Rumor Has It (Longwood U)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

DAK

I stand at the fore of the catamaran with the dock line in my hand as we get closer to the dock. Proud of how much I’ve learned about boating over the last few weeks. I can kind of read the radars and sonar. I’m not too bad at steering, though to be fair, the open water isn’t an obstacle course. I haven’t tried in harbors and I’m not too keen on doing that any time soon.

While I don’t always remember what everything is called, I’m doing pretty well at… mooring? Is that what it’s called when you park a boat? To be clear, not the part where I’m actually steering the boat. I can tie us off like a champ, though. Thus what I’m waiting to do.

In the distance as we’re nearing our dock, I can see Edin and Morgan. Edin’s curls are hard to miss. And when the little girl in the sundress who’s clinging to his hand finally sees me, her face breaks out into a grin and she points, jumping like the excited five-year-old she is.

I wave, which only makes Morgan more excited.

My stomach flips nervously as I glance back at Sparrow. While I’ve been claiming not to have been hiding him from Edin, I think maybe I have been subconsciously. Which is stupid. I know he’s not going to care. He loves my dads and they’re very obviously gay.

The engine cuts off as we glide closer to the dock. I’m always amazed by how Sparrow gets this right every single time, the first time. Our momentum slows as the boat makes its way in, turning marginally until we’re parallel, and fuck if we don’t come to a stop almost exactly lined up with the… hook thingies. Already forgot what they’re called, despite Sparrow telling me repeatedly.

“Uncle Dak!” Morgan exclaims.

I grin as I toss the line out and around the hook. Then I climb out after it and secure it in a figure eight the way Sparrow showed me until I’m sure it’s not going anywhere. Sparrow finishes the one on the other end as I make my way to Edin and Morgan.

Crouching down, Morgan leaps into my arms and I squeeze her tightly. I’m always surprised with how much strength she has in her little body. Her hold is just as fierce as mine.

“I missed you, Uncle Dak,” she says quietly.

Sighing, I kiss the side of her head. “Missed you too, Mo Mo. But we’re going to have so much fun together this week. Aren’t we?”

She steps back, nodding excitedly. “Yes!”

I kiss her forehead and get to my feet, yanking Edin in for a hug, too. His embrace is just as tight as his daughter’s. For a long minute, I hug my best friend. “I’m really glad you’re here,” I murmur.

Edin nods imperceptibly. “Me too.”

After another minute, I take a step back and turn. Sparrow holds out the life jacket we bought for Morgan, and I hand it to Edin. He’s spotted Sparrow now and there’s definitely curiosity as he studies him. “Help your daughter with this. We got a few different styles in case one is more comfortable than the others, but I think this one might not be bad. Though I’m not sure I want to walk around with a strap between my legs, chafing all day, but kids have different irritation thresholds.”

Edin snorts. While he helps Morgan, I hand his luggage to Sparrow. They didn’t bring much. There are two medium suitcases and two backpacks. Plus what I assume to be Morgan’s pillow, but maybe Edin sleeps with a unicorn pillow now. People change.

Sparrow brings the luggage into the cabin and likely drops it in their room as I turn to help Morgan on. “Big step, baby. Ready?”

“It’s not that big, Uncle Dak,” she says as she practically leaps. Not that Edin isn’t holding onto the strap of her life jacket while I have her hands. As soon as she gets on board, she looks at the giant net hanging over the open water. “Wow, cool! Can I sit there, Daddy?”

Edin looks at the net warily.

“That’s what it’s made for,” I tell him, “but not until we get going.”

“When we get out to sea,” Edin tells Morgan. “Come sit on the couch-bench-lounge seats for now. What are these even called?”

“That’s about as good as my boat language. But I think the technical term is ‘seating.’”

Edin laughs. It’s so fucking good to hear his laughter.

Sparrow returns and stops beside me. And now there’s only one thing left to do. “This is Edin and his daughter, Morgan.” Which was really unnecessary to say. Obviously that’s who we just picked up. “This is Sparrow.”

Edin’s eyebrow raises as he looks at me. Then makes a very pointed look at Sparrow, making sure I know he sees that my almost entirely naked man is a, well… man. He’s not in a Speedo now, but his shorts are short and kind of tight. Not inappropriately tight, but definitely hinting at the package inside. I’m in sports shorts. No hinting at anything here.

