Atonement (The Protectors 6)

Magnus’s already hard jaw tightened a little bit and then I heard him sigh. “What?” he asked, his voice softer this time and I felt a shiver of energy beneath my skin. What would it sound like if he said my name that way?

“Nothing,” I said again. But before he could get pissed, I added, “I was just thinking how hard it must be to say no to that kid. I mean, not when he’s asking if he can stick his hand in a wood chipper or something…”

Magnus glanced at me and while he didn’t exactly smile, I swore I saw a sparkle of amusement in his eyes before it was gone again. I realized I’d gotten distracted by how different he looked when he wasn’t all locked up tight and tried to remember what I was going to say. But when he shot me another quick look, the words escaped me so I settled for, “Anyway, he’s an amazing kid.” I turned my attention back out the window as my mind drifted to the many times I’d stood outside the little boy’s room and had had to listen to him cry when he’d been put through some painful test or procedure or when he’d been frustrated that he couldn’t go outside and play like a normal kid.

“Fucking bravest kid I’ve ever met,” I muttered quietly.

Magnus didn’t respond, which was just fine with me since I’d said more than I’d intended. I’d been guarding the kid…my job hadn’t been to get emotionally attached to him – or at least not show it. Of course, I’d pretty much kissed that rule goodbye when I’d brought Matty a Christmas present.

“What did you say to him at the wedding?”

“What?” I asked again, pretending I hadn’t heard him.

“You heard me.”

Bastard.

I wracked my brain for something to say because I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him the truth. I’d already said too damn much. The asshole already thought I was a joke for a bodyguard…I didn’t need to give him more fuel to dump on his bonfire of scorn.

“I told him he was going to be a hit with the ladies,” I said with a smirk.

But to my surprise, Magnus actually smiled briefly and said, “I doubt that.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, caught off guard by how gorgeous the man was when he smiled. I was even more caught off guard that he’d done it my presence.

“Now if you’d told him he was going to impress Leo, then maybe I’d have believed you, because that definitely would have put a smile on Matty’s face.”

I chuckled as I thought of Matty’s little friend. “Um, what am I missing?”

Magnus cast me another look and fuck if it wasn’t stunning. Eyes light and bright, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“Seems Leo and Matty have their own plans to walk down the aisle someday.”

“Really?” I said with a laugh.

Magnus chuckled and shook his head. “Something about eating each other’s peas and broccoli and not kissing because their daddies kiss too much.”

I smiled at that, but then an unbidden memory was washing over me. I felt cold all over and barely refrained from hugging myself to try and ward off the chill. “Would it bother you?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Would what bother me?” Magnus returned and when I didn’t answer, he shot me a hard look. “Do you mean, would it bother me if Matty was gay?”

I’d clearly pissed him off and I suddenly wished I’d had the sense to just keep my damn mouth shut. I knew the comment he’d made about Matty marrying Leo had just been a repeat of a child’s innocent imagination, but the thought that there could come a day where Matty would have to face one of the most important men in his life and tell him he really did dream about marrying another boy someday, was at the forefront of my mind.

“Jesus, Dante, how can you ask me that?” Magnus snapped.

Yep, I’d definitely pissed him off. We were back to my name sounding like a curse word on his lips.

“Hawke and Tate aren’t your kids!” I bit out. “People are all liberal when it’s other people’s kids, but when it’s yours…”

I snapped my mouth shut before shaking my head. “You know what, fuck it. Never mind.”

A good two minutes of utter silence filled the car before Magnus said, “I wouldn’t care who he ended up with, as long as he was happy.”

I didn’t respond to that, though some of the chill that had taken over my body dissipated. But it came back in a rush when Magnus quietly asked, “Is that what happened to you?”

Chapter Four

Magnus

Dante didn’t answer me. He didn’t even acknowledge the question. But it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the answer considering his inflamed outburst about how I’d react if I discovered my grandson was gay. I’d been honest when I’d said I didn’t care in the least if that was how things ended up…even if it wasn’t something I’d considered until meeting Hawke and Tate and the other couples and threesomes in their makeshift family. The reality was, I would be beyond grateful for Matty to find that same level of love and commitment, whether he did it with a man or woman.