Page 35 of Breaking the Surface
Peter held out a hand to Braden.“Let’s go home.”
“We can do that,” Braden told him with a smile.“I can’t wait to get my t-shirt back.”Braden winked so that Peter understood what he was doing.Peter grinned.There was a slight uneasiness to it, but when he looked at Lou, it faded.“I’m not surprised you can’t wait to get me out of your t-shirt.”
Lou tried getting back to his feet, but Camden had had enough.He grabbed the man himself, hauling him up and giving him a good shake.Lou screamed again, but Camden didn’t care.
“You won’t ever have to worry about him again, I can promise you that,” he told Peter.“I’ll make sure he can’t get anywhere near you.”
“I trust that you will,” Peter said with a smile.“Thank you.”
“Now go home and enjoy the rest of the day.You deserve it.”
When Braden squeezed Peter’s hand, Peter answered with a smile.Braden pulled him away, and together, they listened to the fading sounds of Lou finally giving up.
He was out of their lives, and it was for good this time.
Chapter Seven
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THE HOUSE STILL SMELLEDof paint and freshly cut wood.It would for a while.Peter had thought it would bother him more than it did, but as he lay in bed with Braden’s arm draped over his waist, he found that he actually liked it.The smell meant change.It meant that this place was theirs, something they’d built together from the ground up.
Well, not literally from the ground up.The structure had already been here.But everything else?The fresh coats of paint in colors they’d chosen together, the new floors they’d spent weeks refinishing, the kitchen cabinets Braden had insisted on installing himself despite Peter’s concerns about his carpentry skills—all of that was theirs.
Forever.
Peter moved slightly, careful not to disturb Braden, who was doing that thing where he wasn’t quite asleep but wasn’t fully awake either.His breathing was slow and even, his face pressed against the back of Peter’s neck in a way that should’ve been uncomfortable but somehow wasn’t.It was warm and safe, and Peter had never been this happy before.
The thought still surprised him sometimes.Happiness had seemed like something other people experienced, not him.With Lou, there had been moments that might have passed for happiness if he squinted hard enough and ignored all the rest, but they’d never lasted.
This was different.He was waking up every morning knowing that the person next to him actually wanted him there.Braden loved him, and Peter knew it because his mate never hesitated to show or tell him.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Braden mumbled against his neck.
Peter smiled.“Sorry.Didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t.I was already awake.”Braden’s arm tightened around him, pulling him closer.“What are you thinking about?”
“The house.How much we’ve done and how much is left to do.”
“Liar.”There was affection in Braden’s voice.“You’re thinking about something else.I can tell.”
Peter was quiet for a moment, considering.He could change the subject and keep his thoughts to himself the way he’d learned to do while being with someone who used his words against him.But this was Braden, and he’d proven over and over again that Peter’s thoughts and feelings mattered.He never made him feel stupid for being honest.
“I was thinking about how happy I am,” Peter admitted softly.“And how weird that feels to say out loud.”
Braden didn’t respond right away, but Peter felt him move and press a kiss to the back of his neck.“It’s not weird.”
“It is for me.I’m not used to it.”
“Then we’ll just have to make sure you get used to it.”Another kiss, this time on Peter’s shoulder.“I plan on making you happy for a very long time, Peter.Might as well accept it.”
Peter turned in Braden’s arms so they were face to face.The morning light was shining through the curtains, casting everything in a soft golden glow, including Braden.He looked sleepy and content, his hair sticking up at odd angles and a crease from the pillow marking his cheek.
He was beautiful.
“I’m glad I left,” Peter said, the words coming out before he could second-guess himself.“I know I’ve said it before, but I need to say it again.I’m glad I had the courage to leave Lou.I’m glad I ended up here.I’m glad I found you.”
Braden’s expression softened.“I’m glad, too.For all of it.Even the hard parts that got you here.”