Edin grips my wrist and pulls my hand up, making another pointed look. This time at my wedding band. His gaze rises to meet my eyes.

Sparrow chuckles. “This isn’t long term parking, so I’m going to move us around to refuel while you catch up Edin.” He kisses the side of my jaw and Morgan giggles.

I watch him walk away, untying the boat, then making his way toward the captain’s office or whatever. He’s at the wheel.

Morgan twists in her seat to watch him, getting on her knees to see over the cabin. “So,” I begin, not taking my eyes off Morgan. “There may be some things I didn’t tell you.”

“Such as the fact that Sparrow isn’t, in fact, a woman? Or that you’re married and didn’t invite me to your wedding?”

“Can I watch, Daddy?” Morgan asks, trying to lengthen her spine so she can see.

I grab Edin’s wrist and pull him toward Morgan. With my hand through the straps of her life jacket, I nudge her so she can stand and see Sparrow better as he maneuvers us away from the dock. He grins at Morgan, winking, as he brings us away from the dock. Morgan giggles, covering her mouth with her hand.

With Morgan’s attention occupied, I turn back to Edin. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I swear to you, I tried to tell you many times but—this isn’t exactly how I mean it—but I just didn’t want to burden you with… this.”

Edin sighs. “Dak, you could have told me. You listen to me bitch about her all the time. If you were going through some sexuality crisis, that’s the kind of thing we used to share.”

I grip his wrist again and pull him to me, not letting go of his daughter, even though we’re not moving quickly. We’re still in a crowded harbor on the way to refuel, then empty the dirty water tanks and refill the clean water tanks.

With him so close, I lean in and say, “I’ve been so fucking scared for you. I can hear the defeat in your voice get a little louder every time we talked and while I wanted to tell you, I just… you were going through some real shit while I was just maybe questioning what I knew about myself a little.”

Edin closes his eyes, and I don’t miss the moisture there. He rests his head against my shoulder. I don’t think he’s hiding it from me, but from Morgan. Who happens to turn around and her smile drops right away.

“What’s wrong, Daddy?”

He takes a breath and picks up his head, using his finger and thumb to rub his eyes. “Nothing, baby. Sun is bright.”

She pulls off her sunglasses and offers them to Edin. “Want my sunglasses?”

Edin smiles. “No, sweetheart. I’m sure Uncle Dak has a pair I can borrow.”

I reach around him to pull his from where they’re hooked in his belt loop and hold them up. “Keep them,” I say.

He chuckles. Morgan grins and turns her attention back to Sparrow. We don’t talk much while Sparrow moves us around the harbor, first refueling and then to the water station. Morgan is fascinated by the whole thing.

Before we head back out to sea, I give control over Morgan’s strap to her father and head below deck to grab a handful of waters. I drop off two bottles and a juice box with Edin and head around the bulkhead to my husband to make sure he stays hydrated. He has a canopy over his head, but it’s still hot and will get hotter the further south we travel. Which is where we’re going.

“Everything okay?” he asks as I place the water in the cup holder. His arm circles my waist, pulling me close.

“Yes.”

“He take your new gayness all right?” Sparrow gives me a wink, his eyes flickering to mine briefly as he grins, but most of his attention is on getting us safely out of the harbor.

“We haven’t really gotten there yet, but I’m sure he will. I’m going to ride with them for a bit. That okay?”

Sparrow spares me a second and kisses me deeply. So thoroughly that I feel slightly lightheaded, and my dick is beginning to poke him. “Yes. I’m perfectly content getting us moving, Risk.”

I nod. “Is it okay if we’re on the net once we get out of the harbor?”

He nods, his attention back on our surroundings. “Yep. Stay away from the very edge, though. Keep a hand on Morgan too, please. She’s very light and I don’t want her to fly away if we hit an errant big wave.”

“Noted.”

I kiss him along his jaw, feeling the way he smiles, though he’s a very responsible boater (that’s the official term, right?) and keeps his focus on the buoys and ships and boats and even a fucking kayak around us.

