Dalton frowned slightly. Liam knew Dalton didn’t understand why he would take a second look at him when they first met, but honestly, Dalton had never been ugly. Yeah, he’d been a little heavier and carried less muscle, but no matter what size he’d been, Dalton was still attractive. It had been deeper than just a physical attraction, over the months Liam had found Dalton called to him on every level, levels Liam didn’t know existed inside himself until he opened up and let the intriguing Dalton worm his way through his thick, rhino style skin and burrow deep within his chest.
“You don’t believe me, but you don’t believe how I want you now either, so what can I do to make you realise how good looking you are, Dee? You’ve got mirrors, you know how you look. Don’t you see why I would be attracted to you?”
“Now, yeah, maybe.” Dalton looked down the path and Liam followed his gaze, seeing another older couple with three small dogs bounding toward them. Liam sighed and stepped away from Dalton, sitting on the grass verge, making sure his erection was covered from view while Dalton joined him. “I’ve never really been confident in how I look. I was always too skinny, then I was too short, then I was overweight and still short.” He grinned at Liam.
“You're not short. You're around five ten—that’s average. You just feel short because you hang out with me and Milo.”
“Yeah, but I could do with a few extra inches in height.”
“Wear heels.” Liam gave him a shove, laughing at Dalton’s big grin.
“I doubt I could walk in them. Did you see how that guy Blue danced around in those killer shoes?” Dalton shook his head. “I'm not one for heels, but I admire how he pulled off the look.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen him around the clubs. One thing he doesn’t lack is confidence.”
“Have you and him ever…”
“No.” Liam laughed, taking Dalton’s hand in his and holding it tightly. “Never gonna happen. Not my type at all. He’s pretty an all. Like a peacock all bright and proud, but I don’t go for men like him. Like Milo and Danny’s new guy.”
“Samuel.” Dalton picked a handful of grass and let it fly in the breeze. “I don’t think Milo knew that was going to happen. Like you said, never say never, right?”
“You encouraging me to try out this Blue and see what comes of it?” Liam watched Dalton’s smile widen.
“No.”
“Good.” Liam looked into Dalton’s eyes and smiled. “It’s getting late. How about I give you that lift to the police station so you can collect your car and get off to see your dad.”
“Thanks.” Dalton stood up, grabbing Liam and hoisting him to his feet. “I can jog back if you’re busy.”
“You're not jogging after the state I found you in earlier. I’ve got a spare helmet you can wear so it’s no trouble.”
“A helmet?” Dalton paused walking and looked up at him. “A bike? I don’t know, Liam. I’ve never been on one before.”
“You’ll be safe. It’s a big one. I'm not going to be speeding around. Not with a copper on my back anyway.”
Dalton huffed. “I'm not sure I am one anymore.”
“You are, and you’re a good one.”
“I don’t know.” Dalton put his hands back in his pockets and watched his feet hitting the sandy path.
“You are.” Liam wrapped an arm around Dalton’s waist, pulling him closer. “You just need time to feel like that again. In a few weeks, you’ll be back there and feeling better than ever.”
“You have more confidence than I do. I don’t know what I’ll be doing in a few weeks.”
“Well, I don’t know everything, but I do know one thing you’ll be sure to be doing in a few weeks, and that’s be in my bed with this plump mouth around my cock while I watch you suck me off.”
Dalton stiffened, his cheeks colouring, breath speeding up.
“I think you’ll be an amazingly hot fuck, Dee.”
“Liam!” Dalton laughed as he punched his arm.
“What? I have fantasies I need to live out. In fact, I have many, many to live out with you.”
“And then? When they’re all done with and everything on your list is ticked off, what then?”
“I don’t know.” Liam tugged him closer. “I know what I want, but I don’t know how to achieve it. I think we should just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.”
“I'm up for that, just make sure it’s a slow one with not too many bends. I need time to adjust. Not just to you, but to everything.”
“I promise it won’t be more than you can take.” Liam grinned and Dalton shook his head.
“You’re a sweetie,” he replied sarcastically.
