The footsteps behind him made it obvious Josiah was following him. “You’re working too hard. We don’t have to rush. You didn’t get home until almost one this morning after closing the restaurant. You were here by seven, and you have work in a few hours.”
“So?” Mateo dropped his handful in the corner of the backroom. “I wanna do this for you.”
“I get that, but you don’t have to do it all day every day. It’ll happen. Tris will help on the weekends.”
Mateo groaned. “Jay.”
“Mateo.”
He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Always worryin’. Love that about you, but...” Mateo shrugged. “It’s important for me to be here. I like doin’ this. Why don’t you get your ass in there with me and help?” He cocked a brow at Josiah, who Teo could tell tried to hide his smile but couldn’t.
“There’s another counter we gotta tear out. Help me beat the hell outta it, Jay.” Mateo held his hand out to Josiah. He was determined to do his best to get over the bad shit, to move forward and be happy. He knew that’s what Josiah wanted for them, and it’s what he wanted. It was the only way he knew how to try and get over the past. “Come on. I know you got some pent-up anger in there you need to get out. Just think of all the times I pissed you off.”
“There’s always that,” Josiah said.
“And Tristan. I know he’s gotta piss you off sometimes.” Josiah hadn’t picked one, but two tough men to love. Sometimes Mateo still struggled to wonder what Jay was doing with either of them.
“Do I get to hit first?” Josiah pushed his hair away from his face. Dios, he loved that fuckin’ hair.
“Si.”
With that, Josiah grabbed his hand and led Teo back into the other room. Mateo tossed his goggles to Josiah, waited until he put them on, and then handed him the sledgehammer. “Have at it, tough guy.”
Then he stepped back and watched as Josiah swung the hammer over and over. He got it about halfway apart before Teo took another turn. They talked and laughed as they ripped the thing out before hauling all the shit into the other room. This was the life he wanted. It didn’t matter that he hardly had time to get home and shower before he had to go wash dishes all night.
Afterward, he’d climb in bed with Tristan and Josiah—fuck Jay, or maybe let Tristan fuck him. That made everything worth it.
CHAPTER TEN
Josiah
Josiah moaned when he felt the warm hand on his cheek. Tristan. Even without opening his eyes, he knew it was Tristan and not Teo. He smelled the difference in their skin, felt the difference in their hands. Both made him wild, both were his, but they were each so different and so individually Tristan or Mateo.
“If you don’t wake up, you won’t get your surprise.” Tristan’s even, confident voice broke through the haze of sleep.
Josiah opened his eyes. “Hey.” He looked up at Tristan and noticed he’d shaved today. He loved when he had stubble on his face, though he guessed he loved the smooth look just as much. That was Tristan to the outside world. Smooth.
“I can’t believe I fell asleep. I never take naps. Teo and I worked pretty hard at the shop today.”
He’d showered as Teo left for work, curled up on the couch, and obviously fallen asleep.
“I know. I called him to say hello before he had to go in, since I won’t see him until late.”
Warmth spread through Josiah’s chest when he heard things like that. It cemented that even though he’d been what drew his men together, they needed each other also. That was something Josiah needed. Yet, he wanted more, too...
“We can be waiting for him when he gets home tonight.” Josiah sat up.
Tristan nodded. “We can. For now, you’re coming with me, though.” He held out his hand, much the way Teo had done to Josiah earlier in the day. He took it and let his lover pull him up.
“Where are we going?” Josiah asked.
“You’ll see.”
Tristan, already being prepared, waited while Josiah put his shoes on and grabbed a light jacket. It was only September, but evenings in San Francisco were already chilly.
They went to the parking structure of their new building, heading straight for Tristan’s BMW.
“How was your day?” he asked Tristan as they drove. It was something he always tried to do, even when it was Teo climbing into their bed late at night.
“Okay. I spent the morning in court and the afternoon in meetings.” He said it with no excitement in his voice. No contempt or anything, either, like it just was.
