Chapter 28

Chapter

Twenty-Eight

KEIR

After Josephineand Wilson left in a car I hadn’t noticed outside the house, Dash moved Lenny’s car into the driveway, next to the garage, so Mom could park inside it.

I grabbed a pad of sticky notes and left a trail of arrows for Dash that took him back to my bedroom. It was twelve-thirty, so we had time, which was exactly what I wanted. I didn’t need anything fancy, just my Dash inside of me.

The front door closed, and the deadbolt flipped, making me smile.

“What’s this? A trail to where?”

I chuckled.

“Is there anybody back here?”

“Marco!” I grabbed the lube from the nightstand where I’d put it to ready myself for his beautiful cock.

“Wanna ride my Pol-o?” I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He had the greatest sense of humor and a man who could make me—a mortician and funeral director who saw death every day—laugh. He was priceless.

“You bet I do!”

When Dash appeared in the doorway of my mother’s spare room, he was naked as the day he was born, save the sticky notes he’d stuck to himself in a downward arrow toward his cock, which was hard and leaking for me.

“Look at that sexy man. Mr. Dearly, I presume?”

I laughed at him again. “Get that thing over here where I can show it some love.”

He stared at my finger in my ass, and a slow grin slid over his face. “That’s my job.”

“Just this once. I want us to take our time before Lenny gets here. We have a lot of things to decide, but let’s get in the mood.”

Dash made a flying leap onto the bed and landed next to me before he ducked between my legs and kissed my dick. It sent a shiver down my spine.

“So, you wanna marry me, you sexy man?”

My breath hitched. “More than anything else.” It was the only answer I had to give.

Dash flipped me onto my stomach before he pushed inside me and lifted me onto his thighs. He wrapped his arms around my chest, flicking my right nipple before he kissed the back of my neck and between my shoulder blades.

“You know, I never thought I’d meet the right guy for me, and when I walked into Dearly & Son, and you were there with that sweet, sympathetic smile, I was blown away.”

He stroked inside me and then out, lovingly caressing my body and whispering in my ear how much he loved me on his cock. It was all so beautiful, his dirty words and actions, that I couldn’t hold back the tears. How I’d been so fortunate to find him, I’d never know.

"You were a gift to me." I got the words out, surprisingly.

Dash kissed my jaw. “I have a favor to ask.”

God, I’d give him a kidney if he wanted it. Anything for him. “Whatever you want, love.”

“I want to take your name.”

Fuck. I could have been knocked over with a feather. I wanted to joke because the moment was so damn laced with tension, but there was no other answer.

“Dashiell Clegg Dearly. It has a beautiful ring to it.”

Before I knew what was happening, I was on my back, and Dash was fucking me like a champ. It was fast and hard, and my legs went effortlessly over his shoulders. I stared into his beautiful face. Those unique eyes. The soft lashes that defined them. High cheek bones. Soft, plump lips. A strong jaw and a perfect chin. He was the most perfect man I’d ever met, and he wanted to share my name. My bed. My life.

“Come on, Dearly. Give it to me. I wanna feel your ass choke my cock. You do it so fucking well, baby.”

Oh, he wanted to feel it? I squeezed him, digging in, and he gasped.

“Oh, fuck yeah.” I felt his cock pulse as he rammed inside me, making me aware of every inch of him. He pushed the breath from my lungs as my ass continued to spasm with aftershocks from the intense orgasm we’d shared. I could hardly breathe, but it was damn good.

A bit later, we were in the kitchen after a warm, sensual shower where Dash had washed my body and hair, kissing me everywhere. I’d returned the favor, sliding conditioner through his beautiful blond locks that were growing out, just as I wanted.

We’d pulled on sweatpants and T-shirts before eating the sandwiches Mom had left for us, and it was the most sublime feeling in the world to have quiet times with the man I loved.

“So, do you think we can keep Lenny from—how the hell would we ever explain things to Lenny?” I didn’t want to lie to the man, but him knowing what had happened earlier in the day wouldn’t help anything.

Dash smirked. “Dearly, you don’t need to worry about Lenny. If Jo got to Stefani before Lenny landed, then he doesn’t know anything about what went down. Lenny needs to get ready to marry the beautiful Lucy. That’s all he needs to concern himself with.”

I hoped to hell Dash was right.

Once we finished eating, the two of us went back to the bedroom to take a nap. We stayed dressed, though it wasn’t my idea to do so, but we didn’t want to freak Lenny out when he came home.

