Rumor Has It (Longwood U)

Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

DAK

Morgan thinks it’s the best thing in the world having a bed tucked inside a cubby above her father’s. She’s just as excited for bedtime as she is for everything else we’re doing. They have their own bathroom and there’s a lounging area opposite their bedroom. She loves that we cook on the boat and eat on the deck in the middle of the ocean.

I don’t have a chance to talk to Edin about me and Sparrow until the afternoon of our first full day at sea. Morgan knows her father is upset, so she kind of clung to him for most of the evening yesterday. Even with as excited as she was about everything around her, she knew her father needed her.

My greatest fears were true. The fact that I almost lost Edin… It makes me furious. Not just at Lydia for being a raging bitch, but also at his parents for forcing him into this situation he feels trapped in. Yes, he was irresponsible and knocked a girl up at fifteen. That doesn’t mean he deserves to be miserable for the rest of his life.

I didn’t tell Sparrow last night, even though I knew he knew I was upset. All I kept imagining was getting that call from my dads telling me Edin was dead. That he’d killed himself. It’s the first time in a very long time I actually cried. Like full on sobbed.

Not the kind of tears that I cried with Sparrow. This was different. I was so close to losing my best friend. I knew he needed help, but I didn’t help him. I didn’t know how. And it was almost too late.

Sparrow didn’t ask. He held me all night without a word. Holding me tightly as I shook. I couldn’t erase the image of Edin bloody on the kitchen floor with a knife in his chest. And then Mo standing over him. She’d have been traumatized for life.

The next morning I hug Edin tightly, but don’t tell him that I’m filled with nightmares now. I’m not letting him go. I don’t care if I have to resort to kidnapping, he’s not going back there. He found the strength to leave once, but who knows if he’ll have it again. Who knows if Morgan will be enough to stop him next time.

Fact is, his situation back home hasn’t changed. And it’s not going to.

“Time to spill,” Edin says as we’re sitting in the bench seat by Sparrow, who has Morgan sitting on his lap, showing her all the controls of his boat.

The way I fucking melted when she asked him if she could help him drive and he offered his hand. Seeing them make their way to the captain’s steering place (nope, still don’t know the name of it) had my heart beating intensely.

We followed them more for Edin’s peace of mind so he could see that Morgan was safe. We’re not right on their laps, though. They’re enjoying their time together and we’re sitting off to the side.

“Tell me how Dak Bozik went from obsessed with titties to marrying a man.”

I snort. “I was not obsessed.”

“It was your favorite body part!”

Was it? It feels so long ago. And… I don’t even miss it.

Sighing, I start from the beginning. All the things I never told him, but that I’d wanted to. “I first saw him last year. Not this past school year but at the end of last year. I was always just… frozen when I saw him. Staring from afar. Seriously, it even felt creepy to me.”

“That is creepy, dude.”

I grin. “Yeah well. I just kind of wrote it off. If I’d felt arousal at that point, I might have better understood, but seriously, I was just…” My words trail off as I remember. “Entranced. Completely and utterly captivated. Still, I figured eventually one or both of us wo uld graduate and that would be it. Not a big deal. Some strange college curiosity or whatever.” I look at Edin. “Have I ever told you about Rumor?”

“It feels vaguely familiar, but I’m not sure why.”

“So, there’s this frat on campus called DIK.” Edin snorts. “They run this well-known secret society of sorts that’s basically a gay chicken competition. It’s invite only and you get randomly paired with another guy for the most part. Whoever makes it furthest without backing out first wins. $50 per milestone or whatever—kissing, groping, jerking, etc.”

“You were invited,” Edin says, nodding.

“Yep. At first, I kind of scoffed at the idea, but I thought that maybe if I went, I could figure out if maybe I’m a little bisexual and that’s why I was so obsessed with Sparrow every time I saw him, or I wasn’t into men as I hadn’t been for my entire twenty years and… remain confused as fuck.”

He grins.

“Well, I was matched with Sparrow, and it was definitely enlightening.”

“You’re hard for dudes,” he says, amused.

I huff. “No. Okay, yes, but not dudes, as in plural. Through a series of visits—most of which involved Sparrow because I was obviously there looking for him and no one else—I discovered that my weird obsession-from-afar definitely did have a sexual component. It was only for Sparrow, and I didn’t want to be touched by anyone else. Also, I have some camera issues.”

Edin laughs.

“So, yeah. I ran out on him like a dozen times, until finally I hung around until he came outside and I asked if I could talk to him privately…”

“And you had no problems fucking him without a camera present.”

“Correct.”

“Tell me how a fuck landed you into marriage, because I’m not a huge fan of this outcome.”

