Discovering Dalton(73)

Dalton went silent, and Liam worried he’d said something he shouldn’t. “He wanted me to be happy and to not waste my life mourning him or my marriage ending. That’s all he wanted me to promise before he died, and I think I’ve fulfilled that promise to him. I can’t say what his reaction would be, he wasn’t homophobic, but he rarely discussed things like that with me anyway. I like to think he’d be happy if I was happy, and that’s the end of it. I don’t worry over if I would have found acceptance. He died before I could even ask for it. I tend to not look back now, only forwards. Going back so much just frustrated me, so it ended.”

“I think your dad would be proud of you, Dee. I know me and Troy are. You’re strong, Baby, and we love you for it. Even if it doesn’t make it out in words, it’s there.”

“Liam… Troy loves you, and I'm hoping the look in his eyes and how he reacts to me means he loves me too, but it’s so early I'm not going to worry over it. He needs time, we all still need time.”

“Time is one thing which always runs out too fast.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean, and I’ve wasted enough over the years to know I'm not going to hold back just to please other people. I'm happy as we are, but let Troy make his own path and just be there to support him. There’s no rush. I'm not going anywhere, you’re not going anywhere, he just needs to believe in that.”

Liam sighed, running a hand over his head. They all had worries, concerns which would only be resolved over time and when they trusted each other more.

It had been barely a week since they decided to try the ménage, and Liam needed to remind himself of that. Although he had years with Troy, what they used to have had changed. Even though to Liam it was a minor change. Troy would come around soon enough and see it wasn’t such a big deal.





Chapter 45



Dalton was glad to be home. He enjoyed thinking of the loft as home, but really, it would never be the loft. It was Liam and Troy who were his home, and anywhere they were, Dalton wanted to be. After a long shift, he was more than ready to fall back on the sofa and chill out with something warm to drink and hopefully some hot food.

When he walked inside, he could smell cooking, and he glanced into the kitchen, seeing Liam busy with a joint of beef he’d just pulled from the oven. He liked to cook, well, all of them did really. They took turns and it never felt like a chore. “Smells good.”

Liam smiled as he turned, stilling as he looked Dalton up and down. It wasn’t often he came home in uniform, usually changing at the station, but that night he was just in too much of a rush to get home. “Look at you, all dressed up and looking sexy.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Dalton undid his collar, sitting at the bar and kissing Liam, still feeling his heavy gaze on every part of him. “Look, how about you feed me, then you and Troy can strip me out of this and get me in the shower.”

“Sounds like a plan I want to be part of.” Liam chuckled, kissing him again.

“Who wouldn’t want to be involved in that?” Troy padded softly behind them both, winding bare arms around Dalton and kissing him.

Dalton breathed in them both with a deep sigh. “I’ve missed you today. Half way through I was clock-watching. This desk job is killing me. I mean, we get too much time in there while we’re on duty, but actually being there all day—” Dalton huffed. “I need to be out in the car again.”

Liam popped a bit of beef in his mouth. “It’s only been two weeks. You’re due to get back out there next week, right?”

Dalton and Troy sighed quietly. This was an issue for Liam. He was happier having Dalton tucked behind a nice safe desk, but out on the streets of Manchester was another thing. None of them were looking forward to Dalton’s shifts changing. So far he’d got away with more sociable hours, but next week he would be finishing at ten p.m., the week after that he’d be starting at six a.m.

It was a life Dalton had become used to over the years, but he wasn’t going to lie and say the hours were perfect and that they weren’t going to cause issues in their relationship. He just hoped between the three of them they could keep things running smoother than how it had been with just two. At least no one would be lonely sitting at home all by themselves.

“I’ve got a new partner.” Dalton didn’t know why he thought this should be brought up, but he was hoping it may make Liam feel better knowing he had a guy he could rely on when he got back out on patrol. “He’s called Kellan.”

“Okay. Better than the woman who used to chat you up all the time, huh?” Liam grinned at him.

