Night by Night Read online

  After Hank’s shower he gathered their dirty laundry and carried it out to the garage, where the washer and dryer were located. Another good thing about this house—no more laundromat trips. That would save him money and time every week.

  Sounds echoed in the empty one-car garage as he separated the loads and put in his work clothes first. He was down to two pairs of work jeans.

  One good thing—since he barely had any shit, he could park the truck in the garage, if he wanted. He hadn’t gotten that far yet, though. He needed to reset the access code on the clickers for the garage door openers first, to be on the safe side. In case a previous resident still had one that matched. For now, he kept the overhead garage door locked, and the overhead garage door opener unplugged.

  With that chore completed, he headed to the kitchen, where JJ and Dox were getting on famously. Dox already had fish sticks and tater tots in the oven, and was in the process of chopping fresh green beans to cook.

  Hank stood there for a moment, watching them. A flood of memories he hadn’t thought about in years came to mind, about him and Dox and growing up together. How they’d cooked together with their parents, always a family thing. How Dox’s parents had treated him like another son.

  How they’d even offered to let him stay there in Sarasota with them, if he’d wanted to, instead of moving to Pennsylvania with his parents.

  But he hadn’t wanted to be separated from his parents, or from Lois. In retrospect, it was a good thing he had been there. They’d had each other to lean on in the aftermath of their parents’ deaths, and he’d been there to keep JJ safe.

  He likely never would have been able to see JJ again had he not been there from the start. Or Cameron would’ve murdered Lois a lot sooner.

  Hank crossed the kitchen to join them. “How we doing?”

  Dox offered him a smile. “Got it handled. Should be ready in about ten minutes.”

  “I really appreciate this.”

  “Hey, I’d just be going home and eating leftovers. You’re not keeping me from doing anything. I’d rather be here spending time with you guys.”

  “I asked Uncle Dox to come to my birthday party,” JJ said. “He said yes.”

  Hank gently tugged one of her pigtails. “Did you say please?”

  She solemnly nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “Good girl.” He might not be the world’s greatest father, but he’d damn sure instill respectful behavior in her. Basic manners.

  He walked over to the fridge and pulled out two of the beers Dox had brought with him. He twisted off the caps and handed one to Dox. Then he gently clinked bottles with him and met his gaze.

  “To being home again, and to having my best friend back,” Hank said.

  Dox nodded. “Dang glad to have my best friend back,” he said.

  They drank.

  * * * *

  After dinner, and after Hank checked to make sure JJ didn’t have any homework or anything, he got her bathed and put to bed a little early so he could collapse on the couch and talk to Dox.

  He also had another beer, although Dox had switched to soda during dinner after his second beer.

  One worry he’d had today was that Dox would get here tonight, and things would feel weird, or awkward, or they’d act like total strangers with each other.

  Nope. It was like they hadn’t spent any time apart.

  Not on his end, anyway. He hoped Dox felt the same.

  “What can I do for you right now?” Dox asked.

  Hank slowly shook his head. “You are. You have.” He looked at him. “Thank you. Again. I’m not too proud to admit I’m fucking broke right now, and you buying dinner for us was a huge help. And the other groceries.”

  “Can I help you unpack those?” He pointed at the pile of boxes at the end of the room.

  “No.” Hank explained the situation. “They can stay packed for now.” He threw his head back. “Damn near killed myself unloading yesterday.”

  “I wish you’d called me. I would’ve come over and helped. How’d you get it loaded?”

  “I paid one of my neighbors to help with the couch, my mattress, and JJ’s furniture.”

  “So…I know we couldn’t talk a lot around her. Do you feel like filling in some details? You don’t have to if you don’t feel up to it.”

  Hank sighed and went through the story. Including the unexpected and amazing kindness that afternoon, courtesy of Eliza McElroy and her friend, June. By the time he finished, he was blinking tears away. “And now, here we are.” He looked at Dox and found his friend watching him.

  “Anytime you need something—for her, for you, doesn’t matter,” Dox said. “You call me. You ask me. Fuck pride, fuck thinking you’re a burden or whatever. Promise me. I’ll be pissed off if you don’t ask me.”

  Hank’s breath hitched again as he nodded. “I promise.”

  “If she’s sick and needs to go to the doctor, or if you need someone to stay home with her, I know Marcia and Derrick will let me work from home, because they let parents do that when their kids are sick. I can come here and stay with her, or you can bring her to me at my place.”

  Hank nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

  He smiled. “If Mom and Dad still lived here I know they’d volunteer to help out, too. They’re supposed to come down for Christmas to visit. Wait until I tell them about her. They’ll adopt her as a granddaughter.”

  Hank sadly smiled. “I miss your parents.”

  “They’re on Facebook. You should contact them. I know they’d love to hear from you. Especially now.”

  “I will.” Not that night, though. He needed to recover from his emotions from today, first. His soul felt raw, grated—humbled. “I feel like I’ve been lost in the wilderness forever.”

  “Well, now that you’re back,” Dox said, “if you think I’m letting you get lost again, you’re crazy.”

