Bray drove himself, while Noah drove him and Kit to Bray’s house. Kit folded himself into his favorite armchair, and Noah settled on the floor at his feet. Same as usual. Bray grabbed some drinks and handed them out.

  “So…” he said. “What have you got to tell me?”

  Kit chuckled. “Nothing really. We just wanted you to know that we love them. They’re so perfect for you. You’re perfect together. It’s nauseating.” He laughed again when Noah slapped his leg.

  “What he meant to say was it’s beautiful, and you deserve it.”

  Bray felt his cheeks heating. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

  “Has Grandma met them yet?”

  Bray shook his head. “She has a cough. She’s waiting until it’s cleared before she comes over.”

  Noah frowned. “Is she okay?”

  Bray sighed, deciding to go for honesty. “I don’t know. She won’t go to the doctor. I’m going to give her a couple of weeks to see if this cough goes, and if it doesn’t, I’m physically dragging her there.”

  “Do you think it’s something else?” Kit asked.

  Bray rubbed his hand over his head. “I’m not sure. I hope not.”

  They fell into silence for a few minutes, and then Kit fidgeted. “I like them, Papa. You did well.”

  “Thanks, Kit.”

  “I can’t wait for the beach tomorrow. All those lifeguards.” Kit winked.

  Bray laughed. “I’ll let Jordan know you’re interested. He can tell you which ones are decent. And single.” Kit winced. It wouldn’t be the first time Kit had started something with someone who had hidden that they were already with someone. Poor guy had bad luck when it came to relationships.

  They spoke long into the night and finally succumbed to sleep in the early hours of the morning. Bray fought to pull himself from sleep the next day, having not set his alarm. Whenever he slept longer than usual, he felt worse than if he’d had less sleep. It was something that had always buggered him up when he was in the Army.

  He stumbled from bed and showered in the coldest water he could stand, and then dressed and made breakfast. The scents would bring his kids from their room before long.

  Noah was the first to appear with dishevelled hair and creases on his cheeks. He slumped into a chair at the table and put his forehead in his hands, groaning. “I really shouldn’t go to bed so late.”

  Bray snorted. “I’m sure you go to bed so early at university.”

  Noah glared at him. “I do. If I don’t, I can’t concentrate the next day.” He rubbed his face. “I need coffee.”

  Bray filled him a cup and handed it to him, and Noah cradled it to his face, inhaling and closing his eyes. Kit entered the kitchen just as Bray was plating the food. He looked completely put together and awake, which was surprising. Kit was usually the one to stumble in at the last minute, looking like he’d fought with a hedge and lost during his sleep.

  They ate, and Bray drove them back to Mattie’s once they were all dressed and ready to go. They’d made it just in time to see Mattie off to work. Bray helped to corral the kids while Jordan sorted Ama for the beach, and they packed the car with buckets, spades, suncream, hats, and all manner of paraphernalia. Bray had no idea where most of it had come from.

  He found a parking space close to their destination, and they grabbed everything they could. Bray carried Ama—there was no point using the stroller—and Cody carried the buckets and spades. The beach was already busy, but Jordan pointed them towards a gap near to one of the towers. They spread out blankets and dug an enormous umbrella into the sand to protect them from the sun. Cody was chomping to get into the water, and Kit offered to take him. Jordan didn’t hesitate in saying yes, which was more than Bray had been expecting. After all, he’d only met them the previous evening.

  His thoughts must’ve been showing on his face because Jordan chuckled and dropped beside him, pressing his lips to Bray’s cheek.

  “They’re your kids, Bray. I don’t need to grow to trust them. You trust them; therefore, I trust them.”

  Bray caught his chin in his hand and kissed him, tilting his head to deepen it when Jordan opened for him. Ama was pulled from his arms, and he yanked his mouth away, ready to fight whoever had tried to take her, when he saw Noah.

  “Now, now. Ama doesn’t want to see you two kissing face all the time. Do you, sweetheart? You want to feel the sand between your toes.”

