Yours to Keep by Claudia Burgoa
Chapter Twenty-Three
Darren
The first timeI set foot in Baker’s Creek, I knew it was a great place to live in. However, by the end of August, I’m ready to sell my apartment in San Francisco and search for a permanent home in this small, quaint town. I haven’t found any unfavorable factors to this place. My job is within walking distance. In less than five minutes, I can be anywhere. If I have to be at the hospital in Portland, I get to ride a helicopter—and I pay those in sexual favors to my friendly neighbor Vance.
What more do I need to make this a permanent move? A house. Listen, I understand that I get to live in a three-bedroom house as part of my pay. However, I want something that I can call mine. Also, more doctors are coming to town as early as next January. I don’t want to take something from someone else when I don’t need it.
There’s always the possibility of convincing the Aldridge brothers to sell me a plot so I can build a house by the lake. I mean, they always say that since I saved the youngest Aldridge, they’ll do anything for me. Even gift me Vance as my sex toy. The last one is a way of teasing him. I understand why he’s keeping our casual relationship from his brothers. They like to tease the fuck out of each other, and it’s all fun until you’re part of the practical jokes. I don’t dish them out because it’s cute to watch Vance get flustered.
Their sibling dynamic is interesting. A lot different from what I have with my sisters, not that I’d want to change the way things are with my family. I love those three monsters dearly. Still, I don’t mind hanging out with the Aldridges a few nights a week. I either have dinner with them or go to the underground playroom. It sounds a lot kinkier than it is. Beacon has an underground apartment, and one of the rooms has a pool table, a big table where we can play cards, and a home bar, among other things.
From all the brothers, Vance gets along with Beacon the most. The only annoying part of their relationship is when they challenge each other or make stupid bets. I can’t remember what they did yesterday, but the loser has to clean the barn for all of September. I think Vance lost on purpose because Beacon can’t be standing up for more than thirty minutes at a time.
Maybe it was all a show to distract everyone from what was really happening. Mills and Arden flew to Seattle to profess his love for Hadley. I think it’s kind of sweet and romantic. Also, dramatic. I wouldn’t go to the end of the world to declare my love to someone. It might be because I’m too cynical to believe that it’s worth jumping on a plane and getting someone back. If they left you, it’s because it’s over. End of story.
“You know what’s not sweet nor romantic? Spending your Sunday at the Aldridge mansion babysitting Henry’s twins. Not that I want to have a romantic day with Vance, it’s just not what I envisioned to do on my day off.
“I still don’t understand why we’re here,” I complain. “You have three other brothers. Why us, and where is everyone?”
“Are you complaining, Russell? Because I didn’t exactly invite you.” Vance doesn’t even look at me. He’s admiring Thayer while feeding him and rocking him back and forth slowly.
“What was I supposed to do?”
He glances at me. “I don’t know, but Holton looks good on you.”
“I make everything look fucking awesome, even a baby,” I joke. “So where is everyone?”
The house is empty. If we weren’t feeding the twins, I’d propose to have sex in a few key places, like the kitchen. No, the counters are too low. We could try his room. I’ve never stayed in his bedroom. Things always happen at my house, and I get it. It’d be weird to do the walk of shame in the morning. My goal in life is to avoid becoming the talk of Baker’s Creek.
“Sophia’s family is in Portland for the week. She wanted to see her parents before they head to Hawaii. Hayes and Blaire went along to check up on her mother, who is sick. They just want to do a physical before they give her the green light. Pierce went along because the couple adores Carter as if he’s their grandchild. Beacon and Grace are in Seattle, but if anyone asks, they’re in Portland with the rest of the family,” Vance says. “They even have decoys to prove that they were never out of the state.”
“You people like to live dangerously. What if they catch you?”
He glares at me. “Unless you tell anyone, no one will catch us. I’m trusting you.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t say anything. Now, if Sophia went to see her family, why did these two stay behind?”
“Oh, Thayer has a bad cold, and Hayes said—”
“The air pressure of the plane is going to affect his ears,” I interrupt him. “If they drive, when they drive up here, it’s also going to be a problem.”
He nods. “Since Holt was sick last week, they were about to cancel the trip, so I offered to stay.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “I have the house to myself.”
“What am I?”
He grins. “You’re my to-do list after these two fall asleep.”
“You better make it worth it, Van,” I warn him. “I’ve been puked, pooped, and peed on in less than an hour. They just reminded me why I’m never going to have children.”
“Yet you’re good with them,” he says.
“Remember, I have three sisters. Two nephews, three nieces. I’m an expert. This is the best part of being an uncle. You get to take care of the bundles of joy, but once you’re done playing, you hand them over and continue with your life.” I flash him a grin. “No one cockblocks you in the middle of the night because they had a nightmare.”
“It sounds like a good deal.”
“It’s the best,” I assure him.
The way Vance looks at Thayer with so much love makes me think he’ll fall for someone and have a child one day. He’s into women too. Maybe he’ll meet a nice chick, they’ll start a family, and hopefully, she’ll let him play with me from time to time. I’m not ready to let him go, which is unusual for me. My philosophy is catch and release. I don’t think I’ve caught him, but I’m definitely not ready to release him.
