Order (Tattoos and Ties 2)

Just as suddenly as Key had kissed him, Alec found himself sucking air. Key was gone from his hold. When the lusty haze started to clear, he realized Key was reaching for his phone in the back pocket of his jeans. There was a purposefulness on his face that had the fine lines at his mouth more pronounced.

“I’ve got someone for you to meet. Can you go?” Key asked in a rush, the phone going to his ear.

The words were unexpected, and it took Alec a second to understand. His brow furrowed and slowly his heartbeat started to pick up. Someone meant another person knowing about the two of them. Key had resisted that from day one.

Maybe he’d misunderstood.

“Hang on for a sec,” Key said into the phone, staring at him as his brows lifted in question.

“Sure. Yeah. Now?” he asked. He glanced down at his casual clothes and touched his face. He hadn’t shaved this morning, because he had spent the entire day working from home, preparing for the tedious week ahead.

“Uncle Clyde, you busy?” Key asked, staring at Alec. The uncle… Key wanted him to meet his uncle. “I’ve been busy, but I think I got plans for Thanksgivin’ this year so go do whatever or maybe you can be a part of our plans if you want, but listen, I got someone I want you to meet.” Key grinned, and Alec wished he could hear what was being said on the other end. More importantly, this was Key’s family, and he hadn’t showered today. Alec darted toward the bedroom, leaping over Nash who yapped at his sudden movement. “Yep. Like an hour and a half. Is it too late?”

Alec was in and out of the shower in record time, already toweling off and going for the sink when Key came to the bathroom door, carrying Nash. “I thought we could take Nash. Show him off.”

“His carrying case is in the garage. Are we taking my car? We’re riding together, right?” Alec asked, toweling off his wet hair. His eyes connected with Key’s in the mirror. They were at another unexpected turning point, and this one meant so much more, because for the first time, Key had initiated this major step on his own. More importantly, Key seemed so calm about it all.

“Yeah. You wanna drive? Or we can take the truck, whichever,” he said casually, Nash gaining all his attention as he rubbed the puppy’s head.

“I’ll drive. You drove all day. Give me a few minutes. I won’t be long.” Alec yanked the brush through his hair, adding product with shaky hands. His normally calm, cool, and collected demeanor had vanished. He was so excited that it made him nervous. When he reached for his toothbrush, Key was back with his house shoe in hand, the one Nash loved. Their eyes locked in the mirror again, this time Key gave him a genuine smile. It eased Alec. He wasn’t sure why, who knew what that grin truly meant, but he didn’t care. Tonight, everything was changing—again.

Alec had no idea where he was. Based on the distance they’d traveled, Cedar Hill, Texas, wasn’t too far south of downtown Dallas. Twenty minutes max down Hwy 67 and a few turns here and there and they had traveled into a beautiful, rustic setting. Clusters of oaks and stately pecan trees peppered the gentle rolling hills, but he was more surprised by the sheer volume of cedar trees in this area. It was shocking how things could change in such a short drive. The tranquility he felt here made no sense, because less than two miles away was a thriving small town with tons of retail stores. Yet none of the bustling city seemed to touch this small, private patch of the land.

“It’s remarkable out here,” he said, breaking the silence in the living room.

“It’s why I stayed.” Key’s Uncle Clyde represented everything good for Key.

Clyde was a mild-mannered man with a genuine kindness to him. Maybe not right at this moment, but it was easy to see the man loved and cared for his nephew as if he were his own son.

“I wasn’t expecting this,” Clyde said honestly from his chair in the living room with Nash resting happily in his lap. Their puppy preferred the constant petting, nudging Clyde’s fingers with his nose when they stopped moving.

He had to give it to Clyde, he never missed a beat. Key had come straight inside the house, not really even giving his uncle as much as a greeting before proudly handing Nash straight to the man. The pride on Key’s face when he’d presented their puppy then introduced Alec to his uncle was something Alec hadn’t seen before in his guy.

His palm was sweating because he hadn’t let go of Key’s hand since the initial introduction when he had shaken Clyde’s hand. Alec now sat somewhat comfortably beside Key on the sofa. His nervousness hadn’t diminished, but he hoped he was doing a reasonably good job of hiding it, sweaty palm and all.