Wings of Love (21 page)

“Lindsey would be too,” Jack said.

“I know,” Mac said. “I wish she were here to see all of this.”

They both stood and walked back toward the cabin. They heard the whining of the snowmobiles before they saw them and knew it must be Zander and Jake.

They picked up their pace to meet them at the front of the cabin.

“Hey, guys,” Mac shouted as they pulled up the trail.

Brad heard their arrival and also came out to greet them. They all exchanged hellos and settled down on the porch to have a beer and hear all about Zander and Jake’s travels. The guys talked until it was time to start dinner. Mac put the potatoes in the hot coals and put the steaks on the grill in the fireplace while Brad tossed a salad and opened wine.

Before long, they were all chomping on steaks and baked potatoes and enjoying each other’s company. When everyone was full and the dishes were done, they retired to the living room. Zander and Jake made their good-byes, as they wanted to make it down the mountain before dark.

Jack and Brad sat on the couch while Mac took the chair, and they all had their shoes off and feet up on the old coffee table. In the background, Dinah Washington was singing “September in the Rain,” and all seemed okay. Mac took one look around the cabin and thought he worried way too much. He owed Brad big time, and he thought he would have lots of time to thank him properly.

After another brandy, Jack said, “I’m beat, guys. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to brush my teeth and turn in.”

“Of course we don’t,” Mac said as Brad nodded.

When Jack came out of the bathroom, he shook Brad’s hand, and Mac stood and they hugged.

“Good night, guys,” Jack said.

Jack climb the ladder to the loft, and when Mac saw the oil lamp go out, he whispered, “You ready to turn in?”

Brad stood and picked up the brandy glasses and put them in the sink. They took turns in the bathroom, and within minutes they were under the covers with nothing but the firelight to illuminate the cabin.

Mac took Brad in his arms and whispered, “I missed you today.”

“What do you mean, missed me? We were together most of the day,” Brad whispered back.

“Yeah, we were together, but we weren’t really together, if you get my drift.”

“I get your drift, but it’s going to be that way for a few more days, so you better get used to it,” Brad whispered.

“Don’t remind me,” Mac said in a low, sexy voice.

Mac quietly kissed Brad and made his signature move right to Brad’s neck. He nibbled at his favorite spot until Brad was squirming around like a snake. Mac reached down and took Brad’s dick into his hands and began to stroke.

“Mac, are you sure this is wise?” Brad asked in a very low voice.

“As long as we’re quiet, he won’t hear a thing,” Mac said.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Brad whispered as he grabbed Mac’s already rock-hard dick and began to move his hand up and down. When he heard Mac’s slow, soft moans, he knew he was on the right track. Mac pulled the covers over their heads and dove in to the ecstasy that awaited them.

Since the covers were over their heads, neither of them saw the pair of eyes looking down at them from the tiny loft.

Chapter 27

M
AC
slowly opened his eyes. He was snuggled in against Brad’s back with his arms tightly wrapped around him and his head resting in—where else?—the crook of Brad’s neck. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was six fifty. He slowly tried to slide away from Brad without waking him, but as soon as he moved, Brad pulled him in tighter.

“Good morning,” he whispered. “If you let me up, I’ll make the coffee.”

“Noooooo,” Brad whined. “Can’t you make it from here?”

“Trust me, I wish I could,” he responded.

“This is the last time I’ll forget to set the auto brew,” Brad said in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, so it’s your fault I have to get out of this warm bed,” Mac said.

“Oh, quit whining and hurry back,” Brad said as he rolled over and pulled the covers over his head.

With Brad no longer against him, Mac rolled over, pulled back the covers, and put his feet on the floor. Something caught his eye, and he glanced in the direction of the movement. Jack was sitting on the couch, looking straight ahead. He was fully dressed, and his bag was next to him.

Mac quickly realized that Jack must have come down from the loft at God knows what time and saw him and Brad in bed cuddled up and very cozy.

“Shit,” he said under his breath. He looked down and tried to compose himself before he attempted to speak.