“Mine is asleep,” Vance says as he pats Thayer’s back. “If you hurry up, I can show you my room.”
“At last, my Sunday is turning around.”
“You have no idea how good I’m going to make it, D.”
As promised,my Sunday was fun. Even when we spent it with the twins. Around eight, we’re back at my house. Manelik, one of Beacon’s bandmates, is staying at the mansion playing decoy for Vance.
When we arrive, Van goes to the pantry and pulls out the bottle of Macallan 25 and two glasses. “Let’s go outside.”
“We’re getting out the good whisky,” I say jokingly.
He shrugs one shoulder and heads to the backyard. I follow. While he turns on the fireplace he built a month ago, I realize that today has been too domestic. I’ve enjoyed it, but I’m also uncomfortable with it. This might be a good time to discuss what’s happening between us. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea. I planned on doing this once upon a time, and it didn’t work out. I don’t want to try it again.
We should call this off now. But then why tamper with something good? We only have a few months left. Three. I can keep my mouth shut for three months and enjoy the perks of being with Vance Aldridge. Once the stipulations are over, he’s going to leave. If he knew about the bullshit I think sometimes, he might be the one terminating our arrangement. The thought of losing this almost pushes all the air out of my lungs. Okay, so I’m not ready to let him go. I’ll release him when he leaves. It’ll be easy.
After pouring the amber liquid into the glasses, he pulls out his phone, taps it a few times, and sighs.
“Everything okay?”
“I think so. I’m trying to reason with Beacon.”
Since he arrived at the house, Beacon and Vance have been talking in hushed voices. Reasoning can mean a lot of things, and I’m not sure if I should even ask. I shouldn’t care, but I’m curious about what I heard. “By the way, what did Beacon mean by we might’ve found him?”
He’s looking at his phone when he answers. “They found one of Dad’s lovers. They were together before he was diagnosed with cancer. Beac said he might be willing to talk to us. If we can’t find his old lovers, we’ll try to get some information from the new ones.”
“You guys are obsessed.”
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation or shame.
“I don’t understand,” I say, grabbing one of the glasses. “The man is dead. You can’t fix anything. You said there are letters. Why not wait for the letters and see what he needs to say?”
“What if there aren’t any answers in those letters? I want to know why I’m here, and I’m not talking about Baker’s Creek, but in the world. Why have a child out of wedlock? Why have four more?”
He finally lifts his tumbler and drinks all the liquid in one gulp, then he pours another. “I’ll be fucking pissed if the letters just say, the joke is on you. However, that’s why we’re searching for more. My father was an asshole, but there’s more underneath. We know it.”
“You don’t want to be surprised, is that it?”
“Partially. If you were imprisoned for eighteen months, wouldn’t you want to know the reason?”
“It’s ridiculous that you compared this with a jail cell.”
“It’s worse,” he says. “The two times I ended up in a holding cell, I was able to leave the next day, and I knew why I was there. Nothing I did to get out fucked anyone else, and I had a life after that.”
There’s the root of his worries. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do after the time is up. Also, he’s worried and not angry. This poor man is still struggling with feelings. It hurts to see him battling demons, emotions, and his past. I wish I could do more, but I also know that’s outside my comfort zone.
“So, you’re concerned that you don’t know what you’ll do after November?”
He nods and smiles. I don’t know what it means. Is he glad that I understand what he’s feeling? “I have three months to convince my therapist that I’m mentally stable to work for The Organization.”
I want to tell him that he’s better than when we met. He doesn’t wear a big frown anymore. There’s a lightness to him that makes him look…I stop myself because it doesn’t matter what I think, and I definitely shouldn’t feel anything. We’re fuck buddies. Though, I understand why he lasted so long with that guy, Bennett. He might not talk much, but he’s pleasant. I like the silence between us. It’s comfortable. As a bonus, he’s great in bed. He’s so fucking good. We have a lot of sex. Though he likes to top more than he bottoms, we find a balance that works for both of us.
He stares at the fire for a long moment. “If that doesn’t work, I’m still the mall cop for my brothers. It’s a gig, but some days, it’s fucking boring. Are you definitely staying?”
I bob my head a couple of times. “I know you hate this town, but I like it. You never told me what happened between Hadley and Mills.”
“He proposed. They have permission to stay out of Baker’s Creek until Wednesday. He’s going to Vancouver. He wants to buy the Orcas on Monday.”
“The Orcas?”
“Fuck, don’t go all fanboy on me, Russell. Yes, the Orcas.”
“Are they moving to Baker’s Creek?”
He shakes his head, letting out an exasperated breath. “No. He’s not sure if he wants to move the team to Portland, keep it in Vancouver, or move it to Seattle. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“I knew it’d pay off to sleep with you.”
He shakes his head. “I thought you were with me for my cock. Now I’m feeling used.”
I reach out for his crotch and stroke him. “It’s all about your huge dick, babe. Do you want to go upstairs?”
He grins. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
