“Teresa is probably in the bar having a drink, or more likely in her room, on her laptop or her phone. And if she needs anything, Abi is there to provide it. Besides….” Jonathon grinned. “Which would you rather do? Go back and work behind the bar until closing, or stay the night with me?”
Mike let out an exaggerated sigh. “When you put it like that….” He grabbed Jonathon’s hand. “Janet’s gone to bed, right?”
Jonathon gazed at him suspiciously. “Why?”
Mike pulled him close, his beard tickling Jonathon’s neck, his breath warm on Jonathon’s skin. “Because I want to screw you on the couch, and I really don’t want your housekeeper walking in on us. I don’t think she’d ever recover from the shock.”
“I appreciate your consideration. I don’t want to lose her.” Jonathon caught his breath when Mike slid his hands down Jonathon’s back and squeezed his jeans-clad arse. “Now stop talking about Janet and take me to the living room so we can get naked.”
He hated wasting naked time.
THEY LAY beneath the sheets, cuddling. Mike had never thought he was much of a cuddler until he met Jonathon. Having him in his arms was one of Mike’s favorite ways to spend time, and as much as he loved their sex life, cuddling was a close second. He enjoyed the intimacy of it, of feeling so close that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
“Can I ask you something?”
Mike loved the sleep-heavy sound of Jonathon’s voice. “You can ask me anything.” He was warm, sated, and blissfully content.
“How do you feel about… children?”
“I like them. I just couldn’t eat a whole one.”
That earned him a whack on the arm. “I’m being serious here.”
“So was I. Have you any idea how tough those things can get?” Mike kissed Jonathon’s bare shoulder. “Okay. Now I’ve got my serious head on. Are you asking if I want to have kids?” It wasn’t as if the subject hadn’t come up before, but always as a slight reference. This had a different feel to it, and the thought sent a tremor through him, as though their relationship had slipped into a higher gear.
What really surprised Mike was that he liked the idea.
They’d been together almost a year, and he loved the way things were progressing. Thomas de Mountford was the only fly in the ointment, but he’d been quiet of late, so maybe Jonathon’s idea of being public with Ruth was paying off. But children?
Jonathon rolled over to face him. “I’ll be honest. I gave little thought to having kids. I was happy going around the world, taking photos, getting them published…. I never thought of settling down, having a family. Then I met you. Don’t get me wrong. I still want to travel, but now I want you with me. Which is why it’s a good thing to get Abi used to running the pub, because if I decide to ask you to come to Vietnam with me….”
Mike stilled. “Vietnam?” He stretched over and switched on the light. Jonathon blinked and rubbed his eyes. Mike settled back on his side, facing him. “How long have you been thinking about this?”
“A while, I suppose. Probably as long ago as November last year. It just felt too soon.”
“And now?” Yeah, this whole conversation was suddenly a lot more serious.
Jonathon’s hand was warm on his chest. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the future. I think that’s down to my father. But what shocked me is that I want a family. So yes, I’m asking… do you want kids? More specifically, do you want to have kids with me?”
“You mean it.” Like he couldn’t hear the sincerity in Jonathon’s voice.
Jonathon nodded. “We can talk about the logistics at a later date. Right now I want to know if you like the idea in principle.”
Mike took a deep breath. “I love the idea. I think you’d make a wonderful dad. Watching you with Rachel’s granddaughter showed me that.”
Jonathon smiled. “She’s adorable, isn’t she? And so tiny.”
“You do know they get bigger, right?”
“Why no, I had no idea.” Jonathon chuckled. “And what about you? I love seeing you and Jason together. He really looks up to you.”
Mike enjoyed it when Jason Barton came over. Since the shock of learning Mayor John Barton wasn’t his biological father, Jason’s life had settled down again. He and the ex-mayor were still close. However, he spent a lot of time with Jonathon in the photo editing room, learning more about photography. And when he wasn’t there, he was chatting with Mike about all kinds of things. Mike liked having him around, and it was obvious that the eighteen-year-old had a strong case of hero worship going on. Not that Mike minded that at all. Since Jason had come out the previous year, he’d had a lot of questions, and both Mike and Jonathon wanted to be there for him.
“So we’re agreed. We’d both make great fathers.” Mike kissed the tip of Jonathon’s nose. “But kids and traveling are not a good combination.”
“Okay. Travel first, then have kids.” Jonathon sounded so confident. Mike felt it was one of his most attractive qualities.
“You know your father will freak, right?”
It was Jonathon’s turn to kiss the tip of Mike’s nose. “You leave my father to me. As long as I know we’re on the same page, that’s enough for now.” He shifted closer. “I think having a baby with you sounds amazing.” His voice was husky.
Mike thought having a baby with Jonathon sounded more than amazing. It yelled commitment, and that made his heart soar. Me and Jonathon. Kids. A family.
Mike didn’t think he’d ever been happier.
Jonathon’s warm fingers encircled Mike’s dick, and Mike chuckled. “As long as you’re not planning on me getting you pregnant. Because I foresee a problem with that.”
Jonathon kissed his neck, and a shiver ran through him. “Just think of all the fun we’ll have trying.”
Mike sighed happily when Jonathon threw back the sheets and sat astride him, already reaching for the lube. “I take it we’re starting now.”
Jonathon nodded before bending over to kiss him on the mouth. “No time like the present.”
Chapter Three
JONATHON TOOK one last look around the ballroom. The fifteen or so large round tables were all set up, covered in white tablecloths, with ten place settings at each. Wine and water glasses gleamed, and for each place, there was a bag containing a gift from the author who would be sitting there. Jonathon loved that. He’d already met a few of the authors, who seemed thrilled to be there. And at one of those tables would be one of his dearest friends, Melinda Talbot. Weeks before, when he’d shown Melinda the list of attending authors, she’d given her husband, Lloyd, a beseeching glance. With a sigh, Lloyd had inquired about getting her a ticket. Jonathon wasn’t all that surprised to find Lloyd not interested in the festival—he doubted the vicar had much time for fiction.
“It looks wonderful.” Heather appeared at his side. “And the dinner guests are starting to arrive.” She glanced around. “Where’s Mike?”