  Bray wrapped his arm around Jordan, who melted into him as they watched Noah with Ama. He was a natural.

  “He’s a natural,” Jordan whispered, echoing his thoughts.

  “He is.”

  “Don’t they want to surf?”

  Bray smiled. “They’ll probably do it later once they’ve tried to exhaust Cody.”

  Jordan chuckled. “Good luck with that.”

  They spent a wonderful few hours with the scent of the ocean in their nostrils until too many stomachs began to rumble.

  “Let’s get all this stuff back to the car, and we can get some food while we’re here,” Bray said.

  When they were finally seated at a table in Let’s Talk Tacos, the scent of spices in the air, Bray realized how much he missed Mattie. Yes, they’d had fun, but it felt like part of him was missing whenever they were apart. Kit and Noah settled Cody between them, who preened from all the attention his “big brothers” were paying to him. Jordan and Bray sat on the other side of the table, holding Ama. They would have to think about bigger tables and stuff like that when they went out and about.

  Jordan pulled his phone out once they’d ordered and smiled down at it. He typed something and put it back in his pocket.

  “Everything okay?” Bray asked.

  Jordan nodded. “Yep.”

  Bray glanced around the restaurant, meeting the gazes of several customers. Mixed expressions covered their faces, some disgusted, some kind, but he tried not to let it bother him. It was hard, especially with some comments they overheard. And it wasn’t difficult to hear them. No one was being particularly quiet about their opinions. Bray could feel himself getting more and more angry as they waited for their food, and only Jordan’s hand on his arm stopped him from blowing up. Even Kit and Noah could see he was reaching boiling point.

  He inhaled and let it out, focusing solely on his family and trying to push away the voices. At least until one particular voice reached his ears.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” Mattie said, dragging a chair from a nearby table to settle at the end. “Hey, sweetpea. Have you had a good day?”

  Mattie reached for Ama, who kicked her arms and legs as if she’d not seen him for days instead of hours, and if Bray was being honest, he felt like doing the same.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you,” he said instead of tackling him to the floor like he wanted.

  “Jordan told me where you were, so I decided to leave the store in Kris’s hands for a short time. See how he does without me.” He bounced Ama on his lap.

  “I’ve ordered for you,” Jordan said. Bray frowned. When had he done that? “You don’t really think all that food I ordered was just for me, did you?”

  Bray shrugged. “I thought you were hungry.”

  Jordan laughed and kissed his cheek. “I am, but I couldn’t eat that much.”

  They ate in relative peace, none of them able to completely ignore the comments and looks thrown their way. Nico came over and loudly apologised for people’s behaviours, but it didn’t stop it. In the end, Bray had enough.

  “Enough,” he muttered, pushing at Jordan so he could leave the booth.

  Jordan rested a hand on his arm. “Wait.” He glanced at Kit and Noah, who nodded.

  Kit smiled at Cody. “Shall we get some ice cream?”

  Cody’s face lit up. “Yes, please!”

  Kit slid out of the seat, Cody and Noah following, the latter reaching for Ama as they went.

  “We’ll be outside.”

  Jordan reached into Bray’s pocket and retrieved his keys, handing them to Noah. “Thanks.”

  Noah glanced at him, but he was too angry to do anything other than vibrate and clench his fists.

  “They have no right,” Bray said.

  Jordan cupped his cheeks, forcibly turning him to look at him. “They don’t, but don’t let them win, Bray. They want a reaction. They want something to gossip about. They want to see bad in us. Don’t let them. We’re better than that.”

  Bray inhaled and closed his eyes, letting Jordan’s words reach deep inside him. Mattie’s hand rested on his shoulder. He hated the idea of leaving things as they were, but Jordan was right. They’d only cause more gossip if he reacted.

  “Let’s go.”

  It took all of his control to get them out of the doors without responding to those comments, but it wouldn’t be the last time. He was sure there would be more. He’d have to use his military-trained control to keep from blowing up at anyone because no one hurt his family. No one.

