“Good.” Renzo’s new team was extremely close-knit, with a lot of the families having been friends for years, but they’d welcomed him and Canaan both.
“I sat in with that band I told you about—The Parent Trap. It’s just a casual thing, but it’s a fun group. You missed all the drum noise.”
“I don’t mind the noise.” He gave Canaan another kiss simply because he could. Canaan had found a group of older adults, mainly military spouses, who played in a small local bar on an occasional basis. Their current drummer was out on maternity leave, giving Canaan a chance to sit in, see if he liked the music scene in the area.
“And your mother called like every other day. Hard to be lonely.” Canaan laughed. “I’d tell you to call her, let her know you’re back, but I want you to myself for a few hours.”
“I sent her a text. She can wait. They’re still coming down for Easter?”
“Yup. Five bucks says she comes with wedding brochures.”
“Sorry,” Renzo groaned. Ever since Renzo had let it slip that Canaan wasn’t opposed to kids someday in the future, his mother had made getting them married a top priority. The way Renzo figured it, they’d had a lot of rapid fire life changes all at once and needed to get their feet under them first, but she was pretty determined.
“Don’t be. I like your family a lot. And we better not wait too long—Grandpa and Arslan’s mother could beat us to the chapel.” Canaan absentmindedly touched his necklace.
“Can’t have that.” Renzo nuzzled Canaan’s neck, drinking in his scent and nearness. Someday, not too much in the future, he was going to replace the medallion with some better, more permanent hardware for Canaan. “God, I love you. So much.”
“Love you too. And you better eat. I’ve got serious plans for you after that shower.”
“Yeah? Is the magic lube involved?” He grinned at Canaan, who moved back to his own chair to eat.
“Might be,” Canaan said primly. “Be nice and I’ll let you pick how we use it.”
“You’re fucking fabulous, you know that?”
“Not just all right?” Canaan beamed at him.
“I’ll show you all right.” Renzo ate faster. Sometime in the past few months, he’d become way more comfortable with sex, to the point that his old issues felt like a lifetime ago. Maybe it was ditching the condoms. Maybe it was making this commitment to each other, the move, the house, all of it. Maybe it was having to survive a few months with only video chat and his right hand. Maybe it was simply Canaan and how at ease and confident he made Renzo feel.
“You’ve got a few days off before your chief’s exam, right?” Canaan asked between bites. “I was thinking maybe we could squeeze in a skydive?”
“Hell yes.” Renzo wanted that almost more than sex. Their last jump together had been in December, right after Canaan’s graduation. Sharing something he loved so much with the man he loved made him almost happier than he could bear. “You thinking another tandem jump?”
“Yup. I love jumping together. And I trust you.”
Maybe someday Canaan would want to jump on his own. And that would be okay, too, because it would still be together, still be part of this life they were building together. Canaan might trust Renzo to keep him safe in the air, but Renzo trusted Canaan to ground him, keep his heart and soul safe. Canaan made him believe in the ultimate freefall—a forever together.