It had been quite an eventful day.

Heavy footstepsdown the hallway of Mom’s duplex woke me. I was resting on Dash’s strong chest, and it was the best pillow that existed.

I kissed his right nipple through his T-shirt. “I think Lenny’s here.” I was whispering because I wanted to wake him gently. He’d endured enough startling events since we’d met, and I wanted them to be less in the future.

I slid from under Dash’s arms when he didn’t stir and went into the hallway, pulling the door behind me so the man could get a nice nap. He deserved it.

“Oh, Keir. Hello, son. Dash is with you, right?”

I grinned. “Of course.” I pulled Lenny close and hugged him. He was a great man, and my mother loved him. I damn well wouldn’t treat him like his daughter had treated my mother.

Mom had told me she planned to ask Dash to be her man of honor, which made me tear up. I was so grateful she loved him as much as she loved me. I knew how much he missed Siobhan, and if Mom could step in and be that surrogate for him, I would welcome it.

“I’m so glad you’re here. Did Lucy tell you she was working at a funeral home? She has such a giving heart, and I am so proud of her.” It was easy to see that Lenny loved my mother, which made me happy. In my opinion, he was worthy of Lucy Dearly. It helped that my deceased father had already given his stamp of approval.

“Yeah. We got here before she went to Thatcher’s. Mom said you went to see Lindsey. How’d that go?” It was the elephant in the room.

Lenny took off his jacket and tossed it on the couch. “How about a drink? I could use one.”

I nodded and followed the man into the kitchen. He reached above the refrigerator to the cabinet, pulling down a bottle of bourbon. I didn’t hate it.

“How’re things at Dearly & Son?”

I could tell Lenny was avoiding the topic of his daughter, so I was going to follow his lead. “Things are good. We just held a military funeral for a Desert Storm vet who was homeless. It was nice to see the community come together for him, but it was sad they hadn’t done it when he was alive and could have really used the help.”

Lenny turned to me. “Rocks?”

“Please.”

He added a large ball of ice to each glass and poured the liquor over. We touched glasses before we sipped, not saying anything for a moment.

Lenny invited me to sit with him at the table. “How about you? How’re things at the firm?”

The man released a heavy sigh. “I’m so ready to be done with the day-to-day grind of it, you know. I’d rather be here with your mom. She’s so full of life, and she reminds me that I’m not old. There’s a lot of life left for us, and I’m so glad to share it with her.”

His words were heartfelt. “I am too, Lenny. I’m happy the two of you met. Mom’s a special woman, and I think you get that.” I meant what I’d said. He really was a great guy.

“So, uh, I was hoping you’d be my best man, Keir. Your mom wants to ask Dash to be her man of honor, and I’d be grateful if you’d stand up with me.”

I could see the pain on his face, and I had to ask. “Lindsey doesn’t want to be Mom’s matron of honor?”

Lenny shook his head. “She says I’m betraying her mother’s memory by marrying Lucy. She thinks I should spend the rest of my days alone, pining for her mother. Says I must not have loved Melanie if I could fall in love with Lucy so easily. I have no way to make her see that’s not how love works.”

There was nothing I could tell Lenny that would help him with his daughter. I loved my father very much. I knew Mom still loved Dad, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t love someone else—a great guy like Lenny Burrows. They made each other happy, which was all I cared about.

“How do you feel about it? Do you feel as though you’re betraying your late wife?”

Lenny sipped his drink and glanced around their home. “I believe if Melanie had met your mother, they’d have been fast friends. Your mother is an incredible woman, but I don’t have to tell you that, do I? She makes everyone feel like they’re important, and when she told me Thatcher had asked her to help him today, I knew it was something she needed to do. It’s ingrained in her soul. I just wish Lindsey could understand it.”

I reached out to touch his shoulder. “We can’t make people see things they don’t want to see. We love who we love. I’m glad you and Mom found each other. I’ll be happy to be your best man.”

Lenny grinned and tipped his glass. I did the same.

“Dash is...?” Lenny tried to hide a yawn, but I could see the man was tired.

“Napping. We’ve been busy. You could probably use one as well?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. Your mom should be home in a couple of hours. I know she made reservations for the four of us at the club, so I’m gonna take you up on that and grab a nap. Thanks, Keir. I’m glad you agreed to be my best man.”

After he headed back to their room, I finished my drink and put the glasses in the dishwasher. I hoped Lindsey somehow had a change of heart for Lenny’s sake. I was sure he loved his daughter very much.