  It was a little before ten when Dox left, but not until after giving him another long, hard hug.

  Damn, it felt good to have someone to hug again, and it wasn’t weird, because it was Dox.

  “I’ll come by for dinner tomorrow,” Dox told him. “I’ll bring stuff and cook for us again.”

  “Are you sure? Oh, wait. Mrs. McElroy invited all of us—you, too—to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” Hank pulled his phone out and texted him the address.

  “Okay.” Dox looked at his phone. “Oh. I know where that is. I’ll come by and pick you two up and we can ride together. Just let me know what time.”

  “Sure. I’ll text her in the morning and ask.”

  Hank walked him outside. One more hug before Hank released him and stepped back, despite wishing he could stand there all night hugging him. It just felt…damned good to get a fricking hug.

  “I’m really glad you’re back,” Dox said.

  “Me, too.” Hank stood there and watched as he got into his car and drove off, waving at him.

  Finally, it feels like life is back on the right track.

  Chapter Six

  Maddox drove home, his mind thick with memories and hopes and subtle disappointments that he knew were all about him and had nothing to do with Hank.

  Does it make me a horrible person to be glad he’s single?

  Because it felt like it did.

  It also felt like being glad Hank was alone so Maddox could make every excuse in the world to go see him might not make him the best person.

  Might make his reasons…suspect.

  Well, damn right they were. He wanted Hank to himself for a while. Sure, he had acquaintances, between St. Pete and Sarasota, but he seriously didn’t have any friends, now that he could honestly compare Hank to the others.

  Tonight had been amazing, to Maddox, anyway. Literally felt like they hadn’t spent any time apart.

  And fuck, the man was gorgeous.

  He’d never admit it, but he’d saved the latest picture Hank had posted to Facebook to his phone so
he could look at it whenever he wanted to.

  Because…damn.

  Having heard about the various jobs Hank had done in the years since high school, most of them in construction, it was no wonder the man was in such damn good shape.

  When he lay down to go to bed he couldn’t sleep, his mind racing, imagination spinning out impossible fantasies. The only good thing right now about Hank’s situation was when Maddox had asked him if he was dating, or had left anyone behind, or if he wanted Maddox to introduce him around, Hank had said the last thing on his mind right now was dating. That even if he’d been interested in dating, he didn’t have the time or energy for it.

  That all he wanted, for now, was friendship.

  Specifically, rebuilding their friendship.

  Finally, Maddox grabbed the bottle of lube he kept in the nightstand drawer and squirted some in his palm. Fisting his cock, he closed his eyes and adjusted his fantasy, now knowing how adult Hank looked and sounded.

  How it’d felt hugging him.

  The catch in Hank’s breath as his emotions got the better of him.

  How his blue eyes looked as gorgeous as he remembered them being when they were younger.

  Fuuuuck.

  It was the thought of Hank’s blue eyes that really tipped him toward the edge and sent him closer to climax. He slowed his strokes, squeezing the base of his cock and letting himself cool down for a moment.

  In a perfect world he’d be able to put the guy over his lap for a spanking that would turn his ass and the backs of his legs a gorgeous shade of red before he fucked the man’s outstandingly tight ass.

  With a gasp he came, ropes of hot jizz squirting through his fingers as his balls emptied.

  The sound of his ragged breathing filled the room even as his pulse surged and pounded in his ears before fading again.

  I’m screwed. I’m sooooo fucking screwed.

  He knew there was no way he could ever walk away from Hank. Not as a friend, and damn sure not for any woman.

  Not right now.

  Not until he somehow forced himself to come to peace with the fact that his fantasies would always remain just that.

  * * * *

  Tuesday morning, when Maddox awoke he already had a text from Hank.

  Mrs. McElroy insists we call her Eliza, and she said dinner at 7.

  Maddox smiled. He wouldn’t deny it was kind of nice having Hank texting him like this.

  Maybe I can secretly condition him to text me every morning.

  The thought made his sadistic Dominant side giggle, even though he knew he would only be setting himself up for future disappointment.

  Worth it.

  He texted him back.

  Text me as soon as you’re home from work and I’ll come over to pick you guys up.

  Hank replied almost immediately with a thumbs-up emoji.

  A giddy little rush swept through Maddox. No, this wasn’t technically violating Hank’s consent in any way, because helloooo, Hank considered them nothing more than friends.

  That it dovetailed nicely with his own personal desires was a bonus.

  * * * *

  Hank tucked his phone away. He’d been stopped at a red light, on his way to take JJ to school, when Dox replied to his text.

  Last night, while he’d slept better than he had in a long damn time, his dreams were filled with memories of the past.

  Exactly how lonely he’d been all these years really slammed home now that Dox was back in his life.

  And he didn’t even have to share Dox with a wife or girlfriend.

  Okay, that’s selfish of me.

  Yeah, he’d own that. When they were in high school, while both of them had dated on occasion, it seemed like that was more of an imposition to their friendship than having true benefits of its own. Hell, he could jerk off if he was horny, and his hand didn’t bitch that he was spending too much time with Dox.

  Which back then, during the school year, a lot of their time together was spent studying. Because Dox had saved his ass in math.

