Page 44 of Refurbished

Yeah. Brittany Bear will give birth soon. Her wounds are healing well.

I can’t wait until we have a proper nursery for these animals.

ANGUS

Soon. What are you wearing?

EION

You dirty man. Sweatpants, no shirt.

ANGUS

I’d love to lick every inch of that skin.

West sat down and smirked at me

ANGUS

The boss is here. I need to run.

“Look at that smile. Did you make good use of your days off?” West smirked as he said the words.

I knew I blushed even though West was one of my best friends. He had never seen me show interest in a guy before. “It appears I now have a boyfriend.”

“No shit. When do I get to meet him?”

“We’ll make it happen soon.”

“Since he makes you look so happy, I suspect I am going to like him.” I knew he would because Eion was a sweet, likable guy. “I’m happy for you, Angus. You deserve to be happy.”

I headed home after my shift and felt off-center. What I wanted was to be going to Eion’s place instead of the cottage. I had dropped Ramsey off when I drove to work, and he was glad I was with him, but he could be with me at the Sanctuary. In my bedroom, I took the vest off and felt a sense of loss, as if this was now Eion’s job. I wanted to text him, but it was 2:00 a.m., and I was afraid I would wake him up. I’d talk to him when I visited the animals, even though I wouldn’t be up in time for morning feeding, but I could at least give the raccoons their breakfast. They were eating solid food in the evening now, so bottles only once a day for North and South. The golden girls had a few more weeks before they were on once a day. My bed felt lonely, but I was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

Around 9:00 a.m., I headed downstairs, where Mom sat at the dining room table with tea and cookies. I snatched a cookie and kissed her cheek. “Well, I like this version of you.” She looked up and smiled. “It’s nice that you spent the night at home and I could see your pretty face this morning.”

“Don’t get used to it, Mom. I have it bad for him and will spend as much time as I can with him over there.” I sat in the chair and stole another cookie. Shit, I shouldn’t be eating these. Cookies would make me ugly. I set it back on the plate, and my mom gave me the look she had mastered. She handed it back, and I took another bite. “I made an appointment with my therapist. Having Eion in my life is bringing up some habits,” I told her quietly. I hated to admit that I still struggled after all these years. This was a disorder that never went away—it got managed. And my need for control, for perfection, and for approval surfaced when I was stressed. Even though he is a good thing in my life, it still messed with my mind.

“You’re a good boy.” I rolled my eyes. “For the record, that man is crazy about you, too.” My mother was incredibly intuitive, and if she saw it, then there was real hope. We talked a little longer about the upcoming event and how she had made an appointment for Eion and me with a tailor to get tuxedos made. I couldn’t wait to see him in formal wear—my body revved at the thought. I was further encouraged that Eion accepted that money was a part of my life, and didn’t get mad when something nice was done for him, and, better yet, he didn’t ask me to buy him things. My mom had more than one man try to get her money, and it was pretty easy to see what they really wanted.

“I’m taking Ramsey and heading over to the Sanctuary, Mom,” I yelled as I went to the front door.

“Give that man a big hug from me, and take these. Make sure he knows that I made them. I expect to see you both for Sunday dinner. I still need to prove to him I am more than just a socialite.” I looked at the plastic container that had at least three types of cookies.

“Mom. He knows you aren’t.”

“Never too soon to impress my son-in-law.”

I swallowed hard, nearly choking myself. “That’s. Mother. Fuck.” She grinned at me. I didn’t want to tell her that it was impossible because it was most certainly something I could see in my future. But saying anything like that now was way too soon. We had only been dating for a little while, and even though my feelings were strong, we weren’t there yet.

When we pulled up to the Sanctuary, Ramsey was ready to get out of the car. The minute the door was open, he went to the gate and danced. When it was opened, he took off, and I assumed he was searching for Eion, maybe Barnaby, though he had taken to spending time with Orlando and Annabelle. I left my clothes in the trailer and headed into the nursery to play with the raccoons before work

“Hey there, Sexy.” Goosebumps traveled over my skin, and my heart skipped a beat. He stood in the doorway, and I looked up at him. I knew I was way over the top with my enthusiasm to see him, but I couldn’t help how happy he made me.

“Look who’s talking. How are you, Baby?” He sat next to me, and I leaned against him. Without any thought, he reached over and pulled my mouth to his. There was a ton of passion and desire behind it, but even though our tongues danced and we were desperate for each other, there was something more there, too. I also hadn’t missed how I casually called him Baby, and he didn’t even flinch.

“I missed you last night.”

“I missed you, too,” I said as I put my forehead against his.