Chapter 50

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WARD

WARD RUSHED home from work. Skylar had been healing well over the past few weeks, and his first post-op checkup had been positive. But Charlie had texted a few minutes ago, saying he was worried.

Truth be told, Ward was worried, too. Skylar had been out-of-sorts ever since his surgery. Ward kept catching the boy glancing at the clock or the calendar, like he was waiting for something. And whenever Ward asked if anything was wrong, Skylar insisted he was fine. Tired and bored, of course, but otherwise fine.

And no wonder. Poor Skylar had been cooped up in the apartment ever since Ward had moved him down from the city back in June. Other than that first day of errands, a couple stops at the pharmacy, and two trips to San Jose, Skylar hadn't set foot outside Ward's front door.

While Ward had tracked the passage of time on his daily commute—first, by the arrival of the grapes and, now, the slow changing of the leaves—Skylar had been hidden away. It had to be worse now that he was under such heavy restrictions. The poor boy was probably going stir-crazy, having to stare at the same blank walls, day in and day out.

Maybe, once Skylar was fully healed, Ward could bring up the prospect of moving. They could pick a place together. All three of them. Somewhere they could all feel happy and comfortable. Somewhere Skylar and Charlie felt safe.

Of course, just his luck, they'd no sooner do that than either or both of the boys would decide they'd had enough, and Ward would be all alone once again.

Ward muttered a curse and scrubbed a hand down his face. All of that was moot, anyway. Everything had to wait until Skylar was healed. And if the boy had taken a bad turn—as Charlie's urgent text implied—then nothing else mattered in that moment but getting home to make sure Skylar was okay.

When he finally reached the apartment, Ward parked his truck, then hesitated. Gripping the steering wheel, he closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Even before getting Charlie's text, Ward had endured one hell of a day. He didn't want to bring all that inside to the boys.

Ward took another deep breath, waiting to make sure he was calm, then hurried inside. He barely paused long enough to take off his boots before heading towards the bedroom, softly calling, “Charlie?”

The boy met him halfway, throwing himself into Ward's arms.

“Hey, little mouse,” Ward murmured, rubbing Charlie's back. “What is it? Where's Sky?”

“ Hhnn .” Charlie pointed at the bedroom, then grabbed Ward's hand and tugged him along.

Ward found Skylar sitting up in bed, pushing the covers aside.

“What's going on?” Skylar asked.

“Charlie was worried about you.” Ward perched on the edge of the bed, stopping Skylar from getting up. “You feeling okay?” He reached out and held Skylar's chin, studying the boy's face.

“Yeah. Fine.”

“Sky.”

Skylar winced. “I just felt really tired today, all of a sudden. The doctor did say that could happen.”

Ward glanced at Charlie, who begrudgingly nodded.

“It was the same after my top surgery,” Skylar went on. “I kept feeling better every day, and then, out of nowhere, it was like I took a giant step backwards for a day or two.”

Ward gave the boy a through once-over. “Did you get any sleep?”

“Yeah.” Skylar glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “A couple hours, actually. Feeling a lot better now.” Skylar squirmed. “Except I really have to pee.”

Ward chuckled with relief as he got up and stepped aside. “Sorry. Go on.”

Skylar made a beeline for the bathroom.

Ward pulled Charlie into his arms. “He's okay, little mouse.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Charlie's head. “Thank you for texting me, though.”

Charlie gave a little chirp and burrowed closer.

“And how are you? Did you have a good day otherwise?”

Charlie tensed.

“No?” Ward asked.

The boy pulled away and frowned, rocking on his feet. Stuck , he signed.

“Stuck? What's stuck?”

Charlie rolled his head. Want go home , he signed. After a short pause, he added, Want stay here . Charlie frowned. Not here. With you and my Sky.

Ward bent down, putting them at eye level. “I am so proud of you, little mouse. Taking such good care of Sky. You've been so good for Daddy, you know that?”

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut and let out a long, happy squeak .

Ward grinned.

But then Charlie's joy faded from his face. Miss laptop , he signed. And my mug.

“You could bring those with you next time you come down,” Ward suggested.

“What's this?” Skylar asked, coming out of the bathroom.

“Charlie's getting homesick.”

“Ah. Yeah.” Skylar grimaced. “This is really long for him, being away from his familiar spaces and routines.”

Charlie scowled. No bring mug.

“Why not?” Ward asked. “You bring your clothes with you, don't you?”

Charlie's eyebrows slowly went up as he processed that.

“You could wrap it up carefully and put it in your bag,” Ward said. “And then we'll find a spot for it here. Then you can take it back with you, just like your clothes, when you go home.” Ward paused. “Or we can pick out a special mug just for you, for when you're here.”

Charlie's eyebrows went even higher. Ward could practically see the idea finally clicking.

“Same with your laptop, if you want it,” Ward went on. “Pack it with your clothes so you can bring it here.”

Charlie rolled his head, thinking. His brow slowly drew down into a frown. No laptop spot , he signed.

“It needs to be on a desk,” Skylar cut in. “Computers go on desks. Even laptops.”

Charlie nodded solemnly.

“Ah,” Ward said. “I see.” Before he could say anything more, Charlie gasped.

