I launch myself at him, wrapping so tightly around him, I refuse him any space. I breathe in his spicy skin, surrounding him, covering him, as he grips me just as tightly. “You’re not alone, Tobias,” I say softly. “I’m not going anywhere, not if I can help it.”
He grips my head and gazes up at me, the sorrow I saw seconds before replaced by a sort of peace. He cements our lips together and separates them with his tongue in gentle exploration. Drawn in, I kiss him back, feeling every ounce of love in his kiss while feeding him my own.
Not long after, we get lost. He lifts from the couch with me wrapped around him, carrying me wordlessly to the bedroom. And with each step, I feel his decision.
They can wait. For just a little longer, they can all fucking wait.
Pulling up from another exhausting day, I find Tobias in the front yard with Beau, his smile warming me as the dog leaps at his feet, eager for something in his hand. I catch the tail end of their conversation as I exit my Audi.
“Devrions-nous montrer à maman sur quoi nous travaillons?” Shall we show Mama what we’ve been working on?”
“Oui,” I reply as Tobias reaches over a dancing Beau to grip me in his hold and kiss me breathless.
“Salut Maman.” Hello, Mama.
“Bonjour Frenchman.” Hello, Frenchman. “What are you two up to?”
Tobias’s gaze glitters over me, his smile reaching his eyes. “I have a surprise.” He gives Beau a stern look before he barks out his first order.
“Assis.” Sit. Beau immediately sits on his haunches.
“You can’t take credit. I taught him that,” I taunt.
“Roule.” Roll. Beau immediately rolls over, and I clap with glee as Tobias rewards him with a treat.
Beau pants, waiting for his next order as Tobias lifts the treat eye level.
“Pattes en l’air.” Hands up.
I laugh as Beau raises on his hind legs putting his paws up in surrender.
“Ah, ah,” Tobias keeps him in the air, right before he converts his hand into an imaginary gun. “Bang, bang.”
Beau goes down in a rehearsed heap.
“Oh, my God!” I exclaim as I kiss both men furiously while giving them praises.
“How long have you been working on that?” I ask as Tobias ushers us both inside.
“A few weeks.”
“You could be a dog trainer.”
“I can barely tolerate him,” he scoffs, giving me a snobby side-eye.
“You love him.”
“He did give me a mercy fuck when you wouldn’t,” he shrugs, and I slap his chest. He grins, making quick work of retrieving ingredients from the fridge.
“How was your day, Trésor?”
“Just a day,” I say, darting my eyes toward the bedroom, anxious for another journal entry. For the last few weeks, he’s given me huge glimpses into his life, recalling bits and pieces of the years I’ve missed. Sometimes he’ll expand over dinner on what he’s written, and other times he refuses to discuss anything more in-depth. But his story is by far one of the most fascinating I have ever read. The day at the track, where he bet everything he had to start Exodus being one of my favorites. Every paragraph gives bits and pieces of his, Sean, and Dom’s pasts, eliminating some of the mystery behind them, while only making them more intriguing. Every detail I savor, which only makes my love and appreciation grow.
“I’m going to shower,” I say as Tobias closes the fridge and grabs me by the hand, jerking me back to him.