Sighing, I lean into him. I have a feeling this man is going to be avoiding relationships for the rest of his life now. “We started as friends with benefits. As it turns out, I have a bit of a jealous side, so he stopped going to Rumor and fucked me exclusively. Then I asked him to be my boyfriend. He brought me to a boat, and I learned a lot about Sparrow that I didn’t know. Like he’s a damn genius, which you’d think I’d have figured out, but since I met him as an art major and that’s not something I saw his genius come out in, I was oblivious.”

Edin shakes his head. “The boat is his, huh?”

“Yes. His . Since he was a fucking kid, Edin. He’s seriously impressive. I can’t wait till you get to know him.”

He smiles.

“But yeah, so we went to this gay resort and saw a wedding happening on the beach and things were said and yes, it was kind of a shotgun wedding, but I don’t regret it at all.”

Edin sighs, shaking his head.

Gripping his hand tightly, I tell him, “I understand your reservations, but there are two very distinct differences between our situations, Edin. I’m not fifteen; there’s no pregnancy involved.”

“You sure?” he teases, patting my stomach.

I swat at him, but seriously, if he’s smiling, he can tease me all he wants. “And this is a choice. I made this choice all on my own. I wasn’t forced into it.”

Edin nods, his gaze far away.

“I love him,” I say.

“Dick is that good, huh?” he muses.

I laugh. “It’s different,” I admit.

“Because you’re taking the dick, aren’t you?” Edin gives me an expectant look.

“I’m not even going to answer that. I’m just going to say it’s different because I love him. He loves me. This is a decision we made together, and though I’m going to say this knowing it’s controversial and I don’t believe this in every situation and certainly not my own—marriage doesn’t have to be permanent, Edin. You don’t have to stay married to her. Everything about your situation is shit, and it’s not fair to you to have to live that life. Please, please don’t go back there.”

Edin smiles, but it’s not a real smile. It’s sad and absent. “And do what?” he asks, quietly. “I took what money I could and bailed, but… it’s going to run out, eventually. ”

“How about we don’t worry about money?”

He levels me with a look. “If your situation with Sparrow turns sour, are you going to be able to divorce him?”

“Yes. But again, my situation is very different from yours because I chose this. I love him. I’m twenty-one. But yes, if something happens and it’s best for one or both of us to go our separate ways, yes, we will get a divorce.”

“I hate the idea that you could end up in a situation like mine, Dak. Why did you have to get married right now?”

Yep, this man is never going to trust another relationship. I hate his parents all over again. Twisting in my seat, I wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly. He laughs, but eventually wraps his arms around me too.

“Daddy?”

Edin looks up.

“Are you okay, Daddy?”

“I’m fine, baby girl. Just hugging your uncle.”

“Do you want to cuddle, Daddy?”

“Keep driving us around, Mo. You’re doing so good. I’m so proud of you.”

She grins, but even without looking back, I can feel her reluctance.

“She’s far too aware of what’s going on around her,” Edin whispers. “I didn’t know how to protect her from that. Even shutting her in her room when Lydia went off the walls didn’t keep her oblivious.”

“Mo needs to be away from there as much as you do. Lydia didn’t protest when you took Mo and left?”

“I quit my job but had to work out my notice. That’s why I needed the time. Then I emptied my bank account, packed our shit when Lydia was out, and left without a word. It’s been a week, Dak. She hasn’t even called.”

“A week? We just picked you up yesterday.”

He nods. “We drove around for a while. Stayed in a hotel. I took her to the amusement park. I know it was a whole lot of extravagant waste of money when it’s limited and not being replenished right now but I wanted to put Morgan at ease. Besides, it’s not like I called you in enough time to get here sooner. You were six days away. And I wanted out right then before I chickened out.”

“I’m not letting you go back,” I repeat.

Edin smiles. “Let’s not talk about that for now. I just want to enjoy the peace and watch my daughter smile.”

We spend the next several days doing just that. Cruising around, with each stop keeping Morgan the center of our destination plans. We do everything I blindly suggested to Morgan we’d do without knowing if most of them were even possible. But when I relayed the list to Sparrow, he knew right where to go to fulfill my promise.

Morgan is smitten with Sparrow. The big doe eyes she gives him have me grinning. But it’s the way he treats her that makes me all mushy inside. He’s a natural parent. There’s no impatience in him. Never do I get the impression that he needs a break from her. When Edin or I suggest it or even ask him, he waves us off.

My chest tightens the more I watch them together. While I’d like to think it’s because I can’t wait to share a kid with him and watch him raise our babies, I think more than anything, it’s seeing the way he’s taking care of my best friend with me and Morgan. If I wasn’t already completely in love with him, I would be now. No doubt in my mind.

Our sex has been tame since Edin and Morgan came aboard. But tonight, night four of them being here, I’ve had enough tame. It’s late when I drag Sparrow from our room with some of our blankets and pillows, and onto the net over the water and strip him.