“I know. I try really hard to be sugary.” Liam linked his fingers with Dalton’s. “So, first time on a bike, huh? I really like being your first, Dee.”
“Yeah, I know you do. Make it memorable for me.”
“I promise, Dee, everything I do to you, you’ll never forget.”
Dalton chuckled, shaking his head softly at him. “Promises, promises.”
“I always keep my promises.” Liam winked before they both laughed.
Liam wasn’t ready to think about letting Dalton go, but he found himself struggling to think of more with him too. He was at a crossroad in his life, with no idea which direction he should go in. He should follow his own advice and just go with the flow like he’d said to Dalton, but saying and doing a thing was totally different.
Chapter 23
Dalton jerked awake. The beeping from one of his dad’s machines surrounding the hospital bed woke him up from his sleep. He watched as a nurse came running through the door, and then turned to look at his dad. He wasn’t a doctor by any means, but he knew the heart monitor and the erratic lines jumping up and down on its screen weren’t a good sign.
“What’s happening?” He stood up, but kept a good distance back from the bed, giving her room to rush around it.
“He’s having another heart attack.” She shot him a look as she pressed a large button above the bed. “It might be best if you step outside for a bit.”
Dalton watched as a doctor ran into the room, sparing Dalton a glance before taking over the situation. Dalton pressed himself up against the wall, watching as another nurse rushed into the room, all three now crowding around his dad.
Dalton knew this was the moment. It was happening right there in front of his eyes. There was no coming back.
The heart monitor stopped its erratic noises and flashing—a stillness filling the room before a straight line appeared on the screen and a high pitched whine rang out, signalling his dad’s heart was no longer beating. The doctor looked over to him, holding two paddles in his hands which Dalton had seen used on people before in situations like this. He nodded, and the doctor placed them over his dad’s chest. The first shock made his dad’s body rise slightly off the bed, the heart monitor flickering and giving Dalton a small glimmer of hope before it soon changed back to the flat line he feared. On the second shock, there was no movement at all, not even a small jerk and Dalton stepped forwards. He’d discussed reviving his dad beforehand with the doctor, and they knew Dalton didn’t want them to continue. “He’s gone.”
The doctor nodded, looking up at Dalton. “I'm so sorry, Mr Young. There was nothing we could do.”
“I know. It’s okay.” It was anything except okay, but what else could he say? There really was nothing else to be done about the situation. It was time to let go and see his dad in peace.
Dalton stood still as they moved around the bed. The nurse was talking to him and he responded, but he didn’t recall how or what was said. When the machines were switched off, and his dad was free from the wires attached to him, Dalton took a seat beside the bed again and held his hand. When he heard the door close softly behind the last nurse, he bowed his head to his dad’s chest and sobbed.
Four days they had together before that moment. Four days where they’d looked through pictures, shared stories, talked every time his dad opened his eyes. That day had been the worst. His dad had been out of it almost all day and when he did come round it was only murmuring and smiles. Dalton and the nurses had been expecting him to pass during the night, which was why Dalton had slept beside him. It didn’t stop the pain of losing him in any way, though, and Dalton was grateful the staff gave him as much time as he needed before he pulled himself from the chair and gathered his dad’s belongings, packing them up carefully before leaving the room.
He spoke to the nurses and thanked them for all their help before leaving for his car. He drove home in a daze, the lights blinding his puffy eyes. He didn’t know how he made it home safely, but there he was, parked up and looking at the dark, depressing place. It would always be his and Kelly’s home, not his, and he’d thought about selling it. It seemed fair because they both had money tied up in it, and he wanted a new start. It was hard spending so much time living with ghosts from the past.
He didn’t want to move, so he sat in the car, the radio on low, just staring off into the distance. It was two in the morning when he caught the DJ announcing his next song. Dalton rubbed his eyes roughly and then took a deep breath. He should text Kelly, let her know at least. When she woke up, it would be to bad news, but Dalton wanted to get it out of the way while he was still numb. Tomorrow he’d be a mess and he wanted to spend the whole day hiding from everyone.