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I liked that he wanted me to name the new bear. “How about Brittany? Then we have Brittany and Bethany.”

I realized I said ‘we’ like I had some sort of stake in the facility. When I looked up again, I was greeted with a gorgeous smile. “Yes, we would.”

My stupid heart was doing back flips and cartwheels. He sat down with the envelope that we got from my mother’s house on his lap. “Do you know what is in this? It weighs like five pounds.”

“I can only guess when it comes from Mom. She really liked you, though. Be prepared for phone calls, text messages, and other forms of contact. Before long, you will be her favorite son.” Again, I got that smile that made me feel good everywhere, and my cock took notice. This man did so many wonderful things for me, and right now, the endorphins I got from him tickled my brain in the best possible ways.

Chapter twenty

EION

Being accepted so easily by Angus’s mother was something I never knew I needed. She had no judgment, encouraged us as a couple, and wanted to help the Sanctuary, all of which made me feel things I wasn’t familiar with. My parents were good people. They gave me their support when I told them I was gay, let me live the life I wanted, and loved me, but never had they supported me blindly. His mother wanted to be a part of his life, no matter what it looked like. By the time we got the old trailer moved and the new one parked, it was time to feed the animals their dinner. We finally settled down with burgers at 8:00 p.m.

“It’s been a long day.” He said before he took a bite. It was obvious I had it bad because I definitely thought watching him eat was sexy. If my stomach wasn’t growling loudly, I would drag him to that king-size bed in the back. Even though I didn’t want to accept charity from Angus, the upgrade to a larger bed size was a necessity. It had worked for one person, but it wasn’t designed for two grown men. “Yeah. Not going to lie, sleeping in a king bed will be much better than that little fold-out, but now we have to get up to start coffee.”

I laughed hard. The dogs came over to me, looking for treats, so I gave them both a French fry. Sitting with Angus and our pets, eating a meal, felt domestic in the best possible ways. I would be happy to sign up for a lifetime of this. Where did that thought come from?

The folder we had taken from his mother’s house sat on the table between us. I’d wanted to open it, but was equally afraid. Angus went to shower, and I grabbed it.

There was a note attached to the stack of papers inside.

I noticed you didn’t have a logo. Here are some examples for you. Pick the one you like, and we will get you stationery, cards, etc.

There were at least fifteen choices. I wondered if Angus knew his mother had done this. There was a stinging behind my eyes as I looked through the options. All of them were beautiful. There was a variety of different types: gold silhouettes with fancy letters, full color, a few with rainbows signifying we were queer-friendly, and it went on from there.

“That shower is really nice for a trailer. We could both fit in there, and I could do—“ I turned and looked at him. “What’s wrong? What happened?” The tears had found their way out and were streaming down my cheeks. He practically lunged at me to be by my side because he was worried.“Eion?”

I thrust the stack of papers toward him. He thumbed through them. “Did you know she did this?”

“This? I knew she was putting together something for the charity event.”

“Angus, these are logos for Second Chances Sanctuary and Rehabilitation. Something I wasn’t talented enough to create, or rich enough to purchase. These are gorgeous, all of them perfect.”

“That’s good, right? Why are you upset?” He put his hand on my face, wiping away the tears. Gently, he kissed my eyelids. “Tell me. Let me fix this. If she overstepped, I will tell her. She doesn’t mean harm, but she can’t help herself sometimes.”

“Oh no.” I sniffled, trying to get my shit together. “It’s the opposite. These are amazing. One of the nicest things ever done for me.”

He smiled. “Oh. We should pick one, then?”

I nodded. The initial wave of feelings passed. His entire family was trying to take me out emotionally. I cuddled up against his side, and we started thumbing through the options. We picked a color version that had Annabelle and Orlando in some bushes, weaving in and out of the letters, then a few raccoons and an alpaca were on the sides. The font was bold and black, and a rainbow ribbon wove through the letters. Finally, I returned his smile. “I love it. I can’t believe she created a logo for us.”

“She tends to go all in when it’s something she cares about.” I looked through all the other things she had supplied. There were press releases, invitations, menus, and every other possible thing you might need for a fancy event to get donations out of rich people. The event would be held at the Hilton Hotel downtown.

“This guest list has two thousand people on it? I can’t schmooze that many people. You told me she would make this a small event.” I looked at Angus.

“Oh. Eion, this is a small event for her. She cut it down by two-thirds. Originally, there were six thousand on the list. Look, we can cut out more if you want, but these are rich people looking for a place to donate. This will give the Sanctuary a lot of money for the nursery and care of the animals. These people will likely become regular donors, but we can do whatever you’re comfortable with.”

I stood up and walked around the trailer. What the hell was I supposed to do? It felt like too much: the fifth wheel, now this event. I needed to talk to somebody. “Hey. I’m going for a walk.”

“Do you want me to stay still?” I was confused by his question, but given my behavior, it made sense that he would wonder whether he should leave me alone.

“Yes. I’d like you to stay. I just need a minute.”

He gave me a closed-mouth smile, then kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll head to bed then. If you need me, wake me up.” I appreciated that he was going to let me work through things. This was a lot for me to process, and I was trying not to panic and make bad decisions. At least I didn’t just run this time. Yay. Progress. Wearing my pajama pants and a sweatshirt, I walked through the Sanctuary over to the tall corral and climbed up the stairs. Barnaby had followed me outside, and he lay at the bottom of the steps.

“Orlando. I think I am in trouble. I’m trying to separate my feelings about the man who makes my heart beat hard and my body shudder from the family that is kind and wants to help all of you here.” The giraffe sniffed around my pouch, looking for snacks. I knew my buddy and had a few carrots for him. “I like him a lot. He is a good man who cares about this place.” I waved my hand around, so Orlando knew what I was talking about. “Maybe I don’t need to view them as individuals. I could fall for both of them and let them both in my heart.” He crunched on his carrot, which made me smile. “You and Annabelle are on our logo.” I realized Angus must have told his mother and supplied pictures so their likeness could be included. Shit, I’d never met a guy like him, hell, a human like him. He was clearly investing money into the Sanctuary, but you could see he was emotionally invested, too.

A party with two thousand people was a lot, and, judging from what I already knew about the MacGregors, they had a lot of very wealthy friends who could do a great deal of good for the facility. I could smile and make nice for one night, especially with Angus by my side. I needed him to know I wasn’t interested in his money—I liked him with or without it. I wanted to know him, regardless of what he brought to the table financially, but I wasn’t an idiot. These animals needed the funds, and that was most important. “Orlando, we are going to do a lot more good over the next few years.” Starting with a better place for the new bear cubs. I’m going to go back to him and show him how much I care about him. How much I want him in my life, and how much he already means to me. I pet the soft fur on his long neck a few more times. Angus needed to know about the land and the lawsuit. Then he would know how much I had invested. I did get things started with the enclosures, but the money we were about to earn for the Sanctuary would make a big difference.