Once they reached the bathroom, Cain stood and let Archer strip him. He’d barely said a word, and Archer knew he, too, was processing what Anton had revealed. Archer helped him into the bath and pushed Cain’s hair from his face.
Archer picked up the glass of whiskey, and Cain smiled sadly when Archer gave it to him. In a low voice, Cain asked, “Join me. Please.”
Archer nodded, stripped, and then settled in behind Cain, brushing his hair from his forehead and kissing him softly. The steam from the bath rose around them, and Cain sighed, settling closer against him, his eyes closing.
“What time do you work tomorrow?” Archer asked as he rubbed Cain’s chest.
Cain groaned but didn’t open his eyes. “Too early. I need to fix a problem with a design.”
“I’m in at eight.”
“But you can roll out of bed and stroll downstairs to work.”
Archer chuckled, causing ripples in the water surrounding them. “I can.” He lifted the drink in Cain’s hand. “Have some. It’ll help you relax.”
“You haven’t—”
“You’ll tell me when you can.” Archer knew what Cain was going to say. He hadn’t asked what had happened. He knew Cain would tell him when he was ready.
“Thank you. I know I struggled...” Cain shrugged and opened his eyes, twisting his head to look at Archer. “I’m glad we decided to try.”
“Whether we did or didn’t, I’d still be here for you.”
Cain closed his eyes, and Archer leaned down to kiss his forehead, which wasn’t easy in the bath, but he needed to do it, and he was sure Cain needed it too. A soft touch that had Cain sighing and relaxing against him.
Ten minutes later, Archer stood, drying Cain while he watched with a soft smile on his face. Archer needed to help Cain in any way he could. He needed to try and ease some of the burden he was carrying.
They got into bed, and within minutes, Cain was asleep, the day leaving him exhausted. Archer rolled onto his side and watched, seeing the tension leave his face. He trailed his fingers over Cain’s cheek, smiling when Cain lifted a hand to brush the touch away.
He’d known when they first met. Deep down, he’d known. They’d clicked immediately; he’d felt the connection in his gut, and when they’d separated, the loss had hit him harder than he’d expected. The emotions were there, building slowly, drawing him closer to Cain, and now he was here, in Archer’s bed.
Archer lay on his back, still watching Cain. He wanted this man in his bed always. Wanted to go to sleep with him and wake up with him. How could he know someone just this long and feel so much for him? It had only been three months, and he was too old to say it was love at first sight. Yet, something in Cain called to him, and he was sure Cain felt the same way.
The first place he’d come to was Archer’s, and Archer was glad he had. He wanted to be the one to offer comfort and support. He wanted to be the one who held Cain when he needed it. He wanted to be the one Cain turned to.
His cell rang, and he quickly rolled out of bed, jogging through to the bathroom where he’d left it. He didn’t want the noise to wake Cain when the man needed his sleep.
“Quince, everything okay?”
“Yeah, Anton’s in bed, and Robert’s left. Shit, Archer, he’s fucked up.”
“Yeah, I bet he is. Did he say anything?”
“No. I showed him his room, and he thanked me and went to bed. I talked with Robert for a while, and he’s a mess too. Blames himself for not being there when it happened and for not noticing it.”
“Isn’t that around the time their Mom left? Anton was in a vulnerable position, and people prey on children like that. He would have been a soft target for someone in the Reverend’s position.”
“Robert’s arranging for a psychologist to see him. We talked about the sessions happening here at first and then maybe move them to the office. Robert’s sorting Anton’s job out, and I have his cell. That damn church keeps calling him, and they are the last people he needs to be speaking to. I sent Robert home to Mom or he’d still be here now.”
“It doesn’t make sense how he would go back to the place that was the cause of all his problems.”
“He’s gay.”
Archer spun around and stared at Cain. “What?”
“I saw his journal. He’s gay, and he hates himself because of it. After what happened, he must think this is god’s way of punishing him.”
“Quince, can I call you back?”
“Yeah. I heard. Man, that has to fuck with your head. I’ll call tomorrow.”
Archer ended the call and walked over to Cain, drawing him into a hug. “Cain, I don’t know what to say.”
“What can we say? He’s going to need time and space to begin to heal, and he will need our support. We have to keep that church away from him. He’s gay, so fucking what? I won’t have him think that’s wrong, and I won’t let that church make him hate himself because he wants a man instead of a woman. We don’t decide our sexuality, do we. We are who we are, and when we accept that, the internal fight and hatred and self-loathing gradually disappears.”
“It does, and we can show him that there is nothing wrong with being gay.”
“We can. I’m not letting him deal with this alone. Yeah, he’s been awful these last few years, but now we know why.” Cain buried his head against Archer’s shoulder, and Archer hugged him tight. “I wish I’d seen it, that I somehow knew there was more. I feel like I failed him. He’s my little brother, and I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.”
Archer palmed Cain’s face and kissed him. Pulling back, he looked into Cain’s eyes. “How could you have known? You were a kid too. You’re only a few years older, and your Mom had just left. You were all struggling to cope, and Robert... None of you should blame yourself.”
“We feel the way we do. We can’t change that.”
“I know, and I’m here for you.”
Cain smiled, and Archer kissed him softly. “Just so you know, I love you. I think I fell in love with you on vacation. I’m so happy you’re here with me now.”
“Me too.” Archer smiled and kissed Cain slowly. Resting his forehead on Cain’s, he closed his eyes and breathed in Cain’s warm and comforting scent. “Let’s go to bed. Anton’s going to need us.”
Cain sighed and nodded. “I wish I could take it all away.”
“Me too, but we’re here. No matter what happens, he has all of us. He might not want all of us interfering, but we are here for him.”
“Thank you.”
Archer kissed Cain again. “You don’t need to thank me. He’s family, and I love you.” Stepping back, he nodded to the bedroom. “Come on. You need to get some sleep. The next few weeks—and months—are going to be hard. He needs us to be strong, to catch him when he falls.”
“He’s my brother. I’ll be there for him.”
“And I’ll be there for you.”
Archer pulled Cain into bed and tugged the covers over them. Kissing his forehead, Archer whispered, “Go to sleep, Cain. I’ll be here for you in the morning. Love you.”