Returning to Edin and Morgan, I take a seat with them. Morgan’s happily watching everything around us though as soon as I sit down, she’s looking at me slyly. “I saw you kiss that man, Uncle Dak.”

Edin shakes his head, chuckling. “Did you?”

She nods and leans close as if she’s going to tell me a secret. “Do you like him?”

Laughing, I wrap and arm around her and hug her to my side. “I like him very much. He’s my husband.”

Her eyes go wide. “Really?”

“Mm-hm.”

At first she’s beaming, but then her smile turns into a pout. “You told me I could be a flower girl when you got married. And Daddy would be your best man.”

“Mm-hm,” Edin agrees.

I sigh. “I promise, I’ll make it up to you. Okay? Anything at all.”

“I want to swim with sharks!”

“No,” Edin answers before I can. “Not a fucking chance.”

“Daddy!” Morgan says, eyes wide.

“Sharks eat people, sunshine. No swimming with sharks.”

“Not all sharks,” she argues indignantly.

“How about dolphins?” I suggest. “And stingrays. Maybe some sea turtles. There’s also a place Sparrow is going to bring us to where we can see shipwrecks and we don’t even need to dive to see them.”

Her eyes get wide. “Really? We can do that?”

“Definitely. But Daddy’s right. No sharks.”

“Okay!”

Sparrow gives me a wave once we’re in open water to indicate we can get on the net now. I take a seat and help Morgan down as Edin looks on hesitantly. Once Morgan is settled within reach and I can keep a hand in the straps of her life jacket while she’s on her stomach watching, Edin climbs down to sit beside me.

“This is nerve-wracking,” he notes.

“This is exactly what it’s made for,” I assure him. He sits close and I grip his arm, giving him as much reassurance of his safety as I am Morgan’s. I’m not sure if him leaning heavily into me is an emotional need or if he’s that nervous.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I tell him. “Whatever made you change your mind, I’m really glad you’re here.”

Edin has taken off his sunglasses again, and they’re hooked in the collar of his tee. He closes his eyes, and I can see the pain in his expression. “I had a knife in my hand,” he whispers. “Morgan was asleep and Lydia was working. I just wanted it all to go away. I was ready. Even the thought of my daughter in the house, likely being the one to find me, wasn’t enough to stop me.” He rubs absently at his chest. “I was going to do it.”

His jaw trembles and there are tears in his eyes as he squeezes them. I shift so I can wrap my arm around him, trying to fight my own tears. I knew I was scared for a real reason. “Edin,” I whisper, hugging him as tightly as I can.

Edin buries his face in my side and for a minute, he cries. Just a minute. He’s far too aware that Morgan is right here and though the engine and the sounds of the water is loud enough to drown out his words so they don’t reach his daughter and she’s currently occupied with watching the world go by, it wouldn’t take much for her to turn around and see him like this.

Morgan is very obviously aware of Edin in general. She’s constantly looking back at him, as if she’s checking on him. I doubt either of them realize why she’s doing it.

He takes a deep breath and sits up again, though he’s still leaning heavily against my side. “Mo came out of her room crying. Had a bad dream. I tossed the knife away to hold her, but… that was it. That was the moment I knew that I had to leave. At least for a while. I had to get out of there.”

“Edin, I’m not letting you go back.”

His laugh is humorless as he wipes his tears from his face. Edin takes several deep breaths. “The money I have won’t last forever. And… I don’t know if I can take Mo away from her. Even though I really fucking want to. Do I have that right?”

“Look, Daddy!” Morgan says, getting to her knees and pointing. I grip her strap a little tighter. “Look at that big ship!”

It’s a cruise boat with the sides painted wildly bright colors.

“There’s a slide on it! Look. And a spaceship on top!”

Edin laughs. “That’s cool, baby.”

“Do they have a hammock like this?”

“No,” Edin says.

“Then this boat is better. I can see the water under me. I can feel it splash when we jump on waves!”

I grin. Edin sighs, resting his head on my shoulder as he watches Morgan.

Once Morgan is occupied watching the world around her again, I lean into Edin and whisper, “It’s going to be all right. I promise.”

I wonder if Sparrow would be up for adopting my best friend and his daughter. Because I’m not letting them go back.