Resilience (23 page)

Sometimes with their jobs, they didn’t or couldn’t laugh, especially Adam. He took the loss of his patients very hard.

Adam tapped Todd’s phone where he’d laid it on the centre console. “You’ve got a

missed call.”

Todd was pulling into traffic, one of the lovely wonders of Fort Worth. It had just

sprung up out of nowhere. “Can you check it for me?”

Adam picked the phone up and looked at the call. “It was Manny.”

“Okay, go ahead. You can put it on speaker if you want.” When Adam didn’t

immediately answer, Todd risked a quick glance at him. “What?”

“Well, it’s just…” Adam sighed and Todd really wished he hadn’t pulled out of the

parking lot. “What if it’s bad news?”

“Manny’s called me before when I’m off.” Todd braked for the guy in front of him who was apparently determined to run the car in front of him off the coming overpass. Then he thought about what he and Adam had just said. “Okay, every time he’s called me when I’m off it’s been ‘cos there’s a problem, but it’s never been something personal for us, right?”

“Yeah.” Adam punched a button. “I don’t know what’s up. You get a sudden case of

gun paranoia and I’m scared to listen to your voicemail.”

“It’s the heat. Baked our brains.” Todd signalled—instantly making him a wuss in

Texas traffic—and squeezed into the right-hand lane, intending to exit. The phone beeped and the automated message rattled on, then came Manny’s voice, sounding kind of grave as he asked Todd to call him.

“Okay, now I’m worried for real,” Adam muttered. Todd knew how he felt.

“I’m gonna exit and pull over at the Valero. Can you go ahead and call Manny back?”

Todd gave himself a mental ass-kick. “Unless you really think it’s something bad and don’t want to hear it from him.”

Adam was already dialling, Todd could hear the tone. “I do think it’s bad, but I’m not the hiding kind. Manny, this is Adam. Todd is driving. I’m going to put you on speaker.”

“…Not sure if—”

“You’re on,” Todd said, and now it felt like all those butterflies had turned to lumps of ice in his stomach. Shit.

“Ah, okay. Well, I don’t know if this is going to upset you or not, Sheriff, er, Todd…”

Manny’s tone had already set Todd on alert, but the use of his name was a definite

precursor to something upsetting. “Who’s hurt? Are Gabe and Mika all right? Or was one of our men—”

“Your father,” Manny cut him off. “Sorry, I hate to tell you like this, but he passed away a few hours ago. The guard found him dead in his cell. They think it was from natural causes but—”

“Thank you for letting me know, Manny.” Todd blocked out the rest of the call,

Manny’s goodbye and Adam’s reply. He parked the truck at the Valero.

“Todd, I’m sorry. Can I hold you?”

Todd checked the area. It seemed safe enough, and his truck did have tinted windows.

“Yeah.”

Adam pushed the console up and settled right beside Todd, looping one arm over his

shoulder and the other around his middle. His stomach didn’t feel so awful now. In fact, all of him felt almost normal, and that made him sadder than anything.

Adam was murmuring condolences, but Todd shushed him with a kiss. Then he tipped

his head back and closed his eyes. “I don’t feel bad that he died, Adam. I feel bad that he was such a hateful man, but, other than that, there’s just nothing. Does it make me a horrible person?”

Adam turned Todd’s face towards him and waited until Todd opened his eyes. “No.

Todd, I know we’re born to families, but blood isn’t what makes us family. You know how I feel about the subject. Mr Benson may have been your genetic father, but he never loved you like a dad should. I don’t think he was capable of loving anyone, not even your mother. She was just another devoted worshipper of his who fed his ego.”

This time it was Adam who initiated the kiss. It warmed Todd inside where he hadn’t

even realised he was chilled, and that in itself gave him a sense of relief. He wasn’t a totally heartless bastard like his father. Todd knew he hadn’t been loved, but, in turn, he also hadn’t hated his father or mother.

Oh hell, his mother. Todd couldn’t even begin to think of how she was handling this.

Even though she hated him, he’d offer to help her. “She’s just gonna slap me down.”

“Who?” Adam asked, his lips brushing over Todd’s.

“Mother.” Todd sighed and pulled Adam into an awkward hug. “I’m gonna have to see

if she’s okay.”

“Of course you do,” Adam said. “And I’m going to be right with you when you do it.

You’re not dealing with her, or this, alone.”