  Frankly, he’d dumped more than one girlfriend in high school because she’d tried to come between him and Dox.

  Doesn’t that tell me something?

  He dropped JJ off at school, but instead of letting her go in by herself, he walked her inside. “Remember, you go to Miss Eliza’s dojo on their bus. The teacher will help you find the right one.”

  She jumped up and down. “I can’t wait!”

  He headed to the office after seeing her to class and talking to her teacher to let her know about the new arrangement.

  After he waited his turn, the administrative assistant smiled at him. “Did you have any luck finding child care yesterday?”

  “I did, actually.” He had all the forms ready. “And I’d like to verify something on her emergency forms. I want to make sure my friend, Maddox Orosco, is listed as being authorized to pick her up from school, not just as an emergency contact.”

  “Sure.” She pulled up JJ’s file and added that information.

  “And I’d like to add Eliza and Rusty McElroy, too.” He called up their contact info on his phone. She’d told him he could feel free to add them to JJ’s file, just in case.

  She looked at him. “She used to be a history teacher?”

  “You know her?”

  She laughed. “I worked with her at the high school before she retired. Is she a friend of yours?”

  “Yeah, and she was my teacher.” He explained she taught at the dojo and the fortuitous coincidence yesterday.

  “That’s good you already have people here who can be a safety net for you.”

  “Yeah, I’m lucky. Really lucky.”

  With that handled, he headed to work. Today would be his first real day at his new job. While he wasn’t looking forward to the back-breaking work in the hot Florida sun, he was looking forward to once again earning a paycheck. He had never been rich, but he had always tried to keep at least a couple of thousand in savings for emergencies. Between the legal fees, and Lois’ funeral fees, and the move, he’d been feeling increasingly anxious with every dollar he’d spent. Now, at least, he could get back on track. Even better, he’d be able to buy health insurance through his new employer after he’d been there several months.

  So far, he’d been damned lucky, able to get free or reduced medical care for JJ through the health department or other government programs. He hadn’t been in for a checkup for himself in too damn long, but it wasn’t like he had much in the way of options. He had been fortunate he hadn’t needed medical care for himself. Especially considering his line of work.

  He opted to drive himself to the job site today instead of riding with the rest of the crew, just in case JJ had a problem and he needed to go pick her up early. Although he suspected he’d be far more nervous than she was. Once she accepted someone, her practically unshakeable trust meant she was eager and willing to spend time with them.

  Him? He worried about her. She’d done great in her previous school despite how he’d worried and fought the urge to call the school to check on her all the time.

  Not having anyone to worry about her with him didn’t help, either. Although knowing he had Dox back in his life was somewhat of a relief. He’d worried a little that the man might be thrown by him now having a daughter, but what a credit to him that he’d ordered Hank to let him help out.

  You can’t buy that kind of friendship.

  All during the day, he struggled not to look at his phone, to not check for messages, to not worry about her. When the time came he knew school would let out and she’d be going to the dojo, he was about to call to make sure she got there okay when his phone beeped with a text.

  From Eliza.

  She’s here safe and sound, Dad. Stop worrying. :)

  He laughed even as he had to struggle against the tears wanting to well in his eyes. He quickly texted her back.

  Thanks, ma’am!

  He finally put his phone away, relaxed, and focuse
d on his work.

  * * * *

  Maddox tried to focus on his work, but all he could think about was Hank and seeing him again that evening. He’d texted Hank to ask if they were supposed to bring anything to dinner, but apparently Eliza had said no, just themselves.

  His nerves wound tighter as he headed home. There was an urge to shower and shave—again—and put on his best suit…

  Except that wouldn’t make sense to anyone else and would look weird.

  After finally opting for jeans and a T-shirt, he fought the urge to nervously pace until Hank texted him they were home. Then he jumped in the car and headed there, chastising himself the whole way.

  You know you’re setting yourself up for heartache, right?

  You know you’re a dumbass, right?

  You know you should go out and find someone to actually, oh, date, right?

  He also knew that wasn’t possible.

  When they were teenagers, sure, he shoved back the possibility of having more with Hank than just friendship.

  But he was bi, right? Wasn’t it possible Hank might turn out to be bi, too?

  If he was wrong—in all honesty, he probably was wrong—then it could possibly mean the end of their friendship, and that was something he couldn’t deal with.

  Better to love from afar and hope no stupid woman broke Hank’s heart.

  When he arrived, JJ opened the door for him and ran out to greet him. Her hair was damp from a shower, and she wore shorts and a T-shirt. Without hesitation, she ran to him and flung herself at his legs, hugging him and making him laugh.

  “Hello, Uncle Dox!”

  He laughed and picked her up. “Hello, JJ.”

  “Daddy’s taking a shower. He told me to let you in.”

  He carried her inside. “How’d you like Miss Eliza’s class today?”

  “She was there but she wasn’t my teacher. It was really cool…”

  And for the next ten minutes, until Hank emerged freshly showered and looking buff in his shorts and T-shirt, Maddox got to hear all about JJ’s day as they sat talking on the couch.