Panic overtook him for a moment. He forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and stood, trying to look as calm as he could.

“Jack,” he squeaked. “What are you doing up so early?”

Jack didn’t answer him.

“Jack?” he said again, a little louder this time.

Jack turned his head and glared at Mac.

“So you’re a queer now?” Jack said in a monotone voice.

Mac stood silently, looking at Jack.

“Holy shit,” Brad said from under the covers when he heard Jack’s comment. “This isn’t good.”

He started to get up and join Mac, but immediately stopped when he heard Mac’s response.

Taken back by Jack’s bluntness and unsure of how to answer the question, Mac went into survival mode. “Hell no,” he said. “What are you talking about?”

“You two were very cozy in bed this morning!” Jack shouted. “Not to mention what I saw last night,” he added, as he stood and paced in front of the couch.

“Oh God,” Jack said. “My best friend and dead sister’s husband is a queer.”

Mac walked toward him. “Jack, wait, let me explain,” he shouted.

“Don’t come near me,” Jack roared. “What’s to explain? Did you fuck guys when Lindsey was alive? And Zoe-Grace, what will she think? Did you think of the consequences before you jumped into bed with him?” he asked, as he gestured toward the bed.

Before Mac could speak, Brad hopped out of bed and stood behind him.

“Mac,” Brad whispered. “What do you want me to do?”

Mac turned to look at Brad and saw the disillusionment in his eyes, but he knew Brad was there to support him, even if Brad was disappointed in him.

“Just give me some time to explain all of this to Jack,” Mac said. “Things will be okay.”

“Why don’t you and your boyfriend here go back to bed?” Jack said. “I’m leaving anyway. I don’t want to disrupt your little love den. No wonder you were so hell-bent on buying this place with him.”

“Jack, wait,” Mac pleaded.

“Mac, I’m leaving, one way or the other. If you won’t fly me back to Anchorage, I’ll charter a plane to come and get me. The choice is yours. But while you’re deciding, here’s one more choice you need to make. If you don’t come home with me and leave your little fairy loverboy behind, you can kiss this friendship good-bye.”

Brad waited for a second to see if Mac was going to allow Jack to refer to him as a “fairy loverboy,” but Mac simply stood there, mouth open with that “deer in the headlights” look Brad had seen before.

Brad had had enough. He stepped around Mac and rushed across the room, cocking his fist in midair. The blow landed hard on Jack’s jaw. Jack stumbled back, caught his balance, and swung in Brad’s direction, but missed him by a foot. Brad took the opportunity to strike Jack again, this time knocking him to the ground. He brushed his hands together like he had just taken out the trash and said, “That’s a little something to take back to Anchorage from the fairy lover boy.” He glared at Mac as he walked by him and went into the bathroom.

Mac, stunned, rushed to Jack and helped him up. He sat Jack on the couch while he ran to the kitchen to get something to help with the bleeding. Jack’s lip was split open, and his eye was already starting to turn purple. When Mac returned, he knelt in front of Jack and put the wet cloth on his bleeding lip.

“Jack, please just let me explain.”

“The only thing I want to know from you is if you’re taking me back to Anchorage,” Jack mumbled with the cloth tightly pushed up against his lip. “It’s him or your family.”

Defeated, Mac said, “Let me get dressed.”

Brad came out of the bathroom, and as he walked past Jack sitting on the couch, he said with a grin, “How was that for a fairy loverboy ass-whipping, Mr. Macho Straight Man?”

Jack looked up and glared at him. “You caught me off guard. You won’t be so lucky next time,” he said with a sneer.

Brad opened his mouth to speak, and Mac held his hand and said, “Enough, Brad.”

“So, Mac, what are you going to do?” Brad asked. “You sending his ass packing, or are you going with him?”

Mac looked at Jack with a pleading look. Jack turned his head in the other direction.

“Jack, can you give us a second?” Mac asked.

Jack, looking pretty ill and very disgusted, stood and walked out to the porch.

