kyle let go a dominant chuckle. “That’s right,” he said, words slurring in his passion. “You like doing it while you’re watching a game.”

He smiled, forgetting he’d told Kyle that once. But any humor faded when Kyle slipped his finger back inside Forrester’s hole. He hissed, rocking his hips helplessly.

“What’s the score?” Kyle asked.

Lost in the joy of what Kyle did to him, Forrester blinked to clear his mind. He heard the low mummer of the TV but he could think of nothing but Kyle.

“Forrester, I can’t hear the score. What is it?”

He lifted his head to look at Kyle. “How should I know?” He whimpered when Kyle slid a second deviant finger inside him.

Kyle probed him deep. “Peek under the sheet, silly.”

Letting out a frustrated growl, Forrester lifted the sheet and focused on the TV, loving a bossy Kyle. “Six to…,” he started to answer, but Kyle pressed into his prostate and his voice broke off in a pleasurable gasp. Dropping the sheet, he met Kyle’s waiting gaze and managed to spit out, “Six to eight. Indians in the lead.”

“Thanks, now I can concentrate.” He leaned down and kissed Forrester’s chest, biting on his nipple, then licking him hard.

He gasped when Kyle’s fingers retreated for more lube. Kyle sat back on his haunches to lube up his dick, the wet sounds the sexiest thing Forrester had ever heard. Scooting closer, he pushed Forrester’s knees back. He massaged more lube in his ass, his confident touch leaving Forrester panting, writhing, and pressing down on his fingers.

He needed more.

Forrester gripped behind his knees, pulling them to his chest, at the same time Kyle crawled closer and pressed his plump dick against him. Kyle read his cues better than if he’d spoken aloud. Forrester took a relaxing exhale and pushed out as Kyle inserted himself slow, as if Kyle knew his body were as fragile as his mental state.

The white sheet, backlit from the TV, framed Kyle, and their eyes locked. Unafraid of the intimacy, needing more of it, Forrester didn’t break their gaze. His eyes stung with tears but he didn’t have to hide from Kyle. This man loved him, trusted him with everything. His heart, his body, his life.

His silence.

Forrester would never take that gift for granted.

“I love you,” he mouthed, throat too tight to speak.

“Olive juice too,” Kyle murmured, shaking with the effort to remain still. “Can I move?”

“Wish you would,” Forrester whispered, never breaking Kyle’s gaze.

Kyle let out a sigh of extreme relief and pulled out, sliding back in and pressing Forrester’s balls into his body. The initial tension of having a thick cock inside him waned, and an ecstasy he never tired of welled up inside him. Breathing heavily, Forrester shifted his hips and moved with Kyle. Flashes of light and color, plus the sounds of the crowd cheering lingered on the edge of his consciousness.

Oh, he wanted more!

Forrester gripped Kyle’s hips and yanked down when Kyle thrust, demonstrating how hard he needed to be fucked. Kyle groaned and slammed his hips in answer.

Releasing a strangled cry, Forrester raised his knees, and Kyle took the hint and sped up. He pressed his hands on the back of Forrester’s thighs and drove into his body, the head of his cock drilling Forrester’s prostate again and again. Swirls of black lightning burned behind his eyes, and he rocked with Kyle, loving how his dick slapped wet on his belly from the rhythm of Kyle’s thrusts.

Someone on the TV made a good play, because the crowd cheered in the background. Forrester wanted to laugh at the timing. Overcome with a rush of excitement, he spit in his hand and took hold of himself, rubbing and pulling fast.

With a broken groan, Kyle pushed Forrester’s legs in the air to get deeper. The sheets pulled on Forrester’s toes, but he just kept stroking his shaft, pinching the tip and groaning as Kyle pumped into his ass.

Kyle gasped, his hands squeezing the flesh of Forrester’s thighs. “Oh, Forrester,” he moaned.

As if Kyle’s voice controlled his orgasm, Forrester’s penis jerked in his hand. His vision blurred and his balls exploded with pleasure while his ass convulsed around Kyle’s dick. He thought he managed to aim it so his cum would hit Kyle in the chest, but he came so hard and fast he didn’t know for sure. Running his thumb up and down his base to the tip, he groaned as he wrung out every last bit of warm cum.

Kyle laughed triumphantly, then grabbed hold of Forrester’s hips and hammered into him. He cried out from the dual sensation of coming while being fucked rough and fast. The sound of the fans thumping their feet on the bleachers beat in rhythm to the blood pounding in Forrester’s veins and the heat throbbing under his skin. Face damp with sweat and tears, he whimpered under Kyle’s assault.

Then he heard Kyle’s breathing increase. Felt his body tense. Forrester squeezed his ass down to make it good for Kyle and held his breath while he waited for Kyle to join him. Kyle’s hips did a snapping little twist when he came.

It was so fucking hot.

With a passionate groan, Kyle buried himself deep, his hips twisting ever so slightly as he rode out the pulses of his orgasm, filling Forrester with his load.

When Kyle finished, he collapsed on top of him, gasping. He caressed Forrester’s hips and rained little kisses on his neck and face. Forrester drew him tighter into his embrace, the scent of their lovemaking ripe on the air.

They didn’t move for a long while, and finally, Forrester shifted their bodies so he could touch Kyle’s cheek and get Kyle’s attention. Those big beautiful eyes studied his mouth.

“I love you so much, Kyle. I don’t know how I could deal with all this without you.”

Cock still inside him, Kyle propped up on one elbow and stroked his cheek, Kyle’s eyes roaming his face before capturing his gaze. “I’ll always be here for you. I love you.”

Smiling, Forrester studied him. “When did you know you loved me?”

“I think I loved you the first time I walked into your store and saw you behind the counter, chewing a pencil,” he told him, his words indistinct after all his exertion, but also a tad on the loud side because he couldn’t hear his own volume. “You looked up at me, and you had this look on your face like you recognized me. Or maybe I recognized you, I don’t know. But I had this corny notion that maybe we met in a past life.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” When Kyle leaned down and kissed the tip of Forrester’s nose, his cock popped out, the loss of closeness sweet torture.

Kyle shifted them to lie on their sides, facing each other. The white light of the TV illuminated his face as he stroked Forrester’s chest and ran a hand down his side. Forrester held still as Kyle touched him, sliding his hand back and between his asscheeks. When Kyle stroked his hole and slid his finger inside, Forrester hissed.

“Sensitive?”

Forrester nodded.

Kyle retreated to gently caress the wet skin. “I love feeling my cum inside you,” he said as his fingers fluttered over Forrester’s hole.

“Me too.” He shivered under the intensity of Kyle’s touch and open gaze. “I love you.”

“When did you know you loved me?” Kyle asked, studying Forrester’s mouth.

He thought about it for a moment. “That day we had a picnic on the river. When we got back to the bookstore and you left because Tony and Missy were there. When I watched you walk away, I felt like I was dying inside.”

Kyle caressed his cheek. “Then let’s never walk away from each other, okay?”

Forrester nodded. “Deal.”