  CHAPTER 22

  MATTIE

  Mattie hadn’t meant to leave Kris for as long as he had, but when he’d heard the comments in the restaurant, he couldn’t leave them. Bray, especially, needed him. Them. It wasn’t fair to leave them to deal with it alone.

  When they reached the car, Mattie slid his arms around Bray’s waist, resting his head against his chest. “We’re okay, Bray. It’s just words.”

  Bray shuddered and exhaled into Mattie’s hair. “It just pisses me off. They think they have the right to voice their opinions right to our faces, and it stinks.”

  “It does. But we’re better than they are.” Mattie lifted his head. “We know how we feel. How we want to live. Who we want to…” he swallowed, “love.”

  Bray’s eyes widened as he looked down at Mattie, but there was no disgust or denial in his expression. Banked heat rose instead, and Mattie licked his lips. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but was now the right time?

  “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks,” Jordan said, stopping beside them. “We’re not hurting anyone.”

  Mattie slid one arm around Jordan, pulling him closer. He took a breath. “I love you,” he whispered, making sure to look at them both. They stilled, staring at him. “I love you,” he said again.

  Jordan tucked his face into Mattie’s neck, sniffing against his skin, and Bray stared at him. “How are you so brave?” he murmured, brushing his finger across Mattie’s cheek. “I wish I had as much strength as you do.”

  Mattie’s cheeks heated, but his brain didn’t miss the fact that neither had said it back. He shoved down his disappointment. “I’m not brave. You have more strength than I do. There’s no competition.”

  Bray shook his head. “I’ve wanted to say those words, but I kept thinking it was too soon. That there was no way I could feel that way about you both after such a short time. I was scared you’d reject me. So I kept the words inside.” Bray shook his head again. “I love you, Mattie.” He tugged at Jordan, whose face was red from his tears. “I love you, Jordan.”

  More tears flowed down Jordan’s cheeks, and Mattie smiled so widely his jaw cracked.

  “How can this be my life?” Jordan hiccupped. “You’re both bloody amazing.” He sniffed and wiped his face. “I love you both. We’re all the same, you know. We all felt it but were too scared to say it. You, Mattie Evans, are the bravest man among us.”

  Mattie ducked his head, but Bray lifted his chin again. They shared a three-way kiss, and whistles sounded. Mattie chuckled and pulled away, his cheeks as hot as an oven. He glanced at Kit and Noah, who were jumping Cody and Ama up and down as they grinned. Whether they’d heard their declarations, Mattie didn’t know, but they were happy all the same. And that was all that mattered.

  “Now we have that out of the way, I have to get back to work. If I have a place to get back to,” he muttered.

  Dropping another kiss on each of their lips, he kissed Ama and said goodbye to everyone else. The walk worked off his leftover anger at the restaurant situation and he focused solely on their words. They loved him!

  He entered the store with a skip in his step, bracing himself for disaster, but Kris was standing behind the counter, talking to a customer. Mattie smiled as he slipped to the back, letting Kris finish his conversation, though he couldn’t help but overhear it.

  “Personally, the satin is more comfortable, but some people like the feel of lace. It really is a personal preference. If you don’t want to ask, I would go with the satin in the first instance.” Kris glanced at him. “Do you agree?”

  Mattie discussed the merits of the fabrics with the woman, and after she’d paid for the items she’d decided on and left, he turned to Kris.

  “Sorry for taking so long. There was an…issue we had to deal with.”

  “It’s okay.” He gestured to the notepad beside the till. “I jotted down everything I sold just in case I did something wrong with the till. Hopefully, it all matches up.”

  “That’s great. Thanks, Kris. You’re doing brilliantly. You’ll be running the place in no time.”

  Kris laughed. “That is the point, isn’t it?”

  Mattie joined him, laughing. “It is. I’m looking forward to having some extra time with my kids.”

