Sundae's Best (Briar County 2)

“Two,” Eugene replied.

“I’ll take the same,” Frances added.

Grady helped, making one bowl while Deacon did the other. He handed his to Frances.

“I heard you knew my Nathan?” she asked, making Grady’s heart drop.

“Yes, ma’am. We were in the army together. He was my closest friend. It’s because of him that I’m here right now. He told me so much about this place that I had to see it for myself.”

“I, um…I remember you. I didn’t put two and two together when I first heard your name, but a few weeks before Nathan tried to come home for the last time, he talked to me some about his friend Grady. How much you meant to him and that one day he wanted to bring you home with him.”

Grady’s throat swelled, stealing his breath and making it almost impossible to speak. Nathan had mentioned him? Did they know?

“He didn’t tell me… But I would have loved that. Nathan was one of the best men I’ve ever known…Nathan and Deacon both.”

They nodded. Eugene handed the money over. “Thank you. There’s a line behind us. We should let you get back to it.” They waved and walked away.

Maybe the truth was forming in their heads, and maybe it wasn’t. Hell, maybe it already had. He wasn’t sure it mattered that much. They were there, they’d come for ice cream, and in that moment, it was enough.

“You okay, Deke?”

Deacon leaned over, kissed him softly. “Yeah, I am. I think maybe things will be okay with them too.”

They finished up, then left Juan and Luann to work the rest of the shift.

He and Deacon spent time with the family, petted the goats—though Grady damn near got tackled by one—and they played a game of football with Roe, Holden, Sean, Wyatt, and Scout. Granny even tried to play for a bit too. She was a riot and one of Grady’s favorite people.

Later that night, they were naked in bed and clinging to each other the way they often did when Deacon said, “Life is crazy sometimes, isn’t it? Anything is possible at any moment—both good and bad. One minute it knocks you down, and you don’t think you’ll ever get up…and then you do…and something wonderful is there waiting for you. When you don’t think it can get any better, something small happens that means so much, and it’s just a reminder, another moment to collect that shows you there can be something even more beautiful around the corner.”

Grady’s chest swelled so damn big he was sure it would burst. “That was beautiful. Did you just come up with that?”

“I did. You like it?” Deke said playfully.

“I like you.”

“Just like?” Deacon rolled over on top of him, began worshipping Grady’s body the way he liked to do so much—kissing, touching, licking, inhaling. He’d become really good at sucking dick and seemed to like it a lot. It was a way to make Grady feel good, and Deacon was all about that. And there was nothing Grady liked better than making Deke feel that way too. While Deacon had yet to bottom for him, they had been playing around more—Grady rimming him fairly often or Deke taking his fingers. If it happened one day, great—if it didn’t, that was okay too. Grady didn’t need that—he just needed his man.

Deke had also told him he figured he mostly identified as demisexual, and while he definitely enjoyed sex and was sexually attracted to Grady, he was more focused on touch and just savoring each other. And Grady fucking loved it. He’d never felt as cherished by a lover as he did with Deacon.

“Love you.” Grady thrust up, rubbing their erections together, before Deacon’s mouth began to work its way down Grady’s body.

“I.” Deacon kissed between Grady’s pecs. “Love.” His stomach. “You.” One thigh. “Too.” The other. “A lot.” His tongue traced a path down Grady’s shaft. “I needed two more words to get to your cock.”

Grady let out a loud laugh that died on his tongue when Deacon swallowed him down.

They took turns exploring each other’s bodies like it was the first time before Deacon sank inside him and they came together.

Grady couldn’t imagine life getting any better than this, but somehow he knew being with Deacon, it would.