“I don’t know what to think, what I feel.” Todd shook his head, careful not to bump

Adam’s. “I’m kinda, I don’t even know what.”

“We’ll figure it out. You have me, and our friends. If you need to mourn, we’ll respect that. If you don’t, not one person will condemn you. At least, not anyone who cares about you.”

“Okay.” Todd would have to spend some time figuring out just what was what in his

head. Meanwhile, “Can you drive us home?”

“Anything you need,” Adam told him. “All you have to do is ask.”

Adam shoved the newspaper in the trash, hoping Todd wouldn’t ask to read it before

going to work. It was probably a futile attempt to protect him from additional pain. Someone would almost certainly come up and tell Todd he wasn’t mentioned at all in his father’s obit.

On the one hand, Adam didn’t consider the piece of shit Todd’s father, but he knew,

sweet man that his partner was, Todd had never stopped wishing for his parents’ love and approval. He’d known realistically it’d never happen, but Todd wasn’t cynical enough to not be affected by this, and Adam loved him for that innocence and kindness.

It was going to hurt Todd to know the obituary claimed Benson was childless. How

Adam was going to keep from going off on Mrs Benson if he saw her was beyond him. He had neither the control nor the patience Todd had. As if the snub in the paper wasn’t hateful enough, the old bitch had banned Todd from the memorial service.

Adam heard the shower shut off. He looked at the trash can. “Oh, God damn it!”

Luckily the paper hadn’t landed on anything gross. Sometimes it was fucking hard not to be overprotective when you loved someone.

“Well, if he wouldn’t have noticed the paper before, he sure as hell will now. Moron.”

Adam glared at the newspaper as he tried to flatten it out. He hadn’t crumpled it that much, had he? “Apparently I did.”

“You talking to yourself always makes me hot,” Todd said from the kitchen doorway.

“And if you’re trying to hide the obituary from me, don’t. Marla from the paper called and told me about it yesterday.”

All that worry over Todd seeing it had been for nothing? Adam cocked his hip when he faced Todd, a sure sign of his irritation. “And when were you going to tell me?”

“Well…” Todd dragged the word out as he sauntered up to Adam. The need in his eyes

scattered Adam’s thoughts and put the kibosh on his pique. “I’d planned to say something when I got home last night, but you were waiting for me at the door.”

“Naked,” Adam managed to tack on. He’d been very naked, very horny, lubed up and

ready to go. “Okay, I see your point.”

Todd pulled Adam to him, a hard, quick move that would have made Adam stumble

had he not been pressed to Todd. “We didn’t even eat dinner, and it was amazing,” Todd said in a bare whisper.

Adam opened his mouth to agree and moaned as Todd slanted his mouth over his. Last

night had been amazing, with Todd making love to him first, then, once they were recovered, Adam had explored every inch of his lover’s body until Todd had begged to be taken.

Like Adam would ever say no.

The kiss ended and Adam clung just a little, stroking Todd’s lean cheek. “Are you going to be okay? I mean—”

“I know what you mean.” Todd gave him a chaste kiss and, damn it, Adam’s cock

leapt.

The simplest touches from Todd…

“And I’m all right as I can be, considering. I knew they hated me, so it isn’t a surprise. “

Todd sighed and stepped back. “I got to have some coffee, honey.”

“Yeah, me too.” Adam poured them each a cup and they drank it as they chatted. “See

you at lunch.” Adam tossed Todd an energy bar. They really needed to quit skipping meals but considering they mostly did so after intense lovemaking—or talking in the morning and forgetting about breakfast—at least neither of them should have to worry about gaining any weight. They’d just collapse from malnutrition.

Jade and Verna were more solicitous than usual. Adam thanked whatever deities

existed for his vet techs. They’d stuck by him and Todd through thick and thin, and when Todd had been recovering, really, if it hadn’t been for Jade and Verna, Adam probably would have lost the clinic.

“Is Todd coming for lunch?” Verna asked.

Adam was looking through a vet supply magazine, trying to figure out if he really

needed the new autoclave in there. Nothing was wrong with his, it just wasn’t new and shiny and holy shit, almost five grand! Adam slapped the magazine shut and turned to find Verna and Jade both holding containers. “What’s that?”

Verna squirmed but Jade stepped up and put the rectangular dish—Adam could see it

was food through the clear plastic lid—on his desk.

“Usually when there’s a death in the family, people bring food,” Jade explained. “And I know Todd isn’t going to the memorial—”

“He can’t,” Adam said, just in case Jade and Verna weren’t aware of how tender—

hearted his man was. Todd would have gone.

