Gage awoke slowly for the first time in more than a month.
From the moment his brain came back online, he was aware of where he was and who was wrapped around him. He felt stronger this morning, more complete. The exact opposite of every morning since that fateful day.
“You awake?”
He shifted, answering Travis without words.
Warm lips caressed the back of his neck and his body came alive.
He had missed this. The intimacy, the connection. Sure, they’d been fucking like rabbits for days on end, but it had been a distraction, not a mating. Gage had used Travis as an escape, desperately trying to get through one more minute of one more day, to convince himself that his entire world wasn’t shattering because they’d lost the woman they both loved.
He felt different this morning. Not altogether whole, because he knew he would never be that way again, but he was definitely on the path to mending. Or moving in the direction of it, at least.
Gage was aware of Travis moving, rolling away from him, then back. He didn’t have to open his eyes to know what the man was doing. They’d spent numerous mornings just like this, coming awake together, seeking pleasure to start the day. Sometimes with Kylie, sometimes when she had taken a turn with the kids in the morning.
“I need to be inside you,” Travis whispered in his ear, his body moving up tight behind him.
Gage pressed back against the big, warm body that was so familiar, so comforting.
When Travis reached down, Gage moved higher on the bed, adjusting their positions so Travis could lift Gage’s leg and slide his cock along the crack of his ass. He didn’t have to do more than that, because Travis took control, sinking inside him in one slick, controlled move, filling him completely.
Gage felt the weight of Travis at his back as he pumped his hips, slow, gentle, bringing them both awake fully, together, as one.
But as was the case whenever they came together like this, their bodies knew what they needed, and slow and gentle ceased to exist as lust and passion took over. With Travis behind him, his hard, hot body and those desperate grunts, Gage blanked his mind and let the pleasure consume him. For the first time in weeks, Gage felt … hope.
He would take it.
If only for a little while.
Many hours later, after they’d kicked the day into high gear, getting the kids moving, feeding them, then cleaning up the mess they’d created during the week, Gage’s thoughts drifted to that letter. The one Travis had in the top drawer of his desk. After he’d learned about it, he had pulled it out a couple of times. Never opening it because he hadn’t been ready for that, but today he was.
“You look like you’re lost in thought.”
He turned to see Travis standing in the doorway, shoulder pressed to the doorjamb. Gage put up the coffee mug he’d just pulled out of the dishwasher.
“You still wanna read the letter?” he asked, not looking at Travis.
“I do.”
There was so much conviction in Travis’s tone, Gage had to look over at him.
“I asked my parents to come pick up the kids,” Travis continued. “Told ’em we needed some time to ourselves but we’d be there for dinner.”
Time to themselves? Gage had forgotten what that even meant.
“Pop’ll be here in half an hour. We’ll get them off and then we’ll read it.”
Gage nodded, reaching back in the dishwasher to pull out another clean cup. “Okay.”
Half an hour.
Funny how thirty minutes could feel like thirty years.
By the time they helped Curtis get the kids loaded up and off down the road, a full hour had gone by. But even additional time hadn’t eased Gage’s anxiety a single bit.
“We can do this,” Travis said, his tone once again reassuring, stronger than it had been in a while.
Gage looked at him, wondering if he was imagining it or if they really had made progress last night.
When Travis took his hand and tugged, Gage had no choice but to follow. Into the living room, sitting on the couch. His mind blanked as Travis took a seat beside him. And then there they were, shoulder to shoulder, the sealed envelope in Travis’s hand.
They stared at it for the longest time. Gage traced the gentle sweep of Kylie’s handwriting with his eyes over and over again.
“We both know it’s not gonna get any easier the longer we wait,” Travis said, his voice gruff.
No, it wouldn’t.
Shoring up his nerves, Gage took the envelope from Travis’s hand and slid his finger under the flap, tearing it open.
Travis pulled a single sheet of white paper from inside. For another brief moment, they stared at it until finally Travis unfolded it.
Gage’s chest hitched when he saw a page full of words written in that same lovely handwriting.
Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer, Gage started reading.
Dear Travis and Gage,
If you’re reading this, it means I’m no longer of this earth, and I have to hope it’s after we’ve lived a long, happy life together. After my babies have grown up, graduated high school, college, gotten married. But if for some reason it’s not, then you should know that every second I had with the two of you and the five of them made for a life more complete than I ever thought possible.
If there was some unfortunate event that took me from this world, then there are some things I need you to do for me. Things that might be difficult because, if nothing else, I know exactly who my men are. I know how you both think, I know how you both love. And I know without a doubt that the two of you will retreat because you think it will benefit the other in some way.
First of all, that’s complete nonsense and you should move forward remembering that every single day. While I have never doubted for a single second how much I am loved by both of you, I also know how much you love each other. If I have a say in the matter, Travis, you won’t be stubborn, and Gage, you won’t let him be. You will both suck it up and move forward, hand in hand, where you belong.
Provided these still make sense, here are the things I need you to do for me:
Take my wedding band and my engagement band and have them melted down, along with both of yours. But don’t worry, I don’t want you to be without them for long. From those, have new bands made, one for each of you. That way you will both have a part of me with you forever. After all, the three of us are stronger together, even if we aren’t all there.
Now for the diamonds. They don’t melt, so I would like you to take the diamonds in my rings and make them into necklaces for our daughters. One for Kate, one for Avery. I want them to have a little part of me with them always. You can give them to them whenever you feel is the right time.
For Kade, Haden, and Maddox, I’ve set aside some things that belonged to my father, things he has given me over the years. There’s an old compass that belonged to his grandfather. One of them might like that. There’s also the toolbox my Dad gave me when I first moved out on my own. Nothing fancy, but I know Kade has enjoyed helping me with projects. Also, the miniature airplane collection. I’ll let them or you decide who gets what. Hopefully there won’t be any fighting.
As a family, I would like y’all to plant a tree for me. More than one, preferably. Yes, even now I want to help the environment. Hopefully, if this time ever comes, the kids’ll be old enough to select one they know I would’ve liked. I leave it to both of you to decide where. But if you’re having a hard time, I think a magnolia tree would look lovely in Curtis and Lorrie’s front yard.