“Yeah, now he can have another man chatting him up.” Troy laughed, soon stopping when Liam threw him a dark look. “Or maybe not.”

“He’s not going to be chatting me up. He seems nice. We met up today, had lunch. He’s six feet four and built like a brick wall.” Dalton chuckled. “I thought you may like that.”

Liam grunted, leaning on the bar and inching closer. “And why would I like that?”

“Because… because I'd have someone who could back me up and keep you from worrying about my safety.” Dalton pursed his lips together. “You're jealous over anyone I mention. It’s not like I'm going to fuck anyone. Hell, I went through most of my adult life having one person in my bed, I even chose not to have any sex rather than pull random men and screw them. That’s more than I can say for you. If anyone has the right to be worried, it’s me and Troy.”

Liam stood with his hands on his hips.

“He’s not even gay, Liam.” Dalton had no idea about Kellan’s sexual preference. It hadn’t come up and why would it? But he thought it may convince Liam to calm down.

“Well, apparently neither were you, but here you are.”

Dalton stared motionless at Liam for too long and he shifted uncomfortably under the gaze. “Liam, you’ve got to get this through your thick skull. I'm not messing around. I never will.”

Troy stepped around the island and hugged Liam. “Come on. It’s good he has someone with him who’s going to be able to look after him, right? That’s what you’re worried about, so now it’s better.”

Liam rolled his shoulders, finally nodding. “Yeah, but some big guy getting so close to you worries me. You're like this beacon flashing in the night. Everyone loves you.”

Dalton shook his head. If Liam was overreacting now, Dalton didn’t want to know what he’d be like when he finally met Kellan—a walking, talking, living Ken doll which made every female member of staff go cross eyed and dreamy, and every male feel self-conscious over their looks. Of course Dalton noticed him, but he wasn’t going to dive into bed with him. Dalton was a two man person, and that’s how it would always be.

“That Blue is dying to wheedle you into his bed.”

Well… Dalton couldn’t deny that, and Liam knew it, which is why he’d chosen Blue out of all the other men in his life. “Blue’s… I don’t want to hurt him. I like him and so do you, but you know I'd never go there with him. Even before we started seeing each other, I had the chance to be with him but I didn’t. He’s not who I want. I have the only two people I want right here.”

“We should set him up with someone.” Troy was helping dish out the vegetables. “Someone sweet who would be able to stand his own ground with his loud personality.”

“It would be nice to see him with someone, but I don’t know anyone.” Dalton picked up a carrot and ate it. “Besides, I’ve never been good at matching people up. There’s someone out there for him, they just have to find each other like we did.”

Liam sighed as he sat down and Dalton kissed him. “I'm sorry,” Liam said softly. “I'm still not over this whole trust issue and it’s not you, or Troy, it’s me. I’ve got my reasons and you all know them, but it’s not easy.”

“I know.” Dalton held his thigh. “I'm just in a pissy mood.”

“Bad day?” Troy took his hand.

“Hmm.” Dalton was used to not talking about his day at work in great detail. When he got home, Kelly would say he left the job behind and they didn’t talk much about his day or what worried him.

“You can talk about it, you know.” Troy nudged him gently.

“It’s never happy stuff, Troy.” Dalton began slicing through his beef.

“It doesn't matter. If you need to get it off your chest, then do it.” Liam smiled, the concern already brewing in his brown eyes.

This is where the difference was between this relationship and his old one. He felt bad for holding back, for not speaking out like he used to do.

Troy turned to him, clasping his hand tightly. “Dalton, we talk about our day, you never do apart from the bare minimum. Is this what it’s going to be like, or when you get on the streets, is it going to get worse? The job you do, it’s more than a job. You have to deal with a lot of bad shit, and I don’t want that to build up to a point where you come home and have a panic attack like what you used to do with Kelly. Talk to us. We’re big boys, we can deal with it.”