“I know. Mrs Benson always was a vindictive bitch, and there’s not one good thing I

can say about Mr Benson, but Todd is a sweetie. He deserved better parents.”

Adam couldn’t argue with that. Verna set her dish on his desk too. Jade added a paper bag. “There’s plates and silverware and some cold drinks in the fridge. Verna made cake, too.” Jade shrugged. “I don’t care that the old bastard is dead, and if that makes me horrible oh well, but I do care about you and Todd.”

“We both care,” Verna said, finally speaking up just as the door chimed announcing a customer, or an early Todd. “We’ll take our lunch and lock up as soon as Todd gets here, that way y’all have plenty of time—”

“Jade? Verna?” Gabe’s voice carried into Adam’s office and was almost as loud as if he were standing right in there. “Adam? Maybe they’re in surgery…”

“Back in the office,” Adam called out. “Come on back.”

And, in short order, he had more containers on his desk.

“It’s a funeral thing,” Gabe explained.

Adam’s lips twitched as he looked at all the food. “I’ve heard.”

Jade and Verna went to attend to the kennels and Mika and Gabe sat on the leather

couch Adam had spent many a night on, before Todd.

Gabe elbowed Mika, who let loose with a much put-upon-sounding sigh, but the

fondness in his expression was undeniable. “We figured, Todd being all nice and kind like he is—oomph!” Mika’s glare wasn’t anything short of sincere when he turned it on Gabe. “What the hell? I was explaining like you wanted me to!”

“No, you weren’t,” Gabe argued. “You just implied that Adam wasn’t all nice and kind too.”

“Well, I’m not,” Adam said at the same time that Mika snapped, “You interrupted

before I could finish!”

Gabe huffed and rubbed Mika’s side until the irritation fled his expression and he was all but purring. Then he turned his attention back to Adam. “You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Adam said with a nod. “I know I can be difficult sometimes.” He eyed Gabe, knowing the man would pick up on the challenge.

“Oh, fine,” Gabe muttered. “I elbowed him too soon. But he’ll love my apology.”

Adam would swear the temperature in the room had kicked up ten degrees. “Uh,

yeah.”

Mika cleared his throat, twice, before speaking. “Anyway, I think you and I have a lot in common, Adam. And we all know Todd is pretty unique. He came through a hellish

childhood, and even into adulthood, and turned out to be probably the nicest person I’ve ever met.”

“I’d like to get my feathers ruffled over that but I’ve never been self-delusional,” Gabe said. “We figured he’d be here for lunch, and wanted both of you to know y’all had our support.” Gabe looked at the food on the desk. “Glad Verna and Jade felt the same.”

The door chimed again. Adam looked at his watch and frowned. Too early for Todd

and there weren’t any appointments until the afternoon.

“Got ‘em,” Verna said as she dashed by. “Oh my, Mrs Walker,” he heard her say.

“Mrs Walker?” Adam started to get up and the door chimed again. Mrs Walker didn’t

even have a pet anymore, not since Darcy had passed away.

“Hello, Jerry, here, let me—”

Adam frowned. “What the hell is going on?”

Jade hurried down the hall.

Gabe and Mika sniffed—and that was just—but Adam wasn’t going to judge. “Guess us and Verna and Jade weren’t the only ones who wanted to let y’all know—”

Between the door chime, the voices in the lobby, and Gabe’s delighted chuckling, Adam couldn’t hear who was doing what, but soon his office was full of food, and Todd was with him, shaking hands and accepting the hugs and comfort of more people than Adam could keep track of.

It was moving, and maybe Texas, or Shasta at least, wasn’t such a shithole after all.

Todd was aware of a few people looking at him funny in the following weeks, but he’d experienced that before and so he didn’t allow it to bother him. He didn’t have time to worry over people judging him and gossiping over being excluded from his own father’s funeral, or his mother’s refusal to even look his way. Well, whatever, he couldn’t do anything about that.

His office was all neat and tidy as he finished up every loose end he could before going home. Tomorrow he and Adam, along with Gabe, Mika, Aidan and Zane, were going to

board a private jet—and, holy crap, he couldn’t wrap his mind around that still!—and fly to Amsterdam. He wondered, too, if they were flying into the midst of a secret war zone. To be truthful, Todd was a little scared, more for Adam than anything else, but he’d do everything he could to protect Adam.