CHAPTER 13

“Thank you.” Albert whispered, looking into the other man’s eyes. “I…I really appreciate it. I promise to treasure this forever.”

“Hey,” Lawrence replied softly, caressing the baker’s cheek with the tips of his fingers. “No need to thank me, because it’s true. The feeling was here from day one,” he touched his chest with the other hand, “but I didn’t have the courage to voice it.”

“It’s not only the words you said earlier.” Albert anxiously ran his tongue over his lips. “You also made me feel like I mattered, for the first time in…I don’t even know how long.”

“You always mattered to me,” Lawrence’s answer came in the same soothing voice from earlier. “At first, because you were, and still are, Brian’s best friend, and he’s a great guy, and then, when I came to know you better, for being who you are. It’s just that I didn’t voice my interest and feelings.”

“Because I was an asshole and didn’t give you a chance, any chance.” Albert ran a hand over his face, dropping his gaze in embarrassment. “I wasted a lot of precious time keeping you at a distance, when all you wanted was to offer me unforgettable moments, like the ride earlier. It was just like you said, I felt freedom coursing through my veins.”

“I’m so damn happy you enjoyed the ride.” Lawrence covered his mouth with one hand, smiling apologetically. “Excuse my language, but I’m overjoyed.” He swallowed hard. “I promise to tell you those words as often as I’m allowed, and take you on a ride whenever you ask me to.”

“And I promise to let you do these things and to not be afraid to give you a chance.” Albert replied, his face radiating with newfound hope.

**************

A smile playing on his full, sensual lips, arms folded under his head, Lawrence was recalling the sexual encounter he and Albert had almost a month earlier, on the evening of Brian’s party. The smile faltered, replaced by a frown that creased the biker’s forehead: he didn’t like the sound of that, even if the words weren’t spoken aloud.

What happened between Lawrence and Albert was something beautiful, passionate, a combination of possessiveness and tenderness, much more than a mere coupling of two bodies; it was also an union of souls. Every detail of that afternoon was etched into his mind like it happened only moments earlier, the scene playing in his head frame by frame, like in a movie.

However, no matter how much Lawrence analyzed the events prior to that magical night—because it was like that, in more than one way—he couldn’t figure out what determined Albert to act the way he did, let himself be carried by the wave. The biker wanted an answer, so he could keep doing what made the shy, reserved baker surrender to him so completely.

Albert acted from an impulse, Lawrence was sure of it; answering positively to his invitation to have a hot chocolate at his place, after the ride, wasn’t something the man planned to do. Hell, not even I knew I wanted that until the words left my mouth, the biker continued his trail of thoughts, the smile reappearing on his face.

The seconds that followed his words were the longest, most tortuous from Lawrence’s life; the man remembered he prayed for the first time in years, begging all the deities known to him to do something, anything, so the other man won’t run without looking back. Albert’s answer, spoken in a barely audible voice, was the proof that the supernatural forces governing the universe really existed and listened to those who talked to them.

During the lovemaking, Lawrence was focused on giving Albert as much pleasure as possible, and was too busy worshiping the man’s body to think about anything else. But, when they finished, his mind was on edge again, as he thought the baker would get dressed and leave right away, without a word.

It wasn’t the case, and Lawrence was beyond grateful for that; Albert cuddled with him, the man’s warm breath against his skin making his heart flutter. The short conversation that followed came as a bonus, and gave the biker one more reason to be grateful to whoever was in charge of deciding people’s fate.

Even after that, a small part of Lawrence still thought Albert would avoid him like plague the next day, but fortunately, he was wrong. On the contrary, the baker greeted him with a smile, a delicate shade of pink coloring his cheeks when their eyes met. From that day on, he sought the biker’s company, and was often the one who started the conversation.

And then, the invitation to Thanksgiving dinner came, with Lawrence staring in disbelief at Albert, who was patiently waiting for his answer. Of course, Tracy, Terry, and little Ben were welcome, too, Brei-Ayn always cooked enough to feed a small army, the baker added, hoping to convince the biker to say yes.

Lawrence didn’t need to be convinced, but it took him a few good seconds to find his voice; the shock produced by the totally unexpected invitation silenced him, and he had to swallow hard a few times before answering. When he finally did, the one word was spoken in a shaky voice and accompanied by a bright, beautiful smile.

Never in his whole life, not even back when he was a child, in his loving parents’ home, did Lawrence enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner so much like he did the one at Albert’s house. There was indeed plenty of food, all the dishes mouthwatering, especially the huge turkey. Everything was met with moans of appreciation, to the great delight of the cook and her helpers, Chad and Monica.

Anyway, everyone’s center of attention was an enormous vanilla and lemon cream double cake, Stacy’s latest creation. Although Albert had an important contribution to it, he preferred to give all the credit to his young employee, both as an encouragement and as an acknowledgement of her skills. The cake was greeted with great enthusiasm by children and adults alike, their eyes shining with innocent greed.

