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"You're too nice," Connor said.

Mike quirked a smile and stood. "I'll be right
back."

The light from the setting sun filtered through the shades
and Mike made his way through the furniture easily. He sat with his back
propped up against the corner of the couch and opened his arms. Connor sank down,
placing his head in Mike's lap, loving how the man's fingers brushed over his
cheek and down his neck to his chest. Fear twisted through him and guilt piled
up as Connor started talking, telling Mike about everything. He cried as he
talked about how he'd wanted Gresh and had gone after him. He talked about the
bomb and how the four of them had come together. Telling Mike about being with
Lane so Riley would be happy had been the most difficult thing to tell. He
didn't hold back, even when he had to talk about the last day.

Mike held to his word, not saying anything while Connor spoke.
The sun had long since set and the room was dark. Connor had stopped speaking a
few minutes earlier and he wondered if Mike was plotting his exit strategy.

After what seemed like forever, Mike moved, slipping out from
under Connor's head. He stood and Connor's heart sank. He'd fucked everything up.
There was no way Mike would love him after he realized how stupid Connor really
was.

"Come on. I need to make love to you and show you how
wonderful you are." Mike's voice cut through the silence and Connor didn't
know what to do.

"You don't hate me?"

"My love, no. I can understand you feeling guilty and
I'm not going to tell you how to feel. But I will say that all four of you were
adults and you made decisions. I can't judge because I wasn't there. I'm sorry
you got hurt in the process, but it's not like any of you were kids taking
advantage of anyone. Riley's death isn't your fault. He died and it's very sad.
I certainly wish he were alive, but you did nothing to make him die. He drove
off angry. He made that choice, not you. Now get up and come to bed with
me."

Connor slowly climbed to his feet, allowing Mike to lead him
to the bedroom. Mike turned on the bedside lamp, allowing Connor to see his
expression for the first time since he'd started talking. There was no anger,
no hate, only love and compassion.

Mike tugged off his shirt, exposing his beautiful chest.
Connor rubbed his hand over his dick as Mike popped the top button on his
jeans. He stared as Mike removed all of his clothes, revealing every beautiful
inch of his body. Mike slowly approached, his gaze staying on Connor. This was
more than he thought he'd get. The opportunity to love again, to experience happiness
left him feeling light and a bit dizzy.

Mike's hands were on his shirt, tugging at the hem and
scraping over his flesh, sending tendrils of desire across his body. Connor took
his jeans off and kicked his shoes to the side. Soon they were both naked and
Mike pushed Connor to the bed. Crawling on top, straddling him. Mike reached
for the lube and poured some onto his hand. Connor expected him to slick up his
own dick, but Mike prepped his hole, spreading the slick stuff over his pucker
then down Connor's cock.

Mike's gaze drilled into him, expressing a world of love and
hope. He lifted a bit before sinking down on Connor, his mouth opened as he
lowered. The heat of Mike's tight channel left Connor gasping for breath. Mike
moved beautifully, riding Connor with his head thrown back, his neck exposed.
Mike was moving slowly, possessing Connor, mind, body, and soul. He took
everything Connor had to offer, twisting the emotions, turning them into
something beautiful, like a garden full of colorful flowers instead of the
wasteland cut through his heart over the last few months.

After a few more stokes he couldn’t stand the slow movements
and reached up, pulling Mike down on top of him. He pitched and rolled quickly,
pinning Mike below him. The breath whooshed out of Mike and Connor smiled,
slamming into his lover, riding him fast and hard. They were both ready to blow
and Connor shoved in one last time, holding tight as he emptied his balls. Mike
spurted, covering both of their chests with seed. He could get lost in this
man, living the rest of his life with Mike, trying to make a go of it.

"I love you," Connor whispered.

"You're perfect for me and I don't want to lose you. I
love you too much." Mike placed his hands on Connor's cheeks, holding him
still as they kissed.

"Showers?" Connor asked.

"Yeah. Let's get clean then it's time for sleep. You
have two days before rehab and we need to get your affairs in order."

