Above and Beyond (Twist of Fate 4)

“Got any Chapstick?”

Chapter 35

Zach

“You okay there, son?” Bennett asked me for the second time in less than five minutes.

I instantly stilled in my seat and nodded my head. “Yes…”

Hell, was I supposed to call him Sir? Or Mr. Reed? Jesus, the man was my age.

“I’m fine,” I finished lamely as I glanced at Lucky. Despite the grilling I knew was coming, I couldn’t help but smile as I took in his heated cheeks and bright eyes when his gaze met mine. We were holding hands beneath the kitchen table.

I snapped to attention when Xander cleared his throat but I didn’t release Lucky’s hand. I didn’t care if his fathers knew what we were doing beneath the table—I’d be damned if I let go of Lucky after only just getting him back.

I found myself looking at Lucky again. He was mine. Really mine. I still couldn’t believe he’d given me a second chance.

But despite the chaos of what had transpired after my very public admission, I’d still been forced to face the music when Xander and Bennett had caught my attention and had both jerked their heads in the direction of the house. I hadn’t hesitated to take Lucky’s hand when I’d followed them, but much of the self-confidence I’d tried to build up as we’d walked had started to fail me the second we’d sat down at the kitchen table. I’d felt like the proverbial kid getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but when I’d forced myself to try and release Lucky’s hand, he’d been the one unwilling to let go. That, in itself, had been the boost I’d needed.

Still, I was facing off against two men I respected the hell out of. And I sure as shit didn’t want to have a strained relationship with my boyfriend’s parents…

I sucked in a breath.

Oh god, I had a boyfriend.

Beautiful, sweet, strong, selfless Lucky was my boyfriend.

I was thirty-something and for the first time I could say I was in a real relationship. Not the toxic, one-sided kind, but the real deal.

“For god’s sake,” Bennett muttered. I realized I’d gotten sidetracked again and was staring at Lucky like a heartsick fool.

“Okay, clearly you have it bad for our son,” Xander said as he covered his husband’s hand with his own. “So we’ll keep this simple.” He ticked off his fingers as he spoke. “First off, when did all this start?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. “And second, what makes you think you deserve someone as amazing as our boy?”

“Dad,” Lucky began, but I silenced him with a quick squeeze of my hand. The things Xander and Bennett needed to hear were things they needed to hear from me.

I understood the first question. They wanted to make sure I hadn’t acted inappropriately with their underage son all those years ago when we’d first met. “Nothing happened until this summer,” I clarified. “But I’ll admit that things started to change for me a few years ago when I started to see Lucky as less of a kid and more of a man.” I found myself watching Lucky as I spoke. “It scared me,” I admitted. “Not because of you guys or Jake or any of that, but because…”

“Because why?” Bennett asked softly.

“Because no one ever wanted me just for me before,” I admitted. “But I knew he did. I know he still does,” I murmured.

Lucky nodded slightly as he held my gaze. I found myself pulling our joined hands out from beneath the table. I pressed my lips against his knuckles. “And as for your second question about deserving him…” I fell silent for a moment as I studied the man next to me. “I might not deserve him today or tomorrow, but I promise you, I will be worthy of him someday. Even if it takes the rest of my life to prove it, I’ll never let him regret loving me.”

Lucky’s eyes looked wet as he let out this soft laugh and then he was leaning in to brush his mouth over mine. Not surprisingly, my heart began pounding harder in my chest when he told me once again that he loved me.

When we separated, Lucky looked at his fathers. “I’m sorry I kept something else secret—”

“I asked Lucky not to—” I began to say, but then Lucky softly said my name and when I looked at him, he shook his head. I nodded and fell silent. As much as I hated the idea of Lucky taking the blame for my behavior, I knew there were things his fathers needed to hear from him too.

“I knew when I first met Zach all those years ago that he was it for me.” He looked at Bennett. “Just like you and Dad knew when you were kids.”

Xander and Bennett shared a glance and then their fingers laced together, much like mine and Lucky’s.