What Lawrence liked the most, however, was the atmosphere; in spite of the age difference and them coming from completely opposite environments, the five children got along great, the sound of their laughter and giggles filling the air. From time to time, the master of the house wrapped them all in a loving, warm gaze, then locked his eyes with the guest and gave him one of his beautiful, radiant smiles.

Now, doing a mental recap of that evening while he was laying in bed, waiting for sleep to take over him, Lawrence realized the children decided on their own to act like they were part of the same family. It came naturally, and they even didn’t talk about that before dinner; more, the biker was sure they never met each other.

The five children’s behavior was a not-so-subtle message for the two grown-up men present at the table that Thanksgiving evening: if we can get along, so do you. Lawrence huffed a laugh when he remembered the expression of satisfaction on the little one’s cute faces every time he and Albert looked at each other, and the thumbs up they gave to each other under the table.

Lawrence’s body was completely relaxed and light as a feather, his eyes almost closed, and he wrapped the blankets around him, getting ready for a deep, restful sleep. A new day awaited him at the end of the long, cold, winter night, one he hoped was filled with tender affection and a lot of bright smiles.

In the morning, Lawrence woke up one hour earlier than usual; it was his turn to go to the bakery, take the big basket full of cookies, muffins, and pastries Albert offered to the kids coming to the library, and take it to the destination. It was a five-minute job, but he liked to chat a bit with the sweet Miss Pat, who was the first to come to work, for the same reason.

“Good morning, Miss Pat.” Lawrence offered a bright smile to the lady behind the counter. The aroma of the freshly baked bread rolls and bagels made his nostril flare. “It smells heavenly in here.”

“Good morning to you, too.” Miss Pat returned the smile. “Thank you, the first batch of the day is ready, the second one is in the oven. The kids showed up earlier, too.” She gestured with her head to the door leading to the room where her three younger co-workers started to prepare the sweets.

“Oh, yes.” Lawrence nodded, his dark-brown eyes shining with affection. “Today is Wednesday, so cookie-decorating class in the afternoon. You have to finish here earlier, so the future bakers can take over the place.”

“Exactly.” Miss Pat nodded with a happy expression. “Listen to me, Digger, Miss Bianca is a lifesaver in the best, truest sense of the world. Since she had the idea of putting baking on the list with activities kids attending the arts and crafts classes could be interested in, a lot of those poor souls found a purpose in life. The boss even offered to cover the tuition fees of those who will decide to become professional bakers.”

“That’s so very generous, but I’m not surprised at all, it’s typically Albert.” Lawrence replied in a lively, warm voice, then he cleared his throat. “Speaking of your boss, where is he? I didn’t see him this morning or hear his voice in the back.” The man’s voice was tinged with worry when he spoke the last part.

“With Leon, at the other location, to discuss the last details about the furniture and layout.” Miss Pat gave the biker a half-amused, half-scrutinizing look. “There’s something I wanted to ask you for quite some time, but I either forgot to or didn’t have the time: are the two of you…a thing?”

Lawrence swallowed hard a few times, then nodded. “We’re…dating. Well, not exactly what most people think about when they hear this word, but the two of us spend a lot of time together and enjoy each other’s company.” He stopped talking for a few seconds, then continued, carefully choosing his words. “I want to make things right, so I let Albert set the pace to…everything concerning our life as a couple.”

“It’s damn cold outside,” Albert said, rubbing his hands together as he walked into the bakery. “but here it’s so warm, and the presence of a certain man heats the atmosphere even more.” He flashed a cute grin in Lawrence’s direction.

“I agree with everything you said.” Miss Pat nodded in approval. “I leave you guys to talk, time for me to take the bread rolls out of the oven. Have a great day, Digger.” She went in the back, only to come back a few seconds later. “Hey, boss, before I forget, here’s this week’s list of supplies, plus what we need for the fair.”

“Four types of flour, cinnamon, yeast, seven dozen eggs, milk, chocolate chips, raisins, cocoa, butter…” Albert muttered more to himself, reading the items on the long list. “Shit, I’ll need a truck to carry everything. Scratch that, I’ll need several trucks.” He shook his head. “That’s an unexpected expense, so I’m afraid I’ll have to put opening the other bakery on hold, indefinitely.”

“Not necessarily.” Lawrence’s reply was spoken in a calm voice. “You can use Leon’s van, I’m sure he won’t mind.” He huffed a laugh. “The damn thing’s the size of a tank, you could put a whole store in there.”

Albert sighed. “I thought about it myself, and I’m going to do it. However, it’s only a temporary solution; I’ll still have to invest in a truck to deliver the orders to those clients from outside The Base town.”

“Again, not necessarily.” Lawrence’s smile warmed the other man’s heart. “Dunstan will be happy to let you borrow a few of the trucks they use to carry the supplies for the sanctuary and rescue center. And, if they need some special changes, I know a guy who’s good at that,” he grinned, pointing to himself.

“A guy who is good to have around.” The smile accompanied Albert's words lit up the room. “A man I’m learning to appreciate.”