Connor ducked his head, his emotions off the charts.
"Thank you," he choked out."

"Babe, I should be thanking you. The way you opened up
to me—just don't ever forget how special you are. You're important to me, and a
lot of other people too. I want you here for a long time."

Connor knew he had a long way to go. The urge to drink still
teased him, but he wasn't going to do that to Mike again. He owed the man too
much. He'd stay sober, focusing on their future instead of always looking to
the past for answers. Both he and Riley had messed up and there wasn't much he
could do about that, but he would be the best man he could for Mike because he
deserved a lover who wasn't just one drink away from drinking himself to death.

*~*~*

Gresh ended the call and put down the phone. They had a
decision from the surrogate. She wanted to help them have a baby. He jumped up
and tried to take a step but the world kind of tilted and he started to fall.
Lane raced over, catching him before he hit the ground. They both laughed a bit
but it was an uncomfortable laugh that left Gresh worried.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"You scared me. Have you been getting dizzy?" Lane
asked.

"Not often. This is the first time I've fallen." Gresh
hated the weakness. He stood again, thankful he hadn't hit his head. The
doctors wanted him to be careful. "So I talked to Leigh, she has agreed to
be a surrogate."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're going to have a baby."

"Oh my God, I don't believe this. Gresh, we're going to
have a baby."

They hugged and Gresh's head spun. He worried a bit, but the
excitement of having a baby was bigger than his worry. They made the
appointment with the fertility clinic and were able to get in the next morning.
He called Leigh back and made sure she was fine with the timing and she said
she was. They were set. It was scary and a bit frightening that everything was
working so quickly. He wanted this but he was terrified something would go
wrong.

The next day, Lane drove them into Houston. Leigh was already
at the clinic and she stood to greet them. "I'm so happy to be able to
help you two. You are such a cute couple."

Lane blushed and Gresh beamed. It didn't seem real.
"We're glad you decided to carry our baby."

"I'm excited," Leigh said.

The nurse called them in. Lane and Gresh followed behind
Leigh. Gresh took Lane's hand, excited to begin this new phase of their lives.
The appointment was long and frustrating for Gresh. He couldn't believe they
were here. They'd argued heatedly about which one of them would be the sperm
donor. He'd yelled, Lane had hollered, and they'd scared the cows, horses, and
some of the cowboys on the ranch, but Gresh had won, convincing Lane to be the
sperm donor. Of course that meant Lane was the one having to provide the
sample.

The office was nice but laid out where the private collection
rooms were off a busy hall. Lane hadn't wanted to go into the room alone so Gresh
accompanied him. Both of them were nervous. They stepped in and bumped arms
then laughed. The room was small, really it was just a cubicle to whack off in.
There were magazines full of naked women. There wasn't a single naked guy shot.
Gresh was disappointed.

Lane started to undress, bumping his elbow into Gresh.
"Sorry." The word echoed in the small chamber. They both looked at
the door. A noise sounded in the hallway next to the chamber where they were.
Gresh's stomach turned. Lane's eyes went wide and his lips thinned out like he
was trying to stay silent.

"Guess we have to be quiet in here," Gresh whispered.

"Yeah." Lane had dropped his pants, his dick wasn't
even half-hard and looked to be deflating even more. Gresh leaned in to kiss
him. Someone bumped into the door and Gresh jumped back.

"This is…awkward," Lane said.

"And then some."

Lane leaned his forehead against Gresh's chest. "What
are we going to do?"

"I've got an idea. You still have your headphones?"

Lane reached into his pocket and pulled out his earbuds then handing
them over. Gresh searched his playlist for just the right song. "Remember
our last night in paradise?"

"Yeah."

"As I made love to you, this song was playing."

The corner of Lane's mouth crooked up. "I remember
that."

"Listen to the music, I'll do the rest."

