As much as he wanted to stick his head inside the room to get the visual of Dallas’s hard body pumping out a workout, Greer again followed the directions to the bedroom where he found a folded pair of jeans and his beloved SMU sweatshirt on the bed. Socks and walking shoes on the floor. On top of the sweatshirt was another note. “Dinner at Mac’s. He’s expecting us. The dresser.”
He turned to see a book there with a note that simply read, “Page 241.”
Greer thumbed through the pages to see another sticky note. The word I was highlighted with a bright red arrow pointing to the letter. Dallas wrote “Page 363” beside the arrow. He turned there to see the word “Missed” with another red arrow pointing to that word with further directions scribbled on the note. “Page 497.” He followed that instruction to see another sticky note with an arrow pointing to the word “You.” Dallas’s efficient script said, “Welcome Home.”
All the effort made when a simple Hello would have sent Greer’s toes curling. He removed those sticky notes to save in his secret place where he hid all Dallas’s special notes.
He undressed as he went to the closet. He fished an old shoebox out of the farthest corner, surprised when he lifted the lid to see a box of Dude Sweet Chocolates sitting on top of his secret treasures. Dallas must have found his hiding place. There was another sticky note with Dallas’s writing on top of the chocolates. “Don’t be mad. I wasn’t snooping, I was stress cleaning. My special box is the Nike box in our office. <3”
It wasn’t hard to imagine Dallas embracing him, whispering those words in his ear. That was how his mister spoke of love. His whispered breath would send shock waves of shivers from his ear down his spine, tingling every nerve ending in his body. His life was complete. He found it hard to contain his joy. Greer took the chocolates out, he loved a sweet treat, but these were made better by knowing Dallas had gone out of his way to purchase them.
Greer stuck the notes together on top of each other inside the box then quickly dressed. In the bathroom, Dallas walked inside, and startled at the sight of him. “You’re home. I didn’t hear you come in.”
He stood in front of the mirror, trying to push his thick blond hair back in place as he stared at Dallas in the mirror. “I wanted to bother you, but I got the Shh.” His hair was forgotten as he turned away and met Dallas in the middle of the room. “Thank you for my notes and my chocolates and my cold beer.”
“I promise I wasn’t snooping. I clean and organize when I get antsy and that’s hard here because everything is already so orderly.” Dallas kissed him and pulled away, tugging his sweaty T-shirt over his head as if that drop of information wouldn’t require explaining. “Give me ten minutes and I’ll be ready.”
Greer grabbed Dallas’s wrist before he could get too far away and pulled Dallas back toward him. “What were you antsy about?”
“Nothing.” Dallas shook his head then rolled his eyes. The look telling Greer more than the words that his mister was making fun of himself inside his own head. “I was here and alone and freaked out about the car payment.”
Greer couldn’t help the chuckle. Dallas was the thriftiest person he’d ever met. They had spent hours on a video call with Dallas fretting over the cost of the midrange Tesla.
Greer let go of Dallas’s hand and swatted him on the butt. “Go dress.”
“I should be paying more of my living expenses,” Dallas started again for the zillionth time. His guy never gave on anything. He worried himself, and Greer, to death.
“Not having this conversation again. Go dress. I’m starving.” Greer left Dallas alone in the bathroom and started toward his bed. A ten-minute catnap wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it would have to do.
Chapter 37
Two hours later, Mac’s grill was hopping. As much as he missed his alone time with Greer, Dallas found himself relaxed and comfortable. The bar felt like home, and he couldn’t find it in him to want to leave. Greer had moved them from their regular spot at the end of the bar out to one of the pub tables in the game room.
The plan had been to play a round of darts and listen to some classic tunes on Mac’s new jukebox, but neither of them seemed too interested in starting a game. Instead, they stayed planted in their seats, listening to some old school songs they’d selected and made Marisol walk the length of the large room to continue waiting on them.
“Has he told you about the time he was robbed walking home?” Marisol asked, placing a new drink in front of Dallas.