Page 39 of The Sweetheart
Kai nodded slowly, and Nolan’s mouth curled into a scowl.
“Do I want to ask what you ate yesterday?”
That broke the spell, and Kai quickly turned back to his plate, shovelling food into his mouth, smothering his smile when Nolan muttered something under his breath about chaining him to the bed. Hell, Kai was down for it. Nolan’s bed had fast become his favourite place to be. He’d never experienced rest the way he had this week, not even at his grandma’s. He was quickly becoming addicted.
Nolan dumped both of their coffees into travel mugs while Kai rinsed his plate and dropped it into the dishwasher without having to be told. He picked up the two boxes from the table, still feeling a little uncertain but pocketing them in his sweater nonetheless.
This morning, they jumped into Nolan’s SUV, and Kai immediately pulled his hood up, ready to power-nap the hell out of this drive while Nolan punched his boss’s address into his GPS. Kai had made arrangements to drive in with Matteo since he was the closest to Nolan’s.
“Is this where you walked from?” Nolan demanded incredulously.
“Yeah.”
“It’s eighteen kilometres, Kai!”
“Did you want me not to come?”
Nolan glared at him, then returned his attention to the road, grumbling under his breath again. Kai didn’t get much of it but caught random words like “reckless” and “disregard for safety” in the mix. He curled up into a ball on his seat.
“Shhh,” Kai hushed, earning another glare. “You said I could nap. I can’t nap if you’re muttering to yourself.”
“Fine. Go to sleep.”
Kai wrapped an arm around Nolan’s, pulling him closer so that he could use his shoulder as a pillow. Kai knew he was forgiven when Nolan tangled their fingers together, rubbing his jaw against the top of Kai’s head, pressing a kiss there. Kai felt a warm wave of affection bloom through him, and he burrowed closer, squeezing Nolan’s arm possessively. He felt like he’d barely fallen asleep again when he felt the car slow to a halt. He blinked his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. Matteo still hadn’t come out, which meant he wasn’t late, but a couple of his other guys looked over at Kai and Nolan curiously.
“You good?” Nolan asked gently.
Kai nodded and reached for a kiss. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m picking you up here tonight?”
Kai didn’t bother trying to suggest he could make his way. “Yes, please.”
Nolan pecked him on the mouth again. “Have a good day. Text or call me when you’re done.”
“Thanks, Daddy.” He went to take off Nolan’s hoodie, intent on leaving it behind, but Nolan stopped him. “It’s gonna get dirty.”
“I don’t care. Take it with you.”
Just then, Kai remembered what was missing. “Oh man! My Lego was in my pocket.” His shoulders slumped in disappointment. He’d gotten used to fidgeting with the pieces when he had nothing to do with his hands. Unexpectedly, Nolan reached into his joggers and fished out the small handful of Lego, an amused smile playing on his face. Kai lit up, cackling as Nolan dumped the pieces into his waiting hands.
“You’re the best Daddy ever.”
“I bet. Get out of my car.”
Kai laughed and kissed him again. This time when he pulled away, there was a mischievous glint in his eye. “Tonight when I come over, are you going to let me watch our video?”
“Maybe. If you’re good.”
“You know how good I can be.” Kai stuck out his tongue and waggled it provocatively. He gave him one last kiss for good measure, grabbed his backpack, his lunch bag and his travel mug, pleasantly amused by his full arms, and left the car. Sometime during their goodbyes, Matteo had come out of the house.
“Who’s that?” he asked, a teasing note in his voice.
“Boyfriend,” Kai answered a little bashfully yet with a burst of pride. Yeah, maybe it was too soon to be formalizing titles, but Nolan would never know, and he was feeling too good about it this morning to want to hide it. He’d never had anything approximating a real relationship before, and he didn’t really have anyone he could tell. Kai was cool with all of the guys so when they wolf-whistled and jostled him teasingly, he just ducked away, grinning to himself. Matteo scrubbed a hand over his head like a big brother would.
“I’m happy for you kid.” He shoved Kai towards his pick-up truck. “Everybody in. We got a shit ton of work to do.”
The drive out to Aurora took just about thirty minutes, but early on a Saturday morning, they coasted through without traffic. The drive was quiet and peaceful, early morning sunpromising a beautiful day ahead. As sore and tired as he was, Kai had an underlying feeling of general contentment. His mouth quirked into a half smile, amused at finding himself just really… happy.
