“Jake, I swear to you,” Dev started in a loud and thoroughly aggravated voice that carried down the stairs. Kai paused, one foot on the bottom step, reconsidering whether he was brave enough to walk into the lion’s den when Dev was pissed off. This was one of the few times he’d ever heard him angry, and it was rather impressive.
“If you go in that suitcase one more time, I’m leaving you behind,” Dev threatened.
“But, Dev,” Jake whined. Kai didn’t hear the rest as the boy was likely walking from one bedroom to the other. Kai winced and began climbing the stairs. Arguing with Dev right now was not Jake’s smartest decision. Better to go up and save the boy from himself.
When he reached the top of the stairs, he found Jake flopped across his bed in full pout. In the master bedroom, it looked as if a tornado had blown through the closet and spewed all of Dev’s clothes around the room. Dev stood in the middle of the mess, pinching the bridge of his nose and breathing deeply.
His man was stressed. Tomorrow, they were leaving for a weeklong family vacation at Walt Disney World for the three of them plus Jake’s best friend, Kyle. It had taken months, but Dev had everything carefully planned out—from the flight to the transportation to the hotel to dining reservations. He was just nervous about something going wrong and spoiling all their plans.
Of course, Kai had his own plans for the trip that had him nervous, but that could wait.
Very carefully, Kai slid his arms around Dev’s waist and pressed a kiss to the little tender spot right behind Dev’s ear. Dev sighed and leaned into him.
“I’m assuming you’re completely packed,” Dev said.
“I’m packed. The only thing I need to grab is my spare phone charging cable as we walk out the door tomorrow.”
“Good. Then I’m taking you to Florida and leaving the child here to fend for himself since he won’t listen to me.”
Kai pressed his face into Dev’s neck so his lover couldn’t see his smile. Dev didn’t mean a word of it, but he was exhausted and cranky. Dev had carefully packed his son’s suitcase that afternoon, but Jake kept sneaking into it, pulling things out and putting new things in.
“I have another suggestion,” Kai started when he was sure he wouldn’t sound like he was laughing. “Why don’t I take Jake out for some ice cream?”
“He doesn’t deserve ice cream,” Dev grumbled.
“True, but you deserve at least one hour of the house being completely quiet. No distractions. No chaos. In that time, you can have your packing finished and be soaking in the bathtub. And before we leave the ice cream shop, I can get you a mint-chocolate milkshake.”
Dev was silent for several seconds, giving Kai a chance to place some more kisses to the side of Dev’s neck.
“Will you add a shot of Bailey’s to it?” Dev asked softly.
“Of course, my love. You just finish packing and relax. We’ll be back in an hour.”
Dev turned in Kai’s arms, snuggling him close and releasing a contented sigh. “What would I do without you?”
Kai smiled. “Probably stuff Jake in a suitcase,” he teased, earning a muffled laugh. Some of the tightness in Dev’s shoulders had subsided, and he seemed more at ease. “But I’m the one who would be lost without the both of you.”
He stole one last kiss and then crossed to the other bedroom, where Jake was still in full pout. Kai knocked a couple of times on the frame. “Want to make an ice cream run with me?”
The boy jumped off the bed and snatched up his shoes in a flash. He was tearing through the hall and thundering down the stairs before Kai could even call him back. He had a feeling Jake knew if he didn’t move fast, his father might change his mind about letting him go, though.
Kai could only chuckle on his way out of the door. Jake was still tying his shoes in the car as they pulled out of the driveway. Most of the ride was quiet, but that didn’t bother Kai. In the year he’d been dating Dev, he’d grown comfortable around his son, no longer becoming anxious when Jake didn’t necessarily have anything to say. And usually, those bouts of silence didn’t last long.
“You think he’s still mad?” Jake asked as they neared the ice cream shop. It was only fifteen minutes from the house, but Kai figured if they ate their ice cream there and then picked up Dev’s milkshake, they’d spend roughly one hour away from the house. Plenty of time for Dev to unwind.
“Maybe a little. He just wants to make sure you have a perfect vacation at Disney World with your friend.”
Jake snorted. “Of course it’s going to be perfect. It’s my family and my best friend at Disney World. Duh.”
“True, but big trips like this take planning. Dev deserves the right to relax on vacation too. He can’t keep worrying about what we’ve forgotten the entire time.”
“Yeah, I know,” Jake said softly. “I’ll apologize when we get home. Do you think we could bring him back something? It might help.”
“I told him we’d bring him a mint-chocolate milkshake too.”
Jake sighed with relief. “Good. That’s his favorite.”
Kai smiled to himself. The two rarely held a grudge for long, and they were always looking for ways to make each other feel better when it was over. It was sweet.