Gresh helped Lane out of his shirt and he pushed Lane's pants
lower. Lane kicked off his shoes and socks, shoving his pants to the side. His
man was totally naked, tempting Gresh with his beautiful body. He positioned
himself behind Lane, his hands on Lane's cock, stroking slowly. The noise
outside the door continued but Lane was into the music. Gresh slowly stroked
Lane, reaching down to cup his balls and play with his hole. Lane moaned and
Gresh grew hard. A woman walked past, her voice so irritating that Gresh almost
stopped stroking Lane, but he had to keep going because the doctors needed this
sample.

Lane threw his head back, resting it on Gresh's shoulder.
Gresh studied his lover, his gaze roving over the dips and planes of Lane's
scar crossed body. The love he had for this man swelled and he ground his hips
against Lane's ass. Lane bit his bottom lip, his borrows scrunched and his
nostrils flared. His man was so close to coming and Gresh wanted relief too.
The noise outside began to fade away but Gresh didn't want to come in his
pants. He calmed down, focusing on stroking Lane to completion.

Gresh glanced over Lane's shoulder again, enjoying the view.
He felt and saw the first drops of precome, Lane was close and he was ready to
catch what they needed. Gresh used his free hand and reached for the collection
cup, holding it for Lane. The first stream of come splashed in the cup. Lane
moaned and shoved his ass back, grinding against Gresh. They were making too
much noise, but he didn't care. Gresh milked Lane until he was empty, then
screwed the lid on the cup and set it in the pass-through window to for the lab.
He shut the sliding door and flipped the switch, indicating that the sample was
ready.

Lane turned around and kissed Gresh's neck and jaw. He
removed the headphones, and continued to kiss Gresh. "Thank you so much.
That was amazing. I couldn’t get into it until you did that."

"Love, anything to help out."

Lane reached down and cupped Gresh's dick. "We'll need
to take care of this later."

Gresh lifted an eyebrow. "I can wait."

He helped Lane dress and untucked his own shirt, hiding his stiffy.
They filed out of the room, Gresh only a little embarrassed when three women
glanced up, staring at both he and Lane. There would be other collection times
and they'd have to deal with the stares of strangers. The doctors had wanted
this sample to check for viability and they'd have to get used to doing this.
He sighed, hoping that they weren't stuck doing this over and over again for
months on end.

The wait for the doctor wasn't long and they were soon joined
by Leah in the doctor's office. The news was good all around, and they were set
to go in about five days when Leah would be ovulating. This round the doctor
didn't want to give her fertility drugs since she was so young and her cycle was
perfect. It almost seemed too easy and Gresh wondered how the heck they'd
gotten so lucky for this to go so smoothly.

Gresh and Lane hugged Leah and said their goodbyes, promising
to show up when Leah called with the news that she was ovulating. They decided
to spend the night in Houston so he could get a good night sleep. Lane made
true on his promise to take care of him, and Gresh fell asleep easily, cuddled
next to his husband, thinking of their future child.

Chapter Eighteen

Connor wanted a drink but he wasn't going to take one. Mike
had helped him through so much already, he didn't want to disappoint him
further. In a few days he'd be in rehab and then he'd be forced to not drink.
The guilt still twisted through him, making him angry and sad.

He stood in the middle of his den, turning around slowly.
Mike came in and paused in the doorway. "What's up?"

"I need to make decisions."

"Want to talk about them?"

"Yeah. How about we go into town and grab a
burger?"

"Cool. I could eat."

Connor drove them to the diner, parking on the side of the
lot. He huffed out a breath.

"You seem sad," Mike said.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about everything."

"Come on, let's order and you can tell me all about
it."

Connor was heavy hearted as he ordered. He knew what he had
to do, but there were so many things drawing him to stay. After the waitress
left the table, he grabbed his water glass and spun it around, delaying
talking.

"Tell me," Mike said.

"I think I need to sell the house and move."

"Okay, tell me why?"

Connor's stomach twisted as he thought about the house. "Every
day I'm there, I see Riley. When I walk into the kitchen I expect him to be
there and I think about him. I think about him in the bathroom and the bedroom.
When I come home I think about him. I think about the good times we had and the
fights. I obsess over everything dealing with Riley."