And miss Mouse Mouse! Charlie signed emphatically. Want new Mouse Mouse!

“Your folks said they'd get you one,” Skylar said. “Didn't they?”

Charlie started to nod, then signed, But…me here…Mouse Mouse lonely. Sad.

“Could you bring the cage with you?” Ward suggested. “We could set it up somewhere here.”

Charlie rolled his head, glancing around like he was considering it. Then he sagged with disappointment. Car scary. Confusing. Mouse Mouse need home. Safe.

Ward opened his mouth, sorely tempted to ask Charlie to simply move in with them for good, but he knew the answer would be no . At least, it would be for that apartment. As for somewhere else? How long would it take to find a place where Charlie felt truly comfortable?

And would Charlie even be up for that kind of search?

Ward remembered going house-hunting with Kelly, leading up to their wedding, and the entire process had been utterly exhausting, touring place after place until they found something that worked for both of them. It could be worse for someone like Charlie. Ward could easily imagine the boy giving up with overwhelm after the first tour.

Still, the possibility was tempting. John had even brought up the rental house again, though he said it wasn't quite ready for tenants—Adam was still finishing a few projects—so there was time to think about it.

Charlie slumped down on the end of the bed, curled his arms up, and covered his eyes.

“Easy, little mouse,” Ward murmured, crouching down and rubbing Charlie's back. “You don't have to decide anything right now. Actually–” He gently grabbed Charlie's arms. “Would it be alright if we talked about this later? Daddy had a hard day, and I could really use some quiet time.”

Charlie lowered his hands and rolled his head, eyeing Ward warily. Mad? he signed.

“No, sweet boy. Not mad. Not at you,” Ward assured him. “I'm gonna go take a shower, and then sit down with a drink for a little bit if that's okay.”

Charlie glanced at Skylar, then nodded.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Ward got up, pressed a kiss to the top of Charlie's head, then did the same to Skylar before he strode into the bathroom and shut the door.

He took his time in the shower, letting the hot water work its magic. Ward closed his eyes and tipped his head back under the spray. He lingered there long after he was clean and rinsed, enjoying the simple peace and warmth after a hectic day.

Once he was dry, he wrapped a towel around his waist and returned to the bedroom. The boys weren't there, but Ward could hear quiet movement in the kitchen. Ward pulled on a pair of lounge pants, hung the towel up to dry, then padded out to see what the boys were up to.

He passed Skylar, who muttered something about taking his turn in the shower. Ward heard the bathroom door close as he reached the kitchen and found Charlie standing by the fridge, holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a beer in the other.

Charlie held out both. “ Hhnn? ”

Ward couldn't help smiling. “Thank you, little mouse.” He took the bottle of wine and got out a glass while Charlie put the beer back inside the fridge. Ward poured himself a drink, then offered one to Charlie. The boy considered it for a long moment before he nodded.

Drinks in hand, Ward headed for the living room, and Charlie quietly followed. Ward sank heavily onto the couch, then grabbed the remote. He turned on the TV, opened a streaming service, and started the next episode of the show they'd been watching. Ward tossed the remote onto the coffee table and settled back on the couch with his legs splayed. He took a sip of his wine, then let out a sigh.

Beside him, Charlie slowly moved. The boy eyed him intently as he leaned back, spread his legs, and planted his feet, mimicking Ward's posture.

Ward laughed and reached over to run his fingers through Charlie's hair. “Come here.” He pulled Charlie close as the boy carefully burrowed into his side, all the while being mindful of their drinks. “It's okay, little mouse. Everything's okay. Thank you for helping Daddy unwind.”

Charlie gave a quiet little chirp , then settled against him and focused on the TV.

Ward took a sip of his wine and smiled. He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again when he realized what he'd been about to say.

Geez . He scrubbed a hand over his face. Those three little words had been clawing at his throat for what seemed like ages. He felt them with every fiber of his being. Felt them right down to his soul.

But he couldn't say them. As badly as he wanted to do so, Ward couldn't make himself say the words that would certainly only lead to heartbreak.

Because what if it ruined everything, just like it always had?

Charlie already wanted to go home. Temporary or not, it always stung when the boy left. And Ward had seen, firsthand, just how easily Skylar could walk away from his life. Hell, the boy had been ready to leave Charlie without so much as a goodbye , and those two were as close as two people could be. For Skylar, leaving Ward would probably be easy.

Ward didn't want to jinx it. To ruin what they had. Even if it couldn't last, Ward wasn't ready for this to end.

It was safer to leave things as they were.

When Skylar came out to join them, fresh from his shower, the boy sank down onto the couch, moving gingerly.

“Sky?” Ward asked, instantly alert. “Are you in pain?”

“Huh? Oh, no.” Skylar gestured at the screen. “I just didn't want to disturb the show.”

Ward studied the boy's eyes. There was something there that he couldn't make out, but when Skylar smiled at him—looking tired but content—Ward pushed his concern aside and smiled back. “Come here.”

Skylar burrowed against him, just like Charlie on his other side.

Ward set down his wine glass and put his arms around them, holding them close.

This was enough.

He'd just have to hold onto it for as long as it lasted.