The ice cream shop turned out to be busy and they had a bit of a wait to get their treats, which was probably for the best since Jake couldn’t make up his mind. In the end, he got a scoop of triple chocolate fudge and a scoop of pistachio in a waffle cone while Kai opted for a single scoop of strawberry in a sugar cone.
They lucked into one of the small iron tables off to the far side of the parking lot, where they happily ate their ice cream with a pile of napkins since Jake had the amazing skill of getting whatever he was eating all over him no matter what it was. They watched the people and cars coming and going while the sun steadily set in the sky. If this was an example of what summer was going to be like, Kai would happily take it. He’d never thought he’d enjoy such a peaceful life.
And yet, he still wanted more. Wanted it all.
With his free hand, Kai reached into his pocket, his fingers sliding over the small velvet box he’d been carrying around for nearly a month.
“Jake, can I ask your opinion on something?” Kai started.
Jake immediately perked up, his wide eyes on Kai. “Sure!”
“You see, I’ve been really happy this past year. You and Dev have given me this amazing life. And I’ve been thinking…” Kai pulled the box out of his pocket and carefully opened it to reveal the simple band that lay nestled in a bed of silk. “I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I asked Dev to marry me.”
“Whoa,” Jake exhaled and leaned close to look at the ring. “Really? That’s so cool.” His eyes suddenly snapped up to Kai and his nose wrinkled. “I mean, it’s cool with me, but why are you asking me? Shouldn’t you ask him?”
“I plan to, but I wanted to make sure you would be okay with it first. You and Dev are a package deal. I want us to be a family. And…well, Adam will always be your dad first. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to replace him. I just want to be someone you’d feel comfortable coming to with your problems. Someone you feel you can depend on.”
Jake’s face immediately turned serious and thoughtful as he stared at his melting ice cream. “I miss my dad. Dev misses him too. But it hurts a little less now. And Dev’s a lot happier since you arrived.” He looked up at Kai, a smile spreading slowly across his face. “I don’t think of you as replacing Adam, just as another dad. And I don’t think a kid can have too many dads. I’ve got a couple of friends who don’t have any dads at all. That just stinks.”
“I’m glad,” Kai murmured, which was an enormous understatement. It was as if the vise around his chest suddenly eased, and he could breathe again. Of course, that was made difficult by the lump that was forming in his throat. This kid was simply too precious for words, and Kai would happily give his life to keep him safe.
“Plus, if you marry Dev, you can help me make sure he’s happy.” He paused to chase a long drip of ice cream that was sneaking down the side of his cone. “That’s just too much work for me.”
Kai laughed. “That’s a good plan. We can be a tag team. But do you think he’ll say yes? Do you think it’s too soon?”
Jake stopped and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Really? I thought you were going to ask him at Christmas. It’s in all those Christmas movies he likes to watch.” Jake groaned and rolled his eyes as only a put-out nine-year-old could.
“True,” Kai agreed while biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. He’d seriously considered a Christmas proposal, but he’d been afraid it was too soon. They hadn’t even been living together yet. It was Dev’s suggestion that he move in shortly after the holidays, and Kai had jumped on it.
Kai reached out and carefully closed the ring box before placing it in his pocket again. He felt better about having Jake’s stamp of approval. Now he just had to think of a romantic way to propose to Dev. Something to sweep his love off his feet.
“Are you planning to ask at Disney?” Jake inquired, his thoughts clearly running along the same lines as Kai’s.
“Probably.”
“You could get like Mickey Mouse to help, I bet. Oh! Or maybe Bunsen and Beaker. He loves the Muppets.”
“Uh…probably not. I was thinking something a little more private.”
“You should probably wait until the end of the trip. If he says no, you’d both be sad for Disney World.”
“That is a very good suggestion,” Kai agreed as his heart gave a painful skip. Dev wouldn’t say no, right?
“But I think Dev is going to say yes. He loves you a lot. He smiles all the time now, even when you’re not around. I can’t remember the last time he did that.”
The worry began to unknot itself in Kai’s chest, and he ate more of his sundae. Married to Devlin Relic. A smile teased the corners of his lips, and he felt like laughing. He’d never thought he’d have a family like this, a life that felt utterly complete.
“You know…” Jake paused, a playful look on his ice-cream-smeared face. “After you and Dev get married, we could get a dog. To celebrate. We’d officially be a family then.”
Kai laughed and shook his head. This kid had been working the dog angle for as long as he’d known him. Being an assassin was fun, but life as a husband and father would be a bigger adventure than he’d ever expected. And he couldn’t wait for their next step…together.