“What’s going on, Brady?”
“Ask your man. He’s the one who told us to keep you distracted until he got here.”
When Brady cleared the front door, Solomon was sure he was seeing things. Hugo was standing on his front step, a scarf wrapped around the bottom half of his face. The look in his eyes made Solomon take a step back, afraid to believe what he saw there.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.” Why? He turned, leaving the door open as he headed to the table to start gathering the dishes. It would have been nice if someone had stayed behind to help.
Ask your man.
“I’m guessing you’re not going to the football game.” He was setting a handful of plates in the sink when he sensed Hugo behind him.
“Nope.” He set down another stack of half eaten plates and started to unwind his scarf. “Let me take this off and help you clean up.”
It had been the most surreal morning of his life.
William in his SUV, a Finn invasion, and now the man who’d broken things off with him more than once was standing in his kitchen, silently helping him clean up after his family.
The family he’d apparently sent to distract him.
He wanted to ask. He was dying to know, but he held his tongue and took in the scent of apples and spice, the presence of Hugo. He’d been without it for too long.
Hadn’t he finally accepted the loss? Wasn’t he supposed to be moving on?
Surviving and accepting were two very different things. He’d survived the loss and put one foot in front of the other because he’d believed there was no other option.
Now what?
“I finally saw your speech.”
The back of Solomon’s neck heated. “Oh yeah?”
“Powerful move. I heard someone from the youth center tell the news this morning that reports of abuse spiked in the last week. That young kids who kept silent out of fear are coming forward, finding their voices. She gives you a lot of credit for that.”
“They’re the ones that deserve it.” Why did he sound like he’d been chewing on razorblades? Solomon swallowed again, wishing for an after breakfast beer.
“You do suck at it, you know.”
“What?” He whipped his head around, meeting Hugo’s warm brown gaze.
“Dating. You didn’t know how the game was played. You were too honest. Too happy to see me and way too willing to do what I wanted you to do. Plus you got along with my family, which is a big mistake in the dating world. Makes you look too good to be true. And everybody knows nothing ever is.”
“I should have been an asshole? I did that too, before you quit. That didn’t work either.”
He looked away, unwilling to show him how much he was hurting. But Hugo moved in closer, cornering him, blocking his view of everything but him. “I didn’t lie, Younger. I wanted to stop being a cop years before I made the decision. I stayed so long because of you.”
“Me?”
“Making you crazy was my favorite part of the day. Seeing your pupils dilate, the way you looked at me, I couldn’t get enough. But then I made a mistake. Instead of telling you I needed more, I made the decision to wait and see what you did next. When you mentioned why you went out of town, instead of telling you about my insecurities, I made the decision to end things without telling you why.”
“That was nothing, Hugo. It never meant anything. You were…”
“I know.” He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “What I’m saying is, we shared the blame for round one. You wouldn’t move forward and I kept testing you without telling you.”
“And round two?” Solomon looked down when Hugo tugged the dishrag out of his clenched hand and set it on the counter.
“That one was on me. You didn’t do anything wrong. Too good to be true, remember? I tried to make rules but they didn’t work. I tried to tell myself it was casual. No promises. But it was bullshit. Every day I fell faster and deeper, so deep it scared me. So I took the first opening you gave me to run in the other direction again.”
“The mayor’s meeting,” he murmured.
“That’s right. The return of Chief Finn. I thought I knew what was coming, but you threw me for a loop when you chose me over that job, Younger. I panicked.”
“You weren’t wrong. I needed to make my own decisions. Be a man we could both be proud of.”
Hugo shook his head. “A man stands by the person he loves. He helps him make the tough calls and supports him, no matter what he decides.”
“Loves?”
“I love you, Solomon Finn the Younger. The only. I always have.” He leaned forward until his forehead pressed against Solomon’s. “If you’re willing to go another round with me, I won’t back down this time. I want this. I want us. I always will.”