They laughed, and Deacon soaked up the lightness of the moment before Grady said, “I don’t want to make things harder on you.”
He shrugged. “Most people don’t ever want that, but it’s a fact of life sometimes. The thing is, even with all that other shit, you don’t make things harder on me. You make them easier. Felt like I couldn’t breathe for three years, like I was suffocating, and then you came along, and my lungs are clear again, all that weight in my chest easing. That’s what I’m out here thinking about. I’m moving on, and it hurts, but it’s also a relief, and it’s time. I got you to thank for that, and while it’s difficult and I’m still tryin’ to wrap my head around it, I know Patty would be okay with it. She wouldn’t want me to go through life not living it. Hell, she’d probably be pissed it took me so damn long.”
He chuckled, but Grady didn’t. Instead, he wrapped his hand around the back of Deacon’s head and tugged him close. “Jesus, Deke,” he said before pressing their lips together. Just like the night before, it went straight to his head—how big Grady’s hands were, the rasp of his stubble against Deacon’s face.
When they pulled apart, Deacon teased, “Careful, or I’m gonna think you have a crush on me.”
“You’d be right. It’s a lot to take in, though. I know you’re still grieving your past.”
Yeah, yeah he was. There was no way he couldn’t. “Doesn’t mean I’m not glad to be where I am. Just might take me a while. I’ve always been like this. I do a lotta thinking…get all up in my head sometimes.”
“I’m here to give you space or pull you out of it,” Grady said. “Whatever you need.”
“Right now I just wanna hold your hand and watch the sun come up with you.”
He felt Grady’s smile before he saw it, and damned if it didn’t light up the whole damn morning.
They tangled their fingers together, sat in silence, watched, and waited for the sun. And when it rose, a long gust of wind swept through the porch, making the chimes sing for them. Deacon knew it was Patricia telling him she was happy for him, that she approved, that she was proud.
The next few days went by with them spending all their free time together. Grady worked some with Holden and some at Covington Supply Co, while Deacon was taking care of his responsibilities at Sundae’s Best, but any time they were off, they were together.
And they stayed at Deacon’s place.
They didn’t put labels on their relationship, didn’t discuss rules, what they were doing, who they would tell. They just were. Grady had quickly become Deacon’s best friend. There was no one he liked to spend time with more, only now they kissed a lot. Christ, he loved kissing. He felt silly sometimes, being a forty-year-old man and feeling like a teenager who’d just gotten their first kiss and thought it was the best thing ever. But it also made him feel like it was an added level to their intimacy, something he soaked up like a sponge.
They made out and rutted against each other every night, but he liked to touch Grady any time he could—a hand on Grady’s thigh when they drove or an arm around him. Grady lying on the couch and pulling Deacon on top of him, where they’d alternate between kissing and watching TV.
He felt kind of bad because he wasn’t sure if Grady wanted more physically or if he wanted more defined terms of what their relationship was, but he also trusted Grady to talk to him if that was the case. He appreciated that they had open lines of communication that way.
“Hey.” Deacon nudged Grady’s side while they were sitting on the couch, just having finished lunch. They’d both been browsing their phones.
“Hay’s for horses.” Grady chuckled, making Deacon roll his eyes.
“You’re a dork. I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that. Remember when we were talking about dogs?”
“Yep.”
“I was looking at Clinton’s Custom Steel’s social media page, and—”
“Who’s Clinton’s Custom Steel?”
“He’s a local guy, over in Harmony. He’s a welder, talented as hell, but my point is, he has puppies ready to go. They’re mutts. I guess a female dog got loose and wandered onto his property. He’s got a Lab that got to her. He couldn’t find her owner, so he kept her, and now—”
“You want a dog,” Grady finished for him.
“Why am I just noticing you interrupt a lot?”
Grady laughed. “I don’t always. Guess I felt like bugging you today, and hell yeah, let’s go.”
Grady stood, held out his hand, and Deacon let him pull him up. He felt…he didn’t know, more impulsive with him. Not in a bad way, but usually he wasn’t the type of guy who saw puppies and decided on a whim to go get one.