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Kris said, reaching for his drink. “Small kids and running your own business. It’s a lot.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Not now.”

  The afternoon went quickly, and Mattie locked up, eager to get home to his family. Having three adults and four kids under one roof was chaotic, but he loved it. One day, they might have to consider moving to a bigger place. A two-bedroom house was not sufficient for the number of kids they had, even if they didn’t stay with them all the time. The bus took its time, but eventually, he was on his way. He put his headphones on and closed his eyes, counting the stops so he knew when to get off without having to open them.

  His eyes lit up when Jordan stood at the bus stop, waiting for him. He hadn’t changed his clothes, even though a blob of meat juice had dropped onto his T-shirt at lunchtime.

  “Hey. I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

  Jordan slid his arms around him and kissed him. “I thought you’d want an update on Bray before we get home.”

  Mattie’s heart jumped. “Is he okay?”

  Jordan nodded. “He’s calmed down a lot since lunch, but he’s still angry.”

  Mattie sighed and snuggled into Jordan’s side as they headed towards home. “I can understand it. It’s never nice having people talk about us as if we’re not there, but we can’t stop them, as much as we might want to.”

  “One day, they’ll find something else to talk about. It’ll just take time until something else grabs their interest. I wish Bray could ignore it, but I suppose it’s the same for us. If something upsets one of us, especially the kids, then the others will fight tooth and nail to make it better.”

  Mattie chuckled. “Papa Bear style.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  They dropped into silence until they reached the house, and Mattie went first, hearing laughter and conversation, and his heart exploded with joy. This was what he’d always dreamed of. This was what he wanted. A house full of people. Laughter, smiles, love. Everything that makes life worth living. He couldn’t believe this was his life now. Even though Kit and Noah were short-term visitors, and Cody only came a few times a week, it was perfection, and Mattie didn’t want anything to change it.

  Jordan slipped past where he’d frozen with undoubtedly a sappy smile on his face and headed into the living room. Mattie slipped off his shoes, dropped his bag, and followed. There was nothing that was more important than his family right now. Nothing.

  “Ah, there he is,” Kit said. “We wanted to know if you’d like us to babysit tonight so you three can go out for a bit?”

  Mattie glanced at Bray and Jordan, who shrugged. “We said we’d leave it up to you,” Bray said.

  Looking around the living room, he inhaled and shook his head. “What I’d like is to spend the evening with you all. Together.”

  Kit raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised, but Noah smiled. “Sounds good to me. Movie and popcorn?”

  Mattie grinned. “How much are we all going to fight over what we’re watching?” he asked Noah.

  Noah snorted. “I guarantee it’ll take a good hour or so to decide.”

  Mattie sighed and put his hands on his hips, faux annoyed. “Well, I’m going to leave that with you to decide. I’ll take little madam and get the popcorn started.” He stepped towards Bray, leaned down to kiss him before reaching for Ama. “Come on, little miss. You’re never too young to learn how to make popcorn.”

  “Can I help?” Cody asked.

  “Of course. The more the merrier.”

  They traipsed into the kitchen, and Mattie shook his head when voices raised almost immediately as they fought over what film they’d watch. He glanced at Cody, who frowned at the sound.

  Mattie touched his shoulder. “They’re not really mad, you know.”

  “No?” Cody peered up at him with wide eyes.

  Mattie shook his head. “Nope. They’re just pretending. When everyone wants to watch something different, it’s difficult to come to a compromise.”

  “What’s a compromise?”

  Mattie settled into a chair, giving Cody his full attention. The popcorn could wait. “A compromise is when you decide between you what is the best thing to do. So, they’re going to say which films they want to see, and then they’ll go through and figure out which ones they definitely won’t watch to make it so there are less to choose from. A compromise is someone deciding that maybe they don’t mind watching something else because they’ll get to watch it another time.” It wasn’t the best explanation, but Cody nodded, and Mattie hoped it was good enough.