“Mac, I told you this day would come,” Brad said. “It came way sooner than either one of us imagined, but it came just the same. And what you do right now will affect the rest of your life
and
my life.”

“Brad, I’ve got to fly him home. He won’t be able to get another pilot to come and get him on such short notice, and it’s obvious he won’t stay here. What can I do?” Mac asked.

“The way I see it, the one thing Jack is right about is your two choices,” Brad said. “I would prefer that you let the asshole fend for himself. Hell, I’ll even pay to put him up at the lodge until he can get a flight back. But if you choose to go, you shouldn’t come back.”

“Brad, you can’t be serious?”

“I’m very serious, Mac. This is the time in one’s life when you stand up for what’s right or turn and run, with your tail between your legs. And from the look on your face, I can see that your tail is tucked and ready to go.”

“Brad, it’s not that simple,” Mac pleaded.

“Oh, but it is,” he shot back. “It’s him or me, Mac, very simple choice. And right now, in this very second, I don’t care who you choose.”

“Brad, you’re pissed, and you have a right to be, but you can’t mean that,” Mac said.

“I’m such a stupid fool,” Brad whispered. “I knew I was holding on to some fantasy world, believing that when push came to shove, you’d choose me.”

“Brad,” Mac pleaded.

“Just stop, Mac,” Brad said. “Jeff was the only man I could ever count on, and I was so naïve to think that there would be anyone else. You’ve obviously made your decision, so please go.”

Mac listened with teary eyes as Brad’s words cut right through to his heart. He had brought Brad back to life and nurtured him into a sense of security that wasn’t real. How could he have done that? He had really thought he loved Brad, but he couldn’t commit to this lifestyle. He couldn’t disappoint Jack. He and Jack were brothers in every sense of the word. Jack was Zoe-Grace’s only uncle, and he couldn’t take that away from her. And Zoe-Grace—how would she handle this? He just couldn’t disrupt what little family he had left, no matter how he felt about Brad. His decision was made.

Mac turned away from Brad and took his clothes into the bathroom. Brad went to the kitchen and started making coffee.

I’m gonna need a lot of this today
, Brad thought.

When Mac came out of the bathroom, he was dressed and carrying his toiletries bag. He climbed the ladder to the loft, packed what few clothes he’d brought, and threw the bag over the rail. He climbed back down and walked into the kitchen.

“I’m so sorry, Brad,” he whispered.

“I’m the sorry one,” Brad said. “I’ll get all your tools down to the lodge, and you can pick them up there. I’ll have my bank send you a check to cover your half of the investment, and it will all be over, just as quickly as it started.”

Mac reached out to touch Brad, but Brad pulled away.

“Mac, I’m not trying to be dramatic. I’m doing everything I can to keep it together right now, and the slightest touch from you will send everything tumbling down around me. I can’t have that be your last thought of me, and I won’t give Jack the satisfaction. Now just please go, I’m begging you.”

Mac turned around, picked up his bag, and walked out of the door. Brad shakily slid down into a kitchen chair. He folded both of his arms on the table, laid his head in his arms, and silently started to weep.

M
AC
hopped on the snowmobile with Jack behind him and took off at record-breaking speed. When he got down the mountain, he dropped Jack off at the plane and took the snowmobile to the lodge. After stowing the vehicle away, he walked inside and found Jake.

“Jake, this thing with Brad and me sharing the cabin isn’t going to work,” he explained. “I’m going back to Anchorage and, unfortunately, I have to resign as your lodge pilot.”

“What are you talking about, Mac?” Jake said. “You’ve been with us since, well, almost the beginning.”

“I know, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and I’m sorry,” Mac said as he hung his head. “When I get to Anchorage, I’ll make a few calls and see if I can hook you up with another pilot.”

“Damn it, Mac,” Jake shouted. “We don’t want another pilot. What in the hell is going on with you and Brad? Zander and I picked up on something last night. Excuse me if I’m crossing the line here, but are you two romantically involved?”