Ian (Unbreakable Bonds 4.5)

“What were their names?” Anna asked.

Hollis handed Ian a cup. “We don’t know. It was signed by cherished dear, WS, and written to his darling.”

“Cherished dear.” Snow said with a low chuckle. He slid the macaroni and cheese closer to his plate.

“Hush now. It’s sweet.” Anna stood. “To Darling and Cherished Dear. I hope they did spend their lives together and I’m so thankful that all of you can live your lives with those you love openly today.”

They all stood and toasted.

Ian blinked as his eyes watered and warmth filled his chest. The moment felt profound…extraordinary, really. Here they stood where that couple must have stood over fifty years before, and each one of them had found a great love like WS had hoped in his letter. And they didn’t have to hide. He wished it was like that everywhere—all over the world. And for a moment, his heart ached for those who didn’t have that or had to keep it secret for fear of their lives.

Hollis tucked him close and kissed his forehead. “Yeah, GQ,” he whispered. “I’m feeling it, too.”

He wrapped his arm around Hollis tight. “We’re lucky.”

“Very,” Snow agreed as he threaded his fingers with Jude’s and looked at Anna with amusement.

She was grimacing with every sip. She looked up, caught them all looking at her and said, “What? I’ve never liked the taste of whiskey.”

“You don’t have to finish it, Mana,” Jude said softly.

“It’s good,” Lucas murmured, his hand on Andrei’s shoulder.

Andrei had raised his own to put it over Lucas’s and Ian saw that Rowe and Noah had been touched by the toast as well, the two men hugging and quiet.

“Why do you think it was put behind a wall?” Jordan asked as he, too, made a face after sipping the whiskey. “To get to it, they would have had to knock a hole through the lath and plaster.”

Hollis’s chest moved against Ian as he laughed. “You worked for the uncle, too, obviously.”

Jordan nodded, then gulped whiskey and shuddered. “I think I’m going to be a beer man,” he muttered.

“I kind of feel bad drinking it.” This came from Carrick.

“Don’t,” Lucas said. “The house was sold, so they don’t plan to come back. And I can think of nothing more fitting than all of us sharing it here now. Together.”

“It did sound like the couple was gay—having to hide.” Snow curled his lip. “I’m glad we don’t have to hide who we are these days.”

“Mostly,” Lucas corrected. “And Ash, you’ve never hidden any of your base proclivities. You weren’t made for a different time.”

“He was made for this one.” Jude settled back on the picnic bench. “And how about we not talk about his base proclivities around my mana?”

“I’m no prude,” she announced. “I raised three sons. I’ve seen it all.”

Ian certainly doubted that, especially with Snow and Jude, but he smothered a chortle, sat, and went back to his food.

“It’s wild that we found this today.” Snow, still standing, looked down into his cup. “That wall wasn’t scheduled for demolition, was it?”

Hollis reached for the plate of chicken kabobs. “Nah, that was an accident. It’s easily fixed.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t wear those jeans again tomorrow with all the sledgehammers flying around.” Snow sat down and forked a bite of macaroni and cheese.

“Most of the sledgehammer work is done. We won’t need them tomorrow.”

Ian could tell Hollis was deliberately trying to pull attention away from his pants.

“That’s a damn shame.” Snow’s frown wasn’t faked in the least, his light blue eyes glittering as he looked at his partner. “I rather enjoyed watching you swing that thing.”

“We noticed,” Hollis drawled. “Took you a damn long time to sand one room.”

Anna leaned across the table toward Hollis. “What’s wrong with your jeans?”

“Go ahead,” Jude said, amusement thick in his voice. “Stand up and show her.”

“Hell, no.”

And he didn’t. No matter how much the guys cajoled. But Ian could tell Anna wasn’t about to give up. She’d find a way to get the answer to her question.

The conversation moved to the work they’d done as they ate their way through the mountain of food Anna had brought. A couple of hours later, they were all moving a little slowly as they helped wrap leftovers and carry them out to the truck Anna had also borrowed from her brother-in-law. Carrick had parked halfway down the street in another truck. Picnic tables were loaded, hugs were given, and Anna found a way to check out Hollis’s backside. She gave Ian a cheeky thumbs-up that made him laugh hard as the bourbon he’d enjoyed after his dinner warmed his veins.

After Jude’s family left, they all ended up sitting on the living room floor as the second bourbon was opened. Thankfully, Snow had swept up most of the dust off the hardwood. Not that they would have cared at that point.