He doesn’t object as I maneuver us where I want him. I get his dick inside me and roll us awkwardly so I’m practically pinned beneath him. The words I need to say to him as I fuck myself on his dick while his weight crushes me into the net don’t come. When I run out of steam, Sparrow picks up where I left off, fucking me hard.

It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve heard him get hot. The way his teeth run over my skin. His moans and grunts. How he squeezes my wrists, keeping me still. And fuck, his words! Everything is so fucking erotic, it isn’t long before I lose my load. It spills through the net and into the ocean.

When I’ve caught my breath, Sparrow rolls us backward so I’m speared on top of him, my entire weight holding us down. With my back to his chest, I gasp, swearing that his cock is poking me in the eyes through my ass. It aches.

“I love you,” I say, moving my body on him because I just can’t help myself. Every movement is so intense because I’ve just come and am definitely sensitive right now. “I love how you accepted Edin and Mo. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“Turns you on, huh?” he asks, low voice in my ear.

I laugh. “Yeah, kinda. But I mean it, Sparrow.”

“I know you do. It’s not a hardship, Dak. I enjoy their company, and I’m glad we can offer them this escape.”

I’m about to ask him when he’d like to consider kids because if I’m horny for anything right now, it’s seeing my husband as a father to our child. The thought of it fills me with such longing, so much fucking love, I can barely breathe.

I’m startled when Edin is suddenly standing over us. I abruptly sit up, which does nothing but sink Sparrow deeper into me and has me not only jerking and gasping, but cussing too. With my head spinning, I quickly cover my cock with my hands and look up at Edin with wide eyes.

He looks both embarrassed and highly amused.

“Please tell me we didn’t wake you,” I say, voice a little choked and quite a bit breathless.

“You didn’t,” he promises, taking a step back. “I couldn’t sleep and… didn’t expect you out here.”

My mind immediately goes to the idea that maybe he still wants to end it. “Do I need to lock up the knives?” I ask, but what I’m really asking is if he was going to jump.

Edin takes a breath and shakes his head. His arms circle his stomach, and he looks around. “No,” he whispers. “I’m okay.”

Glancing back at Sparrow, I give him an apologetic look. He just smiles. Grabbing a blanket, I cover myself and then wave Edin to join us on the net. “This is going to be slightly awkward and I’m only partially sorry, but come down here.”

He gives me a wary look, his eyes moving between me and Sparrow.

“I’m not sharing my husband,” I deadpan, rolling my eyes. “Nor am I inviting you to join us like that, Edin. But get your ass down here. Don’t make me get off this dick.”

Sparrow sputters laughter behind me.

Edin, cheeks red in the moonlight, climbs down next to us. Sparrow rolls us back onto our sides and I try like fuck not to gasp too much. Edin gives me a bemused look.

“It’s called cock warming,” I say, working hard to keep my voice as even as I can. “Awkward for this moment, but we were in the middle of something here.”

Edin laughs again. “I can go back inside.”

I reach for his hand and tangle our fingers together. “I’ll let you go on one condition.” His eyes meet mine in the moonlight. “You have to promise me you’re not… thinking of…”

He scoots a little closer and, fuck it, I’m going to make this awkward as fuck for all of us. I reach for him, dragging Edin closer so I can hug him. He laughs and yes, it’s totally awkward. But a minute later, his arms wrap around my shoulders.

“This is weird,” he mutters.

“I’m going to be an expert multitasker,” I tell him, clenching my ass muscles. Sparrow groans quietly and I grin. His hands on my hips tighten. “Edin?—”

“I don’t think I was,” he says quietly. “But I guess I don’t know for sure. I’m… glad you’re out here, though I hesitate to say that right now.”

I grin but squeeze him. He’s so damn touch starved. Affection starved. I can feel it more than just his tight embrace. That he’s willing to hug me right now when I have my husband’s hard cock in my ass with no intention on either of our parts to change that.

“I have a question, and I need you to answer me honestly. Okay?”

Edin nods.

“Are you safe to be alone?”

He takes a breath and holds it. I’m not surprised when he shakes his head a little.

“Then you’re staying right here. I’ve already come, so you just have to suffer through Sparrow’s orgasm.”

Edin laughs. “Jesus, Dak.”

But sexy time is definitely over. Sparrow doesn’t remove himself from my body for a while, but eventually, he does. He doesn’t leave us, though. He reaches around me and pulls Edin closer so I can hug him at a less awkward angle, and that’s how we stay for most of the night.

When we eventually go inside around dawn, I go with Edin and hug him close while he sleeps. The image of him in a pool of blood haunts me, and I’m not willing to let that be even the least bit of a possibility. I’m thankful that Sparrow understands without me having to say so.

I might be a jealous man, but Sparrow is very supportive. It melts my heart the next morning when he kisses the side of Edin’s head in the same way he does Morgan’s at breakfast. Without a word.

Edin bows his head.

And I fall in love all over again. I didn’t even have to jokingly ask Sparrow to adopt them. He already has.